Reconstructing shredded documents through feature matching

We describe a procedure for reconstructing documents that have been shredded by hand, a problem that often arises in forensics. The proposed method first applies a polygonal approximation in order to reduce the complexity of the boundaries and then extracts relevant features of the polygon to carry out the local reconstruction. In this way, the overall complexity can be dramatically reduced because few features are used to perform the matching. The ambiguities resulting from the local reconstruction are resolved and the pieces are merged together as we search for a global solution. The preliminary results reported in this paper, which take into account a limited amount of shredded pieces (10–15) demonstrate that feature-matching-based procedure produces interesting results for the problem of document reconstruction.     

Biotechnology and relevant aspects of the New Biosafety law]

On 24 March 2005, the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil approved the New Law on Biosecurity. This law has very diverse aspects, ranging from the genetically modified organisms to the genetic manipulation of human embryos or the liberalisation of the transgenic soy crops during 2004-2005. This article tries to analyse and criticise the content of the law, highlighting the genetic research and experimentation, the GMOs and their effect in the environment and the criminal responsibility derived from such actions. Likewise, it leaves rooms for the reader to reach his/her own conclusions. The author poses the moral dilemma on whether it is legitimate to make governmental decisions solely taking into account the economic and political interests, leaving aside the opinion of society.     

The Application of Voltammetric Analysis of Δ9‐THC for the Reduction of False Positive Results in the Analysis of Suspected Marijuana Plant Matter

The development of methodologies using inexpensive, fast, and reliable instrumention is desirable in illicit drug analysis. The purpose of this study was based on cyclic voltammetry technique to differentiate the electrochemical behavior of ?⁹‐THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana, and five different extract plants to yield false positive results after analysis protocol for cannabinoids using thin‐layer chromatography and Fast Blue B salt. After applying a deposition potential of ?0.5 V in a glassy carbon working electrode, the results indicated an anodic peak current at 0.0 V versus Ag/AgCl after addition of ?⁹‐THC solution in the electrochemical cell, and limits of detection and quantification were 1.0 ng mL^?1 and 3.5 ng mL^?1, respectively. Other interfering plants showed distinct amperometric responses. This methodology was useful to detect ?⁹‐THC even in the presence of the Fast Blue B salt, which avoided false positive results for all the studied extract plants.     

Forensic Investigation of Formaldehyde in Illicit Products for Hair Treatment by DAD‐HPLC: A Case Study

The illegal use of formalin (commercial formaldehyde) in cosmetic products harms the health of individuals exposed to this substance. Over the last years, the commercial availability of these products, especially those containing irregular dosage of formaldehyde, has increased in Brazil. This work analyzes some products for hair treatment available in the Brazilian market and verifies their safety. The adopted analytical methodology involved sample derivatization with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine, followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (UV–VIS) at λ = 365 nm. The limit of quantification is 2.5 × 10^?3% w/w, and the recovery tests were around 93%. Some of the samples contained high and illegal formaldehyde levels ranging from 9% to 19% (w/w) and others presented suitable concentrations of the analyte. On the basis of the results, this work discusses the efficiency and practicality of this analytical method for forensic purposes.     

The Objectivity of Beliefs,Reasonable Disagreement and Political Deliberation

This paper is part of a broader argument that seeks to offer a justification for political authority. It aims to investigate the role of truth in political argument and to place the problem of reasonable disagreement. The argument focuses on the possibility of political deliberation, that figures as a stage of political decision‐making. It has to do with a confrontation between incompatible substantive beliefs which, however, all seem to be reasonable. How can citizens holding incompatible beliefs engage in an enterprise of justifying them to one another? That is the question.     

