A preliminary study into the impact of using three-dimensional models in forensic anthropology learning and teaching

Forensic anthropology has traditionally relied on two-dimensional (2D) images, such as photographs and sketches, to perform analyses, and disseminate findings. However, as 3D imaging technology advances, it has become more widely implemented into forensic anthropology analysis and practice. Teaching and learning in forensic anthropology still often relies on 2D images, but increasingly three-dimensional (3D) models are available to be used by students training in anatomy and osteology. Additionally, 3D models have been found to be beneficial to comprehension in other contexts within forensic anthropology, such as in the courtroom. The use of these models in the teaching of forensic anthropology is not yet widely implemented and more importantly, the impact on learning is not yet understood. The use of 3D imaging and visualisation in other educational contexts has seen positive results, for example in medical training. To explore this further, a study was conducted using an online activity to compare the comprehension scores of students educated using 2D textbook style images or 3D models on Sketchfab. The results showed that the use of 3D images was not detrimental to comprehension. Students using the 3D models were more consistent in their performance and reported an increase in confidence regardless of prior experience. The results of this study are of particular importance when distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic which means that students cannot always learn in a laboratory environment.     

Pressing need for national governmental recognition of forensic anthropology in South Africa as illustrated in a medico-legal case

Forensic anthropology in South Africa is well developed in the higher education sector, with advanced training and research programmes. Despite this and decades of academic involvement in casework, forensic anthropology still lacks a defined framework and mandate at a governmental level. Therefore, the involvement of forensic anthropologists’ expertise varies markedly between cases, provinces, and among various stakeholders within the country, to the detriment of dispensation of social and criminal justice. The lack of clearly defined guidelines for the rendering of the service was exemplified and demonstrated through a recent forensic case. Here, contextual information was absent, and the remains posed a challenge to analyse, ostensibly due to missing information. Numerous questions were raised during the analysis of the remains, and broader concerns about the investigative involvement of a forensic anthropologist within South African casework were brought to the fore. Through the analysis of this case, we describe the deductive processes that led to the formation of an opinion that the skeletal linear defects were the result of taphonomic changes. In addition, we highlight how these efforts where constrained and each step in the process unnecessarily hindered. Finally, we demonstrate the capacity and willingness of forensic anthropology practitioners to be involved, and how, without governmental support, it is a great potential lamentably untapped.     

Why teach crime scene management to forensic university students?

Despite enhanced forensic collaborations between law enforcement agencies and universities, crime scene management remains a domain seen more as technical than scientific, largely carried out by sworn police officers qualified as scene of crime officers (SOCOs), confining forensic graduates to specialized expertise fields. Under such circumstances, we must ask ourselves why and how do we provide a generalised dedicated course to academic pupils who are not primarily intended to join such teams, excepting sometimes to assist them on a specialized field (explosion, arson, etc.)?Currently in Quebec, forensic graduates cannot join crime scene units attached to police forces, mainly because of unions, which argue about the need to be an experienced police officer before qualifying for a crime scene course.Based on the operational experience of the author, who created the foundational graduate forensic programme in Quebec, Canada, this paper will explain why such an academic course is still of high importance, its rationale within an academic curriculum, its goal and its implementation. Challenges are still to be considered, but selected feedback from students who understood that the aim of this course is distinct from their formal support disciplines, encourage such an approach.     

