Bridging the Gap? An investigation of Beijing intellectual house church activities and their implications for China's democratization

This article investigates the link between Christian belief and the fight for political change in today's China focusing on the activities of certain Beijing house churches. It formulates the hypothesis that Chinese Christian intellectuals may be able to fulfil a special ‘bridge-function’ in Chinese society. This hypothesis is tested against evidence based on a close reading of two Beijing house church publications (Aiyan and Fangzhou) and interviews with intellectuals closely associated with these as well as ‘ordinary’ Christian intellectuals. Areas investigated include education, urban–rural co-operation, the demographic make-up of congregations, the Christian understanding of liberalism, and the activities of Chinese Christian human rights attorneys. It comes to the conclusion that while Christian intellectuals have great potential to play an important role in China's process of democratization, their most prominent members continue the splittist tradition of previous dissident groups while the more meaningful work is undertaken by unknown Christians away from the spotlight.     

Identification and age estimation of blood stains on colored backgrounds by near infrared spectroscopy

Non-destructive identification and subsequent age estimation of blood stains are significant steps in forensic casework. The latter can provide important information on the temporal aspects of a crime. As previously shown, visible spectroscopy of blood stains on white backgrounds can successfully be used for their identification and age estimation. The use of this technique however, is hampered by dark backgrounds. In the present study the feasibility to use near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was evaluated for blood stain identification and age estimation on dark backgrounds. Using NIR reflectance spectroscopy, blood stains were distinguished from other substances with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. In addition, Partial Least Squares Regression analysis was applied to estimate the age of blood stains on colored backgrounds. The age of blood stains up to 1 month old was estimated successfully with a root mean squared error of prediction of 8.9%. These findings are an important step toward the practical implementation of blood stain identification and age estimation in forensic casework, where a large variety of backgrounds can be encountered.     

The limits of regulatory convergence: globalization and GMO politics in the south

Is globalization promoting regulatory convergence in agricultural biotechnology policies in the South? This article examines the nature and limits of regulatory convergence in the field of agri-biotechnology and investigates the effects that international forces have on biotechnology and biosafety policies in developing countries. Based on detailed case studies of Mexico, China and South Africa this article shows that these three leading biotechnology countries in the South are exposed to powerful international influences but are responding to the regulatory challenges of genetically modified organisms (GMO) adoption in distinctive ways. The existing regulatory polarization between US and EU biotechnology approaches has not forced a convergence around either of these two international models. GMO policies in the South do not simply follow the binary logic of the US–EU regulatory conflict. Instead, they integrate elements from both regulatory approaches and are steering a course that suggests substantial regulatory diversity in the South. The globalization of biotechnology thus goes hand in hand with regulatory diversity in the developing world. Furthermore, regulatory polarization between the EU and US has helped to open up political space in key developing countries.     

Visualization of Latent Blood Stains Using Visible Reflectance Hyperspectral Imaging and Chemometrics

The detection of latent traces is an important aspect of crime scene investigation. Blood stains on black backgrounds can be visualized using chemiluminescence, which is invasive and requires a darkened room, or near-infrared photography, for which investigators need to change filters manually to optimize contrast. We demonstrated the performance of visible reflectance hyperspectral imaging (400–720 nm) for this purpose. Several processing methods were evaluated: single wavelength bands, ratio images, principal component analysis (PCA), and “SIMPLe-to-use Interactive Self-modeling Mixture Analysis” (SIMPLISMA). Using these methods, we were able to enhance the contrast between blood stains and 12 different fabrics. On black cotton, blood dilutions were visible with a minimal concentration of 25% of whole blood. The hyperspectral camera system used in this study is portable and wireless, which makes it suitable for crime scene use. The described technique is noncontact and nondestructive, so all traces are preserved for further analysis.     

Comparison of the Performance of Two Methods for Height Estimation

Abstract: In the case study, two methods of performing body height measurements in images are compared based on projective geometry and 3D modeling of the crime scene. Accuracy and stability of height estimations are tested using reconstruction images of test persons of known height. Given unchanged camera settings, predictions of both methods are accurate. However, as the camera had been moved in the case, new vanishing points and camera matches had to be created for the reconstruction images. 3D modeling still yielded accurate and stable estimations. Projective geometry produced incorrect predictions for test persons and unstable intervals for questioned persons. The latter is probably caused by the straight lines in the field of view being hard to discern. With the quality of material presented, which is representative for our case practice, using vanishing points may thus yield unstable results. The results underline the importance of performing validation experiments in casework.     

EG-Sozialpolitik nach Verflechtungsfalle und Entscheidungslücke: Bewertungsmaßstäbe und Entwicklungstrends

Politische Vierteljahresschrift - Bis in die 1990er Jahre befand sich die EG-Sozialpolitik infolge weitestgehender Einstimmigkeitserfordernisse in einer ?Politikverflechtungsfalle’...     

The effects of procedural aspects and outcome salience on procedural fairness judgments

The effects of process control and decision control on procedural fairness judgements are examined with regard to the procedure used by commercial banks in granting business credits to entrepreneurs. Male and female entrepreneurs with experience in requests for business credits were interviewed about several aspects of the procedure for granting business credit. Respondents had either a positive or a negative experience with credit granting (i.e., the request was or was not rewarded). The outcome-oriented and the procedure-oriented explanations for the effects of process control on procedural fairness judgments are discussed. The results show that, contrary to expectation, process control had no effect on the procedural fairness judgments. On the contrary, perceived seriousness of treatment, as well as the predicted effects of decision control, did influence procedural justice judgments. Moreover, some support was found for the contention that seriousness of treatment functions as precondition for process control effects (Tyler, 1987). Neither the outcome-oriented, nor the procedure-oriented explanation could fully account for the findings. It is assumed that the specific aspects of the situation are responsible for the results, indicating how important the situational context is in research concerning procedural justice.