Government Communication Effectiveness and Satisfaction with Police Performance: A Large‐Scale Survey Study

For the last two decades, performance management theories and practices have focused on outcome‐oriented management but have paid little attention to the role of public communication. Using multiple large data sets from Kansas City, Missouri, for 2009–14, this research suggests that the perceived effectiveness of public communication has a more substantial impact on public satisfaction with police protection and crime prevention than neighborhood crime rates and broken windows factors and that perceived effectiveness moderates the negative impact of crime rates. After controlling for residents’ demographic characteristics, the authors find that the perceived effectiveness of communication is associated with public satisfaction with the content and quality of the city website and the government television channel. The implications for public safety management and police–citizen relations as well as directions for future research on public communication strategies and public performance management are presented.     

A new 39-plex analysis method for SNPs including 15 blood group loci

A novel 39-plex typing system for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been developed. This multiplex approach has the advantage of being able to type 38 autosomal SNPs and one sex-discriminating base exchange site on the X and Y chromosomes rapidly and simultaneously. The SNP loci on the autosomes, which we examined, contain 15 loci distributed on blood type genes: three on RhCE, two each on Km and Gc, and one each on Duffy, AcP1, Tf, MN, GPT, EsD, PI, and Kidd genes. Thirty-seven genomic DNA fragments containing a total of 38 SNPs and one sex-discriminating site were amplified in one multiplex PCR reaction. Following the reaction, single nucleotide primer extension reaction was performed by dividing these SNP loci into five groups. The SNP type of each of the 39 loci was determined at one time by capillary electrophoresis using the newly designed multi-injection method. The combined PD (power of discrimination) of this typing system was (1-1.1) x 10(-14), and the MEC (mean exclusion chance) was 0.9990. We applied this system to forensic cases, including 16 paternity testing cases (13 non-exclusion and three exclusion cases) and one personal identification case. For the paternity testing cases, the highest Essen-M?ller's W-value was 0.9999995. The pM (matching probability) of the personal identification case was 2.22 x 10(-17). These data showed that this system was an excellent tool for use in forensic cases of paternity testing and personal identification.     

Cross-reactivities of various phenethylamine-type designer drugs to immunoassays for amphetamines, with special attention to the evaluation of the one-step urine drug test Instant-View™, and the Emit® assays for use in drug enforcement

Cross-reactivities of 76 kinds of phenethylamine-type designer drugs and related compounds to the urine drug tests Instant-View ? (IV) (the Methamphetamine (MA) test, the Amphetamine 300 test, and the MDMA test) have been investigated. An on-site urine test kit consisting of these three IV tests has been evaluated for the on-site screening of MA users, and the kit has been found to have satisfactory specificity for drug enforcement purposes by separately detecting both MA and its metabolite amphetamine. The cross-reactivity profiles of Emit(?) II Plus Amphetamines Assay, Emit(?) II Plus Ecstasy assay, and Emit(?) d.a.u.(?) Amphetamine Class assay have also been investigated and discussed.     

Analyses of sexual dimorphism of reconstructed pelvic computed tomography images of contemporary Japanese using curvature of the greater sciatic notch, pubic arch and greater pelvis

Three-dimensional pelvic images were reconstructed from multi-slice CT data of contemporary Japanese (males: 124; females: 104, 25-92 years old), and curvature analysis to examine sexual dimorphism was carried out in the great sciatic notch (GSN), the pubic arch and the greater pelvis in the images. Reconstructed pelvic CT images were visualized fairly well and anatomical landmarks were easily recognizable. When calculating the radii (curvature radii) of the best-fit circles for the spline curve lines set along the edges of the GSNs and of the pubic arches, sexes from these regions were correctly identified in 89.1% (males: 93.8%; females: 83.7%) and 94.7% (males: 97.3%; females: 91.8%) of cases, respectively, by setting an appropriate cut-off value. Furthermore, sexing was possible even in deeper regions of the GSN which are relatively resistant to postmortem damage. Curvature radii of the best-fit spheres of greater pelves showed no significant difference between sexes. However, curvature of the best-fit sphere for the left iliac fossa was significantly larger than that of the right one (p<10(-24)) in males, and the ratios were >1.0 in 88% of all male specimens analyzed. Meanwhile, no significant difference was observed among female samples. Although some left-sided dominancy has been reported in 2-dimensional measurements of the human pelvis, this 3-dimensional laterality in males was much more significant, and is a potential index of sex difference.     

Changed compounds of hydroxyzine in a human urine

During a forensic toxicological GC/MS screening, changed compounds of hydroxyzine were found in a man's urine taken about 20 h after ingesting sake (Japanese liquor) and tranquilizers. The structures of those compounds were assigned to 4-chlorodiphenylmethane(I), p-chlorbenzophenone(III), norchlorcyclizine(IV), 7-(p-chloro-alpha-phenylbenzyl)-2-hydroxy-2H,3H-oxazolo-[3,2 -alpha] piperazine(V), 1-(p-chloro-alpha-phenylbenzyl)-4-methylpiperazine-3-one(VI), N-(p-chloro-alpha-phenylbenzyl)-N'-formylmethyl-N'- hydroxyethyl-1,2-ethenediamine(VII) and 1-(p-chloro-alpha-phenylbenzyl)-4-[2-ethoxy(2-ethoxy)-ethyl] piperazine(VIII) on the basis of the fragmentation patterns and relative retention times except VIII which was identified using the synthesized compound. I, V, VI, VII and VIII have not been reported previously, but the possibility of metabolites of hydroxyzine is still uncertain.     

PBB in American Local Governments: It's More than a Management Tool

Despite academic findings that performance information seldom is used in appropriations decisions, many professional organizations and governments continue to press for integrating performance information into local public management, planning, and budgeting processes. Is it possible to reconcile such inconsistencies? Looking beyond the executive–legislative relationship and departmental appropriations, the author examines the budget implications of applying performance information at the subdepartmental program level. Case analysis of Indianapolis’s IndyStat initiative underscores that performance measurement application is positively related to intradepartmental program budget changes. Hence, performance‐based budgeting (PBB) can improve local budgeting despite severe political constraints. Still, successful use of PBB requires strong executive leadership, and its effects remain less visible at the departmental level or within the wider political arena of legislative bargaining. The author concludes by recommending some rethinking of the current analytical focus of PBB both in future research as well as recommended practice.     

A survey of the potency of Japanese illicit cannabis in fiscal year 2010

In recent years, increased 'cannabis potency', or Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis products, has been reported in many countries. A survey of Japanese illicit cannabis was conducted from April 2010 to March 2011. In Japan, all cannabis evidence is transferred to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare after criminal trials. The evidence was observed at Narcotics Control Department offices in major 11 cities. The total number of cannabis samples observed was 9072, of which 6376 were marijuana. The marijuana seizures were further classified, and it was found that in terms of the number of samples, 65.2% of them were seedless buds, and by weight 73.0% of them were seedless buds. Seedless buds were supposed to be 'sinsemilla', a potent class of marijuana. THC, cannabinol (CBN) and cannabidiol (CBD) in marijuana seizures exceeding 1g were quantified. The number of samples analyzed was 1115. Many of them were shown to contain CBN, an oxidative product from THC. This was a sign of long-term storage of the cannabis and of the degradation of THC. Relatively fresh cannabis, defined by a CBN/THC ratio of less than or equal to 0.1, was chosen for analysis. Fresh seedless buds (335 samples) contained an average of 11.2% and a maximum of 22.6% THC. These values are comparable to those of 'high potency cannabis' as defined in previous studies. Thus, this study shows that highly potent cannabis products are distributed in Japan as in other countries.