Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) for the Documentation of Saw Mark Characteristics

Photography is widely accepted as a means of forensic case documentation and evaluation. In cases of criminal dismemberment digital microscopy is commonly used to assess marks left on the bone. Reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) is a computational photography technique which documents and enhances the three-dimensional (3D) reflectance properties of the surface of an object. RTI has primarily been used in the cultural heritage sector but has recently transitioned into forensic science. This study examines the use of RTI for the documentation and presentation of cut surface characteristics on fully sectioned long bones. Juvenile pig radii were bisected using three different handsaws, chosen as handsaws are the most common implement used in criminal dismemberments. The resulting 42 cut surfaces were then documented with a digital microscope and RTI. Four rendering modes were applied to the default RTI image, with diffuse gain being the most beneficial to accentuate cut surface features. Although great care must be taken when obtaining the photographic sequences necessary for detailed RTI analysis, RTI is relatively inexpensive, expeditious, and easy to use, and creates highly detailed, virtually interactive images. RTI may not replace microscopic methods of saw mark analysis, however could prove useful for the documentation, image sharing, and presentation of forensic evidence.     

Control,Communication, and Power: A Study of the Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution of Enforcement Actions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Two decades after pioneering the use of alternative dispute resolution techniques, practices, and processes, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has emerged as the leader among federal agencies. As such, the EPA provides a useful setting for testing conventional wisdom and theories about alternative dispute resolution. This essay takes data collected as a part of an assessment of the agency's enforcement ADR program and examines how well it reflects or illuminates current theory and conventional wisdom about conflict resolution. In particular, we examine why parties to a dispute choose ADR, and the key elements needed for the successful resolution of environmental conflicts, including the dynamics between the parties at the table and mediator characteristics.     

Means-Tested Public Assistance Programs and Adolescent Political Socialization

In recent years, scholars have pointed to the politically demobilizing effects of means-tested assistance programs on recipients. In this study, we bridge the insights from policy feedback literature and adolescent political socialization research to examine how receiving means-tested programs shapes parent influence on adolescent political participation. We argue that there are differences in pathways to political participation through parent political socialization and youth internal efficacy beliefs for adolescents from households that do or do not receive means-tested assistance. Using data from a nationally representative sample of 536 Black, Latino, and White adolescents (50.8% female), we find that adolescents from means-tested assistance households report less parent political socialization and political participation. For all youth, parent political socialization predicts adolescent political participation. Internal political efficacy is a stronger predictor of political participation for youth from a non-means-tested assistance household than it is for youth from a household receiving means-tested assistance. These findings provide some evidence of differential paths to youth political participation via exposure to means-tested programs.     

Religion as a Factor in Ethnic Conflict: Kashmir and Indian Foreign Policy

ABSTRACT

Ethnic conflicts with a strong religious component do not have merely domestic or foreign causes and consequences. As a result, internationalization of ethnic conflict has become an important subject of inquiry both in terms of pure research and policy-oriented studies. This article presents a case study of Indian-Pakistani relations over Kashmir, used to evaluate the role of religion and the explanatory power of the approach presented here. The aim of the study is to apply a foreign policy approach that simultaneously incorporates domestic and external factors in an analysis of how and in what ways religious elements of the Kashmir question affect India's foreign policy. The approach, an application of “systemism,” contributes to current developments in the realist school of international relations through its emphasis on the need to look at both international and state levels in combination. Earlier applications of realism, as both neotraditional and structural realism clearly demonstrate, tend to remain restricted to one level or the other. In this approach, a religious dynamic can have a domestic source yet be effectively examined in terms of international ramifications.     

From Lothringen to Lorraine: Expulsion and Voluntary Repatriation

Between December 1918 and the end of 1921, the French authorities sought to “cleanse” the Moselle region of Germans as part of a programme of francisation. Different commissions, operating without any proper legal basis worked to identify and classify native and German immigrant indésirables respectively; their victims faced undignified, even harrowing train journeys to Germany. Those who remained faced the ever present risks of denunciation or harrassment, prompting them to opt for voluntary repatriation to Germany. Again, the circumstances of their departure were far from ideal. Like the expellees they suffered the sequestration and liquidation of their property, being allowed to take with them a minimum of cash and hand luggage. Nearly 100,000 Germans left the Moselle in this way; only a very few returned once the Versailles Treaty allowed for a limited number of naturalisations.     

Vinya wa Aka: an expanded microcredit model for community development

Microcredit is often seen as a simple solution to poverty reduction. However, its sustainability for longer-term community development is debated. This qualitative study describes a unique community-based model of microcredit in Kenya, which includes investment, emergency loans, and social support components. In-depth interviews with group members highlighted how this model fostered longer-term economic development, financial security, and stability. However, additional social and psychological benefits were valued higher than economic gains, although both were closely intertwined as economic security reduced psychological stress. This expanded model of microcredit has the potential to contribute to sustained community development amongst poorer households.

