Refining the analysis of Y-chromosomal diversity in Alentejo (Portugal)

Sickle cell anemia (HBB*S) and glucose-6-phosphatedehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, present a clinal distribution in Portugal, being more frequent in the South and showing foci of high prevalence in some places from Alentejo such as Coruche and Pias. Since the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of G6PD deficiency alleles and HBB*S lead to conclude that Sub-Saharan Africa was the place of origin of many of them, it is likely that at least some were introduced in Alentejo by Sub-Saharan individuals whose presence in the region is known to have had considerable demographic impact. To evaluate the male mediated Sub-Saharan influence in present-day populations from Coruche and Pias, we have performed a high resolution analysis of 16 Y-STRs and 23 Y-SNPs in 91 males from Coruche and 54 from Pias. The results showed the absence of haplogroups of Sub-Saharan origin and a Y-chromosome composition basically not differing from those previously reported for other Portuguese mainland regions. Therefore, from the forensic point of view the studied populations can be dealt without special concerns.     

Long Allele Designations at D2S1338 and D19S433 Loci as Influenced by Various Multiplex STR Kits

European forensic laboratories are replacing the STR multiplex kits with the new generation 16/17 STR kits. This study examines the influence of the new generation kits and the new Applied Biosystems 3500xL Genetic Analyzer on the designation of long D2S1338 and D19S433 off‐ladder alleles. Different allele calls were obtained using the new NGM? (Applied Biosystems) and PowerPlex^® ESI? (Promega) kits compared with AmpF?STR^® SGM Plus? kit (Applied Biosystems). Sequence analysis was used to determine accurate allele designation. The new multiplex kits and the 3500xL Genetic Analyzer improved accuracy of long allele designations. DNA databases worldwide include countless profiles obtained by previous kits. Discrepancies between the new and former technologies may cause failure to detect hits. Discordance is expected due to primer sequence differences between various kits. An additional discordance, occurring in long alleles, independent of primer sequence is reported in this study.     

Perspectives,practices and prospects of public affairs in Central and Eastern Europe: a lobbying future anchored in an institutional context

‘Public Affairs’ is not a term most people in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will recognise and associate with interest representation and lobbying as ways of linking business, society and government. The term may be seen as a euphemism for corruption-inspired ‘lobbying’, an artificial and confusing umbrella term or a public relations creation. It is a term in transition for a subject in transition in a part of Europe in transition. Even as part of the European Union, CEE is still different, in transition, finding its own feet like a phoenix arising from the ashes of 50 years of communism, but slowly, in bursts, réculer pour mieux sauter and very different from country to country. Which are the features and values of the 50 years of communism that will disappear, fast more slowly, which ones will linger on? What are the institutions in CEE countries that public affairs will have to deal with, and what is the view on transparency and transparency regulation in CEE? To add understanding, values, cultural differences, institutional context and other factors affecting the public affairs environment are examined. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Europe as a Beacon of Democracy? Citizenship Policies Relating to Youth and Migrants in Portugal

Abstract

This article aims to compare discourses about national and European policies on active citizenship and democratic participation, with a particular focus on youth and migrants. For this purpose we analysed official documents of public institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in order to assess how the process of Europeanization has influenced national policies with regard to increasing political participation and citizens' civic awareness. Additionally, we conducted interviews with policy makers and NGO leaders in order to integrate and compare different levels of discourse and thus identify potential dissonances. Analysis of the documents shows that there is a strong concern to match national policy priorities with those established by international organizations. Notwithstanding positive perceptions, NGO leaders and policy makers criticize the ways policies have been implemented, stressing the need to adopt a strategy that bridges the gap between the prescribed and the real, as well as the importance of overcoming the hegemony of economic factors in policy decisions. In this regard, NGO leaders criticize the cynicism of political leaders and policies motivated by demographic and economic concerns. In relation to European identity and integration, NGO leaders argue that Europe must be collectively constructed; yet, policy makers stress that the failure of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005 resulted from a deficit in the negotiation process. In sum, this article suggests that it is necessary to promote greater involvement of civil society in the design and implementation of policies which, in turn, may contribute to the strengthening of shared democratic principles.     

Discerning Interrelationships among the Knowledge,Competencies, and Roles of Project Managers in the Planning and Implementation of Public Sector Projects

This study uses information gleaned from a sample of 102 public sector project managers to assess the interrelationships among project manager roles, responsibilities, and competencies in the planning and implementation stages of the project life cycle. The results of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling revealed that project managers use different subsets of their skills to influence outcomes at these two stages of the project. For example, while the project manager's organizational and technical skills tend to have some influence during the project planning stage, managerial, leadership and people skills appear to have more influence during the project implementation stage. Implications of these and our other findings for the practice of project management in public sector organizations are discussed.     

