Coastal Oil Spill Preparedness and Response: The Morris J. Berman Incident

On January 7, 1994, the disabled tank barge Morris J. Berman ran aground spilling 750,000 gallons of heavy‐grade fuel oil on the beaches of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The spill impacted a variety of resources and temporarily shut down a portion of the tourist industry during the height of the winter season. The spill is noteworthy as the first major incident in U.S. coastal waters following passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). A landmark provision passed as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez catastrophe. The Berman spill provides a test case for assessing the robustness of policy mandates incorporated in the OPA 90. Mandates that compelled the oil transportation and response network to assume high‐reliability organization characteristics. The study finds that although high‐reliability characteristics were seemingly adopted their implementation during the Berman spill evidenced a significant number of shortcomings.     

The accuracy and reliability of the Suchey–Brooks pubic symphysis age estimation method: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Suchey–Brooks method has been studied many times with varying reports of accuracy and reliability. A systematic review and meta-analyses were utilized to quantitatively determine the accuracy and reliability of the Suchey–Brooks (S-B) method. A systematic search of PubMed and EBSCO health and medical databases was performed. Meta-analyses were performed to quantify the relationship between actual known age at death and the S-B method using Spearman's Rho and Pearson's r for (1) combined males and females estimates, (2) male-only estimates, and (3) female-only estimates. Overall correlation coefficient using Cohen's kappa, Spearman's Rho, and Pearson's r was also calculated to determine the interrater and intrarater reliability using the S-B method. Eighteen studies classified as moderate-to-high methodological quality met the inclusion criteria. The sample sizes were different for the combined male and female (n = 2620), male-only (n = 2602), and female-only (n = 1431) meta-analyses. The effect size of the age at death meta-analyses was large and significant for combined males and females (Spearman's Rho = 0.62; Pearson's r = 0.65), male-only (Spearman's Rho = 0.77; Pearson's r = 0.75), and female-only (Spearman's Rho = 0.71; Pearson's r = 0.71). The overall correlation coefficients of the interrater (Kappa = 0.76; Spearman's Rho = 0.73; Pearson's r = 0.80) and intrarater (Kappa = 0.81; Spearman's Rho = 0.91; Pearson's r = 0.83) reliability meta-analyses were large and significant. A significant degree of heterogeneity was present in all meta-analyses, with minimal evidence of publication bias. The meta-analyses results suggest the S-B method is highly reliable with a moderate-to-high degree of accuracy. Our results also identified sample size and accuracy differences between male and female individuals.     

史传叙事与古代历史小说的叙述可靠性

史传叙事的春秋笔法和作者意图对古代历史小说的叙述可靠性产生了影响。叙述可靠性的研究路径主要有修辞性叙事学路径和认知叙事学路径。就修辞性叙事学路径看，史传叙事让历史小说的叙述可靠性不再完全由隐含作者和叙述者之间的关系来决定，作者的真实叙事意图对叙述可靠性也产生多方面的影响。就认知叙事学路径看，史传叙事让读者对历史小说的史实、虚构、伦理教化等方面的作用形成共识，这些共识导致读者对历史小说叙述可靠性的理解并非因人而异，反而有一种趋同倾向。     

可信质量理论与公安高等教育质量评价

质量信息的模糊性、专业人才培养目标的可实现性,以及高等教育质量评价的可信性是高等教育质量理论与实践研究的关键。本文采用系统属性协同对比方法,提出了高等教育可信质量的概念,并建立了高等教育可信质量评价体系。研究表明,高等教育人才培养的一般质量是一种有用性质量;专门人才培养质量是一种性能质量;专门合格人才培养质量是一种效能质量。可信质量的意义在于将教育质量的性能转换为教育质量的效能,从而实现了高等教育人才培养多目标协同目的。通过对公安高等教育的实际应用分析,得出我国公安高等教育可信质量为一般水平,必须改进教育模式、进行专业结构的优化设计,才能从根本上提高公安高等教育的可信质量,从而加快公安高等教育的发展。     

指纹鉴定人员对现场指印认知能力的研究

指纹鉴定主要是解决检材指印与样本指印是否为同一人所遗留问题,其鉴定意见是法定证据形式之一,关系着被检验对象是否有犯罪嫌疑,责任重大。指纹鉴定人员根据指纹鉴定方法与标准,结合从业经验对指印进行分析与比较,并最终给出鉴定意见,在此过程中,对现场指印的分析是否客观及准确,直接影响后续比对检验、综合评断及得出的意见。本文重点针对指纹鉴定人员在指印分析阶段的细节特征选择、信息判断等问题进行研究,邀请106家指纹鉴定机构参加4组指纹的测试,实验使用一款基于网络的指纹鉴定分析系统,记录每个机构在指纹鉴定中的工作过程,并使用统计学R软件对实验数据进行统计与分析。实验结果显示,不同的指纹鉴定机构之间做出判断与评估的准确性存在一定的差异,指纹鉴定人员点取特征的稳定性、选取特征的数量与现场手印质量之间存在显著关联。     

领导决策风格量表的修订与应用研究

领导者的决策风格是领导班子配置的重要依据。罗的决策风格量表是目前国际上使用较为广泛的决策风格量表之一。本项研究依据心理测量学的有关原理和罗的决策风格量表编制的有关理论 ,从我国国情出发 ,对罗的决策风格量表进行了修订 ,并根据各类决策风格与人的个性因素之间的关系 ,对修订后的领导决策风格量表进行信度和效度的检验 ,为领导人才的开发提供了有用的工具     

Public Inquiry Methods,Processes and Outputs: an Epistemological Critique

Public inquiries are an important phenomenon in modern British society, often used to address controversial or difficult issues of major concern to policy makers, the media and the public. Although people often comment adversely on how costly inquiries are and how long they take, inquiry methods are rarely discussed, let alone critiqued or challenged. However, from a social sciences perspective, inquiry methods, processes and outputs are often at odds with accepted standards for research methods. This paper discusses this divergence and the implications for how we should regard the inquiry as a way of knowing, or learning.     

谈足迹在刑侦工作中的应用价值

足迹作为案件现场中常见的痕迹物证之一,在基层实践中对它的应用价值一直有不同的观点：一种倾向足迹无用;另一种倾向足迹万能。笔者认为这两种观点对我国足迹检验技术的发展都是有害的,全面正确客观地了解足迹,应从足迹的稳定性和可靠性两个方面分析,将来的足迹检验技术应向着科学化、自动化和网络化方向发展。     

浅议行政许可法中的信赖保护原则

信赖保护原则在许多国家和地区的行政法中得到确认或体现 ,我国新制定的《行政许可法》中确立了这一原则。信赖保护原则有其特定的涵义、适用范围和方式 ;信赖保护原则的法理依据存在于法律价值与法的本质中 ;信赖保护原则的确立对于促使政府的诚信、保护人民的合法权益以及促进中国法治建设等有重要意义     

浅析行政信赖保护原则中的几个法律问题

行政法信赖保护原则始于德国行政法院判例，后经日本及我国台湾地区等的效仿与发展。现已成为大陆法系行政法的基本原则。它对行政行为的规范、相对方合法权益的保护起到了不容忽视的作用。关于信赖利益的内涵信赖利益迫害赔偿范围和限制以及保护制度等问题尚存在的诸多争议。值得进一步探讨。