Browsing by Subject "Biological and Physical Anthropology"
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Item Development of a Comprehensive Massively Parallel Sequencing Panel of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Short Tandem Repeat Markers for Human Identification(2015-08-01) Warshauer, David H.; Bruce Budowle; Ranajit Chakraborty; Bobby L. LaRueMassively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies allow for the detection of an unparalleled amount of genetic information with unprecedented speed and relative ease. These qualities make the technology desirable for generating DNA profiles that may be uploaded into forensic offender, arrestee, and family reference database files. This doctoral dissertation research was conducted under the hypothesis that MPS, with its exquisitely high throughput, can provide a system whereby reference samples can be typed for a large battery of markers, providing more discrimination power for forensic DNA typing and offering increased opportunities to develop investigative leads. The design and implementation of large marker panels for the typing of reference samples will reduce debates on the best core markers for forensic utility, generate innovation because focus will not be solely on a core set of autosomal STRs, promote the development of better systems that can analyze more challenging samples, and enable sharing of data across laboratories worldwide. The primary goal of this project was to develop the capability of typing reference samples for a large battery of markers: 84 autosomal, Y-chromosome, and X-chromosome short tandem repeats (STRs), Amelogenin, and 275 human identity single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in a single multiplex analysis. To that end, a bioinformatic software package, STRait Razor, was developed to detect STR alleles in raw MPS data. A proof-of-concept study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of using MPS to type forensically relevant markers, using a PCR multiplex-based SNP assay. The proposed comprehensive capture-based MPS panel then was designed and extensively tested. Finally, the benefits of the additional genetic data afforded by MPS, as opposed to traditional methods, were illustrated through the characterization of intra-repeat nucleotide variation within Y-chromosome STR alleles. The results of this dissertation research indicate that MPS is capable of providing robust genetic data from a wide variety of forensically-relevant STR and SNP loci in a single analysis. To date, the comprehensive MPS panel developed during the course of these studies is the most potentially informative assay for reference sample testing for human identification.Item Do Social Factors Influence the Severity of Diabetes among Hispanics in Fort Worth?: A Cross-Sectional Study(2004-05-01) Moayad, Neda Zandi; Hector Balcazar; Manuel Bayona; Sue LurieNeda Zandi Moayad, Do social factors influence the severity of Diabetes among Hispanics in Fort Worth? A cross-sectional study. Doctor of Public Health, May 2004, 91 pp., 5 tables, bibliography, 99 titles. The Latino population is the fastest growing ethnic group in Texas, representing more than 35% of the total population. There is evidence that diabetes among Latinos has increased considerably in recent years. The prevalence of type II diabetes in Latinos ages 45-74 is three times higher than in the non-Latino whites of the same age group. The goal of this research was to assess the importance of selected potential prognostic factors to severe type II diabetes in Latino patients. Among other findings, the results of this study show that family history of diabetes, place of birth and having spent childhood in Mexico, preferring Spanish as the spoken language, having been educated in Mexico, receiving food stamps, smoking, being overweight and obsess, acculturation and low family cohesiveness were associated with severe diabetes. These findings indicate that level of family cohesiveness and acculturation and other variables might be predictors of diabetes severity.Item Physical and Biochemical Factors Affecting the Recovery and Analysis of DNA from Human Skeletal Remains(2014-12-01) Combs, Laura Gaydosh; Joseph E. Warren; Rhonda Roby; Teresa D. GoldenThere are approximately 4,400 sets of unidentified human remains recovered each year, nearly a quarter of which are not identified within the year following recovery. Obtaining genetic information through DNA testing of bone samples has become a critical element to identifying missing persons and recovered human remains. DNA is preserved within the structure of bone for vast amounts of time, surviving environmental and microbial insults, yet bone is one the most challenging sample types encountered by forensic scientists. This is due to the resilient structure of bone and the prevalence and variety of materials which co-isolate with DNA during extraction and function as inhibitors of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Bone-associated PCR inhibitors include native components and environmental materials, acquired as a consequence of the porous composition of bone. Quality assurance requirements governing DNA testing laboratories do not mandate direct evaluation of the product of the DNA extraction process; coupled with poor characterization of PCR inhibitors, the forensic community has not adequately demonstrated the efficiency of methods used to extract DNA from bone samples. The primary hypothesis is failure of PCR-based testing of DNA from skeletal remains is frequently encountered due to inefficient extraction methods and PCR inhibition. This dissertation project has: 1) demonstrated an approach for identifying and characterizing putative PCR inhibitors, emphasizing those originating from the mineral contents of bone; and, 2) assessed the efficiency of current methods used for extracting DNA from bone samples, in terms of quality and quantity of the recovered template. Control genomic DNA, bone samples from adjudicated forensic cases obtained from the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, and cadaver bone samples obtained from the Willed Body Program at University of North Texas Health Science Center were used for experiments. Laboratory experiments included: DNA extraction, analysis of DNA fragmentation, quantification of DNA, amplification of short tandem repeat (STR) forensic loci, genetic analysis, and elemental analyses that were conducted in collaboration with the University of North Texas Department of Chemistry and Forensic Science Program.Item Population Variances in the Whole Mitochondrial Genome Impacting Capture for Human Identification(2015-05-01) Skandalis, Lisa A.; Bruce Budowle; Michael Allen; Robert C. BarberThe mitochondrial genome (mtGenome) holds a wealth of information that can be used for human identification purposes. Sequencing and analyzing the entire mtGenome can help to obtain more of this information. However, library preparation steps prior to sequencing could be problematic when dealing with compromised or degraded samples. A capture/hybridization assay targeted to the entire mtGenome can enrich for the target DNA without PCR or chemically altering the DNA. The melting temperatures (Tm) of two different length fragments for an African American and Caucasian individual were mapped across the length of the genome to study any variation that might occur. While population-specific Tm differences seem to be almost negligible, there is wide intra-individual Tm variation, ranging from about 11-31°C. To overcome the issue of an assay run at a single set of temperature parameters, two separate reactions optimized for higher and lower Tm values could prove to be more efficient.