Interactive Digital Experience as an Alternative Laboratory (IDEAL): Creative Investigation of Forensic Biomechanics

An Interactive Digital Experience as an Alternative Laboratory (IDEAL) was developed and implemented in a flipped biomechanics classroom. The IDEAL challenge problem was created to more closely simulate a real-world scenario than typical homework or challenge problems. It added a more involved story, specific characters, simple interaction, and student-led inquiry into a challenge problem. Students analyzed musculoskeletal biomechanics data to conduct a forensic biomechanics investigation of an individual who suffered a fracture. Students ultimately approached the IDEAL problem with a greater appreciation and enjoyment than previous open-ended challenge problems—those that were assigned in a traditional problem-statement manner—throughout the semester. Students who were more fully engaged in the IDEAL challenge problem, as evidenced by the fact that they requested all of the evidence on their own, also performed better on the final report grade. This signals improved learning with respect to biomechanical analysis when the students were creatively participating in the storyline surrounding the forensic investigation.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF YELLOW-BILLED BABBLER (TURDOIDES AFFINIS) FEATHERS REVEALS UNIFORMITY IN THEIR MICROSTRUCTURES AMONG INDIVIDUALS

Though a few in numbers, investigations on feather microstructures from the early 20th century till date, have contributed immensely to various fields such as phylogeny, palaeontology, archaeology, wildlife forensic, biomechanics and so on. However, existing studies on feather micro-structures of birds endemic to the India/Indian sub-continent are few in number and limited in their scope. Also, no study has ever been conducted to compare feather microstructures of different individuals of a species from India. To address this issue, a comparative feather microstructure study of three individuals of Turdoides affinis, a passerine endemic to the Indian sub-continent was done. Select microstructure parameters for five different types of feathers were studied in detail. The molecular sexing method was used to elucidate the sex of T. affinis individuals for gender based differences if any. Results of the study identified that two of T. affinis individuals were female whereas one of them was male. Morphometrically, tail contour was the longest (9.63±0.76 cm) and bristle were the shortest (1.00±0.07 cm) feather. Semiplume had the longest barb length (1.73±0.04 cm) and shortest barbs (0.16±0.01 cm) were present in bristles. Subpennaceous barbs and knob-shaped villi, characteristic of members of the Passeriformes family, was also observed in all three individuals. This study records no significant difference in feather characteristics amongst the three T. affinis individuals irrespective of the differences in their sex and size. Systematically documented feather micro-characteristics of T. affinis in this study could be used as a species identification tool and would provide baseline data for the feather catalogue of Indian bird species being compiled at SACON.