Differential adoption of modern rice technology and regional wage differential in Nepal

In Nepal, which consists of ecologically distinct regions, the concentration of the adoption of modern rice varieties in the favourable rice growing areas of the country has raised fears that regional income disparities have widened. This study shows that greater demand for hired labour due to the adoption of modern rice varieties has induced permanent and seasonal migration from unfavourable to favourable areas. This appears to have largely equalised average wage rates across different production environments. Thus, as far as labour income is concerned, benefits from the modern varieties have been widely shared.     

Transparency and Political Budget Cycles at municipal level

We analyze the effect of municipal financial transparency on the magnitude of political budget cycles. Our sample covers the Spanish largest municipalities in the period 1999‐2009. While the impact of transparency on the electoral cycle has been studied at the international and regional level, there is no empirical evidence of its effect at the local level. Using the financial transparency index made by Transparency International Spain, we show that municipalities with lower levels of financial transparency present an electoral cycle in total spending, whereas such an electoral impact on total spending does not appear in high transparent municipalities. Furthermore, the magnitude of cycles in capital spending and taxes does not vary among low‐transparency municipalities and high‐transparency municipalities.     

Are ICTs Changing Parliamentary Activity in the Portuguese Parliament?

This article looks at the extent to which the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has brought changes to parliamentary activity in the Portuguese parliament. It explains the process through which ICTs have been introduced in this parliament, as well as looking at MPs' perceptions of ICT. It assesses the impact of ICTs on two key areas of parliamentary activity: the relationship between parliament and citizens and internal parliamentary work. The article is based on research by documentary analysis, interviews, questionnaires and web surveys. The research shows that the main area where ICTs have made a difference is in the relationship with citizens, making the Portuguese parliament a more open institution.     

The Portuguese parliament during the first two decades of democracy

This article sets out the main stages in the development of the Portuguese parliament over the past two decades. This development has been characterised by the growing rationalisation of the internal operation of parliament, notably through an increased role for committees, and the greater importance attached to parliamentary scrutiny of the executive. Recently, the Portuguese parliament has taken important steps in strengthening its links with society and in responding to public concerns. Some of the measures discussed in this context have helped to support the legitimation function of parliament; but parliament will need better developed resources if it is to act an effective check on the government.     

the feminization of labour in cognitive capitalism

The article starts with a definition of the concept feminization of labour. It aims to signal how, at both the Italian and the global level, precarity, together with certain qualitative characteristics historically present in female work, have become decisive factors for current productive processes, to the point of progressively transforming women into a strategic pool of labour. Since the early 1990s, Italy has seen a massive increase in the employment of women, within the wave of legislation that has introduced various flexible contracts – so-called atypical work. I show how cognitive capitalism tends to prioritize extracting value from relational and emotional elements, which are more likely to be part of women's experiential baggage. The results of a study conducted in November 2006 among freelance workers of the Rizzoli Corriere della sera group, the largest publishing group in Italy, will be used to show how women are able to move more easily on the shifting sands of precarity, within the context of cognitive work.     

Comparison of four skeletal methods for the estimation of age at death on white and black adults

ABSTRACT: When analyzing human adult skeletal remains, it is often difficult to decide whether a single aging method will give a more reliable age estimation than a combination of methods. This study evaluates four macroscopic indicators for age estimation on 218 American White and Black individuals, ranging in age from 25 to 90 years of age, from the Terry collection. Individuals in the sample were selected to have a balanced race, sex, and age distribution. The following aging methods were applied to each skeleton by one experienced observer: the Suchey–Brooks (SB) pubic symphysis method, the Lovejoy auricular surface method, the monoradicular teeth Lamendin (LM) method, and the I?can (IC) method for fourth ribs. The statistical study involved the evaluation of inaccuracy and bias (based on median age) for each age indicator and the combination of methods using Principal component analysis (PCA). Analysis was performed on the entire sample, then by race, then sex, and then age group (25–40 years, 41–60 years, and >60 years). PCA was the most accurate method for both racial groups when all age groups are analyzed together. When the sample was divided into age groups, SB was the most accurate for young adults (25–40 years) and LM was the most accurate for middle adults (41–60 years). After the age of 60, all methods are highly inaccurate, although IC gives the lowest inaccuracy. As regards bias, the study highlights the tendency of all methods to overestimate the age of young individuals and to underestimate in the older age group. No single skeletal indicator of age at death is ever likely to reflect accurately the many factors that accumulate with chronological age. In fact, one must use as many dental and skeletal indicators as possible. However, in order to maximize the potential of each method, in the final evaluation one should consider mainly the method or methods that have a higher accuracy for a particular age range.     

Cooling rates of the ear and brain in pig heads submerged in water: implications for postmortem interval estimation of cadavers found in still water

The state of the art for determining postmortem interval in submerged bodies reflects a serious lack of studies. The objectives of the present study were therefore to study cerebral and tympanic cooling in water and its relation to cooling in air, in a pig model. First of all, cerebral and tympanic cooling on a single head and on an entire body were compared and proven to be very similar in air and in water. Nine pairs of heads were then exposed to 9 temperature intervals from 0 degrees C to 20 degrees C. For every set temperature, one head was placed in water, the other in "ambient" air in a thermostatic chamber. Ear and brain temperature were simultaneously measured every 10 minutes during 8 hours. Results showed that both in air and in water, cooling curves were almost exponential, regardless of the site (ear or brain) or the environmental temperature. Cooling was always more rapid in water than in air. Cerebral and tympanic cooling always had a correlation coefficient of 0.98-0.99. Assuming that these cooling patterns are applicable to man, this research may provide a starting point for postmortem interval estimation in submerged cadavers.     

Intimate Partner Homicide in Portugal: What Are the (As)Symmetries Between Men and Women?

European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research - There is consensus that intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a gender crime and that it is one of the most extreme forms of violence. This study...