Late-form hemorrhagic disease of the newborn: a fatal case report with illustration of investigations that may assist in avoiding the mistaken diagnosis of child abuse

Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN) is usually a self-limiting hemorrhagic disorder of childhood that occurs as a result of vitamin K deficiency. It may be defined as early or late form depending on the time of onset related to birth. HDN is recognized as one of several bleeding disorders that can mimic the findings of nonaccidental head injury and may lead to a mistaken diagnosis of child abuse. We present a single fatal case of late-onset HDN with illustration of hematologic assays that can be performed to assist the pathologist in making the correct diagnosis of HDN.     

Evaluating the Dimensionality and Invariance of ”Low Self-Control”

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) A General Theory ofCrime, all illegal activity is the manifestation of a single underlyingcause. The authors argue that inadequate child-rearing causes individualsto develop a similar type of propensity for criminal and analogousbehavior. Gottfredson and Hirschi label this characteristiclow self-control. Six dimensions, which can be identified intheir theory, are suggested to comprise a final low self-controltrait. Further, low self-control is proposed to be an invariantcharacteristic (i.e., its form does not change with the age of theindividual or context in which the person resides). In this research, weevaluate these two propositions. First, the six dimensions are measured andused to determine if a multidimensional model can explain another commonfactor—low self-control—in two samples of individuals (fromdifferent locales) with dissimilar mean ages. Second, low self-control inboth samples is tested for invariance. We test the proposed invariance oflow self-control by examining if the parameter values in a model, which isreflective of Gottfredson and Hirschi's conceptualization of thecharacteristic, differ across the two samples of individuals. The resultssupport both of Gottfredson and Hirschi's propositions. Lowself-control does appear to be a multidimensional characteristic whosedimensions represent another common factor. Low self-control also appears tobe an invariant latent trait that members of these two samplespossess. These tests help to clarify Gottfredson and Hirschi'sconceptualization of low self-control.     

Prolonged activity after an ultimately fatal gunshot wound to the heart: case report

In this article, we describe an unusual case of suicide involving a gunshot wound to the left ventricle. The victim engaged in premortem activity that was both prolonged and methodical. This report stresses the importance of a complete investigation to distinguish such case from an homicide.     

精神分裂症病人肇事因素分析

就鉴定案例中肇事精神分裂症病人与一般精神分裂症群体、其他肇事精神病人群体的资料进行比较,结果显示：精神分裂症群体的肇事率、凶杀率远高于其他精神病群体;肇事精神分裂症病人的诊治情况明显差于一般精神分裂症群体,且再婚率低,家庭支持系统不力等。提示：加强对精神分裂症病人的社会监管和治疗,是防止肇事行为发生,维护社会治安的积极措施。     

The SEM observation of brain tissues and vascular corrosion cast of closed diffuse brain injuries

The morphologic changes of the closed injured brain of rats were observed by SEM. The rats either died immediately after conclusive injuries or were killed after 5 minutes to 5 days after injuries. The main changes were as follows: the diffuse disorder, twist, wave-like distortion and break of neuron fibers; axonal swelling; formation of axonal retraction balls; stripping and denotation of myelin sheath The ball-like swelling of neuron, break of neuron membrane and vascular wall, and microthrombus formations were also observed. These damages worsened with prolongation of surviving time of the rats. The axonal retraction ball appeared 8 hours after the injury and was approximately 3-5 cm in diameter, and developed to 7-8 cm after 3-5 days. It is observed that frontal lobe, cerebellum and brain stem were severely damaged.     

The use of the Foster & Freeman Fx5 Fibre Finder in forensic textile examinations.

The Fx5 Fibre Finder has been developed by Foster & Freeman Ltd to automatically search tape lifts for coloured fibres specified by the operator. Experiments and casework studies have been conducted to assess primarily the performance of the instrument but also, where possible, to compare it with manual searching. Tape lifts have always been manually searched at this laboratory and it is a laborious task. The use of a machine such as the Fx5 would release a scientist from many hours of low power microscopy to be free for other duties and therefore could be a valuable labour saving device in forensic textile examination.     

A comparative evaluation of a new generation jail

This study reports findings from an evaluation of a new generation jail in a large southwestern state. The jail is one component of a complex containing a traditional jail, an indirect supervision facility (barracks), and the new generation jail. Using survey and operational data, we compare the new generation jail to the other two facilities. The findings provide generally positive support for the effectiveness of the new generation jail. Inmates and staff were much more satisfied with the physical facilities. Staff perceived it as more secure, though they reported only limited advantages in safety and security. Violence and disciplinary problems were substantially lower. However, no savings in staffing levels were noted, nor were there differences in job satisfaction for staff in the new generation jail. We discuss the implications of the findings and suggest additional directions for jail evaluations.