Development of a specific fragmentation pattern-based quadrupole-Orbitrap™ mass spectrometry method to screen drugs in illicit products

Over the past decade, illicit drugs have been founded in marketed products, which pose a risk to public health. In particular, newly designed analogues synthesized by chemical modification of parent compounds to avoid detection by authorities are frequently detected worldwide. Although many analytical methods for determination of drugs have been reported, analytical methods using high-resolution mass spectrometry, which has the advantage of rapid screening and accurate identification of new substances, are necessary to control illicit drugs in marketed products. In this study, a rapid analytical method using an Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer for identification of illicit drugs in marketed products was developed. The 32 drugs were classified as benzodiazepine-, synthetic cannabinoid-, amphetamine- and benzylpiperazine-type drugs according to their chemical structures, and from their fragmentation patterns in tandem mass spectrometry spectra of an established method. The method validation gave a limit of detection of 0.06–5.30 ng/mL and a limit of quantification of 0.18–16.50 ng/mL, high linearity (R² > 0.994) and mean recoveries of spiked matrix-blank samples ranging from 83.7% to 117.1%. Approximately 71% of 21 samples collected over 3 years were found to individually contain one of four types of benzodiazepines or two different synthetic cannabinoids. In one case, levels as high as 827.2 mg/g were measured suggesting adulteration at high levels, which suggests that potential illicit products containing drugs should be regularly screened to protect public health.     

Development of enhanced sensitivity protocols on the RapidHIT™ 200 with a view to processing casework material

The RapidHIT™ 200 device from IntegenX® provides a sample-to-profile platform that is capable of processing a variety of sample types. In this study we review the sensitivity of the ‘Run Other’ protocol for processing crime stain type samples containing various input quantities of DNA using the AmpFℓSTR® NGMSElect™ Express PCR Amplification Kit cartridges available from IntegenX®. The range of DNA inputs which achieved useable results were not as desired and therefore various enhancements to the instruments extraction processes were investigated. These studies showed an improvement in the range of DNA input templates that could by processed on the RapidHIT™ 200 by using the enhanced methods and resulted in three new run protocols.     

What is the Use of a Human Right to Development? Legal Pluralism, ‘Participation’, and a Tentative Rehabilitation

The human right to development divides academic thought. On the one hand, it is mistrusted as an apology for human rights (and other) abuses. On the other, it remains a central pillar of the UN‐led campaign against poverty. Building on the concept of the right to participate in development framed in the UN General Assembly Declaration of 1986, this article seeks to show that there is some scope for the rehabilitation of that right. It demonstrates how the development discourse has tended to exclude minority and subaltern groups. Drawing on the insights of legal pluralism, it then outlines ways in which, for example, indigenous communities have reasserted some control over the development process, before suggesting how this could lay the basis for the wider rehabilitation of the idea of a human right to development.     

Can analysis of a small clod of soil help to solve a murder case?

Soil forensics utilizes extensive soil information to answer legal questions and test hypotheses. The main difficulty often is the determination of different variables from a small amount of soil sample collected on the suspect. We developed a sequential mineralogical and chemical analyses to assess a limited quantity of soil vestiges (0.5 g) from a suspect's vehicle (adhered to the outside rear-view mirror and to the left front fender) involved in a murder case and compared them with the surface samples found at the victim's body disposal site at the Graciosa Road, Paraná State, Brazil. All results affirm that the suspect’s vehicle could have been in contact with the edge of the Graciosa Road, approximately the place where the victim’s body was located. As a result of the soil analysis and comparison, the results support the likely contact of the suspect’s vehicle with the crime scene.     

Operator Exposure to Scatter Radiation from a Portable Hand-held Dental Radiation Emitting Device (Aribex™ NOMAD™) While Making 915 Intraoral Dental Radiographs*

Abstract: Operator exposure to backscatter radiation while using an Aribex™ NOMAD™ radiation emitting device (a portable, self-contained, cordless, hand-held dental X-ray unit) was determined while the operator employed various typical and atypical use scenarios during the exposure of 715 digital and/or film-based dental radiographs and 200 study control exposures. Study data was compared to the radiation safety occupational exposure annual Maximum Permissive Dose (MPD) of 50 mSv (5000 mrem) to determine the possible exposure risk to an unprotected operator using this device. The results showed the reproductive organs received the highest dose and the thyroid the least. The average operator whole body dose for the study was determined to be 0.047 mSv (4.47 mrem) or 0.09% of the annual MPD. Extrapolating the data as an expression of averaged annual operator exposure resulted in a whole body dose of 0.4536 mSv (45.36 mrem) or 0.9% of the annual MPD, These results are well below established occupation exposure limits and are compatible with those published by the manufacturer.     

“Guide to developing a culture of lawfulness,”

This paper has argued that regulatory and law enforcement measures cannot, on their own, deal with the scope of global crime and corruption. Rather, they need to be complemented and supported by a society that embraces a culture of lawfulness. This is difficult to establish. Yet, there are examples, in diverse circumstances, of major changes in values and attitudes towards the rule of law within a relatively short time frame. While there is no “one size fits all” approach, certain key principles can provide a useful guide for societies seeking to foster a culture of lawfulness. These have been found in the most successful and enduring programs.     

The Review of the Development of Legal Science in China (1949–2009)

The legal science of the People’s Republic of China has experienced the stages of formation, reinstating and innovation over the past 60 years. Today, the legal field is flourishing. While the construction of different branches of law has been accomplished, there is still a long way to go in realizing democracy and rule of law in China. Jurists need to develop a heightened awareness of their social responsibility and the urgency with which to adapt the development of law to Chinese societies. Only under these circumstances can we effectively promote democracy and rule of law in China.     

