A study of transfer and prevalence of organic gunshot residues
Chemical analysis of gunshot residues (GSR) can provide useful information for the reconstruction of events involving the use of firearms. This could include linking a person to such an event, an estimation of shooting distance and trajectory, bullet entry and exit point identification or simply determining the circumstances of a case and verifying the veracity of a testimony [1 –3]. Additional information concerning the type of firearm and ammunition used as well as the time since discharge can also be useful [4–7]. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 19, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Carmen Hofstetter, Matthieu Maitre, Alison Beavis, Claude P. Roux, C éline Weyermann, Anne-Laure Gassner Source Type: research
Evaluation of bait traps as a means to predict initial blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) communities associated with decomposing swine remains in New Jersey, USA
Recently, the field of forensic entomology has grown due to its importance in legal investigations. Typically, insect development in association with temperature can be used to determine a time of colonization (TOC) of human remains, which can then be used to infer a time since death [10]. Insects can also be used to provide information pertaining to body movement based on the geographical distribution of the insects collected from the remains [12] and can aid in cases of abuse or neglect in animals, including humans [7]. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 19, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Lauren M. Weidner, M. Denise Gemmellaro, Jeffery K. Tomberlin, George C. Hamilton Source Type: research
Nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide patterns and dynamics from an experimental pig mass grave
Determining the location of clandestine burials is difficult and modern searches often rely on a variety of methods from cadaver dogs [5] to remote sensing [11]. Complementary analyses have also focused on characterizing the products of human cadaver and animal carcass decomposition [1,6,16,15]. Studies that describe the suite of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released through the decomposition process of human remains also reference the production of gases such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) [4,7]. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 16, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: M. Dalva, T.R. Moore, M. Kalacska, G. Leblanc Source Type: research
Repetitive deliberate fires: development and validation of a methodology to detect series
Deliberate fires are known to be one of the most difficult offenses to understand, detect and solve [1 –3]. In a previous paper [4], we identified and described how three major challenges impact negatively on the resolution of deliberate fires. These were, the lack of definitional consensus around the notions of ‘deliberate fire’ and ‘perpetrator’, the concealment of relevant events within legitimate cases, and the dispersion of investigatory data across disparate multi-agency systems. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 16, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Eva Bruenisholz, Olivier Del émont, Olivier Ribaux, Linzi Wilson-Wilde Source Type: research
Reference values of lithium in postmortem femoral blood
Patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the main recipients of lithium, display increased mortality with respect to natural causes of death [1]. In addition, studies from different countries show that these patients comprise 2.3-9.6% of all suicidal deaths [2 –5] and may have a more than 20-fold increase in suicide rate compared to the general population [6]. In cases of suicide among those suffering from bipolar disorder, 17-53% are due to fatal intoxications [7]. One study has shown an increased rate of suicidal attempts in bipolar patients receiving antidepressant treatment, alone or in combination with lithium, com...
Source: Forensic Science International - June 15, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Carl S öderberg, Emma Wernvik, Anna K. Jönsson, Henrik Druid Source Type: research
Particle-size distribution (PSD) of pulverized hair: a quantitative approach of milling efficiency and its correlation with drug extraction efficiency
Hair has been used for xenobiotic and endogenous compounds determination in environmental, healthy and forensic research [1,2]. Hair is a solid sample whose preparation is usually performed by cutting [3 –11] or pulverization [12–24]. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 15, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Aline Garcia da Rosa Chagas, Eliani Spinelli, Sorele Batista Fiaux, Adriana da Silva Barreto, Silvana Vianna Rodrigues Source Type: research
Novel Laser Induced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy for Instantaneous Trace Detection of Explosive Materials
There has always been a need to detect the presence of imminent threats such as explosive materials [1,2]. Home land security, requires the instant detection of bombs, bomb makers, and bomb placers. Techniques for explosive detection can be divided into bulk and trace technologies. Bulk detection looks for a mass with certain properties that can offer an indication of explosive material. At trace levels, the general approach is to seek a specific chemical from a library of target compounds [3]. This means that the probability of false alarm is significantly lower than for bulk detection techniques. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 14, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Yasser H. El-Sharkawy, Sherif Elbasuney Source Type: research
Technical note: Intra-alveolar morphology assessed in empty dental sockets of teeth missing post-mortem
According to Interpol, fingerprints, teeth and DNA analyses consist of primary methods scientifically reliable for human identification [1]. These analyses have in common a comparative pathway towards human identification [2]. In forensic odontology, comparisons are performed between ante-mortem (AM) and post-mortem (PM) data, which consist of clinical records retrieved from dental offices and dental information obtained from the deceased, respectively [3]. Teeth are considered especial tools for human identification because they resist to strong environmental factors [4], such as heating and degradation [5]. (Source: Fore...
