Effect of temperature on development of Liopygia (= Sarcophaga) argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) and its forensic implications

The temperature-dependent development of the forensically important flesh fly Liopygia (Thomsonea) argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy) (=Sarcophaga argyrostoma) was studied at six constant temperature regimes in the laboratory. Total developmental time of L. argyrostoma from larviposition to adult emergence was 54.9+/-1.45, 31.3+/-1.1, 22.2+/-0.67, 16.3+/-0.54, and 14.9+/-0.4 days (+/-S.D.) when reared at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 degrees C, respectively. At 8 degrees C, larval development was not completed. From linear regression of development rates of five of the six studied constant temperature regimes, it was determined that the minimum development threshold (tL) for total immature development is 7.4 degrees C, and the overall thermal constant (K) for L. argyrostoma is 396.4+/-19.18 (mean +/- S.D.) day-degrees (DD) above the threshold.     

Before the and of the World(s): Peter Fitzpatrick and the (Inter)national Supplement

Law and Critique - In this article, I argue that Peter Fitzpatrick provides a unique contribution to international studies, most especially to contemporary interdisciplinary studies of...     

Temperature-dependent development of Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann, 1830) and Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann, 1818) (Diptera, Muscidae)

The influence of rearing temperature on the development rates of two "dump flies" Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann, 1830) and Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann, 1818) is analysed. The development times of these species are determined. Flies were reared at three constant temperatures (17+/-1, 24+/-1 and 30+/-1 degrees C) with a photoperiod of 12:12 and at a relativity moisture of 75-95%. The minimum duration for each development stages, from eggs to pupae and from eggs to adult emergence of O. aenescens and O. capensis are reported. The development rate increases in both species as the rearing temperature rises. A temperature-dependent development model is calculated for each species. The larval and total development of these two species can be estimated if the environmental temperature is between 17 and 30 degrees C. Compared to O. aenescens, O. capensis has a higher threshold of development and a longer larval development time.     

The Macquarie Laws of War Corpus (MQLWC): Design,Construction and Use

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique - This paper discusses the creation and use of the new Macquarie Laws of War Corpus (MQLWC). The...     

Rare PGM1 (6) and PGM1(7) alleles in the Polish population

Rare PGM1 phenotypes, 6-1, 6-2 and 7-2, were detected in blood samples from 3,437 non-related adults using electrophoresis in starch-gel and cellulose acetate membranes. Frequencies of 0.0009 and 0.0008 were calculated for PGM1(6) and PGM1(7), respectively, for a population from northern Poland. The variants had been inherited, which was confirmed by family studies.     

Introduction: The (Ab)use of Language in Legal Discourse

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique -     

作为超验性经验的诅咒(赌咒)与发誓

我们的一切知识都是从经验开始,但并不由此就都是从经验中发源。所以说,超验是那种超出经验界限的知识。诅咒(赌咒)、发誓是作为超验性经验存在的一种文化现象。所谓超验性经验是指并不为经验所证明但却又经验性地被确信无疑的一种现象。     

Jeffrey Ian Ross and Francesca Vianello (eds): Convict Criminology for the Future

Critical Criminology -     

Fatal (F)laws: Law, Literature and Writing

In this article, we develop an account of judgment as writing which displaces and contests the conventional staging of the signifiers ‘law’ and ‘literature’. If judgment is understood as writing, then it is opened out onto the contexts which structure it, but which it must disavow or repress. To investigate this process, we read the judicial judgment of a killing of a gay man. In this text, the context that is simultaneously cited and repressed is that of literature - and specifically, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Literature functions not as law's other in this judgment, but as a legal concept. Its chief performative effect is the concealment of a corpse: literature enables law to forget the wounds of the murdered man, and to bury his corpse within the grammar of fate. Our reading is an attempt to illuminate the scene of this crime. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The use of isoelectric focusing (IEF) as a method for the combined phenotyping of erythrocyte acid phosphatase (EAP) and esterase D (EsD)

The simultaneous isoelectric focusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gels (PAG) of erythrocyte acid phosphatase (EAP) and esterase D (EsD) allows the poor discriminating power (DP) of EsD to be usefully combined with a highly discriminating system EAP, such that a joint DP of 0.766 was achieved compared with PGM IEF DP 0.756. Focusing was carried out in a centrally flattened gradient containing ampholines (pH 4-6 and 6-8) and the chemical spacer 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulphinic acid (MOPS). It enabled the identification of six EsD phenotypes including the recently discovered EsD5 isozymes. The application of this method to casework bloodstains is discussed.     

