Understanding Variations of Soil Mapping Units and Associated Data for Forensic Science

Soil samples have potential to be useful in forensic investigations, but their utility may be limited due to the inherent variability of soil properties, the wide array of analytical methods, and complexity of data analysis. This study examined the differentiation of similar soils based on both gross (texture, color, mineralogy) and explicit soil properties (elemental composition, cation exchange, Fe‐oxyhydroxides). Soils were collected from Fallbrook and adjacent map units from Riverside and San Diego Counties in California. Samples were characterized using multiple techniques, including chemical extracts, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results were analyzed using multiple analytical approaches to compare counties and land uses. Some analyses (XRD, extractions) were better at distinguishing among samples than others (color, texture). Ratios of rare earth elements were particularly useful for distinguishing samples between counties. This potential to “fingerprint” soils illustrates the usefulness of a comprehensive soil database for criminal investigators.     

Hypernatremia due to amniotic fluid embolism during a saline-induced abortion

A case of fatal amniotic fluid embolism leading to hypernatremia during a hypertonic saline-induced abortion is reported. This sequence of events has not, to our knowledge, been previously reported. Hypernatremia as a diagnostic aid for amniotic fluid embolism is discussed.     

Perceptions of gender-based violence around public toilets in Mumbai slums

ABSTRACT

The lack of adequate public toilets and associated gender-based violence around their use is a matter of concern in many developing countries and has recently come to the forefront of the political agenda and media discourse in India. Previous research suggests the absence of lighting, inadequate provision of basic sanitation, poor design and siting of toilets, and lack of police presence in slums as facilitators for violence against women. However, the evidence is often anecdotal and usually unsystematic. The exact extent of crimes against women in these circumstances is unknown because unsurprisingly women in slums rarely report crimes to the police, either due to fear or lack of access. The research reported in this paper gauges women’s perception and experience of crime and violence around different types of public toilets in two slums areas in Mumbai, India. A survey of 142 households indicated that although women’s fear of crime was higher than their actual experience, the perception of insecurity was not uniform for all toilet types and locations. Findings also indicated that there was at least minimal provision of toilet facilities, basic security features, water, and electric supply in the research sites. Furthermore, greater police presence and previous contact with the police in one slum area led for greater confidence in reporting offences to the police as compared to the other. Overall, better provision of lighting and regular police patrols were considered by a majority of those surveyed to reduce fear of crime around toilets.     

A comparative study of the production structure of the cotton textile industry in India and the USA

This paper attempts a comparison of production structures of the cotton textile industries in India and the USA, using the input‐output framework. There are studies of comparative production structures in an economy but a disaggregated study has not been attempted for a particular industry. Almost all studies of the international comparisons of production structure have revealed that there are structural similarities between developed and less developed countries in spite of wide differences in per capita income and in levels of development. These similarities may not persist at an industry level and it could be that the chosen product‐mix and techniques conceal the basic differences in production structure of a developing and a developed economy in the economy‐wide study.     

Market responsiveness of peasant cultivators: Some evidence from prewar India

This study attempts to analyse the responsiveness of Indian farmers to changes in profitability with reference to non‐food crops, such as groundnuts, cotton, jute and sugarcane, over the period 1900–39. Various types of adjustment and expectations models have been used. The generalized distributed lag models have been formulated and some special forms have been applied to study the behaviour of farmers. Both ordinary least‐squares and two‐stage‐least‐squares estimates have been carried out. In the distributed‐lag analysis, short‐run and long‐run price coefficients and elasticities have been computed and compared with some of the other studies on the subject. The emerging conclusion from this study is that farmer s seem to respond to changes in profitability, expansion of irrigation facilities, varietal improvements and qualitative factors in the case of all the crops.     

An econometric model of the monetary sector in Indonesia

The purpose of this article is to develop an econometric model of the Indonesian monetary sector over the period 1969–80. Before we constructed such a model, we tested the hypothesis that there is a causal relationship between money supply and the aggregate price index using quarterly data. The hypothesis of a causal relationship from prices to money was supported while the hypothesis of contemporaneous causality could not be easily dismissed.

In the model, both money supply and the aggregate price index were used as endogenous variables and they were decomposed into several disaggregates. The possibility of a structural break after the oil price shock (post‐1973) was examined using forecasting criteria. The predictive performance for 1969–73 is better than for 1974–80.     

Philip Corboy and the Construction of the Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Bar

Drawing on the career of Philip Corboy, this article examines the construction of the plaintiffs' personal injury bar in the second half of the 20th century. Through a relational biography based on Mr. Corboy's career, we look at the development of this subprofession in the context of the sociopolitical environment within which Mr. Corboy and his peers operated, the social capital they possessed, and the particular strategies they used as they worked to establish both a professional and market niche. This analysis shows how and why Mr. Corboy and his peers constructed a thriving subprofession that is characterized by a unique blend of working-class ideology, trial craft, professional bar leadership, Democratic politics, local philanthropy, and a market referral system — all of which reinforce the dominance and prestige of its own elite .     

A System of Contradictory Goals and Realization of Ambidexterity: A Case Study of a Municipal Corporation

Pursuit of contradictory goals is inherent in the activities of any typical public-sector organization. Bulk of the existing literature on how contradictory goals can be pursued successfully focuses on a single pair of contradictory goals, largely pursued by private sector organizations. This empirical study identifies a system of multiple pairs of contradictory goals associated with structural separation of subunits of a public-sector organization in India, where the organization is a municipal corporation and two of its subunits engaged in the business of Public Urban Transport are involved. Emergence of contradictory goals was observed to be linked with the dynamics of key stakeholder interests. The study revealed that the top and middle managers may respond differently to a pair of contradictory goals, and the same manager also responds differently to different pairs of contradictory goals. Three pairs of contradictory goals were identified. These goals involved subunit identity and shared identity, contractor compliance and maintaining relationship with the contractor, and performance and learning. Realization of organizational ambidexterity appeared linked to how well the simultaneity and variety of contradictory goals are matched by simultaneity and variety of responses, namely a combination of structural, contextual and behavioral arrangements by the organization and individuals.