Reliable Witness Research Articles

Psychological analysis of child witness testimony

Purpose of the study: Because children's own perception, memory and expressive powers differ significantly from those of adults, resulting in a difference between child and adult witnesses, the debate on the competence of the child as a witness has shifted to a judgement on the reliability of the child's testimony in the context of the development of psycho-cognitive science. Methodology: The physiological and psychological characteristics of child witnesses determine their deficiencies in the encoding, storage and extraction of memory information, and therefore the reliability of child testimonies is a key and difficult issue. For this reason, this paper uses documentary analysis to further analyse child witness testimony as the focus of the study. Main Findings: A psychological analysis of the multiple factors that affect the reliability of children's testimony. Two conclusions are drawn: 1. Children are in principle competent to testify. The development of children's testimonial competence leads to the conclusion that even very young children can remember events that happened long ago, especially if they already have prior knowledge about them. 2. Practical guidance for improving the truthfulness of the content of child witness statements improves the reliability of child witness testimony. Children can be influenced in a variety of ways to recount detailed and complete accounts of events that did not occur, such that professionals are unable to distinguish between false and truthful accounts. Perhaps the next step is to improve "questioning techniques". Novelty of the study: Correct and reliable witness testimony is key to the investigation and trial process. The importance of child witness testimony has become increasingly apparent in recent years as the number of cases involving children has increased. This issue has previously only been the focus of jurists, and this study analyses it from a psychological perspective, laying the groundwork for subsequent research in law and psychology.

Retinal hemorrhages and damages from tractional forces associated with infantile abusive head trauma evaluated by wide-field fundus photography

We evaluated the distribution and types of retinal hemorrhages (RHs) and other damages in eyes with abusive head trauma (AHT). This retrospective, consecutive case series of AHT and non-AHT conditions involved 54 children with AHT, 43 children with head bruises, and 49 children with blunt eye trauma, each of non-AHT supported by reliable witness accounts. RHs and other damage were evaluated using ophthalmoscopy and wide-field fundus photography. A variety of RH types and other damage were identified in the AHT group but not in the non-AHT group. RHs in AHT extended from the posterior pole to the far periphery in 77% of eyes and on/near the veins in 86% and arteries in 85%, most of which were in the far periphery. Retinoschisis, white-dot lesions, and retinal folds were seen even in the far periphery. RHs on/near the veins and arteries, retinoschisis, and retinal folds suggest a traumatic mechanism of the tractional force of the vitreous that is attached to the entire retinal surface. Identifying the distribution and arterio and venous origins of RHs is a key factor in determining the association with trauma. Thus, wide-field fundus photography is useful to record and evaluate the origin of the RHs and other retinal damage.

The Hajj Before Muhammad: The Early Evidence in Poetry and Hadith

Abstract Scholarly debate on the nature of the Hajj before Muhammad and radical questions of whether Mecca was a ritual site at all in pre-Islamic times are answerable from the large corpus of pre-Islamic poetry, which has been underutilised as a source for pre-Islamic history. This paper reveals the poetry to be both a reliable and valuable witness. It demonstrates that the Hajj was performed in the generation before Muhammad in substantially similar terms to subsequent Muslim practice. Some modifications and shifts are discernible, but ritual continuity emerges as a major theme. The poetry also underscores the restricted ambit of the pre-Islamic Hajj: we uncover a highly-localised ritual followed primarily by groups living near Mecca – the expansion of the Hajj into a pan-Arabian phenomenon with an intimate role in informing communal identity and political power are new in the Islamic period. This paper closes with comparison of the poetry and hadith on the Hajj, which reveals a major Muslim-era reinterpretation of the pilgrimage as an Abrahamic rite.

CE ESTE GEOCRITICA. ÎNCERCARE DE TIPOLOGIE NARATIVĂ ROMÂNEASCĂ

Using a research tool such as geocriticism involves both the risk of reducing the way we relate to a literary text, but, on the other hand, it has an essential stake: along with the evolution of society, the conception of space was reflected in literature. With each major change of the crossed time stages, space has become a reliable witness in rendering the realities that have become narrative scenarios in the prose of writers, receptive to the social phenomenon. Our approach is built around the concept of geocriticism, but also its application to some Romanian novels published at a considerable temporal distance: from Slavici, to Camil Petrescu, G. Călinescu and Mircea Cărtărescu, each text becoming a sample of the demonstration of the functioning of the exposed method.

