The over-citation of Daubert in forensic anthropology

The 1993 US Supreme Court decision Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presented new guidance for the judicial assessment of expert witness evidence and testimony in the determination of admissibility. Despite the rarity of admissibility challenges to forensic anthropology evidence, Daubert is frequently cited in published forensic anthropology research. This study undertook a qualitative thematic analysis of forensic anthropology articles published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences to assess why authors continue to cite Daubert and express concerns over potential exclusion. The results show a significant increase in the number of articles that cite legal admissibility standards over time (p < 0.001). Authors frequently cite these standards to contextualize their results within the Daubert framework or to justify the need for their research. Notably, many articles present Daubert as a constraining force, misinterpreting the guidelines as rigid criteria or that they require methods to be strictly quantitative. However, Daubert was intended to be a flexible tool for judges—not a standard or instruction for scientists. While it was reasonable to reflect on the scientific rigor of methods in the wake of the Daubert decision, a new perspective is warranted in which forensic anthropologists shift their focus from trying to “satisfy” admissibility guidelines to adopting quality assurance measures that minimize error and ensure confidence in analytical results, and developing and using methods that are grounded in good science—which is important regardless of whether or not the results are ever the subject of a trial.     

The Ancient Fire: Religion and Suicide Terrorism

Does religion lead to greater destructiveness from suicide terrorism? And if so, how does it influence this form of political violence? Recent analyses of terrorism point to the significance of religion, but are divided as to whether religion itself matters, or certain types of religious terrorist groups are actually driving suicide terrorist violence. This article draws on social movement theory and recent work in the study of suicide terrorism to argue that religion influences the severity of suicide terrorist attacks as an ideology groups use to justify their struggle and gain public support. This effect occurs regardless of a group's goals or organizational nature. The theory is tested using a generalized estimating equation to account for multiple attacks by several groups. The study finds that the religious ideology of a group greatly increases the number of deaths from a suicide attack, even if varying group motivations and structural factors are taken into account. The article helps to clarify the effect of religion on contemporary terrorism, contributing to the study of both terrorism and religion and politics.     

岗位实训量化管理模式构建与实践——安徽省2011年省级示范实习实训中心项目研究内容

岗位实训是指公安院校的校外实训。岗位实训量化管理模式是根据实训计划内容和要求,对学生在公安机关基层工作中所承担工作任务进行分解统计,将工作内容转化为一定数据,及时、客观反映实训过程、状态和效果,并以此为依据实施实训管理的方式。实训中,对学生从事的工作进行统计量化,形成反映实训实时动态的量化数据,以此作为管理基础,可增强管理的科学性和有效性。由于工作量统计内容多、过程复杂,为确保量化管理模式有效运行,必须建立和完善实训量化机制,在统计项目、统计人员、统计过程、统计职责等关键环节上要有明确规定,以保证统计结果的真实性和教学管理的有效性。实践证明,将量化统计方法应用岗位实训中,构建实训量化管理模式,着力解决管理难题,能为岗位实训教学实现精细化发展奠定坚实基础。     

A third wave of autocratization is here: what is new about it?

Less than 30 years after Fukuyama and others declared liberal democracy’s eternal dominance, a third wave of autocratization is manifest. Gradual declines of democratic regime attributes characterize contemporary autocratization. Yet, we lack the appropriate conceptual and empirical tools to diagnose and compare such elusive processes. Addressing that gap, this article provides the first comprehensive empirical overview of all autocratization episodes from 1900 to today based on data from the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem). We demonstrate that a third wave of autocratization is indeed unfolding. It mainly affects democracies with gradual setbacks under a legal façade. While this is a cause for concern, the historical perspective presented in this article shows that panic is not warranted: the current declines are relatively mild and the global share of democratic countries remains close to its all-time high. As it was premature to announce the “end of history” in 1992, it is premature to proclaim the “end of democracy” now.     

Evaluation of Postmortem Bacterial Migration Using Culturing and Real‐Time Quantitative PCR

Postmortem bacteriology can be a valuable tool for evaluating deaths due to bacterial infection or for researching the involvement of bacteria in various diseases. In this study, time‐dependent postmortem bacterial migration into liver, mesenteric lymph node, pericardial fluid, portal, and peripheral vein was analyzed in 33 autopsy cases by bacterial culturing and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). None suffered or died from bacterial infection. According to culturing, pericardial fluid and liver were the most sterile samples up to 5 days postmortem. In these samples, multigrowth and staphylococci were not or rarely detected. RT‐qPCR was more sensitive and showed higher bacterial positivity in all samples. Relative amounts of intestinal bacterial DNA (bifidobacteria, bacteroides, enterobacter, clostridia) increased with time. Sterility of blood samples was low during the studied time periods (1–7 days). The best postmortem microbiological sampling sites were pericardial fluid and liver up to 5 days after death.     

