72 research outputs found
Over Her Dismembered Body: The Crime Fiction of Mo Hayder and Jo Nesbø
No full textImages of dismembered women can affect crime fiction readers in a number of ways: they may shock, enrage, disgust, or titillate them. In her novel Birdman, British author Mo Hayder presents a woman whose ‘scalp had been peeled from the skull … folded over so the hair and face hung like a wet rubber mask, inside out, covering the mouth and neck, pooling on the clavicle’ (2000: 24). In The Snowman, Norwegian author Jo Nesbø describes the body of a woman, so mutilated that it ‘was only thanks to a naked breast that they had been able to determine gender’ (2010: 54). Claims have been made that crime fiction is ramping up the violence towards female victims as a sales ploy (Hill 2009), yet I argue that in Nesbø and Hayder, the representation of violence is central to their attempt to examine critically society’s contempt for women and their bodies. In this chapter I demonstrate, through close readings of Mo Hayder’s Birdman and Jo Nesbø’s The Snowman, how these two authors not only resist the powerful trope of the eroticized female corpse, but also use images of violence and dismemberment to criticize the way society reduces women to their sexual and reproductive functions and destroys them when they are surplus to requirements.</p
The Anatomy of Genital Systems
No full textThe incorporation of real cadaveric images into the presentation in non-cadaveric anatomy curriculum to test students' knowledge at the end of each topic and lecture and allow them to appreciate real life body structure</p
Clinical Neuroanatomy
No full textThe incorporation of real cadaveric images into the presentation in non-cadaveric anatomy curriculum to test students' knowledge at the end of each topic and lecture and allow them to appreciate real life body structure</p
Population genetic diversity in an Iraqi population and gene flow across the Arabian Peninsula.
No full textY-STRs have emerged as important forensic and population genetic markers for human identification and population differentiation studies. Therefore, population databases for these markers have been developed for almost all major populations around the world. The Iraqi population encompasses several ethnic groups that need to be genetically characterised and evaluated for possible substructures. Previous studies on the Iraqi population based on Y-STR markers were limited by a restricted number of markers. A larger database for Iraqi Arab population needed to be developed to help study and compare the population with other Middle Eastern populations. Twenty-three Y-STR loci included in the PowerPlex Y23 (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) were typed in 254 males from the Iraqi Arab population. Global and regional Y-STR analysis demonstrated regional genetic continuity among the populations of Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. The Iraqi Arab haplotypes were used to allocate samples to their most likely haplogroups using Athey's Haplogroup Predictor tool. Prediction indicated predominance (36.6%) of haplogroup J1 in Iraqi Arabs. The migration rate between other populations and the Iraqis was inferred using coalescence theory in the Migrate-n program. Y-STR data were used to test different out-of-Africa migration models as well as more recent migrations within the Arabian Peninsula. The migration models demonstrated that gene flow to Iraq began from East Africa, with the Levantine corridor the most probable passageway out of Africa. The data presented here will enrich our understanding of genetic diversity in the region and introduce a PowerPlex Y23 database to the forensic community
An X-STRs analysis of the Iraqi Sorani Kurds
Full text linkA database for the Iraqi Sorani Kurds, specifically focused on the 12 X-short tandem repeat (STR) loci, has been developed to fascilitate forensic and population genetics investigations. The present study involved genotyping 117 unrelated individuals from the Sorani Kurds ethnic group using the Investigator Argus X-12 QS kit. The analysis revealed that the DXS10135 locus exhibited the highest degree of polymorphism, as indicated by a polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.94565 and a gene diversity (GD) value of 0.95623. Conversely, the DXS8378 locus displayed the lowest level of polymorphism, with a PIC value of 0.61026 and a GD value of 0.68170. Notably, two individuals were found to possess a rare allele (allele = 6) at the DXS8378 locus, which was not included in the allelic ladder of the kit. Furthermore, a significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) (p < 0.05/117) was observed between the DXS10103 and DXS10101 loci on linkage group 3 (LG3). The ancestral composition of the five primary geographic regions, namely Africa, Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and South America, was determined through the utilization of the FST/FSTmax ratio. The findings of this analysis revealed that the Middle Eastern populations exhibited the lowest FST/FSTmax ratio, measuring at 0.23243, indicating a relatively lower ancestral diversity. Conversely, the European populations showcased the highest FST/FSTmax ratio, measuring at 0.27122, indicative of a greater ancestral diversity within this region. Additionally, the allelic richness indicators, namely distinctive and private alleles, indicated that Africa and the Middle East displayed the highest levels, while Far East Asia exhibited the lowest. This analysis supports the hypothesis of repeated founder effects during outward migrations, as evidenced by both the ancestry variability and the allelic richness. Consequently, the findings of this study have important implications for forensic genetics and population genetics research, particularly in relation to the consideration of genetic predispositions within specific ethnic groups
Deciphering the genetic diversity in the Arabian Peninsula and Africa: insights from Y-STR data
