Forensic Sciences
[Abbr: Acd. Jr. AJFSc]Current Trends in Forensic Odontology
by Suma Gummadi
Every person has a distinct identity in life. An developing field of research with the most potential for growth is forensic odontology. Identification of dental remains, retrieval, and examination of evidence that matches with the suspects' is the most difficult aspect of forensic dentistry. The legitimacy of the evidence in forensic dentistry would be improved by an impartial comparison employing modern technologies. It has been proven to be an indispensable science in legal and medical situations involving the identification of the deceased. In cases of child abuse, domestic violence, and bite mark analysis as well as identification fixing in mass disasters, the forensic odontologist uses his or her understanding of dentistry. As a result, in recent years, forensic odontologists have been given more duties and responsibilities in a variety of medicolegal cases. The field of forensic dentistry is expanding and has a wider scope. It has established itself as a science that is essential in identifying the deceased and in medicolegal situations. Even if the deceased person is skeletonized, decomposed, burned, or dismembered, the dental tissues are frequently still there. Using dental tissues, a number of techniques have been developed to establish an individual's age, sex, and ethnicity. Forensic dental identification techniques for data collecting and supporting technologies have changed significantly. The trends that are now being used in the field of forensic odontology are summarised in this article. Keywords: Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Forensic Dentistry, Mass Disaster Medicolegal Cases, Bite Mark Analysis, Recent Advances.
Personality Assessment Through Handwriting Analysis On College Students Based On Manual Graphology Analysis.
by Amritha Varshini, Reah Sunil, Joshna Joseph
Personality is a set of characteristics in a person which is distinctive and shaped throughout one’s childhood, adolescent, adulthood, etc. it is their feelings, thoughts, and behavior which is formed through various social interactions, during their development. These qualities or traits of the individual is unique to others. Similar to personality, handwriting is also unique and different for every individual. Handwriting is a kind of writing style which is unique in context of pen pressure, thickness, slant, alphabet representation, etc. certain traits found in the individual contribute to these distinct forms of depiction or characterization. Handwriting is also known as brain writing. It can be a reflection of one’s patterns in line of thinking and actions. For instance, loopy and rounded letters can be an indicator of a person being imaginative, creative and having artistic traits. This study aims to bring out the importance of manual deciphering of handwriting styles and prediction of personality in everyday life while also bringing out the relevance of ‘H’ factor of personality [Honesty-Humility] as proposed by Ashton and Lee. We identified personality traits through specific handwriting styles and using the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised [HEXACO-PI-R] on a group of college students. Various forms of handwriting styles such as pen pressure, slant, baseline, etc. was taken into thought for evaluating personality traits of the subjects from the writing samples which was obtained. Following, the scoring of the inventory and interpretation of the handwriting, it was noted that there was overall 70% match between the two variables. Also, among all the dimensions, highest percentage of matches was under Honesty-Humility and Extraversion, the lowest percentage was under Conscientiousness and Emotionality. This concludes that the graphology techniques used are reliable and accurate for personality assessment through handwriting analysis. Keywords: Handwriting, HEXACO, Graphology.
Insects In Tracing Post-Mortem Interval: A Crucial Tool In Forensic Investigations
by Dr. Shanmathy Sureshbabu, Dr. Abirami Arthanari
Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science and is associated with study of insects that are involved in the crime scene and the decomposition process of the carcasses. Insect evidence is more frequently used and are considered important in legal proceedings. Though insects do not commit crime, they act as vectors in carrying the ingested human remains. Varied species of insects rely on human dead for nutrition and to lay eggs in the context of multiplication. The larvae are highly dependent on human remains for nutrition under certain environmental conditions. This gives an overview in estimation of Post-mortem interval. The insects provide immense information such as: whether the corpse has been moved to a different location, information regarding the seasonal changes, prescribed medicines that the dead had consumed, identification of the individual using DNA profiling and gunshot or residues of explosives. This information sometimes can not be traced in human samples but in larval tissues. The insects help us trace evidence, but on the contrary, they are not always helpful, as they erase the evidence by decomposition. In fatal stabbing, the injuries can be modified by these insects, even the clothes of the victim. In cases where the victim is found beyond a period of time, all the evidence is erased by the natural process of decomposition, hampering the reconstruction of crime. It also helps to identify the cause and manner of death. The presenting study is a literature review on various insects that contribute to the investigations of the death. It also establishes a cordial relationship between the insects and Forensic experts in solving a crime. This review considers the approaches towards estimating the minimum time lapsed since death i.e, the minimum post-mortem interval with insects as main source of concern. It also highlights the retrieval of data in a standardized manner. Keywords: Autopsy, Forensic entomology. Forensic microbiology, Forensic science.
The Power Of DCS5 For The Detection, Capture And Enhancement Of Latent Fingerprints In Forensic Science
by Yakubu Magaji Yuguda
Latent fingerprints, which are frequently undetectable to the human naked eye, can yield incredibly useful information for criminal investigations. This paper introduces a novel approach to latent fingerprint development in the field of forensic sciences. Currently, conventional developing techniques like chemical methods, powder dusting, cyanoacrylate fuming, and small particle reagent method have all been gradually compromised due to their emerging drawbacks, which include high toxicity, low contrast, sensitivity, and selectivity, as well as the use of fluorescent nanomaterials, which have their own drawbacks. The discipline of forensic science has undergone a revolution because of the advancements in imaging technology, especially in the area of latent fingerprint identification. When compared to latent fingerprint development using conventional techniques, the DCS5 Imaging System is a particularly effective instrument for capturing and analyzing latent fingerprints among these cutting-edge systems. This article explores the capabilities of the DCS5 system and its significant impact in development, detection, capture and enhancement of latent fingerprint on any surface, highlighting its impact on forensic investigations. Keywords: DCS5, Latent fingerprint, Forensic science, Fingerprint analysis.
Characteristics of Injury in Women and Children in UGM (Universitas Gadjah Mada) Academic Hospital Yogyakarta Indonesia 2020-2021
by Beta Gizela, Ratrya Khansa Amira, Martiana Suciningtyas Tri Artanti, Djayanti Sari
Violence and traffic accident are two serious problems that must be tackled by all countries. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has stated a goal which assist the elimination of violence against women and children by 2030. At the same time, The United Nations (UN) General Assembly also established the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, with the goal of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. This study aims to obtain the characteristics of injury in women and children and to determine the association of sociodemographic of the patient to the severity of injury. This descriptive observational with a cross-sectional method study obtained the data from the medical records of 801 patients from RS Akademik UGM Yogyakarta in January 2020 to December 2021. Univariate and bivariate analysis were done. The most common type of violence is physical violence, with contusion in women and abrasion in children being the most common wound types, and head as the most prevalent location of injury. In traffic accident cases, abrasion was the most common type of wound and lower extremity as the most common location. There is a significant relationship between the patient’s age and the injury’s severity, which brings them to either outpatient, inpatient and/or having surgery as medical treatment. Keywords: Characteristics of Injury, Violence, Traffic Accident, Women, Children.