METHODS: For experiments, the autopsy reports belonging to eight different causes of death were collected, preprocessed and converted into 43 master feature vectors using various schemes for feature extraction, representation, and reduction. The six different text classification techniques were applied on these 43 master feature vectors to construct a classification model that can predict the cause of death. Finally, classification model performance was evaluated using four performance measures i.e. overall accuracy, macro precision, macro-F-measure, and macro recall.
RESULTS: From experiments, it was found that that unigram features obtained the highest performance compared to bigram, trigram, and hybrid-gram features. Furthermore, in feature representation schemes, term frequency, and term frequency with inverse document frequency obtained similar and better results when compared with binary frequency, and normalized term frequency with inverse document frequency. Furthermore, the chi-square feature reduction approach outperformed Pearson correlation, and information gain approaches. Finally, in text classification algorithms, support vector machine classifier outperforms random forest, Naive Bayes, k-nearest neighbor, decision tree, and ensemble-voted classifier.
CONCLUSION: Our results and comparisons hold practical importance and serve as references for future works. Moreover, the comparison outputs will act as state-of-art techniques to compare future proposals with existing automated text classification techniques.
METHODS: A total of 15 femora were examined with four parameters i.e. maximum length of femur (FeMl), diameter of femoral head (FeHd), transverse diameter of midshaft (FeMd) and condylar breadth (FeCb). Osteometric board and vernier calipers were employed for the conventional method, while CT reconstructed images and Osirix MD software was utilised for the virtual method.
RESULTS: Results exhibited that there were no significant differences in the measurements by conventional and virtual methods. There were also no significant differences in the measurements by the intra or inter-observer error analyses. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were more than 0.95 by both intra and inter-observer error analyses. Technical error of measurement had displayed values within the acceptable ranges (rTEM <0.08 for intra-observer, <2.25 for inter-observer), and coefficient of reliability (R) indicated small measurement errors (R > 0.95 for intra-observer, R > 0.92 for inter-observer). By parameters, FeMl showed the highest R value (0.99) with the least error in different methods and observers (rTEM = 0.02-0.41%). Bland and Altman plots revealed points scattered close to zero indicating perfect agreement by both virtual and conventional methods. The mean differences for FeMl, FeHd, FeMd and FeCb measurements were 0.01 cm, -0.01 cm, 0.02 cm and 0.01 cm, respectively.
CONCLUSION: This brought to suggest that bone measurement by virtual method was highly accurate and reliable as in the conventional method. It is recommended for implementation in the future anthropological studies especially in countries with limited skeletal collection.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2306 subjects were selected from the patient archives of a large dental hospital and the chronological age for each subject was recorded. This age was assigned to each specific stage of dental development for each tooth to create a RDS. To validate this RDS, a further 484 subjects were randomly chosen from the patient archives and their dental age was assessed based on the scores from the RDS. Dental age was estimated using meta-analysis command corresponding to random effects statistical model. Chronological age (CA) and Dental Age (DA) were compared using the paired t-test.
RESULTS: The overall difference between the chronological and dental age (CA-DA) was 0.05 years (2.6 weeks) for males and 0.03 years (1.6 weeks) for females. The paired t-test indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the chronological and dental age (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The validated southern Chinese reference dataset based on dental maturation accurately estimated the chronological age.
CASE PRESENTATION: An assemblage of unidentified, incomplete, highly fragmented skeletal remains were found scattered on a bare area of land in a forest. There was evidence of an explosion given the pattern of scattered evidentiary material of explosive and ballistic nature. Laboratory analysis of white powder found within the explosive material confirmed the presence of high impact C4-explosive trace containing cyclotrimethylene trinitramin [Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX)] & pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). It took meticulous multidisciplinary efforts to confirm the identity of the victim that was marred by the severe fragmentation and skeletalization of the remains. The initial radiologic interpretation focused more on identification of foreign bodies and supporting documentation of fragmentation. With the current availability of post computed tomography (PMCT) in our center, we reexamined the value and potential of PMXR and PMCT as an adjunctive tool for biological profiling.
CONCLUSION: This was the first case of C4-blast related death reported in Malaysia. The multidisciplinary approach in efforts to identify the victim may serve as a guide in managing, coordinating and maximizing the expertise of different forensic specialists, with emphasis on anthropologic and radiologic collaboration.
AIM OF THE WORK: Is to study the pattern of lip print in Egyptian and Malaysian populations and its relation to sex and populations difference. Also, to develop equations for sex and populations detection using lip print pattern by different populations (Egyptian and Malaysian).
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample comprised of 120 adults volunteers divided into two ethnic groups; sixty adult Egyptians (30 males and 30 females) and sixty adult Malaysians (30 males and 30 females). The lip prints were collected on a white paper. Each lip print was divided into four compartments and were classified and scored according to Suzuki and Tsuchihashi classification. Data were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS: The results showed that type III lip print pattern (intersected grooves) was the predominant type in both the Egyptian and Malaysian populations. Type II and III were the most frequent in Egyptian males (28.3% each), while in Egyptian females type III pattern was predominant (46.7%). As regards Malaysian males, type III lip print pattern was the predominant one (41.7%), while type II lip print pattern was predominant (30.8%) in Malaysian females. Statistical analysis of different quadrants showed significant differences between males and females in the Egyptian population in the third and fourth quadrants. On the other hand, significant differences were detected only in the second quadrant between Malaysian males and females. Also, a statistically significant difference was present in the second quadrant between Egyptian and Malaysian males. Using the regression analysis, four regression equations were obtained.
METHODS/RESULTS: 32 cases of which 12 females and 20 male and 18 out of 32 cases were aged below 40. All of the cases were examined macroscopically and microscopically. 30 out of 32 cases (93%) died due to rupture associated with the AD. Two unusual complications were proximal extension of AD into left coronary artery (CA) with intramural haematoma blocking the vessel and AD involving the ostium of the right CA resulting in avulsion of the right CA from the aorta. Mode of death in both these cases were myocardial ischemia. Sections of the aorta in all cases confirmed extensive cystic medial degeneration with disorganisation, fragmentation and disappearance of the elastin fibres with increased collagen and smooth muscle nuclear degeneration.
CONCLUSION: Pathologists should be thorough when examining the aorta, the aortic valve and root in AD. When a rupture site cannot be found it is important to look for unusual complications involving the CAs. Histology plays an important role to corroborate the cause of death.