scholarly journals Skin Microbiome Analysis for Forensic Human Identification: What Do We Know So Far?

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Tozzo ◽  
Gabriella D’Angiolella ◽  
Paola Brun ◽  
Ignazio Castagliuolo ◽  
Sarah Gino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Identification ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Forensic Evidence ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Microbiome Profiling

Microbiome research is a highly transdisciplinary field with a wide range of applications and methods for studying it, involving different computational approaches and models. The fact that different people host radically different microbiota highlights forensic perspectives in understanding what leads to this variation and what regulates it, in order to effectively use microbes as forensic evidence. This narrative review provides an overview of some of the main scientific works so far produced, focusing on the potentiality of using skin microbiome profiling for human identification in forensics. This review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The examined literature clearly ascertains that skin microbial communities, although personalized, vary systematically across body sites and time, with intrapersonal differences over time smaller than interpersonal ones, showing such a high degree of spatial and temporal variability that the degree and nature of this variability can constitute in itself an important parameter useful in distinguishing individuals from one another. Even making the effort to organically synthesize all results achieved until now, it is quite evident that these results are still the pieces of a puzzle, which is not yet complete.

Population informative markers selected using Wright's fixation index and machine learning improves human identification using the skin microbiome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J. Sherier ◽  
August E. Woerner ◽  
Bruce Budowle
Keyword(s):  
Human Skin ◽  
Human Identification ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Biological Evidence ◽  
Microbial Dna ◽  
Microbiome Profiling

Microbial DNA, shed from human skin, can be distinctive to its host and thus help individualize donors of forensic biological evidence. Previous studies have utilized single locus microbial DNA markers (e.g., 16S rRNA) to assess the presence/absence of personal microbiota to profile human hosts. However, since the taxonomic composition of the microbiome is in constant fluctuation, this approach may not be sufficiently robust for human identification (HID). Multi-marker approaches may be more powerful. Additionally, genetic differentiation, rather than taxonomic distinction, may be more individualizing. To this end, the non-dominant hands of 51 individuals were sampled in triplicate (n = 153). They were analyzed for markers in the hidSkinPlex, a multiplex panel comprising candidate markers for skin microbiome profiling. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the highest Wright’s fixation index (F ST ) estimates were then selected for predicting donor identity using a support vector machine (SVM) learning model. F ST is an estimate of the genetic differences within and between populations. Three different SNP selection criteria were employed: SNPs with the highest-ranking F ST estimates 1) common between any two samples regardless of markers present (termed overall ); 2) each marker common between samples (termed per marker ); and 3) common to all samples used to train the SVM algorithm for HID (termed selected ). The SNPs chosen based on criteria for overall , per marker, and selected methods resulted in an accuracy of 92.00%, 94.77%, and 88.00%, respectively. The results support that estimates of F ST , combined with SVM, can notably improve forensic HID via skin microbiome profiling. IMPORTANCE There is a need for additional genetic information to help identify the source of biological evidence found at a crime scene. The human skin microbiome is a potentially abundant source of DNA that can enable the identification of a donor of biological evidence. With microbial profiling for human identification, there will be an additional source of DNA to identify individuals as well as to exclude individuals wrongly associated with biological evidence, thereby improving the utility of forensic DNA profiling to support criminal investigations.

scholarly journals Forensic Human Identification Using Skin Microbiomes

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Schmedes ◽  
August E. Woerner ◽  
Bruce Budowle
Keyword(s):  
Supervised Learning ◽  
Classification Accuracy ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Human Identification ◽  
Attribute Selection ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Three Body ◽  
Microbiome Profiling

