Liberalism,and the limits of pluralism

The primary aims of this article are (a) to examine the importance of cultural norms and what part they play in requiring us to tolerate others out of respect, and (b) to formulate some guidelines designed to prescribe boundaries to liberty and tolerance conducive to safeguard the rights of individuals and, in turn, democracy. I argue that a liberal democracy can interfere in the business of its sub‐cultures when some cultural norms subvert the basic principles upon which a liberal society is founded. I proceed by making a further radical claim that democracy may prevent cultural groups from entering society if their conceptions of the good essentially conflict with its norms. My basic argument is that considerations of context and intentions must be taken into account, and that they may require the introduction of constraints. I conclude by considering the question whether or not the intolerant group has any right to complain, arguing that it does not.1     

A new method for casting three-dimensional shoeprints and tire marks with dental stone

Dental stone is used as the major material for recovering three-dimensional shoeprints and tire tracks from crime scenes. The procedure for using dental stone sparsely changed over the years. There are two common methods for mixing dental stone: (i) a premeasured amount of dental stone is put in a zip-lock bag to which water is added, and (ii) the water and dental stone are mixed in a bucket. We suggest a novel rapid and efficient method of mixing dental stone and water in a bottle. These methods were compared at equal conditions. The parameters measured were the number of air bubbles, the strength of the cast, the ease of use, and the sharpness and quality of the accidental characteristics present in the cast. The proposed bottle method has the advantages of both the bucket and the zip-lock methods hence it combines strength, sharpness, high quality, and ease of use.     

Predicting Phenotype from Genotype: Normal Pigmentation*

Abstract: Genetic information in forensic studies is largely limited to CODIS data and the ability to match samples and assign them to an individual. However, there are circumstances, in which a given DNA sample does not match anyone in the CODIS database, and no other information about the donor is available. In this study, we determined 75 SNPs in 24 genes (previously implicated in human or animal pigmentation studies) for the analysis of single‐ and multi‐locus associations with hair, skin, and eye color in 789 individuals of various ethnic backgrounds. Using multiple linear regression modeling, five SNPs in five genes were found to account for large proportions of pigmentation variation in hair, skin, and eyes in our across‐population analyses. Thus, these models may be of predictive value to determine an individual’s pigmentation type from a forensic sample, independent of ethnic origin.     

The Historical Mind and Military Strategy

As important as the study of history for military strategists is the acquisition of the historical mind—that is, a way of thinking that uses history as a mode of inquiry. From practical cases to inspiration, history can help with U.S. military decision-making. The historical mind will detect differences as much as similarities between cases, avoiding false analogies, and look for the key questions to be asking. It will look for continuity but also for more important discontinuities; it will look for linkages between data points, but not be too quick to attribute causation. It is a well-traveled mind that appreciates the variability of people and places, conditions and problems; it avoids over-reliance on “lessons learned.” For that reason, the historical education of civilian and military strategists is more, not less, important in an age of rapid change.     

Fingerprint detection on counterfeit US dollar banknotes: the importance of preliminary paper examination

Two seizures of counterfeit 100 US dollar bills related to the same indicative number were submitted for processing of latent fingerprints. On one group of notes, identifiable fingerprints could be detected by the routine application of amino acid reagents. In the second case, this technique gave no results, even on deliberately deposited prints. Fingerprints could be revealed, however, by cyanoacrylate fuming followed by magnetic powder. Comprehensive paper analysis showed that banknotes from both seizures differed remarkably by chemical composition as well as paper macroscopic properties. The difference in surface free energy (related to surface tension) of the banknotes in the two groups seemed to be the major factor responsible for the great variance in fingerprint detectability.     

ESDA processing and latent fingerprint development: the humidity effect

The influence of humidification in the ESDA process on subsequent development of fingerprints on paper items was studied. It was found that, while the DFO process is nearly insensitive to previous humidification, fingerprint development with ninhydrin or with indanedione can be significantly affected by previous humidification of the paper.