This article examines the testability of Merton's anomie theory with regard to crime problems in the context of contemporary China. An overview of crime trends in China after the onset of economic reform in the early 1980s reveals distinctive crime patterns. The analysis of the criminogenic potential of socioeconomic transition in China suggests that these crime patterns with Chinese characteristics cannot be fully accounted for within the framework of the traditional anomie theory. A newly formulated institutional discrepancy-anomie theory is proposed arguing that the institutional discrepancies generated by coexistence of China's market-oriented economy and authoritarian polity contribute significantly to the dramatic increase in crime rates. The policy implication that the Chinese government should reconsider the undue emphasis on punitive crime control policy is presented.

Using the B&B:93/03 longitudinal cohort survey, we investigate (1) whether and how much variations in the timing of enrollment, the type of undergraduate institution attended, and type of graduate program pursued contribute to observed racial and ethnic differentials in post-baccalaureate enrollment, and (2) whether the observed enrollment differentials carry over to degree attainment. Dynamic event history methods that account both for the timing of matriculation and the hazard of enrolling reveal that compared to whites underrepresented minorities enroll earlier and also are more likely to enroll in doctoral and advanced professional degree programs relative to nonenrollment. Our results reveal sizable differences in the cumulative probability of advanced degree attainment according to undergraduate institutional mission, with graduates from research institutions enjoying a decided advantage over liberal arts college graduates. The conclusion discusses limitations of the analysis, directions for further research, and implications for strengthening the minority pipeline to graduate school.

The desire to introduce autonomous vehicles by 2020 on the roads represents a real technological challenge. It requires breaks with traditional design, security and validation processes to achieve a safe system. As part of the SVA 1 (Simulation of Autonomous Vehicle Safety) project, we present the process under development at the Institute for Technological Research SystemX 2 , in order to optimally address the limitations of existing methods. The objective is to provide designers methods and tools to support safety considerations during the design and the validation phases of autonomous vehicles functions. In this paper, we apply a Model Based Safety Analysis methodology (MBSA) to an Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS), using a modular numerical simulation platform. We describe the different activities carried out during each stage and define the associated objectives. Experimental simulation results are presented, showing the advantages of such approach.

Chinese informal fund transfer systems (IFTS), widely known as underground banks, are one of the two prototypes of unregulated practices of fund transfer which could either use or bypass conventional banking institutions. This article focuses on the type of underground banking systems which primarily deals with foreign exchange and remittance transfer. The article proposes that underground banks are treated as illegal enterprises instead of a component of organized crime. This first qualitative study draws firsthand evidence from interviews made both in mainland China and in the United States. By depicting and analyzing the links of Chinese IFTS to human smuggling and money laundering, this article examines the extent to which the systems are involved in crime.

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