Populational Variations of Cheiloscopy Patterns: A cross-sectional observation pilot study.

Purpose Lip prints are unique and have potential for use as a human identifier. The purpose of this study was to observe possible cheiloscopy differences of individuals with and without parafunctional oral habits such as smoking, vaping, playing a wind instrument or using an asthma inhaler.Methods This IRB approved blinded cross-sectional observation pilot study collected lip prints from sixty-six individuals, three of which were excluded. Participants cleansed their lips, then lipstick was applied to the vermillion zones of the upper and lower lips. Adhesive tape was applied to the lips and prints were transferred to white bond paper for viewing purposes. Each set of included lip prints was divided into quadrants and dichotomized into a group of those with an oral parafunctional habit or with no such habits. Each quadrant sample was then manually analyzed and classed according to the gold standard Suzuki and Tsuchihashi system.Results A total of 252 dichotomized lip print quadrants (with habits n=76, 30.2%, and without habits n=176, 69.8%) were analyzed. Type II patterns were the most common for examined quadrant samples; however, no statistically significant differences (Pearson's chi-squared test, p=0.366) were observed between pattern classifications of samples with and without parafunctional oral habits.Conclusion There is no statistically significant difference of lip print patterns between individuals with and without parafunctional oral habits. Further research on populational variations is needed for cheiloscopy to aid in human identifications.

Huellas dactilares: origen, usos y desafíos que genera la incapacidad para su registro / Fingerprints: origin, uses and challenges in the face of its verification failure

Considerando que las huellas dactilares son impresiones de las crestas epidérmicas de los dedos con un patrón único, irrepetible y permanente, estas son la base del método biométrico más empleado en la actualidad. Entre sus diversos usos destaca la identificación para múltiples actividades como acceder al trabajo o a teléfonos celulares, la operación de cuentas bancarias, las investigaciones criminales, etcétera. La ausencia o deterioro de las crestas epidérmicas, denominada adermatoglifia, impide la identificación por biometría dactilar. La adermatoglifia se origina por múltiples causas, incluyendo las enfermedades dermatológicas, lesiones traumáticas de los dedos, denervación, envejecimiento, quimioterapia, entre otras. Abordamos brevemente el origen, usos y sistemas para el registro de las huellas dactilares. El objetivo principal es enfatizar la existencia de personas con incapacidad para registrar sus huellas, una condición relevante por el riesgo potencial de discriminación, especialmente cuando el registro de las huellas es obligatorio.

Considering that fingerprints are impressions of the epidermal ridges of the fingers with a unique, unrepeatable, and permanent pattern, they are the basis of the biometric identification method most used today. Among its various uses stand out identification for multiple activities such as authentication to access work and cell phones, operation of bank accounts, criminal investigations, etc. The absence or deterioration of the epidermal ridges, called adermatoglyphia, prevents identification by finger biometrics. Adermatoglyphia originates from multiple causes, including several skin diseases, traumatic injuries of the fingers, denervation, aging, chemotherapy, among others. The origin, uses, and systems for fingerprints verification are briefly addressed here. The main objective is to emphasize the existence of people with fingerprint verification failure, a relevant condition due to the potential risk of discrimination, especially when fingerprint verification is mandatory.

Prevention of Radiation Therapy Treatment Deviations by a Novel Combined Biometric, Radiofrequency Identification, and Surface Imaging System.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of Varian Identify, a novel combined radiofrequency identification, biometric and surface-matching technology, on its potential for patient safety and prevention of radiation therapy treatment deviations. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One hundred eight radiation therapy treatment deviation reports at our facility over the past 8 years were analyzed. Three major categories were defined based on the time point of occurrence: physician order deviations (19.4%), treatment-planning deviations (24.1%), and machine treatment deviations (56.5%). The impact of Identify on potential prevention of machine treatment deviations was analyzed. A failure mode and effects analysis was performed on the 5 most frequently occurring errors preventable with Identify. Safety analysis of the Identify system was reported based on 3.5 years of clinical data post-Identify system installation on 3 treatment vaults. RESULTS: Of the 61 machine treatment deviations, 47 (77%) were interpreted as being preventable by using Identify. Our failure mode and effects analysis showed reductions in all risk priority numbers post-Identify application. Safety analysis of the Identify system from our direct observation that for approximately 7 cumulative years of Identify use in 3 different treatment vaults, where 9 deviations would have been expected to occur over this combined period, zero machine treatment events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of Identify biometric, radiofrequency identification, and surface-matching technologies was observed to enable an effective process for enhancing safety and efficiency of radiation therapy treatment. A significant reduction in machine-related deviations was observed.

