Amount of postmortem bleeding: an experimental autopsy study

An experimental autopsy study was performed on 64 cases (55 male, 9 female; average age 51.5 +/- 16.2 years) of sudden natural (38 cases) and asphyxic deaths (26 cases). The study objective was the amount of postmortem bleeding from postmortem cutting of the thoracic aorta, related to the time since death. The amount of postmortem bleeding ranged from 100 to 1300 cm, 440.6 +/- 268.1 cm on average. The time since death up to the autopsy time ranged from 4 to 72 hours, 19.4 +/- 12.9 in average. A statistically significant correlation between the amount of postmortem bleeding and postmortem time interval was stated: Pearson correlation test value r = -0.461 (P = 0.000): the shorter the time interval, the larger the amount of bleeding. The formula of linear regression was estimated according to this correlation: amount of postmortem bleeding (cm) = -9.571 x time since death (h) + 626.659. This proves that the amount of postmortem bleeding (eg, from aortic blunt rupture) could be about 620 cm.     

The unknown depths of political theory: The case for a multidimensional concept of corruption

Defining corruption has proven to be such a difficult challenge that many contemporary analysts pass over the question as quickly as possible. But while definitions are too important to be dismissed as an analytical concern, a single one-dimensional definition that will satisfy all observers will never be found. Rather than proposing yet another definition, this article explores five dimensions of the concept: corruption as social decline, as deviant behavior, as a logic of exchange, as a system of measurable perceptions, and corruption as shadow politic. All help us view corruption within actual social settings; all lend further detail to the sorts of contrasts among concepts and usages that Arnold Heidenheimer explored in his work. In the end one of the most important aspects of the issue is that of trust, which not only helps us understand how corruption functions in actual cases but also underscores the reasons why we must continue to fight it.     

Algor mortis: an erroneous measurement following postmortem refrigeration

Determination of the time of death is one goal of medicolegal death investigations. Algor mortis has been used as a measure of the postmortem interval (PMI). We prospectively recorded the core temperatures of 19 adult bodies entering our morgue cooler and at 3, 6, and 9 h of refrigeration. We then compared the cooling rate with the calculated body mass index (BMI). For each individual body, the rate of cooling was fairly linear with no evidence of a plateau. There was fair to moderate correlation between the BMI and the cooling rate: cooling rate = -0.052 (BMI) + 3.52. The probability of linearity in any given case was 36%. Variables affecting this correlation included the presence and the layers of clothing and if the clothing was wet. Our data confirm that algor mortis is of very limited utility in determining the PMI in bodies that have been refrigerated.     

The scope of punishment: an economic theory

The harm caused by many acts is not certain but probabilistic. Current public enforcement of the law combines harm-based sanctions (usually in criminal law) with act-based sanctions (very common in administrative law and regulation). We propose an economic theory of the choice between harm-based and act-based sanctions in public enforcement. The efficiency of act-based versus harm-based sanctions is analyzed and a typology of the determinants is drawn up. Our model suggests that harm-based sanctions are more efficient when (1) acquiring information about the act is important, (2) engaging in harm avoidance activities is advisable, (3) judgment-proofness is not a very significant problem, (4) punishment is especially costly, (5) changes in law are expensive or difficult to negotiate and (6) on average, potential criminals are better informed than the government about losses for society. Legal policy implications are discussed.     

大鼠尸体组织电阻抗的死后变化及与死亡时间的关系

目的探讨躯体组织的电阻抗的死后变化规律，寻找推断死后经过时间的新方法。方法用阻抗测量仪测量大鼠胃壁、腹壁、躯干、胸部、腹部、腹部皮肤、头皮等处不同死后经过时间的电阻抗。结果大鼠躯体组织的电阻抗随着死后经过时间的延长存在规律性变化。这些结果告诉我们，有望通过测量死后人体躯体组织的电阻抗，利用其死后变化规律，推断人体死后经过时间。     

The postmortem diagnosis of magnesium deficiency: studies in an animal model for the human infant.

Weanling rats were studied as a model for the human infant to determine the optimal tissue in which to assess the status of magnesium after death. Control rats were fed laboratory chow or purified diets that provided a surfeit of magnesium and accommodated a normal rate of growth. Other rats were fed diets that resulted in two degrees of magnesium deficiency: one that might result in spontaneous death within one week, and the other, within two weeks. These times may correlate with six months and one year in the human infant, the period during which the sudden infant death syndrome usually occurs. There was no consistent difference between the magnesium concentration found in the vitreous humor, liver, heart, or skeletal muscle of magnesium-deficient and control rats. However, bone accurately reflected the level of dietary magnesium. There was a significant difference between the magnesium concentration of the anterior and posterior halves of the ribs, indicating irregular distribution of magnesium within the bone. Significant differences were found in the magnesium concentrations of different bones from the same animals. Therefore one entire bone, such as the sternum or the rib, should be studied. The need to match control and study subjects for age was apparent.     

