Crime Lab Scandal Essay Example for Free

Crime Lab Scandal Essay The Effects of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab Scandal The most important quality a law enforcement officer can have and should preserve at all cost is integrity. Regardless of what discipline they are employed in whether it be investigations, patrol or forensics an officer’s credibility is their most critical attribute. Thesis: As a result of unethical, fraudulent conduct by North Carolina SBI Crime Lab Agents several individuals were wrongly convicted of major crimes such as murder and rape and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. The effects on law enforcement collectively have been a loss of confidence and an overall sense of distrust from the citizens of North Carolina in law enforcement officers and the state’s judicial process system. Possible resources: News media including but not limited to The Huffington Post and The Raleigh News Observer. Criminal Justice, Volume 27, Number 1, Spring 2012. Â © 2012 by the American Bar Association An Independent Review of the SBI Forensic Laboratory by Chris Swecker, Attorney at Law and Michael Wolf, Consultant. Specific case reports and reviews from the North Carolina Administration of the Courts (NCAOC) online records (if available). This topic relates specifically to Chapter 5, expert witnesses and Chapter 6, credibility. It will also relate to Chapters 3, 12 for discovery issues and 13. The main issue in this paper will be the focus on ethical misconduct in presenting false information, or in some cases excluding exculpatory evidence to the jury. It will also point out the unjust ramifications on innocent defendants as well as the effects such actions have on law enforcement’s credibility as an honorable institution.

Resource Allocation: An Economic Problem :: essays papers

Resource Allocation: An Economic Problem Selected Issue and Background The issue, which I have chosen to investigate, is the allocation of resources, which are primarily money, by a local authority, namely the City of Westminster Council. The reason why this allocation of resources has become an economic problem is because money is a finite resource, so therefore there is scarcity and the council have to make choices as to how to allocate the resources they have been given. This type of resource allocation is different to that faced by a private company as they have the opportunity to expand and increase their resources, whereas local authorities often do not have the ability to increase their resources overall, rather than deflecting resources from one need to another. The Westminster council has to allocate money to various departments from this general fund. This money has to be allotted to the various departments, which require funding such as Education, Environment and Leisure, Finance, Housing, Planning and Transportation and Social services. Not only does the council have to simply allocate resources to the various departments, but it also has to judge how much of the allocation, education for example it chooses to spend on using its own staff and facilities to produce a service, rather than contracting out other companies to provide the work for them. Up until a point the department can use its existing funded facilities such as administration and technology to produce a service such as transportation and planning. An example of this may be how road maintenance is carried out. For many small roads the local authority transport department may be able to re-surface roads for a very small cost, for example  £1,000 per 10m. This is very efficient for the local authority as much of the capital; labour, land and enterprise are already in place. However for bridges for example the local authority lacks the equipment, i.e. capital and labour to provide the service to repair them. In this case it would no longer be efficient to acquire the necessary labour and capital to repair the bridge. This might work out at  £10,000 per meter. At this point the choice appears whether to contract out the repair of the bridge to a private company who have the capital and labour to provide this service more efficiently, or to acquire the necessary resources to perform the task themselves.

