Combined determination of selected radiological and morphological variables relevant for dental age estimation of young adults.

The mineralisation of third molars is one of the main criteria for dental age estimation of living subjects in criminal proceedings. Since the mineralisation of third molars is usually completed by the age of 19 or 20 years, this feature cannot be used to ascertain whether a person has attained the forensically relevant age of 21 years. This study examined whether determination based on an orthopantomogram of a combination of features relevant to dental age estimation of adults, supplies forensically useful information for ascertaining whether a person has attained 21 years of age. The features considered include the DMFT index of all permanent teeth, the DMFT index of all permanent teeth excluding third molars, the DFT index of third molars projecting beyond the occlusal plane, the eruption of third molars and the periodontal recession of second molars. A total of 650 conventional orthopantomograms of German subjects aged 18-30 years were evaluated. The statistical evaluation of our results was based on a discriminant analysis. It was carried out with two classes defined by two age groups: < or = 21 years and > 21 years. The probability of correct classification was 69.7% for males and 71.4% for females. It can be concluded that an evaluation of the variables reviewed in this paper does not by itself yield sufficient data to determine with the accuracy required in criminal proceedings whether a person has attained 21 years of age. The additional radiographic examination of the medial clavicular epiphyseal cartilage is recommended.     

Uncloaking a Lost Cause: Decolonizing ancestry estimation in the United States

Since the professionalization of US-based forensic anthropology in the 1970s, ancestry estimation has been included as a standard part of the biological profile, because practitioners have assumed it necessary to achieve identifications in medicolegal contexts. Simultaneously, forensic anthropologists have not fully considered the racist context of the criminal justice system in the United States related to the treatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; nor have we considered that ancestry estimation might actually hinder identification efforts because of entrenched racial biases. Despite ongoing criticisms from mainstream biological anthropology that ancestry estimation perpetuates race science, forensic anthropologists have continued the practice. Recent years have seen the prolific development of retooled typological approaches with 21st century statistical prowess to include methods for estimating ancestry from cranial morphoscopic traits, despite no evidence that these traits reflect microevolutionary processes or are suitable genetic proxies for population structure; and such approaches have failed to critically evaluate the societal consequences for perpetuating the biological race concept. Around the country, these methods are enculturated in every aspect of the discipline ranging from university classrooms, to the board-certification examination marking the culmination of training, to standard operating procedures adopted by forensic anthropology laboratories. Here, we use critical race theory to interrogate the approaches utilized to estimate ancestry to include a critique of the continued use of morphoscopic traits, and we assert that the practice of ancestry estimation contributes to white supremacy. Based on the lack of scientific support that these traits reflect evolutionary history, and the inability to disentangle skeletal-based ancestry estimates from supporting the biological validity of race, we urge all forensic anthropologists to abolish the practice of ancestry estimation.     

Investigations on the reliability of determiningan individual's age from the proximal femur

In the context of individual identifications the reliable determination of age is important. It has been suggested that the femur is appropriate for reliably determining age and excellent results were indeed claimed but calculated errors of estimation were often missing in the studies. In order to check the reliability and validity for forensic diagnostics, two independent investigators who were not informed of the actual age of the femur specimens evaluated x-ray views of 90 femurs according to methods described in the literature. The results of the two investigators differed by maximally 5 years in 64.4% of all cases examined; the average error of estimation amounted to 10.1–17.0 years. Only one-seventh of all cases examined could be precisely grouped into the 5-year class. Deviations of more than 15 years occurred in nearly one fourth of all cases. In particular, individuals over 50 years of age were estimated as being much younger. We must therefore conclude that the method under examination is only appropriate for rough estimations of age. A more accurate estimation within a five-year interval is only rarely possible.     

Microbial traces and their role in forensic science

Forensic microbiology, also known as the microbiology of death, is an emerging branch of science that is still underused in criminal investigations. Some of the cases might be difficult to solve with commonly used forensic methods, and then they become an operational field for microbiological and mycological analyses. The aim of our review is to present significant achievements of selected studies on the thanatomicrobiome (micro-organisms found in the body, organs and fluids after death) and epinecrotic community (micro-organisms found on decaying corpses) that can be used in forensic sciences. Research carried out as a part of the forensic microbiology deals with the thanatomicrobiome and the necrobiome—communities of micro-organisms that live inside and outside of a putrefying corpse. Change of species composition observed in each community is a valuable feature that gives a lot of information related to the crime. It is mainly used in the estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI). In some criminal investigations, such noticeable changes in the microbiome and mycobiome can determine the cause or the actual place of death. The microbial traces found at the crime scene can also provide clear evidence of guilt. Nowadays, identification of micro-organisms isolated from the body or environment is based on metagenome analysis and 16S rRNA gene amplicon-based sequencing for bacteria and ITS rRNA gene amplicon-based sequencing for fungi. Cultivation methods are still in use and seem to be more accurate; however, they require much more time to achieve a final result, which is an unwanted feature in any criminal investigation.     

Renegotiating forensic cultures: Between law,science and criminal justice

This article challenges stereotypical conceptions of Law and Science as cultural opposites, arguing that English criminal trial practice is fundamentally congruent with modern science’s basic epistemological assumptions, values and methods of inquiry. Although practical tensions undeniably exist, they are explicable—and may be neutralised—by paying closer attention to criminal adjudication’s normative ideals and their institutional expression in familiar aspects of common law trial procedure, including evidentiary rules of admissibility, trial by jury, adversarial fact-finding, cross-examination and the ethical duties of expert witnesses. Effective partnerships between lawyers and forensic scientists are indispensable for integrating scientific evidence into criminal proceedings, and must be renegotiated between individual practitioners on an on-going basis. Fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars with a shared interest in forensic science should dispense with reductive cultural stereotypes of Science and Law.     

ETHICAL ISSUES IN FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH ON MENTALLY DISORDERED OFFENDERS

This paper analyses ethical issues in forensic psychiatric research on mentally disordered offenders, especially those detained in the psychiatric treatment system. The idea of a 'dual role' dilemma afflicting forensic psychiatry is more complicated than acknowledged. Our suggestion acknowledges the good of criminal law and crime prevention as a part that should be balanced against familiar research ethical considerations. Research aiming at improvements of criminal justice and treatment is a societal priority, and the total benefit of studies has to be balanced against the risks for research subjects inferred by almost all systematic studies. Direct substantial risks must be balanced by health benefits, and normal informed consent requirements apply. When direct risks are slight, as in register-based epidemiology, lack of consent may be counter-balanced by special measures to protect integrity and the general benefit of better understanding of susceptibility, treatment and prevention. Special requirements on consent procedures in the forensic psychiatric context are suggested, and the issue of the relation between decision competence and legal accountability is found to be in need of further study. The major ethical hazard in forensic psychiatric research connects to the role of researchers as assessors and consultants in a society entertaining strong prejudices against mentally disordered offenders.     

Obtaining the child testimony in the criminal proceedings

Children fall under the special category of vulnerable witnesses. Children's vulnerability is the reason that we must approach obtaining the child's testimony in the criminal proceedings with special attention. It is important to take the child's testimony as soon as possible and to avoid the repetition of interrogation. The criminal proceedings law and the juvenile court law enable children interrogation through the professional person without the presence of other parties in the procedure and enable the recording of such interrogation by audio-video link which considerably diminish the secondary victimization. The professionals who obtain the testimony must be well acquainted with children's psychological development. Knowledge of psychological development is of major importance in order to make the quality arrangements for interrogation and to interrogate the child and to achieve positive social contact between the examiner and the examinee and it is also of great importance for the credibility evaluation of the child's testimony. The adequate way of children interrogation will enable the child to say the correct information and to recognize the perpetrator. The forensic interview is well elaborated and child adapted technique of interrogation. Respecting the rules of forensic interview will enable the child's testimony on court to be relevant evidence.     

Origin and assessment of bruises in beef cattle at slaughter

Studies of bruises, as detected on carcasses at the slaughterhouse, may provide useful information about the traumatic situations the animals endure during the pre-slaughter period. In this paper, we review scientific data on the prevalence, risk factors and estimation of the age of bruises in beef cattle. Risk factors such as animal characteristics, transport conditions, stocking density, livestock auction and handling of the animals are discussed. Investigation of the age of bruises could provide information on when in the meat chain bruises occur and, could help to pinpoint where preventive measures should be taken, from the stage of collecting the animals on the farm until slaughter. We review the methods available to assess the age of the bruises; data on human forensic research are also included. The feasibility to identify traumatic episodes during the pre-slaughter period, in order to improve animal welfare is discussed.     

Relationship between age and deposit of peritubular dentine

Peritubular dentine is a mineralised deposit formed centripetally in the dentine tubules with advancing age, so that the tubular diameter is smaller in teeth from older persons. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between age in humans and the amount of peritubular dentine and the extent of the consequent obliteration of the tubules, and to find out whether this relationship was strong enough to be used as a parameter for age estimation. Fifty mandibular central and lateral human incisors were ground on the lingual aspect of the root and examined in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The number of open tubules was counted and the diameter of the tubules measured both before and after etching with 35% orthophosphoric acid. The difference in the number of tubules in unetched and etched specimens was taken to be the number of occluded tubules, and the difference in radii before and after etching to be the thickness of peritubular dentine. The results did not demonstrate a significant relationship between age and the reduction in the number of tubules. One explanation might be that a certain age has to be reached before obliterated dentine tubules can be observed. The correlation between age and the thickness of peritubular dentine was not significant in teeth extracted because of periodontal disease, so these teeth were excluded from the regression analysis with age as the dependent variable. Only the thickness of peritubular dentine was included in the regression (r=0.69); this factor was a better indicator of age than the tubular diameter, but not so closely related to age that it can be recommended for general use in forensic and archaeological age estimations.     

