The polymerase chain reaction and post-mortem forensic identity testing: application of amplified D1S80 and HLA-DQ alpha loci to the identification of fire victims.

The application of DNA typing methods after amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of DNA derived from body tissues from charred fire victims was investigated. A total of 26 different tissue specimens from ten extensively burned individuals were analyzed. The samples included femoral muscle, psoas muscle, bone marrow and blood. The post-mortem period varied from 38 to 183 h. After amplifying the DNA by PCR from the various tissues, the D1S80 locus was analyzed with a high resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique followed by silver staining and the alleles of the HLA-DQ alpha locus were detected by using a reverse dot blot format. All samples could be typed for both loci and the genotypes were consistent in the various tissues from each individual. A parentage test was performed in two cases and Mendelian inheritance of the alleles for both loci was observed.     

The characteristics of injuries to the thoracic spine in children with a forward flexion

Excessive flexure of the thoracic spine in childhood may result in latent lesions of the middle thoracic vertebra and intervertebral disks visible by X-ray and on sagittal cuts. The prior deformation may be judged by their morphological signs. Ability of infantile vertebral bodies to recover their form after load removal reduces reliability of mathematical processing of X-ray data. Use of X-ray method for examination of thoracic spine in expert practical work makes it possible to detect lesions and mechanism of their formation.     

关于福建省苯丙胺类毒品犯罪情况的调查报告

国际反毒专家预测 :苯丙胺类毒品将是二十一世纪全世界范围内滥用最为广泛的毒品。福建省苯丙胺类毒品犯罪的特点 :1、呈现区域化特征 ;2、境内外毒贩勾结 ,团伙犯罪突出 ;3、摇头丸走私入境 ,出现了摇头丸的制造。呈上升趋势的原因 ;1、国际非法市场需求量增加 ;2、地理位置、人文因素 ;3、禁毒经费紧缺 ,力量薄弱 ;4、破案方法简单。     

Myocardial dysplasia of the right ventricle (Uhl's anomaly) as a possible cause of sudden, unexpected death

Partial absence and fatty replacement of the myocardial compacta of the right ventricular wall was observed in five young male adults, four of whom died suddenly and unexpectedly and one in a car accident. In one of these cases there was only one coronary orifice. Four cases of the so-called Uhl anomaly had histological findings indicating dysmorphic myocardial cells associated with minimal lymphohistiocytic infiltrates within the fatty tissue. In one case, chronic destructive inflammation was a prominent feature. Marked dysmorphic alterations in the myocardial fibers suggested the occurrence of arrhythmic episodes as the main cause of sudden heart failure and death.     

Norway between NATO,the EU,and the US: A Case Study of Post-Cold War Security and Defence Discourse

This article addresses the post-Cold War security and defence discourse in Norway, focusing on the impact of the transformation of NATO, an increasingly ambitious EU within security matters and the transatlantic tensions in the War on Terror. The article argues that changes or continuity in policy result from the discursive battle between various power constellations, which are forcing conflicting understandings of reality on each other. In this battle, the dominant representation frames NATO's transformation as a precondition for national defence with reference to alliance solidarity, loyalty and interoperability. The alternative representation, on the other hand, has framed NATO's transformation as negative for national defence, claiming that forces trained for global, warlike missions are neither capable nor available for national defence tasks such as containment of Russia's strategic interests in the Barents Sea. The EU has been brought into the security and defence discourse only when new integration steps, such as the European security and defence policy and EU Battle Groups, put the question of how far Norway may participate, to a test. However, developments like the slow withering away of NATO and unilateralist US foreign policy on Iraq are contributing to pushing the Norwegian discourse, and hence policy, closer to Europe.     

The Corporate Opportunity Doctrine and Impossibility Arguments

This article considers whether English law should allow a director to argue that if the company is unable to exploit a corporate opportunity, the director should be free to exploit it personally. The article supports the view of the Company Law Review Steering Group that the answer should remain no. In so doing it analyses US practice to show that, even where such arguments are recognised, they are difficult to prove and their potential application is curtailed through the development of satellite rules. Indeed, in practical terms there may be no significant difference between the Steering Group's recommendations and the position towards which US law appears to be moving.