Evaluation of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of colored fibers: a collaborative study

A collaborative study on Raman spectroscopy was carried out by members of the ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) European Fibres Group (EFG) on three dyed fibers: two red acrylics and one red wool. Raman instruments from six different manufacturers were tested as well as nine different laser wavelengths ranging from blue (lambda = 458 nm) to near infrared-NIR (lambda = 1064 nm). This represents the largest comparison study of Raman analytical parameters carried out on identical fiber samples. For the chosen fiber and dye samples, red lasers (lambda = 633 and 685 nm) gave the poorest spectral quality whereas blue (458 nm), green (514 nm) and near infrared lasers (785, 830 and 1064 nm) provided average results. Blue (488 nm) and green lasers (532 nm) globally gave the best quality spectra. Fluorescence problems were often encountered with some of the excitation wavelengths and therefore a flexible Raman instrument equipped with different lasers can be recommended to measure forensic fiber samples. The instrument should also be equipped with a Raman microscope in order to be able to focus on a single fiber. This study shows that Raman spectroscopy usually enables the identification of the main dye present in a colored fiber; however, minor dye components are much more difficult to detect. SERRS (Surface Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering) techniques give an improvement of the dye's spectral intensity but no spectral improvement was observed for the two red acrylic and red wool fibers tested.     

Iatrogenic deaths following treatment for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: case reports and an approach to the autopsy and death certification

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease process which results in a large, heavy heart, with hypertrophy of the interventricular septum (IVS) and left ventricle. HCM accounts for a significant number of cases of sudden cardiac death each year, most infamously in young athletes. The prevalence of the disease has increased over the past several years due to advances in clinical diagnosis and molecular genetic studies. Over this same period, new forms of treatment also have emerged. One such treatment is alcohol septal ablation (ASA). ASA is a procedure performed by a cardiologist, via cardiac catheterization, by injecting pure ethanol into selected arteries which supply the IVS, resulting in a targeted myocardial infarction. This infarct then retracts and forms a scar, decreasing the outflow obstruction and improving the patient's clinical symptoms.The authors report 2 cases of death following ASA treatment of HCM. The first, a 56-year-old male, had his ASA procedure 10 days prior to death. The second decedent, a 76-year-old female, had her procedure only 30 hours before death. These case reports are followed by a discussion about HCM, including pathology, treatments, and treatment-related pathology, before closing with a discussion about death certification in the cases presented and therapy-related deaths in general.     

Transfers of Technology: A Basic Primer On Tax Considerations

The objective of this paper is to introduce managers of R&D operations to tax issues that must be considered when technology is transferred across international boundaries within the same company. The tax implications are often misunderstood or even overlooked in the technology transfer process. The paper explains how countries seek to tax their fair share of the income earned inside their borders. Since the amount of income earned depends on the price for technology paid by one part of a company to another, this transfer price is of keen interest to the tax authorities. To preserve their tax bases, therefore, countries establish rules to regulate the international transfer of goods and services, including technology, between related parties. This paper provides an overview of the economic principles underlying these rules, and illustrates their application with a series of examples.     

The admission of Alzheimer's patients to hospital inpatient psychiatric units

Alzheimer's Disease presents extreme challenges not only to the individuals afflicted with it and their families, but also to both our legal and healthcare systems. The nature of the disease is such that current legal standards and requirements simply fail to function in an appropriate manner. So too, the health system currently is not in a position to handle the anticipated influx of Alzheimer's patients over the next several decades. This Article examines some of the challenges presented by this disease, and suggests several possible methods to improve our response to it.     

American Grand Strategy in a World at Risk

If there is no single long-standing American grand strategy, one nonetheless sees through the course of U.S. history the tracks of a grand strategy. It started with the idea of a U.S. monopoly in the Western Hemisphere, along with balances of power in the chief theaters of the world; with belief in the primacy of sea and air power and the need for an economic system to support these; and the objective of transforming international politics. Since 9/11, even if the strategic hierarchy, intensity, and political basis have changed, the Bush administration has largely been continuing in this same project, with a sensible strategy but poorly considered tactics.     

College education requirements for police entry level and promotion: A study

Administrators of law enforcement agencies are increasingly caught up in conflicts between demands to increase educational standards for police officers and the need to justify those increased standards based upon job relevance. On the one hand, national commissions suggest four year degree prerequisites for entry level into police work; on the other hand, police administrators are reluctant to impose rigid higher educational requirements because of possible negative ramifications such as a limited recruitment pool, rapid officer turnover, and court mandates to prove the job relevance of a college education. This study addresses these concerns by reviewing current empirical studies and relevant court decisions which add insight into this topic and which will, hopefully, assist administrators in making decisions regarding college educational requirements for hiring and promotion.