浅析交叉询问的运行机制问题——对我国证人质证方式的启示

交叉询问是我们耳熟能详的字眼,对于其具体的规则内容,我们也非常熟悉。本文将焦点集中于交叉询问的运行机制问题,即何种条件能使交叉询问发挥其最优价值。当前,我国庭审中证人质证的方式虽基本具备了交叉询问的外壳,但其功能性价值却收效甚微,这是令人迷惘之处。笔者认为,解决问题的前提是先要明确交叉询问的运行机制,只有这样方能解我国＂交叉询问＂流于形式之惑。故本文从交叉询问的案件范围、运行条件两方面进行分析,继而将我国证人质证方式之弊病呈现于眼前,弄清两种质证方式运行环境之差别,进而得出我国证人质证方式合理构建之框架思路。     

Homicide and economic conditions: A replication and critique of M. Harvey Brenner's new report to the U.S. Congress

M. Harvey Brenner has produced two influential studies of the social costs of unemployment, economic inequality, and economic growth, both sponsored by the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. This paper reports the results of an effort to reproduce Brenner's findings for homicide from his more recent (1984) study. Our conclusions are as follows. (1) Although not obvious from his write-up, Brenner's 1984 results differ substantively from his earlier results. (2) We are unable to reproduce his reported findings. (3) There are serious methodological problems with his procedure for choosing a regression specification.     

An Investigation of PCR Inhibition Using Plexor®‐Based Quantitative PCR and Short Tandem Repeat Amplification

A common problem in forensic DNA typing is PCR inhibition resulting in allele dropout and peak imbalance. In this paper, we have utilized the Plexor^® real‐time PCR quantification kit to evaluate PCR inhibition. This is performed by adding increasing concentrations of various inhibitors and evaluating changes in melt curves and PCR amplification efficiencies. Inhibitors examined included calcium, humic acid, collagen, phenol, tannic acid, hematin, melanin, urea, bile salts, EDTA, and guanidinium thiocyanate. Results were plotted and modeled using mathematical simulations. In general, we found that PCR inhibitors that bind DNA affect melt curves and C_T takeoff points while those that affect the Taq polymerase tend to affect the slope of the amplification curve. Mixed mode effects were also visible. Quantitative PCR results were then compared with subsequent STR amplification using the PowerPlex^® 16 HS System. The overall results demonstrate that real‐time PCR can be an effective method to evaluate PCR inhibition and predict its effects on subsequent STR amplifications.     

An analysis of single and multi-copy methods for DNA quantitation by real-time polymerase chain reaction

The goal of this paper was to examine and compare two different commercially available approaches to the determination of the relative quantities of autosomal and Y chromosomal DNA using real-time PCR. One, Quantifiler^® Duo, utilizes a TaqMan^® assay with single copy probes for both autosomal human and Y quantification. The other method, Plexor HY^® utilizes a primer quenching assay with multi-copy probes for its quantification of autosomal human and Y chromosomal DNA. To test these approaches we have utilized the NIST Human DNA Quantitation Standard Reference Material 2372, a set of three different NIST human DNA quantification standards, to examine the precision, accuracy and sensitivity of the real-time PCR assays. We also examined data from both systems utilizing casework samples. The results show that both systems produced linear estimates for DNA quantity over a broad range of input DNA. However we did observe some apparent copy number effects when comparing the three different NIST standards which we attributed to issues with sequence variations in the different standards. Overall, the single copy approach provided better accuracy while the multi-copy approach produced better sensitivity. Thus the choice of which system to use should depend upon the goals of the user.     

An Optimized Centrifugal Method for Separation of Semen from Superabsorbent Polymers for Forensic Analysis

Connection of a perpetrator to a sexual assault is best performed through the confirmed presence of semen, thereby proving sexual contact. Evidentiary items can include sanitary napkins or diapers containing superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), complicating spermatozoa visualization and DNA analysis. In this report, we evaluated the impact of SAPS on the current forensic DNA workflow, developing an efficient centrifugal protocol for separating spermatozoa from SAP material. The optimized filtration method was compared to common practices of excising the top layer only, resulting in significantly higher sperm yields when a core sample of the substrate was taken. Direct isolation of the SAP‐containing materials without filtering resulted in 20% sample failure; additionally, SAP material was observed in the final eluted DNA samples, causing physical interference. Thus, use of the described centrifugal‐filtering method is a simple preliminary step that improves spermatozoa visualization and enables more consistent DNA yields, while also avoiding SAP interference.     

