The typing of group-specific component (Gc protein) in human blood stains

It is known that the typing of group-specific component (Gc protein) in human blood stains is difficult since Gc protein of the extracts of blood stains migrates more anodally to the α₁-globulin region in agar-gel immunoelectrophoresis, while Gc protein in liquid blood normally migrates to the α₂-globulin region. We have reported that the Gc protein found in the α₁-region is the result of binding of actin to Gc protein (Shinomiya, K., Kimura, H., Yoshida, K., and Shinomiya, T., J. Biochem., 92 (1982) 1163–1171, which renders it difficult to determine the Gc-phenotypes in the blood stains. On the basis of the above findings, we developed the method of phenotyping the Gc protein of human blood stains by agar-gel immunoelectrophoresis. Since the binding activity of actin to Gc protein is lost after treatment with a high concentration of guanidine HCl, the extracts of blood stains were treated with 4 M guanidine HCl to dissociate Gc protein and actin and then dialyzed to remove guanidine HCl. By this method we are able to determine the phenotypes of Gc protein in blood stains. The method we have developed is a useful tool in the forensic laboratory.     

Strategic Use of Evidence During Police Interviews: When Training to Detect Deception Works

Research on deception detection in legal contexts has neglected the question of how the use of evidence can affect deception detection accuracy. In this study, police trainees (N=82) either were or were not trained in strategically using the evidence when interviewing lying or truth telling mock suspects (N=82). The trainees’ strategies as well as liars’ and truth tellers’ counter-strategies were analyzed. Trained interviewers applied different strategies than did untrained. As a consequence of this, liars interviewed by trained interviewers were more inconsistent with the evidence compared to liars interviewed by untrained interviewers. Trained interviewers created and utilized the statement-evidence consistency cue, and obtained a considerably higher deception detection accuracy rate (85.4%) than untrained interviewers (56.1%).     

Drugs in motorists traveling Swedish roads: on-the-road-detection of intoxicated drivers and screening for drugs in these offenders

This paper deals with the police officer's or police doctor's ability to find drivers under the influence of drugs. We have also studied whether the protocol on the driver's previous histories of drug intake is useful for directing the chemist in his analytical approach to revealing intoxicants in the suspects' body fluids. A comprehensive procedure for screening traffic-hazardous drugs in the urine was found necessary and is described. By using this method, we have studied the incidence of drunken drivers with detectable medicinal or illicit agents. The results demonstrate that 91% of those drivers found by the officer or doctor of the police to be on intoxicants other than ethanol, carried some kind of traffic-hazardous drug in their body fluids, and that the doctor was a better judge than the police in identifying these offenders. By using a series of chemical methods for drug screening, we found that every third driver suspected of drunken driving due to ethanol, but not to other intoxicants, held some kind of a traffic-hazardous drug substance in his urine; benzodiazepines and cannabinoids were the most common findings. The data imply that 34% of these suspects revealed their intakes of traffic-dangerous intoxicants. We conclude that the judgements of both the officer and doctor of the police are needed for an efficacious detection of drivers under the influence of drugs. Moreover, the results infer that the chemist has to screen for intoxicants to reveal these in a suspect driver. We also conclude that drugs, particularly the benzodiazepines or cannabinoids, may be commonly encountered in drunken drivers, suspected of being inebriated by ethanol but no other toxicants.     

A Capture–Recapture Model to Estimate the Size of Criminal Populations and the Risks of Detection in a Marijuana Cultivation Industry

Originally developed in biology, capture-recapture methodologies have increasingly been integrated into the study of human populations to provide estimates of the size of “hidden populations.” This paper explores the validity of one capture-recapture model—Zelterman’s (1988) truncated Poisson estimator—used to estimate the size of the marijuana cultivation industry in Quebec, Canada. The capture–recapture analysis draws on arrest data to estimate the number of marijuana growers “at risk of being arrested” for a period of five years (1998–2002). Estimates are provided for growers involved in two different techniques: (1) soil-based growing, and (2) hydroponics. In addition, the study develops an original method to estimate the prevalence of cultivation sites “at risk of detection.” A first set of findings shows that the cultivation industry is substantial; the estimated prevalence of growers compares to estimates of marijuana dealers in the province. Capture–recapture estimates are also used to compare the risks of being arrested for different types of offenders. Results indicate that hydroponic growers—those involved in large scale and sophisticated sites—face lower enforcement-related risks than growers involved in smaller enterprises. The significance of these findings is discussed in the context of the widespread development, both in Europe and in North America, of a successful domestic production-driven, rather than importation-driven, marijuana trade.

