A psychological profile of a serial killer: a case report.

Serial killers have always fascinated society. A serial killer is typically defined as a perpetrator who murders three or more people over a period of time. Most reported cases of serial killers come from the United States and Canada. In India, there are few reported cases. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first Indian case in the literature. The present case is of a 28-year-old man, Surinder Koli. The Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delphi handled the forensic study. We present a most unique psychological investigation into the mind of a serial killer.

The rapid drift of the Indian tectonic plate.

The breakup of the supercontinent Gondwanaland into Africa, Antarctica, Australia and India about 140 million years ago, and consequently the opening of the Indian Ocean, is thought to have been caused by heating of the lithosphere from below by a large plume whose relicts are now the Marion, Kerguelen and Réunion plumes. Plate reconstructions based on palaeomagnetic data suggest that the Indian plate attained a very high speed (18-20 cm yr(-1) during the late Cretaceous period) subsequent to its breakup from Gondwanaland, and then slowed to approximately 5 cm yr(-1) after the continental collision with Asia approximately 50 Myr ago. The Australian and African plates moved comparatively less distance and at much lower speeds of 2-4 cm yr(-1) (refs 3-5). Antarctica remained almost stationary. This mobility makes India unique among the fragments of Gondwanaland. Here we propose that when the fragments of Gondwanaland were separated by the plume, the penetration of their lithospheric roots into the asthenosphere were important in determining their speed. We estimated the thickness of the lithospheric plates of the different fragments of Gondwanaland around the Indian Ocean by using the shear-wave receiver function technique. We found that the fragment of Gondwanaland with clearly the thinnest lithosphere is India. The lithospheric roots in South Africa, Australia and Antarctica are between 180 and 300 km deep, whereas the Indian lithosphere extends only about 100 km deep. We infer that the plume that partitioned Gondwanaland may have also melted the lower half of the Indian lithosphere, thus permitting faster motion due to ridge push or slab pull.

Survey of bottled drinking waters sold in Canada for chlorate, bromide, bromate, lead, cadmium and other trace elements.

Mineral, spring and other bottled drinking waters sold in Canada in the winter of 1995-96 were surveyed for chlorate, bromide, bromate, Cr(VI), Li, B, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Sr, Ba, Be, V, Cr, Co, Ni, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Tl, Pb, Na, K, Ca and Mg. Chlorate and bromide were determined by ion chromatography (IC) with conductivity detection, Cr(VI) by IC with colorimetric detection, bromate by solvent extraction and gas chromatography (GC), trace elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), and Na, K, Ca and Mg by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAA). Most chemicals in the 199 samples analysed were well within national and international drinking water guidelines. World Health Organization and/or Canadian drinking water guidelines were exceeded for B (22 samples), Al (9), Cr (1), Mn (5), Ni (1), As (10), Se (24) and Pb (1). Bromate levels are reported for information purposes and are considered as the maximum concentrations in the samples. In three distilled water products, unexpectedly high concentrations of Cu (88-147 micro g l(-1)) and Ni (16-35 micro g l(-1)) were found, and a comparison of distilled and non-distilled waters from two of the brands suggested the likely cause to be contamination during the distillation process. Li concentration in one sample was at a therapeutic dose and could pose an overdose risk to individuals on Li medication.

Synthesis, crystal structure and conformation in solution of four stereoisomeric cyclo-lanthionine derivatives.

The synthesis of the four stereoisomeric cyclo-lanthionine derivatives: [formula: see text] (where AlaL denotes one end of the lanthionine unit) was carried out on a Kaiser-oxime resin starting from orthogonally protected lanthionine units. The peptide ring was prepared in 79-85% yield via amide bond formation by utilizing the method of peptide cyclization on an oxime resin (PCOR). The crystal and molecular structures of the protected cyclic dipeptides have been determined by X-ray diffraction techniques. The two cyclic lanthionine derivatives with chiralities of [R,S] and [S,R] crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and the [R,R]- and [S,S]-cyclo-lanthionine derivatives in the monoclinic space group C2. The structures were solved by direct methods and refined to an R factor of 0.0368-0.0573. The ring amide bonds in all four compounds are cis, while the urethane group is trans and extended. The NMR spectra of the four stereoisomers in DMSO-d6 were used to determine their conformation in solution. The analysis of the NMR data with constrained distance geometry search showed the same conformational features in solution as in the crystalline state.

Ion chromatographic determination of cyanide released from flaxseed under autohydrolysis conditions.

