The forensic imaging technique of age progression used within missing people cases: The Italian Missing Children association realizing age progression for Missing Child Kenya.

The age progression technique allows to update identification photos of individuals who have been missing for years. This method is based on the study of the facial variation and on the dynamics of facial growth. Knowledge about changes in the distribution of facial fat and the tone of the cartilage allows realistic predictions of the facial appearance after many years. Beside these elements, age progression is also supported by similar characters between family members. This is why photos of the missing and family members are used to create an age progression, making the new identikit accurate. Non-profit associations are crucial for the dissemination of information on the problem of missing persons. In Italy, the Italian Missing Children association provides for free an age progression service with the support of forensic anthropology. With the activation of a protocol, consisting of guidelines, and a form for the request for age progression by family members, the Italian Missing Children has started a collaboration with Missing Child Kenya. It allowed to disseminate up-to-date photos of the presumed current appearance of the missing children in Kenya. Thus, in the present study some cases are reported, in which age progression technique was applied. The photos provided by Italian Missing Children were shown in video documentaries made by Missing Child Kenya, allowing to continue the dissemination of age progression photo during the Covid quarantines and to keep the population active in the search for the missing.

Utilizing augmented reality for reconstruction of fractured, fragmented and damaged craniofacial remains in forensic anthropology.

Forensic anthropologists are often confronted with human remains that have been damaged due to trauma, fire, or postmortem taphonomic alteration, frequently resulting in the fracture and fragmentation of skeletal elements. The augmented reality (AR) technology introduced in this paper builds on familiar 3D visualization methods and utilizes them to make three dimensional holographic meshes of skeletal fragments that can be manipulated, tagged, and examined by the user. Here, CT scans, neural radiance fields (NeRF) artificial intelligence software, and Unreal Engine production software are utilized to construct a three-dimensional holographic image that can be manipulated with HoloLens™ technology to analyze the fracture margin and reconstruct craniofacial elements without causing damage to fragile remains via excessive handling. This allows forensic anthropologists a means of assessing aspects of the biological profile and traumatic injuries without risking further damage to the skeleton. It can also be utilized by students and professional anthropologists to practice refitting before reconstructing craniofacial fragments if refitting is necessary. Additionally, the holographic images can be used to explain complicated concepts in a courtroom without the emotional response related to using bony elements as courtroom exhibits.

Comparing a common clavicle maturation-based age estimation method to ordinary regression analyses with quadratic and sex-specific interaction terms in adolescents.

Established methods of age estimation are based on correlating defined maturation stages of bony structures with tables representing the observed range of biological ages in the majority of cases. In this retrospective monocentric study in southwestern Germany, common age estimation methodology was assessed in n = 198 subjects at the age of 25 or younger by analyzing the influence of age, quadratic age, biological sex and age-sex interaction on the ossification stages of the medial epiphysis fugue. Three readers (ICC ≥ 0.81 for left/right side) evaluated routine care computed tomography images of the clavicle with a slice thickness of 1 mm. By using least square regression analyses, to determine the real biological age a quadratic function was determined corrected for the age estimated by established methods and sex (R2 = 0.6 each side), reducing the mean absolute error and root mean squared error in the age estimation of women (2.57 and 3.19) and men (2.57 and 3.47) to 1.54 and 1.82 for women, and 1.54 and 2.25 for men. In women, the medial clavicle epiphysis seem to fuse faster, which was particularly observable from approximately 18 years of age. Before that age, the estimation method was relatively close to the ideal correlation between assessed and real age. To conclude, the presented new method enables more precise age estimation in individuals and facilitates the determination and quantification of additional variables, quantifying their influence on the maturation of the medial clavicle epiphysis based on the established ossification stages.

Evaluating postcranial macromorphoscopic traits to estimate population variation among modern South Africans.