Grading a rape case followed by death from the study of autosomal STRs and STRs of the Y chromosome—Case study

Two women were found dead inside a residence. Choke causes death in one that had been naked in a bed and contusion injury in another that was found on a sofa. Were received samples of vaginal and anal swabs of the two victims of homicide with suspected of having suffered sexual violence. References also received samples of two victims and a suspect. We performed genetic analysis for identification of samples from the meeting of any possibility of overlap between patterns and profiles of sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) based on genetic relationship between those involved. The reference samples were subjected to the procedure of extraction of nuclear DNA by Chelex method and the swabs samples by differential extraction. For all the samples were performed for amplification of STRs loci and autosomal STRs of chromosome Y. The profiles of DNA sequences were obtained by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), using sequences starting with marked substances emitting fluorescence detected by reading the optical laser in 3100 Avant automatic sequencer from Applied Biosystems. The information of consecutive loci of Short Repeats or STRs of autosomal chromosomes and the Y chromosome was obtained using the systems or products sold in multilocus, methodologies recommended by the supplier and valid for analysis of DNA. We used the multilocus Identifiler and YFiler system of Applied Biosystems to the amplification of samples. The validation of results has shown a genetic profile in male anal secretion of the victims with a complete coincidence with the suspect.     

Extraction and isolation of cannabinoids from marijuana seizures and characterization by 1H NMR allied to chemometric tools

Marijuana, a drug derived from the Cannabis sativa L. plant, is the world's most consumed illicit drug. In this paper, a total of 156 marijuana samples seized in the state of Espírito Santo (ES), Brazil were studied and analysed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy to identify the major cannabinoids present. A crude extract of all samples was purified using high performance liquid chromatography so that these compounds could serve as reference substances. Nine fractions were obtained and analysed by ¹H NMR and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), with five presented cannabinoids. ?⁹-THC (Δ⁹-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol), ?⁹-THCA (?⁹-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), ?⁸-THC (?⁸-tetrahydrocannabinol), 11-hydroxycannabinol, CBV (cannabivarin), and CBN (cannabinol) were found, and their chemical structures were confirmed by GC–MS. The latter compound was obtained with high purity (≈100%), while the others were obtained as less complex mixtures with purity higher than 75% (except for Δ⁸-THC). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used on the ¹H NMR spectra of the 156 samples, and it was found that the samples were grouped according to the months, differentiating into two groups (from July 2014 to January 2015 and from February 2015 to July 2015), where non-grouping was observed from four macro-regions of the ES state (North, Central, Metropolitan, and South). The chemical profile of the seized samples was correlated to the ¹H NMR spectrum of an isolated CBN sub-fraction, in which the group formed by samples seized in the year 2015 presented lower CBN content in the chemical composition. From the PCA score plot, two groups of samples were confirmed using the partial least squares discriminant analysis and orthogonal projections to latent structures classification methods.     

The politics of flexing soybeans: China,Brazil and global agroindustrial restructuring

The political geography of the global soybean complex is shifting. While the complex has long been controlled by US-based transnational corporations, new agribusiness actors, business logics and power relations rooted in South America and East Asia are emerging, based in part on commodity flexing. We explore how soybean flexing is shaping and being shaped by global restructuring of the soybean processing industry. Using the divergent histories and uses of soy in China and Brazil, we propose that in order to understand the changing soy landscape, we must examine the relationships between soy's multiple-ness and flexible-ness, the political economy of soy processing, and the relationships between crop ‘flexors’ – those powerful firms that control the soy complex – with each other and with governments. We demonstrate that the agribusiness actors who are gaining more control over the soy complex are doing so in part through flexing, and that the ability to flex may ultimately determine the trajectory of global agroindustrial restructuring. Finally, we raise questions and make suggestions for further research on flex crops.     

Prison sentences: last resort or the default sanction?

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the sentencing purposes for penal penalties, judges’ perceptions of sentencing purposes and prison sentences, and the effects of penal sanctions. We examine judges’ positions towards different penalties, with a focus on imprisonment, since their views on the different penalties are related to their sentencing decision-making. Understanding these views is then critical for several practical and political purposes, including bridging the gap between academic discourse and legal practice. We accessed judges’ views on penal sanctions through a questionnaire and an interview. Our sample is compounded by the judges of the criminal courts from the three major cities in Portugal. Despite the most recent criminological empirical knowledge, judges valued imprisonment as the most adequate sentence, both for different crimes and for different judicial purposes. This result is not consistent with viewing imprisonment as a ‘last resort’ solution. Indeed, we did not find this ‘last resort’ position in our data, and it is not apparent in the judicial statistics on imprisonment rates. Our data highlight the importance of increasing judges’ training on criminological and sociological issues as well as the importance of changing the influence of their personal beliefs regarding penal sanctions into research-based positions.