Validation studies of rapid stain identification-blood (RSID-blood) kit in forensic caseworks

When bloodstains are detected at crime scene using presumptive tests (e.g. luminol, phenolphthalein, leuchomalachite green), it is important to establish the real human nature of each stain. This is possible using confirmatory tests. One of these is rapid stain identification-blood (RISD-blood) a lateral flow immuno-chromatographic strip test format which allows the identification of human blood by detection of glycophorin A, a red blood cell membrane antigen, using two anti-human glycophorin A (GPA) monoclonal antibodies.The aim of this study is to assess the sensitivity of RSID-blood test in old, degraded bloodstains and in some bloodstains previously treated with BlueStar Forensic, a presumptive test which is often used in crime scene investigations to detect latent bloodstains. The genetic analysis of all bloodstains of confirmed human nature was subsequently performed using the AmpF1STR Identifiler PCR Amplification Kit (Applied Biosystems), to validate the possibility of obtain a consistent and reliable DNA typing results.     

Political Budget Cycles: The Case of the Western German Länder

This paper focuses on the issue of the electoral andideological cycles in state government budget for the elevenWestern German Länder. We verify this hypothesis over theperiod 1974–1994 for the following budgetary variables: totalexpenditures, surplus/deficit, administration, health care,education, roads and social security benefits. While overallour results seem to show that generally the party variabledoes not play a systematic role in spending decisions, theyprovide some support to the opportunistic cycle theory showingthat the only relevant phenomenon is the effect of theupcoming election on the government spending inclinations.     

When responsibility to protect ‘hits home’: the refugee crisis and the EU response

While the Syrian refugee crisis unravels at the EU’s doorstep and as the death toll in the Mediterranean continues unabated, questions about the international community’s duty to act on behalf of the afflicted people inevitably arise, thereby fuelling convoluted debates about Responsibility to Protect (R2P). In light of the international community’s inertia and of the EU’s incapacity to adequately manage the worst humanitarian crisis of recent times, this article argues that time is ripe to explore other ways to implement R2P. There is a ‘missing’ link between R2P and refugee protection and the duty to protect refugees can be framed within the R2P discourse. Building on the idea that asylum is central to the implementation of R2P, we suggest that the acknowledgment of the linkage between R2P and refugee protection is helpful not only to improve the EU management of the current crisis, but also to uphold R2P when the international community is at a stalemate.     

Remapping the State: Inter-Municipal Cooperation through Corporatisation and Public-Private Governance Structures

The institutional setting of regional and local government in Italy appears to be characterised by an ongoing process of reform and adjustment ever since Regions were created in 1970. More recently, provinces and Municipalities gained wide autonomy in 1990, and the constitution itself was revised in 2001 to set up what is sometimes referred to as a ‘quasi-federal’ system of intergovernmental relations. In this context, inter-municipal cooperation also has witnessed several phases and dynamics, ranging from (very rare) fusions, through single-purpose cooperation, to integrated service management (Public-public partnership, and consortia for the management and/or regulation of public utilities). More recently, and most notably over the past decade, inter-municipal cooperation has taken on a new form, consisting in the shared ownership in joint-stock companies. The so-called ‘corporatisation’ of public bodies, i.e. the creation of public-owned (or mixed public-private), private-law companies and corporations for the fulfilment of public-interest activities, has come to constitute a network of inter-municipal cooperation that appears to represent a shift from an institutional intergovernmental structure of cooperation, to one that is pre-eminently played out in the arenas of public-private forms of governance. The article analyses the literature and overarching trends in inter-municipal cooperation in Italy, and draws on very rich original data on the companies owned by Municipalities in six Italian regions to show how these companies represent the locus of inter-municipal (and multi-level) relations that go well beyond the formal boundaries of local administrations, and are often brokered by powerful private partners.     

