Quantitation of human genomic DNA through amplification of the amelogenin locus

An alternate method for quantitation of human genomic DNA is presented. Quantitative template amplification technology (abbreviated "Q-TAT") estimates the quantity of human DNA present in an extract by comparing fluorescence in X and Y amplicons produced from unknowns with fluorescence in a standard curve amplified from known quantities of reference DNA. Q-TAT utilizes PCR and electrophoresis with fluorescent detection/quantitation, precluding the need for new instrumentation, methodology, or quality assurance associated with slot-blot or real-time PCR. In a comparison study incorporating shared samples, Q-TAT was found to be more sensitive than widely used slot-blot methods but somewhat less sensitive than real-time PCR. Among samples containing DNA concentrations ranging from 100 pg/microL to 2-4 ng/microL, Q-TAT produced DNA concentration estimates that agreed reasonably well with either Quantiblot or real-time PCR. Q-TAT was reproducible with a typical coincidence of variation of about 35%. Quantitation of human DNA in this study involved summing fluorescence in X and Y amplicons in unknowns and quantitation standards. However, analyzing fluorescence in X and Y amplicons individually could allow estimates of male and female DNA present in mixtures to be made. Moreover, since X and Y amplicons exhibit sizes of 210 and 216 bp, respectively, the integrity as well as the concentration of the genomic DNA template can be assessed. Q-TAT represents an alternate method useful for the quantitation of human genomic DNA prior to amplification of STR loci used for identity testing purposes. The method uses existing equipment and procedures in conjunction with a well-characterized DNA standard to produce concentration estimates for unknowns that reliably produce STR profiles suitable for analysis.     

Repartnering and the Management of Risk

Social theorists working with concept of ‘risk society’have addressed the issue of family change, suggesting that processesof individualization mean that family relationships have become‘elective’, which has in turn raised questions aboutthe nature of trust and commitment in intimate relationships.The position of those who are repartnering is particularly sensitivein these respects. Their awareness of risks may render themmore likely to make only contingent commitments, or may makethem more anxious to achieve a relationship founded on trustand commitment. We draw on in-depth interviews with a representativesample of people in England who have repartnered from a varietyof types of intimate relationship into different statuses inorder to explore the management of perceived risks. We findthat for most respondents repartnering is a process involvingdifferent kinds of relationships, although living-apart-togetheris understood as something rather different. There is littlesupport for the risk society thesis in respect of intimate relationshipsin respect of rejection of commitment and absence of trust.Rather, changes in relationship status often seem to be partof the process of building trust and of achieving the goal ofa rather traditional relationship. This poses challenges forpolicymakers as they seek to regulate different statuses indifferent ways.     

Nonviolent offenders' and college students' attachment and social support behaviors: implications for counseling

This study examines the relationships between adult attachment orientations and the ability to seek social support as factors in mediating behavior. Data were collected on non violent offenders (n = 57) and college students (n = 89). The results indicated the non-normative group of nonviolent offenders reported being more securely attached and having more satisfaction with their social supports than the normative group of college students. Fewer college students reported being securely attached than the nonviolent offenders but had a larger number of social supports. In the insecure categories, nonviolent offenders reported being more dismissively attached whereas college students reported being preoccupied in their attachment orientation. The study suggests that attachment and social-support-seeking behaviors across different populations may be potential factors in designing counseling services that are used for risk classification and needs assessment.     

Old dogs can learn new tricks--a new application of the ABFO #2 scale

In 1984 at its first Bitemark Workshop, the American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) developed guidelines for the analysis of bitemark evidence. Prior to this, no standards had been established for the evaluation of bitemarks. The development of the ABFO #2 scale in 1987 gave the forensic odontologist a reproducible way to rectify and measure bitemarks that had been documented photographically. Primarily developed for the analysis of bitemark evidence, its use has expanded to encompass myriad forms of evidence. While the ABFO #2 scale can depict horizontal and vertical measurements, it is unable to depict depth accurately. The purpose of this paper is to show its successful application to three dimensions.     

Interpersonal rejection sensitivity in childhood sexual abuse survivors: mediator of depressive symptoms and anger suppression

This study investigated whether interpersonal rejection sensitivity serves a mediating role between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and three long-term psychological correlates of CSA in adult female survivors: depressive symptoms, anger suppression, and attenuated emotional expression. Interpersonal rejection sensitivity has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of depression and is elevated in CSA survivors. Similarly, attenuated emotional expression, particularly anger, has been related to adjustment difficulties in CSA survivors. Participants in this study were 355 female undergraduates, 34 of whom reported a history of CSA. Results demonstrated that interpersonal rejection sensitivity mediates the relationship between CSA and later depressive symptoms. Interpersonal rejection sensitivity partially mediated the relationship between CSA and anger suppression; however, it did not mediate the relationship between CSA and attenuated emotional expression. These results are examined within the context of the current literature on adult CSA survivors and their implications are discussed.     

The Changing Limits and the Limits of Change: the state,private firms,international industry and China in the evolution of Taiwan's electronics industry

This paper examines the changing role of the state and private enterprise in Taiwan's electronics industry as the industry responds to growth of intra-firm capabilities and the rise of China as a manufacturing base. The industry has a sharp dichotomous outcome between the technologically strong IC sector, which has been able to create interdependence with global lead firms, and the systems manufacturing firms, which find themselves trapped in a dependent position vis-à-vis the global lead firms. Due to different positions in global value chains, the IC industry firms have been better able to create advantages out of the opportunities of new firm capabilities and China than the systems firms even as the balance of policy has shifted somewhat away from the state and towards private enterprise.     

Cognitive and Normative Determinants of State Policymaking Behavior: Lessons from the Sociological Institutionalism

Although comparative state policy frameworks consider the roleof societal norms, few account for cognitive and normative imperativesthat originate outside a state's boundaries and are specificto promoting or impeding the adoption of particular policies.One approach that does so is the new institutionalism in sociology,which emphasizes legitimacy-seeking actors who face pressuresto conform to cultural rules, norms, and expectations, regardlessof outcomes. This article introduces comparative state policyresearchers to the sociological institutionalism, emphasizingbasic concepts and arguments and suggesting how reliance onthis framework can enable researchers to better integrate rational-actorand cultural-based views for understanding why states chooseparticular public policies. Interviews with national and stateexperts in Medicaid nursing-facility reimbursement illustratethe utility of the sociological institutionalism for comparativestate policy research.     

The Effects of Educational Context on Individual Difference Variables,Self-Perceptions of Giftedness,and School Attitudes in Gifted Adolescents

This study examined the effects of educational context on affective outcomes in a sample of 743 gifted Israeli adolescent students. Educational context (special gifted classes versus regular classes—with one day pull-out program) was hypothesized to predict context-sensitive personal variables and labeling of giftedness in the direction of better student personal-social adjustment and more favorable self-perceptions of giftedness in regular compared to special gifted classes. By contrast, students in special classes were predicted to show more positive school attitudes and better overall satisfaction with school than their mainstreamed counterparts. Analyses of the data showed that gifted adolescents in regular classes revealed a more positive personal-social profile than gifted mainstreamed students, showing lower test anxiety, a higher academic self-concept, and more positive perceptions of their giftedness. By contrast, students in special gifted classes held more favorable school attitudes and were more satisfied with their school environment in comparison to their mainstreamed counterparts. Overall, these data support the research hypotheses and point to a differential pattern of relationships between school program and personal-social adjustment, on one hand, and school attitudes and satisfaction, on the other.