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DNA is a powerful tool available for forensic investigations requiring identification of species. However, it is necessary to develop and validate methods able to produce results in degraded and or low quality DNA samples with the high standards obligatory in forensic research. Here, we describe a voluntary collaborative exercise to test the recently developed Species Identification by Insertions/Deletions (SPInDel) method. The SPInDel kit allows the identification of species by the generation of numeric profiles combining the lengths of six mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene regions amplified in a single reaction followed by capillary electrophoresis. The exercise was organized during 2014 by a Working Commission of the Spanish and Portuguese-Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (GHEP-ISFG), created in 2013. The 24 participating laboratories from 10 countries were asked to identify the species in 11 DNA samples from previous GHEP-ISFG proficiency tests using a SPInDel primer mix and control samples of the 10 target species. A computer software was also provided to the participants to assist the analyses of the results. All samples were correctly identified by 22 of the 24 laboratories, including samples with low amounts of DNA (hair shafts) and mixtures of saliva and blood. Correct species identifications were obtained in 238 of the 241 (98.8%) reported SPInDel profiles. Two laboratories were responsible for the three cases of misclassifications. The SPInDel was efficient in the identification of species in mixtures considering that only a single laboratory failed to detect a mixture in one sample. This result suggests that SPInDel is a valid method for mixture analyses without the need for DNA sequencing, with the advantage of identifying more than one species in a single reaction. The low frequency of wrong (5.0%) and missing (2.1%) alleles did not interfere with the correct species identification, which demonstrated the advantage of using a method based on the analysis of multiple loci. Overall, the SPInDel method was easily implemented by laboratories using different genotyping platforms, the interpretation of results was straightforward and the SPInDel software was used without any problems. The results of this collaborative exercise indicate that the SPInDel method can be applied successfully in forensic casework investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Pubescence is a life stage with the most turbulent progression of sensorimotor abilities during the transformation of a child into an adult. Differences in all sensorimotor abilities between boys and girls are become significant at this age. The progression of react ion abilities in girls decreases at this age (girls achieve peak values around the age of 15), while the reaction abilities in boys keep improving into adolescence. Younger children compared to adults and older children show a reduced ability to perform one or more tasks concurrently with a movement task. Aim of Study. The purpose of the study was to determine the time of complex reaction of the lower limbs of children. Moreover, a relationship between reaction time, age and gender was also found. Material and Methods. The research group included 81 primary school students aged 10-15 years. Subjects were divided into four groups according to age and gender (Group 1 - 9.8 to 10.8-year-old girls, n = 20; Group 2 - 10.0 to 10.7-year-old boys, n = 19; Group 3 - 14.3 to 15.3-year-old girls, n = 21; and Group 4 - 14.2 to 15.2-year-old boys, n = 21). The measurements were carried out using the FiTRO Agility Check test . A two-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences between the groups. The significance level was adjusted to 0.05. Tukey's post-hoc test was used to determine differences between pairs of groups. Results. There are significant differences between the boys and girls aged 14-15 years. Other differences between boys and girls aged 10-11 years were not statistically significant, however, girls performed with slightly shorter reaction times. Conclusions. The research showed a significant relationship between age and complex reaction speed in the age group of 14-15 of boys and girls. This study helps to prove that boys do not have shorter complex reaction times than girls aged 10-11 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA samples of 523 unrelated anonymized individuals (307 males and 216 females) born and living in the Czech Republic were genotyped using Investigator® Argus X-12 system in the following loci localized in four linkage groups: DXS10148, DXS10135, DXS8378, DXS7132, DXS10079, DXS10074, DXS10103, HPRTB, DXS10101, DXS10146, DXS10134, DXS742. Haplotype frequencies were calculated for each LG (Linkage Group). The frequency of most common haplotype was 0.016, 0.036, 0.042, and 0.023 for LG1, LG2, LG3, and LG4, respectively. The combined power of discrimination was more than 0.999999999 both for female and male samples. The mean exclusion chance was 0.99999999 (trios) and 0.999999 (duos). Informativity and suitability of Investigator® Argus X-12 for kinship determination was assessed by computing in several female-female duos using LR (Likelihood Ratio) determination for autosomal STR (PowerPlex ESI-17), linked (Investigator® Argus X-12 system), and unlinked (X-STR Decaplex) X-STR kits. Investigator® Argus X-12 proved to be very useful for sibship determination, since its LR values were relatively similar to LR for autosomal STR kit. This work presents the first population data for Investigator® Argus X-12 system in the Czech Republic., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)