The impact of crime outcomes on public opinions on sentencing: in particular regards to recent One Punch legislation

Australia has recently experienced a punitive swing in sentencing policies and legislation. Consequently, politicians have responded favourably to popular demands for harsher sentencing. A comprehensive review of the current literature has been undertaken to understand why the community has adopted such a punitive position. It has been suggested that the media have hypersensitised the public into believing that crime is much more prevalent than it actually is, resulting in the individual fearing becoming a victim of crime. The public then chooses to elect politicians who appear to be concerned with their safety and the associated legislation. Expectancy/value theory contends that people\u27s behaviour is motivated by what they expect to occur and the values which they hold. Public opinion also affects the way in which the goals of sentencing including retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence and incapacitation or protection of the community, are prioritised. Retribution is generally the most favoured principle in sentencing and therefore pro-retributive policies tend to be more supported, both in the media and by the public. This literature review will discuss how public opinion has the ability to influence sentencing policy and legislation. The influence media has on how crime and sentencing are perceived will also be examined and the principles underlying sentencing were investigated. Relevant theories that explain individuals\u27 behaviour and what affects their values and opinions will also be discussed. Gender-specific disparities were investigated with respect to the type of sentencing goal people choose, to distinguish whether different genders prioritise the various goals of sentencing. Other issues discussed include factors influencing sentencing for offenders such as mitigating and aggravating factors, culpability, intentionality and foreseeability. This review of the literature aims to present an insight into how the opinions of individuals in society affect the manner in which sentencing is conducted. Academics have been intrigued by the relationship between public opinion and sentencing policy and legislation. The opinions of the majority of the public can have a substantial impact on the way in which legislation is created. Attribution theory contends that behaviour is the by-product of a person\u27s motives, expectancy and values. It has been argued that the attitudes that form a person\u27s opinion are heavily affected by the media. This is the only source many people have to access information about crime and sentencing legislation and policy. Sensationalised articles on violent crime can then produce a \u27fear of crime\u27 response in individuals, which leads them to support more punitive sentencing policies and the politicians who support them, to help ensure their safety. Sentencing goals are also affected by a person\u27s attitudes and opinions. The four primary goals of sentencing include: retribution, deterrence (general and specific), rehabilitation, and retribution. Research has argued that a gender difference may also be present in how people choose to view crime and which sentencing goals they prioritise. Other factors such as intention, foreseeability and outcome also affect the sentence that is handed down to an offender. The current study examined the responses to two scenarios with alternate outcomes. Both scenarios involved the offender punching the victim once and the victim falling to the ground. In one scenario the victim\u27s head hits the ground, he is knocked unconscious and later dies as a result of the injury. In the second scenario the victim received a couple of stitches, but is otherwise fine. This is in reference to the new law \u27Unlawful assault causing Death\u27 that was passed in WA in 2008. This study investigated two research questions. Firstly, would people sentence an offender more severely based on the outcome of their criminal act? Secondly, would female and male respondents view the crime differently and therefore feel the offender should be sentenced differently? Both parametric and non-parametric analyses were conducted on the results, as normality could not be assumed for all the questions. The results indicated that the aspects of the each case were viewed significantly differently in comparison to one another. Analysis of the responses revealed prison terms given to the offender in the \u27death\u27 condition were significantly greater than those given to the offender in the \u27no death\u27 condition. Surprising, analysis of the sentencing goals indicated that those in the \u27death\u27 condition favoured a rehabilitative approach to the sentence given, whereas those in the \u27no death\u27 condition favoured a retributive approach. Therefore, it can be concluded that the current study supports the contention that there is a significant difference in the manner in which a crime is viewed and responded to, based on the crime\u27s outcome. The study did not however, find a significant difference in the manner in which each of the genders viewed or responded to the crime

