A quantitative comparison of smokeless measurements

Measurements of the type and concentration of propellant and stabilizer additives in smokeless gunpowder are used by forensic scientists investigating the source of explosives and by military laboratories assuring the safety and efficacy of munitions. The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently assessed the state-of-the-practice of smokeless powder measurements through an international measurement comparison exercise. We here present results provided by the five participants (of 20 total) reporting quantitative as well as qualitative values for two handgun reloading powders. All five of these participants reported values for nitroglycerin (NG), ethyl centralite (EC), diphenylamine (DPA), and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NnDPA). Several participants additionally reported the concentrations of secondary stabilizer decomposition products. The unstable NG propellant additive appears to be more susceptible to method-specific calibration biases then are the stabilizer additives. All results from one participant were strongly biased relative to those of the other four. The within-participant measurement uncertainties for all analytes were self-reported to be 1 to 5% relative; among the four concordant participants, the measurement ranges are 5 to 10% relative. There was little consistency among the participants as to what components of measurement variance were included in their uncertainty statements. A discussion of the certainties in these measurements and factors that affect the accuracy of gunpowder additive determinations is presented.     

Development of a Computer‐Assisted Forensic Radiographic Identification Method Using the Lateral Cervical and Lumbar Spine

Medical examiners and coroners (ME/C) in the United States hold statutory responsibility to identify deceased individuals who fall under their jurisdiction. The computer‐assisted decedent identification (CADI) project was designed to modify software used in diagnosis and treatment of spinal injuries into a mathematically validated tool for ME/C identification of fleshed decedents. CADI software analyzes the shapes of targeted vertebral bodies imaged in an array of standard radiographs and quantifies the likelihood that any two of the radiographs contain matching vertebral bodies. Six validation tests measured the repeatability, reliability, and sensitivity of the method, and the effects of age, sex, and number of radiographs in array composition. CADI returned a 92–100% success rate in identifying the true matching pair of vertebrae within arrays of five to 30 radiographs. Further development of CADI is expected to produce a novel identification method for use in ME/C offices that is reliable, timely, and cost‐effective.     

The Effect of pH on Electrolyte Detection of Fingermarks on Cartridge Cases and Subsequent Microscopic Examination

Cartridge cases may contain deposited fingermarks when the firearm was loaded ( http://www.nij.gov/pubs-sum/225320.htm , J Forensic Sci, 53 , 2008 and 812). Cartridge cases can be individualized with microscopic examination. However, heat and friction degrades the deposited fingermark on the fired cartridge cases, if any on the surface. Also, unfired and fired cartridge cases are made of metal, which is a nonporous surface that does not retain fingermarks well ( http://www.nij.gov/pubs-sum/225320.htm ). This study tests the effects of pH level on fingermark clarity on brass fired and unfired cartridge cases and microscopic striation examination (MSE). Two trials were performed to determine the optimal pH in fingermark clarity for both types of cartridges. This was performed through immersion in six pH range solutions from dilutions of sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide for 24 h for the purpose of enhancing the fingermarks on the metal. The use of the optimal neutral pH level is suggested because immersion of the cartridge cases in pH 1–3 and 3–5 affects MSE.     

Antisocial Personality Disorder and Physical Partner Violence Among Single and Dual Substance-Abusing Couples

The current study examined how antisocial personality disorder (APD) and substance use disorder contributed to partners’ reports of physical partner violence among single and dual substance-abusing couples. Participants were 69 heterosexual couples entering treatment in which one or both partners met criteria for substance use disorder. APD diagnosis of the male partner was linked to significantly higher male-to-female and female-to-male perpetration of physical partner violence and victimization. Female partner’s APD diagnosis was associated with women’s reports of victimization by their male partners. Dual substance use diagnosis emerged as a moderator, in which the effect of men’s APD diagnosis on men’s perpetration of physical partner violence and victimization was significantly reduced if both partners had substance use disorder. Findings underscore the importance of both partners’ APD diagnosis and substance use status for understanding physical partner violence among single and dual substance-abusing couples.     

Perceptions of victims and perpetrators in a depicted child sexual abuse case: gender and age factors

This study investigated the roles of respondent, perpetrator, and victim gender on attributions toward a 10- or 15-year-old victim and an adult perpetrator in a hypothetical sexual abuse case. It was predicted (a) that female respondents would be more provictim and antiperpetrator than men, (b) that 10-year-old victims would be deemed more credible than 15-year-olds, and (c) that men would deem a 15-year-old male victim more culpable when child sexual abuse is perpetrated by a female abuser. Three hundred thirty-seven respondents read a 350-word sexual abuse depiction in which victim age, victim gender, and perpetrator gender were varied between respondents. Respondents then completed a 14-item attribution scale, relating to victim blame, perpetrator blame, assault severity, and victim credibility. A series of ANOVAs revealed support for all predictions. Results are discussed in relation to gender role attitudes. Suggestions for future work also considered.     

