Forensic sociology: Some cautions and recommendations

This paper uses a research experience involving change-of-venue research and jury work in a mass murder case as a vehicle for discussing a number of problem areas in forensic sociology. Included are discussions of time pressures, secrecy, special methodological problems, and the issue of researcher privilege and dealing with subpoenas. A number of recommendations are made to those planning to become involved in forensic sociology, including having access to legal counsel and special precautions to protect confidential sources. James T. Richardson, a professor of sociology at the University of Nevada-Reno, recently graduated from the Nevada School of Law and passed the Nevada Bar exam. He is a founder of Litigation Technologies, Inc., and is a co-owner of Market Systems Research, Inc. K. Gregory Swain and Jeffrey Codega are co-owners of Market Systems Research, Inc. and of Litigation Technologies, Inc. Kenneth Bazzell is a doctoral student in sociology at the University of Nevada-Reno.     

Commodity chains,foreign investment and labour issues in Eastern Europe

In terms of ownership and operations, many companies in Eastern Europe have now been integrated into the world economy. In this article, informed in part by a critical engagement with the Global Commodity Chains (GCC) perspective, we explore the nature and significance of international linkages among firms in Eastern Europe. In particular, we argue that it has been the legacies of the state socialist past embedded in the inherited macro‐ and microeconomic structures, on the one hand, and the strategies of multinational firms on the other, rather than the international linkages in any simple sense, that have been the main influencing factors. While we do not deny the existence of inter‐firm relations similar to the ones described in the GCC literature, we point out that these relationships are much more complex than assumed in that approach and that this complexity is a product of the very different historical backgrounds and modes of incorporation into the world economy of the various Eastern European societies. Drawing on empirical evidence from Hungary and focusing specifically on employment and other labour issues, we argue that there are a variety of firm development paths in Eastern Europe and that these have differing implications for the integration of firms, regions and countries of Eastern Europe into the world economy.     

Religious Pluralism and School Provision in Britain

Popular education in Britain grew out of the social conscience of the Christian churches. Government investment in schools only began in the last quarter of the 19th century and even where schools were funded it was primarily to plug the gaps left by the voluntary organisations. Throughout the 20th century, Britain had a dual system of provision by which state and churches cooperated in the provision and funding of schools. The last 30 years have witnessed an interesting development in Britain in the political response to religious diversity and education. Some members of the more recent religious minority communities have sought to join the dual system by seeking funding for religious schools on the same basis as the Christian churches. In the last 5 years, several schools run by minority religious groups have received state funding. In its latest Green Paper, the government argues the case for greater diversity in educational provision and looks to increasing the participation of Christian and other religious groups in educational provision, not least by reducing the financial quota which religious bodies have to pay towards the upkeep of such schools. In the light of continuing problems with personal and institutional racism at many levels of British society, and the well-documented increase in Islamophobia, this paper explores what model of pluralism is likely to suit Britain's future society best and what form of educational provision might prove the most effective in promoting it.     

Influences on the Career Development of Gay Men

This article relates selected concepts from the general literature of gay and lesbian psychology to the career development of gay men. Specific concerns related to sexual identity development, the management of stigma, and psychological adjustment are reviewed, and suggestions are offered both to practitioners and to researchers.     

Evaluating the Risk of Liver Cancer in Humans Exposed to Trichloroethylene Using Physiological Models

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widespread environmental pollutant. TCE is classified as a rodent carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Using the rodent cancer bioassay findings and estimates of metabolized dose, the EPA has estimated lifetime exposure cancer risks for humans that ingest TCE in drinking water or inhale TCE. In this study, a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model for mice was used to simulate selected gavage and inhalation bioassays with TCE. Plausible dose-metrics thought to be linked with the mechanism of action for TCE carcinogenesis were selected. These dose-metrics, adjusted to reflect an average amount per day for a lifetime, were metabolism of TCE (AMET, mg/kg/day) and systemic concentration of TCA (AUCTCA, mg/L/day). These dose-metrics were then used in a linearized multistage model to estimate AMET and AUCTCA values that correspond to liver cancer risks of 1 in 1 million in mice. A human PB-PK model for TCE was then used to predict TCE concentrations in drinking water and air that would provide AMET and AUCTCA values equal to the predicted mice AMET and AUCTCA values that correspond to liver cancer risks of 1 in 1 million. For the dose-metrics, AMET and AUCTCA, the TCE concentrations in air were 10.0 and 0.1 ppb TCE (continuous exposure), respectively, and in water, 7 and 4 μg TCE/L, respectively.     

The duration of unemployment in the construction industry

This paper examines the duration and frequency of unemployment contingent on personal characteristics using multinomial logit techniques. Both are important, since unemployment is the product of the duration and frequency of unemployment. The key result of this paper is that union and nonunion unemployment experiences are very different. Nonunion construction workers’ duration and frequency experiences depend on personal characteristics. In the union sector, in spite of rules which appear to favor experienced workers, duration experiences do not differ greatly by demographic group; only the probability of unemployment varies with personal characteristics. The report was prepared for the Employment and Training Administration. U.S. Department of Labor, under Research and Development Grant No. 91-42-77-33. Since grantees conducting research and development projects under Government sponsorship are encouraged to express their own judgment freely, this report does not necessarily represent the official opinion or policy of the Department of Labor. The grantee is solely responsible for the contents of this report. I have benefited from comments by Robert E. Hall, Franklin M. Fisher, Lester C. Thurow, James Medoff, Dennis Carlton, and especially Jerry Hausman. James Medoff supplied the CPS tape used in the study. Martin VanDenburgh gave expert programming advice.     

Women's perceived stress and well-being following voluntary and involuntary relocation

This study investigated the relationship between voluntary and involuntary relocation and women's perceptions of stress and amount of control, as well as their satisfaction with personal well-being. Results indicated that involuntary movers felt significantly less control and had lower levels of satisfaction with the relationship with their spouses than did voluntary movers. Educational level and employment status were also explored in relation to the dependent variables. Women with high school/trade school education had significantly higher levels of perceived stress, feelings of less control, and lower levels of satisfaction with family life than women with more education.This paper was supported by the Colorado State University and University of Wyoming Experiment Stations and published as Scientific Series Paper No. 290.Paula P. Makowsky received her M.S. from Colorado State University. She is currently a Counselor, Catholic Social Services, Phoenix, AZ.Alicia Skinner Cook is a Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523. Her research interests include grief and loss issues related to relocation. She received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University.Peggy S. Berger received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. She is an Associate Professor, Department of Consumer Science & Housing, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523. Her research interests include socioeconomic issues related to geographic mobility and to gender.Judith Powell received her Ed.D. from Oklahoma State University. She is a Professor, Child & Family Studies, and Head, Department of Home Economics, Division of Home Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071. Her research interests include parent-child relations and effects of relocation on families.     

Laughter in the Clinic: Humor as Social Organization

While humor has been studied empirically in a wide variety of organizational settings, other than Coser's (1959) study of a private psychiatric hospital, its actual usage in medical locales has barely been addressed. This article extends Coser's analysis by examining humor as a central dimension of social organization in a university-based outpatient clinic. Using observational data gathered during a two-year period, we examine interactions between key participants in clinic life: attending physicians and residents; the residents themselves; residents and nurses; residents/attending physicians and patients; and finally, the researchers and clinic personnel. We demonstrate how humor may bond members through laughter about common concerns and problems, while also marking them off from others with differing concerns. As such, it ideally illustrates the micro/macro interplay of face-to-face relations and structural contexts.