Computer-assisted identification of basic substances

The potential applications of a personal computer with integrated database software in toxicologic analysis are discussed. A toxicologic database including 370 basic compounds, is presented that was built up without knowledge of a higher programming language and was used as a base for drug identification in normal analysis by PC, DC and GC.     

Survival analysis: A survey

This paper is a survey of statistical methods used to analyze the length of time until a specified event occurs. These models have often been used to analyze the survival times (i.e., time until death) of medical patients, and so the term survival analysis is natural. In criminology, the main application of these models has been to analyze the time until recidivism, but many other applications are possible. The paper summarizes the statistical literature on survival analysis, and describes its applications in criminology. The methods are illustrated by an application to the prediction of time until recidivism for a sample of North Carolina prison releasees.     

Toxicological analysis after asphyxial suicide with helium and a plastic bag

A 23-year-old man was found on a raised hide in lying position, the head wrapped in a plastic bag connected with a helium gas cylinder by a polypropylene tube. The autopsy did not show any specific findings nor did the routine toxicological analysis reveal significant information regarding the cause of death (BAC 0.9 mg/g, diphenhydramine 0.81 μg/ml in heart serum). For the detection of helium in the lungs, gas samples from both lungs were collected by a method ensuring minimal dilution. Gas analyses were performed using a GC–MS with a split–splitless injector and a headspace syringe. As carrier gas the commonly used helium was replaced by nitrogen. Helium was found in clearly elevated concentrations in gas samples from both lungs. Therefore, suffocation by breathing helium enriched, and thus oxygen deficient atmosphere, can strongly be assumed as the cause of death.     

Flourishing retail in the post-soviet sphere? Potentials and constraints of small-scale retail activities in rural Kyrgyzstan

The demise of the USSR led to the collapse of its centrally organised retail system. With this collapse the supply of consumer goods dried up, especially in the remote parts of the former USSR. At the same time the advent of capitalism offered a new institutional framework for independent retail activities. In the Kyrgyz Republic, where the economic liberalisation followed strictly the Washington Consensus, a large number of small shops emerged in both urban and rural areas. This study analyses the reasons for this boom in retail start-ups as well as the constraints the mainly inexperienced merchants encounter. As will be shown, any success in retail activities depends greatly on the performance of other economic sectors. The main goal of starting a retail business is to minimize risks within the overall livelihood strategies of households in rural Kyrgyzstan.     

Should brands “nudge us for good”? Towards a critical assessment of neuro‐liberal corporate social responsibility

This article critically investigates the recent emergence of neuro‐liberal corporate social responsibility (CSR). Neuro‐liberal CSR is inspired by libertarian paternalism, a form of behavioural governance popularised by behavioural economist Richard Thaler and legal scholar Cass Sunstein in their bestseller Nudge (2008). Libertarian paternalism presumes humans to be “predictably irrational” due to hardwired cognitive biases and thus advocates the design of policy interventions that use human psychology for correcting these shortcomings in ways that benefit individuals and society. Although the use of “nudging” interventions has been critically scrutinised in the context of public policy, little attention has been paid to the adoption of libertarian paternalist principles in the corporate world. This paper uses Nudging for Good, an initiative by the European Brands Association (AIM), to illustrate how major corporations adopt and frame corporate nudging as a new and purportedly highly effective form of CSR. However, as this paper argues, neuro‐liberal CSR raises concerns regarding its effectiveness, transparency, and its individualisation and de‐politicisation of social ills.     

Diagnostic Value of PSA and AP Tests for the Detection of Spermatozoa in Postmortem Swabs from the Genital and Anal Region in Males

The aim of this study was to clarify whether positive results for prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) and acid phosphatase (AP) occur in postmortem swabs from the genito‐anal region in males (n = 80; 4 regions) and females (n = 20; 3 regions) and to calculate the positive predictive value (PPV) concerning the presence of spermatozoa. In male subjects, the highest incidence of positive test results was found in urethral swabs (PSA 76%, AP 71%) and the lowest frequencies appeared in perianal and rectal swabs (15–20%). Microscopic evaluation for spermatozoa was positive between 39% in urethral swabs and 1% in rectal swabs. PPV regarding positive identification of spermatozoa was 33.3% for PSA and 31.5% for AP. The combination of both tests yielded a PPV of 38.2%. In female cases, no spermatozoa were identified, and one case was PSA‐ and AP‐positive in perianal swabs. Our findings indicate that PSA and AP tests are of limited value for the postmortem detection of spermatozoa in male subjects.     

Erythrocytes in cervical lymph nodes of the human as a sequela of stasis and/or lymph drainage. Questionable diagnostic significance in strangulation and mechanical injuries of the head

Information on the diagnostic significance of follicular hemorrhage and/or presence of red blood cells in the lymph node sinus was obtained by microscopic investigation of the superficial and deep human cervical lymph nodes. Fifty cases were selected on the basis of the following criteria: (1) cases without strangulation or mechanical head trauma; (2) cases in which death occurred by strangulation without additional mechanical head trauma; (3) cases without strangulation but with mechanical head trauma; (4) cases with strangulation and mechanical head trauma. The usual degree of stasis and hemorrhages and the dilation of the veins and/or capillaries are not sufficient to discriminate between cases with and cases without strangulation. Moreover, erythrocytes, erythrophages, and siderophages were encountered in the lymph node sinus of both cases with and cases without mechanical head trauma. Neither follicular hemorrhage nor the presence of red blood cells in the sinus is therefore diagnostically significant in forensic pathology.     

Body packing: the value of modern imaging procedures in the detection of intracorporeal transport media

The necessity of rapid objective appraisal of the suspicion of intracorporeal drug smuggling (body-packing) by effective methods of investigation in the course of the first criminal investigation department measures raises the questions of suitable and admissible methods. The proportion of undetected crimes in intracorporeal narcotic smuggling must be rated as very high according to the data of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department. In the present paper, the suitability of various imaging techniques for drug detection are reported in terms of their risk, practicability and costs. For this purpose, the value of digital radiography, two-spectra radiography and X-ray computer tomography as compared to conventional X-ray investigations is examined in human experiments. A reality-oriented narcotics dummy (glucose pressed hard in preservative) was developed and administered to nine volunteers per os with a variable initial alimentary situation. Four radiograms were taken at fixed times up to 12 hours after administration with each imaging technique. The highest rate of detection was attained with computer tomography. In contrast to the other methods, more than 90% of the body packs could be identified here. Nevertheless, an application in criminal investigation practice cannot be recommended owing to various disadvantages. The recovery rate of the remaining methods is between 20% and 25%.