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Forensic Science

Trace evidence

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 45

A Photoacoustic Technique for Measuring Soot Deposition on Surfaces

March 13, 2024
Author(s)
Ryan Falkenstein-Smith, Amy Mensch
This study investigates a soot deposition measurement technique that relies on the photoacoustic effect of soot. A non-invasive and reliable soot deposition measurement tool would be helpful for fire investigators to quantify burn patterns in a fire scene

Concentration of Ignitable Liquid Residue from Simulated Fire Debris by Dynamic Vapor Microextraction: Sensitivity to Instrument Settings and Debris Characteristics

July 6, 2023
Author(s)
Jennifer Berry, Mary Gregg, Amanda Koepke, Reta Newman, Kavita Jeerage
Dynamic vapor microextraction (DVME) is a potential method for the extraction and concentration of ignitable liquid (IL) residue in fire debris. This low flow rate, purge-and-trap headspace concentration method collects IL vapors onto a chilled adsorbent

Interpretation and Report Writing in Forensic Comparisons of Paint Evidence: An Inter-laboratory Exercise

June 21, 2023
Author(s)
Donna J. Sirk, Andria Mehltretter, Meghan Prusinowski, Hal Arkes, David Flohr, Cedric Neumann, Scott Ryland, Tatiana Trejos
This interlaboratory study evaluated a guide for interpreting and reporting trace evidence examinations. The online survey aimed to assess the examiners' interpretation of casework scenarios designed by a subject matter expert panel (SMEP), specifically

Field-Deployable Devices

January 1, 2023
Author(s)
Thomas P. Forbes, Raychelle Burks
Reductions in instrument size, weight, and power continue to facilitate the development and application of field-deployable devices for investigative purposes. Portable analytical instrumentation supporting the rapid and reliable identification of two

Rapid GC-MS as a Screening Tool for Forensic Fire Debris Analysis

July 6, 2022
Author(s)
Briana Capistran, Edward Sisco
Techniques developed for the screening of forensic samples can be useful for increasing sample throughput and decreasing backlog in forensic laboratories. One such technique, rapid gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), allows for fast sample

Calculation of likelihood ratios in forensic glass comparisons; introduction to a R code and Shiny app applied to existing background glass elemental databases

December 13, 2021
Author(s)
Anuradha Akmeemana, Ruthmara Corzo, Jodi Webb, Emily Haase, Jose Almirall
The use of standardized and robust analytical methods for the quantitative analysis of the elemental composition of glass fragments enables the characterization and comparison of glass as forensic evidence. This paper in- troduces a new R-based Shiny

An Interlaboratory Study to Evaluate the Forensic Analysis and Interpretation of Glass Evidence

November 14, 2021
Author(s)
Katelyn Lambert, Shirly Montero, Anuradha Akmeemana, Ruthmara Corzo, Gwyneth Gordon, Emily Haase, Ping Jiang, Oriana Ovide, Katrin Prasch, Kahlee Redman, Thomas Scholz, Tatiana Trejos, Jodi Webb, Peter Weis, Wim Wiardia, Sharon Wilczek, Huifang Xie, Peter Zoon, Jose Almirall
The results of an interlaboratory exercise involving ten (10) operational and research laboratories employing laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and using a standard test method (ASTM E2927-16e1) for the forensic

Open Media Forensics Challenge (OpenMFC) 2020-2021: Past, Present, and Future

September 29, 2021
Author(s)
Haiying Guan, Yooyoung Lee, Lukas Diduch, Jesse Zhang, Ilia Ghorbanian Bajgiran, Timothee Kheyrkhah, Peter Fontana, Jonathan G. Fiscus
This document describes the online leaderboard public evaluation program, Open Media Forensics Challenge (OpenMFC) 2021-2022. In the report, first, the introduction, objectives, challenges, contributions, and achievements of the evaluation program are

Forensic Applications of DART-MS: A Review of Recent Literature

June 17, 2021
Author(s)
Edward Sisco, Thomas Forbes
The need for rapid chemical analyses and new analytical tools in forensic laboratories continues to grow due to case backlogs, difficult to analyze cases, and identification of previously unseen materials such as new psychoactive substances. To adapt to

An Interlaboratory Study Evaluating the Interpretation of Forensic Glass Evidence Using Refractive Index Measurements and Elemental Composition

January 12, 2021
Author(s)
Ruthmara Corzo, Tricia Hoffman, Troy Ernst, Tatiana Trejos, Ted Berman, Sally Coulson, Peter Weis, Aleksandra Stryjnik, Hendrick Dorn, Edward Chip Pollock, Michael Scott Workman, Patrick Jones, Brendan Nytes, Thomas Scholz, Huifang Xie, Katherine Igowsky, Randall Nelson, Kris Gates, Jhanis Gonzalez, Lisa-Mareen Voss, Jose Almirall
Seventeen laboratories participated in three interlaboratory exercises to assess the performance of refractive index, micro X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (µXRF), and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) data for the forensic comparison of glass

Discriminative potential of ion mobility spectrometry for the detection of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues relative to confounding environmental interferents

September 27, 2019
Author(s)
Thomas Forbes, Jeffrey Lawrence, Jennifer R. Verkouteren, R. Michael Verkouteren
The opioid crisis and emergence of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and other synthetic opioids has highlighted the need for sensitive and robust detection for interdiction at screening points, notably vehicles at border crossings and packages at postal
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