Full text linkMiddle Eastern and African populations make up a significant portion of the global population and exhibit substantial genetic diversity. However, genetic studies on these populations have been largely underrepresented compared to other populations. This study analysed published Y-STR data for 186 populations and regions, including 14,504 individuals from 52 Middle Eastern and 134 African populations. The highest genetic diversity was found at the DYS458 locus in the Middle East and North Africa, and at the DYS385b locus in other African regions. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis and genetic distance calculations between Middle Eastern and African populations revealed five distinct clusters. The Arabian Peninsula countries formed two small clusters, while most African countries formed two mains centrally located clusters. The most common haplogroups in the Middle Eastern populations were J1a (29.4%), while in the African populations, E1b1a (43.2%) was the most prevalent. This study examined two allelic richness parameters: distinct and private alleles. Central Africa showed the highest levels of distinct alleles, with the Middle East having the third-highest level. The prevalence of private alleles in the Middle East was moderate, lower than South Africa but higher than North Africa. A population Q-matrix graph was constructed, yielding 10 clusters (K = 10) that identified population clusters in the Y-STR data corresponding to specific geographical regions and revealed stronger sub-grouping of countries within each population
Population genetic study of 17 Y-STR Loci of the Sorani Kurds in the Province of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
Full text linkBACKGROUND: The Kurds as an ethnic group are believed to be a combination of earlier Indo-European tribes who migrated and inhabited a mountainous area thousands of years ago. However, as it is difficult to describe the precise history of their origin, it is necessary to investigate their population relationship with other geographical and ethnic groups. RESULTS: Seventeen Short Tandem Repeat markers on the Y chromosome (Y-STR) included in the AmpFLSTR™ Yfiler™ PCR Amplification Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) were used to type DNA samples from the Sorani (Central) Kurdish population in Sulaymaniyah province. One hundred fifty-seven haplotypes were obtained from 162 unrelated male individuals. The highest and lowest gene diversities were DYS385a/b (GD = 0.848) and DYS392 (GD = 0.392), respectively. The haplotypes were used to predict the most likely haplogroups in the Sulaymaniyah population. CONCLUSION: Haplogroup prediction indicated predominance (28%) of subclade J2 (44/157) in the Sorani Kurds, northeast of Iraq. The pairwise genetic distance results showed that the Kurdish group clustered along with Asian populations, whereas the furthest countries were Europeans and Africans. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-09005-6
Population genetic diversity in an Iraqi population and gene flow across the Arabian Peninsula
Full text linkAbstract: Y-STRs have emerged as important forensic and population genetic markers for human identification and population differentiation studies. Therefore, population databases for these markers have been developed for almost all major populations around the world. The Iraqi population encompasses several ethnic groups that need to be genetically characterised and evaluated for possible substructures. Previous studies on the Iraqi population based on Y-STR markers were limited by a restricted number of markers. A larger database for Iraqi Arab population needed to be developed to help study and compare the population with other Middle Eastern populations. Twenty-three Y-STR loci included in the PowerPlex Y23 (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) were typed in 254 males from the Iraqi Arab population. Global and regional Y-STR analysis demonstrated regional genetic continuity among the populations of Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. The Iraqi Arab haplotypes were used to allocate samples to their most likely haplogroups using Athey’s Haplogroup Predictor tool. Prediction indicated predominance (36.6%) of haplogroup J1 in Iraqi Arabs. The migration rate between other populations and the Iraqis was inferred using coalescence theory in the Migrate-n program. Y-STR data were used to test different out-of-Africa migration models as well as more recent migrations within the Arabian Peninsula. The migration models demonstrated that gene flow to Iraq began from East Africa, with the Levantine corridor the most probable passageway out of Africa. The data presented here will enrich our understanding of genetic diversity in the region and introduce a PowerPlex Y23 database to the forensic community
The Qatari population’s genetic structure and gene flow as revealed by the Y chromosome
Full text linkThe Y-chromosome has been widely used in forensic genetic applications and human population genetic studies due to its uniparental origins. A large database on the Qatari population was created for comparison with other databases from the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and Africa. We provide a study of 23 Y-STR loci included in PowerPlex Y23 (Promega, USA) that were genotyped to produce haplotypes in 379 unrelated males from Qatar, a country at the crossroads of migration patterns. Overall, the most polymorphic locus provided by the Promega kit was DYS458, with a genetic diversity value of 0.85 and a haplotype diversity of 0.998924. Athey’s Haplogroup Predictor tool was used to predict haplogroups from Y-STR haplotypes in the Qatari population. In a median-joining network, the haplogroup J1 predominance (49%) in Qatar generated a star-like expansion cluster. The graph of population Q-matrix was developed using Y-STR data from 38 Middle Eastern and 97 African populations (11,305 individuals), and it demonstrated a stronger sub-grouping of countries within each ethnic group and showed the effect of Arabs on the indigenous Berbers of North Africa. The estimated migration rate between the Qatari and other Arabian populations was inferred using Bayesian coalescence theory in the Migrate-n program. According to the Gene Flow study, the main migration route was from Yemen to Kuwait through Qatar. Our research, using the PowerPlex Y23 database, shows the importance of gene diversity, as well as regional and social structuring, in determining the utility of demographic and forensic databases
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