Allocation of crania to groups via the "new morphometry".

An investigation regarding the variation in cranial morphology between American blacks and whites was conducted using triangulation schemes of inter-landmark distances and converting these to three dimensional coordinate data. A least squares superimposition method and Euclidean distance analysis were utilized to obtain parameters for classifying individuals in our sample, consisting of 19 black and nineteen white crania from the William M. Bass, III Donated and Forensic collections curated at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Thirty-six caliper measurements were collected on each skull based on 14 homologous cranial landmarks (nasion, bregma, lambda, prosthion, subspinale, basion, frontomalare (left and right), zygoorbitale (left and right), zygotemporale (left and right), and left and right asterion). The results are compared to traditional discriminant analysis. The classification results using the new morphometry are comparable to traditional discriminant analysis. However, the new morphometry can provide information as to the specific location of morphological variation that cannot be obtained with discriminant analysis.     

辽宁汉族青年女性面部不对称性的分析

目的研究辽宁汉族青年女性面部的不对称性,为面部识别和颅面复原提供数据。方法随机选择100例正常青年女性,采用MRI摄片,应用VG Studio 2.2MAX软件测量面部的标志点,测量后的右、左侧面部坐标进行欧几里德几何距离矩阵分析（EDMA）,最后使用Geomagic Wrap 12软件对左侧面部三维图像进行镜像合成,生成完全对称的镜像面部并与真实面部进行比较。结果 EDMA分析显示,右、左侧面部有显著形态学差异,bootstrap检验T=1.402,P=0.001,形状差异矩阵（FDM）比值（右侧比左侧）在0.95-1.05的有224个占85%,FDM比值小于0.95和大于1.05的部分有40个占15%,40个不对称比值中有15个小于0.95占37.5%,25个比值大于1.05占62.5%。Geomagic Wrap 12分析结果显示镜像合成的面部与真实面部图像有明显差异。结论辽宁汉族青年女性面部不对称,不对称性为15%,右侧面部比左侧面部不对称性影响大。     

Mid-facial tissue depths of white children: an aid in facial feature reconstruction

Available facial tissue thickness standards for facial feature reconstruction are based on adult measurements. Mid-facial tissue thicknesses for male and female white adolescents are presented here. Measurements were taken from lateral radiographs produced in an orthodontic practice. Statistical analysis indicates that age, sex, and to some extent, dental occlusion pattern are factors that should be taken into account when attempting facial feature reconstructions.     

Sexual dimorphism of the scapula

Studies on 96 male and 53 female human right scapulas confirmed a highly significant sexual dimorphism. This sexual dimorphism could also be ascertained for 23 pairs of scapulas from male and female individuals with identical body height. It therefore depends not only on the different average stature of men and women. Using the presented quantitative criteria, the sex of 88% of the bones could be determined correctly, while 4% were misclassified.     

2D/3D image (facial) comparison using camera matching

A problem in forensic facial comparison of images of perpetrators and suspects is that distances between fixed anatomical points in the face, which form a good starting point for objective, anthropometric comparison, vary strongly according to the position and orientation of the camera. In case of a cooperating suspect, a 3D image may be taken using e.g. a laser scanning device. By projecting the 3D image onto a 2D image with the suspect's head in the same pose as that of the perpetrator, using the same focal length and pixel aspect ratio, numerical comparison of (ratios of) distances between fixed points becomes feasible. An experiment was performed in which, starting from two 3D scans and one 2D image of two colleagues, male and female, and using seven fixed anatomical locations in the face, comparisons were made for the matching and non-matching case. Using this method, the non-matching pair cannot be distinguished from the matching pair of faces. Facial expression and resolution of images were all more or less optimal, and the results of the study are not encouraging for the use of anthropometric arguments in the identification process. More research needs to be done though on larger sets of facial comparisons.     

Sex determination with the head of the radius

Analysis of a sample of 1108 radii corresponding to 567 black and white North Americans in the Terry Collection at the Smithsonian Institution demonstrates that the diameter of the radial head is an accurate sex discriminator for human remains. A simple "radial-head method" of sex determination consists of measuring the maximum and minimum diameters of the head and comparing such measurements with the test cutoff points. The subject is female when the maximum radial head diameter (either left or right) is less than or equal to 21 mm, and male when the maximum diameter (either left or right) is greater than or equal to 24 mm. The same decisions apply to the minimum diameters of 20 mm or less and 23 mm or more, respectively. When the maximum diameter is 23 mm or the minimum is 22 mm, the subject is more likely male; when the maximum diameter is 22 mm or the minimum is 21 mm, the subject is more likely female. The sample frequency of any one of these latter diameters is never more than 16%. Cross-validation of the method with a sample of 50 pairs of radii of the Terry Collection, different from the original specimens, resulted in 92% sexing accuracy when using the left radius singly, 94% accuracy when using the right radius singly, and 96% accuracy when using both radii jointly.     