AN INVESTIGATION OF CAVITY PRESSURE AS A PROCESS AND QUALITY INDICATOR IN THE MICRO-INJECTION MOLDING PROCESS

Increased demand for micro-scale parts and devices is being met in many cases by micro-injection molding of polymer parts. However, part inspection is difficult due to the micro-scale dimension in the micro-injection molding process. In addition, process control also becomes challenging since the process is susceptible to slight changes in process parameters such as mold temperature, injection velocity, and packing pressure. To address these issues, a suitable process monitoring method such as cavity pressure monitoring can be employed to detect any process deviation that may cause defects in part quality. Cavity pressure has been found to be a reliable process indicator in injection molding for both part quality and process monitoring. Specifically, it has been found to provide real-time detection of part and process deviation. As such, cavity pressure measurement holds potential for monitoring part quality in micro-injection molding where direct part inspection is difficult and often costly due to part handling issues and microscopic feature sizes. The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility and robustness of using cavity pressure for process and quality monitoring of a molded hollow cylindrical cap. Molding of the small cap was conducted using polypropylene under varying processing parameters to observe how cavity pressure responded to the different molding conditions. Initial investigation was carried out by varying different processing parameters that include injection velocity, pack pressure, and mold temperature. The investigation was followed by altering the switchover settings while keeping other parameters unchanged. The final part of the investigation involved using the Design of Experiment approach to include a broader range of processing parameters. Although the processing window for micro-injection molding was smaller than macro-molding, the cavity pressure curves were able to capture the differences in molding conditions. Furthermore, attributes obtained from the pressure curve such as peak cavity pressure and area under curve were found to have good correlation with part weight which was used as the quality metric. In terms of defects among the parts, both peak cavity pressure and area under curve were able to detect defective parts based on the measured peak cavity pressure value and the calculated area under curve. The finding from the current investigation demonstrates significant potential for cavity pressure to be utilized as an indicator of part quality as well as a process monitoring tool for the micro-injection molding process

Adaptive notch filter for single and multiple narrow-band interference

In this project, the adaptive notch filter for single and Multiple narrow-band interference is implemented using simplified LMS algorithm. Performances of the LMS adaptive algorithms is evaluated and analysed through simulation on the computer using Matlab. The algorithm are then written in C programme and implemented using Texas Instrument Tool which consist of TMS320C54x EMV board and Code Composer Studio

Autobiography and Ethical Literary Criticism

Autobiographies are traditionally understood as means of selfredemption or self-validation of the respective autobiographers, but they seem to have become tools of self-assertion in the recent times. The writers of this paper noticed that the underlying patterns in major autobiographies of the respective centuries such as those of Augustine, Rousseau, Virginia Woolf, Han Suyin and other male or female autobiographers commonly evolve around one’s ethical choices in response to the vices caused by one’s natural will and when facing ethical dilemmas caused by life challenges. This paper examines the abovementioned autobiographies via the Ethical Literary Criticism (ELC). Developed by Professor Nie Zhenzhao since 2004, ELC is one of the most insightful critiques in expounding the relationship of the self with oneself, self with others, and self with the divine or higher moral order in the context of the literary world

Job Satisfaction of Malaysian Nurses: A Causal Model

Turnover intention is a challenging issue for most of the developed and developing countries. Past studies revealed that there were two common approaches to enhance nurses’ retention. The first approach is focus on recruitment and selection activities as well as establishes more schools and colleges of nursing that will produce more nursing graduate. The second approach is to attract and retain more dedicated and quality professional nursing staff. Substantial studies have confirmed that job satisfaction as a major predictor of turnover intention. Therefore, this paper is mainly focus on identifying significant predictors of job satisfaction which will subsequently reduce turnover intention among staff nurses in Malaysia healthcare industry

Development Of Electron Temperature And Density Probe (Tenep) For Mysat

MYSat or Malaysia Youth Satellite is a CubeSat project initiated by Space System Lab, School of Aerospace Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia and is expected to be launched from International Space Station (ISS) to measure electron density in E-layer of ionosphere. Its application is to detect early warning of earthquake by measuring anomalies of electron. Electron Temperature and Density Probe (TeNeP) will be mounted on MYSat for this mission. MYSat is designed to be a single unit CubeSat with dimension of 10cm x 10cm x 10cm, therefore modification is made by replacing traditional frequency oscillator with radio frequency generator circuit. The circuit will be designed and developed based on the research carried out by National Cheng Kung University. Radio frequency generator circuit is categorised into two stages: first stage circuit generates frequency signals in sequence and second stage circuit to obtain electron current shift and upper hybrid resonance from the sensors. The main circuits in TeNeP are pulse generator, summing amplifier, integrator, voltage controlled-oscillator, local oscillator, mixer, low-pass filter, buffer, non-inverting amplifier and multiplexer. Each of these circuits is modelled on breadboard and tested with oscilloscope to obtain the output signal. The results are validated with the expected output signal. As for this research project, it is a continuous from previous section for first stage circuit. The circuits in this research project involving voltage-controlled oscillator circuit, local oscillator circuit, mixer and low-pass filter circuit. The significant of this research project is to develop a functional radio frequency generator circuit for TeNeP

