Assessment of Seismic Indirect Losses Based on Utility Curves

In the process of quantifying optimum seismic design parameters, the losses implying the failure of the system must be assessed. Intangibles such as human lives may lie among indirect losses. In this paper, we propose a model to calculate the value of the investment that society should be willing to make for saving lives. In order to do this, we analyze both individual and social problems. However, special treatment is given to the individual problem where the value of the life of a human being is inferred by what the person should be willing to pay or willing to accept to reduce the risk of dying. Due to the use of utility curves in the calculation of this kind of intangible, we pay special attention to shape and requirement conditions of these curves. We also pay attention when personal impact and legacies or bequests are considered in utility curves. The results are shown through some applications, especially in the computation of optimum seismic design coefficients at a low seismicity site.

The quantitative analysis of S100 in the brain tissue and serum following diffusebrain injury in rats

Objective To investigate the dynamics of the level of S100 in cerebrum,brainstem,and serum following the diffuse brain injury in rats and provide the experimental evidences for estimating injury time.Methods ELISA was used to determine whether S100 protein is changed after diffuse brain injury in rats.Forty rats were sacrificed at 0.5 hour, 2 hours,4 hours,12 hours,24 hours,3d and 7d after diffuse brain injury and normal rats as control.Results The level of S100 in cerebrum,brainstem,and serum increased,followed by a decrease,and then further increased.The level of S100 could be detected to increase at 30 minutes and reached the peak at 4 hours after DBI.The level decreased gradually to the normal at 1d and till 3d formed the second peak.The level returned to the normal at 7d following injury again.In the postmortem injury groups,there were no significant changes compared to the control group.Conclusion The present study showed that the time-dependent expression of S100 is obvious following diffuse brain injury in rats and suggested that S100 will be a suitable marker for diffuse brain injury age determination.

Authentication of Age of Blood Stains on Blooded Cotton Fabric

Blood stains on the fabric often appear at the scene of the crime. The age determination of blood stains can provide important information to speculate the time of crime. The relationship between the age of blood and the bending rigidity of blooded cotton fabric washed was investigated experimentally via the use of FAST-2 bending tester. The bending length of blooded fabric washed at different time was measured and the bending rigidity was calculated.The relationship between the age of blood and the bending rigidity after washing was obtained through curve fitting. The result shows that the bending rigidity of blooded fabric washed is various with the increase of the age of blood stains and this relationship can be used to speculate the age of blood stains. This method provides a new perspective for determining the bloodstain age.

HPLC-MS/MS Determination of Oleandrin and Adynerin in Blood with Solid Phase Supported Liquid-Liquid Extraction

[Objectives]To optimize the determination method of oleandrin and adynerin in blood. [Methods]High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry( HPLC-MS/MS) was applied to determine oleandrin and adynerin in blood. The blood sample was dispersed and fixed on a solid phase supported liquid-liquid extraction column and eluted with ethyl acetate. The resulting eluent was used for chromatographic separation with Kinetex C_(18) column as the separation column and gradient elution was performed using 10 mmol/L ammonium formate solution containing 0. 1%( volume fraction) formic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. In the tandem mass spectrometry analysis,the detection was carried out using the electrospray positive ion source multiple reaction monitoring mode. [Results] The mass concentration of oleandrin and adynerin showed linear relationship in the range of 2-100 μg/L. The limit of detection( 3 S/N) of the method was 0. 5 μg/L.A blank sample was used as the substrate for the spike recovery test. The recovery rate was in the range of 90. 0%-98. 0%,and the relative standard deviation( RSD) of the measured values( n = 6) was in the range of 2. 1%-7. 3%. [Conclusions]The method established in this experiment has the benefits of simple pretreatment,good recovery,high sensitivity and strong specificity,and is expected to provide an ideal method for the determination of such drugs in blood.

Ethical Principles Underlying the Assessment of Indirect Losses Due to Earthquakes

The reliability optimization process in earthquake engineering requires that the expected present value of the total cost is minimized, including the initial cost as well as the damage costs caused by earthquakes, which include indirect costs. One of these costs is concerned with how much society is willing to invest for preserving human life. Ethical principles, on which to base the assessment of this cost, are presented and discussed in this work. Individual and social values are analyzed. Finally, an optimal seismic design coefficient with the results obtained is calculated for a site with low seismicity.