Flaxseed is increasingly being used in some food products because of its high content of alpha-linolenic acid and dietary fibre. However, flaxseed contains cyanogenic glycosides which release toxic hydrogen cyanide in the presence of water (autohydrolysis). A method for estimation of cyanide in flaxseed under these conditions is described. The determination is carried out by homogenizing the sample with water, letting it stand, filtering it through a membrane and then injecting the filtrate into an HPLC system consisting of an anion exchange column and an electrochemical (amperometric, oxidation) detector. The homogenate is analysed at various intervals until a maximum value of cyanide is observed. The cyanide content of ten cultivars of flaxseed, when analysed by this method, was found to range from 124 to 196 micrograms/g. The release of cyanide showed a maximum at about 3 h of hydrolysis. Virtually no cyanide was detected on boiling the homogenate or the flaxseed before determination.

An incident of elevated levels of unsaturated free fatty acids in mussels from Nova Scotia and their toxic effect in mice after intraperitoneal injection.

Methanol extracts of the hepatopancreas of mussels (Mytilus edulis) harvested at two locations (Ship Harbour and Wine Harbour) in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada, were found to be toxic to mice after intraperitoneal injection. The commonly known toxins, such as those associated with diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP), paralytic shellfish poison, and domoic acid, were not present in the extracts. However, they were found to contain elevated levels of free fatty acids. Using a modified DSP extraction procedure the quantities of free fatty acids determined (by latroscan TLC/FID) in the hepatopancreases of mussels were 2.9 mg/g (Ship Harbour 1), 2.2 mg/g (Ship Harbour 2), 1.2 mg/g (Wine Harbour), and 0.15 mg/g (Prince Edward Island, control). After further investigation it was determined that certain unsaturated fatty acids were mainly responsible for the toxicity. These included palmitoleic, linoleic, linolenic, octadecatetraenoic, and eicosapentenoic acids. Artificial mixtures of pure standards of these acids prepared in the same concentrations as found in the shellfish samples were also toxic to mice. These results indicate that elevated levels of free fatty acids in mussel hepatopancreas from locations in eastern Canada can lead to mouse deaths when using the DSP mouse bioassay procedure.

Toxicity of potassium cyanide added to fresh fruit and juice.

To investigate the toxicity of potassium cyanide in fresh fruit and juice, male and female Wistar rats were orally dosed with fruit homogenates or juices containing 3 x LD50 of potassium cyanide. These were given in single doses at various intervals after spiking. The dosing solutions were analysed for cyanide using a cyanide test kit. There was a good correlation between the toxic signs in rats and the cyanide remaining in dosing solutions. The toxicity of spiked apple and honeydew melon diminished with time, while spiked grape and both grape and apple juices maintained their toxicity during the 4-hr studies. The pH of the samples both before and after spiking seemed to be an important factor in determining the toxicity.

Comparison of three liquid chromatographic methods with FDA optimized Monier-Williams method for determination of total sulfite in foods.

Three liquid chromatographic (LC) methods employing amperometric detection were compared with the collaboratively studied FDA optimized Monier-Williams distillation method for the determination of total sulfite in 5 food types. The foods included lemon juice, white wine, instant mashed potatoes, golden raisins, and onion flakes. Two of the LC methods (one employing headspace sampling and the other direct injection) used ion-exchange chromatography with a basic mobile phase (pH about 10.8) and a glassy carbon electrode; the third (employing direct injection) used ion-exclusion chromatography with an acidic mobile phase (pH about 2) and a platinum electrode. All 4 methods produced similar results for the wine, lemon juice, and raisins. Results were different for instant mashed potatoes and onion flakes. The headspace-LC method and direct ion-exclusion LC method, both of which employed an alkaline sample extraction, yielded significantly higher values for sulfite in instant potatoes than did the other 2 methods. A large interfering peak with both direct LC methods prevented quantitation of sulfite in the onion flakes. All methods can detect sulfite as low as about 1 microgram/g in 4 of 5 food types examined.

Determination of sulfite in foods by headspace liquid chromatography.

Sulfite was determined in a variety of foods by liquid chromatography (LC) after the samples were mixed with a solution containing mannitol, FeSO4, and Na2HPO4, adjusted to pH 11, and left to stand for 15 min at room temperature. An aliquot of the mixture was placed in a headspace vial and mixed with 50% H3PO4. After 15 min, a portion of the headspace was removed with a syringe containing LC mobile phase without acetonitrile. The syringe was shaken and an aliquot of the solution was analyzed on an anion exchange column with a mobile phase of 0.03M methane sulfonate (pH 10.8) containing 5% acetonitrile. Sulfite was detected amperometrically (glassy carbon electrode) at +0.7 V. The method was successfully compared to the FDA-modified Monier-Williams procedure for a variety of foods. Minimum detectable levels were about 1 microgram/g, based on a 15 g sample.

