Papers by Noor Hazfalinda Hamzah
Development of Alternative Patent Fingerprint Using Alcohol Gel and Thermal Paper
Jurnal sains kesihatan Malaysia, 2024
The Effects of Close-Range Firearm Shooting on the Structures of Resak, Seraya, and Balau Fishing Vessels
Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia
The incidence of close-range firearm shootings on fishing vessels in Malaysia has been increasing... more The incidence of close-range firearm shootings on fishing vessels in Malaysia has been increasing every year. The challenge faced by law enforcement agencies is to demonstrate how these shooting crimes are carried out. To address this problem, a model of shooting angles and ricochets within a confined space needs to be constructed. This study examines the effects of shooting with the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow semi-automatic pistol, manufactured by the Czech Republic, using 9mm FMJ bullets weighing 7.45 grams on three types of wood commonly used in fishing vessel construction: Resak, Seraya, and Balau. The factors of shooting distance (1, 3, 5, and 10 meters), shooting angles (15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°), ricochet angles, and the type of wood material (Resak, Seraya, and Balau) are investigated. The results indicate that only 114 out of 432 shots resulted in ricochets. Shots on Resak wood produced several bullet ricochets at shooting angles of 15° and 30° and a distance of 1 meter. An...
Effects of Shooting Angles and Ricochet Angles on Bullet Weight Upon Impact on Three Types of Woods (Balau, Resak, and Seraya)
pertanika journal of science and technology, Mar 31, 2023
This study aims to determine if the number of shots fired, bullet striation marks, and shooting a... more This study aims to determine if the number of shots fired, bullet striation marks, and shooting and ricochet angles could influence bullet weight on three types of woods: Balau, Resak, and Seraya. The weapon and ammunition used in this study were CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow semi-automatic pistol with 9 mm full metal jacketed bullets (7.45 g). A total of 432 shots were fired, and only 114 bullets produced a ricochet effect. The result of objective one showed no significant relationship between the number of shots and the number of bullet striations for all three kinds of wood. Correlation-Regression analysis for the second objective showed a significant relationship between shooting angle and bullet weight when shooting on Balau (p < 0.01, R² = 0.065) and Seraya (p < 0.01, R² = 0.199) but not on Resak. The shooting angle influenced the bullet weight by 6.5 % to 20 % when shooting on Balau and Seraya. Both kinds of wood are closely related and share fibre composition and modulus of elasticity (MOE) characteristics. The result of the third objective showed a relationship between ricochet angle and bullet weight during the shooting on Resak (p < 0.01, R² = 0.142) but not on Balau and Seraya. The ricochet angle on Resak influenced the bullet weight by 14.2 + 9.8 %. It is probably due to Resak having the highest MOE among the three types of woods. This study concludes that bullet weight loss is due to the ricochet effect and the composition of the bullet’s target.
Lip Prints in Sex and Race Determination
Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, Jun 30, 2012
Jurnal sains kesihatan Malaysia =, Jan 25, 2021
Lip print is useful in forensic investigations for individual identification. The present study a... more Lip print is useful in forensic investigations for individual identification. The present study aimed to discriminate sex based on lip print patterns in Malaysian Malay population in Klang Valley using a scanning technique. Lip prints of 360 subjects (180 males and 180 females) were taken using the lipstick-cellophane tape technique, pasted onto A4 papers. These papers were then scanned using Brother DCP-J100 printer (300dpi resolution). The images were analysed using a software based on Suzuki and Tsuchihashi's classification. The lip print images were divided into six sections which are upper left, upper middle, upper right, lower right, lower middle and lower left. The Pearson chi-square test showed that there are significant differences (p < 0.05) between sexes in each section except for the upper middle section. In males, type V (irregular pattern) was the dominant pattern for upper left, upper right, lower right and lower left sections (ranging from 71.1% to 86.7%) while type IV (reticular pattern) was dominant at upper and middle sections (ranging from 57.2% to 66.1%). Type IV (48.3%) was dominant in upper middle section for female, while for the rest of the sections, type V was the dominant lip print pattern (ranging from 40% to 82.8%). These results showed that sex differentiation between males and females in Malaysian Malay population, Klang Valley can be suggested to be used for identification in forensic investigation.
