OSAC Lexicon

A means for quantifying the amount of nucleic acid present in a sample using PCR.

A systematic search of an area in a series of point-to-point patterns utilizing the wind to the canine's best advantage.

(n) The nucleotide or protein sequence that has an unknown source (i.e., evidence sequence), or (v) the action of searching an unknown sequence against a database.

The percent of the query sequence length that is included in the aligned segment with a hit.

question of whether two or more items have the same origin or have different origins, or who or what the origin of an item is

Associated with the matter under investigation about which there is some dispute or query, including, but not limited to, whether two or more items have a common source.

An impression or image of friction ridge skin whose source or identity is unknown. 

NOTE The questioned impression may be a “known impression” or “exemplar impression” in tenprint to tenprint examinations.

An impression or image of friction ridge skin whose source or identity is unknown; it can include latent impressions, impressions from an unknown source or a known source.

An impression or image of friction ridge skin whose source or identity is unknown; it can include latent impressions, impressions from an unknown source or a known source.

An impression or image of friction ridge skin whose source or identity is unknown; it can include latent impressions, impressions from an unknown source or a known source.

An impression or image of friction ridge skin whose source or identity is unknown; it can include latent impressions, impressions from an unknown source or a known source.

A voice signal from an individual who is unknown and has not yet been linked to anypreviously encountered individual. Note: The task of speaker identification is to link aquestioned voice signal to a known voice signal through determination of a commonspeaker.

Handwriting about which the authenticity or writership is in doubt. (NIST HF)

A multimedia framework developed by Apple, Inc. It allows the use of many differentcodec formats. The native file format for QuickTime video specifies a multimediacontainer file that contains one or more tracks. Each track either contains a digitallyencoded media stream using a specific format or a data reference to the media streamlocated in another file.

Electromagnetic transmission of heat energy; increases the sensible temperature of any substance capable of absorbing the radiation, especially solid and opaque objects.

Heat transfer by way of electromagnetic waves that are longer than visible light waves and shorter than radio waves.

An image produced on a sensitive plate or film by x-rays or similar radiation, and typically used in medical examination range of motion.

A printing technique that combines different color inks to produce a subtle transition between colors.

A component of error whereby replicate measurements vary in an unpredictable way. Sources of random error are usually unexplained and therefore difficult to control. (NIST HF)

When the choice of something or the placement of something is random the source placed is equally likely to be either location.

A feature on a footwear outsole or tire tread resulting from interaction with an object(s) including, but not limited to: cuts, scratches, tears, holes, stone holds, abrasions, the acquisition of debris, and burn marks.

A feature or defect that can occur in the manufacturing process or from individual usage occurring after manufacture (for example, wear and damage defects such as cuts and gouges, reproducible blemishes, impression voids, improper and extraneous inking, or coincidental peripheral printing). The position, orientation, size, and shape of these characteristics are features that are part of the information an FDE uses to form an opinion about the probability of items being generated by the same or different source.

The distance from a firearm’s muzzle to the initial projectile impact.

The accumulation of deviations among repetitions of respective handwriting characteristics that are typically demonstrated in the writing habits of an individual (see 3.1.421 variation).

The subconscious impulse on the part of the canine to rise in status within the pack social order

A Category 0 scoring function. See 4.2.4. A rank-score only scoring function is either non-quantified, inconsistent, or non-explainable.

penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. 

Fully automated, “swab in – profile out” process of developing a DNA profile from a sample without human intervention.

The frequency or prevalence of a friction ridge feature, either in isolation or in conjunction with other information about its local context. 

NOTE For example, the prevalence of a type of feature could be affected by its proximity to a pattern force area, the finger number or palmar region on which it is located, or the pattern type in which it is located.

Output peripheral, either stand alone or within a printer, that converts computer data into a bitmapped image, which is sent to the host for storage or a printer for output.

See heat release Rate (HRR).

Ordinate values that come directly from the instrument which have not been manipulated (e.g.,trimmed, filtered, and/or interpolation applied).

A family of file formats, often specific to different models of digital imageryequipment, that are not yet processed for storage in a 'printable' image format such asJPEG or TIFF. The file extension '.raw' is only one such format.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A sample that contains no analyte, but contains the buffer, test reagents, or other materials required to perform a particular test. This is a negative control where results are not expected. The observation where the result(s) in this control may indicate the presence of contaminated or compromised reagents, which may impact the DNA or the serological results observed from samples tested at the same time. For forensic DNA testing this control is treated the same as, and parallel to, the DNA samples being analyzed.