ABSTRACT The human microbiome contributes significantly to the genetic content of the human body. Genetic and environmental factors help shape the microbiome, and as such, the microbiome can be unique to an individual. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential to use microbiome profiling for forensic applications; however, a method has yet to identify stable features of skin microbiomes that produce high classification accuracies for samples collected over reasonably long time intervals. A novel approach is described here to classify skin microbiomes to their donors by comparing two feature types: Propionibacterium acnes pangenome presence/absence features and nucleotide diversities of stable clade-specific markers. Supervised learning was used to attribute skin microbiomes from 14 skin body sites from 12 healthy individuals sampled at three time points over a >2.5-year period with accuracies of up to 100% for three body sites. Feature selection identified a reduced subset of markers from each body site that are highly individualizing, identifying 187 markers from 12 clades. Classification accuracies were compared in a formal model testing framework, and the results of this analysis indicate that learners trained on nucleotide diversity perform significantly better than those trained on presence/absence encodings. This study used supervised learning to identify individuals with high accuracy and associated stable features from skin microbiomes over a period of up to almost 3 years. These selected features provide a preliminary marker panel for future development of a robust and reproducible method for skin microbiome profiling for forensic human identification. IMPORTANCE A novel approach is described to attribute skin microbiomes, collected over a period of >2.5 years, to their individual hosts with a high degree of accuracy. Nucleotide diversities of stable clade-specific markers with supervised learning were used to classify skin microbiomes from a particular individual with up to 100% classification accuracy for three body sites. Attribute selection was used to identify 187 genetic markers from 12 clades which provide the greatest differentiation of individual skin microbiomes from 14 skin sites. This study performs skin microbiome profiling from a supervised learning approach and obtains high classification accuracy for samples collected from individuals over a relatively long time period for potential application to forensic human identification.

scholarly journals Exploring the Microbiome Analysis and Visualization Landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannes Peeters ◽  
Olivier Thas ◽  
Ziv Shkedy ◽  
Leyla Kodalci ◽  
Connie Musisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Visual Representations ◽  
Characterization Methods ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Microbiome Data

Research on the microbiome has boomed recently, which resulted in a wide range of tools, packages, and algorithms to analyze microbiome data. Here we investigate and map currently existing tools that can be used to perform visual analysis on the microbiome, and associate the including methods, visual representations and data features to the research objectives currently of interest in microbiome research. The analysis is based on a combination of a literature review and workshops including a group of domain experts. Both the reviewing process and workshops are based on domain characterization methods to facilitate communication and collaboration between researchers from different disciplines. We identify several research questions related to microbiomes, and describe how different analysis methods and visualizations help in tackling them.

Understanding Conformational Entropy in Small Molecules

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucian Chan ◽  
Garrett Morris ◽  
Geoffrey Hutchison
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Absolute Error ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Standard Entropy ◽  
Free Energies ◽  
Conformational Entropy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Empirical Corrections

The calculation of the entropy of flexible molecules can be challenging, since the number of possible conformers grows exponentially with molecule size and many low-energy conformers may be thermally accessible. Different methods have been proposed to approximate the contribution of conformational entropy to the molecular standard entropy, including performing thermochemistry calculations with all possible stable conformations, and developing empirical corrections from experimental data. We have performed conformer sampling on over 120,000 small molecules generating some 12 million conformers, to develop models to predict conformational entropy across a wide range of molecules. Using insight into the nature of conformational disorder, our cross-validated physically-motivated statistical model can outperform common machine learning and deep learning methods, with a mean absolute error ≈4.8 J/mol•K, or under 0.4 kcal/mol at 300 K. Beyond predicting molecular entropies and free energies, the model implies a high degree of correlation between torsions in most molecules, often as- sumed to be independent. While individual dihedral rotations may have low energetic barriers, the shape and chemical functionality of most molecules necessarily correlate their torsional degrees of freedom, and hence restrict the number of low-energy conformations immensely. Our simple models capture these correlations, and advance our understanding of small molecule conformational entropy.