Effect of temperature on development of the forensically important holarctic blow fly Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-Desvoidy) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Immature development times of the blow fly Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) were studied in the laboratory at five different constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 degrees C). The minimal duration of development from oviposition to adult emergence was inversely related to temperature, ranging from 9.19+/-0.3 days at 35 degrees C to 37.78+/-2.96 days at 15 degrees C. From linear regression of development rates at the five studied constant temperature regimes, it followed that the minimum development threshold (t(L)) for total immature development is 8.95 degrees C ( approximately 9 degrees C) and the overall thermal constant (K) for P. terraenovae is 240.2+/-9.3 day-degrees (DD) above the threshold. Linear regression of developmental rates from oviposition to pupariation resulted in a minimum development threshold of 9.8 degrees C. However, it is possible that developmental time from oviposition to adult eclosion might be different in various regions of the world, and that the thermal constant of a holarctic species like P. terraenovae is not same everywhere. Additionally, as the present paper shows, studies characterizing variation in these parameters between geographically distinct populations of the same species would be of great value for future forensic entomological casework.     

Fatal brown bear (Ursus arctos) attack: case report and literature review

Bear incidents are widely publicized, though serious incidents rarely occur. We describe here a case of human death caused by brown bear (Ursus arctos) feet. The brown bear is the biggest carnivore of Greece, reaching up to 200-300 kg weight.This is the first documented fatality involving a brown bear in Greece in which the victim died as a direct traumatic result of the attack.     

Editorial (30) 2

Critical Criminology -     

Ann Wagner and Le Cheng (eds): Law,Cinema, and the Ill City: Imagining Justice and Order in Real and Fictional Cities

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique -     

The presence of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and its precursor gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) are regularly implicated in instances of surreptitious drug administration, particularly in beverages (so-called "spiked drinks"). In order to assist in the interpretation of cases where analysis of the actual beverage is required, over 50 beverages purchased in the UK were analysed for the presence of GHB and GBL. It was found that naturally occurring GHB and GBL were detected in those beverages involving the fermentation of white and particularly red grapes. No GHB or GBL was detected in other drinks such as beer, juice, spirits or liqueurs. GHB/GBL was detected in red wine vermouth (8.2 mg/L), sherry (9.7 mg/L), port (GBL), red wine (4.1-21.4 mg/L) and white wine (<3-9.6 mg/L). The presence of GHB/GBL did not appear to be influenced by the alcohol content or the pH of the beverage. In addition, the concentration in wines did not appear to be related to the geographical origin of the grape type. This is believed to be the first published data concerning the endogenous presence of GHB and GBL in the beverages described.     

Julien Fouret (Consulting Editor): Enforcement of Investment Treaty Arbitration Awards: A Global Guide

Liverpool Law Review -     

银环蛇中毒死亡鉴定方法的实验研究(Ⅱ)──长碳臂活化生物素─马抗银环蛇抗体的制备

作者用ｄ－生物素自制Ｎ－羟基丁二酰亚胺６－生物素化酰氨已酯（长碳臂活化生物素）。质谱分子离子峰测定分子量为４５４；红外光谱分析各官能基团与分子结构式吻合。探讨了长碳臂活化生物素与精制马抗银环蛇抗体交联的最适比例。与普通活化生物素标记、辣根过氧化物酶标记的同样抗体相比，稀释滴度分别提高４—８倍。     

Analyzing the Performance of Risk Assessment Instruments: A Response to Vrieze and Grove (2007)

In a recent article, Vrieze and Grove (Law Hum Behav, doi: 10.1007/s10979-007-9092-x , 2007) argue that, because of low recidivism base rates and limited predictive accuracy, an actuarial risk assessment instrument (ARAI) may produce decisions about sex offenders that are worse than simply predicting that no one will commit another sex offense. This article examines: (1) the construction and potential overfitting of ARAIs; (2) the meaning, value, and limitations of ROC areas; and (3) the relationship between the operating point that maximizes an ARAI's correct classifications and the legal criterion-"likely to reoffend"-used for sex offender designations. Contrary to what Vrieze and Grove suggest, ARAIs of modest accuracy yield probabilistic information that is more relevant to legal decision-making than just "betting the base rate."