DOI: 10.7256/2305-9699.2014.3.9967

Abstract: The racial identity of an individual is one of the group characteristic features of a person, and there is need for its diagnostics in various expert situations.  It may include expert evaluation of a live person, filling in an authentication card for a corpse, description of a corpse of an unidentified person, provision of a verbal description of a missing person or a criminal suspect, description of appearance based on photo portraits for further identification or comparative studies, diagnostics based on scull, teeth and bones of post-cranial skeleton in the expertise of skeletized remains, reconstruction of the appearance based on skull, etc. In other words, the necessity for the racial identification of an individual is obvious. The author offers a list of features for establishing whether an individual belongs to a certain race.  The author offers to amend the existing list for expert evaluation of living persons and studies of photographs of persons of known racial identity with the different list of elements and provide statistical substantiation for the deciding rule in expert opinions.  The author also establishes the number of elements is necessary or sufficient for the positive or relative inclusion of an individual into one of two (Caucasian or Mongoloid) races, making a conclusion on the mixed origin or refusal to make a decision. The procedure for evaluation of each element is provided in detail, and the expert approbation for the method is provided.  The author considers that in the future the analogous approach shall be used for the formation of the list of race-diagnostic somatic elements.

DOI: 10.7256/2305-9699.2014.2.9966

Abstract: Over 20 years of development of Russian judicial medical dermal glyphic studies show that the it may be applied only via creating computer software. It is undoubted that the "Dermatogliphica" software, which was developed in 124 SML in 1996 was a significant achievement of the practical dermal glyphic studies. However,  search and definition of elements was by visual examination, and marking was done by hand, which included a subjective element into the complex of identification issues  resolved based on dermal glyphic studies. The article is aimed at minimizing the influence of subjective factor when interpreting dermal glyphic elements. In order to create such a classification, new decisions on structural basis for the papillary pictures and their coordinate basis, method for the ridge count and other characteristics of the papillary pictures.   Dermal glyphic studies and dactylography have many classifications, which were developed depending on the goals, which needed to be achieved in a certain branch of science (clinical medicine, judicial medicine, criminalistic anthropology, etc.). That is why there is a large variety of sub-types of curves, loops and curls depending on height and orientation of the pattern, its symmetry or assymmetry, forms and structure of lines in the central part of the pattern and other characteristic features, reflecting the details in the structure of the papillary pattern, and this work includes an attempt to provide their mathematical description.

DOI: 10.7256/2306-4218.2014.1.9949

Abstract: The need to establish whether the calcius belonged to a human or to an animal usually arises in cases of expertise of burnt or ash remains. The experts face the need to study large amount of large and small bone fragments at various stages of temperature incandescence (black, gray, white), which have been subject to shrinkage, deformation and various influences of external factors.  That is why each such expertise is unique in quantity and elements of objects, use of laboratory and diagnostic methods.  The authors draw attention of medical criminalist experts to the general methodological principles for such expertise: rational choice of methods, evidentiary value, and the limitations of the capabilities of methods, limitations to the studies and form for the conclusions. Strictly speaking, the judicial medical establishment of generic type of calcius is only possible based on biological study methods. In all other cases it is more precise to speak of defining the origin of bones (native, ashed) to a human being, animal or a bird.