Analysis of implementation outcomes of quality improvement initiatives in Haiti: the fingerprint initiative / Análisis de los resultados de la puesta en práctica de iniciativas para la mejora de la calidad en Haití: la iniciativa de la huella dactilar / Análise dos resultados da implantação de iniciativas para melhoria da qualidade no Haiti: iniciativa de leitura da impressão digital

ABSTRACT Objective. To assess the process and outcomes of the implementation of an electronic fingerprint initiative as part of quality improvement in three health facilities in the Northern Department of Haiti, in terms of its acceptability, adoption, feasibility, fidelity, and sustainability. In Haiti, poor attendance of the healthcare workforce is a nationwide problem, closely related to the quality of care. Three health institutions have tried to implement an electronic fingerprint system to monitor and improve attendance. Methods. An exploratory and qualitative descriptive study of the implementation outcomes of the fingerprint initiative. It was based on semi-structured interviews and one group discussion using purposeful sampling techniques to recruit participants, and an open coding system and deductive approach to analyze the data using ATLAS.ti 8. Results. The fingerprint initiative was successfully implemented in a non-governmental organization supported health facility but, despite some planning, it was never implemented in the public health facilities. The acceptability of the implementation was high in the not-for-profit organization and low in the public settings, mostly in relation to the presence of champions and the leadership at each health facility. Conclusions. We recommend more involvement of the leadership of health facilities in the different phases of the implementation process in order to guarantee acceptability, adoption, fidelity and sustainabiliy. More research is needed to articulate this technology-driven initiative in the Haitian health system.

RESUMEN Objetivo. Evaluar el proceso y los resultados de la puesta en práctica de una iniciativa de digitalización de huellas dactilares como parte de la mejora de la calidad en tres establecimientos de salud del departamento Norte de Haití, en cuanto a su aceptabilidad, adopción, viabilidad, fidelidad y sostenibilidad. En Haití, el absentismo de los trabajadores de atención de salud es un problema nacional, estrechamente relacionado con la calidad de la atención. Tres instituciones de salud han tratado de poner en práctica un sistema de huellas dactilares digitalizadas para monitorear y mejorar la asistencia. Métodos. Se ha llevado a cabo un estudio descriptivo cualitativo y exploratorio de los resultados de la puesta en práctica de la iniciativa de la huella dactilar. Este estudio empleó entrevistas semiestructuradas y una discusión de grupo mediante técnicas de muestreo con fines específicos para reclutar a los participantes, y un sistema de codificación abierta y enfoque deductivo para analizar los datos con ATLAS.ti 8. Resultados. La iniciativa de la huella dactilar se llevó a cabo satisfactoriamente en un establecimiento de salud no gubernamental; sin embargo, a pesar de cierta planificación, no llegó a ponerse en práctica en establecimientos públicos de salud. La aceptabilidad de la implementación fue alta en las organizaciones sin fines de lucro y baja en los entornos públicos, principalmente en lo que respecta a la presencia de líderes y dirigentes en cada establecimiento de salud. Conclusiones. Recomendamos una mayor participación de la gerencia de los establecimientos de salud en las diferentes fases del proceso de ejecución para garantizar aceptabilidad, adopción, fidelidad y sostenibilidad. Se necesita investigación adicional para integrar esta iniciativa impulsada por la tecnología en el sistema de salud haitiano.

RESUMO Objetivo. Avaliar o processo e os resultados da implantação de uma iniciativa de controle de ponto eletrônico por biometria para melhoria da qualidade em três serviços de saúde no Departamento Norte do Haiti quanto à aceitabilidade, adoção, viabilidade, fidelidade e sustentabilidade. A baixa assiduidade no trabalho do pessoal da saúde é um problema em todo o país e está estreitamente relacionada à qualidade da atenção. Foi feita uma tentativa de implantar um sistema de ponto eletrônico por biometria em três instituições de saúde, para monitorar e aumentar a assiduidade no trabalho. Métodos. Estudo exploratório, descritivo e qualitativo dos resultados da implantação da iniciativa de ponto eletrônico por biometria. Os dados foram coletados em entrevistas semiestruturadas e em um grupo de discussão usando técnica de amostragem intencional para recrutar os participantes. A análise de dados foi realizada por codificação aberta e enfoque dedutivo com o uso do software ATLAS.ti 8. Resultados. A iniciativa de ponto eletrônico por biometria foi implantada com êxito em um serviço de saúde apoiado por uma organização não governamental. Porém, apesar do planejamento, ela nunca foi implantada nos serviços da rede pública. A aceitabilidade foi muito boa na entidade sem fins lucrativos, mas foi baixa na rede pública, sobretudo em relação à presença de apoiadores e dirigentes no local. Conclusões. Recomenda-se maior envolvimento dos dirigentes dos serviços de saúde nas diferentes fases do processo de implantação para garantir a aceitabilidade, adoção, fidelidade e sustentabilidade da iniciativa. Mais pesquisas são necessárias para estruturar esta iniciativa com uso de tecnologia no sistema de saúde do Haiti.

