Reviews

The Enforcement of Morals. By Patrick Devlin. Legal Systems and Lawyers' Reasonings. By Julius Stone. Law in Society. By Geoffrey Sawer. [London: Oxford University Press. Clarendon Law Series: edited by H. L. A. Hart. Advocacy in Our Time. By O. C. Mazengarb, C.B.E., Q.C., M.A., LL.D. Salmond on the Law of Torts. Fourteenth edition. By R. F. V. Heuston, M. A., LL. B., Professor of Law in the University of Southampton, of Gray's Inn and King's Inn, Dublin, Barrister-at-Law. Jurisdiction and Illegality. By Amnon Rubinstein. Die Erforschung des Sachverhalts im Prozess. By Erich Döhring, Professor at the University of Kiel. A Casebook of Administrative Law. By J. A. G. Griffith and H. Street. Tribunals and Inquiries―A Guide to Procedure. By Neville D. Vandyk. Capital Gains Tax. By G. S. A. Wheatcroft, assisted by A. E. W. Park and John E. Talbot. Corporation Tax. By Peter M. B. Rowland and John E. Talbot with Annotations to Finance Act 1965 by S. Michael Young and John Silberrad. Disarmament and International Law. By Allan Gotlieb. United Nations Forces. By D. W. Bowett with the assistance and collaboration of Dr. G. P. Barton, H. C. Carnegic, Wing-Commander A. E. Cobus, J. G. Collier, M. Hardy, Dr. Rosalyn Higgins and Professor L. B. Sohn. The Theory of Nationalisation. By Konstantin Katzarov. Criminal on the Road. A Study of Serious Motoring Offences and those who commit them. By T. C. Willett. Curtis and Ruoff on The Law and Practice of Registered Conveyancing. Second edition. By Theodore B. F. Ruoff, C.B.E., Chief Land Registrar. Banking Law for Trustee Savings Banks. By C. L. Lawton, Barrister-at-Law. The Practitioner's Guide to Hire-Purchase Cases. By Harold Brown, Q.C. The Mercantile and Industrial Law of Scotland. By J. J. Gow. The Quantum of Damages in Bodily and Fatal Injury Cases. Second edition. By M. M. Corbett and J. L. Buchanan. Law Relating to Hospitals and Kindred Institutions. Fourth edition. By S. R. Speller, O.B.E., LL.B. Introduction to Modern Hindu Law. By J. Duncan M. Derrett, M.A., PH.D., of Gray's Inn, Barrister-at-Law, Professor in Oriental Laws in the University of London, Tagore Professor of Law for 1953, University of Calcutta. Le Droit de Visits des Parents Séparés de leurs Enfants en Suisse, en France et en Allemagne. By Maurice Marthaler. A Deliktuális Felelösség a Társadalom és a Jog Fejlödésének Történetében (Delictual Liability in the History of the Evolution of Society and Law). By Ferenc Mádl. Das Deutsche Seerecht. First edited by Georg Schaps and others. Third edition. By Hans Jürgen Abraham. Criminal Law in Nigeria (excluding the North). By C. O. Okonkwo and M. E. Naish.     

Response speeds and response times of urban police patrol cars in Ottawa,Canada

When planning or simulating the operations of radio patrol cars, it is necessary to know the response time and response speed. In the present work the response speed was measured for downtown and surburban cars in order to facilitate computer simulations of patrol operations. Recorders were installed in the cars and records of dispatch delay, travel time, distance, response time, service time, and percentage of time per shift answering calls, were kept. Curves (which may be of general application) were fitted to the data for each parameter. The most probable average speed of the downtown car was 16 mph and of the suburban cars, 25 mph and 27 mph. Because of different average distances, however, the response times were comparable. Good agreement was found berween average travel times calculated from a formula given by R.C. Larson and travel times found experimentally in the present work.     

Reduced volume PCR amplification reactions using the AmpFlSTR Profiler Plus kit

The forensic community continues to seek improvements in DNA typing methods on aspects such as sensitivity and efficacy. Reducing the volume of the AmpFlSTR Profiler Plus reagents offered greater sensitivity and improved the chance of obtaining useful results for samples with very low quantities of DNA and multiple source samples. On the downside, amplifications initiated with less than 0.4 ng of DNA exhibited a twofold increase in the standard deviation of peak ratios. This research suggested a twofold approach to analyzing samples. For samples with greater than 0.25 ng of DNA, a 25 microL reaction is appropriate. Samples that did not demonstrate quantifiable results, or that have less than 0.25 ng, can be amplified by drying the sample directly in the PCR tube and amplifying in a 5 microL reaction. The analyst can expect at least limited results with as little as 0.03 ng of DNA in the 5 microL reaction.     

