Reliability of a two-dimensional footprint measurement approach

Although footprint evidence can be taken from the scene of a crime, the science underpinning such measurement in forensic science has not been fully explored.A literature search revealed various measuring approaches, all of which demonstrated either little or no measurement rigour in terms of reliability. The aim of this study was to apply a robust measurement approach for testing the reliability of two-dimensional footprint impressions.Three dynamic and three static footprints were taken from the right foot of thirty female and thirty one male volunteers using the ‘Inkless Shoeprint Kit’. The images were digitised. Lengths, widths and angles were measured using a selection of currently employed methods.An investigation of the reliability of the chosen measuring method suggested high intra-rater agreement: for example, the length measurement suggested an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.99, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) ? 0.28 to 0.01, standard error of measurement (SEM) 0.07, Limits of Agreement (LOA) ? 0.91 to 0.65.Inter-rater reliability between three operators was also high: SEM ranged from 0.05 mm to 0.07 mm, ICC 0.99.Our study has established a reliable two-dimensional measuring technique that could be used for footprint comparison in further research.     

A review of the historical use and criticisms of gait analysis evidence

The use of gait analysis is a well-established facet of practice for many professions and a fundamental aspect of clinical practice. In recent times, gait analysis evidence has emerged as a new area of forensic practice. As its use has continued to spread and develop, the area of work has come under close scrutiny and subsequent criticism. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical use of gait analysis evidence and consider the criticisms of this work. Through the use of the historical records of cases within the public domain it has been determined that gait analysis as evidence was first presented in court over 175?years ago, although it has only been utilized by experts in more recent times. The quality of analysis underpinning such evidence has been variable, and has been undertaken by both non-expert and expert witnesses. The work undertaken by expert witnesses appears to have been both non-scientific and scientific in nature, though there is limited reporting of cases involving scientific approaches. Given the variation in the quality of the methodologies utilized, there is the potential for confusion within the courts, where it may be difficult for the judge or jury to determine the appropriate weight that can be attributed to the evidence. It is concluded that future publications should explore the scientific basis of forensic gait analysis to evaluate standards, reliability and validity, as well as reporting the methodologies utilized in relevant cases in the field. It is also recommended that courts consider in greater depth an expert's theoretical approach and experience prior to admitting their evidence. The publication of ‘Forensic gait analysis: a primer for courts’, although limited in some aspects of its consideration of practice, is a welcome addition to the information available for guidance.     

Mortality in cerebral palsy (CP): the importance of the cause of CP on the manner of death

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a nonprogressive motor deficit present or sustained in the perinatal period. We reviewed the files of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York for the 1997-2001 interval seeking those with any mention of cerebral palsy. There were 26 such cases, including 18 natural deaths, three accidents, two homicides, two therapeutic complications, and one death classified as undetermined. Proper reporting and careful investigation of these deaths is required for accurate certification of cause and manner of death, as well as for adequate tracking of these deaths for public health purposes.     

Human blood stain identification and sex determination in dried blood stains using recombinant DNA techniques

DNA was extracted from human and non-primate dried blood stains. Human male and female specimens were readily distinguished by analysis with a Y-chromosome specific DNA probe. Human and non-primate blood stains were also readily differentiated using a repeat sequence (Alu) DNA probe. The potential power of recombinant DNA analysis in forensic science is discussed.     

A king's Indian defence?

The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia, by Peter Hopkirk. John Murray, London, 1991. xiv + 526 pp., maps, 24 pp. plates. £19.95. ISBN 0–7195–4727‐X.

Roads and Rivals: The Politics of Access in the Borderlands of Asia, by Mahnaz Z. Ispahani. I. B. Tauris, London, 1991. xvi + 286 pp., maps. £22.95 ($37.80). ISBN 1–85043–145–0.     

Reviews

Japan's International Relations, by Takashi Inoguchi. Pinter Publishers, London, 1991. xii + 190 pp. £10.95 paperback, £39.50 hardback. ISBN 0–86187–095–6, 0–86187–076‐X.

NIPPON: New Superpower, Japan since 1945, by William Horsley and Roger Buckley. BBC Books, London, 1990. x + 278 pp., 24 pp. plates. £15. ISBN 0–563–20875–9.

