The Computer-Assisted Postmortem Identification (CAPMI) system: sorting algorithm improvements

Refinements to the original Computer-Assisted Postmortem Identification (CAPMI) software algorithms and general data handling were suggested as a result of observations made following the Gander plane crash of 1985. The presence of highly fragmented and scattered remains following most plane crashes suggested that changes to procedure might improve CAPMI performance for use in these types of disasters. A total of 162 ante- and postmortem dental records which had been used successfully to identify victims of the Gander disaster were coded for anonymity and used for this investigation. Changes in data construction and management were made to CAPMI, according to concepts which were thought might improve system performance, and tested. Although most tested techniques improved CAPMI performance, the data suggested that replacement of "virgin" chartings with "data unknown" results in improved performance of CAPMI largely independent of other factors. Of 162 possible record matches, the original algorithm successfully listed the true record match in the top 20 possibilities 74% of the time; the tested variations on the original algorithm yielded results across a range of 38 to 83% successes, with most techniques performing better than the original algorithm. Results of this investigation have been incorporated into improved CAPMI procedures and software.     

Social control theory: The salience of components by age,gender, and type of crime

Most social control theorists do not consider definitions of delinquency problematic. Beginning with the assumption that crime is a unitary concept, researchers have combined a variety of non-normative items to create additive delinquency scales. Rarely is consideration given to whether the causes of crime differ for distinct types of criminal activity. Furthermore, the classic social control model doesnot predict that bonding variables operate differently for distinct age and gender categories. Consistent with the structuring perspective, the present research attempts to refine the social control model by specifying conditions under which the model predicts different forms of delinquency. This study examines social control theory using survey data from middle- and high-school students (N=2926). Logit regression analysis revealed that the model which best explains personal crime differs from the model which best explains property crime. Also, certain components of the model were more powerful predictors of criminal behavior for different age-gender groups. The importance of model specification is demonstrated and the implications for social control theory are discussed.     

Intertemporal regulatory tasks and responsibilities for greenhouse gas reductions

Jurisdictions are in the process of establishing regulatory systems to control greenhouse gas emissions. Short‐term and sometimes long‐term emissions reduction goals are established, as California does for 2020 and 2050, but little attention has yet been focused on annual emissions targets for the intervening years. We develop recommendations for how these annual targets—which we collectively term a “compliance pathway”—can be set, as well as what flexibility sources should have to adjust in light of cost uncertainties. Environmental effectiveness, efficiency, equity, adaptability, and encouraging global participation are appropriate criteria by which these intertemporal policy alternatives should be judged. Limited but useful knowledge about costs leads us to recommend a compliance pathway characterized by increasing incremental reductions along it. This can be approximated by discrete linear segments, which may fit better with global negotiations. Although the above conclusion applies to any long‐term GHG regulatory program, many jurisdictions will rely heavily on a cap‐and‐trade system, and the same pathway recommendation applies to its time schedule of allowances. Furthermore, borrowing constraints in cap‐and‐trade systems can impose substantial unnecessary costs. To avoid most of these costs, we recommend that sources be allowed early use of limited percentages of allowances intended for future years. We also find that a three‐year compliance period can have substantial benefit over a one‐year period. © 2010 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

Alachua free‐net: Looking for the First Amendment at one outpost on the information highway*

Many communities are developing civic computer networks to provide citizens with free access to local information resources and the Internet. However, most networks restrict both commercial speech and any language deemed “objectionable.”; Whether such broad discretionary power violates the First Amendment depends on whether the networks are state actors. An examination of one such network, Alachua Free‐Net, reveals a close symbiotic relationship between the network and several local government entities. Symbiotic relationships between the state and a private party in other contexts have been held by the courts to constitute state action. Thus, Alachua Free‐Net appears to be a state actor and must conform its speech restrictions to the requirements of the First Amendment. Moreover, whether state actors or not, civic computer networks such as Alachua Free‐Net should commit themselves to providing full First Amendment freedoms to their users.