Dental Age Estimation: A Test of the Reliability of Correctly Identifying a Subject Over 18 Years of Age Using the Gold Standard of Chronological Age as the Comparator

This study was designed to test the reliability of using the third molars to demarcate between child and adult status. A total of 2000 dental panoramic tomographs were used for assessment of the calculated age using the 8‐stage system of tooth development and applied to all four third molars. The LL8 was also assessed using this 8‐stage system. For each tooth development stage, the Normal distribution and percentile summary data were estimated. The calculated dental age compared with the chronological age was statistically significantly different (p < 0.001) for both females and males giving underestimates of the true age. Comparison of single tooth dental age and chronological age was only slightly different. The most important finding is that the assignment to above or below the 18‐year threshold, in the age range 17 years to 19 years, could be wrong on up to 50% of occasions.     

Internal and external networks,and incubatees’ performance in dynamic environments: entrepreneurial learning’s mediating effect

The Journal of Technology Transfer - Business incubators (BIs) have gradually evolved to focus increasingly on the development of networks and network functions. However, existing literature...     

Limits of diaspority in Central Asia: contextualizing Dungan's multiple belongings

This article shows different ways of defining, understanding and performing ‘diaspority’ in the border region of Kordai (Kazakhstan) and Tokmok (Kyrgyzstan). Taking the example of Dungan people, as the Sinophone Muslims are known in Central Asia, both academic and political definitions of the concept of ‘diaspora’ are compared. This ethnographic account problematizes Kazakhstani Shaanxi Dungan ‘diaspority’. Together with this, the political definitions of ‘diaspora’ are also analysed. I show that while in China and Kazakhstan the definitions of the Dungans as a ‘diaspora’ of ‘China’ are somewhat complementary, once the Shaanxi Dungan emic perspective is taken into account, this concept becomes rather problematic. The kinds of diaspority defined by the states involved are ways of implementing particular cultural hegemonies that legitimate the two political regimes analysed in this article. Concurrently, this dual diaspority is used by the Dungan people in distinct ways in defining their own identities. Nevertheless, I show in this article that the ‘Chinese card’ is not necessarily played by all Dungans. Moreover, there are some Dungans for whom ‘Chinese-ness’ is not even relevant.     

A 6-year experience with urine drug testing by family service agencies in Nova Scotia, Canada

The objective of this study is to describe a urine drug-testing program implemented for parents with a history of substance abuse by family service agencies in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Nurse collectors went to the parents' home to obtain urine specimens under direct observation and then delivered the specimens to the toxicology laboratory or arranged shipment by courier under chain of custody. Each urine specimen was screened for cannabinoids, cocaine metabolite, opiates, amphetamines and benzodiazepines, ethyl alcohol and creatinine. All positive screening tests were confirmed by another method such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In 15,979 urine specimens collected from 1994 to 1999, the percent positive rate for one (or more) drugs/metabolites ranged from 45.6% (1994-1996) to 30.0% (1998, 1999). A total of 575 specimens (3.7%) were dilute (urine creatinine <25mg/dl). Positive rates in 15,404 non-dilute specimens from 1994 to 1999 were as follows: cannabinoids - 11.7%, benzodiazepines - 11.3%, cocaine metabolite - 3.7%, and ethyl alcohol - 2.6%. Most clients provided less than 20 urine specimens for testing but some individuals submitted urine specimens more than 100 times in a 12-15-month period. Urine drug screening in parents with a history of substance abuse provided an objective and reliable indication of recent drug use in this population.     

The ‘economics of politics’ and public expenditure: a critique 1

This paper attempts to criticise the explanations given by the ‘economics of politics’ for the growth of public expenditure in the UK, one of the major parts of the ‘revival’ of neo-classical economics in recent years. The focus is on the generality of arguments in this area and also on the particular arguments stressing the role of budget deficits in expanding the public sector. The paper is partly empirical in approach, but also draws some general implications from what are argued to be the failings of such conceptions of government activity.     

Astrosociology as the Missing Perspective

Astrosociology represents a distinctive emergent field within the sociological discipline and outside of it, inclusive of the other social sciences and a strong connection to the natural sciences. It provides a heretofore absent focus that partly serves to complement the work of space scientists and engineers, including the space policy issues that guide the direction of their work. By adopting astrosociology, this missing perspective increases the current scope of attention by adding its focus on the societal implications of human developments related to space generally and space exploration specifically. This relationship between space and society, viewed in both causal directions, influences social change within any particular society and possesses implications for future projects and missions. Astrosociology adds a sociocultural dimension to the conventional approach of space sciences that currently devalues a social science orientation. With the addition of astrosociology, practitioners of space will become exposed to decision-making criteria normally unavailable to them under current circumstances.     

Empirical analysis of civil litigation determinants: The Case of Spain

This paper analyses the determinants of civil litigation in Spain drawing on the Law and Economics approach. Using a panel data for 50 Spanish provinces, this study makes a first exploratory approach to empirically investigate the effect of the 2000 Civil Procedural Law Reform on the demand for civil justice over the period 1995–2010, controlling for other determinants of litigation such as the economic growth, the expansion of the Bar, the number of judges, and other socio-demographic characteristics. According to the results, the growing number of civil cases filed in Spain in recent years seems to be a consequence of the combination of the law reform, relevant socio-economic factors, and most importantly the economic recession.     

Assessment of walkway tribometer readings in evaluating slip resistance: a gait-based approach

The purpose of this study was to assess the viability of using slip risk (as quantified during human subject walking trials) to create a reference standard against which tribometer readings could be compared. First, human subjects (N=84) were used to rank objectively the slipperiness of three different surfaces with and without a contaminant (six conditions). Second, nine tribometers were used to independently measure and rank surface slipperiness for all six conditions. The slipperiness ranking determined from the walking trials was considered the reference against which the tribometer measurements were compared. Our results revealed that only two of the nine tribometers tested (Tortus II and Mark III) met our compliance criteria by both correctly ranking all six conditions and differentiating between surfaces of differing degrees of slipperiness. These findings reinforce the need for objective criteria to ascertain which tribometers effectively evaluate floor slipperiness and a pedestrian's risk of slipping.