Preliminary study of gunshot residues in entry holes at different angles: Feasibility of using LIBS to support trajectory estimation.

Firearm-related scenarios can be highly complex, involving multiple shooters, firearms, types of ammunition, victims, and various impact zones. Obtaining the maximum amount of information to connect each piece of the puzzle is crucial for resolving these cases. Currently, new tools are being developed in the forensic field that facilitate both fieldwork and laboratory analysis, enabling the estimation of trajectories, identification of shooters, and more.

Study of the fingerprints of a Spanish sample for the determination of the hand and finger.

The individuality and permanence of fingerprints make of them a very useful feature in the identification of individuals. There are now automated computer programmes that allow a quick comparison between a fingermark and a database. However, in order to assess the strength of evidence in fingerprint identification, complementary information on the frequencies of the different morphological features of the dermopapillary ridges is required.

Assessing the shooting distance of lead-free ammunition regardless of composition using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.

Unlabelled: At present, it is challenging to accurately determine firearm shooting distances in the case that lead-free ammunition is involved, largely because different manufacturers use different primer compositions. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) allows the simultaneous detection of multiple elements with high sensitivity and so may represent a solution to this problem. Previous studies have, in fact, demonstrated that LIBS can be used to determine shooting distances when working with gunshot residues from conventional ammunition based on scanning fabric surfaces.

Assessment of gunshot residue detection on a large variety of surfaces by portable LIBS system for crime scene application.

The application of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in forensic science has garnered increasing attention. The ability to perform real-time, on-site analysis of Gunshot Residue (GSR) particles and potential elements originating from bullets or projectile cores on various surfaces holds the potential to assist in resolving firearms-related cases. This includes facilitating trajectory determination by locating distinct impact points and identifying the types of ammunition used.

Interpopulational differences in the frequency and distribution of delta types.

The classification of the main pattern types, arch, loop and whorls, is based on the number and location of deltas or triradii, which are areas defined by the confluence of three ridge systems carrying different directions on the fingerprint. Despite being areas that give place to an important morphological variability, their study has only been approached from the quantitative point of view, in relation to the number with which they appear per finger, hand, or individual (intensity pattern), and their sexual and population differences; while the qualitative aspects have not been evaluated so far. The following paper aims to study and analyze the qualitative variability, both intra and interpopulation, of the frequency of occurrence of the different types of deltas or triradii, in four fingerprint samples from males of different population origin: 100 individuals from China, 100 individuals from Colombia, 100 individuals from Nigeria and 100 individuals from Romania, which has meant the analysis of 4000 fingerprints.

Distribution of the minutiae in palmprints: Topological and sexual variability.

Palmprints have been systematically less studied than fingerprints, despite being of great use in the identification process. In Spain, they were not included in Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) until 2009. Very few investigations performed within the field of palmprints have assessed the sexual and population variability of the number and distribution of minutiae on its surface, despite the fact that these particularities are the basis for personal identification in forensic science.

Fingerprints identification on 3000 year old Egyptian mummies.

The Djehuty Project (Dra Abu el-Naga; Luxor, Egypt) contains a reused burial chamber, UE165. The human remains include 6 disarticulated, mummified human digits, of which five have very well-conserved prints. The most plausible dating is the Twenty-Second Dynasty (945-715 BCE).

Impact of aging on fingerprint ridge density: Anthropometry and forensic implications in sex inference.

The variation in the epidermal ridge's width between the sexes, during various growth stages, and among different populations has been previously assessed. However, the changes that occur with aging are barely known. The goal of this study was to analyse the degree of variation in epidermal ridge width due to aging.

Study of fingerprints in Argentina population for application in personal identification.

The fingerprints of the Buenos Aires and Chubut provinces in Argentina have been studied, with the aim of knowing and quantifying the variability of these features, which are used in the identification process. The data studied for this research was obtained from 330 individuals, of both sexes, from two Argentinian population samples (170 individuals from Buenos Aires and 160 from Chubut), which amounts to a total of 3300 fingerprints. The different types of minutiae were located, identified, and visually quantified in four areas on the fingerprint.

CONSANGUINITY BY RANDOM ISONYMY AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ARGENTINA: A POPULATION STUDY.

In human populations various flexible, labile and interdependent structures (genetic, demographic, socioeconomic) co-exist, each of which can be organized in an hierarchical order corresponding to administrative entities. The relationship between consanguinity, as estimated by random isonymy (F ST), and socioeconomic conditions was analysed at different levels of political and administrative organization in Argentina. From the surnames of 22,666,139 voters from the 2001 electoral roll, F ST was estimated for 510 Argentinian departments.

Fingerprint ridge density in the Argentinean population and its application to sex inference: A comparative study.

Fingerprint ridge density (RD) is known to vary according to sex and population, and such variation can be used for forensic purposes. The aim of this study was to analyze the fingerprint RD of two samples of the Argentinean population in order to assess their topological, digital, bilateral, sexual, and population differences for subsequent application in the inference of sex. Data were collected from the fingerprints of 172 individuals from the Buenos Aires province and 163 from the Chubut province.

Assessment of the methodology for estimating ridge density in fingerprints and its forensic application.

