127,899 research outputs found
Author Guidelines: The Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine (AJFSFM)
No full textThe Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine (AJFSFM) is a peer-reviewed, open access (CC BY-NC), international journal for publishing original contributions in various fields of forensic science. These fields include, but are not limited to forensic pathology and histochemistry, toxicology(drugs, alcohol, etc.), forensic biology (serology, human DNA profiling, entomology, population genetics), forensic chemistry(inks, paints, dyes, explosives, fire accelerants), psychiatry and hypnotics, forensic anthropology and archeology, forensic odontology, fingerprints and impressions, firearms and tool marks, white collar crimes (counterfeit and forgery; questioned documents), digital forensics; cyber-crimes, criminal justice and crime scene investigation, as well as many other disciplines where science and medicine interact with the law
The continuing evolution of forensic DNA profiling from STRs to SNPs
No full textForensic DNA profiling combines the dynamic science of molecular genetics with the
complexities of the forensic context. As such, throughout its twenty-year history, this field
has seen continuous change, remarkable growth and an associated level of public, legal and
scientific scrutiny previously unknown in the forensic sciences. Almost ubiquitously,
applications of forensic DNA profiling have focused on resolving the identity of the donor
of a particular sample of biological evidence. This is typically achieved by targeting noncoding
microsatellite (or STR) loci. Recently however, novel techniques have emerged that
target different DNA polymorphisms and allow scientists to address additional questions
about the evidence, beyond the identification of source. In this short review we introduce
an example of this next generation of forensic DNA techniques, single nucleotide polymorphisms
(or SNPs). We summarise their molecular and technological basis and the manner
in which they may be applied to further advance the capabilities of forensic investigators
On Using Gait in Forensic Biometrics
No full textGiven the continuing advances in gait biometrics, it appears prudent to investigate the translation of these techniques for forensic use. We address the question as to the confidence that might be given between any two such measurements. We use the locations of ankle, knee and hip to derive a measure of the match between walking subjects in image sequences. The Instantaneous Posture Match algorithm, using Harr templates, kinematics and anthropomorphic knowledge is used to determine their location. This is demonstrated using real CCTV recorded at Gatwick Airport, laboratory images from the multi-view CASIA-B dataset and an example of real scene of crime video. To access the measurement confidence we study the mean intra- and inter-match scores as a function of database size. These measures converge to constant and separate values, indicating that the match measure derived from individual comparisons is considerably smaller than the average match measure from a population
A hierarchy of expert performance as applied to forensic anthropology
No full textDue to their medicolegal repercussions, forensic anthropology conclusions must be reliable, consistent, and minimally compromised by bias. Yet, a synthetic analysis of the reliability and biasability of the discipline's methods has not yet been conducted. To do so, this study utilized Dror's (2016) hierarchy of expert performance (HEP), an eight-level model aimed at examining intra-and inter-expert reliability and biasability (the potential for cognitive bias) within the literature of forensic science disciplines. A systematic review of the forensic anthropology literature was conducted (1972-present), including papers published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science International, and the Journal of Forensic Sciences and Anthropology Section abstracts published in the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the AAFS which matched keywords such as “forensic anthropology,” “bias,” “reliability,” “cognition,” “cognitive,” or “error.” The resulting forensic anthropology HEP showcases areas that have ample research and areas where more research can be conducted. Specifically, statistically significant increases in reliability (p < 0.001) and biasability (p < 0.001) publications were found since 2009 (publication of the NAS report). Extensive research examined the reliability of forensic anthropological observations
and conclusions (n = 744 publications). However, minimal research investigated the biasability of forensic anthropological observations and conclusions (n = 20 publications). Notably, while several studies demonstrated the biasing effect of extraneous information on anthropological morphological assessments, there was no research into these effects on anthropological metric assessments. The findings revealed by the forensic anthropology HEP can help to guide future research, ultimately informing the development and refinement of best-practice standards for the discipline.Journal ArticlePublishe
Elderly deaths in Bursa, Turkey: A comprehensive forensic autopsy study
Get PDFBackgroundIn parallel with the increase in the elderly population, the proportion of elderly people in autopsies for forensic reasons is also increasing. This study aims to reveal the sociodemographic characteristics and causes of death of people aged 65 and over whose forensic autopsies were performed in Bursa, to compare the obtained data with the literature, and to draw attention to the importance of forensic autopsy in elderly death cases and the health and social problems of the elderly population.ResultsFour thousand two hundred forty-seven cases whose autopsies were performed in the 3-year period between 2019-2021 at the the Morgue Department of the Council of Forensic Medicine Bursa Group Administration were retrospectively scanned and 878 cases aged 65 and over were examined. It was determined that 20.6% of the 4247 cases who were autopsied were 65 years and over, the average age of the cases was 74.70 +/- 7.3, and 74.6% were men. The most common cause of death was natural death, and cardiovascular diseases were found to be the most common cause of natural death. It has been determined that the most common accidents are traffic accidents in men and drowning in women. It was determined that 81.3% of suicide cases were committed by hanging, and hanging was the most common method of suicide in both genders.ConclusionsWe think that the information obtained from autopsy studies and determining the causes and origins of death will help determine the priorities for the necessary health services and social care for the elderly population in order to eliminate preventable causes
Forensic Sciences at 50: Past, Present and Future?
