Human genomic DNA quantitation system, H-Quant: development and validation for use in forensic casework

The human DNA quantification (H-Quant) system, developed for use in human identification, enables quantitation of human genomic DNA in biological samples. The assay is based on real-time amplification of AluYb8 insertions in hominoid primates. The relatively high copy number of subfamily-specific Alu repeats in the human genome enables quantification of very small amounts of human DNA. The oligonucleotide primers present in H-Quant are specific for human DNA and closely related great apes. During the real-time PCR, the SYBR Green I dye binds to the DNA that is synthesized by the human-specific AluYb8 oligonucleotide primers. The fluorescence of the bound SYBR Green I dye is measured at the end of each PCR cycle. The cycle at which the fluorescence crosses the chosen threshold correlates to the quantity of amplifiable DNA in that sample. The minimal sensitivity of the H-Quant system is 7.6 pg/microL of human DNA. The amplicon generated in the H-Quant assay is 216 bp, which is within the same range of the common amplifiable short tandem repeat (STR) amplicons. This size amplicon enables quantitation of amplifiable DNA as opposed to a quantitation of degraded or nonamplifiable DNA of smaller sizes. Development and validation studies were performed on the 7500 real-time PCR system following the Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories.     

The Idea of Constitutional Pluralism

Constitutional discourse has perhaps never been more popular, nor more comprehensively challenged than it is today. The development of new constitutional settlements and languages at state and post-state level has to be balanced against the deepening of a formidable range of sceptical attitudes. These include the claim that constitutionalism remains too state-centered, overstates its capacity to shape political community, exhibits an inherent normative bias against social developments associated with the politics of difference, provides a language easily susceptible to ideological manipulation and, that, consequent upon these challenges, it increasingly represents a fractured and debased conceptual currency. A rehabilitated language of constitutionalism would meet these challenges through a version of constitutional pluralism. Constitutional pluralism recognises that in the post-Westphalian world there exists a range of different constitutional sites and processes configured in a heterarchical rather than a hierarchical pattern, and seeks to develop a number of empirical indices and normative criteria which allow us to understand this emerging configuration and assess the legitimacy of its development.     

Divorce, Custody, and Spousal Violence: A Random Sample of Circuit Court Docket Records

The fastest growing marital status category in America is divorced, with the number of divorced individuals quadrupling between 1970 and 1996. The majority of children in divorced families live with a single parent and often lose contact with the noncustodial parent. A recent review of the literature suggests that many noncustodial fathers fail to keep contact with their children and become delinquent in child support payments because of their dissatisfaction with the custody arrangement. However, there has been little examination of how custody arrangements are typically determined or settled. In addition, divorces that involve spousal violence bring further complications to child custody, visitation, and child support decisions. This study included a 20% random sample of court records for all divorces settled in one county judicial circuit court during 1998. The purpose of this study was to examine characteristics of divorcing adults as well as characteristics of child custody arrangements, visitation, and child support decisions. Contrary to popular belief, findings from this study indicate that divorce actions were almost always settled through agreement of the divorcing parties rather than by adjudication. About 38% of the couples had children in common and between 78 and 92% of cases were settled through agreement, which suggests that fathers are in fact agreeing to the custody arrangement, rather than being forced into it. About one in five records overall noted spousal violence, and there was no significant difference in settlement methods for couples with or without spousal violence. Cases with children and spousal violence were significantly more likely to have also mentioned substance use and postdecree activity. This study suggests a need for more focused attention on divorce cases with spousal violence to reduce postdecree court involvement and safety of children and adult victims, as well as further study into what causes noncustodial parents to lose contact with their children.     

The Cost of Good Intentions: Thermal Discomfort in Traditional Public Housing Units With Preset Thermostats

Cold and hot housing environments are known correlates of physical and psychological health conditions, decreased productivity, and issues with quality of life. The purpose of this study is to establish whether the use of preset thermostats creates disproportionate thermal discomfort (a housing unit feeling hot or cold) for people in older housing (n = 296). In-depth qualitative interviews (n = 25) elaborate on resident experiences. Implications for evaluation, practice, and policy are discussed.     

