Human Identification Using Automatic and Semi‐Automatically Detected Facial Marks

Continuing advancements in the field of digital cameras and surveillance imaging devices have led law enforcement and intelligence agencies to use analysis of images and videos for the investigation and prosecution of crime. When determining identity from photographic evidence, forensic analysts perform comparison of visible facial features manually, which is inefficient. In this study, we will address research efforts to use facial marks as biometric signatures to distinguish between individuals. We propose two systems to assist forensic analysts during photographic comparison: an improved multiscale facial mark system in which facial marks are detected automatically, and a semi‐automatic facial mark system that integrates human knowledge within the improved multiscale facial mark system. Experiment results employ a high‐resolution time‐elapsed dataset acquired at the University of Notre Dame between 2009 and 2011. The results indicate that the geometric distributions of facial mark patterns can be used to distinguish between individuals.     

Smartphone Image Acquisition During Postmortem Monocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy

The medical usefulness of smartphones continues to evolve as third‐party applications exploit and expand on the smartphones’ interface and capabilities. This technical report describes smartphone still‐image capture techniques and video‐sequence recording capabilities during postmortem monocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. Using these devices and techniques, practitioners can create photographic documentation of fundal findings, clinically and at autopsy, without the expense of a retinal camera. Smartphone image acquisition of fundal abnormalities can promote ophthalmological telemedicine—especially in regions or countries with limited resources—and facilitate prompt, accurate, and unbiased documentation of retinal hemorrhages in infants and young children.     

The Scary World of Online News? Internet News Exposure and Public Attitudes Toward Crime and Justice

Objectives

A substantial body of literature indicates that certain forms of media consumption may increase anxiety about crime and support for social controls. However, few studies have examined whether Internet news consumption is positively associated with such attitudes. The void is significant given the public’s increasing use of online news sources. This study addresses this research gap.

Methods

We draw on data from four national surveys conducted between 2007 and 2013, which collectively include interviews with more than 13,000 Americans. Using OLS and logistic regression, we assess the relationships between exposure to traditional and online media and perceptions of victimization risk, support for punitive crime policies, and views about police powers.

Results

Consistent with prior work, we find positive relationships between exposure to traditional forms of media—television news and crime programming—and anxiety about victimization and support for harsh crime policies. In contrast, Internet news exposure is generally not associated with anxieties about crime or support for getting tough on criminals. However, there is evidence of an interactive relationship between political ideology and Internet news exposure.

Conclusions

The results provide little support for cultivation theory in the context of Internet news consumption. We discuss the import of our findings, and suggest new lines of research to explore the correlates and the effects of exposure to online news sources.

     

Validation of the full and brief Externalizing Spectrum Inventory in Dutch forensic inpatients

The Externalizing Spectrum Inventory (ESI) was designed for assessing a broad spectrum of externalizing problems, including impulsive-aggressive behavior and substance abuse. After translation of the ESI into Dutch, a computerized version of the full Dutch ESI (ESI-NL) was administered to a mixed sample consisting of inpatients in forensic and addiction care (n = 99) and non-psychiatric community participants (n = 104). Internal consistencies, test–retest reliabilities, ‘predictive’ validity of the full and 160-item ESI-NL total scores and subscales were examined, along with the correlations between these two versions. The results indicated high reliability and predictive validity for both versions and a strong similarity between the two in direct comparisons. The 160-item Dutch ESI is recommended for clinical studies on violence proneness and externalizing problem behavior.     

How to write international history: Reflections on Norsk utenrikspolitikks historie

Norsk utenrikspolitikks historie (The History of Norwegian Foreign Policy), (6 vols., Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1992–97), NOK 298 per volume. Vol.1: Narve Bjørgo, Øystein Rian and Alf Kaartvedt, Selvstendighet og union. Fra middelalderen til 1905 (1995), pp.416. Vol.2: Roald Berg, Norge på egen hånd 1905–1920 (1995), pp.401. Vol.3: Odd‐Bjørn Fure, Mellomkrigstid 1920–1940 (1996), pp.434. Vol.4: Jakob Sverdrup, Inn i storpolitikken 1940–1949 (1996), pp.389. Vol.5: Knut Einar Eriksen and Helge Pharo, Kald krig og internasjonalisering 1949–1965 (autumn 1997), Vol.6: Rolf Tamnes, Oljealder 1965–1995 (autumn 1997).     

Die Umsetzung der Aarhus-Konvention beim direkten Vollzug von Unionsrecht

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird untersucht, inwiefern die Ausgestaltung des Rechtsschutzes beim direkten Vollzug von EU-Recht mit der Aarhus-Konvention vereinbar ist. Anlass für diese Darstellung gibt eine Entscheidung des Aarhus Convention Compliance Committees, welches die Einhaltung der Konvention durch die Vertragsparteien überprüft. Zu diesem Zweck werden die ma?geblichen Bestimmungen der Aarhus-Konvention, insb Art 9, dargestellt. An diesen Vorgaben werden in weiterer Folge die sekund?rrechtliche Umsetzung dieser Bestimmung durch die VO 1367/2006/EG sowie die entsprechenden prim?rrechtlichen Rechtsschutzm?glichkeiten (Art 263 AEUV) gemessen. Im Ergebnis bestehen in Spezialbereichen des europ?ischen Umweltrechts wohl noch Umsetzungsdefizite, die aber m?glicherweise durch mitgliedsstaatliche Rechtsbehelfe ausgeglichen werden k?nnen. Rechtsquellen: übereinkommen von Aarhus über den Zugang zu Informationen, die ?ffentlichkeitsbeteiligung an Entscheidungsverfahren und den Zugang zu Gerichten in Umweltangelegenheiten (Aarhus-Konvention), BGBl III 88/2005     

Fictitious Issues Revisited: Political Interest, Knowledge and the Generation of Nonattitudes

It has long been suspected that, when asked to provide opinions on matters of public policy, significant numbers of those surveyed do so with only the vaguest understanding of the issues in question. In this article, we present the results of a study which demonstrates that a significant minority of the British public are, in fact, willing to provide evaluations of non-existent policy issues. In contrast to previous American research, which has found such responses to be most prevalent among the less educated, we find that the tendency to provide 'pseudo-opinions' is positively correlated with self-reported interest in politics. This effect is itself moderated by the context in which the political interest item is administered; when this question precedes the fictitious issue item, its effect is greater than when this order is reversed. Political knowledge, on the other hand, is associated with a lower probability of providing pseudo-opinions, though this effect is weaker than that observed for political interest. Our results support the view that responses to fictitious issue items are not generated at random, via some 'mental coin flip'. Instead, respondents actively seek out what they consider to be the likely meaning of the question and then respond in their own terms, through the filter of partisan loyalties and current political discourses.