论吴藻词曲特质及其在女性文学史上的地位

清代女作家吴藻经常在作品中抒发崇尚自由的意志，与同时代具有类似意识的女性相比，吴藻能够突破视男性所享有的待遇为解放尺度的思维定势，揭示传统力量压抑全体社会成员个体的严峻现实，视阈更为高远，不唯如此，打通不同人群之间的界限、将个性解放当作全社会共同需要思路，也切入了时代要求的本质，在当时有着深化个性解放思潮的重要意义，吴藻词在表现其精神特质中形成了以豪宕悲慨为主的风格，在女性学史上具有很高地位。     

The rhomboid fossa of the clavicle as a sex and age estimator

The costoclavicular (rhomboid) ligament connects the first rib to the clavicle, stabilizing the pectoral girdle. It produces skeletal traits that may be tubercles, roughened impressions, shallow groove-like fossae, deep fossae, or leave no trace. A pit or depression at this site is often called a "rhomboid fossa." While these markings may appear pathological, they are normal variants of the clavicle. Using a large contemporary sample (N = 344:113 females, 231 males), we evaluated the presence of a rhomboid fossa as a sex and age indicator for unidentified skeletal remains. Logistic regression found significant relationships between the presence of a rhomboid fossa and sex and between presence of a rhomboid fossa and age. Fossae were more common in males (36% left, 31% right) than in females (3% left, 8% right). Posterior probabilities suggest that a fossa on the right clavicle is indicative of a male with 81.7% probability; a fossa on the left is indicative of a male with 92.2% probability. Younger individuals more commonly exhibited rhomboid fossae than older individuals, and the largest fossae were most common in males 20-30 years of age. However, the age effect was not conclusive and must be corroborated by other methods. A test of the sex estimation method on an independent sample (26 males, 23 females) found nine males and only one female with fossae present on the left clavicle. When the costoclavicular attachment exhibits an impression, a tubercle, or leaves no trace, this method cannot be used for sex estimation. When a clavicle exhibits a rhomboid fossa, it is likely from a male. The greater difference in fossa expression between the sexes on the left clavicle makes use of the left bone preferable. This technique can corroborate other sex estimates or provide an estimate for unknown individuals in the absence of other skeletal indicators.     

Sex differences in proximal humeral outline shape: elliptical Fourier functions

A method is presented for the numerical analysis of sex differences in size and shape of the proximal humeral outlines using elliptical Fourier functions (EFFs). A skeletal sample consisting of right and left humeri pairs of 69 individuals, 36 males and 33 females, was used. The proximal superior view in the plane of the proximo-distal axis of each humerus was photographed and then 54 boundary points were located on the two-dimensional outline tracings. These points were digitized and used to compute EFFs with 27 harmonics. From the EFFs, a set of expected points on the proximal humeral outline was generated using the centroid as an origin. Superimposition of the male and female outlines on this centroid provided a detailed picture of the relative sex differences in size and shape with respect to that center. The bounded area of the proximal humeral outline showed statistically significant sex differences. Additionally, statistical results of the amplitudes derived from the "area-standardized" EFFs and visual assessments of the mean outline plots indicated significant sex differences in shape of the proximal humeral outlines. Focusing on localized regional differences, the greater tubercle was located more postero-medially and the lesser tubercle was located more anteriorly in the males compared to the females. Sex determinations from the proximal humeri were also examined with discriminant functions based on the amplitudes, which represent shape characteristics of the outline, and the hounded area. Using a cross-validation method, predictions of the percentages of cases correctly classified with the discriminant functions were ranged from 92.8% to 95.7% for the right and left humeral data. These results suggest that differences in size and shape of the proximal humeral outlines may be better predictors of sex when compared with conventional measurements of the humerus.     

