The influence of parents and peers on choices made by adolescents

Hypothetical situations in which an adolescent was faced with a choice of two possible alternatives, one favored by parents and the other favored by peers, were read by ninth- and twelfth-graders. Subjects were asked to pick the alternative most likely to be chosen by the adolescent in each situation. Responses were analyzed for tendency to choose parent- or peer-approved alternatives. Boys in the ninth grade chose the parent-approved alternative more often than either ninth-grade girls or twelfth-grade boys. Girls' responses tended to remain stable over the same period.Received her Ph.D. in experimental child psychology from the University of Illinois, Champaign. Current research interest is cognitive and personality development in childhood and adolescence.     

Frequency of bone lesions: an inadequate criterion for gunshot wound diagnosis in skeletal remains

A retrospective study was carried out on 130 fatalities due to gunshot wounds to determine whether the combined absence of bone damage and projectile in a skeleton is sufficient to eliminate a diagnosis of gunshot wound. Our findings showed that bone lesions were present in about 90% of the cases and were associated with intracorporeal projectile(s) in about 70% of the cases. The presence or absence of bone lesions seemed independent of the gun characteristics, the shot conditions, and the type of death. The cause of death was predominantly brain injury in cases with bone lesions whereas thoracic, abdominal, and peripheral vascular causes were more frequently encountered in cases without bone damage. We concluded that the combined absence of bone lesions and intracorporeal projectile (about 5% in our series) cannot exclude a diagnosis of death secondary to gunshot wounds.     

Inter-observer error for area of origin analysis using FARO Zone 3D

In a bloodletting incident, the area of origin (AO) of an impact bloodstain pattern is crucial when establishing the sequence of events. The use of laser scanners and other three-dimensional (3D) technologies to document and analyse bloodstains have been the subject of previous papers, especially where AO analysis is concerned. FARO Zone 3D (FZ3D) is a relatively new software programme that can be used for bloodstain AO analysis. FZ3D requires a greater understanding of inter-observer errors associated with AO. This study looked at the inter-observer variation between 21 examiners when repeatedly calculating the AO six times for a single impact pattern on a plain white wall. An impact rig which consisted of a spring tension arm was positioned and fixed 45 cm from the X wall (right wall), and 45 cm from the Y wall (left wall). This experimental design resembles an impact blow for a bloodletting event. The AO was unknown to all examiners, making it a blind study. The collected results were documented in a Microsoft Excel datasheet and later analysed. From previous literature, a 30 cm acceptable allowance was utilised for AO analysis; however, there is currently no accepted standard error for this type of analysis. The overall total 3D mean error for all examiners was 5.62 cm. The maximum error for any one impact analysis was 24.27 cm. The variation of the data, which was collected by all examiners, was documented as X = 1.14 cm, Y = 1.24 cm, Z = 1.68 cm, and the total 3D error = 2.28 cm. The total 3D error for any one examiner and the variance between examiners did not exceed the 30 cm acceptable allowance utilised in previous literature.     

Financial performance studies of university spin-off companies (USOs) in the West Midlands

The Journal of Technology Transfer - Doubts remain over the true impact of university spin-offs (USOs), particularly those created outside elite research universities. This paper examines the...     

Attempted Serial Neonaticides: Case Report and a Brief Review of the Literature

Neonaticide is an infant murder occurring on the day of birth. The case reports found in the literature are often focused on the mother as the agent in the context of pregnancy denial, dissociative symptoms, or psychosis. However, this report describes a rare case of attempted serial neonaticides, in which the acts were committed by a nurse at the nursery of a referral hospital in Brazil. The authors describe a forensic psychiatric evaluation for criminal responsibility and correlate the information from this particular case with relevant forensic themes, namely neonaticide, Munchausen by proxy syndrome, and serial healthcare killers.     

Knowledge on DNA Success Rates to Optimize the DNA Analysis Process: From Crime Scene to Laboratory

DNA analysis has become an essential intelligence tool in the criminal justice system for the identification of possible offenders. However, it appears that about half of the processed DNA samples contains too little DNA for analysis. This study looks at DNA success rates within 28 different categories of trace exhibits and relates the DNA concentration to the characteristics of the DNA profile. Data from 2260 analyzed crime samples show that cigarettes, bloodstains, and headwear have relatively high success rates. Cartridge cases, crowbars, and tie‐wraps are on the other end of the spectrum. These objective data can assist forensics in their selection process.The DNA success probability shows a positive relation with the DNA concentration. This finding enables the laboratory to set an evidence‐based threshold value in the DNA analysis process. For instance, 958 DNA extracts had a concentration value of 6 pg/μL or less. Only 46 of the 958 low‐level extracts provided meaningful DNA profiling data.