Simplified field preservation of tissues for subsequent DNA analyses

Successful DNA-based identification of mass disaster victims depends on acquiring tissues that are not highly degraded. In this study, multiple protocols for field preservation of tissues for later DNA analysis were tested. Skin and muscle samples were collected from decaying pig carcasses. Tissues were preserved using cold storage, desiccation, or room temperature storage in preservative solutions for up to 6 months. DNA quality was assessed through amplification of successively larger segments of nuclear DNA. Solution-based storage, including a DMSO/NaCl/EDTA mixture, alcohols, and RNAlater preserved DNA of the highest quality, refrigeration was intermediate, and desiccation was least effective. Tissue type and extent of decomposition significantly affected stored DNA quality. Overall, the results indicate that any tissue preservation attempt is far superior to delaying or forgoing preservation efforts, and that simple, inexpensive methods can be highly effective in preserving DNA, thus should be initiated as quickly as possible.     

College Women and Sexual Assault: The Role of Sex-related Alcohol Expectancies

This study examined the relationship between alcohol, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and sexual assaults among women college students. Participants completed measures of sexual behaviors, sexual victimization experiences, sex related alcohol expectancies, and drinking habits. Based on participants’ responses women were categorized as having experienced no assault, unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, attempted rape, and rape. It was observed across groups that relative to controls, women reporting attempted rape and rape consumed higher levels of alcohol. Within group comparisons revealed that relative to controls, victimized women endorsed higher levels of sex-related alcohol expectancies. In the prediction of severity of sexual victimization, regression analyses revealed an interaction between alcohol consumption and expectancy of vulnerability to sexual coercion. At higher levels of alcohol consumption women endorsing high vulnerability to sexual coercion experienced more severe victimatization. Implications of the findings are discussed. This work was conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree by the first author under the direction of the third author.     

Alcohol Consumption and Females’ Recognition in Response to Date Rape Risk: The Role of Sex-Related Alcohol Expectancies

This study examined the pharmacological and psychological effects of alcohol on women’s recognition of and response to dating sexual aggression. Female participants completed measures of prior sexual victimization experiences, sex related alcohol expectancies, general alcohol expectancies, and drinking habits. Using a 2 (alcohol) × 2 (expectancy) balanced placebo research design, women were exposed to an audiotape date rape vignette and asked to press a button when the man’s sexual advances had gone to far. Upon pressing the button, the tape was stopped and participants were instructed to imagine themselves in the same situation and generate a response describing what they would say and/or do at that point. Results indicated that although alcohol and expectancy were not related to risk perception, individuals who consumed alcohol displayed significantly less resistant role play refusals. A significant interaction between expectancy set and pre-existing sex-related alcohol expectancies was observed indicating participants believing alcohol affects sexual behavior generated less resistant refusal responses when they expected to receive alcohol. Moreover, for those who expected to receive alcohol, stronger pre-existing sex-related alcohol expectancies predicted less resistant refusal responses over above the effects of blood alcohol level and general alcohol expectancies. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

民事诉讼侵害阻断制度释义及其必要性分析

在诉请法院判令对方当事人履行特定行为义务的诉讼中,传统的作法是必须待到判决确定后才能对侵害行为采取措施。在此前,无论是法院还是权利人均没有权利制止侵害的继续发生。这种做法会使权利人的利益蒙受巨大的损失,也会造成社会资源的浪费。因此,有必要针对诉讼中发生的侵害设立阻断侵害以保全现状的制度,避免权利人遭受难以弥利、的损失。我国现行有关侵害阻断的规定,大多属于应急性措施,立法界对其必要性缺乏足够的认识,理论界既有的研究成果中对该项制度的本质与特征也存在着误解。     

我国民事诉讼保全制度的现状及发展

民事诉讼保全制度是民事案件审理中的一项重要的法律制度。目前我国民事诉讼保全制度还存在一些尚需商榷之处,如对于当事人提出保全申请,没有明确条件限制,以致当事人滥用申请;数额标准在司法实践中难以执行,应当修改法律规定。     

酒精在人体内的代谢动力学研究

将16名健康男性志愿者随机分为两组，分别按含酒精0．65g／kg和0．80g／kg体重的剂量给予酒精饮料，于酒后不同时间点采取静脉血样。用乙醇脱氨酶（ADH）氧化分析法测血样酒精浓度（BAC），所得浓度-时间数据经用药代动力学软件分析拟合。结果表明，酒精在人体内的代谢符合非线性消除伴一级吸收的一室开放模型。据此，作者建立了描述酒精在人体内动态变化规律的数学模型。经验证，该模型符合度良好，可用于司法实践。     

