Adolescents Online: The Importance of Internet Activity Choices to Salient Relationships

The purpose of this study was to determine whether using the Internet for different activities affects the quality of close adolescent relationships (i.e., best friendships and romantic relationships). In a one-year longitudinal study of 884 adolescents (Mean age = 15, 46% male), we examined whether visiting chat rooms, using ICQ, using the Internet for general entertainment, or participating in online gaming predicted changes in the quality of best friendships and romantic relationships. Multiple regression analyses indicated that Internet activity choice influenced later relationship quality in both best friendships and romantic relationships. Using instant messaging (ICQ) was positively associated with most aspects of romantic relationship and best friendship quality. In contrast, visiting chat rooms was negatively related to best friendship quality. Using the Internet to play games and for general entertainment predicted decreases in relationship quality with best friends and with romantic partners. These findings reflect the important and complex functions of online socialization for the development and maintenance of relationships in adolescence.

Percentage of body recovered and its effect on identification rates and cause and manner of death determination

Anthropologists frequently encounter cases in which only partial human remains are recovered. This study reports how the percentage of the body recovered affects identification (ID) rates and cause and manner of death determination. A total of 773 cases involving anthropology consults were drawn from the New Mexico medical examiner's office (1974-2006). Results indicate a significant correlation between body percent recovered and ID rates, which ranged from 89% for complete bodies to 56% when less than half the body was present. Similar patterns were evident in cause/manner determination, which were the highest (83% and 79%, respectively) in complete bodies but declined to 40% when less than half the body was found. The absence of a skull also negatively impacted ID and ruling rates. Findings are compared with general autopsy ID rates (94-96%) and cause/manner determination rates (96-99%) as well as prior published rates for individual casework and mass death events.     

Forensic analysis of soil and sediment traces by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis: an experimental investigation

This paper reports the results of a series of experiments carried out to determine the precision of soil trace comparisons based on elemental peak height ratios determined by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXRA) in a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM). Experiments were conducted on 'bulk' soil aggregates, ground powders prepared from the <150 microm soil fractions and on smears of both the bulk soil and <150 microm material placed on cotton cloth. X-ray count data were obtained using area scans and spot analyses at different magnifications. The effects on elemental peak height ratios of varying the SEM chamber pressure, beam spot size, emission current and accelerating voltage were also examined. The peak height ratios for oxygen, silicon, aluminium, potassium, calcium and iron were found to show little variation as a function of chamber pressure, spot size and emission current over the ranges examined, but a strong dependency on accelerating voltage was observed. Within-sample variation in results, expressed by the percentage coefficient of variation, was found to be lowest for area scan analyses of the ground <150 microm fractions and greatest for the spot analyses of the bulk soil aggregates and the <150 microm fractions. We conclude that comparison of elemental peak height ratios determined by EDXRA can be a useful tool for rapid screening of soil samples, especially when combined with investigation of other attributes of the soil traces such as colour, fabric and the composition, shapes and surface textures of individual particles or aggregates within the soil traces. If sufficient material is available and can be readily separated without contamination or loss, higher resolution and more precise elemental data should be obtained by methods such as inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) or mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS).     

Parentage of Hydatidiform Moles

We were presented with the STR (short tandem repeat) profiles from two separate paternity trios. Each trio consisted of a mother, an alleged father, and products of conception (POC) that contained a hydatidiform mole but no visible fetus. In both cases , antecedent pregnancies had followed alleged sexual assaults. Mole classification and pathogenesis are described in order to explain the analyses and statistical reasoning used in each case. One mole exhibited several loci with two different paternal alleles, indicating it was a dispermic (heterozygous) mole. Maternal decidua contaminated the POC, preventing the identification of paternal obligate alleles (POAs) at some loci. The other mole exhibited only one paternal allele/locus at all loci and no maternal alleles, indicating it was a diandric and diploid (homozygous) mole. In each case, traditional calculations were used to determine paternity indices (PIs) at loci that exhibited one paternal allele/locus. PIs at mole loci with two different paternal alleles/locus were calculated from formulas first used for child chimeras that are always dispermic. Combined paternity indices in both mole cases strongly supported the paternity of each suspect.     

The Effects of National and Local Funding on Judicial Performance: Perceptions of Russia's Lawyers

Courts that perform well are the cornerstone of the rule of law and democratic development. When courts are perceived as legalistic, fair, impartial, and independent of the influence of extrajudicial actors, aggrieved individuals are more likely to pursue litigation over other, potentially unlawful, alternatives. Using original data from surveys of more than 1,800 randomly sampled lawyers in 12 Russian cities, we investigate the effects of perceived government funding and power diversification on a variety of indicators of perceived judicial performance. We find that, according to lawyers, financial dependence on the national government has no independent effect on judicial performance, but financial dependence on local governments has consistently significant negative effects. We also find that diversified political power has consistently significant positive effects on perceived judicial performance, probably because the diversification makes courts seem less vulnerable to unified pressure from political actors.