Development of a heptaplex PCR system to analyse X-chromosome STR loci from five Italian population samples. A collaborative study

Many X-chromosome short tandem repeats (X-STRs) have been validated for forensic use even if further studies are needed on allele frequencies and mutation rates to evaluate the extent of polymorphism in different populations and to establish reference databases useful for forensic applications and for anthropological studies. A single multiplex reaction of seven X-STRs, which includes the DXS6789, HUMARA, DXS10011, DXS7423, HPRTB, DXS6807, DXS101 loci, is presented and their allele frequency distribution in a large population sample including 556 subjects (268 females and 288 males) analysed by five forensic laboratories of Central and Northern Italy is shown. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a single amplification/detection reaction involving seven markers of the X chromosome, which can be fruitfully used in complex kinship analysis.     

Minisequencing-based genotyping of Duffy and ABO blood groups for forensic purposes

Duffy and ABO blood group genetic polymorphisms were studied by minisequencing analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at nucleotide positions--33, 125, 265, and 298 of the Duffy gene and at nucleotide positions-261, 297, 467, 646, and 703 of the ABO gene. In an Italian population sample, we found four alleles and seven genotypes for the Duffy and six alleles and 16 genotypes for the ABO systems. The lower limit for reproducible results was 200 pg DNA, with a range of up to 10 ng and an optimum at 1 ng. All of the 16 analyzed inclusive paternity tests were also consistent with parentage and two out of four inconsistencies with parentage cases were excluded by one or more SNPs. Although Duffy and ABO SNP typing show lower informativeness than most current forensic tests, their robustness, the limited population distribution of FY* Fy type, and the sensitivity of the minisequencing technology suggest that these markers can be useful in selected forensic applications.     

Development of a Tetraplex PCR Assay for CYP2D6 Genotyping in Degraded DNA Samples

CYP2D6 polymorphism analysis is gaining increasing interest in forensic pharmacogenetics. Nevertheless, DNA recovered from forensic samples could be of poor quality and not suitable for long polymerase chain reaction required to type CYP2D6 gene prior to SNaPshot minisequencing analysis performed to define alleles with different enzymatic activity. We developed and validated following the guidelines of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods a tetraplex PCR yielding four amplicons of 597, 803, 1142, and 1659 bp encompassing the entire CYP2D6 gene to analyze eleven SNP positions by SNaPshot minisequencing. Concordance, sensitivity, and specificity were assessed. The method, applied to thirty‐two forensic samples failed to amplify with long PCR, allowed the amplification of CYP2D6 gene in 62.5% of degraded samples. The new tetraplex PCR appears a suitable method for CYP2D6 analysis in forensic pharmacogenetics.     

Multi-Rater Agreement Using the Adapted Fracture Healing Scale (AFHS) for the Assessment of Tubular Bones on Conventional Radiographs: Preliminary Study*

Better understanding of the timing of fracture healing may help in cases of interpersonal violence but also of personal identification. The intra- and inter-rater agreement for the adapted fracture healing scale (AFHS) assessing the post-traumatic time interval on radiographs were tested. This is a preliminary study, providing essential information on method reliability for upcoming studies using the AFHS. Five raters (two radiologists, a forensic pathologist, an orthopedist, and an anthropologist) were presented with a test in three parts consisting of 85 radiographs (from 30 adults) of fractures of tubular bones in different stages of healing purposefully selected from more than 1500 radiographs. The raters were firstly asked to assess 15 features describing fracture healing as present, absent, or not assessable. Thereafter, the raters were asked to choose from the AFHS a single-stage best representing the observed healing pattern. The intra- and inter-rater agreement were assessed using single-rating, absolute agreement, two-way mixed-effects intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficients. The intra-rater ICC of radiologist 1 ranged from 0.80 to 0.94. The radiologists’ inter-rater ICC ranged from 0.68 to 0.74, while it ranged from −0.01 to 0.90 for the other raters. The good to excellent ICC among the radiologists and forensic anthropologist provides good foundation for the use of the AFHS in forensic cases of trauma dating. The poor to good results for the other physicians indicate that using the AFHS requires training in skeletal anatomy and radiology.