Roshan N. Rajapakse

FaceID: A 3D computer graphic application for forensic medicine: A novel semi-automated muscle based digital sculpting initiative for forensic facial reconstruction in Sri Lanka

The field of medicine has integrated with law and regulation in the form of forensic medicine. While the field of medicine, as a whole, is leaping forward by integrating computer solutions, Forensic Medicine- particularly in developing regions such as Sri Lanka- is lacking innovative computer integrations. The process of forensic facial reconstruction in particular, is still at its infancy in Sri Lanka, and is yet to utilize the advanced technologies of other countries. Hence introducing a more efficient multimedia based technique to the local forensic officials in order to improve the efficiency and the accuracy of the reconstructions is the aim of this study. In contrast to the facial reconstructions conducted in other countries, this study introduces a novel semi-automated method of computer aided digital sculpting to the field of forensic medicine. The adopted process involved, acquiring a 3D model of the skull and digitally sculpting muscles in a 3D environment, followed by adding different facial features to improve identification. The research also encompassed a tissue thickness analysis and a facial component analysis, both of which were conducted for the first time on Sri Lankans since both were needed to improve the accuracy of the final output. This procedure was attempted on cases of the age category 20–30 and of medium weight. The outputs and the process were evaluated with different parties such as general public, forensic officials, lawyers and CID all of which yielded true positive results. The ultimate goal of conducting the study was to understand and overcome the challenges faced in developing this novel application for the Sri Lankan Forensic officials and to establish the first unit for facial reconstruction in Sri Lanka.

Serious games design considerations for people with Alzheimer's disease in developing nations

There is a wide range of serious games all over the world which are used as a Cognitive Stimulation Therapy to treat Alzheimers patients. But the utilization of these applications in the developing countries is very low due to low literacy in English and ICT. The aim of the study is to identify basic design considerations for making games more accessible, utilizable and stimulating for people with Alzheimers disease who lack IT literacy skills as well as English knowledge. This research utilizes qualitative data in the research design which comprised of two stages: Scoping stage and Prototype development stage. Scoping stage consisted of an observation conducted with a sample of 6 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease giving a prevailing serious game to identify the issues in them. Participatory design was followed in the Prototype development stage, conducted with a sample of 12 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease which consisted of 2 observations: one during the developing stage and the other after the development. Through the study we have found some design considerations that can be used to overcome low utilization of serious games. Some of our findings were games are more accurate when developed based on MOCA test and relating on their day to day lives, simple and easy games with short duration, using real images in the games, bigger buttons with more space between them, instructions in their native language etc. The findings suggest that developing serious games following these design considerations would make these games more accessible, utilizable and stimulating for people with Alzheimers disease who lack English knowledge and IT literacy skills, especially in Sri Lankan context.

Moving from detection to pre-detection of Alzheimer's Disease from MRI data

Alzheimers Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, affecting approximately 10% of individuals under 65 years of age, with the prevalence doubling every 5 years up to age 80, above which the prevalence exceeds 40%. Currently diagnosis of AD is largely based on the examination of clinical history and tests such as MMSE (Mini-mental state examination) and PAL (Paired Associates Learning). However many present studies have highlighted the inaccuracies and limitations of such tests. Thus medical officers are now moving to the more accurate neuroimaging data (Magnetic Resonance Imaging- MRI) based diagnosis for these types of diseases where brain atrophy transpires. However it is a considerable challenge to analyse large numbers of images manually to get the most accurate diagnosis at present.

Anthropometric classification of nasal indexes for a Sri Lankan undergraduate student population

Whilst the human nose is a predominant facial feature of ones face where it is used in assessing ones beauty, in the field of anthropometric studies, its index is used in a number of clinical and forensic practices. This index is the most commonly used method in classifying the human nose into different categories. The calculation of which is done by dividing the nasal breadth by the nasal height and multiplying the result by 100, where; Nasal breath: Maximum breadth of the nasal cavity (at right angles to the nasal height), from alare to alare (al) Nasal height: height from nasion (n) to nasospinale (ns).

Facial Soft Tissue Thickness Trends for Selected Age Groups of Sri Lankan Adult Population

Facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT), together with the osteological characteristics of the skull, is one of the important factors for facial reconstruction in both forensic anthropology and plastic surgeries. Even though a number of countries around the world have analysed the FSTT data of their own populations and are having a FSTT database, no such dataset or analysis is available in Sri Lanka. In this study, FSTT was measured at 23 standard anthropological landmarks using magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 243 adult individuals (male - 121, female - 122) of the Sri Lankan population, which were collected from clinical data from the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. For each landmark, basic descriptive statistics were calculated. The FSTT values which were classified according to the gender and age, were analysed to assess the variation of FSTT with those categories. The results of this study indicate that there are certain FSTT attributes which are related to specific landmarks and age groups. For example, data in this study depict that men have higher FSTT than women, in the area along the midline. However, the area around the cheeks shows comparatively large tissue thickness in young women (within 20-39 age range) than in men. Some landmarks indicate a significant variation in values with aging. Finally the results of this study were compared with that of a North West Indian study to evaluate whether a significant difference is present among the two geographically close countries.

An experimentation framework towards longitudinal analysis of EEG/ERP data to assess brain plasticity

Whilst there are many studies at present conducting research on brain related activities, many of its functions still remain a mystery. Neuroplasticity is one such area specifically in relation to its effects and changes in brain disorders. Devising an experimentation framework towards longitudinal assessment of brain plasticity related to learning and rehabilitation via electrophysiological markers based “EEG profiles” is the main research aim of this study.