Effects of Loading Conditions on the Pelvic Fracture Biomechanism and Discrimination of Forensic Injury Manners of Impact and Run-Over Using the Finite Element Pelvic Model

This study aimed to systematically simulate the responses of pelvic fracture under impact and run-over to clarify the effects of boundary and loading conditions on the pelvic fracture mechanism and provide complementary quantitative evidence for forensic practice. Based on the THUMS finite element model, we have validated the simulation performance of the model by a real postmortem human pelvis side impact experiment. A total of 54 simulations with two injury manners (impact and run-over), seven loading directions (0°, 30°, 60°, 90°, 270°, 300°, 330°), and six loading velocities (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 km/h) were conducted. Criteria of effective strain, Von-Mises stress, contact force, and self-designed normalized eccentricity were used to evaluate the biomechanism of pelvic fracture. Based on our simulation results, it’s challenging to distinguish impact from run-over only rely on certain characteristic fractures. Loads on the front and back were less likely to cause pelvic fractures. In the 30°, 60°, 300° load directions, the overall deformation caused a “diagonal” pelvic fracture. The higher is the velocity (kinetic energy), the more severe is the pelvic fracture. The contact force will predict the risk of fracture. In addition, our self-designed eccentricity will distinguish the injury manner of impact and run-over under the 90° loads. The “biomechanical fingerprints” based on logistic regression of all biomechanical variables have an AUC of 0.941 in discriminating the injury manners. Our study may provide simulation evidence and new methods for the forensic community to improve the forensic identification ability of injury manners.

Evaluation of Forensic Genetic Parameters of 24 STR Loci and Y indel in a Southern Region Saudi Population Sample Using GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification Kit

The last three decades have seen rapid advances in the field of short tandem repeats (STRs) genotyping technology. Autosomal STRs have emerged as a powerful tool in forensic identification and paternity investigations. The indigenous population of Saudi Arabia is irregularly distributed and has historically been organized into geographically distinct groups or tribes of patrilineal descent. So far, there has been no detailed investigation of the southern region Saudi population to assist in the interpretation of DNA-based forensic evidence and in the construction of DNA database. The objective of this study is to investigate the genetic structure in 154 unrelated healthy Saudi subjects within three generations from the southern Saudi regions using a GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification kit. Intra- and Inter-population genetic diversity as well as the forensic genetics parameters were analyzed. Our results showed that SE33 and TPOX loci were the most and the least polymorphic loci, respectively. The PIC, PE, TPI, Ho and He varied from 0.56116 (TPOX) to 0.94393 (SE33), 0.26638 (TPOX) to 0.83859 (SE33), 1.1875 (TPOX) to 6.33333 (SE33), 0.57894 (TPOX) to 0.92105 (SE33) and 0.6169 (TPOX) to 0.952 (SE33), respectively. The highest PM was observed for D22S1045 (0.223944) and the highest PD for SE33 (0.98935). The combined PD was 99.99999999% and the combined PM was equal to 3.19021E-25. Phylogenetic parameters showed that the southern region Saudi population had the closest genetic relationship with the Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti, and Bahraini populations. The study offers some important insights into the southern region Saudi population structure using GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification kit.

Forensic Human Identification for Cutaneous Microbiome, a Brief Review

Forensic Science compounds many study areas in context of solving crimes, one of which is the forensic microbiology. Combined with genomic approaches, microbiology has shown strong performance in studies regarding the relationship between microorganisms present on human skin and environment. The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) has contributed significantly to characterization of microbial complexity and their connection to human being. The purpose of this work consists of a historical overview of scientific articles, demonstrating the growth and possibility of using skin microbiome in forensic identification. Studies about use of cutaneous microbiome in human identification, as well its forensic approaches, were looked into for writing of this review. Comparisons among cutaneous microbial communities and manipulated objects have been tested using 16S rRNA, as well as a thorough sequencing of the bacterial genome. From use of ecological measures of distance to genetic markers with nucleotide variants and predictive algorithms, research has shown promising results for advances in field of forensic identification. The development of metagenomic microbial panel markers, named hidSkinPlax for targeted sequencing has been designed and tested with great results. Research results show satisfactory potential in human identification by cutaneous microbiome and the possibility for contributive use in elucidating crimes.