First in Human Subjects Testing of the UroMonitor: A Catheter-free Wireless Ambulatory Bladder Pressure Monitor.

Urodynamics is the standard method of diagnosing bladder dysfunction, but involves catheters and retrograde bladder filling. With these artificial conditions, urodynamics cannot always reproduce patient complaints. We have developed a wireless, catheter-free intravesical pressure sensor, the UroMonitor, which enables catheter-free telemetric ambulatory bladder monitoring. The purpose of this study was twofold: to evaluate accuracy of UroMonitor pressure data, and assess safety and feasibility of use in humans. Eleven adult female patients undergoing urodynamics for overactive bladder symptoms were enrolled. After baseline urodynamics, the UroMonitor was transurethrally inserted into the bladder and position was confirmed cystoscopically. A second urodynamics was then performed with the UroMonitor simultaneously transmitting bladder pressure. Following removal of urodynamics catheters, the UroMonitor transmitted bladder pressure during ambulation and voiding in private. Visual analogue pain scales (0-5) were used to assess patient discomfort. The UroMonitor did not significantly alter capacity, sensation, or flow during urodynamics. The UroMonitor was also easily inserted and removed in all subjects. The UroMonitor reproduced bladder pressure, capturing 98% (85/87) of voiding and nonvoiding urodynamic events. All subjects voided with only the UroMonitor in place with low post-void residual volume. Median ambulatory pain score with the UroMonitor was rated 0 (0-2). There were no post-procedural infections or changes to voiding behavior. The UroMonitor is the first device to enable catheter-free telemetric ambulatory bladder pressure monitoring in humans. The UroMonitor appears safe and well tolerated, does not impede lower urinary tract function, and can reliably identify bladder events compared to urodynamics.

An Antipodal Seismic and (Infra)acoustic View from Central Europe on the 15 January 2022 Hunga–Tonga–Hunga–Ha’apai Eruption

Abstract We present seismic and (infra)acoustic observations of the 15 January 2022 Hunga–Tonga–Hunga–Ha’apai (HTHH) eruption from Switzerland and central Europe at epicentral distances around 153°. Our observations indicate that the efficient seismoacoustic coupling of locally confined atmospheric oscillations (at the volcanic plume) and long-reaching (global) atmospheric waves at frequencies around 4 mHz is responsible for the global seismic reach of the HTHH eruption at low frequencies. At high frequencies (HFs), we recorded many short impulsive seismoacoustic signals with frequencies well above 20 Hz. They coincided with the passage of the HF part of the rather low-frequency atmospheric wave and triggered numerous false local-earthquake detections on the Swiss monitoring system. Simultaneous reliable ear witness reports of thunderlike sounds from southwest Germany suggest that signals related to the eruption were audible in central Europe at a distance of more than 17,000 km from HTHH. We postulate that the source of these HF seismoacoustic signals was the vigorous volcanic lightning activity observed at HTHH.

The Problem of Annals 15.44: On the Plinian Origin of Tacitus's Information on Christians

This article contends with the multitude of suggestions that have been raised recently as to the origin of Tacitus's information on Christians and Jesus, and concludes that, contrary to much popular opinion, the theory that Tacitus's information is a reliable independent witness is likely faulty. It first discusses previous theories that have been proposed, including the hypothesis that Tacitus was reliant on Josephus, official Roman documents, etc., and finds all suppositions for Tacitus being independent of Christian tradition to be specious and reliant on faulty arguments and a lack of convincing evidence. The article presents an alternative solution which is that Tacitus was reliant on the work of his friend Pliny the Younger, both his Letter 10.96 sent to Trajan and likely also discourses he had with him, noting that Tacitus relied on Pliny's works elsewhere and the close relationship the two had, even exchanging each other's works for review and criticism. A number of verbal parallels between Tacitus's work and Pliny's letter also points in this direction. As a result, Tacitus's information on Christians and Jesus likely stemmed from Pliny, who in turn gained it from interrogations of and hearsay from Christians. This has ramifications such as that Tacitus is then not a useful source for establishing the historicity of Jesus or the historicity of the Neronian persecution, as it looks as though he melded Christian tradition with the Great Fire of Rome, which Christians make no reference to for centuries.

