Scanning electron microscopy as an auxiliary method in the study of exhumed bones

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used in forensic science in many ways. The reports of cases in which SEM has been used as an auxiliary method in the investigation of exhumed bones are rare. In this article, we report an exhumation that was made to determine if a seized weapon could have been used in a homicide. We used SEM to analyze a fracture in the interior of the skull of the victim. The findings described in this article showed us that it is possible to develop new researches in this field.     

Usefulness of combining clinical and radiological dental findings for a more accurate noninvasive age estimation

The aim of this study was to establish correlations of clinical and radiological dental findings, alone or in combination, with chronological age in adults. Dental findings and orthopantomograms of 984 patients (aged 20-60 years; 524 females/460 males) were analyzed. DMF-T index and distance (alveolar bone level, ABL) between cemento-enamel junction and alveolar bone margin were recorded. Additionally, clinical and radiological findings at each tooth crown and root were collected according to the actual status of destruction and restoration, and a total score for each dentition (TSD) was calculated. After univariate correlation analysis, correlation coefficients for ABL and TSD were improved by using square root (sqrt). However, the determination accuracy was still not satisfactory; 90% of the residuals were in the range of about +/-10. The present study showed that clinical and radiological dental findings could not be used, not even in combination, for accurate age estimation as a single method, but that they could support other methods.     

Population data for Y-chromosome haplotypes defined by 17 STRs (AmpFlSTR YFiler) in Portugal

The 17 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) included in the AmpFlSTR YFiler Amplification Kit (AB Applied Biosystems) (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635 and GATA H4.1) were typed in 250 samples from Portugal. A total of 231 different haplotypes were found, where 17 haplotypes were shared by two individuals and one haplotype by three. The overall haplotype diversity (HD) was 0.9994. DYS458 non-consensus alleles found in 5 samples (out of 85) are all associated with paragroup J*(xJ1,2). Population comparisons with available Yfiler loci data in European samples were undertaken, namely with Northern Portuguese data (N=174) where no significant differences were observed with our sample (Rst=0.0000; P=0.8649+/-0.0310). Since both Portuguese databases can be joined (N=424; HD=0.9997; 394 distinct haplotypes), a study on the best loci for HD increment in this sample was also undertaken: by fixing the haplotypes generated from the minimal haplotype and SWGDAM core set (www.yhrd.org) and adding the other Yfiler loci one by one, the order in which the loci contribute more is DYS458, DYS456, GATA H4.1, DYS437 or DYS635, and finally DYS448. Therefore, at least in this population sample, all Yfiler loci are contributing for haplotype discrimination.     

Minors and informed consent: a comparative approach

The European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine of the Council of Europe provides in article 6 for special protection of persons who are not able to give free and informed consent to an intervention in the health field, e.g. minors. According to the second paragraph of this article it is up to domestic law to decide whether and under which conditions a minor is capable of taking autonomous decisions in the health field. In the present article an overview is given of the legal regulations in place regarding the position of minors in a health care setting in the EU Member States that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine namely Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. As the overview will show, the legal position of minor patients in a health care setting varies from country to country. This in view of the system they have opted for as well as the age and circumstances under which minors are allowed to take health care decisions autonomously.     

Compassionate Killings: The Case for a Partial Defence

The focus of this article is upon compassionate killings, that is, criminal cases where a parent/spouse has killed or assisted to die a child/spouse who was suffering from severe disabilities, debilitating injury, chronic or terminal illness. We argue that the partial defence of diminished responsibility, while appropriate for some cases, fails to acknowledge the compassionate and relational nature of these acts and thus fails to identify the quality of the harm committed. We also argue that the general defences of duress of circumstances and necessity, even if they were to be become available, are inappropriate. Developing the concept of ‘compassion’, which is a consideration in relation to prosecution for assisted suicide, we argue for the introduction of a partial defence of ‘compassionate killing’ which would reduce the offence from murder to manslaughter in recognition of the killing as a responsive, relational act of care.     