Cerebellotrigeminal Dermal Dysplasia (Gómez-López-Hernández Syndrome)

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (05) ◽  
pp. 362-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Sullo ◽  
Agata Polizzi ◽  
Stefano Catanzaro ◽  
Selene Mantegna ◽  
Francesco Lacarrubba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Visual Problems ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities ◽  
Clinical Triad ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Motor Handicap

Cerebellotrigeminal dermal (CTD) dysplasia is a rare neurocutaneous disorder characterized by a triad of symptoms: bilateral parieto-occipital alopecia, facial anesthesia in the trigeminal area, and rhombencephalosynapsis (RES), confirmed by cranial magnetic resonance imaging. CTD dysplasia is also known as Gómez-López-Hernández syndrome. So far, only 35 cases have been described with varying symptomatology. The etiology remains unknown. Either spontaneous dominant mutations or de novo chromosomal rearrangements have been proposed as possible explanations. In addition to its clinical triad of RES, parietal alopecia, and trigeminal anesthesia, CTD dysplasia is associated with a wide range of phenotypic and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.Treatment is symptomatic and includes physical rehabilitation, special education, dental care, and ocular protection against self-induced corneal trauma that causes ulcers and, later, corneal opacification. The prognosis is correlated to the mental development, motor handicap, corneal–facial anesthesia, and visual problems. Follow-up on a large number of patients with CTD dysplasia has never been reported and experience is limited to few cases to date. High degree of suspicion in a child presenting with characteristic alopecia and RES has a great importance in diagnosis of this syndrome.

scholarly journals Geospatial Analysis of COVID-19: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2336
Author(s):  
Munazza Fatima ◽  
Kara J. O’Keefe ◽  
Wenjia Wei ◽  
Sana Arshad ◽  
Oliver Gruebner
Keyword(s):  
Disease Mapping ◽  
Geospatial Analysis ◽  
Hotspot Analysis ◽  
Spatial Studies ◽  
Epidemiological Modeling ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Disease Pattern ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Meta Analyses

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China in late December 2019 became the harbinger of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, geospatial techniques, such as modeling and mapping, have helped in disease pattern detection. Here we provide a synthesis of the techniques and associated findings in relation to COVID-19 and its geographic, environmental, and socio-demographic characteristics, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodology for scoping reviews. We searched PubMed for relevant articles and discussed the results separately for three categories: disease mapping, exposure mapping, and spatial epidemiological modeling. The majority of studies were ecological in nature and primarily carried out in China, Brazil, and the USA. The most common spatial methods used were clustering, hotspot analysis, space-time scan statistic, and regression modeling. Researchers used a wide range of spatial and statistical software to apply spatial analysis for the purpose of disease mapping, exposure mapping, and epidemiological modeling. Factors limiting the use of these spatial techniques were the unavailability and bias of COVID-19 data—along with scarcity of fine-scaled demographic, environmental, and socio-economic data—which restrained most of the researchers from exploring causal relationships of potential influencing factors of COVID-19. Our review identified geospatial analysis in COVID-19 research and highlighted current trends and research gaps. Since most of the studies found centered on Asia and the Americas, there is a need for more comparable spatial studies using geographically fine-scaled data in other areas of the world.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis Resulting in a Typology of Elementary Classroom Movement Integration Interventions

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Spyridoula Vazou ◽  
Collin A. Webster ◽  
Gregory Stewart ◽  
Priscila Candal ◽  
Cate A. Egan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Teacher Collaboration ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Dose Intensity ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Movement Integration

Abstract Background/Objective Movement integration (MI) involves infusing physical activity into normal classroom time. A wide range of MI interventions have succeeded in increasing children’s participation in physical activity. However, no previous research has attempted to unpack the various MI intervention approaches. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review, qualitatively analyze, and develop a typology of MI interventions conducted in primary/elementary school settings. Subjects/Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to identify published MI interventions. Irrelevant records were removed first by title, then by abstract, and finally by full texts of articles, resulting in 72 studies being retained for qualitative analysis. A deductive approach, using previous MI research as an a priori analytic framework, alongside inductive techniques were used to analyze the data. Results Four types of MI interventions were identified and labeled based on their design: student-driven, teacher-driven, researcher-teacher collaboration, and researcher-driven. Each type was further refined based on the MI strategies (movement breaks, active lessons, other: opening activity, transitions, reward, awareness), the level of intrapersonal and institutional support (training, resources), and the delivery (dose, intensity, type, fidelity). Nearly half of the interventions were researcher-driven, which may undermine the sustainability of MI as a routine practice by teachers in schools. An imbalance is evident on the MI strategies, with transitions, opening and awareness activities, and rewards being limitedly studied. Delivery should be further examined with a strong focus on reporting fidelity. Conclusions There are distinct approaches that are most often employed to promote the use of MI and these approaches may often lack a minimum standard for reporting MI intervention details. This typology may be useful to effectively translate the evidence into practice in real-life settings to better understand and study MI interventions.

