Forensic Science and Human Anatomy Midterm Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering forensic science principles, cardiovascular physiology, histology, gel electrophoresis, death determination, and human body systems based on midterm test review materials.

Heart Rate

How many times your heart beats in one minute, measurable during a polygraph examination.

Blood Pressure

The pressure exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels.

Respiration Rate

How many breaths a person takes in one minute.

Skin Conductivity

A measurement recorded during a polygraph assessing how the amount of sweat produced impacts the ability to conduct electricity.

Fingerprint Types

The distinct friction ridge patterns found on human fingers, classified into loop, whorl, arch, and tented arch.

Complementary DNA Bases

The four nitrogenous bases that encode genetic information in DNA: adenine ($A$) pairs with thymine ($T$), and cytosine ($C$) pairs with guanine ($G$).

Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells)

Hemoglobin-rich, red blood cells that transport oxygen through a body.

Thrombocytes (Platelets)

Minute, colorless, anucleate disk-like bodies of mammalian blood that assist in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and damaged epithelium.

Plasma

The liquid portion of blood that carries nutrients and proteins where they are needed in the body.

Leukocytes (White Blood Cells)

Cells in the blood that lack hemoglobin, possess a nucleus, and are active in the immune response.

Presumptive Test

An initial screening test, such as the Kastle-Meyer test, used to indicate whether blood is potentially present before more specific confirmatory tests are performed.

Kastle-Meyer Test

A presumptive chemical test used to detect the presence of blood; a yellow swab result indicates a negative sample.

Confirmatory Test

A more specific analytical test, such as ABO blood typing, that positively identifies a substance after an initial presumptive test.

ABO Blood Typing

A blood identification test based on antibody-antigen agglutination reactions: agglutination with Anti-A antibodies indicates Type A blood; with Anti-B indicates Type B; with both indicates Type AB; and with neither indicates Type O.

Blood Spatter Patterns

Categorized bloodstains based on physical dynamics, including force and direction, radial spatter, spatters, and falling droplets.

Height Determination Graph

A forensic graph correlating blood droplet diameter to impact height; for instance, a droplet diameter of $17\,\text{mm}$ corresponds to a drop height of approximately $100\,\text{cm}$.

EcoRI

A restriction enzyme with the recognition sequence GAATTC/CTTAAG; digesting a DNA strand with two EcoRI recognition sites produces three pieces in total.

Gel Electrophoresis Charges

The electrical polarity applied to an agarose gel where the negative charge is placed near the wells/top and the positive charge is placed at the opposite end so negatively charged DNA migrates downward.

DNA Ladder

A molecular weight standard running in gel electrophoresis that contains DNA fragments of known sizes (such as $150\,\text{bp}$, $300\,\text{bp}$, $550\,\text{bp}$, $600\,\text{bp}$, $800\,\text{bp}$, $1100\,\text{bp}$, $1600\,\text{bp}$, and $2000\,\text{bp}$) to calibrate unknown sample sizes.

Crime Scene Blood DNA Evidence

Gel electrophoresis results demonstrating that both scene sample #1 (edge of the table) and scene sample #2 (floor) yielded DNA profiles matching Anna Garcia.

Glaister Equation

The formula $\frac{98.4 - \text{rectal temperature}}{1.5} = \text{apx hours since death}$, which yields approximately $19\,\text{hours}$ since death for a measured rectal temperature of $70.2\,^{\circ}\text{F}$.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The main processing center of the nervous system, comprising the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The division of the nervous system containing the cranial and spinal nerves extending outward throughout the body from the central nervous system.

Frontal Lobe

The anterior lobe of the cerebral cortex located at the front of the brain.

Parietal Lobe

The lobe of the brain located superiorly behind the frontal lobe.

Temporal Lobe

The lateral lobe of the cerebral cortex positioned inferior to the parietal and frontal lobes.

Occipital Lobe

The posterior lobe of the cerebral cortex situated at the rear of the brain.

Integumentary System

The organ system that includes the skin, hair, and fingernails.

Skeletal System

The organ system that protects organs, stores minerals, and produces blood.

Muscular System

The organ system that enables body movement and includes the biceps, triceps, and heart muscle.

Digestive System

The organ system that breaks down food into its nutrient molecules and then absorbs nutrients.

Nervous System

The body system that receives and interprets sensory information and includes the brain.

Levels of Organization

The structural hierarchy of the human body arranged in order: Cell $\rightarrow$ Tissue $\rightarrow$ Organ $\rightarrow$ Organ System.

Algor Mortis

The postmortem change in body temperature after death.

Rigor Mortis

The postmortem stiffening of joints and muscles after death.

Livor Mortis

The pooling of the blood following death that causes a purplish-red discoloration of the skin, also referred to as lividity.

Forensic Scientist

A professional who works to investigate evidence that may be linked to a crime.

Medical Examiner

A physician who performs an autopsy when a death might have been caused accidentally or intentionally.

Forensic Entomologist

A specialist who studies insects and arachnids, such as mites, spiders, and ticks, in relation to a death investigation.

Forensic Toxicologist

A scientist who analyzes biological samples for the presence of any substances that may have contributed to the decedent's death.

Forensic Chemist

A scientist who tests non-biological samples, such as powders, pills, and other substances, to determine their identity, components, or concentration.

Histologist

A specialist who looks at all the tissues of the body under microscopic magnification to help a medical examiner determine the cause of death.

Right Side Heart Blood Oxygenation

The status of blood flowing through the right atrium and right ventricle, which contains deoxygenated blood returning from the body.

Left Side Heart Blood Oxygenation

The status of blood flowing through the left atrium and left ventricle, which contains oxygenated blood returned from the lungs.

Path of Blood Flow Through the Heart

The physiological circuit: Superior and Inferior vena cava $\rightarrow$ Right atrium $\rightarrow$ Tricuspid valve $\rightarrow$ Right ventricle $\rightarrow$ Pulmonary valve $\rightarrow$ Pulmonary arteries $\rightarrow$ Lungs $\rightarrow$ Pulmonary veins $\rightarrow$ Left atrium $\rightarrow$ Mitral valve $\rightarrow$ Left ventricle $\rightarrow$ Aortic valve $\rightarrow$ Aorta $\rightarrow$ Body.

Mitral (Bicuspid) Valve

The heart valve located between the left atrium and left ventricle that prevents the backflow of oxygenated blood.

Down Syndrome Heart Abnormalities

Three common cardiac defects associated with Down syndrome: mitral valve prolapse, irregular heart rate, and ventricular septal defect.

Cause of Death

The specific injury, trauma, or disease that directly caused the victim's death.

Mechanism of Death

What happens physiologically (inside the body) to result in death.

Manner of Death

The circumstances that result in death, which are designated as natural or unnatural.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

A brain condition characterized symptomatically by headaches, dizziness, and confusion, and histologically by evidence of swelling and pockets of fluid accumulation.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

A progressive degenerative brain disease resulting from repetitive head trauma, distinguishable under histologic tissue analysis from normal tissue and acute TBI.

Symptoms

Any subjective evidence of disease a patient perceives, such as aches, nausea, or fatigue.

Medical History

A record of information about a patient's past and current health, including habits, lifestyle, and family health history.

Chief Complaint

The patient's description of what they feel is their main health problem.

Physical Signs

Pieces of evidence that indicate an illness that can be observed externally, such as a rash, coughing, or elevated temperature.