Evolution of the content of THC and other major cannabinoids in drug-type cannabis cuttings and seedlings during growth of plants

In Europe, authorities frequently ask forensic laboratories to analyze seized cannabis plants to prove that cultivation was illegal (drug type and not fiber type). This is generally done with mature and flowering plants. However, authorities are often confronted with very young specimens. The aim of our study was to evaluate when the chemotype of cannabis plantlets can be surely determined through analysis of eight major cannabinoids content during growth. Drug-type seedlings and cuttings were cultivated, sampled each week, and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The chemotype of clones was recognizable at any developmental stage because of high total Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations even at the start of the cultivation. Conversely, right after germination seedlings contained a low total THC content, but it increased quickly with plant age up, allowing chemotype determination after 3 weeks. In conclusion, it is not necessary to wait for plants' flowering to identify drug-type cannabis generally cultivated in Europe.     

从“血荒”现象看《献血法》在实施中的问题与完善

我国《献血法》在实施中存在一些问题：“血荒”现象在很多地方存在;目前的还血政策不能很好地激励公民献血的积极性;法律对医疗机构紧急用血规定不完善,“见死不救”,“救人违法”的矛盾在现实中还存在;部分临床用血的血液来源存在安全隐患。应当教育、动员、招募一支固定无偿献血者队伍,适当放宽献血的条件。提高血站的管理水平和服务质量、加强无偿献血及免费用血系统的网络化建设、适当扩大医疗机构在紧急用血时的权限。     

变点检测问题最新进展综述

变点检测问题研究是统计学与数学、计算机科学、数据挖掘等众多学科交叉的新兴研究领域。论文详细回顾与述评了2001-2011年的最新国内外变点问题研究状况,并从不同的角度对变点检测问题进行合理分类,同时展望了变点检测问题研究的未来发展方向。     

96孔过滤板在接触性DNA自动化检验中的应用

目的将96孔过滤板用于自动化工作站,对接触性DNA进行检验。方法收集553份现场提取的附着在烟蒂、饮料瓶、门窗把手、电源网线头、作案工具、手套上的微量接触性生物检材,在96孔过滤板上进行裂解后整体离心,分离载体与裂解液;应用自动化核酸提取纯化仪结合M48磁珠纯化试剂盒提取纯化DNA,采用IdentifilerPlus试剂盒进行扩增,3500XL测序仪电泳分型,ID-X专家系统分析结果。结果在553份检材中,成功获得STR分型的有271份,检验成功率在31.6%~97.3%之间,烟蒂、饮料瓶检材的成功率均在90%以上,提取纯化过程约90min。结论将96孔过滤板用于自动化工作站,可在实现批量接触性DNA的快速、自动化提取的同时,有效提高接触性DNA检出率。     

A passive approach for effective detection and localization of region-level video forgery with spatio-temporal coherence analysis

In this paper, we present a passive approach for effective detection and localization of region-level forgery from video sequences possibly with camera motion. As most digital image/video capture devices do not have modules for embedding watermark or signature, passive forgery detection which aims to detect the traces of tampering without embedded information has become the major focus of recent research. However, most of current passive approaches either work only for frame-level detection and cannot localize region-level forgery, or suffer from high false detection rates for localization of tampered regions. In this paper, we investigate two common region-level inpainting methods for object removal, temporal copy-and-paste and exemplar-based texture synthesis, and propose a new approach based on spatio-temporal coherence analysis for detection and localization of tampered regions. Our approach can handle camera motion and multiple object removal. Experiments show that our approach outperforms previous approaches, and can effectively detect and localize regions tampered by temporal copy-and-paste and texture synthesis.     

基于X-射线衍射法检测甲基苯丙胺晶体并推断来源

目的采用X-射线衍射法(XRD)建立一种快速检测甲基苯丙胺晶体并推断其来源的方法。方法对18起案件中的53份甲基苯丙胺样本进行XRD检验。结果通过分析主要特征峰强度比例,可以得到毒品的定性分析结果,以及样本的晶型取向信息;通过分析XRD谱图中毒品的特征峰半峰宽信息可以得到毒品的结晶度;对样本中明显的杂质峰进行比对,即可得到毒品来源信息参考。结论该方法简便快捷、无损样本、无污染,能够快速、准确、高效地分析结晶状毒品,为确定制贩毒集团上下线及涉毒案件串并案提供佐证。