Assessing the suitability of the eelgrass (Zostera marina L) deep edge as an indicator of water clarity in estuarine systems

The suitability of the seagrass deep edge as an indicator of water clarity was assessed by examining the sensitivity and specificity of this indicator to changes in light. Indicator specificity was assessed by examining the extent to which seasonal variation in environmental parameters affected the location of the deep edge at five eelgrass meadows in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire. The mean location of the eelgrass deep edge was seasonally stable at three sites, confirming its suitability as an indicator. At two sites, the deep edge responded to long-term light reduction and changes in deep edge location of 1.3 meters were detectable between seasons. The recommended method of monitoring the deep edge is to measure deep edge location in reference to a permanent transect. The sensitivity of eelgrass growing along a depth gradient to a reduction in light was examined through a literature review and an experimental design

Parasitic Hymenoptera as Forensic Indicator Species

Necrophagous insects are the most important ecological evidence associated with a decomposing corpse. Insects provide insight into estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI), assessing whether a corpse has been moved, use in toxicological analyses, and provide utility in surveillance and as sniffer systems. Necrophagous Diptera are regarded as the most important forensic indicator species, largely because they colonize a corpse within minutes of death. Other types of carrion-inhabiting insects also offer value, although more limited than flies, to forensic investigations. Perhaps, the most neglected of these groups is the parasitic Hymenoptera, a group comprising several species that utilize necrophagous flies as natural hosts. Parasitic wasps extend the PMI window to include the period of time after necrophagous flies have emerged to when a corpse is discovered. Wasp host preferences and seasonal occurrences can reveal if a body was moved from another location prior to discovery. Foraging behavior of adults can be used to locate concealed bodies and potentially aid in combating entomological terrorism agents. Presently, the full potential of parasitic Hymenoptera as alternate forensic indicator species has not been explored. This chapter relates the life history characteristics of parasitic wasps to their potential usefulness in forensic applications

Criminal Discount Factors and Deterrence

The trade-off between the immediate returns from committing a crime and the future costs of punishment depends on an offender’s time discounting. We exploit quasi-experimental variation in sentence length generated by a large collective pardon in Italy and provide non-parametric evidence on the extent of discounting from the raw data on recidivism and sentence length. Using a discretechoice model of recidivism, we estimate an average annual discount factor of 0.74, although there is heterogeneity based on age, education, crime type, and nationality. Our estimates imply that the majority of deterrence is derived from the first few years in prison

Optimizing Criminal Behavior and the Disutility of Prison

We use rich microdata on bank robberies to estimate individual-level disutilities of imprisonment. The identification rests on the money versus apprehension trade-off that robbers face inside the bank when deciding whether to leave or collect money for an additional minute. The distribution of the disutility of prison is not degenerate, generating heterogeneity in behavior. Our results show that unobserved heterogeneity in ability is important for explaining outcomes in terms of haul and arrest. Furthermore, higher ability robbers are found to have larger disutilities, suggesting that increased sentence lengths might effectively target these more harmful criminals

Optimizing Criminal Behaviour and the Disutility of Prison

We use rich microdata on bank robberies to estimate individual‐level disutilitiesities of imprisonment. The identification rests on the money versus apprehension trade‐off that robbers face inside the bank when deciding whether to leave or collect money for an additional minute. The distribution of the disutility of prison is not degenerate, generating heterogeneity in behaviour. Our results show that unobserved heterogeneity in robber ability is important for explaining outcomes in terms of haul and arrest. Furthermore, higher ability robbers are found to have larger disutilities, suggesting that increased sentence lengths might effectively target these more harmful criminals