A Flexible Parametric Model for Combining Current Status and Age at First Diagnosis Data

In some cross-sectional studies of chronic disease, data consist of the age at examination, whether the disease was present at the exam, and recall of the age at first diagnosis. This article describes a flexible parametric approach for combining current status and age at first diagnosis data. We assume that the log odds of onset by a given age and of detection by a given age conditional on onset by that age are nondecreasing functions of time plus linear combinations of covariates. Piecewise linear models are used to characterize changes across time in the baseline odds. Methods are described for accommodating informatively missing current status data and inferences based on the age-specific incidence of disease prior to a landmark event (e.g., puberty, menopause). Our formulation enables straightforward maximum likelihood estimation without requiring restrictive parametric or Markov assumptions. The methods are applied to data from a study of uterine fibroids.     

Twins and the paradox of dental-age estimations: A caution for researchers and clinicians

The biological age difference among twins is frequently an issue in studies of genetic influence on various dental features, particularly dental development. The timing of dental development is a crucial issue also for many clinicians and researchers. The aim of this study was therefore to verify within groups of twins how dental development differs, by applying Demirjian's method, Mincer's charts of development of third molars and two of Cameriere's methods for dental age estimation, which are among the most popular methods both in the clinical and the forensic scenario. The sample consisted of 64 twin pairs: 21 monozygotic, 30 dizygotic same-sex and 13 dizygotic opposite-sex with an age range between 5.8 and 22.6 years. Dental age was determined from radiographs using the mentioned methods. Results showed that dental age of monozygotic twins is not identical even if they share all their genes. The mean intra-pair difference of monozygotic pairs was low and similar to the difference in dizygotic same-sex twins; the maximum difference between monozygotic twins, however, was surprisingly large (nearly two years). This should lead to some circumspection in the interpretation of systematic estimations of dental age both in the clinical and forensic scenario.     

Testing the quality of nonadult Bayesian dental age assessment methods to juvenile skeletal remains: the Lisbon collection children and secular trend effects

Age estimation of nonadult skeletons from archaeological or forensic contexts has relied heavily on modern schedules of dental formation developed on samples of children of affluent populations. Although genetic factors have been considered to have had the greatest influence on population differences in dental development, increased interest has been placed on the role of environmental influences, such as differences in socioeconomic status and secular trends. This study evaluates the quality (i.e., accuracy and reliability) of two Bayesian dental age estimation methods to a sample of identified child skeletons from the Lisbon collection (20th century Portugal). The two Bayesian methods are developed on a reference sample of modern children from France, Ivory Coast, Iran, and Morocco. The test sample from Lisbon, compared to the reference sample, is separated by over 50 years of secular trends and comprises a lower socioeconomic segment. The two Bayesian methods show that the Lisbon children are consistently 1-year behind in dental age compared to the modern children of the reference sample. Environmental factors largely explain the differences between dental and chronological age in historic samples of nonadults.     

New insights into estimating the age of old Scots pine from increment cores with stem rot

Trunk inner rot is a common phenomenon in some old-growth pine dominated forests, making it impossible to determine tree age by counting annual rings. We compared the efficiency of five methods to estimate the age of hollow pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.). Our main aims were to select the best-performing method and to test whether the age of the tree or the proportion of rot influences the accuracy of estimation. We used full increment cores (reaching the pith or within 1 cm of it) from 100 trees (54–562 years old) collected in northern Sweden and simulated rotten centres of three different sizes in order to test the methods. The lowest error rates were obtained when less than a third of the sample was missing (down to 5.0 % error rate), and by using a method based on the growth pattern of a set of healthy trees. Using linear extrapolation of the mean radial growth led to large overestimates (up to three times the number of absent rings) with error rates up to 27.3 %. We also found that the performance of all methods was reduced in cores from older trees. Our main conclusion is that non-linear methods should be preferred for age estimation of hollow pines. We also argue that more precision in the age estimation could be gained already in the field by collecting multiple cores from rotten trees or by developing alternative coring methods.     

Forensic biology: its past, present and future

Forensic biology has reached an unprecedented prominence with the advent of DNA profiling, which allows the biologist to use microscopic evidence to match a person to a scene of crime. But there's a lot more in the forensic biologist's arsenal. Here we take a brief look at the who, when and how (and a little of the where to) of forensic biology.     

