X‐ray Diffraction and Rietveld Refinement in Deferrified Clays for Forensic Science

Soil vestiges might provide information about a crime scene. The Rietveld method with X‐ray diffraction data (RM‐XRD) is a nondestructive technique that makes it possible to characterize minerals present in the soils. Soil clays from the metropolitan region of Curitiba (Brazil) were submitted to DCB treatment and analyzed using XRD with CuK_α radiation in the step‐scan mode (0.02° 2θ/5 s). The GSAS+EXPGUI software was used for RM refinement. The RM‐XRD results, together with the principal component analysis (PCA) (52.6% total variance), showed the kaolinite predominance in most analyzed samples and the highest quartz contents in “site 1.” Higher anatase, and gibbsite and muscovite contents influenced discrimination, mainly in “site 3” and “site 1,” respectively. These results were enough to discriminate clays of four sites and two horizons using a reduced amount of sample showing that the technique can be applied to the investigation into soil vestiges.     

Consensus Among Public Managers as Strategy for Standardization of Performance Indicators

ABSTRACT

The usefulness of performance indicators increases when organizations compare their data. However, most discussions have failed to emphasize two lines of action that could improve the relevance of such comparisons: a) agreement among service managers on the indicators to be used in the evaluation; b) homogenization of the indicators to be used by organizations, and of the process used to calculate them. In this context, this paper proposes a methodology based on the participation of and consensus among managers, which helps to standardize the construction and presentation of performance indicators. The aim of this proposal is to improve the comparative evaluation of organizations. Finally, in order to test the proposal, a practical application is carried out on the local culture departments of nine large municipalities in southern Spain.     

Book reviews

Ackerman B &; A Alstott, The Stakeholder Society. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999. 296pp. ISBN: 0–300–07826. US$26.00. http://www.yale.edu/yup

Adedeji A (ed.), Comprehending and Mastering African Conflicts: The Search for Sustainable Peace and Good Governance. London: Zed Books, in association with the African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies, Ijebu‐Ode, 1999. 377pp. ISBN: 1–85649–763–1. US$27:50. http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk

Berkovitch N, From Motherhood to Citizenship: Women's Rights and International Organisations. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. 207pp. ISBN: 0–8018–6028–8. US$34.95. http://www.press.jhu.edu/ press/index.html

Bourgia R &; SG Miller (eds), In the Shadow of the Sultan: Culture, Power and Politics in Morocco. Massachussets: Harvard University Press, 1999. 310pp. ISBN 0–932885–20–9. £12.50. http://www.hup.harvard.edu

Cohen R &; Westbrook R (eds.), Armana Diplomacy . Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2000. 307pp. ISBN: 0–8018–6199–3. US$57.00. http://www.press.jhu.edu

Cullather N, Secret History: The CIA's Classified Account of its Operations in Guatemala. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. 142pp. ISBN: 0–8047–3311–2. US$39.50. http://www.sup.org

De Cerreno ALC &; A Keynan, Scientific Co‐operation, State Conflict: The Roles of Scientists in Mitigating International Discord. Edited conference papers published as Volume 866 of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. New York, 1999, 281 pp, ISBN: 1 57331 203 7, US$27,00. Http://www.press.jhu.edu

Donoso BP, Across the Footsteps of Africa: The Experiences of an Ecuadorian Doctor in Malawi and Mozambique. Trenton: Africa World Press, 1999, 242pp. ISBN: 0–86543–640–1. US$19.95. http.//www.africanword.com

Drèze J, The Economics of Famine, An Elgar Reference Collection, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 1999. pp. 524. ISBN: 1–85898–689–3. £130. http://www.e‐elgar.co.uk

Emmett T, ‘A study of the development of a movement of national liberation in Namibia, between 1915 and 1966’, in Popular Resistance and the Roots of Nationalism in Namibia, 1915–1966. Basel, Switzerland: P Schlettwein Publishing, 1999. 420pp. ISBN: 3–908193–03–6. Swiss F55. http://www.baslerafrika.ch/bns.htm

Gaubatz K T, Elections and War: The Electoral Incentive in the Democratic Politics of War and Peace. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1999. 208pp. ISBN: 08047–3566–2. US$45.00. http://www.sup.org

Hawken P, Lovins AB &; LH Lovins, Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd, 1999. 396pp. ISBN: 1–85383–461–0. £18.99. http://www.earthscan.co.uk

Herbst J, States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, 280pp. ISBN: 069–10–10285. US$17.95. http://www.pupress.princeton.edu

Jett DC, Why Peacekeeping Fails. New York: St Martin's Press, 2000, 236pp. ISBN: 031–22269–85. US$49.95. http://www.stmartins.com

Hodgson G, Evolution and Institutions: On Evolutionary Economics and the Evolutions of Economics . Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 1999. 345pp. ISBN: 1–85898–813–6. £55.00. http://www.e‐elgar.co.uk

Guha S, Environment and Ethnicity in India: 1200–1991. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 217pp. ISBN: 0–521–64078–4. £35.00. http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk

Iheduru OM, The Politics of Economic Restructuring and Democracy in Africa. London: Greenwood Press,1999. 169 pp. ISBN: 0–313–30833–0. £37.50. http://www.greenwood.com

Jain PC, Indians in South Africa: Political Economy of Race Relations. Delhi: Kalinga Publications, 1999. 175 pp. ISBN: 81–85163–102‐X. US$80.00.

