Aggression control therapy for violent forensic psychiatric patients: method and clinical practice

Aggression control therapy is based on Goldstein, Gibbs, and Glick's aggression replacement training and was developed for violent forensic psychiatric in- and outpatients (adolescents and adults) with a (oppositional-defiant) conduct disorder or an antisocial personality disorder. First, the conditions for promoting "treatment integrity" are examined. Then, target groups, framework, and procedure are described in detail, followed by the most important clinical findings during the period 2002 to 2006. Finally, new programme developments are mentioned, with aggression control therapy as a starting point.     

Y-chromosomal STR haplotype in Toscany (central Italy)

Here we show the Y-haplotype database consisting in the loci DYS19, DYS388, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, YCAII and DXYS156Y of 107 males living in Toscany (central Italy).     

Social Orientation: Problem Behavior and Motivations Toward Interpersonal Problem Solving Among High Risk Adolescents

A model of problematic adolescent behavior that expands current theories of social skill deficits in delinquent behavior to consider both social skills and orientation toward the use of adaptive skills was examined in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of 113 male and female adolescents. Adolescents were selected on the basis of moderate to serious risk for difficulties in social adaptation in order to focus on the population of youth most likely to be targeted by prevention efforts. Structural equation modeling was used to examine cross-sectional data using multiple informants (adolescents, peers, and parents) and multiple methods (performance test and self-report). Adolescent social orientation, as reflected in perceived problem solving effectiveness, identification with adult prosocial values, and self-efficacy expectations, exhibited a direct association to delinquent behavior and an indirect association to drug involvement mediated by demonstrated success in using problem solving skills. Results suggest that the utility of social skill theories of adolescent problem behaviors for informing preventive and remedial interventions can be enhanced by expanding them to consider adolescents' orientation toward using the skills they may already possess.     

The Demand for Land Title Registration: Theory with Evidence from Kenya

This article examines the role of title registration in providingsecurity of property rights for landowners. A simple model isdeveloped to examine the trade-off between increased securityof registering title against the administrative costs of accessingthe system. The model predicts that the demand for registrationshould be increasing in the value of the land, the educationof the landowner, and proximity to the central government (thelatter two being measures of the cost of accessing the system).Evidence on land registration in Kenya provides support forthe model.     

Evaluation of principal components analysis with high-performance liquid chromatography and photodiode array detection for the forensic differentiation of ballpoint pen inks.

Inks from seven black and eight blue ballpoint pens were separated by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method utilizing a photodiode array detection (PDA). A classifier flowchart was designed for the chromatographic data based on the presence or absence of certain peaks at different wavelengths to qualitatively discriminate between the inks. The same data were quantitatively classified by principal components analysis (PCA) to estimate the separation between a pair of classes of ink samples. It was found that the black ballpoint pen inks were discriminated satisfactorily utilizing two-dimensional data of the peak areas and retention times at the optimum wavelengths. The blue pens were discriminated by analyzing the chromatographic data at four different wavelengths simultaneously with a cross-validated PCA. The results of this study indicated that HPLC-PDA coupled with chemometrics could make a powerful discriminating tool for the forensic chemist, especially when analyzing extensive and/or complex data.     

Y-chromosomal STR haplotype in the Japanese population.

Allele and haplotype frequencies of seven Y-chromosome STR loci from samples of 108 unrelated Japanese males living in Aichi Prefecture.     

Political Power, Fiscal Crises, and Decentralization in Latin America: Federal Countries in Comparative Perspective (and some Contrasts with Unitary Cases)

What factors shape decentralization processes in Latin Americanfederations? This work reviews and statistically analyzes currentapproaches on the topic, questions some claims of generalityin their theoretical frameworks, and presents an argument toexplain variation in decentralization processes across thesefederations. The main hypothesis is that the degree of decentralization(in fiscal and administrative terms) in Latin American federationshas been shaped by the political power of the national executiveand sub-national actors and the fiscal context in which theyinteract. The article presents statistical evidence (for federaland unitary countries between 1979 and 1998) to sustain someof the expectations in the argument and discusses some of itslimitations.     

Detection of diatoms in blood by a combination of membrane filtering and chemical digestion

An improved method for detecting diatom in blood is reported. Blood of cadavers was obtained by cardiac puncture at inquest or from the left atrium directly at autopsy. The blood was hemolyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and filtered through membrane filter (47 mm in diameter and 5 microns in pore size). When the blood was putrefied, two or three pieces of membranes filters were needed because of choking membrane pore. The membrane filters were digested with fuming nitric acid and diluted with distilled water. The diluted solution was filtered through membrane filter (25 mm in diameter) again. After drying the membrane filter was immersed in oil. Diatoms on the membrane filter were clearly observed microscopically.     

The effect of fiscal transparency on corruption: A panel cross-country analysis

Both academicians and practitioners have advocated for increased fiscal transparency in government as a means of promoting budget discipline, improving functioning of the public sector, fostering greater accountability, and fighting the global menace of corruption. Despite worldwide calls for greater disclosure, empirical analyses of whether and how fiscal transparency actually affects governance outcomes are still limited. This study draws on public choice and principal–agent theories to demonstrate how public disclosure of budgetary information helps deter government corruption. The data from 95 countries over the period 2006–14 provide evidence that more fiscally transparent countries are perceived as less corrupt. We also find that fiscal transparency matters most at the final stages of the budget process when information disclosure reflects actual government spending. Data also confirm that a Citizens Budget can serve as a strong anti-corruption tool.     

Perceptions of coercion in interrogation: comparing expert and lay opinions

ABSTRACT

When confessions are entered into evidence in criminal courts, issues of coercion and voluntariness are important and often contested matters. Occasionally, defense attorneys proffer expert witnesses to testify about the coercive pressures of an interrogation and the risk of a false confession. Such testimony is often ruled inadmissible on the grounds that it does not inform the jury beyond its common knowledge. In our effort to test this judicial assumption about common knowledge, we surveyed jury-eligible laypeople (n?=?67) and social scientists specializing in interrogation and confessions (n?=?54) regarding their opinions about the coerciveness of prohibited interrogation tactics, maximization techniques, minimization techniques, and suspect risk factors and compared their ratings with a set of independent t tests. Laypeople gave lower ratings to the coerciveness of all sets of items representing interrogation techniques, and lower ratings to the vulnerabilities associated with suspect risk factors, as compared to social science experts. The disparities between laypeople’s and experts’ perceptions of coercion in interrogations demonstrate that such issues are not fully within the common knowledge of prospective jurors, and suggest the need to provide jurors with expert witness guidance when tasked with evaluating confession evidence.