Fatal dog maulings associated with infant swings

We present three cases of fatal dog maulings of infants placed in mobile infant swings, a phenomenon not previously described in the literature. In each case, the victim was left in a mobile swing, unsupervised by an adult, and the attacking dog was a family pet. Case 1 involved an 18-day-old male infant attacked by a pit bull; Case 2 involved a 3-month-old male infant attacked by a Chow Chow and/or a Dachshund, and Case 3 involved an 18-day-old female infant attacked by a Labrador-pit bull mix. These cases not only underscore the importance of not leaving young children unattended in the presence of pet dogs, but also raise the possibility that mobile swings may trigger a predatory response in dogs and thus may represent an additional risk factor for dog attack.     

Four X-chromosomal STRs and their allele frequencies in a Chinese population

X-chromosomal markers are particularly useful for solving complex problems relating to kinship and deficiency paternity analysis. In the present study, population genetics data of four X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) DXS8378, HPRTB, DXS7423 and DXS7132 were obtained by analyzing 500 unrelated Chinese individuals (250 males and 250 females). Population genetics data obtained from the Chinese were compared with those of the Asian and European population. Mutations in X-chromosomal markers were analyzed based on a total of 61 proven father-child and 45 proven mother-child pairs.     

Drug and chemical related deaths: incidence in the State of Maryland--1975 to 1980

The incidence of drug and chemical related deaths was studied over a six-year period in the State of Maryland. Deaths were classified into the following categories: alcohol, carbon monoxide (CO), single drugs, multiple drugs, and narcotism. The last three categories were further subdivided as to the specific drugs or chemicals involved. Over the six-year period the number of alcohol and CO deaths remained steady, the number of barbiturate and propoxyphene deaths declined, while the number of tricyclic antidepressant drug deaths increased.     

The impact of the financial sector on economic development: Some cross-section evidence

Conclusion This paper has attempted to analyze the effect of the development of the financial sector, as reflected by the extent of financial deepening, in the economic development of countries. The Theoretical framework integrating financial growth to real growth is basically an adaptation of the Gurley-Shaw theory of finance in the development context, but with emphasis placed upon the supply-leading role of the financial sector. The empirical results of this study although not conclusive, indicate that financial deepening leads to a higher rate of capital accumulation and a higher level of per capita income. The lack of definitiveness of our evidence in support of the financial theory of economic development is due to a lack of comparable data on financial institutions, other than banks, for the different countries. Thus, although our study lends support to the supply-leading thesis, further judgement of the thesis must await more detailed empirical analyses.     

A case of sudden death by decidual cell embolism

A 35-year-old multipara died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism about 12 h after delivery. The morphological features and the entry site of the emboli into the circulation suggested that they were decidual cells. Intact decidual cells accounted for only a minority of the emboli: the great majority were cells that had lost their nuclei and/or had been fragmented. The presence of embolized areas, accompanied by fibroblasts and newly formed capillaries, suggested that the embolization process had started before the beginning of labor. However, no symptoms suggesting embolism had been recorded on the clinical chart.     

Impact-induced intracranial pressure caused by an accelerated motion of the head or by skull deformation; an experimental study using physical models of the head and neck, and ones of the skull

An impact incurred by the movable head may bring about a change in intracranial pressure and this change may play an important part in the occurrence of the cerebral contusion. We have carried out the following experiments to determine whether the intracranial pressure change was attributed to an accelerated motion of the head or to a skull deformation. In the blow experiment in which the head was accelerated, a positive peak in the intracranial pressure was recorded immediately after impact at the impact site and a negative one at a site opposite the impact. In the one in which the skull could be deformed, the intracranial pressure curves at both sites contained harmonics. The modal analysis revealed an inbending in the frontal and occipital regions of the skull and an outbending in the parietal and temporal regions immediately after impact, followed by a reverse deformation. Regarding the intracranial pressure change, positive pressures were recorded in the frontal and occipital regions immediately after impact, followed by a negative one. This study demonstrated that the positive and negative peaks were caused by the accelerated motion of the head, and that the curve of the intracranial pressure changes contained harmonics which were caused by the deformation of the skull.     

Convincing the World of China’s Tradition to Pursue Universal Harmony

As China??s comprehensive national power grows, its efforts to reduce the ??China threat?? perception have become more challenging. In line with the Chinese leadership??s current theme of peace and harmony in China??s foreign policy line, Chinese scholars have been highlighting the same theme in their research on China??s traditional strategic culture. Their research criticizes Western cosmopolitanism and praises the peaceful nature of China??s traditional ??tianxia?? concept. The exploitation of traditional strategic culture to provide re-assurance to the international community has now been raised to the official level, as reflected by the White Paper on ??China??s Peaceful Development?? released by the State Council??s Information Office on September 6, 2011. This probably means that it will be a major element of China??s public diplomacy for the foreseeable future. These efforts, however, may not have a significant impact because of rising nationalism in the region and the moderate escalation of existing territorial disputes involving China and its neighbors.     

Evaluation of histologic changes of the skin in postmortem period

ABSTRACT: Determination of the time of death is an important consideration in forensic practice. Many methods have been attempted to accurately and systematically determine the postmortem interval (PMI). Histologic examination of the skin or appendages is one of the methods tried by few researchers. However, no attempt had been made to analyze the histologic changes in the skin and appendages simultaneously and to compare them with PMI. We sequentially studied the histologic changes of the skin and appendages in the early PMI. The results of the present study show that the skin undergoes progressive morphological changes in the postmortem period. The epidermis and the dermis appeared normal for 6 hours after death, and after this period, degenerative changes began. By 6 to 9 hours after death, degeneration began in the dermis, and by the end of 18 hours, the dermis began to disintegrate. The sweat glands appeared normal for approximately 3 to 4 hours. For 18 hours after death, the sebaceous glands and hair follicles appeared normal, and after this period, degeneration began.