Medicolegal Investigation Of Death Forensic Entomology Criminology Essay

Medicolegal Investigation Of Death Forensic Entomology Criminology Essay The study of insects that inhabit decomposing human remains as it relates to the medicolegal investigation of death is commonly known as forensic entomology. (Byers) The diversity of the field, a general overview of common insect life cycles and habits, and the data collection methods of insects, weather information, and scene observations will all be covered. The interpretation and application of entomological data recovered from the death scene will aid the Medical Examiner in establishing an estimated time since death or postmortem interval. Forensic entomology is subdivided into: medicolegal, urban, and stored product pests. The urban aspect involves insect infestation in homes, gardens, or other buildings that cause civil disputes among neighbors. The stored product pests division typically involves insect infestations that are founding food contamination cases. The medicolegal branch deals with the feeding insects that infest humans (dead or alive). Insect infestations on living humans may indicate neglect or abuse. (Byrd) For the context of this paper the focus will be on the medicolegal branch of forensic entomology. Insect habits and life cycles play a significant role in forensic entomology. Knowledge of the insects that inhabit the human body postmortem is very important. Understanding the succession of blowflies, beetles, and other insects is crucial in establishing the postmortem interval. The blowfly is the most common fly found all over the world even though it favors warm moist climates. The life cycle of the blowfly has been well observed and documented making this a great staple in forensic entomology.(Byers) Adult blowflies begin feeding and laying eggs on a body within minutes of death.(Chang) The eggs hatch into first instar (larva stage) between 6 and 48 hours depending on the temperature and begin feeding immediately. Each of the three instar phases is followed by a moulting (skin shedding) event in which the larva grow and gain another larger mouth opening and hook for feeding. The three instar phases can take anywhere from 3 to 10 days to complete. These stages remain fairly cons tant depending on the temperature. After the third moult the larva is done growing and migrates away from the body to the ground to pupate. Pupating can take 14 days or longer depending on the temperature. Once the adult fly emerges a few hours are needed to dry its wings before the process starts over again. Adult flies can live around 30 days. This cycle is typical of most species of flies only variable being the timing of stages.(Byers) Beetles inhabit the body within two days of death. Some beetles consume flesh but most devour fly eggs and larvae. Rove beetles develop extremely fast.(Chang) These beetles inhabit early to feed on fly larvae and to lay eggs of their own inside the corpse. The emerging beetle larvae also prey on fly larvae. Some species of beetles have extended egg development periods and their larvae can be found in later stages of decomposition. Beetle larvae differ from fly larvae by the presence of 3 pair of legs that fly maggots lack.(Byrd) Dermestid beetles come during the final stages of decomposition to feed on the dried tendons and bones of the remains.(Chang) These are the only beetles that possess enzymes that break down the keratin protein components of hair. Wasps, ants, and bees come to the body to feed on the insects that are feeding on the cadaver. The problem is that they may consume vital information for establishing a postmortem interval. Moths are usually the last to arrive consuming any leftover hair. The collection of circumstantial information is very important. Notes should be taken upon arrival at the scene. The proximity of the body to vegetation, general habitat, sunlight conditions, distance from open windows and doors (if found inside), localization of insects on the body, insect stages present, and any apparent scavenging from other animals should be thoroughly noted. The ground surface temperature, maggot mass temperature, temperature of air (from approximately chest height in the shade), temperature between the body and ground, and after the body is removed the temperature of the soil directly underneath the body should also be noted. Lastly, the maximum and minimum daily temperatures and rainfall for approximately two weeks before the person went missing to five days after recovery should be retrieved from a local weather station.