Microsatellites are repetitive DNA characterized by tandem repeats of short motifs (2 – 5 bp). High mutation rates make them ideal for population level studies. Microsatellite allele genesis is generally attributed to strand slippage, and it is assumed that alleles are caused only by changes in repeat number. Most analyses are limited to alleles (electromorphs) scored by mobility only, and models of evolution rarely account for homoplasy in allele length. Additionally, insertion/deletion events (indels) in the flanking region or interruptions in the repeat can obfuscate the accuracy of genotyping. Many investigators use microsatellites, designed for a focal species, to screen for genetic variation in non-focal species. Comparative studies have shown different mutation rates of microsatellites in different species, and even individuals. Recent studies have used reciprocal comparisons to assess the level of polymorphism of microsatellites between pairs of taxa. In this study, I investigated the evolution of microsatellites within a phylogenetic context, using comparisons within the rodent family Bathyergidae. Bathyergidae represents a monophyletic group endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and relationships are well supported by morphological and molecular data. Using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, a robust phylogeny was generated for the Bathyergidae. From my results, I proposed the new genus, Coetomys. I designed species-specific genotyping and microsatellite flanking sequence (MFS) primers for each genus. Sequencing of the MFS provided direct evidence of the evolutionary dynamics of the repeat motifs and their flanking sequence, including rampant electromorphic homoplasy, null alleles, and indels. This adds to the growing body of evidence regarding problems with genotype scores from fragment analysis. A number of the loci isolated were linked with repetitive elements (LTRs and SINEs), characterized as robust phylogenetic characters. Results suggest that cryptic variation in microsatellite loci are not trivial and should be assessed in all studies. The phylogenetic utility of the nucleotide variation of the MFS was compared to the well-resolved relationships of this family based on the 12S/TTR phylogeny. Variation observed in MFS generated robust phylogenies, congruent with results from 12S/TTR. Finally, a number of the indels within the MFS provided a suite of suitable phylogenetic characters.

Aim The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing worldwide. The Saxon Pediatric IBD Registry was founded in 2000 to describe the epidemiology of pediatric IBD in Germany. The aim of this study was to determinate the completeness of this registry for children and adolescents younger than 15 years and to make this approach transparent. Results of this completeness update have broad implications for further scientific publications from the registry dataset. Method The capture–recapture method with two data sources was used to ascertain completeness. A second data source was collected in 2019 for the observation period 2008–2014 from all pediatricians, gastroenterologists, and internists working in practices in a predefined region in Saxony, Germany. Results A total of 23 patients with IBD were reported who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. One of them was not recorded in the registry. Therefore, the completeness of the registry was estimated at 95.7% (95% CI 90.2–100). Initial analysis of the Saxon Pediatric IBD Registry over the 15-year period 2000–2014 includes 532 patients, 312 (58.6%) male and 220 (41.4%) female. The distribution of single IBD diseases in the registry was as follows: Crohn’s disease 338 patients (63.5%), ulcerative colitis 176 patients (33.1%), and unclassified IBD 18 patients (3.4%). Evaluations by sex and by disease in age groups and by age at onset were tabulated. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the completeness level of the Saxon Pediatric IBD Registry is high (95.7%), and thus the epidemiological data of the registry are reliable.

The State as the representative of the victims of crime is expected to protect those vulnarable group of people with due regard to the rights of the perpetrators’s of crime. It is imperative that the law of general application which is aimed at protecting victims of crime, be sufficiently effective to protect the victims. The Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 is aimed at assisting the police to conduct pre-trial criminal procedure in order to bring perpetrators of crime to book. Sections 36A, 36B, 36C and 37 (both previous and as amended) of the Criminal Procedure Act including chapter 5A of the South African Police Act, 1995 are explored in this dissertation. This dissertation examines the areas in the Criminal Procedure Act that make it problematic for the police to conduct efficient and effective crime detection through the ascertainment of bodily features of the suspected or accused person. The law in three foreign jurisdictions relating to this topic are investigated and compared in order to make recommendations and suggest possible solutions. / Criminal & Procedural Law / LL.M.

