Sex determination from os sacrum by postmortem CT

Sex determination in forensic practice is performed mostly on sexually dimorphic bones, including pelvic bones such as the os sacrum. Postmortem CT scan provides an easy and fast method for depicting and measuring bone structures prior to elaborate autopsy preparations. To develop a simple and objective method for sex determination in postmortem CT, metric data were evaluated from CT images of the pelvic-associated os sacrum of 95 corpses (49 men and 46 women) from the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. Discriminant function analysis of the data showed that the best accuracy in determining sex was 76.8% and 78.9% with two different observers. It is concluded that measuring the os sacrumin postmortem CT for sex determination has moderate accuracy and should only be applied in combination with other methods.     

Youthful smoking and drinking in a longitudinal perspective

The incidence and continuity of smoking and drinking, precursory social-behavioral characteristics of smokers and drinkers, and life conditions related to smoking and drinking are described. The study was part of an extensive Finnish longitudinal study of social development, the original sample of which consisted of 8-year-old subjects (196 boys, 173 girls) studied in 1968 by employing peer nomination and teacher ratings. The follow-up studies were made at ages 14 and 20. 154 Ss at age 14 and 135 Ss at age 20 were interviewed about their smoking and drinking habits, among others. The results showed that about 20% of the subjects smoked at age 14 and about 30% at age 20. The proportion of abstainers was about 25% at age 14 and 10% at age 20. The differences between the sexes were negligible. Smoking at age 20 was predictable on the basis of early initiation, but drinking was not. Aggressiveness at age 8, and orientation towards peers and negativism at age 14 predicted male and female smoking and male drinking and alcohol offences at age 20. Social characteristics did not predict female drinking. At age 20, male and female smoking and heavy drinking belonged to the way of life of Reveller, and smoking also to that of Loser. Smoking and drinking were related to parental models at age 20, but in puberty the influence of peers' smoking and drinking was stronger than that of the parental models. Lack of parental encouragement and affectional interaction with the parents was related to female smoking and male drinking. Youthful smoking and drinking were not connected with family socioeconomic status.     

A large-scale study of the relationship between blood and breath alcohol concentrations in New Zealand drinking drivers

Blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) and corresponding breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) were determined for 21,582 drivers apprehended by New Zealand police. BAC was measured using headspace gas chromatography, and BrAC was determined with Intoxilyzer 5000 or Seres Ethylometre infrared analysers. The delay (DEL) between breath testing and blood sampling ranged from 0.03 to 5.4 h. BAC/BrAC ratios were calculated before and after BAC values were corrected for DEL using 19 mg/dL/h as an estimate of the blood alcohol clearance rate. Calculations were performed for single and duplicate breath samples obtained using the Intoxilyzer (groups I-1 and I-2) and Seres devices (groups S-1 and S-2). Before correction for DEL, BAC/BrAC ratios for groups I-1, I-2, S-1, and S-2 were (mean+/-SD) 2320+/-260, 2180+/-242, 2330+/-276, and 2250+/-259, respectively. After BAC values were adjusted for DEL, BAC/BrAC ratios for these groups were (mean+/-SD) 2510+/-256, 2370+/-240, 2520+/-280, and 2440+/-260, respectively. Our results indicate that in New Zealand the mean BAC/BrAC ratio is 19-26% higher than the ratio of the respective legal limits (2000).     

Left on the Shelf: Local Government and the Australian Constitution

When the Australian Constitution was first written, those framing it did not include specific reference to local government. The authors have examined the federation conventions, papers and formal discussions of the 1890s and noted the little prominence given to the case for including local government in the Australian Constitution. It appears that the leaders of the federation movement did not deliberately exclude local government; rather, there was little pressure to include local agendas and concerns, and few were willing to champion the case for the inclusion of local government.     

Stress-Reactive Rumination,Negative Cognitive Style,and Stressors in Relationship to Depressive Symptoms in Non-Clinical Youth

The role of cognitive vulnerability in the development of depressive symptoms in youth might depend on age and gender. The current study examined cognitive vulnerability models in relationship to depressive symptoms from a developmental perspective. For that purpose, 805 youth (aged 10–18, 59.9% female) completed self-report measures. Stress-reactive rumination was strongly related to depressive symptoms. Negative cognitive style (i.e., tendency to make negative inferences) in the domains of achievement and appearance was more strongly and consistently related to depressive symptoms in girls compared to boys. Negative cognitive style in the interpersonal domain was positively related to depressive symptoms in both girls and boys, except in early adolescent girls reporting few stressors. To conclude, the cognitive vulnerability-stress interaction may be moderated by the combination of age and gender in youth, which may explain inconsistent findings so far. Current findings highlight the importance of taking into account domain specifity when examining models of depression in youth.