scholarly journals Reconstructing the time since death using noninvasive thermometry and numerical analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (22) ◽  
pp. eaba4243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah S. Wilk ◽  
Richelle J. M. Hoveling ◽  
Gerda J. Edelman ◽  
Huub J. J. Hardy ◽  
Sebastiaan van Schouwen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Standard ◽  
Time Since Death ◽  
Correction Factors ◽  
Powerful Method ◽  
Difference Model ◽  
Nonstandard Conditions ◽  
Crucial Information ◽  
Body Cooling ◽  
Noninvasive Thermometry ◽  
Early Postmortem

The early postmortem interval (PMI), i.e., the time shortly after death, can aid in the temporal reconstruction of a suspected crime and therefore provides crucial information in forensic investigations. Currently, this information is often derived from an empirical model (Henssge’s nomogram) describing posthumous body cooling under standard conditions. However, nonstandard conditions necessitate the use of subjective correction factors or preclude the use of Henssge’s nomogram altogether. To address this, we developed a powerful method for early PMI reconstruction using skin thermometry in conjunction with a comprehensive thermodynamic finite-difference model, which we validated using deceased human bodies. PMIs reconstructed using this approach, on average, deviated no more than ±38 minutes from their corresponding true PMIs (which ranged from 5 to 50 hours), significantly improving on the ±3 to ±7 hours uncertainty of the gold standard. Together, these aspects render this approach a widely applicable, i.e., forensically relevant, method for thermometric early PMI reconstruction.

scholarly journals Dissecting the Microbial Community Structure of Internal Organs During the Early Postmortem Period in a Murine Corpse Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruina Liu ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Huan Li ◽  
Qinru Sun ◽  
Xin Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
The Body ◽  
Time Since Death ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Organ Specific ◽  
Forensic Microbiology ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Early Postmortem

Abstract Background Microorganisms inhabit and proliferate throughout the body both externally and internally, which are the primary mediators of putrefaction after death. However, limited information is available about the changes in the postmortem microbiota of extraintestinal body sites in the early decomposition stage of mammalian corpses. Results This study applied 16S rRNA barcoding to investigate microbial composition variations among different organs and the relationship between microbial communities and time since death over 1 day of decomposition. During 1 day of decomposition, Agrobacterium, Prevotella, Bacillus, and Turicibacter were regarded as time-relevant genera in internal organs at different timepoints. Pathways associated with lipid, amino acid, carbohydrate and terpenoid and polyketide metabolism were significantly enriched at 8 hours than that at 0.5 or 4 hours. The microbiome compositions and postmortem metabolic pathways differed by time since death, and more importantly, these alterations were organ specific. Conclusion The dominant microbes differed by organ, while they tended toward similarity as decomposition progressed. The observed thanatomicrobiome variation by body site provides new knowledge into decomposition ecology and forensic microbiology. Additionally, the microbes detected at 0.5 hours in internal organs may inform a new direction for organ transplantation.

The estimation of the time since death in the early postmortem period

1996 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-157
Author(s):  
Gérald Quatrehomme ◽  
M.Yaşar İşcan
Keyword(s):  
Time Since Death ◽  
Early Postmortem

scholarly journals Estimation of time since death using a body cooling model of pigs: A pilot study

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-270
Author(s):  
C.H. Hyun ◽  
◽  
T.H. Song ◽  
K.Y. Sim ◽  
N.J. Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Time Since Death ◽  
Body Cooling ◽  
Estimation Of Time ◽  
Cooling Model

A New Subject-Specific Skin Correction Factor for Three-Dimensional Kinematic Analysis of the Scapula

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Bourne ◽  
Anthony M. Choo ◽  
William D. Regan ◽  
Donna L. MacIntyre ◽  
Thomas R. Oxland
Keyword(s):  
Correction Factor ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Skin Surface ◽  
Surface Markers ◽  
Correction Factors ◽  
Scapular Kinematics ◽  
Bony Landmarks ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
Rms Errors

Noninvasive measurement of scapular kinematics using skin surface markers presents technical challenges due to the relative movement between the scapula and the overlying skin. The objectives of this study were to develop a noninvasive subject-specific skin correction factor that would enable a more accurate measurement of scapular kinematics and evaluate this new technique via comparison with a gold standard for scapular movement. Scapular kinematics were directly measured using bone pins instrumented with optoelectronic marker carriers in eight healthy volunteers while skin motion was measured simultaneously with optoelectronic markers attached to the skin surface overlying the scapula. The relative motion between the skin markers and the underlying scapula was estimated over a range of humeral orientations by palpating and digitizing bony landmarks on the scapula and then used to calculate correction factors that were weighted by humeral orientation. The scapular kinematics using these correction factors were compared with the kinematics measured via the bone pins during four arm movements in the volunteers: abduction, forward reaching, hand behind back, and horizontal adduction. The root-mean-square (rms) errors for the kinematics determined from skin markers without the skin correction factors ranged from 5.1 deg to 9.5 deg while the rms errors with the skin correction factors ranged from 1.4 deg to 3.0 deg. This technique appeared to perform well for different movements and could possibly be extended to other applications.

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