Elemental analysis of glass fragments by ICP-MS as evidence of association: analysis of a case

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyze glass evidence from a case in which a person broke a window in each of 15 vehicles in a parking lot in order to gain entry into the vehicles. The results of the analysis by traditional methods, which measure the properties of color, thickness, density, and refractive index, are also reported. A total of 15 known samples representing the windows on the cars and 42 questioned glass fragments recovered from the suspect and the police vehicle where the suspect was sitting were submitted for analysis. Density comparisons separated one of the known samples into three samples, increasing the number of known samples from 15 to 17. The concentrations of 16 elements were measured for all but three of the samples using an external calibration ICP-MS method with internal standardization. Color assessment (non-instrumental) separated the 17 known samples into two groups, and refractive index measurements resulted in six groups when the Emmons double variation method was used and ten groups when the Glass Refractive Index Measurement 2 (GRIM2) system was used. Elemental analysis, by itself, differentiated all of the known samples from each other and associated four of the known sample fragments with several of the questioned sample fragments. The informing power of RI, density, and elemental analysis comparisons is evaluated and a summary of the case results is reported.     

Ascent of the corporate model in environmental-organized crime

Since the mid-1980s, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970 (RICO) has been used against traditional organized criminals (i.e., Mafia) operating within various waste-trade industries. Recent civil and criminal RICO cases brought in New York City and State, provide current examples of the overall limited success of using RICO against criminal actors situated within the waste-trade industries. Although the traditional form of organized crime (i.e., Mafia) appears to be on the wane, corporate forms of organized crime have already entered into the waste-trade industries to fill the void created by the extraction of their predecessors. These corporate racketeers closely mimic the old traditional form of crime they have replaced, but may prove to be even more intractable, because, as the literature on corporate crime has clearly shown, corporate entities are extremely resistant to labeling as illegitimate organizations. One result of addressing “environmental-organized crime” as strictly organized crime, rather than as environmental crime, is that little change will be forthcoming in our current environmental regulations, laws, strategies and policies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Identifying the Median Justice on the Supreme Court through Multidimensional Scaling: Analysis of “Natural Courts” 1953–1991

Given the fundamental unidimensionality in thedata on Supreme Court voting patterns1951–1993 we observe, we are able todetermine the identity of ``median'' membersof each court in a fashion that does notrequire subjective coding of the extent towhich particular cases reflect left-rightissues. Also, while the exact numericalvalues of MDS-obtained locations cannot becompared across different ``natural courts'',the positions of Supreme Court justicesacross their careers relative to the courtson which they served can be traced. Ourdata show overwhelming quantified evidenceof a very strong rightward drift (relativeto our MDS defined dimensions) in thecomposition of the court as we move fromthe Warren Court to the Burger Court, andagain as we move from the Burger Court tothe Rehnquist Court.     

Deregulating Federalism? The Politics of Mandate Reform in the 104th Congress

This article examines the politics and substance of mandatereform in the 104th Congress. It briefly describes the evolutionof the mandate issue, examines the process by which the issuewas placed on the national agenda, and traces the formulationof a legislative response. It analyzes in detail the politicsof enacting mandate-reform legislation, paying particular attentionto patterns of support and opposition and to changes in thesepatterns over time. It concludes by examining the prospectsfor successful implementation of the legislation and its likelyconsequences for the intergovernmental system.     

Taking on the World: The International Activities of American State Legislatures

State legislatures in the United States engage in a substantialamount of international activity. In the 2001-2002 legislativesessions, some 886 bills and resolutions with significant internationalimplications were introduced. Approximately 306 of these wereadopted. This level of international activity has increasedsubstantially since 1991, and the substantive focus has changedover time. In addition, about half of all state legislaturesreceived at least one foreign delegation and sent at least onedelegation of members abroad in the last session. As in mostareas of state policy, there is considerable interstate variationin legislatures' international activities. Some states had virtuallyno international legislative activity, whereas others were veryactive. The principal factors explaining this variation werethe degree of state involvement in the international economy,as measured by the level of state exports, and party controlof the legislature.     

Compressed Development

In this paper we argue that the path of economic development for would-be developers has changed fundamentally since the 1980s. Focusing on East Asia, and taking a broad perspective that spans the economic and social dimensions of development, we contend that the path charted by the “late development” model has become all but impassible. The path is now better conceived as one of “compressed development.” Key differences are 1) the extent and consequences of compression; 2) the primary mode of engagement with the world economy—via global value chains; and 3) the interaction of these. Compressed development forces states to address a number of simultaneous challenges, resulting in “policy stretch.” We identify key features of an “adaptive state” suited to navigating the path of compressed development.