Population overlap and the variation within and among populations have been globally observed but is often difficult to quantify. To achieve this, numerous different methods need to be explored and validated to assist with the creation of an accurate biological profile. The current lack of databases for postcranial macromorphoscopic traits indicates the need to further investigate if the method can be employed repeatably in a forensic context. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of eleven postcranial macromorphoscopic traits in a South African sample. A total of 271 postcrania of adult black, coloured, and white South Africans were assessed. The intra- and inter-observer agreement ranged from fair to almost perfect except for the accessory transverse foramen of C1, which had poor agreement between observers. Only seven traits differed significantly between at least two of the groups. Univariate and multivariate random forest models were created to test the positive predictive performance of the traits to classify population affinity. The classification accuracies for the univariate models ranged from 33.3% to 53.0% and ranged from 54.6% to 62.1% for the multivariate models. Based on the variable importance, the traits assessing spinous process bifurcation were the most discriminatory variables. The results indicate that the postcranial MMS approach does not outperform current methods employed to estimate population affinity. Further research needs to be done for the method to have practical applicability for medicolegal casework in South Africa.

[The experience of comparing reconstructions of the external appearance made on skulls with existing lifetime photographs]. / Opyt sopostavleniya rekonstruktsii vneshnego oblika, vypolnennykh po cherepam, s imeyushchimisya prizhiznennymi fotografiyami.

The conducted research is aimed at correcting the method of graphic reconstruction of the appearance based on the skull. The method is widely used in both anthropology and criminology. The Forensic Center of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was sent the skulls for which there were lifetime photographs. The restoration of the appearance in the form of graphic reconstructions was carried out by students who completed the course of Anthropological reconstruction at the RSUH, under the guidance of Prof., head of the Laboratory E.V. Veselovskaya. Strictly after the restoration of the appearance was completed, lifetime photos were provided, on the basis of which the degree of similarity of the reconstruction with the original was assessed. The purpose of the experiment is to correct the method of graphic reconstruction of the appearance based on the skull and supplement it with new details. Anthropologists carried out gender and age determination of individuals for a more accurate representation of appearance. Based on the results of comparing lifetime photographic images with the performed reconstructions, it can bed that their overall satisfactory level of compliance is sufficient for correct identification. However, a number of inaccuracies have been identified. As a result, areas of the face have been identified that require further refinement of the method of anthropological reconstruction. So, the thickness, and especially the shape, of the lips turned out to be an unresolved problem. The size of the iris is an important physiognomic feature. It is recommended to clarify the definition of the skull of the lifetime physiognomic height of the face, the width of the nose and the distance between the nasolabial folds.

Estimation of ancestry from cranial measurements based on MDCT data acquired in a Japanese and Western Australian population.

The estimation of ancestry is important not only towards establishing identity but also as a required precursor to facilitating the accurate estimation of other attributes such as sex, age at death, and stature. The present study aims to analyze morphological variation in the crania of Japanese and Western Australian individuals and test predictive models based on machine learning for their potential forensic application. The Japanese and Western Australian samples comprise computed tomography (CT) scans of 230 (111 female; 119 male) and 225 adult individuals (112 female; 113 male), respectively. A total of 18 measurements were calculated, and machine learning methods (random forest modeling, RFM; support vector machine, SVM) were used to classify ancestry. The two-way unisex model achieved an overall accuracy of 93.2% for RFM and 97.1% for SVM, respectively. The four-way sex and ancestry model demonstrated an overall classification accuracy of 84.0% for RFM and 93.0% for SVM. The sex-specific models were most accurate in the female samples (♀ 95.1% for RFM and 100% for SVM; ♂91.4% for RFM and 97.4% for SVM). Our findings suggest that cranial measurements acquired in CT images can be used to accurately classify Japanese and Western Australian individuals into their respective population. This is the first study to assess the feasibility of ancestry estimation using three-dimensional CT images of the skull.

Technical Note: Individuals identified by radiographic comparison: A sample of demographics and the region of body used for identification in Clark County, Nevada, USA (2017-2020).

