Exploration of the use of novel SiO2 nanocomposites doped with fluorescent Eu3+/sensitizer complex for latent fingerprint detection

Silicon dioxide-based nanocomposites have shown great potential in novel chemical and biological sensor development due to their large loading capacity and high surface area to volume ratio for trapping molecular complexes of various sizes. However, their potential applications in forensic science, latent fingerprint detection in particular, were still unclear. In this study, we have succeeded in trapping the highly fluorescent and photo-stable Eu3+ metal ions/sensitizer complex in silicon dioxide-based nanocomposites, doped xerogels, using the sol-gel method. We have tested the spectroscopic properties of Eu3+ in several combinations of rare earth sensitizers and different derivatives of silicon dioxide nanoporous templates. Our results indicated that the use of 1,10-phenanthroline (OP) sensitizer in tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) template provides the best fluorescently doped xerogels applicable for latent fingerprint detections on various forensic relevant materials, including metal foil, glass, plastic, colored paper, and a green tree leaf. The fabrication procedure, UV/vis and fluorescence characterizations, and fingerprint labeling results of these new Eu3+/OP/TEOS nanocomposites are presented in this exploratory study.     

The sexual objectification of girls and aggression towards them in gang and non-gang affiliated youth

Sexual objectification is related to various negative attitudes and outcomes, including rape proclivity and reduced moral concern for the objectified, which suggests that objectification has implications for aggression. Our study examined the relationship between objectification and general aggressive behaviour in adolescents, including gang-affiliated youth. We hypothesized that (1) objectification would correlate with aggression towards girls, (2) gang affiliation would correlate with objectification and aggression towards girls, and (3) objectification and gang affiliation would interact such that strongly affiliated participants who objectified girls would be most aggressive towards them. We also hypothesized that sexual objectification would be a significant predictor of aggression above and beyond other factors, such as trait aggression. As predicted, objectification correlated with aggression towards girls and with gang affiliation, which also correlated with aggression. In addition, objectification predicted aggression towards girls, after controlling for other relevant factors. Further, we found an objectification?×?gang affiliation interaction, which differed from our original predictions. Among participants low in gang affiliation, objectification of girls predicted levels of aggression towards them. Among those high in gang affiliation, however, objectification did not predict aggression. We discussed the implications of our findings for general aggression.     

An ecological study of factors associated with rates of self-inflicted death in prisons in England and Wales

This study describes ecological associations between self-inflicted death rates and prison-level environmental indicators over the period 2000-2002 in England and Wales. The objective was to assist in the development of interventions for reducing the incidence of self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales, by identifying risk factors, including overcrowding, positive drug tests, the number of assaults, purposeful activity, offending behaviour programmes, and cost per prisoner. Poisson regression was used to estimate associations between self-inflicted death rates and these potential risk factors, controlling for different categories of prison. The annual rate of self-inflicted death during 2000-2002 was 1.14 per 1000 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.34), with no evidence for a difference in the two years. Highest rates were in the Male Local and Women's prisons at 1.86 (95% CI 1.42 to 2.26) and 2.27 (95% CI 1.35 to 3.84) per 1000 respectively. In a multivariate analysis, overcrowding, assault rate and purposeful activity were significant. In an analysis controlling also for prison category, only purposeful activity remained independently significant, as a protective factor (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.92, p=0.02) with weaker evidence for a positive association with positive drug tests (RR 1.41, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.05, p=0.08). Despite concerns about the quality of routinely collected data and the interpretation of ecological associations, this study suggests that a higher level of purposeful activity is independently associated with lower rates of self-inflicted death, whatever the prison category. This adds support to other studies conducted at the level of the individual prisoner.     

Conference Plenary: When Liberation Movements Become One-Dimensional: On Critical Theory and Intersectionality

Abstract

One of the great obstacles to liberation and social change is the one-dimensional focus of many liberation movements. By “one-dimensional,” we mean the narrow reductionist approach to social change by many oppressed groups. In this article, we examine Marcuse’s notion of catalyst groups and connect that to the concept of intersectionality. We argue that critical theory must become a theory of intersectionality. While various forms of oppression have their own distinct logic of operation and specific target group, the continuation of each form of oppression is supported by other forms of oppression. One of the goals of this plenary was to help participants focus on the theme of the conference, critique and praxis, by envisioning new possibilities for theory, critique, praxis, and pedagogy in our time. To this end, we attempted to rethink Marcuse’s notion of one-dimensional thinking by linking it with Rene Girard’s concept of mimetic rivalry and the black feminist concept of intersectionality.