Fingerprint analysis for the determination of hand origin (right/left) using the axis slant in whorl patterns.

Fingerprints are frequently encountered during both civil and criminal investigations. Fingerprints possess numerous characteristics that assist with personal identification. Determining the hand of origin (right or left) for an individual fingerprint would help reduce investigation time and potentially eliminate certain suspects. In this study, we collected a total of 2 900 single digit fingerprints from 290 individuals, and the whorl axis slant was examined in the 743 whorl pattern fingerprints (385 from the right hand and 358 from the left hand). A slant towards the right side was present in 81.82% of samples from the right hand, while a slant towards the left side was observed in 80.73% of samples from the left hand. After applying a chi-square test to the dataset, the results were found to be statistically significant for the determination of hand origin. Our results suggest that the whorl axis slant in a fingerprint is indicative of hand origin (right or left).Key pointsSingle digit fingerprints with whorl pattern were analyzed.Whorl "axis slant" was used to determine the hand origin.Right axis slant would indicate the right hand of the print.Left axis slant would indicate the left hand of the print.

Detection and separation of proteins using micro/nanofluidics devices.

Microfluidics is the technology or system wherein the behavior of fluids' is studied onto a miniaturized device composed of chambers and tunnels. In biological and biomedical sciences, microfluidic technology/system or device serves as an ultra-high-output approach capable of detecting and separating the biomolecules present even in trace quantities. Given the essential role of protein, the identification and quantification of proteins help understand the various living systems' biological function regulation. Microfluidics has enormous potential to enable biological investigation at the cellular and molecular level and maybe a fair substitution of the sophisticated instruments/equipment used for proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics analysis. The current advancement in microfluidic systems' development is achieving momentum and opening new avenues in developing innovative and hybrid methodologies/technologies. This chapter attempts to expound the micro/nanofluidic systems/devices for their wide-ranging application to detect and separate protein. It covers microfluidic chip electrophoresis, microchip gel electrophoresis, and nanofluidic systems as protein separation systems, while methods such as spectrophotometric, mass spectrometry, electrochemical detection, magneto-resistive sensors and dynamic light scattering (DLS) are discussed as proteins' detection system.

Genotoxic Potential of Nanoparticles: Structural and Functional Modifications in DNA.

The rapid advancement of nanotechnology enhances the production of different nanoparticles that meet the demand of various fields like biomedical sciences, industrial, material sciences and biotechnology, etc. This technological development increases the chances of nanoparticles exposure to human beings, which can threaten their health. It is well known that various cellular processes (transcription, translation, and replication during cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell differentiation) in which genetic materials (DNA and RNA) are involved play a vital role to maintain any structural and functional modification into it. When nanoparticles come into the vicinity of the cellular system, chances of uptake become high due to their small size. This cellular uptake of nanoparticles enhances its interaction with DNA, leading to structural and functional modification (DNA damage/repair, DNA methylation) into the DNA. These modifications exhibit adverse effects on the cellular system, consequently showing its inadvertent effect on human health. Therefore, in the present study, an attempt has been made to elucidate the genotoxic mechanism of nanoparticles in the context of structural and functional modifications of DNA.

Genetic diversity and forensic characterization of 15 autosomal microsatellite markers in the North-east Indian Tripuri population.

This study was conducted to explore the genomic diversity and forensic characterization of 15 autosomal microsatellite markers in the East Indian Tripuri population. In the studied population, we observed 158 different alleles with the average 10.53 alleles per locus. The locus D2S1338 (PIC= 0.862) was found to be the most polymorphic wheres locus TPOX (PIC= 0.647) as the least polymorphic, among all the studied loci. The locus FGA was found with the highest number of effective alleles (Nall=19) whereas locus TH01 showed least number of effective alleles (Nall=6). The cumulative values for matching probability (CPm), power of discrimination (CPD), power of exclusion CPE), and paternity index (CPI) were found as 1.94×10-18, 1, 0.999998, and 4.8×105 respectively. The studied population showed genetic closeness with the Gorkha population. In neighbor-joining tree, Tripura population pooled with the population of Nepal and Tibet. The genetic data obtained from the present study will not only enrich the existing autosomal STR database but will also be useful for forensic DNA application and genealogical studies.

