Predictors of Support of Legislation Banning Juvenile Executions in Oklahoma: An Examination by Race and Sex

The Supreme Court has recently decided to re‐examine the constitutionality of executing individuals under the age of 18 at the time of the offense. The Supreme Court’s reliance on public opinion as evidenced through opinion polls and changing laws in the 2002 Atkins decision has suggested that public opinion may play a role in the Court’s decision regarding juvenile executions. There is considerable evidence that the majority of Americans favor a ban on juvenile executions. In the current study, we use Oklahoma data collected in 2003 by the Oklahoma University Public Opinion Learning Laboratory to examine more closely the factors that predict a support of a ban on juvenile executions. Interestingly, only one fourth of Oklahomans oppose such a ban. Earlier research suggested that religious fundamentalism is linked to support of juvenile executions, but we did not find this, suggesting that public opinion may be shifting. We then analyzed the data separately by race and then by sex. Our findings suggest that there may be differences between groups in the predictors of support for a ban on juvenile executions, at least in Oklahoma, indicating the need for further research.     

A Decision Tree for Nonmetric Sex Assessment from the Skull

This study uses five well‐documented cranial nonmetric traits (glabella, mastoid process, mental eminence, supraorbital margin, and nuchal crest) and one additional trait (zygomatic extension) to develop a validated decision tree for sex assessment. The decision tree was built and cross‐validated on a sample of 293 U.S. White individuals from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. Ordinal scores from the six traits were analyzed using the partition modeling option in JMP Pro 12. A holdout sample of 50 skulls was used to test the model. The most accurate decision tree includes three variables: glabella, zygomatic extension, and mastoid process. This decision tree yielded 93.5% accuracy on the training sample, 94% on the cross‐validated sample, and 96% on a holdout validation sample. Linear weighted kappa statistics indicate acceptable agreement among observers for these variables. Mental eminence should be avoided, and definitions and figures should be referenced carefully to score nonmetric traits.     

Sex Estimation from Human Cranium: Forensic and Anthropological Interest of Maxillary Sinus Volumes

Sex estimation is a key objective of forensic science. We aimed to establish whether maxillary sinus volumes (MSV) could assist in estimating an individual's sex. One hundred and three CT scans were included. MSV were determined using three‐dimensional reconstructions. Two observers performed three‐dimensional MSV reconstructions using the same methods. Intra‐ and interobserver reproducibility were statistically compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (α = 5%). Both intra‐ and interobserver reproducibility were perfect regarding MSV; both ICCs were 100%. There were no significant differences between right and left MSV (p = 0.083). No correlation was found between age and MSV (p > 0.05). We demonstrated the existence of sexual dimorphism in MSV (p < 0.001) and showed that MSV measurements gave a 68% rate of correct allocations to sex group. MSV measurements could be useful to support sex estimation in forensic medicine.     

Reliability of the Walker Cranial Nonmetric Method and Implications for Sex Estimation

The cranial trait scoring method presented in Buikstra and Ubelaker (Standards for data collection from human skeletal remains. Fayetteville, AR: Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Series No. 44, 1994) and Walker (Am J Phys Anthropol, 136, 2008 and 39) is the most common nonmetric cranial sex estimation method utilized by physical and forensic anthropologists. As such, the reliability and accuracy of the method is vital to ensure its validity in forensic applications. In this study, inter‐ and intra‐observer error rates for the Walker scoring method were calculated using a sample of U.S. White and Black individuals (n = 135). Cohen's weighted kappas, intraclass correlation coefficients, and percentage agreements indicate good agreement between trials and observers for all traits except the mental eminence. Slight disagreement in scoring, however, was found to impact sex classifications, leading to lower accuracy rates than those published by Walker. Furthermore, experience does appear to impact trait scoring and sex classification. The use of revised population‐specific equations that avoid the mental eminence is highly recommended to minimize the potential for misclassifications.     

是"新妇"还是"西妇"?--梁启超"新妇观"的文化评议

从文化视角看,梁启超"反缠足、兴女学、倡女权"的新妇观,既没有超越传统文化"男主女从"的范式,却又能"与时俱进"地提出新的时代命题在西方文化大潮冲击下,中国妇女应如何与男子一道面对"三千年未有之大变局",在世界新格局与中国转型社会中,共建中华民族"新民德".梁启超的"新妇观"是真正合乎中国国情的妇女观,而近现代以提倡女性独立人格为主导的妇女解放观,则恰恰是忽视中国国情的"西妇观".     

保护性政策与妇女公共参与——湖北广水H村"性别两票制"选举试验观察与思考

保护性政策为什么没有改变农村妇女公共参与"推而不动"的状态?这与政策运行的村庄社会基础有很大的关联性.本文考察了一项保护性政策实验中村庄社会的不同反应,发现自上而下的保护性政策在输入到村庄社会的过程中,会遭到不同程度的抵制;对于村庄层级链条中位置不同的妇女,保护性程度不同,其公共参与程度也不同;同时,它并没有改变男性主导村庄权力结构的局势,还加深了两性隔离.为此,制定政策应该充分尊重村庄妇女公共参与三级链分层现状,使政策的保护性力量在这个链条上出现增量式发展;应该建立有效的配套机制,改变"两性场域"不对等分割状况,实现和谐式参与.     

Feminism and the Gender Recognition Act 2004

This paper argues, first, that the legal construction of transsexualism is a matter of interest, not only to members of the trans community, but to all students of gender, including feminists. The paper then proceeds to explain and analyse, using feminist perspectives, key aspects of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in the light of the recent caselaw concerning the rights of trans persons. The 2004 Act, it is argued, is a conservative move, which attempts to deny the threat transsexualism poses to the binary system of gender, by instigating a system to formally ‘recognise’ only men and or women. However, the way in which the Act constructs the public/private divide and the mind/body relation carries potential for legal recognition of subject positions which may in a variety of ways be ‘beyond’ the binary system that is currently orthodox. The paper can as such be read as a case study in the legal (re)construction of gender, the gender/sex relation, and the widespread tendency to construct gender conservatively.     

Police Perspective: Discovering Hidden Truths in Domestic Violence Intervention

The article is designed for intervenors of domestic violence. It examines a miriad of issues faced during intervention. The purpose of the article is to discover hidden truths and understand more clearly what intervenors are dealing with.