Fire investigation: Historical perspective and recent developments.

As a forensic science, fire investigation involves a wide variety of disciplines and thus attracts an equally wide variety of practitioners. These range from fire protection engineers who may only occasionally engage in forensic work to law enforcement officers, laboratory chemists, metallurgists, and materials engineers. This breadth of practice has resulted in a checkered history, which only relatively recently has given science a full-throated embrace. Because of the stakes involved, fires provide a rich source of material for litigation, both civil and criminal. This conceptual review provides a brief history from the standpoint of a practitioner who has witnessed and sometimes precipitated the changes that have taken place since 1974. Highlights include the debunking of many misconceptions about fire behavior and a general (though not always uninterrupted) movement toward making fire investigation more scientifically accurate through the development of best practices.

Efficacy of Double-Blind Peer Review in an Imaging Subspecialty Journal.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Many scientific journals use double-blind peer review to minimize potential reviewer bias concerning publication recommendations. However, because neuroradiology is a relatively small subspecialty, this process may be limited by prior knowledge of the authors' work or associated institutions. We sought to investigate the efficacy of reviewer blinding and determine the impact that unblinding may have on manuscript acceptance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For manuscripts submitted to the American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR) from January through June 2015, reviewers completed a brief anonymous questionnaire after submitting their evaluations, assessing whether they were familiar with the research or had knowledge of the authors or institutions from which the work originated. RESULTS: The response rate for 1079 questionnaires was 98.8%; 12.9% of reviewers knew or suspected that they knew authors, and 15.3% knew or suspected that they knew the associated institutions. Reviewers correctly identified the authors in 90.3% of cases and correctly stated the institutions in 86.8% of cases. Unblinding resulted from self-citation in 34.1% for both authorship and institutions. The acceptance rate when reviewers knew or suspected that they knew the authors was 57/137 (41.6%) and 262/929 (28.2%) when reviewers did not. The acceptance rate when reviewers knew or suspected that they knew the institutions was 60/163 (36.8%) and 259/903 (28.7%) when they did not. The Fisher exact test showed that author (P < .038) and institution (P < .039) familiarity was associated with greater manuscript acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: While the AJNR process of double-blind peer review minimizes reviewer bias, perceived knowledge of the author and institution is associated with a higher rate of manuscript acceptance.

Game-based biofeedback for paediatric anxiety and depression.

Twenty-four children and adolescents aged 9-17 who were referred for treatment for anxiety were assigned to either a game-based biofeedback group or a waiting list comparison group. The eight-session biofeedback intervention included psychoeducation, identification of triggers and signs of anxiety, and in vivo practice. The intervention used computer-based gaming technology to teach and practise relaxation. Analyses using ANCOVA revealed significant differences in post-test scores of anxiety and depression measures between the two groups. The intervention group reduced anxiety and depression scores on standardised tests. Findings suggest that biofeedback-assisted relaxation training can be useful in decreasing anxiety and depressive symptoms in anxious youths.

Persistence of floor coating solvents.

Using passive headspace concentration as described in ASTM E 1412 and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis as described in ASTM E 1618, the author has studied the persistence of solvents in floor coating materials. Both oak and pine flooring boards were tested using stain, stain with polyurethane varnish, and oil finish after a period of ten months and 24 months. The solvents from all three floor-coating substances were easily detectable after 24 months, and showed no signs of diminution when compared with the samples tested earlier. These results point out the need for the submission of comparison samples whenever wood flooring samples are submitted for fire debris analysis in suspected arson cases.

Laser resurfacing: usual and unusual complications.

The use of the carbon dioxide laser for skin resurfacing was initially described in 1989. 1 Since that time, several reports have shown it to be highly effective in the treatment of photodamaged skin and acne scarring. 2,3,4,5 Advances in laser technology have simplified the procedure and minimized adverse sequelae. Laser skin resurfacing has become a very popular technique, and recently several patient series have been published on the use of different resurfacing lasers to treat photodamaged skin. 3,4 However, very little has been written about its complications. Adequate patient selection, sound medical judgement, proper training with experience and knowledge of skin physiology and wound care are important factors for successful outcomes. Interested physicians across a broad range of subspecialties have expressed concern about the rate of adverse outcomes and management of complications. We report seven representative cases of complications referred to our dermatology clinics from outside physicians, in the hope of educating clinicians regarding the usual and unusual side effects of this procedure.

Visualization and detection-localization on computed tomographic images.

These studies investigated observers' ability to detect and locate highly visible liver lesions on computed tomographic (CT) images, manipulating both the lesion's location and polarity (brighter or darker than liver background). Visibility of a lesion is not sufficient to guarantee accurate localization. With clinical images, possible confusions between a lesion and coexisting normal structures (like blood vessels) is a serious constraint on observer performance.

Intrauterine growth retardation: diagnosis based on multiple parameters--a prospective study.

A scoring system has previously been developed to diagnose intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) based on three parameters: estimated fetal weight, amniotic fluid volume, and maternal blood pressure status. To test the IUGR score prospectively, the authors computed the score in 356 third-trimester fetuses, 39 growth retarded and 317 normal, scanned within 2 weeks prior to delivery. The IUGR score identified three groups, each with a distinct probability of IUGR: A score below 50 virtually excludes IUGR (3% probability), a score above 60 allows confident diagnosis (74% probability), and score of 50-60 is indeterminate (13% probability). The IUGR score performed best in patients with accurate dating by early ultrasound (US), but even among patients lacking accurate dating, the performance of the IUGR score was superior to that previously reported for any single sonographic parameter. The IUGR score can be used in any US facility to diagnose or exclude third-trimester IUGR.

Sonographic features of focal orchitis.

High-resolution sonography is a very sensitive imaging modality for detecting intratesticular pathology and is an accurate means of distinguishing intratesticular lesions (usually malignant) from extratesticular ones (usually benign). Unfortunately, there are no reliable sonographic criteria to distinguish testicular neoplasms from focal benign intratesticular lesions such as infarction, hemorrhage, or infection. We describe three cases of focal orchitis in which the sonographic features did allow a confident diagnosis of intratesticular infection. In each case a focal peripheral hypoechoic intratesticular abnormality was seen that was poorly defined or crescent-shaped, adjacent to an enlarged epididymis. The specific sonographic features suggest the diagnosis of focal orchitis and orchiectomy can be prevented. Rapid improvement (2 to 4 weeks) should be seen sonographically and in all cases the intratesticular lesions should be followed to complete resolution.

Computed tomography in retroconversion of hepatic metastases from immature ovarian teratoma.

Retroconversion of immature to mature tissues in metastases from an immature ovarian teratoma following chemotherapy is an uncommon phenomenon. We report a case of this entity to highlight the changes in the internal architecture of hepatic metastases as seen on CT.