The Diagnostic Value of Quantitative Assessment of Diatom Test for Drowning: An Analysis of 128 Water‐related Death Cases using Microwave Digestion‐Vacuum Filtration‐Automated Scanning Electron Microscopy

The value of diatom test for the diagnosis of drowning remains controversial. The conventional forensic diatom test with low sensitivity is not a useful tool to provide accurate information about diatom in the tissues and organs. To improve the sensitivity of the diatom test, we developed a novel method called the Microwave Digestion‐Vacuum Filtration‐Automated Scanning Electron Microscopy (MD‐VF‐Auto SEM) method which resulted in a high recovery of diatoms. In this article, we analyzed 128 water‐related death cases. Our results showed that the MD‐VF‐Auto SEM method could achieve a much higher positive rate (0.97) in drowning cases. Large amounts of diatoms are retained, even concentrated, in the lung tissues during the intense breathing movement in drowning process. This might be useful for the diagnosis of drowning. Our research indicates that the MD‐VF‐Auto SEM method would be a valuable methodology in the study of diatom test for the forensic community.     

人民币汇率变动对中美贸易结构收支的影响——基于SITC分类标准的实证分析

人民币汇率变动能否解决中美双边贸易失衡问题一直是国内外学者研究与争论的焦点。实证分析表明,人民币汇率的水平变动无法起到调节中美两国贸易收支的作用,但适度增加汇率波动弹性有助于缓解贸易失衡。因此,只有消除对人民币升值的预期、进行经济结构调整以及改善外商直接投资的流向,才能从根本上恢复中美之间的贸易平衡。     

大鼠死后肌肉电导率与腐败程度的关系

目的分析大鼠死后肌肉电导率(electrical conductivity,EC)、肉类食品腐败程度指标挥发性盐基氮(total volatile basic nitrogen,TVB-N)与死亡时间(postmortem interval,PMI)的关系,探讨EC作为尸体肌肉腐败程度评价指标的可行性,为该法用于PMI推断奠定理论基础。方法健康SD大鼠颈椎脱臼处死后,保存在28℃环境中,于死后不同时间点提取大鼠后肢肌肉组织,用去离子水制成质量浓度为0.1 g/m L的肌肉浸渍液,并测量所得浸渍液的EC值和TVB-N含量。分析EC(x_1)与TVB-N(x_2)的相关性,建立二者关系的回归方程;分析两指标与PMI的相关性,并分别建立两指标与PMI(y)关系的回归方程。结果肌肉浸渍液EC、TVB-N随PMI的变化曲线走势基本相同;EC与TVB-N呈显著直线正相关,回归方程为x_2=0.14 x1-164.91(R~2=0.982);EC、TVB-N与PMI显著相关,回归方程分别为y=19.38 x_1~3-370.68 x_1~2+2 526.03 x1-717.06(R~2=0.994),y=2.56 x_2~3-48.39 x_2~2+330.60 x_2-255.04(R2=0.997)。结论大鼠死后肌肉EC与TVB-N变化趋势一致,可以作为反映尸体肌肉腐败程度的指标,为腐败尸体PMI推断的相关研究提供方法。     

河南汉族群体20个常用STR基因座突变分析

目的观察20个常染色体STR基因座突变在河南汉族人群中的分布情况。方法从3011例确认亲子关系的亲子鉴定案例中筛查基因突变事件,确定突变来源,统计各STR基因座的突变率,分析突变规律并与部分不同地区的人群STR基因座突变情况进行比较分析。结果在20个STR基因座中观察到19个基因座的发生的76次突变事件,平均突变率为0.08%累计突变率达到1.662 9%;父、母源性突变的比率大致为8:1;河南汉族人群在Penta E和D12S391基因座突变率明显低于北方汉族人群(P0.05);在D6S1043、CSF1PO和D12S391基因座突变率明显低于广东人群(P0.05);在CSF1PO基因座突变率明显低于云南汉族人群(P0.05)。结论 STR基因座突变现象较为常见,不同基因座的突变率存在着明显的地区差异。     

三十年来中国犯罪现象发展态势

改革开放近30年来,中国进入了新的历史发展时期,政治、经济、文化等各方面都发生了巨大的变化。随着市场经济的逐步确立与发展,影响犯罪的各种因素也不断突变,犯罪现象的发展变化亦出现了前所未有的新特点。犯罪率的急剧上升与高位徘徊并存,犯罪的地域重心逐渐发生偏移,犯罪主体日益多元化,新的犯罪类型不断涌现。本文即封改革开放以来中国犯罪案件的诸多特点进行考察,以期对犯罪预防政策的制定提供参考。     

