Sampling and recovery of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) from fire debris using capillary microextraction of volatiles (CMV) for on-site analysis

A new, fast, and ultra-sensitive headspace sampling method using the Capillary Microextraction of Volatiles (CMV) device is demonstrated for the analysis of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) in fire debris. This headspace sampling method involves the use of a heated can (60°C) to aid in the recovery of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from medium and heavy petroleum distillates. Our group has previously reported the utility of CMV to extract gasoline at ambient temperature in less than 5 min in the field. This work evaluates the recovery and analysis of low mass loadings (tens of ng) of VOCs from charcoal lighter fluid, kerosene, and diesel fuel. Nonane, decane, undecane, tridecane, tetradecane, and pentadecane were selected for evaluation of recovery to represent these ILR classes. The face-down heated can headspace sampling technique was compared to the previously reported, non-heated, paper cup headspace sampling technique. Mass recovery improvements of 50%–200% for five of the six target compounds in diesel fuel were achieved compared to the non-heated sampling method. The average relative standard deviation (reported as % RSD) between the replicate trials decreased from an average of 28% to 6% when using the heated can method. Ignitable liquids were spiked onto burned debris in a live burn exercise and sampled using the heated can and paper cup headspace sampling techniques. The heated sampling technique reported here, for the first time, demonstrates an effective extraction method that when coupled to a portable GC–MS instrument allows for a sampling and analysis protocol in the field in less than 30 min.     

A case of mistaken identity: The wrongful classification of Islamic marriage contracts as premarital agreements in New York

New York precedent has mischaracterized Islamic marriage contracts, or nikah agreements, as premarital agreements. Nikah agreements are not premarital agreements; they are contracts. This mischaracterization has subjected nikah agreements to the acknowledgement requirement codified in N.Y. DRL § 236(B)(3) which has incorrectly been used to strike down valid contracts which Islamic litigants rely on. To prevent the effects of this mischaracterization, this Note suggests to New York appellate courts that a recharacterization of these agreements as contracts would prevent further confusion amongst the lower courts and allow for clearer, more uniform decisions.     

Synthesis,structure, in vitro pharmacology,and in vivo activity of trans-3,4-dichloro-N-[[1-(dimethylamino)-4-phenylcyclohexyl]methyl]-benzamide (AP01; 4-phenyl-AH-7921), a novel mixed μ-/κ-opioid

Analogs of non-fentanyl novel synthetic opioids (NSO) with modifications that fall outside of established structure–activity relationships (SARs) for that class of drugs create the question whether or not it should be considered an analog, as defined by 21 U.S.C. §802(32)(A), which is important for its inclusion in the US system of drug scheduling. AH-7921 is a US Schedule I drug and an example of the 1-benzamidomethyl-1-cyclohexyldialkylamine class of NSO. The SARs regarding substitution of the central cyclohexyl ring have not been well characterized in the literature. Therefore, in order to expand the SAR surrounding AH-7921 analogs, trans-3,4-dichloro-N-[[1-(dimethylamino)-4-phenylcyclohexyl]methyl]-benzamide (AP01; 4-phenyl-AH-7921) has been synthesized, analytically characterized, and tested in vitro and in vivo pharmacologically. Using methods described in the original patents for this class of NSO, it was found that the single trans geometric isomer was obtained. The proton nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrum, infrared spectrum, and Raman spectrum are reported along with the melting point of the hydrochloride salt. In vitro binding to a battery of 43 central nervous system receptors showed it to be a high-affinity μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and κ-opioid receptor (KOR) ligand (60 nM and 34 nM, respectively). AP01 also had a 4 nM affinity for the serotonin transporter (SERT), which is a higher level of potency at this receptor than most other opioids. In rats, it exhibited antinociception in the acetic acid writhing test. Therefore, the 4-phenyl modification results in an active NSO, but carries with it potential toxicities beyond those expected for currently approved opioid drugs.     

Assessment of post-mortem submersion interval using total aquatic decomposition scores of drowned human cadavers

Investigating drowning-related deaths remains a significant problem for forensic personnel all over the world. The previously published decomposition scoring method like the total aquatic decomposition (TAD) score promises to estimate the correct post-mortem submersion interval (PMSI) in aquatic habitats through the assessment and calculation of the decomposition rate and accumulated degree days (ADD). The current study comprised of 53 drowned death cases belonging to various districts of Haryana from May 2016 to August 2017. The regression and Pearson's correlation indicated a significant correlation between the TAD scores and the actual ADD (calculated through water temperatures) (r² = 0.917) and between the actual and the estimated ADDs (calculated through TAD scores used by Heaton et al. [21]) (r = 0.9585). The results indicated that the estimated ADD tends to over predict the PMSI compared to the actual ADD. It is further confirmed by paired t-test, which showed the mean of actual ADD (mean = 349) to be significantly lower than the mean of estimated ADD (mean = 663). Moreover, these methods will help forensic investigators and researchers formulate region-specific regression equations for PMSI estimation.     

Building European Union capacity to manage transboundary crises: Network or lead‐agency model?

