bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Homicide Followed by Suicide: Paris and Its Suburbs, 1991–1996
Authors: Lecomte D , Fornes P 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Homicide-suicides (HS) are relatively infrequent events. Yet, they are of great concern because they often result in the death of family members, young children, and cause additional morbidity, family disruption and childhood psychological trauma. The aims of our study were (a) to examine the sociodemographic, clinical, and autopsy characteristics of HS in Paris and its suburbs from 1991 through 1996, and (b) to analyze the psychodynamic determinants leading up to the onset of HS. Our findings are compared with those obtained in other international studies. For the purpose of the present study. HS was defined as a violent event in which an individual committed homicide and subsequently committed suicide within a few hours. The main results are as follows. During the six-year study period, 56 HS involving 133 victims were investigated at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Paris. Seventeen events occurred in Paris and 39 in its suburbs. Paris has a population of approximately 2,200,000 while its suburbs are home to another 8,500,000. Of the 56 offenders, 48 (85%) were males. The mean age of offenders was 51 years in males (range, 24 to 83) and 40.5 years in females (range, 33 to 56). In 45 events (80%), the offenders used a gun for both the homicide and suicide. A knife was used in only 4 murders, strangulation in 4 other cases, with poisoning, arson, or beating occurring in one case each. In 9 cases, the offender used a different weapon for homicide and suicide. Among firearms, handguns were more likely to be used (26 cases) than shotguns (6 cases) or rifles (13 cases). In 40 cases the offender killed one victim, in 11 cases 2 victims, and in 5 cases 3 victims. The homicide victims consisted of 34 children (21 boys), mean age 8 years (range, 1 to 16), 29 spouses (26 females), 2 girlfriends, 10 strangers, and 2 relatives. Five pets were killed. HS were most likely to be committed in the home. A suicide note was found near the victims in 29 cases (50% of events). In 42 cases the offender was found to be severely depressed. Familial HS were the most frequent events followed by suicidal pacts. When male sexual proprietariness and amorous jealousy were involved, the HS perpetrators acted often impulsively in carrying out the HS. There had been a chronically chaotic relationship and frequent physical violence and verbal threats. The triggering event was often the female withdrawal or estrangement. Only in a few cases, other motivations such as occupational or money problems were involved. Chronic alcoholism was found in 16 cases. In conclusion, the offender was more likely to be a male, severely depressed, violent and jealous who killed his spouse, and often his children, with impulsiveness, but after numerous threats. Our findings suggest that HS differ from both homicide and suicide and thus occupy a distinct epidemiological domain requiring specific prevention programs.
Toluene Distribution of Glue Sniffers' Biological Fluid Samples in Korea
Authors: Park SW , Kim NY , Yang YG , Seo B , Paeng K-J 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
We have studied the distribution of toluene in glue sniffers' biological fluid samples by gas chromatography or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The determined toluene concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 40.3 mg/L in urine samples and from 0.1 to 74.7 mg/L in blood samples. respectively. Among the 120 urine samples, 61% of all cases ranged between 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L and 27% was between 1.0 and 5.0 mg/L, respectively. On the other hand, 39% and 46% of all 99 blood samples ranged between 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L, or 1.0 and 5.0 mg/L, respectively. In the fatal cases (36 cases), the distribution of toluene ranged from 0.3 to 40.5 mg/L in the blood samples.
Testing Conflicting Scenarios—A Role for Simulation Experiments in Damage Analysis of Clothing
Authors: Taupin JM 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Damage to clothing is commonly encountered in serious crimes of violence such as homicide and rape. Examination of damage to clothing and other textiles may provide valuable information as to the possible implement that caused the damage and the manner in which it was caused. Damage analysis may corroborate or refute a particular crime scenario.
This report describes two recent cases examined at the Victoria Forensic Science Centre laboratory where opposing views as to the origin of the damage to the clothing of the victim were proposed. The results confirm the value of simulation experiments mimicking each case scenario. They also demonstrate that it may not be possible to unequivocally choose between opposing scenarios because of limitations inherent in damage analysis.
Damage to a Wire Security Screen: Adapting the Principles of Clothing Damage Analysis
Authors: Taupin JM 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The analysis of damage to a wire security door in a homicide investigation is described. The principles of damage analysis to fabric weaves were utilized in the examination of the open mesh wires. The results supported only one of the two alternative scenarios proposed to account for the damage. The findings illustrate that valuable information from damage analysis may still be obtained from textile products traditionally only considered suitable for toolmark or physical fit evidence.