Aspectos éticos del uso de identificadores biométricos / Bioethical aspects of the use of biometric identifiers / Aspectos éticos do uso de identificadores biométricos

La biometría ha tenido una rápida expansión como tecnología, siendo cada vez más accesible para el público general, prestando utilidad a los gobiernos y a la sociedad en el manejo de la seguridad ciudadana. Se aplica para la verificación o la identificación de la identidad de un individuo y, desde un punto de vista puramente técnico, constituye un problema de reconocimiento de patrones. En Chile, el marco legal acerca del manejo de datos personales no incluye específicamente a la biometría. A la fecha, se encuentra en trámite un nuevo proyecto de ley que considera tanto los datos biométricos como los perfiles biológicos. En otros países, los informes de las últimas dos décadas, que analizan el uso de biometría, plantean como principal foco de preocupación, desde el punto de vista ético, el derecho a la privacidad de los individuos, entregándose orientaciones prácticas acerca de la aplicación apropiada de estas tecnologías. Finalmente, desde un breve análisis de la biopolítica, se contextualiza el papel que cumple la biometría y los requerimientos éticos básicos para su desarrollo en dicho marco.

Biometrics has had a rapid expansion as a technology, being increasingly accessible to the public, and lending utility to governments and society in the management of citizen security. It is applied either for verification or for identification of an individual's identity and technically constitutes a problem of pattern recognition. In Chile, the existing legal framework regarding the handling of personal data does not include specific biometrics in its regulation. A new bill that considers both biometric data and Biological profiles is in process. In addition, we revised the international reports of the last two decades that analyze the use of biometrics. The primary focus of concern of these documents, from the ethical point of view, is the right to privacy of individuals, giving practical guidance and discussion regarding the elements necessary for the application of these novel technologies in an appropriate ethically manner. Finally, we contextualize from a brief analysis of biopolitics the role of biometrics and the basic ethical requirements for its development in that framework.

A biometria teve uma rápida expansão como tecnologia, sendo cada vez mais acessível para o público geral, sendo de utilidade para os governos e à sociedade no manejo da segurança cidadã. Ela pode ser aplicada para a verificação ou estabelecimento da identidade de um indivíduo e, desde um ponto de vista puramente técnico, constitui um problema de reconhecimento de padrões. No Chile, o contexto legal acerca do manejo de dados pessoais não inclui especificamente a biometria. Atualmente, encontra-se tramitando um novo projeto de lei que considera tanto os dados biométricos como os perfis biológicos. Em outros países, os informes das últimas duas décadas que analisam o uso da biometria, propõem como principal foco de preocupação, do ponto de vista ético, o direito à privacidade dos indivíduos, entregando-se orientações práticas acerca da aplicação apropriada destas tecnologias. Finalmente, desde uma breve análise da bio-política, contextualiza-se o papel que cumpre a biometria e os requerimentos éticos básicos para seu desenvolvimento em tal contexto legal.

Ferramentas e Protocolos Utilizados na Perícia Criminal Relacionados à Voz: Revisão de Literatura / Tools and Protocols Used in Criminal Skills Related to Voice: Literature Review / Herramientas y Protocolos Utilizados en la Experiencia Criminal Relacionados a la Voz: Revisión de Literatura

A perícia criminal tem como objetivo compor provas para esclarecer crimes, sendo que na Fonoaudiologia, dentre as possibilidades de ação, a perícia fonética relacionada à voz pode ser uma destas ferramentas. Objetivo: Verificar quais as ferramentas ou protocolos utilizados pelos profissionais brasileiros para a realização da perícia forense fonética relacionada aos parâmetros vocais. Método: Pesquisa de revisão bibliográfica integrativa a partir da consulta isolada e combinada dos descritores em ciências da saúde: medicina legal, voz, perícia criminal, crimes e fonoaudiologia nos bancos de dados Lilacs, Scielo, Google Scholar, Open Grey e Open Thesis. Resultados: De 457 acervos, oito foram selecionados para leitura na íntegra. A identificação de um criminoso através da voz tem sido realizada nas perícias forenses tendo em vista que a voz apresenta características possíveis de comparação, principalmente a frequência fundamental, os formantes das vogais, o voice onset time. Cuidados quanto ao registro devem ser efetivados para que as provas não sejam excluídas dos processos criminais, sendo analisadas de forma imparcial. É uma área recente na Fonoaudiologia que carece de publicações na área. Conclusão: Os recursos utilizados na perícia forense fonética relacionada aos parâmetros vocais vão desde o profissional capacitado, de diferentes áreas do conhecimento (Linguística, Fonoaudiologia, Engenharia, Direito etc.) até o uso de softwares que possam comparar a voz de diferentes falantes. Há escassez de literatura e o exercício de tal prática requer capacitação profissional interdisciplinar.

