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Fla. man not the dad, but must pay support - Earthtimes.org

Paternityzone — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:57:58 +0200

Fla. man not the dad, but must pay support Earthtimes.org - 8 hours ago ... Rodriguez of Fort Lauderdale is responsible for making the court-ordered $305 payments every month because he missed a deadline to contest paternity.

A Florida man is on the hook for monthly child support payments for a 15-year-old girl, even though he isn't her father. Despite a DNA test proving he isn't the father, authorities say Francisco Rodriguez of Fort Lauderdale is responsible for making the court-ordered $305 payments every month because he missed a deadline to contest paternity. Rodriguez contends the paperwork he needed to file the challenge showed up after the deadline ....

Fla. man not the dad, but must pay support

Call for two weeks' paternity leave | The Daily Telegraph

Paternityzone — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:10:52 +0200

Call for two weeks' paternity leave

ALL dads should be paid two weeks' paternity leave to improve wellbeing and work productivity.

In a wishlist for political parties ahead of the federal election, 11 policy leading lights from across the nation make a range of suggestions, including allowing workers to choose part-time over full-time work, more work-from-home options and restrictions on long or unsocial hours.

"A growing body of international research shows that giving workers more say over their work-time arrangements improves the wellbeing of workers and their households," said University of Sydney Work and Family Policy co-convener Elizabeth Hill. "The evidence-based policy principles set out in our document are informed by the latest Australian and international research."The document, Benchmarks for Work and Family Policies in Election 2007, will help rate the major parties' work-family policies prior to the poll.

Another contributor to the forum, Professor Barbara Pocock, said flexible work hours improved staff retention rates.

Call for two weeks' paternity leave | The Daily Telegraph

Tags: Paternityleave, Paternity

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - Y

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 15:22:52 +0100

Yeld Gel: A gel run for the purpose of assessing the quantity and quality of the DNA extracted from a sample.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - W

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 15:21:32 +0100

Wage withholding: A procedure by which automatic deductions are made from wages or income to pay a debt such as child support.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - V

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:56:49 +0100

Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNRT): DNA locations that are comprised of short (i.e. 10-70 base pairs) repeats arranged in tandem. The length of the location will depend on the number of times the sequence is repeated. The number of repeats will vary among nonrelated individuals.

Visitation; Supervised Visitation: Pursuant to stipulation, agreement, or court order, visits of unemancipated children with their non-custodial parent. Visits are supervised by a responsible adult when the non-custodial parent is accused of child abuse or neglect.

Visitation, Grandparent: Grandparents have visitation rights in all 50 states. These rights generally do not cover non-biological descendants, i.e., adopted grandchildren or biological grandchildren given up for adoption.

Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage: A statement signed by the father (and usually the mother) that they are indeed the biological parents.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - T

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:55:17 +0100

T: See thymine.

Taq DNA Polymerase: The heat stable DNA polymerase used in the PCR reaction.

Testimony: Statements made by a witness under oath.

Thymine: An organic base, one of the four monomers or building blocks from which DNA is made.variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR). The class of genetic loci most commonly used in forensic DNA analysis. They are composed of 9 to 75 base pair sequences that are repeated different numbers of times in different people. Hence, the physical length of the DNA molecule at these loci will vary from person to person.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - S

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:52:56 +0100

Scanner: Common term for the computer driven video devices used to electronically estimate the sizes of DNA restriction fragments detected in a forensic RFLP test.

Serology: In forensic science the study of body fluids and body fluid stains. Forensic DNA analysis is generally performed by specially trained forensic serologists.

Service by Publication: Notice in a newspaper telling someone that a claim has been filed against him/her.

Service of Process: The delivery of a writ or summons to the party to whom it is directed for the purpose of obtaining jurisdiction over that party.

Single Locus Probe: A DNA probe that detects a single DNA region creating one ("homozygote") to two (heterozygote) bands on an autoradiograph.

Southern Blotting: The technique of transferring DNA fragments in a gel to a solid support such as a sheet of nylon. The resulting sheet of nylon with the DNA permanently affixed to it is referred to as the blot.

STR: Short tandem repeat see AFLP.

Support Order: A legally binding edict from a court of law that dictates conditions of support that a noncustodial parent must pay.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - R

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:51:15 +0100

Random Man: A theoretical man of unknown genetic comparison from a population with the same racial background as the alleged father.

Random Man Not Excluded (RMNE): The frequency with which men selected at random from the same racial group as the alleged father and tested to the same extent as the alleged father would not be excluded as the biological father of the child.

Recessive: A trait that is partially or completely masked by the effect of a dominant allele. The dominant A or B allele masks the presence of the recessive O allele.

Red Cell Antigens: Genetic markers found on the surface of red cells, e.g. ABO, Rh, MNSs.

Replication: The enzymatic process of making new DNA based on the use of use of an existing strand of DNA as a template. The enzymes that perform this process require a primer, a short piece of DNA complementary to the template that defines the base at which the replication will start and that will become part of the newly synthesized DNA.restriction enzymes (RE), restriction endonucleases. A class of enzymes obtained from microorganisms that cut the DNA strands at specific four to twelve base pair sequences. There are over one hundred restriction enzymes commercially available each having a different recognition site. In forensic science the most commonly used RE is called Hae III although there are some labs who still use Hinf I or Pst I.
Restriction Enzyme: A bacterial enzyme which recognizes a specific set of bases and the DNA at that specific site.

