The Differentiation of the Volatile Organic Signatures of Individuals Through SPME-GC/MS of Characteristic Human Scent Compounds

Abstract:  Human scent evidence is utilized as an investigative tool through canine scent discriminations based on the premise that human scent is an individualizing characteristic. This study describes the development of what is effectively a human scent barcode consisting of the relative ratios of an individual's "primary odor" compounds utilized to determine a reproducible and individualizing profile which can be stored in a searchable database for a proof of concept of human scent as a biometric measure. Triplicate hand odor samples were evaluated from 10 subjects utilizing solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) and compared via Spearman Rank Correlations. Narrowing the compounds considered for each subject to only those common in all three samples, or a subject's "primary odor constituents," produced a greater degree of both individualization and discrimination; at both correlation thresholds of 0.9 and 0.8, the individuals were correctly discriminated and identified in 99.54% of the cases.     

Free Fatty Acids Composition in Adipocere of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchí Ancient Remains Found in a Glacier*

Abstract: Adipocere is a postmortem decomposition product consisting of mostly a mixture of free fatty acids (FFAs) that are formed because of the hydrolysis of triglycerides in adipose tissues. This article describes a simple and robust method for the extraction, identification, and quantification of FFA commonly found in adipocere using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This method was applied to analyze tissues from Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchí, ancient remains discovered in a retreating glacier in the Tatshenshini‐Alsek Park, British Columbia, Canada in August 1999. The lyophilized tissues were grinded and extracted with hexane. The trimethylsilyl fatty acid derivatives were analyzed by GC/MS, and the relative abundances of myristic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid were determined. Milligram per gram levels of saturated fatty acids were found in the tissues of the ancient remains, while the levels of unsaturated fatty acids, such as palmitoleic acid, were found to be negligible. The results provided further evidence of the existence of adipocere found during forensic examination of the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchí ancient remains.     

Using Gas Chromatography with Ion Mobility Spectrometry to Resolve Explosive Compounds in the Presence of Interferents*

Abstract: Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a valued field detection technology because of its speed and high sensitivity, but IMS cannot easily resolve analytes of interest within mixtures. Coupling gas chromatography (GC) to IMS adds a separation capability to resolve complex matrices. A GC‐IONSCAN^® operated in IMS and GC/IMS modes was evaluated with combinations of five explosives and four interferents. In 100 explosive/interferent combinations, IMS yielded 21 false positives while GC/IMS substantially reduced the occurrence of false positives to one. In addition, the results indicate that through redesign or modification of the preconcentrator there would be significant advantages to using GC/IMS, such as enhancement of the linear dynamic range (LDR) in some situations. By balancing sensitivity with LDR, GC/IMS could prove to be a very advantageous tool when addressing real world complex mixture situations.     

Potency Trends of Δ9‐THC and Other Cannabinoids in Confiscated Cannabis Preparations from 1993 to 2008*

Abstract: The University of Mississippi has a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to carry out a variety of research activities dealing with cannabis, including the Potency Monitoring (PM) program, which provides analytical potency data on cannabis preparations confiscated in the United States. This report provides data on 46,211 samples seized and analyzed by gas chromatography‐flame ionization detection (GC‐FID) during 1993–2008. The data showed an upward trend in the mean Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹‐THC) content of all confiscated cannabis preparations, which increased from 3.4% in 1993 to 8.8% in 2008. Hashish potencies did not increase consistently during this period; however, the mean yearly potency varied from 2.5–9.2% (1993–2003) to 12.0–29.3% (2004–2008). Hash oil potencies also varied considerably during this period (16.8 ± 16.3%). The increase in cannabis preparation potency is mainly due to the increase in the potency of nondomestic versus domestic samples.     

环境公益诉讼原告资格分析

环境公益诉讼制度是实现对自然权利维护的有效途径。实现对自然权利的司法救济,其关键之处就在于原告起诉资格的适当放宽,允许公众为了自然的权利而向法院提起诉讼。鉴于我国环境诉讼中原告资格的立法现状,我国环境诉讼中对原告资格立法应进一步完善。     

自然资源是俄罗斯的诅咒还是福祉?