Chemistry of Coffee Essay

Before coffee is roasted, it is referred to as â€Å"green coffee†. The green coffee is primarily made up of caffeine, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids), and organic acids (although inorganic acids exist in coffee as well). These groups are quite stable in the green phase, and it is the carbohydrates, proteins, and acids that will undergo significant reactions during roasting to produce coffee. The important groups of carbohydrates in beans are from the monosaccharides and the polysaccharides found in beans. The disaccharide Sucrose (C12H22O11) also plays a vital role later on in coffee. Generally speaking, Monosaccharides represent the simplest forms of sugars, such as glucose and fructose, and usually follow the formula Cx(H2O)y. These sugars serve as building blocks for polysaccharides like starches and cellulose, which are usually long repeating chains of a basic unit or monosaccharide. All together, carbohydrates represent about 50% of green coffee’s base. Amino acids are present in green coffee at levels of about 10-13% of dry matter. Amino acids are molecules containing an amine, a carboxylic acid group (an organic acid that contains at least one carboxyl group of COOH) , and a side chain (a chemical grouping that is attached to the main group and is specific to each compound). Lipids represent around 11-17% of coffee. They do not play a huge role in the chemical processes of creating coffee- rather, they act as conductors of aroma and taste later on in the coffee process. Caffeine, an astringent stimulant, develops in coffee as a defense mechanism in the coffee plant. Its content remains stable throughout roasting and brewing. It is highly water soluble. Finally, green coffee beans contain numerous acids. Chlorogenic , Citric, Phosphoric, and Quinic Acids represent some of the most important acids in the green coffee bean. A small amount of acetic acid is also present before roasting. It forms when the coffee cherry is fermented to remove the outer pulp. Other than Phosphoric acid, the major acids at work in coffee are organic. Roasting Coffee Overview: In the first phase, the addition of coffee beans drastically drops the temperature of the roaster. The process is endothermic as the beans absorb heat to give off moisture. Around 100 degrees Celsius the temperature stabilizes as water turns into steam. This leads to an increase of pressure. Once the moisture content has been brought down, temperature increases rapidly again, and the reaction goes exothermic as sucrose begins to decompose at around 190-205 degrees C- forming steam and CO2. The increase in pressure from this reaction bursts the cells of the bean as the bean â€Å"cracks†. This crack causes the bean to almost double in volume. The process goes endothermic again until about 225 degrees C and beans â€Å"crack† once again. This increases volume again. Subsequent roasting pushes lipids through the cells to the surface of the bean, and as the bean roasts farther pst the second crack, the volume of the bean decreases due to decomposition. Chemical Processes during Roasting: Caramelization- Caramelization occurs when sucrose begins to decompose and causes the first mechanical crack of the coffee bean. The sugars produce water and carbon dioxide during the reaction, but also color and aromatics like furans (responsible for caramel- like aromas) and HMFs (hydroxymethylfurfural) (responsible for pure, sugar aromas). As the sugar caramelizes further, the aromas increase, but the original taste of sweetness decreases. The Maillard Reaction- The Maillard reaction (discovered in 1912) is the reaction that takes place during the browning of any food. This reaction varies wildly depending on the specific reactants- It happens in seared meat and toasted bread as well as roasted coffee beans. Despite the fact that the reaction comes out with too many variants (and too many unknowns) to go into extreme detail, basic principles govern the reaction for all variants. At its most fundamental form, the Maillard reaction is the reaction that occurs between a reducing sugar and an amino acid. Proteins are all made up of amino acids, so all proteins have the potential to undergo the Maillard reaction. The reducing sugar required for the reaction is any sugar with an aldehyde group. Sucrose is not a reducing sugar, so it’s numerous other sugars like fructose, lactose, and glucose that undergo the process. The sugars and amino acids react to form molecules called melanoidins that have the brown color characteristic of the reaction. The process is complicated because different sugars and different amino acids produce different compounds. Futher complicating the browning process, the new compounds (melanoidins) react even further creating new substances. The Maillard reaction is the cause for many of the volatile aromatic compounds characteristic to coffee, as well as other non-volatile compounds. Strecker Degredation-Strecker Degradation falls under the scope of the Maillard reaction. It is an intermediate step in the overall process, and involves amino acids. Rather than reacting with reducing sugars like the basis of the Maillard reactions, it requires a carbonyl compound as a reactant. The reaction yields CO2, an aldehyde, as well as an amino-ketone. This process is a significant intermediate step because it yields two products that are hugely responsible for the different smells of coffee. The Formation and Decomposition of Acids- From the four predominant acids found in green coffee beans- Chlorogenic, quinic, citric, and phosphoric – two decompose and two increase. Chlorogenic acid (C16H18O9) decomposes by 60% to form caffeic (not to be confused with caffeine- not the same thing! ) and quinic acid. The decomposition of chlorogenic acid in the coffee bean is directly proportional to the length of roasting. It also occurs later on in solution once the coffee has been brewed. Citric acid decreases as a result of the roasting process, it is is unable to withstand the roasting process, however its content does not change after it has been roasted (it doesn’t change with brewing). The acid diminishes quickly as roasting levels pass the light roast stage. Phosphoric acid increases with the length of roasting, however scientists are still unclear as to why the phosphoric acid increases rather than simply remaining stable throughout the process. Other notable acids that are formed when coffee beans are roasted are lactic acid and acetic acid, these acids form due to the decomposition of polysaccharides during and following the first crack stage. Coffee Brewing and Taste. Approximately 28% of the components in roasted coffee beans are water soluble. 72% are insoluble. Brewing a cup of good coffee depends on the balance of extraction of these components. Extraction below 16% is associated with weak, peanuty coffee, while extraction over 24% leads to a bitter brew. Taste of coffee depends on the degree of carmelization the coffee went through during roasting, the acidity of the cup, and the aromatic compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and furans. As mentioned before, carmelization increases the aroma of the coffee, but lowers the overall sweetness of the cup. The overall â€Å"body† or â€Å"weight† of coffee simply has to do with the number of dissolved particles in the cup. Darker roasts generally have more body to them because the lipids have been brought to the surface of the bean, and are therefore more readily brewed into the coffee. A more â€Å"acidic† brew (not a literal term- it depends on the acids types present in the brew, the pKa, anions species present, and the buffering capacity) lends a â€Å"brightness† to the mouth. Below are some common acids associated with the different flavor notes that accompany an â€Å"acidic† taste in the cup. -Phosphoric acid has been associated with enhancing the brightness of the coffee, although there is still dispute over which acid contributes the most to the overall â€Å"acidity†, especially because the majority of phosphoric acid is neutralized with the presence of potassium once it’s in solution. – Quinic acid provides a cleanness to the brew in low quantities, but in excess leads to bitterness and astringency -Caffeic acid is generally bitter and harsh. -Citric is bright and floral in moderation, but excess is overly sour -Acetic acid can taste fermenty and vinegary in excess but in small amounts give the coffee a â€Å"winey† flavor -Lactic acid is associated with a less prominent â€Å"bright† flavor, but like citric acid, excess tastes sour -Malic acid is a less prominent acid that is known for its apple flavor As for the various volatile aromas in coffee a few of the predominant components include: – Furans which are sweet , nutty, fruity, and caramel smelling -HMFs give off a clean sweet smell. -Ketones are floral, buttery, caramel, vanilla-y, and milky -Phenols in lower levels are spicy, vanilla-y, clove, and anise flavored, excess are associated with a woody, medicinal flavor. Lipids in coffee play a significant role because many of the aromatics in the coffee bean are fat- soluble rather than water soluble. The higher the lipid content, the stronger the taste of the coffee is likely to be. This is why dark roasts generally have a stronger flavor than the light roasts (although it is also due to the increase in overall flavor compounds versus sugars and intact amino acids). Espresso brewed coffee also has a stronger flavor not only due to the increase of dissolved particles relative to the water content, but because it is brewed using emulsion rather than extraction. Emulsion involves pressure as well as water to extract the elements within the bean. The high pressure brewing gets more lipids into the shot than a traditional extraction of pouring water over the coffee grounds would. Finally- caffeine has a mildly astringent flavor. It was not discussed much in this paper because caffeine is relatively stable and doesn’t change from green coffee to roasted coffee. Caffeine level is merely dependent on the caffeine present in the coffee cherry when it was picked and the amount of coffee brewed in ratio to the water. Contrary to popular belief, it is not actually the presence of caffeine that contributes most to the bitter flavor of coffee. Rather, it is a compound called trigonelline (C7 H9NO3), an alkaloid, and its products after degradedation during roasting, that are given the most scientific credit for coffee’s bitterness.

