El peritaje psicológico en los tribunales: imputabilidad y diagnóstico

Este trabajo és una recopilación de tres dimensiones del peritaje psicológico. La primera clarifica el concepto de peritaje y las funciones del perito ante los tribunales de justicia. La segunda, es sobre la valoración psicométrica de la personalidad, y la tercera trata de la victimologia y dentro de la misma, consideraciones en torno al estrés postraumático. Estas tres partes están interrelacionadas y su estudio es imprescindible para completar un buen peritaje.

Dimorfismo sexual de la clavícula: un estudio basado en una muestra actual española.

Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron estudiar el dimorfismo sexual de la clavícula, teniendo en cuenta su asimetría direccional, y aportar algoritmos útiles para el diagnóstico sexual. El material utilizado fueron 77 individuos adultos actuales de origen madrileño (45 hombres y 32 mujeres) de edades comprendidas entre 20 y 92 años pertenecientes a la colección de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Se tomaron 2 tipos de medidas, unas directas sobre el hueso (longitud máxima, perímetro en la mitad, anchura de la epífisis acromial y esternal) y otras indirectas sobre imágenes fotográficas (ángulo y sagita). Después de comprobar la constancia de las mediciones mediante una muestra de época medieval originarias de Palencia, se analizó el dimorfismo sexual en las clavículas izquierdas y derechas así como la asimetría bilateral en cada serie sexual, mediante la t de Student. Posteriormente, se aplicó un análisis de componentes principales (ACP) para evaluar el grado de implicación de las variables en el dimorfismo sexual. Por último, se llevó a cabo un análisis discriminante para cada lado clavicular. Los resultados mostraron que: 1) los hombres presentan valores medios superiores a las mujeres en todas las variables excepto en el ángulo; 2) los valores de la anchura acromial y esternal de la serie masculina son mayores en la clavícula derecha que en la izquierda; y 3) el dimorfismo sexual viene dado principalmente por las variables relacionadas con las dimensiones claviculares. Finalmente, se obtuvieron dos funciones, una para clavículas izquierdas y otra para las derechas, basadas en la longitud de la clavícula y el perímetro en la mitad, las cuales presentan una fiabilidad mayor del 92 %.

Humeral development from neonatal period to skeletal maturity—application in age and sex assessment

The goal of the present study is to examine cross-sectional information on the growth of the humerus based on the analysis of four measurements, namely, diaphyseal length, transversal diameter of the proximal (metaphyseal) end of the shaft, epicondylar breadth and vertical diameter of the head. This analysis was performed in 181 individuals (90 ♂ and 91 ♀) ranging from birth to 25 years of age and belonging to three documented Western European skeletal collections (Coimbra, Lisbon and St. Bride). After testing the homogeneity of the sample, the existence of sexual differences (Student"s t- and Mann-Whitney U-test) and the growth of the variables (polynomial regression) were evaluated. The results showed the presence of sexual differences in epicondylar breadth above 20 years of age and vertical diameter of the head from 15 years of age, thus indicating that these two variables may be of use in determining sex from that age onward. The growth pattern of the variables showed a continuous increase and followed first- and second-degree polynomials. However, growth of the transversal diameter of the proximal end of the shaft followed a fourth-degree polynomial. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between humeral size and age for each of the four metric variables. These results indicate that any of the humeral measurements studied herein is likely to serve as a useful means of estimating sub-adult age in forensic samples.

Postnatal ontogenesis of the tibia. Implications for age and sex estimation

The growth of five variables of the tibia (diaphyseal length, diaphyseal length plus distal epiphysis, condylo-malleolar length, sagittal diameter of the proximal epiphysis, maximum breadth of the distal epiphysis) were analysed using polynomial regression in order to evaluate their significance and capacity for age and sex determination during and after growth. Data were collected from 181 (90♂ and 91♀) individuals ranging from birth to 25 years of age and belonging to three documented collections from Western Europe. Results indicate that all five variables exhibit linear behaviour during growth, which can be expressed by a first-degree polynomial function. Sexual significant differences were observed from age 15 onward in the two epiphysis measurements and condylo-malleolar length, suggesting that these three variables could be useful for sex determination in individuals older than 15 years. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between the five tibial variables and age. These results indicate that any of the studied tibial measurements is likely to serve as a useful source for estimating sub-adult age in both archaeological and forensic samples.

