Papers by Catyana Falsetti
This paper presents a case of a late discovery of a motorcycle accident victim. The fact that the... more This paper presents a case of a late discovery of a motorcycle accident victim. The fact that the remains were almost skeletonized required the input of several disciplines in order to identify the victim. Therefore, anthropology, odontology, facial reconstruction, and genetics were employed. It was found that the victim was male, between the ages of 35 to 55 with a number of healed fractures. In addition, perimortem trauma with a pattern that was consistent with a motorcycle accident was found in the head and upper body regions. Dental findings included a tooth out of alignment with the rest of the dental arcade, as well as a heavily decayed tooth that was replaced by a dental bridge. Both of these findings were supported by ante mortem photographs of the victim. A two-dimensional facial reconstruction was carried out and produced a very good likeness of the deceased. The above findings were confirmed by DNA analysis that matched a bone sample to those of the family of the deceased...
Instructional Design of Virtual Learning Resources for Anatomy Education
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2021
Virtual learning resources (VLRs) developed using immersive technologies like virtual reality are... more Virtual learning resources (VLRs) developed using immersive technologies like virtual reality are becoming popular in medical education, particularly in anatomy. However, if VLRs are going to be more widely adopted, it is important that they are designed appropriately. The overarching aim of this study was to propose guidelines for the instructional design of VLRs for anatomy education. More specifically, the study grounded these guidelines within cognitive learning theories through an investigation of the cognitive load imposed by VLRs. This included a comparison of stereoscopic and desktop VLR deliveries and an evaluation of the impact of prior knowledge and university experience. Participants were voluntarily recruited to experience stereoscopic and desktop deliveries of a skull anatomy VLR (UNSW Sydney Ethics #HC16592). A MyndBand® electroencephalography (EEG) headset was used to collect brainwave data and theta power was used as an objective cognitive load measure. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration task load index (NASA-TLX) was used to collect perceptions as a subjective measure. Both objective and subjective cognitive load measures were higher overall for the stereoscopic delivery and for participants with prior knowledge, and significantly higher for junior students (P = 0.038). Based on this study's results, those of several of our previous studies and the literature, various factors are important to consider in VLR design. These include delivery modality, their application to collaborative learning, physical fidelity, prior knowledge and prior university experience. Overall, the guidelines proposed based on these factors suggest that VLR design should be learner-centred and aim to reduce extraneous cognitive load.
Forensic Art and Imaging
Forensic Evidence Management, 2017
Poster: Interactive Resources for Craniofacial Identification
This poster was presented at the 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forens... more This poster was presented at the 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, February 2019, Baltimore, MD.<br>
Enhancing Craniofacial Identification Methods with CT Data
Poster presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologis... more Poster presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, April 2018, Austin, TX, invited symposium titled <i>"Thinking Computationally about Forensics."</i>
Fileset: Procedure for transforming 3D computed tomography (CT) skull and face models to a common orientation
This fileset provides figures, a spreadsheet, and a Meshlab script for transforming 3D skull and ... more This fileset provides figures, a spreadsheet, and a Meshlab script for transforming 3D skull and face models reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans to a common orientation (Frankfurt Horizontal with Nasion centered). The spreadsheet requires x-, y-, z-coordinates for Nasion (N), Left Orbitale (OrL), Left and Right Porion (PoL and PoR). After the coordinates are pasted in, the spreadsheet calculates the rotations and translation to orient the skull and/or face model so that N is at x = 0, OrL, PoL, and PoR are at z = 0, and PoL and PoR are at y = 0. The calculated values can be applied to the 3D skull and face models within Meshlab following the steps outlined in the figures.<br>The figures outline the steps for entering the numbers manually, step-by-step in the appropriate Meshlab filters, while the attached Meshlab script (.mlx) allows the steps to be run all at once after entering the appropriate values into the script.<br><br>This procedure will allow...
Facilitating Practitioner Interaction with 3D Craniofacial Identification Resources
Poster presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologis... more Poster presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, April 2018, Austin, TX, in the invited symposium <i>"Thinking Computationally about Forensics."</i>
Although facial approximation is described as a collaborative endeavor between anthropology/anato... more Although facial approximation is described as a collaborative endeavor between anthropology/anatomy and art, forensic artists have rarely been included in research. The exclusion of artists from research efforts have led to a lack of standardized protocols with many artists still using outdated standards and tissue depth tables. By including artists in craniofacial research, we can insure that the data being collected is relevant to facial approximation methods and encourage the incorporation of new data into facial approximation protocols. The use of 3D digital models generated from pre-existing CT scans allows the artist to have access to the valuable data they need: the simultaneous visualization of the craniofacial skeleton and facial features. These 3D models can be easily shared for morphological analyses and to gather input from artists to guide the collection of measurements by the researcher.
