"Mummy beerest": a study of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a mother's duty of care and strategies for intervention

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can occur in children when a mother consumes alcohol while pregnant. It can manifest in a range of both physical and mental impairments and in varying degrees of seriousness. The act of consuming alcohol while pregnant arguably constitutes a breach of the duty of care that a mother owes to her unborn child and may lead to an award of damages for children with the disorder. However, to conclude that a duty is owed to an unborn child may be legally problematic. Further, an award of compensation may be of little utility to the child. It is therefore suggested that intervention strategies should instead be implemented which target relevant population groups and which prevent and assist in the management of the disorder.     

Age estimation charts for a modern Australian population

The ivory industry is the single most serious threat to global elephant populations. A highly sensitive, species-specific real-time PCR assay has been developed to detect and quantify African elephant (Loxodonta africana), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) mitochondrial DNA from highly processed samples involved in the international ivory trade. This assay is especially useful for highly processed samples where there are no distinguishing morphological features to identify the species of origin. Using species-specific Taqman(?) probes targeting a region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, we developed an assay that can be used to positively identify samples containing elephant or Woolly mammoth DNA faster and more cost-effectively than traditional sequencing methods. Furthermore, this assay provides a diagnostic result based on probe hybridization that eliminates ambiguities associated with traditional DNA sequence protocols involving low template DNA. The real-time method is highly sensitive, producing accurate and reproducible results in samples with as few as 100 copies of template DNA. This protocol can be applied to the enforcement of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), when positive identification of species from illegally traded products is required by conservation officers in wildlife forensic cases.