Browsing by Author "Adalian, Pascal"
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- Blows or Falls? Distinction by Random Forest ClassificationPublication . Henriques, Mélanie; Bonhomme, Vincent; Cunha, Eugénia; Adalian, PascalIn forensic anthropology, skeletal trauma analysis can assist pathologists in determining the circumstance, cause, and manner of death. Determining whether the trauma is related to falls or induced by homicidal blows is often asked in relevance to legal issues. The hat brim line rule (HBL) is one of the most commonly used methods. The rule says that fractures resulting from blows may be found above and within the HBL, not on the skull’s base. Recent studies have found that the HBL rule must be used carefully, and postcranial skeletal trauma could be useful in this distinction. Evidence presented in court must follow Daubert’s guidelines for validity and reliability (evidence validated; error rates known; standards available; findings should be peer-reviewed and accepted by the scientific community). In this study, we assessed skeletal fracture patterns resulting from both etiologies. We tested various models for the method; the best one was based on the binary coding of 12 anatomical regions or 28 bones with or without baseline (age and sex). The results show the possible identification of the etiology in 83% of the cases. This method could be helpful for forensic experts in the interpretation of bone fractures
- Discrimination between falls and blows from the localization and the number of fractures on computed tomography scans of the skull and the trunkPublication . Henriques, Mélanie; Saliba-Serre, Bérengère; Martrille, Laurent; Blum, Alain; Chaumoître, Kathia; Donato, Paulo; Campos, Nuno; Cunha, Eugénia; Adalian, PascalThe distinction between falls and blows is a common and difficult task in forensic sciences. One of the most often used criteria to address this issue is the hat brim line (HBL) rule, which states that fall-related injuries do not lie above the HBL. Some studies, however, have found that the use of HBL rule is not so relevant. This study assesses the aetiologies, the number of fractures, and their location on the skull and the trunk in a sample of 400 individuals aged 20–49 years, which were CT scanned after traumas. This may facilitate the interpretation of such injuries in skeletonized or heavily decomposed bodies in which soft tissues are no longer available. Our aim is to improve the distinction rate between falls and blows by combining several criteria and assessing their predictability. Skeletal lesions were analysed using retrospective CT scans. Cases selected comprise 235 falls and 165 blows. We registered the presence and the number of fractures in 14 skeletal anatomical regions related to the two different aetiologies. We showed that the HBL rule should be used with caution, but there is nevertheless a possibility of discussing the aetiology of blunt fractures. Possibly, parameters like the anatomical location and the number of fractures by region can be used to distinguish falls and blows.
- Technical Note: The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) Map of Identified Osteological CollectionsPublication . Petaros, Anja; Caplova, Zuzana; Verna, Emeline; Adalian, Pascal; Baccino, Eric; de Boer, Hans H.; Cunha, E; Ekizoglu, Oguzhan; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Fracasso, Tony; Kranioti, Elena F.; Lefevre, Philippe; Lynnerup, Niels; Ross, Ann; Steyn, Maryna; Obertova, Zuzana; Cattaneo, CristinaIdentified (documented) osteological collections represent an important resource in the development of forensic anthropology standards and methods as well as a precious tool for learning and training of practitioners. Even though the number of papers presenting identified collections worldwide increases, many of the collections have still not been divulged to the scientific community in sufficient detail to ascertain their exact number. The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) therefore developed a tool that goes beyond sporadic publications: the FASE Map of Identified Osteological Collections, which is freely accessible and continuously updated and revised. The online map is available at http://forensicanthropology.eu/osteological-collections/. The map of skeletal collections was created in 2017 and currently displays information on 153 identified osteological collections (43 of them categorized as contemporary) located in 41 different countries. This article offers a short analysis of the type, geographical location and content of the collections included in the map. The aim of this article and the map as such is to provide a useful resource to facilitate research planning and teaching in forensic anthropology and related disciplines.