Positive Identification Using Frontal Sinus Comparisons: Developing Empirically-based Guidelines, 2021-2023 (ICPSR 38946)

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Lauren N. Butaric, Des Moines University

This is an external resource to which ICPSR links as a courtesy. These data are not available from ICPSR. Users should consult the data owners (via Positive Identification Using Frontal Sinus Comparisons: Developing Empirically-based Guidelines, 2021-2023) directly for details on obtaining these resources.

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The goal of this project is to provide medicolegal practitioners with a set of guidelines and important considerations for frontal sinus identification that will be developed based on a comprehensive analysis of previously published identification methods, including factors that may affect the accuracy of those methods (e.g., intra/inter observer reliability, image modality, sinus size/complexity, individual's age). Ultimately results indicate that visual assessment remains one of the most efficient, accurate, and reliable methods when utilizing the frontal sinus for positive identification.

There are 7 datasets associated with this study, each with their own DOI:

  • FS_Ontogeny_Coded_Data: Dataset contains age of stabilization data for frontal sinus traits of 146 individuals.
  • FS_EFA_Outline_Data: Outline data related to the Elliptical Fourier Analysis (EFA) method which includes a collection of scaled coefficients for all tracings that underwent EFA.
  • FS_TD_Outline Data: Outline data related to the Total Difference method.
  • FS_VisualAssess_Data: Survey responses regarding reliability of visual assessments when utilizing the frontal sinus for positive identification purposes.
  • FS_Ontogeny_Outline_Data: Data associated with Elliptical Fourier Analyses coefficients, specifically regarding the outline data related to frontal sinus ontogeny.
  • FS_Orientation_Outline_Data: Resulting normalized coefficients of Elliptical Fourier Analyses on frontal sinus outline data related to varying cranial orientation.
  • FS_ImageMode_Coded_Data: String codes derived from frontal sinus traits following previously published methods related to the effect of varying image modality for forensic identification purposes.

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2020-75-CX-0013)
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