In recent times, some studies have explored the forensic application of dermatoglyphic traits such as the epidermal ridge breadth or ridge density (RD) toward the inference of sex and population from fingerprints of unknown origin, as it has been demonstrated that there exist significant differences of fingerprints between sexes and between populations. Part of the population differences found between these studies could be of methodological nature, due both to the lack of standardisation in the position of the counting area, as well as to the differences in the method used for obtaining the fingerprint. Therefore, the aim of this study was to check whether there are differences between the RD of fingerprints depending on where the counting area is placed and how the fingerprints are obtained.

Surnames, geographic altitude, and digital dermatoglyphics in a male population from the province of Jujuy (Argentina).

The possible association between finger dermatoglyphic patterns and altitude and surname distribution was analyzed in a sample of adult males from the province of Jujuy, Argentina. We also investigated the biological affinity of this population with other South American natives and admixed populations. Fingerprints were obtained from 996 healthy men, aged 18-20 years, from the highlands (HL: 2500m, Puna and Quebrada) and lowlands (LL: Valle and Selvas).

Diversity of human lip prints: a collaborative study of ethnically distinct world populations.

Background: Cheiloscopy is a comparatively recent counterpart to the long established dactyloscopic studies. Ethnic variability of these lip groove patterns has not yet been explored.

Aim: This study was a collaborative effort aimed at establishing cheiloscopic variations amongst modern human populations from four geographically and culturally far removed nations: India, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Nigeria.

Random inbreeding, isonymy, and population isolates in Argentina.

Population isolates are an important tool in identifying and mapping genes of Mendelian diseases and complex traits. The geographical identification of isolates represents a priority from a genetic and health care standpoint. The purpose of this study is to analyze the spatial distribution of consanguinity by random isonymy (F ST) in Argentina and its relationship with the isolates previously identified in the country.

A comparative study of topological and sex differences in fingerprint ridge density in Argentinian and Spanish population samples.

Although several studies have recently assessed sex differences in fingerprint ridge density and its variability in human populations from different origins, such a study has not been carried out yet in the Amerindian population. The goal of this study was to determine the topological and sexual differences in fingerprint ridge density (RD) in native subjects from two samples of northwestern Argentina (Jujuy province) living at different altitudes. The results were compared with those obtained from a Spanish population sample.

Sexual and topological differences in palmprint and ridge density in the caucasian Spanish population.

Despite the fact that variation in ridge breadth is of biological, medical, and genetic interest, it has not received as much attention as other dermatoglyphic characteristics. Recently, sex differences in mean epidermal ridge breadth have been proposed in the field of forensic identification in order to infer gender from fingerprints found at the scene of a crime left by an unknown donor. The aim of this research was to analyze sexual, bimanual, and topological variations in epidermal ridge breadth on palmprints taken from a Spanish population sample for subsequent application in inferring gender from the palm marks.

Topological variability of fingerprint ridge density in a sub-Saharan population sample for application in personal identification.

Variability in ridge density in a sub-Saharan population sample was studied by counting ridges in three fingerprint areas (two distal regions, radial and ulnar, and one proximal region) on the epidermal surface of the distal phalanx. Study material was obtained from the fingerprint impressions of 100 male sub-Saharan subjects aged between 18- and 48-years old. The results were compared with those obtained from a Spanish population sample.

[Infant mortality due to congenital malformations and socioeconomic status: the case of Argentina].

Objective: Compare the infant mortality rate due to congenital malformations ( IMRCM) and the percentage of deaths due to congenital malformations (%DCM) with sociodemographic and economic characteristics in Argentina.

Methods: The Argentine study population resided in 511 departments of 23 provinces, grouped into five geographic regions (Northwest, Northeast, Central, Cuyo, and Patagonia). The analyzed variables were the IMRCM and the %DCM calculated on the basis of births and deaths during 2002-2006 period.

Are there population differences in minutiae frequencies? A comparative study of two Argentinian population samples and one Spanish sample.

In recent years, both scientific and judicial sources have highlighted the need for more knowledge about minutiae variability, in order to improve their statistical application to fingerprint identification. In line with this trend toward improving our knowledge of this subject, the aim of the present study was to calculate the frequency with which 20 types of minutiae appeared in 2780 fingerprint impressions obtained from 278 individuals from two Argentinian population samples (100 individuals from Ramal and 178 from Puna-Quebrada). The different types of minutiae were located, identified, and quantified visually in two areas on the fingerprint, the inside and outside of a circle, the radius of which cut fifteen ridges perpendicularly, starting from the center cut of the axes defining the sectors.

Distribution of the minutiae in the fingerprints of a sample of the Spanish population.

One of the fundamental aspects of the process of identification through fingerprints is the comparison of the minutiae between the fingermark obtained at the scene of the crime and the suspect's corresponding finger. There is no scientific basis in this process that allows the use of numerical standards, such as those kept in different countries, to obtain the identification. The recent mistakes made in the field of dactyloscopy, together with the growing rigor and scrutiny that forensic evidence undergoes in the legislative and scientific areas, have resulted in the need to reconsider some of the basic principles that support this discipline.

Variability of fingerprint ridge density in a sample of Spanish Caucasians and its application to sex determination.

Despite the fact that the differences in epidermal ridge density between men and women have been accepted for some time, they have only been thoroughly demonstrated in a small number of populations. The aim of this study is to determine whether such differences exist in a sample of the Spanish population by counting epidermal ridges within three well-defined fingerprint areas. If significant gender differences do exist, then the likelihood of inferring gender from given ridge densities will be explored.