There's Nothing New in Dying Now: Will Welfare Attorney Decision Making at End of Life Make a Real Difference?

Advance care planning is a way to express value‐based preferences in order to guide future treatment decisions following loss of decision‐making capacity. It aims to ensure that one's critical values continue to influence healthcare decisions, particularly at end of life. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 permits adults with capacity to appoint welfare attorneys to act as their proxy decision‐makers following loss of capacity. A focus group study was used to explore the views and perceptions of lawyers and health professionals to attorney decision making at end of life. Whilst participants gave a guarded welcome to the introduction of healthcare and welfare attorneys, potential challenges were identified, based upon professional norms and expectations. A shared consensus was that the realization of the full potential of proxy decision making was likely to be a theoretical, rather than real, benefit. Opinions were divided on elemental tenets such as prospective autonomy, best interests, and the potential for conflict.     

No-show at a forensic psychiatric outpatient clinic: risk factors and reasons

Nonattendance for and late cancellations of scheduled appointments, that is no-show, is a well-known phenomenon in psychiatric outpatient clinics. Research on the topic of no-show for initial and consecutive appointments in the field of forensic psychiatry is scarce. This study therefore aims to determine the prevalence and causes of no-show and to explore reasons for nonattendance. The study was carried out in an outpatient clinic in northern Netherlands. Telephone interviews were administered to 27 no-show clients, 84 follow-up no-show clients, and 41 attendees of 18 years and older. A no-show rate of 24.9% and a follow-up no-show rate of 9.8% was found. The majority of appointments missed were in the beginning phase of clinic contact. No-show clients were younger than their attending counterparts and more often dropped out from clinic contact. Also, less family social support was experienced by nonattendees. Reasons for nonattendance were having forgotten about appointment and work commitments.     

Children’s voices on equal time-sharing arrangement following parents’ divorce

The article presents the final part of an Icelandic research project on parents and children of divorce, focusing on grown-up children’s experiences of equal time-sharing arrangements, ETSA, after their parents’ divorce. It consists of a quantitative analysis of firstly a nationally representative sample mapping the frequency and experience of 18–59 years old individuals of ETSA after parents’ divorce, and secondly a qualitative analysis of 16 long interviews with 16 children of divorce reflecting on their experiences. Both analyses indicate different experiences of this type of arrangement. The reality of the arrangement in practice is that parents chose the arrangement on the basis of their own preferences rather than a court imposing it or because the generally accepted core conditions for a positive outcome for children were in place. These negative experiences of ETSA are discussed in further detail and the need for law reform and service improvement is considered.     

Contribution to the Development of Guidelines in the Analysis of Biological Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations

This investigation intends to study materials and techniques used for biological evidence collection in sexual assault cases and is divided into two stages: in stage one, methods for biological evidence collection (the single swab (including three variants) and the “double swab technique”) were compared; in stage two, swabs’ component material was compared. The sampling was composed of 42 heterosexual couples who provided mock samples. The collection methods in which the whole swab is covered by evidence presented significantly better outcomes (p < 0.001), such as the “double swab technique.” Additionally, nylon swabs proved to present significantly better features regarding the capacity of sample elution, providing significantly higher amounts of DNA (p ≤ 0.034). This study provides guidelines for better collection of biological evidence regarding the collection method using a swab and the proper swab material to utilize.     

Mixed Messages in Bottles: the European Union,Devolution, and the Future of the Constitution

An unprecedented eleven‐member UK Supreme Court decided R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on 24 January 2017. The Government's argument, that it could start the process of withdrawing from the EU using a prerogative power instead of an Act of Parliament, was comprehensively defeated by an 8:3 majority. However, the Government also secured a unanimous verdict that it did not need the consent from the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland before invoking Article 50 of the TEU. I explore the judicial argumentation in light of Philip Bobbitt's six modalities of constitutional argument, five of which feature, and one of which ought to have featured, in this seminal case.