Witchcraft and history

Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe: studies in culture and belief JONATHAN BARRY, MARIANNE HESTER & GARETH ROBERTS (Eds), 1996 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. xiv + 368 pp., ISBN 0-521-55224-9 hardback £40.00, ISBN 0-521-63875-5 paperback £15.00     

Province-state trans-border relations: a preliminary assessment

Abstract. This article attempts to explore the relationships between Canadian provinces and American states in a systematic, empirical fashion. The constitutional context within which provinces and states may legitimately interact is far from definitive, particularly on the Canadian side. However, the relative lack of precise constitutional guidance has not prevented the development of a complex mélange of official relations between provinces and states. These trans-border relationships may be classified according to their degree of formality and their function. Oddly enough, there appears to be a larger number of formal as opposed to informal relations. Functionally, province-state contacts may be categorized as regulatory, third-party, protective-environmental, public works, and public service. In addition, the impact of geography and time are considered as conditioning factors. A number of illustrative examples are given, particularly province-state co-operation in pollution control and in the suppression of forest fires. In conclusion, the article finds that province-state trans-border co-operation is natural and involves no challenge to the primacy of the respective federal governments in their conduct of foreign relations. However, the broader significance of these subnational official ties remains to be assessed. Sommaire. Cet article tente d'examiner, dune façon empirique et systématique, les relations entre les provinces canadiennes et les Etats américains. Le contexte constitutionnel à l'intérieur duquel les provinces et les Etats peuvent entretenir des relations officielles est loin d'être définitif, surtout au Canada. Néamoins, ce manque relatif d'un régime juridique précis n'a pas empêché les Etats et les provinces de développer un mélange complexe de liens officiels. On peut classifier ces relations province-état selon leur degré de formalité et selon leur fonction. Singulièrement, il semble y avoir un nombre plus grand de relations formelles que de relations informelles. D'un point de vue fonctionnel, on peut catégoriser les liens province-état comme étant régulatoires, de tiers parti, reliés à l'environnement, aux travaux publics et à la fonction publique. De plus, l'auteur constate le rôle important que jouent la géographie et le temps dam les contacts province-état. Quelques exemples illustratifs sont donnés, particulièrement touchant la coopération province-état dam les domaines de la protection de l'environnement et de la suppression des feux, de forêts. Pour conclure, l'article constate que les relations province-état sont naturelles et qu'elles n'impliquent aucun déft à la primauté du gouvernement fédéral de chaque pays concernant les relations étrangères. Cependant il faut attendre les événements pour analyser les contacts province-état dans une plus grande perspective.     

The viability and possible applications of high resolution mark replicator casting compound in document examination.

Mark replicator casting compounds are commonly associated with recovering toolmark detail. A series of experiments was designed to identify the possible applications, and assess the overall viability, of using mark replicator compound to record indentations on questioned documents. The trials included testing the effect of Isomark High Resolution Mark Replicator on different paper-based substrate types, and observing in particular, any damage that it may cause. The experiments also tested the effect that the mark replicator has on subsequent fingerprinting techniques. It was found that the mark replicator successfully recorded indentations on paper and card surfaces. In some cases, the mark replicator caused staining on some of the surfaces and had a negative effect on the quality of fingerprints subsequently developed.     

Kantian Liberalism, Regime Type, and Military Resource Allocation: Do Democracies Spend Less?

In this paper, we evaluate the liberal claim that democratic states devote fewer resources to their militaries. Low military spending is thought to avert conflict spirals and release more resources to fund domestic programs. While prominent in many liberal international relations theories, most notably in Immanuel Kant's, this proposition has received little empirical scrutiny. Using several indicators of military resource allocation and data on a wide range of states since 1816, we find empirical support for the liberal argument, although regime type is not necessarily the strongest influence on military resource allocation.