Exposure to interpersonal violence as a predictor of PTSD symptomatology in domestic violence survivors

This study examines the interrelationships between childhood abuse, exposure to maternal domestic violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in a multiethnic sample of 111 adult female residents of a domestic violence (DV) shelter. Participants completed structured interviews about the DV and their prior violence exposure, as well as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. As hypothesized, there was high co-occurrence between exposure to maternal DV and childhood physical and sexual abuse, and the frequency of lifetime violence exposure predicted PTSD symptomatology. A series of multiple regressions indicated a more complex pattern of relationships, in which specific forms of prior violence exposure predicted different PTSD symptom dimensions. A history of witnessing maternal DV predicted intrusion symptoms, and a history of childhood sexual abuse predicted hyperarousal symptoms. Ethnicity was not related to levels of violence exposure or to PTSD symptoms. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Towards a "crime pollen calendar" - pollen analysis on corpses throughout one year

A palynological study was carried out on 28 corpses brought in one year (June 2003-May 2004) to the morgue of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Parma (Northern Italy). This preliminary research focuses on the date of death, which was known for all corpses examined. Pollen sampling and analyses were made with the first aim of comparing the pollen grains found on corpses with those diffused in the atmosphere in the region in the same season as the known date of death. Eyebrows, hair-line near the forehead, facial skin and nasal cavities were sampled. Most of the corpses had trapped pollen grains, with the exception of two December corpses. All pollen grains were found with cytoplasm and in a good state of preservation. In this way, a series of reference data was collected for the area where the deaths occurred, and we examined whether pollen grains on corpses could be an index of the season of death. To verify this hypothesis, the pollen analyses were compared with data reported in the airborne pollen calendars of Parma and the region around. Pollen calendars record pollen types and their concentrations in the air, month by month. The quantity of pollen recorded on corpses did not prove to be directly related to the quantity of pollen in the air. But qualitatively, many pollen types which are seasonal markers were found on corpses. Main corpse/air discrepancies were also observed due to the great influence that the local environmental conditions of the death scene have in determining the pollen trapped by a corpse. Qualitative plus quantitative pollen data from corpses appeared helpful in indicating the season of death. A preliminary sketch of a "crime pollen calendar" in a synthetic graphic form was made by grouping the corpse pollen records into three main seasons: A, winter/spring; B, spring/summer; C, summer/autumn. Trends match the general seasonal trend of pollen types in the air.     

Genetic profile of the Açores Archipelago population using the new PowerPlex 16 system kit

Allele and haplotype frequencies of 16 chromosome STR loci, 15 of them included in the Kit PowerPlex16 System from Promega were determined in a sample of unrelated males from the A?ores Archipelago. All subjects were subjected to an interview in order to make sure that their ancestors belonged to the same island at least back to three generations. This way we intended to look for possible inter-islands differences. PowerPlex16 includes STRs not studied before in the A?ores population. The Kit includes two new allele markers (Penta D and Penta E), which proved to be extremely useful for paternity testing (PD=0.921 and 0.971, respectively). The study revealed that the A?ores population is considerable different from the previous studied Madeira population, but does not differ from that of the north Portugal. Nevertheless, some loci presented alleles not previously reported for Portugal.     

Teaching the New Inequalities: Using the Human Development Report as Class Text

In this article we share our experiences helping students to think critically about global issues by using the data and the conceptual innovations presented by the authors of the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report We discuss a number of strategies we have applied to actively engage students in the analysis of the extensive data in the Report and the approaches we have taken to help our students understand both the research and the policy implications of the diverse conceptual frameworks introduced in each annual edition. By using a publication that introduces new concepts, new measures, and new insights in each annual edition, we help our students to see how social scientists work and how knowledge is constructed. At the same time, by requiring them to use the data to analyze, compare, and conceptualize, we show them they can "do" social science and discover for themselves some of the realities of the global community described in the more traditional texts.     

Cuts and tears on a paper towel: a case report on an unusual examination of damage

The examination of damage to a paper towel, an item of evidence in a murder case, is described. Simulations performed with selected tools and the observation of the lacerations present on the towel permitted to infer that they were originated by cleaning of a pointed and sharp implement. Some marks, considered characteristic of scissors, were detected on the exhibit. This experimental outcome resulted critical in challenging the declarations of the suspect. A rather significant analogy between damage examination on paper towels and on textiles was established.