Motor vehicle exhaust gas suicide in Victoria, Australia 1998-2002

Motor vehicle exhaust gas suicide (MVEGS) is the second most frequent method of suicide in Victoria, Australia. It is a highly lethal method of suicide with 1.5 deaths for every hospital admission. Australian regulations require all vehicles manufactured since 1998 to have a maximum carbon monoxide exhaust emission level of 2.1 g/km, reduced from the previous level of 9.6 g/km. Information surrounding all Victorian MVEGS between 1998-2002 was analyzed to determine whether suicides occurred in vehicles with the lower emission levels. Between 1998-2002, 607 suicides by this means were recorded while just 393 hospital admissions were recorded for the same period. Mean carboxyhaemoglobin levels were significantly lower in fatalities using vehicles manufactured from 1998, however suicide still occurred in these vehicles (n = 25). The extent to which the new regulations contributed to the relatively low rate of suicide in vehicles less than 5 years old compared to their frequency in the fleet remains unknown. Based on international experience and the age of the Victorian vehicle fleet, it may take well over a decade until substantial decreases in MVEGS are observed in the absence of active preventive measures.     

Toward a more comprehensive understanding of violence against impoverished women

Research and knowledge of violence against impoverished women continues to be limited. To achieve a more comprehensive understanding of violence against impoverished women and therefore inform prevention and intervention efforts for this population, the authors report on recent (past 6 months) physical, sexual, and psychological violence among 898 women who were randomly sampled from temporary shelter settings (n = 460) and low-income housing (n = 438) in Los Angeles County. Women experienced notable rates of violence during the past 6 months (e.g., 23% of sheltered women and 9% of housed women reported physical violence). Perpetrators were diverse, particularly for the sheltered women, including sexual partners, family, and strangers. These findings, and others suggesting that the different types of violence are distinct and severe, may call for more comprehensive screening and intervention efforts to enhance the safety of impoverished women.     

Cardiac rupture in acute myocardial infarction: a reassessment

Cardiac rupture as a complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been described as occurring infrequently. Because of the recent dramatic decrease in autopsy rates, the authors believe that current studies do not accurately represent the frequency of this catastrophic complication. Autopsy protocols and archived histologic slides of patients with AMI were retrospectively reviewed to determine whether the frequency of cardiac rupture, as a complication of AMI, is altered when a non-hospital-based patient cohort after autopsy is evaluated. This review yielded 153 cases of 41 women and 112 men, whose postmortem examinations revealed gross and histologic evidence of AMI. Cardiac rupture was present in 30.7% of these cases. Of the 47 patients with rupture, 35 had no relevant medical history. The remaining 12 patients had various medical conditions. None of the patients in the rupture group had previously treated symptoms related to coronary artery conditions. Whereas women constituted 26.8% of the total AMI group, they had a cardiac rupture rate of 61%. By contrast, men with AMI had a cardiac rupture rate of 19.6%. All patients in the cardiac rupture group had heart weights over the predicted expected weight as a function of body weight. Age, gender, and heart weight were significant factors associated with cardiac rupture, whereas body mass index was not significantly related. When these factors were evaluated jointly, age was a significant explanatory factor for rupture among both men and women, whereas body mass index and heart weight were significant for men but not for women. When the rupture sites occurred on the left ventricular myocardium, the anterior wall was affected in 21 cases (45%), the posterior wall in 18 (38%), the lateral wall in 4 (9%), and the apex in 3 (6%). The right ventricular myocardium ruptured in 1 case (2%). Most of the patients had severe multivessel coronary artery disease. Histologic study of the specimens showed that the majority of ruptures occurred between 24 and 72 hours after myocardial infarction. This study showed a frequency of cardiac rupture of 30.7% in patients with AMI and sudden death according to medical examiner's records. These findings confirm and reinforce the importance of postmortem examination and autopsy as an adjunct to clinical medical practice.     

Crime scene investigations using portable,non-destructive space exploration technology

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASAs) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) have teamed up to explore the use of NASA developed technologies to help criminal justice agencies and professionals solve crimes. The objective of the program is to produce instruments and communication networks that have application within both NASA's space program and NIJ programs with state and local forensic laboratories. A working group of NASA scientists and law enforcement professionals has been established to develop and implement a feasibility demonstration program. Specifically, the group has focused its efforts on identifying gunpowder and primer residue, blood, and semen at crime scenes. Non-destructive elemental composition identification methods are carried out using portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems. These systems are similar to those being developed for planetary exploration programs. A breadboard model of a portable XRF system has been constructed for these tests using room temperature silicon and cadmium-zinc telluride (CZT) detectors. Preliminary tests have been completed with gunshot residue (GSR), blood-spatter and semen samples. Many of the element composition lines have been identified. Studies to determine the minimum detectable limits needed for the analyses of GSR, blood and semen in the crime scene environment have been initiated and preliminary results obtained. Furthermore, a database made up of the inorganic composition of GSR is being developed. Using data obtained from the open literature of the elemental composition of barium (Ba) and antimony (Sb) in handswipes of GSR, we believe that there may be a unique GSR signature based on the Sb to Ba ratio.     

Education Aid in New York State: Targeting Issues and Measures

The distribution of state aid for public education in New Yorkis the result of a combination of political and educationalconcerns. They influence the amount of school aid distributed,the pattern of aid distribution among school districts, thetypes of programs funded, and the accountability required forthese funds. This article focuses on the forces that influencethe split between general state aid and targeted state aid.General aid refers to aid that districts may use for any purposeconsistent with local priorities or needs. Targeted aid is moneyprovided by the state to a district for a particular purpose.When a district accepts targeted aid, it must agree to spendthe funds in accord with specific statutes or regulations. Considerationsof equity, mechanics of state aid distribution, and the historyof the development of school aid legislation are also discussedin this article.     

Data sharing

Many kinds of events are subsumed under the rubric of data sharing. Given the range of meanings or contexts of data sharing, several conclusions follow: (1) Some kinds of data sharing are more problematic than others. (2) Objections to data sharing typically are bolstered by examples from the more difficult end of the spectrum. (3) Constrained sharing, including possible contractual and licensing agreements rather than merely handing over the data, is a likely norm to emerge at the more difficult end of the spectrum. (4) Given various tools for constrained sharing, even the most difficult cases may yield to constrained sharing solutions that benefit all parties involved. (5) If research is conducted with eventual sharing in mind, and if the scientist is acquainted with the tools of constrained sharing, then the kinds of dilemmas that currently pose as arguments against sharing will occur rarely.