Schoenly K, Goff M L, Early M
Laboratory of Populations, Rockefeller University, New York, NY.
J Forensic Sci. 1992 May;37(3):808-23.
A computer algorithm, implemented in the BASIC language, is presented for calculating the postmortem interval (PMI) from arthropod successional data. Entomology-assisted determination of the PMI promises to be a reliable technique in cases of homicide, suicide, accidental death, and unattended death due to natural causes. The program requires, as input, the identity of arthropod taxa recovered from human remains in a death scene investigation and machine-readable data on carrion-associated arthropod taxa and their known successional patterns of activity for the same geographical area. The program performs rapid comparisons of these lists and, on output, calculates an upper and lower estimate of the PMI, identifies the definitive taxa for these limits, and determines if the remaining corpse taxa have known successional patterns that are consistent for this estimate. An alternate output is provided if one or more corpse taxa do not overlap all the others at any single time in the succession. In that event, the user is prompted to recheck the identity of the non-overlapping taxon or taxa or reevaluate the environmental circumstances surrounding the case in question. Results of the analysis are saved to an ASCII file for output to a printer for making paper copies useful for the entomologist's Case Study Final Report. This program may make possible wider use of this technique in law enforcement and medical investigator offices that utilize both forensic entomologist expertise and IBM PCs (or compatible computers).
本文介绍了一种用BASIC语言实现的计算机算法，用于根据节肢动物演替数据计算死后间隔时间（PMI）。在他杀、自杀、意外死亡以及自然原因导致的无人照看死亡案件中，借助昆虫学来确定PMI有望成为一种可靠的技术。该程序需要输入在死亡现场调查中从人类遗体上采集到的节肢动物分类单元的信息，以及与腐肉相关的节肢动物分类单元的机器可读数据，还有同一地理区域内它们已知的活动演替模式。程序会快速比较这些列表，并输出PMI的上限和下限估计值，确定这些界限的决定性分类单元，以及判断其余尸体上的分类单元是否具有与该估计值一致的已知演替模式。如果在演替过程中的任何时刻，有一个或多个尸体分类单元与其他分类单元不重叠，则会提供另一种输出。在这种情况下，会提示用户重新检查不重叠分类单元的身份，或者重新评估相关案件的环境情况。分析结果会保存到一个ASCII文件中，以便输出到打印机，生成纸质副本，供昆虫学家撰写案例研究最终报告时使用。该程序可能会使这项技术在利用法医昆虫学专业知识和IBM个人电脑（或兼容计算机）的执法和医学调查办公室中得到更广泛的应用。