The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) fishery is of great economic importance to the Faroese economy. There are two separately managed cod stocks around the Faroe Islands, the Faroe Plateau and the Faroe Bank cod. Both have experienced dramatic decreases in size and informed management decisions are vital for both stock viability and exploitation. The stocks are geographically isolated by an 800 m deep channel and water temperatures are on average 1 – 2 ºC higher on the Faroe Bank than on the Faroe Plateau. There are clear phenotypic differences between the stocks; in particular, the markedly higher growth rate for the Faroe Bank cod has caught public and scientific attention. There is continuing debate regarding the relative importance of genetics and environmental contributions to the contrasting phenotypes. Analyses of reproductive parameters (field data and experimental captive spawnings) as well as analyses of microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were undertaken to better resolve the issue. Field data as well as data from experimental captive spawnings provided evidence of reproductive differences between Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod. Peak spawning occurred earlier on the Faroe Plateau than on the Faroe Bank and this difference in timing of spawning was maintained in captivity. In particular, differences in sizes of eggs (average diameters of 1.40 and 1.30 mm for Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod eggs, respectively) and indirect evidence of greater volumes spawned by the Faroe Bank females suggested stock differences with respect to egg size – egg number trade-off. It was hypothesised that the strategy adopted by cod on the Faroe Bank, with a higher number of smaller eggs, evolved in response to a more hostile environment (bare seabed and higher exposure to predators) experienced by early life stages in this area. Experimental captive spawnings with Faroe Bank cod showed a large interfamily skew in survival rates of cod eggs and fry. Egg size was identified as a useful indicator of survival rates in the egg stage, but egg survival rates could not be used to predict viability in later developmental stages, thus highlighting the importance of employing some sort of genetic monitoring of cod fry to ensure sufficient family representation in the progeny. While no tank effect was evident concerning fry survival, a significant tank effect was identified concerning body sizes of fry. Microsatellite data were analysed using large sample sizes of Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod with the Faroe Plateau divided into two locations, Faroe Plateau North-East and Faroe Plateau West (cod from each of the two were known to belong to separate spawning grounds). Two Norwegian coastal cod samples were included as outlier populations. While no genetic differentiation was detected between the two Faroe Plateau locations, these analyses revealed a detectable, albeit relatively modest, degree of genetic differentiation between cod from the Faroe Plateau and the Faroe Bank (FST = 0.0014 and 0.0018; DJost_EST = 0.0027 and 0.0048; P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001 for the Faroe Plateau North-East – Faroe Bank and the Faroe Plateau West – Faroe Bank comparisons). These values were several times smaller than those between Faroese and Norwegian coastal cod (pairwise FST and DJost_EST values in the range of 0.0061 – 0.0137 and 0.0158 – 0.0386, respectively). Despite recent reductions in census population sizes for Faroe Plateau and, particularly, Faroe Bank cod, genetic diversity estimates were comparable to the ones observed for Norwegian coastal cod and there was no evidence of significant genetic bottlenecks. Lastly, data for one of the markers (Gmo132) indicated genotype-dependent vertical distribution of cod (as investigated for Faroe Plateau North-East cod). Contrary to some previously published studies, analysis of SNPs of two candidate genes for adaptive divergence, the hemoglobin gene Hb-ß1 and the transferrin gene Tf1, failed to detect differentiation between samples of Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod analysed in this thesis. Of 3533 novel SNPs simultaneously discovered and genotyped by restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing, 58 showed evidence of genetic differentiation between Faroe Plateau North-East and Faroe Bank cod (P < 0.05). No single locus was fixed for different alleles between Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod. A set of eight informative SNPs (FST values between Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank samples > 0.25; P < 0.0005) were selected for validation in larger samples, that included cod from both Faroe Plateau areas and the Faroe Bank as well as Norwegian coastal and White Sea cod. Six out of the eight loci amplified successfully with a PCR-based method and there was 100 % concordance between genotypes of individuals screened by both techniques. Due to ascertainment bias, the SNPs should only be applied with caution in a broader geographical context. Nonetheless, these SNPs did confirm the genetic substructure suggested for Faroese cod by microsatellite analyses. While no genetic differentiation was evident between the two Faroe Plateau locations, significant genetic differentiation was evident between Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod at five of the SNPs (FST values in the range of 0.0383 – 0.1914). This panel of five SNPs could confidently be used to trace groups of Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod to their population of origin. In conclusion, multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod are truly two genetically distinct populations. While the findings contribute to a broader understanding of the biology and the genetics of Faroe Plateau and Faroe Bank cod, the novel SNPs developed may provide a valuable resource for potential future demands of i.e. genetic stock identification methods.

The State as the representative of the victims of crime is expected to protect those vulnarable group of people with due regard to the rights of the perpetrators’s of crime. It is imperative that the law of general application which is aimed at protecting victims of crime, be sufficiently effective to protect the victims. The Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 is aimed at assisting the police to conduct pre-trial criminal procedure in order to bring perpetrators of crime to book. Sections 36A, 36B, 36C and 37 (both previous and as amended) of the Criminal Procedure Act including chapter 5A of the South African Police Act, 1995 are explored in this dissertation. This dissertation examines the areas in the Criminal Procedure Act that make it problematic for the police to conduct efficient and effective crime detection through the ascertainment of bodily features of the suspected or accused person. The law in three foreign jurisdictions relating to this topic are investigated and compared in order to make recommendations and suggest possible solutions. / Criminal and Procedural Law / LL.M.