Stature and Sex Estimation Using Foot Measurements for Malays and Chinese in Malaysia
Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, Dec 31, 2011
Forensic Science International, Jul 1, 2016
The ability to objectify ballistic evidence is a challenge faced by firearms examiners around the... more The ability to objectify ballistic evidence is a challenge faced by firearms examiners around the world. A number of researchers are trying to improve bullet-identification systems to address deficiencies detailed within the National Academy of Science report (2009). More recently focus has turned to making use of more sophisticated imaging modalities to view entire regions of the projectile and the development of automated systems for the comparison of the topographical surfaces recorded. Projectiles from a newly bought air pistol with .177 calibre pellets (unjacketed), fired series of 609 pellets were examined using an optical microscope. A mathematical methodology was developed to pre-process the resultant topographical maps generating point data for comparison, analysed using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). In most cases limited to reasonable success was achieved. The objective method still requires an operator to identify the Land Engraved Areas to be scanned, however the mathematical alignments were objectively achieved. The PCA results illustrated that the striation marks were not exclusive nor specific to the LEA regions but rather crossed over regions. This study also proves that a single weapon does not necessarily leave identical marks of projectiles on its surface.
Sex Determination Using Direct Photography Technique: a Mobile-phone Camera: A Digital Approach for Lip Prints Analysis in Malaysian Malay Population (Klang Valley)
Jurnal sains kesihatan Malaysia =, 2023
Cheiloscopy may not be as well-known as other techniques of identification, such as fingerprint o... more Cheiloscopy may not be as well-known as other techniques of identification, such as fingerprint or DNA analysis, but it has its own impact in the appropriate circumstances. Cheiloscopy has been recognized as an important tool for human identification. A manual approach of studying lip prints was utilised by many researchers (magnifying glasses). Nonetheless, the current study relied solely on a mobile phone camera to visually capture lip prints for sex determination. 377 samples of lip prints were analysed with Adobe Photoshop software and classified into six different types of lip print patterns, according to Suzuki and Tsuchihashi classifications. Lip prints were divided into six sections including upper left, upper middle, upper right, lower left, lower middle and lower right. Pearson's Chi-square test revealed significant differences between male and female lip prints (p &lt; 0.05) among the Malaysian Malay population of the Klang Valley, with Type V (irregular pattern) lip prints being the most prevalent. In comparison to magnifying glasses, our studies proved the ability to record and examine lip prints utilising a digital approach. Keywords Cheiloscopy, Suzuki and Tsuchihashi classification, sex determination, lip print, direct photograph technique, digital
Digital approach for gender discrimination from lip prints analysis in Malaysian chinese population (Klang valley)
International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Legal Medicine, 2021
International journal of academic research in business & social sciences, Jul 19, 2021
Key Management System 2.0 (KeMas 2.0) is successfully developed in order to overcome lecture room... more Key Management System 2.0 (KeMas 2.0) is successfully developed in order to overcome lecture room/lab key lost problem and unidentified key user in Electrical Engineering Department, Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah (POLISAS), Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. This project has been developed in line with industry 4.0 revolution by using internet of thing (IoT) technology. The design of KeMas 2.0 is done using Arduino Mega 2560 Pro as microcontroller and ESP8266 NodeMCU wi-fi module which sends data over the cloud. KeMas 2.0 also utilizes the Telegram chat application bot as notification and monitoring the retrieval and return of the keys. KeMas 2.0 is equipped with two sensors, namely RFID reader and fingerprint scanner as biometric sensor. These two sensors provide an alternative to the users, either to use identification card or fingerprint. Once the user swipes his or her identification card or place fingerprint, the key is allowed to be taken and signal will be sent to Telegram application through mobile phone to notify the name of the person who takes the key and the name of room/lab key that he or she took. Subsequently, when the key is returned, notification will also be sent via Telegram application. Hence, users will always get the latest information on the availability of the keys. KeMas 2.0 is proven to be effective in solving key lost problem in Electrical Engineering Department, Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah (POLISAS).
Stature approximation of Malays, Chinese and Indian in Malaysia using radiographs of Femur, Tibia and Fibula
Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia (Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences), Jun 30, 2011
PubMed, Apr 1, 2014
Deaths due to blunt force trauma to the head as a result of assault are some of the most common c... more Deaths due to blunt force trauma to the head as a result of assault are some of the most common cases encountered by the practicing forensic pathologist. Previous studies have shown inflicting injury to the head region is one of the most effective methods of murder. The important factors that determine severity of trauma include the type of weapon used, type and site of skull fracture, intracranial haemorrhage and severity of brain injury. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of blunt force trauma to the skull produced by different instruments. Nine adult monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) skulls were used as models. Commonly found blunt objects comprising of Warrington hammer, hockey stick and open face helmet were used in this study. A machine calibrated force generator was used to hold the blunt object in place and to hit the skulls at forces of 12.5N and 25N. Resultant traumatic effects and fractures (linear, depressed, basilar, comminuted, and distastic) were analyzed according to type of blunt object used; surface area of contact and absolute force (N/cm(2)) delivered. Results showed that all investigated instruments were capable of producing similar injuries. The severity of trauma was not related to the surface area of contact with the blunt objects. However, only high absolute forces produced comminuted fractures. These findings were observational, as the samples were too small for statistical conclusions.
