Penentuan kumpulan bangsa dalam analisis rambut pada kepala adalah satu cabaran yang dihadapi dalam analisis forensik untuk mengenal pasti mangsa, suspek dan tempat kejadian jenayah. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti perbezaan antara dua kaum terbesar di Malaysia iaitu Melayu dan Cina melalui penelitian ciri-ciri rambut. Ini termasuklah ciri umum rambut, corak kutikel, warna, taburan pigmen kortek dan ciri medula – jenis, ketebalan dan indeks medula. Kajian ini telah dijalankan dengan menggunakan mikroskop cahaya dan terdiri daripada lima langkah iaitu penyediaan sampel, penelitian ciri umum rambut, penyediaan dan penelitian slaid acuan corak sisik kutikel, slaid kortek serta medula. Hasil daripada kajian in mendapati bahawa kebanyakan Melayu mempunyai warna pigmen yang bercoklat gelap manakala Cina mempunyai pigmen coklat cerah. Kami juga mendapati bahawa ketebalan medula boleh juga digunakan untuk membezakan antara Melayu dan Cina di mana nilai purata bagi Melayu dan Cina masing-masing adalah 7.59 ± 1.45 μm dan 9.12 ± 1.85 μm. Nilai purata indeks medula bagi Melayu dan Cina pula adalah 0.17 ± 0.02 μm dan 0.18 ± 0.02 μm masing-masing. Walaupun begitu, ciri-ciri seperti tekstur, ketebalan rambut, corak sisik kutikel, taburan pigmen dan jenis medula pula menunjukkan perbezaan yang tidak ketara antara Melayu dan Cina. Kesimpulannya, kajian ini telah menunjukkan bahawa warna pigmen, ketebalan medula dan indeks medula adalah ciri-ciri penting yang boleh digunakan untuk menentukan bangsa.
Fibres are important trace evidence that can be found during the course of crime scene investigation. The identification and analysis of these fibres shed light as to the circumstances surrounding a particular crime. Identifying the factors that affect the transference of fibres under various environments are crucial in providing robust conclusions of a case per se, as highlighted in this work. Donor garments were made up of four different types of fibre; 100% cotton, 100% nylon, 100% polyester and 100% wool, that were used to observe the differences in the number of transferred fibres to the recipient garment (100% cotton) and vice versa with increasing contact times of 30, 60, 180, and 300 seconds respectively. To simulate contact between the donor garment worn by a suspect and the recipient garment worn by a victim in real-life situations, the donor garment was placed on top of the recipient garment which was laid on a piece of plywood. The numbers of transferred fibres, both from the donor to the recipient garment and from the recipient to the donor garment were observed and tested using microscopic examination, burning test, solubility test and dye extractability test. Results indicated that different types of garments transferred different number of fibres with increasing contact times, and the identification of the fibres are possible via the different tests applied in this work.