Features of smuggling in Wadi Khaled,Lebanon

Through survey research, we investigate the potential socio‐economic impact of tighter Lebanese–Syrian border controls on the impoverished community of Wadi Khaled. We demonstrate that, given the lack of Lebanese infrastructure and meaningful development in the region, residents of Wadi Khaled rely on illegal cross-border traffic to meet basic needs, including the purchase of foodstuffs, building materials, medicine and fuel. Our survey revealed high levels of food insecurity and poverty and determined important socio-demographic associations with smuggling. One of the most closely associated characteristics with support for smuggling behaviour was one's religious background, which we believe to be a function of Lebanon's consociational political system. The wellbeing of Wadi Khaled residents, we argue, demands that any effort to combat smuggling entail improving social support for the community and facilitating access to Lebanese markets and infrastructure.     

A simulation for exploring the effects of the "trait list" method's subjectivity on consistency and accuracy of ancestry estimations

The nonmetric "trait list" methodology is widely used for estimating ancestry of skeletal remains. However, the effects of the method's embedded subjectivity on subsequent accuracy and consistency are largely unknown. We develop a mathematical simulation to test whether variation in the application of the "trait list" method alters the ancestry estimation for a given case. Our simulation explores how variations in (i) trait selection, (ii) number of traits employed, and (iii) ancestry choice thresholds affect the ancestry estimation of an unidentified skeleton. Using two temporally and geographically diverse samples, the simulation demonstrates that trait selection, trait quantity, threshold choices, and the exclusion of high-frequency traits had minimal effect on estimation of general ancestry. For all data sets and Runs, Accuracy(AS) was maintained above 90%. The authors close with a discussion on the logistical issues present when choosing traits, and how to avoid ancestry bias.     

GANG MEMBERSHIP AS A TURNING POINT IN THE LIFE COURSE*

Gang‐involved youth are disproportionately involved in criminal behavior, especially violence. The processes accounting for this enhanced illegal activity, however, remain speculative. Employing a life‐course perspective, we propose that gang membership can be conceptualized as a turning point in the lives of youth and is thus associated with changes in emotions, attitudes, and routine activities, which, in turn, increase illegal activity. Using prospective data from a multisite sample of more than 1,400 youth, the findings suggest that the onset of gang membership is associated with a substantial change in emotions, attitudes, and social controls conducive to delinquency and partially mediate the impact of gang membership on delinquent activity. Desistance from gangs, however, was not associated with similar systematic changes in these constructs, including delinquent involvement.     

Normale Bodenbeschaffenheit als stillschweigend zugesagte,vom Gewährleistungsausschluss nicht erfasste Eigenschaft

Beim Erwerb eines Einfamilienhauses ohne Hinweis auf eine besondere Bodenbeschaffenheit kann im Allgemeinen ein natürlich gewachsener Untergrund erwartet werden (hier: Bau auf einer mit Bauschutt angefüllten ehemaligen Schottergrube). Die Reichweite eines vertraglichen Gew?hrleistungsverzichts ist durch Auslegung zu ermitteln. Auf das Fehlen einer auch nur schlüssig zugesicherten Eigenschaft erstreckt sich selbst ein umfassender Gew?hrleistungsverzicht nicht. Ohne Darlegung besonders berücksichtigungswürdiger Verk?uferinteressen besteht für eine Preisminderung nach der relativen Berechnungsmethode keine Untergrenze mit dem Verkehrswert des mangelhaften Objekts.     

Thesen zur praktischen Handhabung des "Transparenzgebots" (§ 6 Abs 3 KSchG)

Das "Transparenzgebot" des § 6 Abs 3 KSchG spielt in der Rechtsprechung des Obersten Gerichtshofs bei der Kontrolle von AGB-Klauseln nicht zuletzt im Verbandsprozess (§ 28 KSchG) eine gro?e Rolle. Die angelegten Ma?st?be sind streng; vieles f?llt dem Verdikt der Intransparenz zum Opfer. Im folgenden Beitrag werden einige praktisch handhabbare Ans?tze zu einer sachgerechten Konkretisierung des Verst?ndlichkeits- und Klarheitsgebots pr?sentiert, die manche Einseitigkeit zu vermeiden suchen.     

