Evaluating the accuracy and precision of cranial morphological traits for sex determination

Sex determination is a key analysis that forensic anthropologists perform in order to construct a biological profile of human remains. The techniques used in forensic investigations must meet the Mohan or Daubert criteria, for admissibility in a court of law. In this study, the precision and accuracy of 21 morphological characteristics of the skull were tested on a modern sample of 50 adult crania of European White ancestry. The following craniofacial features are identified as high-quality traits, defined by intraobserver error or=80%: mastoid size, supraorbital ridge size, general size and architecture, rugosity of the zygomatic extension, size and shape of the nasal aperture, and gonial angle. Ninety-six percent accuracy and 92% precision were achieved using 20 traits in combination. Fisher's exact probability tests revealed no significant differences (p=0.05) in the levels of precision or accuracy between age categories. Sex-related bias in accuracy was found for the following cranial features: ramus symphysis (p=0.009), zygomatic extension (p=0.0016), and occipital markings (p=0.0013). These traits demonstrated a greater tendency to be scored male than female.     

Metric assessment of the "mastoid triangle" for sex determination: a validation study

Recently, a metric approach to skeletal sex determination was published by Paiva and Segre which is based on the summation of two triangular areas defined by three distinct craniometric landmarks: Porion, Mastoidale, and Asterion. According to the authors, values for the total triangle > or =1447.40 mm(2) are characteristic for male crania, while values < or =1260.36 mm(2) are indicative of female skulls (95% confidence). In order to evaluate the method's validity, two sex- and age-documented samples of different provenience were analyzed (N=197). The results show that while the indicated measurements display significant sex differences, the technique is of little practical meaning where a single individual must be independently classified. It is hypothesized that differences in the expression of sexual dimorphism as well as a population-specific variability of the asterion location undermine the value of the mastoid triangle as a sex determinant.     

Morphometrics of the hyoid bone for human sex determination from digital photographs

The identification of unknown remains is very important. When unknown remains are found, anthropologists first determine their sex and age. The sex of most skeletons is determined by their shape. In the hyoid bone, the shape is sex related, so it can be used forensically to determine the sex. This study focused on sex-based morphometry of the hyoid bone in Koreans using digital photographs. Hyoid bones from 52 males and 33 females were examined. For each subject, we took 34 measurements from photographs using a computer program, and the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 11.0. Twenty-one of 34 measurements had significant sex differences (p<0.05). The discriminant functions based on three measurements (X(1)-X(3)) were as follows: The accuracy of discriminant functions is 88.2% in both groups, so these can be used to distinguish males from females in a statistically significant manner.     

小鼠皮肤切创愈合过程中iNOS和eNOS表达的免疫组织化学研究

目的观察小鼠皮肤切创愈合过程中,iNOS和eNOS在损伤区及损伤周边区内的表达及其变化规律。方法小鼠背部制作全层切创,应用免疫组织化学技术观察伤后切创组织中iNOS和eNOS的表达,并和无切创的小鼠作为对照。结果损伤区及损伤周边区细胞,伤后3h的损伤皮肤组织中可见少量的多型核细胞表达iNOS和eNOS,伤后6～24h,大部分浸润的中性粒细胞和单核细胞为iNOS和eNOS阳性。随着时间的延长,iNOS和eNOS阳性细胞以单核细胞和成纤维细胞为主。伤后3hiNOS的阳性细胞比率较低,6h～1d持续性增加并于1d达到最高峰,3～7d维持在一个相对稳定的水平直至伤后10d再次达高峰,10～14d开始下降。eNOS的阳性细胞率在伤后1～3h表达较低,6h～3d持续性增高,并在3d达到最高峰,在其后的5d内保持稳定表达,之后开始下降。而且损伤区及损伤周边区、特别是肉芽组织内的新生血管可见iNOS和eNOS不同强度的表达。结论小鼠皮肤切创愈合过程中,iNOS和eNOS在损伤周边区内多型核细胞、单核细胞和成纤维细胞中表达,其时序性变化可望用于皮肤损伤时间的推断。     

Evaluation of Purkait's triangle method for determining sexual dimorphism

The identification of sex from the skeleton is an important demographic assessment in medicolegal investigations. Rama Purkait developed a method for estimating sex using measurements from a triangle defined by three points on the proximal end of the femur using skeletal material from Bhopal, India. This method was tested with measurements on 200 Indo-European and African American adult femora from the Terry collection using discriminant function analysis to determine if Purkait's method was valuable for determining sex in Americans. A side-by-side analysis was conducted of Purkait's "triangle method" and the maximum diameter of the femoral head to determine their relative value in assessing sexual dimorphism. In the study sample a single variable from Purkait's method provided 85.5% prediction accuracy, similar to 87% for the head diameter. Combining threshold values for a single variable from Purkait's method and the femoral head diameter raised the predictability to greater than 90% for both sexes.     

