Sex estimation from the mastoid process among North Indians

Determination of sex from fragmentary crania is a critical problem in forensic anthropology. Osteometric analysis of mastoid can serve forensic anthropologists better in sex identification by virtue of the noticeable dimorphic characteristics. The present study aims to develop population-specific, sex-differentiating anthropometric standards for the mastoid process of North Indian skulls. Eight parameters of the mastoid region were measured on 138 adult crania (M/F 104:34, 22-65 years) and analyzed using SPSS 16.0. All parameters showed significant sexual dimorphism (p < 0.000). In stepwise analysis, asterion-mastoidale and mastoid breadth have provided an accuracy of 87%. Receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained for each variable to observe their overall performance in sex determination. Posterior end of incisura mastoidea-depression of suprameatal triangle was found to be the best variable with maximum area under curve and highest predictive accuracy (82.6%).     

Radiocarbon Analysis of Human Remains: A Review of Forensic Applications

Radiocarbon analysis of organic materials, with the comparison of values with those of the post‐1950 modern bomb curve, has proven useful in forensic science to help evaluate the antiquity of evidence. Applications are particularly helpful in the study of human remains, especially with those displaying advanced decomposition of soft tissues. Radiocarbon analysis can reveal if the remains relate to the modern, post‐1950 era and if so, also provide information needed to evaluate the death and birth date. Sample selection and interpretation of results must be guided by knowledge of the formation and remodeling of different human tissues, as well as contextual information and the approximate age at death of the individual represented. Dental enamel does not remodel and thus captures dietary radiocarbon values at the time of juvenile formation. Most other human tissues do remodel but at differing rates and therefore collectively offer key information relative to the estimation of the death date.     

应用FTIR光谱技术推断死亡时间

目的 应用傅立叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱技术分析大鼠死后组织、人体离体组织随死亡时间推移的化学降解过程,为死亡时间推断的研究提供新的途径与方法.方法 大鼠断颈处死后置于4℃、20℃、30℃环境,在不同死亡时间点提取大鼠不同组织;收集有同样死亡时间的人尸体组织,离体取材,并运用FFIR光谱仪测定不同化学基团随死后和离体后...     

The Role of Peer Contacts in the Relationship Between Parental Knowledge and Adolescents' Externalizing Behaviors: A Latent Growth Curve Modeling Approach

The purpose of the present study was to examine the direct and indirect effects (through peer contacts) of parental knowledge on adolescents’ delinquent and aggressive problem behavior, using latent growth curve modeling. A sample of 457 13- to 14-year old adolescents at first measurement wave (M=13.27; SD=0.45 years) filled out questionnaires about their parents, peers, and problem behavior three times with 1-year intervals in between. Regarding initial levels of behavior, both direct and indirect effects of parental knowledge were found on aggressive as well as on delinquent behavior. When the rate of change in behaviors was considered, only direct effects were found for both types of problem behavior, whereas indirect effects were absent. Gender differences were also found, with stronger effects of parenting on both aggressive and delinquent problem behavior for boys and stronger effects of peer contacts on aggressive behavior for girls. The present study shows that different behaviors of the externalizing spectrum have different trajectories and diverse relations with parenting and should not be treated as identical.

Odontological Approach to Sexual Dimorphism in Southeastern France

Abstract: The aim of this study was to establish a prediction formula to allow for the determination of sex among the southeastern French population using dental measurements. The sample consisted of 105 individuals (57 males and 48 females, aged between 18 and 25 years). Dental measurements were calculated using Euclidean distances, in three‐dimensional space, from point coordinates obtained by a Microscribe. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to establish the prediction formula. Among 12 selected dental distances, a stepwise logistic regression analysis highlighted the two most significant discriminate predictors of sex: one located at the mandible and the other at the maxilla. A cutpoint was proposed to prediction of true sex. The prediction formula was then tested on a validation sample (20 males and 34 females, aged between 18 and 62 years and with a history of orthodontics or restorative care) to evaluate the accuracy of the method.     

A Study of the Predictors of Persistence in Stalking Situations

Stalkers engaging in persistent campaigns of harassment have the potential to cause immense harm to their victims and themselves. Being able to estimate which stalkers are likely to persist longest is important to clinicians dealing with both perpetrators and victims. This study of 200 stalkers investigated characteristics of the stalkers and their behaviour that were associated with increased persistence. Logistic regression models were developed to predict low, moderate, and highly persistent stalking. The results supported previous research indicating that the type of prior relationship between stalker and victim is strongly associated with persistence, with prior acquaintances the most persistent, and strangers least. Being aged over 30, sending the victim unsolicited materials, and having an intimacy seeking or resentful motivation was also associated with greater persistence, as was the presence of psychosis.

