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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Soil From Footwear Is A Newly Rediscovered Type Of Forensic Evidence Due To The Application Of Modern Analytical Techniques : A Review, Rhilynn Haley Ogilvie
Soil From Footwear Is A Newly Rediscovered Type Of Forensic Evidence Due To The Application Of Modern Analytical Techniques : A Review, Rhilynn Haley Ogilvie
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Traces of soil discovered on a footwear were historically among the first types of evidence used by crime scene investigators. This type of evidence has been rediscovered recently due to the application of powerful analytical techniques providing quantitative characteristics of the soil (bio)chemical composition. Advanced statistical analysis of the quantitative data further improves the probative value of the soil evidence. The article overview main aspects of the emerging techniques for the forensic soil analysis and the factors that challenge data interpretation including mixing, contamination, and composition complexity. Overcoming these issues is crucial for utilizing soil analysis for forensic purposes.
Hierarchical Modelling Of Raman Spectroscopic Data Demonstrates The Potential For Manufacturer And Caliber Differentiation Of Smokeless Powders, Nathan Russell Bartlett
Hierarchical Modelling Of Raman Spectroscopic Data Demonstrates The Potential For Manufacturer And Caliber Differentiation Of Smokeless Powders, Nathan Russell Bartlett
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
With the rise of gun-based crime and the advent of lead-free ammunition reducing the effectiveness of previously used methods, the analysis of smokeless powders to better understand organic gunshot residues is now more important than ever. One method that has shown potential is Raman spectroscopy, a relatively quick, nondestructive, and non-contact analysis method. To investigate whether Raman spectroscopy could be used to characterize individual powders, samples of smokeless powders from three manufacturers, Remington, Federal, and Winchester, each with two 9mm caliber and two .38 caliber ammo types, were dissolved, and their Raman spectra were collected. A hierarchical modelling system was …
Development And Applications Of Touch Chemistry Biometrics Analysis Of Latent Fingermarks By Maldi-Ms, Cameron M. Longo
Development And Applications Of Touch Chemistry Biometrics Analysis Of Latent Fingermarks By Maldi-Ms, Cameron M. Longo
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Fingerprint evidence has long been a pillar of forensic science and has been used for over a century as a means of identifying an individual. This is accomplished through the comparison of friction ridge patterns, which are inherently unique to each individual, and the practice of visualizing fingerprints and comparing them has become a well-studied field. While these techniques have been optimized and improved over time, they generally rely only on the physical pattern to provide information about the donor, and not the content of the fingerprint material itself. In the modern era, steps have been made to extract from …
Uio-Type Metal-Organic Framework Derivatives As Sorbents For The Detection Of Gas-Phase Explosives, Matthew Ryan Sherrill
Uio-Type Metal-Organic Framework Derivatives As Sorbents For The Detection Of Gas-Phase Explosives, Matthew Ryan Sherrill
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The detection of energetic compounds – better known to the public as explosives – has is an important cornerstone of counterterrorism and homeland security . While significant advances have been achieved for the detection of trace explosives in various matrices such as soil, wastewater, and clothing, the detection of explosives in the gas phase remains challenging due to their infamously low vapor pressures. In this thesis, we leverage the high sensitivity of direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) and the microporosity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to adsorb and therefore concentrate explosives from the vapor phase and subsequently detect them …
Development Of Bioaffinity Based Assays For Forensic Applications, Juliana Maria Agudelo Cano
Development Of Bioaffinity Based Assays For Forensic Applications, Juliana Maria Agudelo Cano
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
In the field of forensic science, body fluids are a major contributor of evidence in investigations. However, body fluids are usually used only for their genetic content, overlooking its unique composition of proteins and low-molecular-weight compounds that often serve as biomarkers in clinical diagnostics. This investigation aimed to develop simple, effective, and economical models that can be used to identify different attributes of the originator. The focus of this research was to develop biocatalytic cascades that could analyze body fluids by using UV-Vis spectroscopy. These models could be implemented in forensic settings, as well as in biometric authentications. The central …
A Project To Dye For : Differentiation Of Dyed And Non-Dyed Human Hairs Using Atr Ft-Ir Spectroscopy, Joseph John Greco
A Project To Dye For : Differentiation Of Dyed And Non-Dyed Human Hairs Using Atr Ft-Ir Spectroscopy, Joseph John Greco
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
IR spectroscopy is widely utilized for forensic purposes due to the chemical fingerprint the method provides. ATR FT-IR spectroscopy is particularly advantageous because it allows for spectra to be collected quickly, accurately, and perhaps most importantly for forensics, non-destructively. Human hair is commonly collected at a crime scene, and further analyzed using DNA analysis and microscopy. However, these techniques have limitations. In the past ATR FT-IR spectroscopy has shown promise in the analysis of human hair for forensic purposes. In this study, the differentiation of undyed hair versus dyed hair classes of varying colors based on their IR spectra were …
