Ranajit Chakraborty2019-08-222019-08-222015-05-012016-08-05https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/29311Determination of ancestry using DNA markers is an important issue in DNA forensics. The ability to identify an individual’s ancestry could narrow down the pool of possible individuals involved in a crime. Several types of ancestry informative markers (AIMs) have been suggested in the literature. For this study, Alu markers were used for investigating their utility for Caucasian versus African and Caucasian versus Asian ancestry determinations. Three measures of AIMs were calculated for 42 Alu markers. Rank correlations of these three measures were used for investigating if a smaller number of top-ranked loci can improve ancestry determination. The Alu markers chosen for this study were less informative than anticipated but did show potential for ancestry estimation when all 42 markers were used together.application/pdfenMedical SciencesMedicine and Health SciencesAlu markersancestryUnited StatesThesis