Performance of the supervised learning algorithms in sex estimation of the proximal femur: A comparative study in contemporary Egyptian and Turkish samples

Sex estimation standards are population specific however, we argue that machine learning techniques (ML) may enhance the biological sex determination on trans-population application. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) versus nine ML including quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), support vector machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Gaussian process (GPC), Naïve Bayesian (NBC), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Random Forest (RFM) and Adaptive boosting (Adaboost) were compared. The experiments involve two contemporary populations: Turkish (n = 300) and Egyptian populations (n = 100) for training and validation, respectively. Base models were calibrated using isotonic and sigmoid calibration schemes. Results were analyzed at posterior probabilities (pp) thresholds >0.95 and >0.80. At pp = 0.5, ML algorithms yielded comparable accuracies in the training (90% to 97%) and test sets (81% to 88%) which are not modified after employing the calibration techniques. At pp >0.95, the raw RFM, LDA, QDA, and SVM models have shown the best performance however, calibration techniques improved the performance of various classifier especially NBC and Adaboost. By contrast, the performance of GPC, KNN, QDA models worsened by calibration. RFM has shown the best performance among all models at both thresholds whereas LDA benefited the best from using both calibration methods at pp >0.80. Complex ML models are not necessarily achieving better performance metrics. LDA and QDA remain the fastest and simplest classifiers. We demonstrated the capability of enhancing sex estimation using ML on an independent population sample however, differences in the underlying probability distribution generated by models were detected which warranted more cautious application by forensic practitioners.     

Separation of sperm and epithelial cells based on fluorescence-activated cell sorting

The detection and separation of spermatozoa is crucial in the forensic investigation of alleged sexual assault cases. Differential lysis and microscopy-based techniques are conventional methods for the isolation of spermatozoa, though are time-consuming and frequently fail with samples containing an unfavourable sperm/epithelial cell ratio. Successful separation by means of fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) has previously been reported, yet little efforts have been dedicated towards the further improvement or routine implementation of this technique. With this ongoing research, a methodology is being developed to sort sperm from epithelial cells by combining the Sperm Hy-Liter™ staining kit and FACS. Sorted sperm cells are then subjected to a direct lysis and low volume PCR (LV-PCR) protocol. Preliminary results demonstrate the successful separation of both cell types at a sperm/epithelial cell ratio of up to 1:500. The direct lysis and LV-PCR protocol allows to produce full haploid profiles from single sperm cells and mostly full diploid profiles from 10 spermatozoa. These data suggest that the proposed methods are potentially viable for forensic casework, yet additional testing is required for validation purposes.     

Rethinking Timing of First Sex and Delinquency

The relation between timing of first sex and later delinquency was examined using a genetically informed sample of 534 same-sex twin pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, who were assessed at three time points over a 7-year interval. Genetic and environmental differences between families were found to account for the association between earlier age at first sex and increases in delinquency. After controlling for these genetic and environmental confounds using a quasi-experimental design, earlier age at first sex predicted lower levels of delinquency in early adulthood. The current study is contrasted with previous research with non-genetically informative samples, including Armour and Haynie (2007, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 141–152). Results suggest a more nuanced perspective on the meaning and consequences of adolescent sexuality than is commonly put forth in the literature.

《紫色》的女性主义解读

艾丽丝.沃克的代表作《紫色》,出色地继承前辈南方黑人女性文学的优秀传统,将主人公茜莉塑造为一个重要的象征,用来揭示黑人妇女所受的双重压迫,即:既受白人的压迫,又受黑人男人的奴役。由此种族歧视和性别歧视作为两条并列主线架构起这部颇具批判意味的现实主义小说,进而沃克就解决这两大社会问题做出了积极的开拓性探讨,提出了其著名的妇女主义思想。     

Factors Associated with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victimization

This study explored factors associated with a lifetime history of domestic violence and sexual assault in a sample of welfare recipients in Illinois. Results indicate that childhood exposure to domestic violence is a risk factor for both sexual assault and domestic violence victimization, but that childhood physical abuse is only a risk factor for domestic violence. Increased education and employment skills and having more children were also risk factors for domestic violence victimization. Domestic violence was significantly associated with depression, while sexual assault was associated with low social support and a greater perceived need for mental health services. Frequent alcohol and drug use were not associated with either type of victimization. Research implications are discussed.     