Rapid solution of logical equivalence problems by quantum computation algorithm

We present a quantum computation algorithm that enables solving the problem of logical equivalence verification in exponentially less time than the classical deterministic computation. In this novel quantum algorithm, the oracles of the two evaluated functions are executed in series to yield a common target qubit which then interacts with an ancillary qubit. We found that the degree of entanglement (measured by the concurrence) of the target and ancillary qubits is a reliable witness for the logical equivalence property of the two functions. The steps number of the quantum algorithm is inversely proportional to the square of the standard error ϵ2 of the measured concurrence value, with no dependence on the input size ′n′ of each function. This corresponds to a number of evaluations of the two functions: O(ϵ−2) for the quantum algorithm compared with O(2n) for the classical approach. To assess the algorithm performance, two sets of experiments are conducted using the IBM Q Experience simulator for input sizes: 2 and 12 variables per function. While the former verifies that the results of the experiment are in a good match with the theory, the latter showcases the quantum supremacy of the presented algorithm. In particular, The latter shows that the quantum algorithm requires only 200 oracles queries compared with 213 queries for the classical algorithm.

It is Christ or Corruption in Papua New Guinea: Bring in the Witness!

ABSTRACTEndemic corruption and fervent Christianity dominate Papua New Guinea (PNG) public discourse. We draw on ethnographic material—including the emplacement of a King James V Bible in Parliament—to contextualise corruption discourse and Christian measures against corruption within evolving Papua New Guinean ideas about witnessing. Both corruption discourse and Christianity invoke a specific kind of observer: a disembodied, reliable witness capable of discerning people's intentions. Established ethnographic and linguistic data from PNG meanwhile document witnesses as imagined to be embodied, interested, lacking a privileged relationship to truth, and thus susceptible to coercion. Recasting the PNG corruption issue in terms of witnessing foregrounds a perceived cultural conflict between inclusion and duty; it also reveals how and why the Christian God was invoked—using debt and obligation rhetoric—to end corruption at the national scale.

SC148 - Is cystoscopic sphincter evaluation a reliable witness before continence surgery? A prospective, blinded, real life, single centre study

SC148 - Is cystoscopic sphincter evaluation a reliable witness before continence surgery? A prospective, blinded, real life, single centre study

The Matthean characterisation of Jesus by John the Baptist

It goes without saying that Jesus is the protagonist, the main character, in the Gospel narratives. Much of this characterisation is achieved by presenting his speech and actions. As his speech and actions occur in relation to other major and minor characters in the narrative, much of the characterisation is achieved by presenting the interaction between Jesus and these other characters. Among humans, John the Baptist acts as Jesus’ main supporting character. He is portrayed as a reliable witness to Jesus’ life, of the one to come. This article focusses on the characterisation of Jesus in the First Gospel, based on examining his relation to and interaction with John. Passages in this Gospel narrating the relation and interaction between John and Jesus are explored to identify Jesus’ character traits. These are multi-faceted and relates to Messianic expectations described in Jewish writings. Yet, the Matthean narrator argues that Jesus surpasses these expectations – even those of John the Baptist himself.

Transient global amnesia with bilateral hippocampal findings in magnetic resonance imaging

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is an unusual neurological syndrome of unknown etiology that affects individuals between 50 and 75 years old. We describe the case of a 61-year-old woman, who experienced an episode of two hours of anterograde amnesia. The event had an acute onset and was observed by a reliable witness. It lacked motor or sensory symptoms, compromised consciousness, or personal identity. A brain magnetic resonance was performed 22 hours after the onset of symptoms depicting foci of restricted diffusion in both hippocampi. Taking into account clinical and imaging findings, the diagnosis of transient global amnesia was made.

Cationic metal-organic framework based mixed-matrix membrane for extraction of phenoxy carboxylic acid (PCA) herbicides from water samples followed by UHPLC-MS/MS determination

A novel kind of cationic metal-organic framework(MOF) based mixed-matrix membrane(MMM) namely cationic MOF-MMM was firstly designed and used for simultaneous dispersive membrane extraction(DME) of six phenoxy carboxylic acid(PCA) herbicides from water samples followed by determination using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The cationic MOF-MMM was synthesized by soaking the zirconium-based MOFs in a polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) solution and further functionalization with quaternary amine groups, viz., UiO-66-NMe3+ MMM. The well-prepared UiO-66-NMe3+ MMM was characterized by FT-IR, SEM, XRD, XPS, NMR and etc. Several main variables influencing the MMM based DME efficiency were investigated and optimized in detail, such as dosage ratio of MOF/PVDF, solution pH, extraction time, coexistent anions and ionic strength. Electrostatic interactions dominated adsorption mechanism between anionic PCAs and cationic UiO-66-NMe3+ MMM, along with ππ conjugation and cation-π bonding, leading to better adsorption performance. Low limits of detection in the range of 0.03–0.59 ng/L and satisfactory recoveries within 80.06–117.40 % for all the PCAs are a reliable witness to demonstrate supreme sensitivity and the applicability of the developed method. By relying on the obtained results, the present work implied cationic MOF-MMM based DME can be a versatile and worthy utility for extraction of pollutants from different water samples with high throughput.

