Sequence variation and allele nomenclature for the X-linked STRs DXS9895, DXS8378, DXS7132, DXS6800, DXS7133, GATA172D05, DXS7423 and DXS8377

X-linked DNA markers are increasingly used in forensic kinship testing. This paper presents sequencing data of the short tandem repeats (STRs) DXS9895, DXS8378, DXS7132, DXS6800, DXS7133, GATA172D05, DXS7423, DXS8377 and proposes an allele nomenclature. Alleles were assigned according to the recommendations of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) Commission.     

Rapid Quantitative Analysis of Multiple Explosive Compound Classes on a Single Instrument via Flow‐Injection Analysis Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A flow‐injection analysis tandem mass spectrometry (FIA MSMS) method was developed for rapid quantitative analysis of 10 different inorganic and organic explosives. Performance is optimized by tailoring the ionization method (APCI/ESI), de‐clustering potentials, and collision energies for each specific analyte. In doing so, a single instrument can be used to detect urea nitrate, potassium chlorate, 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene, 2,4,6‐trinitrophenylmethylnitramine, triacetone triperoxide, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, 1,3,5‐trinitroperhydro‐1,3,5‐triazine, nitroglycerin, and octohy‐dro‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine with sensitivities all in the picogram per milliliter range. In conclusion, FIA APCI/ESI MSMS is a fast (<1 min/sample), sensitive (~pg/mL LOQ), and precise (intraday RSD < 10%) method for trace explosive detection that can play an important role in criminal and attributional forensics, counterterrorism, and environmental protection areas, and has the potential to augment or replace several of the existing explosive detection methods.     

How limited representativeness weakens throughput legitimacy in the EU: The example of interest groups

Are the interest groups (IGs) that constitute European umbrella organizations capable of cooperating in a way that contributes to the throughput legitimacy of the EU? To answer this question, the representativeness of supranational actors is developed as the central criteria of throughput legitimacy, thereby reconfiguring throughput legitimacy as a two‐level concept. Representativeness is operationalized as consisting of regular contacts between the constituent and the umbrella organization as well as the satisfaction of the former with the representation by the latter. The article looks empirically at agricultural, environmental and anti‐poverty groups. Whereas there are different degrees of contact depending on the policy area, the satisfaction with the representation by the umbrella is compromised for all three IGs. This is closely linked to lowest common denominator policies which reduce the representativeness of the umbrellas and therefore the throughput legitimacy of the EU, a problem that also exists for other actors of supranational governance.     

Network news coverage of terrorism: The early years

Abstract

The electronic media influence public opinion by defining which national and international issues become significant, and shape public debates by the television images conveyed to the American audience. Based upon the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, this study examines the image projected in reporting of terrorist activities by the three major national networks, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The reality presented by the media is explored by comparing variables such as story emphasis and depiction, frequency, length of coverage, and location in the newscasts.     

Reviews

Roger Moody, ed.: The Indigenous Voice: Visions and Realities. Zed Books, London and The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, Copenhagen, 1988.

Marcus Colchester: Pirates, Squatters and Poachers: The Political Ecology of Dispossession of Native Peoples of Sarawak. Survival International, London and Institute of Social Analysis, Selangor, Malaysia, 1988.

Maria Mies: Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale: Women in the International Division of Labor, Zed Books, London 1986.     

Peer Interaction and Engagement Through Online Discussion Forums: A Cautionary Tale

Following an very inspiring presentation from the REAP (Re-Engineering Assessment Practices in Scottish Higher Education) team, I attempted to address problems of attrition and non-engagement amongst first year law students by introducing online small group activities based around discussion forums into the level 4 (first year) Legal Method course. The idea was to build student engagement through teamwork online, thus moving towards a constructivist theory of learning (Jonassen et al. in Am J Distance Educ 9(2):7, 1995), and to increase formative feedback to students at an early stage in their course without unduly increasing my workload. (The benefits of early formative feedback are well documented. See, for example Yorke in Leaving early; Undergraduate non-completion in higher education, Falmer, London, 1999; Yorke and Longden in Retention and student success in higher education, SRHE and Open University Press, 2004). The students were randomly divided into groups of between 8 and 12 students using the WebCT group function. WebCT was at that time the university??s main virtual learning environment and available to all students enrolled on courses through the university portal system. Group discussion forums were provided for a series of activities, complementing the normal lecture pattern of two hours?? lecture plus one hour??s seminar each week. This paper considers the results over 2?years of introducing this system in a widening participation university. It did not prove possible to reproduce the success experienced in the REAP project. This paper attempts to unravel the various reasons for this, technical, pedagogical and practical. This case study is an example of action research, as I was both dismayed and intrigued by the negative reaction of the students and attempted to discover the reasons for it. The findings and conclusions drawn from them will be used to remodel this aspect of the course in 2010?C2011.     

Police use of TASERs in the restraint and transport of persons with a mental illness

The mentally ill are overrepresented in the statistics of individuals killed or injured by police and it is understandable that police would seek a weapon, such as a TASER, that is less lethal than a firearm. However, it appears that use of TASERs is not without risk, especially in certain groups, including the mentally ill. The risk of injury to vulnerable people with a mental illness from TASER weapons must be weighed against the risk that escalation to lethal force may cause if a person with an acute mental illness requires restraint. When police officers are carrying out their duties under mental health legislation it is recommended that TASERs be used only when an individual is imminently likely to sustain or to cause grievous bodily harm. This article recommends changes to the Western Australian Police TASER training programs and proposes mandatory medical assessments after the use of TASER restraint.