Political Participation and Civic Courage: The Negative Effect of Transparency on Making Small Campaign Contributions

This study assesses whether public disclosure of campaign contributions affects citizens’ willingness to give money to candidates. In the American states, campaign finance laws require disclosure of private information for contributors at relatively low thresholds ranging from $1 to $300. The Internet has made it relatively easy to publicize such information in a way that changes the social context for political participation. Drawing on social influence theory, the analysis suggests that citizens are sensitive to divulging private information, especially those who are surrounded by people with different political views. Using experimental data from the 2011 Cooperative Congressional Election Studies, it demonstrates how individuals refrain from making small campaign contributions or reduce their donations to avoid disclosing their identities. The conclusion discusses the implications of transparency laws for political participation, especially for small donors.     

Examination of heterogeneous crossing sequences between toner and rollerball pen strokes by digital microscopy and 3-D laser profilometry

The determination of line crossing sequences between rollerball pens and laser printers presents difficulties that may not be overcome using traditional techniques. This research aimed to study the potential of digital microscopy and 3-D laser profilometry to determine line crossing sequences between a toner and an aqueous ink line. Different paper types, rollerball pens, and writing pressure were tested. Correct opinions of the sequence were given for all case scenarios, using both techniques. When the toner was printed before the ink, a light reflection was observed in all crossing specimens, while this was never observed in the other sequence types. The 3-D laser profilometry, more time-consuming, presented the main advantage of providing quantitative results. The findings confirm the potential of the 3-D laser profilometry and demonstrate the efficiency of digital microscopy as a new technique for determining the sequence of line crossings involving rollerball pen ink and toner.     

Antemortem records of forensic significance among edentulous individuals

The identification of edentulous individuals is problematic due to poor provision of labelled dental prostheses. Dental records may still provide useful information for odontologists in the comparative identification process. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of forensically significant information contained within the dental records of a population of denture wearers attending the University of Manchester School of Dentistry. Two hundred and two dental records were examined and a proforma completed. The mean age of the patients was 72 years. Medical history were absent in 4% of all records and only 67.8% of the written records were rated as good. Thirty-two percent of the records contained one or more panoramic radiographs but 30% of these were over 3 years old rendering their usefulness in identification procedures questionable. In total only 18% of the examined records contained antemortem information that would enable identification. These data suggest that the process of denture marking is an essential in order to ensure that the identification of this population can be undertaken expediently by dental means.     

Denture marking--patient preference of various methods

Dental forensic organizations world wide have recommended that dental prostheses should be labeled with at least the patient's (wearer's) name and preferably with further unique identifiers such as social security number. A range of methods are available and the purpose of this study was to determine, via the means of a visual questionnaire, which are the most preferable to those patients who wear complete dentures. One hundred edentulous patients attending the Manchester Dental Hospital were shown a range of denture labeling methods and asked to rank these according to their preference. The most preferred method was that of an embedded radio frequency identification microchip (38% rated this as first) and the second was an inclusion technique using onion paper (24% rated this as first). The least preferred method was the use of a groove cut into the denture flange with 71% of patients rating this as the poorest in terms of esthetics. The study demonstrates that the method of denture labeling is important to patients and to ensure that denture labeling is performed routinely esthetic preferences must be considered.     

The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 – Secure Colleges and the Legitimation of State Sponsored Violence

The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 empowers staff in secure colleges to subject young people in custody to dangerous force for the purpose of ensuring ‘good order and discipline’. The use of force to restrain young people in custody can cause serious physical injury, profound psychological damage and has contributed to the custodial deaths of two young people in 2004. Despite these dangers, in most youth custodial establishments the use of force remains high and has been increasing. The 2015 Act will further legitimise the use of coercive violence against vulnerable children, consequently sustaining the power imbalance between children and adults, diminishing the special status of childhood and violating the child's human rights. This comment considers the effectiveness of using force and argues that the deliberate infliction of pain should only be used as a last resort and exclusively to prevent harm to the child or others.