DNA forensics and the poaching of wildlife in Italy: a case study

DNA molecular techniques were used in a forensic investigation involving the poaching of wildlife in a national park of Italy. A poacher, after having snared a wild boar (Sus scrofa) sow, knifed it to death. The animal was retrieved by conservation officers at the scene before the poacher could remove the carcass. Subsequently, the suspect denied the charges. During a search of his home, a bloodstained knife was confiscated. A method to identify the species from the DNA extracted from the stains revealed the blood to be that of the non-domestic form of Sus scrofa. Further DNA typing for individual identity using species-specific single tandem repeats or microsatellites (STRs) showed that the DNA on the knife matched that of the poached boar. Based upon the forensic evidence obtained, the suspect was convicted of poaching and of cruelty to animals.     

Fatal steamer accident; blunt force injuries and drowning in post-mortem MSCT and MRI

Steamer accidents, through contact with the bucket wheel, are very seldom today. No publication of such a kind of fatal accident could be found in literature. We present the case of a fatal steamer accident, in which the findings of a blunt traumatization of a person by the ship was completely documented by post-mortem combined multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. A rupture of the aorta was detected using both radiological methods without use of radiopaque material. Radiological examination revealed a comminuted fracture of the thorax vertebrae at the same level as the aortic rupture. Injuries of the soft tissues of the back, caused by the bucket wheel of the steamer, were also diagnosed. In addition to the signs of blunt force trauma the findings of drowning such as an over inflation of the lungs, fluid in the stomach and duodenum were revealed. Furthermore, algological analysis detected diatoms in the lung tissue and blood from the left heart. Therefore, the cause of death was considered being a combination of fatal hemorrhage, caused by the aortic rupture, and drowning. We conclude that virtual autopsy using combined post-mortem MSCT and MRI is a useful tool for documentation, visualisation and analysis of the findings of blunt force trauma and drowning with a large potential in forensic medicine.     

Study on the application of parent-of-origin specific DNA methylation markers to forensic genetics

In paternity test, especially in motherless cases, the allele inherited from father (obligatory gene, OG) often cannot be determined. The paternity exclusion probability (PE) of a genetic marker is reduced considerably. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new technique, by which the parental origin of alleles can be determined without genealogical analysis. In this paper, we explored the possibility of using parent-of-origin specific DNA methylation markers to determine the parental origin of alleles, choosing the imprinted single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) locus rs220028 (A/G) as a model system. We typed the SNP by mutagenically separated PCR (MS-PCR). The frequencies of alleles were A = 0.5085, G = 0.4915; the unbiased heterozygosity was 0.5020. In order to discriminate between the maternal allele and paternal allele, post-digestion MS-PCR, a novel PCR based methylation analysis and SNP typing technique was developed and performed on 18 heterozygous children, and the methylated maternal allele was detected specifically. As a pilot study on the use of epigenetic markers in forensic genetics, our results demonstrated the feasibility of using parent-of-origin specific DNA methylation markers to determine the parental origin of alleles.     

Morphology of second and third instars of Chrysomya villeneuvi Patton (Diptera: Calliphoridae), a fly species of forensic importance

The morphology of the second and third instars of Chrysomya villeneuvi Patton, a fly species of forensic importance, was presented by use of light microscopy. Both instars were of hairy appearance, bearing elongated tubercles along the abdominal and caudal segments. The anterior spiracle had 13-15 papillae. Minute dark spots were observed to thoroughly cover the tubercle's surface, with 4-6 strong dark tips. Regarding the third instar, the intersegmental spines between the prothorax and mesothorax were heavily pigmented. The posterior spiracle had a thick and heavily pigmented incomplete peritreme. The surface and tip of the tubercles was covered with heavily pigmented sharp spines. The integument of the body was covered with numerous distinct net-like patches. A comparison with another well-known hairy maggot, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), was discussed.     

