Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2007. / Thesis advisor: Kathleen Bantley. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Criminal Justice." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-45). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Volume crimes such as burglary and street robbery present an enormous cost to the Australian community each year. These ubiquitous crimes traditionally have a low resolution rate, but the use of information gathered through DNA databases provides another avenue of investigation. The forensic response to these crimes could be increased with the use of trace DNA; however the lack of awareness of forensic science as a holistic discipline focusing on the study of traces, often leads to a lack of knowledge into the trace evidence characteristics of DNA. This problem is compounded by practical and interpretive difficulties. The main hypothesis tested through this study is that, with an increased understanding into the criminalistic properties of trace DNA, it may prove to be more useful and effective evidence in the investigation of volume crime than is currently the case. The project encompassed three parts. The first component was a detailed survey sent to every jurisdiction in Australia and New Zealand to benchmark methods and protocols, education and training of personnel, and opinions and uses of trace DNA. The second involved the analysis of the results of 250 trace DNA swabs collected from New South Wales crime scenes, in order to provide a comparison point to the experimental work. The final section comprised preliminary experimental work to investigate the abundance, transfer and persistence of trace DNA within the context of residential burglary and street robbery offences. The methods survey helped to identify methods to be used in the experimental component of the project, but also highlighted issues in the field including a lack of training and proficiency testing. The absence of data collation across the jurisdictions was also a point for concern, and prevented the identification of factors that may affect trace DNA success rates. The pervading outcome of the survey was the need for effective data management systems and strong communication lines to facilitate best practice. From the analysis of the casework data a success rate in the order of 15- 20% was identified for New South Wales trace DNA swabs, with an average of 1.7ng of DNA recovered. Subsets of the data were used to directly compare to the experimental results in terms of transfer and persistence. The experimental work gave an insight into the behaviour of trace DNA in crime scene scenarios. The level of background DNA on surfaces encountered in forensic investigations was varied; for example residential doors were found to hold more background DNA than windows. Whilst the level of DNA on personal items such as bags and wallets was found to be relatively high, DNA from the offenders of simulated robberies could still be detected in usable quantities on these items. DNA was found to persist in sheltered locations for at least six weeks,but declined more rapidly in outdoor environments, with profiles not recovered after two weeks. This information may help to assist the interpretation and presentation of trace DNA evidence when the judicial question is one of activity, rather than source. The data also may be used in the education of crime scene examiners to assist them to target the most probative evidential samples. With further work in this field, trace DNA will be more easily applied to investigations. Trace DNA may be a useful tool in volume crime investigations, but individual jurisdictions should assess their capacity to manage the evidence to ensure results can be disseminated and actioned in a timely manner, otherwise the investment may prove to be fruitless. Effective and ongoing training programs and functional data management systems should be implemented to maximise both the investigative and intelligence value of trace DNA evidence. A holistic approach to the implementation of forensic evidence, encompassing the groundwork of theoretical analysis, review of capabilities and logistical and technical improvements, would greatly increase its value in policing and the criminal justice system.

Volume crimes such as burglary and street robbery present an enormous cost to the Australian community each year. These ubiquitous crimes traditionally have a low resolution rate, but the use of information gathered through DNA databases provides another avenue of investigation. The forensic response to these crimes could be increased with the use of trace DNA; however the lack of awareness of forensic science as a holistic discipline focusing on the study of traces, often leads to a lack of knowledge into the trace evidence characteristics of DNA. This problem is compounded by practical and interpretive difficulties. The main hypothesis tested through this study is that, with an increased understanding into the criminalistic properties of trace DNA, it may prove to be more useful and effective evidence in the investigation of volume crime than is currently the case. The project encompassed three parts. The first component was a detailed survey sent to every jurisdiction in Australia and New Zealand to benchmark methods and protocols, education and training of personnel, and opinions and uses of trace DNA. The second involved the analysis of the results of 250 trace DNA swabs collected from New South Wales crime scenes, in order to provide a comparison point to the experimental work. The final section comprised preliminary experimental work to investigate the abundance, transfer and persistence of trace DNA within the context of residential burglary and street robbery offences. The methods survey helped to identify methods to be used in the experimental component of the project, but also highlighted issues in the field including a lack of training and proficiency testing. The absence of data collation across the jurisdictions was also a point for concern, and prevented the identification of factors that may affect trace DNA success rates. The pervading outcome of the survey was the need for effective data management systems and strong communication lines to facilitate best practice. From the analysis of the casework data a success rate in the order of 15- 20% was identified for New South Wales trace DNA swabs, with an average of 1.7ng of DNA recovered. Subsets of the data were used to directly compare to the experimental results in terms of transfer and persistence. The experimental work gave an insight into the behaviour of trace DNA in crime scene scenarios. The level of background DNA on surfaces encountered in forensic investigations was varied; for example residential doors were found to hold more background DNA than windows. Whilst the level of DNA on personal items such as bags and wallets was found to be relatively high, DNA from the offenders of simulated robberies could still be detected in usable quantities on these items. DNA was found to persist in sheltered locations for at least six weeks,but declined more rapidly in outdoor environments, with profiles not recovered after two weeks. This information may help to assist the interpretation and presentation of trace DNA evidence when the judicial question is one of activity, rather than source. The data also may be used in the education of crime scene examiners to assist them to target the most probative evidential samples. With further work in this field, trace DNA will be more easily applied to investigations. Trace DNA may be a useful tool in volume crime investigations, but individual jurisdictions should assess their capacity to manage the evidence to ensure results can be disseminated and actioned in a timely manner, otherwise the investment may prove to be fruitless. Effective and ongoing training programs and functional data management systems should be implemented to maximise both the investigative and intelligence value of trace DNA evidence. A holistic approach to the implementation of forensic evidence, encompassing the groundwork of theoretical analysis, review of capabilities and logistical and technical improvements, would greatly increase its value in policing and the criminal justice system.

