Fully Automatic Camera for Personalized Highlight Generation in Sporting Events.

Personally curated content in short-form video formats provides added value for participants and spectators but is often disregarded in lower-level events because it is too labor-intensive to create or is not recorded at all. Our smart sensor-driven tripod focuses on supplying a unified sensor and video solution to capture personalized highlights for participants in various sporting events with low computational and hardware costs. The relevant parts of the video for each participant are automatically determined by using the timestamps of his/her received sensor data.

CSYseq: The first Y-chromosome sequencing tool typing a large number of Y-SNPs and Y-STRs to unravel worldwide human population genetics.

Male-specific Y-chromosome (chrY) polymorphisms are interesting components of the DNA for population genetics. While single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) indicate distant evolutionary ancestry, short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) are able to identify close familial kinships. Detailed chrY analysis provides thus both biogeographical background information as paternal lineage identification.

Cell survival and DNA damage repair are promoted in the human blood thanatotranscriptome shortly after death.

RNA analysis of post-mortem tissues, or thanatotranscriptomics, has become a topic of interest in forensic science due to the essential information it can provide in forensic investigations. Several studies have previously investigated the effect of death on gene transcription, but it has never been conducted with samples of the same individual. For the first time, a longitudinal mRNA expression analysis study was performed with post-mortem human blood samples from individuals with a known time of death.

At the Interface of Life and Death: Post-mortem and Other Applications of Vaginal, Skin, and Salivary Microbiome Analysis in Forensics.

Microbial forensics represents a promising tool to strengthen traditional forensic investigative methods and fill related knowledge gaps. Large-scale microbiome studies indicate that microbial fingerprinting can assist forensics in areas such as trace evidence, source tracking, geolocation, and circumstances of death. Nevertheless, the majority of forensic microbiome studies focus on soil and internal organ samples, whereas the microbiome of skin, mouth, and especially vaginal samples that are routinely collected in sexual assault and femicide cases remain underexplored.

YMrCA: Improving Y-chromosomal ancestor time estimation for DNA kinship research.

The Y-chromosome is a valuable kinship indicator in family history and forensic research. To reconstruct genealogies, the time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) between paternal relatives can be estimated through Y-STR analysis. Existing models are the stepwise mutation model (SMM, only one-step Y-STR changes) and the infinite allele model (IAM, new allele per Y-STR change).

Ysurnames? The patrilineal Y-chromosome and surname correlation for DNA kinship research.

The Y-chromosome is a widely studied and useful small part of the genome providing different applications for interdisciplinary research. In many (Western) societies, the Y-chromosome and surnames are paternally co-inherited, suggesting a corresponding Y-haplotype for every namesake. While it has already been observed that this correlation may be disrupted by a false-paternity event, adoption, anonymous sperm donor or the co-founding of surnames, extensive information on the strength of the surname match frequency (SMF) with the Y-chromosome remains rather unknown.

A Historical-Genetic Reconstruction of Human Extra-Pair Paternity.

Paternity testing using genetic markers has shown that extra-pair paternity (EPP) is common in many pair-bonded species [1, 2]. Evolutionary theory and empirical data show that extra-pair copulations can increase the fitness of males as well as females [3, 4]. This can carry a significant fitness cost for the social father, who then invests in rearing offspring that biologically are not his own [5].

Correction to: The Dutch Y-chromosomal landscape.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The Dutch Y-chromosomal landscape.

Previous studies indicated existing, albeit limited, genetic-geographic population substructure in the Dutch population based on genome-wide data and a lack of this for mitochondrial SNP based data. Despite the aforementioned studies, Y-chromosomal SNP data from the Netherlands remain scarce and do not cover the territory of the Netherlands well enough to allow a reliable investigation of genetic-geographic population substructure. Here we provide the first substantial dataset of detailed spatial Y-chromosomal haplogroup information in 2085 males collected across the Netherlands and supplemented with previously published data from northern Belgium.

An interdisciplinary study around the reliquary of the late cardinal Jacques de Vitry.

