Detection of cannabinoids in homicide victims and motor vehicle fatalities

A gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) procedure is described for the detection and measurement of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-hydroxy-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid in blood, or 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid in urine. About 50% of all homicide victims and motor vehicle drivers killed in Bexar County in 1985 were tested for the presence of cannabinoids. Of 130 homicides and 69 drivers tested, blood was analyzed primarily in all but 15 and 3 cases, respectively. In these latter cases, blood analyzed after urine was found to be positive. Of the homicide victims, 44 (34%), and of all drivers, 19 (28%), tested were positive for one or more of the cannabinoids. As a separate group, 16 motorcycle drivers tested had 38% positive as compared with 25% of the other vehicle drivers. Ethyl alcohol was present in 55% of the drivers, and in 63% of the homicide victims. Drugs other than alcohol or cannabinoids were found in 10% of the drivers, and in 12% of the homicide victims.     

浅谈我国高校生态教育建设

随着全球经济的飞速发展,全球性的生态环境危机引起各国的广泛关注,我国也提出了树立科学发展观、构建和谐社会的问题。教育是实现可持续发展战略的关键一环,生态环境素质也已经成为21世纪人才必须具备的基本素质之一,而高校是培养社会人才的摇篮,当前我国高校的生态环境教育极其缺乏,高校生态环境教育亟待加强。     

西海固的梦想

<正>In 2005,I,with eight schoolmates from Xiamen University,went to Xihaigu in Ningxia to be a supporting teacher for a year..This is intended to tell a western China what I have seen and experienced as well as authentic stories about the children in bitter pursuit of their ideals on the plateau.     

15个基因座复合扩增体系的建立及新疆维吾尔族遗传多态性

目的建立15个基因座五色荧光复合扩增体系,并调查新疆维吾尔族的遗传多态性。方法筛选STR基因座,等位基因测序后按照重复序列重复次数命名,对建立的15个基因座五色荧光复合扩增体系进行灵敏度、种属特异性、同一性及稳定性检测,对新疆维吾尔族群体进行遗传多态性分析,与西藏藏族、岫岩满族、广州汉族进行群体间比较。结果建立了15个基因座复合扩增体系,检测灵敏度为0.3 ng,具有良好的种属特异性、同一性和稳定性。新疆维吾尔族13个常染色体STR基因座的基因频率分布符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡,无连锁不平衡现象,大部分基因座在群体间差异具有统计学意义。结论建立的体系具有法医物证学应用价值,13个常染色体STR基因座在新疆维吾尔族群体多态性高,适合于亲子鉴定及个人识别,可作为现有基因座的补充。     

Radiographic Identification Using Midline Medical Sternotomy Wires,

Forensic anthropologists are regularly asked to assist with the identification of unknown individuals using comparative medical radiography. This study addressed the use of midline medical sternotomy wires as a means for personal identification. Antemortem and postmortem radiographic comparisons were completed by 46 professional forensic anthropologists and anthropology graduate students familiar with comparative medical radiography as a technique for assessing identification. Participants were asked to make five radiographic matches from a pool of 20 radiographs. Participants also completed an anonymous survey detailing their education level and experience making radiographic comparisons. Participants were 99.5% accurate in matching the radiographs. Sensitivity was 98.7%, and specificity was 99.7%. Logistic regression analysis found no statistically significant differences in the participants' ability to make a correct match. As the high accuracy rates indicate, the shape, size, and various characteristics of the sternotomy wires are individualizing and can confidently be used when assisting with personal identification cases.     

The Erratic Behavior of Lesions in Burnt Bone

This study analyses depressed fractures (by blunt force trauma) and circular full‐thickness injuries (drill injuries and gunshot wounds) in charred bones. Fifty bovine ribs (total 104 lesions) were divided into three groups. The first group consisted in 20 depressed hammer‐produced fractures; in the second one, 60 round drill‐holes were produced (30 circular, 30 semicircular); in the third group, 12 fleshed and 12 skeletonized ribs were hit by 9‐mm bullets. Each specimen was carbonized in an electric oven up to 800°C. Morphological and metric analyses were performed before and after: morphological features were preserved, but depressed fractures showed an increase in their dimensions (p‐value < 0.05); the drilled holes shrunk (p‐value < 0.01); the charring cycle increased the number of fractures in samples with gunshot wounds differently in fleshed and defleshed ribs. This study showed the complex behavior of charred bone, for what concerns the interpretation of trauma and how caution should be applied.     

Judging the Best Interests of the Child: Judges' Accounts of the Tender Years Doctrine

With dramatic changes in family life over the last several decades, child custody law has shifted from a maternal preference to a more egalitarian standard, the best interests of the child. Despite this change in the law, scholars have debated whether gender continues to play a role in the resolution of custody disputes. Drawing on feminist legal scholarship and sociolegal research on judges, I assess the current debates over gender and custody by examining the accounts of judges who frequently adjudicate custody cases. I conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews with twenty-five trial court judges in Indiana and investigate judges' accounts about whether they continue to use the tender years doctrine in custody disputes, even though the custody statute is explicitly gender-neutral. Then, I assess several competing explanations of the variation across judges' accounts, including the judges' gender role attitudes, gender, age, and political party affiliation. In exploratory analyses, I also examine the contested custody rulings of a subset of nine judges to assess whether judges' accounts are congruent with their actual custody decisions. I discuss the implications of these findings in light of feminist legal scholarship as well as empirical research on child custody adjudication.