Elemental analysis of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): A tool to determine the synthesis method and trace links

The elemental composition of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) powders and tablets was determined. The objective was the identification of the synthesis method and application of the elemental profile in comparative analysis. The developed analytical method comprised the digestion of a sample followed by quantitative analysis with inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The sample collection consisted of a unique set of MDMA powders (57) from illicit production sites and MDMA tablets (97) taken from large seizures (over 500 tablets) in the Netherlands. The production method of MDMA could be determined for 89 of the 97 tablets. In 84 cases reductive amination using Pt as the catalyst was used, in four cases reductive amination using NaBH(4) or a similar reducing agent was employed and one mixed sample (Pt and B) was found. None of the MDMA tablets were assigned to the aluminium amalgam method. Using the elemental profile, 13 links were identified within the 97 MDMA tablets using cluster analysis based on Pearson correlations. Of these links 10 were corroborated by additional analyses.     

Allele frequencies data and statistic parameters for 13 STR loci in a population of the Brazilian Amazon Region

Allele frequencies for 13 short tandem repeat (D3S1358, vWA, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, TH01, TPOX, D16S539, CSF1PO, D8S1179 and FGA) loci were determined in a sample of 325 unrelated individuals from the population of the Amazon of Belém, Brazil. These loci are the most commonly used in forensic and paternity testing. The forensic parameters investigated presented high values. The power of discrimination and the probability of exclusion for these 13 STRs are 99.999999999992% and 99.9998%, respectively. In conclusion, these 13 markers are suitable for forensic analysis and paternity tests of the Amazonian population.     

Palliative sedation in the Netherlands: starting-points and contents of a national guideline

In December 2005 the first national guideline for palliative sedation in the Netherlands was published. This guideline was developed by a committee of the Royal Dutch Medical Association, at the request of the Dutch government. The guideline defines palliative sedation as 'the intentional lowering of consciousness of a patient in the last phase of his or her life'. According to the guideline the objective of palliative sedation is to relieve suffering, and lowering consciousness is a means to achieve this. It is very important that palliative sedation is given for the right indication, proportionally, and adequately. It is the degree of symptom control, not the level to which consciousness is lowered, which determines the dose and combinations of the sedatives used and duration of treatment. The assessment and decision-making processes must focus on adequate relief of the patient's suffering, so that a peaceful and acceptable situation is created. Palliative sedation is given in the last phase of life, in the imminently dying patient. Palliative sedation raises several legal questions. In this article we describe the structure and contents of the guideline, with special attention for the main legal issues involved, like the distinction between palliative sedation and euthanasia and the process of informed consent.     

Eugenics: progress or backward movement?]

Throughout this article there is a critical analysis of how genetics presents a dilemma for "human progress". So much so, that the legal world aims to create unequivocal norms and guarantees in relation with eugenics in order to avoid attempting against human dignity. The document makes the reader reflect on the ethical problems that eugenics can entail.     

'This just isn't sustainable': precarious employment, stress and workers' health

This paper explores the impact of precarious employment relationships on health outcomes. It uses a novel framework, "Employment Strain" to describe the characteristics of different employment relationships and how they impact health outcomes. It uses interview data and comments provided on a survey to explore these issues. The paper begins by exploring if the health effects reported by mid-career individuals in precarious employment are different from those of younger and older workers. Finding limited evidence to support this hypothesis, the paper goes on to explore in detail the conditions under which precarious employment does increase stress and tension and impact health outcomes. It concludes that a combination of an individual's desire for more permanent employment, the expectation that permanent employment will be found, and the support individuals receive from various sources are critical to understanding the health effects of precarious employment.     

Haplotype frequencies of 16 Y-chromosome STR loci in the Barcelona metropolitan area population using Y-Filer kit

Haplotype frequencies for 16 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, included in the Y-Filer kit, were determined in 247 unrelated healthy individuals from the Barcelona metropolitan area (Catalonia, NE Spain). After PCR amplification and denaturing PAGE electrophoresis, DYS456, DYS389I, DYS390, DYS389II, DYS458, DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS393, DYS391, DYS439, DYS635, DYS392, Y GATA H4.1, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS448 loci were typed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance in our population of the 16 loci of the Y-chromosome present in the new Y-Filer commercial identification kit, and acquire haplotype frequencies for mathematic processing of the forensic diagnosis in our geographical working area. In this sample, all haplotypes were unique. From the forensic point of view, the combined polymorphisms of the Y-Filer kit provide a high diagnostic efficiency.     

Ignitable liquid identification using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry data by projected difference resolution mapping and fuzzy rule-building expert system classification

The gasoline and kerosene collected from different locations in the United States were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) followed by chemometric analysis. Classifications based on two-way profiles and target component ratios were compared. The projected difference resolution (PDR) mapping was applied to measure the differences among the ignitable liquid (IL) samples by their GC/MS profiles quantitatively. Fuzzy rule-building expert systems (FuRESs) were applied to classify individual ILs. The FuRES models yielded correct classification rates greater than 90% for discriminating between samples. PDR mapping, a new method for characterizing complex data sets was consistent with the FuRES classification result.     

Shrunken head (tsantsa): A complete forensic analysis procedure

Based on the analysis of shrunken heads referred to our forensic laboratory for anthropological expertise, and data from both anthropological and medical literature, we propose a complete forensic procedure for the analysis of such pieces. A list of 14 original morphological criteria has been developed, based on the global aspect, color, physical deformation, anatomical details, and eventual associated material (wood, vegetal fibers, sand, charcoals, etc.). Such criteria have been tested on a control sample of 20 tsantsa (i.e. shrunken heads from the Jivaro or Shuar tribes of South America). Further complementary analyses are described such as CT-scan and microscopic examination. Such expertise is more and more asked to forensic anthropologists and practitioners in a context of global repatriation of human artifacts to native communities.     

The effect of offenders' sex on reporting crimes to the police

This article examines the difference in victims' reporting behavior regarding crimes committed by males and by females. The authors expect that victims of female offenders are less likely to report to the police than victims of male offenders because of differences in the victim-offender relationship as well as in the victim's sex. With recent developments in Bayesian statistics, new tools have become available that enable the direct evaluation of researchers' expectations. All cases of robbery with assault from the National Crime Victimization Survey have been investigated (n = 478). Findings reveal that female offenders are underreported compared with male offenders and that this can be explained by the victim characteristics but only in combination with the offender's sex.