Presentation of a three-banded allele pattern--analysis and interpretation

The Israel police forensic biology laboratory received as an item of evidence in an attempted murder case, a pair of trousers belonging to a suspect. A bloodstain was observed on the trousers and analyzed by STR typing for nine loci using the Promega GenePrint STR silver stain detection kits. The genetic profile defined was found to be identical to that of the victim's at all nine loci. Within this profile a three-banded allele pattern was observed at the D16S539 locus, both in the bloodstain and in the victim's reference blood sample. Confirmation of this phenomenon was accomplished by amplifying the extracted DNA from both the trousers and the victim's blood sample using the PowerPlex 16 kit by Promega and the AmpFlSTR SGM Plus kit by Perkin Elmer, followed by analysis of the amplification products by capillary electrophoresis on the ABI prism 310 genetic analyzer. The same three-banded allele pattern was observed at the D16S539 locus in both specimen and reference DNA, using each of the three kits. Three additional loci located on chromosome 16 (D16S3407, D16S2617 and D16S3082), not employed for forensic identification, were also analyzed and did not show three-banded allele pattern.     

Spontaneous fractures in the differential diagnosis of fractures in children

A four-year-old male with cerebral palsy and spasticity, as a result of a non-accidental head injury sustained when he was two years old, died of pneumonia. Postmortem full body X-rays revealed fractures of varying ages of the left humerus and both femora, tibiae, and fibulae. This led to a thorough investigation of the case by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Child abuse, accidents, metabolic bone disorders, other primary or secondary diseases of the bones, and pathological fractures were ruled out. The final diagnosis was spontaneous fractures secondary to osteopenia. The term spontaneous fractures is used to define fractures that occur without any known external cause, especially in cerebral palsy patients with spasticity.     

Ideas and Influence: Scholarship as a Harbinger of Counterterrorism Institutions,Policies, and Laws in the People's Republic of China

This article demonstrates how scholarship on terrorism in China has provided the intellectual backdrop against which China's leadership has developed the country's counterterrorism institutions, policies, and laws. Building on the linkages between scholarship and policy-making, the article suggests potential avenues for policy reform in China's current counterterrorism architecture.     

Security in the Interparental Subsystem (SIS) Scale: Psychometric Characteristics in a Sample of Portuguese Adolescents

The Security in the Interparental Subsystem Scale (SIS) is based on emotional security theory. This study examined the psychometric properties of an adaptation of the SIS to a sample of Portuguese adolescents (60.3 % girls; 10 to 18 years old; Mage?=?13 years; N?=?229), recruited in public schools. Discriminant and concurrent validity were assessed by analyzing SIS dimensions associations with adolescents’ exposure to interparental conflict (IC), and psychological adjustment, respectively. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the SIS supported a six-factor solution, with satisfactory internal consistency. Evidence for discriminant and concurrent validity was provided: most SIS dimensions significantly discriminated between adolescents exposed to higher vs. lower levels of IC; and a significant positive association between emotional reactivity and adolescents’ externalizing symptoms was found. These findings suggest that the SIS is a reliable tool for assessing adolescents’ emotional insecurity in the interparental relationship within the context of this sample.     

African American Child Discipline: Differences Between Mothers and Fathers

Child rearing methods used in African American homes have been the subject of much commentary among social scientists, child welfare, and legal personnel. Much of the deliberation has centered on firm disciplinary techniques used by African American mothers. However, few studies have included the perspectives of African American fathers. This study investigated the differences between African American mothers' and fathers' responses in relation to child misbehavior. Several significant differences were found with mothers utilizing more intense disciplinary methods than African American fathers. Results of this investigation underscored the importance of obtaining the viewpoints of African American fathers as well as mothers in understanding parenting in African American homes.