评人体器官与组织捐赠无偿性原则——兼对器官与组织捐赠有偿化改革的设想

人体器官、组织捐赠无偿性原则是联合国反复重申并被各国立法严格贯彻的医疗及法律准则 ,但该原则亦有贯彻“过度”的问题。而这一问题的解决有赖于对器官、组织捐赠有偿化及其限度的探讨。     

气相色谱法测定人血中乙醇的不确定度评估

本文建立了气相色谱法测定人血中乙醇含量的不确定度评定方法,考虑不确定度的来源主要包括仪器的精密度、标准物质标称值的不确定度、样品及标准物质体积的不确定度等。假定传播系数为1,对各分量进行计算与合成。经实验验证,理论推导的结果与实验结果基本吻合。     

论诉讼保全中的利益权衡问题

保全请求在客观上考验着法庭的审判能力。在快速审理的压力下,法庭必须依据有限的事实迅速裁定。由于这种裁定是在权利义务关系尚未明确甚至诉讼尚未提出之前作出的,因此,容易忽略被申请人的利益,但完全不考虑被申请人的利益是违背法所追求的公平和正义原则的。保全命令,实质上是法庭在对申请人、被申请人和公共利益等各方利益进行权衡之后做出的价值判断。     

成都麻羊的保种与利用

成都麻羊是优良地方山羊品种,对我国山羊品种的改良和新品种培育起了重要作用,尚需对其进行保种和利用研究.根据当代动物保种模式(活体保种、冻精冻胚保存、体细胞保存和分子标记辅助保存),结合成都麻羊的现状,以活体保种和利用为宜.在成都麻羊主产区,对丘陵型和山地型成都麻羊开展本品种选育,建立三级繁育体系,加强饲养管理,不断提高品种的生产性能,向市场推广优秀种羊.在成都麻羊非主产区,引入波尔山羊作控制性试验,引入波尔山羊产肉性能高的基因,既能保留成都麻羊肉质细嫩、味鲜可口、膻味轻、板皮品质好和适应当地生态条件等优良基因,又能克服波尔山羊肌纤维较粗的缺点,以不断提高成都麻羊产肉力,达到保种、提高和利用的目的.     

Influence of alcohol intoxication of pedestrians on injuries in fatal road accidents

Pedestrians belong to the group of road users with the highest mortality rate. The frequency of road accidents involving pedestrians is 2% but pedestrians represent as many as 13% of all road accident deaths. Because of the mechanism and dynamics of injury and the effects of alcohol on physical and mental performance, pedestrians under the influence of alcohol are classed among the road users most at risk.Our retrospective study included 125 pedestrian fatalities treated at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana between 1999 and 2006. We classified the victims into two groups by blood alcohol level Group I (alcohol positive) and Group II (alcohol negative), defined differences in gender, age, incidence of injuries and established causes of death and period of survival following the road accident. In Group I (n = 53) 96% were male and 4% female; the average age was 45.6 years. In Group II (n = 72) 40% were male and 60% female; the average age was 63.1 years. The percentage of injuries to individual parts of the body was higher in Group I than among the deceased pedestrians in Group II. The most common cause of death in both groups was craniocerebral trauma. Death occurred in the first 6 h following the accident in 92% of cases in Group I and in 69% of cases in Group II.Alcohol-positive pedestrians are predominantly younger men, who have a higher level of risk of a road accident, greater incidence of injuries and a shorter period of survival following a road accident.     

Uncertainty in Widmark calculations: ABV variation in packaged versions of the most popular beers in the UK

Forensic practitioners regularly use the Widmark equation to determine theoretical blood alcohol concentrations for use in cases involving alcohol. It is important with these calculations to determine the uncertainty associated with any result. Previous work has investigated the uncertainty in percent alcohol by volume (%ABV) from beers produced by small independent breweries in the UK but did not study the top selling beers in the UK. The top selling lagers and ales/bitters in the UK were identified by sales volume and the %ABV determined. These data was then used to determine the percent coefficient of variation (%CV) that should be used by forensic practitioners when constructing alcohol technical defence reports for use in forensic cases. These samples, from what may be described as ‘big’ brewers, were determined to have a smaller root mean square error (RMSE) (±0.1%v/v, n?=?35), and %CV than those previously reported for beers produced by small, independent breweries in the UK. The results from this study shows that different RMSE's should be used for %ABV when determining the uncertainty of results from Widmark calculations depending if the drinks consumed have been from either ‘big’ brewers or small, independent breweries.     

