A mixed DNA profile controversy revisited

Semaan et al. (J Forensic Res, 2020, 11, 453) discuss a mock case “where eight different individuals [P₁ through P₈] could not be excluded in a mixed DNA analysis. Even though … expert DNA mixture analysis software was used.” Two of these are the true donors. The LRs reported are incorrect due to the incorrect entry of propositions into LRmix Studio. This forced the software to account for most of the alleles as drop-in, resulting in LRs 60–70 orders of magnitude larger than expected. P₁, P₂, P₄, P₅, and P₈ can be manually excluded using peak heights. This has relevance when using LRmix which does not use peak heights. We extend the work using the same two reference genotypes who were the true contributors as Semaan et al. (J Forensic Res, 2020, 11, 453). We simulate three two-donor mixtures with peak heights using these two genotypes and analyze using STRmix?. For the simulated 1:1 mixture, one of the non-donors’ LRs supported him being a contributor when no conditioning was used. When considered in combination with any other potential donors (i.e., with conditioning), this non-donor was correctly eliminated. For the 3:1 mixture, all results correctly supported that the non-donors were not contributors. The low-template 4:1 mixture LRs with no conditioning showed support for all eight profiles as donors. However, the results from pair-wise conditioning showed that only the two ground truth donors had LRs supporting that they were contributors to the mixture. We recommend the use of peak heights and conditioning profiles, as this allows better sensitivity and specificity even when the persons share many alleles.     

刑法中的国家工作人员之立法与司法解释评析

刑法中的国家工作人员的界定是长期困扰刑法理论界和司法部门的一个难题。国家立法机关和最高司法机关虽对其作过多次立法解释和司法解释,但却仍然存在内涵不清、外延不明,难予认定的问题。为此,本文对历次刑事立法和司法解释中关于国家工作人员的解释之得失进行了回顾、比较与评析,旨在为准确理解和把握本概念提供有益的思路。     

应用硅珠法提取陈旧骨骼DNA

骨骼相对于人体其他的组织脏器腐败降解慢,是进行高度腐败及白骨化样本DNA检验的唯一检材。但骨骼DNA的提取比较困难,本文运用传统的硅珠法提取骨骼DNA取得了很好的效果。1材料与方法1.1样本1~4年水浸泡、土埋的股骨、肱骨等样本,来自本实验室日常检案检材。1.2方法1.2.1骨骼DNA提取用水洗净骨骼表面,晾干。锯成小块,用锉打磨内外表面。去离子水、乙醇和5%bleach浸泡、晾干,磨成粉末。取骨粉5g;加入0.5mon/L EDTA(pH8.0)溶液,搅拌均匀置于摇床上脱钙12h,去离子水洗两遍,去上清,重复4次[1];沉渣中加入适量裂解液(6mon/L GuSCN,20mo…     

司法能动性何以实现?——以最高人民法院司法解释为分析基础

司法过程中法官在法律适用中的自由裁量权体现了司法能动性.我国主要是由最高人民法院发布大量抽象性司法解释的方式来指引法官在个案审理中的法律适用,这种司法能动性的行使方式在理论界和实务界引发了一定的争议.我们应当客观地看待我国最高法院的司法解释权,而在未来的发展中,我国应当在纯化现有司法解释体制和审级制度改革的基础上,辅以判例,并逐步扩大法官在个案审理中的法律解释权.     

DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics: Recommendations on the interpretation of mixtures

The DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) was convened at the 21st congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics held between 13 and 17 September in the Azores, Portugal. The purpose of the group was to agree on guidelines to encourage best practice that can be universally applied to assist with mixture interpretation. In addition the commission was tasked to provide guidance on low copy number (LCN) reporting. Our discussions have highlighted a significant need for continuing education and research into this area. We have attempted to present a consensus from experts but to be practical we do not claim to have conveyed a clear vision in every respect in this difficult subject. For this reason, we propose to allow a period of time for feedback and reflection by the scientific community. Then the DNA commission will meet again to consider further recommendations.     

牛分枝杆菌esat-6和mpb70-mpb83基因DNA疫苗的免疫效果

用PCR技术和重叠延伸剪接技术获得牛分枝杆菌esat-6基因和mpb70-mpb83融合基因,连接真核表达载体pcDNA3.1(+),构建了重组质粒pCE6和pC70-83-E6。分4组免疫小鼠:pCE6组、pC70-83-E6组、pcDNA3.1(+)和PBS对照组,采用间接ELISA法检测免疫小鼠血清特异性抗体水平,MTT法检测免疫小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖情况和IFN-γ分泌情况。结果表明,2重组质粒免疫组小鼠的血清抗体水平持续上升,而2对照组始终维持在较低水平,且pC70-83-E6组小鼠的抗体水平高于pCE6组。经PPD刺激后,pCE6组和pC70-83-E6组小鼠的SI值与2对照组均差异显著(P<0.05),2重组质粒免疫组间差异不显著(P>0.05);2重组质粒免疫小鼠脾细胞产生的IFN-γ均显著高于2对照组(P<0.05),且pC70-83-E6组明显高于其他3组(P<0.05)。证实本试验构建的2种牛分枝杆菌DNA疫苗可有效诱导实验动物产生体液免疫和细胞免疫应答。     

解读交通事故认定书

交通事故认定书是依法公正处理道路交通事故程序中的重要组成部分,它具有如下几个方面的特征:文书制作的法定性、不可行政诉讼性、制作者不具有直接公诉性及并非不可否定性。只有正确解读交通事故认定书、充分认识交通事故认定书的特性,才能切实维护道路交通事故各方当事人合的法权益不受侵害、切实维护国家法律之尊严。     

Appeals to Reason

This article considers how statistical reasoning changes conceptions of evidence and proof. Beginning with three Court of Appeal judgments in which proof is quantified, it traces the implications of statistical ways of thinking about proof through the law of criminal evidence. This leads to the bizarre conclusion that proof is, by and large, impossible. The argument then takes a more constructive turn. The way in which the presumption of innocence is conceptualised in statistical argument is criticised and it is suggested that proof depends on a precondition of trust in the way suspects are selected by the police. For that trust to be deserved, police suspects must be chosen in a legitimate manner.     

猪ERK6基因编码区的克隆及组织表达谱分析

利用RT-PCR方法扩增了猪ERK6基因编码区的序列,将扩增产物与pMD18-T载体连接,构建了重组质粒;重组质粒经PCR、酶切鉴定后进行测序;采用Northern杂交和半定量RT-PCR方法在猪不同部位骨骼肌中分析了ERK6基因转录本的个数、大小及组织表达谱。结果显示,所克隆的猪ERK6基因片段长1 113 bp,含有1个1 104 bp的开放阅读框(ORF),该ORF编码367个氨基酸;该基因与已报道的人ERK6基因核苷酸序列相似性为90%;猪ERK6基因在肌肉组织中只有一个转录本,大小约1.5 kb。此基因在骨骼肌中的表达量最高,心、子宫次之,卵巢最低;而在脂肪、胃、肝、脾、肺、肾、十二指肠和胰腺中未见表达。结果表明,猪ERK6基因与已报道的小鼠和人ERK6基因一样,主要在骨骼中特异表达。