Democracy, Crime and Justice. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences

As a growing number of nations embark on a path to democracy, criminologists have become increasingly interested and engaged in the challenges, concerns, and questions connecting democracy with both crime and criminal justice. Rising levels of violence and street crime, white collar crime and corruption both in countries where democracy is securely in place and where it is struggling, have fuelled a deepening skepticism as to the capacity of democracy to deliver on its promise of security and justice for all citizens. What role does crime and criminal justice play in the future of democracy and for democratic political development on a global level? The editors of this special volume of The Annals realized the importance of collecting research from a broad spectrum of countries and covering a range of problems that affect citizens, politicians, and criminal justice officials. The articles here represent a solid balance between mature democracies like the U.S. and U.K. as well as emerging democracies around the globe – specifically in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. They are based on large and small cross-national samples, regional comparisons, and case studies. Each contribution addresses a seminal question for the future of democratic political development across the globe. What is the role of criminal justice in the process of building democracy and instilling confidence in its institutions? Is there a role for unions in democratizing police forces? What is the impact of widespread disenfranchisement of felons on democratic citizenship and the life of democratic institutions? Under what circumstances do mature democracies adopt punitive sentencing regimes? Addressing sensitive topics such as relations between police and the Muslim communities of Western Europe in the wake of terrorist attacks, this volume also sheds light on the effects of terrorism on mature democracies under increasing pressure to provide security for their citizens. By taking a broad vantage point, this collection of research delves into complex topics such as the relationship between the process of democratization and violent crime waves; the impact of rising crime rates on newly established as well as secure democracies; how crime may endanger the transition to democracy; and how existing practices of criminal justice in mature democracies affect their core values and institutions. The collection of these insightful articles not only begins to fill a gap in criminological research but also addresses issues of critical interest to political scientists as well as other social and behavioral scientists and scholars. Taking a fresh approach to the intersection of crime, criminal justice, and democracy, this volume of The Annals is a must-read for criminologists and political scientists and provides a solid foundation for further interdisciplinary research.

Evaluation of the luminous environment in open-plan offices with skylights

High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging was used to collect luminance information at workstations in 2 open-plan office buildings in Queensland, Australia: one lit by skylights, vertical windows and electric light, and another by skylights and electric light. This paper compares illuminance and luminance data collected in these offices with occupant feedback to evaluate these open-plan environments based on available and emerging metrics for visual comfort and glare. This study highlights issues of daylighting quality and measurement specific to open plan spaces. The results demonstrate that overhead glare is a serious threat to user acceptance of skylights, and that electric and daylight integration and controls have a major impact on the perception of daylighting quality. With regards to measurement of visual comfort it was found that the Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) gave poor agreement with occupant reports of discomfort glare in open-plan spaces with skylights, and the CIE Glare Index (CGI) gave the best agreement. Horizontal and vertical illuminances gave no indication of visual comfort in these spaces.

An assessment tool for selection of appropriate daylighting solutions for buildings in tropical and subtropical regions : Validation using radiance simulation

A new decision-making tool that will assist designers in the selection of appropriate daylighting solutions for buildings in tropical locations has been previously proposed by the authors. Through an evaluation matrix that prioritizes the parameters that best respond to the needs of tropical climates (e.g. reducing solar gain and protection from glare) the tool determines the most appropriate devices for specific climate and building inputs. The tool is effective in demonstrating the broad benefits and limitations of the different daylight strategies for buildings in the tropics. However for thorough analysis and calibration of the tool, validation is necessary. This paper presents a first step in the validation process. RADIANCE simulations were conducted to compare simulation performance with the performance predicted by the tool. To this end, an office building case study in subtropical Brisbane, Australia, and five different daylighting devices including openings, light guiding systems and light transport systems were simulated. Illuminance, light uniformity, daylight penetration and glare analysis were assessed for each device. The results indicate the tool can appropriately rank and recommend daylighting strategies based on specific building inputs for tropical and subtropical regions, making it a useful resource for designers.

