A DNA microarray system for forensic SNP analysis

Forensic DNA analysis is routinely performed using polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) markers. However, for degraded or minute DNA samples, analysis of autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in short fragments might be more successful. Furthermore, sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is often performed on highly degraded or scarce samples due to the high copy number of mtDNA in each cell. Due to the increasing number of complete mtDNA genome sequences available, the limited discrimination power of an mtDNA analysis, may be increased by analysis of coding region polymorphisms in addition to the non-coding variation. Since sequence analysis of the coding region would require more material than generally present in forensic samples, an alternative SNP analysis approach is required. We have developed a one-colour microarray-based SNP detection system for limited forensic materials. The method is based on minisequencing in solution prior to hybridisation to universal tag-arrays. In a first outline of a forensic chip, a combination of 12 nuclear and 21 mitochondrial SNP markers are analysed simultaneously. The mitochondrial markers on the chip are polymorphisms within the hypervariable region as well as in the coding region. Even though the number of markers in the current system is limited, it can easily be extended to yield a greater power of discrimination. When fully developed, microarray analysis provides a promising system for efficient sensitive SNP analysis of forensic samples in the future.     

Y-chromosome STR system, Y-PLEX 12, for forensic casework: development and validation

The Y-PLEX 12 system, developed for use in human identification, enables simultaneous amplification of eleven polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) loci, namely DYS392, DYS390, DYS385 a/b, DYS393, DYS389I, DYS391, DYS389II, DYS 19, DYS439 and DYS438, residing on the Y chromosome and Amelogenin. Amelogenin provides results for gender identification and serves as internal control for PCR. The validation studies were performed according to the DNA Advisory Board's (DAB) Quality Assurance Standards. The minimal sensitivity of the Y-PLEX 12 system was 0.1 ng of male DNA. The mean stutter values ranged between 3.76-15.72%. A full male profile was observed in mixture samples containing 0.5 ng of male DNA and up to 400 ng of female DNA. Amelogenin did not adversely affect the amplification of Y-STRs in mixture samples containing male and female DNA. The primers for the Y-STR loci present in Y-PLEX 12 are specific for human DNA and some higher primates. None of the primate samples tested provided a complete profile at all 11 Y-STR loci amplified with the Y-PLEX 12 system. Y-PLEX 12 is a sensitive, valid, reliable, and robust multiplex system for forensic analysis, and it can be used in human forensic and male lineage identification cases.     

Side-bets and reciprocity as determinants of organizational commitment among correctional officers

Organizational commitment is a particularly salient characteristic of the prison work climate due to the stressful working conditions and high rate of turnover among correctional officers nationwide, yet little is known about the factors that predict the level of organizational commitment among officers. Becker's (1960) side-bets hypothesis predicts greater commitment among those who develop additional investments in the job that would be lost with a change of jobs, and the reciprocity hypothesis predicts greater commitment among those who feel they are well treated, supported, and respected by the organization. This study used a sample of 546 correctional officers to examine the relative effects of side bets and reciprocity on two components of organizational commitment—affective commitment and continuance commitment. The results of a multivariate OLS regression analysis indicated that reciprocity had a greater effect than side bets on affective commitment but that side bets had a greater effect than reciprocity on continuance commitment. These findings, which provide partial support for the side-bet hypothesis and strong support for the reciprocity hypothesis, are discussed in terms of the link between organizational commitment and other work-related behaviors.     

Legitimacies, Indian Identities, and the Law: The Politics of Sex and the Creation of History in Colonial New England

In an early-eighteenth-century legal contest on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, an Indian leader, Jacob Seeknout, appealed a ruling that under-mined his political authority. Seeknout's lawyer, Benjamin Hawes, crafted an argument that intertwined the sexual legitimacy of Seeknout's ancestors with his political legitimacy; at the same time, Hawes also linked Indians'collective chastity as a "nation" to their sovereign status. This paper examines the economic, religious, criminal, and historical contexts of this argument, exploring the history of Indians'conjugal practices and their reinvention as the criminal acts of fornication. The case illustrates some of the diverse sources of early American law, links between these legal structures and colonialism, and the importance for scholars of attending to the local level in exploring the power of colonial law to shape new racial identities.     

Distribution profile of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine (DOB) in rats after oral and subcutaneous doses

2,5-Dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine (DOB) is one of the potent hallucinogenic phenylalkylamines, whose ingestion has already caused several deaths reported all over the world. However, there is unsufficient information on DOB properties based on controlled pharmacokinetic studies available. The aim of this study was to clarify the distribution profile of DOB and its phenolic metabolite 2-methoxy-5-hydroxy-4-bromoamphetamine (2M5H4BA) in blood and biological tissues of experimental rats. The rats were administered a 20 mg/kg dose of DOB·HCl by oral ingestion or subcutaneous injection. Plasma and brain, liver and lung tissues were collected at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 h after dosing (three animals per time point). The samples were prepared by a liquid–liquid extraction procedure and the extracts were assayed by GC–MS. After per oral application, DOB peak plasma level of 320 ng/mL was reached after one-hour post dosing as well as 2M5H4BA peak concentration of 203 ng/mL. A rapid phase of DOB absorption, 2M5H4BA formation and their tissue distribution during the first two hours after application were followed by a slow decrease rate of the elimination process until 32 h. After subcutaneous application, high plasma levels of the unchanged parent drug and relatively reduced formation of its metabolite 2M5H4BA were observed. DOB maximum plasma concentration of 1143 ng/mL was reached after one-hour post application, whereas its metabolite peak level after 8 h was 213 ng/mL. The concentration profiles of both compounds in plasma after per oral and subcutaneous administration revealed the existence of significant first pass effect after per oral administration that significantly affected DOB bioavailability. DOB tissue concentrations exceeded plasma and the highest values were found in the lungs, where drug accumulation occurred with prolonged retention till 32 h after subcutaneous dose. Although the plasma/tissue transfer was more effective for the lipophilic parent drug than for its hydroxylated metabolite 2M5H4BA, the metabolite tissue levels were significant. The hallucinogenic potential of 2M5H4BA appearing in brain remains unclear as nothing is known about its pharmacological activity at present.