Mass Spectral And Chemometric Analysis For The Detection And Identification Of Forensically Relevant Materials, Meghan Grace Appley
Mass Spectral And Chemometric Analysis For The Detection And Identification Of Forensically Relevant Materials, Meghan Grace Appley
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Forensic science is the application of science to the law which in and of itself covers a substantial number of disciplines. Many of these involve the detection and identification of materials using analytical techniques. Traditional analysis methods include microscopy, spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The materials encountered by forensic practitioners are ever evolving, resulting in the need to develop new methods to complement conventional techniques to enhance the evidentiary value of the samples. The research presented here shows that novel methods including direct analysis in real time–high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS), thermal desorption coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), solid-phase microextraction (SPME) …
The Detection And Identification Of Blood On Interfering Substrates Using Raman Spectroscopy And Hamand For Forensic Purposes, Jalissa M. Thomas
The Detection And Identification Of Blood On Interfering Substrates Using Raman Spectroscopy And Hamand For Forensic Purposes, Jalissa M. Thomas
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Body fluids, such as blood and semen, can provide invaluable information to a criminal investigation. As such, it is imperative that body fluid evidence is properly detected and identified. Our laboratory has developed a methodology to universally detect and identify body fluids using Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. This methodology was developed under ideal conditions, which are rare in the field. Body fluid evidence can be found on substrates that produce a large Raman signal that can hinder detection of body fluid traces, which produce a weak signal. This project proposes the use of a statistical program called HAMAND (Hypothetical Addition …
Utilizing Raman Spectroscopy To Determine The Time Since Deposition Of Heated Bloodstains, Alexis Pearl Barber
Utilizing Raman Spectroscopy To Determine The Time Since Deposition Of Heated Bloodstains, Alexis Pearl Barber
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The development of novel forensic methods is a rapidly growing area within analytical chemistry. Analytical chemistry is well suited for forensic analyses as a plethora of information can be ascertained from utilizing a wide variety of techniques. At the scene of violent crimes, bloodstain evidence is one of the most frequently found and valuable types of evidence. This is because blood is a complex biological fluid which can provide crucial information during a forensic investigation including DNA evidence. The most informative form of analysis is DNA profiling, which potentially allows for the identification of an individual. However, there is more …
Determining Donor Age Through Blood Analysis Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform-Infrared (Atr Ft-Ir) Spectroscopy For Forensic Purposes, Samantha Leigh Giuliano
Determining Donor Age Through Blood Analysis Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform-Infrared (Atr Ft-Ir) Spectroscopy For Forensic Purposes, Samantha Leigh Giuliano
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Chapter 1 of this thesis is an overview of the use of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform-infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy in industry and for examination of body fluids with emphasizes on examination of blood. It covers recent developments for analysis of samples with ATR FT-IR spectroscopy for forensic purposes.
Cholinesterase Based System For Fentanyl Detection, Alyssa Shoemaker
Cholinesterase Based System For Fentanyl Detection, Alyssa Shoemaker
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Opioids and other illicit drugs have become a very prevalent problem across the world, especially in the United States. In fact, every day more than 130 people die from an opioid overdose. Despite many public warnings explaining the risks of opioid and drug use, the epidemic has continued to grow. As illicit drugs are becoming more rampant in society, law enforcement officers need a reliable, rapid, and non-invasive method to detects when someone may be on drugs, for example while driving, and to assess unknown powders or substances when presented at a crime scene containing drugs. Currently, at traffic stops …
Displacement Using Fentanyl And Bullet Analysis Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Henry Hance
Displacement Using Fentanyl And Bullet Analysis Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Henry Hance
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Opioids are substances that bind to opioid receptors in the central nervous system and can be endogenous, naturally occurring opium alkaloids derived from opium poppy or semi-synthetic and or synthetic compounds.1 Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has flooded the US market in the last decade. Synthetic opioid deaths increased by 100% from 2015 to 2016.2 The synthetic opioid is still used to treat severe chronic pain and during surgeries as an anesthetic, but has flooded the black market through illegal means. Fentanyl is prescribed in the forms of patches and lozenges, but can be abused and illegal sold in …
Optimal Excitation Wavelength For Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Organic Gunshot Residue Evidence, Ashley Hull
Optimal Excitation Wavelength For Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Organic Gunshot Residue Evidence, Ashley Hull
