PENDULUM--a guideline-based approach to the interpretation of STR mixtures

Several years ago, a theory to interpret mixed DNA profiles was proposed that included a consideration of peak area using the method of least squares. This method of mixture interpretation has not been widely adopted because of the complexity of the associated calculations. Most reporting officers (RO) employ an experience and judgement based approach to the interpretation of mixed DNA profiles. Here we present an approach that has formalised the thinking behind this experience and judgement. This has been written into a computer program package called PENDULUM. The program uses a least squares method to estimate the pre-amplification mixture proportion for two potential contributors. It then calculates the heterozygous balance for all of the potential sets of genotypes. A list of "possible" genotypes is generated using a set of heuristic rules. External to the programme the candidate genotypes may then be used to formulate likelihood ratios (LR) that are based on alternative casework propositions. The system does not represent a black box approach; rather it has been integrated into the method currently used by the reporting officers at the Forensic Science Service (FSS). The time saved in automating routine calculations associated with mixtures analysis is significant. In addition, the computer program assists in unifying reporting processes, thereby improving the consistency of reporting.     

The Benefit Equity Principle and Willingness to Pay for City Services

In 1991 and 1992, the City of Eugene, Oregon engaged in a citizen participation process to determine public support for a variety of spending and budget balancing alternatives. This process, called Eugene Decisions, employed an innovative combination of public forums, budget balancing exercises and representative surveys. Two of the surveys, which included questions about individual service use, are analyzed here in order to test whether the use of city services is related to willingness to pay taxes and fees. The concept of benefit equity is supported if service use is positively associated with willingness to pay.     

Closing the Gaps: Plaintiffs in Pivotal Sexual Harassment Cases

When he wrote Debtors in Court almost 30 years ago, Herbert Jacob laid the foundation for the legal mobilization research that has flourished in recent years. In arguing that litigants were political actors, Jacob showed that their social identities and Communications networks influenced their decisions to use the power of the law to vindicate their interests. This paper builds on Jacob's original insights to analyze the origins of the claim for sexual harassment as a Title VII violation. By focusing on the women who filed those claims, the paper examines the interaction of class, gender, and race that created social distance between the women and their harassers and employers. This distance made informal resolution of their disputes impossible, requiring the intervention of third parties. In addition, their Communications networks led them to attorneys able to generate and expand the new claim for sexual harassment. This analysis of a particular moment in legal history reveals the potential political significance of private litigation.