A Review of Alcohol‐Impaired Driving: The Role of Blood Alcohol Concentration and Complexity of the Driving Task

The operation of a motor vehicle requires the integrity of sensory, motor, and intellectual faculties. Impairment of these faculties following the consumption of alcohol has been studied extensively through laboratory, closed‐course and on‐road driving, and epidemiological studies. The scientific literature was reviewed critically, with a focus on low‐to‐moderate blood alcohol concentrations (BAC ≤ 0.100%), to identify the most reliable determinants of alcohol‐impaired driving. Variables such as age, gender, driving skill, and tolerance were shown to have limited impact on impairment. It was concluded the most relevant variables are BAC and complexity of the driving task. The scientific literature provides a high degree of confidence to support the conclusion that a BAC of 0.050% impairs faculties required in the operation of a motor vehicle. Whether impairment is apparent depends upon the complexity of the driving task, which applies to both study design and actual driving.     

The killer outfit and timing: Impact of the fabric and time in body fluid identification and DNA profiling

The present work aimed to study the detection, through lateral flow immunochromatographic (LFI) tests, of saliva samples over time in three different types of fabrics, as well as, the possibility of DNA isolation and characterization from the sample tubes and the cassettes. Fifty microliters of saliva (three samples/time) were deposited in denim, cotton, and polyester. Saliva was identified by SERATEC® Amylase Test and the Crime Scene version SALIVA CS, being able to detect it up to six months of deposition, although with different band intensities. Polyester showed stronger bands than cotton, probably due to its synthetic nature, and denim, as an inked fabric, showed less band intensities. Statistical analyses confirmed significant differences among fabrics, but not over time in the same type of fabric. Total DNA from the sample tubes was successfully recovered, in contrast, from the cassettes, only polyester retrieved amplifiable DNA. These findings indicated that it is possible to recover and identify saliva up to six months after deposition, also obtaining DNA. Future research will be able to expand these results, analyzing the stability of other body fluids, and the sensitivity of lateral flow immunochromatographic tests to detect them.     

Case Comment: The Legality of ‘Kettling’ after Austin

This case comment considers the European Court of Human Rights decision of Austin v United Kingdom (2012) 55 EHRR 14. Austin claimed, unsuccessfully, that police kettling at a public protest in London amounted to a violation of her right to liberty under Article 5 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This case comment suggests that the court took an unexpected and unorthodox approach to the issue of ‘deprivation’ within Article 5. This decision may come to undermine the protections afforded by Article 5 and extend the current exceptions to Article 5 to an indefinite range of situations.     

论“婉”:词学核心概念的字源学谱系分析样例

婉约为词学的核心概念,婉的含义,可从夗-宛-婉的谱系中寻绎。夗训卧,在甲骨文及金文中,系由两个或一个弯曲的人体所构成的象形字。夗含有屈、曲、圆、转等义;宛从宀从夗,由宀(馆室)这一部件,增加并引申有深、幽、凄、清等义;婉从女从宛,增加了顺、丽、娈、媚等义。宛、婉、惋、怨等夗族字,可与意义相近或相关的字组成诸多双音节词,并进一步组成四音节词组,用以形容描写对象,或用以评论词人词作,并在漫长的演变过程中,选择出婉约一词,作为词学的核心概念。夗族字所组成的词语及词组,其分布及使用情况,提示宛、婉等字的构形,与该字实际使用时在特定语境中的意义高度相关。