Comparison of two methods for isolating DNA from human skeletal remains for STR analysis

Abstract: The quality and efficiency of a standard organic DNA isolation method and a silica‐based method using the QIAGEN Blood Maxi Kit were compared to obtain human DNA and short tandem repeats (STRs) profiles from 39 exhumed bone samples for paternity testing. DNA samples were quantified by real‐time PCR, and STR profiles were obtained using the AmpFlSTR^® Identifiler^® PCR amplification kit. Overall, the silica‐based method recovered less DNA ranging from 0 to 147.7 ng/g (average 7.57 ng/g, median = 1.3 ng/g) than did the organic method ranging from 0 to 605 ng/g (average 44.27 ng/g, median = 5.8 ng/g). Complete profiles (16/16 loci tested) were obtained from 37/39 samples (95%) using the organic method and from 9/39 samples (23%) with the silica‐based method. Compared with a standard organic DNA isolation method, our results indicate that the published silica‐based method does not improve neither the quality nor the quantity of DNA for STR profiling.     

打击犯罪与保护人权的艰难平衡——评刑诉法修正案中侦查程序部分中的争议问题

现行刑诉法自 $141 年制定后于今迎来了第二次大面积修改。针对此次修改,尤其是对有关侦查程序的修改,有人忧虑其是刑诉法条款倒退的表现。通过对秘密拘留和逮捕、传唤和拘传时间的延长、技术侦查措施的引入和沉默权与如实供述这四个方面进行理性分析并提出完善建议,指出此次修正案在侦查程序的修改中,兼顾了打击犯罪和保护人权两方面,整体上是有进步的。对于其不细致、不周全、有矛盾而可能导致实施者自由裁量权滥用的地方,需要进行合理的完善。     

技术措施保护的隐私权限制

版权人通过技术措施收集个人身份信息,跟踪监测作品使用行为,甚至进入电脑系统进行私力技术救济,给消费者的信息隐私带来严重的威胁。为此,我国应规定技术措施不得具有隐私侵害性,限制技术措施的信息收集范围和收集方式,赋予消费者规避侵害隐私的技术措施的权利,规范版权人对消费者信息的处理利用规则。     

行政规范性文件绩效评估的技术性标准

行政规范性文件绩效评估的技术性标准是其评估标准的重要内容,其技术性标准主要包括形式结构技术的评价和语言表述技术。但行政规范性文件普遍存在着制定技术不符合基本标准要求的问题,如名称不规范、文件结构混乱、具体条款编排不符合技术规范要求等。因此,应当根据评估的技术性标准要求对行政规范性文件进行相应的完善,使行政规范性文件体系呈现为统一、协调的整体。     

绵羊睾丸支持细胞的分离鉴定及其在山羊痘病毒疫苗株培养中的应用

为研究绵羊睾丸支持细胞对山羊痘病毒的增殖特性,采用胶原酶Ⅳ和胰酶两步法分离绵羊睾丸支持细胞,通过倒置显微镜进行形态学观察、细胞染色鉴定以及特异性表达ABP蛋白鉴定,然后接种山羊痘病毒疫苗株。结果显示,分离的原代细胞24 h可长满单层,用0.05%的胰酶消化处理3次可得到纯度约为80%的睾丸支持细胞;油红O染色可观察到绵羊睾丸支持细胞的细胞质含有大量脂肪滴,细胞核可见双极小体;HE染色后细胞核为蓝色,细胞质呈红色或粉红色。ABP蛋白间接免疫荧光可观察到在绵羊睾丸支持细胞的细胞质和细胞核周围有绿色荧光,经显微镜下计数其纯度达80%以上。接种山羊痘病毒疫苗株后第4天有90%细胞产生病变,细胞变圆,细胞聚集成簇状,细胞收缩、细胞核出现空泡化。qPCR扩增Ct值为18.81,Ct值低于其他细胞传代数值。结论,本研究成功分离培养了绵羊睾丸支持细胞,该细胞能较好地培养山羊痘病毒疫苗株,对羊痘疫苗的生产有一定的现实意义。     

