Oregon: does physician-assisted suicide work?

Since November 1997, Oregon, a State in the United States of approximately 3.3 million people, has allowed physician-assisted suicide, although not euthanasia, by virtue of the Death with Dignity Act. Before the Act, physician-assisted suicide, as in Australia and other common law jurisdictions, was illegal. Under the Act, the Oregon Department of Human Services is required to collect information and provide an annual report. The Sixth Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act was released on 10 March 2004.     

Gardner; Re BWV: resolved and unresolved issues at end of life

The Medical Treatment Act 1988 (Vic) gives statutory recognition to a patient's (or their agent or guardian if incompetent) right to refuse medical treatment. The case of Gardner; Re BWV confirmed that medical treatment as defined under the Act included artificial nutrition and hydration and as such could be withdrawn, notwithstanding that this would result in the patient's death. This article analyses Gardner; Re BWV and argues that, by deliberately dealing narrowly with the issues at hand, both the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal at first instance and the Victorian Supreme Court knowingly left BWV to die from dehydration over a period of weeks. By not addressing these issues, the tribunal, and more particularly the Supreme Court, lost an opportunity for a reform of the law, so urgently needed at end of life, which would have allowed for "mercy killing", thus sparing BWV and her family the lingering death she was given.     

Deciphering indented impressions on plastic

The questioned document laboratory is often called upon to decipher writing that has been erased, obliterated, or that has faded. In cases like these, the original writing is no longer legible to the naked eye, but may be enhanced using various light sources. Certain remnants of the ink's components absorb into the substrate's fibers and can be visualized, usually as luminescence or absorbance. A case is described here that involved the theft of a credit card. An empty plastic credit card holder was found in the possession of a suspect, and as submitted for examination. Indented impressions could be discerned on its clear plastic window and presumably originated from the credit card that had been held in the envelope. These indented impressions were deciphered in the hope that they would reveal enough details from the credit card to establish a connection between the plastic envelope and the stolen credit card. With methods generally utilized in the toolmarks and materials laboratory and the photography laboratory of the Israel Police, most of the indented impressions on the plastic were deciphered and a connection between the plastic envelope and the stolen credit card was demonstrated.     

Characterization of condom lubricant components using Raman spectroscopy and Raman chemical imaging

A condom can be described as a protective sheath used as a contraceptive or to protect against sexually transmitted diseases. However, individuals also use condoms during the commission of sexual assaults to prevent identification through deposited biological material. Raman spectroscopy offers a novel approach to identifying the presence of condom lubricant components. Furthermore, Raman chemical imaging expands on conventional Raman spectroscopy to characterize multiple condom lubricant components simultaneously in a manner that effectively demonstrates heterogeneous sample mixtures both spectrally and spatially. Known reference materials, liquid and solid lubricant components of common condom brands were successfully characterized using Raman dispersive spectroscopy and Raman chemical imaging without extensive sample preparation inherent to other analytical methods. The characterization of these materials demonstrates the potential of this technique to become a routine screening method for condom lubricants. This preliminary investigation provides a basis for future studies to determine the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy and Raman chemical imaging for condom lubricant trace detection in case type samples.     

Mandating insurance offers for low-wage workers: an evaluation of labor market effects

Employing a simultaneous model of part-time status, health insurance offers, and wages, we examine the impacts on employment and health insurance coverage of nondiscrimination rules in the tax code governing employer-sponsored health insurance. Using 1988 and 1993 Employee Benefits Supplements to the Current Population Surveys and variations in health insurance premiums and minimum wages, we find that health insurance coverage among low-wage primary earners is increased by at most 31 percent by the policy, at a cost of an estimated 0.8-5.4-percentage-point decrease in full-time employment for low-wage workers.     

A Comparative Study of Children and Adult Homicide Rates in the USA and the Major Western Countries 1974–1999: Grounds for Concern?

The aim of this study is to examine the changing patterns of child homicide in the USA and the other 9 major Western countries between 1974 and 1999. On the basis of standardized WHO mortality data, 5-year mean rates of Baby (<1 year), Infant (1–4), Child (5–14), and General Population Rates for Homicide (GPRH) were analyzed for 1974–78 and 1995–99 for the USA and major Western countries. The analysis provided ratios of change for children's homicide between 1974 and 1999 and ratio of ratios between adult' and children's homicide. Over the period USA male Baby homicide rose by 78% and Females 44% with a combined rise in All Children [0–14] homicides of 45%, within the context of a declining adult GPRH. In the 1970s, 3 major Western countries had either higher or similar children's homicide rates to the USA, but by the late 1990s none did. Moreover, between 1974 and 1999, the USA had the biggest rise in Baby (<1) and All Children's deaths, and only France had substantial increases, whereas Baby homicide rates fell significantly in 6 other countries. The findings indicate a worrying deterioration in U.S. child homicides. Possible links with child abuse and explanations for the results are briefly discussed. Urgent case-specific research is required to determine the cause/s for and how to reverse the worsening child homicide situation in the USA.     

Genetic structure among 38 populations from the United States based on 11 U.S. core Y chromosome STRs

A DNA database consisting of the 11 Y chromosome short-tandem-repeat (Y-STR) recommended by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods is constructed for 2517 individuals from 38 populations in the United States. The population samples derive from five ethnic groups currently living in 10 states. A multidimensional scaling (MDS) plot places the populations into four discrete clusters (African Americans (AA), European Americans (EA), Hispanic Americans (HA), and Asian Americans (SA)) and one dispersed cluster of Native Americans. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicates that a large proportion of the total genetic variance is partitioned among ethnic groups (24.8%), whereas only a small amount (1.5%) is found among-populations within ethnic groups. Separate AMOVA analyses within each ethnic group show that only the NA sample contains statistically significant among-population variation. Pair wise population differentiation tests do uncover heterogeneity among EA and among HA populations; however, this is due to only a single sample within each group. The analyses support the creation of AA, EA, HA, and Asian American databases in which samples from different geographic regions within the United States are pooled. We recommend that separate databases be constructed for different NA groups.     

The evidential value of distorted and rectified digital images in footwear imprint examination

The procedure for forensic photography requires that the film plane be parallel to the taken image. Another procedure must be used when the print is located on reflecting surfaces such as vehicles, or faint marks on porous surfaces. Examination was made of the evidential value of footprint images received from the scene or taken deliberately at an angle out of proper perspective (i.e., the lens axis is not perpendicular to the target plane). An artificial target was prepared and photographed from several lens axis angles ranging from 10 degrees to 85 degrees to the perpendicular, and then rectified using the Adobe Photoshop Version 7.0. It was found that at angles less than 40 degrees , the shape and location of all the individual characteristics were similar enough in comparison to the original image. In images taken at higher angles, the original image could not be adequately restored. The full potential of this image, therefore, could not be achieved after rectification. The results of this study show that the images of a footprint taken at an angle less than 40 degrees , preserve the evidential value of the unique characteristics.     

Heart embolization with the Kirschner wire without cardiac tamponade

The case of the heart embolization with the Kirschner wire that was used for shoulder trauma fixation, 2 years previously in a 67-year-old female, is reported. This case is unique; although embolization of foreign bodies to the heart is not a novel occurrence, heart embolization with non-broken Kirschner wire with a total length of 13.5 cm without cardiac tamponade was not described in medical literature so far.