Effect of Choice of Measure on the Size of a Racial Disparity

In criminological studies of racial disparities the effect of race on outcomes is assessed after statistical controls for other variables. There is no universally accepted measure of size of disparity after controls in the most common type of disparity study: the study of binary outcomes. Some such studies use a measure that lends itself to interpretation in terms of the proportional reduction in error (PRE). Most use a non-PRE measure of association. This study investigates the effect of choice of measure on conclusions about the size of a disparity after controls. For illustrative purposes the study analyzes data on the awarding of sentence reductions to drug traffickers. After controls, blacks are found to be substantially less likely than whites to receive a reduction according to a type of non-PRE measure: an odds ratio derived from a logit model. But using the same data and model, PRE measures obtained from an ROC analysis indicate that, after controls, there is hardly any difference between the races in their likelihood of sentence reduction. Results illustrate the study's thesis: that the choice of measure can powerfully affect conclusions. The findings' implications—for policymakers and for researchers who conduct racial disparity studies—are discussed.     

Family negativity and delinquent behavior in adolescence: a predictive multivariate latent growth analysis

ABSTRACT

The current study had three aims: (1) to explore whether there is over-time change in adolescent delinquency and negativity in the parent–adolescent, sibling and marital relationships during adolescence; (2) to examine the interactions of negativity across subsystems; and (3) to examine whether levels and changes in adolescent delinquency are predicted by levels and changes in negativity in all family subsystems. Data of 497 families participating in the RADAR-young study were used. Ratings of all family members were used to measure negativity in family relationships, and adolescent self-report was used for delinquency. Multivariate latent growth curve models showed over-time increases in mother-adolescent negativity and over-time decreases in sibling negativity, as well as significant individual differences in these changes. Second, evidence for both social contagion and compensatory processes in family negativity was found. Third, initial levels of parent–adolescent negativity were related to initial levels but not over-time changes of adolescent delinquency, whereas initial levels of sibling negativity were related to over-time changes but not initial levels of adolescent delinquency. Finally, increases in parent–adolescent negativity were related to faster increases in adolescent delinquency, and decreases in sibling negativity were related to slower increases in adolescent delinquency. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Sex Differences in Age Patterns of Delinquent/Criminal Careers: Results from Poisson Latent Class Analyses of the Philadelphia Cohort Study

Applications of latent class analyses to the study of criminal careers have yielded results with implications for criminological theory. Distinct latent classes of individuals within various samples have been identified based upon the similarity of individuals with respect to their rate of offending across the teen and adult years, net of the effects of other regressors. In previous research on samples of males taken from the cities of London and Philadelphia, four and five such categories have been identified respectively, ranging from a group of nonoffenders to a group of chronic offenders. However, the question of whether similar findings hold for females has not been adequately addressed, in part due to the scarcity of longitudinal samples with sizable female populations. Data from the Second Philadelphia Cohort are used to address this and related questions. First, are there latent classes of female offenders? Second, if such categories do exist, how do they compare? Third, how do classes of male and female offenders compare on key measures of criminal careers? Analyses of the samples yield differing numbers of classes for males and females. Gender invariances as well as differences in patterns of offending are also found and are discussed.     

黏杆菌素对两种诱导多重耐药革兰氏阴性杆菌的体外抗菌活性

为评价黏杆菌素对兽医临床常见的多重耐药铜绿假单胞杆菌和大肠杆菌的抗菌作用,以微量肉汤稀释法对2种诱导多重耐药菌株进行最低抑菌浓度和最小杀菌浓度测定;采用菌落计数法绘制黏杆菌素对2种诱导多重耐药菌株的时间-杀菌曲线。结果表明,黏杆菌素对铜绿假单胞杆菌和大肠杆菌的最低抑菌浓度分别为2和0.25μg/mL,最小杀菌浓度分别为2和0.5μg/mL。黏杆菌素在0.5、2、4、8、16倍最低抑菌浓度下,对多重耐药大肠杆菌不同时间点的杀菌速率差异显著(P<0.05),呈现浓度依赖性;对铜绿假单胞杆菌呈现部分浓度依赖性。黏杆菌素在2倍最低抑菌浓度下,多重耐药大肠杆菌和铜绿假单胞杆菌菌量在2h内显著下降,在4倍最低抑菌浓度下可在8h内将大肠杆菌全部杀死,在4h内将铜绿假单胞杆菌全部杀死。说明黏杆菌素对诱导多重耐药铜绿假单胞杆菌和大肠杆菌具有强效、速效的杀菌作用。