The paraphilia-related disorders: an investigation of the relevance of the concept in sexual murderers

Paraphilic disorders (PAs) and sexual preoccupation are known risk factors for recidivism in sexual offenders. Nonparaphilic sexual excessive behaviors-so-called paraphilia-related disorders (PRDs), like paraphilias, are also characterized by sexual preoccupation and volitional impairment and can be diagnosed in paraphilic men. The prevalence and clinical significance of PRDs in sexual homicide perpetrators, however, is unknown. We investigated the relationship between PAs and PRDs retrospectively in a sample of 161 sexual murderers. Four groups were compared: men without a PA or a PRD diagnosis, men with at least one PRD but no PA, men with at least one PA but no PRD, and finally, those with a combination of both (PA+PRD). The PA+PRD group had the most lifetime cumulative sexual impulsivity disorders, more developmental problems, the highest persistent frequency of sexual activity, the highest number of previous sexual offences, more sexual sadism, and compulsive masturbation. Men of the PRD subsample had suffered more from childhood sexual abuse, showed more promiscuity, psychopathy, and alcohol problems. The use of the PRD concept in this special offender group should be further investigated with prospectively designed studies.     

Investigation of cardiac troponins in postmortem subjects: comparing antemortem and postmortem levels

The limitations of autopsy in the diagnosis of death due to ischemic heart disease are well known. In the living, a simple reliable biochemical assay for cardiac troponins is used in the diagnosis of acute myocardial ischemia. Several studies have investigated the use of biochemical assays for cardiac troponins in postmortem subjects as a means to distinguish between a cardiac and anoncardiac cause of death. All of these studies, however, rely upon assigning subjects to "cardiac" or "noncardiac" death on the basis of a postmortem examination. As postmortem examination does not always accurately distinguish between these two groups, this approach is intrinsically flawed.Our study compares antemortem and postmortem cardiac troponin levels in five subjects. The antemortem samples were retrieved from the hospital biochemistry laboratory after each subject's death. The postmortem samples for each subject were taken from different sites and at different times during the early postmortem period.Erratic results bearing little or no relation to the antemortem cardiac troponin level were obtained for all subjects. Four of the five subjects had raised antemortem troponin levels, although only one had a cardiac cause of death.From this, we conclude that postmortem blood is not a suitable substrate for standard biochemical assays of cardiac troponins, which are designed for use on serum taken from living patients. In addition, the results of our study support the view that elevated cardiac troponins are a marker of serious morbidity and are not specific for cardiac injury as the primary cause of morbidity or mortality.     

Vitreous potassium as a measure of the postmortem interval: an historical review and critical evaluation

This is an historical review of the articles published in English on the use of vitreous potassium to determine the PMI. External factors which influence the validity of the test are sampling techniques, analytical instrumentation and environmental temperature during the PMI. Internal factors that are recognized at the present time which influence vitreous potassium are the age of the individual, the duration of the terminal episode and the presence or absence of nitrogen retention.     

情景预防的概念分析及其理论基础

前言 从犯罪产生之日起,预防犯罪的思想也随之萌发。从古代中国的“以神助政”、“以礼防民”、“德主刑辅”到古代西方柏拉图的“人之品性”,亚里士多德的“均产法”,无不体现着这样的一种观念：“预防犯罪比惩罚犯罪更高明,这乃是一切优秀立法的主要目的”。 “预防犯罪是指从总体上调动一切积极因素和可能力量,最大限度地消除产生犯罪的主客观因素,阻止……     

丽蝇生长发育与死亡时间的相关研究

目的探讨丽蝇的生长发育与死亡时间的关系。方法在室外自然条件情况下,观察尸体腐败过程中来蝇时间,蝇的群集时间,产卵时间,蝇蛆的生长情况及成蛹、羽化时间,并联系气候因素收集数据,进行统计分析。结果来蝇时间发生在死后0.2h,死后28h苍蝇群集,在44h时发现虫卵,幼虫孵出时间为死后60h,入土化蛹时间为死后112h,羽化时间为248h。结论在尸体上观察丽蝇的生长发育不同的时间节点可用于推断死亡时间。     

节约型政府的基本内涵与创建思路

建设节约型政府是党和国家提出的一项旨在加强政府自身建设的重大举措,具有较大的现实意义。建设节约型政府必须以制度创新为重点,采取以下措施加以推进。第一,要强化成本意识,树立节约理念;第二,要转变政府职能,缩小政府规模;第三,要优化决策机制,提高决策水平;第四,要加强预算约束,建立绩效预算制度;第五,要推行电子政务,提高政府管理效率。     