Correlation between chronological age and skeletal age using cvmi and modified MP3 methods

Chronological age conveys only a rough approximation of the maturational status of a person whereas skeletal maturity indicators give a more accurate estimation. Therefore, it is of interest to document the correlation between chronological and skeletal age using CVMI and modified MP3 methods. A total of 39 subjects between the age ranges of 9-16 years were selected for this study. Pre-treatment lateral cephalograms and hand-wrist radiographs of the subjects were used. The skeletal age was analyzed by the Cervical Vertebrae Maturity Index (CVMI) and modified MP3 methods. The data was analyzed with SPSS software version 23.00. Kendall''s Tau correlation test was performed to estimate the correlation between chronological age and skeletal age among the subjects and a linear regression test was also performed. Positive correlation was found between chronological age and skeletal age assessed by CVMI method (r= 0.398) and modified MP3 method (r=0.382) with p value >0.003. Thus it can be concluded that there was a positive correlation between chronological age and skeletal age among all the subjects.     

Age estimation of Norway spruce using incomplete increment cores: Testing new and improved methods

Information on tree age is often vital for dendrochronological studies, especially when the Regional Curve Standardisation technique is used. Several linear and non-linear methods of tree age estimation using partial increment cores (without the presence of pith) were evaluated and modified to provide more accurate estimations than are currently used. To achieve the objective, core samples from 142 Norway spruce trees (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) were collected from an altitudinal gradient in the Western Carpathians. The samples in which the pith was included were then used for further analyses. Several known age estimation approaches were adjusted to combine the advantages of direct increment- and indirect age-diameter-based methods. Inverse differential forms of non-linear growth functions were tested and proposed as a new advanced approach for age estimation. The results show that most of the modified linear methods achieved a mean square error of less than 10% when the length of the partial core exceeded 90% of the stem radius and less than 20% when the length of the core was at least 60% of the stem radius. Using an appropriate differential form of the non-linear growth functions, a mean square error of less than 20% was reached, even when the core length was shorter than 60% of the radius. The results show that current linear methods for age estimation can only be used if the missing part of the core sample is very short, with only a few rings absent. In the case of a large number of missing rings, a differential form of non-linear functions should preferably be used instead.     

Forensic Palynology as Classroom Inquiry

This activity introduces the science of forensic palynology: the use of microscopic pollen and spores (also called palynomorphs) to solve criminal cases. Plants produce large amounts of pollen or spores during reproductive cycles. Because of their chemical resistance, small size, and morphology, pollen and spores can be used to link individuals or objects to specific locations where the parent plants grow. Students will use a digital pollen database and Google Earth to link pollen trace evidence to a specific crime scene. The methods presented are based on those used in criminal cases and palynological techniques used by forensic scientists. Step-by-step instructions for a hands-on investigation and a case simulation are presented.     

林木蒸腾耗水量测算方法的比较与应用

本文简述了林木蒸腾耗水的概念、研究价值和研究进展,从实测法和估测法的角度,综述了林木蒸腾耗水量的主要测算方法,对比了各方法的优缺点、适用性、局限性、应用现状以及适用尺度。本研究认为: 实测法可应用于多种空间尺度耗水量的测定,估测法常应用于大空间尺度蒸散量的测算。实测法是估测法的基础,因此应对实测法的测定结果进行合理的质量控制与评价,为校正估测法的估算结果提供数据基础。不管是同一大空间尺度还是不同空间尺度,实测法和估测法的结合能够提高蒸散量测算结果的准确性。提升复杂下垫面和恶劣气候环境下大空间尺度林木蒸散量的测算精度将成为未来的研究热点与难点。随着科学技术的不断进步,现有的测定装置和测算方法将被改进,精确测定林木蒸腾耗水量的新方法也将随之诞生。     

Governing anticipatory technology practices. Forensic DNA phenotyping and the forensic genetics community in Europe

Forensic geneticists have attempted to make the case for continued investment in forensic genetics research, despite its seemingly consolidated evidentiary role in criminal justice, by shifting the focus to technologies that can provide intelligence. Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) is one such emerging set of techniques, promising to infer external appearance and ancestry of an unknown person. On this example, I consider the repertoire of anticipatory practices deployed by scientists, expanding the concept to not only focus on promissory but also include epistemic and operational aspects of anticipatory work in science. I explore these practices further as part of anticipatory self-governance efforts, attending to the European forensic genetics community and its construction of FDP as a reliable and legitimate technology field for use in delivering public goods around security and justice. In this context, I consider three types of ordering devices that translate anticipatory practices into anticipatory self-governance.