Survey of crowbar and household paints in burglary cases-population studies, transfer and interpretation

Experimental data useful for the interpretation of paint evidence recovered during burglary cases were obtained. A population study was carried out on 41 blue crowbars seized on suspects in Switzerland and 37 blue paints traces found at burglary scenes. Paint traces were also searched on the blades of 207 crowbars seized by the police in Switzerland and 24 white traces were analysed: these paints were analysed using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in order to estimate relative frequencies of each paint type. Simulated contacts were carried out between crowbars and painted wood in order to study the phenomenon of transfer and to evaluate the amount of paint transferred: a total of 198 simulations were carried out including individual, successive and cross transfer. The paint properties such as the chemical composition and its age influenced the amount of paint transferred. Cross transfer from the tool paint to the wood and vice versa was regularly observed. Moreover, secondary transfer of paint coming from the preceding wooden surfaces was also systematically observed: this could establish links between several burglary scenes and a suspected tool. A scenario of a burglary case involving the cross transfer between tool and household paints is proposed as a numerical example: the evaluation of such case was formalised using likelihood ratios based on the experimental data obtained.     

Human-nonhuman chimeras: a regulatory proposal on the blurring of species lines

The chimera of modern biotechnology is defined broadly as a single organism composed of a mixture of materials from two or more organisms possessing distinct genetic backgrounds. Unlike the United States, which does not regulate chimeras directly, Canada has responded to the unregulated pursuit of chimera technology by banning certain chimeras as part of comprehensive legislation designed to regulate human reproductive technologies. In 2004, the Canadian Parliament passed the Assisted Human Reproduction Act despite criticism urging greater legislative justification for the Act's provisions and modification to it statutory definitions. Because current regulatory mechanisms in the United States, including patent law and administrative oversight, fail to regulate chimera technology, the United States should enact new legislation, using Canada's legislation as a model, to prohibit embryonic chimeras and to regulate other human-nonhuman combinations. Unregulated biotechnology threatens to disrupt legal and social institutions; therefore, the United States must make a balanced effort now to protect the public interest.     

Pericarotid bone splinter: a microscopic appearance in hanging

The investigation of the neck structures drawn from 145 cases of asphyxia involving pressure on the neck, for which microscopic examination was required at the Pathology Laboratory of the "Hotel Dieu" Hospital from Lyon, France, during January 1, 1999, to May 1, 2001, has pointed out in 3 cases, besides the classic signs already known, a particular lesion unmentioned yet in the literature, namely, a pericarotid bone splinter, placed in the proximity of the common carotid artery bifurcation. The bone splinters had dimensions between 0.25 and 0.7 mm and a certain antemortem character, surrounded by hemorrhagic areas and by fibrin. The 3 cases deal with adult males who had died through complete hanging, with the knot placed lateral, the hanging mark having the maximum depth in the laterocervical region, correspondent with our finding. Given the location of the bone splinter, we believe that this was produced by the tearing out from the transverse apophysis of the fourth cervical vertebra, as a consequence of the sudden traction during hanging. This sign appeared neither at other types of hanging nor at strangulation by hand or by ligature.     

The fingernails of Mary Sullivan: developing reliable methods for selectively isolating endogenous and exogenous DNA from evidence

The fingernails of Mary Sullivan, the last victim of the Boston Strangler, were examined to determine if any genetic information about the murderer could be obtained. The nails were extremely friable necessitating the development of new techniques for isolating and purifying DNA. DNA yields from nails were optimized by using a NaOH-based preparation technique, which was simple, efficient, and minimized handling. Methods for selectively and thoroughly removing exogenous material on nails were also developed through use of a species-specific PCR assay, wherein mitochondrial DNA from the nail could easily be differentiated from DNA of contaminating cells.     

Inside the Cartel Party: Party Organisation in Government and Opposition

This article assesses the internal dynamics of the cartel party model. It argues that a party's endeavour to increase its societal reach by opening membership boundaries while keeping candidate selection local (two tendencies ascribed to this model), and the general need to maintain party unity, are difficult to reconcile. Therefore a fully fledged cartel party is organisationally vulnerable, which reinforces its resort to selective benefits (i.e. political appointments, patronage) whenever in government to satisfy organisational demands, a trigger intensifying party–state relations which is usually overlooked. Further, the dominant view of the ascendancy of parties' 'public face' needs to be qualified: the Irish Fianna Fáil, with its permeable boundaries and local candidate selection, reflects the cartel party model without a cartel at the party system level. Majoritarian dynamics have forced Fianna Fáil repeatedly into opposition which reveals the following: Fianna Fáil as a cartel party can afford to neglect its infrastructure on the ground as long as it is controlling government resources. In opposition its leadership initiates reforms to reinvigorate the party's infrastructure since it is pressed to generate organisational support through other means than distributing benefits.     

Der Einfluss von elterlichen Investitionen auf die Entwicklung deutscher und türkischer Kinder

The basis of ethnic inequality is set during preschool age. This article aims to explain developmental ethnical differences by using a resource-investment-model. The question is, wether the influence of the ethnic origin could be mediated by the social background and parental investments. The project “Preschool education and educational careers among migrant families” supplied data on 1046 families. The analyses clearly show ethnic differences in early development. These differences persist even after controlling for the socioeconomic background, but disappear after controlling for the investments of the parents. Therefore, the family background and the investment of parents in their children’s home environment improve the developmental score of the child and explain the observed ethnic differences. Additional analyses show that among German children the social background is even more important than among Turkish children. The differential development of Turkish children is mainly stimulated by their parent’s investments.     

Joint Venture Regulation under European Competition Laws: An Update

Abstract:  This article examines the European approach to joint venture regulation. It updates previous analysis by examining the impact of modernisation reforms on joint venture regulation in Europe. It is argued that although the changes on the whole are conducive to joint venture activity, problematic aspects of regulation were either unaddressed, or could be provoked by, the reform. In particular, the substantive and procedural divide in legal treatment of 'concentrative' and 'cooperative' joint venture arrangements continues to engender some difficulty.     

Iran and the SCO: The Quest For Legitimacy and Regime Preservation

At the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, the Russian- and Chinese-led bloc announced the approval of Iran's longstanding bid for membership. Iran has viewed its involvement in the organization as a means of bolstering external legitimacy, fostering security-oriented regionalism, and promoting the transition toward the so-called multipolar world order. The SCO has served as a regime-preservation network by providing Iran with a source of solidarity against external pressure. Tehran's commitment to the normative order, sustained by the SCO's discourse of noninterference, sovereignty, and countering the “three evils”—terrorism, extremism, and separatism—has galvanized the organization's role as a common front against the imposition of liberal norms and challenges to regime security.