Entomological identification of the post-mortem colonization of wolf cadavers in different decomposition stages

Human-driven biodiversity loss is progressively becoming a problem with dramatic consequences for the conservation of vital ecosystems. The increasing number of illegal killings of the grey wolf (Canis lupus, Linnaeus, 1758), a threatened species, displays the need for investigation and prosecution of such offences. Forensic entomology makes use of the knowledge about necrophagous insects to estimate a minimum time-since-death interval of the deceased person or animal, which can give important information on a possible perpetrator. The cadaver fauna along five decomposition stages of wolves in Germany was investigated in the period 2014–2021. The insects from 70 wolf cadavers, originating from all over Germany, were provided by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin. The accumulated degree day (ADD) model was applied for the post-mortem interval estimation on wolf cadavers for the first time. A total of 20 coleopteran species and 14 different dipteran species were discovered and identified. Almost 99 % of all insect specimens were from the order of Diptera, and beetles (Coleoptera) accounted for only 1 % of the cadaver fauna. The blowflies (Calliphoridae) are of particular importance for forensic issues, accounting for about 66 % of all families. Carrion beetles (Silphidae) were found as the second most abundant family (about 21 %). In addition, combining all cases, a steadily increasing insect species richness S was detected from early decay to advanced decay (fresh S = 8; bloated S = 12; active decay S = 21; advanced decay S = 34). In the following remains stage, the species number decreased again (S = 24). However, no significant difference in the number of species was found between the stages of decay when the cases were considered individually. The temporal pattern of insect appearance was found to be congruent with those of previous studies. Furthermore, a time of death was determined for each case and compared to the pathologist's estimates. This study provides insights into the arthropod fauna of wolf remains for the first time, applies the ADD-Model for post-mortem interval estimation, and discusses the suitability of forensic entomology for wildlife death investigations.     

Payment card forensic analysis: From concepts to desktop and mobile analysis tools

While one would not even consider them alike, payment cards are one of the most valuable and widely used embedded systems. Payment card systems are probably the most attacked and counterfeited. In fact, even though the use of smart cards have introduced high security capabilities, criminal activity has not been deterred and payment card fraud remains a lucrative activity.From low-tech (carding) to high-tech (man in the middle attack) fraud, all payment card based frauds require stealing or modifying card data and reusing it with a direct profit. Physical forms of fraud, such as Automated Teller Machine (ATM) withdrawals or in store payments, are mostly based on and associated with manipulated cards. Through their nefarious actions, that may include overwriting the magnetic strip data or injecting attacks on the embedded microcontroller, criminals are able to realise significant monetary gains.To effectively deal with these fraud cases, investigators have to quickly determine whether a card is authentic or a counterfeit. Currently no known easy forensic tool exists that provides a quick effective and accurate response.In this article, after having conceptualised payment cards as multi-interface embedded systems, we propose simple and fast forensic analysis methods to finally provide investigators with associated desktop and mobile forensic tools.     

毒鼠强中毒大鼠脑神经元GABA_A α1受体的检测

目的探讨GABAAα1受体在毒鼠强中毒大鼠脑组织中的变化及其机制。方法选择健康Sprague-Daw-ley大白鼠30只,分成5组,每组6只;分别以2.0 LD50、1.0 LD50、1/2 LD50、1/10 LD50毒鼠强量,采用灌胃染毒方法制作毒鼠强中毒模型,并以健康大鼠灌服生理盐水为对照;断颈处死大鼠,提取脑皮质、海马及脑干脑桥等脑组织进行免疫组织化学染色,观察GABAAα1受体阳性染色神经元的变化。结果不同LD50量染毒大鼠的皮层、海马及脑干,其GABAAα1受体免疫组化阳性染色神经元较对照组组减少,其中以1.0 LD50、1/2LD50组减少最为显著;相同染毒剂量,以脑干组织减少最多。结论GABAAα1受体表达下降与毒鼠强中毒机制相关。     

数字X线摄影测量活体脊柱胸段推算身高

目的建立人脊柱胸段长度推算身高的方法。方法应用数字X线摄影技术（DR）摄制514例中国四川汉族人群的胸部DR片，测其脊柱胸段长度，同时准确测量被研究者身高，对测量获得的脊柱胸段长度与身高数据分组进行线性回归分析，建立胸段长度推算身高的回归方程。结果建立了混合组、男性组、女性组、20—45岁男性组、大于45岁男性组、20～45岁女性组和大于45岁女性组7个回归方程，经显著性检验，均有统计学意义（P〈0．01），复相关系数（R）范围0．834～0．624，回归系数（b）范围0．259～0．389，回归方程估计值的标准误在3．88～4．72cm范围内。结论利用人类脊柱胸段长度推算身高的方法在法医学个人识别中具有重要价值。     

