Recent human sexual dimorphism study using cephalometric plots on lateral teleradiography and discriminant function analysis

Abstract:  The examination of skull sexual dimorphism has been the subject of numerous morphologic and craniometric studies, but the disadvantage of these studies is that they are dependent on the experience of the operator and involve subjectivity. In 1996, a team from Taiwan refined the methods enabling the sex of an individual to be determined using cephalometric plots made from lateral teleradiography. To validate their work using a European population, 114 dry skulls (59 men and 55 women) were examined. Cephalometric plots were made on lateral teleradiography with an orthodontic software and 18 cephalometric variables were analyzed. Sex was determined with 95.6% accuracy using the 18 variables discriminant function. A subset of eight variables was selected and could predict sex with the same accuracy. In conclusion, it can be said that skull-sexing methods using lateral teleradiography seem always suitable but the most indicative variables could differ relative to the ethnic population concerned.     

An unusual death by transcranial stab wound: homicide or suicide?

Penetrating stab wounds of the brain are uncommonly seen in modern times and occur almost exclusively in homicides. We report an unusual death by self-stabbing. A 24-year-old man was found dead at home, the handle of a kitchen knife protruding from his forehead. Data such as the psychiatric history of the victim, the multiplicity and site of wounds, the implement used, the presence of hesitation, and defense wounds were studied to elucidate the manner of death, and the suicidal nature of the event was established after police investigation. Atypical injuries require a careful forensic investigation, and medico-legal aspects of the differentiation between homicide and suicide are discussed in this particular case. A review of the literature revealed few cases of suicidal transcranial stab wounds.     

Modeling the Deviant Y in Criminology: An Examination of the Assumptions of Censored Normal Regression and Potential Alternatives

Many dependent variables of criminological interest have censored distributions. Investigations that use such variables increasingly have turned to the Tobit model, a censored regression technique that is specified based on a latent dependent variable. When used under suitable circumstances, this model provides appropriate estimates. This paper discusses key assumptions of the Tobit model. It then highlights the risk of violating these assumptions and reviews alternative flexible parametric and semiparametric modeling techniques, currently used sparingly in criminology, which researchers may find helpful when assumptions regarding the error terms are untenable. By using an empirical example focused on sentencing outcomes and comparing estimates across analytic methods, this study illustrates the potential utility of simultaneously estimating the Tobit model along with some alternatives.

Who Needs [Sex] When You Can Have [Gender]? Conflicting Discourses on Gender at Beijing

‘Gender’, understood as the social construction of sex, is a key concept for feminists working at the interface of theory and policy. This article examines challenges to the concept which emerged from different groups at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, September 1995, an important arena for struggles over feminist public policies. The first half of the article explores contradictory uses of the concept in the field of gender and development. Viewpoints from some southern activist women at the NGO Forum of the Beijing Conference are presented. Some of them argued that the way ‘gender’ has been deployed in development institutions has led to a depoliticization of the term, where feminist policy ambitions are sacrificed to the imperative of ease of institutionalization. ‘Gender’ becomes a synonym for ‘women’, rather than a form of shorthand for gender difference and conflict and the project of transformation in gender relations. ‘Gender sensitivity’ can be interpreted by non-feminists as encouragement to use gender-disaggregated statistics for development planning, but without consideration of relational aspects of gender, of power and ideology, and of how patterns of subordination are reproduced. A completely different attack on ‘gender’ came from right-wing groups and was battled out over the text of the Platform for Action agreed at the official conference. Six months prior to the conference, conservative groups had tried to bracket for possible removal the term ‘gender’ in this document, out of opposition to the notion of socially constructed, and hence mutable, gender identity. Conservative views on gender as the ‘deconstruction of woman’ are discussed here. The article points out certain contradictions and inconsistencies in feminist thinking on gender which are raised by the conservative backlash attack on feminism and the term ‘gender’.     

Is It Bad to Be Good? An Exploration of Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior Subtypes in Adolescence

Research in aggressive behavior development has distinguished between proactive (i.e., intended to achieve an instrumental goal) and reactive (i.e., emitted as an emotional response to provocation) subtypes of aggression. A similar distinction has not been made with regard to prosocial behavior. In this study, subtypes of both aggressive and prosocial behavior and their relation to aggression-supporting social cognitions were examined in a sample of 250 early and middle adolescents. Adolescents completed behavior rating scales and a measure of their beliefs about the acceptability of responding aggressively. Principal components analysis identified 3 subtypes of aggressive and prosocial behavior: aggressive, prosocial, and proactive prosocial. Proactive prosocial behavior was positively correlated with aggression and aggression-supporting beliefs, while other prosocial behavior was negatively correlated with these constructs. Findings are discussed in the context of aggressive behavior development and with regard to traditional views of prosocial behavior as altruistic.     

Diversification des populations dans la région de Montréal: de nouveaux défis de la gestion urbaine

Sommaire: Certaines organisations municipales s'efforcent de mieux répondre aux nouveaux besoins associés aux transformations de la population métropolitaine. Une perspective de meilleures pratiques face aux nouveaux défis de la gestion urbaine se dessine progressivement pour les banlieues et anciennes banlieues des villes situées dans les différentes couronnes au Nord et au Sud de Montréal. Après un bref aperçu des transformations de la population, nous examinons les groupes susceptibles d'avoir des besoins particuliers. S'ensuivent un exposé des types d'interventions entreprises par les municipalités québécoises dans ces domaines, puis les objectifs de recherche ainsi que la méthodologie. Finalernent, nous présentons les résultats à partir de l'analyse des données recueillies dans dix‐sept municipalités de plus de 3 000 habitants, excluant la Ville de Montréal. Nous avons retenu quatre variables: population immigrante, minorités visibles, familles monoparentales et familles à faible revenu. Les municipalités retenues se situent à un niveau élevé pour l'un ou l'autre de ces fadeurs ou encore pour leur combinaison. Il n'y a pas forcément de liens entre la forte présence des divers sous‐groupes et l'existence de politiques et programmes. Un phénomèe intéressant se présente quant à la présence de politiques pour les personnes âgées car la majorité des municipalités font preuve d'innovation à cet égard. Abstract: Some municipalities are adopting initiatives designed to better respond to needs associated with the changing composition of the urban population. This research aims to identify “best practices” of municipal administration in the suburban ring around Montreal, in particular with respect to the development of programs and policies designed to accommodate emerging populations with special needs. After a brief presentation of the changing demographics of such populations, the authors examine in greater detail specific groups that require special attention. They then present the different types of initiatives developed by Quebec municipalities to respond to identified needs discuss the objectives and methods of their research. They analyse data collected in seventeen municipalities in the Montreal area that have at least 3,000 residents, excluding the City of Montreal. Research focuses on four types of sub‐populations: immigrants, visible minorities, single‐parent families, and low‐income families. All of the municipalities included in our study have a higher than average incidence of one or more of these sub‐populations. Data does not reveal a strong relationship between municipal initiatives and the presence of the different sub‐groups. On the other hand, nearly all municipalities have developed initiatives to respond to the increasing presence of the elderly.