目前俄罗斯不存在明显的资源诅咒现象。从经济增长、人力资本积累和收入差距、社会秩序等方面看,无法找到确切的证据表明在俄罗斯存在明显的"资源诅咒"现象。至少到目前为止,俄罗斯无法摆脱对能源原材料部门的依赖,是资源诅咒发生的重要表现。而且,俄罗斯政府对社会领域的投资,对稳定基金、主权养老基金的重视,在很大程度上帮助俄罗斯人更加有效地解决了自然资源的使用效率问题。俄罗斯的经验说明,丰裕的自然资源到底会成为经济长期发展的福祉还是诅咒,最终还是取决于政策,或者说是取决于"人"的因素。     

Using Alkylate Components for Classifying Gasoline in Fire Debris Samples

The characteristic that discriminates gasoline from other ignitable liquids is that it contains high‐octane blending components. This study elaborates on the idea that the presence of gasoline in fire debris samples should be based on the detection of known high‐octane blending components. The potential of the high‐octane blending component alkylate as a characteristic feature for gasoline detection and identification in fire debris samples is explored. We have devised characteristic features for the detection of alkylate and verified the presence of alkylate in a large collection of gasoline samples from petrol stations in the Netherlands. Alkylate was detected in the vast majority of the samples. It is demonstrated that alkylate can be detected in fire debris samples that contain traces of gasoline by means of routine GC‐MS methods. Detection of alkylate, alongside other gasoline blend components, results in a more solid foundation for gasoline detection and identification in fire debris samples.     

TRAGIC CONSCIOUSNESS,NATURAL LANGUAGE AND MODERN SPIRIT OF THE RULE OF LAW

Tragic consciousness, which originated in childhood, is complex compassion based on strong self-consciousness. After being moralized, tragic consciousness presents the dichotomy of good and evil, which has not only profoundly affected the formation of natural language, but also cradled the theory of natural law and religious spirit. Modern jurisprudence attempts to get rid of the shackles of classics and Christian humanism, to shape the autonomous and self-consistent image of law with the de lege lata as center. However, it is difficult for modern jurisprudence to surpass the natural language which rooted in tragic consciousness, and impossible to neglect or deny the independent value of the human. The inherent conflict within the rule of law makes ironically a tragedy, especially in the context of contemporary China.     

The Wilderness Act of 1964 and the Wilderness Preservation Policy Network

ABSTRACT

This article surveys an unpublished piece in which Friedrich Engels examined the ecological conditions of Ireland in a chapter entitled the “Natural Conditions” in his unfinished History of Ireland. In interpreting Engels’s findings dialectically we are able to explicate a dialectical framework that gives us a greater insight into how Engels understands the way in which the dialectics of nature enfold in a particular bioregion and how, crucially, those same organic processes of nature provide the necessary ecological conditions for society to engage in agricultural cultivation. The geological system of Ireland and its particular sieve-like structure moderate the climatic condition of excessive rainfall so that cultivation can continue. This investigation by Engels can be seen as a concrete case study into the dynamic metabolising relationships between the diverse organic processes of Nature as they are appropriated by society in agricultural production. The conceptual trajectory of this dialectical analysis is to emphasise the inherent fluidity, mutual interaction and “universal connection” of the forces of nature. This particular work of Engels’s is a significant contribution to our understanding not only of the dialectics of nature but also of the methodology of dialectics as such.     

Undignified Thoughts After Nature: Adorno's Aesthetic Theory

Abstract

This paper seeks to redress the marginalization of Adorno in environmental philosophical discourse. Kate Soper describes two opposing ways of conceiving nature. There is the redemptive "nature-endorsing" paradigm that lays claim to the intrinsic value or "otherness" of nature. Conversely, the "nature-sceptical" approach denies that we can access originary, untouched nature. This paper argues that the significance of Adorno's treatment of natural beauty lies in how he brings these approaches together. In writings that resonate with the dual connotations of Sebald's phrase "after nature", Adorno both affirms the skeptical point that we cannot transcend a human history alienated from nature as well as retaining redemptive hope wherein art "after" nature seeks creative possibilities from out of the very ruins of history marked by nature's destruction.