A study of genomic diversity in populations of Maharashtra, India, inferred from 20 autosomal STR markers.

OBJECTIVE: This study was planned to evaluate the genetic diversity in the admixed and Teli (a Hindu caste) populations of Maharashtra, India using 20 autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) genetic markers. We further investigated the genetic relatedness of the studied populations with other Indian populations. RESULTS: The studied populations showed a wide range of observed heterozygosity viz. 0.690 to 0.918 for the admixed population and 0.696 to 0.942 for the Teli population. This might be due to the multi-directional gene flow. The admixed and Teli populations also showed a high degree polymorphism which ranged from 0.652 to 0.903 and 0.644 to 0.902, respectively. Their combined value of matching probability for all the studied loci was 4.29 × 10-25 and 5.01 × 10-24, respectively. The results of Neighbor-Joining tree and Principal Component Analysis showed that the studied populations clustered with the general populations of Jharkhand, UttarPradesh, Rajasthan and Central Indian States, as well as with the specific populations of Maharashtra (Konkanastha Brahmins) and Tamil Nadu (Kurmans). Overall, the obtained data showed a high degree of forensic efficacy and would be useful for forensic applications as well as genealogical studies.

Single-digit fingerprint analysis for hand determination: A study of twinned loops.

In fingerprint analysis, the determination of hand (right or left) is one of the keys to resolving questions regarding the identity of the donor of the print. It is rare to encounter a complete set of 10-digit fingerprints from the scene of a crime. Although vital and imperative, except for a few studies on whorl patterns, the use of single-digit prints and patterns to ascertain the hand of the donor is scarcely reported in the literature. This research describes a novel approach whereby an analysis of twinned loops was carried out to identify the various parameters that may be helpful in ascertaining the hand of the donor. Bilateral rolled fingerprints from 180 healthy consenting adults belonging to a heterogeneous population of central India were collected. Out of the total of 1800 prints taken, 100 twinned loops (50 on the right hand and 50 on the left hand) were analysed. The following six parameters were considered: the slope of the flow of the apex ridges, the distance between the left delta and the ascending core, the distance between the right delta and the ascending core, mid-core position, the position of the loop and ridge tracing. On applying the chi-square test, the results were found to be statistically significant. Therefore, these parameters were found suitable for the determination of the hand from a single twinned-loop print.

The burden of unintentional drowning: global, regional and national estimates of mortality from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study.

BACKGROUND: Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality globally. Unintentional drowning (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes W65-74 and ICD9 E910) is one of the 30 mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive causes of injury-related mortality in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. This study's objective is to describe unintentional drowning using GBD estimates from 1990 to 2017. METHODS: Unintentional drowning from GBD 2017 was estimated for cause-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs), age, sex, country, region, Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, and trends from 1990 to 2017. GBD 2017 used standard GBD methods for estimating mortality from drowning. RESULTS: Globally, unintentional drowning mortality decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017, from 531 956 (uncertainty interval (UI): 484 107 to 572 854) to 295 210 (284 493 to 306 187) deaths. Global age-standardised mortality rates decreased 57.4%, from 9.3 (8.5 to 10.0) in 1990 to 4.0 (3.8 to 4.1) per 100 000 per annum in 2017. Unintentional drowning-associated mortality was generally higher in children, males and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounted for 51.2% of all drowning deaths in 2017. Oceania was the region with the highest rate of age-standardised YLLs in 2017, with 45 434 (40 850 to 50 539) YLLs per 100 000 across both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a decline in global drowning rates. This study shows that the decline was not consistent across countries. The results reinforce the need for continued and improved policy, prevention and research efforts, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

Epidemiology of injuries from fire, heat and hot substances: global, regional and national morbidity and mortality estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study.