What is syncope for a neurologistIwona

Introduction: Fainting is one of the most common reasons for consulting patients in emergency departments. Diagnosis of a loss of consciousness is usually carried out by an general practitioner and possibly a cardiologist and neurologist, and the most important elements include a well-collected patient history taken from the patient and reliable witness. Aim: The paper discusses the most common causes of loss of consciousness diagnosed by a neurologist: syncope associated with dysautonomy in the course of neurological diseases, seizures and seizure caused cardiac arrhythmias. Summary: Syncope and dysautonomy may precede neurodegenerative disease onset. Difficulties in differentiating syncope and epileptic seizures cause about 10% of false diagnoses of refractory epilepsy.

Paths, negative \u201cprobabilities\u201d, and the Leggett-Garg inequalities

We present a path analysis of the condition under which the outcomes of previous observation affect the results of the measurements yet to be made. It is shown that this effect, also known as “signalling in time”, occurs whenever the earlier measurements are set to destroy interference between two or more virtual paths. We also demonstrate that Feynman’s negative “probabilities” provide for a more reliable witness of “signalling in time”, than the Leggett-Garg inequalities, while both methods are frequently subject to failure.

A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer ed. by Susan Ashbrook et al.

Reviewed by: A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer ed. by Susan Ashbrook et al. Holly Hearon susan ashbrook harvey, nathaniel desrosiers, shira l. lander, jacqueline z. pastos, and daniel ulluci (eds.), A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer (BJS 358; Providence, RI: Brown Judaic Studies, 2015). Pp. xix + 304. $59.95. This volume features essays authored by students, colleagues, and friends of Ross Shepard Kraemer from across the forty-plus years of her academic career. The essays reflect the remarkable range of K.'s scholarship and demonstrate how her deep engagement with primary texts has shaped and continues to shape generations of scholars. Many of the essays take up questions or observations raised by K. in her work, promoting the kind of dialogue that K. has valued and encouraged as a teacher and colleague. The volume is divided into two sections. Part 1, "Jews and Christians in the Greco-Roman World," consists of twelve essays: Theodore A. Bergren, "Jesus' Baptism by John in the Context of First-Century Judaism"; Cebra J. Bucher, "Converts, Resisters, and Evangelists: Jews in the Acts of Philip V–VII"; Robert Doran, "Thecla and the Governor: Who Clothes Whom?"; Paula Fredriksen, "If It Looks like a Duck, and It Quacks like a Duck . . . On Not Giving Up on the Godfearers"; John G. Gager, "Who Did What to Whom? Physical Violence between Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity"; Maxine L. Grossman, "How Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Help Us to Think about Gender in Ancient Judaism?"; Kim Haines-Eitzen, "The Sound of Angels' Wings in Paradise: Religious Identity and the Aural Imagination in the Testament of Adam"; Jordan D. Rosenblum, "The Night Rabbi Aqiba Slept with Two Women"; Stanley K. Stowers, "The Social Formations of Paul and His Romans: Synagogues, Churches, and Ockham's Razor"; Arthur P. Urbano, "Fashioning Witnesses: 'Hebrews' and 'Jews' in Early Christian Art"; Heidi Wendt, "Entrusted with the Oracles of God": The Fate of the Judean Writings in Flavian Rome"; Benjamin G. Wright, "Cultural Creativity in Egyptian Judaism." Part 2, "Women in Judaism and Christianity," consists of sixteen essays: Lynn H. Cohick, "Mothers, Martyrs, and Manly Courage: The Female Martyr in 2 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, and The Acts of Paul and Thecla"; Mary R. D'Angelo, "Susanna's Choice"; Nathaniel P. DesRosiers, "What Is Her Word Worth? Oath Taking and Women in the Mediterranean World"; Jennifer Eyl, "Optatus's Account of Lucilla in Against the Donatists, or, Women Are Good to Undermine With"; Jordan Kraemer and Shira L. Lander "Gender and Apocalypticism in Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games Trilogy"; Robert A. Kraft, "To the Most Honorable Lady, Theophile (Luke 1.3; Acts 1.1)"; Amy-Jill Levine, "This Poor Widow . . ." (Mark 12:43): From Donation to Diatribe"; Susan Marks "Bayit versus Beit Midrash: Jewish Mother as Teacher"; E. Ann Matter, "In Her Own Words: Religious Autobiography and Agency in Lucia Brocadelli, a Woman Writer of Early Modern Italy"; Renée Levine Melammed, "Witnesses from Medieval Mediterranean Society: The Reliability of Jewish Women's Narratives from the Cairo Genizah"; Susan Niditch, "Miriam's Well: Rabbinic Variations on a Folk Motif, Gender Views, and Contemporary Reception"; Elaine Pagels, "The Shape-Shifting Bride: Reflecting on Race and Ethnicity in Origen's Exegesis of the Song of Songs"; Adele Reinhartz, "E.T. Phone Home: Exile and Gender in Postexilic Storytelling"; Sarah L. Schwarz, "Her Share of the Cursings: Grid and Group, Gender and Demons"; Karen B. Stern, "Working Women? Professions of Jewish Women in Late Ancient Levant"; Daniel Ullucci, "Ungendering Andrea." [End Page 579] Many of the essays demonstrate K.'s argument that primary sources, whether inscriptions or documentary evidence, represent constructions of gender and religious identity designed to support cultural norms and values. Others press the importance of understanding primary texts in relation to ancient cultural values and practices in order to avoid making historical assertions based on ideological fictions. A few break out in new directions (for example, Haines-Eitzen's essay on aural imagination and Urbano's essay on the rhetorical impact of visual imagery); Fredricksen offers an alternative perspective to Kraemer on the language of "god-fearers"; and there is a nod to...

