Bringing Law to the Table: Legal Claims,Focal Points,and the Settlement of Territorial Disputes Since 1945

In this article, we argue that international law can help state leaders reach a settlement in territorial disputes by suggesting a focal point for negotiations. International law is more likely to serve as a focal point when the legal principles relevant to the dispute are clear and well established and when one of the states in the dispute has a stronger legal claim to disputed territory. When these two conditions are present, we expect the state with a legal advantage to push for and receive favorable terms of settlement. In our analysis of all negotiated settlements in territorial disputes from 1945 to 2000, we find strong support for the importance of international law in influencing the terms of settlements. States with a strong legal advantage are more likely to secure favorable terms, whereas states lacking a strong legal claim are more likely to receive unfavorable terms.     

The two facets of female violence: The public and the domestic domains

Violent behavior of women varies significantly in the public and private domains. Criminal statistics indicate a relatively low proportion of women among violent offenders in the public domain, while in the domestic and/or private domain statistics reflect almost no gender difference in violent behavior. The following paper proposes a dynamic model which draws upon psychological and sociological variables and suggests that the clue for understanding the paradoxical phenomenon lies in the relative importance the domestic domain plays in the woman's value structure. Among the variables considered were: social learning patterns regarding violent behavior; perception of danger; and the ways in which women express their frustration and/or anger.     

Exploratory study on classification and individualisation of earprints

The FearID research project is aimed at the individualisation of earprints for the purpose of forensic research. The study presented here was carried out within the framework of this project. It intends to combine a review of what is known from literature on the classification and individualisation of earprints with results from a preliminary study of earprints. Possibilities for, and limitations to, the use of earprints in forensic investigation are addressed. Differences between eliminating a suspect, placing a suspect at a crime scene, and linking crimes by prints left at different scenes are considered.     

The effects of larval crowding and food type on the size and development of the blowfly, Calliphora vomitoria

The use of entomological evidence in the estimation of the post mortem interval (PMI) often depends on the size and developmental stage of blowfly larvae collected from a corpse. Therefore, factors which can have an effect on the larval size and growth rate can have implications for reliable PMI determinations. This study explores the competitive effects of larval overcrowding on Calliphora vomitoria reared on three different pig tissues--liver, brain and muscle. The competitive feeding environment within the more crowded larval cultures resulted in increased development rates and the production of undersized larvae and adults. Variation in the extent of these effects was observed on each of the three body tissues, highlighting the importance of documenting the positions from which entomological evidence is recovered from a corpse.