Characteristics of Mechanical Asphyxia:A Retrospective Epidemiological Study in Two Developed Cities in China

Background:Mechanical asphyxia(MA)is multi-classified.Some epidemiological characteristics are shared and the others different among different MA types.Aims and Objectives:To reveal the characteristics of different types of MA and provide reference data for forensic identification of MA.Materials and Methods:We analyzed 913 cases to reveal the epidemiological characteristics of MA in Dongguan and Guangzhou,China.Results:Seven types of MA were identified and strangulation accounted for up to 89.2%.Those aged 20-29 were the most susceptible to all types,except for traumatic and positional asphyxia.Suicide accounted for 96.6%of hanging cases,and accident was the main manner of death in cases of choking,traumatic,and positional asphyxia.Homicide was the most common in cases of ligature strangulation(LS),manual strangulation(MS),smothering,and asphyxia concomitant with lethal mechanical injury.The homicide rate in LS was positively correlated with the rate of female victims(P<0.001,OR=21.14).In MS,the ratio of female:male was 101:15 in homicide.Compared to native residents,migrant workers were more likely to suffer from LS and MS.Rope was used in 50.8%of hanging cases,while LS tools were evenly distributed.Ligature marks were mostly found above the thyroid cartilage in both hanging and LS cases.The U shaped marks were shown in 51.01%of hanging cases but absent in LS cases.In LS,ligature marks completely encircling the neck,discontinuous marks,as well as≥two marks,were more(P<0.001)than in hanging.In LS and MS cases,abrasion and subcutaneous hemorrhages on the neck were more frequent than in hanging cases(P=0.004 and P<0.001),but the difference in frequency of blister marks was opposite(P<0.001).Conclusion:In summary,this study revealed the epidemiological characteristics of the MA cases in Guangzhou and Dongguan cities.The characteristics of death scene and autopsy findings are important in differentiation of different types of MA,especially between suicide and homicide.

Express=on of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor and Tyrosine Kinase B in Cerebellum of Poststroke Depression Rat Model

Background： The pathophysiology of poststroke depression （PSD） remains elusive because of its proposed multifactorial nature. Accumulating evidence suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） plays a key role in the pathophysiology of depression and PSD. And the cerebellar dysfunction may be important in the etiology of depression; it is not clear whether it also has a major effect on the risk of PSD. This study aimed to explore the expression of BDNF and high-affinity receptors tyrosine kinase B （TrkB） in the cerebellum of rats with PSD. Methods： The rat models with focal cerebral ischemic were made using a thread embolization method. PSD rat models were established with comprehensive separate breeding and unpredicted chronic mild stress （UCMS） on this basis. A normal control group, depression group, and a stroke group were used to compare with the PSD group. Thirteen rats were used in each group. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） for detecting the expression of BDNF and TrkB protein and mRNA in the cerebellum were used at the 29th day following the UCMS. Results： Compared with the normal control group and the stroke group, the number of BDNF immunoreactive （IR） positive neurons was less in the PSD group （P 〈 0.05）. Furthermore, the number ofTrkB 1R positive cells was significantly less in the PSD group than that in the normal control group （P 〈 0.05）. The gene expression of BDNF and TrkB in the cerebellum of PSD rats also decreased compared to the normal control group （P 〈 0.05）. Conclusions： These findings suggested a possible association between expression of BDNF and TrkB in the cerebellum and the pathogeuesis of PSD.

