Reliability of Third Molar Development for Age Estimation in a Texas Hispanic Population: A Comparison Study*

Abstract: Evaluating third molars from 950 Hispanic individuals aged 12–22 years using Demirjian’s schematic for crown and root formation found that Hispanic third molar development was 8–18 months faster than American Caucasians as reported by Mincer, Harris and Berryman in 1993. This represents a statistically significant increase. Earlier development was more apparent in the later stages F through H. Hispanic males reach developmental stages faster than Hispanic females and maxillary third molars reach developmental stages faster than mandibular third molars in both sexes. The earliest age observed for stages B–H (e.g., Stage H first observed at age 13.92 years in females) and the oldest age observed for Stages B–G were developed to facilitate age prediction of unknown individuals. Prediction tables for minimum and maximum age for an observed stage (e.g., if a female maxillary third molar is stage F it means she is older than 13 years) for each sex‐jaw group were calculated.     

Stature Estimation Formulae for Nigerians

Abstract:  In stature estimation, long limbs and the stature formula of Trotter and Gleser easily come to mind. In the recent past, a lot of workers have established formulae specific to their populations using whole length of limbs, fragmented bones, circumference of long bones, and even length of the vertebrae. We have in this work used tibia length, height of subjects, and the regression models to establish formulae specific to Nigerians. We measured height and tibia length of 200 (96 male and 104 female) adult Nigerians. The tibia length was measured from upper limit of the medial condoyle to the tip of medial malleolus using a measuring tape calibrated in meters while the height of individuals were also measured using meter scales. All measurements were made by one person, to avoid interobserver error, and repeatedly until a constant value is obtained. We obtained general formulae for males and females which compares favorably with that of Duyar and Pelin, and can be relied upon.     

Further insights into the construct of criminal social identity: validation of a revised measure in a prison population

The current study objective was to develop a revised version of the Measure of Criminal Social Identity (MCSI) with an increased number of indicators to more reliably capture three MCSI dimensions. Dimensionality and construct validity of the Measure of Criminal Social Identity – Revised (MCSI-R) was examined among a sample of systematically selected inmates (N = 2192). Four competing models of the MCSI-R were specified and tested using Mplus with weighted least squares with mean and variance adjustment estimation. Bifactor model with three meaningful factors (cognitive centrality, in-group affect and in-group ties) while controlling for the general factor was the best fit for the data. Good composite reliability of the three MCSI-R dimensions was established. The three subscales of the MCSI-R evidence differential predictive utility for prisonization, number of incarcerations, self-esteem and violent offending. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

流动人口存在的必然性、正负面影响及应对策略

针对当前社会经济生活中正在大量并将长期存在的流动人口这一不争事实,本文着重探讨了流动人口的概念,流动人口产生和存在的必然性,有利和不利影响,同时提出了从宏观、中观和微观上逐步解决流动人口问题的各项举措。     

中国人口现代化的指标确定与主要指标考察

提出中国人口现代化问题对中国人口发展具有重大意义,但由于尚缺乏量化分析指标而给人们认识、研究人口现代化和推进人口现代化进程带来困难.因此,论文尝试性地初步确立了一个衡量、测定中国人口现代化的指标体系,并对中国人口现代化的主要指标进行了考察,在此基础上对中国人口现代化问题作了六点简短归结.     

北京汉族21个STR基因座的群体遗传学调查与法医应用评价

目的调查459例北京汉族无关个体21个常染色体非CODIS的STR基因座遗传多态性并评价其应用价值。方法用AGCU21＋1荧光标记复合扩增系统对459例无关个体的21个STR基因座（D6S474、D12SATA63、D22S1045、D10S1248、D1S1677、D11S4463、D1S1627、D3S4529、D2S441、D6S1017、D4S2408、D19S433、D17S1301、D1GATA113、D18S853、D20S482、D14S1434、D9S1122、D2S1776、D10S1435、D5S2500）进行检验。得到STR分型后,用相关软件进行统计分析并计算法医学应用参数。结果获得21个STR基因座的频率分布;相关参数为：H值从0.5894-0.8038,PD值从0.7898-0.9265,PE3值从0.3618-0.6029,PE2值从0.2031-0.4256,PIC值从0.5638到0.7640。结论联合应用Identifiler系统和AGCU21＋1系统,有利于亲子关系的认定及对可疑突变的判断。     

Typing of 49 autosomal SNPs by SNaPshot in the Slovenian population

A total of 157 unrelated individuals residing in Slovenia were typed for 49 of the autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SNPforID 52plex with the SNaPshot^® assay. We obtained full SNP profiles in all but one individual and perfect concordance was obtained in duplicated analyses. Allele frequencies are presented for the 49 SNPs. No deviation from HWE was observed for any SNP. F_IS and F_ST were estimated. A principal coordinate analysis performed on six populations (Slovenian, Danish, Somali, Greenland, Turkish and Chinese) showed that the Slovenian population grouped with the Danish population. The mean power of discrimination for the Slovenian population was 1.1 × 10⁻¹⁹, and the mean exclusion probability for trios was 99.96%.     

Natural population movement and marriage restrictions and hindrances in Styria in the 17th to 19th centuries

To marry has never been an egalitarian option or everybody's wish. There have always been calculations or considerations, structural or individual hindrances and even societal restrictions for individuals to get married despite wishing to do so. Without any doubt and apart from the debate on determination or love and free choice in former times, to marry has always been a societal event, a mutual relationship between personal wishes and societal environmental expectations.And apart from all the debates on paradoxes in modernization processes, it is clear that in pre-modern times societal marriage restrictions were widespread.It is very unlikely that people should have been forbidden to marry because they should not have sexual contacts, just for morality reasons. The keys have been considerations and calculations on reproductivity, economic and social resources, social and human capital. This paper deals with aggregated vital data from four parishes in Styria, Austria, covering the outgoing 17th century until the end of the 19th century, in order to detect hints of marriage restrictions.The paper proves the well-known variety of marriage systems in pre-industrial and pre-modern times. It supports the idea that the presence of marriage restrictions hindered population growth, but the absence of such restrictions did not automatically foster more societal transparency and developmental chances in a modern sense, as mortality and inequality were very strong factors in pre-modern agrarian societies. In the end, the question of marriage restrictions was apparently posed and answered by privileged groups.     

Construction and application of four fluorescence labeled multiplex typing system for 3 miniSTR loci

We constructed a multiplex PCR system for 3 miniSTR loci D20S482, D3S3053, D6S474. This typing system showed high stability and sensitivity (0.05 ng). Population data investigated in 120 healthy unrelated Chinese Han individuals showed higher genetic polymorphism, with the combined power of discrimination and power of exclusion being 0.998 and 0.84. The amplification product length ranged from 88 bp to 127 bp for all three loci. The successful rate of typing highly degraded samples using this miniSTR multiplex PCR system was significantly higher than using identifiler kit, indicating the multiplex set represents a useful tool in Chinese forensic practice, especially for the highly degraded DNA sample.