Skip to main content

Evaluation of DNA Mixtures Accounting for Sampling Variability

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Proceedings of COMPSTAT'2010

Abstract

In the conventional evaluation of DNA mixtures, the allele frequencies are often taken as constants. But they are in fact estimated from a sample taken from a population and thus the variability of the estimates has to be taken into account. Within a Bayesian framework, the evaluation of DNA mixtures accounting for sampling variability in the population database of allele frequencies are discussed in this paper. The concise and general formulae are provided for calculating the likelihood ratio when the people involved are biologically related. The implementation of the formula is demonstrated on the analysis of a real example. The resulting formulae are shown to be more conservative, which is generally more favorable to the defendant.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • BALDING, D. J. (1995): Estimating products in forensic identification using DNA profiles. J. Am. Statist. Ass. 90, 839-844.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • BALDING, D. J. and DONNELLY, P. (1995): Inference in forensic identification (with discussion). J. R. Statist. Soc. A 158, 21-53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BALDING, D. J. and NICHOLS, R. A. (1994) DNA profile match probability calculations: how to allow for population stratification, relatedness, data base selection and single bands. Forens. Sci. Int. 64, 125-140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CORRADI, F., LAGO, G. and STEFANINI, F. M. (2003) The evaluation of DNA evidence in pedigrees requiring population inference. J. R. Statist. Soc. A 166, 425-440.

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • COWELL, R. G., LAURITZEN, S. L. and MORTERA, J. (2007) A gamma model for DNA mixture analyses. Bayesian Analysis 2, 333-348.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • CURRAN, J. M., TRIGGS, C. M., BUCKLETON, J. and WEIR, B. S. (1999) Interpreting DNA mixtures in structured populations. J. Forens. Sci. 44, 987-995.

    Google Scholar 

  • DAWID, A. P., MORTERA, J. and VICARD, P. (2007): Object-oriented Bayesian networks for forensic DNA profiling, allowing for missing subjects, mutation and silent alleles. Forens. Sci. Int. 169, 195-205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FOREMAN, L. A., SMITH, A. F. M. and EVETT, I. W. (1997): Bayesian analysis of DNA profiling data in forensic identification applications (with discussion). J. R. Statist. Soc. A 160, 429-469.

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • FUKSHANSKY, N. and BÄR, W. (1998): Interpreting forensic DNA evidence on the basis of hypotheses testing. Int. J. Legal Med. 111, 62-66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FUKSHANSKY, N. and BÄR, W. (1999): Biostatistical evaluation of mixed stains with contributors of different ethnic origin. Int. J. Legal Med. 112, 383-387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FUKSHANSKY, N. and BÄR, W. (2000): Biostatistical for mixed stains: the case of tested relatives of a non-tested suspect. Int. J. Legal Med. 114, 78-82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FUNG, W. K. and HU, Y. Q. (2000): Interpreting forensic DNA mixtures: allowing for uncertainty in population substructure and dependence. J. R. Statist. Soc. A 163, 241-254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FUNG, W. K. and HU, Y. Q. (2008): Statistical DNA Forensics: Theory, Methods and Computation. Chichester: Wiley.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • HU, Y. Q. and FUNG, W. K. (2003): Interpreting DNA mixtures with the presence of relatives. Int. J. Legal Med. 117, 39-45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HU, Y. Q. and FUNG, W. K. (2005): Evaluation of DNA mixtures involving two pairs of relatives. Int. J. Legal Med. 119, 251-259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MORTERA, J., DAWID, A. P. and LAURITZEN, S. L. (2003): Probabilistic expert systems for DNA mixture profiling. Theor. Popul. Biol. 63, 191-205.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • WEIR, B. S., TRIGGS, C. M., STARLING, L., STOWELL, L. I., WALSH, K. A. J. and BUCKLETON, J. S. (1997): Interpreting DNA mixtures. J. Forens. Sci. 42, 113-122.

    Google Scholar 

  • WONG, D. M., LAW, M. Y., FUNG, W. K., CHAN, K. L., LI, C., LUN, T. S., LAI, K. M., CHEUNG, K. Y. and CHIU, C. T. (2001): Population data for 12 STR loci in Hong Kong Chinese. Int. J. Legal Med. 114, 281-284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuk-Ka Chung .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Chung, YK., Hu, YQ., Zhu, DG., Fung, W.K. (2010). Evaluation of DNA Mixtures Accounting for Sampling Variability. In: Lechevallier, Y., Saporta, G. (eds) Proceedings of COMPSTAT'2010. Physica-Verlag HD. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2604-3_42

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics