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Forensic science

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 26

Vapor pressure measurements on D9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, and cannabinol to inform cannabis breathalyzer development

January 26, 2026
Author(s)
Cheryle Beuning, Jennifer Berry, Eugene Paulechka, Marcia Huber, Kavita Jeerage, Jason Widegren, Tara Lovestead
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, and other drug molecules that have large molar masses, are often described as "nonvolatile" and are presumed to be carried in exhaled breath aerosols. Large variabilities in THC

Assessing a High Throughput SNP Assay for Closed Scenario Kinship Investigation

May 14, 2025
Author(s)
Kevin Kiesler, Carolyn Steffen, Lauren Mullen, Peter Vallone
Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have conducted experiments using the ForenSeq Kintelligence-HT kit, a highly multiplexed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel intended for use in disaster victim

DNA Mixture Interpretation: A NIST Scientific Foundation Review

December 18, 2024
Author(s)
John Butler, Hariharan Iyer, Richard Press, Melissa Taylor, Peter Vallone, Sheila Willis
Improvements in DNA testing methods have allowed forensic scientists to reduce the quantity of DNA required for profiling an individual. Today, DNA profiles can be generated from a few skin cells. This increased sensitivity has extended the usefulness of

A collaborative study on the precision of the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms used for DNA profile interpretation

June 19, 2024
Author(s)
Sarah Riman, Jo-Anne Bright, Kaitlin Huffman, Lilliana Moreno, Sicen Liu, Asmitha Sathya, Peter Vallone
Several fully continuous probabilistic genotyping software (PGS) use Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms (MCMC) to assign weights to different proposed genotype combinations at a locus. Replicate interpretations of the same profile in these software are

Inconclusive Decisions and Error Rates in Forensic Science

May 4, 2024
Author(s)
Henry Swofford, Steven Lund, Hariharan Iyer, John Butler, Johannes Soons, Robert Thompson, Vincent Desiderio, John Jones, Robert Ramotowski
In recent years, there has been discussion and controversy relating to the treatment of inconclusive decisions in forensic feature comparison disciplines when considering the reliability of examination methods and results. In this article, we offer a brief

Inconclusive Decisions and Error Rates in Forensic Science

May 4, 2024
Author(s)
Henry Swofford, Steven Lund, Hariharan Iyer, John Butler, Johannes Soons, Robert Thompson, Vincent Desiderio, John Jones, Robert Ramotowski
Conference Presentation based on technical paper in ERB (Control Number: N2024-0457).

Chemical Foundations for a Cannabis Breathalyzer (Final Research Report)

March 1, 2024
Author(s)
Tara Lovestead, Jason Widegren, Kavita Jeerage
Our ultimate goal is to support the reliable identification of recent cannabis use by developing an infrastructure for evaluation, calibration, and quality control of cannabis breathalyzers akin to that which exists for alcohol breathalyzers. The primary

Automated interpretation of firearm mark comparison results

December 13, 2023
Author(s)
Martin Baiker-Sorensen, Ivo Alberink, Laura Granell, Leen van der Ham, Erwin J.A.T. Mattijssen, Erich Smith, Johannes Soons, Peter Vergeer, Xiaoyu Zheng
In this article an automated approach for interpretation of firearm mark comparison results is presented. First, similarity scores are derived for marks typically encountered on primers of fired cartridge cases: aperture shear striations as well as

Surveying Practicing Firearm Examiners

April 20, 2022
Author(s)
Nicholas Scurich, Brandon Garrett, Robert Thompson
The comparison of discharged bullets and shell casings by firearm examiners is one of the most conducted forensic analyses. However, little is known empirically about how practicing firearm examiners view and conduct their work, the range of conclusions

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

Quantitative Evaluation of Footwear Evidence: Initial Workflow for an End-to-End System

November 23, 2021
Author(s)
Gautham Venkatasubramanian, Vighnesh Hegde, Steven Lund, Hariharan Iyer, Martin Herman
In the U.S., footwear examiners make decisions about the sources of crime scene shoe impressions using subjective criteria. This has raised questions about the accuracy, repeatability, reproducibility, and scientific validity of footwear examinations

Visualizing Shed Skin Cells in Fingerprint Residue using Dark Field Microscopy

March 5, 2020
Author(s)
Shinichiro N. Muramoto, William Osborn, John Gillen
The proof of concept study was able to show that dark field microscopy could be used to provide sufficient contrast for cell visualization in fingerprints with high sebum content. Although the application is limited to smooth surfaces that do not scatter

Likelihood Ratio as Weight of Forensic Evidence: A Closer Look

October 11, 2017
Author(s)
Hariharan Iyer, Steven Lund
The forensic science community has increasingly sought quantitative methods for conveying the weight of evidence. Experts from many forensic laboratories summarize their fndings in terms of a likelihood ratio. Several proponents of this approach have

A comment on the PCAST report: Skip the "match"/"non-match" stage

February 28, 2017
Author(s)
Geoffrey S. Morrison, David H. Kaye, David J. Balding, Duncan Taylor, Phillip Dawid, Colin Aitken, Simone N. Gittelson, Grzegorz Zadora, Bernard Robertson, Sheila Willis, Susan Pope, Martin Neil, Kristy A. Martire, Amanda Hepler, Richard Gill, Allan Jamieson, Jacob de Zoete, R. B. Ostrum, Amke Caliebe
This letter comments on the report "Forensic science in criminal courts: Ensuring scientific validity of feature-comparison methods" recently released by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The report advocates a

DNA Commission of the International Society for Forensic Genetics: Recommendations on the validation of software programs performing biostatistical calculations for forensic genetics applications

September 3, 2016
Author(s)
Michael D. Coble, John S. Buckleton, John Butler, Barbara Guttman
The use of biostatistical software programs to assist in data interpretation and calculate likelihood ratios is essential to forensic geneticists and part of the daily case work flow for both kinship and DNA identification laboratories. Previous

Measuring Systematic and Random Error in Digital Forensics

July 23, 2015
Author(s)
Alexander Nelson, Simson L. Garfinkel
Recognized sources of error in digital forensics include systematic errors arising from implementation errors, and random errors resulting from faulty equipment. But as digital forensic techniques expand to include statistical machine learning, another

Uncertainty in the number of contributors in the proposed new CODIS set

July 16, 2015
Author(s)
Michael D. Coble, Jo-Anne Bright, John S. Buckleton, James Curran
The probability that multiple contributors are detected within a forensic DNA profile improves as more highly polymorphic loci are analysed. The assignment of the correct number of contributors to a profile is important when interpreting the DNA profiles

Three steps towards metrological traceability for ballistics signature measurements

January 31, 2010
Author(s)
Jun-Feng Song, Theodore Vorburger, Robert Thompson, Thomas Renegar, Xiaoyu Zheng, Li Ma, James Yen, Martin Ols
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has developed the Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2460 bullets and 2461 casings. NIST and ATF are proposing to
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