The mourning process and “living with the dead”: Two case reports and a review of the literature

The discovery of mummified bodies in domestic settings is not unusual in the medico‐legal context. It is often a marker of social isolation, even in our urban modern society, and usually occurs among elderly people living alone or in precarious conditions. However, bereaved subjects can sometimes be found managing their grief by deliberately keeping the corpses of their loved ones at home. Investigation of these atypical cases can be challenging and often requires a multidisciplinary effort by different forensic specialists. We report two cases of people who lived for several months with the mummified remains of a relative. In both cases, the judge ordered a forensic psychiatry assessment of the survivors’ competency and the reasons for this peculiar behavior, which is regarded as abnormal in our society. Case 1 describes a shared psychosis, which developed out of a condition of extreme seclusion of the entire family. Case 2 shows that even a mild personality disorder on which a series of traumatic events operates can trigger psychotic decompensation, causing extreme denial of the reality of death. The analysis of these cases contributes to our knowledge of the scantly studied phenomenon of “Living with the Dead” and raises questions about the psychopathology behind it. It is useful to identify subjects who are more prone to developing this “deviant” behavior, in order to distinguish people with mental illness from those who merely want to profit from the death of a loved one.     

The Jenin Initiative: Counterinsurgency by Capacity Building

In late 2008, as negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians faltered, the US directed the Jenin Initiative on the ground in the West Bank. Designed to inspire confidence in Washington’s security-driven ‘West Bank First’ strategy, the Jenin Initiative married economic development to security sector reform under the Palestinian Authority. Drawing on the perspectives of those responsible for implementing the Jenin Initiative, this article reveals how counterinsurgency doctrine transplanted from the ‘war on terror’ shaped US interventions that built capacity in the Palestinian Authority. The Jenin Initiative exposes the extent of US intervention to create an effective apparatus of Palestinian self-policing to enhance – but not replace – that of the Israeli occupation.     

Why We Need Postmortem Analysis of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices

The prevalence of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) is increasing. However, postmortem analysis of CIEDs is not performed routinely. Fourteen consecutive CIEDs were analyzed. The indication for and date of implantation, technical data, CIED reprogramming, heart rhythm disturbances, patient demographics and medical consultations were investigated. Death during the first year after implantation was seen in 54%, whereof 71% consulted a physician within 10 days before death. The time of death was attributed to a particular day in 29%. There was a relationship between CIEDs and cause/manner of death in 50%. Although limited by a small sample size, this study advocates the routine postmortem CIED analysis for forensic and clinical purposes in selected cases. Patients with CIEDs seem to show an increased risk of death during the first year after implantation. The analysis of CIEDs can be helpful in evaluating the time/cause/manner of death.     

我国法医临床学鉴定标准现状与展望

技术标准是一个行业发展的技术支撑,也是质量控制现代化的基础性手段。我国的法医临床学经过近四十年的发展,目前已有各类规范性技术文件23部,案件量逾100万件/年。本文从标准级别、颁布部门、实施时间等方面系统复习了这些标准,可以看出:相关技术标准制订过程中大量吸纳了国际先进理念,同时也吸纳了法医临床学鉴定实践经验;目前,标准体系已初步形成。当然,目前实施的标准也存在诸多问题,如:彼此间矛盾突出、部分标准不符合技术标准的形式要件、对国际标准的研究不够深入、部分标准欠缺等等,标准化建设任务依然艰巨。未来,法医学工作者仍需加强标准与法律法规衔接的配套研究;加强国际标准跟踪、评价的研究,以形成更多的具有国际先进水平的适合我国国情的国家标准。     

高职院校校名英译研究

本文对我国100所国家示范性高职院校英文校名进行分析,并试图从“翻译单位”和“零翻译”的视角,用实证对比的方法,借鉴英美等国类似的校名,对我国高职院校英文校名的规范化问题进行探讨。