Distributions of genetic markers in a Nebraska population

Seven genetic marker systems were analyzed from liquid blood and dried bloodstain specimens submitted to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory from various law enforcement agencies throughout Nebraska. The phenotypic and genotypic frequencies for the ABO, Lewis, esterase D (ESD), phosphoglucomutase (PGM), adenylate kinase (AK), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and haptoglobin (HP) systems were calculated. The results indicate that the phenotypic frequencies are generally in agreement with frequencies reported in other populations in the United States.     

Tendances En Sémiotique Juridique

Sans résumé     

Validation studies of an immunochromatographic 1-step test for the forensic identification of human blood.

An immunochromatographic 1-step test for the detection of fecal occult blood was evaluated for applicability for the forensic identification of human blood in stained material. The following experiments were conducted: 1) determination of the sensitivity and specificity of the assay; 2) evaluation of different extraction media for bloodstains (sterile water, Tris buffer pH 7.5 provided in the test kit, 5% ammonia); 3) analysis of biological samples subjected to a variety of environmental insults; and 4) evaluation of casework samples. This immunochromatographic 1-step occult blood test is specific for human (primate) hemoglobin and is at least an order of magnitude more sensitive than previous methods for detecting human hemoglobin in bloodstains. The antigen is insensitive to a variety of environmental insults, except for exposure to certain detergents and household bleaches and prolonged exposure to certain preparations of luminol. The entire assay can be conducted in field testing conditions within minutes. When in the laboratory the supernatant from a DNA extraction is used for the assay, there is essentially no consumption of DNA for determining the presence of human hemoglobin in a forensic sample. The data demonstrate that this test is robust and suitable for forensic analyses.     

European "Federalism" and its Encroachments on National Institutions

The European Union is a supranational governance organizationthat is more federal than unitary but which, instead of a constitutionallyestablished balance of powers, exhibits a dynamic confusionof powers. This institutional structure has not only servedto subordinate member-states' institutional structures, whetherfederal or unitary, and to alter their traditional balance ofpowers, it has also served to reduce national governmental autonomyin the name of a shared supranational authority, diminish nationalcontrol over subnational units, and undermine democratic legitimacyat both the national and EU levels. It has had a differentialeffect on member states, with a greater disruptive impact onunitary states, such as France and Britain, than on federalstates, such as Germany.     

Local level political and institutional changes in Japan: An end to political alienation?

Background  In Japan, a steady increase of non-voters is evident on the national and local levels over the past few decades. However, since the mid-1990s, a new wave of political participation at the local level has attracted politicians as well as social scientists. Citizen participation is increasing in terms of the number of non-profit organizations, participatory procedures, and engagement in new political networks. Citizens growing involvement in local politics coincides with institutional changes that offer new autonomy in respect of local policy-making.Objectives  In this paper, we will argue that these local trends might have an impact on national politics through the repolitization of citizens. However, preconditions are, ceteris paribus, the restoration of political trust through participation and institutional changes that support citizen involvement in politics.The authors have been engaged in a project on “Civil Society in Japan: Partnership as a New Item of Japan’s Local Politics” since 1 March 2006. The project is located at the Department for Japanese Studies at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany) and financed by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG).

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