Volatile organic compounds of diesel and porcine bone in a simulated controlled fire
Journal of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science, Apr 5, 2023
Jurnal sains kesihatan Malaysia =, Dec 1, 2019
Fibres are important trace evidence that can be found during the course of crime scene investigat... more Fibres are important trace evidence that can be found during the course of crime scene investigation. The identification and analysis of these fibres shed light as to the circumstances surrounding a particular crime. Identifying the factors that affect the transference of fibres under various environments are crucial in providing robust conclusions of a case per se, as highlighted in this work. Donor garments were made up of four different types of fibre; 100% cotton, 100% nylon, 100% polyester and 100% wool, that were used to observe the differences in the number of transferred fibres to the recipient garment (100% cotton) and vice versa with increasing contact times of 30, 60, 180, and 300 seconds respectively. To simulate contact between the donor garment worn by a suspect and the recipient garment worn by a victim in real-life situations, the donor garment was placed on top of the recipient garment which was laid on a piece of plywood. The numbers of transferred fibres, both from the donor to the recipient garment and from the recipient to the donor garment were observed and tested using microscopic examination, burning test, solubility test and dye extractability test. Results indicated that different types of garments transferred different number of fibres with increasing contact times, and the identification of the fibres are possible via the different tests applied in this work.
Jurnal sains kesihatan Malaysia =, Jan 15, 2018
Ergosterol, a component of fungal cell membrane, has been frequently detected as an indicator of ... more Ergosterol, a component of fungal cell membrane, has been frequently detected as an indicator of fungal presence and mass in environmental samples like soil. However, its detection in major pathogenic fungal species has not been investigated. In this study, the ergosterol contents of ten pathogenic fungal species were determined. Liquid chromatography was used for the detection and quantification of ergosterol extracted from fungal broth cultures. Results showed that ergosterol eluted as a single, well resolved peak in the chromatogram profiles of all tested fungi. Based upon relative amounts of ergosterol produced per fungal mycelial dry weight, three groups of fungal pathogens were identified, namely low ergosterol
Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal, Sep 27, 2016
The use of soil as a form of forensic trace evidence has proven to be very useful due to its vers... more The use of soil as a form of forensic trace evidence has proven to be very useful due to its versitality and high variablility at differnt locations. Often discriminated based on their physical (color, particle size, distribution) and chemical (pH, percentage of combustible organic content and soil trace metal) characteristics, the latter is commonlyemployedas a confirmatory test due to the indivualised and accurate information generated upon analysis, particularly from the analysis using ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) for trace metal analysis in soil.In this study, soil samples were collected fromthirty different locations in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and were analyzed in terms of their physical and chemical similarity and differences.Kruskal-Wallis test, employed to test thephysical (color and particle size distribution)demonstrated that there were significant differences in terms of color between soil from different sampling locations and for particle size distribution.Upon the application of the Decision Tree test that was built using C5.0 algorithm on the physical characteristics data from soil samples, 24 out of 30 samples were differentiated. In terms of chemical characteristics, Kruskal-Wallis tests on pH and soil percentage of combustible organic content showed that there were significant differences between soil from different sampling locations, with pH[X 2 (29,N=90)=85.849, p<0.01] and percentage of combustible organic content [X 2 (29,N=90)=81.825, p<0.01]. For trace metal analysis, the ICP-MS data for each soil sample was analyzed using modified equal interval categorization method and Choropleth mapping in the form of a table and results revealed that all of the samples were individualized successfully. This study proved that with the coupling of physical and chemical characteristics of soil, any soil samples can be discriminated from each other when sampled at different locations.
Jurnal Undang-undang dan Masyarakat, Apr 2, 2021
Crime Scene Investigation is the backbone of any criminal investigation. Expert report generated ... more Crime Scene Investigation is the backbone of any criminal investigation. Expert report generated by Crime Scene Investigators are based on scientific evidence and are reported in a standard form. The content, when published should be reviewed rigorously by its peers. The expert report is a document detailing out how the investigation process of a crime scene was performed. The process of collecting and evidence processing do not only entail identifying, collecting and storing evidences for later analysis but it is a step by step process that is well structured in a document called Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Crime Scene Investigator. SOP is a complex document and sometimes overwhelmingly technical for the uninitiated. But if understood, it can be a good guide for law practitioners to determine if a piece of evidence should be included in a case. This article details out the SOP which entails groundwork before entering a crime scene, processing of a crime scene and wrapping up of the crime scene investigation. At each step, this paper will look at how it is adopted in current practices, its weakness and suggested improvement that should be adopted to ensure a final quality expert report.
