Determination of age from the sternal rib in white males: a test of the phase method

The effectiveness of a given age determination technique can better be assessed by testing the standards on unknown specimens. A test of this nature was carried out to evaluate the authors' previously published phase method for age estimation from the sternal extremity of the rib. A sample of 15 test ribs was judged by 25 physical and forensic anthropologists with varying levels of education and experience. The judges were asked to match the rib to the phase it most closely resembled by comparing it with the photographs from the original study. The results indicated that interobserver error based on experience was minimal, and nearly all of the participants averaged within one phase of the ideal. Variation appeared to be greater among the ribs than among the judges, yet no consistent association could be made between this variation and factors such as cause of death, antemortem medical history, drug or alcohol abuse, and occupation.     

Immunoassay for methamphetamine with a new antibody

p- and o-Aminomethamphetamine were synthesized as haptens to be coupled with carrier protein at the benzene ring of methamphetamine. Immunogens were prepared by the glutaraldehyde method or the MBS (N-(m-maleimidobenzoyloxy)succinimide) type cross-linking reagent method. In particular, immunization with p-aminomethamphetamine-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate prepared by the glutaraldehyde method gave an anti-methamphetamine antiserum having a low cross-reactivity with methylephedrine. With the antiserum, three kinds of immunoassays for methamphetamine were established. An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were developed with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as a label enzyme. The amount of antibody bound ALP conjugate was determined by its activity in dephosphorylating p-nitrophenyl phosphate in EIA and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+) in ELISA. The range of methamphetamine measurable by ELISA was 0.025-0.5 ng/well and its sensitivity was superior to that of EIA (0.3-300 ng/tube). A latex agglutination inhibition reaction test (LAIRT) was also developed for the mass screening method of urine samples. The sensitivity of this method for methamphetamine was 0.1 micrograms/ml urine.     

Storage of blood for methemoglobin determination: comparison of storage with a cryoprotectant at -30 degrees C and without any additions at -80 degrees C or -196 degrees C

Changes in methemoglobin (Met-Hb) concentrations during storage of whole blood or mixtures of blood and a cryoprotectant at refrigerated or various freezing temperatures were examined using blood samples from nitrite-administered rats and from autopsy cadavers. When whole blood was stored at 3 degrees C, Met-Hb reduction was observed in blood samples from nitrite-administered rats and in the blood from a victim poisoned by a weed killer containing some oxidant. When samples were stored at -30 degrees C, Met-Hb formation by autoxidation was inevitably observed in blood samples stored as whole blood, whereas addition of a cryoprotectant to whole blood could prevent Met-Hb formation in all the blood samples. When whole blood was stored at -80 degrees C or -196 degrees C, Met-Hb concentrations were practically stable until at least 30 days regardless of the initial values except in the control rat blood samples stored at -80 degrees C which showed slight formation of Met-Hb. From the results obtained, both the storage with a cryoprotectant at -30 degrees C and that without any additions at -80 degrees C or -196 degrees C proved to be suitable for long-term storage of blood samples from autopsy cadavers for Met-Hb determination.     

A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of carboxyhemoglobin in blood

The spectrophotometric method for the determination of carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) in blood reported by Fretwurst and Meinecke was modified so as to give the same values of percentage HbCO (HbCO%) as those determined by the oxygen electrode method. Values of HbCO% of nine practical samples determined by both the oxygen electrode method and the present method were nearly identical regardless of the presence of methemoglobin (Met-Hb) in blood. The present method is suitable for forensic practice.     

Identification of human hair stained with oxidation hair dyes by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis.

This paper describes the gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GCMS) analysis of oxidation hair dyes from human hair. Diamines from the dyes were directly extracted from the hair in basic solution and aminophenols were extracted after neutralization. Both extracts were derivatised with trifluoroacetic anhydride and analysed by GCMS. Five components of oxidation hair dyes namely, p-phenylenediamine, toluene-2,5-diamine, o-aminophenol, m-aminophenol and p-aminophenol were clearly identified, whilst no other compounds originating from the hair dyes were detected. The presence and relative amounts of these dye components from hair extracts may assist in the discrimination of human hair especially in cases involving forensic science.     

Diagnostic value of the placenta in medico-legal practice

In three suspected cases of infanticide, histological examinations of the placentas were effective in clarifying the circumstances. We have estimated the 5th month of pregnancy from pieces of the placenta in one case and diagnosed the causes of perinatal abnormalities in two cases, those being acute chorioamnionitis and possible premature separation of normally implanted placenta.     

Ideology, strategy and party competition in postwar Norway

Abstract. Electoral manifestos are a key instrument of democratic political parties in their quest for popular support. This article investigates the contents of postwar Norwegian party manifestos. The analysis builds on the saliency theory of party competition. Methodologically, it replicates the factor analysis of Budge, Robertson, and Hearl (1987). Four factors are uncovered. Two of these can be identified with the left-right dimension, one with the moral-religious axis, and one with material centre-periphery conflicts. A high degree of interparty consensus and convergence is evident, particularly prior to 1970. The results are generally consistent with previous research on Norwegian mass and party politics.     

Plasminogen (PLG) polymorphism in northern Japanese: confirmation of PLG*M6 allele

Plasminogen (PLG) phenotyping has been performed on 450 unrelated individuals from northern Japan, using wide-scale ultrathin layer polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing combined with immunoblotting. One common phenotype and six rare ones were observed. The rare phenotypes included the recently detected allele PLG*M6 in a new combination with PLG*M5 allele. The estimated allele frequencies for PLG*A, PLG*A3, PLG*M2, PLG*M5, PLG*M6, PLG*B, and PLG*B2 were 0.961, 0.009, 0.001, 0.016, 0.001, 0.003, and 0.009, respectively.     

Theoretical Paradigms of Islamic Movements

The discourse of contemporary Islamic radicalism derives its inspiration from the writings of three Muslim thinkers and activists: Abu al-A^cla al-Mawdudi (died 1979), Sayyid Qutb(died 1966), and Ayatollah Khumayni (died 1989). This article is devoted to an initial exposition of the main themes of their texts as the unique founders of this particular 'discursivity'.