Gunshot residue particles formed by using ammunitions that have mercury fulminate based primers.

Ammunition having mercury fulminate-based primers are commonly manufactured by Eastern Bloc countries and used extensively in the Middle East. Gunshot residue (GSR) particles formed by firing these types of ammunition were examined. It was observed that much lower percentage of mercury-containing GSR particles were found in samples taken from a shooter as compared to the percentage of such particles in samples from cartridge cases. This fact must therefore be taken into account when interpreting case results. A plausible explanation for the results described is proposed.     

Participation in the Wake of Adversity: Blame Attribution and Policy-Oriented Evaluations

In this paper we investigate to what extent perceptions of economic conditions, policy-oriented evaluations, and blame attribution affected Californians’ involvement in political activities in 2010. We use a statistical methodology that allows us to study not only the behavior of the average citizen, but also the behavior of “types” of citizens with latent predispositions that incline them toward participation or abstention. The 2010 election is an excellent case study, because it was a period when citizens were still suffering the consequences of the 2008 financial crisis and many were concerned about the state’s budgetary crisis. We find that individuals who blamed one of the parties for the problems with the budget process, and who held a position on the 2010 Affordable Care Act, were often considerably more likely to participate. We also find, however, that the impact of economic evaluations, positions on the health care reform, and blame attributions was contingent on citizens’ latent participation propensities and depended on the class of political activity.     

From local to global: transformations of Bukharan Jewish community organization in the twentieth century

Zdenek Hojda and Jirí Pokorný, Pomníky a zapomníky (Monuments and Forgetting). Prague: Paseka, 1996, 280 pp. + illustrations.

Vladimír Macura, Masarykové boty (Masaryk's Shoes). Prague, 1993, 99 pp.

Jirí Rak, Bývali ?echové, ?eské historické myty a stereotypy (Once Upon a Time, The Czechs Were. Czech Historical Myths and Stereotypes). Prague: Nakladatelstvi H &; H, 1994, 149 pp. + illustrations.

Vít Vinas, Jan Nepomucky,Ceská Legenda (Jan of Nepomuck. Czech Legend). Prague: Nakladadelství Mladá Fronta, 1993, 283 pp. + bibliography, chronology, illustrations.     

Guidelines for postmortem protocol for ocular investigation of sudden unexplained infant death and suspected physical child abuse

Postmortem examination is a cornerstone in identifying the cause of unexplained sudden death in children. Even in cases of suspected or known abuse, an autopsy may help characterize the nature of the abuse, which is particularly important in the forensic autopsy of children in the first 3 to 4 years of life when inflicted neurotrauma is most common. Forensic examinations are vital in cases that might otherwise be diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome. The ocular autopsy in particular may demonstrate findings that were not appreciated on antemortem clinical examination. This protocol for postmortem examination of the eyes and orbits was developed to promote more consistent documentation of findings, improved clinical and forensic decision making, and more replicable and coherent research outcomes.     

通识教育在中国教育发展中的角色

在中国借鉴美国的通识教育模式,必须具有中国的特色;将这种教育模式移植过来,必须进行改革,而这种改革必须是一个渐进、创新和适应的过程。中国需要创建一种课程以及教学法来鼓励学生进行创造性的思维,这是创新经济的基础和源泉。相对于教学内容而言,教学风格的改变可能更困难。这需要对教师进行培训,促使其掌握新的教学模式。总体而言,通识教育对中国来说好处大于坏处,而培养学生的批判性思维和独立思维能力对中国来说也是好处大于坏处。     

A controlled comparison of involuntarily hospitalized medication refusers and acceptors

Involuntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients consecutively admitted over a six-month period who successfully refused medication (n = 37) are compared with a randomly selected group of medication-accepting patients committed during the same time period (n = 37). The overall refusal rate was 15.6 percent during the study period. Acceptors and refusers did not differ on age, sex, diagnosis, ethnicity, marital status, or preadmission living status. Differences between the groups indicate that refusers are sicker and lower functioning, are more behaviorally acute on the ward, and stay in the hospital twice as long as acceptors. Refusers also have a significantly negative impact on the overall ward milieu. The impact of institutional factors on the rate and outcome from mediation refusal are discussed.     

Analysis of carboxyhemoglobin and cyanide in blood from victims of the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico

Ninety-seven people died from a fire that occurred in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in Puerto Rico on 31 Dec. 1986. All, except four who died later in the hospital, were found dead at the scene. All of the fatalities at the hotel (except for eight) were burned beyond recognition. Blood from seventy-eight of the victims was screened for carboxyhemoglobin at the Institute for Forensic Sciences in Puerto Rico and was then sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, for analysis of carboxyhemoglobin and cyanide concentrations. The blood data indicated that carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, singly or combined, were probably not responsible for the majority of the deaths that occurred in the badly burned victims. On the other hand, the significantly higher carboxyhemoglobin in the nonburned victims indicated that carbon monoxide alone or combined with hydrogen cyanide probably played a major role in the cause of their deaths.     

Machine washing or brushing of clothing and its influence on shooting distance estimation.

Experiments were conducted to assess the effect of machine washing or brushing of clothing items on Gunshot Residue (GSR) patterns (gunpowder residues, lead, and copper, deposits) around bullet entrance holes. Results show that those treatments decrease considerably the amount and density of GSR. However, for close shooting distances not all of the GSR deposits are removed. Remaining patterns may be visualized by specific color reactions and used for shooting distance estimation.