Using Artificial Intelligence to Identify Perpetrators of Technology Facilitated Coercive Control.

This study investigated the feasibility of using Artificial Intelligence to identify perpetrators of coercive control through digital data held on mobile phones. The research also sought the views of the police and victim/survivors of domestic abuse to using technology in this way

Effect of Shear Flow on the Stability of Domains in Two Dimensional Phase-Separating Binary Fluids

We perform a linear stability analysis of extended domains in phase-separating fluids of equal viscosity, in two dimensions. Using the coupled Cahn-Hilliard and Stokes equations, we derive analytically the stability eigenvalues for long wavelength fluctuations. In the quiescent state we find an unstable varicose mode which corresponds to an instability towards coarsening. This mode is stabilized when an external shear flow is imposed on the fluid. The effect of the shear is seen to be qualitatively similar to that found in experiments.Comment: 13 pages, RevTeX, 8 eps figures included. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Assessment of disease progression in dysferlinopathy: A 1-year cohort study

ObjectiveTo assess the ability of functional measures to detect disease progression in dysferlinopathy over 6 months and 1 year.MethodsOne hundred ninety-three patients with dysferlinopathy were recruited to the Jain Foundation's International Clinical Outcome Study for Dysferlinopathy. Baseline, 6-month, and 1-year assessments included adapted North Star Ambulatory Assessment (a-NSAA), Motor Function Measure (MFM-20), timed function tests, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), Brooke scale, Jebsen test, manual muscle testing, and hand-held dynamometry. Patients also completed the ACTIVLIM questionnaire. Change in each measure over 6 months and 1 year was calculated and compared between disease severity (ambulant [mild, moderate, or severe based on a-NSAA score] or nonambulant [unable to complete a 10-meter walk]) and clinical diagnosis.ResultsThe functional a-NSAA test was the most sensitive to deterioration for ambulant patients overall. The a-NSAA score was the most sensitive test in the mild and moderate groups, while the 6MWT was most sensitive in the severe group. The 10-meter walk test was the only test showing significant change across all ambulant severity groups. In nonambulant patients, the MFM domain 3, wrist flexion strength, and pinch grip were most sensitive. Progression rates did not differ by clinical diagnosis. Power calculations determined that 46 moderately affected patients are required to determine clinical effectiveness for a hypothetical 1-year clinical trial based on the a-NSAA as a clinical endpoint.ConclusionCertain functional outcome measures can detect changes over 6 months and 1 year in dysferlinopathy and potentially be useful in monitoring progression in clinical trials.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT01676077

Hong Kong puzzle films:the persistence of tradition

This chapter examines the fate of traditional modes of practice, as well as of local storytelling norms, in contemporary Hong Kong cinema. It contests some widely-held yet arguably specious assumptions: first, that the "Mainlandization" and "Hollywoodization" of Hong Kong cinema eradicate local filmmaking practices and aesthetic norms; and second, that the local routine of piecemeal script construction yields slapdash plotting, and thus is inferior to the screenplay practices advocated in Mainland China and Hollywood. This chapter argues that not only have local work routines endured in spite of institutional change, but that those practices yield films of considerable complexity and ambition. The chapter's major case studies - Wu Xia (2011), Mad Detective (2007), and Blind Detective (2013) - can be assimilated to a nascent puzzle film trend in Hong Kong cinema. Disputing claims of a "post-Hong Kong cinema," this chapter draws on primary interviews with Hong Kong filmmakers in detailing both the PRC coproduction system and the characteristic script practices employed by Peter Chan, Johnnie To, and the Milkyway Image film studio

Alternative Constructions of a Family Violence Offence

The crime of torture was introduced into the Queensland Criminal Code in 1997. While initially this crime was introduced to respond to a gap in the criminal justice response to child abuse, it has since been used on many occasions in response to cases involving domestic and family violence. This chapter tracks the introduction of the crime of torture into Queensland law and reviews case law and sentencing data to show how it has been applied in the context of domestic and family violence. In the context of increased recognition of the serious impact of non-physical forms of family violence, it shows how the crime of torture can be applied to cases of domestic and family violence that do not involve physical abuse. Drawing on case studies, the chapter also identifies shortcomings of the offence and explores the possibility of the introduction of a less serious version of the offence

Evaluating Criminalisation as a Strategy in Relation to Non-Physical Family Violence

This chapter reflects broadly on the use of criminalisation as a strategy for addressing the harms and risks related to non-physical family violence. It aims to contribute to constructive dialogue over whether we should adopt new forms of criminalisation to combat non-physical family violence and, if so, how we should criminalise. This chapter is organised around three lines of inquiry. First, a consideration of whether a different \u27logic\u27 of criminalisation operates in relation to domestic violence when compared to other subject matter or \u27sites\u27 of criminal lawmaking. Secondly, a discussion about the care that needs to be taken when \u27borrowing\u27 criminalisation innovations to address coercive non-physical forms of domestic violence from other policy settings and jurisdictions. Finally, an examination of how we should approach the detection of a \u27gap\u27 in existing legal arrangements and the considerations that should inform what statutory architecture is appropriate for filling any gap so identified