BACKGROUND: Past research has shown how fires, heat and hot substances are important causes of health loss globally. Detailed estimates of the morbidity and mortality from these injuries could help drive preventative measures and improved access to care. METHODS: We used the Global Burden of Disease 2017 framework to produce three main results. First, we produced results on incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, deaths, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life years from 1990 to 2017 for 195 countries and territories. Second, we analysed these results to measure mortality-to-incidence ratios by location. Third, we reported the measures above in terms of the cause of fire, heat and hot substances and the types of bodily injuries that result. RESULTS: Globally, there were 8 991 468 (7 481 218 to 10 740 897) new fire, heat and hot substance injuries in 2017 with 120 632 (101 630 to 129 383) deaths. At the global level, the age-standardised mortality caused by fire, heat and hot substances significantly declined from 1990 to 2017, but regionally there was variability in age-standardised incidence with some regions experiencing an increase (eg, Southern Latin America) and others experiencing a significant decrease (eg, High-income North America). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and mortality of injuries that result from fire, heat and hot substances affect every region of the world but are most concentrated in middle and lower income areas. More resources should be invested in measuring these injuries as well as in improving infrastructure, advancing safety measures and ensuring access to care.

A novel approach for sex determination using palmar tri-radii: A pilot study.

Palmprints are often encountered on the scene of crime. It can play a key role in sex determination (male or female), which may help in the process of elimination and hence in narrowing down the suspect pool during forensic investigation. In the present study, 300 bilateral palmprints collected from 150 healthy consenting adults (75 males and 75 females) belonging to heterogeneous population of central India were examined. The distance between the palmar tri-radii (deltas) 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd' to the axial tri-radius 't' were studied individually as well as combined. Applying t-test, the results were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Probability densities for men and women derived from the frequency distribution were used to calculate the likelihood ratio and posterior probabilities of sex designation for the given combined abcd-t distance for subjects using Baye's theorem. For left as well as right palmprint, a combined distance of ≤30 cm will have a higher probability of belonging to a female donor (p = 0.99) while, a combined distance of ≥32.5 cm will be more indicative of the print belonging to a male donor (p = 0.99).

Toxicological hair analysis: Pre-analytical, analytical and interpretive aspects.

Background and aims Hair analysis for drug detection is one of the widely accepted imperative techniques in the field of forensic toxicology. The current study was designed to investigate the efficacy of chromatography for detection of drugs of abuse in hair. Method A comprehensive review of articles from last two decades on hair analyses via PubMed and similar resources was performed. Issues concerning collection, decontamination and analytical techniques are summarised. Physiochemical nature of hair, mechanism of drug incorporation and its stability in hair are briefly discussed. Furthermore, various factors affecting results and interpretation are elucidated. Result A hair sample is chosen over traditional biological samples such blood, urine, saliva or tissues due to its inimitable ability to provide a longer time frame for drug detection. Its collection is almost non-invasive, less cumbersome and does not involve any specialised training/expertise. Recent advances in analytical technology have resulted in better sensitivity, reproducibility and accuracy, thus providing a new arena of scientific understanding and test interpretation. Conclusion Though recent studies have yielded many insights into drug binding and drug incorporation in hair, the major challenge in hair analysis lies in the interpretation of results, which may be affected by external contamination and thus lead to false-positives. Therefore, there is a need for more sensitive and selective analysis methods to be developed in order to minimise factors that induce the effect of melanin, age and so on, and this would certainly provide a new dimension to hair analysis and its applications.

A study of distribution, sex differences and stability of lip print patterns in an Indian population.

