The Homicide–Suicide Phenomenon: Findings of Psychological Autopsies

Homicide–suicide represents a single episode of violence which may decimate an entire family. This study aimed to further describe motives and context of these tragedies. Psychological autopsies were completed for 18 homicide–suicide cases in Dallas, Texas. This included postevent interviews with surviving family members and review of police and coroner records. Two‐thirds of perpetrators had made either verbal or written threats prior to the homicide–suicide. A simplified typology describing victim–perpetrator relationship and motive type is suggested for future studies and clinical ease. Two‐thirds of perpetrators fell into the category of Intimate‐Possessive, most of whom were depressed men who were abusing substances and undergoing separation. Additional categories included Intimate‐Ailing, Filial‐Revenge, Familial‐Psychotic, and Friend‐Psychotic. Further, implications from this psychological autopsy study regarding risk assessment include use of collateral interviews regarding threats and past violence.     

Why Do People Hang Themselves on Trees? An Evaluation of Suicidal Hangings on Trees in Konya,Turkey, between 2001 and 2008

Hanging is the most common method of suicide in the world, and many public places offer a means or opportunity to carry out the activity. Of 4,452 death examinations and autopsies, there were 378 (8.5%) suicides and suicide method was hanging in 185 (48.9%) cases. In 20 of these (10.8%), the suspension point was the branch of a tree. The incident location was the garden of the victim's house in nine cases, the woodlands in seven cases. The suicides were attributed to psychiatric disorders in nine cases, economic problems in six cases, and family problems in five cases. It is concluded that hanging on a tree as a suicide method is often committed by males and the underlying motive may be different in suicidal hangings on trees occurring at daytime and night. For preventional purposes, the reporting of such suicides in public places by the media may be restricted by local authorities.     

Response Assessment of Thermal Papers from Four Continents to Fingerprint Development by Heat

Latent fingerprint deposits on thermal paper sourced from the U.S., China, the U.K., and Australia have been visualized by heating. U.S. and Chinese sourced paper produced two distinct types of fingerprint development. In one type (type 1), the paper dye colors where the deposit is present (as previously reported) and in the other type (type 2) the ‘inverse’ of this gives paper coloring only in areas not coincident with the deposit. Both development types gave identifiable fingerprints, the majority fading within 24 h of heating. Fingerprint development from U.K. and Australian sourced paper was exclusively type 1 and resistant to fading. Temperatures for fingerprint visualization were higher for U.S. paper (64–71°C) and Chinese paper (75–95°C) than for U.K. and Australian sourced paper (43–50°C). Particularly for Chinese sourced paper, these temperatures were within a few degrees of the normal paper color temperature. A mechanism for type 2 fingerprint development is proposed.     

In Situ Identification of Semen Stains on Common Substrates via Raman Spectroscopy,,

The spectroscopic identification of body fluids in situ is a major objective in forensic science. This approach offers the confirmatory, nondestructive, rapid, and on‐scene identification of various body fluids. Although Raman spectroscopy has shown tremendous promise toward this goal in prior proof‐of‐concept experiments, a significant challenge which still remains is substrate interference. Here, an approach for detecting semen stains in situ on various substrates using Raman spectroscopy is explored. Simulated semen evidence was prepared on skin, glass, and various fabrics. Raman data were accumulated from stains without any pretreatment using a common confocal mapping spectrometer using 785 nm laser excitation. The results demonstrate that the spectroscopic interferences encountered by substrates can be reduced and eliminated using a combination of existing subtraction techniques and chemometric models. Heterogeneous substrates proved most challenging, however, automatic subtraction treatment, and location of fluid hotspots was able to elucidate a clear spectroscopic signature of semen in every instance.     

Identification of Natural Images and Computer‐Generated Graphics Based on Statistical and Textural Features

To discriminate the acquisition pipelines of digital images, a novel scheme for the identification of natural images and computer‐generated graphics is proposed based on statistical and textural features. First, the differences between them are investigated from the view of statistics and texture, and 31 dimensions of feature are acquired for identification. Then, LIBSVM is used for the classification. Finally, the experimental results are presented. The results show that it can achieve an identification accuracy of 97.89% for computer‐generated graphics, and an identification accuracy of 97.75% for natural images. The analyses also demonstrate the proposed method has excellent performance, compared with some existing methods based only on statistical features or other features. The method has a great potential to be implemented for the identification of natural images and computer‐generated graphics.     