Radiographs regularly aid in identifications by comparing antemortem and postmortem images. The forensic community has widely accepted this method because radiographic images are low in cost, easily transferable, and generally believed to be uncomplicated to assess. However, there is a dearth of diverse, modern radiographic datasets as well as a deficiency in assessing population frequencies of nonmetric traits via radiographs. Further, radiographic comparisons, although typically required as a core competency of practicing forensic anthropologists, do not have standard training and education requirements. To understand the diversity and representation within an opportunistic dataset, we provide a case study of the demographics of decedents identified via radiographic comparison at the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (CCOCME) in Las Vegas, NV, USA from 2017 to 2020. Additionally, we examined each region of the body used to make radiographic identifications. The sample was majority Caucasian and male, with a mean and median age at death of 64.9 years and 67.0 years, respectively. Our results indicated that this sample was not representative of the greater Clark County population. The most common body region used for comparisons was the chest, followed by the head and neck, pelvis, dentition, and the extremities. Thus, large generalizations made from these types of datasets must be implemented with caution due to the relative lack of diversity and representation. As well, current discussions regarding training and education of forensic anthropologists as they relate to radiographic comparisons are explored.

The influence of age on greater sciatic notch morphology: testing the Walker method in an Australian population.

Sex estimation is an integral aspect of a forensic biological profile. The pelvis, being the most dimorphic part of the skeleton, has been studied in considerable detail relative to morphological and metric variation. However, empirical data on the effect of age on pelvic morphology relative to sex-specific morphological variation is limited, especially in regard to the estimation of skeletal sex. This study assesses whether there are age-related differences in the distribution of the Walker (2005) morphological scores for the greater sciatic notch (GSN) in an Australian population. Three-dimensional volumetric reconstructions derived from multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 567 pelves of 258 females and 309 males aged 18 to 96 years were scored following Walker (2005). Differences in score distributions and means by sex and age group were tested using Pearson's chi-squared test and ANOVA, respectively. The accuracy of sex estimates derived from logistic regression equations was explored using leave-one-out cross-validation. Significant differences were found in score distribution and means among age groups in females, but not in males. There was a tendency toward higher scores in older females. The overall sex estimation accuracy was 87.5%. When comparing age groups 18-49 and 70 + years, estimation accuracy decreased in females (99% vs. 91%), while the opposite was found for males (79% vs. 87%). These findings suggest that age affects GSN morphology. Higher mean scores in older females imply that, on average, the GSN becomes narrower with increasing age. It is thus recommended due consideration of estimated age when assessing sex based on the GSN in unidentified human remains.

Demonstrating the empirical effect of population specificity of anthropological standards in a contemporary Australian population.

The ability to differentiate individuals based on their biological sex is essential for the creation of an accurate anthropological assessment; it is therefore crucial that the standards that facilitate this are likewise accurate. Given the relative paucity of population-specific anthropological standards formulated specifically for application in the contemporary Australian population, forensic anthropological assessments have historically relied on the application of established methods developed using population geographically and/or temporally disparate. The aim of the present paper is, therefore, to assess the accuracy and reliability of established cranial sex estimation methods, developed from geographically distinct populations, as applied to the contemporary Australian population. Comparison between the original stated accuracy and sex bias values (where applicable) and those achieved after application to the Australian population provides insight into the importance of having anthropological standards optimised for application in specific jurisdictions. The sample analysed comprised computed tomographic (CT) cranial scans of 771 (385 female and 386 male) individuals collected from five Australian states/territories. Cranial CT scans were visualised as three-dimensional volume-rendered reconstructions using OsiriX®. On each cranium, 76 cranial landmarks were acquired, and 36 linear inter-landmark measurements were calculated using MorphDB. A total of 35 predictive models taken from Giles and Elliot (1963), Iscan et al. (1995), Ogawa et al. (2013), Steyn and Iscan (1998) and Kranioti et al. (2008) were tested. Application to the Australian population resulted in an average decrease in accuracy of 21.2%, with an associated sex bias range between - 64.0 and 99.7% (average sex bias value of 29.6%), relative to the original studies. The present investigation has highlighted the inherent inaccuracies of applying models derived from geographically and/or temporally disparate populations. It is, therefore, imperative that statistical models developed from a population consistent with the decedent be used for the estimation of sex in forensic casework.

