Developmental Validation of the ANDE 6C System for Rapid DNA Analysis of Forensic Casework and DVI Samples

A developmental validation was performed to demonstrate reliability, reproducibility, and robustness of the ANDE Rapid DNA Identification System for processing of crime scene and disaster victim identification (DVI) samples. A total of 1705 samples were evaluated, including blood, oral epithelial samples from drinking containers, samples on FTA and untreated paper, semen, bone, and soft tissues. This study was conducted to address the FBI’s Quality Assurance Standards on developmental validation and to accumulate data from a sufficient number of unique donors and sample types to meet NDIS submission requirements for acceptance of the ANDE Expert System for casework use. To date, no Expert System has been approved for such samples, but the results of this study demonstrated that the automated Expert System performs similarly to conventional laboratory data analysis. Furthermore, Rapid DNA analysis demonstrated accuracy, precision, resolution, concordance, and reproducibility that were comparable to conventional processing along with appropriate species specificity, limit of detection, performance in the presence of inhibitors. No lane-to-lane or run-to-run contamination was observed, and the system correctly identified the presence of mixtures. Taken together, the ANDE instrument, I-Chip consumable, FlexPlex chemistry (a 27-locus STR assay compatible with all widely used global loci, including the CODIS core 20 loci), and automated Expert System successfully processed and interpreted more than 1200 unique samples with over 99.99% concordant CODIS alleles. This extensive developmental validation data provides support for broad use of the system by agencies and accredited forensic laboratories in single-source suspect-evidence comparisons, local database searches, and DVI.     

Uninsured Health Shocks and Agricultural Productivity among Rural Households: The Mitigating Role of Micro-credit

This article investigates how health shocks affect farm productivity in the presence of microcredit. It is expected that microcredit increases agricultural productivity by enhancing allocative and technical efficiency and by overcoming financial constraints that reduce purchase of inputs. However, microcredit will have competing uses in the event of uninsured health shocks to the household. Using an endogenous switching regression model and after accounting for self-selection, the results reveal that microcredit has a significant mitigating effect on farm productivity losses. Thus, microcredit generates a double dividend among smallholders serving as insurance against health shocks in rural areas and improving agricultural productivity.     

The South AfricdCanada Program on Governance: an experiment in supporting democracy

Abstract: The South Africa/Canada Program on Governance is a am‐funded initiative that assisted South Africa's transition to democracy in 1993 and 1994 and since then has supported the country's leaders in building the basic systems of government. It has done this by making available to senior South African elected and appointed officials Canadian public‐service practitioner advice, focusing always on the key people, key places, and core processes of government. The program has provided advice on constitutional arrangements, the establishment of a representative public service, support to the centre of government, planning and budgeting, and services delivery through its special advisers resident in Johannesburg, through workshops, through study visits to Canada for South Africans, and through the assignment of Canadian public servants to carry out projects in South Africa. Much of its work has been carried out under the auspices of twinning arrangements between six Canadian provinces and six South African provinces and their respective national departments of public works. As the program draws to an end, the authors, two of the program's special advisers, argue that in addition to providing important assistance during the transition to democracy, the program has been successful in a number of identifiable ways by supporting good governance in South Africa. They also argue that there is good reason for continued Canadian assistance in this area. Sommaire: Le Programme de gouvernance sud‐africain, une initiative financée par l'ACDI, a facilité en 1993 et 1994 l'évolution démocratique de l'Afrique du Sud et a aidé les leaders de ce pays àériger les systèmes essentiels de gouvemement. Le Programme a réalisé cela en offrant aux cadres supérieurs et aux élus sud‐africains les conseils de praticiens de la Fonction publique canadienne, en se concentrant chaquefois sur les personnes‐clé, les endroits‐clé et les processus fondamentaux du gouvernement. Grâce aux efforts de conseillers spéciaux à Johannesburg, à des ateliers, aux voyages d'études du Sud‐Africains au Canada et à l'affectation de fonctionnaires canadiens à des projets en Afrique du Sud, le programme a prodigué des conseils sur les arrangements constitutionnels, la mise sur pied d'une Fonction publique représentative, le soutien aux organismes centraux du gouvernement, la planification et la budgétisation ainsi que la prestation de services. Les activités du Programme ont été réalisées grâce au jumelage de six provinces canadiennes à six provinces sud‐africaines, ainsi que des ministères des travaux publics respectifs des deux pays. Sous sa forme actuelle, le programme viendra àéchéance bientot. Selon les auteurs, deux des conseillers spéciaux du programme, ce dernier a réussi à favoriser la bonne gouvernance en Afrique du Sud en plus d'aider le passage à la démocratie. Toujours don eux, il serait judicieux de continuer à offrir de l'assistance canadienne dans ce domaine.     

Interpersonal violence by authoritarian rulers: Saddam Hussein and Joseph Stalin compared

Why do some authoritarian rulers, such as Saddam Hussein, kill or torture other people personally, whereas others, like Joseph Stalin, delegate such violence to subordinates? Such politically motivated interpersonal violence committed by authoritarian leaders has never before been theorized. Through a comparison of Hussein and Stalin, we explain why some dictators engage in this behavior and others do not. We propose a model based on three components: the individual's prior habituation or non-habituation to violence; regime characteristics that ‘select for’ a personally violent or non-violent ruler; and, once a ruler takes power, the interaction of the first two variables. We also suggest that most communist regimes featured organizational characteristics that discouraged such violence by the leader.     

The role of technology transfer offices in building the South African biotechnology sector: an assessment of policies,practices and impact

While South Africa appears to have many of the building blocks in place to support a vibrant biotechnology sector, the potential which exists has not yet been realised. Several policies and programmes have therefore been introduced by government in recent years in order to address some of the barriers. The poor flow of technologies from research laboratories to industry has been identified as an area of particular concern, with the role of institutional technology transfer offices (TTOs) as facilitators of improved technology transfer being highlighted. This paper describes the status quo of biotechnology in South Africa, discusses relevant policy developments and against this background, examines the status of TTOs, the constraints which are faced and how these might be overcome.

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHILD ABUSE ALLEGATIONS IN CUSTODY AND ACCESS DISPUTES IN THE FAMILY COURT

Child abuse allegations in custody and access disputes are serious matters and present family courts worldwide with major problems. This article reports a large research study just completed that investigated the way the Family Court of Australia managed child abuse cases. The study showed that such cases had become a substantial part of the court's current workload, their "core business" in fact. The families involved had many difficulties, including a history of family violence, and the present system was not appropriate for their particular problems. Thus, as new specialized court lead model of intervention was devised, based on principles relevant to family violence and incorporating the most effective strategies identified in the research.