Morphometric analysis for determination of larval instars in Dermestes frischii Kugelann and Dermestes undulatus Brahm (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)
In this study, a morphometric approach was used to look for potential morphological features as evidence of larval stages. Breeding and monitoring were performed for both species in an incubator with a preset temperature of 28°C ± 0.5 without a photoperiod. Morphometric measurements were made on 10 larvae per instar for each species using length, width, and thickness parameters. Linear discriminant analysis was then used to generate decision boundaries that clearly separated larval stages. The cross-validation procedure demonstrated that the morphometric approach successfully discriminated adjacent larval stages in both ...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 7, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Simonetta Lambiase Simone Corotti Roberto Sacchi Source Type: research
Visibility of inflicted bruises by alternate light: Results of a randomized controlled trial
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Feb 7. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15481. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTDifficulty visualizing bruises resulting from interpersonal violence, especially in individuals with dark skin, contributes to disparities in access to justice. The purpose of this analysis was to compare bruise visibility of detected injuries using white light versus alternate light sources (ALS). Visibility was assessed using the 5-point Bruise Visibility Scale (BVS) for white light and the ALS Visibility Scale (AVS) for ALS. Bruises were induced using controlled application of a paintball to the upper arm on 157 healthy adults across...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 7, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Nancy R Downing Katherine N Scafide Zahra Ali Matthew J Hayat Source Type: research
Post-mortem formation of ethanol: Is 1-propanol a reliable marker? A proof-of-concept study using an in vitro putrefactive environment setup
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Feb 6. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15479. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEthanol is the psychoactive substance identified most frequently in post-mortem specimens. Unfortunately, interpreting post-mortem ethanol concentrations can be difficult because of post-mortem alcohol redistribution and the possibility of post-mortem alcohol neogenesis. Indeed, in the time interval between death and sample collection, the decedent may be exposed to non-controlled environments for an extended period, promoting microbial colonization. Many authors report that in the presence of carbohydrates and other biomolecules, vario...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 6, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Nicola Pigaiani Giacomo Musile Karen S Scott Daniel W Dye Francesco Ausania Gregory G Davis Federica Bortolotti Source Type: research
Fat embolism syndrome associated with atraumatic compartment syndrome of the bilateral upper extremities: An unreported etiology
We report a case of FES that occurred in the setting of a non-traumatic compartment syndrome of the upper extremities. The pathologic and clinical findings, pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and pathologic methods to properly diagnose FES are discussed with a review of the relevant literature. This case highlights the importance of the autopsy in making a diagnosis of FES in cases where death could otherwise be incorrectly attributed to multi-organ system failure, shock, or sepsis.PMID:38317612 | DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.15465 (Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences)
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 6, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Zabiullah Ali Juan C Troncoso Javier Redding-Ochoa Source Type: research
Investigative genetic genealogy for human remains identification
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Feb 6. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15469. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTInvestigative genetic genealogy (IGG) has emerged as a highly effective tool for tying a forensic DNA sample to an identity. While much of the attention paid to IGG has focused on cases where the DNA is from an unknown suspect, IGG has also been used to help close hundreds of unidentified human remains (UHR) cases. Genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data can be obtained from forensic samples using microarray genotyping or whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with protocols optimized for degraded DNA. After bioinformatic ...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 6, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Ellen Greytak Stephanie Wyatt Janet Cady CeCe Moore Steven Armentrout Source Type: research
From intimate partners to serial killers: Nearly 40 years of female homicides in King County, Washington (1978-2016)
This study reinforces the vulnerability of females to IPV, sexual assault, and serial murders as well as to caretakers at the extremities of age.PMID:38314613 | DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.15480 (Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences)
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 5, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Jillian Jetson Heather Maioli Richard C Harruff Nicole R Jackson Source Type: research
Assessing iPhone LiDAR & amp; Recon-3D for determining area of origin in bloodstain pattern analysis
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Feb 5. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15476. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) has proven to be a useful tool in forensic and criminal investigations for quite some time. Traditionally, documenting a crime scene for a bloodletting event was completed using manual techniques, physical strings, and a tape measure. In more recent years, laser scanners and 3D software programs have become a preferred method to capture accurate data that improves the validity and reliability of BPA. The initial cost of laser scanning equipment is relatively high, rendering these systems inaccessible to...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 5, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Stephanie Stevenson Eugene Liscio Source Type: research
Managing large volume data sets in the process of identifying missing persons: Contributions from the International Commission on Missing Persons
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Feb 2. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15474. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe process of locating and identifying missing persons presents a complex challenge that hinges on the collection and comparison of diverse data sets. This commentary offers an overview of some of the difficulties and considerations associated with data management in the context of large-scale missing person identifications. Such complexities include the uniqueness of each disaster event, the response time to the event, the variable quality and quantity of data, and the involvement of numerous stakeholders, all of which contribute to t...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 3, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Adnan Rizvic Asim Krticic Amir Mandzuka Muris Pucic Edin Jasaragic Soren Blau Source Type: research
