Suicidal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning by Combining Formic Acid and Sulfuric Acid Within a Confined Space

Suicide by inhalation of carbon monoxide produced by mixing formic acid and sulfuric acid within a confined space is a rare method of suicide. This method is similar to the so‐called “detergent suicide” method where an acid‐based detergent is mixed with a sulfur source to produce hydrogen sulfide. Both methods produce a toxic gas that poses significant hazards for death investigators, first responders and bystanders. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas, while hydrogen sulfide has a characteristic rotten eggs odor, so the risks associated with carbon monoxide are potentially greater due to lack of an important warning signal. While detergent suicides have become increasingly common in the USA, suicide with formic acid and sulfuric acid is rare with only three prior cases being reported. Greater awareness of this method among death investigators is warranted because of the special risks of accidental intoxication by toxic gas and the possibility that this method of suicide will become more common in the future.     

22例天然气不完全燃烧废气中毒案件分析

目的分析天然气不完全燃烧后废气中毒案件特点,为法医学鉴定以及事故的预防提供参考。方法收集2004—2013年间上海市闵行区天然气不完全燃烧后废气中毒案件22例,从死亡人员一般情况、案件发生时段及天气、现场情况、尸体检验等进行回顾性分析。结果 22例案件中,男性死者15人,女性死者16人,年龄在2~82岁,事发时间主要在1和2月(各8例),事发地点基本在小面积公寓房(21例),所有案件中使用燃气热水器时排气口旁均留有较宽的缝隙。结论通风窗口在燃气热水器排气口旁边的小面积公寓房易发生天然气不完全燃烧后废气中毒事故,在寒冷季节应注意废气中毒现场的勘察。     

论碳排放权设质依据及立法建议

碳排放权是在碳排放额度上设立的一项新型无形财产权。因其具有交换价值,故能设立担保。物权法定原则的缓和化扫除了设定碳排放权担保的理论障碍。碳排放权的特性和权利质权的构造决定了在碳排放权上设定权利质权比设定抵押权更为适宜。建议立法者在设立碳排放权质权时,采用登记生效模式。与其他权利质权相比,碳排放权质权更易受政策影响,故体现的物上代位性较弱。因此,质权人宜选择其他保全碳排放权质权的方式。     

Comparison of bulk and compound-specific δ13C isotope ratio analyses for the discrimination between cannabis samples

Five marijuana samples were compared using bulk isotope analysis compound-specific isotope ratio analysis of the extracted cannabinoids. Owing to the age of our cannabis samples, four of the five samples were compared using the isotope ratios of cannabinol (CBN), a stable degradation product of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Bulk δ(13)C isotope analysis discriminated between all five samples at the 95% confidence level. Compound-specific δ(13)C isotope analysis could not distinguish between one pair of the five samples at the 95% confidence level. All the measured cannabinoids showed significant depletion in (13)C relative to bulk isotope values; the isotope ratios for THC, CBN, and cannabidiol were on average 1.6‰, 1.7‰, and 2.2‰ more negative than the bulk values, respectively. A more detailed investigation needs to be conducted to assess the degree fractionation between the different cannabinoids, especially after aging.     

后京都时代我国清洁发展机制的现状及对策研究

＂后京都时代＂我国CDM市场可谓机遇与挑战并存。主要存在项目类型分布不合理、最终签发成功率低、融资渠道单一、缺乏科学合理的碳贸易体系等问题,因此政府相关部门应推出鼓励政策引导CDM项目协调发展;培育咨询机构、提高项目申报通过率;加快我国＂碳金融＂建设与改革,为CDM项目提供更多融资渠道选择;构建科学合理的碳贸易体系,以促进我国节能减排工作和CDM市场科学、健康、持续发展。     

对低碳经济的再审视

近几年,国外学术界反对“气候变暖威胁论”和“人类活动导致气候变暖”理论的声音越来越多,人们对气候变化的恐慌和对低碳的热情正在消退,而低碳经济的发展和主流舆论似乎全然不顾其理论基础动摇的事实。世界各国围绕碳减排展开的博弈正在白热化和复杂化,发达国家发起的低碳经济和新能源潮流或将令世界经济重新洗牌。该文指出,应兼听不一样的声音,重新看待低碳和低碳经济。发展中国家应及时认清发达国家的意图,划清节能环保和低碳之间的界线,积极采取相应的经济和政治措施。     

A Tale of Two Taxes: The Fate of Environmental Tax Reform in Canada

Policy makers who embrace market‐based approaches to environmental regulation, typically eschew carbon taxes in favor of the political advantages of cap and trade, which offers lower visibility of costs to consumers and the opportunity to allocate valuable permits freely to industry. Against this backdrop, the article examines two surprising proposals for carbon taxes, by the government of British Columbia (BC) and by the federal Liberal Party of Canada. Both reflected a triumph of party leaders' normative “good policy” motives over “good politics.” The BC tax alone succeeded first because it was adopted by a party already in government. Second, the onset of a recession before the next elections shifted voters' attention to the economy, which advantaged the BC Liberals but disadvantaged their federal counterparts. However, proposals for carbon taxes were unpopular in both jurisdictions, offering a cautionary tale concerning the fate of politicians' normative commitments absent electoral backing.     

Image analysis of gunshot residue on entry wounds: I – The technique and preliminary study

An automated image analysis (IA) technique has been developed to obtain a measure of the amount (i.e. number and area) of gunshot residue (GSR) particles within and around a gunshot wound. Sample preparation and IA procedures were standardised to improve the reproducibility of the IA measurements of GSR. Measurements of GSR from test firings into goat hide were enhanced by staining the barium and lead components present on the skin sections with Alizarin Red S. The amount of GSR detected on the stained skin sections was compared with backscatter electron micrographs of the same sections. The differences were deemed to be insignificant when the variability in the repeated test firings were taken into consideration. Preliminary results indicated that the decreasing relationship between firing range and the amount of GSR deposited was non-linear, and that for firing ranges of up to 20 cm the amount of GSR deposited from repeated shots fired from the same distance was highly variable.     

碳关税在WTO体制内的合法性探析

碳关税作为一种新兴的贸易措施,与WTO的宗旨和基本原则相符。然而,碳关税的实施将对中国产生重大影响,因此,我国应积极寻求应对措施,以维护国家利益。     

重庆市发展低碳经济创新性研究之一——缘起、理论基础和对策框架

作为中国增长速度第三位和西部唯一的直辖市——重庆，在国家的大力扶持下，已经走上了一条赶超型的可持续工业化发展道路。但同时，我们也应该看到，重庆因为多年以来粗放型的经济增长方式，造成了资源严重的浪费与枯竭，所以如何在国际大背景下寻找资源环境和能源安全相协调的新型城市发展模型就成为了重庆，乃至全国其他城市经济可持续发展的刚性约束。该文在对低碳经济基本概念分析的基础上，探析其低碳城市构建的经济基础，并提出相关的对策框架，以期为重庆低碳经济创新性可持续发展作出贡献。