Faculty mentoring, evidence-based assessment, and student learning : an Australian exploration of American initiatives

There have been many improvements in Australian engineering education since the 1990s. However, given the recent drive for assuring the achievement of identified academic standards, more progress needs to be made, particularly in the area of evidence-based assessment. This paper reports on initiatives gathered from the literature and engineering academics in the USA, through an Australian National Teaching Fellowship program. The program aims to establish a process to help academics in designing and implementing evidence-based assessments that meet the needs of not only students and the staff that teach them, but also industry as well as accreditation bodies. The paper also examines the kinds and levels of support necessary for engineering academics, especially early career ones, to help meet the expectations of the current drive for assured quality and standards of both research and teaching. Academics are experiencing competing demands on their time and energy with very high expectations in research performance and increased teaching responsibilities, although many are researchers who have not had much pedagogic training. Based on the literature and investigation of relevant initiatives in the USA, we conducted interviews with several identified experts and change agents who have wrought effective academic cultural change within their institutions and beyond. These reveal that assuring the standards and quality of student learning outcomes through evidence-based assessments cannot be appropriately addressed without also addressing the issue of pedagogic training for academic staff. To be sustainable, such training needs to be complemented by a culture of on-going mentoring support from senior academics, formalised through the university administration, so that mentors are afforded resources, time, and appropriate recognition.

Pore structure characterization of North American shale gas reservoirs using USANS/SANS, gas adsorption, and mercury intrusion

Small-angle and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (SANS and USANS), low-pressure adsorption (N2 and CO2), and high-pressure mercury intrusion measurements were performed on a suite of North American shale reservoir samples providing the first ever comparison of all these techniques for characterizing the complex pore structure of shales. The techniques were used to gain insight into the nature of the pore structure including pore geometry, pore size distribution and accessible versus inaccessible porosity. Reservoir samples for analysis were taken from currently-active shale gas plays including the Barnett, Marcellus, Haynesville, Eagle Ford, Woodford, Muskwa, and Duvernay shales. Low-pressure adsorption revealed strong differences in BET surface area and pore volumes for the sample suite, consistent with variability in composition of the samples. The combination of CO2 and N2 adsorption data allowed pore size distributions to be created for micro–meso–macroporosity up to a limit of �1000 Å. Pore size distributions are either uni- or multi-modal. The adsorption-derived pore size distributions for some samples are inconsistent with mercury intrusion data, likely owing to a combination of grain compression during high-pressure intrusion, and the fact that mercury intrusion yields information about pore throat rather than pore body distributions. SANS/USANS scattering data indicate a fractal geometry (power-law scattering) for a wide range of pore sizes and provide evidence that nanometer-scale spatial ordering occurs in lower mesopore–micropore range for some samples, which may be associated with inter-layer spacing in clay minerals. SANS/USANS pore radius distributions were converted to pore volume distributions for direct comparison with adsorption data. For the overlap region between the two methods, the agreement is quite good. Accessible porosity in the pore size (radius) range 5 nm–10 lm was determined for a Barnett shale sample using the contrast matching method with pressurized deuterated methane fluid. The results demonstrate that accessible porosity is pore-size dependent.

Carnivore : an investigation into the ways that serial killers in the Silence of the Lambs, American Psycho and Darkly Dreaming Dexter are representative of consumers

Serial killers are among the most popular and enduring character types in contemporary culture. In this exegesis I investigate one of the reasons for this popularity by examining the representational relationships between serial killers and serial consumers. I initially establish that all monsters, whether they are vampires, werewolves or serial killers, emerge from cultural anxieties and signify the anxiety which gave them birth. I go on to identify that the cultural anxiety at play with serial killers is consumerism and in doing so, I identify two key parallels between the serial killer and the consumer, namely a sense of lack and a desire for transformation. I then examine the ways in which the serial killer is representative of the consumer in three exemplar texts, The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I go on to self-reflexively examine the creation of my novel Carnivore, the accompanying draft of which has been influenced by both the exemplar texts and the findings of the exegesis.

