Flemish population data using the AmpF/STR Profiler PCR amplification kit

Population frequency data for nine short tandem repeats (STR) (D3S1358, VWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317 and D7S820) were determined from 280 unrelated Caucasians from the North region of Belgium (Flanders). The data were obtained using the AmpF/STR Profiler kit from Applied Biosystems.     

Methods for the analysis of hard dental tissues exposed to high temperatures

The preservation of teeth that have been exposed to a heat source is a key factor in order to keep their value as evidence. This research paper presents some methods under development for the analysis of dental evidence after exposure to high temperatures; it also establishes age related alterations of young and aged teeth which have been exposed to direct heat. A total of thirty permanent healthy teeth (young=15 and old=15) were submitted to direct heat (n=14) and to a controlled raise of temperature (n=16); they were embedded in polymethylmetacrilate. For the macroscopic study, blocks were cut in half, polished and their surfaces were digitalized. Subsequently, blocks were put in slides, worn away and observed through a photomicroscope. The study of the colorimetric pattern was done by Corel Photo Paint 12.0 and Image J. software. All teeth submitted to the gradual raise of temperature presented a degree of structural damage lower than those exposed to direct heat. The internal surface of young teeth exposed to direct heat showed lines of fracture oblique to the long axis of the tooth; in contrast, a reticular pattern was observed on aged teeth. All teeth exposed to direct heat showed some matte-black coloration areas, while those submitted to a gradual increment of temperature showed a greyish colour in the enamel and a chalky-white in the cementum. By using both thermal treatments in young teeth, the amelodentinal junction was lost, thus preserving the integrity of each tissue. In aged teeth, the separation of this junction was produced because of the breakdown of the dentine. Microscopically, in teeth exposed to direct heat, it was neither possible to differentiate the dentin from the cementum, nor to distinguish the incremental lines of the latter; while in those submitted to a controlled increment of temperature, the corresponding morphology in the tissues was observed. A significant statistical difference was obtained for black colour among young and aged teeth exposed to direct heat, as well as among the means of all colours obtained from the teeth exposed to both treatments. The structural changes observed allow locating a tooth in the studied age groups. Our results show the viability of the applied method for the processing of samples, allowing their preservation as evidence during an indefinite time.     

Community violence victimization and depressed mood: the moderating effects of coping and social support

The objectives of the current study were to (a) determine how lifetime community violence (CV) victimization, coping behavior, social support (SS), and depressed mood are related in young adults, and (b) assess whether the relationship between CV victimization and depressive reactions is moderated by perceived SS and coping style. Five hundred fifty college students (160 men, 355 women) completed questionnaires measuring lifetime experiences with violence, current depressed mood, perceptions of SS from family and friends, and general coping styles. Results of a series of hierarchical regressions indicated a positive relationship between frequency of CV victimization and depressed mood. Low levels of perceived SS and problem-focused coping and high levels of disengagement coping were associated with increased depression scores overall, but there was an interaction effect such that high disengagement coping strengthened the relationship between CV and depressed mood. Moreover, when controlling for the effect of posttraumatic stress, high-perceived friend support and low disengagement coping served as protective factors for depressed mood. These results were particularly strong in individuals whose last CV experience occurred within the previous 2 years. Findings suggest that perceptions of support and ability to actively cope with stressors are very important in the adjustment to CV victimization.     

Nondermatomal Somatosensory Deficits (NDSDs) and Pain: State-of-the-Art Review

Nondermatomal somatosensory deficits (NDSDs) are large sensory deficits not conforming to dermatomal/root territories, and no structural pathology accounts for them. They can be very mild or very dense, highly variable, or extremely fixed over time and may be very disabling. It is now accepted by mainstream pain science that they are the product of a central neurophysiological phenomenon. We demonstrated in this paper through literature review and through multiple clinical cases that NDSDs (a) have a psychobiological substrate at the level of the central nervous system, (b) are very frequently associated with chronic pain and/or psychotraumatic experiences, (c) occur very frequently in the context of conversion disorder, but (d) can also occur in the absence of conversion disorders, (e) can be superimposed on structural neurological deficits, and (f) respond positively, or at least in part, to sodium amobarbital (commonly referred to as the “truth serum”).     

Child Abuse and the Experience of Violence in College Dating Relationships: Examining the Moderating Effect of Gender and Race

Prior research suggests that being abused during childhood significantly increases one’s risk for the involvement in violent intimate relationships across the life course. The current study contributes to the literature by using a large sample of college students to explore the moderating effects of race and gender on the relationship between child abuse and later experiences of intimate partner violence. Results indicate that for both men and women, child abuse increases the risk for dating violence. Findings also suggest that specific race and gender combinations moderate the relationship between child abuse and later experiences of IPV, specifically regarding the risk for mutual or bidirectional violence. Implications for prevention and intervention and directions for future research are discussed.     

Training the uniforms: Gender and peacekeeping operations

The fact that war changes roles and responsibilities within society, while exposing men and women of all ages and classes to new threats and opportunities, has become increasingly recognised. Civil wars disrupt and destroy civilian life. Men leave, die in combat, are brutalised, lose employment, or resort to despair, violence, or apathy. Women assume enormous burdens of work and all manner of different tasks and responsibilities, lose their security and their protectors, and are victimised and marginalised. Yet few members of peacekeeping missions have any training in dealing with the civilian population, much less the specific issues relating to gender relations. In response to this, a basic training package titled Gender and Peace Support Operations has been designed for use in pre-deployment induction. This article describes the background to its development and outlines how it is expected to be used and evolve in the future.     

The voluntary sector and the realignment of government: A street‐level study

Abstract: This paper examines the realignment of government from a street‐level vantage point. Gleaning inspiration from studies of governmentality and institutional ethnography, the study argues that street‐level processes were intertwined with the consolidation of neoliberal forms of rule. This connection was evident in the growing centrality of voluntary organizations in social administration, which went hand‐in‐hand with a normalization of more extreme forms of poverty. In making this case, the paper draws on research conducted in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. Sommaire: Le présent article examine le réalignement du gouvernement sous l'angle du point de vue du grand public. S'inspirant d‘études sur la gouvernementalité et l'ethnographie institutionnelle, l'article soutient que les processus grand public ont été entrelacés avec la consolidation des formes néolibérales de règlement. Cette connexion fut évidente dans la centralité croissante des organismes bénévoles au sein de l'administration sociale, qui alla de concert avec une normalisation de formes de pauvreté plus extrêmes. Pour défendre ce point de vue, l'article se fonde sur des travaux de recherche menés à Fredericton et Saint John au Nouveau‐Brunswick.