The Labeling perspective and delinquency: An elaboration of the theory and an assessment of the evidence

The labeling theory of deviance was extremely popular during the 1960s and 1970s. After a series of influential critiques, however, the validity of the theory had fallen into question by 1980 and was pronounced dead by 1985. In this paper we examine the application of the labeling perspective to one particular area, juvenile delinquency. We discuss the general theoretical origin of labeling theory in both conflict theory and symbolic interactionism, and use it to present two main labeling hypotheses: 1) that status attributes are influential in determining who is labeled (the “status characteristics hypothesis”) and 2) that labeling experiences are instrumental in producing problems of adjustment and in causing subsequent commitment to further deviance (the “secondary deviance hypothesis”). We note that what is often passed off as a critique of labeling theory itself is frequently a caricature of the theory. The major point of the paper is an elaboration of the full complexity of each labeling hypothesis, a suggestion for empirical research to test it, and a review of the extant literature. We suggest that labeling theory is not as invalid as its critics have claimed, and that what is needed is a restatement and revitalization of a labeling theory of delinquency.     

The color of law: an economic theory of legal boundaries

This paper presents an economic theory of property, tort, and contract law based on the goal of efficiently governing economic exchange relationships. In the theory, legal boundaries emerge endogenously in response to exogenous differences in the nature of the underlying transaction concerning the possible existence of unforeseen or non-contractible contingencies, and/or the desire of one of the parties to make non-salvageable investments prior to trade. The analysis asks whether, in this context, the transaction is best governed by property, tort, or contract principles. The conclusions are illustrated by a discussion of several cases that occupy the “boundaries” between the various areas.     

离体人胸骨骨髓DNA降解与腐败尸体死亡时间推断的初步研究

目的研究死后胸骨骨髓DNA的降解与较长死后间隔时间(PMI)的关系。方法采用改良Feulgen染色及计算机图像分析技术对离体人胸骨(取材后分别室温搁置0,1,3,5,7d)骨髓DNA含量进行定量检测。结果在较长PMI范围内,人胸骨骨髓DNA含量仍呈现下降规律。结论人胸骨骨髓DNA降解规律可望应用于较长PMI的推断。     

Linearization of the relationship between postmortem plasma chloride concentration and postmortem interval in rats

A potentiometric titration procedure was employed for measurement of plasma chloride concentrations during the 0-96 h postmortem period in rats. The data revealed antemortem absolute values and postmortem rate of decrease in plasma chloride concentration (PCl) which were almost identical to those in dogs and in man. Expression of the data in the form of a double logarithmic plot of PCl versus postmortem interval (PMI) yielded a linear relationship of high correlation (r = -0.97; P less than 0.001). Attention is drawn to the possibility of utilizing postmortem rate of change in plasma chloride concentration as a means of estimating time elapsed since death.     

The postmortem fate of Pat Gregory: a disinterred Native American

In late June 1990, the Mono County Sheriffs Department in Bridgeport, CA contacted the Physical Anthropology Human Identification Laboratory (PAHIL) at California State University, Chico to seek assistance in the identification of a recently discovered skull. To assist with possible identification, the cranium received a classic physical anthropological/morphological analysis to suggest the decedent's sex, age at death, ancestral affiliation, and uniqueness. It was concluded the cranium was that of an older male, and someone with mixed ancestry, probably Native American/White. Suggested uniquenesses were an eroded and greasy texture, with adhering white sand, evidence of healed antemortem nasal fractures, and a bifid left occipital condyle. The cranium was confiscated from a man suspected of vandalizing a Native American cemetery just south of the community of Lee Vining. The cemetery was established in the mid-1800's by local Native American tribes. Although ownership of the land was disputed by the US Forest Service (the Inyo National Forest), and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), county authorities claimed that because the incident involved the desecration of a cemetery and human remains, it was a legal issue, and therefore, the Sheriff's Department had jurisdiction over the case if not the land. The suspect pled guilty to the possession of Native American remains but claimed not to have desecrated a grave. Over the next year and a half, members of the Native American community representing various tribes sought the return of the cranium, while also seeking assurance that it belonged to the vandalized grave. While county, US Forest Service, and LADWP officials continued to argue over whom had jurisdiction of the remains the superior court judge ordered the county to pay for any analysis necessary to determine if the cranium belonged to the decedent in question. This report addresses the conclusions of that analysis and the disposition of the case. Furthermore, the report addresses the forensic value to Native Americans of the continued study of a wide variety of human skeletal remains.