Investigation into the use of photoanthropometry in facial image comparison

Photoanthropometry is a metric based facial image comparison technique. Measurements of the face are taken from an image using predetermined facial landmarks. Measurements are then converted to proportionality indices (PIs) and compared to PIs from another facial image. Photoanthropometry has been presented as a facial image comparison technique in UK courts for over 15 years. It is generally accepted that extrinsic factors (e.g. orientation of the head, camera angle and distance from the camera) can cause discrepancies in anthropometric measurements of the face from photographs. However there has been limited empirical research into quantifying the influence of such variables. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of photoanthropometric measurements between different images of the same individual taken with different angulations of the camera. The study examined the facial measurements of 25 individuals from high resolution photographs, taken at different horizontal and vertical camera angles in a controlled environment. Results show that the degree of variability in facial measurements of the same individual due to variations in camera angle can be as great as the variability of facial measurements between different individuals. Results suggest that photoanthropometric facial comparison, as it is currently practiced, is unsuitable for elimination purposes. Preliminary investigations into the effects of distance from camera and image resolution in poor quality images suggest that such images are not an accurate representation of an individuals face, however further work is required.     

同卵双生子外周血DNA甲基化谱的差异

目的通过比较不同个体外周血DNA甲基化谱的差异,评估DNA甲基化在同卵双生子个体甄别中的应用价值。方法在知情同意基础上获得22对同卵双生子外周血样。抽提基因组DNA后进行重亚硫酸盐转化．采用Illuraina公司的人27k甲基化微珠芯片检测基因组27578个CpG位点的甲基化程度（启值）。依据常染色体CpG位点的序值,采用欧氏距离计算方法计算同卵双生子间以及同性男ll的无关个体间的表观遗传距离。比较同卵双生子对与无关个体对两组不同人群间的表观遗传距离差异。结果同卵双生子对人群以及无关个体对人群中的男性个体对与女性个体对的表观遗传距离差异均无统计学意义（P值分别为0．0695和0．4825）。同卵双生子对的表观遗传距离显著低于无关个体对人群（中位数：6．02νs7．20,P=0．0002）．但两组人群的表观遗传距离均显著大于4．00（P〈0．0001）。结论同卵双生子间的外周血DNA甲基化谱差异显著．DNA甲基化是进行同卵双生子个体甄别的有效生物学标记。     

中国人胫骨的性别判定

目的建立中国人胫骨性别判定的方程。方法测量来自全国14省区已知生前确切性别的180例（男150例,女30例）个体的跫侧胫骨的13项指标,使用统计软件SPSS13．0,对所获得的测量数据进行同一性别双侧间以及不同性别同侧间胫骨测量项目的t检验,最后用Fisher判别分析法,建立国人胫骨性别判定的方程式。结果单一测量指标的性别判别方程13组,其性别判别准确率为66．7％～96．7％,总判别方程的判别准确率为男性97．3％,女性93．3％。结论本研究提供的判别方程式判别准确率较高,适用于中国人胫骨的性别判定。     

An economised craniofacial identification system

It has been attempted to develop an economised craniofacial identification system, as a special automated version of photo/video superimposition technique, that can deal with common cases of personal identification with the aid of a skull and a nearly front view face photograph of the suspected victim.The proposed method is economic in respect of (i) cost of hardware configuration, (ii) processing time as well as (iii) manual labour involved. Over and above, it has got a capability to take care of ambiguities due to soft tissue thickness during the selection of facial features, which is a part of the procedure.In order to reconstruct a 2-D cranial image, superimposable over the facial one, the new method does not need any reconstruction of a digitised 3-D cranial image. It works simply by a suitable segment-wise processing of a 2-D cranial image with the aid of the symmetry perceiving adaptive neuronet (SPAN), that has recently been introduced in connection with nearly front view facial image recognition. The final comparison of the facial and the superimposable cranial images is as versatile as the same for facial image recognition by SPAN.A practical application of this extended version of SPAN has been demonstrated in the present paper.     

Individuality of handwritten Arabic numerals in local population

This paper reports the statistical study of writing habits for Arabic Numerals of 187 subjects in Hong Kong. A classification system of writing habits for Arabic numerals based on assigned codes of characteristic features such as slant, writing direction, relative position of strokes, angularity of turnings, shape of initial and ending strokes, etc. was developed. A set of characteristic codes representing the profile of writing habits pertaining to Arabic numerals was assigned to each writer. Apart from the distribution of characteristic features, statistical analysis of the assigned codes demonstrated homogeneity of individual hand-writing patterns. It has been shown that irrespective of the structural simplicity of Arabic numerals, no two individuals exhibited the same set of characteristic codes. The findings support the hypothesis of individuality in handwriting.     

