Fingerprint error rate on close non‐matches

The accuracy of fingerprint identifications is critically important to the administration of criminal justice. Accuracy is challenging when two prints from different sources have many common features and few dissimilar features. Such print pairs, known as close non‐matches (CNMs), are increasingly likely to arise as ever‐growing databases are searched with greater frequency. In this study, 125 fingerprint agencies completed a mandatory proficiency test that included two pairs of CNMs. The false‐positive error rates on the two CNMs were 15.9% (17 out of 107, 95% C.I.: 9.5%, 24.2%) and 28.1% (27 out of 96, 95% C.I.: 19.4%, 38.2%), respectively. These CNM error rates are (a) inconsistent with the popular notion that fingerprint evidence is nearly infallible, and (b) larger than error rates reported in leading fingerprint studies. We conclude that, when the risk of CNMs is high, the probative value of a reported fingerprint identification may be severely diminished due to an elevated false‐positive error risk. We call for additional CNM research, including a replication and expansion of the present study using a representative selection of CNMs from database searches.     

网络电信诈骗犯罪帮助取款行为的定性——以两个文件存在的冲突为切入点

关于在网络电信诈骗犯罪中帮助取款行为,在《关于办理诈骗刑事案件具体应用法律若干问题的解释》和《关于办理电信网络诈骗等刑事案件适用法律若干问题的意见》两份文件中均有体现,但是二者对于帮助取款行为的认定存在冲突,表现为对"明知"的内容和程度的认定有差异、帮助取款行为的时间节点的认定不同、对诈骗罪既未遂标准判定不同。网络电信诈骗帮助取款行为定性的路径选择是:对"明知"内容和程度的认定进行类型化判断;对帮助取款行为介入的时间节点进行类型化划分;以"失控说"作为判断诈骗罪既未遂的标准。     

Dental hygiene students' matching accuracy when comparing antemortem dental radiographs and oral photographs to simulated postmortem WinID3® odontograms

Matching dental antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) data for human identification is especially challenging when the workforce is limited. Dental hygienists have served mass fatality incidents (MFIs) due to dental-related expertise. However, forensics within dental hygiene education and research on transferable skills is limited. This qualitative balance design study assessed senior dental hygiene students' match accuracy of simulated cases varying in dental identifiers based on AM full mouth series (FMS) radiographs and oral photographs to PM WinID3^® odontograms to demonstrate possible disaster victim identification (DVI) transferable skills gained during formal education. A convenience sample of senior dental hygiene students (n = 31) was presented information on WinID3^® interpretation, then presented with 5 mismatched cases and asked to visually interpret each to make 10 total matches; five based on AM FMS with simulated PM WinID3^® odontograms and five based on AM photographs with PM WinID3^® odontograms. Match accuracy scores ranged from 41.9% to 58.1% for cases with 1–10 identifiers, and 77.4% to 93.5% for cases with 11–40 identifiers. Accuracy when matching AM radiographs to PM odontograms versus AM photographs to PM odontograms was compared and revealed no statistical differences in match accuracy depending on image type (p = 0.388 to 1.000). Results of this pilot study suggests transferable match accuracy skills resulted from the participants' dental hygiene formal education. These baseline skills with additional specialized training support the rationale for dental hygienists serving on DVI teams. More research is needed in education and practice when preparing dental hygienists for forensic-based service.     

Automated detection of regions of interest in cartridge case images using deep learning

This paper explores a deep-learning approach to evaluate the position of circular delimiters in cartridge case images. These delimiters define two regions of interest (ROI), corresponding to the breech face and the firing pin impressions, and are placed manually or by an image-processing algorithm. This positioning bears a significant impact on the performance of the image-matching algorithms for firearm identification, and an automated evaluation method would be beneficial to any computerized system. Our contribution consists in optimizing and training U-Net segmentation models from digital images of cartridge cases, intending to locate ROIs automatically. For the experiments, we used high-resolution 2D images from 1195 samples of cartridge cases fired by different 9MM firearms. Our results show that the segmentation models, trained on augmented data sets, exhibit a performance of 95.6% IoU (Intersection over Union) and 99.3% DC (Dice Coefficient) with a loss of 0.014 for the breech face images; and a performance of 95.9% IoU and 99.5% DC with a loss of 0.011 for the firing pin images. We observed that the natural shapes of predicted circles reduce the performance of segmentation models compared with perfect circles on ground truth masks suggesting that our method provide a more accurate segmentation of the real ROI shape. In practice, we believe that these results could be useful for firearms identification. In future work, the predictions may be used to evaluate the quality of delimiters on specimens in a database, or they could determine the region of interest on a cartridge case image.     