在荷兰东印度公司以前居住印度尼西亚的中国人

印度尼西亞和中國的關係由來已經很久。根据在松巴哇發現的一个东山時代(大約公元前五百年左右)的青銅鼓和在青銅鼓上装飾着一个人騎着馬、穿着韃靼人的服装的圖画來看,有理由,而且有足够的理由推測,印度尼西亞和中國的關係自从史前時代就已經廣泛地開始建立了(參看雅加達博物館史前文物第3364号和樊得賀編(Dth.van der Hoop)的“史前文物珍藏目錄”第213頁)。明顯的事实是印度尼西亞最古老的歷史,那就是从公元初開始的歷史,是从中國得來的(參看克倫納斐(W.P.Groen Veldt)著的馬來羣島和馬六甲的記載”一書)。伯希和(Paul Pelliot)也这样推測,卽在那个時期,印变尼西亞和中     

《回忆》一书的几个章节(续二)

宇宙纪元的十月一战后新的一代苏联人进入了宇宙时代的生活。青年人有时很难想象,四分之一世纪以前,既没有卫星,没有宇航员,也没有到月球、火星、金星的飞行。而仅仅有对这类飞行的幻想,许多世纪以来人类能抱有的幻想。有一位诗人说得很正确:“我们来到世上,为的是把神话变成事实……”正是我国人民开始了宇宙世纪的读数。当地球上的亿万人知道发射了第一颗人造地球卫星的那一天,那个时刻才初次触及宇宙     

我在越南的古拉格

黎文德是法籍越南人,越南南方解放前曾在阮文绍军队中任上校。胡志明市诞生后,他为其日耳曼籍的表兄弟非利浦·弗朗希尼管理大陆酒店,不久该酒店移交新政府,他就被关押在再教育营。原文是黎文德叙述其在再教育营的前后经历。现摘译部份内容以供参考。     

印度尼西亚的对外贸易

国际贸易市场不景气和世界资本主义经济萧条正在对印度尼西亚的对外贸易产生不良影响。这个国家的出口增长率由一九八○至八一年度(财政年度,从四月一日起)的百分之二十四点五下降为一九八一至八二年度的百分之六点六,出口值为二百三十七亿一     

STR analysis of artificially degraded DNA-results of a collaborative European exercise

Degradation of human DNA extracted from forensic stains is, in most cases, the result of a natural process due to the exposure of the stain samples to the environment. Experiences with degraded DNA from casework samples show that every sample may exhibit different properties in this respect, and that it is difficult to systematically assess the performance of routinely used typing systems for the analysis of degraded DNA samples. Using a batch of artificially degraded DNA with an average fragment size of approx. 200 bp a collaborative exercise was carried out among 38 forensic laboratories from 17 European countries. The results were assessed according to correct allele detection, peak height and balance as well as the occurrence of artefacts. A number of common problems were identified based on these results such as strong peak imbalance in heterozygous genotypes for the larger short tandem repeat (STR) fragments after increased PCR cycle numbers, artefact signals and allelic drop-out. Based on the observations, strategies are discussed to overcome these problems. The strategies include careful balancing of the amount of template DNA and the PCR cycle numbers, the reaction volume and the amount of Taq polymerase. Furthermore, a careful evaluation of the results of the fragment analysis and of automated allele calling is necessary to identify the correct alleles and avoid artefacts.     

Sexual and nonsexual offenders with intellectual and learning disabilities: a comparison of characteristics, referral patterns, and outcome

This article reports an evaluation of a community intellectual disability offender service over the period from 1990 to 2001. Men who committed sex offenses or sexually abusive incidents (n = 106) and men who committed other types of offenses and serious incidents (n = 78) are compared on personal characteristics, referral sources, forensic details, and outcome up to 7 years after referral. The cohorts are older than one would expect from the criminology literature, and, at about 33%, the incidence of mental illness is consistent with some previous studies. A greater proportion of sex offenders had criminal justice involvement and a formal disposal from court. Fire raising was not overly represented as an offense. There was a higher rate of reoffending in the nonsexual cohort, which persisted up to 7 years. Investigating only reoffenders, there was a considerable amount of harm reduction recorded up to 7 years, statistically significant up to 5 years following initial referral.