Application of automatic image analysis (IBAS system) to age calculation. Efficiency in the analysis of several teeth from a single subject.

In a previous paper (M. López-Nicolás et al., Forensic Sci. Int., 45 (1990) 143-150) we obtained a model of multiple regression to estimate age using computerized image analysis (IBAS) to study teeth. This method should provide more precise measurements of the parameters involved and to test this hypothesis we have carried out a blind study using more than one tooth from the same individual in order to check the diagnostic accuracy of the method. Our results show that individual variability introduced serious errors in tooth age estimation using computerized image analysis. However the study of more than one tooth per individual improves the accuracy of age estimation. Specific cases should therefore be interpreted cautiously, as a degree of variability can be expected using the parameters defined in this method.     

Multinational enterprise policies towards international intra-firm technology transfer: The case of Japanese manufacturing firms in Asia

In this paper, we examine Japanese manufacturing firms’policies towards intra-firm technology transfer to subsidiaries located in 10 major countries in Asia. In contrast to other research on the topic, this paper is based on a study ofparent firms and thus examines technology transfer policies more directly. The aims of the paper are to explain what Japanese parent firms understand by technology transfer, and to assess the policy implications of the study. The findings indicate that Japanese parent companies have coherent, systematic and nuanced policies on technology transfer to subsidiaries in developing countries. Three distinct categories of technology (“production/supply chain knowledge”; “human resources systems” and “technology for innovation”) are recognised by firms and policies exist for each category, including whether it will be transferred, the extent of the transfer—and when.     

Psychological assistance to victims throughout difficult trials

In France, only very recently have victims begun to be assisted throughout "difficult" trials. We have developed different hypotheses to think over the function of psychologists when they step in to help out victims of criminal offences. Moreover, we have developed an argument for the need to set up units of medical and psychological assistance for certain difficult trials. Among other topics, we discuss the victims' expectations for psychic and/or affective reconstruction during trials. We suggest that penal trials can "potentially" heal victims, but more often than not they are "potentially" traumatic. We support our arguments with clinical examples that come from our personal experience of providing psychological assistance to victims.     

A nine-year follow-up study on the predictive validity of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire for predicting violent and nonviolent recidivism

The effectiveness of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) in providing estimates for predicting violent and nonviolent recidivism over a 9-year period is examined. The SAQ is a quantitative risk/need instrument consisting of 72 items that compose eight subscales. There were 657 federally sentenced Canadian male offenders who completed the SAQ prior to their release and were followed up for 9 years (108 months) at 4-month intervals. Consistent with previous predictive studies, the results presented here demonstrate that the SAQ has adequate predictive validity.     

Mental health, quality of life, and health functioning in women veterans: differential outcomes associated with military and civilian sexual assault

The present study examined psychiatric, physical, and quality-of-life functioning in a sample of 270 women veterans receiving outpatient treatment at a Veterans Affairs medical center. Participants were interviewed regarding their civilian (CSA) and military sexual assault (MSA) histories, and data regarding quality of life and health outcomes were obtained through structured interviews and questionnaires. Women veterans with CSA histories reported significantly poorer physical, psychiatric, and quality-of-life functioning compared to those without a history of sexual assault. Furthermore, women veterans with an MSA history demonstrated additional negative consequences above and beyond the effects of CSA. The study sample was comparable to a national random sample of women veterans who access care in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, increasing the generalizibility of the results.