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L A Foreman

Publications and source records attributed to L A Foreman.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Inferring ethnic origin by means of an STR profile.

We report the use of DNA profiles from six STR loci for inferring the ethnic origin of a crime stain and discuss how such inference may be used as intelligence information to reduce the expected number of interviews to resolve a case. To enable this work, databases have been created for five British ethnic groups (Caucasians, Afro-Caribbeans, Indian sub-continentals, Southeast Asians and Middle Easterners) that together comprise 99.7% of the UK population.

Asia, Southeastern↗
PubMed2001

Statistical analyses to support forensic interpretation for a new ten-locus STR profiling system.

A new ten-locus STR (short tandem repeat) profiling system was recently introduced into casework by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) and statistical analyses are described here based on data collected using this new system for the three major racial groups of the UK: Caucasian. Afro-Caribbean and Asian (of Indo-Pakistani descent). Allele distributions are compared and the FSS position with regard to routine significance testing of DNA frequency databases is discussed. An investigation of match probability calculations is carried out and the consequent analyses are shown to provide support for proposed changes in how the FSS reports DNA results when very small match probabilities are involved.

Asian People↗
PubMed2000

Genetic differentiation within and between four UK ethnic groups.

In previous papers [L.A. Foreman, J.A. Lambert, I.W. Evett, Regional genetic variation in Caucasians, Forensic Sci. Int. 95 (1998) 27-37; L.A. Foreman, Analyses to investigate appropriate measures of differentiation between European Caucasian populations using short tandem repeat (STR) data, FSS Research Report FSS-RR-804 (1999)], we have carried out detailed investigations of the level of regional and national variation in STR characteristics exhibited within white Caucasian populations. The studies described here extend our earlier work to the black African/Caribbean and Asian (Indo-Pakistani) populations of the UK, routinely considered in casework calculations at the Forensic Science Service (FSS). In addition, estimation of allele distributions and database comparisons are carried out for two further populations, i.e. those classified as containing individuals of Oriental and Arabic appearance.

Asia↗
PubMed1998

Regional genetic variation in Caucasians.

When evaluating DNA evidence, the necessary calculations are often carried out using databases drawn from broad populations; for example, the Forensic Science Service (FSS) maintains genetic databases for the 3 major racial groups of England and Wales--Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean and Asian (from the Indian subcontinent). The resulting figures may be challenged in court on the premise that they are not based on data from the population of most relevance in the particular case under consideration. One important factor might be the location of the crime. Since the recent establishment of a National DNA Intelligence Database, data have been made available from a wide range of geographical regions in England and Wales. This paper gives details of analyses conducted to measure the differentiation between white caucasian populations from these regions and from other areas of the UK and abroad using a Bayesian approach.

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed1998

Using a tree diagram to interpret a mixed DNA profile.

A recent case is described where the evidence of bloodstaining on a knife suggested that it was a mixture from the two victims. Interpretation of the evidence in this problem necessitated the formulation of several sets of multiple hypotheses which were analyzed by means of a tree diagram. The problem was then greatly simplified to one of comparing the two alternative hypotheses of most interest. It was found that results were robust to variation in the expert's judgment regarding the possibility that a mixture of blood was present on the knife.

Blood Stains↗
PubMed1997

A Bayesian approach to validating STR multiplex databases for use in forensic casework.

A previous paper in this journal has described the conventional statistical analysis of three databases (Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean and Asians from the Indian subcontinent) where individuals are typed at six short tandem repeat (STR) loci. This paper presents a Bayesian analysis of the same data and the approach is centred on the concept of estimating coancestry coefficients from mixed databases. Posterior distributions for the three databases are presented and the discussed and the consequences of implementing bootstrap estimation procedures are also shown.

Bayes Theorem↗