Effects of kinetic energy and firearm-to-target distance on fracture behavior in flat bones.

This research implements a fractographic approach to investigate the relationships between kinetic energy, firearm-to-target distance, and various aspects of fracture behavior in gunshot trauma. Gunshot experiments were performed on pig scapulae (n = 30) using three firearms generating different muzzle (initial) kinetic energies, including a 0.32 pistol (103 J), 0.

Effects of input energy and impactor shape on cranial fracture patterns.

This study documents relationships between input energy, impactor shape, and the formation of fractures in human crania. Parietal impact experiments (n = 12) were performed at 67% higher input energy compared to previously reported experiments. Fracture origins, characteristics, and locations were compared at two input energy levels with three impactor shapes (focal "hammer", flat "brick", and curved "bat").

Identification of a decedent in a 103-year-old homicide case using forensic anthropology and genetic genealogy.

Anthropologists are often the custodians of long-term unidentified human remains though their positions as curators of university or museum skeletal collections. Various factors decrease the solvability of these legacy cases including the passage of time, the loss of provenience for specific cases, and lack of documentation or case records. While anthropologists can contribute important information toward identification, it is often necessary to explore novel and cross-disciplinary strategies to resolve difficult cold cases.

Investigating reverse butterfly fractures: An experimental approach and application of fractography.

Butterfly fractures are expected to form with the transverse portion on the tension side and the wedge portion on the compression side of a bent bone, however wedges have also been observed in the reverse orientation and are reported to be frequent in concentrated 4-point bending. To investigate how these fractures form, concentrated 4-point bending experiments were performed on nine human femora and documented using high-speed video. Videos showed the wedge portion formed as fracture initiated in tension, branched obliquely, then curved to terminate on the tension face.

Experimental investigation of cranial fracture initiation in blunt human head impacts.

The relationship between the point of blunt impact and the location of cranial fracture initiation continues to be poorly understood. The current study used high-speed video to capture cranial fracture initiation and propagation in impact experiments on twelve unembalmed, intact human cadaver heads. Video footage provided direct evidence that blunt cranial impacts can produce linear fractures initiating peripheral to the impact site.

Assessing Impact Direction in 3-point Bending of Human Femora: Incomplete Butterfly Fractures and Fracture Surfaces

Current literature associates bending failure with butterfly fracture, in which fracture initiates transversely at the tensile surface of a bent bone and branches as it propagates toward the impact surface. The orientation of the resulting wedge fragment is often considered diagnostic of impact direction. However, experimental studies indicate bending does not always produce complete butterfly fractures or produces wedge fragments variably in tension or compression, precluding their use in interpreting directionality.

Application of the Stephan et al. Chest Radiograph Comparison Method to Decomposed Human Remains.

This manuscript describes the use of comparative radiography of the chest to facilitate positive identification of human remains in advanced stages of decomposition. The method reported by Stephan et al. for positive identification of dry, disarticulated skeletal elements was used on semifleshed, decomposing remains.