Examining Interobserver Reliability of Metric and Morphoscopic Characteristics of the Mandible

Mandibular metric and morphological characteristics have long been used for sex and ancestry estimation. Currently, there are no large‐scale studies examining interobserver agreement, particularly examining the role of observer experience. This study examines the interobserver agreement of six morphoscopic and eleven metric mandibular variables. Four observers with varied levels of experience scored 183 mandibles from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. Absolute agreement and consistency were evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Additionally, technical error of measurement (TEM) and relative TEM (%TEM) were calculated for each metric variable. All analyses were conducted twice—once with all observers and again with only experienced observers. Results show mean morphoscopic agreement of 0.543 among all observers and 0.615 for experienced observers, and mean metric agreement of 0.886 among all observers and 0.911 for experienced observers. Further, no TEM exceeded 2 mm. All results were significant (p < 0.001).     

Lilac? ‘Ten years of blue nurtured nature’

Abstract

The paper seeks to determine whether indicators evincing attitudes of police culture themes of solidarity, isolation and cynicism amongst SAPS officials are gender neutral as well as change in relation to Van Maanen’s and Manning’s stages of police culture socialisation. Using a survey format, the researcher employed a longitudinal design. The study established that SAPS cadets that commenced their basic training at the six SAPS basic training institutes in January 2005, entered the organisation with predispositions in furtherance of solidarity, isolation and cynicism. The period of ‘college/academy training’ (January to June 2005) did not significantly counteract these tendencies, neither the subsequent ‘field training’ (July to December 2005). Nine years on, and these attitudes intensified. The study further found that for the duration of the project (10 years), female trainees and their conversion to fully-fledged police officials had mostly stronger values exhibiting solidarity, isolation and cynicism, compared to their male counterparts.     

An attestation of the spatiality and saliency of police culture: a cross comparison study of croatian and cypriot novice law enforcers

It is often maintained that factors such as the multifarious and exigent nature of the police profession, the diversity of police personnel, and the dissimilar socioeconomic and political settings which surround the sphere of policing, fragment the shared values, beliefs, and norms of police officers. As a result, the spatiality and saliency of such values (police culture), is doubted, if not denied. Such being the case, the article sets out to examine whether or not police culture, as documented to exist in Anglo-American police organisations, is reflected in two disparate settings, namely the Croatian and Cyprus Police. For attesting the foregoing, quantitative research was undertaken in these two settings. Upon analysing the responses of novice law enforcers (n = 185), it was found that the core constituents of police culture (isolation, suspicion, brotherhood, and cynicism), besides cynicism – which was partially supported – manifested in both police organisations.     

The influence of alcohol content variation in UK packaged beers on the uncertainty of calculations using the Widmark equation

It is common for forensic practitioners to calculate an individual's likely blood alcohol concentration following the consumption of alcoholic beverage(s) for legal purposes, such as in driving under the influence (DUI) cases. It is important in these cases to be able to give the uncertainty of measurement on any calculated result, for this reason uncertainty data for the variables used for any calculation are required. In order to determine the uncertainty associated with the alcohol concentration of beer in the UK the alcohol concentration (%v/v) of 218 packaged beers (112 with an alcohol concentration of ≤5.5%v/v and 106 with an alcohol concentration of >5.5%v/v) were tested using an industry standard near infra-red (NIR) analyser. The range of labelled beer alcohol by volume (ABV's) tested was 3.4%v/v – 14%v/v. The beers were obtained from a range of outlets throughout the UK over a period of 12?months. The root mean square error (RMSE) was found to be ±0.43%v/v (beers with declared %ABV of ≤5.5%v/v) and ±0.53%v/v (beers with declared %ABV of >5.5%v/v) the RMSE for all beers was ±0.48%v/v. The standard deviation from the declared %ABV is larger than those previously utilised for uncertainty calculations and illustrates the importance of appropriate experimental data for use in the determination of uncertainty in forensic calculations.     

医疗事故技术鉴定证据合法性探析

医疗事故技术鉴定证据作为一项民事证据,必须符合我国有关证据的三个基本特征,但在现行有关法律法规和实践中还存在诸多问题.本文从鉴定机构资格及中立性、证据形式要件三个方面对医疗事故技术鉴定证据的合法性提出质疑,并就完善我国医疗事故技术鉴定证据作一思考.     

一种新的鹅病毒病的病原分离与初步鉴定

对湖北省某县发生的一种以成年鹅皮下血包囊及内脏广泛性肿块为特征的传染性疾病的病原进行了初步分离、鉴定。用成年病死鹅和病鹅肝组织悬液接种12 日龄鹅胚,48~72 h鹅胚死亡,再用第一代鹅胚尿囊液连传6 代,鹅胚均死亡(GVF1~6)。用GVF2 接种鸡胚,48~96 h 死亡,连传4代,鸡胚均死亡(EVF1~4);用GVF3回归成年母鹅,出现与自然感染病例类似的病变;对EVF4进行毒力测定,其ELD50为10-5.3;鸡胚平均死亡时间为96 h;将EVF4鸡胚尿囊液进行纯化和浓缩,电镜观察,可见大小120~220 nm有囊膜的近似球形的病毒颗粒;该病毒能凝集鹅、豚鼠、牛、羊、人等多种红细胞,能被相应的血清和鸡新城疫血清所抑制,经核酸型测定,为RNA。初步确定本病毒是未曾报道过的一新型鹅副黏病毒。     

防范电子政务的技术风险与管理误区

在电子政务的建设过程中，针对大多数国家政府已经出现的问题，我国必须注意防范电子政务的技术风险和管理误区。防范电子政务的技术风险要注意大型电子政务项目的潜在危机，要防范来自安全和隐私的技术隐患。防范电子政务的管理误区应该遵循重政务而轻“电子”、重“民本”而轻“官本”和重改革而轻改良的原则。     

实施“技术法规”比较研究

本文收集、整理、概括了美国、英国、法国、德国、欧盟、日本和韩国实施“技术法规”的现状，并比较分析了我国“技术法规”实施的情况。从整体看，我国“技术法规”实施的社会效率逐步提高，已基本达到了规范市场秩序的作用，但还有待于进一步的改进和完善。本文提出了我国“技术法规”亟待完善的几个主要方面，并提出了完善我国“技术法规”制度的若干建设性建议。     

我国计算机犯罪现状分析与技术防范

计算机犯罪作为一种高智能型犯罪,随着社会和技术的进步不断呈现出新态势。本文对当前我国计算机犯罪的现状特别是计算机犯罪类型进行了深入分析,并就计算机犯罪类型中几类高发案件进行了技术防范措施的探讨。