Vinya wa Aka : Un modèle de microcrédit élargi pour le développement communautaire

Le microcrédit est souvent perçu comme une solution simple pour la réduction de la pauvreté. Cependant, sa durabilité pour le développement communautaire à long terme fait l'objet de débats. Cette étude qualitative décrit un modèle communautaire kényan de microcrédit sans pareil, qui englobe des éléments d'investissement, de prêts d'urgence et de soutien social. Des entretiens approfondis menés avec des membres du groupe ont souligné la manière dont ce modèle favorisait le développement économique, la sécurité financière et la stabilité à long terme. Cependant, les avantages sociaux et psychologiques supplémentaires étaient plus appréciés que les gains économiques, bien que les uns et les autres fussent étroitement liés puisque la sécurité économique réduit le stress psychologique. Ce modèle élargi de microcrédit a le potentiel de contribuer au développement communautaire soutenu parmi les ménages les plus pauvres.

Vinya wa Aka: un modelo expandido de microcrédito para el desarrollo comunitario

A menudo el microcrédito es considerado como una solución sencilla para reducir la pobreza. Sin embargo, existen debates en torno a su sostenibilidad para propiciar el desarrollo comunitario de largo plazo. El presente estudio cualitativo examina un singular modelo de microcrédito comunitario llevado a cabo en Kenia, el cual incluye componentes de inversión, de préstamos de emergencia y de apoyo social. Las detalladas entrevistas realizadas con integrantes de los grupos destacaron cómo este modelo fomentó el desarrollo económico a más largo plazo, la seguridad económica y la estabilidad. Si bien se encuentran íntimamente ligados, los beneficios sociales y psicológicos adicionales fueron más valorados que los avances económicos, ya que la seguridad económica disminuyó el estrés psicológico. Este modelo de microcrédito expandido tiene el potencial de contribuir al desarrollo comunitario sostenible de los hogares más pobres.

Vinya wa Aka: Um modelo de microcrédito expandido para desenvolvimento da comunidade

O microcrédito é frequentemente visto como uma solução simples para a redução da pobreza. Porém, sua sustentabilidade para o desenvolvimento da comunidade no longo prazo é debatida. Este estudo qualitativo descreve um modelo único de microcrédito baseado na comunidade do Quênia, que inclui investimento, empréstimos emergenciais e componentes de apoio social. Entrevistas minuciosas com membros de grupo destacaram como este modelo promoveu o desenvolvimento econômico de mais longo prazo, a segurança financeira e estabilidade. Porém, benefícios sociais e psicológicos adicionais foram mais valorizados do que os ganhos econômicos, embora ambos estejam intimamente interligados uma vez que a segurança econômica reduziu o estresse psicológico. Este modelo expandido de microcrédito possui potencial para contribuir com o desenvolvimento sustentável da comunidade entre as famílias mais pobres.     

Independence Under Fire: Extra-legal Pressures and Coalition Building in WTO Dispute Settlement

This study uses detailed quantitative analyses of the completehistory of rulings made by the Panels and the Appellate Bodyof the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism during its first tenyears of operation, to assess the robustness of theories regardingthe decision-making of these institutions. Regression analysesare used to test for correlation between the success of Complainantsin dispute settlement and a variety of factors, representingthe hypothesized capacity of states to influence Panels andthe Appellate Body through dimensions of political and economicpower, the impact of the relative practical capacities of statesin dispute settlement proceedings, and the formation of coalitionsof states in support of a particular Complainant or Respondent.The results of the regression analyses – that few significantcorrelations exist between the independent variables and thedispute outcomes – provide evidence that the judicialinstitutions of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism are independentfrom Member State influence. The one reliable correlation foundin these analyses demonstrates that a Complainant state doeshave substantial advantage in Panel proceedings if it has previouslyparticipated in more disputes than the Respondent.     

New Mexico’s experience with Indian casinos and crime

Gambling has been around forever. Yet we still know relatively little about the effect of gambling on the fabric of societies. Previous studies have attempted to explain the relationship between gambling and crime, but most have fallen short because the relationship is so complex and making the connection has been so difficult. In this paper we will examine the impact of Indian gaming on crime in the State of New Mexico. First, specific crime rates in New Mexico counties with tribal gaming are discussed. Second, comparisons of the rates of specific crimes are made between New Mexico counties with tribal gaming and those without. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Western Social Science Association, Reno, Nevada, April 18–21, 2001. Violet DeVore gathered much of the archival information while participating in the Kellogg Foundation American Indian Bridges Program at New Mexico State University. Drs. Russ Winn, of New Mexico State University, and Grant Stitt, of the University of Nevada-Reno, contributed immeasurably to this research with their helpful comments and suggestions. As always, any mistakes are those of the authors alone.