Imperial Rome and Mauryan/Gupta India Essay

The most significant difference between Imperial Rome and Mauryan/Gupta India was the structure of their governments, yet both empires were heavily influenced by religion and both had similar causes of their eventual downfalls. Imperial Rome and Maurya India were both run as centralized systems of bureaucracy because it kept their empires strong and more organized. The Gupta India, however, was decentralized and maintained their strong central government with an emperor and by strictly enforcing the caste system and other Hindu beliefs. Not having a centralized government made it increasingly difficult to keep the empire strong and clear of invasions from neighboring regions. However, Rome, contained an empire and a senate, which allowed lower class people to be apart of and have a say in their written law code. Religion played a large role in Imperial Rome and Mauryan/Gupta India. The Gupta’s government was organized mostly by the caste system because of their lack of centralization and dependence on religious beliefs to set laws. Confucian and Buddhist ideas also were spreading around India at the time. In Rome, Christianity was taking over. Emperor Constantine created the new capital, Constantinople, and segregated the empire in two halves. He used his great influence to spread the word of Christianity. Imperial Rome and India fell because of disorganization and chaos within their empires. They both went through political discontinuity, problems with their taxes, over-expansion, and political corruption. When Constantine divided Rome into two empires, he claimed all of the eastern side, causing the western side to lose any previous power and economic prosperity. This led to disorder within all of the Roman Empire. Because India was uncentralized, it was difficult to keep the empire correlated and steady, leading them to subsidize. As both empires continued to expand, the military had trouble keeping their borders under control, giving neighboring countries easy access to attack and conquer.

Marilyn Monroe An AllAmerican Sex Goddess or Hollywood Tragedy essays

Marilyn Monroe An AllAmerican Sex Goddess or Hollywood Tragedy essays Marilyn Monroe: An All-American Sex Goddess or Hollywood Tragedy? When someone mentions Marilyn Monroe, one usually thinks off the seductive all-American sex goddess who captured the world with her woman-childlike charm. Yet not many know her as the illegitimate child who endured a childhood of poverty and misery, sexual abuse, and years in foster home and orphanages. Most people dont realize that her disrupted loveless childhood may been the main reason to her early death. Norma Jeane Bakers father, Edward Mortenson, had deserted her mother, Gladys Baker ne Monroe, before she was born on June, 1 1926, in the charity ward of Los Angeles General Hospital. Due to Gladys instability and the fact that she was unmarried at the time, Norma Jeane was placed in a foster home. At the age of 7, Norma Jeane lived briefly with her mother. Gladys began to show signs of mental depression, and a year later she was admitted to a rest home. Norma Jeane was then placed with a family friend for a year until being placed in another orphanage for another two years. Norma Jeane was once heard to reflect on this time and say: The world around me then was kind of grim...I had to learn to pretend in order to...I dont know.. block the grimness. The whole world seen sort of closed to me..(I felt) on the outside of everything, and all I could do was to dream up any kind of pretend game. (MarilynMonroe,ionet.net/~jellenc/mmbio3.html) In 1941, Norma Jeane again lived with a family friend when she met Jim Dougherty, who was 5 years older than her. They then married on June 19, 1942. Grace Mckee (family friend she was living with) arranged the marriage for me, I never had much of a choice. Theres not much to say about it. They couldnt support me, and they had to work out something. And so I got married. (Marilyn Monroe) Jim joined the Marines in 1943 and ...

