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: 10.7256/2305-9699.2014.1.9963

Abstract: The natural and technogenous catastrophes, terrorist acts  have numerous victims. The possibility for the identification of the dead is usually dependent upon the level of destruction of the corpses. This principle serves as the basis for the judicial medical sorting in emergency situations. The final aim of sorting is to establish which of many various fragments belong to corpses of specific persons.   Reconstruction of destroyed corpses by their parts has humanitarian and religious value in addition to expert practical importance. Success of body part sorting (either direct or computer-based "assembly" by separation planes and anatomic property) depends on lack of significant corpse fragmenting and limited number of victims.  In most other cases this target is achieved after laboratory studies, and not in real-time mode. Based on above-mentioned issues, the topical problem for the judicial medical expertise at the focal point of the emergency situation is practical introduction of the specialized program diagnostic complexes, allowing to automatize the process of sorting of destroyed corpses and to restore their entirety and to form an electronic database on group and individual personal characteristics.