The Role of Dissociation in the Cycle of Violence

The primary aim of this study was to examine the role of dissociation in the relationship between child maltreatment and intimate partner violence among 148 inner city women. It was proposed that dissociation would be a mediator in the relationship between child maltreatment and intimate partner perpetration. Overall, the hypothesis was supported. Findings revealed that women with a history of child maltreatment who experienced high levels of dissociation were more likely to be perpetrators of intimate partner violence than those with low levels of dissociation.     

Long term effects of drug court participation: evidence from a 15-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

Journal of Experimental Criminology - This study compares 15-year recidivism and incarceration outcomes for individuals randomly assigned to Baltimore City’s Drug Treatment Court (BCDTC) or...     

案外人异议之诉研究

2007年修改的民事诉讼法通过赋予案外人以提起诉讼的方式对执行行为可能侵犯其实体权益的情形予以救济,确立了案外人异议之诉的独立性,恢复了案外人异议的实体性本质。为了实现案外人异议之诉的价值,有必要在当事人、诉讼请求、管辖法院等诉讼构造以及当事人诉权的限制上实行与一般民事诉讼不相一致的独特制度。     

新形势下医疗损害赔偿纠纷案件的审理情况、问题与对策

为了研究如何在审判实践中贯彻实施《侵权责任法》。本文在分析近年来北京市法院系统医疗损害赔偿纠纷案件收结案数量、结案方式、案件特点等基本情况的基础上,研究了北京市法院在《侵权责任法》实施后审理医疗损害赔偿纠纷案件的若干疑难问题,并对当前审判实践中的一些突出疑难问题提出审判对策。     

A study on the effects of degradation and template concentration on the amplification efficiency of the STR Miniplex primer sets

In forensic DNA analysis, the samples recovered from the crime scene are often highly degraded leading to poor PCR amplification of the larger sized STR loci. To avoid this problem, we have developed STR markers with redesigned primer sequences called "Miniplexes" to produce smaller amplicons. To assess the effectiveness of these kits, we have tested these primer sets with enzymatically degraded DNA and compared the amplifications to a commercial kit. We also conducted sensitivity and peak balance studies of three Miniplex sets. Lastly, we report a case study on two human skeletal remain samples collected from different environmental conditions. In both types of degraded DNA, the Miniplex primer sets were capable of producing more complete profiles when compared to the larger sized amplicons from the commercial kit. Correct genotypes were obtained at template concentrations as low as 31 pg/25 microL. Overall, our data confirm that our redesigned primers can increase the probability of obtaining a usable profile in situations where standard kits fail.     

A cross-cultural comparison of sociopsychological factors in alcohol use among adolescents in Israel,France, and the United States

The correlates of alcohol use by adolescents are compared in three cultures with different prevalences of alcohol use: France, with high prevalence; Israel, with low prevalence; and the United States, in the middle. In all three countries, significant others, parents and peers, are more powerful predictors of alcohol use than are the adolescent's personal attributes, such as attitudes, behaviors, and demographic characteristics. Cross-cultural differences appear in the relative importance of parents and peers and in the structure of influence of parents and peers as role models. Parents are more important role models in Israel than in the other two cultures, while peers are more important in the United States than in France or in Israel.This research was partially supported by Research Grants DA01902, DA00064, and Research Scientist Grant K05-DA00081 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and by the Center for SocioCultural Research on Drug Use, Columbia University.Received Ph.D. from Stanford University. Main interests are mathematical sociology, social stratification, and adolescent substance use.Received Ph.D. from Columbia University. Main interests are adolescent socialization, substance use, and psychiatric epidemiology.     

The Evolving Matrix of Environmental Federalism and Intergovernmental Relationships

Using Daniel Elazar's metaphor of federalism as a matrix, asexpanded by Robert Agranoff, this article explores how stateand national political and administrative actors continue toredefine environmental federalism. The willingness of statesto sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over concernsthat the agency is not protecting the environment illustratesthe political and legal spotlight under which the matrix evolves.Outside the public purview, EPA and state environmental programadministrators attempted to shore up programs rocked by reducedbudgets and shifting priorities, while also adjusting to a newsystem of federal-state partnerships, the National EnvironmentalPerformance Partnership System.     

Arms Transfers beyond the State-to-State Realm

Arms transfers beyond the state-to-state realm can have harmful effects for international security dramatically affecting the relations and behavior of states. This article examines why an emerging international norm on "prohibiting states to transfer arms to nonstate groups" has failed to diffuse at the international level. It discusses the already available international law framework existing at the regional and international levels upon which the potential norm could be built. The failure of the norm to diffuse at the international level can be primarily explained by the existence of a long-consolidated norm: the customary practice of states to transfer weapons to nonstate actors, that is, groups they deem legitimate to, without any interference or constraint. ¹ The unrestrained transfer of weapons is an established foreign-policy practice. It is the way states form, uphold alliances, extend friendships, and build spheres of influence ( Sorokin 1994 ). Clearly, no state willingly wants to give this up. Therefore, the multilateral agreement on a norm barring most or all transfers of weapons to nonstate actors would curtail the freedom of action to build spheres of influence as states please. There are genuine ethical and moral dilemmas in this discussion, a nonstate actor may be a freedom fighter or a terrorist depending on different perspectives. The distinction between the categories "state" and "nonstate" actors may risk classifying actors in two camps: the good and the bad, respectively. This is problematic as a few states are known to be the most brutal perpetrators of egregious violations against their own citizens, whereas certain nonstate actors are legitimately fighting for the protection of vulnerable populations.