Image manipulation in scholarly publications: are there ways to an automated solution?

PurposeThis paper provides an introduction to research in the field of image forensics and asks whether advances in the field of algorithm development and digital forensics will facilitate the examination of images in the scientific publication process in the near future.Design/methodology/approachThis study looks at the status quo of image analysis in the peer review process and evaluates selected articles from the field of Digital Image and Signal Processing that have addressed the discovery of copy-move, cut-paste and erase-fill manipulations.FindingsThe article focuses on forensic research and shows that, despite numerous efforts, there is still no applicable tool for the automated detection of image manipulation. Nonetheless, the status quo for examining images in scientific publications remains visual inspection and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. This study summarizes aspects that make automated detection of image manipulation difficult from a forensic research perspective.Research limitations/implicationsResults of this study underscore the need for a conceptual reconsideration of the problems involving image manipulation with a view toward the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in conjunction with library and information science (LIS) expertise on information integrity.Practical implicationsThis study not only identifies a number of conceptual challenges but also suggests areas of action that the scientific community can address in the future.Originality/valueImage manipulation is often discussed in isolation as a technical challenge. This study takes a more holistic view of the topic and demonstrates the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach.

Use of Advanced Artificial Intelligence in Forensic Medicine, Forensic Anthropology and Clinical Anatomy

Three-dimensional convolutional neural networks (3D CNN) of artificial intelligence (AI) are potent in image processing and recognition using deep learning to perform generative and descriptive tasks. Compared to its predecessor, the advantage of CNN is that it automatically detects the important features without any human supervision. 3D CNN is used to extract features in three dimensions where input is a 3D volume or a sequence of 2D pictures, e.g., slices in a cone-beam computer tomography scan (CBCT). The main aim was to bridge interdisciplinary cooperation between forensic medical experts and deep learning engineers, emphasizing activating clinical forensic experts in the field with possibly basic knowledge of advanced artificial intelligence techniques with interest in its implementation in their efforts to advance forensic research further. This paper introduces a novel workflow of 3D CNN analysis of full-head CBCT scans. Authors explore the current and design customized 3D CNN application methods for particular forensic research in five perspectives: (1) sex determination, (2) biological age estimation, (3) 3D cephalometric landmark annotation, (4) growth vectors prediction, (5) facial soft-tissue estimation from the skull and vice versa. In conclusion, 3D CNN application can be a watershed moment in forensic medicine, leading to unprecedented improvement of forensic analysis workflows based on 3D neural networks.

Use of Advanced Artificial Intelligence in Forensic Medicine

Three-dimensional convolutional neural networks (3D CNN) as a type of artificial intelligence (AI) are powerful in image processing and recognition using deep learning to perform generative and descriptive tasks. The advantage of CNN compared to its predecessors is that it automatically detects the important features without any human supervision. 3D CNN are used to extract features in three dimensions where input is a 3D volume or a sequence of 2D pictures e.g., slices in a cone-beam computer tomography scan (CBCT). The main aim of this article was to bridge interdisciplinary cooperation between forensic medical experts and deep learning engineers. With emphasis activating clinical forensic experts in the field with possibly basic knowledge of advanced artificial intelligence techniques with interest in its implementation in their efforts to advance the forensic research further. This paper introduces a novel workflow of 3D CNN analysis of full-head CBCT scans. Authors explore and present 3D CNN method for forensic research design concept in five perspectives: (1) sex determination, (2) biological age estimation, (3) 3D cephalometric landmark annotation, (4) growth vectors prediction, (5) facial soft-tissue estimation from the skull and vice versa. In conclusion, 3D CNN application can be a watershed moment in forensic medicine, leading to unprecedented improvement of forensic analysis workflows based on 3D neural networks.

Application of Specialized Linguistic Knowledge in Legal Proceedings: Differentiation and Integration

The article addresses the influence of multidirectional processes of differentiation and integration of specialized linguistic knowledge on the development of forensic science and the practice of expert research, where it is used. The author highlights that both processes contribute to developing theoretical and methodological provisions that allow experts to solve new and complex problems at a higher quality level. The role of differentiation of specialized linguistic knowledge is to create new kinds and types of forensic examinations: author’s, linguistic, forensic analysis of video and sound recordings, forensic research of intellectual property objects. At the same time, the integration of specialized linguistic knowledge ensures the development of the whole scientific direction.