A Fatal Case of Hydrogen Sulfide Poisoning in a Geothermal Power Plant
Authors: Kage S , Ito S , Kishida T , Kudo K , Ikeda N 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
An adult man entered an oil separator room to remove waste oil from a vacuum pump in a geothermal power plant. He suddenly collapsed and died soon after. Since hydrogen sulfide gas was detected in the atmosphere at the scene of the accident, poisoning by this gas was suspected and toxicological analysis of sulfide and thiosulfate in blood, brain, lung, femoral muscle was made using the extractive alkylation technique combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The concentrations of sulfide in these tissues were similar to those previously reported for fatal cases of hydrogen sulfide gas. The concentration of thiosulfate in the blood was at least 48 times higher than the level in control samples. Based on these results, the cause of death was attributed to hydrogen sulfide gas poisoning.
Population Genetic Study of the Simultaneously Amplified Loci HLA DQA1, LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, and GC in a German Population Sample
Authors: Zehner R , Mebs D , Bratzke H 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
A population genetic study of the HLA DQA1 and the “Polymarker” loci LDLR, GYPA, HBG, D7S8, and GC has been performed in a German Caucasian population (Frankfurt am Main area).
All loci are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and no unexpected association of loci has been observed. The data of the allele distributions are similar to those of other Caucasian populations. All six loci together have a power of discrimination (PD) of 0.9996 and an exclusion chance in paternity testing of 0.81.
Comparison of Macroscopic Cranial Methods of Age Estimation Applied to Skeletons from the Terry Collection
Authors: Galera V , Ubelaker DH , Hayek L-AC 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
A total of 963 skeletons (408 Whites and 555 Blacks) from the Terry Collection were studied to examine macroscopic cranial methods of age estimation. The methods of Acsádi and Nemeskéri, Masset, Baker and Meindl and Lovejoy were applied to every skull. The results indicate that the most accurate techniques in this application were those that consider endocranial suture closure. The methods of Acsádi and Nemeskéri and Masset were the most accurate in all the subsamples (by population, sex, sex within population and in total), although the relative accuracy could vary in application to other populations.
Metric and Comparative Analysis of Sexual Dimorphism in the Thai Femur
Authors: King CA , İşcan MY , Loth SR 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Identification of sex from the skeleton is an important demographic assessment in medicolegal investigations. Studies have demonstrated that populations differ from each other in size and proportions and that these differences can affect the metric assessment of sex. It is therefore vital to determine if population differences are great enough to necessitate group-specific standards. To date, there have been no attempts to create standards of assessment for modern Thais. Therefore the purpose of this research is to establish standards from which to determine sex from the femur using a new skeletal collection housed at the Chiang Mai University Department of Anatomy. The sample is composed of 104 individuals (70 males, 34 females). Six standard osteometric dimensions including maximum length, maximum head diameter, midshaft circumference, midshaft anterior-posterior and transverse diameters, and bicondylar breadth were measured and analyzed by stepwise discriminant function statistics. To understand population differences, formulas derived from Chinese, South African whites and American whites and blacks using the same method and variables were tested on the Thai sample. Results indicated that maximum head diameter and bicondylar breadth are the optimal combination for sex diagnosis and yielded 94.2% accuracy. Direct analysis using predetermined single or multiple variables also revealed bicondylar breadth as the best single dimension (93.3%). In cross-tests on the Thais, the Chinese formula gave the most favorable outcome with unsatisfactory results for all other groups. The present research confirms that sexual dimorphism is better reflected in breadth dimensions than in bone length. Comparisons showed that Thais are very different metrically from whites and blacks, and although they most resemble the Chinese, these two groups are not identical. These findings underscore the need for population-specific formulas for identification of sex from the skeleton.
Effects of Monetary Incentives on Performance of Nonprofessionals in Document-Examination Proficiency Tests
Authors: Kam M , Fielding G , Conn R 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
In September 1997 we reported on a comprehensive proficiency test administered to three groups of professional document examiners (105 individuals). Each test-taker performed 144 pairwise comparisons of original handwritten documents and matched together pairs that in his/her opinion were generated by the same hand. The test was also administered to a control group of nonprofessionals (41 individuals) whose educational profile was similar to that of the tested professionals. These nonprofessionals were motivated through a monetary incentive plan ($25 gain for each correct match: $25 fine for each erroneous match; $10 fine for failure to match documents created by the same hand). In this paper, we report on a subsequent study, aimed to discover whether changes in the monetary incentive scheme would affect the performance of nonprofessionals, and whether these schemes would close the performance gap between professionals and nonprofessionals. We administered the 1997 test again, this time to four groups of nonprofessionals (132 subjects), using four different incentive schemes (including the one used originally). We found that the four sets of data obtained under different incentives were indistinguishable, in the sense that differences between the test scores were not statistically significant. We conclude that the performance of nonprofessionals in our proficiency test was relatively insensitive to the monetary incentive scheme.
