India-EU strategic partnership: a new roadmap

Asia Europe Journal - This article examines the role of strategic partnerships in Indian foreign policy and the nature and perceptions of India and the European Union about the strategic...     

Determination of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in human amniotic fluid using high flow solid-phase extraction columns and HPLC.

A new solid-phase extraction procedure for the determination of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in amniotic fluid, using high flow co-polymeric sorbents is reported. The recoveries of cocaine and benzoylecgonine within the range 0.1-1 mg/l were 95.7% and 50.3%, respectively. The use of high-flow sorbents allowed the easy extraction of amniotic fluid regardless of sample viscosity or physical nature. The use of these solid-phase columns provided many advantages over the more commonly used solvent extraction, including an increase in extraction speed and efficiency, reduced operator time, reduced solvent use and disposal volumes and exceptional extract quality. Further, the determination of amniotic fluid obtained from pregnant cocaine users may provide important information about handling of cocaine by the fetus at various gestational ages. The procedure was successfully applied to amniotic fluid from suspected cocaine abusers.     

Study of unusual phenomenon of contact firing on gelatine block using .38 Special revolver--forensic importance

Gunshot wounds in suicide cases are self-inflicted wounds. Self-inflicted wounds in suicide cases are usually caused by contact firing and are of great forensic significance. Evaluation of contact wound may be associated with difficulties if the bore gets obstruction prior to firing. This paper investigates the phenomenon and interprets the results of test firing conducted on 20% gelatine block at 10 degrees C, using .38 Special revolver with obstruction of a bullet in the bore. Test firings were conducted in three different muzzle-target contact conditions keeping the muzzle pressed against the gel block in each case. The physical evidence and the wound ballistic parameter namely bullet track, remaining velocity of the bullets and volume of permanent cavity have been studied. When compared with the results of contact firing conducted with the same firearm without having any bore obstruction under similar conditions, it has been found that the physical evidence and the wound ballistic parameters would be helpful for interpretation of such unusual incidents for forensic inference.     

Japan's foreign aid: old and new contests

Abstract

Domestic and international contests explain the transformation of Japan's foreign aid programme begun in the early 1950s. Through contests between domestic players, Japan has streamlined its aid processes by introducing institutional innovations, accommodating new actors in aid policy and delivery, and responding more sensitively to public opinion and independent advice. At the international level, contests have come from the Development Assistance Committee/Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC/OECD), the USA, and China. Through these contests, Japan has emerged as a more rounded aid donor. Its new aid model blends Western principles with concepts of ‘self-help’, favouring large infrastructure projects that serve both Japan's and recipient countries’ interests.     

A Statistical Validation of the Individuality and Repeatability of Striated Tool Marks: Screwdrivers and Tongue and Groove Pliers*

Abstract: Tool mark identification relies on the premise that microscopic imperfections on a tool’s working surface are sufficiently unique and faithfully transferred to enable a one‐to‐one association between a tool and the tool marks it creates. This paper presents a study undertaken to assess the validity of this premise. As part of this study sets of striated tool marks were created under different conditions and on different media. The topography of these tool marks was acquired and the degree of similarity between them was quantified using well‐defined metrics. An analysis of the resulting matching and nonmatching similarity distributions shows nearly error‐free identification under most conditions. These results provide substantial support for the validity of the premise of tool mark identification. Because the approach taken in this study relies on a quantifiable similarity metric, the results have greater repeatability and objectivity than those obtained using less precise measures of similarity.     

Indian homemade firearm--a technical review

A wide variety of homemade (country made) firearms are involved in crime cases in India. These firearms are made up of very cheap material and are not safe for firing. Moreover, the country made firearms are different in their design, loading and locking mechanism, cocking and firing arrangements. In this paper we have studied the characteristic features of 300 country made firearms received for examination in the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh during last two decades. The characteristic features of these firearms are so unique that the fired crime bullets or cartridges can easily be matched with the test. It is hoped that such information will be useful for firearm experts in case of interpretation.     

Understanding the Magic of Credibility for Political Leaders: A Case of India and Narendra Modi

The field of political marketing has majorly benefited from the use of social media platforms. This has been true both for eastern and western contexts. The primary areas in political marketing that have majorly benefited from the social media usage have been the political leader and the evaluations of the leader by the voters. In the Indian context too, the use of social media techniques has been hailed as the Holy Grail of political marketing. This estimation is quite apposite. Nevertheless, what must not be forgotten is that the complexities of the bonding between political leaders and voters are not only premised primarily on the efficacy of social media techniques but also include other key dimensions. Thus, this article focuses on the importance of credibility as a key dimension. This dimension is inevitable to make social media techniques as effective as they are in political marketing. To substantiate this, we have comprehensively engaged with the fields such as traits of political leaders, crisis management and collaboration. These deliberations have been contextualized to the case of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India. Further, these deliberations culminate in an effective framework. Academicians and practitioners of political marketing can extensively utilize this framework.