CONCEPTUAL ASPECTS OF THE USE OF BIBLIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES IN THE FIELD OF COUNTERACTION TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY

The article specifies that systematic and complex scientific researches on problems of the use of bibliometric technologies in preventive activity regarding detection and neutralization of threats to entities-facilities of air transport, companies staff, institutions and organizations which work in this field have not been considered yet. The results of researches and scientific papers of representatives of the Ukrainian forensic community had been analyzed, which determined the need for theoretical-legal and forensic research in the field of identification and verification of a person with the use of biometric technologies to solve tasks of counteraction to crime and civilian tasks of managerial and controlling content. The article purpose is to define current problems of the development of the newest directions of biometric technologies use in counteraction to criminal and other types of offenses; formation of theoretical principles of algorithmization of the use of biometric technologies in preventive activity. The use of the complex of general and special research methods has made it possible to identify factors and content of reasons and conditions for solving the present day tasks with the use of biometric technologies in security and preventive activities. Such approach has helped to draw the conclusion that the most promising directions of biometric technologies application are: security guaranteeing and ensuring access control to certain areas and space activity facilities; creation of a person identification systems; introduction of reliable and economic means of delimitation of access to the territory of facilities, buildings and internal premises of space activity entities; efficiency and personnel management; information protection of multifunctional user identification systems in information networks, operating systems, various add-ons for typical software.

The memory forensic research oriented to segment heap in Windows 10 system

The current forensic research on heaps mainly extracts information from the heap of Linux and the NT heap of Windows. However, the study of how to extract the information on the segment heap in the Windows 10 from dump files is not sufficient. To reproduce the internal information on the segment heap, this paper proposes a method for locating and extracting the internal information on the segment heap in the Windows 10 according to the field offset in the vtype description information of memory object. The method uses the pool scanning technology to locate the process object, obtains the starting position of the process heap and scans the process heap according to the structural information on the process object and the process environment block object. Then it locates the position of the segment heap with its feature values, thereby extracting its internal information. Based on the analysis results, five forensic plugins for extracting the information on the segment heap were developed on the Volatility framework. The experimental results show that this method can effectively extract the information on the address of each segment heap and its internal components in the memory and on the size of committed memory, etc. The information can help investigators to analyze the digital traces left in the memory by cyber criminals or cyber attackers.

Forensic Classification of Food Security Crimes

Crimes committed in the field of food security are the subject of research in various legal sciences, including the forensic science. Despite the fact that such crimes are well known around the world, there is a lack of scientific research devoted to them, especially with a forensic focus. The author analyzes the academic literature on food security crimes, developed in several disciplines (criminal law, criminology, forensic science), and concludes that there is no scientific classification of the considered group of crimes from a forensic point of view. The paper outlines the author’s forensic classification of crimes in the field of food security, briefly describes the grounds for such a classification, and provides a definition of crimes in the field of food security as an object of forensic research.

Entomology in Forensics - Multidisciplinary Character During Forensic Research

Forensic entomology is a scientific discipline which has a multidisciplinary character due to the use of entomology in solving a variety of problems that arise during forensic research. It includes the identification of individual species and developmental stages of insects, the relationship between insects and external factors, determining the time of death, etc. This paper aims to briefly describe the role of forensic entomologists in court proceedings. Keywords: Entomology; Insects; Forensics; Forensic Entomology; PMI

As for decision making rules based on research results while forensic science activities

While forensic research, obtained results should be evaluated in order to ensure adoption of correct conclusion regarding the research object. For this purpose forensic experts should use established decision rules to substantiate a statement about conformity of an object or certain requirements, or parameters, or characteristics. Currently, the need to ensure that a decision is made based on results of forensic examination using the concept of decision rules is constantly increasing. Therefore, consideration of the issue of establishing rules for making decisions while forensic science activity at international and national levels is relevant. Relevance of this issue is justified not only by the requirements of ІSO/ IEC 17025:2017 for testing laboratories but by the requirements for the objectivity of expert opinion. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 recognizes that there is no single rule for deciding on conformity. In other words, in a specific situation there will be its own decision making rule. This also applies to forensic science activity. Therefore, this article purpose is necessary for forensic science activity to determine: general guidelines for choosing appropriate decision-making rule; directives for determining the components of decision making rules depending on the object and the task of forensic examination; rules for applying certain requirements to the research results of carried out in accordance with requirements of research methods, research object and the type of quantitative or qualitative research. Thus, this article defines and considers the process of establishing the rules for making decisions, criteria which the rules for m