Korea Briefing, 1990, edited by Chong‐Sik Lee. Westview, Boulder, CO, 1991. viii + 175 pp. £9.95 paperback. ISBN 0–8133–8010–3.

Britain and the Korean War, by Callum MacDonald. Blackwell, Oxford, 1990. viii + 112 pp. £17.50 hardback, £8.95 paperback. ISBN 0–631–16769–2, 0–631–16771–4.

The Future of South Korean‐U.S. Security Relations, edited by William J. Taylor Jr., Young Koo Cha, John Q. Blodgett, and Michael Mazarr. Westview Press, Boulder CO, 1989. £22.50. ISBN 0–8133–7889–3.

The Cambodian Crisis and U.S. Policy Dilemmas, by Robert G. Sutter. Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1991. vi + 135 pp. £15.50, paperback. ISBN 0–8133–8047–2.

Opium and Foreign Policy: The Anglo‐American Search for Order in Asia: 1912–1954, by William O. Walker III. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill and London, 1991. xvi + 345 pp. $43.95. ISBN 0–8078–1970.

Beautiful Imperialist: China Perceives America, 1972–1990, by David Shambaugh. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1991. 326 pp. £25, $35. ISBN 0–691–07864–5.

Building Sino‐American Relations: An Analysis for the 1990s, edited by William T. Tow. Paragon House, New York, 1991. vii + 327 pp. $18.95 paperback. ISBN 0–88702–061–5.

Molding the Medium: The Chinese Communist Party and the Liberation Daily, by Patricia Stranahan. M. E. Sharpe, Armonk NY and London, 1991. x + 189 pp. $39.95 ISBN 0–87332–662–8.

The Privatization of China: The Great Reversal, by William Hinton. New York, Monthly Review Press, 1990; Earthscan Publications, London, 1991.191 pp. £7.95 paperback. ISBN 1–85383–098–4.

Rural Reform and Peasant Income in China, by Zhu Ling. Macmillan, Houndmills and London, 1991. xiv + 204 pp. £35 hardback, £14.99 paperback. ISBN 0–333–49743–0, 0–333–49744–9.

China's Defence Modernisation and Military Leadership, by Ngok Lee. Australian National University Press, Sydney, 1989. xxi + 395 pp. ISBN 0–08–033046–0.

Taiwan: China's Last Frontier, by Simon Long. Macmillan, Houndmills and London, 1991. xix + 264 pp. £40 hardback, £14.99 paperback. ISBN 0–333–51292–8, 0–333–51293–6.

Party‐Military Relations in the PRC and Taiwan: Paradoxes of Control, by Cheng Hsiao‐shih. Westview Special Studies on China and East Asia, Boulder, CO, 1990. xiv + 178 pp. £18.50. ISBN 0–8133–7738–2.

Modern Taiwan in the 1990s, edited by Garry Klintworth. Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence No. 75. Australian National University, Canberra, 1991. 216 pp. A$15. ISBN 07315–11689.

Shanghai, by Harriet Sergeant. Jonathan Cape, London, 1991. xi + 371 pp., 16 pp. plates, maps. £16.99. ISBN 0–224–02816–2.

An Illustrated History of Hong Kong, by Nigel Cameron. Oxford University Press, Hong Kong, 1991. 362 pp., maps, illus. £25. ISBN 0–19–584997–3.

Hong Kong 1977: dans la gueule du Dragon rouge, by Jules Nadeau with Mathieu‐Robert Sauvé and Judith Bélanger. Editions Québec/Amérique, Montreal, 1990. 306 pp., maps, illus. Can$26.95. ISBN 2–89037–513–7.

Australia in the International Economy in the Twentieth Century, by Barrie Dyster and David Meredith. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990. xvi + 362 pp. £39.50 hardback, £15.00 paperback. ISBN 0–521–33496–9, 0–521–33689–9.

Art and Identity in Oceania, edited by F. Allan Hanson and Louise Hanson. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1990. viii + 315 pp., illus. £37. ISBN 0–8248–1304–0.

The Pacific, by Simon Winchester. Hutchinson, London, 1991. xi + 501 pp. £19.99. ISBN 0–09–173485–1.