Quantitative PCR overestimation of DNA in samples contaminated with tin

Metals can pose challenges while conducting forensic DNA analysis. The presence of metal ions in evidence-related DNA extracts can degrade DNA or inhibit PCR as applied to DNA quantification (real-time PCR or qPCR) and/or STR amplification, leading to low success in STR profiling. Different metal ions were spiked into 0.2 and 0.5 ng of human genomic DNA in an “inhibition study” and the impact was evaluated by qPCR using the Quantifiler™ Trio DNA Quantification Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and an in-house SYBR Green assay. This study reports on a contradictory finding specific to tin (Sn) ions, which caused at least a 38,000-fold overestimation of DNA concentration when utilizing Quantifiler Trio. This was explained by the raw and multicomponent spectral plots, which indicated that Sn suppresses the Quantifiler Trio passive reference dye (Mustang Purple™, MP) at ion concentrations above 0.1 mM. This effect was not observed when DNA was quantified using SYBR Green with ROX™ as the passive reference, nor when DNA was extracted and purified prior to Quantifiler Trio. The results show that metal contaminants can interfere with qPCR-based DNA quantification in unexpected ways and may be assay dependent. The results also highlight the importance of qPCR as a quality check to determine steps for sample cleanup prior to STR amplification that may be similarly impacted by metal ions. Forensic workflows should recognize the risk of inaccurate DNA quantification of samples that are collected from substrates containing tin.     

Comparison of the variables affecting the recovery of DNA from common drinking containers

As the boundaries of forensic DNA profiling continue to expand, less obvious sources of biological evidence are being collected at crime scenes for DNA profiling. One example is the recovery of biological evidence from common drink containers, such as bottles and cans, which have been found at crime scenes. There are many variables that may have an impact on recovering a DNA profile from such exhibits. In this research, the effects of person to person variation, time, type of drink (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages), and type of drink container, were assessed for their impact on the major analytical outcomes of the DNA process. The results show that the alpha-amylase activity varies from individual to individual and is reduced in the presence of some alcoholic drinks. A reasonable DNA yield was obtained from all samples, however, the concentrations exhibited significant person to person variation. The type of drink container influenced the DNA yield with cans giving a higher yield than bottles of the same drink type. To a reduced extent the presence or absence of alcohol affected the overall DNA yield and when partial or failed DNA profiles were produced they were more likely to be associated with alcoholic drinks than non-alcoholic drinks.     

War and pieces

There is increasing recognition among human geographers that conceptualising the spatiality of peace is a vital component of our collective disciplinary praxis. Within this emergent literature, this paper seeks to position anarchism as an ethical philosophy of nonviolence and the absolute rejection of war. Such an interpretation does not attempt to align nonviolence to any particular organised religious teaching, as has recently been advocated by some geographers. Instead, the paper argues that the current practices of religion undermine the geographies of peace by fragmenting our affinities into discrete pieces. Advancing a view of anarchism as nonviolence, the paper goes beyond religion to conceptualise peace as both the unqualified refusal of the manifold-cum-interlocking processes of domination, and a precognitive, pre-normative and presupposed category rooted in our inextricable entanglement with each other and all that exists. Yet far from proposing an essentialist view of humanity or engaging a naturalised argument that reconvenes the “noble savage”, the paper contextualises the arguments within the processual frameworks of radical democracy and agonism in seeking to redress the ageographical and ahistorical notions of politics that comprise the contemporary post-political zeitgeist.     

Characteristics of female patients admitted to an adolescent secure forensic psychiatric hospital

Bluebird House is the only mixed gender NHS secure forensic psychiatric hospital for adolescents in the South of England. It has admitted more than 30 female patients since the service opened in 2008. The admission criteria are that patients must be detained under the Mental Health Act and present evidence of being a risk of harm to others. This article describes the clinical characteristics of 30 consecutive female patients admitted to a highly specialised adolescent forensic inpatient service. Key results include a very high rate of incidents of risk behaviours exhibited by female patients within the unit but good clinical outcomes. The majority of patients had severe symptoms of mental disorder, especially emotional instability, self-harm behaviours and aggressive behaviours. Few had diagnoses of mental illness. Assessment findings from the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory and the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk are discussed, as are parallel with studies from other female secure services.     

The Role of Just World Beliefs in Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Social Justice Research - This study investigated whether people’s personal belief in a just world (BJW) is linked to their willingness to physically distance themselves from others during...     