Developmental validation of the AmpF?STR SEfiler Plus™ PCR amplification kit: An improved multiplex with enhanced performance for inhibited samples

Since its introduction in 2002, the AmpF?STR^® SEfiler™ kit has provided a highly discriminating DNA profiling option to German forensic laboratories by combining the widely used SGM Plus^® Kit loci with the SE-33 locus required for the German DNA Database. Whilst proving successful on database samples, laboratories using the SEfiler™ kit have reported the need for chemistry better able to handle the ever-increasing number of casework samples.The new AmpF?STR^® SEfiler Plus™ kit contains the same loci and primer sequences as the SEfiler™ kit but uses improved synthesis and purification processes to minimize the presence of dye-labeled artifacts. Other improvements include modified PCR cycling conditions for enhanced sensitivity and a new buffer formulation that improves performance with inhibited samples when compared to the original SEfiler™ kit.Validation studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the multiplex are presented with emphasis on the models of inhibition and casework samples.     

既判力相对性原则:根据、例外与制度化

既判力相对性原则是既判力制度中的一项基本原则,是指判决的既判力在一般情形下仅发生于当事人之间.这一原则不仅有助于纠纷的终局解决,保障法律关系的稳定,同时能够为没有参加诉讼的案外第三人的民事权益提供程序保障.作为既判力相对性原则的例外,确定判决对于诉讼系属后的承继人及为当事人或其承继人占有请求之标的物者,亦有效力.为他人之利益而作为原告或被告者之确定判决,对于该他人也有效力.我国现行民事诉讼法尚未明确规定既判力相对性原则.这一原则的缺失导致了民事诉讼法在第三人权益的程序保障方面存有重大缺陷,也造成了实践中第三人撤销之诉适用的混乱局面.应当完善既判力制度,确立既判力相对性原则,将第三人撤销之诉的适用限制在确定判决既判力相对性的例外情形.     

论公共需求与中国经济增长

需求结构的不合理是制约中国经济增长的一个重要原因,因而有必要对需求结构不合理原因作进一步的分析.现阶段在若干领域的需求过于旺盛所导致的经济过热的内在机制,是政府的片面政绩冲动和企业的盲目利润冲动,其后果是导致了需求结构的不合理.在产生大量无效供给的前提下,我国公共产品的有效供给却长期不足,人民的需求得不到应有的满足.随着经济市场化的深入和社会公共需求的日益增长,需要政府提供更优质、更全面的公共产品.因此,及时调整现有的宏观经济政策导向,加快制度创新,强化政府提供公共产品的职能,以满足公众对公共产品的有效需求,应成为我国治理现阶段经济过热的新思路.     

Race and Gang Affiliation: An Examination of Multiple Marginality

Criminological research has historically drawn a connection between race/ethnicity and gang membership. The focus on specific racial/ethnic groups and particular gangs in distinct geographical locations within ethnographic research, along with the lack of a comprehensive explanation, however, has limited this research. Thus, the true nature of the relationship between race/ethnicity and gang membership remains unclear. This research expands the contemporary literature regarding race/ethnicity and gang membership by utilizing multisite survey data to examine Vigil’s (1988 Vigil, J. D. 1988. Barrio gangs: Street life and identity in southern California, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.  [Google Scholar], 2002 Vigil, J. D. 2002. A rainbow of gangs: Street cultures in the mega‐city, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.  [Google Scholar]) multiple marginality framework of gang involvement for Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics. Results suggest that multiple marginality is a viable explanation for current gang membership. When examining the applicability of this theory for members of various racial/ethnic groups, important differences appear when examining current versus ever gang membership. For current gang membership, significant differences between racial/ethnic groups exist, with ecological/economic stress variables being significant for Whites and social control/street socialization elements representing the important predictors for African Americans and Hispanics. This pattern changes when examining those reporting ever being in a gang. For “ever” gang membership, social control/street socialization elements predict membership for all groups. Policy implications of these results are discussed.     