Enhanced peroxidase-like activity of hierarchical MoS2-decorated N-doped carbon nanotubes with synergetic effect for colorimetric detection of H2O2 and ascorbic acid

The exploitation of multifunctional nanocomposites is highly desired in environmental monitoring,biosensors,and medical diagnosis.In this paper,a simple approach has been proposed to fabricate MoS2 decorated N-doped carbon nanotubes(NCNTs@MoS2)hybrid composites as efficient peroxidase-like mimics.The combination of the MoS2 and N-doped carbon nanotubes(NCNTs)brings about an enhanced synergistic effect,leading to remarkably decent intrinsic peroxidase-mimic activities than that of the single components.Due to the high catalytic efficiency of the resultant NCNTs@MoS2 hybrid nanotubes as peroxidase-like mimics,a co nvenient colorimetric approach for the sensitive determination of H2 O2 and ascorbic acid have been developed with a detection limit of about 0.14μmol/L and 0.12μmol/L,respectively.The work offers a new strategy for the fabrication of peroxidase-like nanomaterials with excellent catalytic activity,which indicates great promising applications in sensitive detections in real samples.

Screening criteria of mRNA indicators for wound age estimation

Wound age estimation is a crucial and challenging problem in forensic pathology.Although mRNA is the most commonly used indicator for wound age estimation,screening criteria are lacking.In the present study,the feasibility of screening criteria using mRNA to determine injury time based on the adenylate-uridylate-rich element(ARE)structure and gene ontology(GO)categories were evaluated.A total of 78 Sprague-Dawley male rats were contused and sampled at 4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,and 48 h after inflicting injury.The candidate mRNAs were classified based on with or without ARE structure and GO category function.The mRNA expression levels were detected using qRT-PCR.In addition,the standard deviation(STD),mean deviation(MD),relative average deviation(d%),and coefficient of variation(CV)were calculated based on mRNA expression levels.The CV score(CVs)and the CV of CV(CV’CV)were calculated to measure heterogeneity.Finally,based on classic principles,the accuracy of combination of candidate mRNAs was assessed using discriminant analysis to construct a multivariate model for inferring wound age.The results of homogeneity evaluation of each group based on CVs were consistent with the MD,STD,d%,and CV results,indicating the credibility of the evaluation results based on CVs.The candidate mRNAs without ARE structure and classified as cellular component(CC)GO category(ARE-CC)had the highest CVs,showing the mRNAs with these characteristics are the most homogenous mRNAs and best suited for wound age estimation.The highest accuracy was 91.0%when the mRNAs without ARE structure were used to infer the wound age based on the discrimination model.The accuracy of mRNAs classified into CC or multiple function(MF)GO category was higher than mRNAs in the biological process(BP)category.In all subgroups,the accuracy of the composite identification model of mRNA composition without ARE structure and classified as CC was higher than other subgroups.The mRNAs without ARE structure and belonging to the CC GO category were more homogenous,showed higher accuracy for estimating wound age,and were appropriate for rat skeletal muscle wound age estimation.

Objective evaluation of similarity scores derived by Evofinder^(®) system for marks on bullets fired from Chinese Norinco QSZ-92 pistols

In recent years,many studies have been conducted in the field of firearm identification with the objective of providing an objective method of evaluating the comparison of cartridge cases.However,less attention has been paid to the objective evaluation of bullet comparisons.In this study,1000 registered Chinese Norinco QSZ-92 pistols were used,and a database of 2996 bullets was constructed.Both the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the score-based likelihood ratio method were used to objectively evaluate the similarity scores derived by the EvofinderVR system.The results indicate that this system has excellent ability to discriminate between the selected pistols.This paper proposes an objective evaluation method,which serves as a response to the ongoing debates regarding the foundation of the discipline.

Autopsy Procedure and Standards for Deaths of Unknown Cause during the COVID-19 Pandemic

At any time during the current coronavirus disease(COVID-19)pandemic period,forensic pathologists of public security departments in China may come in contact with corpses of unknown or unclear disease history.When these forensic pathologists perform autopsies on corpses with unknown cause of death,they inevitably face a high risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2019(SARS-CoV-2)infection throughout the autopsy process.In the present paper,the various aspects of the autopsy procedure for corpses with unknown cause of death,including preautopsy preparations,personnel protection,autopsy operations,postautopsy disinfection,and equipment requirements,were explored on the basis of relevant laws and regulations such as the Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases,characteristics of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19,guidelines for epidemic prevention and control,the guiding opinions on the regulation of on-site inspection and handling processes during the COVID-19 pandemic period issued by the ministry of public security,and the current practices of public security forensic pathologists.Recommendations for the autopsy procedure and protection measures for public security forensic pathologists during the COVID-19 pandemic period have been proposed to provide a reference for frontline forensic pathologists and judicial authenticators.

