Developmental validation of the quantifiler real-time PCR kits for the quantification of human nuclear DNA samples

The Quantifiler Human DNA Quantification Kit and the Quantifiler Y Human Male DNA Quantification Kit were designed for the quantification of human genomic DNA in forensic samples. The kits use a real-time PCR-based process to quantify, respectively, total human DNA or human male DNA only. We report the results of a developmental validation study that we performed with the Quantifiler Kits, following the official SWGDAM guidelines. The Quantifiler Kits were tested for performance criteria such as species specificity, sensitivity, stability, precision and accuracy, and in addition, were tested with forensic case-type samples and mixed (male:female) DNA samples. The Quantifiler Kit methods were highly specific for human DNA, and could detect as little as 32 picograms of DNA using 2 microL of sample per assay. The accuracy and precision of the Quantifiler Kit methods was comparable or superior to that of other quantification methods.     

Psychiatric injury and assault the immediate effect ofR. v.Ireland, R. v.Burstow

Conclusion R. v.Ireland marked the emergence of the psychic assault—an assault which does not involve fear of immediate force, where the harm becomes a feature of the assault. This explains why foresight ofsuch harm was required of the defendant by the Court of Appeal inIreland. However, the more recent discussions on assault, by the House of Lords inR. v.Burstow, R. v.Ireland and by the Court of Appeal inR. v.Constanza, have made no reference to the defendant's foresight or to the victim's psychiatric injury. Instead the decisions have focused on the victim's fear of immediate violence. To this extent they have halted the development of the psychiatric assault and preserved the traditional view of assault as the apprehension of immediate unlawful force.