伪劣商品犯罪的经济分析

刑法的经济分析理论是一种崭新的研究刑法规范设置的成本与效益的理论。伪劣商品犯罪作为谋利型的经济犯罪,其成本与“效益”的关系尤为突出,依据刑法经济分析理论,我国伪劣商品犯罪屡禁不止的原因是国家支付刑罚成本虽高,但因刑种、刑度设置的不合理,以及刑罚确定性低而导致刑罚效益低,致使刑罚的投入量与刑罚效益不对称。要遏制生产、销售这类犯罪,就必须应调整伪劣商品犯罪的刑罚结构,限制自由刑的适用,扩大财产刑的适用范围,增设资格刑,并提高刑罚的确定性,以较低的刑罚成本获取最佳的刑罚效益。     

尸体腐败程度与死亡经过时间的实验研究

为了找出推测死亡经过时间的客观依据,应用健康的苏白猪为实验模型,进行尸体腐败程度与死亡经过时间研究,将模型分别放置在室内、室外及地下三个环境中,让尸体在自然的环境中发生腐败,详细记录尸体腐败所表现的现象,特别是腐败气体所产生的张力。实验发现,尸体腐败至软组织与骨骼全部分离、以及腐败残留物质的完全消失,与温度、湿度、降雨量、尸体与地面倾斜度、昆虫的寄生等有明显的关系。所得数据,为死亡经过时间的推测,积累了重要的参考依据。     

浅析顺德市飞车抢夺犯罪案件的特点原因及对策

抢夺犯罪案件是指以非法占有为目的，乘人不备，公然夺取数额较大的公私财物的案件。随着社会主义市场经济体制的建立和现代交通、通讯事业的迅速发展，人财物大流动，社会迅速由“封闭型”向“开放型”发展，社会犯罪活动亦呈现出新特点、新动向，较为突出的特点之一是抢夺案件频繁发生，泛滥存在，其中“飞车抢夺”案件最为典型。如何遏制、减少抢夺案件的发生已成为当今社会治安防控工作一个亟待解决的重要课题。     

The challenge and imperative of private sector cybersecurity: An international comparison

Attacks on computers and information networks, both public and private, are disclosed in the news daily. Most recently, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter acknowledged that they were attacked and were now taking additional measures to secure their networks. In January of 2013, Kaspersky Labs reported discovering malware that not only targeted government information in Eastern Europe, former Soviet republics, and Central Asia, but also had been actively doing so since 2007. The scope of global cyber attacks is staggering and the solutions to securing property and protecting national security are illusive, in large part because infrastructure is owned and operated by private, rather than public, entities. Nations struggle with choosing the most effective strategy and potential regulation of the private sector in order to reduce overall cybersecurity risk. This paper reviews the nature of cyber threats, and compares the United States and European approach to promoting cybersecurity in the private sector. Furthermore, the paper discusses how different approaches can affect cybersecurity risk, and suggests a framework for visualizing the impact of law and strategy on security.     

国际税收协定与国内税法关系探讨——以受控外国公司税制为视角

长期以来,国际税收协定与国内反避税法的关系问题一直存在争议。一般认为,税收协定优于国内税法;但是,为了防止纳税人滥用税收协定进行避税,该原则也不应绝对化。受控外国公司税制作为一种重要的反避税措施,也产生了与税收协定的兼容性问题。从欧盟国家的实践来看,观点并不一致。但2003年OECD范本注释明确规定,两者是兼容的。由于我国在新的企业所得税中规定了该项税制,因此,解决两者的兼容性也是必须面对的问题。同时,在《宪法》没有对条约在国内法中地位进行规定之前,我国《企业所得税法》第58条应得到完善。     