La resolución de casos abierto, exoneraciones y análisis familiares por medio de la genética avanzada. Aspectos forenses, sociales y eticos.

La especialidad de la Genética forense tiene algo más de un siglo, pero con la incorporación de la denominada prueba del ADN hace casi tres décadas, se ha logrado una eficacia que ha revolucionado no solo la investigación policial y las sentencias jurídicas, si no que ha impactado positivamente a toda la sociedad moderna. En este trabajo se analiza el avance que han supuesto las técnicas de identificación a través del ADN, en situaciones legales que en su momento no fueron resueltas (casos abiertos), en las exoneraciones y en los estudios familiares. Las aplicaciones y consecuencias de la Genética forense molecular o del ADN en estos casos, no solo ha dotado de más prestigio y seguridad a la Administración de la Justicia, si no que ha tenido un notable impacto social y ético. Es nuestra convicción, que tanto los profesionales de la Administración de la Justicia, como la sociedad en su totalidad debemos congratularnos y contribuir de la mejor manera posible a que las herramientas forenses en general y las vinculadas a la genética avanzada, se implementen al máximo nivel lo antes y mejor posible en nuestras instituciones.

Qui va matar Ramsès III? La resposta és en l'ADN

Egiptòlegs, biòlegs, radiòlegs i patòlegs intervenen en un estudi genètic per reconstruir el gran enigma de com va morir el faraó i quin dels seus fills el va substituir

A comparison of three established age estimation methods on an adult Spanish sample.

Most current methods for adult skeletal age-at-death estimation are based on American samples comprising individuals of European and African ancestry. Our limited understanding of population variability hampers our efforts to apply these techniques to various skeletal populations around the world, especially in global forensic contexts. Further, documented skeletal samples are rare, limiting our ability to test our techniques. The objective of this paper is to test three pelvic macroscopic methods (1-Suchey-Brooks; 2- Lovejoy; 3- Buckberry and Chamberlain) on a documented modern Spanish sample. These methods were selected because they are popular among Spanish anthropologists and because they never have been tested in a Spanish sample. The study sample consists of 80 individuals (55 ♂ and 25 ♀) of known sex and age from the Valladolid collection. Results indicate that in all three methods, levels of bias and inaccuracy increase with age. The Lovejoy method performs poorly (27%) compared with Suchey-Brooks (71%) and Buckberry and Chamberlain (86%). However, the levels of correlation between phases and chronological ages are low and comparable in the three methods (< 0.395). The apparent accuracy of the Suchey-Brooks and Buckberry and Chamberlain methods is largely based on the broad width of the methods" estimated intervals. This study suggests that before systematic application of these three methodologies in Spanish populations, further statistical modeling and research into the co-variance of chronological age with morphological change is necessary. Future methods should be developed specific to various world populations, and should allow for both precision and flexibility in age estimation.

A Collation of Recently published Western European Formulae for Age Estimation of Subadult Skeletal Remains: Recommendations For Forensic Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology

The aim of this study is to provide an effective and quick reference guide based on the most useful European formulae recently published for subadult age estimation. All of these formulae derive from studies on postnatal growth of the scapula, innominate, femur, and tibia, based on modern skeletal data (173 ♂, 173 ♀) from five documented collections from Spain, Portugal, and Britain. The formulae were calculated from Inverse Regression. For this reason, these formulae are especially useful for modern samples from Western Europe and in particular on 20th century human remains from the Iberian Peninsula. Eleven formulae were selected as the most useful because they can be applied to individuals from within a wide age range and in individuals of unknown sex. Due to their high reliability and because they derive from documented European skeletal samples, we recommend these formulae be used on individuals of Caucasoid ancestry from Western Europe.