Is there only One Correct Legal Answer to a Question of Fact? Three Talmudic Answers to a Jurisprudential Dilemma

This article focuses on questions of pure fact‐of‐the‐matter and asks whether two omniscient judges (or jurists or scholars) may disagree over the legal answer to a straightforward question of a matter of fact. There are approaches to legal theory among some western and Jewish philosophers of law whereby at least superficially it is possible that two or more contradictory legal statements regarding a given reality can be equally correct. The article provides a critical analysis of three different models derived from the Jewish legal literature, and reviews the contributions of Jewish sources to the understanding of the phenomenon of disagreements concerning matters of fact.     

Improving Children's Recall of an Occurrence of a Repeated Event: Is It a Matter of Helping Them to Generate Options?

Three experiments were conducted to explore whether children's recall of an occurrence of a repeated event could be improved by encouraging them to consider various details that occurred across a series of events prior to making a judgement about which details were included in the target (to-be-recalled) occurrence. Experiment 1 explored whether children's recall of the target occurrence was better after the interviewer presented all the items from the series prior to the child identifying the final item. Experiment 2 explored whether having the children generate all the items facilitated their subsequent recall of the target occurrence. Finally, Experiment 3 directly compared the effectiveness of the above 2 procedures. Regardless of the children's age, the retention interval, or the type of item, children's capacity to identify which details were included in a target occurrence was enhanced when they were initially provided with all the possible details from the series of events. However, without relying on the interviewer to generate the options, the benefit of the technique was directly contingent on the children's ability to generate content details; this was a distinct source of difficulty for the children. Indeed, having children generate options had no beneficial effect on decisions about the temporal position of items unless performance was made conditional on the children's ability to remember the relevant details in the first place. The implications of the findings for the legal setting and for future research are discussed.     

Introducing eNoC – A simple,excel-based tool for improved assignment of the number of contributors (NoC) to a mixture

Assigning NoC in a mixed STR profile is an important preliminary step in computing a likelihood ratio (LR). A common metric is maximum allele count (MAC) whereby the locus exhibiting the largest number of alleles is used to set the NOC. This metric can be supplemented by considering total allele count (TAC) and locus allele count (LAC). TAC is the total number of alleles across all loci and is compared with probability distributions generated in silico. LAC works similarly, save that the probability distributions are generated at the locus level. Herein, we present a comparative analysis of these three metrics using a dataset of 10,000 of each of 2–7 person simulated ground truth mixtures. These datasets were used to generate parameter distributions for each NoC. This analysis showed LAC to be the most accurate single metric in all circumstances tested. We have developmentally validated an excel-based tool to automate calculations for use by operational caseworkers.     

Reviewer’s Comments to “The Measurement of Legitimacy: a Rush to Judgment?”

Asian Journal of Criminology -     

Constrained Waiver of Trial Rights? Incentives to Plead Guilty and the Right to a Fair Trial

This article develops an interpretative framework to examine when incentives to plead guilty should be found to constrain defendant choice to waive fair trial rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. This framework is informed by existing jurisprudence, specifically the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in Natsvlishvili and Togonidze v. Georgia and Deweer v. Belgium, and socio‐legal literature. According to the framework, an incentive to plead guilty should be found to violate fair trial rights where it makes it unreasonable to expect defendants to exercise their right to a full trial, is independent of the projected outcome at trial, and causes the defendant to plead guilty. An empirical analysis of guilty‐plea practice in England and Wales informed by this new framework identifies problematic incentives and suggests such incentives may disproportionately influence vulnerable defendants.     

Does a sixth mechanism exist to explain lightning injuries?: investigating a possible new injury mechanism to determine the cause of injuries related to close lightning flashes

Five mechanisms have been described in the literature regarding lightning injury mechanisms. A sixth mechanism is proposed in this article, namely, lightning barotrauma. A simple laboratory experiment was conducted using ordnance gelatin for ballistic studies. Lightning was simulated in a high-voltage laboratory using an 8/20-microsecond current impulse generator and discharged through ballistic gel. Temporary and permanent cavity formations were confirmed. The cavities formed were directly proportional to the currents used. Findings suggest that a sixth mechanism of lightning injury, namely, barotrauma, should be considered.     

On the Development of Private International Law in The Netherlands: From Asser’s Days to the Codification of Dutch Private International Law (1910–2010)

Netherlands International Law Review -     

What to do about stalking: a preliminary study of how stalking victims responded to stalking and their perceptions of the effectiveness of these actions☆

While stalking researchers have cataloged various strategies used by victims to deal with stalking, little research has examined whether these strategies have proven effective. Using data collected from undergraduates at a Midwestern university, we examined the effects of informal responses for victims of both violent and nonviolent stalking who responded to the stalker on their own and victims who enlisted the help of others. Findings indicated that victims who enlisted help from family and friends in their informal responses to the stalker were more successful in attenuating the effects of both violent and nonviolent stalking. Victims of stalking generally were more likely than nonvictims to feel that formal coping strategies were ineffective.     

Is Partner Aggression Related to Appraisals of Coercive Control by a Partner?

Research and clinical reports on men who are aggressive towards their intimate partners find that these men tend to behave in highly controlling ways towards such partners (e.g., restricting their social interactions, monitoring of activities, and reducing decision-making power). This study tests the hypothesis that men and women in violent dating relationships appraise such behaviors differently than individuals in nonviolent relationships. Based on clinical and empirical partner abuse literature, 119 college students rated the extent to which they perceived hypothetical behaviors towards a partner as controlling. Results suggest that individuals who had either engaged in or received partner aggression appraised restrictive, domineering, and coercive behaviors from a male to a female partner, and from a female to a male partner as less controlling than individuals who had neither perpetrated nor received partner aggression. Men also viewed those behaviors as less controlling than did women. Generalizability, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.