Juror comprehension and the hard case - Making forensic evidence simpler

The complexity/comprehension nexus as it impacts on juror decision-making is addressed in the particular context of prosecution-led DNA evidence. Such evidence is for jurors the subject of pre-trial preconceptions, and is notoriously difficult to present and argue before a jury. The article looks at the comprehension of forensic evidence by jurors, a task qualified by the opinion of legal professionals whose responsibility it is to present and interpret such evidence in adversarial contexts. Jurors were surveyed post-verdict in trials where forensic evidence featured in circumstantial cases. These insights into comprehension were qualified by contesting views of legal professionals, and critical reflections from independent observation teams regarding the manner in which this evidence was used and its intended impact on the jury. What results is both declared and implicit indicators of comprehension, not so much against broad measures of complexity [Findlay, 2001. Juror comprehension and complexity: strategies to enhance understanding. British Journal of Criminology 41/1, 56.], but rather the particular place of popularly endowed forensic evidence within the circumstantial case. The article explores the utility of a multi-methodological study of comprehension from the perspectives of the proponents, commentators, recipients and observers of the adversarial contest. To this is employed a interactive analysis of important decision-sites and relationships of influence in the trial as they may impact on comprehension and be measured as ‘complex’

Misunderstanding corruption and community: comparative cultural politics of corruption regulation in the Pacific

This paper will take as its empirical foundation the author’s experience of corruption and regulation in small Pacific island states. The argument is that notions of corruption and strategies for its regulation suitable for modernized societies, which lack cultural specificity and community engagement, may in fact stimulate corruption relationships in transitional cultures. The other consequence of the imposition of inappropriate definitions and regulation strategies is a profound misunderstanding of communities of dependence. In fact, corruption control can misconstrue and exacerbate economic and political dependence environments, fostering the conditions for corruption which accompany socio-economic development. Two remedies are suggested. First, corruption requires an appreciation which is ‘community-centered’, while at the same time not being neutralized by disconnected cultural relativity. Second, an enterprise theory of corruption in modernized societies and international political/commercial entities may assist in the relevant translation of global anti-corruption policies in a way which advances good governance in traditional communities. This is so when corruption is conceived as dependant on phases of modernization, and the tensions which arise when the interests of societies at different phases intersect. Corporate citizenship and compliance with anti-corrupt business practices by major corporations with a commercial interest in these transitional economies may be more beneficial than deference to uniform international codes of governance

The economic benefits of public sector provision: A report commissioned by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers into life-line ferry services in the Clyde and Hebrides

No abstract available

The role of practical work in the developing practice of beginning physics teachers

The role and rationale of practical work in teaching school science are receiving renewed scrutiny (Abrahams and Saglam, 2010). This paper is a case study which reports part of a larger longitudinal study which used semi-structured interviews to explore the approaches of beginning teachers of physics to teaching electricity during Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and beyond. The interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. One of the emergent themes was the use of practical work in secondary school science. All of the beginning teachers had embedded the use of practical work in their teaching. This paper discusses their reasons for doing so and compares their responses with the rationales suggested by Hodson (1993), Lunetta, Hofstein, Clough, Abell, & Leerman (2007) and Abrahams (2011). The implications for ITE and continuing professional development (CPD) are discussed

Terrorism and relative justice

Terrorist violence and violent justice responses have much in common. While contextually dependant, both forms of violence lay claim to contestred legitimacies. The relationships between terrorism and justice responses require both theoretical and empirical examination if the prospects for controlling the violence they perpetrate is to be sharpened

Estimating the Demand for Union-Led Learning in Scotland

This research paper was commissioned and funded by the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC). It is being disseminated through the TUC’s unionlearn High Road project. The project is part of a community programme called Equal – a European Social Fund initiative that tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequality in the labour market. The GB Equal Support Unit is managed by ECOTEC. Unionlearn is the TUC organisation that supports union-led strategies on learning and skills. It helps unions open up learning and skills opportunities for their members and to develop trade union education for their representatives and officers.

Sonic autoethnographies: personal listening as compositional context

This article discusses a range of self-reflexive tendencies in field recording, soundscape composition and studio production, and explores examples of sonic practices and works in which the personal listening experiences of the composer are a key contextual and compositional element. As broad areas for discussion, particular attention is given to soundscape composition as self-narrative (exploring the representation of the recordist in soundscape works) and to producing the hyperreal and the liminal (considering spatial characteristics of contemporary auditory experience and their consequences for sonic practice). The discussion then focuses on the specific application of autoethnographic research methods to the practice and the understanding of soundscape composition. Compositional strategies employed in two recent pieces by the author are considered in detail. The aim of this discussion is to link autoethnography to specific ideas about sound and listening, and to some tendencies in field recording, soundscape composition and studio production, while also providing context for the discussion of the author’s own practice and works. In drawing together this range of ideas, methods and work, sonic autoethnography is aligned with an emerging discourse around reflexive, embodied sound work

Properties of recombined milk protein composite gels : effects of protein source, protein concentration and processing time : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Food Technology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Increased knowledge of the interactions involved in the manufacture of Milk Protein Composite Gels (MPCGs) is essential for the further development of dairy-based analogue and recombined products and the advancement of novel product development. This study investigated MPCG manufacture using four protein sources (Rennet Casein, skim milk cheese (SMC), milk protein concentrate (MPC 85), calcium-depleted milk protein concentrate (IX MPC 85)), three protein to water (P/W) ratios (0.4, 0.5, 0.6) and four processing times (0, 4, 8, 16 minutes). The properties of the products were investigated using confocal and transmission electron microscopy, as well as rheological and functional tests. Protein source was found to have the greatest impact on product characteristics, followed by P/W ratio with processing time having little, and often inconsistent, effects. Increased protein concentration resulted in a higher viscosity during manufacture, a decrease in fat droplet size, an increase in gel firmness, and a decrease in meltability. Increased processing time resulted in a decrease in fat droplet size, few significant changes in firmness (both small- and large-strain), and an increase in meltability Fracture property analysis showed that SMC produced softer, more elastic gels than Rennet Casein. The whey-containing samples produced softer, more brittle gels with little difference between them Small-strain analysis showed that all samples were weak gels but the results did not follow the same trend as the fracture properties. The samples increased in firmness in the following order: SMC < Rennet Casein < IX MPC 85 < MPC 85. Microstructure analysis showed the presence of whey protein aggregates in the MPC 85 and IX MPC 85 samples. These samples also demonstrated aggregation of the lipid droplets, which was attributed to the presence of whey proteins. Reduced levels of calcium resulted in lower levels of emulsification (larger lipid droplets) due to lower in-process viscosities. Correlations between large- and small-strain testing showed that the correlation coefficient was dependent on the protein source being used and that although the level of correlation was not high, there was a general positive trend The small-strain and UW Meltmeter tests did not agree on the order of increasing meltability except for the SMC samples, which were significantly more meltable than the other protein sources. The two tests were poorly correlated (R² = 0.446)

Country Role Models: Synthesis of Ireland, Japan and Switzerland

This paper provides a synthesis of the three papers on the non-Nordic developed economies, Ireland, Japan and Switzerland along the following themes: role of the state, openness, education and human capital, and macroeconomic stability. It then draws lessons for developing countries of today.economic growth, economic development, industrialization, Ireland, Japan, Switzerland