Using IoT LoRa to monitor the condition of fish farms

The issue that is being faced by the fisherman is that they are unable to permanently monitor the condition of the water in the fish farms due to issues such as distance and much more. This research aims to create devices that are able to fulfill the purpose of monitoring the pH values and the water temperature of the fish tanks

El cuento de tradición oral y su didáctica en el aula de Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE)

Se plantea una investigación en la que se analizan las posibilidades didácticas del cuento en el aula de ELE (las que ya se han explotado y las que se pueden explotar), concretamente en el nivel A2, desgranando los cuentos a fin de conocer de cerca su sentido para estudiantes que, procedan de donde procedan, estén participando del proceso de aprendizaje de la lengua española. El español es un idioma en expansión que está cobrando relevancia en el mundo globalizado al que pertenecemos. Su enseñanza es solicitada debido a que cada vez es más importante poder desenvolverse en esta lengua, con diferentes fines lingüísticos, entre los cuales el ámbito profesional destaca en gran medida. El contexto de la enseñanza de ELE es un medio de aplicación posible del cuento y este género literario puede ocupar un gran papel didáctico. Existen tantos cuentos como situaciones vitales en las que cualquier persona puede encontrarse, así la identificación, ya sea parcial o total, se suele producir de manera natural. Si no hubiere tal identificación, también es posible rescatar algún tipo de enseñanza; reír, sentir lástima o simplemente alimentar nuestra curiosidad. La estructura de esta investigación está organizada de la forma siguiente: • Introducción: está conformada por el marco y bases de la investigación, hipótesis, objetivos y metodología. Se transmite la importancia del cuento en la enseñanza de ELE, a raíz de las preguntas de investigación y de los objetivos que perseguimos. • En el capítulo 1 se desarrolla la fundamentación teórica del tema escogido, partiendo de los antecedentes de la lengua española como lengua extranjera y del cuento. Para ello, se examina el Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes y el Marco de Referencia Europeo para las Lenguas (MCER). Se ha considerado relevante hacer una síntesis de los elementos condicionantes del desarrollo de la lengua española en el mundo, las instituciones que la sustentan y su actuación respecto a su carácter global. También se hace un breve análisis de las razones que consideramos importantes para la lectura, conservación y creación de cuentos, y de la tipología de estos según diversos autores que, como nosotros, se han interesado por este género literario. • En el capítulo 2 se señala el estado de la cuestión. Se ha realizado una revisión de algunos estudios publicados sobre el cuento aplicado a la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras y, en concreto, a la enseñanza del español. • En el capítulo 3 se determinan los elementos de la investigación. Se seleccionan los manuales más usados actualmente en la enseñanza de ELE del nivel A2, se busca la presencia del cuento y se analiza. Se realizan encuestas a docentes y a estudiantes de ELE de nivel A2 acerca del uso del cuento en las aulas, especificando en las preguntas cuestiones que nos son de mucha utilidad en el planteamiento de este estudio. Se describe el contexto educativo (el tipo de centros donde hacemos nuestra investigación y las características de los estudiantes que han participado), el modelo de trabajo y el tipo de prácticas de aula (actividades y pruebas) que se han llevado a cabo con estudiantes de dos ramas del estudio de la lengua española: como lengua extranjera y como lengua materna. • En el capítulo 4 se abordan los resultados de la investigación respecto al análisis de los manuales, las encuestas y las prácticas. Los manuales son de uso habitual en los últimos años; las encuestas se han realizado a profesores de ELE en activo y a estudiantes de nivel A2 de diferentes cursos desde el año 2008; y las actividades experimentadas en las aulas se enmarcan en un periodo también reciente. • En el capítulo 5 se muestra una gama de materiales enfocados a trabajar los cuentos y se ha realizado una propuesta de actividades didácticas, aplicaciones prácticas de los cuentos en las aulas, extensible a las clases de cualquier otra lengua extranjera. • En el capítulo 6 se han extraído las conclusiones a partir de los objetivos planteados y se dejan las puertas abiertas a futuras investigaciones en el apartado de la prospectiva investigadora

Theoretical and experimental studies on nonlinear lumped element transmission lines for RF generation

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH