Effect of Gas Chromatography Temperature Program on the Association and Discrimination of Diesel Samples*†

Abstract: Five diesel samples were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) using six GC temperature programs, aiming to investigate the effect of temperature program on association and discrimination of the samples. Temperature programs varied by ramp rate and incorporated one‐ or two‐step temperature ramps. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients and principal components analysis were used to evaluate differences in discrimination among the diesel samples afforded by each temperature program, based on the total ion chromatogram (TIC) and selected extracted ion profiles (EIPs). Association of diesel replicates and discrimination among samples based on the TIC and aromatic EIP were similar for all temperature programs based on scores plots. The alkane EIP was not useful in discriminating samples regardless of temperature program, because of similar alkane content of the diesel samples. The association and discrimination of diesel samples was largely unaffected by temperature programs that incorporated one‐ or two‐step temperature ramps.     

The Effects of Different Maceration Techniques on Nuclear DNA Amplification Using Human Bone

Abstract: Forensic anthropologists routinely macerate human bone for the purposes of identity and trauma analysis, but the heat and chemical treatments used can destroy genetic evidence. As a follow‐up to a previous study on nuclear DNA recovery that used pig ribs, this study utilizes human skeletal remains treated with various bone maceration techniques for nuclear DNA amplification using the standard Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) markers. DNA was extracted from 18 samples of human lower leg bones subjected to nine chemical and heat maceration techniques. Genotyping was carried out using the AmpF?STR^® COfiler^® and AmpF?STR^® Profiler Plus^® ID kits. Results showed that heat treatments via microwave or Biz/Na₂CO₃ in sub‐boiling water efficiently macerate bone and produce amplifiable nuclear DNA for genetic analysis. Long‐term use of chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide is discouraged as it results in poor bone quality and has deleterious effects on DNA amplification.     

Shirking in the Contemporary Congress: A Reappraisal

Michael H. Crespin Department of Political Science, Michigan State University, 303 S. Kedzie Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824 e-mail: e-mail: crespinm{at}msu.edu Jeffery A. Jenkins Department of Political Science, Northwestern University, 601 University Place, Evanston, IL 60208 e-mail: e-mail: j-jenkins3{at}northwestern.edu Ryan J. Vander Wielen Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1027, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130 e-mail: e-mail: rjvander{at}artsci.wustl.edu This paper replicates the findings that appeared in the article"Severing the Electoral Connection: Shirking in the ContemporaryCongress," published in the American Journal of Political Science(44:316–325), in which Lawrence Rothenberg and MitchellSanders incorporated a new research design and, contrary toall previous studies, found evidence of ideological shirkingin the U.S. House of Representatives. We investigate the robustnessof their results by reestimating their model with Congress-specificfixed effects and find that their results no longer hold.     

Photodegradation and laser desorption mass spectrometry for the characterization of dyes used in red pen inks

Photodegradation and laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) is a powerful combination of methods capable of characterizing dyes found in pen inks. Rhodamine dyes in pens that contain red ink were analyzed directly from paper (no extraction step is necessary). Inks exposed to incandescent light form photodegradation products (compounds with lower molecular weights than that of the intact dye) and in some instances, photoproducts (compounds with higher molecular weights than that of the intact dye). The degradation products and photoproducts can be detected with LDMS, and the results can be used for dye identification. Advantages include: (1) the instrumental analysis takes less than a minute; (2) sample preparation is minimal; (3) LDMS is a minimally destructive technique; (4) incandescent light sources are inexpensive, safe to use, and readily available; and (5) isomeric dyes can be distinguished.     

Redistricting, Candidate Entry, and the Politics of Nineteenth-Century U.S. House Elections

The effects of redistricting on candidate entry patterns in contemporary House races has received growing attention in the scholarly literature, yet virtually no consideration has been given to this question in the context of historical elections. This is unfortunate as the wider variation in congressional redistricting during the nineteenth century gives us increased leverage in terms of understanding strategic candidate behavior. Utilizing a new dataset of candidate quality for nineteenth-century House races, we examine whether candidates with prior electoral experience are more likely to run in districts that are altered during the redistricting process, and provide an account of how differences in the prevalence of redistricting may affect strategic entry decisions of politicians. Our results suggest that entry decisions and electoral outcomes are affected by redistricting in this era. Moreover, our analysis provides an opportunity to use history to test contemporary theories of congressional elections in a broader context .     

Classing Sex Offenders: How Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys Differentiate Men Accused of Sexual Assault

As public awareness of and concern about sexual victimization has increased in recent decades, stigmatization of sex offenders has also increased considerably. Contemporary sex offender policies transform discrete criminal behaviors into lifelong social identities. Although there is much debate about the efficacy and constitutionality of such policies, we know little about how the category of “sex offender” is constituted in the first place. In this article, I reveal how prosecutors and defense attorneys construct sex offenders, not as monsterous or racialized as is commonly thought, but as “lower class” men. This analysis is based on 30 in‐depth interviews with prosecutors and defense attorneys in Michigan. These legal actors wield disproportionate power in defining the boundaries of criminal behaviors and individuals. That they associate sexual criminality with lower class men demonstrates yet another way that class‐based inequalities are reproduced in the legal field.     

Electoral Reform and Changes in Legislative Behavior: Adoption of the Secret Ballot in Congressional Elections

There is widespread agreement that the Australian ballot fundamentally altered the American electoral system. One common approach to test the effects of ballot reform is to examine legislators elected under the party and secret ballot. An alternative research design, which we adopt here, compares changes in the behavior of legislators who were elected under both ballot types. We use this approach to investigate whether ballot reform directly influenced legislators' decisions to seek renomination and their behavior within the institution. Our results raise a number of important implications for understanding the effects of electoral reform on political behavior.