DNA and Homicide Clearance: What\u27s Really Going On

Homicide clearance rates in the United States have been dropping steadily since the late 1960s. The literature on homicide clearance has yet to explore exactly what effect DNA evidence is having on the homicide investigation. As such, the increased use of DNA as an investigative tool to raise homicide clearance is hardly axiomatic. The current study examined homicides committed in Manhattan, New York, within the years 1996 to 2003 for the use of DNA evidence in making an arrest. An analysis was also conducted with an eye toward how useful DNA evidence could be—indicating that, via its current usage, the creation of large DNA databases of known criminal offenders will, at best, only marginally increase the homicide clearance rate. Further, the implications of the use of DNA may point to a larger phenomenon which may have contributed to the drop in clearance experienced nationwide

PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE AS A KNOWLEDGE CREATING SYSTEM

Production Economics,

Speciation in the baboon and its relation to gamma-chain heterogeneity and to the response to induction of HbF by 5-azacytidine

In the baboon (Papio species), the two nonallelic gamma-genes produce gamma-chains that differ at a minimum at residue 75, where isoleucine (I gamma-chain) or valine (V gamma) may be present. This situation obtains in baboons that are sometimes designated as Papio anubis, Papio hamadryas, and Papio papio. However, in Papio cynocephalus, although the I gamma-chains are identical with those in the above mentioned types, the V gamma-chains have the substitutions ala----gly at residue 9 and ala----val at residue 23. The V gamma-chains of P. cynocephalus are called V gamma C to distinguish them from the V gamma A-chains of P. anubis, etc. A single cynocephalus animal has been found to have only normal I gamma-chains and I gamma C-chains (that is, glycine in residue 9, valine in 23, and isoleucine in 75). When HbF is produced in response to stress with 5-azacytidine, P. anubis baboons respond with greater production than do P. cynocephalus, and hybrids fall between. Minimal data on P. hamadryas and P. papio suggest an even lower response than P. cynocephalus. As HbF increases under stress, the ratio of I gamma to V gamma-chains changes from the value in the adult or juvenile baboon toward the ratio in the newborn baboon. However, it does not attain the newborn value. The V gamma A and V gamma C-genes respond differently to stress. In hybrids, the production of V gamma A- chains exceeds that of V gamma C-chains. A controlling factor in cis apparently is present and may be responsible for the species-related extent of total HbF production. It may be concluded that the more primitive the cell in the erythroid maturation series that has been subjected to 5-azacytidine, the more active is the I gamma-gene

SNP Assay Development for Linkage Map Construction, Anchoring Whole-Genome Sequence, and Other Genetic and Genomic Applications in Common Bean.

A total of 992,682 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was identified as ideal for Illumina Infinium II BeadChip design after sequencing a diverse set of 17 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) varieties with the aid of next-generation sequencing technology. From these, two BeadChips each with >5000 SNPs were designed. The BARCBean6K_1 BeadChip was selected for the purpose of optimizing polymorphism among market classes and, when possible, SNPs were targeted to sequence scaffolds in the Phaseolus vulgaris 14× genome assembly with sequence lengths >10 kb. The BARCBean6K_2 BeadChip was designed with the objective of anchoring additional scaffolds and to facilitate orientation of large scaffolds. Analysis of 267 F2 plants from a cross of varieties Stampede × Red Hawk with the two BeadChips resulted in linkage maps with a total of 7040 markers including 7015 SNPs. With the linkage map, a total of 432.3 Mb of sequence from 2766 scaffolds was anchored to create the Phaseolus vulgaris v1.0 assembly, which accounted for approximately 89% of the 487 Mb of available sequence scaffolds of the Phaseolus vulgaris v0.9 assembly. A core set of 6000 SNPs (BARCBean6K_3 BeadChip) with high genotyping quality and polymorphism was selected based on the genotyping of 365 dry bean and 134 snap bean accessions with the BARCBean6K_1 and BARCBean6K_2 BeadChips. The BARCBean6K_3 BeadChip is a useful tool for genetics and genomics research and it is widely used by breeders and geneticists in the United States and abroad

Truncated glucagon-like peptide-1 and exendin-4 α-conotoxin pl14a peptide chimeras maintain potency and α-helicity and reveal interactions vital for cAMP signaling in vitro

