RNA/DNA co-analysis from blood stains—Results of a second collaborative EDNAP exercise

A second collaborative exercise on RNA/DNA co-analysis for body fluid identification and STR profiling was organized by the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP). Six human blood stains, two blood dilution series (5-0.001 μl blood) and, optionally, bona fide or mock casework samples of human or non-human origin were analyzed by the participating laboratories using a RNA/DNA co-extraction or solely RNA extraction method. Two novel mRNA multiplexes were used for the identification of blood: a highly sensitive duplex (HBA, HBB) and a moderately sensitive pentaplex (ALAS2, CD3G, ANK1, SPTB and PBGD). The laboratories used different chemistries and instrumentation. All of the 18 participating laboratories were able to successfully isolate and detect mRNA in dried blood stains. Thirteen laboratories simultaneously extracted RNA and DNA from individual stains and were able to utilize mRNA profiling to confirm the presence of blood and to obtain autosomal STR profiles from the blood stain donors. The positive identification of blood and good quality DNA profiles were also obtained from old and compromised casework samples. The method proved to be reproducible and sensitive using different analysis strategies. The results of this collaborative exercise involving a RNA/DNA co-extraction strategy support the potential use of an mRNA based system for the identification of blood in forensic casework that is compatible with current DNA analysis methodology.     

A psychometric evaluation of the Defence Style Questionnaire-40 in a UK forensic patient population

Psychological defence mechanisms have been considered important personality processes in the onset, maintenance and recovery of mental disorders. More recently, their application to understanding presenting problems and as potential outcome indicators for forensic patients has been recommended. However, to date there have been no investigations into the reliability and factor structure of defence mechanism assessments for this population. The current study investigated the factor structure, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Defence Style Questionnaire-40 (DSQ) for 160 adult male UK forensic patients. The three-factor model of defences proposed by the DSQ-40 developers was not confirmed in the study sample. Reliability indices of the three factors indicated that the Immature factor was the most ‘acceptable’ in terms of internal consistency. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from .70 to .91. A revised three-factor structure that closely corresponds to the original validation study is recommended following an exploratory factor analysis. The findings are compared with previous reliability and factor analytic evaluations of the DSQ-40, and recommendations for its use with forensic patients are discussed.     

Rapid Separation of Organophosphate Pesticides using Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography and Short‐end Injection,

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are highly toxic substances and are frequently represented as poisons. In order to qualify and quantify the selected OP pesticides (methyl paraoxon, ethyl paraoxon, methyl parathion, fenitrothion, and ethyl parathion), micellar electrokinetic chromatography and short‐end injection were investigated. This is the first time that this combination has been used to separate OP pesticides. A capillary with 8.5 cm effective length was used, and the analytes were separated within 2.1 min. Separation conditions including buffer (type, pH, and concentration), sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration, and separation voltage were optimized. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated in the range of 10–20 μM. The OP pesticides spiked in artificial saliva and drinking water gave superior peak profiles, and good average recoveries 95.6% and 62.3%, respectively. Overall, a rapid method with excellent resolution and efficiency was developed and successfully applied in the analysis of potential sample matrixes.     

Blind trials of an onsite saliva drug test for marijuana and opiates

The objective of these clinical trials was to calculate the performance, limit of detection, specificity and sensitivity of a novel, semi-quantitative immunoassay for drugs of abuse in saliva and to determine operator bias when measured blind by four different operators. The test is based on lateral flow gold particle technology coupled with digital photography to provide a semi-quantitative end point. The performance of the test was compared with that of enzyme immunoassays and GC/MS methods. Volunteers consumed marijuana or codeine and their saliva was collected 0.25 to 24 h later with the Cozart RapiScan collection device. The sensitivity and specificity of the opiate test were both 100%+/-10.4% for codeine for 9 h after dosing. The cutoff of the marijuana test at 10 ng/mL THCA was too high to detect marijuana use for more than a few hours after smoking. There was no operator bias because the results were presented in written form either as "positive" or "negative" for each of the five drug classes on the screen of the hand-held reader.     

