Solving the inverse problem of post-mortem interval estimation using Bayesian Belief Networks.

Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) can be applied to solve inverse problems such as the post-mortem interval (PMI) by a simple and logical graphical representation of conditional dependencies between multiple taphonomic variables and the observable decomposition effect. This study is the first cross-comparison retrospective study of human decomposition across three different geographical regions. To assess the effect of the most influential taphonomic variables on the decomposition rate (as measured by the Total Decomposition Score (TDS)), decomposition data was examined from the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility at the University of Tennessee (n = 312), the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner in Pittsburgh, US (n = 250), and the Crime Scene Investigation department at Southwest Forensics in the UK (n = 81).

Applying archaeology to fire investigation techniques: A review.

Archaeology and Fire Investigation do not appear to have much in common on the surface. Scratch beneath however, and the similarities begin to reveal themselves. Both disciplines require the investigation of physical remains by employing an analytical approach in order to reconstruct sequences of events.

Individuals lacking ridge detail: A case study in adermatoglyphia.

Adermatoglyphia is a very rare autosomal-dominant condition that is genetically inherited and causes an individual to be born without conventional ridge detail on either their palmar or plantar surfaces (the fingers and palms of the hands and the toes and the soles of the feet). While adermatoglyphia has been the focus of medical and genetic research, no previous research has been conducted with regard to the forensic recovery and identification of marks from an adermatoglyphic individual. By observation of ridge detail donated by an adermatoglyphic subject, the study uses different methods in order to capture fingermarks (methods include: inked capture, livescan (biometric) capture, cyanoacrylate fuming, ninhydrin enhancement, and physical developer).

The effect of seasonality on the application of accumulated degree-days to estimate the early post-mortem interval.

This study investigated the effect of seasonal variables on decomposition in the early post-mortem period using 26 donated human cadavers at the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility (ARF), USA. The rate and pattern of decomposition in human cadavers (as measured by TBS and the revised TBSsurf methods) did not vary significantly between all seasons. Summer and autumn cadavers had comparable rates of accelerated decomposition despite significant differences in both ADD and temperature (p<0.

Associations between voxel-level accumulated dose and rectal toxicity in prostate radiotherapy.

Background And Purpose: Associations between dose and rectal toxicity in prostate radiotherapy are generally poorly understood. Evaluating spatial dose distributions to the rectal wall (RW) may lead to improvements in dose-toxicity modelling by incorporating geometric information, masked by dose-volume histograms. Furthermore, predictive power may be strengthened by incorporating the effects of interfraction motion into delivered dose calculations.

Ballistic research techniques: visualizing gunshot wounding patterns.

There are difficulties associated with mapping gunshot wound (GSW) patterns within opaque models. Depending on the damage measurement parameters required, there are multiple techniques that can provide methods of "seeing" the GSW pattern within an opaque model. The aim of this paper was to test several of these techniques within a cadaveric animal limb model to determine the most effective.

Anatomical change during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, and its effect on delivered dose to the spinal cord.

Background And Purpose: The impact of weight loss and anatomical change during head and neck (H&N) radiotherapy on spinal cord dosimetry is poorly understood, limiting evidence-based adaptive management strategies.

Materials And Methods: 133 H&N patients treated with daily mega-voltage CT image-guidance (MVCT-IG) on TomoTherapy, were selected. Elastix software was used to deform planning scan SC contours to MVCT-IG scans, and accumulate dose.

Forensic reconstruction of two military combat related shooting incidents using an anatomically correct synthetic skull with a surrogate skin/soft tissue layer.

Six synthetic head models wearing ballistic protective helmets were used to recreate two military combat-related shooting incidents (three per incident, designated 'Incident 1' and 'Incident 2'). Data on the events including engagement distances, weapon and ammunition types was collated by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The models were shot with 7.

Applying physical science techniques and CERN technology to an unsolved problem in radiation treatment for cancer: the multidisciplinary 'VoxTox' research programme.

The VoxTox research programme has applied expertise from the physical sciences to the problem of radiotherapy toxicity, bringing together expertise from engineering, mathematics, high energy physics (including the Large Hadron Collider), medical physics and radiation oncology. In our initial cohort of 109 men treated with curative radiotherapy for prostate cancer, daily image guidance computed tomography (CT) scans have been used to calculate delivered dose to the rectum, as distinct from planned dose, using an automated approach. Clinical toxicity data have been collected, allowing us to address the hypothesis that delivered dose provides a better predictor of toxicity than planned dose.

Automated customized retrieval of radiotherapy data for clinical trials, audit and research.

Objective: To enable fast and customizable automated collection of radiotherapy (RT) data from tomotherapy storage.

Methods: Human-readable data maps (TagMaps) were created to generate DICOM-RT (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine standard for Radiation Therapy) data from tomotherapy archives, and provided access to "hidden" information comprising delivery sinograms, positional corrections and adaptive-RT doses.

Results: 797 data sets totalling 25,000 scans were batch-exported in 31.

The 'Molecule of the Month' Website-An Extraordinary Chemistry Educational Resource Online for over 20 Years.

The Molecule of the Month website (http://www.chm.bris.

Recalculation of dose for each fraction of treatment on TomoTherapy.

Objective: The VoxTox study, linking delivered dose to toxicity requires recalculation of typically 20-37 fractions per patient, for nearly 2000 patients. This requires a non-interactive interface permitting batch calculation with multiple computers.

Methods: Data are extracted from the TomoTherapy(®) archive and processed using the computational task-management system GANGA.

A new computer-tomography-based method of sex estimation: Development of Turkish population-specific standards.

The identification of victims involved in mass fatality incidents has become an increasingly important issue nowadays, and identification of unknown individuals is an important aspect in criminal cases and Disaster Victim Identification scenarios. Therefore, the sex estimation is one of the most important biological attributes towards establishing personal identity. In addition, several studies have demonstrated that metric sex determination methods of the skeleton are population-specific due to variation in size and patterns of sexual dimorphism.

Accumulated dose to the rectum, measured using dose-volume histograms and dose-surface maps, is different from planned dose in all patients treated with radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Objective: We sought to calculate accumulated dose (DA) to the rectum in patients treated with radiotherapy for prostate cancer. We were particularly interested in whether dose-surface maps (DSMs) provide additional information to dose-volume histograms (DVHs).

Methods: Manual rectal contours were obtained for kilovoltage and daily megavoltage CT scans for 10 participants from the VoxTox study (380 scans).

The spatial distribution of postblast RDX residue: forensic implications.

Locating exactly where trace explosive residue samples should be sought during sample collection at bomb scenes is not specified in the published literature or guidelines; in this area, it is generally acknowledged that forensic practices are based on tradition rather than evidence. This study investigated patterns in the spatial distribution of postblast 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazocyclohexane residue from a series of unconfined detonations, over a range of sampling sites, and at two different detonation heights. The amount of residue recovered from the sites decreased as a function of distance from the center of the explosion.

Combating bioterrorism with personal computers.

Using personal computers in a grid is permitting the in silico screening of millions of molecules to seek out potential inhibitors of agents that pose bioterror threats. Current projects are targeting anthrax and smallpox, but the approach has many attractions for investigating any known protein target and its inhibition.

Pattern recognition and massively distributed computing.

A feature of Peter Kollman's research was his exploitation of the latest computational techniques to devise novel applications of the free energy perturbation method. He would certainly have seized upon the opportunities offered by massively distributed computing. Here we describe the use of over a million personal computers to perform virtual screening of 3.