'Information in context' : co-designing workplace structures and systems for organizational learning

With the aim of advancing professional practice through better understanding how to create workplace contexts that cultivate individual and collective learning through situated 'information in context' experiences, this paper presents insights gained from three North American collaborative design (co-design) implementations. In the current project at the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado, USA, participants use collaborative information practices to redesign face-to-face and technology-enabled communication, decision making, and planning systems. Design processes are described and results-to-date described, within an appreciative framework which values information sharing and enables knowledge creation through shared leadership.

Review : "Ghosts...of the Civil Dead" -- John Hillcoat

Synopsis and review of the Australian prison film Ghosts...of the Civil Dead (John Hillcoat, 1988). Drawing heavily from the book In the Belly of the Beast by American author and long-term prisoner Jack Henry Abbott, as well as from the historical and philosophical work of Michel Foucault (the credits include ‘Foucault Authority – Simon During’), Ghosts… Of the Civil Dead is a searing critique of the so-called ‘new generation’ prison system developed in the United States and recently introduced in Australia. Director John Hillcoat and producer Evan English conducted extensive research for the film, including spending time at the National Institute of Corrections, a think tank in Colorado, and visiting numerous institutions like the ‘new Alcatraz’ at Marion Illinois and other maximum security prisons across the United States. Using a mix of professionals and non-actors, including former prisoners and prison guards, the ‘story’ was workshopped during a lengthy rehearsal period with many actual events and experiences of participants incorporated into the film. The end result deliberately blurs the line between American and Australian prison experience to make the political point that what had happened in the US – from where many events and characters, and much of the architecture and design of the prison are drawn – was beginning to happen in Australia. The film emphasises the vicious cycle of institutionalisation, and highlights the role state authorities play in manufacturing, provoking and manipulating violence and fear both in prisons and in wider society as a means to augment policing and surveillance of the population, to oppress the working classes, and to maintain the political status quo...

The effect of olive leaf extract on platelet function

Background Epidemiological studies have shown a reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease in the Mediterranean population attributed to the consumption of dietary olive oil rich in antioxidants. This has lead to increased interest in the antioxidant properties of other phenolic compounds of olive tree products. It has been suggested that olive leaf extract may also have health benefits due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Antioxidants can prevent the effects of oxidative metabolism by scavenging free radicals and decreasing the hyperactivity of platelets associated with the development of occlusive thrombosis. No studies to date have investigated the effects of olive leaf extract on platelet function to our knowledge. Improved understanding of the antioxidant properties of olive leaf extract and its effect on platelet function could lead to improved cardiovascular health. Objective The current study used an olive leaf extract prepared from the Olea europaea L. tree. The aim was to determine if polyphenols in olive leaf extract would reduce platelet activity and, to establish an optimal dose in vitro that would reduce platelet aggregation and ATP release. Design Eleven subjects with normal platelet counts (150–400 x 109/L) were recruited for the current in vitro study. Olive leaf extract was added to citrated whole blood to obtain five concentrations ranging from 5.4 ug/mL to 54.0 ug/mL for a dose response curve. Baseline samples, without olive leaf extract were used as a negative control for each subject. After 2 hours incubation with olive leaf extract samples were analyzed for platelet aggregation and ATP release from platelets stimulated by the addition of collagen. Results Whole blood analysis (n=11) showed a clear dose-dependant reduction in platelet aggregation with the increasing olive leaf extract concentrations (p<0.0001). There was also a similar decrease in ATP release from collagen stimulated platelets (p=0.02). Conclusion In the current study the olive leaf extract obtained from Olea europaea L. inhibited platelet aggregation and ATP release from collagen stimulated platelets in vitro. This study suggests olive leaf extract may prevent occlusive thrombosis by reducing platelet hyperactivity.