Innovative Uses of CT Scans for the Enhancement of Forensic Facial Approximation Methods: A Collaboration Between Forensic Science Researchers and Facial Approximation Practitioners
This poster was presented at the 101st International Association for Identification Forensic Educ... more This poster was presented at the 101st International Association for Identification Forensic Educational Conference, August 2016, Cincinnati, OH.
Using Computed Tomography (CT) Data to Build 3D Resources for Forensic Craniofacial Identification
Forensic craniofacial identification encompasses the practices of forensic facial approximation (... more Forensic craniofacial identification encompasses the practices of forensic facial approximation (aka facial reconstruction) and craniofacial superimposition within the field of forensic art in the United States. Training in forensic facial approximation methods historically has used plaster copies, high-cost commercially molded skulls, and photographs. Despite the increased accessibility of computed tomography (CT) and the numerous studies utilizing CT data to better inform facial approximation methods, 3D CT data have not yet been widely used to produce interactive resources or reference catalogs aimed at forensic art practitioner use or method standardization. There are many free, open-source 3D software packages that allow engagement in immersive studies of the relationships between the craniofacial skeleton and facial features and facilitate collaboration between researchers and practitioners. 3D CT software, in particular, allows the bone and soft tissue to be visualized simult...
Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2020
Human Biology, 2018
Computed tomography (CT) scans provide anthropologists with a resource to generate threedimension... more Computed tomography (CT) scans provide anthropologists with a resource to generate threedimensional (3D) digital skeletal material to expand quantification methods and build more standardized reference collections. The ability to visualize and manipulate the bone and skin of the face simultaneously in a 3D digital environment introduces a new way for forensic facial approximation practitioners to access and study the face. Craniofacial relationships can be quantified with landmarks or with surface processing software that can quantify the geometric properties of the entire 3D facial surface. This paper describes tools for the generation of dense facial tissue depth maps (FTDMs) using de-identified head CT scans of modern Americans from the public repository, The Cancer Imaging Archives (TCIA), and the open-source program Meshlab. CT scans of 43 females and 63 males from TCIA were segmented and converted to 3D skull and face models using Mimics and exported as stereolithography (STL) files. All subsequent processing steps were performed in Meshlab. Heads were transformed to a common orientation and coordinate system using the coordinates of nasion, left orbitale, and left and right porion. Dense FTDMs were generated on hollowed, cropped face shells using the Hausdorff sampling filter. Two new point clouds consisting of the 3D coordinates for both skull and face were colorized on an RGB scale from 0.0 (red) to 40.0 mm (blue) depth values and exported as polygon file format (PLY) models with tissue depth values saved in the "vertex quality" field. FTDMs were also split into 1.0 mm increments to facilitate viewing of common depths across all faces. In total, 112 FTDMs were generated for 106 individuals. Minimum depth values ranged from 1.2 mm to 3.4 mm, indicating a common range of starting depths for most faces regardless of weight, as well as common locations for these values over the nasal bones, lateral orbital margins, and forehead superior to the supraorbital border. Maximum depths were found in the
User Guide: Dense facial tissue depth mapping of 3D CT models using Meshlab
This user guide outlines a method for objective, dense facial tissue depth mapping of 3D face and... more This user guide outlines a method for objective, dense facial tissue depth mapping of 3D face and skull STL models generated from computed tomography (CT) scans, in an effort to produce a standardized reference dataset for forensic craniofacial identification applications. Any 3D STL face and skull models that are in correct anatomical orientation to each other can be mapped with this method. The methods described include hollowing and cropping of a face model to obtain a face "shell," mapping the face to the skull, colorizing and saving mapped data, and visualization of mapped data. The purpose of this guide is to provide an objective, standardized method for mapping facial tissue depth values for forensic craniofacial identification applications using free software. We have also attached a zipped fileset of Meshlab scripts (with instructions for installation included in the zip) that will assist with splitting the face and skull maps into 1 mm increments for enhanced vis...
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Papers by Catyana Falsetti