Identification of animal species by protein radioimmunoassay of bone fragments and bloodstained stone tools

In forensics and archaeology, it is important to distinguish human from animal remains and to identify animal species from fragmentary bones and bloodstains. We report blind tests in which a protein radioimmunoassay (pRIA) was used to identify the species of six bone fragments lacking morphological specificity and 43 bloodstained lithic tools, knapped experimentally and soaked in blood of known animal and human origin. The submitters of the bone fragments and the bloodstained tools each listed a number of possible species, from which the testers selected the best match with the pRIA results. All six bone fragments were correctly identified: three humans, a deer, a dog, and a cow. Forty-three tools were stained with blood from a wide variety of species including ungulates, carnivores, a fish, and a bird. On 40 of these 43, at least one species (or blood-free control) was identified correctly. Some of the tools were stained with blood of two different species. A mixture of sheep and musk ox blood was correctly identified; in several other mixtures, only a single species was detected. Two tools with human blood and one with human sweat were correctly reported as human. There was a single false positive (one of three controls reported as weakly bovine) and no false negatives. We conclude that the pRIA technique shows a high degree of accuracy in discriminating human from animal bone fragments and bloodstains and in identifying animal species.     

A positive domestic violence screen predicts future domestic violence

The objective of this study was to determine if a brief screen for domestic violence (DV) predicts future violence. We conducted a cohort study of adult women who presented to an inner-city emergency department during an 8-week study period. Participants were screened for DV using the Partner Violence Screen (PVS). At 4 months, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted: rates of verbal and physical violence were measured using the modified Conflict Tactics Scale. Relative risks of violent events (physical and verbal) were calculated. Of the 215 women who enrolled, 36 (16%) had an initial screen positive for DV. Ninety-six women participated in the follow-up phase; of these women, 9% had screened positive for DV. At 4 months, women with DV were 11.3 times more likely to experience physical violence and 7.3 times more likely to experience verbal aggression. The study's screen identified women at high risk for subsequent physical violence and verbal aggression.     

Use of solid-phase double-antibody radioimmunoassay to identify species from small skeletal fragments

Protein radioimmunoassay (pRIA) offers the potential to identify species in small skeletal fragments submitted as forensic evidence. The technique consists of protein extraction followed by a solid-phase double-antibody radioimmunoassay using controls of antisera (raised in rabbits) and radioactive (iodine-125) antibody of rabbit gamma globulin (produced in donkeys). Species determination results from evaluation of radioactivity uptake. To demonstrate the potential of this technique, six known bone samples (three human and three nonhuman, including one from a deer [Odocoileus virginianus]) were submitted for blind analysis. pRIA correctly distinguished the human from the nonhuman samples. Using 200 mg or less of each sample, species of the deer specimen was identified correctly, given the choices of cow, deer, dog, goat, and pig.     

Congress and the political expansion of the U.S. districts courts

Expanding the number of U.S. district judgeships is often justifiedas a response to expanding caseloads. Increasing judgeshipsduring unified government, however, allows Congress and thePresident to engage in political (patronage and ideological)control of the federal district courts. This paper examinesempirically the relative importance of caseload pressure andpolitical motives for Congress to expand the number of federaldistrict judgeships. We demonstrate that politics dominatesthe timing of judgeship expansion in the U.S. District Courts.We also show that both politics and caseload affect the actualsize of those timed expansions. In particular, we find thatbefore 1970, Congress seemed to have strong political motivationsfor the size of an expansion. After 1970, Congress became muchmore attentive to caseload considerations.