Jurnal sains kesihatan Malaysia =, Jun 3, 2020
Cheiloscopy is recognized as a tool for personal identification due to its strength in criminalis... more Cheiloscopy is recognized as a tool for personal identification due to its strength in criminalistics. In this study, the lip print of Malaysian Chinese population in Klang Valley was used for gender determination using lipstick-cellophane technique. 412 subjects (203 males and 209 females) were selected conveniently. Lipstick was first applied on the lips and the lip print was lifted using cellophane tape prior to pasting them onto a plain A4 paper and analysis using magnifying glass. Six topography areas of lip prints were classified using Suzuki and Tsuchihashi's classification, including upper left, upper middle, upper right, lower right, lower middle and lower left. Chi-square test showed that all lip sections were significantly different from each other (p < 0.05). Type II was the dominant pattern in four lip sections for both genders: upper left (male 81.3%, female 57.4%), upper right (male 71.9%, female 42.9%), lower left (male 98.0%, female 90.0%) and lower right (male 96.1%, female 86.1%). Type IV was the dominant pattern for both middle part of the lips; upper middle (male 56.2%, female 50.7%) and lower middle (male 62.6%, female 50.2%). The results showed that gender can be differentiated based on lip print patterns. This finding suggested that cheiloscopy could be used in aiding personal identification for forensic investigation.
The Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Jun 21, 2017
Volatile products commonly known as pyrolytic products, are thermal decomposition products genera... more Volatile products commonly known as pyrolytic products, are thermal decomposition products generated from the various fuels that are present at a fire scene due to heat exposure. When a fire scene involves human remains, the volatile species generated from the remains can be mistaken with others residues due to the presence of interfering products or ignitable liquid residues from the fire scene. Knowledge of the type of products generated from human remains in real life fire scenarios is crucial under these circumstances. Thus, this study was executed to test the robustness and validity of the pyrolytic data generated from porcine tissue under indoor laboratory burning conditions to those generated under outdoor burning conditions. Porcine bone samples were burnt under outdoor conditions until the ignition of fat occurred (temperatures exceeding 250 °C). The pyrolytic products generated were absorbed onto activated carbon tablets that were incubated in an oven for 16 hours at 80 °C and then desorbed with pentane and injected into the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The 60 pyrolytic profiles obtained were in the range of n-alkanes, n-alkenes, n-aldehydes, aromatics and nitriles, similar to those obtained from the indoor laboratory burning data but with the additional presence of n-aldehydes. Results from this study has indicated that the human pyrolytic data model generated indoors is a good representative of outdoor burning conditions and has also successfully clarified the inconsistencies in terms of the presence and absence of n-aldehydes from porcine and human pyrolytic data.
Research Square (Research Square), Jan 6, 2023
Lymnaeid snails are vital in transmitting trematode cercariae as an intermediate host that can in... more Lymnaeid snails are vital in transmitting trematode cercariae as an intermediate host that can infect buffalo and other ruminants and humans, causing signi cant economic losses. The study aimed to conduct morphological and molecular identi cation of snails and cercariae collected from the selected buffalo farms under palm oil integration in Perak, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 35 water were investigated for the presence or absence of snails. A total of 836 lymnaeid snails were collected from three marshes wetlands. To identify the snail family and species, morphological identi cation was performed on each snail's shell, and to identify trematode cercariae types; the crushing method was used to observe the cercarial stage inside each snail's body. In addition, the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) region and Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) was used as the target gene to identify the snail species and cercarial types up to the species level. The result showed that the collected snails belong to the family Lymnaeidae and Radix rubiginosa species. The infection rate by cercarial emergence in snails was 8.73%. Five morphological cercarial types were observed which include: echinostome, xiphidiocercariae, gymnocephalous, brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome, and vivax. Using molecular methods, the identi ed cercariae belong to the three families, including Echinostomatidae, Plagiorchiidae, and Fasciolidae. This is the rst report on R. rubiginosa and different types of trematodes cercariae in buffalo farms under palm oil integration in Perak. Our nding con rmed that R. rubiginosa could serve as an intermediate host for a range of parasitic trematodes in Perak.
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Papers by Noor Hazfalinda Hamzah