La création des banques de données littéraires ces dernières décennies a permis d’insérer les méthodes quantitatives dans l’étude de la production, de la réception, du fait et de la vie littéraires. Notre thèse se penche sur l’un de ces corpus numérisés, dans le cadre des littératures francophones subsahariennes. Ainsi, sur la base d’une approche bibliométrique, il est question de quantifier cette production littéraire à partir des données fournies par la banque de données littératures africaines francophones (LITAF), essentiellement axée sur la production littéraire de langue française liée à l’Afrique subsaharienne. Par opposition aux nombreux travaux qui ont été menés sur l’histoire des littératures francophones subsahariennes, ce travail s’axe sur la recherche quantitative dans ce domaine. L’exploitation de cette banque de données, s’est faite à partir d’une prise de mesure dont le but a été de retracer l’évolution quantitative des différentes variables de cette production littéraire, en interrogeant et en mettant en évidence, l’ensemble des facteurs historiques qui ont pesé sur les fluctuations de production au cours des différentes périodes. Les quantifications établies, se sont faites sur la base d’une segmentation des notices, qui a pris en compte des critères tels que: la période, le genre ou la catégorie littéraire, la réception critique des œuvres et auteurs, les pays et les éditeurs. Par ailleurs, l’analyse des indices signalétiques des documents, a permis de saisir et examiner l’évolution des types d’imprimés, des supports de diffusion, du phénomène de réception et de mettre en lumière les mutations éditoriales propres à cette littérature. En soumettant l’ensemble de ces quantifications bibliométriques à des analyses interdisciplinaires, on a pu construire une histoire littéraire quantitative et dégager grâce à elle, les facteurs qui ont conditionné aussi bien la production que la réception de cette littérature depuis son avènement jusque dans les années 2000 / Setting up literary data banks in recent decades has made it possible to include quantitative methods in the study of literary production, reception, fact and life. Our thesis examines one of these digitized corpora, within the framework of Francophone sub-Saharan literatures. Thus, on the basis of a bibliometric approach, we intended to quantify this literary production based on data provided by the African Francophone literature database (LITAF), mainly focused on French-language literary production in sub-Saharian Africa. Unlike so many studies that have been conducted on the history of French-speaking sub-Saharan literatures, this work focuses on quantitative research in this area. The exploitation of this databank, has been made through a measurement whose aim was to trace the quantitative evolution of the different variables of this literary production. It has been made by questioning and highlighting, the historical factors that had an impact on the fluctuations of the production over the different periods. The established quantifications have been made by dividing the records into sections, which took into account criteria such as : the period, the genre or the literary category, the critics of works and the authors, the countries and the publishers. Moreover, the analysis of the descriptive signs of the documents made it possible to grasp and examine the evolution of the types of printed matters, of the media of diffusion, of the phenomenon of reception and to highlight the editorial mutations specific to this literature. By submitting all these bibliometric quantifications to interdisciplinary analyses, we have been able to construct a quantitative literary history and to identify through it the factors that have conditioned the production as well as the reception of this literature from its advent to the 2000s

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Dentistry and School of Pharmacy. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2004. / "A dissertation in oral biology and pharmacology." Advisor: J. David Eick. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Feb. 22, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-189). Online version of the print edition.

Personal data processing in banking sector within the context of banking secrecy Abstract Banking secrecy is a concept which has been intertwined with the provision of banking services since the very beginnings of this industry. Even though it is a universally known concept, its legal definition, including piercings of banking secrecy, is not comprehensive. In recent years, its form and the possibilities of piercing it have been evolving considerably due to often conflicting modern legislative trends (emphasis on consumer protection, emphasis on data processing transparency, support of client mobility in the banking sector, support of innovative financial services, sharing of data for crime prevention incl. terrorism, money laundering and tax evasion). The goal of this thesis is to present banking secrecy in a complex manner including the categories and the respective individual concrete piercings within the context of data processing legislation, including laying out interpretation problems from practice and proposing concrete solutions. Further, the thesis, where suitable, the thesis also includes proposals de lege ferenda. The thesis begins with an introduction to the subject matter and is further divided into four chapters, which are followed by a conclusion that sums up the partial conclusions made...