Restriction Fragment: A piece of DNA identified by a specific restriction enzyme.

Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP): Variations in the length of a DNA restriction fragment caused by the presence of a polymorphic locus within the fragment. Analysis of RFLPs by the Southern blotting method is the most common and definitive forensic DNA test.

RE Test Gel: A gel used to analyze DNA that has been cut by a restriction enzyme (RE) to ensure that the cutting of the DNA has been complete. Sometimes contaminants in forensic samples will inhibit the action of the enzyme and prevent it from cutting the DNA.

RNA Ribonucleic Acid: A nucleic acid polymer similar to DNA and used to translate the genetic code into a form useful by the cells.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - Q

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:49:50 +0100

Quality Assurance: Externally administered programs that are design to assess and maintain a minimum level of laboratory performance. It includes laboratory inspection and accreditation, personnel training, examination and certification, regular proficiency testing and the maintenance of a quality control program.

Quality Control: Systematic regular activities for verifying and maintaining a specified level of quality in a product or process. It includes careful planning, regular documentation, continued inspection and measurement and the implementation of corrective action when necessary.

DNA Paternity Testing Glossary - P

Paternityzone — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:48:12 +0100

Parens patriease: The right of the state to take charge of the care and custody of minor children or other legal incompetents when their health or safety so requires.

Parentage Judgment: The decision of the court regarding the parentage of a child.

Paternity Index (Likelihood Ratio): For an individual genetic system it is the ratio between the chance that the alleged father may pass the paternal gene compared to the chance that a random man may pass the paternal gene to the child. It is sometimes referred to as the genetic odds in favor of paternity, given the genetic findings in the mother-child-alleged father.

PCR: See polymerase chain reaction.

Phenotype: The measurable genetic markers in a given individual at a specific locus. It may or may not reflect the actual alleles present (see genotype). Example: a person with type A blood is said to have the A phenotype but could have the AO genotype.

Polymerase Chain Reaction: An in vitro method for reproducing DNA in the laboratory. Many millions of copies of a defined short sequence can be made in a short time. Repeated cycling of the reaction allows the new DNA to increase in a geometric fashion.

Polymorphic Locus: A genetic locus for which there are many alleles in existence. The loci used in forensic science are the most polymorphic known.

Population: A defined group of individuals for which databases of gene frequencies are collected by sampling members of the population. In forensic science population databases are collected and maintained by major racial or ethnic group.

Population Database: A random sampling of alleles for a given probe/racial group combination used to determine the frequency of an allele in the population.

Population Substructure: The hypothesis that within the major population groups there exist subgroups whose allele frequency patterns would differ from the parent population to such an extent that the database would not be suitable for forensic use. This phenomena is described by the Wahlund principle.

Polymorphism: The existence of more than one form of a genetic trait.

Population Genetics: A discipline that examines the character and extent of inherited differences within and between populations.

Power of Exclusion (A): The ability of a genetic test to exclude a falsely accused man of paternity and is dependent upon the phenotypes of the mother and child and the ethnic background of the alleged father.

A = (1 - p) ² where p = the frequency of the paternal allele in the child.

Presumption of Paternity: This is a legal assumption that a particular person is the child's father. This will be binding unless proven otherwise.

Primer: A short piece of DNA, usually synthetic, that defines the specific site on a DNA molecule for a DNA polymerase to start making new DNA. An essential ingredient in the PCR reaction mix.

Prior Probability (Pr): An assigned numerical value of from 0 - 1 (ranging from impossible to certain) of the non-genetic evidence used in evaluating paternity. It is estimated on the basis of the circumstances surrounding the event, e.g. casual acquaintance versus an intimate relationship. A prior probability of 0.5 is considered neutral and is an equal weighting of the nongenetic evidence for and against paternity.

Private case: Any child-related litigation to which the state is not a party.

Pro Se; Pro Se Appearance: When a party handles her own case, i.e., represents herself, she is said to appear "pro se."

Probability of Paternity (W): A statistical means of describing the likelihood that the alleged father is the biological father of the child. This value incorporates the genetic (Paternity Index) and nongenetic (Prior Probability) information.

Probe: Short segment of DNA that is tagged with a radioactive or chemical tracer and is then used to detect the presence of a particular DNA sequence through hybridization to its complementary sequence.

Product Rule: The concept from elementary probability theory that allows the frequency of occurrence of independent events to be multiplied together to estimate how often they would occur together.

Proficiency Tests: Testing of laboratory personnel performed as part of a quality assurance program. Samples of known composition are supplied to analysts by outside agencies or laboratory management as a way of evaluating and maintaining performance standards.

Protein: A biological polymer made up of amino acids whose structure is coded for by the DNA. Proteins are the primary structural, functional and regulatory molecules of the body. Enzymes are a major class of proteins.

Protocol: Laboratory procedures manual.