Lip prints are very useful in forensic investigations. The objective of this study is to determine predominant lip print pattern found among a central Indian population, to evaluate whether any sex difference exists and to study the permanence of the pattern over a 6 month duration. This study included 200 healthy adult subjects comprising of 100 males and 100 females in the age group of 18-25 years. A convenient and easier method of data collection i.e., digital photography was used instead of the traditional lipstick methods. Lip prints were then divided into four quadrants and recognized as per Suzuki and Tsuchihashi's classification. Type I (30.63%) was found to be most predominant overall in the Marathi population. Type I (29.75%) and Type III (35.75%) were found most prevalent in males and females respectively. Applying the Chi-Square test, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between male and female lip print patterns in each of the quadrants individually and all quadrants taken together. The lip print patterns remained stable over a period of six-months. Being stable and with significant sex differences, lip prints can be effectively used as an important tool in forensic investigations for individualization as well as identification of sex of the donor, thus, narrowing down the scope of investigation to almost half.

Morphologic variations of lip-print patterns in a Central Indian population: A preliminary study.

Lip prints can provide vital information that may be useful for the purposes of forensic investigations. The current study was undertaken with the aims of determining the distribution and predominant lip-print patterns in a Central Indian (Marathi) population and evaluating whether any sex differences exist. The study subjects were 400 healthy consenting volunteers - 200 males and 200 females - aged 18-25 years, from the Marathi community. A simpler and more convenient method of data collection - digital photography - was used. The central (most motile) 1 cm(2) portion of both upper and lower lips was analysed digitally. As per Suzuki and Tsuchihashi's classification, overall, Type IV (27.5%) and Type III (6.25%) were found to be the most and least prevalent patterns, respectively. The Type II (32%) lip-print pattern was found to be most predominant in males, while Type IV (32.5%) was found to be most commonly occurring in females. Statistically significant differences (p < .01) were observed between lip-print pattern types in males and females.

An analysis of whorl patterns for determination of hand.

On crime scenes, whole set of the ten digit fingerprints are rarely found and usually chance prints in the form of single digit fingerprint are encountered. Determination of hand (Right or left) can be of vital importance to reduce the burden on the investigator and may thereby aid in fixation of absolute identity of the donor. In the present investigation, 500 randomly selected and bilateral rolled fingerprints of 250 healthy, consenting adult subjects of a central Indian (Marathi) population with whorl patterns were examined to determine the hand. It was found that by studying various parameters like; slope of apex ridges (towards right, left or absent), rotation of innermost ridges (either clockwise, anti-clockwise or absent), angle formed at both sides of core, position of the perpendicular bisector on the delta line (with respect to core), ridge tracing (outer, inner or meeting), higher ridge count, angle between deltas and core (at deltas), direction of the pattern (tilting/inclination) and distance between the deltas & the core; it is possible to successfully determine the hand of the print. Applying chi-square test, the results were found to be statistically significant at p < 0.01 levels.

An empirical analysis of suicidal death trends in India: a 5 year retrospective study.

Suicide, a major problem worldwide, continues to be a criminal offence in most of the developing countries of the world, including India. This paper retrospectively examines the latest trends and the relevant determinants of the suicidal deaths in one of the most important city of central India- Nagpur of Maharashtra state, carried out for a period of 5 years i.e. 2009-2013. Total 2036 cases were analyzed. An alarmingly increasing trend in the rate of suicides has been observed in the region, which increased from 16% to 22.68% during the study period. The male to female suicide ratio was found to be 2.50:1. The rate of suicidal deaths ranged from 15.34 to 21.74 per 100,000 populations. Hanging was found to be the most preferred mean adopted for suicide by males (54.77%) and females (47.65%), while, Family problems was the most common cause of suicide among both male (38.25%) and female (52.65%). The Suicides were concentrated in the age group of 30-44 years for males (35.76%), while in the age group of 15-29 years for females (51.75%). The prevalence was higher among the people who were married, being as high as 1099 (66.73%) males and 372 (56.45%) females. Highest trend has been found among the people with matriculate/secondary education level. The males with job in private sector accounted for 1007 suicides (61.14%) and 434 (65.86%) females in the category of housewives (non-working, homemakers) committed the same.