A New Method to Pair‐match Metacarpals Using Bilateral Asymmetry and Shape Analysis

Matching pairs of skeletal elements is of fundamental importance when re‐associating skeletons from commingled settings. This study presents a new method that combines the use of traditional anthropometric size measurements and the analysis of shape, through geometric morphometrics, to form pairs from commingled settings. We tested the hypothesis that shape asymmetry among individuals is smaller than between individuals that share similar dimensions. The metacarpals were measured in their maximum length, and absolute means of asymmetry between right and left metacarpals were calculated. To analyze the shape characteristics, two‐dimensional landmarks were recorded from digital images of 111 metacarpals. The specimens were analyzed using generalized Procrustes analysis and multivariate statistics. The accuracy of pair‐matching bones using a combined method was of 100%, showing that the incorporation of geometric morphometrics techniques—in the assessment of shape in physical anthropology—is of particular use when comparing the shape differences/similarities between individuals.     

Catching Up with the Past: Recent Decisions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Addressing Gross Human Rights Violations Perpetrated During the 1970 1980s

This article highlights some of the discursive implicationsof framing the question of Islamic dress as one of religiousrights. It is argued that the very construction of hijab issuesas those of ‘religious identity’, sustained by theuse of Article 9 of the ECHR as the primary legal basis fortheir resolution, has shaped a number of counterproductive trends.These are: avoiding difficult questions through a judicial techniqueof deference to local knowledge; using a language of choiceto produce an obscure and unsatisfactory account of Muslim women'sagency; false dichotomising of culture and gender; and producingan ever more docile and exposed subject through the subtle mechanismsof public scrutiny and moralising. Each trend is consideredin turn. The article's arguments draw on the critical thoughtof Wendy Brown and post-colonial feminism.     

Validity and reliability of the VRAG in a forensic psychiatric medium security population in Flanders

Since the development of the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG), one of the most widely used actuarial risk assessment instruments, numerous replication studies have shown its usefulness in predicting (violent) recidivism among various offender populations. It is not clear, however, whether these findings can be generalized to forensic psychiatric patients admitted to a medium security forensic psychiatric unit in the Flemish part of Belgium. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to test the predictive validity and reliability of the VRAG in a sample of 191 Flemish medium security patients. The mean follow-up period was 2.4 years. Contrary to the expectations, the VRAG was unable to significantly predict any kind of outcome. Possible explanations are discussed and further research with the VRAG in Flanders, and its recently revised version, is recommended.     

Kastenstandhaltung und kein Ende

Natur und Recht - Seit Jahrzehnten werden Jungsauen und Sauen über Wochen hinweg in Kastenständen zur Zucht von Ferkeln eingepfercht und können sich weder bewegen noch umdrehen....