关于重新犯罪防治政策调整的思考

上世纪80年代以来,我国的重新犯罪率上升问题很突出,成为犯罪发展的新动向。其对我国犯罪走向有着很大的影响,加大了犯罪防控的难度。当前控制重新犯罪的政策主要是改造政策,但这一政策已明显不适应现实需要。应当考虑将剥夺政策、矫正项目政策、重返社会政策、教育政策、职业培训政策纳入重新犯罪的基本防控政策范围内,形成综合而有机的,针对重新犯罪的基本防控政策。     

Effect of low-dose radiation on mutation rates of STR loci commonly used in forensic casework

The possible effect of low-dose radiation on STR markers in people exposed to radiation during their professional activities was estimated in this study. We evaluated mutation rates in 17 forensic STR loci typed by the COrDIS-18 kit (CSF1PO, D10S1248, D12S391, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, D2S441, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, FGA, SE33, TH01, TPOX, and vWA) in 78 families (father–mother–child) with one parent exposed to low-dose radiation before fertilization. Five mutations were observed. In two cases, the new alleles were delivered from the non-exposed parent. The calculated mutation rate for the 17 studied STR loci in families appeared to be in good concordance with data published for normal populations. No evidence for an elevated mutation rate in STR markers after low-dose radiation was found.     

Judicial review,litigation effects and the ombudsman

Abstract

Judicial review is widely understood to be a remedy of last resort, but there remains little research on the extent to which the process can achieve meaningful redress. This article applies the results of a study into ombudsman judicial review to chart the outputs of the various stages of the process at which an outcome can be secured. The claim is made that ombudsman judicial review does secure a small level of success for claimants both in and out of court but that the rate of such success is lower for citizen claimants than the norm in all judicial review cases. The explanation provided for this pattern is that organisationally ombudsman schemes have learnt lessons from being repeat players in judicial review and are better equipped to integrate rule of law values than many other public bodies. Citizen claimants, by contrast, include a high proportion of inexperienced litigants-in-person for which the judicial review process is ill-designed to facilitate.     

Upper‐Bounding the Incidence Rate of Associations Between Camouflage Uniforms and Surveillance Images*

Abstract: Camouflage garments can be associated with surveillance images of a crime scene even in the absence of unique wear marks or very high‐quality images. However, the probability of an accidental association, or incidence rate, is significant. The present work describes and validates a method for estimating the incidence rate based on a statistical model of the garment manufacturing process. The model was developed primarily for use with the current U.S. Army Combat Uniform (ACU), but can be applied to any camouflage garment. Eight garment manufacturers were studied, and all sources of variation in the manufacturing process were characterized. The marking and spreading procedures were found to be dominant and consistent sources of variation. However, some sources of variation, in particular those because of human operators, were not consistent enough to accurately characterize. Sources of variation that could not be well‐characterized were ignored in the statistical model, yielding a worst‐case estimate that is an upper‐bound to the true incidence rate. The model was evaluated for a variety of cases. Depending on the quality of the surveillance image, the manufacturing parameters, and the local population, incidence rates range from about 3% to negligibly small. The model was validated by returning to one manufacturer, and sampling a large number of completed garments and estimating empirical match probabilities. The empirical probabilities validated the estimates of the worst‐case incidence rate and also demonstrated that typical incidence rates are significantly lower.     

刑事证人出庭作证的误区及其出路

目前,在刑事诉讼中,证人出庭作证情况不容乐观,证人出庭作证的比例非常小,这种现象显然不利于法庭审理。为了解决证人出庭率偏低的问题,理论界和实务界一直有人提出应当提高证人出庭率。这种做法在一定程度上有其合理性。但是一味地提高证人出庭率反而是一种理论上的误区。由于证人证言未必可靠,中国多年来司法传统,质证效果难以保证等原因,片面强调证人出庭率对于查明案件事实,对公正审理刑事案件未必能够起到促进作用。关于证人出庭作证的立法也存在误区,证人资格规定过宽,证人作证义务豁免,书面证言与口头证言之间存在矛盾等原因也导致了我国目前证人出庭作证情况的乱象。走出这些误区需要从完善证据立法等多个方面入手。