Sex Estimation From Measurements of the Mastoid Triangle and Volume of the Mastoid Air Cell System Using Classical and Machine Learning Methods: A Comparative Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies on the sexual dimorphism of the mastoid triangle have typically focused on linear and area measurements. No studies in the literature have used mastoid air cell system volume measurements for direct anthropological or forensic sex determination. The aims of this study were to investigate the applicability of mastoid air cell system volume measurements and mastoid triangle measurements separately and combined for sex estimation, and to determine the accuracy of sex estimation rates using machine learning algorithms and discriminant function analysis of these data. On 200 computed tomography images, the distances constituting the edges of the mastoid triangle were measured, and the area was calculated using these measurements. A region-growing algorithm was used to determine the volume of the mastoid air cell system. The univariate sex determination accuracy was calculated for all parameters. Stepwise discriminant function analysis was performed for sex estimation. Multiple machine learning methods have also been used. All measurements of the mastoid triangle and volumes of the mastoid air cell system were higher in males than in females. The accurate sex estimation rate was determined to be 79.5% using stepwise discriminant function analysis and 88.5% using machine learning methods.

Sex estimation of frontal sinus volume from computed tomography scans in a Western Australian adult population.

With the increasing use of radiological three-dimensional imaging, different metric and morphological aspects of the frontal sinuses (FS) have been examined relative to their potential to aid human identification, including sex estimation. The aim of this study is to assess the validity of the metric analysis of the FS volume for estimating sex in a Western Australian (WA) adult population, following the Michel et al. (2015) method. The right, left and total frontal sinus volume (TFSV) from 99 computed tomography scans (47 males and 52 females) of WA individuals aged 18-40 years were three-dimensionally reconstructed using OsiriX® and their volumes acquired in mm3. Sexual dimorphism in the TFSV was tested, and the accuracy of the Michel et al. (2015) formulae was calculated. Population-specific regression equations were also produced. There was a significant difference between the mean TFSV in males and females. The classification accuracy derived from the Michel et al. (2015) formulae was 59.6%. The WA-specific logistic regression analysis yielded an accuracy of 57.2%. The low accuracy rates preclude the use of the sex estimation method in the WA population, but the volume analysis confirmed the individual variability of the frontal sinuses, which may be useful for personal identification.

Testing the discrepancy between physical and virtual linear measurements.

Virtual calculations of bone morphology are increasingly becoming the golden standard in anthropological sciences, gradually replacing the performance of direct physical measurements. Nevertheless, the potential discrepancy between the two approaches is rarely addressed. Here, we address this question focusing on the second thoracic vertebrae of 24 well-preserved individuals from the skeletal collection of the Forensic Anthropology Unit of Medical School at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Following traditional osteometric methods, a series of measurements were taken on the vertebral body, both directly (using a digital caliper) as well as on high-resolution 3D surface models. The arithmetic results of the two measuring techniques were then compared through a number of statistical analyses evaluating inter-method precision (Bland-Altman plots, TEM, %TEM and Wilcoxon test). Moreover, the values obtained from each approach were used to develop discriminant function equations for sex determination to evaluate if both approaches provide the same assessment. Both intraobserver and interobserver tests were performed. Although most statistical analyses showed a significant difference between the two measuring techniques, the discriminant function equations for sex determination provided the same assessment. Overall, the results of this experiment support the use of virtual linear measurements, also suggesting that a refinement of digital measuring protocols could improve their level of agreement with traditional direct osteometry.

