Automated headspace solid-phase dynamic extraction for the determination of cannabinoids in hair samples

This article describes a fully automated procedure for detecting cannabinoids in human hair samples. The procedure uses alkaline hydrolysis and headspace solid-phase dynamic extraction (HS-SPDE), followed by on-coating derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). SPDE is a further development of solid-phase microextraction (SPME), based on an inside needle capillary absorption trap. It uses a hollow needle with an internal coating of polydimethylsiloxane as extraction and pre-concentration medium.Ten mg of hair were washed with deionised water, petroleum ether and dichloromethane. After adding deuterated internal standards, the sample was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide and directly submitted to HS-SPDE. After absorption of analytes for an on-coating derivatization procedure, the SPDE-needle was directly placed into the headspace of a second vial containing N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide before GC-MS analysis. The limit of detection was 0.14 ng/mg for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, 0.09 ng/mg for cannabidiol, and 0.12ng/mg for cannabinol. Absolute recoveries were in the range of 0.6 to 8.4%. Linearity was verified over a range from 0.2 to 20 ng/mg, with coefficients of correlation between 0.998 and 0.999. Intra- and inter-day precision were determined at two different concentrations and resulted in ranges between 2.3 and 6.0% (intra-day) and 3.3 and 7.6% (inter-day). Compared with conventional methods of hair analysis, this automated HS-SPDE-GC-MS procedure is substantially faster. It is easy to perform without using solvents and with minimal sample quantities, and it yields the same sensitivity and reproducibility. Compared to SPME, we found a higher extraction rate, coupled with a faster automated operation and greater stability of the device.     

The social construction of international institutions: the case of ASEAN + 3

Slowly but steadily, a new international institution is emergingin East Asia: the ASEAN + 3 forum, comprising the ten membersof the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China,Japan and South Korea. ASEAN + 3 is an interesting case of institution-buildingin that it is constructed around the core of an already existinginstitution, ASEAN, which was founded in 1967. The followinganalysis of this multilateral forum seeks to answer two theoreticalquestions: (i) Why do states cooperate? (ii) What happens totheir interests and identities once they communicate with eachother? In view of this task, I will offer a social constructivistvariant of international relations theory to explain the instigationof the process on the one hand and the processual constructionof the institution on the other. The underlying belief is thatnot only do states influence the development of internationalinstitutions, but that institutions can also exert influenceon foreign policy behaviour. The approach introduced here acknowledges that internationalreality is a social construction driven by collective understandingsemerging from social interaction. This approach to the explanationof the initiation and the subsequent development of an institutionrecognizes the existence of both material and normative groundsof foreign policy action. It differs from neoliberal institutionalismbecause in this theory as well as in realism collective interestis assumed as pre-given and hence exogenous to social interaction.In contrast, we suppose that social interaction ultimately doeshave transformative effects on interests and identity, becausecontinuous cooperation is likely to influence intersubjectivemeanings. This method of analysis corresponds with Moravscik'stripartite analysis of integration decisions: while the initialphase refers to the formation of state preferences, the secondand third involve the dynamic aspect of ‘constructing’international institutions: the outcomes of interstate bargainingand the subsequent choice of the institutional design.     

Fatalities after injuries by wild animals

The article summarises three fatalities after attacks by wild animals. The first case describes a 90-year-old woman who died as a result of pneumonia after a bear fell on her and caused multiple chest fractures. The second case deals with a 76-year-old woman who was hit in the middle face by the hoof of a camel and, thereafter, died of myocardial infarction. The third case describes a 27-year-old biologist who died from severe blunt trauma after an attack of a wild living elephant. The article gives a summary of typical injury patterns of selected wild animals and outlines potential reasons of death as a result of the injuries.     

An alternative method to screen for pepper spray residue

A method was developed to screen for pepper spray residue using instruments and methods other than those techniques commonly employed to analyze chemical residue (i.e.. gas chromatography mass spectrometry-GCMS or liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-LCMS). The method employed gas chromatography (GC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) to screen for dried pepper spray stains. Pepper sprays from nine different manufacturers were investigated. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were identified and unique IR reflectance spectra are presented. An additional five compounds were presumptively found. Results showed that a particular stain could be characterized as a pepper-based stain.     

Further studies on spot tests and microcrystal tests for identification of cocaine

The presence of cocaine in illicit drug samples is still being determined in some laboratories using spot tests and microcrystal tests. Seventeen chemical species were tested using three different spot tests (Wagner, Marquis, and cobalt thiocyanate followed by stannous chloride reactions) and two microcrystal tests (gold chloride and platinic chloride) to determine whether the results could be differentiated from the results of these tests on cocaine. The data obtained indicated that nine of the 17 compounds gave results similar to those from cocaine using the three spot tests, but that the results from microcrystal testing allowed for differentiation of all nine compounds from cocaine.     

Singing to the Heart

正A Tibetan pop band integrates traditional songs with modern instruments Dawa Dorji has multiple jobs:singer,barkeeper and English tourist guide,but it is his role as the lead singer of the fi rst folk pop band in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region that makes him most proud.In 2003,Dawa Dorji met two     

教唆犯在实行过限中的刑事责任认定简

实行过限是伴随共同犯罪的发生而出现的一种特殊犯罪形态.根据过限的范围,—般可分为质的过限、量的过限和转化的过限.目前学界在教唆犯实行过限的认定上提出了超出教唆故意说、未预见说和教唆类型区分说,以其中任何一种学说作为认定过限的唯一标准并不可取.认定教唆犯才在实行过限中的刑事责任应根据主客观相一致的原理,以超出教唆故意说为基本原则,综合运用未预见说和教唆类型区分说予以应对教唆犯罪中实行过限的各种复杂情形.     

抓住西部大开发机遇 积极推进跨越式发展

国家批准延边州享受西部大开发的有关政策,给延边州的跨越式发展提供了宽松的政策条件,重要的是扎扎实实地抓好各项工作的落实。