Analysis of alprazolam by DART-TOF mass spectrometry in counterfeit and routine drug identification cases

The high prevalence of alprazolam abuse translates to an increased workload for crime laboratories in characterizing seized tablets. These tablets may originate as diverted pharmaceuticals or counterfeited mimics, so efficient analytical techniques should provide confirmatory data while minimizing destruction of evidence. We offer the first report of a validated forensic method for confirming alprazolam tablets by direct analysis in real time-time of flight (DART-TOF) mass spectrometric analysis. This technique provides rapid identification of target analytes with minimal sample preparation, allowing direct analysis in the atmospheric sample gap. Selectivity is achieved through high resolution and mass accuracy, unique ion fragments, and chlorine isotopic ratios. This method utilizes fragmentation in two separate voltage functions to observe the alprazolam pseudo molecular ion at 309.09070 using 40 V and major ion fragments of 281.07197 and 205.07657 at 120 V. These parameters allow our laboratory to confirm alprazolam tablets efficiently, without compromising quality forensic standards.     

The Google conundrum: Perpetrator or facilitator on the net? - Forging a fair copyright framework of rights, liability and responsibility in response to search engine 2.0 - Part II: The Google Books Search Project

Is Google in its quest for search engine optimization through the creation of new technologies, which not only improves its search algorithms but also refines its search functions for users, doing it in a manner that makes it a perpetrator of primary copyright infringement or an invaluable facilitator for Internet functionality? How should the balance of interests in the treatment of creative works be recalibrated in the face of changes in search engine technology and operations, and the disputes that have arisen within the last decade in the context of the digital age and its needs? Using Google as a case study, this paper will look at the two main areas of dispute over the operations of information locator tools and services that either threatens search engine functionality and efficiency or weakens copyright holders’ exclusive rights. It proposes a concerted set of solutions through a reassessment and amendment of copyright law to optimize the social benefits and objectives of both the copyright regime and technological innovations in the electronic model of information archiving, indexing and delivery. A fair distribution of responsibilities and allocation of rights and liabilities will be suggested. In the process, due consideration will be given to both public and private interests, with the former taking precedence; while the recommended solutions will be made within the currently outdated framework for Internet intermediary protection (i.e. safe harbor laws) and exceptions (i.e. specific statutory exemptions and the general fair use defense) under the existing copyright regime. Thus, the proposed changes will be far reaching without being too radical a departure from current law, an evolution that will likely be more acceptable and realistic a solution to the problem.This paper is published in two parts. Part One of this paper published in the previous edition of the CLSR at [2011] 27 CLSR 110-131 dealt with the challenges to the copyright regime posed by the operations and technology behind the Google Images Search Engine, while Part Two will assess the benefits of the Google Books Search Project vis-à-vis the effects it will have on the scope of copyright protection. Recommendations are made to copyright law to accommodate both functions while generally preserving the main objectives of copyright protection.     

‘Customary internet-ional law’: Creating a body of customary law for cyberspace. Part 1: Developing rules for transitioning custom into law

The shift in socio-economic transactions from realspace to cyberspace through the emergence of electronic communications and digital formats has led to a disjuncture between the law and practices relating to electronic transactions. The speed at which information technology has developed require a faster, more reactive and automatic response from the law that is not currently met by the existing law-making framework. This paper suggests the development of special rules to enable Internet custom to form legal norms to fulfill this objective.     

The legal geographies of transnational cyber-prosecutions: extradition,human rights and forum shifting

This article describes legal and human rights issues in three cases of transnational online offending involving extradition requests by the United States (US). These cases were selected as all suspects claimed the negative impacts of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) were sufficient to deny extradition on human rights grounds. We demonstrate how recent developments in UK and Irish extradition law raise human rights and prosecutorial challenges specific to online offending that are not met by established protections under domestic and internationally sanctioned approaches to extradition or human rights law. In these cases, although the allegedly unlawful conduct occurred exclusively online and concurrent jurisdiction enables prosecution at both the source and location of harm, we demonstrate why national courts hearing extradition challenges are extremely reluctant to shift the trial forum. We conclude by discussing the implications of the new geographies of online offending for future criminological research and transnational criminal justice.     

Those Who Hesitate are Lost: The Case for Setting Behavioral Health Treatment and Disability Standards, Part III

The first and second articles in this 3-part series discussed systematic issues related to multiple standardization problems and their compounding impact on the state and federal disability systems. In addition, the lack of standardization negatively influencing the behavioral health (BH) training and treatment processes may have the potential to cause harm not only to the individual receiving professional care but also to the clinician providing the treatment. In the final article of the series, I make recommendations for systemic changes for the field as well as for potentially revising previous models toward moving the Behavioral Health treatment and disability systems into more of a biopsychosocial approach. However, conclusions emphasize that successful implementation of recommendations and models require the involvement of all of the stakeholders in promoting better outcomes and in facilitating individuals; return to the workplace.     

