Rapid direct PCR for ABO blood typing

Many different molecular typing methods have been reported to complement routine serological ABO blood typing in forensics. However, these ABO genotyping methods are often time-consuming and call for an initial DNA isolation step that requires the use of expensive kits or reagents. We report here a rapid direct ABO genotyping method that eliminates the need for DNA extraction from fresh blood, hair, and body fluid stains before PCR. Using a fast PCR instrument and an optimized polymerase, the genotyping method-which employs a multiplex allele-specific primer set for the simultaneous detection of three single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites (nucleotides 261, 526, and 803)-identifies A, B, O01/O02, O03, and cis-AB01 alleles in around 70 min from sample collection to electropherogram. Not only will this ABO genotyping method be efficiently used in forensic practice for rapid screening of samples before full-blown multilocus short tandem repeat profiling, but it will also demonstrate an example of rapid direct genotyping of SNPs that offers the advantages of time- and cost-efficiency, convenience, and reduced contamination during DNA analysis.     

Characterization of deletions in the DYS385 flanking region and null alleles associated with AZFc microdeletions in Koreans

Eight DYS385 allele size discrepancies and six DYS448 null types were detected among 708 Korean men when results of three in-house multiplex short tandem repeat (STR) systems were compared. The systems included both ordinary and reduced size amplicons. Sequence analysis revealed deletion mutations at two sites upstream of the DYS385 core repeats and deletion of the entire DYS448 locus. At DYS385, allele size differences were one or two repeats and were dependent on the primer set used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Location of the primer target sequence in a flanking region of the STR, distal or proximal to the deletion, determined allele size. Two widely used commercial kits amplify DYS385 so as to include the mutable sites. Arrangement analysis of sequence tagged sites demonstrated that the deletion patterns at DYS448 (and DYS464) were associated with arrangements of the azoospermia factor c gene (AZFc). The DYS448 deletion appears relatively frequent in Asians.     

Unpacking Autocracy: Political Regimes and IMF Program Participation

Why do some countries participate in IMF programs while others refuse to do so? We suggest an answer to the question by unpacking one side of the typical democracy–autocracy dichotomy. Specifically, we utilize the growing literature on the varieties of authoritarianism to develop an argument linking the different incentives and constraints that leaders in party-based, personalist, and military regimes face when considering whether to sign agreements with the IMF. Empirically, we demonstrate that distinguishing among autocracies uncovers important variations in the sensitivity of such regimes to the political costs incurred by IMF participation. Party-based autocracies, for instance, respond to both sovereignty costs and the benefits of program participation during severe economic crises. Personalist regimes, however, are not sensitive to the sovereignty costs incurred with IMF participation and thus only participate when doing so provides needed revenue during economic crises. The unique features of military juntas, by contrast, suggests that such regimes are not sensitive to either of these political costs and thus do not respond to economic crises in the same way as their autocratic counterparts.     

Comparative advantage and trade liberalization in China

The relevance of Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage to the design of trade policy by developing and socialist countries is the subject of heated argument, particularly among Marxists who have yet to produce a satisfactory theory of international exchange based on value analysis. The debates among economists in China on their country's ‘open-door’ policy revealed the complexity of the central and related issues. Besides the possibility of being exploited and becoming dependent on developed economies, on which theorists of unequal exchange have sounded a good many warnings, developing countries also face other problems and dangers when they allow themselves to be guided by Ricardo's doctrine in conducting external trade, as the Chinese experience of trade liberalization in 1979–85 vividly demonstrated. This paper first presents an interpretative summary of the debates among the Chinese economists and then analyses what went wrong in the process of liberalization.     

Population data of nine miniSTR loci in Koreans

For highly degraded DNA samples of forensic casework, new miniSTR systems have been developed to supplement the current STR systems. In the present study, nine miniSTR loci were analyzed in 300 unrelated Koreans using three multiplex PCR systems (multiplex I: D10S1248, D14S1434 and D22S1045; multiplex II: D1S1677, D2S441 and D4S2364; and multiplex III: D3S3053, D6S474 and D20S482), and allele frequencies and forensic parameters were calculated. These data demonstrated that D10S1248, D2S441, D22S1045, D14S1434, and D6S474 are as highly informative as the CODIS STRs suggesting that the miniSTRs could be useful for forensic analysis of degraded DNA.     

The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Examination of the Daegu Subway Disaster (2003, Korea)*

Abstract: Meticulous recovery of victims in the Daegu subway disaster was possible, because charred and fragmented victims were left in situ. Because bodies were piled one over another within the train, appropriate methodology during the recovery was critical to identifying the victims. The disaster area was thoroughly documented with notes, photographs, and schematic drawings of the various locations. The recovery team, comprising two medical examiners and one forensic anthropologist, decided when charred body parts and cremated bones were linked to the same individual based on the anatomy and forensic anthropological examination. Without these recovery procedures, it would not have been possible to efficiently harvest representative DNA sample from most of the victims’ body parts. After the entire process of identification, 136 victims were positively identified, and six victims remained unidentified. This study supports the crucial role of forensic anthropologists in the recovery of victims, especially in fire scenes.     

Microscopic Age Estimation from the Anterior Cortex of the Femur in Korean Adults*

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop age‐predicting equations from the anterior cortex of the femur of Korean adults. Seventy‐two femoral samples (44 male and 28 female) were obtained from Korean cadavers and used to develop the equations. The thin sections (<100‐μm thick) were prepared by manual grinding; the sections were not decalcified and were stained with Villanueva bone stain reagent. Analysis of covariance showed no significant differences in age‐adjusted histomorphological variables between sexes. In stepwise regression analysis, osteon population density, average osteon area, and the most anterior cortical width were selected for an age‐predicting equation which produced a high regression correlation (R² = 0.789). The average Haversian canal area was not significantly related to age for any specimen.     

Ecological determinants of volunteerism among Asian and Latinx immigrants in California,US

ABSTRACT

Volunteerism offers various health benefits and increases the level of cohesion among communities. Connectedness to communities may be particularly important for immigrants to promote their integration into the host society. However, research that systematically examines factors that contribute to volunteerism, particularly among immigrants, remains scarce. The purpose of this study is to investigate the associations between the ecological determinants and volunteerism among Asian and Latinx immigrants. The authors used the 2009 California Health Interview Survey Multicultural Discrimination Module, the most recent and state-representative data available, and found the similarities and differences of those associations between Asian and Latinx immigrants. The authors discuss the implications of results and recommend that strategies to promote volunteerism among immigrants should be accompanied by consideration of their race and ethnicity, family, neighbourhood, and life experience.     

Policy Relations and Policy Subsystems: Financial Policy in Hong Kong and Singapore

Existing studies of Hong Kong’s and Singapore’s success as leading Asian international financial centers (IFCs) have largely focused on economic structural factors at the neglect of political economic contextual variables. Taking a policy subsystems approach and based on extensive field research, this article attempts to address this shortcoming by conceptualizing the “policy relations” that exist between state, industry, and other non-state actors in the two IFCs and delineating the “division of policy roles” among these actors. In the process, this article contributes toward the existing IFC literature and conceptualizes the sociopolitical relations that exist among financial sector actors.