Source: Forensic Science International - June 14, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Lucas Raineri Capeletti, Ademir Franco, Rog ério Vieira Reges, Rhonan Ferreira Silva Tags: Technical Note Source Type: research
The accuracy of the anatomical method for stature estimation in Black South African females
The anatomical method, commonly referred to as Fully ’s method [17], has repeatedly been described as the most accurate method for stature estimation [29,31,36,3,32]. This is due to the inclusion of the height measurements of all the bones that contribute directly to stature and as such eliminates the inaccuracies introduced by differing body propor tions, which is one of the main sources of error of the mathematical method [29,38,32]. The anatomical method is also often used to calculate skeletal height. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 14, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Desir é Brits, Paul R. Manger, Mubarak A. Bidmos Tags: Forensic Anthropology Population Data Source Type: research
Editorial Board
(Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 9, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research
Analysis of Fire Deaths in Poland and Influence of Smoke Toxicity
Dwelling fires have changed continuously since the 1950s, mainly because the composition of the materials used in buildings and their contents have changed. These changes contribute to an ever-growing diversity of chemical species found in fires, many of them highly toxic [1,2]. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 9, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Joanna Giebultowicz, Monika Ru życka, Piotr Wroczynski, David A. Purser, Anna A. Stec Source Type: research
Forensic applications of direct analysis in real time (DART) coupled to Q-orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry for the in situ analysis of pigments from paint evidence
Paint evidence found at a vehicle accident site may reveal a connection between the victim and the responsible vehicle. During an accident, as paint chips or paint smears are often transferred between vehicles, the comparison of the transferred paints between the victim ’s vehicle and the suspected vehicle can serve as important evidence in reconstructing the scene of the accident. Typically, modern vehicle paint is composed of four main layers: an electrocoat primer, a primer surfacer, a base coat, and a clear coat [1,2]. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 9, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Tai-Hung Chen, Shu-Pao Wu Source Type: research
Challenges in GC –MS analysis: Case studies on phenibut and ethylphenidate
The huge increase in market for new psychoactive substances (NPS) as ‘legal’ alternatives to controlled drugs has posed huge challenges to the health and safety of the citizens in many countries [1–3]. These NPS can be completely novel compounds or chemical variants of existing illicit substance with limited information available on these substances, posing maj or challenges for many forensic laboratories in the identification and the discrimination of these new substances from existing analogues. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 9, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Shirley Lee, Ong Mei Ching, Lim Jong Lee Wendy, Yap Tiong Whei Angeline Source Type: research
Improved JPEG anti-forensics with better image visual quality and forensic undetectability
The development of multimedia services increases the appearing frequency of doctored images related to the political, advertising and personal attacks. The ease in availability of the photo editing softwares and high quality modern cameras has led to the manipulation of the image information to a great extent. Therefore, maintaining the authenticity of digital images is one of the primary concerns. Digital image forensics provides efficient tools and algorithms which generate the historic information of an image related to the camera or device properties used for shooting. (Source: Forensic Science International)
Source: Forensic Science International - June 9, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Gurinder Singh, Kulbir Singh Source Type: research
Automatic Retrieval of Shoeprint Images Using Blocked Sparse Representation
The place at which a criminal commits his/her illegal acts is referred to as the crime scene. Indeed, a crime scene can offer useful information and evidence for investigating the crime. Edmund Locard proposed a theory which is known as exchange theory. According to his exchange theory, people who commit crimes, inevitably leave certain evidence and traces in crime scenes. In a similar vein, specific hints and things belonging to the crime scene are left on the criminal [1]. Hence, in line with this theory, it can be argued that such evidence and traces are critically essential for proving crime occurrence, identifying the...
Source: Forensic Science International - June 8, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Sayyad Alizadeh, Cemal Kose Source Type: research
