Sex estimation from biometric face photos for forensic purposes.

Sex estimation is an important parameter in cases where individuals need to be identified in forensic cases. Biometric photographs are a form of a passport photo with specific dimensions and features established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which are read and digitally stored in appropriate devices, are used in travel documents, and are of high quality (at least 600 dpi). This study aims to reveal anthropometric data for estimating sex in Turkish adult population from facial images conforming to biometric photography criteria. Within the scope of this study, biometric facial images of a total of 334 participants, 146 female and 188 male, between the ages of 20 and 79 were used. The photos were taken using a Nikon D5100 and flat front lighting from a distance of 1 m. ImageJ 1.50i software was used to process these images. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis tests. Among the 11 variables on sex estimation, the highest accuracy rate of 78.1% was obtained with the measurement between Gonion points. However, sex estimation could be made with an accuracy of 80.5% by including all age groups and all variables, and when age-specific data were used, it was observed that these accuracy rates increased significantly in all three age groups (84.6%, 89.2%, 85.2%, respectively). Therefore, we are suggesting that using age-specific data generated for estimation in different age groups. Consequently, it has been shown that successful sex estimation can be done by formulas derived from biometric facial images in this study.

Publication rates of abstracts presented at the annual scientific meetings held by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 2011 and 2016.

Prior research evaluating the papers presented in forensic sciences in international meetings is scant. This study determines the possible predictions concerning publications by comparing the publication rates, publication years, and presentation types, time until publication, participating countries, and criteria of the published journals in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). The publication rates of abstracts presented at scientific meetings of AAFS, a prestigious forensic science organization, along with the aforementioned components and the extent of their contribution in 2011 and 2016 were investigated. The abstracts presented at the AAFS meetings in 2011 and 2016 were reviewed retrospectively within the scope of this study. The Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases were searched using a specified process that included the title, first and last author surnames, and keywords. Results revealed that approximately 21% and 24% of the papers presented at the 2011 and 2016 AAFS meetings, respectively, were published. Considering the publication rates of abstracts according to sections, the publication rates for the 2011 AAFS meeting ranged from 4% (questioned documents) to 31% (anthropology) and from 5% (questioned documents) to 32% (pathology/biology), on average, for the 2016 AAFS meeting. It was determined that the papers were largely published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences for both annual scientific meetings. Future studies should concentrate on the obstacles to the publication of papers presented at such prestigious organizations and strategies to facilitate the publication process such that they do not lose their value over time.