Identification of anhydroecgonine ethyl ester in the urine of a drug overdose victim

Toxicological evaluation of postmortem urine collected from a 41-year-old deceased white male detected anhydroecgonine ethyl ester (ethylecgonidine, AEEE), a transesterification product of smoked cocaine co-abused with ethanol. A solid phase extraction (SPE) method was used to extract cocaine, AEEE, and related metabolites from urine. SPE on a 1 mL urine sample from the decedent followed by GC-MS detected AEEE. Other metabolites identified by GC-MS included cocaine, cocaethylene, and anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME). To determine whether some or all of the AEEE was artifactually produced in the heated GC injector port, an alternative LC-MS method was developed. LC/MS following SPE found at least 50 ng/mL of AEEE in the extract. The mass fragmentation (MS/MS and MS3) of AEEE detected in the urine was compared to spectra of authentic, synthesized compound. AEEE is a potential additional forensic marker for the co-abuse of smoked cocaine and ethanol.     

Judges,juries, and the decision to convict

The bureaucratic context of criminal prosecution emphasizes efficiency; its legal context emphasizes due process and procedural fairness. This paper focuses on the trial stage of prosecution where both concerns are central. It empirically examines the bench trial, an alternative to the more commonly used plea of guilty and the more traditional trial by jury. A comparison between trial by judge and trial by jury reveals striking differences in determinations of guilt. These differences have implications for commonly held assumptions about both jury and judicial behavior.     

A Practical Guide for the Formulation of Propositions in the Bayesian Approach to DNA Evidence Interpretation in an Adversarial Environment

The interpretation of complex DNA profiles is facilitated by a Bayesian approach. This approach requires the development of a pair of propositions: one aligned to the prosecution case and one to the defense case. This note explores the issue of proposition setting in an adversarial environment by a series of examples. A set of guidelines generalize how to formulate propositions when there is a single person of interest and when there are multiple individuals of interest. Additional explanations cover how to handle multiple defense propositions, relatives, and the transition from subsource level to activity level propositions. The propositions depend on case information and the allegations of each of the parties. The prosecution proposition is usually known. The authors suggest that a sensible proposition is selected for the defense that is consistent with their stance, if available, and consistent with a realistic defense if their position is not known.     

A survey of the provision of family therapy in medium secure units in Wales and England

A cross-sectional survey design was utilised to capture a snapshot of the provision of family therapy in medium secure units (MSUs) across Wales and England during 2013. Semi-structured interviews were administered via telephone interview with 39 MSUs. Information pertaining to the main research question was also gathered from a further 10 via email follow-up. Over a third of responding MSUs in Wales and England were offering family therapy, with team members being appropriately qualified and receiving regular supervision. Systemic psychotherapy was the most prevalent approach to working with families and it is suggested here that systemic psychotherapy fits well with the complexity and uniqueness of working with families in secure contexts.     

Reply

New to Beijing in the 1910s, actresses, especially opera stars and members of large all-female troupes, were active agents of theatrical innovation. Competing with actors in a rapidly commercializing theater business, certain privileged actresses developed a different repertoire and performance style for female roles by adapting regional opera traditions. As the characters they played onstage boldly sought the thrills of courtship and pursued their personal desires, these actresses fashioned a new flirtatious female subjectivity, different from that associated with heroines in the cult of qing in Ming literature, the sentimentalism of Butterfly fiction, and the May Fourth ideal of free love. However, as they assumed female roles that transgressed traditional expectations and catered to a male-dominated audience, actresses found their own commodification as sexual objects was inevitable.     

On Her Majesty's Ideological State Apparatus: Indirect Rule and Empire

The British colonial policy of indirect rule was a crucial tool for the maintenance of empire. While indirect rule has typically been regarded as little more than an expedient solution to resource constraints, it can more accurately be understood as a type of ideological state apparatus, first described by Louis Althusser in his 1969 essay. Through an analysis of indirect rule in South Africa, support is provided for Althusser's theses on ideology, as well as for the general theory of historical materialism.     

Current preferences and future demand for denser residential environments

Abstract

This article assesses the future demand for denser, more walkable residential environments in the United States as a whole. A review of survey evidence on preferences is coupled with demographic projections and other trends to construct a demand projection for the period 2000 to 2010 and compare it with 1990 to 2000.

It is possible to foresee a turnabout already under way. Households older than 45 show particular interest in more densely configured homes in more central locations. Passage of the massive baby boom generation into this age range focuses the growth of housing demand in sharp contrast to stagnant numbers at younger ages. Home buyers aged 45 and older who prefer denser, more compact housing alternatives will account for 31 percent of total homeowner growth during the 2000—10 period, double the same segment's market share in the 1990s.