Estimating the Time of Death in Domestic Canines

Abstract:  Because 36.1% of U.S. households have dogs, the time of death (TOD) of dogs at crime scenes can be useful to forensic investigators. However, there are few published studies based on postmortem changes in dogs. This study, conducted indoors in still air at approximately room temperature, monitored the postmortem reduction in rectal, liver, brain, and aural temperatures in 16 dogs for 32 h after death. Graphs of temperature reduction were prepared to estimate the TOD of dogs within the first 32 h postmortem. Sex, body mass, and hair coat density did not affect the rate of body temperature reduction, but increased body weight and volume slowed it. Rectal temperature was the most convenient, reasonable site for measuring body temperature. Vitreous humor potassium ion concentration [K⁺] was measured in both eyes at c.  1.5 and 7 h after death. Both eyes had the same [K⁺] when measured simultaneously, and [K⁺] increased after death.     

Law and the Power of Feminism: How Marriage Lost its Power to Oppress Women

In Feminism and the Power of Law Carol Smart argued that feminists should use non-legal strategies rather than looking to law to bring about women??s liberation. This article seeks to demonstrate that, as far as marriage is concerned, she was right. Statistics and contemporary commentary show how marriage, once the ultimate and only acceptable status for women, has declined in social significance to such an extent that today it is a mere lifestyle choice. This is due to many factors, including the ??sexual revolution?? of the 1960s, improved education and job opportunities for women, and divorce law reform, but the catalyst for change was the feminist critique that called for the abandonment (rather than the reform) of the institution and made the unmarried state possible for women. I conclude that this loss of significance has been more beneficial to British women in terms of the possibility of ??liberation?? than appeals for legal change and recognition, and that we should continue to be wary of looking to law to solve women??s problems.     

Employment equity in Canada: Making sense of employee discourses of misunderstanding,resistance, and support

Employment equity initiatives – redressing past inequities or discrimination by promoting the hiring of members of underrepresented groups – are controversial and divisive. Although a national Gallup poll (1993) indicated 74 % of Canadians felt a person's qualifications should solely determine hiring decisions, many have little knowledge and understanding of the issue. Adopting a discourse analytic framework, this research explores employees’ understandings and perceptions of an employment equity initiative in a mid‐sized Canadian organization. Employment equity was seen as problematic and not well understood, and individuals eligible for employment equity initiatives were marginalized. This study contributes to identifying the misunderstandings and underlying sources of tensions with employment equity principles, legislation and administrative regimes.     

Cognitive-behavioral group treatment for male spouse abusers

Two studies evaluating cognitive-behavioral treatment programs for male spouse abusers are reported.³ Both programs resulted in significant reductions in both indirect and direct threats of violence and direct and severe violence towards spouses. Study 1 identified reduced levels of guilt proneness and increased levels of group conformity as a result of the intervention program. In addition, changes in attitudes toward love were noted from pre- to post-test indicating greater physical attraction, intensity of emotion, and commitment to the lover. Changes were maintained at a six month follow-up. Study 2 evaluated a modified cognitive-behavioral treatment formal that focused more on communication, problem-solving, and sexual attitudes and practices. All levels of violence were significantly reduced and changes in endorsement of sexual attitudes were noted. In addition, males showed lower levels of passive-aggressiveness and increasing levels of narcissism as a function of treatment. Implications for program development and research are discussed.     

Financial support of children involved in special needs adoption: A policy evaluation

This article represents one of the first systematic analyses of state subsidy payments to families adopting children with special needs (children with physical and/or mental disabilities and children who are classified as hard-to-place). The analysis focuses on the monetary subsidies provided to adoptive parents of special needs children. It attempts to characterize variation in subsidy levels between counties and the impact of subsidy levels on a child's length of time until adoptive placement. The data set employed in the analysis was collected from primary sources and is one ofthe first available depositories of information on subsidy payments for special needs adoption. Results indicate that child and case characteristics explain a significant proportion of the variation in state adoption subsidy levels, but that a substantial proportion of between-county variation in subsidy levels remains unexplained. Subsidy level was not found to affect the adoption placement rate at the margin, except for children with mental disabilities. The policy implications of these results are discussed.