Market-based mechanism and ‘climate justice’: reframing the debate for a way forward

International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics - The Paris Agreement on climate change recognizes, reluctantly albeit, the importance of ‘climate justice’ in its...     

Self‐Strangulation Turning into Partial Hanging for a Suicide Victim

Hanging is the most common asphyxial method of suicide, whereas suicide by strangulation is unusual. Here, we are reporting a particular methodology of the asphyxial method of suicide in which a case of self‐strangulation culminated into partial hanging. A 30‐year‐old male wrapped one end of the cable wire around his neck. He then passed the other end over a curtain rod and tied that end around the right hand. He pulled the hand down, using the curtain rod as a fulcrum, to tighten the noose around the neck in an attempt to strangulate himself. However, he lost consciousness during the process and the body slipped down, pulling the right hand up which got stuck at the curtain rod. This led the body hanged in the kneeling position. This bizarre scenario raised suspicion of homicide but the crime scene, autopsy and victim characteristics were in favor of suicide.     

Transfer of advanced manufacturing technology from Canadian universities to industry

Although advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) is a key factor in improving North America's industrial competitiveness, there is a problem in transferring it from university to industry. This study, conducted for a Canadian governmental agency, addresses the problem by querying Canadian professors, university-liaison officers, and administrators of intermediary (broker) organizations in order to uncover the processes of AMT transfer; that is, the ways in which technical knowledge embodied in inventions is converted into outputs used by companies. Four processes, in which the critical entities are professors, universities, intermediary organizations, and spinoffs, account for what has been transferred While the first is by far the most significant currently, the third has a high future potential. An analysis of barriers suggests that while some probably inhibit all four transfer processes, others have their impacts on only one specific process. If we are going to raise the number of transfers, we must work more diligently to pinpoint the causes for low levels of transfer. Studying the barriers to university transfer in general should therefore yield information on which barriers are associated with which processes.     

Improvised firearms versus regular firearms

In this paper, the ballistics of improvised firearms have been studied in comparison to those of regular firearms from the forensic point of view.     

Hands Tied with Bag Full of Books in Suicidal Hanging

Hanging deaths associated with binding of limbs, masking of a face, and gagging are always suspicious. In suicidal hanging, the victim uses these added techniques to prevent him from backing out of his decision and to ensure death. However, binding of limbs and adding extra weight to the suspension in hanging are not reported. Herein, we report a case where the victim tied a bag containing books weighing 7 kg (15.4 lbs) to both his hands during hanging. The forensic specialist must be aware of the unusual presentation of suicidal hanging which may suggest foul play. The manner of death must be established after detailed analysis of circumstantial evidence, information obtained from the witnesses, complete autopsy, and toxicological examination.     

Fingerprint Ridge Density as a Potential Forensic Anthropological Tool for Sex Identification

In cases of partial or poor print recovery and lack of database/suspect print, fingerprint evidence is generally neglected. In light of such constraints, this study was designed to examine whether ridge density can aid in narrowing down the investigation for sex identification. The study was conducted on the right‐hand index digit of 245 males and 246 females belonging to the Punjabis of Delhi region. Five ridge density count areas, namely upper radial, radial, ulnar, upper ulnar, and proximal, were selected and designated. Probability of sex origin was calculated, and stepwise discriminant function analysis was performed to determine the discriminating ability of the selected areas. Females were observed with a significantly higher ridge density than males in all the five areas. Discriminant function analysis and logistic regression exhibited 96.8% and 97.4% accuracy, respectively, in sex identification. Hence, fingerprint ridge density is a potential tool for sex identification, even from partial prints.     

An analysis of asymmetric effect of federal transfers across Indian states

This study empirically examines the asymmetric effect of federal transfers in India using a panel dataset of 18 states from 2000–2001 to 2019–2020. In mapping the asymmetric effect of federal transfers on subnational spending across the Indian states, we test it in the extended ‘flypaper effect’ framework, examining whether subnational expenditures respond in the same way to changes in federal transfers. To quantify the extent of the asymmetric effect on the subnational expenditure, we employed the panel non-linear ARDL model. The results suggest that subnational spending has a greater asymmetric response to the increase in federal transfers than to a decrease. At the disaggregate level, ten out of 18 states have a fiscal replacement kind of asymmetric effect in any spending specifications. But only three validate it in the capital and development spending, and seven states validating in the non-development expenditure on the revenue accounts. Replacing the cut in federal transfers with other revenue sources that prioritise non-development spending over development spending is problematic.     

Hegemony, Discipline and Control in the Administration of Police in Colonial India

The Indian subcontinent was under British colonial rule for over two centuries until 1947. To administer the large country and its diverse population, the British designed a criminal justice administrative system which played a key role in maintaining their dominance and hegemony. In particular, the police organization, largely composed of natives, furthered the goals of colonial dominance through its functions of order maintenance, crime control, and surveillance. This paper, using Gramsci’s conception of hegemony and Foucault’s study of disciplining and control, analyzes the important role that the police played in maintaining British rule in India.