Mammary transfer and metabolism in the rat of halogenated fatty acids of halogenated olive oil.

To assess possible incorporation of halogenated fatty acids into the neonate via the milk, a 4-day study was carried out in which lactating Wistar rats were orally dosed with either brominated olive oil (BOO) (0.6 g/kg body wt/day) or chlorinated olive oil (COO) (0.4 g/kg body wt/day) for the first 4 days. On days 1-5 inclusive 2 pups per litter were sacrificed and the stomach curd and livers analyzed for halogenated fatty acids by gas liquid chromatography (GLC). On day 5 all dams also were sacrificed and their livers and adipose tissue similarly analyzed. With BOO, brominated fatty acids (bfa) accumulated in both the milk lipids and neonate liver lipids, and appeared to plateau on day 4 at levels of 2% and 5% respectively. In contrast to the BOO in which approximately 100% of the bfa was dibromostearic (DBS), the milk bfa comprised 79% (DBS), 9% dibromopalmitic (DBP) and 12% dibromomyristic (DBM) acids, suggesting maternal metabolism to the shorter chain brominated acids. In the neonate liver lipids the bfa composition was 47% (DBS), 12% (DBP) and 41% (DBM), suggesting either further metabolism in the neonate and/or preferential accumulation of the shorter chain brominated acids. The analysis of maternal tissue indicated very low bfa residues, contrary to previous studies in non-lactating rats. Similar results were obtained with COO.

Brominated fatty acid distribution in tissues and fluids of rats fed brominated vegetable oils.

Rats dosed orally for four days with 0.24 g/kg body weight per day of brominated olive oil (BOO) or brominated sesame oil (BSO) were found to accumulate dibromostearic (DBS) acid (from BOO) and DBS and tetrabromostearic (TBS) acids (from BSO) in the liver, heart and adipose tissue. The metabolites, dibromopalmitic, and dibromomyristic acids (from BOO and BSO), as well as their tetrabromo-analogues (from BSO) were found as determined by gas chromatography with halogen specific detection and confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Blood contained no DBS, TBS or metabolites. However, inorganic bromide was observed in both blood and urine while none was observed in the feces. The latter contained significant quantities of both DBS and TBS but showed the absence of the four brominated metabolites.

Acid methanolysis and gas chromatographic determination of brominated vegetable oils in soft drinks.

A gas chromatographic method has been developed for determination of brominated vegetable oils in citrus-flavored soft drinks. Oils were extracted from the drinks with ethyl ether and subjected to acid-catalyzed methanolysis. The resulting brominated methyl esters (dibromostearate, tetrabromostearate, and hexabromostearate) were separated and quantitated as single peaks on a 3% OV-3 column. Chromatography columns were stable for about 3 months of daily use; then the first 15 cm of column packing material was replaced or a new column was prepared. A number of citrus soft drinks were analyzed and contained 3.5-3.9 mg brominated oil/10 fl. oz. Recoveries from spiked samples after organic extraction and methanolysis were 94.5-105%.

The use of ion-exchange filters for the determination of iodide in milk by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometric method has been developed for the quantitative determination of iodide in milk which makes use of anion-exchange filters for the isolation and concentration of iodide from the liquid samples. The milk is deproteinized with trichloroacetic acid, filtered then passed through an anion-exchange paper disc to remove the iodide. The disc is removed, dried then analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Six samples, consisting of homogenized, 2% fat and skim milk were analysed and found to contain between 0.37-0.67 ppm iodide. Detection limits in milk were estimated to be 0.05 ppm.

Comparison of three sample preparation techniques for determination of organic bromide and chloride in halogenated lipids by x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

Three sample preparation techniques--thin-film, solution, and cellulose pellet--were applied to the determination of bromide in brominated lipids by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Using brominated vegetable oils of known bromide content it was demonstrated that the thin-film technique could result in erroneously high bromide contents, which could also vary with the amount of oil applied, depending on the solvent used. As solutions in hexane, slightly high bromide contents were observed at high concentrations. With the cellulose pellets, bromide contents similar to known values were observed. It was concluded that the cellulose pellet procedure, although more time consuming, and less convenient for ready recovery of sample, was the most suitable for organic bromide determination. Similar results were indicated for chlorinated oils.