Odnos načela procesne ekonomije i sporazuma o svedočenju

In recent years, it has been increasingly striving to make the criminal procedure efficient and at the same time economical. In line with the established international legal standards, the Republic of Serbia for the first time, by the Code of Criminal Procedure since 2006, regulated the agreement on the recognition of a criminal offense. The reformed Code of Criminal Procedure since 2011 introduced two similar criminal procedural forms, an agreement on the testimony of the defendant and an agreement on the testimony of the convicted person. In a short time as it exists in our judicial practice, the agreement on the recognition of a crime has yielded very successful results. It proved to be extremely efficient and economical. By the agreement on the defendant's testimony, the defendant acknowledges the commission of a criminal offense and assumes the obligation to testify against the accomplice. The purpose of this institute is that the public prosecutor obtains a reliable prosecution witness who would contribute to the condemnation of his accomplice with his testimony. As in the literature, the agreement on the recognition of the criminal offense and the defendant's testimony, it gives the character of simplified criminal procedural forms, the author aims to determine whether indeed all segments of the principles of the process economy are realized in relation to the defendant.

Is the Masoretic Text Still a Reliable Primary Text for the Book of Hosea?

Abstract This article discusses three textual issues related to the book of Hosea––(1) Hebrew Vorlage(n) of the book, (2) the nature of translation of LXX Hosea, and (3) the northern dialect influence on the Hebrew text of Hosea––and concludes that MT Hosea is a reliable primary witness for the book of Hosea. First, it argues that 4QXIIc, a Qumran manuscript that some believe to show textual affinity to LXX Hosea, does not substantiate the existence of a Hebrew Vorlage aligned with the LXX. Second, the translation nature of LXX Hosea suggests that the LXX may not be an accurate representation of its Hebrew Vorlage. Third, it demonstrates that recent linguistic studies and a precise reading of Hos 14:10a[9a] suggest that the difficulties of the Hebrew text of Hosea are due to the peculiarities of the prophet’s dialect and to his deliberate employment of an obscure literary style.

Episodic loss of consciousness: how genetic testing points to diagnosis

The differential diagnosis of episodic loss of consciousness, lying chiefly between syncope and epilepsy, can be challenging and potentially confusing, particularly in the absence of a reliable witness account. We report a patient with episodic loss of consciousness in whom targeted genetic testing contributed to diagnosis.

Book Review: Essays in Honour of Ross Shepard Kraemer: Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Nathaniel DesRosiers, Shira L. Lander, Jacqueline Z. Pastis, and Daniel Ullucci (eds), A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer

Book Review: Essays in Honour of Ross Shepard Kraemer: Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Nathaniel DesRosiers, Shira L. Lander, Jacqueline Z. Pastis, and Daniel Ullucci (eds), <i>A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer</i>