In recent years, the European continent has witnessed a substantial number of “transboundary crises” – crises that cross geographical borders and affect multiple policy domains. Nation states find it hard to deal with such crises by themselves. International cooperation, thus, becomes increasingly important, but it is not clear what shape or form that cooperation should take. This article explores the growing role of the European Union (EU) in managing transboundary crises. More specifically, it reflects on the different ways in which the expanding contours of the EU's emerging crisis capacity can be organized. Using three “performative dimensions” – sense‐making, coordination, and legitimacy – the article discusses the possible advantages and disadvantages of a decentralized, network model and compares it with a more centralized, lead‐agency model. It concludes that the current network model is a logical outcome of the punctuated and fragmentary process through which EU crisis management capacities have been created. It also notes that the shortcomings of this model may necessitate elements of a lead‐agency model. Such “agencification” of networks for transboundary crisis management may well lead to a hybrid model that is uniquely suited for the peculiar organizational and political creature that the EU is.     

国企为何需要行政化的治理——一种被忽略的效率性解释

在中国,国企的行政化治理是一种必然现实,是国家作为企业股东以及国企作为公共企业的本质使然。行政化治理虽然一直被视为有碍国企商业化,但亦有其"效率性"的一面,它有助于国企得到更多商业资源和商业利益。而且,国企的行政化治理是一种世界现象,差别只在于其目标以及内容、手段和方式的不同。由此,国企面对的关键问题,就不是如何脱离行政化治理的问题,而是如何改进行政化的治理、进行何种行政化治理的问题,即如何跳出原有产权调控模式,从利润导向走向公共导向,提升治理的透明度,让国企为国家发展、为一般社会公众谋取福利。中国一直追求将国企打造成独立的商事主体,追求国企营利目标的实现,这显然背离了作为公共企业的国企本质。应当撩开国企的商事面罩,重新回到公共企业以及公共企业法的改革道路上——以特别企业法而非商事公司法的方式调整国企的设立、运营和监管。     

mHealth and data protection – the letter and the spirit of consent legal requirements

In this article, the role of consent is discussed in the framework of fundamental rights and in the context of mobile health technologies (mHealth), such as smart phones, mobile phones or tablet/palm-held computing devices to provide healthcare. The authors surmise how, in practice, although there will be more emphasis on informed consent formally, there will be less space for genuine individual consent. This betrays a focus more on the letter of consent rules in data protection than their spirit. This risks reducing consent to a tick box operation in a manner analogous to consumer transactions, something manifestly unsuitable for consent, even if only in informational terms, during medical procedures.     

Oxygen-Glucose deprivation-induced dynamic changes of MAP-2 in cultured rat cortical neuronsCSCD

Objective: To study the expression of microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2) and morphological changes of cultured rat cortical neurons after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) injury. Methods: Cortical neurons were isolated from P1 ∼ 2 neonatal Wistar rat cerebral cortices and cultured in OGD medium. MAP-2 expression and morphological changes of the cultured neurons were investigated by Western Blotting and under inverted microscope. Results: Without OGD injury, the cultured neuron had round or elliptical cell body with long intact dendrites. The neurons remained round with short dendrites at 1h post-OGD, while wrinkled with few dendrites at 6h and 12h post-OGD; the neurons partly recovered and some dendrites reappeared at 24h post-OGD. Western Blotting showed MAP-2 protein decreased 1h post-OGD, reached the minimal level at 12h, and then increased at 24h post-OGD. There was no significant difference between MAP-2 expressed at 6h post-OGD and 12h post-OGD. Conclusion: After moderate OGD injury, cultured rat cortical neurons demonstrate time-dependent MAP-2 expression and morphological changes.     

From porn to cybersecurity passing by copyright: How mass surveillance technologies are gaining legitimacy … The case of deep packet inspection technologies

Recent coverage in the press regarding large-scale passive pervasive network monitoring by various state and government agencies has increased interest in both the legal and technical issues surrounding such operations. The monitoring may take the form of which systems (and thus potentially which people) are communicating with which other systems, commonly referred to as the metadata for a communication, or it may go further and look into the content of the traffic being exchanged over the network. In particular the monitoring may rely upon the implementation of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technologies. These technologies are able to make anything that happens on a network visible and recordable. While in practice the sheer volume of traffic passing through a DPI system may make it impractical to record all network data, if the system systematically records certain types of traffic, or looks for specific patterns in all traffic, the privacy concerns are highly significant. The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to show that despite the increasing public awareness in relation to the capabilities of Internet service providers (ISPs), a cross-field and comparative examination shows that DPI technologies are in fact progressively gaining legal legitimacy; second to stress the need to rethink the relationship between data protection law and the right to private life, as enshrined in Article 8 of the European Convention on human rights and Article 7 of the European Charter of fundamental rights, in order to adequately confine DPI practices. As a result, it will also appear that the principle of technical neutrality underlying ISP's liability exemptions is misleading.     

Trisomy 21 disclosure using STR and SNP markers typed by MiSeq FGx™ Forensic Genomics System

The presence of a tri-allelic pattern at a single locus in a multiplex short tandem repeat (STR) profile is a rarely observable event. Generally, based on peak height measured by the capillary electrophoresis (CE) method and combination of alleles, the tri-allelic pattern is distinguishable into two predominant types: type 1 and 2, which are caused, respectively, by somatic mutations and chromosomal rearrangements. When tri-allelic patterns at more than one STR located on the same chromosome are detected, there is a reasonable suspicion of a trisomy due to an extra copy of a chromosome. Therefore, information on the type of three-band pattern is usually limited to STRs localized on the same chromosome included in the forensic kit in use and sometimes in insufficient numbers to classify this event correctly. The opportunity to extend this evaluation to additional markers, such as SNPs detectable using NGS, has not yet been explored. In this study, using the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep kit, two cases of autosomal aneuploidy were revealed on chromosome 21, relying not only on STRs assessment but also extending the analysis to the five identity-informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (iiSNPs) localized on chromosome 21.