Qiagen's Investigator™ Quantiplex Kit as a Predictor of STR Amplification Success from Low‐Yield DNA Samples,

Qiagen's Investigator? Quantiplex kit, a total human DNA quantitation kit, has a 200‐base pair internal control, fast cycling time, and scorpion molecules containing a covalently linked primer, probe, fluorophore, and quencher. The Investigator? Quantiplex kit was evaluated to investigate a value under which complete short tandem repeat (STR) failure was consistently obtained. Buccal swabs were extracted using the Qiagen QIAamp^® DNA Blood Mini Kit, quantified with the Investigator? Quantiplex kit using a tested half‐volume reaction, amplified with the ABI AmpFlSTR^® Identifiler kit, separated on the 3100Avant Genetic Analyzer, and data analyzed with GeneMapper^® ID v.3.2. While undetected samples were unlikely to produce sufficient data for statistical calculations or CODIS upload (2.00 alleles and 0.82 complete loci on average), data may be useful for exclusionary purposes. Thus, the Investigator? Quantiplex kit may be useful for predicting STR success. These findings are comparable with previously reported data from the Quantifiler? Human kit.     

Development of a Mobile Toolmark Characterization/Comparison System

Since the development of the striagraph, various attempts have been made to enhance forensic investigation through the use of measuring and imaging equipment. This study describes the development of a prototype system employing an easy‐to‐use software interface designed to provide forensic examiners with the ability to measure topography of a toolmarked surface and then conduct various comparisons using a statistical algorithm. Acquisition of the data is carried out using a portable 3D optical profilometer, and comparison of the resulting data files is made using software named “MANTIS” (Mark and Tool Inspection Suite). The system has been tested on laboratory‐produced markings that include fully striated marks (e.g., screwdriver markings), quasistriated markings produced by shear‐cut pliers, impression marks left by chisels, rifling marks on bullets, and cut marks produced by knives. Using the system, an examiner has the potential to (i) visually compare two toolmarked surfaces in a manner similar to a comparison microscope and (ii) use the quantitative information embedded within the acquired data to obtain an objective statistical comparison of the data files. This study shows that, based on the results from laboratory samples, the system has great potential for aiding examiners in conducting comparisons of toolmarks.     

The Diagnostic Value of Quantitative Assessment of Diatom Test for Drowning: An Analysis of 128 Water‐related Death Cases using Microwave Digestion‐Vacuum Filtration‐Automated Scanning Electron Microscopy

The value of diatom test for the diagnosis of drowning remains controversial. The conventional forensic diatom test with low sensitivity is not a useful tool to provide accurate information about diatom in the tissues and organs. To improve the sensitivity of the diatom test, we developed a novel method called the Microwave Digestion‐Vacuum Filtration‐Automated Scanning Electron Microscopy (MD‐VF‐Auto SEM) method which resulted in a high recovery of diatoms. In this article, we analyzed 128 water‐related death cases. Our results showed that the MD‐VF‐Auto SEM method could achieve a much higher positive rate (0.97) in drowning cases. Large amounts of diatoms are retained, even concentrated, in the lung tissues during the intense breathing movement in drowning process. This might be useful for the diagnosis of drowning. Our research indicates that the MD‐VF‐Auto SEM method would be a valuable methodology in the study of diatom test for the forensic community.     

TGF-β1对体外培养的奶牛乳腺上皮细胞CTGF mRNA表达的影响

为研究外源性TGF-β1对奶牛乳腺上皮细胞表达CTGF mRNA的影响,用组织块法体外培养和纯化出奶牛乳腺上皮细胞,并应用免疫组织化学的方法鉴定细胞的纯度。然后用不同浓度的外源性TGF-β1(0,1,5,10ng/mL)作用乳腺上皮细胞,作用12,24,48,72h后分别提取细胞的总RNA,以β-actin作为内参基因,用实时荧光定量RT-PCR方法测定CTGF mRNA相对表达量的变化,并对CTGF的PCR产物进行测序分析。结果显示,TGF-β1处理组(1,5,10ng/mL)较对照组(0ng/mL)差异显著(P<0.05);处理组CTGF mRNA的相对表达量显著升高,并呈正量效关系:随着TGF-β1浓度的升高,CTGF mRNA的相对表达量基本呈逐渐升高的趋势。测序分析结果证明扩增产物为牛的CTGF基因序列,表明外源性TGF-β1可显著促进奶牛乳腺上皮细胞CTGF mRNA的表达,进而在奶牛乳腺纤维化过程中发挥作用。     

牛病毒性腹泻病毒三种核酸检测方法的比较

利用针对牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDV)的常规RT-PCR、实时荧光定量RT-PCR(real-time RT-PCR)和RT-环介导等温扩增技术(RT-LAMP)3种核酸检测方法对不同质粒浓度的样品和417份临床疑似样品进行了检测,以比较3种核酸检测方法的优越性。结果显示,3种核酸检测方法中,real-time RT-PCR和RT-LAMP一样敏感,均能检测到10拷贝/μL,常规RT-PCR只能检测到1×104拷贝/μL,但临床样品检测表明,常规RT-PCR方法敏感度低,会造成一部分漏检,RT-LAMP灵敏度高又会造成错检。综合比较3种方法后,推荐用RT-LAMP结合real-time RT-PCR,不仅节约成本,且结果更为准确可靠,可提高牛病毒性腹泻的检出率。