Epigenetic-based age prediction in blood samples: Model development
This study presents a new age estimation model developed for the Turkish population using blood samples. Eight CpG sites in loci TOM1L1, ELOVL2, ASPA, FHL2, C1orf132, CCDC102B, cg07082267, and RASSF5 were selected based on their correlation with age. Methylation patterns of these sites were analyzed in blood samples from 100 volunteers, grouped into age categories (20-35, 36-55, and ≥56). Sensitivity analysis indicated a reliable performance with DNA inputs ≥1 ng. Statistical modeling, utilizing Multiple Linear Regression, underscores the reliability of the primary 6-CpG model, excluding cg07082267 and TOM1L1. This mod...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 3, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Gonul Filoglu Sumeyye Zulal S ımsek Gokhan Ersoy Kadriye Can Ozlem Bulbul Source Type: research
Sexual assault/rape and serial sexual homicide: Clinical and investigative considerations
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Feb 2. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15472. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe frequent absence of a documented history of sexual assault/rape in the prior research on serial sexual murderers is curious. In order to address several methodological problems in prior research, a closed-case archival review of a nonrandom national sample of 53 serial sexual homicide cases was conducted which identified 14 offenders with a history of sexual assault/rape for an overall prevalence rate of 26.4%. Of the 14 offenders with a prior known history of sexual assault/rape, 11 (78.6%) sexually penetrated at least one of their...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - February 2, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Louis B Schlesinger Tirza Z Ben Ari Source Type: research
Comparison of feature selection and data fusion of Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy for identifying watercolor ink
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Jan 30. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15468. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe identification of different kinds of watercolor inks is an important work in the field of forensic science. Four different kinds of watercolor ink Spectroscopy data fusion strategies (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy) combined with a non-linear classification model (Extreme Learning Machine) were used to identify the brand of watercolor inks. The study chose Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS), Random Frog (RF), Variable Combination Population Analysis-Genetic Algorithm (VCPA-GA), and Varia...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - January 31, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Yingfang Zou Aolin Zhang Xiaobin Wang Lei Yang Meng Ding Source Type: research
Forensic odontology in disaster victim identification
In conclusion despite increased usage of DNA, dental ID has not been eliminated and remains a major contributor to DVI. Dental ID continues to develop through increased application of advanced imaging technology. Despite DNA's rapid advancement and application to DVI, the multidisciplinary approach to scientific identification should remain in the near future. Therefore, comparative dental ID will remain an important and reliable contributor to DVI.PMID:38291611 | DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.15471 (Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences)
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - January 31, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Raymond G Miller Source Type: research
OPG-based dental age estimation using a data-technical exploration of deep learning techniques
This study explores the impact of convolutional neural network hyperparameters, model complexity, training batch size, and sample quantity on age estimation. EfficientNet-B4, DenseNet-201, and MobileNet V3 models underwent cross-validation on a dataset of 3896 orthopantomograms (OPGs) with batch sizes escalating from 10 to 160 in a doubling progression, as well as random subsets of this training dataset. Results demonstrate the EfficientNet-B4 model, trained on the complete dataset with a batch size of 160, as the top performer with a mean absolute error of 0.562 years on the test set, notably surpassing the MAE of 1.01 at...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - January 31, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Bark ın Büyükçakır Jeroen Bertels Peter Claes Dirk Vandermeulen Jannick de Tobel Patrick W Thevissen Source Type: research
Development of a novel five-dye panel for human identification insertion/deletion (INDEL) polymorphisms
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Jan 30. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15475. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTDNA analysis of forensic case samples relies on short tandem repeats (STRs), a key component of the combined DNA index system (CODIS) used to identify individuals. However, limitations arise when dealing with challenging samples, prompting the exploration of alternative markers such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletion (INDELs) polymorphisms. Unlike SNPs, INDELs can be differentiated easily by size, making them compatible with electrophoresis methods. It is possible to design small INDEL amplicons (<200 b...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - January 31, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Lucio L Avellaneda Damani T Johnson Ryan Gutierrez Lindsey Thompson Kelly A Sage Sarah A Sturm Rachel M Houston Bobby L LaRue Source Type: research
A study of DNA transfers onto plastic packets placed in personal bags
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Jan 30. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15460. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe ability to detect low level DNA brings with it the uncertainty of whether the detected DNA is a result of transfer. To address this uncertainty, a simulation study was conducted in which a mock illicit drug packet was placed into the personal bags of individuals. When the average transit time of the packets was increased from around 2 h to more than 14 h, the percentage of the DNA profiles recovered from the packets which could be attributed to the individuals increased greatly from 5.3% to 48.6%. We found that drug packers who wer...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - January 30, 2024 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Li Yen Candy Lee Yong Sheng Lee Jiayu Tan Jun Yu Lee Christopher Kiu-Choong Syn Source Type: research
