Screening Test for Shed Skin Cells by Measuring the Ratio of Human DNA to Staphylococcus epidermidis DNA

A novel screening method for shed skin cells by detecting Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), which is a resident bacterium on skin, was developed. Staphylococcus epidermidis was detected using real‐time PCR. Staphylococcus epidermidis was detected in all 20 human skin surface samples. Although not present in blood and urine samples, S. epidermidis was detected in 6 of 20 saliva samples, and 5 of 18 semen samples. The ratio of human DNA to S. epidermidisDNA was significantly smaller in human skin surface samples than in saliva and semen samples in which S. epidermidis was detected. Therefore, although skin cells could not be identified by detecting only S. epidermidis, they could be distinguished by measuring the S. epidermidis to human DNA ratio. This method could be applied to casework touch samples, which suggests that it is useful for screening whether skin cells and human DNA are present on potential evidentiary touch samples.     

The Cultural Context of Restorative Justice: Journeys Through Our Cultural Forests to a Well-Spring of Healing

In the field of Conflict Transformation, Restorative Justice (RJ) is often perceived as a transformative process focused on healing relationships after a specific harm. The parties considered in a RJ setting are those harmed, those responsible and the community impacted. This is particularly true in the field of criminal and transitional justice, and in an extended and spiritual view, there is reconciliation with the parties and God. Despite cultural differences, RJ theory and concepts have been accepted favorably in the many countries. From a viewpoint focused on methodology and process, however, cultural differences have a significant effect for implementation. For example, important concepts such as control, choice, harm, responsibility, apology, shame, reconciliation and forgiveness vary greatly in the manner in which they are perceived from culture to culture and may create obstacles for successful implementation of a successful process when one culture’s process and definitions are forced upon another. Therefore, promotional factors (i.e., culture and religion) and the implication of semiotics (cultural definition or meaning) are an absolute consideration in developing a RJ process within a particular culture. This paper discusses the cultural differences between the United States and Japan with regard to semiotic obstacles in the implementation of a RJ model in the Japanese criminal justice system. While the exploration of cultural differences, particularly between the United States and Japan is not new and has been the focus of many disciplines, little has been considered regarding the assimilation and implementation of a Western RJ model into the Eastern culture of Japan. In sum, is an attempt to clarify and integrate the effects of cultural differences for some factors (i.e., Control/Choice, Harm, Apology, Responsibility, Shame, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation) as they apply to a RJ based reconciliation process focused in Semiotics, Social psychology and the Sociology of law as they apply to the United States and Japan.     

STR Genotyping from a Dry‐Cleaned Skirt in a Sexual Assault Case

In this sexual assault case, the standard preliminary semen examinations could not confirm physically or biochemically whether the accused's semen had stained the victim's skirt because the skirt had been dry‐cleaned for stain removal and had been worn for more than a year after the assault. Fortunately, however, a photograph taken just after the assault was found in the court records that showed white stains on the checkered skirt. The locations of the stains were estimated based on the checkered pattern of the fabric, and microscopic examination using Baecchi's staining revealed the presence of spermatozoa. Further analysis indicated the male DNA profile generated from the sperm cells was consistent with the suspect's DNA using three multiplex STR typing systems for a total of 21 autosomal and 17 Y chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs). Ultimately, the result of the DNA profile played a very useful role as additional evidence.     

从"和"到"和谐世界"的变奏:中国结构性权力中的知识权力与外交战略刍议

一个国际行为体可以运用军事力量、经济力量、国际制度和价值规范四种资源,通过强制、威胁、奖赏、设置议程、说服和吸引等六种方式采时其他行为体施加影响和控制,以实现其外交战略."和"是中国传统知识权力的核心,而"和谐世界"理念则是对其的一种扬弃,既是中华民族不懈追求的理想境界,更是一个文明古国向国际社会所承担的神圣职责.它决定了中国的外交战略目标必将以"和谐"的方式实现.回顾历史,新中国六十年来的外交实践有力地证明了中国已很好地将"和"加以继承,并发扬光大,在为中国赢得国际声誉的同时,也实现了我国的外交战略.     

Typing the 1.1 kb control region of human mitochondrial DNA in Japanese individuals

This study presents a reliable method that uses high-fidelity long-range PCR and optimized primers to assess polymorphism and to genotype human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This method was used to analyze polymorphic sites in the human mtDNA control region, including hypervariable regions I, II, and III (HVI, HVII, and HVIII), from 124 unrelated Japanese individuals. In HVI, HVII, and HVIII, 80, 37, and 14 polymorphic sites were identified, respectively, excluding those in the homopolymeric cytosine stretch (C-stretch) regions. The region between HVI and HVII also contained 15 polymorphic sites. On the other hand, C-stretch length heteroplasmy in HVI or HVII was observed in 66 of 124 Japanese individuals (53%), which is much higher than in Caucasian populations. The variants in the C-stretch regions were characterized by counting the number of heteroplasmic peaks split from the single peak in homoplasmic sequences (i.e., 16244G and 16255G in HVI and 285G in HVII). Including the C-stretch length heteroplasmy, the 124 Japanese mtDNA samples were classified into 116 distinct haplotypes. The random match probability and the genetic diversity were estimated to be 0.95% and 0.998581, respectively, indicating that the method presented here has higher discrimination than the conventional method for mtDNA typing using HVI and HVII. [Correction added after publication 30 January 2007: in the preceding sentence random match probability and genetic diversity estimates were corrected from 0.95 and 0.998581%, respectively, to 0.95% and 0.998581, respectively.] The haplogroups and their frequencies observed in this study (i.e., D4; 13.7%, M7a1; 11.3%, D4a; 9.7% and M7b2; 8.9%) were similar to those observed in other studies of Japanese mtDNA polymorphism. The method described here is suitable for forensic applications, as shown by successful analysis of tissues from highly putrefied remains of an infant, which allowed maternal relationship to be determined via mtDNA haplotyping.     

变化中的日本学术评价体系：从自我评价向第三方评价的转换

从1991年教育法规部发动两次改革以来,日本的高校学术评价体系发生了巨大的变化。其中,最显著的变化是其评价体系从自我评价向第三方评价转换。在这一过程中,全国学位与大学评价协会发挥了重要的作用。