Alcohol loss arising from microbial contamination of drivers' blood specimens

This paper describes the circumstances in which some drivers' blood specimens containing added sodium fluoride (1% w/v concentration) deteriorated as a result of microbial contamination, accompanied by a decrease of alcohol concentration. Strains of the bacteria Serratia marcescens and a Pseudomonas sp. were isolated from the specimens and proven capable of growing at ambient temperature in blood containing sodium fluoride at 1% w/v concentration. They were shown to be active in alcohol degradation in preservatised blood, the activity being dependent on sodium fluoride concentration and storage temperature. Blood diluters were assumed to be a source of microbial cross contamination from one blood specimen to the next. It is recommended that postmortem blood specimens be analysed in separate batches from drivers' specimens when automated blood diluters are used, that the content of fluoride ions be increased to an equivalent of 2% w/v sodium fluoride, and that storage of specimens at temperatures above 4 degrees C be minimised.     

First-ballot votes,predeliberation dispositions,and final verdicts in jury trials

This study examines the proposition that first ballots predict jury verdicts inaactual juries, an oft-cited finding from Kalven and Zeisel, and the explicit assumption by Kalven and Zeisel that first-ballot preferences are equivalent to predeliberation opinions, referred to as the liberation hypothesis. Interview data from respondents who had served on felony juries indicate that first ballots do predict jury verdicts at a high level. However, it is probable that influence occurs in juries prior to the first ballot, making it unlikely that the distribution of votes on the first ballot is equivalent to the individual inclinations of jurors at the time they enter into deliberation, which casts doubt on the liberation hypothesis. Methodological issues in the study of real juries on these topics are discussed.     

An experimental study of powder tattooing of the skin.

Test firings were conducted on specially prepared live rabbits to determine the approximate maximum ranges at which powder tattooing occurs for different forms of gunpowder. For .38 caliber, powder tattooing from cartridges loaded with flake powder disappears at a range of 18 to 24 in. (0.4 to 0.6 m). Powder tattooing with flattened ball powder extends to 36 in. (0.9 m), while that due to ball powder extends to 48 in. (1.2m) of range. In .22 caliber, powder tattooing was observed out to 24 in. (0.6 m) with flake powder and 18 in. (0.4 m) with flattened ball. Attempts to reproduce the animal powder tattoo patterns on paper revealed that the paper patterns are consistent with skin tattoo patterns only up to 18 in (0.4 m) of range.     

The Design and Implementation of Cross-Sector Collaborations: Propositions from the Literature

People who want to tackle tough social problems and achieve beneficial community outcomes are beginning to understand that multiple sectors of a democratic society—business, nonprofits and philanthropies, the media, the community, and government—must collaborate to deal effectively and humanely with the challenges. This article focuses on cross-sector collaboration that is required to remedy complex public problems. Based on an extensive review of the literature on collaboration, the article presents a propositional inventory organized around the initial conditions affecting collaboration formation, process, structural and governance components, constraints and contingencies, outcomes, and accountability issues.