Laura Donato - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Laura Donato
Journal of Anthropology Reports, 2016
The present study examines a case in which signs of incised wounds were found on skeletal remains... more The present study examines a case in which signs of incised wounds were found on skeletal remains of a murder victim. The authors have studied the skeletal remains and the dynamics of the murder in order to reconstruct the kind of weapon utilized. The bones examined belonged to a woman that had disappeared from almost 10 years and where recovered from the garden of the house belonging to her former partner. The main feature of these remains was the discovery of a damage of a thoracic vertebra (T1). Our examination has the objective to enhance the macroscopic analysis of the skeletal remains in order to deduce information about the classification of specific damages and the dynamics that have caused them and the identification of the weapon that had been used. Highly decomposed bodies, as in skeletal remains, having poor or absent biological tissue on it, challenge the operator to classify the exact nature of the damage, and in some cases, it does not allow achieving a significant level of certainty. In order to solve this critical situation, Forensic Anthropology may contribute greatly by supplying a great amount of information that would not be deciphered otherwise. The bone, main study object of the Forensic Anthropology, may also register, as the soft tissues, the features of the damaging pattern. The opportunity to extrapolate this kind of data, allows analysing the dynamics and the nature of the kind of weapon used. In certain cases the incised bone present also features that allow to identify the exact structure of the weapon: of course, not every wound damages the bone, but when this actually happens, the morphological appearance of the instrument utilized remains crystallized in time, excluding of course the cases in which the bones are destroyed. Many other studies, concerning the characterization of lesions due to sharp objects, have been done and a review of related literature has been included in this article. The major goal of the authors is to highlight the importance of the information that can be extrapolated: the usefulness of the classification of the weapons used to provoke the lesion, could reach a more accurate evaluation in order to significantly help in case of forensic assessment.
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2020
Photogrammetry is a technique that uses two‐dimensional photographs taken from different angles a... more Photogrammetry is a technique that uses two‐dimensional photographs taken from different angles and positions to determine three‐dimensional coordinates and distances. Becoming familiar with the photography technique for photogrammetry purposes is the first step to obtaining high‐quality results. Ten human cadavers were studied to develop this protocol. Appropriate equipment settings, measurements, and suitable ambient conditions were determined. Finally, the protocol was tested on one cadaver wherein a full postmortem examination was conducted, allowing accurate 3D modeling and measurements of the human body. This straightforward, step‐by‐step workflow will help users become familiar with this technique. A thorough description of the necessary steps is reported, including equipment, environment requirements, body placement, how to take photographs, and the minimum suggested number of photographs. Numerous graphics show the protocol's main steps to help users understand and repr...
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2020
Photogrammetry is a three‐dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic f... more Photogrammetry is a three‐dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic field. This possibility requires the verification of its accuracy. In this study, 3D volumes of skulls are generated to compare the photogrammetry versus the CT scan. In order to provide eligible material to the photogrammetric software, photographs were captured at a distance of 30 cm from the skull placed on a support 1 m in height and illuminated with diffused laboratory ceiling artificial light. A Nikon Coolpix P7100 camera was used. Photographs capture common elements with the previous and the next photograph so as to allow the photogrammetric software to recognize these common points between photographs and create a 3D puzzle. The Zephyr Lite (3DFlow©) software was employed to register the 3D volume. CT‐based skulls are taken as a metric reference. The photogrammetry‐based skulls are then enlarged according to the measurements of some landmarks or Zygion and Zygion, the distance bet...
Forensic Sciences Research, 2019
Biological Systems: Open Access, 2016
Journal of Anthropology Reports, 2016
The present study examines a case in which signs of incised wounds were found on skeletal remains... more The present study examines a case in which signs of incised wounds were found on skeletal remains of a murder victim. The authors have studied the skeletal remains and the dynamics of the murder in order to reconstruct the kind of weapon utilized. The bones examined belonged to a woman that had disappeared from almost 10 years and where recovered from the garden of the house belonging to her former partner. The main feature of these remains was the discovery of a damage of a thoracic vertebra (T1). Our examination has the objective to enhance the macroscopic analysis of the skeletal remains in order to deduce information about the classification of specific damages and the dynamics that have caused them and the identification of the weapon that had been used. Highly decomposed bodies, as in skeletal remains, having poor or absent biological tissue on it, challenge the operator to classify the exact nature of the damage, and in some cases, it does not allow achieving a significant level of certainty. In order to solve this critical situation, Forensic Anthropology may contribute greatly by supplying a great amount of information that would not be deciphered otherwise. The bone, main study object of the Forensic Anthropology, may also register, as the soft tissues, the features of the damaging pattern. The opportunity to extrapolate this kind of data, allows analysing the dynamics and the nature of the kind of weapon used. In certain cases the incised bone present also features that allow to identify the exact structure of the weapon: of course, not every wound damages the bone, but when this actually happens, the morphological appearance of the instrument utilized remains crystallized in time, excluding of course the cases in which the bones are destroyed. Many other studies, concerning the characterization of lesions due to sharp objects, have been done and a review of related literature has been included in this article. The major goal of the authors is to highlight the importance of the information that can be extrapolated: the usefulness of the classification of the weapons used to provoke the lesion, could reach a more accurate evaluation in order to significantly help in case of forensic assessment.
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2020
Photogrammetry is a technique that uses two‐dimensional photographs taken from different angles a... more Photogrammetry is a technique that uses two‐dimensional photographs taken from different angles and positions to determine three‐dimensional coordinates and distances. Becoming familiar with the photography technique for photogrammetry purposes is the first step to obtaining high‐quality results. Ten human cadavers were studied to develop this protocol. Appropriate equipment settings, measurements, and suitable ambient conditions were determined. Finally, the protocol was tested on one cadaver wherein a full postmortem examination was conducted, allowing accurate 3D modeling and measurements of the human body. This straightforward, step‐by‐step workflow will help users become familiar with this technique. A thorough description of the necessary steps is reported, including equipment, environment requirements, body placement, how to take photographs, and the minimum suggested number of photographs. Numerous graphics show the protocol's main steps to help users understand and repr...
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2020
Photogrammetry is a three‐dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic f... more Photogrammetry is a three‐dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic field. This possibility requires the verification of its accuracy. In this study, 3D volumes of skulls are generated to compare the photogrammetry versus the CT scan. In order to provide eligible material to the photogrammetric software, photographs were captured at a distance of 30 cm from the skull placed on a support 1 m in height and illuminated with diffused laboratory ceiling artificial light. A Nikon Coolpix P7100 camera was used. Photographs capture common elements with the previous and the next photograph so as to allow the photogrammetric software to recognize these common points between photographs and create a 3D puzzle. The Zephyr Lite (3DFlow©) software was employed to register the 3D volume. CT‐based skulls are taken as a metric reference. The photogrammetry‐based skulls are then enlarged according to the measurements of some landmarks or Zygion and Zygion, the distance bet...
Forensic Sciences Research, 2019
Biological Systems: Open Access, 2016