Visualization of dyes on thin-layer chromatography plates by means of the argon ion laser

A simple method for the detection of nanogram amounts of dyes by means of their fluorescence in the visible region of the spectrum is described. To stimulate the fluorescence, an argon ion laser with principal lines of 514.5 nm and 488.0 nm is used. The sensitivity of the technique allows the visualization of an amount of dye smaller than could be detected with either visible absorbance or ultraviolet stimulated fluorescence.     

Regionalized personnel development for criminal justice employees

The Dayton/Montgomery County Criminal Justice Center is a first attempt at systematic personnel development for an entire criminal justice system on a regional level. Through its work in training and education, communications, career pathing and development, and system change, the Center has promoted the idea of an improved, symbiotic relatioship among the major branches of the criminal justice system, and has acted as a catalyst for needed systemic change.     

The Exile of Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash Al-BuSa‘idi

At the end of the nineteenth century Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash Al-BuSa‘idi wished to rule his Swahili sultanate not as the puppet of the British but as an independent ruler. By seeking support from Germany, he provoked active opposition from Britain, then the ruling power in Zanzibar. As a result, his reign ended after only three days. This article uses material in the National Archives (Public Record Office), Kew, and in the Seychelles National Archives, Victoria, to document the tragedy of Sayyid Khalid's exile from 1314 ah/ad 1896 when he sought asylum in Dar-es-Salaam, the capital of German East Africa, until 1345 ah/ad 1927 when he died in Mombasa, the capital of the Kenya Protectorate. Destiny decreed that Sayyid Khalid never returned to Zanzibar.     

Battered women who kill their abusers: an examination of commonsense notions, cognitions, and judgments

It has been argued that battered women who kill their abusers represent a special class of defendants being unfairly treated in the legal system. As a result, commentators have argued for reforms to permit the judicial system to respond more fairly. Researchers have investigated the influences of these prescribed legal modifications and the possible influence of various demographic and psychological factors on legal reforms. However, social scientists have not yet asked some fundamental, psychological questions. Is the law consistent with what society believes is right and just? Is there a commonsense notion of justice in these cases? What factors constitute cognitive decision rules and influence judgments in cases of battered women who kill their abusers? This study uses a basic, psychological method to identify psychological factors that are important in judgments regarding battered women who kill and to better understand commonsense notions of justice in these cases.     

Microchip-based cell lysis and DNA extraction from sperm cells for application to forensic analysis

The current backlog of casework is among the most significant challenges facing crime laboratories at this time. While the development of next-generation microchip-based technology for expedited forensic casework analysis offers one solution to this problem, this will require the adaptation of manual, large-volume, benchtop chemistry to small volume microfluidic devices. Analysis of evidentiary materials from rape kits where semen or sperm cells are commonly found represents a unique set of challenges for on-chip cell lysis and DNA extraction that must be addressed for successful application. The work presented here details the development of a microdevice capable of DNA extraction directly from sperm cells for application to the analysis of sexual assault evidence. A variety of chemical lysing agents are assessed for inclusion in the extraction protocol and a method for DNA purification from sperm cells is described. Suitability of the extracted DNA for short tandem repeat (STR) analysis is assessed and genetic profiles shown. Finally, on-chip cell lysis methods are evaluated, with results from fluorescence visualization of cell rupture and DNA extraction from an integrated cell lysis and purification with subsequent STR amplification presented. A method for on-chip cell lysis and DNA purification is described, with considerations toward inclusion in an integrated microdevice capable of both differential cell sorting and DNA extraction. The results of this work demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating microchip-based cell lysis and DNA extraction into forensic casework analysis.     

Probability of exclusion in paternity testing: time to reassess

The average exclusion probability is a measure of efficiency in paternity testing; it refers to the a priori ability of a battery of tests to detect paternity inconsistencies. This parameter measures the capacity of the system to detect a false accusation of paternity. Traditionally, this average exclusion probability has been estimated as the probability of excluding a man who is not the father by an inconsistency in at least one of the studied loci. We suggest that this criterion should be corrected, as currently the presumed father is excluded when at least three genetic inconsistencies are found with the child being tested, not just one. This change of criterion has occurred because of the use of microsatellite loci, whose mutation rates are much greater than those of the coding genes used previously in paternity studies. We propose the use of the average probability of exclusion for at least three loci (not only one), as an honest measure of the combined probability of exclusion of several loci, and we propose an algebraic expression to calculate it.