Von öffentlichen Äußerungen des Übergebers abweichende Vereinbarungen / gewöhnlich vorausgesetzte Eigenschaften von umfassendem Gewährleistungsausschluss erfasst

Ob die Sache dem Vertrag entspricht, ist gem § 922 Abs 2 ABGB auch nach den ?ffentlichen (Werbe-)?u?erungen des übergebers (hier: Internetinserat) zu beurteilen, die in die Vertragsauslegung miteinflie?en. Die Parteien k?nnen aber letztlich von ?ffentlichen Ankündigungen des übergebers abweichende Vereinbarungen treffen. Ein umfassender Gew?hrleistungsausschluss erstreckt sich grunds?tzlich auch auf geheime M?ngel und solche M?ngel, die normalerweise vorausgesetzte Eigenschaften betreffen. Allerdings sind Verzichtserkl?rungen im Zweifel restriktiv auszulegen. In diesem Sinn erstreckt sich ein vertraglicher Gew?hrleistungsverzicht weder auf arglistig verschwiegene M?ngel noch auf das Fehlen zugesicherter Eigenschaften.     

Community-level impacts of temperature on urban street robbery

Purpose

Conduct the first empirical intra-urban examination of community-level connections between street robbery and temperature. Examine whether community socioeconomic status (SES) and crime-relevant land uses strengthen or weaken the temperature impact. A theoretical framework relying on routine activity theory, crime pattern theory, and resident-based control dynamics organized predictions.

Data and methods

For Philadelphia census tracts (n = 381), monthly street robbery counts and temperature data for 36 consecutive months were combined with census and land use data, and analyzed with multilevel models.

Results

Community robbery counts were higher when temperatures were higher, and in lower SES communities. In support of previous work with property crime, but in contrast to previous work with assault, the effects of temperature were stronger in higher SES communities. In support of the integrated model, commercial land use prevalence and subway stations were associated with heightened temperature impacts on robbery.

Conclusions

Community-level fixed and random effects of temperature on urban robbery counts persist when controlling for land use and community structure; further, the random effects depend in part on both. There are implications for understanding indigenous guardianship or informal resident-based place management dynamics, and for planning seasonal police deployments.     

Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) for the analysis and detection of packaged pharmaceuticals and concealed drugs

Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a powerful new technique for the non-invasive detection and identification of concealed substances and drugs. Here, we demonstrate the SORS technique in several scenarios that are relevant to customs screening, postal screening, drug detection and forensics applications. The examples include analysis of a multi-layered postal package to identify a concealed substance; identification of an antibiotic capsule inside its plastic blister pack; analysis of an envelope containing a powder; and identification of a drug dissolved in a clear solvent, contained in a non-transparent plastic bottle. As well as providing practical examples of SORS, the results highlight several considerations regarding the use of SORS in the field, including the advantages of different analysis geometries and the ability to tailor instrument parameters and optics to suit different types of packages and samples. We also discuss the features and benefits of SORS in relation to existing Raman techniques, including confocal microscopy, wide area illumination and the conventional backscattered Raman spectroscopy. The results will contribute to the recognition of SORS as a promising method for the rapid, chemically specific analysis and detection of drugs and pharmaceuticals.     

Prevalence and correlates of physical spousal violence against women in slum and nonslum areas of urban Bangladesh

This study explores the prevalence and correlates of past-year physical violence against women in slum and nonslum areas of urban Bangladesh. The authors use multivariate logistic regression to analyze data from the 2006 Urban Health Survey, a population-based survey of 9,122 currently married women aged between 15 and 49 who were selected using a multistage cluster sampling design. The prevalence of reported past-year physical spousal violence is 31%. Prevalence of past-year physical spousal violence is higher in slums (35%) than in nonslums (20%). Slapping/arm-twisting and pushing/shaking/ throwing something at the women are the most commonly reported acts of physical abuse. Multivariate analysis shows that the risk of physical spousal abuse is lower among older women, women with post-primary education, and those belonging to rich households and women whose husbands considered their opinion in decision making. Women are at higher risk of abuse if they had many children, believe that married woman should work if the husband is not making enough money, and approve wife-beating norms. This study serves to confirm the commonness of physical spousal abuse in urban Bangladesh, demonstrating the seriousness of this multifaceted phenomenon as a social and public health issue. The present findings suggest the need for comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies that capitalize on the interplay of individual and sociocultural factors that cause physical spousal violence. Our study adds to a growing literature documenting domestic violence against women in urban areas of developing south Asian nations.