Assessing agreement among crime scene measurement methods.

A critical concern with crime scene documentation is the accuracy with which a crime scene can be reconstructed. Here, we discuss the accuracy of eight documentation methods as a function of measurement distance between reference ground targets in an outdoor scene. The relative accuracy of each documentation method was assessed with respect to a widely accepted and well-established standard method for land surveying, Total Station, from which measurements served as "ground truth" or reference data.

The influence of offering free transdermal nicotine patches on quit rates in a local health department's smoking cessation program.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) has added to the menu of options available to assist cigarette smokers in quit attempts, but cost remains a barrier to access. A quasi-experimental study was carried out to compare quit rates and continuous abstinence from smoking before (n=601) and after (n=311) free nicotine patches were offered to smokers who participated in the Washington County (Maryland) Health Department's "Stop Smoking for Life" group behavioral cessation program. After free NRT was offered, the quit rates upon completion of the program increased from 38% to 65% [difference 27%; 95% confidence limits (CL) 21%, 34%].