The influence of alcohol content variation in UK packaged beers on the uncertainty of calculations using the Widmark equation

It is common for forensic practitioners to calculate an individual's likely blood alcohol concentration following the consumption of alcoholic beverage(s) for legal purposes, such as in driving under the influence (DUI) cases. It is important in these cases to be able to give the uncertainty of measurement on any calculated result, for this reason uncertainty data for the variables used for any calculation are required. In order to determine the uncertainty associated with the alcohol concentration of beer in the UK the alcohol concentration (%v/v) of 218 packaged beers (112 with an alcohol concentration of ≤5.5%v/v and 106 with an alcohol concentration of >5.5%v/v) were tested using an industry standard near infra-red (NIR) analyser. The range of labelled beer alcohol by volume (ABV's) tested was 3.4%v/v – 14%v/v. The beers were obtained from a range of outlets throughout the UK over a period of 12?months. The root mean square error (RMSE) was found to be ±0.43%v/v (beers with declared %ABV of ≤5.5%v/v) and ±0.53%v/v (beers with declared %ABV of >5.5%v/v) the RMSE for all beers was ±0.48%v/v. The standard deviation from the declared %ABV is larger than those previously utilised for uncertainty calculations and illustrates the importance of appropriate experimental data for use in the determination of uncertainty in forensic calculations.     

我国仲裁证据保全的缺陷及其完善

目前我国仲裁证据保全制度的规定还比较粗简,同时也显露出该制度的种种缺陷,诸如规定过于原则、体系残缺、难以操作、效率低下等;应针对该制度的缺陷,赋予受仲裁协议约束的当事人的程序选择权,提高仲裁机构的程序地位,设立仲裁证据保全不当的救济机制等几方面来加以完善。     

Drinking,Alcohol Problems and Intimate Partner Violence Among White and Hispanic Couples in the U.S.: Longitudinal Associations

This paper examines longitudinal associations between drinking, alcohol problems and male-to-female (MFPV) and female-to-male partner violence (FMPV) in a national sample of White and Hispanic couples in the United States. The study uses general population household survey longitudinal data collected in 1995 and in 2000. Subjects (18 years or older) constitute a random sample of married and cohabiting couples in the 48 contiguous United States. In 1995, a total of 1,635 couples completed the interview for a response rate of 85%. In 2000, face-to-face interviews were completed with 1,392 couples in their homes. The present analyses include 406 White and 387 Hispanic couples, who remained intact at the follow-up. Alcohol volume, alcohol problems, MFPV and FMPV in 1995 significantly predicted these same behaviors 5 years later. For White couples, female alcohol problems predicted FMPV in 1995. For Hispanics, female alcohol problems predicted FMPV only in 2000. The relationships between the three alcohol variables and MFPV and FMPV are not static, changing across ethnic groups over time. Findings suggest that once a behavior is present, it tends to be a strong predictor of that same behavior in the future.     

Drunk drivers—Chances for and difficulties in giving medico-legal opinions on drivers’ alcohol intoxication levels, on the basis of the material analyzed in the Forensic Medicine Department, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice in the years 2003–2007

The authors have conducted a statistical analysis of 340 court files investigated in the Forensic Medicine Department Medical University of Silesia, Katowice in the years 2003–2007 with regard to chances for as well as difficulties in giving medico-legal opinions on drivers’ alcohol intoxication levels, which would be valid for court purposes.     

Alcohol and drug consumption among sexual offenders

Purpose

To evaluate the role of alcohol and drug consumption between sexual offenders against boys and girls.

Method

It was an observational, retrospective and cross-sectional study carried out by the Ambulatory for the treatment of sexual disorders of ABC Medical College, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil (ABSex). The sample comprised 104 convicts, over 18 years old, sentenced only for sexual crimes against children (below 11 years old). Alcohol and drug consumption, sexual abuse history, sexual impulsivity, and risk of recidivism were evaluated.

Results

The sexual offenders against boys showed higher alcohol consumption problems than sexual offenders against girls (χ² = 19.76, 1 d.f., p < 0.01). The severity of alcohol consumption was also significantly higher in the sexual offenders against non-related boys than in the sexual offenders against non-related girls (p = 0.037, ANOVA). After adjustment for other variables, such as monthly income before the penalty and alcohol consumption at the moment of the crime, the alcohol consumption severity in sexual offenders against boys was significantly higher than in sexual offenders against girls (OR = 1.05, CI 1.01–1.08, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Alcohol use or abuse is associated with the perpetration of sexual aggression. The role of alcohol consumption seems to be greater in sexual offenders against boys than in girls and this can contribute to criminal recidivism.