The criminal investigation aims to compose evidence to clarify crimes, and in Speech Therapy, among the possibilities of action, voice-related phonetic expertise may be one of these tools. Objective: To verify the tools or protocols used by Brazilian professionals to perform phonetic forensics related to vocal parameters. Method: Research of integrative bibliographic review from the isolated and combined consultation of the descriptors in health sciences: legal medicine, voice, criminal expertise, crimes and speech therapy in the Lilacs, Scielo, Google Scholar, Open Gray and Open Thesis databases. Results: Of 457 collections, eight were selected for reading in their entirety. The identification of a criminal through the voice has been carried out in forensic examinations since the voice presents possible characteristics of comparison, mainly the fundamental frequency, the vowels formants, the voice onset time. Registration care must be carried out so that the evidence is not excluded from criminal prosecution, being analyzed in an impartial manner. It is a recent area in Speech Therapy that lacks publications in the area. Conclusion: The resources used in phonetic forensic expertise related to vocal parameters range from the qualified professional, from different areas of knowledge (Linguistics, Speech Therapy, Engineering, Law, etc.) to the use of software that can compare the voice of different speakers. There is a shortage of literature and the practice of such practice requires interdisciplinary professional training.

La pericia criminal tiene como objetivo componer pruebas para aclarar crímenes, siendo que en la Fonoaudiología, entre las posibilidades de acción, la pericia fonética relacionada a la voz puede ser una de estas herramientas. Objetivo: Verificar cuáles son las herramientas o protocolos utilizados por los profesionales brasileños para la realización de la pericia forense fonética relacionada a los parámetros vocales. En el presente trabajo se analizaron los resultados obtenidos en el estudio de los resultados obtenidos en el estudio de los resultados obtenidos en el estudio. Resultados: De 457 acervos, ocho fueron seleccionados para lectura en su totalidad. La identificación de un criminal a través de la voz ha sido realizada en las pericias forenses teniendo en vista que la voz presenta características posibles de comparación, principalmente la frecuencia fundamental, los formantes de las vocales, el voice onset time. Los cuidados en cuanto al registro deben ser efectivos para que las pruebas no sean excluidas de los procesos criminales, siendo analizadas de forma imparcial. Es un área reciente en la Fonoaudiología que carece de publicaciones en el área. Conclusión: Los recursos utilizados en la pericia forense fonética relacionada a los parámetros vocales van desde el profesional capacitado, de diferentes áreas del conocimiento (Lingüística, Fonoaudiología, Ingeniería, Derecho, etc.) hasta el uso de softwares que puedan comparar la voz de diferentes hablantes. Hay escasez de literatura y el ejercicio de tal práctica requiere una capacitación profesional interdisciplinaria.

Standardization, ethics and biometric indicators in scientific publication: integrative review / Estándares, ética e indicadores bibliométricos en la difusión científica: revisión integrativa / Normatização, ética e indicadores bibliométricos em divulgação científica: revisão integrativa

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze scientific evidence available in health literature on ethics, standardization and biometric indicators. Method: an integrative review carried out in August 2016, on the databases: National Library of Medicine, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Latin-American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences), and on the library Scientific Electronic Library Online. The review included primary articles on: ethics, standardization and biometric indicators, in Portuguese, English, or Spanish; and excluded studies that were not found as full texts, as well as opinions, commentary, reviews, theses, and dissertations. For the evaluation of the articles, it was used evidence levels from one to five. Results: eight articles were included, with scientific evidence levels 4 and 5: scientific productivism, production evaluation systems, internationalization, impact factor, classification of journals, and adequate and inadequate practices for publication. Conclusion: it was verified the need for publications with higher evidence levels so that Brazilian journals can follow international standards dealing with research ethics.

