PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers design a new imaging technique for identifying the age and sex of a corpse

2013-01-23
(Press-News.org) Researchers at the University of Granada, Spain, have designed a new computing system that determines the age and sex of a corpse with a reliability of 95%. This system is based on free software called Image and a free DICOM displayer called K-Pacs. This state-of-the-art system is very different from the traditional macroscopy systems used to evaluate the osteoarticular features of a corpse, and it is much faster and user-friendly.

The author of this study is Manuel López Alcaraz, a researcher at the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory of the University of Granada, in collaboration with professors Miguel Botella López, Inmaculada Alemán Aguilera and Pedro Manuel Garamendi González.

The authors of the study examined 169 DICOM files (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine, the international standard for distributing medical images) of CT scans of patients between 17 and 90 years of age supplied by the Castile-La Mancha health service (SESCAM).

Histogram Analysis

The researchers examined the sagittal sections of the the articular surface of the pubic symphysis and the pubis itself, thus obtaining four sections: two sections of the right and left symphysis, and two sections of the pubis. Imaging techniques were used to analyze sections, histograms of the structures were obtained and the statistical variables of histograms were entered into the Image program to determine how histograms are related to age and sex.

"Age and sex are essential for the identification of corpses, and the pubis is especially relevant for this purpose. In our study, we exploited the great capacity of computer systems to discriminate between the different gray shades in a histogram (the human eye only can discriminate 64) to determine how histograms can provide information about age and sex", Lopez Alcaraz states. The researcher notes that this technique might be useful in virtopsies or virtual autopsies. "At present, the main drawback of virtual autopsy is that it cannot replace the macroscopic analysis of tissues for the identification of potential pathologies, determining whether an injury was inflicted before or after death, assessing the course of an injury...etc. As the new technique is based on image analysis, it can be applied to virtual autopsy to provide many more answers than traditional analysis methods.

The researcher affirms that this is a step forward in the field of Forensic Anthropology. "We should replace traditional osteological methods with new technologies and exploit the advantages of the visual communications and image era", the researcher states.

In addition, this study contradicts the traditional assumption in Forensic Anthropology that the pubis is only useful for the identification of corpses in the age range of 20 to 40 years. "We obtained excellent results in the identification of corpses of people older than 50 years, especially in men", the author notes.



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Astrocytes identified as target for new depression therapy

2013-01-23
BOSTON (January 23, 2013) — Neuroscience researchers from Tufts University have found that our star-shaped brain cells, called astrocytes, may be responsible for the rapid improvement in mood in depressed patients after acute sleep deprivation. This in vivo study, published in the current issue of Translational Psychiatry, identified how astrocytes regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep. The researchers report that the findings may help lead to the development of effective and fast-acting drugs to treat depression, particularly in psychiatric emergencies. Drugs ...

Type 1 diabetes in urban children skyrockets, increasing by 70 percent in children under age 5

2013-01-23
Over the past two decades, the incidence of type 1 diabetes in very young children under age 5 has increased by 70 percent in the city of Philadelphia, according to research from a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing researcher who currently maintains the only US registry of diabetes in children that has collected data continuously since 1985. In a far-reaching study in the current issue of Diabetes Care, researchers led by nursing professor Terri H. Lipman, PhD, RN found that the overall incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children in Philadelphia has increased ...

Forcing choice may hamper decision-making, study finds

2013-01-23
Constraining choice isn't necessarily a good thing when it comes to managers' problem-solving, according to a new Canadian study. Managers tend to pick higher-risk options when forced to choose between competing alternatives to complex situations, according to researchers from the University of Guelph and University of Waterloo whose study was published recently in the Journal of Business Ethics. But when they're not forced to choose, managers tend to reflect more and solve problems with fewer negative consequences, says the study. "One of the most powerful tools ...

NIH-developed candidate dengue vaccine shows promise in early-stage trial

2013-01-23
A candidate dengue vaccine developed by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been found to be safe and to stimulate a strong immune response in most vaccine recipients, according to results from an early-stage clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. The trial results were published online on January 17 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Dengue fever, prevalent in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is caused by any of four related viruses—DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 ...

Self-assembling silica microwires may herald new generation of integrated optical devices

Self-assembling silica microwires may herald new generation of integrated optical devices
2013-01-23
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2013—Silica microwires are the tiny and as-yet underutilized cousins of optical fibers. If precisely manufactured, however, these hair-like slivers of silica could enable applications and technology not currently possible with comparatively bulky optical fiber. By carefully controlling the shape of water droplets with an ultraviolet laser, a team of researchers from Australia and France has found a way to coax silica nanoparticles to self-assemble into much more highly uniform silica wires. The international team describes their novel manufacturing ...

Parents numb to misuse of narcotic pain meds by youth, new poll shows

2013-01-23
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Despite data on rising rates of abuse and overdoses of narcotic pain medicines across all age groups, in a new poll from the University of Michigan, most parents said they are not very concerned about misuse of these medicines by children and teens. . In addition, parent support was lukewarm for policies that would discourage abuse of drugs like Vicodin or Oxycontin, according to the most recent University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. Overall, 35% of parents said they are very concerned about misuse of ...

Experts believe plain packaging of tobacco products would cut smoking

2013-01-23
Experts believe that plain packaging of tobacco products would cut smoking, a new study has found. Tobacco control experts from around the world estimate that two years after the introduction of generic packaging the number of adult smokers would be reduced by one percentage point (in the UK - from 21 to 20%*), and the percentage of children trying smoking would be reduced by three percentage points (in the UK - from 27 to 24%*). The Cambridge research was published today in the journal BMC Public Health. Because Australia, the first country to implement plain packaging, ...

First special edition updating progress on efforts to map human proteins

2013-01-23
Almost 10 years after completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, scientists are making progress toward the next major goal in applying the genetic information in that "Book of Life" in medicine, leaders of an international research effort are reporting. A package of the latest updates on the goals, organization and achievements of the Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP) appear in a special issue of ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. Young-Ki Paik, William S. Hancock and colleagues explain that C-HPP is a 10-year project, launched in 2011, in which ...

Ice detector warns drivers in advance

2013-01-23
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed an automatic slipperiness detection system for cars. The system helps drivers to avoid personal injuries and damage to vehicles in slippery road conditions. Thanks to the system, vehicles are warned in advance of a road's actual slipperiness. If the road becomes slippery, other vehicles arriving in the area will also be warned immediately. VTT's system makes use of an entirely novel, real-time method of obtaining information on a road's actual slipperiness. Transmission of slippery road warnings to vehicles via, for ...

A special issue of Sprintronics in Science China: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy

A special issue of Sprintronics in Science China: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy
2013-01-23
We invited some Chinese experts and researchers in the field of spintronics to write a series of review articles in this special issue, in order to assist undergraduate, master's and doctoral students, as well as young researchers to understand this fast growing field. This issue was published in Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy, 2013, 56(1): 1-246 This special issue consists of seventeen review articles. We have tried to cover most of research directions and research frontiers in spintronics. This includes magneto-electronics, semiconductor spintronics, optical ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

Adults with autism show similar brain mapping of body parts as typically developing adults

Uncovering behavioral clues to childhood maltreatment

Premenstrual symptoms linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Newly discovered remains of ancient river landscapes control ice flow in East Antarctica

Newly discovered interstellar object 'may be oldest comet ever seen'

Animal-inspired AI robot learns to navigate unfamiliar terrain

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

[Press-News.org] Researchers design a new imaging technique for identifying the age and sex of a corpse