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GE P-1) signaling through the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) is a key regulator of normal glucose metabolism, and exogenous GLP-1R agonist therapy is a promising avenue for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. To date, the development of therapeutic GLP-1R agonists has focused on producing drugs with an extended serum half-life. This has been achieved by engineering synthetic analogs of GLP-1 or the more stable exogenous GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 (Ex-4). These synthetic peptide hormones share the overall structure of GLP-1 and Ex-4, with a C-terminal helical segment and a flexible N-terminal tail. Although numerous studies have investigated the molecular determinants underpinning GLP-1 and Ex-4 binding and signaling through the GLP1R, these have primarily focused on the length and composition of the N-terminal tail or on how to modulate the helicity of the full-length peptides. Here, we investigate the effect of C-terminal truncation in GLP-1 and Ex-4 on the cAMP pathway. To ensure helical C-terminal regions in the truncated peptides, we produced a series of chimeric peptides combining the N-terminal portion of GLP-1 or Ex-4 and the C-terminal segment of the helix-promoting peptide alpha-conotoxin p114a. The helicity and structures of the chimeric peptides were confirmed using circular dichroism and NMR, respectively. We found no direct correlation between the fractional helicity and potency in signaling via the cAMP pathway. Rather, the most important feature for efficient receptor binding and signaling was the C-terminal helical segment (residues 22-27) directing the binding of Phe' into a hydrophobic pocket on the GLP-1R

The Very Low Mass Component of the Gliese 105 System

Multiple-epoch, multicolor images of the astrometric binary Gliese 105A and its very low mass companion Gliese 105C have been obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). The optical and near-infrared colors of Gl 105C strongly suggest a spectral type of M7V for that star. Relative astrometric measurements spanning 3 yr reveal the first evidence of Gl 105C's orbital motion. Previous long-term astrometric studies at Sproul and McCormick Observatories have shown that the period of Gl 105A's perturbation is approximately 60 yr. To satisfy both the observed orbital motion and Gl 105A's astrometric period, Gl 105C's orbit must have an eccentricity of approximately 0.75 and a semimajor axis of approximately 15 AU. Measurements of Gl 105A's radial velocity over 12 yr show a linear trend with a slope of 11.3 m/s/yr, which is consistent with these orbital constraints and a nearly face-on orbit. As no other faint companions to Gl 105A have been detected, we conclude that Gl 105C is probably the source of the 60-yr astrometric perturbation.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures; to be published in the October 2000 issue of The Astronomical Journa

Dynamic Status Signal Reflects Outcome of Social Interactions, but Not Energetic Stress

Social defeat induces stress-responses in a wide array of vertebrates and can generate winner-loser effects. Dynamic condition-dependent signaling systems that reflect preparation for subsequent agonistic interactions, and thereby mediate winner-loser effects, should be more sensitive to competitive history than to non-social sources of stress. Bill color of female American goldfinches (Spinus tristus) is a dynamic condition-dependent ornament that functions as a signal of competitive status and mediates intrasexual agonistic social interactions. We tested the “social experience signaling hypothesis” in female goldfinches by (1) manipulating a non-social energetic stressor by experimentally elevating flight costs via wing-clipping in free-ranging birds, and (2) manipulating social experience by staging competitive interactions among captive birds. Bill color change did not differ between wing clipped and non-clipped females, even though stress-response, as measured by the heterophil to lymphocyte (H:L) ratio, increased significantly in clipped females relative to unclipped females. In contrast, winners and losers in the social experience experiment differed significantly in the degree and direction of bill color change following social contests, with bill color increasing in winners and decreasing in losers. These results suggest that dynamic bill color of female American goldfinches signals recent social history, but is less sensitive to some stressors stemming from non-social sources, and thereby suggest that signals can evolve sensitivity to specific types of processes relevant to the context in which they are used

Imaging Asteroid 4 Vesta Using the Framing Camera

The Framing Camera (FC) onboard the Dawn spacecraft serves a dual purpose. Next to its central role as a prime science instrument it is also used for the complex navigation of the ion drive spacecraft. The CCD detector with 1024 by 1024 pixels provides the stability for a multiyear mission and its high requirements of photometric accuracy over the wavelength band from 400 to 1000 nm covered by 7 band-pass filters. Vesta will be observed from 3 orbit stages with image scales of 227, 63, and 17 m/px, respectively. The mapping of Vesta s surface with medium resolution will be only completed during the exit phase when the north pole will be illuminated. A detailed pointing strategy will cover the surface at least twice at similar phase angles to provide stereo views for reconstruction of the topography. During approach the phase function of Vesta was determined over a range of angles not accessible from earth. This is the first step in deriving the photometric function of the surface. Combining the topography based on stereo tie points with the photometry in an iterative procedure will disclose details of the surface morphology at considerably smaller scales than the pixel scale. The 7 color filters are well positioned to provide information on the spectral slope in the visible, the depth of the strong pyroxene absorption band, and their variability over the surface. Cross calibration with the VIR spectrometer that extends into the near IR will provide detailed maps of Vesta s surface mineralogy and physical properties. Georeferencing all these observation will result in a coherent and unique data set. During Dawn s approach and capture FC has already demonstrated its performance. The strong variation observed by the Hubble Space Telescope can now be correlated with surface units and features. We will report on results obtained from images taken during survey mode covering the whole illuminated surface. Vesta is a planet-like differentiated body, but its surface gravity and escape velocity are comparable to those of other asteroids and hence much smaller than those of the inner planets o