THE APPLICATION OF CELL-FREE FETAL DNA (cff-DNA) AND SIBLINGS DNA METHODS IN THE PROCESS OF PATERNITY TEST THROUGH CODIS STR LOCI (CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, AND vWA)

Background: The non-invasive cff-DNA and siblings DNA methods are the latest breakthroughs in the forensic identification process. The use of cff-DNA and siblings DNA as non-invasive techniques in the forensic identification process has, hitherto, not been widely proven. Methods and Materials: This was an analytic observational study. The sample of this study consisted of peripheral blood of women in the second trimester of pregnancy and their two biological children. The kinship analysis was carried out through siblings' DNA and cff-DNA from the mothers through CODIS STR loci (CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, and vWA). Results: The means of allele sharing between full siblings in loci CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, and vWA were 0 (13.75%), 1 (44.75%), and 2 (41.50%). The allele sharing found in the study is in line with the one in previous research conducted by Wenk (1998) and the theory proposed by O'Connor (2011), indicating that one allele sharing dominates, contrasting with the finding of previous research conducted by Sosiawan (2020) revealing that 2-allele sharing was more superior. The variation is caused by the ethnicity having a different genetic contribution among the population. The variation can be attributed to historical and demographical processes leading to genetic drift. Conclusion: The mean of SI in 1 allele sharing in CODIS STR loci (CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, and vWA) has the highest value of 44.5%. The use of cff-DNA of pregnant women as one of the non-invasive techniques can serve as an alternative material in a paternity test.

Differences in Correlation Values in Sex Determination based on Ridge Density of Hypothenar, External Ear Anthropometric and Canine Index

Hypothenar region is an area that is often contacts with surfaces during activities, and the ear is proven to be more consistent than face identification in passive biometrics. While, the teeth are hardest part in the human body which covered inside the oral cavity. These 3 parts of the body have a great role forensic identification especially in determining sex. The aim of this study is to know differences in correlation values in sex determination based on ridge density of hypothenar region of the palm, external ear anthropometric and canine index. This was a cross sectional study with observational analytic design, include 500 medical students in Kariadi Hospital Semarang Central Java Indonesia, age 21 - 26 years old, who are included in inclusion criteria, male (n = 250), female (n = 250). Ridge density is measured by calculating the average number of hypothenar palm ridge on the side of the top, middle and bottom; each area is 5×5 mm2 in measurement. External ear anthrophometric consists ear length, ear breadth, base auricular, lobe length and lobe width. Canine index is calculated by dividing mesiodistal width and intercanine distance in 4 regions. Spearman correlation test between ridge density of hypothenar region palm prints, external ear anthropometric, mandibular canine index and sex shows significant correlation with p-value = 0.000. There is no significant difference between maxillary canine index and sex (right maxillary p-value = 0.112 and left maxillary p-value = 0.082). There are differences in correlation values in sex determination based on ridge density of hypothenar region palm prints, external ear anthropometric and mandibular canine index. Ridge density of hypothenar region palm prints and ear length are show strong correlation in sex determination.

Estimation of Stature from Tibia Length for Romanian Adult Population

The estimation of stature from bones plays an important role in identifying unknown bodies, body parts, or skeletal remains, as it is an important component of the biological profile in forensic identification. The objective of this study is to enhance the development of forensic anthropology in Romania by creating a new regression formula for stature estimation. This can be accomplished from the length of the tibia, taking into account sex and age, for the Romanian adult population. A total of 137 cases from a delimited territory of Romania were included in the study. The length of the tibia and the stature of the individuals were measured before autopsy. Statistical analysis was carried using (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) SPSS 23. Tibia length showed a high correlation with stature for males, females, and the total sample. Four regression formulae were created for stature estimation of Romanian males, females, and unknown sex. The results of the analysis are impressive and have a good applicability in a forensic anthropological context. The data used in this paper provide reliable results with a large applicability in the future for estimating stature from the tibia length for the Romanian adult population.

On the Significance of Giovanni Morelli’s Works for the Development of Forensic Identification and Diagnostic Study of Fine Art Objects

The 19th-century Italian art critic Giovanni Morelli contributed significantly to the theory and practice of attribution of paintings by prominent Renaissance masters. His methods, based on the profound knowledge of human anatomy and the analysis of artists’ professional skills, influenced not only the history of visual arts but also the development of forensic science, forensic medicine, the theory of psychoanalysis, and the practice of psychotherapy. The article provides the analysis of Giovanni Morelli’s scientific heritage for the identification and attribution of the works of fine art and for solving forensic tasks requiring the investigation of human skills and habits.Morelli’s methods and the capabilities of a comprehensive forensic study of artistic and cultural values with the involvement of the appropriate instrumental base and specialized knowledge in the field of art history, forensic traceology, and materials science, as well as digital technologies, can significantly increase the reliability of the results of attribution activities of museums, art scientists, experts of world auction houses and amateur collectors.