Developmental Validation of the EX16+22Y System

The EX 16+22Y system is a polymerase chain reaction(PCR)-based amplification kit that enables typing of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat(STR)loci(i.e„D3S1358,D13S317,D7S820,D16S539,TPOX,TH01,D2S133&CSF1PO,D19S433,vWA,D18S51,D21S11,D8S1179,D5S81&and FGA)and 22 widely used Y chromosome STR(Y-STR)loci(DYS391,DYS527a/b,DYS635,DYS458,DYS456,DYS385a/b,DYS43&DYS44&DYS437,DYS19,DYS576,DYS533,DYS393,DYS389I/n,DYS439,DYS392,Y_GATA_H4,DYS390,and DYS481)which contains 20 core Y-STR recommended by the Ministry of Public Security and amelogenin.This multiplex system was designed for the simultaneous analysis of amelogenin-Y allele mutation,single-source searches,kinship(including familial searching),mixture profiles,international data sharing,and other forensic applications.In this study,the multiplex system was validated for sensitivity of detection,species specificity,DNA mixtures,stability,sizing precision,stutter,reproducibility,and PCR-based conditions according to the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods developmental validation guidelines and Chinese criteria for the human fluorescent STR multiplex PCR reagent.The results show that the EX16+22Y system is a robust and reliable amplification kit which can be used for human identification testing.

Fe_(3)O_(4) Nanoparticle‑modified Multi‑walled Carbon Nanotubes for the Determination of Synthetic Pyrethroids in Human Blood

In this study,a sensitive and rapid magnetic solid‑phase microextraction(MSPE)procedure based on Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoparticle‑modified,multi‑walled carbon nanotubes combined with a gas chromatography/electron capture detector(GC/ECD)was developed to quantify pyrethroids in human blood samples.This study compared liquid-liquid extraction and solid‑phase extraction methods and found that the MSPE‑GC/ECD method had many advantages,such as high recovery rate,high extraction efficiency,high detection sensitivity,low limit of detection,and simple operation.It can meet the actual requirements for the determination of synthetic pyrethroids in human blood.

Specificity of Characteristic Marks on Cartridge Cases from 3070 Consecutive Firings of a Chinese Norinco QSZ‑929 mm Pistol

The specificity of marks was evaluated by differences between marks left by the same firearm(within variability)and differences between marks left by different firearms(between variability).The within variability and between variability of firing pin impressions and breech face marks on cartridge cases from over 3070 consecutive firings of a Chinese Norinco QSZ‑929 mm pistol were investigated based on the automated ballistic identification system Evofinder®.The first 20 cartridge cases and one random specimen out of every set of 10 consecutive cartridge cases of the remaining 3050 cases were entered into the Evofinder®system.Thus,325 cartridges fired from the same pistol were used to estimate the within variability.Then,88 cartridges fired from 88 different pistols of the same model(one cartridge each)were used to estimate the between variability.This study established a database containing 413 cartridges.We used the 325 cartridges fired from the same pistol as a correlation baseline in the database.Both firing pin and breech scores and gaps between these scores were used to analyze the variability.In the score evaluation process,a likelihood ratio system was used to evaluate the likelihood ratio performance.The Evofinder®system correctly discriminated the matches,and the likelihood ratios provided strong support for the true state of the hypothesis.In addition,we found that the score gap was usually greater than the other score differences by more than 1000%in firing pin list and 100%in the breech list.Further analysis of the score and gap can help examiners use the Evofinder®system more efficiently.

Use of Different Murder Weapons by a Single Murderer:Two Case Reports

Homicide is an extremely serious crime,and although the offender usually uses the same weapon to initially injure and complete the killing,there are exceptions.We report two cases in which a single murderer killed a victim using different weapons and summarize several situations in which a murderer might use different weapons to kill.The number of murders should be determined and estimated after a comprehensive complicated investigation of the scene,careful examination of the victim’s injuries,and evaluation of evidence reported by eyewitnesses.

