Aspects of human relationship identification using short tandem repeats

Human short tandem repeat (STR) loci identification can be for linking material from a crime scene to an individual or linking two individuals. Paternity testing is one form of linkage where typically samples are tested between the mother, child and putative father (trio) and a probability (CPI) of paternity (or maternity) can be calculated. If only one parent is available for a paternity test (duo), the probability of paternity will be reduced. Besides, the study also focuses on only two in putative siblings' and only two putative half-siblings' relationship determination, also strength of probabilities are expressed by Combined Sibling Indices (CSI) and Combined Half-sibling Indices (CHSI). Three real populations were used to generate visual offspring and random pairs to check if the existence of Coincidental Matched Pairs (CMPs) where unrelated individuals share alleles for all loci become false parent and child (nonexcluded inclusion). When real duos also observed for the distribution of CPI, then under different CPI cutoffs, the specificity and sensitivity of the STR systems can be determined. Siblingship and Half-siblingship were also examined the same way for observing different index cutoffs and their corresponding specificity and sensitivity, besides allele sharing situation, Two-Allele-Sharing-Locus (TASL) for sibling and All-Shared-Alleles (ASA) for half-sibling were added up for enhancing the specificity and sensitivity. A combination of these two data sets as index and allele-sharing increased the confidence in an determination of inclusion, especially for the low CSI and low CHSI cases. Recommendations are made in this thesis for flexible cutoff values to assist in determination of human relationship in normal and non-optimal situation.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral-pg

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Strathclyde

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Chang, En Pu

DOI

10.48730/e12a-gb90

Identifier

T12377

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:strathclyde:bg257f071