RESUMEN Objetivo: analizar las evidencias científicas disponibles en la literatura del área de la salud sobre ética, estándares e indicadores bibliométricos. Método: revisión integrativa realizada en agosto de 2016, en las bases de datos National Library of Medicine y Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud, y en la biblioteca Scientific Electronic Library Online. Se incluyeron artículos primarios sobre ética, estándares e indicadores bibliométricos, en portugués, inglés o español; y se excluyeron estudios que no se encontraron en su totalidad, opiniones, notas, revisiones, tesis y disertaciones. Se utilizaron los niveles de evidencia de uno a cinco en la evaluación de los artículos. Resultados: se incluyeron ocho artículos con nivel de evidencia científica 4 y 5: el productivismo científico, los sistemas de evaluación de la producción, la internacionalización, el factor de impacto, la clasificación de periódicos y las prácticas adecuadas e inadecuadas para la publicación. Conclusión: se observó la necesidad de publicaciones con mayores niveles de evidencia y atención para que las revistas nacionales sigan los estándares internacionales que aborden la ética en investigación.

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar evidências científicas disponíveis na literatura da área da saúde sobre ética, normatização e indicadores bibliométricos. Método: revisão integrativa realizada em agosto de 2016, nas bases de dados: National Library of Medicine, Literatura Latino-Ameticana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde e a biblioteca Scientific Electronic Library Online. Foram incluídos artigos primários sobre: ética, normatização e indicadores bibliométricos, em português, inglês ou espanhol, e excluídos estudos que não foram encontrados na íntegra, opiniões, comentários, revisões, teses e dissertações. Foram utilizados níveis de evidência de um a cinco para avaliação dos artigos. Resultados: foram incluídos oito artigos com nível de evidência científica 4 e 5: produtivismo científico, sistemas de avaliação da produção, internacionalização, fator de impacto, classificação de periódicos e práticas adequadas e inadequadas para publicação. Conclusão: Observou-se a necessidade de publicações com maiores níveis de evidência e atenção para que os periódicos nacionais sigam padrões internacionais que abordem ética em pesquisa.

Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery Affects the Discriminative Capacity of Iris Pattern Recognition.

Cataract is a common ophthalmic disorder and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. While cataract is cured via surgical procedures, its impact on iris based biometric recognition has not been effectively studied. The key objective of this research is to assess the effect of cataract surgery on the iris texture pattern as a means of personal authentication. We prepare and release the IIITD Cataract Surgery Database (CaSD) captured from 132 cataract patients using three commercial iris sensors. A non-comparative non-randomized cohort study is performed on the iris texture patterns in CaSD and authentication performance is studied using three biometric recognition systems. Performance is lower when matching pre-operative images to post-operative images (74.69 ± 9.77%) as compared to matching pre-operative images to pre-operative images (93.42 ± 1.76%). 100% recognition performance is observed on a control-group of healthy irises from 68 subjects. Authentication performance improves if cataract affected subjects are re-enrolled in the system, though re-enrollment does not ensure performance at par with pre-operative scenarios (86.67 ± 5.64%). The results indicate that cataract surgery affects the discriminative nature of the iris texture pattern. This finding raises concerns about the reliability of iris-based biometric recognition systems in the context of subjects undergoing cataract surgery.

A Facial Recognition Mobile App for Patient Safety and Biometric Identification: Design, Development, and Validation.

BACKGROUND: Patient verification by unique identification is an important procedure in health care settings. Risks to patient safety occur throughout health care settings by failure to correctly identify patients, resulting in the incorrect patient, incorrect site procedure, incorrect medication, and other errors. To avoid medical malpractice, radio-frequency identification (RFID), fingerprint scanners, iris scanners, and other technologies have been implemented in care settings. The drawbacks of these technologies include the possibility to lose the RFID bracelet, infection transmission, and impracticality when the patient is unconscious. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a mobile health app for patient identification to overcome the limitations of current patient identification alternatives. The development of this app is expected to provide an easy-to-use alternative method for patient identification. METHODS: We have developed a facial recognition mobile app for improved patient verification. As an evaluation purpose, a total of 62 pediatric patients, including both outpatient and inpatient, were registered for the facial recognition test and tracked throughout the facilities for patient verification purpose. RESULTS: The app was developed to contain 5 main parts: registration, medical records, examinations, prescriptions, and appointments. Among 62 patients, 30 were outpatients visiting plastic surgery department and 32 were inpatients reserved for surgery. Whether patients were under anesthesia or unconscious, facial recognition verified all patients with 99% accuracy even after a surgery. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to correctly identify both outpatients and inpatients and also reduce the unnecessary cost of patient verification by using the mobile facial recognition app with great accuracy. Our mobile app can provide valuable aid to patient verification, including when the patient is unconscious, as an alternative identification method.

A critical review on the use of artificial neural networks in olive oil production, characterization and authentication.

