Are Verdicts Credible? Is it Time to Consider the Truth About Lies?

One of the greatest challenges to any Court is to determine the truth in the face of often conflicting evidence. In both the Civil and Criminal Courts, cases stand or fall on what the trier of fact determines is true. In civil cases, this is often a Judge sitting alone, whereas in criminal matters the tribunal of fact is usually a jury. The standard of proof required in criminal cases is ??beyond reasonable doubt??. Juries are directed that they can only convict ??if they are sure??. The jurors might be sure, but are they correct? There now exists a substantial body of scientific evidence, which indicates that humans are very poor lie detectors. In fact, in some experiments even experienced police officers perform only just above chance. Given this inherent flaw in the system, is it not time to re-evaluate how cases are put before the Courts, and what weight is put on oral testimony.     

Forensic analysis of black coral (Order Antipatharia)

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), discriminate analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and stereoscopic microscopy were used to separate black coral forensic evidence items from similarly appearing items manufactured from plastics, bovid keratin, and mangrove wood. In addition, novel observations were made of bromine and iodine relationships in black coral that have not been previously reported.     

Nasal aperture shape evaluation between black and white South Africans

The purpose of this study was to combine morphoscopic and metric analyses to assess variation in nasal aperture size and shape of black and white South Africans. Thirteen landmarks were digitized from the bony nasal region of 152 crania using an electromechanic instrument for geometric morphometric (general procrustes analysis) and craniometric analyses. Elliptical Fourier analysis was used to assess shape of the nasal aperture via outlines applied through photographs. Both principal component and discriminant function analyses were applied to these statistical methods. Black South Africans were classified 95-96% correctly and white South Africans were classified 91-94% correctly. In a four-way analysis of sex and ancestry, classification accuracy ranged from 56 to 70%. Most misclassifications were between the sexes within each group which suggests an absence of sexual dimorphism. This study found that there is quantifiable variation in shape of the nasal aperture between black and white South African groups using all three statistical methods. In forensic application, standard craniometrics can be used to accurately classify an unknown person.     

Ready to leave the ivory tower?: Academic scientists’ appeal to work in the private sector

This study investigates the factors that shape the attitudes of scientists toward starting their own business or working in a private sector firm. The analysis is based on data collected from scientists working in the German Max Planck Society, a research institution devoted to basic science. We find that the scientists’ attractiveness of working in a private sector firm or of starting their own business differ considerably according to their academic discipline and the self-reported commercial potential of their research. The ability to take risks, prior work experience in private firms, and personal experience in cooperating with industry lead to a positive attitude towards switching to private sector employment or entrepreneurship. Strong willingness to freely distribute research findings is related to a low appeal of private sector work.     

Enter the Dragon: Parenting and Low-Self Control in a Sample of Chinese High School Students

While a number of studies examine the parenting and social bond causes of low self-control in data obtained in the United States, very few focus on these constructs on data collected in international settings. The resulting gap in the literature is a major one in terms of the understanding of how low self-control potentially develops in other countries. This study tests several parenting and social bond models in an attempt to spur future global research on the concepts that are associated with low self-control. The data were collected from a convenience sample of 414 high school students in a suburb of a large Chinese city. Measures of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s parental variables as well as those of other investigators are included. Additionally, important social bonds such as maternal, school, and peer attachment are also specified. Results indicate that almost all of the parenting and bond measures are significantly associated with the development of low self-control. These findings indicate the possibility that both parenting and relationship factors are potentially important to the development of low self-control in Chinese high school students.     

The Durability of Imposed Democracy

Why do imposed democracies endure and how do policy choices by imposing states affect durability? To study these questions, we formulate expectations linking durability to structural domestic conditions, the level of domestic security in the state into which a polity is imposed, the policies of imposing states, and the regional environment within which an imposed democracy is nested. We use event history to test our expectations on a sample of democracies imposed during the twentieth century. We find that relatively immutable, structural conditions, such as ethnic cleavages, economic development, and prior democratic experience strongly influence the durability of imposed democracies. While some policy choices made by imposing states can impact the survival of imposed democracy, they do so only modestly relative to the environment in which a democracy is imposed.     

A training approach for community maternal health volunteers that builds sustainable capacity

This article examines a training approach for community health volunteers which increased access to maternal health services in rural communities in Zambia. The effectiveness of the training approach was evaluated in an operations research component. Skilled birth attendance rates increased by 63% from baseline over a two-year period in the intervention districts, out-performing increases recorded in control sites at statistically significant levels. As a low-cost, high-impact intervention which shows good sustainability potential, the approach is suitable for national level scale-up and for adaptation for use in other countries in support of maternal and new-born health goals.