Comparing morphological (os coxae) and metric (long bone length) sex estimation methods in archaeological collections.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the internal consistency of sex estimation using metric (long bone length) and morphological (os coxae) methodologies from different bones and across different archaeological populations from different regions. Materials and Methods: Sex was estimated using characteristics of the pelvis and compared with sex estimations using long bone length. Portuguese (659 females; 906 males) and English (141 females; 277 males) archaeological collections were analysed in this study. A set of long bone length functions were developed using one of the archaeological collections (531 females; 600 males) and its coincidence with sex estimated from the pelvis was compared to the coincidence between the pelvis and long bone length sex estimations using functions developed from contemporary collections. Intra- and inter-observer errors were calculated, as well as the sexual dimorphism index for each bone and osteological collection. Results: The accuracy of the developed functions and the other methods tested is highly variable, ranging between 25 and 100%. The accuracy of the standard forensic methods varied between collections and analysed bones. Discussion: This study reinforces that long bone length is highly population-specific, even between samples of close chronology and geography. Metric methods are good options to strengthen the sex estimations, but they need to be carefully chosen and always report the estimated probability of being male or female in either forensic or archaeological analysis.

DSP2 for sex determination of miscegenated contemporary hip bones.

The bones of the human pelvis are used in sexual diagnosis generating a high level of accuracy for this type of identification. Morphological and/or morphometric methods are used in the identification of sex. Sexual dimorphism may be affected by ethnic differences in the population. One of the methods for determining sex using hip bone is the 'Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste (DSP)' or Probabilistic Sexual Diagnosis (DSP) method. The method presents a new version (Probabilistic Sexual Diagnosis v.2-DSP2) more advisable to be used because it has a more up-to-date database. The objective of this study is to investigate the applicability of the DSP2 method in a population in the Northeast region of Brazil. We used 128 hip bones, 50 female and 78 males, aged between 17 and 101 years, belonging to the Laboratory of Human Identification and Forensic Osteology of the University Federal Government of Pernambuco. The research was conducted between 2019 and 2020 and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco no. 43228015.0.0000.5208. The probability equal to or greater than 0.95 was used as the limit for the determination of sex, and the results were compared with the actual sex of each bone. In the Brazilian collection study, it was observed that the percentage of sex estimation provided by the DSP2 tool using all reference samples was 71.09%, and accuracy was 64.06%. In the analysis of the gender estimate, 82.0% and 78% were obtained for females and males, respectively. Regarding accuracy, it was 64.10% and 55.13% for females and males, respectively. In the contemporary osteological collection of the Northeast region of Brazil, which presents immigrant peoples, we obtained a high index of assertiveness in the DSP2 method. The study concluded that the DSP2 method is important for determining the sex of human skeletons in a miscegenated population.

Regression analysis of nasal shape from juvenile to adult ages for forensic facial reconstruction.

The nose is a prominent feature for facial recognition and reconstruction. To investigate the relationship of the nasal shape with the piriform aperture in Korean adults and juveniles, we performed regression analysis. By regression analysis, prediction equations for nasal shape were obtained in relation to the shape of the piriform aperture considering sex and age groups. Three-dimensional skull and face models, rendered from computed tomography images, were assessed (331 males and 334 females). Juveniles (<20 years) were divided into three age groups according to the development of the dentition. Adults were divided into three age groups of two decades each, according to their age. To measure the nasal area, nine landmarks and nine measurements were chosen, while seven landmarks and five measurements were selected to measure the piriform aperture area. Four measurements were defined to explain the direct relationship between the nasal aperture and nasal shape. First, descriptive statistical analyses were performed according to sex and age groups. Subsequently, the correlation of nasal soft tissue measurements with piriform measurements was analyzed. Last, we performed a linear regression analysis of the measurements with higher correlations, considering sex and age groups as variables. Prediction equations were used to estimate the nasal bridge length, height, protrusion, and width. Equations considering sex and age groups showed better explanation ability. Measurements related to the height of the nasal bridge presented improvement. This study may assist in the more accurate approximation of nasal shape in facial reconstruction.

Sex estimation from the hyoid bone measurements in an adult Eastern Turkish population using 3D CT images, discriminant function analysis, support vector machines, and artificial neural networks☆.