A test of Suchey-Brooks (pubic symphysis) and Buckberry-Chamberlain (auricular surface) methods on an identified Spanish sample: paleodemographic implications

Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliability of age-estimation techniques. In this study we have evaluated two age-estimation methods for adults based on the pubic symphysis (Suchey-Brooks) and the auricular surface (Buckberry-Chamberlain) in a current sample of 139 individuals (67 women and 72 men) from Madrid in order to verify the accuracy of both methods applied to a sample of innominate bones from the central Iberian Peninsula. Based on the overall results of this study, the Buckberry-Chamberlain method seems to be the method that provides better estimates in terms of accuracy (percentage of hits) and absolute difference to the chronological age taking into account the total sample. The percentage of hits and mean absolute difference of the Buckberry-Chamberlain and Suchey-Brooks methods are 97.3% and 11.24 years, and 85.7% and 14.38 years, respectively. However, this apparently greater applicability of the Buckberry-Chamberlain method is mainly due to the broad age ranges provided. Results indicated that Suchey-Brooks method is more appropriate for populations with a majority of young individuals, whereas Buckberry-Chamberlain method is recommended for populations with a higher percentage of individuals in the range 60-70 years. These different age estimation methodologies significantly influence the resulting demographic profile, consequently affecting the biological characteristics reconstruction of the samples in which they are applied.

Identificación de características forenses avanzadas a partir del ADN: etnogeografía, patología delictiva y morfoanatomía

Resumen: El uso de la molécula de ADN ha revolucionado el mundo de la Genética forense, convirtiéndose en una herramienta poderosa para resolver un gran número de casos judiciales. El ADN permite identificar a una persona determinada con una probabilidad de error ínfima. Utilizando el análisis del ADN los ámbitos clásicos de actuación han sido: la resolución de grandes delitos, las pruebas de paternidad o de parentesco en general y por último la identificación de restos humanos que estuviesen muy dañados. Sin embargo, los investigadores policiales buscan obtener más información a partir de las moléculas de ADN extraídas de muestras biológicas (sangre, saliva, semen, células epiteliales, etc.). En este trabajo abordaremos los conocimientos que en la actualidad se tienen de algunas de las características del aspecto externo de los individuos a partir del análisis del ADN de las muestras, su interés desde el punto de vista jurídico y sus limitaciones. En concreto nos centraremos en cuatro grandes áreas de estudio: el análisis del origen geográfico de los ancestros, la genética del comportamiento, la genética médica y las predicciones de características externas tales como el color de los ojos, del cabello, de la piel, la estatura y la edad. Palabras clave: Genética forense, ADN. Origen étnico-geográfico. Patología delictiva. Características externas visibles.

Pubic growth study: applicability in sexual and age diagnostic.

The growth of five variables of the ischiopubic area was analyzed from bone material from birth to old age. The main purpose was to evaluate its significance and capacity for age and sex determination during and after growth. The material used consisted of 327 specimens from four documented Western European collections. Growth curves were calculated by polynomial regression for two classical variables of the ischiopubic area (pubis length and ischiopubic index) and three new variables of the pubic acetabular area (horizontal and vertical diameter of the pubic acetabular area and the pubic acetabular index). None of the curves showed lineal growth, with the exception of the ischiopubic index and the masculine vertical diameter of the pubis acetabular area. Pubis length has the most complicated growth, expressed by a five-degree polynomial. All the variables are useful for adult sex determination, except the pubic acetabular index. The ischopubic index, vertical diameter of the pubic acetabular area and the pubic acetabular index seem to be good variables for sub-adult sex determination. For age estimation the best variables, in both archaeological and forensic remains, are the absolute measurements (pubic length, vertical and horizontal diameter of the pubis). However, pubis length is the best variable for age estimation because it can be applied until 25 years of age.

Sacral fusion as an aid in age estimation

The degree of fusion at the anterior aspect of the sacral vertebrae has been scored in 242 male and female skeletons from the Lisbon documented collection, ranging in age from 16 to 59 years old. Statistical tests indicate a sex difference towards earlier fusion in young females compared with young males, as well as a clear association between degree of fusion and age. Similar results have been found in documented skeletal samples from Coimbra and Sassari, and the recommendations stated by these authors regarding age estimation have been positively tested in the Lisbon collection. Although more research from geographically diverse samples is required, a general picture of the pattern of sacral fusion and its associations with age and sex is emerging. We also provide a practical example of the usefulness of the sacrum in age estimation in a forensic setting, a mass grave from the Spanish Civil War. It is concluded that the scoring of the degree of fusion of the sacral vertebrae, specially of S1-2, can be a simple tool for assigning skeletons to broad age groups, and it should be implemented as another resource for age estimation in the study of human skeletal remains.