An examination of gender and age in print media accounts of child abductions

Previous research has suggested that the print media over-report on certain demographics of abducted children. Specifically, cases where the abduction victim is younger or the abduction victim is female are most often covered. The purpose of the current study was to systematically examine, through the research technique of content analysis, whether a lack of congruency exists between newspaper articles detailing child abduction victims and empirical data of the same. Newspaper articles were collected from LexisNexis Academic, and empirical data were drawn from the Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. The results revealed that gender and age play only a minor role in deciding which abduction incidents are covered by newspapers, as well as the extent to which they are reported on. Specifically, newspapers dedicated more words to female victims than male victims and reported more on younger children (aged 11 and under) than older children (aged 12 and over) when they were the victim of a nonfamily abduction. It appears, however, that in all other types of abduction cases, newspapers are reporting a rather factual depiction of the demographics of victims. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

论自决权的性质——一种国际法与国内法的综合分析

在国际政治和国际法领域里,自决权是一个难以明确界定的有争议的概念。它的内容、主体和适用范围始终在不断适应国际政治的变化和发展,它的重心也必将随着其内容、主体和适用范围的发展变化而发生相应的转移。这一重心转移的过程,既是自决权从外部自决向内部自决回归的过程;也是自决权由以国际法原则为重心转移到以国内法原则为重心的过程;同时也是自决权自身内涵不断扩大的历史过程。在这一过程中,自决权先后主要是独立权、国家主权、人权、发展权、人民主权和自治权。自决权的内涵及其重心转移说明,台湾当局企图分裂国家,搞“独立公投”的所谓“自决”,既违背国际法原则,也违背国内法原则,实际上是行不通的。     

论不动产财产权有限自由与适度限制的模式与原则

所有的不动产财产权争议.实际上都是围绕着不动产财产权的自由与限制这一核心问题而展开的.不动产财产权自由与限制之间必须达列一定的平衡.有限的自由与适度的限制是我们解决不动产财产权冲突的重要指导思想与原则.不动产财产权有限自由与适度限制的模式为:完备的财产权宪法保护与民法保护体系--公共利益、适度国家理念--程序正当和手段合理的行政法与权利对等的私法限制.不动产财产权有限自由原则应遵循禁止权利滥用原则、公序良俗与诚实信用原则、容忍义务原则.不动产财产权适度限制原则应遵循宪法审查原则、合法原则、合理原则、比例原则、公平补偿原则.遵循有限自由与适度限制原则的目的是为了达到自由与限制、公益与私益、公权与私权的平衡.     

Development of a PCR High‐Resolution Melt Assay for Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood) and a Triplex Assay with Two Additional “Unregulated Legal High” Species Datura stramonium (Jimson Weed) and Merremia tuberosa (Hawaiian Woodrose),

Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), a common ingredient in absinthe, contains the compound thujone, which is unregulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Thujone can cause an “unregulated legal high” in higher concentrations. The European Union limits thujone from Artemisia species to 35 mg/kg while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires less than 10 ppm to be “thujone‐free.” However, individuals can smoke or ingest A. absinthium in different forms. This study developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) high‐resolution melt (HRM) assay to detect and identify A. absinthium based on primer specificity, sensitivity, repeatability, and robustness. A triplex assay was performed with three “unregulated legal high” species: Datura stramonium, Merremia tuberosa, and A. absinthium; the PCR HRM assay detected and identified each plant at melt temperatures 77.42 ± 0.20°C, 83.88 ± 0.22°C, and 87.77 ± 0.15°C, respectively. The primer set developed distinguished A. absinthium from a variety of plant species and was successfully triplexed.     

An investigation of anonymous and spoof SMS resources used for the purposes of cyberstalking

In 2012, the United Kingdom actively sought to tackle acts of stalking through amendments to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Now, not only is stalking a recognised criminal offence, acts associated with stalking behaviour have finally been properly defined in legislation. Further, the role of technology in digital stalking offences, frequently termed as acts of cyberstalking, has been duly highlighted. The prosecution of such cyberstalking offences is reliant on the forensic analysis of devices capable of communication with a victim, in order to identify the offender and evidence the offending content for presentation to a court of law. However, with the recent proliferation of anonymous communication services, it is becoming increasingly difficult for digital forensic specialists to analyse and detect the origin of stalking messages, particularly those involving mobile devices. This article identifies the legal factors involved, along with a scenario-based investigation of sample anonymous and spoof SMS (Short Message Service) messages, documenting the evidence that remains on a victim's handset for the purpose of locating an offender, which often may be minimal or non-existent.