QIAamp Spin Columns as a Method of DNA Isolation for Forensic Casework
Authors: Greenspoon SA , Scarpetta MA , Drayton ML , Turek SA 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The Detroit Police Crime Lab has historically used Chelex as a method to isolate DNA for amplification and typing of bloodstains at the HLADQA1, PM and D1S80 loci. However, preliminary validation of several STR systems for casework has demonstrated that the Chelex procedure is not the best method of DNA isolation for STR amplifications for our purposes. Long term storage at −20°C in the presence of unbuffered Chelex beads (approximately 1 year), combined with multiple freeze thaws, resulted in signal loss at a locus for many database samples. Therefore, we have employed the QIAamp spin column as an alternative method of DNA isolation for amplification and typing of STR loci currently being validated for use in the laboratory. Moreover, we determined that QIAamp isolated DNA is also suitable for HL ADQA1, PM and D1S80 typing. A matrix study was performed to determine if the QIAamp DNA procedure would give better results on bloodstains deposited on “problem surfaces” such as leather, dirt and various dyed fabrics. Again, QIAamp isolated DNA was more readily typeable than Chelex isolated DNA.
We successfully replaced the phenol/chloroform extraction steps utilized in our laboratory for differential extractions, a commonly used method for separating sperm and non-sperm fractions of sexual assault evidence, with the QIAamp spin columns. The QIAamp extracted DNA performed as well in all PCR amplification and typing procedures tested (PM, HLADQA1, D1S80, and STR (PowerPlex)) as the phenol/chloroform Centricon isolated or EtOH precipitated DNAs. Thus we concluded that QIAamp spin columns are a superior method for isolating DNA to be typed for a variety of loci.
Development of a Highly Polymorphic STR Marker for Identity Testing Purposes at the Human Androgen Receptor Gene (HUMARA)
Authors: Desmarais D , Zhong Y , Chakraborty R , Perreault C , Busque L 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
We developed a non-isotopic method which improves the technical quality of the X-linked HUMARA locus typing process. The use of formamide and a low concentration of acrylamide increased resolution and sharpness of HUMARA alleles in silver-stained polyacrylamide gels. In addition, the construction of an allelic ladder containing amplified sequence of 9 alleles (even-numbered alleles) of the HUMARA locus, allows confident, rapid and precise assigment of discretely defined alleles. Allele and genotype frequencies for the HUMARA locus were determined in a French Canadian population sample. Observed genotype frequencies in females conformed to Hardy-Weinberg expectations. Furthermore, the HUMARA locus is highly polymorphic with 18 observed alleles and an heterozygosity value of 89.3%. Also, this locus has average powers of discrimination of 97.8% and 88.7% for testing samples of female and male origin, respectively. In the French Canadian population, the average probability of excluding a random man as the father in paternity analysis when both mother and daughter are tested for this locus is 88.0%. Together, the results indicate that the HUMARA locus provides a highly discriminatory system that is appropriate for the purposes of forensic identification and paternity testing involving a female child.
Postmortem Diagnosis of Leukodystrophies
Authors: Shields LBE , Handy TC , Parker JC , Burns C 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Leukodystrophies are progressive disorders involving the development and maintenance of myelin in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although relatively uncommon, leukodystrophic disorders may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed during life, and may appear as “sudden death.” In such instances, these victims may be referred to a forensic pathologist. In general, leukodystrophies are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner so that proper postmortem diagnosis by the forensic pathologist is extremely important to the decedent's family for future family planning.
Personal Identification on the Basis of Antemortem and Postmortem Radiographs
Authors: Angyal M , Dérczy K 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
This report documents three recent cases in Hungary in which personal identification was achieved by comparison of antemortem and postmortem radiographs. These cases demonstrate three examples of radiological identification. In Hungary, comparison methods play an important role in personal identification because of the lack of adequate dental records for most of the population. The authors emphasize that in cases where antemortem radiographs and photographs are available, radiographic comparison is deemed preferable to photographic superimposition, because it is more technically exacting and permits the matching of a potentially larger number of anatomical, pathological or traumatic features.
A Comprehensive Typology for the Biopsychosociocultural Evaluation of Child-Killing Behavior
Authors: Silva JA , Leong GB , Dassori A , Ferrari MM , Weinstock R , Yamamoto J 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The homicide of children by their parents has been reported across numerous cultural settings around the world and in many historical periods. A comprehensive and systematic understanding of parental child killing can be optimally obtained through a biopsychosociocultural approach. In this article we present the case of a woman who committed neonaticide. We illustrate the cultural formulation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and recommend that this formulation has a central role in the evaluation of cultural factors of parents who kill their children.