Ancient DNA analysis of 8000 B.C. near eastern farmers supports an early neolithic pioneer maritime colonization of Mainland Europe through Cyprus and the Aegean Islands

The genetic impact associated to the Neolithic spread in Europe has been widely debated over the last 20 years. Within this context, ancient DNA studies have provided a more reliable picture by directly analyzing the protagonist populations at different regions in Europe. However, the lack of available data from the original Near Eastern farmers has limited the achieved conclusions, preventing the formulation of continental models of Neolithic expansion. Here we address this issue by presenting mitochondrial DNA data of the original Near-Eastern Neolithic communities with the aim of providing the adequate background for the interpretation of Neolithic genetic data from European samples. Sixty-three skeletons from the Pre Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) sites of Tell Halula, Tell Ramad and Dja'de El Mughara dating between 8,700-6,600 cal. B.C. were analyzed, and 15 validated mitochondrial DNA profiles were recovered. In order to estimate the demographic contribution of the first farmers to both Central European and Western Mediterranean Neolithic cultures, haplotype and haplogroup diversities in the PPNB sample were compared using phylogeographic and population genetic analyses to available ancient DNA data from human remains belonging to the Linearbandkeramik-Alföldi Vonaldiszes Kerámia and Cardial/Epicardial cultures. We also searched for possible signatures of the original Neolithic expansion over the modern Near Eastern and South European genetic pools, and tried to infer possible routes of expansion by comparing the obtained results to a database of 60 modern populations from both regions. Comparisons performed among the 3 ancient datasets allowed us to identify K and N-derived mitochondrial DNA haplogroups as potential markers of the Neolithic expansion, whose genetic signature would have reached both the Iberian coasts and the Central European plain. Moreover, the observed genetic affinities between the PPNB samples and the modern populations of Cyprus and Crete seem to suggest that the Neolithic was first introduced into Europe through pioneer seafaring colonization.

El subsuelo de la Torre del Pretorio: substructiones de tradición helenística bajo la sede del Concilium Prouinciae Hispaniae Citerioris (Tarraco)

El artículo presenta el estudio de un área arquitectónicamente compleja, integrada dentro del denominado Foro Provincial de Tarraco . El análisis de la estratigrafía arquitectónica y de los procesos de construcción, ha representado un instrumento fundamental para la interpretación de un área caracterizada por una compleja evolución urbanística, poniendo en evidencia el desarrollo del proyecto constructivo de una obra de gran envergadura como la del Foro Provincial. Desafortunadamente, la ausencia de datos procedentes de las excavaciones arqueológicas, ha limitado la definición de una cronología absoluta exacta. El proceso de monumentalización de la cima de la colina tarraconense iniciado, según las fuentes históricas y numismáticas, en época julio-claudia, culminó en época Flavia con la finalización del complejo monumental distribuido en tres terrazas. El sector que se examina, situado junto al circo, se encuadra dentro de un sistema de substructiones que a menudo caracterizan los conjuntos forense y sacro organizados en terrazas.

Justicia y ciencia. Uniendo lo mejor de ambos mundos

La justicia y la ciencia son ámbitos muy diferentes de la actividad humana. Sin embargo, los conocimientos científicos dan lugar a la aparición de una serie de disciplinas aplicadas que son de gran utilidad en forensia y que pueden ser trascendentales en la Administración de la Justicia. El problema es reconocer primero si una especialidad es realmente científica y si puede utilizarse de manera fiable en el ámbito de la justicia. En este sentido, la utilización de las pruebas de ADN es un buen ejemplo de cómo, poco a poco, se ha ido ajustando su uso en los tribunales. Además los laboratorios donde se practican esas técnicas forenses están correctamente homologados y al mismo tiempo los especialistas que trabajan en ellos son profesionales con una sólida formación y que se mantienen constantemente al día. Otro elemento crucial es que los expertos que aportan su testimonio deben hacerlo de manera precisa y comprensible. En los casos en que se presente una prueba pericial basada en una aproximación científica novedosa, ésta debe cumplir toda una serie de requisitos para poder ser aceptada por los tribunales.