Use of subpopulation data in Australian forensic DNA casework

DNA profiling evidence presented in court should be accompanied by a reliable estimate of its evidential weight. In calculating such statistics, allele frequencies from commonly employed autosomal microsatellite loci are required. These allele frequencies should be collected at a level that appropriately represents the genetic diversity that exists in the population. Typically this occurs at broadly defined bio-geographic categories, such as Caucasian or Asian. Datasets are commonly administered at the jurisdictional level. This paper focuses on Australian jurisdictions and assesses whether this current practice is appropriate for Aboriginal Australian and Caucasian populations alike. In keeping with other studies we observe negligible differences between Caucasian populations within Australia when segregated geographically. However segregation of Aboriginal Australian population data along contemporary State and Territory lines appears to mask the diversity that exists within this subpopulation. For this reason datasets collated along more traditional lines may be more appropriate, particularly to distinguish the most genetically differentiated populations residing in the north of the continent.     

法官解释之方法智慧重述

审判的过程,需先对案件事实进行法律上的裁剪,继而以法律事实为据解释法律,重构审判规范。法官解释法律的方法智巧虽多,归根结底应服从于终极之目的解释。结合具体案件中的法律事实,法律经由文义、体系、法意、目的解释可以构造出适合个案的审判规范。     

论刑事政策对刑法解释的意义

从实证研究的角度看,我国存在着两种具有法律意义的刑法解释体系:刑法有权解释体系和刑法适用解释体系。刑法适用解释对定罪量刑有着更加现实和重要的意义。刑事政策是刑法定罪量刑的基础。无论是刑法有权解释还是刑法适用解释,其内容都必须符合刑事政策的要求。     

Successful DNA typing of ultrafiltered urines used to detect EPO doping

Endogenous and exogenous erythropoietin (EPO) present in urine can be distinguished according to their isoelectric profiles. This methodology requires urine samples to be concentrated about 200 to 1000 times with manipulations that should remove most of the cells occurring in the original sample. In this study, we tried to obtain DNA profiles from 10 ultrafiltered urines (retentates) in order to evaluate whether a formal genetic identification was technically feasible. No nuclear DNA profiles could be established from retentates, despite 34 PCR-cycles amplifications. Contrastingly, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profiles were obtained for 9 out of the 10 retentates. Apart from some particularities, retentate mtDNA profiles were all distinct and matched mtDNA profiles of corresponding reference samples.     

抉择于形式合理性与实质合理性的法律解释——源于对“法官经商案 ”的再思

在“法官经商协议有效案”中，法官认为被告所签经商协议之效力不因违反法官不得经商之法律规定而无效，其中所隐含的法律解释逻辑及深层理论基石是形式合理性与实质合理性之间的博弈——兼顾法律规定字面含义而符合法律体系划分所体现的法治精神的温和的实质合理性。从法经济学的角度观之，此种解释的当代合理性在于实现了效益最大化。     

Y-STR analysis on DNA mixture samples—Results of a collaborative project of the ENFSI DNA Working Group

The ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) DNA Working Group undertook a collaborative project on Y-STR typing of DNA mixture samples that were centrally prepared and thoroughly tested prior to the shipment. Four commercial Y-STR typing kits (Y-Filer, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA; Argus Y Nonaplex, Biotype, Dresden, Germany; Powerplex Y, Promega, Madison, WI, USA; and DYSplex-3, SERAC, Bad Homburg, Germany) were used for the amplification of the mixture samples. The results of the study showed a striking inter-laboratory difference of kit performance as determined from the peak heights of the obtained Y-STR genotypes. Variation in quantity and quality of the shipped DNA can be excluded as reason for the observed differences because both samples and shipping conditions were found to be reproducible in an earlier study. The results suggest that in some cases a laboratory-specific optimization process is indicated to reach a comparable sensitivity for the analysis of minute amounts of DNA.     

Implementation of a robotized real-time PCR setup for the use of the Quantifiler™ Human DNA Quantification Kit

Human DNA quantification occupies a central role within the DNA analytic process of forensic casework samples as DNA quantification results have an important impact on the quality of the short tandem repeat data. Manual processing for the setup of quantification reactions can be time consuming and labor intensive. Therefore automation of quantitative real-time PCR setup was an important component of our DNA-analysis automation concept. Here we show the implementation of a robotized setup for the Quantifiler™ Human DNA Quantification Kit.     

Object-oriented Bayesian networks for paternity cases with allelic dependencies

This study extends the current use of Bayesian networks by incorporating the effects of allelic dependencies in paternity calculations. The use of object-oriented networks greatly simplify the process of building and interpreting forensic identification models, allowing researchers to solve new, more complex problems. We explore two paternity examples: the most common scenario where DNA evidence is available from the alleged father, the mother and the child; a more complex case where DNA is not available from the alleged father, but is available from the alleged father’s brother. Object-oriented networks are built, using HUGIN, for each example which incorporate the effects of allelic dependence caused by evolutionary relatedness.     

过度解释与权利的绝对化

法治反对解释主要是指反对对明确的法律进行解释,尤其是反对过度解释。过度解释有多种表现,其中权利和权力的绝对化解释是重要的一种形式。这种解释对法治建设和和谐社会建设有消极意义,不属于正常的法律思维。解释虽然有多种含义,但是我们在法律解释的时候,应该运用其日常含义,而不应该运用其哲学上的含义。所谓解释就是把不清楚的说清楚,而不是进行意义的添加以及过度地限缩。     

聚众淫乱罪客观行为之界定——以刑法体系解释为基点

体系解释是刑法解释学中的一种重要方法。我国刑法条文对聚众淫乱罪的表述比较简单，导致其在具体适用过程中还有一些尚待明确的问题。体系解释下聚众淫乱罪之客观行为应当兼具侵害法益的“涉他性”和“情节严重”两个要素。这一解释结论既是基于刑法体系协调性的考虑，也是刑法处罚合理性的实质要求。通过体系解释，有助于消除该罪在司法适用过程中的疑问，准确界定聚众淫乱罪的客观行为，从而合理确定聚众淫乱罪的处罚范围。