The reliquary of Jacques de Vitry, a prominent clergyman and theologian in the early 13th century, has experienced several transfers over the last centuries, which seriously question the attribution of the remains to the late Cardinal. Uncertainty about the year of his birth poses an additional question regarding his age at death in 1240. The reliquary, located in the Saint Marie d'Oigines church, Belgium, was reopened in 2015 for an interdisciplinary study around his relics as well as the Treasure of Oignies, a remarkable cultural heritage notably built from Jacques de Vitry's donation.

A game of hide and seq: Identification of parallel Y-STR evolution in deep-rooting pedigrees.

Short tandem repeats on the Y-chromosome (Y-STRs) are common DNA polymorphisms useful for genetic genealogy, population and evolutionary genetics, human genetics, pathology and forensic sciences. It is important to identify all Y-STR variants and to have knowledge of Y-STR mutation rates in order to correctly estimate the time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) between paternally related individuals. When capillary electrophoresis (CE) is performed to analyze genealogical pairs, Y-STR sequence variations remain hidden when the number of repeats is identical.

Determining Y-STR mutation rates in deep-routing genealogies: Identification of haplogroup differences.

Knowledge of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) mutation rates is essential to determine the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) in familial searching or genealogy research. Up to now, locus-specific mutation rates have been extensively examined especially for commercially available forensic Y-STRs, while haplogroup specific mutation rates have not yet been investigated in detail. Through 450 patrilineally related namesakes distributed over 212 deep-rooting genealogies, the individual mutation rates of 42 Y-STR loci were determined, including 27 forensic Y-STR loci from the Yfiler Plus kit and 15 additional Y-STR loci (DYS388, DYS426, DYS442, DYS447, DYS454, DYS455, DYS459a/b, DYS549, DYS607, DYS643, DYS724a/b and YCAIIa/b).

The black legend on the Spanish presence in the low countries: Verifying shared beliefs on genetic ancestry.

Objectives: War atrocities committed by the Spanish army in the Low Countries during the 16th century are so ingrained in the collective memory of Belgian and Dutch societies that they generally assume a signature of this history to be present in their genetic ancestry. Historians claim this assumption is a consequence of the so-called "Black Legend" and negative propaganda portraying and remembering Spanish soldiers as extreme sexual aggressors. The impact of the presence of Spaniards during the Dutch Revolt on the genetic variation in the Low Countries has been verified in this study.

Defining Y-SNP variation among the Flemish population (Western Europe) by full genome sequencing.

Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) represent a powerful tool in forensic research and casework, especially for inferring paternal ancestry of unknown perpetrators and unidentified bodies. However, the wealth of recently discovered Y-SNPs, the 'jungle' of different evolutionary lineage trees and nomenclatures, and the lack of population-wide data of many phylogenetically mapped Y-SNPs, limits the use of Y-SNPs in routine forensic approaches. Recently, a concise reference phylogeny of the human Y chromosome, the 'Minimal Reference Y-tree', was introduced aiming to provide a stable phylogeny with optimal global discrimination capacity by including the most resolving Y-SNPs.

Genetic-genealogy approach reveals low rate of extrapair paternity in historical Dutch populations.

Objective: Evolutionary theory has shown that seeking out extrapair paternity (EPP) can be a viable reproductive strategy for both sexes in pair-bonded species, also in humans. As yet, estimates of the contemporary or historical EPP rate in human population are still rare. In the present study, we estimated the historical EPP rate in the Dutch population over the last 400 years and compared the rate with those obtained for other human populations to determine the evolutionary, cultural, and socio-demographic factors that influence human cuckoldry behavior.

Bight of Benin: a Maternal Perspective of Four Beninese Populations and their Genetic Implications on the American Populations of African Ancestry.

The understanding of the first movements of the ancestral populations within the African continent is still unclear, particularly in West Africa, due to several factors that have shaped the African genetic pool across time. To improve the genetic representativeness of the Beninese population and to better understand the patterns of human settlement inside West Africa and the dynamics of peopling of the Democratic Republic of Benin, we analyzed the maternal genetic variation of 193 Beninese individuals belonging to Bariba, Berba, Dendi, and Fon populations. Results support the oral traditions indicating that the western neighbouring populations have been the ancestors of the first Beninese populations, and the extant genetic structure of the Beninese populations is most likely the result of admixture between populations from neighbouring countries and native people.

