Preserving Community Assets: Do Foreclosure Sales Need to Negatively Impact the Neighborhood?

Research has linked concentrated foreclosures with negative neighborhood outcomes; for instance, increased crime and decreased property values. These outcomes drain community asset holdings and impact the longer term trajectory of the neighborhood. However, data reported in this article from a Boston study challenge the assumption that negative neighborhood outcomes are a foregone conclusion in the face of foreclosures. Analysis of interviews with real estate agents and other foreclosure professionals, neighborhood ethnographic observation, and citywide sales and foreclosure sales documents demonstrate that the distinct nature of the foreclosure sales process creates market disruptions heightening the risk for documented negative neighborhood outcomes. Attempts by the seller to reduce financial risks in the sale increase the likelihood of vacancy and create a market oriented toward investor–buyers. Understanding the risk preferences of key decision makers in the foreclosure sale process reveals new intervention points—such as intervening at the short sale, or expanding and updating foreclosure laws to reflect current foreclosure sales markets—to reduce market disruptions and preserve community assets in the face of foreclosures.     

Multivariate analysis for estimating the age of a bloodstain

Our objective is to provide crime laboratories with a technique for estimating the age of a bloodstain. Toward that goal, we have used multiplexed, real-time RT-PCR (or qPCR) to determine the relative stability of different-sized segments of the same RNA species as well as differences in stability between two different RNAs' change over time in bloodstains. Our results indicate that a multivariate analysis of the changing ratio of the different RNA segments can be used to differentiate between samples of different ages in the defined population. Bloodstains from 29 of 30 donors could be partitioned into different ages using this technique. Although further improvements will be required before this approach can be implemented in crime laboratories, the multivariate analysis holds promise of providing a reliable approach for temporally linking a bloodstain to the commission of a crime or excluding a bloodstain as being irrelevant to the case in question.     

法益理论的发展源流及其启示

法益概念的产生对大陆法系国家刑法理论的发展有重大的意义。法益理论在不同的历史时期被赋予不同的内容。自由主义始终是法益概念的精神内核,坚持法益论就必须坚持刑法的个人主义与规范主义。基本法实现了法益概念规范性与非规范性之间的平衡,现代刑法必须强调宪法的重要作用。宪法和刑法规定是对刑法保护客体的规范限制,此外,刑法的谦抑性原则及实害原则也是对刑法保护客体的重要的限制原则。     

不真正连带债务的法律适用及类型

不真正连带债务制度在各国和地区并无明文规定,但由于其独特的法律价值以及强大的生命力,为世界各国和地区所承认。文章从不真正连带债务法律属性入手,通过对不真正连带债务实体法律适用、具体类型的研究,进一步探讨不真正连带债务诉讼中诉权保障和诉讼裁判,以期为司法实践应用提供制度支持。     

我国善意取得制度中准据时间点研究

《物权法》第一百零六条明确规定了我国的善意取得制度,并将之一体适用于动产和不动产交易之中,这种简明划一的立法模式对于我国财产动态流转安全的保护具有重大意义。然而动产与不动产的不同特性决定了该制度在适用上是不统一的,集中体现在司法实践中对于《物权法》第一百零六条第一款善意时间点的判断上。本文通过案例提出问题,并运用民法解释方法对＂受让时＂做出合理解释。     

微博实名制之思

作为网络社会的新型信息舆论平台,可以说近年来微博在众多的社会公共事件中扮演了重要的媒介角色,因此即将实行的微博实名制一经公布便引起了多方关注,这一政策的推出给微博平台带来了许多积极的影响,如更加稳定的运行环境、用户的言语自律等,同时也带来了一些无法忽视的问题。重点即在于对此政策利弊之处给予综合考量,并对实名制之后的微博管理提出合理的思考和建议。     

公众预期对我国房地产宏观调控政策影响分析

1998年以来中国的房地产宏观调控发展历程经历了五阶段,各阶段公众预期呈现出不同的特征,并对调控政策效果产生了影响。因此,房地产市场调控政策的出台必须从调整房地产市场供求关系、建立长效机制、加强媒体与舆论的引导和管理以及保持政策的连续性、稳定性和长期性等加强公众预期管理等方面考虑。     

电子证据在刑事诉讼中的收集与认证

基于计算机和互联网的犯罪案件急剧增长,由此形成的电子证据给诉讼中的证明提出了挑战。刑诉法修正案将电子证据增加为一种证据种类,但是,电子证据的收集与认证与传统证据既有相同之处又存在着很多的不同。电子证据的保护、搜查扣押、实时收集与鉴证等是传统调查方式无法取代的,也不能完全使用传统方法进行。依靠电子证据定案既要追求客观真相、依靠科学的证明,又要遵循既定的程序性规则,从而对电子证据的证明能力和证明力进行判断。     

担保物权与时效的关联性研究

时效制度为公共秩序而牺牲公平,担保物权则是为实现公平而保障债权。夸大时效的作用而削弱担保物权的效力无益于社会信用的培育。现代法律理论已否定了法实证主义观念,将道德上的义务重新纳入法的范畴,将其视为法律上的义务,故时效并不产生消灭权利的效果,担保债权的担保物权仍有理由存在。物权法第202条的规定不但有立法技术上的缺陷,而且有价值选择上的偏差,应当重新检讨和修正。为符合社会正义观念和满足现实需求,构建不受债权时效影响的担保物权制度是必要的。     

Determination of an effective housekeeping gene for the quantification of mRNA for forensic applications

The potential application of mRNA for the identification of biological fluids using molecular techniques has been a recent development in forensic serology. Constitutively expressed housekeeping genes can assess the amount of mRNA recovered from a sample, establish its suitability for downstream applications, and provide a reference point to corroborate the identity of the fluid. qPCR was utilized to compare the expression levels of housekeeping genes from forensic-like body fluid stains to establish the most appropriate assessment of human mRNA quantity prior to profiling. Although variability was observed between fluids and individuals, results indicated that beta-2 microglobulin exhibited the highest expression for all body fluids examined and across donors. A one-way analysis of variance was performed for housekeeping gene variability between donors (at the α, 0.05, significance level), and the results indicated significant differences for semen, vaginal secretions, and menstrual blood.