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are computationally based mathematical tools inspired by the fundamental cell of the nervous system, the neuron. ANN constitute a simplified artificial replica of the human brain consisting of parallel processing neural elements similar to neurons in living beings. ANN is able to store large amounts of experimental information to be used for generalization with the aid of an appropriate prediction model. ANN has proved useful for a variety of biological, medical, economic and meteorological purposes, and in agro-food science and technology. The olive oil industry has a substantial weight in Mediterranean's economy. The different steps of the olive oil production process, which include olive tree and fruit care, fruit harvest, mechanical and chemical processing, and oil packaging have been examined in depth with a view to their optimization, and so have the authenticity, sensory properties and other quality-related properties of olive oil. This paper reviews existing literature on the use of bioinformatics predictive methods based on ANN in connection with the production, processing and characterization of olive oil. It examines the state of the art in bioinformatics tools for optimizing or predicting its quality with a view to identifying potential deficiencies or aspects for improvement.

Identificación Mediante Huellas Labiales: Casos Paradigmáticos, Oportunidades Perdidas y "Anomalías" para la Construcción de un Nuevo Paradigma / Lip Print Identification: Paradigm Case Argument, Lost Opportunities and "Anomalies" for the Construction of a New Paradigm

RESUMEN: El análisis de huellas labiales con fines de identificación criminal ha sido denominado Queiloscopía, especialidad de la odontología forense que se ha sustentado en las supuestas unicidad, perennidad y clasificabilidad de los patrones de surcos labiales. En la actualidad, dos elementales corrientes parecen representar la realidad de la queiloscopía en el mundo forense: mientras algunos casos han demarcado su construcción estableciendo un paradigma de gran poder en la segunda mitad del siglo XX, la insuficiencia técnica en algunos casos o la presencia de nuevos estándares jurídicos en otros han puesto en jaque a esta subdisciplina de la Odontología Forense. Se presenta una reevaluación de los paradigmas propuestos por esos casos, se exponen situaciones fallidas en ese tipo de manejo de evidencias y se presenta una proyección efectiva local a esta (aún) potencial herramienta de investigación criminal.

ABSTRACT: Lip print analysis for criminal identification has been called Cheiloscopy, a specialty of forensic odontology based on the alleged uniqueness, durability and classification of labial groove patterns. Presently, there are two basic claims that seem to make reference to Cheiloscopy in the forensic world: While some cases have distinctly marked its design by establishing a dominant paradigm during the second half of the 20th century, others have questioned this particular specialty of Forensic Odontology in view of technical shortcomings or new legal standards. In light of failed cases under this form of evidence management, a reevaluation of the paradigms, and a better use of this potentially effective mechanism in criminal investigation are proposed.

Integrating a Profile of Frontal Face With Its Mirror Image for Facial Reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Face recognition plays an important role in the field of biometrics, bioinformatics, and forensic identification. Human faces appear bilaterally symmetric. However, asymmetry is a norm in the human body and careful morphological and metric examination of the human face gives an exact idea of the asymmetry present in the face of an individual. Most of the studies on asymmetry of human face have been carried out with regard to evaluation of expressions in psychology, anthropology, and biometrics. In this preliminary study, an idea of the human face symmetry has been used for complete facial reconstruction. Sometimes, in the CCTV cameras and other surveillance systems, the complete face is not visible, but only a half of the frontal face is detectable. In all such cases, the mirror image of the face can be used to reconstruct the complete face of the person in question for representation-based face recognition. In previous studies related to forensic identification and in the discipline of computer science, mirror images have only been used to overcome and deal with the problem of nonsufficient training sample and have not been used for the reconstruction of the full facial profile. METHODOLOGY: In this article, we present a computerized methodology to generate the mirror image from one frontal half of the face (either left or right) and merging the both (input image and generated mirror image) halves to create the full face. The program was designed using METLAB computer program. This procedure is very simple, less time-consuming, and computationally efficient. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results have been presented with regard to generate a complete face in those cases where only one frontal profile, that is, left or right sides of the face is available for examination. The scenario is commonly seen in those cases also where shadow almost hides one half of the face. The proposed methodology would also be useful for improving other facial reconstruction and recognition methods in forensic identification and in other medical fields such as plastic surgery, where creating full face still poses a technical challenge to a plastic surgeon. Some challenges, limitations, and future perspectives of the method have also been discussed in the article.

Deep facial analysis: A new phase I epilepsy evaluation using computer vision.

