Stability studies of ALD-52 and its homologue 1P-LSD

With the emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) over the years, the substances detected on stamps (also known as blotter papers) have also evolved from the traditional drug—lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to the multiple variants of lysergamides such as ALD-52 and 1P-LSD. The analysis of such blotter papers is usually done by solvent extraction followed by identification using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This study has shown that hydrolysis to form LSD was observed in GC-MS analysis when ALD-52 was extracted with methanol. The extraction of ALD-52 using other solvents such as acetonitrile, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, and acetone, followed by GC-MS analysis, was investigated. It is shown that alcoholic solvents such as methanol and ethanol will result in the conversion of ALD-52 to LSD during GC-MS analysis, whereas the sterically hindered isopropyl alcohol will prevent this conversion. Investigation also shows that the hydrolysis of ALD-52 to LSD occurs at the GC injector port. It was also observed that the degree of hydrolysis was more pronounced at a lower concentration (0.1 mg/mL). The study was extended to a close analog—1P-LSD, and the results showed that 1P-LSD similarly hydrolyzes to LSD. However, 1P-LSD was observed to be more stable than ALD-52 due to steric hindrance because of the propanoyl group.     

Deep learning for sex determination: Analyzing over 200,000 panoramic radiographs

The objective of this study is to assess the performance of an innovative AI-powered tool for sex determination using panoramic radiographs (PR) and to explore factors affecting the performance of the convolutional neural network (CNN). The study involved 207,946 panoramic dental X-rays and their corresponding reports from 15 clinical centers in São Paulo, Brazil. The PRs were acquired with four different devices, and 58% of the patients were female. Data preprocessing included anonymizing the exams, extracting pertinent information from the reports, such as sex, age, type of dentition, and number of missing teeth, and organizing the data into a PostgreSQL database. Two neural network architectures, a standard CNN and a ResNet, were utilized for sex classification, with both undergoing hyperparameter tuning and cross-validation to ensure optimal performance. The CNN model achieved 95.02% accuracy in sex estimation, with image resolution being a significant influencing factor. The ResNet model attained over 86% accuracy in subjects older than 6 years and over 96% in those over 16 years. The algorithm performed better on female images, and the area under the curve (AUC) exceeded 96% for most age groups, except the youngest. Accuracy values were also assessed for different dentition types (deciduous, mixed, and permanent) and missing teeth. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of an AI-driven tool for sex determination using PR and emphasizes the role of image resolution, age, and sex in determining the algorithm's performance.     

Quantitative PCR overestimation of DNA in samples contaminated with tin

Metals can pose challenges while conducting forensic DNA analysis. The presence of metal ions in evidence-related DNA extracts can degrade DNA or inhibit PCR as applied to DNA quantification (real-time PCR or qPCR) and/or STR amplification, leading to low success in STR profiling. Different metal ions were spiked into 0.2 and 0.5 ng of human genomic DNA in an “inhibition study” and the impact was evaluated by qPCR using the Quantifiler™ Trio DNA Quantification Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and an in-house SYBR Green assay. This study reports on a contradictory finding specific to tin (Sn) ions, which caused at least a 38,000-fold overestimation of DNA concentration when utilizing Quantifiler Trio. This was explained by the raw and multicomponent spectral plots, which indicated that Sn suppresses the Quantifiler Trio passive reference dye (Mustang Purple™, MP) at ion concentrations above 0.1 mM. This effect was not observed when DNA was quantified using SYBR Green with ROX™ as the passive reference, nor when DNA was extracted and purified prior to Quantifiler Trio. The results show that metal contaminants can interfere with qPCR-based DNA quantification in unexpected ways and may be assay dependent. The results also highlight the importance of qPCR as a quality check to determine steps for sample cleanup prior to STR amplification that may be similarly impacted by metal ions. Forensic workflows should recognize the risk of inaccurate DNA quantification of samples that are collected from substrates containing tin.     