(Byrd) After notes are taken insect collection begins. Due to their ability to flee the scene adult flies and beetles should be collected first and placed in killing jars (jar of cotton balls soaked in ethyl acetate) to immobilize them. Once immobilized, specimens should be placed in a solution of 75% ethyl alcohol for preservation. Samples of eggs, largest larvae seen, and up to 100 larvae should collected for preservation and live observation. Pupa casings are usually overlooked but should also be collected. They have a strong relevance to entomologist. Along with the insects, soil samples are collected for further testing. Immediately after each sample is collected the vial should be labeled with all of the following information: geographical location, case number, date and hour of collection, location on body recovered from, and the person who collected the specimen.(Byrd) The knowledge from forensic entomology can assist the Medical Examiner with estimating the postmortem interval or time since death by giving an estimated time since colonization. The process can be challenging you account for all the factors that play a role in insect maturation, activity, and succession. Analyzing insect maturation correctly can give you an approximate postmortem interval within 5 to 6 hours of death. (Gannon) A fly life cycle can span between 9 and 35 days depending on the species. Identifying larvae of a known species during a particular instar phase in conjunction with weather conditions can produce a fairly accurate postmortem interval. Succession is used to establish a wider postmortem interval than when using maturation. Flies arrive almost immediately to feed and lay eggs on the body followed by beetles to feed on fly larvae days to weeks later. As time passes beetles will outnumber flies as soft tissue supplies diminish. Some case studies have documented the importance of the fly to beetle ratio. If only flies are present the postmortem interval is less than 3 days. When flies largely outnumber beetles the postmortem interval is between 3 and 13 days. When beetles and flies are almost equal the postmortem interval is 13 to 25 days. If beetles largely outnumber flies or are the only insect present studies show the postmortem interval is over 25 days. One problem with using insect succession to establish postmortem interval is that is can only be determined between a few days up to one year.(Byers) Some insects are only active during specific seasons throughout the year, so the presence of an insect (dead or alive) can narrow down the postmortem interval to a specific season. (Byers) Other major issues with using succession to estimate the postmortem interval is the reoccurrence of the same insects during later phases of decomposition, varying temperatures throw off balance the timings of life cycles, and the poor documentation of beetle life cycles.(Weiss) Forensic entomology can also reveal other circumstances surrounding the death. Postmortem body movement can de determined if the insects recovered from the body are not indigenous to the region the body is located. The absence of insects can reveal that the body may have been frozen which would not make it a desirable place for egg laying, or that the body may have tightly sealed or buried deep underground making it inaccessible to insects. An unusual succession of insects to the body may also indicate freezing or wrapping of the body. Antemortem and postmortem circumstances of the crime may present themselves by the recovery of insect species that usually only attract to fecal and urine soaked clothing, which can indicates abuse, rape or some type of incapacitation. If these conditions were not present the insects would be absent. (Byrd) Skeletonization of remains can happen quickly due to insect activity causing valuable body tissues and fluids needed for toxicological analysis to be lost. In spite of the loss of human tissues, toxicological analysis of the insect larvae that have fed on the body can be successful due to the larval tissues acquiring the toxins and drugs that were stored in the human body tissues before death.