Lightning fatalities on the South African Highveld: a retrospective descriptive study for the period 1997 to 2000

A review of the Southern Africa medical literature shows a paucity of published data regarding lightning fatalities. The South African Highveld has a lightning ground flash density of 6 to 9 flashes/km/year, with a high incidence of thunderstorm days per year (some 40-70). The Highveld has a largely urban population, many of whom have low socioeconomic status and poor education, housing, and other infrastructures and hence (possibly) are at greater exposure risk. Thirty-eight victims of lightning-related death were identified from the records of the 6 large medicolegal mortuaries on the South African Highveld, serving a population of approximately 7 million, for the period 1997 to 2000. Analysis of the records revealed that 95% of all victims were black, 79% were male, and the average age was 36 years. Lightning strikes occurred from September through to April (normal summer rainfall period), and the most strikes took place in the late afternoon (3:00 pm to 6:00 pm). All except 1 case occurred outdoors. In the autopsy reports, mention was made of singeing of hair in 68% of cases, and mention of damage to clothing was made in 26% of cases. Cutaneous thermal injuries were noted in 34 of the 38 cases, with apparent electrothermal injuries of the feet noted in 4 cases. Fifty-two percent of victims sustained some form of associated blunt-force injury (including abrasions, contusions, etc). Specific keraunopathologic injuries were described in only 2 of the cases. Twenty-one cases had some form of internal organ injury. This study serves to illustrate the relatively high incidence of lightning strikes in the region and calls for a more systematic and detailed investigative protocol in lightning-related deaths.     

The Effects of Prior Workplace Behavior on Subsequent Sexual Harassment Judgments

A dual processing model of sexual harassment judgments predicted that the behavior of a complainant in a prior case would influence evaluations in an unrelated subsequent case. In the first of two experimental scenarios depicting social-sexual conduct at work, the female complainant's conduct was manipulated to be aggressive, submissive, ambiguous, or neutral. Half of the participants were asked to reflect upon the first scenario after reading it and before answering responsibility questions. The other half simply reviewed the scenario and answered the questions. When the complainant acted aggressively, her behavior in the first scenario caused men who reflected on the fact pattern to find less evidence of harassment. Most interestingly, an aggressive complainant observed in the first scenario caused participants (especially women) to rate lower the likelihood that a neutral complainant in a second independent case was the victim of gender discrimination. Across cases, men found less evidence of harassment than did women.     

The application of an automated allele concordance analysis system (CompareCalls) to ensure the accuracy of single-source STR DNA profiles

A powerful method for validating a scientific result is to confirm specific results utilizing independent methodologies and processing pathways. Thus, we have designed, developed and validated an automated allele concordance analysis system (CompareCalls, patent pending) that performs comparisons between two independent DNA analysis platforms to ensure the highest accuracy for allele calls. Application of this system in a quality assurance role has shown the potential to eliminate greater than 90% of the STR analysis required of a DNA data analyst. While this system is broadly applicable for use with any two independent STR analysis programs, either prior to or following human data review, we are presenting its application to data generated with the ABI Prism Genotyper software system versus data generated with the SurelockID system. With the automated allele concordance analysis system, the GeneScan DNA fragment data generated from an ABI 377 gel image are analyzed in two independent pathways. In one analysis pathway, the GeneScan data are imported into Genotyper software where STR labels are assigned to the fragment data based upon the criteria of the Kazam 20% macro. The "Kazam" macro provided with the Genotyper program works by labeling all peaks in a category (or locus) and then filtering (or removing) the labels from peaks, such as those in stutter positions, that meet predefined criteria. In the second pathway, the GeneScan data are imported into the SurelockID analysis platform where STR labels and error messages are assigned to the fragment data based upon hard-coded allele calling criteria and quality parameters. The resulting STR allele calls for each analysis platform are then compared, utilizing the automated allele concordance analysis system. Any differences in the STR allele calls between the two systems are flagged in a discordance report for further review by a qualified DNA data analyst. The automated allele concordance analysis system guides the DNA data analyst to the discordant data generated by either analysis platform. Additionally, the analyst is also directed to data that are of less than pristine quality which may have an increased potential for errors in interpretation by either analysis platform or by a human DNA data analyst. Implementation of an automated allele concordance analysis system will yield high-quality data for CODIS and free the human DNA data analyst to perform other critical duties within the laboratory.     

Do courtship-violent men have characteristics associated with a “Battering Personality”?

Three studies explored the presence of characteristics associated with battering personalities in courtship-violent college men. These characteristics were derived from Signs to Look for in a Battering Personality developed in Fayetteville, AR, to describe wife-batterers. In the first study, two questions measured aggression. In the second and third study, Straus's (1979) Conflict Tactics Scale was also used. Attitudes toward Women (Spence et al., 1973) were measured in the first two studies. Sexual aggression (Koss et al., 1987) was measured in the third investigation. Univariate ANOVAs in all three studies showed that many of the characteristics associated with wife-battering men were also associated with college men who admitted to engaging in low-level courtship violence. However, stepwise discriminant analyses showed that two variables, threats and verbal abuse, were the most predictive of courtship violence in college men. Additional notable associations were found between the use of playful force during sex and self-reported sudden mood swings and/or a quick temper and courtship violence.     

Spousal violence among Anglos,Blacks, and Mexican Americans: The role of demographic variables,psychosocial predictors,and alcohol consumption

Racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence and correlates of self-reported spousal violence in a community sample of Anglo, Black, and Mexican American adults are examined. Females, the formerly married, and Black females in particular (up to 60% of formerly married) were most likely to report both being beaten by and beating a spouse. Multivariate analyses controlling for demographic variables, financial stress, social desirability, sex role traditionalism and drinking quantity (and spouse's drinking among the currently married) did not eliminate the greater likelihood of reports of both beating and being beaten among married Black females. There was little consistent evidence to suggest greater violence propensity among Mexican American than Anglo respondents. The findings raise questions about simplistic socioeconomic status or financial stress explanations of observed racial/ethnic differences in spousal violence. Further, curvilinear effects of alcohol quantity and spouse drinking upon reported violence question simple disinhibition arguments and suggest the need for data regarding couple dynamics.