Persistence of cellular material after exposure to water

Disposing of items of forensic relevance in bodies of water is one countermeasure offenders can use to avoid detection. The impact of immersion in water has been explored for blood, saliva, and semen; however, few studies have assessed touch DNA. Here we report on the effect of exposure to water on the persistence of touch DNA over prolonged periods of time. To evaluate the persistence of cells from touch DNA, after water exposure, three substrates and two water types were tested: plastic, metal, and ceramic, submerged into seawater or tap water. Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye was used to stain cells deposited by touch. Cell counts before and after water exposure were compared to investigate cell loss over time, ranging from 6 hours to 5 days. A logarithmic increase in the percent of cells lost was observed over time when the data for substrate and water type conditions were combined. Substrate type influenced the persistence of cells, with the metal substrate retaining cells longer than plastic or ceramic. The influence of water type appeared dependent on the substrate, with varied cell persistence on metal whereas plastic and ceramic recorded similar cell loss over time between water types. The ability to visualize cells after exposure to water could assist in triaging evidence within operational forensic laboratories and allow for targeted sampling. This proof-of-concept study demonstrated that greater than 50% of cells can persist on various items submerged in aqueous environments for at least 5 days, highlighting the possibility for downstream DNA testing.     

“风险政务”:国际状况与我国的建设方略

"风险政务"的提出源自于风险社会的国际背景和我国转型期综合风险膨胀的国情。在国际上,英国、加拿大等西方国家已将"风险政务"纳入公共管理的日常工作并发挥了实际作用。我国政府在重点防范危机风险的同时,应加大重视政务活动中的常态风险,从战略、体制、机制、标准、手段、文化等方面着手,全面构建"风险政务"体系,推动实现政府善治。     

Antitrust Law and Distributive Politics in the American States

State enforcement by state attorneys general (AGs) has become a major component of American antitrust law. Much has been written about state antitrust enforcement, but existing accounts of AG incentives and behavior are incomplete. As elected officials in forty‐three states, AGs must represent their constituents and, therefore, will be drawn to cases that maximize the level of settlement reward—cases with large, wealthy defendants. I hypothesize and find that state AGs represent their constituents along ideological lines, but this relationship is conditioned by case characteristics that involve the potential settlement reward. Moreover, incentives to participate are likely to be higher when there are clear violations of the law, as in price‐fixing cases, rather than in merger cases, where no wrongdoing has necessarily been established. The study adds to our understanding of antitrust law but also has implications for how distributive politics shapes political responsiveness to the electorate.     

社区公共治理与和谐社区的组织化构建

随着我国城市管理体制改革的深入推进,传统意义上的社区利益整合机制失灵,社区伦理问题日益凸显。本文在对和谐社区作出理论探讨的基础上,认为社区公共治理结构的建构必须在行政资源的推动下,注重社区多元利益主体的共同参与,但也面临初始行动者的生成、社区治理主体间的信任和社区治理网络的协调与整合等三个方面的难题。     

论社会保险服务及其公平性

本文立足于我国社会保险存在的问题,对社会保险的性质进行反思,认为社会保险本质上是一种服务,是国家向劳动者提供的分担相关风险的公共服务,不仅应当供应充足,满足每一个有权享受的社会劳动者的需求,而且应当以公平性为出发点和归宿点,确保每一个社会劳动者都能公平地享受。而要衡量社会保险法规政策以及各级政府和社会保险经办机构的工作是否符合公平性的要求,必须建立相应的公平标准,从覆盖范围的广泛性、参与机会的均等性、义务履行的一致性和基本权利的保障性四个方面,明确社会保险应当达到的水平。     

公务员培训链模型与能力建设初探

本文以公务员培训过程和能力建设中出现的问题分析为"径",以构建公务员培训链的总模型、子模型为"纬",以为模型设计的运行机制——规划机制、激励机制、协调机制、保障机制、监控机制——为"面",为公务员培训和能力建设提出了对策。     

社会组织管理体制:内在逻辑与发展趋势

本文认为:改革开放以来,与我国社会组织的蓬勃发展相适应,我国社会组织的管理体制经历并正在经历着重大的制度创新。这个主要表现为强制性制度变迁的历史过程,背后存在三种不同的战略思路,一为发展型战略,二为控制型战略,三为规范型战略。三大战略形成了三种不同的力量,彼此互动和博弈,推进着整个社会组织管理体制的发展演进,随着法治国家的建设和社会管理创新的实践,这三种力量既相互促进又相互消融,共同推动着我国社会组织管理体制朝着有利于社会组织积极作用发挥、有利于整个社会和谐的方向发展。