Phenolphthalein False‐Positive Reactions from Legume Root Nodules

Presumptive tests for blood play a critical role in the examination of physical evidence and in the determination of subsequent analysis. The catalytic power of hemoglobin allows colorimetric reactions employing phenolphthalein (Kastle‐Meyer test) to indicate “whether” blood is present. Consequently, DNA profiles extracted from phenolphthalein‐positive stains are presumed to be from blood on the evidentiary item and can lead to the identification of “whose” blood is present. Crushed nodules from a variety of legumes yielded phenolphthalein false‐positive reactions that were indistinguishable from true bloodstains both in color quality and in developmental time frame. Clothing and other materials stained by nodules also yielded phenolphthalein false‐positive reactivity for several years after nodule exposure. Nodules from leguminous plants contain a protein (leghemoglobin) which is structurally and functionally similar to hemoglobin. Testing of purified leghemoglobin confirmed this protein as a source of phenolphthalein reactivity. A scenario is presented showing how the presence of leghemoglobin from nodule staining can mislead investigators.     

Women Victims of Violent Partners: The Italian Situation Amid Culture and Psychopathology

In 2006, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) conducted a survey over the entire national territory of women victims of sexual, physical, and psychologic violence, a few years after the first survey, conducted in 2002. For the 2002 survey, respondents were 60,000 women, 22,759 of whom were aged 14–59 years. For the 2006 survey, the sample consisted of 25,000 women aged 16–70 years. Owing to the sensitivity of the issues, the telephone survey technique seems best suited because it provides more anonymity and guarantee of protection. The survey showed that the phenomenon of violence against women is most commonly perpetrated by the partner or ex‐partner, even in cases of homicide. A comparison of the Italian data with those of the U.S.A. for the period 2001–2006 showed a specificity of Intimate Partner Violence in Italy, that seems to be related to cultural elements and psychologic and psychopathologic factors.     

Creativity in Court‐Connected Mediation: Myth or Reality?

In this study, we examined creativity in court‐connected mediation. We analyzed 129 mediated agreements from civil cases in Norway and Denmark and compared the outcomes with the parties' original claims to determine whether the agreement addressed only the disputants' demands or contained other elements. If the mediated agreements contained elements in addition to the original claims, we considered them to be “creative.” We devised a creativity scale and found that approximately two thirds of the cases contained creative elements and one quarter of them contained more than five creative elements. We then sought to determine which aspects of the mediation promoted creativity by looking at a variety of mediation characteristics (length of mediation, characteristics of the parties, etc.). We found that lengthier mediations tended to feature more creativity as did cases that involved two private individuals rather than businesses. Cases whose issues involved inheritance as well as the division of property following divorce seemed to foster the highest levels of creativity. Finally, we found that the amount of money at issue also seemed to be relevant: the highest levels of creativity were found in cases in which more money was at stake. In this article, we also discuss the implications of our findings for future research, practice, and training.     

Procedural Justice and Conflict Management at School

In this research, we explored the contributions of perceived procedural justice (PPJ) to the conflict management behaviors of adolescents when they experience conflict with their teachers. We tested an extensive model to determine how PPJ contributes to conflict management. We also extended research on PPJ to examine its impact on adolescents. Our results, acquired from a large and diverse sample of 256 high school students, indicate that PPJ had an impact on adolescents' approach to managing conflicts with their teachers. Students who perceived that their teachers' decision processes were just were less dominating and more avoiding, obliging, and compromising. In addition, we found that students' perceptions about the legitimacy of their teachers' authority mediated the relationships between PPJ and conflict management style. This study contributes to the rather scarce research on PPJ's role in conflict management and should be useful for educators searching for constructive, relationship‐based tools for conflict management.     

Characterization of Blue Pigments Used in Automotive Paints by Raman Spectroscopy

Micro‐Raman spectroscopy was applied to forensic identification of pigments in paint chips and provided differentiation between paint samples. Sixty‐six blue automotive paint samples, 26 solid and 40 metallic were examined. It was found that the majority of the collected Raman spectra provided information about the pigments present. However, in some cases, fluorescence precluded pigment identification. Using laser excitation at longer wavelengths or pretreatment to effect photobleaching often resulted in reduced fluorescence, particularly for solid color samples, and allowed pigment identification. The examined samples were compared pairwise taking into account number, location, and intensity of absorption bands in their infrared spectra. The estimated discrimination power ranged from 97% for solid paint samples to 99% for metallic paint samples.     

Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis of Red Seal Inks on Questioned Document

Seals are traditionally used in the Far East Asia to stamp an impression on a document in place of a signature. In this study, an accuser claimed that a personal contract regarding mining development rights acquired by a defendant was devolved to the accuser because the defendant stamped the devolvement contract in the presence of the accuser and a witness. The accuser further stated that the seal ink stamped on the devolvement contract was the same as that stamped on the development rights application document. To verify this, the seals used in two documents were analyzed using micro‐attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and infrared spectra. The findings revealed that the seals originated from different manufacturers. Thus, the accuser's claim on the existence of a devolvement contract was proved to be false.     

A PCR marker Linked to a THCA synthase Polymorphism is a Reliable Tool to Discriminate Potentially THC‐Rich Plants of Cannabis sativa L.

Neither absolute THC content nor morphology allows the unequivocal discrimination of fiber cultivars and drug strains of Cannabis sativa L. unequivocally. However, the CBD/THC ratio remains constant throughout the plant's life cycle, is independent of environmental factors, and considered to be controlled by a single locus (B) with two codominant alleles (B_T and B_D). The homozygous B_T/B_T genotype underlies the THC‐predominant phenotype, B_D/B_D is CBD predominant, and an intermediate phenotype is induced by the heterozygous state (B_T/B_D). Using PCR‐based markers in two segregating populations, we proved that the THCA synthase gene represents the postulated B locus and that specific sequence polymorphisms are absolutely linked either to the THC‐predominant or the THC‐intermediate chemotype. The absolute linkage provides an excellent reliability of the marker signal in forensic casework. For validation, the species‐specific marker system was applied to a large number of casework samples and fiber hemp cultivars.     

The Power of Contextual Effects in Forensic Anthropology: A Study of Biasability in the Visual Interpretations of Trauma Analysis on Skeletal Remains

The potential for contextual information to bias assessments in the forensic sciences has been demonstrated, in several forensic disiplines. In this paper, biasability potential within forensic anthropology was examined by analyzing the effects of external manipulations on judgments and decision‐making in visual trauma assessment. Three separate websites were created containing fourteen identical images. Participants were randomly assigned to one website. Each website provided different contextual information, to assess variation of interpretation of the same images between contexts. The results indicated a higher scoring of trauma identification responses for the Mass grave context. Furthermore, a significant biasing effect was detected in the interpretation of four images. Less experienced participants were more likely to indicate presence of trauma. This research demonstrates bias impact in forensic anthropological trauma assessments and highlights the importance of recognizing and limiting cognitive vulnerabilities that forensic anthropologists might bring to the analysis.     

Philemon and Baucis Deaths: Case Reports and Postmortem Biochemistry Contribution

The death of a person as a reaction to the death of another is known as Philemon and Baucis death and may represent a difficult challenge for pathologists, especially due to the decompositional changes that often characterized these situations. In this article, we describe two cases of Philemon and Baucis deaths, the first concerning a married couple and the second concerning a father and son. Postmortem investigations including radiology and biochemistry were performed. Based on the results of all investigations, deaths were attributed to natural causes. Third‐party involvement could be excluded in both situations. In one case, biochemical analysis results revealed potentially contributing causes of death. The reported cases emphasize the importance of correlating findings from different postmortem investigations to identify causes of death, precipitating conditions and predisposing disorders, thus allowing the conclusion of natural death to be reached and third‐party involvement to be excluded.     

血浆中组织蛋白酶L在大鼠急性心肌缺血及缺血再灌注后的表达

目的 检验大鼠心肌缺血及缺血再灌注后组织蛋白酶L在血浆中的表达,探讨其能否作为心肌缺血标记物.方法 建立大鼠急性心肌缺血模型（心肌缺血30 min、1h、2h组）、缺血再灌注模型（缺血再灌注组）以及异氟烷预处理后的缺血再灌注模型（异氟烷预处理组）.同时设有正常对照组、假手术组以作对照.用ELISA法检验血浆中组织蛋白酶L的含量,同时用TTC染色测量心肌梗死面积. 结果 大鼠急性心肌缺血后,各组血浆中的组织蛋白酶L含量与正常对照组、假手术组相比,差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）.缺血再灌注组,血浆中组织蛋白酶L的表达增多到正常对照组2.37倍（P＜0.05）.异氟烷预处理组血浆组织蛋白酶L和心肌梗死面积都较缺血再灌注组降低（P＜0.05）.结论 血浆中组织蛋白酶L不适合作为单纯急性心肌缺血的早期血浆标记物,异氟烷预处理可以降低缺血再灌注造成的血浆组织蛋白酶L高表达.