Kathadra A, Letters from Robben Island: A Selection of his Prison Correspondence, 1964–1989. Bellville and East Lansing: Mayibuye Books and Michigan State University Press, 1999. 263pp. ISBN: 087–01352–79 R120.00. http://www.msu.edu/unit/msupress/index.htm

Middleton N &; D Thomas (eds), World Atlas of Desertification. United Nations Environment Programme, 2^nd edition. London: Arnold, 1997.182pp. ISBN: 0–340–69166–2. http://www.unep.org     

Distributive Politics and Regional Development: Assessing the Territorial Distribution of Turkey’s Public Investment

Turkey is often perceived as a country with low bureaucratic capacity and prone to political manipulation and ‘pork-barrel’. This article tests whether this is the case, by analysing the extent to which politics, rather than equity and efficiency criteria, have determined the geographical allocation of public investment across the 81 provinces of Turkey between 2005 and 2012. The results show that although the Turkish government has indeed channelled public expenditures to reward its core constituencies, socioeconomic factors remained the most relevant predictors of investment. Moreover, in contrast to official regional development policy principles, we uncover the concentration of public investment in areas with comparatively higher levels of development. We interpret this as the state bureaucracy’s intentional strategy of focussing on efficiency by concentrating resources on ‘the better off among the most in need’.     

Forensic determination of hair deposition time in crime scenes using electron paramagnetic resonance

Several types of biological samples, including hair strands, are found at crime scenes. Apart from the identification of the value and the contributor of the probative evidence, it is important to prove that the time of shedding of hair belonging to a suspect or victim matches the crime window. To this end, to estimate the ex vivo aging of hair, we evaluated time‐dependent changes in melanin‐derived free radicals in blond, brown, and black hairs by using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). Hair strands aged under controlled conditions (humidity 40%, temperature 20–22°C, indirect light, with 12/12 hour of light/darkness cycles) showed a time‐dependent decay of melanin‐derived radicals. The half‐life of eumelanin‐derived radicals in hair under our experimental settings was estimated at 22 ± 2 days whereas that of pheomelanin was about 2 days suggesting better stabilization of unpaired electrons by eumelanin. Taken together, this study provides a reference for future forensic studies on determination of degradation of shed hair in a crime scene by following eumelanin radicals by utilizing the non‐invasive, non‐destructive, and highly specific EPR technique.     

Experimental evaluation of rigor mortis IX. The influence of the breaking (mechanical solution) on the development of rigor mortis

In criminal proceedings involving illegally manufactured substances, evidence demonstrating the manufacture is required for successful prosecution. In many circumstances the presence of manufacturing equipment and 'recipes' are clear indicators. However establishing chemical links between starting materials and products would be beneficial additional evidence in such circumstances. Isotope analysis is becoming more commonly employed in disputes over authenticity and provenance of materials such as food stuffs or pharmaceuticals [S. Benson, C. Lennard, P. Maynard, C. Roux, Forensic applications of isotope ratio mass spectrometry--a review, Forensic Sci. Int., 157 (2006) 1-22]. We report here the results of an isotope study investigating a link between hexamine used as a starting material and the product explosive RDX, manufactured using the Woolwich process. Isotopic composition of hexamine and RDX was analysed by stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Five different hexamine samples were selected from a group of eleven for use in this study. One of the five hexamine samples was used twice, providing data on the reproducibility of the synthesis. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of the hexamine starting material and RDX products reveals a reproducible relationship between reactant and product.     

Participatory budgets in Canoas (Brazil) and Cascais (Portugal). A comparative analysis of the drivers of success

ABSTRACT

This article is a comparative analysis of two internationally awarded cases of Participatory Budgets in Canoas (Brazil) and Cascais (Portugal). Our main argument is that the success of these PBs relies on political/administrative, societal, and geographic drivers. This conceptual model has been adopted to analyse and discuss the success of the two case studies. The provision of an original conceptual model for comparative analysis and the empirical knowledge from the two cities are supported by the review of main literature in this field of study, and aim to contribute, with original findings, to the international debate on participatory budgeting.     

Back to Basics: The Great Recession and the Narrowing of IMF Policy Advice

This article contributes to the literature on the dynamics of change and continuity in the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) policy paradigm. The IMF embarked on a process of “streamlining conditionality” during the 2000s, but many observers have argued that the IMF's policy paradigm from the 1990s remains intact. This article examines whether the scope of the IMF's policy advice to borrowers during the Great Recession narrowed in comparison to its advice to borrowers during the heyday of the Washington consensus in the 1980s and 1990s. The article uses qualitative content analysis to establish the frequency of a series of policy dialogue indicators in four sample sets of countries requesting IMF stand‐by arrangements over three decades. The evidence suggests that contemporary IMF policy advice to borrowers continues to stress the importance of fiscal consolidation, with reduced emphasis on promoting the structural economic reforms associated with the Washington consensus era.     

Improving Third-Party Decisions at Choice Points: A Cyprus Case Study

Third parties are often required to make process decisions under considerable psychological pressure, within the stressful view of interested parties, often with high stakes and inadequate information, on very short notice, and without an opportunity for extended research or even much reflection. Therefore, a valuable goal in preparing for intervention is to develop the ability to spot patterns or cues in the context of the dispute that can immediately suggest techniques or process options that could be successful. This essay focuses on conditions at important choice points in an intervention and the third-party decisions made in response. It discusses how third parties make decisions on process issues and suggests ways to learn how to make better decisions. Next, it applies this decision framework to an actual intervention, using an effort by a co-author to build interaction between the Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus during the mid-1990s. Finally, the authors jointly evaluate the Cyprus experience to capture lessons learned for improving third-party conflict resolution practice.