Detection of low-concentration EGFR with a highly sensitive optofluidic resonator

A hollow-core metal-cladding waveguide（HCMW） optofluidic resonator that works based on a free-space coupling technique is designed. An HCMW can excite ultra-high-order modes（UOMs） at the coupled angle, which can be used as an optofluidic resonator to detect alterations of the epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR）concentration. Theoretical analysis shows that the UOMs excited in the HCMW have a highly sensitive response to the refractive index（RI） variation of the guiding layer. An EGFR solution with a 0.2 ng/mL alteration is detected, and the RI variation caused by the concentration alteration is about 2.5 × 10^（-3）.

Application of Virtopsy in the Police Activities in China

This review summarizes the mode of application of virtual anatomy technology in the construction of a police system.Local public security organizations have explored the application modes of virtual anatomy construction,such as the multiparty co-construction mode,cooperation mode,and individual construction mode,and reviewed(l)the understanding of public security and application process of virtual anatomy;(2)the problems faced in the construction and application processes,such as those associated with support ofhuman resources,equipment supplies and financial expenditure,the limitations of the technology itself legal issues with application,shrinkage of the identification business,and appraiser-related problems;and(3)the prospect of application of virtopsy in public security systems.

A rapid and operator-safe powder approach for latent fingerprint detection using hydrophilic Fe3O4@SiO2-CdTe nanoparticles

A new kind of bifunctional magnetic-fluorescent nanoparticles(NPs)with abundant carboxyls on the surface has been prepared by covalently combining glutathiose(GSH)-modified CdTe quantum dots(QDs)with Fe3O4@SiO2NPs.The silica-coated Fe3O4NPs were functionalized with amino groups by(3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane to provide Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2NPs,which was then chemically conjugated with GSH-modified CdTe QDs to form bifunctional magnetic-fluorescent NPs,Fe3O4@SiO2-NH-CO-CdTe-QDs NPs.The properties and morphologies of Fe3O4@SiO2-NH-CO-CdTe-QDs NPs were investigated by FTIR,X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry.TEM images display that Fe3O4@SiO2-NH-CO-CdTe-QDsNPs possess spherical core-shell structure with a uniform size about 50 nm.The bifunctional NPs were found to exhibit good magnetic and strong fluorescent properties favorable for their application in the detection of latent fingerprints.Furthermore,the carboxyls on the surface of NPs have good absorptions with water in air and the residues of fingerprints so as to not only avoid dust flying to protect the health of operators,but also improve the efficiency of detection.

How are necroptosis, immune dysfunction, and motoneuron death connected in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

Abnormal immune response/inflammation is present in patients of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Autoimmune-related inflammation has been thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of ALS. However, how the abnormal immune responses are initiated, what specific immune cells and how these immune cells are involved in this disease have not been well understood. This is partly owing to two facts of ALS: late diagnosis and chronic nature. The late diagnosis makes it difficult to conclude whether the abnormal immune responses/inflammation is the cause or result of the disease. The chronic nature makes it difficult to determine the best timing for the detection of such autoimmune responses. To resolve these two challenges for research, the authors introduced motor nerve injury (facial nerve axotomy, FNA) into a pre-symptomatic mouse ALS model (8-week-old SOD1G93A mice), which induces a readily detectable immune response in a predictable time period (3-14 days). The authors found that pre-symptomatic SOD1G93A mice showed a higher basal level of T cell activation and Th17 cells than WT mice, which can be further increased by FNA. However, why these pro-inflammatory Th lymphocyte subsets are preferentially elicited in ALS has been elusive. Recently, several studies support that the programmed necrosis (necroptosis), a new type of cell death, is present in ALS. Because necroptosis results in the release of pro-inflammatory stimuli, we speculate that initial motoneuron (MN) necroptosis may be the cause of abnormal immune responses in the development of ALS, and subsequently, inflammation/immune response serve as an amplifier to cause more MN death. Here, the authors reviewed recent studies concerning the type of MN death, the inflammation/immune responses and the research strategies for ALS. With the available evidences from the literature, the authors present a hypothesized working model to indicate the possible connections among necroptosis, immune responses and MN death in the development of ALS and suggest the future studies for searching the potential therapy for ALS.