The hyoid bone is one of the bones in the human body that shows sexual dimorphism. The anthropological and anthropometric characteristics that determine sexual dimorphism are influenced by demographic differences. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of sexual dimorphism of the hyoid bone in the adult Eastern Turkish population from the examination of the 3D computed tomography images of 240 patients, using discriminant function analysis (DFA), support vector machines (SVM), and artificial neural networks (ANN). These evaluations were based on eight hyoid measurements that have been frequently used in previous CT studies. The results showed that all eight measurements were higher in males than in females (p = 0.000). It was determined that sex could be estimated accurately at up to 93.3 % using DFA, 93.8 % using SVM and 95.4 % using ANN. The maximum accuracy rate achieved to 94.2 % in males using SVM, and 95.8 % in females using ANN. These high rates of sexual dimorphism found using DFA, SVM, and ANN in this study indicate that characteristics of the hyoid bone can be utilized to determine sex in the Eastern Turkish population.

Investigating identification disparities in forensic anthropology casework.

Forensic anthropology is shifting to reflect on the impact of its practices within the criminal justice context in important ways. Here, we contribute to this essential work by examining how decedent demographics as well as estimations of biological profile components are related to identification trends in forensic anthropology cases. The study uses data from more than 1,200 identified and unidentified forensic anthropology cases from three agencies (together representing a nation-wide sample). We found the following: i) multivariate analyses indicated that decedent sex, age, and race and/or ethnicity are not related to case identification rates in the pooled United States sample, ii) when identification rate differences do occur, they appear to be smaller effects, more agency-specific, and/or related to the context of a particular agency, iii) for the agency-specific sample with available data, there was no consistent evidence for a discrepancy in the duration of an identification investigation based on a decedent's sex, age, or race and/or ethnicity, iv) forensic anthropological estimations of sex, age, and ancestry can improve the odds of identification for decedents, although these are small effects, and v) reporting an ancestry estimation does not appear to impact decedent race representation among resolved unidentified person cases. Although previous studies have identified demographic discrepancies in other areas of the criminal justice system, the results presented here suggest that decedent demographic estimation practices by forensic anthropologists in general do not appear to be related to discrepancies in identification trends, but more research is needed to examine whether these findings hold. Contextual factors and practices specific to each investigative agency likely contribute to identification trends.

Artificial intelligence-based forensic sex determination of East Asian cadavers from skull morphology.

Identification of unknown cadavers is an important task for forensic scientists. Forensic scientists attempt to identify skeletal remains based on factors including age, sex, and dental treatment remains. Forensic scientists commonly consider skull or pelvic shape to evaluate the sex; however, these evaluations require sufficient experience and knowledge and lack objectivity and reproducibility. To ensure objectivity and reproducibility for sex evaluation, we applied a gated attention-based multiple-instance learning model to three-dimensional (3D) skull images reconstructed from postmortem head computed tomography scans. We preprocessed the images, trained with 864 training data, validated the model with 124 validation data, and evaluated the performance of our model in terms of accuracy with 246 test data. Furthermore, three forensic scientists evaluated the 3D skull images, and their performances were compared with those of the model. Our model showed an accuracy of 0.93, which was higher than that of the forensic scientists. Our model primarily focused on the entire skull owing to visualization but focused less on the areas often investigated by forensic scientists. In summary, our model may serve as a supportive tool to identify cadaver sex based on skull shape. Further studies are required to improve the model's performance.

How reliable is the application of the sex classifier based on exocranial surface (Musilová et al., 2016) for geographically and temporally distant skull series.