No full textIn this article delivered originally as an address to the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences on its fiftieth anniversary the author a past President reflects on the past present and future of the Academy In the review of the past he recalls the personality of Dr O R Schmalzbach who founded the Academy and initiated the successful mix of topics and members in the first 25 years He then reviews the changes that came about producing the present Academy with more women members scientists and less ceremony Looking to the future he concludes that there will be no going back to the old ways However he suggests initiatives to broaden the definition of forensic sciences beyond primary attention to bench science He also encourages the revival to some degree of the participation of the leaders of the medical and legal professions and their engagement with the issues of science and society or forensic sciences broadly envisage
Artificial intelligence in forensic medicine and related sciences - selected issues
No full textAim. The aim of the work is to provide an overview of the potential application of artificial intelligence in forensic medicine and related sciences, and to identify concerns related to providing medico-legal opinions and legal liability in cases in which possible harm in terms of diagnosis and/or treatment is likely to occur when using an advanced system of computer-based information processing and analysis. Materials and methods. The material for the study comprised scientific literature related to the issue of artificial intelligence in forensic medicine and related sciences. For this purpose, Google Scholar, PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were searched. To identify useful articles, such terms as „artificial intelligence,” „deep learning,” „machine learning,” „forensic medicine,” „legal medicine,” „forensic pathology” and „medicine” were used. In some cases, articles were identified based on the semantic proximity of the introduced terms. Conclusions. Dynamic development of the computing power and the ability of artificial intelligence to analyze vast data volumes made it possible to transfer artificial intelligence methods to forensic medicine and related sciences. Artificial intelligence has numerous applications in forensic medicine and related sciences and can be helpful in thanatology, forensic traumatology, post-mortem identification examinations, as well as post-mortem microscopic and toxicological diagnostics. Analyzing the legal and medico-legal aspects, artificial intelligence in medicine should be treated as an auxiliary tool, whereas the final diagnostic and therapeutic decisions and the extent to which they are implemented should be the responsibility of humans
“Touch Microbiome” vs “Touch DNA”: exploring potentials and limitations towards forensic personal identification
No full textThe rising usage of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in forensic contexts allowed for the analysis of microorganisms to become an auxiliary tool to conduct personal identification analyses.1 Among the microbiota easy to find at the crime scene, the skin “microbial footprint” is highly individual, stable over time, and easily released into the surrounding environment. Microbiota analyses have been successfully admitted as evidence in court cases, but the lack of accurate forensic reference databases currently limits their use.2,3 On the other side, the increased sensitivity in the simultaneous amplification of different Short Tandem Repeats (STR) has enabled forensic geneticists to recover DNA profiles from highly degraded samples and low DNA content evidence, including those generated when a person touches a surface or an object (“touch DNA”). Although the forensic community has been talking about “touch DNA” for over 20 years, there are still some dark sides, such as the origin of this DNA, its transfer dynamics, its ability to withstand different environmental conditions, and the risks associated with its secondary transfer.4,5
This study wanted to compare the sensitivity and specificity of these two different methods (“touch microbiome” versus “touch DNA”) for forensic identification purposes and highlight their strength and weaknesses. Eleven volunteers of both sexes and of different ages filled in a questionnaire on their lifestyles and on any previous or current pathologies and treatments they had. Each individual’s palm and fingers were sampled using three sterile swabs (“skin sample”), then volunteers deposited their fingerprints on a glass slide that was then swabbed (“fingerprint sample”). Microbiome DNA and human DNA were extracted respectively using QIAamp® PowerFecal Pro DNA and ChargeSwitch® Forensic DNA from each sample. DNA was quantified with NanoDropTM, then the V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was analyzed using the Illumina® MiSeq® platform whereas human STRs were amplified with the AmpFlSTR® NGM SElectTM. NGS data were analyzed using R scripts normally used in metabarcoding ecology studies.
