Current medico-legal death investigation system in China

Medico-legal death investigation in China has a long history that can be traced back to the Chhin era in the third century BC. We conducted a national study on the current medico-legal death investigation system in China. Our study showed that, at present, medico-legal death investigations in China are conducted by c. 12,000 forensic medical experts mainly within five relatively independent agencies: the police organizations, the prosecutors' offices, the departments/divisions of forensic medicine/science in medical colleges and universities, the Institute of Forensic Science in the Ministry of Justice, and the government or private forensic societies. Owing to China's large population and area, the medico-legal death investigation is largely based on the administrative divisions. There is a wide variation in the scope, extent, and quality of investigations among the agencies and at the different levels of county/district, municipal, and provincial governments. This article gives a general overview of medicolegal death investigation in modern China.     

A comprehensive regression tree to estimate body weight from the skeleton

The purpose of this research is to estimate actual body weight (in particular obesity) from the human skeleton. Known individuals (total n=187) were studied from the Bass Collection from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This research combines bone density, cross-sectional geometry of the femur and skeletal pathologies. Bone mineral density was calculated for the proximal femur. Three-dimensional bone surface models were created from computed tomographic scans. Cross-sectional geometry of the femur was calculated at five locations along the diaphysis. The pathologies analyzed were heel spurs, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), and tibial osteoarthritis. The best regression tree model included only four variables. The first split to estimate body weight was the minimum moment of inertia (I(y) ) at the distal femur, the second was midshaft width, then anteroposterior thickness at the proximal slice and the final split was the degree of DISH (SD 17.1-31.0 kg). The ability to estimate body weight from the skeleton is one more useful tool for the osteologist.     

Application of superimposition-based personal identification using skull computed tomography images

Superimposition has been applied to skulls of unidentified skeletonized corpses as a personal identification method. The current method involves layering of a skull and a facial image of a suspected person and thus requires a real skeletonized skull. In this study, we scanned skulls of skeletonized corpses by computed tomography (CT), reconstructed three-dimensional (3D) images of skulls from the CT images, and superimposed the 3D images with facial images of the corresponding persons taken in their lives. Superimposition using 3D-reconstructed skull images demonstrated, as did superimposition using real skulls, an adequate degree of morphological consistency between the 3D-reconstructed skulls and persons in the facial images. Three-dimensional skull images reconstructed from CT images can be saved as data files and the use of these images in superimposition is effective for personal identification of unidentified bodies.     

Age-related changes in pulp cavity of incisors as a determinant for forensic age identification

To find a simple and convenient method for age identification upon age-related pulp cavity narrowing, the mesiodistal diameters of the cervical pulp chamber, the middle and terminal parts of the root canal of the pulp cavity of 620 incisors were measured on radiographs taken in situ in 80 Chinese aged from 15 to 80. It was shown that the three mesiodistal diameters significantly decreased in a negative linear relationship with age (-0.4233 ≤ r ≥ -0.8465) in all incisors, but the narrowing velocity of the cervical pulp chamber and the middle part of the root canal in the maxillary incisors (b = -0.02 mm) was faster than that in the mandibular incisors (b = -0.01 mm). Accordingly, a mathematical model describing the ages as a function of any one of the three mesiodistal diameters of the pulp cavity was deduced, which would be useful for age identification in forensic medicine or archaeology.     

DEFINING PARENTING COORDINATION WITH STATE LAWS

Parenting coordination is a new trend in defining ADR interventions to help reduce parenting conflicts between court‐involved parents. This writing identifies core elements of parenting coordination as defined by various current state statutes and the AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Coordination. Exploration of the formalization of parenting coordination provides heuristic reading for those initiating statutory regulations in other states as well as the possibility for development of a uniform law.     

Validation of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for determining osseous or dental origin of unknown material

Forensic anthropological examinations typically involve the analysis of human skeletal remains, but in cases where samples are very small and/or physically compromised, it may first be necessary to determine whether the material is even osseous or dental in origin. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) is a technique that reveals the elemental composition of materials and is hypothesized to have utility in such cases. XRF analysis was conducted on a variety of tissues and materials in unaltered and altered (damaged) states. With few exceptions, osseous and dental tissues in unaltered and altered conditions contained characteristic levels of calcium and phosphorus, while other materials did not. Materials could be accurately identified as osseous or dental in origin based on the calcium and phosphorus levels identified by XRF, and we therefore conclude that XRF analysis is a valid and effective means of determining osseous or dental origin of unknown material.     

The Strategic Prevention of Gun Violence Among Gang‐Involved Offenders

Problem‐oriented policing has been suggested as a promising way to understand and prevent complex gang violence problems. A number of jurisdictions have been experimenting with new problem‐oriented frameworks to understand and respond to gun violence among gang‐involved offenders. These interventions are based on the “pulling levers” deterrence strategy that focuses criminal justice and social service attention on a small number of chronically offending gang members responsible for the bulk of urban gun violence problems. As part of the US Department of Justice‐sponsored Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, an interagency task force implemented a pulling levers strategy to prevent gang‐related gun violence in Lowell, Massachusetts. Our impact evaluation suggests that the pulling levers strategy was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the monthly number of gun homicide and gun‐aggravated assault incidents. A comparative analysis of gun homicide and gun‐aggravated assault trends in Lowell relative to other major Massachusetts cities also supports a unique program effect associated with the pulling levers intervention.     

Incidents of discrimination and risk for delinquency: A longitudinal test of strain theory with an African American sample

This article examines the relationship between racial discrimination and delinquency. Using longitudinal data collected on approximately 700 African American children, we begin by establishing an association between exposure to discrimination and delinquent behavior. Next, we use structural equation modeling to test various hypotheses regarding the emotional and cognitive factors that mediate this association. For boys, the association between discrimination and delinquency is mediated by feelings of anger and depression and by the belief that aggression is a necessary interpersonal tactic. The results are somewhat different for girls. Although anger and depression mediate part of the effect of discrimination on delinquency, discrimination continues to display a small but significant direct effect. The implications of these findings for criminological theory are discussed.     

Validation of powder X-ray diffraction following EN ISO/IEC 17025

Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) is used widely in forensic science laboratories with the main focus of qualitative phase identification. Little is found in literature referring to the topic of validation of PXRD in the field of forensic sciences. According to EN ISO/IEC 17025, the method has to be tested for several parameters. Trueness, specificity, and selectivity of PXRD were tested using certified reference materials or a combination thereof. All three tested parameters showed the secure performance of the method. Sample preparation errors were simulated to evaluate the robustness of the method. These errors were either easily detected by the operator or nonsignificant for phase identification. In case of the detection limit, a statistical evaluation of the signal-to-noise ratio showed that a peak criterion of three sigma is inadequate and recommendations for a more realistic peak criterion are given. Finally, the results of an international proficiency test showed the secure performance of PXRD.     

Different Mechanisms of Decapitation: Three Classic and One Unique Case History

Abstract: Three classic cases and one exceptional case are reported. The unique case of decapitation took place in a traffic accident, while the others were seen after homicide, vehicle‐assisted suicide, and after long‐jump hanging. Thorough scene examinations were performed, and photographs from the scene were available in all cases. Through the autopsy of each case, the mechanism for the decapitation in each case was revealed. The severance lines were through the neck and the cervical vertebral column, except for in the motor vehicle accident case, where the base of skull was fractured. This case was also unusual as the mechanism was blunt force. In the homicide case, the mechanism was the use of a knife combined with a saw, while in the two last cases, a ligature made the cut through the neck. The different mechanisms in these decapitations are suggested.