Personal data processing in banking sector within the context of banking secrecy Abstract Banking secrecy is a concept which has been intertwined with the provision of banking services since the very beginnings of this industry. Even though it is a universally known concept, its legal definition, including piercings of banking secrecy, is not comprehensive. In recent years, its form and the possibilities of piercing it have been evolving considerably due to often conflicting modern legislative trends (emphasis on consumer protection, emphasis on data processing transparency, support of client mobility in the banking sector, support of innovative financial services, sharing of data for crime prevention incl. terrorism, money laundering and tax evasion). The goal of this thesis is to present banking secrecy in a complex manner including the categories and the respective individual concrete piercings within the context of data processing legislation, including laying out interpretation problems from practice and proposing concrete solutions. Further, the thesis, where suitable, the thesis also includes proposals de lege ferenda. The thesis begins with an introduction to the subject matter and is further divided into four chapters, which are followed by a conclusion that sums up the partial conclusions made...

Using static and dynamic panel data analysis, we examine how interest rates influenced equity prices of European banks and insurance companies between 2006 and 2015. Identification and quantification of effects of the low yield environment, which is a consequence of decreasing interest rates, are crucial for regulators and policy makers. Our static and dynamic models show that decreasing short-term interest rates had a negative impact both on banks and insurers. In this thesis, dynamic models are estimated by means of the Blundell- Bond system GMM estimator and we consider their results superior to the results of static models because all underlying assumptions of the dynamic models are met here. Results obtained by employing the Blundell-Bond system GMM estimator suggest that life insurers were effected more than banks, while banks were effected more than non-life insurers. In case of a 1 percentage point decrease in short-term interest rates, equity prices of life insurers are estimated to decrease on average by 18 %, equity prices of banks by 8 %, and equity prices of non-life insurers by 3 %. JEL Classification C33, C36, C61, E44, G21, G22 Keywords interest rates, equity prices, static panel analy­ sis, dynamic panel analysis, system GMM esti­ mator Author's e-mail jurena.filip.l@ gm ail.com...

"Mémoire présenté à la faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de maître en droit (LL.M.)" / Les bouleversements engendrés par les nouveaux moyens de communication des données publiques de même que les multiples possibilités offertes par le réseau Internet, telles que le stockage des informations, la mémoire sans faille et l'utilisation des moteurs de recherche, présentent des enjeux majeurs liés à la protection de la vie privée. La diffusion des données publiques en support numérique suscite un changement d'échelle dans le temps et dans l'espace et elle modifie le concept classique de publicité qui existait dans l'univers papier. Nous étudierons les moyens de respecter le droit à la vie privée et les conditions d'accès et d'utilisation des données personnelles, parfois à caractère sensible, contenues dans les documents publics diffusés sur Internet. Le cas particulier des données accessibles dans les banques de données judiciaires exige des solutions particulières : il s'agit de trouver l'équilibre nécessaire entre le principe de transparence judiciaire et le droit à la vie privée. / The upheavals generated by the new means of disseminating public data, together with the multiple possibilities offered by the Internet, such as information storage, comprehensive memory tools and the use of search engines, give rise to major issues related to privacy protection. The dissemination of public data in digital format causes a shift in our scales of time and space, and changes the traditional concept ofpublic nature previously associated with the "paper" universe. We will study the means of protecting privacy, and the conditions for accessing and using the personal information, sometimes of a "sensitive" nature, which is contained in the public documents posted on the Internet. The characteristics of the information available through judicial data banks require special protection solutions, so that the necessary balance can be found between the principle of judicial transparency and the right to privacy.

Les bouleversements engendrés par les nouveaux moyens de communication des données publiques de même que les multiples possibilités offertes par le réseau Internet, telles que le stockage des informations, la mémoire sans faille et l'utilisation des moteurs de recherche, présentent des enjeux majeurs liés à la protection de la vie privée. La diffusion des données publiques en support numérique suscite un changement d'échelle dans le temps et dans l'espace et elle modifie le concept classique de publicité qui existait dans l'univers papier. Nous étudierons les moyens de respecter le droit à la vie privée et les conditions d'accès et d'utilisation des données personnelles, parfois à caractère sensible, contenues dans les documents publics diffusés sur Internet. Le cas particulier des données accessibles dans les banques de données judiciaires exige des solutions particulières : il s'agit de trouver l'équilibre nécessaire entre le principe de transparence judiciaire et le droit à la vie privée. / The upheavals generated by the new means of disseminating public data, together with the multiple possibilities offered by the Internet, such as information storage, comprehensive memory tools and the use of search engines, give rise to major issues related to privacy protection. The dissemination of public data in digital format causes a shift in our scales of time and space, and changes the traditional concept ofpublic nature previously associated with the "paper" universe. We will study the means of protecting privacy, and the conditions for accessing and using the personal information, sometimes of a "sensitive" nature, which is contained in the public documents posted on the Internet. The characteristics of the information available through judicial data banks require special protection solutions, so that the necessary balance can be found between the principle of judicial transparency and the right to privacy. / "Mémoire présenté à la faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de maître en droit (LL.M.)"