A rapid postmortem cardiac troponin T assay: laboratory evidence of sudden cardiac death

Postmortem examination may be useful in establishing the cause of sudden unexpected death. In many instances, however, limitations of staffing, budget, and time may force the pathologist to triage cases to external examination rather than autopsy. A rapid assay for cardiac troponin T (cTnT) to document suspected cardiac-related deaths may optimize the use of the time and resources of the autopsy pathologist. Peripheral blood was sampled percutaneously before each of 40 autopsies and placed in the well of the Cardiac T Rapid Assay unit in accordance with the included instructions, and the results were read after 15 minutes. The assay result, decedent age, postmortem interval, and evidence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation were tabulated and subsequently correlated with the cause of death. On final sign-out of each of the autopsies, the cause of death was determined to be cardiac-related (n = 20) versus the cause in non-cardiac control subjects (n = 20). This determination was made while the investigators were blinded to the cTnT assay result. Of the 20 cardiac deaths, 17 (85%) showed positive results for cTnT compared with 6 (30%) false-positive results among the 20 control cases; this result was statistically significant according to the chi-square test. In the over-50 age group, the sensitivity of this assay in detecting cardiac-related death was 91%, with a specificity of 86%. Perimortem cardiopulmonary resuscitation did not appear to result in false-positive results. In the appropriate setting, this rapid assay for cTnT can provide valuable data supportive of a cardiac-related death. This inexpensive test may best be used in triaging sudden deaths in persons over 50 to external examination versus complete autopsy.     

Primary Attachment to Parents and Peers during Adolescence: Differences by Attachment Style

This study examines the nature of adolescent attachment to parents and peers during adolescence. A projective measure was used to classify 99 11th and 12th grade students into secure, insecure dismissing, and insecure preoccupied attachment groups. Respondents identified their primary attachment figure by nomination and by rating the level of attachment support they received from mothers, fathers, best friends, and boy/girlfriends. On average, parents and peers were equally likely to be identified as primary attachment figures but individual preference was strongly tied to attachment style. Secure adolescents significantly favored mothers over best friends, boy/girlfriends, and fathers. Although secure adolescents with romantic partners rated mothers lower on attachment support, none of the adolescents from this group nominated a boy/girlfriend as their primary attachment figure. In contrast insecure adolescents indicated a strong preference for boy/girlfriends and best friends as their primary target for attachment and nearly a third of dismissing adolescents identified themselves as their primary attachment figure. Findings are discussed in terms of individual differences in attachment during adolescence.     

Potency of delta 9-THC and other cannabinoids in cannabis in England in 2005: implications for psychoactivity and pharmacology

Gas chromatography was used to study the cannabinoid content ("potency") of illicit cannabis seized by police in England in 2004/5. Of the four hundred and fifty two samples, indoor-grown unpollinated female cannabis ("sinsemilla") was the most frequent form, followed by resin (hashish) and imported outdoor-grown herbal cannabis (marijuana). The content of the psychoactive cannabinoid delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) varied widely. The median THC content of herbal cannabis and resin was 2.1% and 3.5%, respectively. The median 13.9% THC content of sinsemilla was significantly higher than that recorded in the UK in 1996/8. In sinsemilla and imported herbal cannabis, the content of the antipsychotic cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) was extremely low. In resin, however, the average CBD content exceeded that of THC, and the relative proportions of the two cannabinoids varied widely between samples. The increases in average THC content and relative popularity of sinsemilla cannabis, combined with the absence of the anti-psychotic cannabinoid CBD, suggest that the current trends in cannabis use pose an increasing risk to those users susceptible to the harmful psychological effects associated with high doses of THC.     

Frontal sinus accuracy in identification as measured by false positives in kin groups

The aims of this study were to verify if frontal sinuses can uniquely identify individuals belonging to family groups using Cameriere methods and to test if kinship can affect the proportion of erroneous identifications. For this purpose, we compared the proportion of false-positive identifications in a sample of 99 individuals within 20 families with a control sample of 98 other individuals without kinship. The results show that the combined use of SOR and the Yoshino code number allows personal identification with a small probability of false positives (p < 10(-6)), even when kinship is taken into account. The present research confirms the importance of studying anthropological frameworks for identification, which leads to reliable methods and allows for both quick and economic procedures.     

Acculturation, partner violence, and psychological distress in refugee women from Somalia

This study examined the relations among acculturation, domestic violence, and mental health in 62 married refugee women from Somalia. Refugees from Somalia constituted the largest group of refugees entering the United States in 2005, and little is known about the presence of domestic violence in this group. The results showed that women who reported greater ability to speak English also reported more experiences of partner psychological abuse and physical aggression. Experiences of more psychological abuse and physical aggressions also predicted more psychological distress. Implications for future research and psychological services are addressed.