Biohistorical materials and contemporary privacy concerns-the forensic case of King Albert I.

The rapid advancement of technology in genomic analysis increasingly allows researchers to study human biohistorical materials. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the privacy of the donor's living relatives and the negative impact they might experience from the (public) availability of genetic results, even in cases of scientific, forensic or historical relevance. This issue has become clear during a cold case investigation of a relic attributed to Belgian King and World War I-hero Albert I who died, according to the official version, in a solo climbing accident in 1934.

In-Solution Hybridization for the Targeted Enrichment of the Whole Mitochondrial Genome.

A detailed protocol is presented for the targeted enrichment of whole mitochondrial genomes based on an in-solution hybridization strategy. Bait is produced in-house by sonication of two long-range PCR amplicons and ligation of biotinylated double-stranded adapters. Indexed target DNA is hybridized with the bait in a multiplex enrichment reaction and pulled down using magnetic streptavidin beads followed by subsequent post-enrichment PCR and sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq.

Comparing maternal genetic variation across two millennia reveals the demographic history of an ancient human population in southwest Turkey.

More than two decades of archaeological research at the site of Sagalassos, in southwest Turkey, resulted in the study of the former urban settlement in all its features. Originally settled in late Classical/early Hellenistic times, possibly from the later fifth century BCE onwards, the city of Sagalassos and its surrounding territory saw empires come and go. The Plague of Justinian in the sixth century CE, which is considered to have caused the death of up to a third of the population in Anatolia, and an earthquake in the seventh century CE, which is attested to have devastated many monuments in the city, may have severely affected the contemporary Sagalassos community.

The Paternal Landscape along the Bight of Benin - Testing Regional Representativeness of West-African Population Samples Using Y-Chromosomal Markers.

Patterns of genetic variation in human populations across the African continent are still not well studied in comparison with Eurasia and America, despite the high genetic and cultural diversity among African populations. In population and forensic genetic studies a single sample is often used to represent a complete African region. In such a scenario, inappropriate sampling strategies and/or the use of local, isolated populations may bias interpretations and pose questions of representativeness at a macrogeographic-scale.

High Y-chromosomal diversity and low relatedness between paternal lineages on a communal scale in the Western European Low Countries during the surname establishment.

There is limited knowledge on the biological relatedness between citizens and on the demographical dynamics within villages, towns and cities in pre-17th century Western Europe. By combining Y-chromosomal genotypes, in-depth genealogies and surname data in a strict genetic genealogical approach, it is possible to provide insights into the genetic diversity and the relatedness between indigenous paternal lineages within a particular community at the time of the surname adoption. To obtain these insights, six Flemish communities were selected in this study based on the differences in geography and historical development.

Towards a consensus Y-chromosomal phylogeny and Y-SNP set in forensics in the next-generation sequencing era.

Currently, several different Y-chromosomal phylogenies and haplogroup nomenclatures are presented in scientific literature and at conferences demonstrating the present diversity in Y-chromosomal phylogenetic trees and Y-SNP sets used within forensic and anthropological research. This situation can be ascribed to the exponential growth of the number of Y-SNPs discovered due to mostly next-generation sequencing (NGS) studies. As Y-SNPs and their respective phylogenetic positions are important in forensics, such as for male lineage characterization and paternal bio-geographic ancestry inference, there is a need for forensic geneticists to know how to deal with these newly identified Y-SNPs and phylogenies, especially since these phylogenies are often created with other aims than to carry out forensic genetic research.

Pseudoautosomal region 1 length polymorphism in the human population.

The human sex chromosomes differ in sequence, except for the pseudoautosomal regions (PAR) at the terminus of the short and the long arms, denoted as PAR1 and PAR2. The boundary between PAR1 and the unique X and Y sequences was established during the divergence of the great apes. During a copy number variation screen, we noted a paternally inherited chromosome X duplication in 15 independent families.