小鼠皮肤切创愈合过程中磷酸化 p38MAPK 表达及其与时间的相关性

目的探讨小鼠皮肤切创愈合过程中损伤区磷酸化p38MAPK(p-p38MAPK)的表达情况,以及不同损伤时间p-p38MAPK的变化规律。方法应用免疫组织化学和Westernblot的方法检测33例小鼠皮肤切创后各个时间段p-p38MAPK表达情况。结果正常组织中有少量的p-p38MAPK表达。伤后3～12h损伤区p-p38MAPK主要表达于中性粒细胞中,1～5dp-p38MAPK阳性表达主要为单核细胞和成纤维细胞。7～14dp-p38MAPK阳性表达主要以成纤维细胞为主。阳性细胞率3～12h逐渐升高,1d有所下降,3、5d阳性细胞率保持在高水平,7～14d阳性细胞率逐渐降低。Westernblot显示各个时间段均有p-p38MAPK的表达。其中12h和3d为2个p-p38MAPK含量的高峰。结论在小鼠切创愈合过程中p-p38MAPK在损伤区对诱导中性粒细胞、单核细胞和成纤维细胞的凋亡起重要的作用,同时p-p38MAPK的规律性表达可用于损伤时间的推断。     

FTIR图像—单点模式法无损鉴别不同品牌激光打印机墨粉色痕

利用傅里叶红外图像系统,采用单点模式对收集到的八种品牌激光打印机墨粉色痕进行红外扫描,采集样品红外光谱,并对其中两种样品红外光谱进行二阶导数运算,得到对应的二阶导数光谱。实验表明,该方法可有效区分不同品牌激光打印机墨粉色痕,并可为其他书写材料无损检验鉴定提供借鉴。     

Sex determination from the talus of Koreans by discriminant function analysis

The aims of this study were to investigate the sex discriminating potential of the talus in Koreans and compare this with other analyses in different populations. Statistical analyses were performed using data from nine measurements acquired from 140 tali (70 men, 70 women). The talus of Koreans is dimorphic between sexes in all measurements (p < 0.01). Discriminant function equations were generated by univariate, multivariate, and stepwise methods with a range of accuracy from 67.1 to 87.1%. Stepwise equations of other populations did not discriminate the sex of the Korean sample as accurately as each equation's own accuracies. The variables with high accuracy in this study are useful for sex determination of Koreans on the basis of confirmation of population specificity.     

甲卡西酮类新型策划毒品的危害及其检测

甲卡西酮类策划药物是近年出现的新型毒品,在世界范围内已经形成滥用趋势。在介绍甲卡西酮类策划毒品的结构、性质及作用的基础上,对于其滥用现状、危害性和检测方进行了综述,以期对建立复杂生物检材中痕量甲卡西酮类策划毒品的高灵敏检测方法有所助益,对研究甲卡西酮类毒品的毒性作用、体内代谢过程及戒断机制提供参考和依据。     

Determination of average vehicle speed utilizing reverse projection

Reverse projection photogrammetry has long been used to estimate the height of an individual in forensic video examinations. A natural extrapolation would be to apply the same technique on a video to estimate the speed of an object by determining the distance traveled between two points over a set amount of time. To test this theory, five digital video recorders (DVRs) were connected to a single fixed camera to record a vehicle traveling down a track. The vehicle's speed was measured through Doppler radar by a trained operator and the speedometer of the vehicle was also recorded with a video camera. The recorded video was examined and the frames that best depict the beginning and end of the vehicles course were selected. Two reverse projection photogrammetric examinations were performed on the selected frames to establish the position of the vehicle. The distance between the two points was measured, and the time elapsed between the two points was examined. The outcome provided an accurate speed result with a standard degree of uncertainty. This study proves the feasibility of using video data and reverse projection photogrammetry to determine the speed of a vehicle with a limited set of variables. Further research is needed to determine how additional variables would impact the standard degree of uncertainty.