Gunshot wounds: visual and analytical procedures.

Visual examination of clothing and tissue from gunshot wounds provides information pertaining to the range of discharge of a firearm. Identification of powder grains or soot is evidence of close range discharge by a handgun. Analyses of tissue by EDX and FAAS technics are shown to supply corroborating data to visual examination in estimation of range. These methods are of particular value in differentiating contact and distant wounds when decomposed bodies are examined and when multiple layers of clothing are present.     

The influence of levels of information on the use of prospective evaluations

Recent work on voting behavior suggests that both retrospective and prospective evaluations are important components of vote choice. To test the generalizability of the prospective model, (1) the same model of voting behavior is applied to groups of differing cognitive abilities, (2) a comparison of the extent to which each group extrapolates from the past to the future is made, and (3) the frequency with which people of each group respond don't know is examined. The evidence presented supports the hypothesis that the prospective model is generalizable across segments of the population. Alternatively, since there are relatively few differences across categories, one might view this paper as a collection of negative findings.     

Strengths,Limitations, and Recommendations for Instrumental Color Measurement in Forensic Soil Characterization

Color determination of soil evidence is often done by visual comparison to soil color charts. A handheld spectrophotometer was tested with representative materials for its suitability for forensic soil characterization. Instrumental colorimetry provides accurate colorimetry with ~10-fold better precision than a soil color chart. The minimum sample size for accurate color determination was between 0.02 and 0.04 mg of fine soil for the specific instrument tested. Reporting colors in the L*a*b* space permits quantification of ΔE₀₀, a measure of perceptible color difference, could enable objective quantification of small color differences and thresholds for forensic soil comparisons. A ΔE₀₀ greater than ~ 3.5 to 6 likely indicates disparate soil sources in a forensic comparison, in the absence of confounding factors like sample alteration. Despite the superior precision of instrumental colorimetry, this approach is inappropriate for samples which are mottled at an inseparable scale, attached to a substrate, or too small for instrumental measurement.     

Ranking state fiscal structures using theory and evidence

This paper offers unique rankings of the extent to which fiscal structures of U.S. states contribute to economic growth. The rankings are novel in two key respects: They are well grounded in established growth theory, in which the effect of taxes depends both on the level of taxes and on the composition of expenditures; and they are derived from actual estimates of the link between fiscal structures and economic growth. Estimates for the latter yield a growth hill, in which the incremental effect of taxes spent on productive services and infrastructure initially rises, reaches a peak, and then declines. Rankings derived from these estimates differ sharply from typical rankings based on levels of taxation alone. Two hypothetical policy experiments highlight both the growth‐hill effects of tax investments in productive services and infrastructure and the short‐ and long‐term tradeoffs in attempting to fund strong social services. © 2008 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.