Gunshot wounds: visual and analytical procedures.

Visual examination of clothing and tissue from gunshot wounds provides information pertaining to the range of discharge of a firearm. Identification of powder grains or soot is evidence of close range discharge by a handgun. Analyses of tissue by EDX and FAAS technics are shown to supply corroborating data to visual examination in estimation of range. These methods are of particular value in differentiating contact and distant wounds when decomposed bodies are examined and when multiple layers of clothing are present.     

Ranking state fiscal structures using theory and evidence

This paper offers unique rankings of the extent to which fiscal structures of U.S. states contribute to economic growth. The rankings are novel in two key respects: They are well grounded in established growth theory, in which the effect of taxes depends both on the level of taxes and on the composition of expenditures; and they are derived from actual estimates of the link between fiscal structures and economic growth. Estimates for the latter yield a growth hill, in which the incremental effect of taxes spent on productive services and infrastructure initially rises, reaches a peak, and then declines. Rankings derived from these estimates differ sharply from typical rankings based on levels of taxation alone. Two hypothetical policy experiments highlight both the growth‐hill effects of tax investments in productive services and infrastructure and the short‐ and long‐term tradeoffs in attempting to fund strong social services. © 2008 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.