The lasting impact of adolescence on left-right identification: Cohort replacement and intracohort change in associations with issue attitudes

This study examined how the ideological correlates of left-right identification in the Netherlands changed between 1980 and 2008, and whether these changes were driven by cohort replacement. Analyses on repeated cross-sectional data revealed an increasing association with immigration and a decreasing association with redistribution, secularism, and civil liberties. Cohort differences were found for cultural attitudes: Secularism was most important for voters who were adolescent between 1917 and 1960, while civil liberties were most important for the 1960–1980 cohort and immigration was relatively important for the 1980–2008 cohort. Consequently, over-time changes in the importance of cultural issues, but not redistribution, were partly driven by cohort replacement. This indicates that the left-right distinction is partly shaped by circumstances during voters' adolescent years.     

An Approach to Speaker Identification

This presentation will provide standards upon which any attempts to meet the challenge of identifying speakers by voice should be based. It is organized into a model based on (i) application of a rigorous research program validating the system, (ii) an upgrading of the organization of the SI area, and (iii) exploitation of new technology. The second part of the presentation will describe an illustrative speech/voice approach to SI development. This effort is also based on an extensive corpus of research. It is suggested that application of the cited standards, plus the illustrative model, will permit reasonable progress to be made. Finally, a number of procedural recommendations are made; they should enhance the efficacy of the proposed approach.     

根据股骨组织形态学变化进行骨骼种属鉴别

目的通过对成年人、成体黄牛、马、家猪、山羊、绵羊、狗、猫、长毛兔、鹅、鸭、鸡共12个种属动物股骨组织形态学结构特征的研究,建立一个有效的各类动物间种属鉴别的方法。方法在征得家属同意后,在尸检中取成人(20岁以上)右股骨中段约4cm,同时,收集黄牛、马、家猪、山羊、绵羊、狗、猫、长毛兔、鹅、鸭、鸡共11种常见动物右腿股骨,取中段约4cm,脱钙后制作成骨组织切片,在光学显微镜下观察,将显微镜下的图像录入电脑,选取24个指标进行分析。结果人与其他动物、以及各被检动物之间在骨单位数量等13个指标上具有显著差异,用这些指标建立种属判别数学模型,结果这些动物之间的判别率也可达89.4%。结论股骨中段骨密质的组织学结构具有明显的种属特征,且骨单位形态和数量呈现明显的生物进化趋势。根据这些特征可以有效地进行种属鉴别。     

侦查辨认客观性缺失问题研究

目前我国的侦查辨认在立法上和实践上存在诸多问题,导致辨认客观性较低乃至缺失。对于立法上的法律规定相互矛盾、辨认原则缺失等问题学界已多有涉及,但对于实践中不当暗示普遍存在、辨认缺乏监督制约等问题却少有探讨,正因为这些实践问题的存在而导致了辨认结果客观性不足进而影响案件裁断。因此有必要从细化程序性规定、建立办案人员辨认回避制度和辨认人心理描述制度、建立辨认程序的权利保障体系和加强辨认方法的理论研究等进路着手,完善我国的侦查辨认程序。     

残缺、模糊指纹的检验鉴定

本文通过具体案例对残缺、模糊指纹的检验鉴定方法及过程进行了分析,并指出了准确鉴定指纹的重要性。     

论现代文学叙述中妓女形象谱系与话语模式

在现代中国,妓女形象成为一种隐喻,一种表达思想意识、建构社会性别身份的媒介.人们通过对妓女形象的认知和想像来表达他们对民族现代性、社会关系和妇女解放等重大社会命题的思考,以此建立自我想像,寻求自我认同.对中国现代文学中精英知识分子笔下的妓女形象作-个谱系来考察,可以了解中国现代精英知识分子如何通过"这个媒介展开有关政治权力和文化转型,国民性和文化归依感等等问题的讨论",检视创作主体的社会性别和社会身份对妓女话语系统建构影响.