Interracial contact and fear of crime

Despite a large literature on public views about crime, the racialization of crime, and the contact hypothesis, surprisingly little is known about how interracial friendships may influence Whites’ fear of crime. At the same time, and perhaps because no counterpart stereotype to that of “Blacks as criminals” exists, there has been little exploration of how such contact may influence Blacks’ fear of crime. To address these research gaps, this study built on prior theory and research and used data from an ABC News and Washington Post poll to test competing hypotheses about the effect of interracial contact on Whites’ and Blacks’ fear of crime, respectively. The analyses revealed that close interracial friendships are associated with increased fear of crime among Whites, decreased fear of crime among lower-income Blacks, and increased fear among higher-income Blacks. The implications for theory and research are discussed.     

Rapid detection of caffeine in blood by freeze-out extraction

A new method for the detection of caffeine in blood has been proposed based on the combination of extraction and freezing-out to eliminate the influence of sample matrix. Metrological characteristics of the method are presented. Selectivity of detection is achieved by optimal conditions of analysis by high performance liquid chromatography. The method is technically simple and cost-efficient, it ensures rapid performance of the studies.     

Human trafficking in the Philippines: the need for an effective anti-corruption program

An estimated three million Filipinos are at high-risk of being trafficked at any given time, representing 3.1% of the total Philippine population. The paper illustrates that corruption is a central issue in facilitating and continuing human trafficking in the Philippines. It demonstrates that if human trafficking is to be significantly reduced, then corruption must be curbed. The paper consists of three main sections. The first section is an overview of the trafficking problem in the Philippines. It discusses the scope of the problem such as the recruiters and traffickers, tactics used by the recruiters, and current transport routes and methods. The second section discusses current tactics being implemented by the government, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the international community to restrict human trafficking in the Philippines. It also illustrates that government corruption prevents the current tactics from being implemented well and in order to combat government corruption one must begin at the municipal level. The third section presents the inner workings of government and corruption at the municipal level, shows how the corruption reduces economic opportunities and legal equality for the citizenry, and how the loss of those opportunities and equality encourages migration from home municipalities—thereby encouraging human trafficking.     

THE ECOLOGY OF GANG TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES*

Within any type of system, the actors in the system inevitably compete over resources. With competition comes the possibility of conflict. To minimize such effects, actors often will partition the system into geographic territories. It is against the larger ecological backdrop of competition and conflict that we examine territory formation among urban street gangs. Although previous studies have examined the social and built environment where gangs form, and how the presence of a gang influences local levels of violence, we know little about how competitive interactions are tied to the formation and maintenance of gang territories. We use formal spatial Lotka–Volterra competition models to derive hypotheses about competition‐driven territory formation. By using data on 563 between‐gang shootings, involving 13 rival street gangs in the Hollenbeck Policing Division of Los Angeles, we show that violence strongly clusters along the boundaries between gangs in a way that is quantitatively predicted by the theory. The results suggest that even weak competitive interactions between gangs are sufficient to drive gang territory formation without recourse to other processes or assumptions.     

D18S872基因座在汉、维、蒙古、回族群体中的遗传多态性研究及其应用

目的　调查D18S872基因座在成都汉族 ,新疆维族和蒙古族 ,甘肃回族 4个民族中的遗传多态性 ,获得群体遗传学基本数据。　方法　等位基因分型标准物制备采用分子克隆技术 ,样本基因分型采用PCR和PAG垂直电泳技术、银染显色方法。　结果　获得D18S872基因座等位基因分型标准物及该基因座在 4个群体中的遗传学数据。　结论　结果表明D18S872基因座在法医学个人识别和亲子鉴定中有一定的应用价值。     

轻型颅脑损伤ABR的纵向研究

目的　探索轻型颅脑损伤的电生理学指标 ,为早期临床诊断和预后判断以及法医学活体伤害鉴定提供依据。　方法　对相关病例进行脑干诱发电位 (ABR)的动态观察 ,并对结果进行统计学分析。　结果　6 0例轻型颅脑损伤患者伤后 48小时ABR的检测 ,显示主要异常表现为I-III峰间潜伏期的延长 ,说明此类损伤可造成脑干的功能紊乱。同时通过对其中 40例进行ABR追踪检测 ,结果显示大部分患者受伤三个月后脑功能状态恢复正常。　结论　轻型颅脑损伤ABR变化具有一定的特征 ,提示可作为早期临床诊断和预后判断以及法医学活体伤害鉴定的客观依据 ,应引起关注并展开进一步研究。     

Guarding against Nanotort Liabilities

Recent headlines comparing the health risks of nanotechnology to those of asbestos have appeared in newspapers throughout the country and on the Internet. Governmental agencies and standard-setting organizations have begun considering and actually adopting requirements to protect against such purported risks. The plaintiffs’ bar and potential plaintiffs have surely taken note. There is every reason to believe that the era of mass tort and class actions related to nanotechnology—“nanotorts” for short—is rapidly approaching. This article examines what nanotort claims might look like, the role that regulations and industry practices may play in such lawsuits, potential defenses to those claims, and what nanotech companies can do now to guard against future nanotort liabilities.