A Method For Detecting Scheduled-Service Vehicles By Crowdsensing Of On-Board Beacons

The technology detects scheduled-service vehicles using a model generated based on onboard beacon location data. A trajectory of the onboard beacon may be determined by correlating the beacon detection data with the location data of the detecting devices. The trajectory may be analyzed to derive features of the beacon trajectory that correlate with a periodic motion typical of scheduled-service vehicles. Such features may be used to train a machine capable of learning patterns from data to generate a model that classifies whether a beacon trajectory is that of a scheduled-service vehicle. Various beacon trajectories may be classified by the generated model as either a scheduled-service vehicle or not. Once certain beacons are identified as onboard scheduled-service vehicles, further trajectory data may be gathered on such beacons to map out accurate public-transit routes and schedules, as well as to provide real-time locations and changes to routes and schedules

Drilling down into ethics: A thematic review of ethical considerations for the creation and use of 3D printed human remains in crime reconstruction

The existing literature contains some exploration of the ethics concerning human remains in forensic and virtual anthropology. However, previous work has stopped short of interrogating the underlying ethical concepts. The question of how people understand and apply these concepts in practice, and what it means to act ethically, remain underexplored. This thematic review explores the ethical considerations that contribute to the creation and use of 3D printed human remains for forensic purposes. The three main branches of ethical theory are outlined to explore how they may apply to forensic practice. Key themes relating to 3D printing human remains in forensic contexts were explored to better understand the ethics landscape, ethical challenges, and the current guidelines in place. Through this thematic review, nine ethics principles were identified as key principles for guiding best practice: anonymity, autonomy, beneficence, consent, context, justice, non-maleficence, proportionality, and transparency. It is suggested that these principles could be incorporated into adaptable guidelines going forward to support ethical practice. The findings also suggest that holistic ethics cognition training may have value in supporting forensic scientists in ethical decision-making, together with procedural and structural design that may promote best practice and reduce cognitive load

How one circuit court judge can stop a higher court from establishing a legal precedent

Not all legal cases establish a legal precedent – federal circuit court appeal opinions often go unpublished and thus only apply to the dispute in question. In new research, Morgan L.W. Hazelton, Rachael K. Hinkle, and Jee Seon Jeon find that the decision whether or not to publish such opinions can have an influence on whether a judge issues a dissent from the majority. If the circuit court is substantially different ideologically from a higher court, judges can pre-emptively silence a dissenting opinion by deciding that it will not be published, thus negating the chance that their decision will be reviewed by a higher court

The Long and the Short of It: The Influence of Briefs on Outcomes in the Roberts Court

This Article considers the role of information, affected groups, and persuasion in the connection between justice votes and the content of briefs in the Roberts Court. Hazelton, Hinkle, and Spriggs shed new light on the previously observed finding that the side with the most briefs is more likely to win. The authors find that the true advantage lies in providing the Court with a greater amount of information overall, and that holding total information constant, a greater number of briefs is, surprisingly, a disadvantage

Sex estimation from virtual models: exploring the potential of stereolithic 3D crania models for morphoscopic trait scoring

UNLABELLED: Modern computed tomography (CT) databases are becoming an accepted resource for the practice and development of identification methods in forensic anthropology. However, the utility of 3D models created using free and open-source visualization software such as 3D Slicer has not yet been thoroughly assessed for morphoscopic biological profiling methods where virtual methods of analysis are becoming more common. This paper presents a study that builds on the initial findings from Robles et al. (2020) to determine the feasibility of estimating sex on stereolithic (STL) 3D cranial models produced from CT scans from a modern, living UK population (n = 80) using equation 2 from the Walker's (2008) morphoscopic method. Kendall's coefficients of concordance (KCC) indicated substantial agreement using cranial features scores in an inter-observer test and a video-inter-observer test. Fleiss' Kappa scores showed moderate agreement (0.50) overall between inter-observer sex estimations, and for observer sex estimations in comparison to recorded sexes (0.56). It was found that novice users could virtually employ morphoscopic sex estimation methods effectively on STL 3D cranial models from modern individuals. This study also highlights the potential that digital databases of modern living populations can offer forensic anthropology. KEY POINTS: First example of Walker's (2008) method applied to a living UK population.Open-source software is a valuable resource for crime reconstruction approaches.Male scoring bias was observed in method application.Forensic anthropologists would benefit from virtual anthropology training to use and interpret 3D models.Digital databases offer more ethical, diverse, modern populations for future research

Influence of Environmental Drivers and Potential Interactions on the Distribution of Microbial Communities From Three Permanently Stratified Antarctic Lakes

The McMurdo Dry Valley (MDV) lakes represent unique habitats in the microbial world. Perennial ice covers protect liquid water columns from either significant allochthonous inputs or seasonal mixing, resulting in centuries of stable biogeochemistry. Extreme environmental conditions including low seasonal photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), near freezing temperatures, and oligotrophy have precluded higher trophic levels from the food webs. Despite these limitations, diverse microbial life flourishes in the stratified water columns, including Archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists, and viruses. While a few recent studies have applied next generation sequencing, a thorough understanding of the MDV lake microbial diversity and community structure is currently lacking. Here we used Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes combined with a microscopic survey of key eukaryotes to compare the community structure and potential interactions among the bacterial and eukaryal communities within the water columns of Lakes Bonney (east and west lobes, ELB, and WLB, respectively) and Fryxell (FRX). Communities were distinct between the upper, oxic layers and the dark, anoxic waters, particularly among the bacterial communities residing in WLB and FRX. Both eukaryal and bacterial community structure was influenced by different biogeochemical parameters in the oxic and anoxic zones. Bacteria formed complex interaction networks which were lake-specific. Several eukaryotes exhibit potential interactions with bacteria in ELB and WLB, while interactions between these groups in the more productive FRX were relatively rare