应用PRVEP P_(100)空间频率阈值客观评定视力的价值分析

目的研究图形翻转视觉诱发电位(PRVEP)P100波空间频率阈值在不同眼损伤情况下预估视力的价值,以期指导相关法医临床学鉴定。方法选取诊断明确、主观视力准确,另眼矫正视力基本正常(≥4.9)的法医学鉴定案例74例,共148眼别。分为4组:屈光间质混浊组(23眼别)、视网膜病变组(31眼别)、视神经病变组(20眼别)、健眼正常对照组(74眼别)。对上述案例进行图形翻转视觉诱发电位检查,记录P100空间频率阈值,并对空间频率阈值与视力的对数值,两者进行线性相关分析。结果184眼PRVEP空间频率阈值与视力的对数值之间呈显著的正相关(r=0.84,P<0.01),说明PRVEP P100空间频率阈值是客观评定视力的良好指标。但不同部位病变或损伤对PRVEP检测结果的影响不同,视神经病变组PRVEP空间频率阈值与主观视力两者间无统计学相关性(r=0.4,P>0.05)。结论PRVEP P100空间频率阈值是客观评定视力水平的良好手段,但不适用于严重的视神经病变等伴有视野显著缺损时的视力评定。     

大鼠弥漫性脑损伤后c-jun和GFAP表达的研究

目的探讨即早基因c-jun和胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）在弥漫性脑损伤（DBI）中的表达规律。方法采用Marmarou方法制作大鼠DBI模型，将65只SD大鼠随机分为DBI组及对照组。用免疫组织化学技术（SABC）及图像分析方法观察大鼠DBI后15min、30min、1h、3h、6h、12h、24h、2d、3d、4d、6d脑组织内c-jun和GFAP表达规律，所得数据经SPSS10．0统计软件处理。结果对照组大鼠脑组织内未见c-jun阳性表达，可见少量GFAP表达。DBI15min即可在脑组织内观察到c-jun表达，而GFAP蛋白的表达则在DBI后6h增加。随着损伤经过时问的延长，c-jun与GFAP阳性细胞数及阳性表达范围逐渐扩大，c-jun表达在DBI后6h达高峰（P〈0．01），其后逐渐下降，伤后2d减退；GFAP阳性产物则在伤后4d左右达高峰（P〈0．01），其后呈下降的趋势。结论应用免疫组织化学方法检测c-jun与GFAP可作为诊断DBI的参考指标，二者在不同时段内表达所呈现出的时序性规律对损伤时间的推测也具有实际应用价值。     

大鼠脑、骨髓细胞核DNA降解推断死后间隔时间的研究

目的检测大鼠死后不同温度下脑、骨髓细胞核DNA降解规律，寻找推断早期死亡间隔时间（PMI）的新参数。方法10℃和20℃下，大鼠死后0～40h内，每隔4h取材脑组织和骨髓，单细胞凝胶电泳（SCGE）检测DNA降解程度，线性回归分析比较彗星参数HeadDNA％、尾长（TL）、Olive尾矩（TM）与PMI的关系。结果大鼠死后早期脑细胞、骨髓细胞核Head DNA％随着PMI逐渐下降的程度不同，20℃脑细胞核Head DNA％降解速率较快。与骨髓细胞相比，脑细胞核Head DNA％与PMI线性关系较好。与TL、TM相比，Head DNA％与PMI的线性关系较好。结论脑组织是利用SCGE检测DNA降解推断PMI的合适检材。Head DNA％较TL、TM推断PMI的价值更高。