Death associated with volatile substance inhalation--histologic, scanning electron microscopic and energy dispersive X-ray spectral analyses of lung tissue

The investigation of deaths due to the inhalation of volatile substances may be complicated by a lack of scene and autopsy findings. Mechanisms of death may not be determinable at autopsy, and there may be very few markers of inhalant abuse. A 21-year-old man is reported who died from the combined effects of methadone toxicity and toluene inhalation. Histological examination of the lungs revealed congestion and edema, as well as particles of blue, pigmented material within the interstitium and in macrophages. Scanning electron microscopy was undertaken, revealing that the particles contained granules that measured 0.15-0.2microm in diameter, within the range of mean particle sizes for inorganic paint pigments. Energy dispersive X-ray spectral analysis of the granules demonstrated a significant percentage of titanium (12%) confirming their origin from paint. Ancillary investigations such as electron microscopy and X-ray spectral analysis in cases of possible lethal volatile inhalation may prove useful adjuncts in determining the type of substance inhaled and in providing evidence of previous non-lethal episodes.     

Validation of reduced-scale reactions for the Quantifiler Human DNA kit

Accurate quantification of DNA samples is an important step in obtaining accurate and reproducible short tandem repeat (STR) profiles. Quantitative real-time-PCR has improved the speed and accuracy of DNA quantification over earlier methods, albeit at significantly greater cost per reaction. Here, the performance of reduced volume (10 microL) DNA quantification assays using the Quantifiler Human DNA Quantification Kit was evaluated using commercial standards and single source biological stains (e.g., venous blood, saliva, and semen). In addition, casework-type samples including those subjected to environmental contaminants containing PCR inhibitors and samples having undergone extensive DNA degradation were also quantified. The concentration of DNA in various forensic samples ranged from 0 to 2.9 ng/microL depending on sample source and/or environmental insult. Compared to full-scale reactions, reduced volume assays displayed equivalent to improved amplification efficiency and sample-to-sample reproducibility (+/-0.01-0.17 C(T FAM)). Furthermore, the use of data from reduced-scale Quantifiler reactions facilitated the accurate determination of the amount of sample DNA extract needed to generate quality STR profiles. The use of 10 microL-scale Quantifiler reaction volumes has the practical benefit of increasing the effective number of reactions per kit by 250%; thereby reducing the cost per assay by 60% while consuming less sample. This is particularly advantageous in cases of consumptive testing.     

Theoretical Disagreement,Legal Positivism,and Interpretation

Ronald Dworkin famously argued that legal positivism is a defective account of law because it has no account of Theoretical Disagreement. In this article I argue that legal positivism—as advanced by H.L.A. Hart—does not need an account of Theoretical Disagreement. Legal positivism does, however, need a plausible account of interpretation in law. I provide such an account in this article.     

The Impact of Psychosocial and Contextual Factors on Individuals Who Sustain Whiplash-Associated Disorders in Motor Vehicle Collisions

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are very common, and they often result in neck and shoulder injuries that are referred to as whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). The largest percentage of WAD are relatively minor and do not reveal any evidence of objective, structural pathology. However, for a substantial percentage of individuals, WAD evolves into chronic, disabling conditions characterized by pain and other symptoms. A range of pre-morbid, collision-related, biomechanical, and psychosocial responses to the MVC have been investigated to determine the manner in which these responses serve to exacerbate and maintain WAD symptoms. In this article, we review the literature investigating these potential causal, amplifying, and perpetuating factors from a biopsychosocial perspective. We emphasize the range of psychological factors and the post-MVC legal and compensation factors that have been identified as significant contributors to the persistence of symptoms and ensuing disability. We highlight the ways in which psychological and legal factors need to be integrated with biological factors to better understand and prevent WAD and treat individuals who experience WAD to reduce chronicity and disability.     

Why Peacekeeping Does Not Promote Peace

Peacekeeping, and the conflicts to which it is applied, have evolved since the United Nations began these operations in 1948. Today, the UN has 90,000 peacekeepers deployed around the world in 12 operations that cost the international community $6.5 billion a year. Half of these missions have been going on for a combined total of three centuries, with no solution in sight to any of them. Five of the remaining six are in response to violent extremism. In those missions, a steadily growing number of peacekeepers are being killed despite the fact that they are unable to make any significant contribution to successfully combating the extremists. UN peacekeeping has therefore become either endless or impossible, and the peacekeepers have neither the carrots nor the sticks to effectively promote peace or punish those who are preventing it. It is time for the international community to rethink how it strives for international stability in conflict situations. To have a serious discussion, however, would require the UN member states to place a higher priority on peace than on their individual national interests.