114 research outputs found
Time-dependent effects of human blood on the microscopic comparison of fired bullets
This dissertation consists of five chapters, each of which focuses on various aspects of the forensic discipline of Firearms and Toolmarks. This dissertation for the most part attempts to highlight the exposure of projectiles to blood and the degradation over time of the fine detail, which is necessary for microscopic examination. This study should be of interest to students and qualified role-players in forensic science, the criminal justice system, the law community and the general population globally.
Chapter 1 identifies the research problem and the necessary steps that were taken to ensure that the research methodol.ogy applied is relevant and reliable. Chapter 2 focuses on various factors that have to be considered in damage to bullets and investigation procedures that should be followed to ensure that physical evidence is preserved for submitting to a forensic science laboratory.
Chapter 3 investigates the degradation effects of fired bullets exposed to various materials in a laboratory environment and the timelines associated with the degradation effects. Chapter 4 evaluates the examination procedures for fired bullets and the contributing factors that may influence the striation marks on bullets needed for microscopic examination. It also examines the scientific method used for firearm identification, and explores the admissibility of physical evidence in a court of law. The final chapter, Chapter 5 discusses the findings and recommendation of this research study.Criminology and Security ScienceM. Tech. (Forensic Investigation
Investigating a new wealth tax in South Africa: Lessons from international experience
In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on new sources of taxation, including wealth tax. In South Africa, two phenomena have driven the focus on wealth tax. Firstly, the need for additional tax revenue to fund an ongoing and growing budget deficit, exacerbated by a prolonged period of low economic growth, rising government debt and a very small base of individual taxpayers. Secondly, the fact that South Africa has one of the most unequal societies in the world. The dual demands of increased tax revenue and economic inequality have converged around wealth tax as a possible panacea to both problems. Although South Africa has a long history of wealth transfer tax in the form of estate duty and donations tax, there has never been a tax on the net wealth holdings of individuals during their lifetime. Internationally, numerous countries have used wealth tax in various forms, including inheritance tax, gift tax, recurrent wealth tax and non-recurrent wealth tax. This study examines some of the international experiences with these three categories of wealth tax, seeking lessons and experiences that can inform the debate around the viability of a new wealth tax in South Africa
Kennis en houding van verpleegstudente aangaande VIGS in drie opleidingsinstansies in die, Wes-Kaap
A survey was done by means of a questionnaire to obtain information on the knowledge and attitudes of 297 nursing students from three training institutions in the Western Cape regarding HIV-infection and AIDS-patients
GausSN: Bayesian Time-Delay Estimation for Strongly Lensed Supernovae
We present GausSN, a Bayesian semi-parametric Gaussian Process (GP) model for
time-delay estimation with resolved systems of gravitationally lensed
supernovae (glSNe). GausSN models the underlying light curve non-parametrically
using a GP. Without assuming a template light curve for each SN type, GausSN
fits for the time delays of all images using data in any number of wavelength
filters simultaneously. We also introduce a novel time-varying magnification
model to capture the effects of microlensing alongside time-delay estimation.
In this analysis, we model the time-varying relative magnification as a sigmoid
function, as well as a constant for comparison to existing time-delay
estimation approaches. We demonstrate that GausSN provides robust time-delay
estimates for simulations of glSNe from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time
(Rubin-LSST). We find that up to 43.6% of time-delay estimates from Roman and
52.9% from Rubin-LSST have fractional errors of less than 5%. We then apply
GausSN to SN Refsdal and find the time delay for the fifth image is consistent
with the original analysis, regardless of microlensing treatment. Therefore,
GausSN maintains the level of precision and accuracy achieved by existing
time-delay extraction methods with fewer assumptions about the underlying shape
of the light curve than template-based approaches, while incorporating
microlensing into the statistical error budget rather than requiring
post-processing to account for its systematic uncertainty. GausSN is scalable
for time-delay cosmography analyses given current projections of glSNe
discovery rates from Rubin-LSST and Roman.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, submitted to MNRA
Self-Catalytic Growth of Tin Oxide Nanowires by Chemical Vapor Deposition Process
We report on the synthesis of tin oxide (SnO 2 ) nanowires by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Commercially bought SnO nanopowders were vaporized at 1050 ∘ C for 30 minutes with argon gas continuously passing through the system. The assynthesized products were characterized using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The band gap of the nanowires determined from UV-visible absorption was around 3.7 eV. The SEM micrographs revealed "wool-like" structure which contains nanoribbons and nanowires with liquid droplets at the tips. Nanowires typically have diameter in the range of 50-200 nm and length 10-100 m. These nanowires followed the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism
Grain structure orientational change in Ti6Al4V alloys induced by sea water quenching and novel stress relief annealing process
We report on the microstructures and properties of Ti6Al4V alloys, which were achieved upon quenching in sea water medium with potential high cooling rate. The Ti6Al4V alloys were quenched at 1000 and 1100 â—¦C, respectively. Moreover, the effect of post-quenching annealing performed at 900 â—¦C was analyzed. As a result, the quenched alloy experienced surface thermal stress, due to rapid cooling and thermal shock, due to exposure to high temperature annealing
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