公益诉讼原告主体范围之扩张

公益诉讼法律化后的宏大法律图景未能在行动中的实践成为可视的制度实在,公益诉讼法律条款基本处于休眠状态。主要原因在于立法者推崇实用主义和渐进式功利主义的改革路线和利益导向机制,严格限定公益诉讼的主体范围,将大量主体阻隔于法院大门之外,割裂协调有序的公益诉权主体链条,致使公益诉讼无法实效发挥制度机能。公益诉讼的制度化或者再制度化可将权利生成和整体正义作为指引公益诉讼精细化发展和长远性发展的基本功能导向,适当开放公益诉讼通道,建构行政机关、检察院、社会组织和公民个人的多元互补的原告主体体系,并在现有法律框架内务实而理性地探求主体扩张的合理路径。     

Timing as a source of regulatory influence: A technical elite network analysis of global finance

Rules governing the international financial system are the subject of some of the most intense distributional battles waged in any area of global governance. Who wins and who loses such battles – and why? I develop a novel analytical framework – technical elite network (TEN) theory – which explains the widely varying levels of influence that stakeholders enjoy over global financial standards. TEN theory draws attention to how issue‐specific characteristics of international finance – in particular, its highly technical and complex nature – shape the distributional consequences of global regulatory processes. It posits that such characteristics influence distributional outcomes by (i) affecting who claims first‐mover position and, thus, sets the agenda in global financial rulemaking, and (ii) ensuring that proposals made by first movers are increasingly difficult to alter at later stages of rulemaking. I provide empirical evidence for the theory by examining two regulatory regimes that are central to the efficiency and stability of the global financial system: the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Accounting Standards Board.     

Fragmented or cohesive transnational private regulation of sustainability standards? A comparative study

Literature on private regulation recognizes the proliferation of competing regulatory organizations and approaches in various industries. Studies analyzing why fragmentation arises so far focus on single‐case studies, the exploration of single variables, or variation in types of fragmentation. This article analyzes why in certain industries and for certain issues regulatory organizations proliferate, while in others a single regulatory organization emerges which covers the entire industry. Through a comparative case study of private regulation of sustainability standards in the forestry, clothing, IT‐electronics, and chemicals industries, we show how a combination of low industrial concentration, civil society involvement in governance, and stringent standards of a first‐moving regulator offer the strongest explanation for a fragmented private regulatory field, while high industrial concentration, business‐driven governance, and lenient standards of a first‐moving regulator lead to cohesive regulation.     

群体性暴力事件形成计算分析

当前,随着社会转型的不断深化,我国进入了群体性暴力事件的高发期。为进一步了解此类事件的形成机制,降低群体性暴力事件对社会稳定带来的负面影响,作者在agent建模、社会燃烧理论以及羊群效应等理论的基础上搭建了一个群体性暴力事件的形成模型,仿真了无警力条件下群体性暴力事件自发形成的过程。大量仿真结果表明,在群体性暴力事件发生现场的区域内人员密度、“点燃”事件的类型、所在地区的可目视范围以及当地社会环境中的舆论导向等因素均会对群体性暴力事件的产生及发展带来不同程度的影响。该结果将为相关部门预防与处置群体性暴力事件提供重要的理论依据。     

试论我国刑法学从论理到注释的发展

长期以来 ,学界对我国刑法学发展轨迹的研究甚少 ,这不能不说是刑法学基础理论研究的一大缺陷。我国刑法学可分为论理刑法学 (主要是刑法哲学 )和注释刑法学 (刑律学 ) ,相应地我国刑法学的发展可划分为论理刑法学发展期和注释刑法学发展期。其中注释刑法学的发展期可进一步划分为两个时期 :一是唐以后 (至于清 )的继续发展期 ,二是 1 979年新中国第一部刑法典颁布后至今的恢复发展期。这样基本梳理了我国刑法学的发展轨迹与过程。