Trends in the management of registered sexual offenders across England and Wales: a geographical approach to the study of sexual offending

Abstract

Social scientists, and geographers in particular, have long been interested in examining spatial patterns of offending in order to generate a “geography” of crime and criminality. This paper examines what value, if any, a geographical approach to the study of sexual offending might offer. Utilising published official data from England and Wales it presents for the first time geographical analyses of the registration, risk assessment and management of Registered Sexual Offenders (RSOs) across 42 Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) areas. In doing so it considers and evaluates the methodological issues pertaining to the use of such data and such a geographical approach. We conclude that geographical interpretations of both the incidence of RSOs and the rates of risk allocations between MAPPA areas provide valuable insights and raise new questions about the way in which RSOs are managed nationally and are thus worthy of further exploration.     

从融合到分立:儿童网络色情信息犯罪的刑事规制

儿童网络色情信息犯罪侵害的法益是"直接层法益"与"间接层法益"双重法益。"直接层法益"为儿童的身心健康权利与以"免受性剥削和性虐待"为核心的被动性的性权利,"直接层法益"为个人法益;"间接层法益"为性道德等社会法益。而成年人网络色情信息犯罪侵害的主要是基于"性的隐秘性"善良性风尚和性道德的社会法益。法益具有立法检视功能和区分功能,客观上需要将儿童网络色情犯罪与成年人网络色情犯罪分离,进而设置独立的刑事规范,并对儿童网络色情信息范围、犯罪行为类型及网络服务提供商的责任重新进行建构。     

婚前性行为和同居观念的现状及影响因素:现代性解释框架的经验验证

本文在现代性解释框架下对我国婚前性和同居的社会态度进行了实证研究。分析数据来源于2007—2008年在上海和兰州两地进行的抽样调查(N=2200)。研究结果发现,成长于改革开放前后的人群对婚前性和同居的态度的确具有显著差异,但与西方相比仍相当保守。在影响因素方面,除了现代理性、后物质主义和个体主义价值观念的增长之外,社区文化和国家制度变迁对我国性态度变迁的影响效应不容忽视。     

心理压力、城市适应、倾诉渠道与性别差异——女性并不比男性新生代农民工心理问题更严重

基于调研数据分析发现,女性新生代农民工的心理压力显著大于男性;但透过调研中大量个案访谈却发现,女性新生代农民工比男性更少出现过激行为,更适应城市生活。回归分析亦证明女性新生代农民工心理压力大,但城市适应力却更强。通过机制解释分析则发现,导致这一悖论的原因主要在于女性新生代农民工在心理诉说和社会帮助两方面显著优于男性,拥有较好的心理疏导机制。     

Reunification in Intrafamilial Child Abuse Cases: A Model for Intervention

In response to a growing number of requests to help reunify parents and children separated by allegations of child abuse, we developed a model for intervention informed by clinical experience, feedback from clients and professionals, and insights from a growing body of interdisciplinary literature. This article presents a retrospective analysis of 29 intrafamilial cases describing the intervention, outcomes, and problems presented by these challenging situations. The safety and protection of the child was the paramount consideration in determining success, whether or not reunification was achieved. Using informal follow‐up data, 24 of the 29 cases were categorized as successful, 21 resulted in full or partial reunification, and 3 cases resulted in the voluntary or court‐ordered withdrawal of an accused father believed to pose a risk to the child. In 5 cases, the nonaccused parent thwarted efforts at reunification, and the case returned to the court of relevant jurisdiction.