The Heritability of Palatal Rugae Morphology Among Siblings*†

Although there is clinical applicability of the palatal rugae as an identification tool in forensic odontology, controversy exists whether the palatal rugae patterns are stable or variable. The greater the genetic component, the higher the probability that palatal rugae patterns are stable. The aim of this study was to compare the palatal rugae morphology between full siblings and the proportion of variability due to genetic component. This cross-sectional study was conducted on digital models of 162 siblings aged 15–30 years old. The palatal rugae patterns were assessed with Thomas and Kotze (1983) classification using Geomagic Studio software (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC). The palatal rugae morphology between siblings showed significantly similar characteristics for total number of left rugae (p = 0.001), left primary rugae (p = 0.017), secondary rugae for right (p = 0.024) and left sides (p = 0.001), right straight rugae (p = 0.010), and right convergent rugae (p = 0.005) accounting for at least 6.25%-12.8% of the variability due to heredity. Despite the similarities found, the palatal rugae patterns showed significant differences between siblings of at least 46.9% (p = 0.001). Zero heritability was found in 9 of the 14 rugae patterns. Meanwhile, total number of rugae, primary, backward, and convergent rugae showed moderate heritability (h² > 0.3) and total number of secondary rugae showed high heritability (h² > 0.6). In conclusion, despite the individuality characteristics, an appreciable hereditary component is observed with significant similarities found between sibling pairs and the palatal rugae patterns were both environmentally and genetically influenced.     

A symmetry perceiving adaptive neural network and facial image recognition

The paper deals with the forensic problem of comparing nearly from view and facial images for personal identification. The human recognition process for such problems, is primarily based on both holistic as well as feature-wise symmetry perception aided by subjective analysis for detecting ill-defined features. It has been attempted to approach the modelling of such a process by designing a robust symmetry perceiving adaptive neural network. The pair of images to be compared should be presented to the proposed neural network (NN) as source (input) and target images. The NN learns about the symmetry between the pair of images by analysing examples of associated feature pairs belonging to the source and the target images. In order to prepare a paired example of associated features for training purpose, when we select one particular feature on the source image as a unique pixel, we must associate it with the corresponding feature on the target image also. But, in practice, it is not always possible to fix the latter feature also as a unique pixel due to pictorial ambiguity. The robust or fault tolerant NN takes care of such a situation and allows fixing the associated target feature as a rectangular array of pixels, rather than fixing it as a unique pixel, which is pretty difficult to be done with certainty. From such a pair of sets of associated features, the NN searches out proper locations of the target features from the sets of ambiguous target features by a fuzzy analysis during its learning. If any of target features, searched out by the NN, lies outside the prespecified zone, the training of the NN is unsuccessful. This amounts to non-existence of symmetry between the pair of images and confirms non-identity. In case of a successful training, the NN gets adapted with appropriate symmetry relation between the pair of images and when the source image is input to the trained NN, it responds by outputting a processed source image which is superimposable over the target images and identity may subsequently be established by examining detailed matching in machine-made superimposed/composite images which are also suitable for presentation before the court. The performance of the proposed NN has been tested with various cases including simulated ones and it is hoped to serve as a working tool of forensic anthropologists.     

同一个体发毛角蛋白电泳谱型的分析

用SDS -PAGGE对收集到的 2 0例人体表毛发 (头发、阴毛、腋毛、腿毛 )角蛋白组分进行了分析。结果表明 ,同一个体毛发角蛋白电泳谱型基本相同 ,用激光光密度仪对电泳凝胶板扫描后证实 ,同一个体毛发角蛋白组分相对百分含量也无明显差异 ;人头部不同部位 (顶部、左侧、右侧、额部、枕部 )头发角蛋白的电泳谱型和角蛋白组分相对百分含量也基本相同。同一个体毛发角蛋白组分的分析 ,可为法医物证学鉴定中的毛发个人识别提供重要的依据。     

Determining Shoe Length from Partial Shoeprints

The length of a shoe has significant value in reflecting characteristics of the owner, and thereby, it can help in tracking suspects in criminal cases. However, the shoeprints left at a crime scene are often incomplete, resulting in difficulties in assessing shoe length. To find a way to estimate the shoe length from a partial shoeprint, 109 shoes with different sizes and general patterns were collected, and their prints were lifted using magnetic powder. Four feature points were defined on a shoeprint, and the longest distance between the feature points was defined as shoe length. Using linear, quadratic, and cubic regression analyses, a total of 15 equations were obtained between the shoe length and the other distances between the feature points. Out of these, the five most accurate equations were selected as the optimal equation. The verified test, including another 18 pairs of shoes, showed an average error of equations between 0.591 cm and 0.732 cm. The equations were also applied in two practical cases, resulting in good accuracy. The study demonstrates that shoe length could be determined from partial shoeprints through the proven equations.