Institutional change in the European Parliament: balancing legislative ethics and parliamentary independence

Research on legislative ethics has shown how scandals often trigger ethics reform; yet, the content of the reform often differs from that of the scandal. Why is this the case? And if scandals don't explain legislative ethics reform outcomes, then what does? If not this kind of external shock, then what factor(s) shape legislative reform outcomes? These questions provide the point of departure for a case study of the European Parliament's 2011 ethics reform. Drawing from the legislative ethics literature and from recent theories of institutional change, the article examines the impact of the scandal that initiated the reform, the interests and strategies of reform agents who wanted a quick reform process that would not undermine the EP's independence; and the institutional order in which those actors were embedded. It argues that an institutional logics perspective offers a convincing and comprehensive account of EP ethics reform, and suggests a new analytical framework that might be used by researchers in future research on legislative ethics.     

Unexpected Human Fatality Associated with Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Heat Treatment

Thermal insect treatments can be an effective method of controlling cryptic insect pests, particularly bed bugs, in residential settings. The treatments require high heat over a sustained timeframe. Residents are not present during treatment but return after completion. An unexpected death was investigated following heat treatment for bed bugs in the home of an elderly female, found with a postmortem axillary temperature of 106.2°F (41.2°C) approximately 8 h after returning home. The cause of death was classified as hyperthermia with a contributory cause of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The manner of death was an accident. The decedent had medical history and medications that could have impaired her ability to dissipate heat. Furthermore, the air conditioning inside the residence was not functional following treatment. Recommendations including education regarding heat stroke and treatment, re‐entry timeframes, and/or temperature thresholds are suggested to reduce the risk of heat‐related injury or death in vulnerable populations.     

Ridge Width Correlations between Inked Prints and Powdered Latent Fingerprints

A methodology to estimate the time of latent fingerprint deposition would be of great value to law enforcement and courts. It has been observed that ridge topography changes as latent prints age, including the widths of ridges that could be measured as a function of time. Crime suspects are commonly identified using fingerprint databases that contain reference inked tenprints (flat and rolled impressions). These can be of interest in aging studies as they provide baseline information relating to the original (nonaged) ridges’ widths. In practice, the age of latent fingerprints could be estimated following a comparison process between the evidentiary aged print and the corresponding reference inked print. The present article explores possible correlations between inked and fresh latent fingerprints deposited on different substrates and visualized with TiO₂. The results indicate that the ridge width of flat inked prints is most similar to fresh latent fingerprints_, and these should be used as the comparison standard for future aging studies.     

The Direction of Violence Against Women Research and Evaluation

Although researchers have made numerous advances in the understanding of the nature, extent, and dynamics of violence against women (VAW), there is an ever-increasing need for data used in academic research and within policy decision-making to be collected via rigorous methodological designs to accurately measure the incidence and impact of VAW. What is now needed are research collaborations within an interdisciplinary research cluster that will expand understanding of the complex nature of VAW. The current article details an agenda or “call to action” to address deficiencies and advance VAW research, in addition to informing VAW intervention and prevention efforts.     

Copyright Givers and Takers: Mutuality,Altruism and Instrumentalism in Open Licensing

Over the past three decades, open licensing has evolved from hacker culture thought experiment to a transformative force in applied copyright across a range of industries. Yet very little empirical research exists to understand its disparate uses. This article examines social practices and attitudes about open licensing in order to examine the practical experience of creators and consumers who use this tool and in order to assess its value in moderating the negative consequences of extensive copyright. The discussion about the role of open licensing in creative industries and communities tends to be polarized into two vantage points. Either (1) it is a new, altruistic paradigm enabling creative communities to rework copyright to fit their vision for the cultural commons, or (2) it is a radical theft of creative labor, encouraged by Google and other digital industrial powerhouses, to cheat creators out of their share of profits. Both of these rhetorical vantage points presume a monolithic and largely either selfless or unaware base of creative laborers. We analyze data from a series of surveys across a range of creative fields and practices to show that creators employ open licensing for a variety of reasons, including instrumental purposes oriented toward skirting the many impediments created by institutions and law, rather than merely because they are unaware or selfless.