Article Critique Essay Example for Free (#2)

Article Critique Essay The author of this article is a Canadian who has raised the alarm on the increasing number poverty stricken people hence springing up of ghettos in big cities. The author rhetorically is asking a question whether there are ghettos in Canadian cities. The author is coming up with many ghetto synonyms but yet they are of not the same meaning. The name like enclave sound more ethnical and it has been described as a grouping of people from the same ethnic group living in a low income earning or a poor neighbourhood. The article pinpoints that in the year 2001 families residing in high poverty levels doubled the year 1981. The message in the article is directed to the authorities in these cities to get warned of a looming crisis and look for ways to alter the trend. The message is not has to any group that it mentions that is the people from the enclaves and the ghettos. The article has outlined many causes of ghettos in Canadian cities. Poverty has been rated as the number one cause and this article gives figures from the research to substantiate its claim. The exact time is given when immigration policy of Canada was changed and the change swung Canada into a cultural and social crisis or socio cultural crisis. According to the authorities and the research that has been carried out immigration puts Canadian cities on spotlight of having many poor neighbourhoods. The author also makes a comparison between Canadian and American cities whereby Canadian cities are going more enclave than ghettos in America. In American cities the traditional definition of a ghetto is a residential district that concentrates racial Enclave tends to collect people of the same ethnic background together while ghettos collect poor people from various ethnic backgrounds. In both cases, people involved are affected by poverty and low income level. From one of the researches that have been done, the article reveals that an alarm was raised about the growth of neighbourhood poverty in Canada. The article pinpoints groups of people who make up the population who end up to the ghettos. Their background is partly covered by poverty and the article further expose that these are immigrants from Asia, Africa, West Indies and Latin America. The research that was conducted showed that between 1971 and 2001 is the period when the majority of the Canadian population was born in the back mentioned countries. Nevertheless, some cities like London there are no ghettos and this is due to the efforts of the councils. However, I take the article head to mention that it does not clearly outline and show the consequences of the increasing population in ghettos and mushrooming of ghettos and enclaves. In many a times these nighbourhoods have been associated with crime and drugs. Does is it mean the researches that were conducted didn’t capture these common phenomenon that is associated with ghettos? Furthermore, the article does not highlight any ways that have been adopted to combat the expanding ghettos and enclaves without necessarily disrupting the social cultural set of these people in the ghettos. Walks, A. R. Bourney, L. S. (2006). The Canadian Geographer Publication: Article Critique. (2016, Dec 14).

Human sexuality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human sexuality - Term Paper Example The results showed that higher self-reported stress in life were associated with low levels of sexual activity and satisfaction and also a decrease in relationship satisfaction (Wright, 2000). According to the study, hypoactive sexual desire in many couples has been seen as only a problem in old couples but also it has been seen in young and middle-aged couples. Sexual difficulties especially low libido has been a susceptible indicator for low relationship satisfaction and other marital problems. Tension created by relationships can be evident earlier than negative ratings of the relationship(Bodenmann, 2013). Theorists and sexual therapists has assumed that stressors may be important factors that involves in decreasing sexual activity in couples and therefore lowering sexual satisfaction. Other studies show that substantial and persistent sexual disorders especially those associated with low sexual desires are linked to major stressors. The study showed that less knowledge is available on the impact of daily hassles that usually originates from outside close relationships on sexual behavior and satisfaction. Human disorders related to sex was also found to be a greater c hallenge on sexual behavior. Sexual desire disorders such as sexual arousal disorder e.g. erectile disorders in men and orgasmic disorder in females were noted to be a significant incremental effect of self-reported stress on sexual problems. Low sexual desires among the many people were also as a result of exhaustion and tiredness. Arguments among the married were also recorded as other causes of low desires in sex (Bodenmann, 2013). The following valuables (stress, sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, and sexual fulfillment as well as individual dyadic coping behaviors) were also assessed and evaluated on weekly basis on diaries and the participant asked to complete diaries on their self- related stress on basis of sexual satisfaction. And it was found that stress