The impact of within-party and between-party ideological dispersion on fiscal outcomes: evidence from Swiss cantonal parliaments

The impact of the fragmentation of executive and legislative bodies on the level and composition of government expenditure is a feature of politics that has attracted considerable attention from economists. However, previous authors have abstracted from two important concepts: ideology and intra-party politics. In this paper, we account for these two phenomena explicitly, and make two main contributions. First, we show that both intra- and inter-party ideological dispersion matter in explaining the level of sub-national public spending. Therefore, it is improper to consider parties as monolithic entities. We also show that ideological dispersion matters especially for current expenditures, and not so much for investment expenditures. To do so, we construct a panel database (2003–2010) comprising data from a survey that quantifies the policy preferences of party members who were candidates in Swiss elections.     

Germany and the Eurozone Crisis: Between Hegemony and Domestic Politics

This paper explores Germany’s centrality to the outcome of the eurozone crisis. It argues that the eurozone crisis has led Germany’s ordo-liberal principles to trump its other longstanding commitment – i.e. to European integration. These two principles are explored in order then to shed light on how they have played out during the crisis. German centrality has created high expectations for it to provide leadership. Exploring hegemony conceptually and in practice, it is argued that international legitimacy and increasing domestic constraints have limited a leadership role. Indeed, it is argued that it is the domestic political situation that explains why ordo-liberalism has trumped pro-Europeanism. Ordo-liberal emphasis on stability culture has provided a valuable strategic resource for securing German objectives within the eurozone while satisfying the requirements of domestic politics.     

Transatlantic conflict management inside-out: the impact of domestic norms on regional security practices

This article explores the impact of domestic norms on regional security practices in a pluralistic security community in the transatlantic area. A security community is considered to be ‘a group which has become integrated, where integration is defined as the attainment of a sense of community, accompanied by formal or informal institutions or practices, sufficiently strong and widespread to assure peaceful change among members of a group with “reasonable” certainty over a “long” period of time’ (Karl W Deutsch, Sidney A Burrell, Robert A Kann, Maurice Lee Jr, Martin Lichterman, Raymond E Lindgren, Francis L Loewenheim and Richard W Van Wagenen (1957) Political community and the North Atlantic area: international organization in the light of historical experience (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press)). Recent studies have aligned the concept of security community with the practice turn in International Relations theory. Although practice theory is able to explain peaceful conflict resolution within a security community, this article shows that its explanatory power is significantly weaker when it comes to military interventions outside the security community. The article theoretically and empirically investigates this argument by using the empirical case of extraregional conflict management in Afghanistan. The importance of domestic norms in constructing and perceiving regional security practices in out-of-area operations emphasizes the ‘local’ over the ‘regional’ as a crucial driver behind the emergence of a regional actor's understanding of security and thus for the formation and consolidation of regional peace.     

Book reviews

Policy Evaluation in the Public Sector: Approaches and Methods. By Colin Palfrey, Ceri Phillips, Paul Thomas and David Edwards. Avebury, 1992. Pp. 176. £32.50 hb.

Managing for Service Quality. By Chris Skelcher. Managing Local Government series, Longman, 1992. Pp. 125. £16.95 pb.

Working Together for Better Community Care. By Randall Smith, Lucy Gaster, Lyn Harrison, Linda Martin, Robin Means and Peter Thistlethwaite. School of Urban Advanced Studies, University of Bristol, 1993. Pp. 228. £11.95 pb.

Citizen Involvement: A Practical Guide for Change. By Peter Beresford and Suzy Croft. Practical Social Work series edited by Jo Campling. Macmillan, 1993. Pp. 240. £32.50 hb, £9.50 pb.

Implementing Housing Policy. Edited by Peter Malpass and Robin Means. Buckingham, Open University Press, 1993. Pp. 199. £37.50 hb, £12.99 pb.

In Support of Education: The Functioning of Local Government. By Philippa Cordingley and Maurice Kogan. London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1993. Pp. 122. £11.50 pb.

Tourism, Museums and the Local Economy: The Economic Impact of the North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish. By Peter Johnson and Barry Thomas. Edward Elgar, 1992. Pp. 160. £29.50 hb.

The A‐Z of Council Tax and Council Tax Benefit: A Citizen's Guide. Association of District Councils, December 1992. £8.00.