Sex estimation is one of the crucial trends in cases of findings of unknown skeletal remains in forensics and bioarchaeology. The changing nature of sexual dimorphism (population specificity, secular trend, other external and internal factors influence) brings challenges to developing new methods; and there are new aims to be independent of these changes such, as the method by Musilová et al. (2016). These methods need to be evaluated on different datasets to determine if they are truly reliable among populations from different places and times, in the case of bioarchaeology. This study assessed the application of the aforementioned method on non-European contemporary and ancient populations to identify the reliability of the method on this separate dataset. The study sample consisted of 96 CT scans of skulls from contemporary Egyptians and 54 3D models of skulls from the Egyptian Old Kingdom Period (2700-2180 BC). The classifier method, previously tested on both Czech and French populations, yielded high accuracies (over 90 %) for sex estimation. For the contemporary Egyptian skull sample, the classifier was able to determine males versus females with an 89.59 % accuracy rate and an AUC value (area under the curve - a measure of the combined specificity and sensitivity of the test) of 0.99; this proves that the classifier is reliable even with a lower degree of accuracy. Conversely, the Old Kingdom Period sample yielded a lower level of accuracy at around 70 % (61.11 %, precisely), although with an AUC value of 0.92, the result is not considered reliable.

Estudio Piloto Comparativo entre la Identificación Dactiloscópica y Poroscópica con Fines de Identificación Humana en el Perú / Comparative Pilot Study Between Dactyloscopy Identification and Poroscopy for Human Identification Purposes in Peru

La dactiloscopía o papiloscopía corresponde al estudio científico de las impresiones digitales, palmares y plantares, que tiene por finalidad la identificación infalible o indubitada del individuo. Existen tres niveles para identificar con mayor certeza nivel 1 (tipo o patrón dactilar), el nivel 2 (minucias o puntos característicos) y el nivel 3 (poroscopia y crestoscopia). Por ello, es necesario analizar las características de las impresiones dactilares directas y las huellas dactilares directas con la finalidad de verificar la presencia de puntos y poros característicos para mejorar el proceso de identificación humana. Se analizaron 80 muestras (54 mujeres y 26 hom- bres). A partir de ellos, se capturaron 800 impresiones y 800 huellas dactilares directas con tampón dactilar y polvo black. En huellas con tampón se identificaron 71.25 % y 1.25 % con 14 y 6 Puntos Característicos respectivamente y en grupos de poros el 84 % y 35 % para un grupo de 1 y grupos de 7 y 8 poros respectivamente. Con polvo black solo se identificaron Puntos Característico y no Poros. La cantidad de poros en hombres fue mayor igual a 10 (LR= 2.08) y en mujeres menor igual a 6 (LR= 1.93). Los grupos de poros fueron para hombres menores o iguales a 12 poros (LR= 1.04) y mayores o iguales a grupos de 13 poros (LR=1.28) para mujeres. Se consiguieron identificar grupos de poros con tampón dactilar pero no con polvos químicos lo que podría emplearse para implementar un protocolo para el uso del nivel 3 de identificación.

SUMMARY: Dactyloscopy or papiloscopy corresponds to the scientific study of digital, palmar and plantar impressions, whose purpose is the infallible or indubitable identification of a subject. There are three levels to identify with greater certainty level 1 (type or fingerprint pattern), level 2 (minutiae or characteristic points) and level 3 (poroscopy and crestoscopy). Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics of direct fingerprints and direct fingerprints in order to verify the presence of characteristic points and pores to improve the human identification process. 80 samples (54 women and 26 men) were analyzed. Of these, 800 impressions and 800 direct fingerprints with fingerprint buffer and black powder were captured. In footprints with buffer, 71.25 % and 1.25 % were identified with 14 and 6 Characteristic Points respectively and in groups of pores 84 % and 35 % for a group of 1 and groups of 7 and 8 pores respectively. With black powder, only Characteristic Points and no Pores were identified. The number of pores in men was greater than 10 (LR= 2.08) and in women less than 6 (LR= 1.93). The groups of pores were less than or equal to 12 pores (LR= 1.04) for men and greater than or equal to groups of 13 pores (LR=1.28) for women. It was possible to identify groups of pores with a fingerprint buffer but not with chemical powders, which could be used to implement a protocol for the use of level 3 identification.