This study obtained good quality microbiome profiles from 20 out of 22 samples analyzed and found a significant difference between the composition of the “skin” and the “fingerprint” samples. Timing between washing and samplings showed an effect on the relative abundance of Actinobacteria spp. in both sample types, and pairwise comparisons showed a relative increase of Proteobacteria spp. and decrease of Firmicutes spp. and Actinobacteria spp. in fingerprint samples versus their skin counterpart. STR profiling of “touch DNA” samples showed discrepancies between skin and fingerprint samples (e.g., missing peaks for some markers in all samples but one).
While additional analyses of the results are currently in progress, this study can anticipate that microbiome profiles provided information that could potentially be used to identify an individual where “touch DNA” also failed
Identification and Resolution of Capability Gaps in Forensic Science
No full textAlthough forensic biology is a powerful tool in criminal investigations, there are a number of capability gaps; namely, the interpretation of low-level DNA mixtures, associating the DNA profile with a body fluid, and the issue of consent in sexual offences. A research strategy was developed that utilises whole genome amplification (WGA), messenger RNA and microRNA analysis, DNA profiling, and clothing damage analysis. An evaluation of a WGA technique – multiple displacement amplification - with and without a macromolecular crowding agent, indicated that this may be of use for DNA samples containing certain mixing ratios; however, for this to be truly of use, knowledge of the nature of the sample preanalysis is required, which is not feasible in a forensic environment. A SYBR Greenbased mRNA gene expression test was developed that was capable of distinguishing between saliva and blood by using relative quantitation on real-time PCR. However, the low specificity of the SYBR Green meant that a higher number of controls were required for this to work at forensic standard. A single channel simultaneous analytical test for DNA and microRNA was also developed, which meant that it could be possible to definitively identify the body fluid origin of a DNA profile. This represented a significant step forward in improving forensic biology capability. Reconstruction studies were carried out in response to a sexual assault case where consent was an issue. This study demonstrated that it was possible to cause significant damage to a bra without causing damage to the hook and eye fastening; thus, negating a hypothesis offered by the defence. A long term research strategy has been developed and significant progress has been made in improving the capability of the operational forensic biologist
The philosophy, nature and practice of forensic sediment analysis
No full textThe rapidly expanding field of forensic geoscience derives its roots from nineteenth-and early twentieth-century scientists who both influence and are influenced by literature and fictional writing. Forensic geoscience borrows much, but not all, of its precepts from geological and geomorphological analytical techniques. Fundamental differences exist between forensic geoscience and its sister disciplines, fundamental enough to make the unwary geoscientist succumb to philosophical and practical pitfalls which will not only endanger the outline of their report, but may well indeed provide false-negative or false-positive results leading to contrary or inaccurate conclusions. In the law, such outcomes have devastating and untenable consequences. Forensic geoscience requires techniques of exclusion rather than inclusion and an acknowledgement that analytical techniques may be diagnostic only in very specific situations. Whether analysis of the ubiquitous or the exotic component is chosen, acknowledgement of the need for samples to be representative is required. The presentation of false-positive results or the lack of identification of sample 'mixing' is prerequisite to the application of statistical tests which must be applied in the most careful manner. The realization of the limitations of the technique requires, wherever possible, conjunctive analysis by other truly independent techniques. While personal opinion derives from experience, there is no place for assumption. Research papers in forensic geoscience are not submitted to be speculative or challenging as may be the case in many fields of geomorphology and geology. There is no place for conjecture in forensic geoscience. © 2007 SAGE Publications
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