Medication Compliance in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia: Implications for the Community Management of Mentally Disordered Offenders
Authors: Duncan JC , Rogers R 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The safe and effective management of mentally disordered offenders is a paramount concern in decisions for community placement. Treatment effectiveness is often vitiated by medication noncompliance. In the current study, clinical and sociodemographic correlates of treatment compliance were examined in outpatients with schizophrenia. Level of medication compliance, assessed independently by treatment staff at two outpatient settings, resulted in 40 compliant, 38 noncompliant, and 12 partially compliant patients. Key symptoms associated with medication noncompliance were anger, delusions, and hallucinations. As an initial investigation, a stepwise discriminant analysis was moderately successful at predicting medication noncompliance. The implications of these findings to mentally disordered offenders are explored.
Quantitative Assessment of Trabecular Bone Pattern Identification
Authors: Kahana T , Hiss J , Smith P 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
The results of the research described in this paper demonstrate that the trabecular architecture is unique to each individual and stable enough to be used as a forensic marker for positive identification of human remains.
The trabecular bone architecture depicted on radiographs is often used as an individualizing forensic marker for positive identification of human remains.
The aim of the present study was to ascertain the reliability of the trabecular pattern in forensic identification. The trabecular pattern is potentially the best radiographic forensic marker since its presence on a radiograph doesn't depend on a previous pathology or traumatic event.
A sample of 305 radiographs of the left wrist of 103 postmenopausal women was studied using an image analyzer. The uniqueness and stability over time of the trabecular architecture was examined by creating line maps or “densitographs” of the ultra-distal point of the radius of each roentgenogram.
Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated for all possible combinations of pairs of radiographs. The correlation coefficient of pairs of radiographs of the same individual, taken at different times (2 to 6 years apart), was always higher than 0.72, while the correlation coefficients of radiographs of different individuals was always below 0.62.
Stellate Clothing Defects with Different Firearms, Projectiles, Ranges, and Fabrics
Authors: Alakija P , Dowling GP , Gunn B 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
“Stellate” or “cruciform” tears of clothing are conventionally believed due to contact or close-range firearm entrance wounds. However, there are no published studies that actually document and confirm this observation. A Remington Nylon 11 .22-caliber rimfire bolt-action rifle, a Colt Woodsman .22-caliber rim-fire auto-loading pistol, a Winchester Model 94 .30–30 Winchester lever-action rifle, and a Remington Model 870 12-gauge pump-action shotgun were test-fired at tight contact, loose contact, 2 cm, 4 cm, 8 cm, 15 cm, 30 cm, and 6 m ranges, using cotton denim, cotton broadcloth, and cotton jersey as targets. The .22-caliber rifle did not produce stellate tearing in these fabrics at any range. The .22-caliber pistol always produced stellate tears at tight contact and loose contact ranges: non-stellate defects were produced by this pistol at ranges of 2 cm or greater. The .30–30 Winchester rifle produced stellate tears at all contact and close ranges up to and including 8 cm. The 12-gauge shotgun only produced stellate tears at loose contact, but was not tested at all ranges. Stellate defects were not produced by any firearm, in any fabric, at ranges greater than 8 cm. These results are specific to the firearms, ammunition, fabric, and conditions selected, and may not reflect findings in situations involving other firearms, projectiles, ranges, or fabrics.
Preliminary Experiments on the Transfer of Animal Hair During Simulated Criminal Behavior
Authors: D'Andrea F , Fridez F , Coquoz R 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Hairs from cats and dogs may be extremely important when used as evidence in the investigation of certain crimes and offenses. Certain parameters such as transfer and persistence are likely to be very similar to those encountered with fibers. These two parameters have been examined for dog and cat hair.
The results confirm that hairs cling easily to various surfaces and that they are transferred in large numbers. It is almost impossible to enter a house where a domestic animal lives without being contaminated by its hair.
Insect Succession on Buried Carrion in Two Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia
Authors: VanLaerhoven SL , Anderson GS 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
We established a database of insect succession on buried carrion in two biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia over a 16-month period beginning June 1995. Pig (Sus scrofa L.) carcasses were buried shortly after death in the Coastal Western Hemlock and Sub-boreal Spruce biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia. Buried pigs exhibited a distinct pattern of succession from that which occurred on above-ground carrion. The species composition and time of colonization for particular species differed between the two zones. Therefore ideally, a database of insect succession on burried carrion should be established for each major biogeoclimatic zone. We did not observe maggot masses on any of the buried carcasses; therefore, the presence of maggot masses may indicate a delayed burial. Soil temperature was a better indicator of internal buried carcass temperature (r2 = 0.92, p &lt; 0.0001) than was ambient air temperature (r2 = 0.60, p &lt; 0.0001); thus soil temperature should be used to determine developmental rates of insects for determination of the postmortem interval by a forensic entomologist.