Semiology observation and characterization play a major role in the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy. However, the interpretation of patient movements has subjective and intrinsic challenges. In this paper, we develop approaches to attempt to automatically extract and classify semiological patterns from facial expressions. We address limitations of existing computer-based analytical approaches of epilepsy monitoring, where facial movements have largely been ignored. This is an area that has seen limited advances in the literature. Inspired by recent advances in deep learning, we propose two deep learning models, landmark-based and region-based, to quantitatively identify changes in facial semiology in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) from spontaneous expressions during phase I monitoring. A dataset has been collected from the Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit (Brisbane, Australia) and is used to evaluate our proposed approach. Our experiments show that a landmark-based approach achieves promising results in analyzing facial semiology, where movements can be effectively marked and tracked when there is a frontal face on visualization. However, the region-based counterpart with spatiotemporal features achieves more accurate results when confronted with extreme head positions. A multifold cross-validation of the region-based approach exhibited an average test accuracy of 95.19% and an average AUC of 0.98 of the ROC curve. Conversely, a leave-one-subject-out cross-validation scheme for the same approach reveals a reduction in accuracy for the model as it is affected by data limitations and achieves an average test accuracy of 50.85%. Overall, the proposed deep learning models have shown promise in quantifying ictal facial movements in patients with MTLE. In turn, this may serve to enhance the automated presurgical epilepsy evaluation by allowing for standardization, mitigating bias, and assessing key features. The computer-aided diagnosis may help to support clinical decision-making and prevent erroneous localization and surgery.

Feasibility of Reidentifying Individuals in Large National Physical Activity Data Sets From Which Protected Health Information Has Been Removed With Use of Machine Learning.

Importance: Despite data aggregation and removal of protected health information, there is concern that deidentified physical activity (PA) data collected from wearable devices can be reidentified. Organizations collecting or distributing such data suggest that the aforementioned measures are sufficient to ensure privacy. However, no studies, to our knowledge, have been published that demonstrate the possibility or impossibility of reidentifying such activity data. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of reidentifying accelerometer-measured PA data, which have had geographic and protected health information removed, using support vector machines (SVMs) and random forest methods from machine learning. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cross-sectional study, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 data sets were analyzed in 2018. The accelerometer-measured PA data were collected in a free-living setting for 7 continuous days. NHANES uses a multistage probability sampling design to select a sample that is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized household (both adult and children) population of the United States. Exposures: The NHANES data sets contain objectively measured movement intensity as recorded by accelerometers worn during all walking for 1 week. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the ability of the random forest and linear SVM algorithms to match demographic and 20-minute aggregated PA data to individual-specific record numbers, and the percentage of correct matches by each machine learning algorithm was the measure. Results: A total of 4720 adults (mean [SD] age, 40.0 [20.6] years) and 2427 children (mean [SD] age, 12.3 [3.4] years) in NHANES 2003-2004 and 4765 adults (mean [SD] age, 45.2 [19.9] years) and 2539 children (mean [SD] age, 12.1 [3.4] years) in NHANES 2005-2006 were included in the study. The random forest algorithm successfully reidentified the demographic and 20-minute aggregated PA data of 4478 adults (94.9%) and 2120 children (87.4%) in NHANES 2003-2004 and 4470 adults (93.8%) and 2172 children (85.5%) in NHANES 2005-2006 (P < .001 for all). The linear SVM algorithm successfully reidentified the demographic and 20-minute aggregated PA data of 4043 adults (85.6%) and 1695 children (69.8%) in NHANES 2003-2004 and 4041 adults (84.8%) and 1705 children (67.2%) in NHANES 2005-2006 (P < .001 for all). Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that current practices for deidentification of accelerometer-measured PA data might be insufficient to ensure privacy. This finding has important policy implications because it appears to show the need for deidentification that aggregates the PA data of multiple individuals to ensure privacy for single individuals.

Personal Identification of Deceased Persons: An Overview of the Current Methods Based on Physical Appearance.

The use of the physical appearance of the deceased has become more important because the available antemortem information for comparisons may consist only of a physical description and photographs. Twenty-one articles dealing with the identification based on the physiognomic features of the human body were selected for review and were divided into four sections: (i) visual recognition, (ii) specific facial/body areas, (iii) biometrics, and (iv) dental superimposition. While opinions about the reliability of the visual recognition differ, the search showed that it has been used in mass disasters, even without testing its objectivity and reliability. Specific facial areas being explored for the identification of dead; however, their practical use is questioned, similarly to soft biometrics. The emerging dental superimposition seems to be the only standardized and successfully applied method for identification so far. More research is needed into a potential use of the individualizing features, considering that postmortem changes and technical difficulties may affect the identification.

