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Fingerprint Ridge Density as a Potential Forensic Anthropological Tool for Sex Identification
Author(s) -
Dhall Jasmine Kaur,
Kapoor Anup Kumar
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12959
Subject(s) - fingerprint (computing) , ridge , discriminant function analysis , linear discriminant analysis , forensic identification , dermatoglyphics , identification (biology) , forensic anthropology , suspect , logistic regression , forensic science , statistics , mathematics , pattern recognition (psychology) , biology , artificial intelligence , geography , psychology , computer science , paleontology , genetics , archaeology , ecology , criminology
In cases of partial or poor print recovery and lack of database/suspect print, fingerprint evidence is generally neglected. In light of such constraints, this study was designed to examine whether ridge density can aid in narrowing down the investigation for sex identification. The study was conducted on the right‐hand index digit of 245 males and 246 females belonging to the Punjabis of Delhi region. Five ridge density count areas, namely upper radial, radial, ulnar, upper ulnar, and proximal, were selected and designated. Probability of sex origin was calculated, and stepwise discriminant function analysis was performed to determine the discriminating ability of the selected areas. Females were observed with a significantly higher ridge density than males in all the five areas. Discriminant function analysis and logistic regression exhibited 96.8% and 97.4% accuracy, respectively, in sex identification. Hence, fingerprint ridge density is a potential tool for sex identification, even from partial prints.