Y-chromosome STR haplotypes in a population sample of the Byelorussian minority living in the northeastern Poland

Haplotype and allele frequencies for the eight Y-STRs were determined in a population sample of 156 unrelated Byelorussian males. The most common haplotype was shared by 3.85% of the sample, while 121 haplotypes were unique. The gene diversity was 0.98.     

Allele distribution of 15 STR loci in a population sample of Byelorussian minority residing in the northeastern Poland

Allele frequencies for the 15 STRs included in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit were determined in a population sample of 212 unrelated individuals of the Byelorussian minority residing in the northeastern Poland. All loci, except TPOX, met Hardy-Weinberg expectations. Exact tests disequilibrium analysis revealed 5 departures from independence out of 105 pairwise comparisons.     

Direct PCR Improves the Recovery of DNA from Various Substrates

This study reports on the comparison of a standard extraction process with the direct PCR approach of processing low-level DNA swabs typical in forensic investigations. Varying concentrations of control DNA were deposited onto three commonly encountered substrates, brass, plastic, and glass, left to dry, and swabbed using premoistened DNA-free nylon FLOQswabs^™. Swabs (n = 90) were either processed using the DNA IQ^™ kit or, for direct PCR, swab fibers (~2 mm²) were added directly to the PCR with no prior extraction. A significant increase in the height of the alleles (p < 0.005) was observed when using the direct PCR approach over the extraction methodology when controlling for surface type and mass of DNA deposited. The findings indicate the potential use of direct PCR for increasing the PCR product obtained from low-template DNA samples in addition to minimizing contamination and saving resources.     

Population genetics of Y-chromosome STRs in a population of Podlasie, Northeastern Poland

Haplotype and allele frequencies for the 12 Y-STRs were determined in a population sample of 186 Polish males. Five of the haplotypes were encountered in duplicate, while 176 haplotypes were unique. The overall gene diversity was 0.9973. This database study provides an essential precondition for applying Y-chromosomal STRs estimates in forensic identification of male DNA and tracing of paternal lineages.     

Allele distribution of 15 STR loci in a population sample of the Lithuanian minority residing in the Northeastern Poland

Allele frequencies for the 15 STRs included in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit were determined in a population sample of 140 unrelated individuals of the Lithuanian minority residing in the Northeastern Poland. Departure from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for loci VWA, TPOX and D7S820 did not sustain after applying Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. Exact tests disequilibrium analysis revealed five departures from independence out of 105 pair-wise comparisons. The combined MP and PE for all 15 loci are 5.00 x 10(-17) and 0.9999, respectively.     

Economic Crisis and Sub-national Elections in Selected European Countries. Three Types of Possible Relationships

During the past two decades, decentralisation issues have generated a keen interest in a large number of countries. However, this notion is very difficult to define as it refers to a wide range of institutional arrangements on the political, economic and social levels. There are many good reasons why the allocation of fiscal resources and budget transfers among levels of government must come after a strict assignment of spending powers. Hence, decentralisation as a silent revolution in public sector governance has swept across the globe and has reemerged as a valued political and economic goal in most countries, significantly varying from country to country. The purpose of this article is to show the impact of financial and economic crisis on sub-national government and sub-national elections in chosen European countries such as Poland, Ireland, Denmark and Greece. In some of the countries mentioned the sub-national run-offs were conducted with national parliamentary elections, but not in other countries, including Poland. Because of its uniqueness, however, the explanation of which constitutes an essential part of the article, Poland can be ‘a matiere a penser’ and a starting point for interesting analysis. As can be seen, the economic situation can not only change the election results, but also stabilise the political system, which is a good example of how the government party can manipulate public opinion, or even make elections a referendum on economic policy. The main determinant is the financial situation of sub-national government units and the country concerned.     

Sequence analysis of a new short tandem repeat locus D17S2266E located in the human growth hormone gene cluster HumGH@

D17S2266E is a new, variable genetic marker exhibiting polymorphism of the number of repeats of four- and two-nucleotide motifs. This study, carried out on a group of 250 unrelated persons from various regions of Poland, revealed the presence of 24 different alleles ranging in size from 232 to 290 base pairs. Analysis of the sequenced fragments demonstrated that the alleles consisted of two flanking regions and two variable blocks that were separated by a consensus sequence. There were (AAAG)(5)(AG)(1)(AAAG)(3-4) repeats in the first block, and [(AAAG)(2)(AG)(1)](0-1)[(AAAG)(6)(AG)(1)](0-1)(AAAG)(n) repeats in the second block. On the basis of the allele frequencies in the population, we were able to do biostatistical calculations, which gave the following results: expected heterozygosity 0.8947 +/- 0.0137, power of discrimination 0.9793, polymorphism information content 0.8837, probability of exclusion (PE) 0.7859, PE for motherless cases 0.6473, and an average paternity index of 4.7470. These biostatistical parameters show that the marker D17S2266E can find a wide range of applications in forensic testing.