scholarly journals Controlling Teleportation-Based Locomotion in Virtual Reality with Hand Gestures: A Comparative Evaluation of Two-Handed and One-Handed Techniques

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Alexander Schäfer ◽  
Gerd Reis ◽  
Didier Stricker
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Interaction Techniques ◽  
Hand Gestures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Additional Hardware ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Virtual Reality (VR) technology offers users the possibility to immerse and freely navigate through virtual worlds. An important component for achieving a high degree of immersion in VR is locomotion. Often discussed in the literature, a natural and effective way of controlling locomotion is still a general problem which needs to be solved. Recently, VR headset manufacturers have been integrating more sensors, allowing hand or eye tracking without any additional required equipment. This enables a wide range of application scenarios with natural freehand interaction techniques where no additional hardware is required. This paper focuses on techniques to control teleportation-based locomotion with hand gestures, where users are able to move around in VR using their hands only. With the help of a comprehensive study involving 21 participants, four different techniques are evaluated. The effectiveness and efficiency as well as user preferences of the presented techniques are determined. Two two-handed and two one-handed techniques are evaluated, revealing that it is possible to move comfortable and effectively through virtual worlds with a single hand only.

Krypton 85 myocardial blood flow: precordial scintillation versus coronary sinus sampling

1965 ◽  
Vol 209 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Klein ◽  
Lawrence S. Cohen ◽  
Richard Gorlin
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Myocardial Blood Flow ◽  
Coronary Sinus ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Radioactive Decay ◽  
Empirical Correction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Actual Flow ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
High Degree

Myocardial blood flow in human subjects was assessed by comparative simultaneous measurement of krypton 85 radioactive decay from coronary sinus and precordial scintillation. Empirical correction of postclearance background from precordial curves yielded a high degree of correlation between flows derived from the two sampling sites (r = .889, P < .001). Comparison of left and right coronary flows in nine subjects revealed similarity in flow through the two vessels over a wide range of actual flow values (r = .945, P < .001).

scholarly journals Impact of the Human Microbiome in Forensic Sciences: a Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel G. García ◽  
María D. Pérez-Cárceles ◽  
Eduardo Osuna ◽  
Isabel Legaz
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Forensic Science ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Postmortem Interval ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Location Of Death ◽  
Microbiome Research

ABSTRACT Numerous studies relate differences in microbial communities to human health and disease; however, little is known about microbial changes that occur postmortem or the possible applications of microbiome analysis in the field of forensic science. The aim of this review was to study the microbiome and its applications in forensic sciences and to determine the main lines of investigation that are emerging, as well as its possible contributions to the forensic field. A systematic review of the human microbiome in relation to forensic science was carried out by following PRISMA guidelines. This study sheds light on the role of microbiome research in the postmortem interval during the process of decomposition, identifying death caused by drowning or sudden death, locating the geographical location of death, establishing a connection between the human microbiome and personal items, sexual contact, and the identification of individuals. Actinomycetaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Alcaligenaceae, and Bacilli play an important role in determining the postmortem interval. Aeromonas can be used to determine the cause of death, and Corynebacterium or Helicobacter pylori can be used to ascertain personal identity or geographical location. Several studies point to a promising future for microbiome analysis in the different fields of forensic science, opening up an important new area of research.

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