The United Kingdom and Ireland association of forensic toxicologists forensic toxicology laboratory guidelines (2018)

In 2010, the United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists (UKIAFT) created forensic toxicology laboratory guidelines. This represents a revision of those guidelines as a result of the changing toxicological and technical landscape.     

Psychophysiological Responses of People with Psychopathic Tendencies to the Concealed Information Test

This study was designed to investigate differences in psychophysiological responses among individuals with psychopathic tendencies. A total 40 students were participated and were divided into two groups based on Levenson Self‐Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) scores: a high psychopathic tendency group selected from the top 5% of LSRP scores, and a low psychopathic tendency group selected from the bottom 5% of LSRP scores. All participants were instructed to perform a mock crime and complete the concealed information test (CIT). Results indicate that significant differences between crime‐relevant questions and irrelevant questions were observed for respiration line length and skin conductance response in both groups, but heart rate did not significantly differ between groups. There were no differences in psychophysiological responses between the groups. In conclusion, CIT was found to be an effective method for detecting crime‐relevant information in individuals with psychopathic tendencies.     

Political Culture and Corporal Punishment in Public Schools

The use of corporal punishment in public elementary and secondaryschools was found to correlate with Sharkansky's political cultureindex. This is true not only for the simple correlation forwhich Pearson's r = 0.749 but also for correlations obtainedafter controlling for region.     

Biasing effects of pretrial publicity on judicial decisions

In a four-factor design, the effects on judicial decisions of sample (102 students versus 100 nonstudents), sex of subject, pretrial publicity (damaging and relevant versus irrelevant), and judge's instructions (warning to disregard pretrial publicity versus a neutral statement) were examined. Results indicated that sample and judge's instructions had no effects on verdicts, recommendations for sentencing, or ratings of the strength of the prosecution and defenses' cases. Pretrial publicity, however, exerted a strong influence on verdicts and ratings of the prosecution's case, particularly among females. It is suggested that pretrial publicity may serve to affect evaluations of the evidence presented at the trial.     

Primer binding site mutations affecting the typing of STR loci contained within the AMPFlSTR SGM Plus kit

The Forensic Science Service carries out human identification and familial investigations using the AMPFlSTR SGM Plus kit (PE Biosystems, Warrington, England). We have studied approximately 42,000 parent/child allelic transfers (meioses) for deviations from expected Mendelian Inheritance patterns. Of 55 apparent mutations detected, 20 had patterns suggestive of the presence of a primer binding site mutation producing a silent/null allele. The presence of a silent allele was unequivocally demonstrated in 13 of the 20 suspected cases by using alternative primer sets. Of the 13 confirmed cases, 9 involved the D18S51 locus. As the individuals in these cases all originated from the same geographic region of the Middle East, this cluster suggests the presence of a relatively common variant D18S51 allele in that particular group. These data taken together with our previously published work, confirm that the primer binding sites utilised for amplification of the loci contained in the AMPFlSTR SGM Plus kit have highly conserved nucleotide sequences.     

Workers' compensation: a background for Social Security professionals

This article provides a brief history and background of workers' compensation programs for occupationally injured and ill workers in the United States. It presents the basic principle involved in workers' compensation and briefly discusses the disability benefits to which workers are generally entitled. It also discusses why there are settlements in this disability program and the availability of information about the amounts paid in workers' compensation cases for obtaining an offset for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits paid to the worker. Finally, the article explains the rationale behind the public policy on coordination of Disability Insurance and workers' compensation in the new paradigm of disability and return to work.     

Developing a Municipal Performance-Measurement System: Reflections on the Atlanta Dashboard

Under the leadership of Mayor Shirley Franklin, the City of Atlanta introduced a new operating model for municipal government in early 2002. A central component of that effort has been a performance-measurement system—the "Atlanta Dashboard"—designed to assess various aspects of municipal performance and, through that assessment, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of municipal services.