Identifying missing people: the contribution of forensic dentistry and DNA / Identificação de desaparecidos: a contribuição da perícia em odontologia forense e do exame de DNA

Introduction: Human identification is considered one of the major steps concerning missing people. The Forensic Anthropology Sector of Legal Medical Institutes identifies corpses. Forensic dentistry and DNA tests stand out among the existing standard tests. Objective: This article aimed to evaluate human identification effectiveness through forensic dental examination performed in the forensic anthropology sector in a Forensic Medical Institute, comparing them with DNA analyses. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data available in the department´s database, from 2008 to 2014, concerning identification procedures using forensic dentistry and DNA techniques. Result: The analysis of the examinations eligible to this study (241) showed that DNA analysis was the method used for identification in 79.3% of the cases and forensic dental examinations were used in 20.7% of the cases. As for the type of biological material used during these examinations, unidentified corpses corresponded to 131 cases (53.9%), skeleton structures corresponded to 109 cases (44.9%) and there were 3 cases of body segments (1.2%). When analyzing the time spent to complete the tests, dental examinations were faster than DNA tests. The time spent for forensic dental examination does not depend on the type of dental documentation evaluated. Conclusion: The analysis of the results in this study showed that human identification through forensic dentistry is effective, rapid and less costly, contributing to greater agility in solving issues related to locating missing people.

Introdução: A identificação humana é uma das principais etapas referentes às questões relacionadas à pessoa desaparecida. Objetivo: O presente estudo visou avaliar a efetividade da identificação humana pelas perícias odontolegais realizadas no Serviço de Antropologia Forense de Belo Horizonte-Minas Gerais, comparando-as com as realizadas por DNA. Metodologia: Estudo transversal, utilizando dados secundários registrados no arquivo do Setor de Antropologia Forense, considerando o período de 2008 a 2014, referente às perícias de identificação odontolegais e DNA. Resultado: Analisando-se apenas as perícias de interesse deste estudo (241), a análise de DNA foi o método utilizado para identificação em 79,3% dos casos e exame odontolegal, 20,7%. Quanto ao tipo de material biológico encaminhado para análise, os cadáveres desconhecidos totalizaram 131 (53,9%), as ossadas 109 (44,9%) e segmentos corporais 3 (1,2%). A análise do tempo efetivamente despendido para a conclusão dos exames mostrou que os realizados pela Odontologia foram mais rápidos que os de DNA. No exame odontolegal, o tempo gasto independe do tipo de documentação odontológica avaliada. Conclusão: A análise dos resultados do presente estudo mostrou que a identificação humana pela técnica odontolegal é eficaz, mais ágil e menos onerosa, contribuindo para uma maior celeridade na resolução de questões envolvidas na localização de pessoas desaparecidas.

Recognition of children on age-different images: Facial morphology and age-stable features.

The situation of missing children is one of the most emotional social issues worldwide. The search for and identification of missing children is often hampered, among others, by the fact that the facial morphology of long-term missing children changes as they grow. Nowadays, the wide coverage by surveillance systems potentially provides image material for comparisons with images of missing children that may facilitate identification. The aim of study was to identify whether facial features are stable in time and can be utilized for facial recognition by comparing facial images of children at different ages as well as to test the possible use of moles in recognition. The study was divided into two phases (1) morphological classification of facial features using an Anthropological Atlas; (2) algorithm developed in MATLAB® R2014b for assessing the use of moles as age-stable features. The assessment of facial features by Anthropological Atlases showed high mismatch percentages among observers. On average, the mismatch percentages were lower for features describing shape than for those describing size. The nose tip cleft and the chin dimple showed the best agreement between observers regarding both categorization and stability over time. Using the position of moles as a reference point for recognition of the same person on age-different images seems to be a useful method in terms of objectivity and it can be concluded that moles represent age-stable facial features that may be considered for preliminary recognition.

Fluorescence- and magnetic-activated cell sorting strategies to separate spermatozoa involving plural contributors from biological mixtures for human identification.

No effective method has been developed to distinguish sperm cells originating from different men in multi-suspect sexual assault cases. Here we combined MACS and FACS to isolate single donor sperm cells from forensic mixture samples including female vaginal epithelial cells and sperm cells from multiple contributors. Sperms from vaginal swab were isolated by MACS using FITC-conjugated A kinase anchor protein 3 (AKAP3) antibody; target individual sperm cells involving two or three donors were separated by FACS using FITC-labeled blood group A/B antigen antibody. This procedure was further tested in two mock multi-suspect sexual assault samples and one practical casework sample. Our results showed that complete single donor STR profiles could be successfully obtained from sperm/epithelial cell and sperm mixtures from two contributors. For unbalanced sperm/epithelial cells and sperm cells mixtures, sensitivity results revealed that target cells could be detected at as low as 1:32 and 1:8 mixed ratios, respectively. Although highly relies on cell number and blood types or secretor status of the individuals, this procedure would still be useful tools for forensic DNA analysis of multi-suspect sexual assault cases by the combined use of FACS and MACS based on sperm-specific AKAP3 antigen and human blood type antigen.