Those Who Hesitate Are Lost: The Case for Setting Behavioral Health Treatment and Disability Standards, Part I

There are multiple factors that impede the implementation of standards into the behavioral health (BH) treatment and disability processes. The combination of physical and psychological conditions as well as the influence of psychosocial issues has consistently been identified as having negative effects on treatment and treatment outcomes. Further, the wide-spread lack of standardization causes a multitude of problems throughout both BH processes. The focus of this first article in a three-part series will examine the explosion of behavioral health claims and the major factors, such as comorbid physical conditions and psychosocial issues, associated with these types of claims. In addition, the overarching theme of lack of standardization will begin to be explored in regard to the problematic definition of disability, communication difficulties between treating professionals and disability insurers and agencies as well as the introduction of bias into the BH treatment and disability processes.     

Beyond the Blame Game: Political Strategies for State Funding Reform

There is growing concern that intergovernmental financial relations in the Australian federation are becoming increasingly acrimonious and dysfunctional. This paper argues that it is necessary to analyse State funding as a whole, including the critical relationship between State‐level taxation and its reform and the broader Commonwealth Grants Commission regime, if we are to establish a system of State funding which is financially sustainable, promotes economic efficiency and is broadly congruent with established norms of Australian federalism. Above all, based on international experience, we argue Commonwealth leadership is required to achieve this goal. We conclude with a case study concerning resource taxation which demonstrates how the Commonwealth could provide leadership using a ‘bundled’ approach to policy reform. It is argued that such an approach has the potential to alleviate wider intergovernmental conflicts which currently afflict Australian federalism.     

Novel technique for the combined recovery, extraction and clean-up of forensic organic and inorganic trace explosives samples.

This paper describes a simple processing and analysis scheme for explosives trace swab samples which deals both with organic and inorganic materials. Swabs, wetted with ethanol or ethanol/water mixture, were extracted with ethanol/water mixture. The extract was passed directly through a simple column containing an acrylonitrile/styrene copolymer adsorbent. The adsorbent retained common organic explosives, which were recovered with an efficiency of 30-50% as a relatively clean ethyl acetate solution. The concentrated ethyl acetate eluate was analysed using gas chromatography with chemiluminescence or mass spectrometric detection. The unretained inorganic ions and sugars, which were recovered with generally high efficiency as an ethanol/water solution, could be directly analysed using ion chromatography and/or capillary electrophoresis. Minor difficulties encountered in the analysis of sugars, fluoride and phosphate were examined.     

A symptom level examination of the relationship between Cluster B personality disorders and patterns of criminality and violence in women

The psychometric properties and structure of the Cluster B Personality Disorder criteria (Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic) are examined in a sample of 261 female inmates using a self-report screen followed by a full diagnostic interview. The results of the structural analyses in this sample demonstrated good internal consistency and convergence, but poor discriminant validity between disorders. An exploratory factor analysis found that the structure of these disorders was best accounted for by a four-factor solution that paralleled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) classification scheme with some significant and notable exceptions. Using the factor scores generated from the factor analysis, the personality profiles of the women were compared with several behavioral indices, including instant offense, institutional infractions, and self-report violence and victimization within the prison. Of particular importance was the consistent relationship observed between narcissistic personality traits and threatening and violent behavior within the prison combined with the impulsive but less malignant presentation of antisocial personality traits among this sample of women. Results are discussed as they inform our understanding of the structural integrity of the four Cluster B diagnostic categories and the relationship of these personality disorders to different types of criminality and violence.     

Lord of Your Domain, But Master of None: The Need to Harmonize and Recalibrate the Domain Name Regime of Ownership and Control

The world has seen three waves of property. The first hark backcenturies and relate to ‘real and personal property’such as land and chattel, also known as immovable and movableproperty. The second gained recognition around the nineteenthcentury and relates to propertization of the ‘laboursof the mind’ or ‘intellectual property’. Thethird wave came within a much shorter period and starting togain recognition and it is what is known as ‘virtual property’.The law and policy-makers have had to surmount not only a steeplearning curve but also in some cases a foundation that is wroughtwith mistakes when it comes to the treatment that should begiven to virtual property. The Domain Name System (DNS) is thebest example of a form of virtual property that has given riseto challenges in law making and administration. The ‘landgrab’ of domain names in the World Wide Web (WWW) havegiven rise to a virtual tsunami of registrations and this hasled to the subsequent erection of levees in the form of a challengeregime. This paper will identify and consider the problems thatthe DNS is facing and suggest the changes that have to be madeto it in order for it to withstand the forces of what will bean increasingly rising sea of domain names on the WWW. This paper will begin with a look at the fissures in the seabedof the DNS by comparing how the management and policies relatingto domain name registration and challenge have shifted and divergedin different jurisdictions as well as by examining the inadequaciesof the original registration regime (ICANN) and challenge policy(UDRP). After identifying the problem, suggestions will be madeto resolve them in the best possible way, which require a revisitof the stakeholder and policy interests in the Internet andthe ownership and control of domain names that essentially functionas an important gateway to the WWW in order to rebalance theseinterests in an attempt to achieve greatest equilibrium. Amendmentswill be proposed to both the registration and challenge regimesas well as to the structure and hierarchy of domain name administrationwhich should be a globally coordinated effort just as the DNSis a common entryway to the global property that is the WWW.