Language Barriers in the Wisconsin Court System

Abstract

Over the years, reformers have tried to address the many challenges facing the American court system. However, there are still areas that not only need improving but also need immediate attention. In particular, equal access to the law is being denied to non-English speaking Latinos/as in our nation's courts due to poor (or lack of) interpretation. Given the fact that Latinos/as are now the nation's largest minority group, this matter is of utmost importance. The goal of this paper is to explore the matter in depth in Wisconsin, and to propose remedies to the existing shortcomings of court interpretation.     

The Convention Experience: Between Rhetoric and Participation

Abstract

This article investigates the participation of interest groups in the EU's Constituional Convention and their contribution to the debate on participatory democracy and EU governance. I argue that the constitutional moment prompted interest groups to define their priorities beyond focused policy issues to include wider principles of governance. While the Convention process was more inclusive that any previous treaty reform procedure, its institutional set up was a constraint to improving citizen participation either directly or via interest groups. The Convention reproduced a model of closed elitist politics which did not communicate sufficiently with the citizens, while the role of interest groups was restricted by a Convention designed as a drafting phase in preparation for the real decisive phase during the IGC. Despite the impact of specific domestic contexts, the ‘no’ votes in France and the Netherlands proved that civil society and participation were rhetorical devices deployed during the Convention to gain legitimacy rather than a genuine move towards a more pluralistic EU democracy capable of deploying effective mechanisms of active citizen participation.     

论法律硕士培养之基本教学手段与现代教育技术的结合

在法律硕士的培养中,为实现教学效果的最大化,基本教学手段与现代教育技术的整合运用非常重要。一方面,基本教学手段要放置在法律硕士培养的目标体系下,注意到专业性知识和通识性知识的平衡。一方面,在法律硕士培养中,应当关注多种现代教学方法的运用,提升知识训练过程中的主体性。     

新时期警察类职业院校学生管理工作方法与创新

随着高职教育改革步伐的进一步加快,警察类职业院校学生管理工作中传统的管理理念、管理方式和管理体制已越来越难以适应形势发展的需要。积极探索适应时代要求的学生管理工作模式,尝试使用柔性管理法、5S管理法、PDCA循环管理法以及SWOT分析法等现代管理方法,切实提高警察类职业院校学生管理工作质量。     

Dental Age Assessment in Children: A Comparison of Four Methods in a Recent French Population

The aim of this study was to analyze the accuracy and the reliability of four methods of dental age estimation (Demirjian, Willems I, Willems II, and Chaillet standards) in a French population. Orthopantomograms of 743 children aged between 4 and 15 years were used. The Demirjian standards gave a consistent overestimation of dental age compared with chronological age (+0.45 and +0.46 years for girls and boys, respectively). We found that three modified methods were more accurate for both sexes than Demirjian's method: the Willems I method appeared to be more suitable when the sex and ethnicity are both known (?0.09 and +0.14 years for girls and boys, respectively); the Willems II method was more accurate for children of unknown sex (mean difference = 0.00 years), and the Chaillet method was found to be more accurate than the Demirjian method, but less accurate than the Willems I method (?0.59 and ?0.18 years for girls and boys, respectively).     

Analyzing Forensic Evidence Based on Density with Magnetic Levitation

This paper describes a method for determining the density of contact trace objects with magnetic levitation (MagLev). MagLev measurements accurately determine the density (±0.0002 g/cm³) of a diamagnetic object and are compatible with objects that are nonuniform in shape and size. The MagLev device (composed of two permanent magnets with like poles facing) and the method described provide a means of accurately determining the density of trace objects. This method is inexpensive, rapid, and verifiable and provides numerical values—independent of the specific apparatus or analyst—that correspond to the absolute density of the sample that may be entered into a searchable database. We discuss the feasibility of MagLev as a possible means of characterizing forensic‐related evidence and demonstrate the ability of MagLev to (i) determine the density of samples of glitter and gunpowder, (ii) separate glitter particles of different densities, and (iii) determine the density of a glitter sample that was removed from a complex sample matrix.     

高校思想政治理论课教学方法改革初探

十八大报告指出：＂全面实施素质教育,深化教育领域综合改革,着力提高教育质量,培养学生社会责任感、创新精神、实践能力。＂这是对我国教育部门提出的新要求。理论与实践表明,在教学活动中,教学方式方法是影响人才培养质量和创新人才培养至关重要的因素之一。因此,结合我国高校思想政治理论课教学方法改革的历史实践,对我国思想政治理论课教学方法改革的趋势进行探讨,这在十八大大力倡导培养学生＂创新精神＂的大背景下显得十分必要。     

The British general election of 2010 under different voting rules

The 2010 British election resulted in what the British refer to as a “hung Parliament” for the first time in over a generation. This result further heightened the debate over the fairness and utility of the nation’s centuries-old first-past-the-post (FPTP) system. Survey data are used to simulate the election outcome under four different electoral systems beyond FPTP: round-robin pair-wise comparisons, the Borda count, the alternative vote, and Coombs' method. Results suggest that in 2010, the Liberal-Democrats were Condorcet preferred to all other parties and would have won a national election under every tested method except the alternative vote, the method supported by the Liberal-Democrats during the referendum in May 2011 and, of course, FPTP as actually used.     

一种面向利益分析的政策研究方法

构建社会主义和谐社会,对政策制定的科学化和民主化提出了新的更高的要求,即必须更加重视各方利益的表达和协调,以实现共赢。本文在综合分析软科学和政策科学两个相对独立的学科现状的基础上,讨论当前政策研究在利益分析上存在的不足及其根源,指出政策研究需要超越先前主流的实证主义范式,发展面向利益分析的理论和方法。针对我国政策制定中利益分析和协调的现实需求,本文介绍了一种基于讨论式博弈和综合集成支持的公共政策实验方法(EPRM),论述了该方法的基本思路、运用过程和若干焦点问题。