Guidelines for postmortem protocol for ocular investigation of sudden unexplained infant death and suspected physical child abuse

Postmortem examination is a cornerstone in identifying the cause of unexplained sudden death in children. Even in cases of suspected or known abuse, an autopsy may help characterize the nature of the abuse, which is particularly important in the forensic autopsy of children in the first 3 to 4 years of life when inflicted neurotrauma is most common. Forensic examinations are vital in cases that might otherwise be diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome. The ocular autopsy in particular may demonstrate findings that were not appreciated on antemortem clinical examination. This protocol for postmortem examination of the eyes and orbits was developed to promote more consistent documentation of findings, improved clinical and forensic decision making, and more replicable and coherent research outcomes.     

通识教育在中国教育发展中的角色

在中国借鉴美国的通识教育模式,必须具有中国的特色;将这种教育模式移植过来,必须进行改革,而这种改革必须是一个渐进、创新和适应的过程。中国需要创建一种课程以及教学法来鼓励学生进行创造性的思维,这是创新经济的基础和源泉。相对于教学内容而言,教学风格的改变可能更困难。这需要对教师进行培训,促使其掌握新的教学模式。总体而言,通识教育对中国来说好处大于坏处,而培养学生的批判性思维和独立思维能力对中国来说也是好处大于坏处。     

A controlled comparison of involuntarily hospitalized medication refusers and acceptors

Involuntarily hospitalized psychiatric patients consecutively admitted over a six-month period who successfully refused medication (n = 37) are compared with a randomly selected group of medication-accepting patients committed during the same time period (n = 37). The overall refusal rate was 15.6 percent during the study period. Acceptors and refusers did not differ on age, sex, diagnosis, ethnicity, marital status, or preadmission living status. Differences between the groups indicate that refusers are sicker and lower functioning, are more behaviorally acute on the ward, and stay in the hospital twice as long as acceptors. Refusers also have a significantly negative impact on the overall ward milieu. The impact of institutional factors on the rate and outcome from mediation refusal are discussed.     

Analysis of carboxyhemoglobin and cyanide in blood from victims of the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico

Ninety-seven people died from a fire that occurred in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in Puerto Rico on 31 Dec. 1986. All, except four who died later in the hospital, were found dead at the scene. All of the fatalities at the hotel (except for eight) were burned beyond recognition. Blood from seventy-eight of the victims was screened for carboxyhemoglobin at the Institute for Forensic Sciences in Puerto Rico and was then sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, for analysis of carboxyhemoglobin and cyanide concentrations. The blood data indicated that carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, singly or combined, were probably not responsible for the majority of the deaths that occurred in the badly burned victims. On the other hand, the significantly higher carboxyhemoglobin in the nonburned victims indicated that carbon monoxide alone or combined with hydrogen cyanide probably played a major role in the cause of their deaths.     

Machine washing or brushing of clothing and its influence on shooting distance estimation.

Experiments were conducted to assess the effect of machine washing or brushing of clothing items on Gunshot Residue (GSR) patterns (gunpowder residues, lead, and copper, deposits) around bullet entrance holes. Results show that those treatments decrease considerably the amount and density of GSR. However, for close shooting distances not all of the GSR deposits are removed. Remaining patterns may be visualized by specific color reactions and used for shooting distance estimation.     

Doctrines for Jihadi Terrorist Training

Based on an in-depth review of jihadi discourse on terrorist training and preparation, this article finds considerable differences between leading jihadi theorists on issues such as how training should be defined, its ultimate purpose, and where and how to prepare jihadi fighters. However, they all agree on the importance of training, and that ideological indoctrination and spiritual preparation should take precedence over physical and military training. The preparatory process must produce battle-hardened, martyrdom-seeking fighters, whose primary strength lies in their spiritual determination, their patience, and a willingess to employ savagery against the enemy.     

Framing Peace Policies: The Competition for Resonant Themes

Political organizations make use of culturally resonant symbols to bring their message to the public. In response to a political organization's use of a culturally resonant symbol, competing political organizations attack the connection between that organization's message and the symbol. Rochon and Wolfsfeld propose a process for the movement of policy justification symbols from interest groups and social movements to governments. This article examines this process in the context of the struggle among the Israeli nationalist movement, the Israeli peace movement, and the Israeli government, identifying a typology of tactical frames applicable to research beyond the Israeli context: denial, incorporation, and end run. Press releases by these political competitors show a specialization of tactical frames by social organization. Nationalists prefer to deny the validity of competing resonant symbols. Peace activists prefer to invent or search for new symbols, in an end run. Governments tend to absorb and redirect symbols initially used by the competing movements to justify government actions. An analysis of the political opportunity structures and organizational conditions that determine a political organization's tactics for attacking resonant frames is conducted.     

Abuse behavior inventory: cutpoint, validity, and characterization of discrepancies

This study determines a clinical cutting score for the 29-item Abuse Behavior Inventory (ABI) developed by Shepard and Campbell (1992) to measure both physical and psychological abuse experiences. The authors report on a sample of 392 White and African American women from primary care waiting rooms, who completed the ABI and the revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2). An ABI cutoff score of 10 maximizes validity and produces a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 81% compared to the CTS2. Cronbach's alpha is .92 for the entire scale, .91 for the psychological subscale, and .86 for the physical subscale. Correlation between the ABI and CTS2 is .76, with subscale correlations of .74 between ABI psychological and CTS2 verbal aggression, and .71 between ABI physical and CTS2 physical aggression, injury, and sexual coercion.