DNA甲基化及其与个体年龄相关性研究

近年来表观遗传学研究发现,基因组DNA甲基化总体水平随年龄增加而降低,同时部分位点的甲基化水平却随年龄增加而升高。本文重点介绍了DNA甲基化与年龄的相关性及其在年龄推断方面的研究进展,旨在为法医学个体年龄推断的研究提供一种新的思路。     

Cone‐beam Computed Tomography for Analyzing Variations in Inferior Alveolar Canal Location in Adults in Relation to Age and Sex*

Abstract: Previous studies have indicated that the relative position of the inferior alveolar canal and its mental and mandibular foramina in adults vary with age and show sexual dimorphism. Conceivably, these purported differences could be of forensic value for determining identity of human remains. This study was designed to determine the influence of age and sex on the relative position of inferior alveolar canal and its foramina in cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) studies of adults. Existing CBCT studies of the maxillofacial region from dentate adult patients selected at random and ranging in age from 18 to 80 years (110 women and 55 men) were acquired, and the location of the inferior alveolar canal was assessed at three points: the mandibular foramen in axial view, the inferior alveolar canal in coronal view, and the mental foramen in coronal view. Measurements were also expressed for the mental foramen as the percentile position from the nearest superior bony crest to the inferior border; corresponding position of the mandibular foramen from the anterior to the posterior border of the mandibular ramus; and for the inferior alveolar canal at the level of first permanent molar from the nearest buccal bony surface to the lingual surface and from the superior alveolar crest to the inferior border. Regression analyses were performed on the variables with regard to the effects of age and sex. Most analyses resulted in no statistical significance (p < 0.05). A few of the sex‐specific traits demonstrated near‐statistically significant effects; however, these characterizations generally resulted in a 1% or less change per age decade. Overall, the results demonstrated that the relative location of the inferior alveolar canal and associated foramina in adults remain fairly constant without regard to age and sex.     

法治缘何迈向方法论时代——基于法律方法论学术报告的考察（2002——2010）

通过对法律方法论学术报告的知识梳理与分析可以发现,法治实践面临着理论准备不足、缺乏细腻理论支撑的难题。法律方法论可以为法治实践所需要的细腻法治理论提供最低限度的质疑,进而提供理论验证,并且法律方法论本身作为一种细致、精良的思维技艺能够为未来的细腻法治提供智识支撑。同时,法律方法论应该站在面向法治、维护法治的立场上,努力建构自主性的法律方法论理论体系。     

从养儿防老与政府规划看农村的养老问题

伴随着老龄化的加速、经济体制的不断变革以及人们观念的日益革新,传统的养儿防老模式开始改变,新型农村养老保险制度在政府的规划下崭露头角。将在学者们研究与论述的基础上,从中国的现状以及社会的发展等方面分析原因及应对措施。     

言息化时代区域舆论引导策略

现在我国已经进入信息化时代,信息化时代区域舆论有着明显的特点,那就是传播链广泛、传播速度快、容易被人误导等等,这些问题的存在使当前党的舆论引导工作难度不断增大。要想解决信息化时代区域舆论引导问题,必须在分析现区域舆论发展特点的基础上,详细分析舆论传播链,从控制好舆论传播链入手,辅以其他措施实现对区域舆论的有效控制,防止区域舆论异变给区域社会经济发展带来的不利影响。     

Forensic scatology: preliminary experimental study of the preparation and potential for identification of captive carnivore scat

Carnivore scats recovered from animal attack and/or scavenging contexts frequently contain forensic evidence such as human bone fragments. Forensic cases with carnivore involvement are increasingly prevalent, necessitating a methodology for the recovery and analysis of scat evidence. This study proposes a method for the safe preparation of carnivore scat, recovery of bone inclusions, and quantification and comparison of scat variables. Fourteen scats (lion, jaguar, lynx, wolf, and coyote) were prepared with sodium-acetate-formalin fixative; analytical variables included carnivore individual, species, body size, and taxonomic family. Scat variables, particularly bone fragment inclusions, were found to vary among carnivore individuals, families, species, and sizes. The methods in this study facilitate safe scat processing, the complete recovery of digested evidence, and the preliminary identification of involved animals. This research demonstrates that scat collected from forensic contexts can yield valuable information concerning both the victim and the carnivore involved.     

Fracture patterns on the infant porcine skull following severe blunt impact

The objective of this study was to document patterns of fracture on infant porcine skulls aged 2-28 days (n = 57) because of a single, high energy blunt impact to the parietal bone with rigid (nondeformable) and compliant (deformable) interfaces. Fracture patterns were mapped using Geographic Information System software. For the same generated impact force, the rigid interface produced more fractures than the compliant interface for all ages. This study also showed that this increased level of impact energy versus an earlier study using a lower energy resulted in new sites of fracture initiation and also caused previously defined fractures that propagate into an adjacent bone. Several unique characteristics of bone and diastatic fracture were documented as a function of specimen age, impact energy, and interface. These data describe some baseline characteristics of skull fracture using an animal model that may help guide future studies from forensic case files.     

Are Trends in Specialization Across Arrests Explained by Changes in Specialization Occurring with Age?

The current work uses a sample of serious offenders (N = 2,086) to test the extent to which variation in specialization with age accounts for trends in specialization across arrests. Analyses show that controls for age do not have a large influence on trends across arrest in drug offense specialization or trends across arrest in miscellaneous offense specialization. In contrast, results show that controls for age do influence trends in specialization across arrests for violent offenses and for property offenses. For both of these offense types, trends in specialization across arrests prior to controls for age were positive, while trends in specialization across arrests after controls for age were negative. Results show that many of the trends in specialization across arrests found in the earlier literature are likely influenced by changes in specialization occurring with age.     

The Use of Vertebral Osteoarthritis and Osteophytosis in Age Estimation*

Abstract: Previous research on age and vertebral degenerative change has focused on osteophytosis. The present study expands this research by examining the association between osteoarthritis and osteophytosis and by assessing their relationship to age. Researchers scored the bodies and facets in 104 individuals. Statistical analyses assessed relationships between age and degenerative change for the bodies and facets, both separately and combined, for all vertebrae collectively, and for subcategories of vertebral types. Separate analyses were conducted which included only regions that experience heavier stress loads. Results indicate that osteophytosis and osteoarthritis are not associated with each other for all subcategories of vertebrae. Also, the inclusion of osteoarthritis does not enhance the relationship between age and degenerative change, nor does limiting analyses to areas of heaver stress. Finally, although both conditions are significantly correlated with age, the relationship is not strong enough to yield predictive power for establishing age beyond a general estimate.     

Accuracy of Three Age Estimation Methods in Children by Measurements of Developing Teeth and Carpals and Epiphyses of the Ulna and Radius

Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of three methods for age estimation in children: the measurements of open apices in tooth roots (T), the ratio between the total area of carpal bones and epiphyses of the ulna and radius (HW), and the combined method (THW). The sample consisted of 288 Caucasian Italian children (152 boys and 136 girls) aged between 5 and 15 years. Accuracy was determined as the difference between estimated age and chronological age, and accuracy was assessed by analyzing individuals’ orthopantomograms and hand‐wrist radiographs. Accuracies were 0.41 years for girls and 0.54 years for boys with the THW method; for the HW method, 1.00 years for girls and 0.92 years for boys; and for the T method, 0.62 years for girls and 0.71 years for boys. THW is the most accurate technique for age estimation in these children.