Cruelty and Decay in Two Empires: China and Rome

This article addresses the rise of poverty, violence, and decay in the pre-indus- trialized societies of the Roman and Chinese Empires. Major similarities between the declines of these two Empires include the unchecked authority of those in charge, an arbitrary market meant to serve the elite, and the costs of financing wars and luxury living. This is contrasted with the rage and unruliness of large numbers of lower class members who lacked the basic necessities of life, including food and work. One difference is that strong ethnic self-awareness in China survived the collapse of the empire, whereas Romes willingness to grant its land to foreigners contributed to subsequent fragmentation.     

Wounding Words: Maternal Verbal Aggression and Children's Adjustment

Psychological maltreatment, including verbal aggression, has been implicated as an important contributor to children's behavioral problems. The present study looked specifically at the relationship between different forms of maternal verbal aggression and their association with children's adjustment. Mothers from Violent and Nonviolent families were compared on their use of various verbal aggression tactics, as measured by the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979). Mothers from both groups used threats and insults with comparable frequency. In both groups, insults were predictive of children's adjustment. The relationship was particularly striking in children from violent homes. We conclude that chronic exposure to inter-parental violence may render children emotionally susceptible to maternal disparagement.     

Analysis of pilot-related equipment and archaeological strategy in the recovery of aircrew losses from the Vietnam War

Determining the location and distribution of cockpit and aircrew-related equipment within the wider debris field of a military aircraft crash site is an essential first step in planning and executing the recovery of missing aircrew members presumed still to be on the site. Understanding the spatial relationship of these materials improves the likelihood of finding and recovering the remains of the aircrew during the excavation of an aircraft crash site. Since the greater portion of these unaccounted for crewmembers were involved in aircraft with single-seat cockpits or cockpits with two or three seats in tandem, pre-analysis of the debris pattern may be more-or-less straightforward. Larger, multiple-personnel aircraft, on the other hand, create a potentially more complex analytical situation given the aircrew's greater freedom of movement within the aircraft. Nevertheless, the same fundamental principles apply and, indeed, have been successfully so for some time in the civilian arena. But older aircraft crash sites, i.e., those dating to World War II, Korea, or the Vietnam conflict, have been and still are undergoing taphonomic processes that progressively alter these relationships. The following will illustrate that exchange of information between the anthropologist/archaeologist and the life-support analyst is required to maximize the effectiveness of field recovery and demonstrates the relationship between the recovery of life-support equipment and human remains and the effect that aircraft type has on this relationship.     

A comparison of carboxyhemoglobin saturation values in postmortem heart blood and peripheral blood specimens

The following is a study conducted to determine whether there was any significant difference in carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) saturation levels between the heart blood and blood collected from a peripheral site. The average heart blood to peripheral blood COHb saturation level ratio in the 42 cases studied was 1.09. Sixty-two percent (26 of 42) of the cases had a heart blood to peripheral blood ratio between 0.9 and 1.1; 74% (31 of 42) had a ratio between 0.8 and 1.2. Eighty-three percent (35 of 42) had a ratio between 0.7 and 1.3. There were four cases where the heart blood to peripheral blood ratio was either below 0.6 or greater than 1.4. The differences between the two sites were not statistically significant.     

Total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and sudden death in infancy.

The clinicopathologic features of four infants with undiagnosed total anomalous pulmonary venous return who died suddenly and unexpectedly are presented. Two infants were found dead in their beds and two collapsed following very non-specific episodes of mild tachypnoea and tachycardia, respectively. Pulmonary venous blood drained via a common channel to the left innominate vein, the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava at the junction of the hepatic vein and the supradiaphragmatic portion of the inferior vena cava. All cases demonstrated right atrial and ventricular hypertrophy and in one case there was associated hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Although those mechanisms responsible for sudden infant death syndrome could not definitely be excluded in two cases, the presence of anomalous pulmonary drainage with significant right-sided cardiac cardiac hypertrophy in each patient strongly suggests a contributing role for the vascular malformation in the aetiology of sudden unexpected death. The importance of careful in situ dissection of the major vessels in all cases of paediatric sudden death is emphasised, particularly in the presence of other congenital cardiac anomalies.