(Byrd) Forensic entomology is a diverse field that can be used in many avenues of death investigation. A general knowledge of common insects found inhabiting decomposing remains is important in helping to establish an estimated postmortem interval. In order to come to any conclusion on postmortem intervals the data collected from the insects, weather, and environment have to be analyzed collectively. Forensic entomology also aids legal personnel in evaluating special circumstances involving a death in question. Even though forensic entomology has its positive and negative aspects it can be a useful alternative in estimating postmortem intervals if other resources and information on the body found is limited. RESOURCES: Byrd, Dr.J. H. Forensic Entomology. Ed. Dr.J. H. Byrd. N.p., 1998. Web. 6 July 2010. . Byers, Steven N. Introduction to Forensic Anthropology. Third ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn Bacon, 2008. 122-25. Print. Gannon, Robert. The Body Farm. (includes related article on chronology of decomposition). . Popular Science. 251.n3 (Sept 1997): 77(5). General OneFile. Gale. Mott Community College. 6 July 2010 Chang, Maria L. Fly witness. Science World. 54.n3 (Oct 1997): 8(4). General OneFile. Gale. Mott Community College. 6 July 2010 Weiss, Rick. Incrimination by insect: private eyes find a friend in flies. Science News. 134.n6 (August 6, 1988): 90(1). General OneFile. Gale. Mott Community College. 6 July 2010

Hplc

Analysis   and   Separation   of   Organic   Acids   in   White   Wine   Using   High  Performance  Liquid  Chromatography Atis,  Arnelson  Arwin  G. and  Gaitos,  Gerald  M. Institute  of  Chemistry,  University  of  the  Philippines,  Diliman,  Quezon  City   Performed:  December  9,  2011   Submitted:  December  15,  2011 RESULTS  AND  DISCUSSION   solutions   containing   increasing   amounts   of   the   organic   acid. These   solutions   were   contained   in   flasks   numbered   5,   6,   7,   8,   and   9. (Refer   to   the   Appendix   to   see   components   of   each   flask). Tables   2,   3,   4,   and   5   show  the  peak  areas  and  the  equation  of  the  calibration   curve   obtained   for   each   organic   acid   in   the   chromatograms  obtained  for  flasks  5  to  9. Table  2. Peak  Areas  of  Tartaric  Acid  in  Flasks  5,  6,  7,  8,   and  9   Flask   Retention   Peak  Area   Concentration   time  (min)   (g/L)   5   2. 863   491  364   0. 5   6   2. 905   918  187   1   7   3. 027   5  949  164   5   8   3. 044   8  363  261   8   9   3. 065   9  475  446   10   Calibration  Curve  Equation:  Ã‚   y  =  984  371. 3561x  +  216  064. 755   R2  =  0. 9912      Table  3. Peak  Areas  of  Malic  Acid  in  Flasks  5,  6,  7,  and   8   Flask   Retention   Peak  Area   Concentration   time  (min)   (g/L)   5   3. 02    159742   0. 5   6   3. 760   1  114  051   1   7   3. 756   4  892  727   5   8   3. 795   6  883  424   10   Calibration  Curve  Equation:  Ã‚   y  =  688  260. 8175x  +  475  029. 6892   R2  =  0. 9766      Table   4. Peak   Areas   of   Lactic   Acid   in   Flasks   5,   6,   7,   8,   and  9   Flask   Retention   Peak  Area   Concentration   time  (min)   (g/L)   5   3. 533   575  620   0. 1   6   3. 598   1  248  888   1   7   3. 621   3  762  922   2. 5 The   retention   times   of   different   organic   acids   commonly   found   in   white   wine   were   obtained   using   high   performance   liquid   chromatography. The   peak   areas   of   the   acids   were   then   obtained   through   chromatograms  and  plotted  against  the  concentrations   of   the standard   solutions   of   the   organic   acids   to   construct   a   calibration   curve. Finally,   the   calibration   curves   obtained   were   used   to   determine   the   concentration   of   the   organic   acids   in   samples   of   white   wine. Standard   solutions   of   various   organic   acids   commonly   found   in   white   wine   (tartaric,   malic,   lactic,   citric)   were   assigned   to   be   contained   in   flasks   1,   2,   3,   and   4,   respectively,   and   were   run   through   the   chromatograph. The  mobile  phase  used  for  the  analytes   was   H3PO4   at   pH   3,   to   prevent   dissociation   of   the   organic   acids. The   resulting   chromatograms   of   each   standard   were   then   analyzed   to   obtain   the   retention   times   of   the   organic   acids. Table   1   shows   the   experimental   retention   times   of   the   different   organic   acids. Table   1. Experimental   Retention   Times   of   Organic   Acids   Organic  Acid   Retention  Time  (min)   Tartaric  Ã‚   3. 