Child abduction murder: the impact of forensic evidence on solvability

This study examined 733 child abduction murders (CAMs) occurring from 1968 to 2002 to explore the influence of forensic evidence on case solvability in CAM investigations. It was hypothesized that the presence of forensic evidence connecting the offender to the crime would enhance case solvability in murder investigations of abducted children. This study examined the impact of CAM of different types of forensic evidence and the impact of the summed total of forensic evidence items on case solvability by controlling for victim age, victim race, victim gender, and victim-offender relationship. Time and distance theoretical predictors were also included. Binomial logistic regression models were used to determine whether forensic evidence was a critical solvability factor in murder investigations of abducted children. This research indicated that, while forensic evidence increased case solvability, the impact of forensic evidence on solvability was not as important as other solvability factors examined.     

The effect of weight on the femur: a cross-sectional analysis

This study assessed whether obesity significantly affects femoral shape. Femora of 121 white men were divided into two weight classes based on body mass index (BMI) of the deceased. Five external anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) measurements were taken at consistent percentages of diaphyseal length. These were then subject to statistical tests. After controlling for age, multivariate statistics show a significant (p<0.05) effect of BMI on the femur, with the greatest significance in ML measurements. T-tests confirm these dimensions are significantly larger in the overweight (p<0.05). The effect of BMI on size-transformed and shape-transformed variables was also evaluated, with ANOVA results showing a significant BMI effect on ML size (p<0.05), but not shape. Significant size-transformed ML variables were then subject to discriminate function analyses with a cross-validation correction. Results show a correct classification rate of 88% in normal weight and 77% in overweight individuals.     

Forensic anthropology and the most probable cause of death in cases of violations against international humanitarian law: an example from Bosnia and Herzegovina

This study presents the results of the analysis of at least 298 predominantly male individuals, between 15 and 75 years, who were recovered from an open cast mine in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Particular attention is paid to identifying the mechanisms of injury and determination of the most probable cause of death based on the assessment of lethal or lethal-if-untreated injuries recorded in the skeleton. It was calculated that at least 38.9% (155/398) of individuals sustained gunshot wounds (GSWs) (plus one shrapnel wound) and may have died as consequence of these injuries. Among individuals who died from GSWs, there were 142 males (91.60%), eight females (5.1%) and five cases that were (3.2%) undetermined. One male individual sustained shrapnel injuries. This study presents an example of the multidisciplinary approach to the effective forensic investigation of violation against International Humanitarian Law, as well as an example of how it is possible to obtain meaningful results to assist the needs of the prosecution in these kind of cases despite the large number of cases and technological constraints.     

The evaluation of human hand odor volatiles on various textiles: a comparison between contact and noncontact sampling methods

The focus of this study is to compare contact and noncontact human scent collection procedures across an array of textiles (cotton, rayon, polyester, and wool) to determine an optimized collection method for human scent evidence. Six subjects were sampled in triplicate for each textile and collection mode, and the samples were then analyzed through headspace solid-phase micro-extraction in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS). Contact sampling with cotton material has been shown to be the collection method that yielded the greatest number of volatile compounds and the highest scent mass amounts. Through Spearman rank correlations, it was shown that an individual's scent profile is more reproducible within samples collected on the same textile type than between different materials. Furthermore, contact sampling with cotton fabric demonstrated the greatest reproducibility producing the lowest amount of type I and type II errors with 90.85% of the samples distinguished at the 0.9 match/no match threshold.     

八国集团对国际法律秩序的作用和影响——基于权力与制度关系的分析框架

八国集团对国际法律秩序的作用和影响,无远弗届。八国集团的形成,标志着国际权力结构的新安排,也意味着依国际法协调新的国际权力关系的重要性;八国集团成员的国际身份,分力于政府间国际组织的活动、决策及制度建立过程,影响并决定着国际组织的内外法律秩序;八国峰会的议题,在很大程度上已成为确立新的国际法律规范的基础;而八国集团向正式国际组织发展的趋势,更使现有的国际法律秩序面临诸多严峻挑战。     

组织、领导传销活动罪与诈骗罪的竞合论探析--以利用保健食品传销犯罪为角度

利用保健食品传销犯罪是新型的传销犯罪,其在骗取财物的过程中涉及对保健食品的虚假宣传,其构成要件要素又与诈骗罪具有交叉部分,而"两高一部"的《关于办理组织领导传销活动刑事案件适用法律若干问题的意见》并未对组织、领导传销活动罪与诈骗罪之间的罪数讨论予以明示,有必要通过二罪理论上的竞合论争议,比较日本刑法的竞合论规定,结合我国竞合论的规定,明示利用保健食品传销犯罪与诈骗罪的交叉部分的罪名适用关系。     

儒家心性论视阈下的“德育”思想论略——兼论“朱陆之争”

我们对儒家的“德育”思想有误解。事实上，儒家理解的“德育”应指一种“成德之教”，在根本的意义上，它是关于我们如何实现良心自觉的学问。儒家认为自觉的方法主要有两种：一是修身；一是教化。其根据是儒家所持有的独特的心性论。关于修身历来有“朱陆之争”，但事实上他们的不同只是一个强调在日常生活的具体道德实践中“逆觉体证”，一个强调通过格物、阅读经典等来觉悟而已，各有长短。同样，教化的根源性的方法是“启发”，它反映的人伦关系不是权力性的压制关系，而是出于一种天下一家、天下关怀的道德责任感；这种责任感恰恰反映了儒家积极性的人伦观。祛魅了这一人伦观，我们最终将无“家”可归。