ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 7

Biostatistical Evaluation of Evidence from Continuous Allele Frequency Distribution Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Probes in Reference to Disputed Paternity and Identity
Sanda, AI
Associate professor of physics, Rockefeller University, NY

Morris, JW
Associate clinical professor of pathology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, and Department of Pathology, Memorial Medical Center, CA

Glassberg, J
president, Nucleics Inc., NY

(Received 28 September 1988; accepted 28 December 1988)

Abstract

We present a development and discussion of the biostatistical evaluation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probe evidence in forensic science cases of disputed paternity and identity. We restrict ourselves to single-locus codominant systems (highly analogous to more conventional systems) which have the apparently novel complication of an experimentally continuous allele frequency distribution. This complication necessitates reformulations of standard biostatistical summaries of the evidence (the paternity index (PI) and the phenotype frequency, respectively). These reformulations, rather than representing a unique case, have applicability to the evaluation of evidence obtained in standard genetic systems now in widespread use.

Keywords:
pathology and biology, paternity, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Paper ID: JFS12771J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS12771J
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