088   Malic   3. 812   Lactic   3. 620   Citric   3. 68      Since   there   were   no   clear   peaks   from   the   chromatograms   obtained   for   the   tartaric,   malic,   and   lactic   acid   samples,   the   retention   time   at   which   the   peak   height   is   greatest   was   obtained   as   the   experimental  retention  time  of  the  organic  acids. The   experimental   retention   times   were   then   used   to   identify   the   peak   areas   corresponding   to   each   organic  acid  analyzed  in  the  resulting  chromatograms  of 8   3. 597   5  048  614   3   9   3. 619   6  519  896   5   Calibration  Curve  Equation:  Ã‚   y  =  1  300  341. 246x  +  414  396. 3089   R2  =  0. 9815      Table   5. Peak   Areas   of   Citric   Acid   in   Flasks   5,   6,   7,   8,   and  9   Flask   Retention   Peak  Area   Concentration   time  (min)   (g/L)   5   3. 140   361  921   0. 05   6   3. 208   907  232   0. 1   7   3. 306   4  736  427   0. 5   8   3. 325   7  508  481   0. 75   9   3. 347   9  612  454   1   Calibration  Curve  Equation:  Ã‚   y  =  9  836  731. 501x  +  96  328. 12036   R2  =  0. 9994      The   equations   of   the   calibration   curves   were   then   used   to   calculate   the   concentration   of   each   organic   acid   in   the   white   wine   samples. The   peak   area   corresponding   to   each   organic   acid   was   first   obtained,   and   substituted   in   the   calibration   curve   equation. The   concentration  of  each  acid  is  shown  in  Table  6. Table   6. Experimental   Concentration   of   Various Organic  Acids  in  White  Wine  Samples. Organic   Retention   Peak  Area   Concentration   Acid   Time  (min)   (g/L)   Tartaric  Ã‚   2. 966   2  675  651   2. 499   Malic   3. 752   3  576  021   4. 506   Lactic   3. 393   4  709  737   3. 303   Citric   3. 144   794  394   0. 091      The  results  indicate  that  malic  acid  is  the  major   component  of  white  wine. But  in  reality,  this  is  not  the   case. The  major  component  of  white  wine  is  found  to  be   tartaric  acid. The   chromatograms   (See   Appendix)   of   flasks   1   to   9,   and   of   the   sample   are   not   well   resolved. This   discrepancy   may   be   caused   by   several   factors. These   factors   include   poor   solution   preparation,   contamination  of  the  solvent  or  the  sample,  bubbles  in   the   detector,   impurities   in   the   mobile   phase,   bleeding   of  the  column,  inadequate  adjustment  of  equilibrium  in   gradient   operation,   and   carry? over   from   previous   injection. Due  to  these  factors,  it  is  highly  advised  that  the   future   researchers   should   cautiously   execute   each procedure   of   the   experiment   to   eliminate   the   discrepancy   and   accordingly,   they   could   attain   better   results. They   could   also   make   use   of   theoretical   retention  times  of  the  organic  acids  to  determine  each   of   them   and   which   could   further   help   the   future   researchers   to   analyze   the   wine   sample   more   efficiently. REFERENCE:      Meyer,  Veronika  R. Practical  High  Performance  Liquid  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Chromatography. 2nd  ed. 1993. England:  John  Ã‚   Wiley  &  Sons  Ltd. APPENDIX  Ã‚   Data  Sheets  Ã‚      Concentration  of  tartaric  acid  standard:  50. 0  g/L   Concentration  of  malic  acid  standard:  50. 0  g/L   Concentration  of  lactic  acid  standard:  25. 0  g/L   Concentration  of  citric  acid  standard:  5. 0  g/L   Composition  of  Flasks  1? 9   Volume  of  standard  stock  solutions  (in  mL)      Retention  Time  Measurement   Calibrat ion  Curve   Flask  #   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   Tartaric  Acid   5. 00   0. 00   0. 00   0. 00   0. 25 0. 50 2. 50 4. 00 Malic  Acid   0. 00   7. 50   0. 00   0. 00   0. 10 0. 50 2. 50 5. 00 Lactic  Acid   0. 00   0. 00   5. 00   0. 00   0. 10 1. 00 2. 50 3. 00 Citric  Acid   0. 00   0. 00   0. 00   5. 00   0. 25 0. 50 2. 50 3. 75 9   5. 00 7. 50 5. 00 5. 00 *Chromatograms  of  flasks  1? 9  and  of  the  white  wine  sample  can  be  seen  in  the  remaining  pages  after  this.

How to manage your time Essay

Carl Sandberg said â€Å"time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.† Therefore, how to control your use of time? First and foremost, look cautious at your priorities and Identify your goals . According to Oxford Brookes University (2012), you have to identify what is important to you and to be realistic and definite about them. People in all walks of life will have different thoughts, each of them will have their own priorities, identify what you need. For instance, friends, family, getting a good degree, or your health. The great way to determine is by giving a rank to them in order from 1-10 that could help you to prioritise the time you give to the things that beneficial to you and things which will help you to achieve your goals. Then you can allocate a realistic amount of time to each. Being more realistic enables you to build in time to relax and can work more effectively. Furthermore, make a timetable, plan for your future. This is the most common way, yet is the most useful way. According to NUS (n.d.), if you have come to university from high school, it can be a shock to find that you are responsible for organising your study time by your own to complete all the assignments given by the lecturers. Making a timetable helps you to identify periods of potential study time. Ensure that this time is quality time where you can really concentrate, away from all the disturbances. According to TimeMan.com (2013), make a daily To-Do List can be make everyday. At the end of each day, you can organize and schedule your next day. In addition, follow your plan. According to TimeMan.com (2013), do not let peer pressure or the quest for short-term gratification dictate what you consider important. You just have to focus on the goals you have set for yourself and follow up on your true top priorities. Align your priorities with your long-term values and goals. Moreover, overcome procrastination. According to TimeMan.com (2013), without a deadline, you will surely procrastinate. For instance, whenever you get an assignment, set a time to start it off to avoid doing last minute works. Once you are given a due date on an assignment, count backwards from the due date to build up a start date. Take into consideration that you will be spending on other items like social events, sports and so on. Bear in mind that every tasks given is always better to start early to avoid from a panic finish. Last but not least, according to NUS (n.d.), take breaks to  relax. No matter how much you have to do, studying continuously without a break will not help you in the long run. You will simply lose your concentration and remember less. Sometimes, you just have to take a break, really chill out and have a deep breath, this will help you feel better. Remember not to stress up yourself !

Thororeeau And Civil Disobedience By Mark Twain And Henry...

Often multiple authors share a common motif, including these two distinguished novelists, Mark Twain and Henry Thoreau, both very idealistic men. In both of these wordsmiths most famous works, Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain argues that going against civil law established by the government or worldly superiors is acceptable under certain conditions. Contrary to the anarchistic parts of all our thoughts, willingly disobeying civil law should be deliberately examined and executed moderately. Only under certain conditions, such as when there could be a personal calamity, others that are crucial in your life could be harmed, or the law contains an objection to freedom, whether physical or†¦show more content†¦In his revolutionary book Walden, Thoreau says, â€Å"Children, who play at life, discern its true law and relations more clearly than men, who fail to live it worthily, but who think they are wiser by experience, that is, by failure.† Huckleberry might be disobeying the civil law by running away from his legal guardians and assisting a runaway slave in his flight to freedom, but he does so with kindness and consideration for others, making his decisions the right ones. Sometimes called the true main character by literary critics, Jim, the runaway slave, needs help to escape from harm, both physical and emotional. So Huck, being a true friend, must disobey his cultural law to help Jim. In addition to being sold into field labor in New Orleans, Jim would be beaten severely, most likely, for running away, and also for the presumed murder of Huckleberry Finn. As mentioned before Jim does not want to be captured, flogged, and then sent to a foreign place to work until his dying breath in the hot sun. As a person deeply rooted in his culture Huck probably did not think of Jim’s situation like that, but he does have a subtle desire to not disappoint his friend and to see him safely to freedom in the northern states. Another motivation