SEM/EDS analysis and characterization of gunshot residues from Brazilian lead-free ammunition

The exposition to heavy metal-rich airborne due to fire practicing has forced to the development of heavy metal-free environmental ammunition primers all over the world. Here we characterize the GSR elements present in the Brazilian lead-free ammunition produced by Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) and commercialized by MagTech in the U.S. and Europe under the name CleanRange centerfire cartridges. Both first and second generations of CleanRange in calibers 9 mm Luger, .40 S&W, .380 AUTO and .38 SPL were analyzed and compared to regular Brazilian CBC ammunition by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy. Differences in composition and morphology of GSR particles from the two generations of CleanRange were observed. The first generation ammunition (found in Europe) presented spherical particles, being strontium the only unique element detected. The second generation (found in the U.S.) produced irregular particles composed mostly by potassium, aluminum, silicon and calcium. We can conclude that identification of GSR derived from CBC second generation lead-free ammunition in suspects' hands may be impossible without the addition of a distinct metallic taggant in the primer composition by the manufacturer.     

Political Budgeting: A Framework for an Institutional Analysis of Swedish National Accounts

Budget making within the public sector may be approached by means of a systems analysis. The processes and results of budget making may be identified as a system, consisting of variables and relationships. The system of political budgeting is a conceptual framework for a quantitative analysis of basic budget facts concerning inputs, processes and outputs. The article outlines the framework and applies it to the public sector in Sweden on the basis of data derived from Swedish national accounts.     

The Process of Leaving an Abusive Relationship: The Role of Risk Assessments and Decision-Certainty

Seventy female residents of an urban domestic violence shelter were interviewed to examine a series of hypotheses concerning two factors relevant to the process of leaving an abusive relationship: risk assessments and decision-certainty. Participants' subjective estimates of their own risk of returning to the batterer were examined relative to their perceptions of the likelihood that most battered women will return to the batterer, their certainty regarding the decision to leave the batterer, and their status on known risk factors for returning to an abusive relationship. As hypothesized, battered women's perceptions of personal risk for returning to the batterer were biased by unrealistic optimism; specifically, personal risk was estimated as significantly lower than the risk of most battered women and was not correlated with actual risk factors. Further, the magnitude of the optimistic bias was significantly greater among women expressing high certainty about their decision to leave than among women who expressed less certainty. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Reviews

Archie Brown, The Gorbachev Factor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996, £19.99.

Terry Cox, From Perestroika to Privatisation: The Politics of Property Change in Russian Society 1985–1991. Aldershot: Avebury, 1996, vi + 158 pp., £30.00.

Maxim Boyko, Andrei Shleifer & Robert Vishny, Privatizing Russia. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, ix + 165 pp., £15.95.

Iver B. Neumann, Russia and the Idea of Europe: A Study in Identity and International Relations. London: Routledge, 1996, xviii + 253 pp., £13.99.

James P. Nichol, Diplomacy in the Former Soviet Republics. Westport, CT, London: Praeger, 1995, xii + 244 pp., £49.50.

Randall W. Stone, Satellites and Commissars: Strategy and Conflict in the Politics of Soviet‐Bloc Trade. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996, xviii + 283 pp., $39.50.

Adrian Hyde‐Price, The International Politics of East Central Europe. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1996, xviii + 300 pp., £45.00 h/b, £14.99 p/b.

John Dornberg, Central and Eastern Europe. Phoenix: The Oryx Press, 1995, x 4‐ 238 pp., £21.95.

Robert B. Pynsent (ed.), The Literature of Nationalism: Essays on East European Identity. London: University of London, 1996, viii + 282 pp.

Iliana Zloch‐Christy (ed.), Bulgaria in a Time of Change: Economic and Political Dimensions. Aldershot: Avebury, 1996, xi + 221 pp., £35.00.

Grzegorz Wec?awowicz, Contemporary Poland: Space and Society. London: UCL Press, 1996, 208 pp., £40.00 h/b., £14.95 p/b.

Maria Drohobycky (ed.), Crimea. Dynamics, Challenges and Prospects. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1995, xix + 250 pp., £34.50 h/b., £15.95 p/b.

Helen Fodor (ed.), Belarus and Moldova. Country Studies. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1995, xxvi + 254 pp.

Kevin P. O'Prey, A Farewell to Arms? Russia's Struggles with Defense Conversion. New York: Twentieth Century Fund Press, 1995, vii + 143 pp., $9.95.

Alison Hilton, Russian Folk Art. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1995, xxiv + 356 pp., £31.50.

George F. Kennan, At a Century's Ending: Reflections, 1982–1995. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1996, 351 pp., US$27.50, £19.95.

Martin McCauley, The Khrushchev Era 1953–1964. London: Longman, 1995, 99 pp., £5.99.

Martin McCauley, The Origins of the Cold War, 1941–1949. 2nd edn. London: Longman, 1995, xii + 153 pp., £5.99.

Geoffrey Swain, The Origins of the Russian Civil War. Essex: Longman, 1996, xiv + 296 pp., £13.99.

Peter B. Maggs, The Mandelstam and “Der Nister” Files: An Introduction to Stalin‐era Prison and Labor Camp Records. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1996, 184 pp., $52.95 h/b.     

Biomechanics of knife stab attacks

In the past it has been assumed that the fingerprints of women tend to have "fine" epidermal ridge detail while men have "coarse" ridge detail. Past studies have examined this hypothesis but have not clearly demonstrated if observed differences are statistically significant. The goal of this study is to determine if women have significantly higher ridge density, hence finer epidermal ridge detail, than men by counting ridges that occur within a well defined space. If significant gender differences do exist then the likelihood of inferring gender from given ridge densities will be explored. This study focused on 400 randomly picked ten-print cards representing 400 subjects. The demographic composition of this sample population represents 100 Caucasian males, 100 African American males, 100 Caucasian females and 100 African American females all within the age range of 18-67. Results show that women tend to have a significantly higher ridge density than men and that this trend is upheld in subjects of both Caucasian and African American descent (F = 81.96, P < 0.001). Application of Bayes' theorem suggests that a given fingerprint possessing a ridge density of 11 ridges/25 mm2 or less is most likely to be of male origin. Likewise a fingerprint having a ridge density of 12 ridges/25 mm2 or greater is most likely to be of female origin, regardless of race.     

Pathways to work for low‐income workers: The effect of work in the temporary help industry

This paper provides new evidence to inform the policy debate about the effect of a newly important industry—the temporary help industry—on the labor market outcomes of low‐income workers and those workers who are at risk of being on public assistance. The core issue of whether temporary help work harms the long‐term prospects of disadvantaged individuals depends critically on the alternatives available to the worker. Temporary employment results in labor market outcomes that are better than not working at all. For example, while nonemployed public assistance recipients have only a 35 percent chance of being employed a year later, those who were in temporary employment have almost twice the likelihood of being employed in the same period. These findings, if correct, would support the use of temporary agencies by welfare programs. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management