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Gunshot residue (GSR) is a type of trace evidence that can often be recovered at violent crime scenes. There are two major types of GSR, organic gunshot residue (OGSR), and inorganic gunshot residue (IGSR). Traditional forensic analysis of GSR focuses on IGSR, although with the movement towards lead-free, or non-toxic ammunition, IGSR analysis has become less informative, as lead is a major component of IGSR analysis. Because of this, OGSR has been investigated to supplement the standard IGSR analysis methods. Previous work has shown Raman spectroscopy to be effective at identifying OGSR as well as a minimally destructive and specific …
Computational Modeling As A Tool For Designing Ligands And Receptors, Waqas S. Awan
Computational Modeling As A Tool For Designing Ligands And Receptors, Waqas S. Awan
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Computational methods can be used for a wide range of applications, especially regarding DNA and RNA. Interactions such as sugar torsions, receptor-ligand interactions, ligand docking/drug docking, receptor modeling, and drug design are excellent candidates for computational analysis and in silico experiments. The use of molecular dynamics software (GROMACS) coupled with molecular design software (MOE) produce insights that may have been otherwise difficult to assess. All these problems are academic in nature but have practical uses outside of academia. Understanding alternate linkages can lead to antibiotic assays to address potential superbug epidemics. Modeling DNA superstructures can provide insight into how large …
Characterizing Body Fluids With Raman Spectroscopy : Towards Real World Application, Marisia Ann Fikiet
Characterizing Body Fluids With Raman Spectroscopy : Towards Real World Application, Marisia Ann Fikiet
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This project continues the research on a new method of body fluid identification and furthers its field capabilities. This method of identification uses Raman spectroscopy and advanced chemometrics to distinguish between body fluids. It is an improvement on current methods because it is confirmatory, non-destructive, and has simple sample preparation. The first objective of this research is to create a model for differentiating body fluids for a new desktop instrument. It was determined that due to resolution differences from a research grade instrument, a new model needed to be made for this the desktop instrument. This model will be able …
Synthesis And Adsorption Experiments With Metal-Organic Frameworks For High School And Undergraduate Laboratory Settings, Kate Holley
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Seven experiments are described and outlined here that introduce high school and undergraduate students to metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and their applications. The experiments were designed to be completed with basic laboratory equipment and supplies and without the use of expensive characterization instruments, simulating typical high school chemistry laboratory conditions. Students synthesized two well-known MOFs, HKUST-1 and aluminum fumarate, using simple, safe, and rapid methods (fast enough to be performed within the time constrains of a typical high school class). Students then use their synthesized MOFs to explore their inherent sorption properties. In one set of experiments, the synthesized MOFs are …
Differentiation Of Potential False Positives From Human Saliva Using Raman Spectroscopy For Forensic Purposes, Selina Casadei
Differentiation Of Potential False Positives From Human Saliva Using Raman Spectroscopy For Forensic Purposes, Selina Casadei
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Traces of body fluids can be found at a crime scene. Being able to identify and differentiate the body fluids while preserving DNA is fundamentally important for forensic applications. Saliva is an important body fluid that can be found on bite marks, cigarette butts, and more, being an excellent source for DNA extraction. Current tests for saliva and other body fluids are destructive and body fluid specific, and are prone to false positives. Our laboratory has developed a universal method for identification of all main body fluids; saliva, semen, sweat, peripheral blood, and vaginal fluid, using Raman spectroscopy combined with …
Further Development Of Raman Spectroscopy For Body Fluid Investigation : Forensic Identification, Limit Of Detection, And Donor Characterization, Claire K. Muro
Further Development Of Raman Spectroscopy For Body Fluid Investigation : Forensic Identification, Limit Of Detection, And Donor Characterization, Claire K. Muro
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The challenges to forensic body fluid analysis have placed limitations on the type of information that investigators can acquire and how that information can be collected. In recent years, Raman spectroscopy has proven itself useful for characterizing body fluids. In 2008, a large-scale investigation was undertaken to explore the use of Raman spectroscopy as a means of identifying body fluids. This work resulted in multidimensional Raman spectroscopic signatures for the five main body fluids: semen, peripheral blood, saliva, vaginal fluid, and sweat. These studies were incredibly successful and created the foundation for years of continued research. Accordingly, the studies included …
Conditions For Deterministic Limits Of Markov Jump Processes : The Kurtz Theorem In Chemistry, Ada Anna Sedova
Conditions For Deterministic Limits Of Markov Jump Processes : The Kurtz Theorem In Chemistry, Ada Anna Sedova
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
A theorem by Kurtz on convergence of Markov jump processes is presented as it relates
Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Body Fluids : Species Differentiation And The Effect Of Substrate Interference And Laser Power, Gregory Keith Mclaughlin
Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Body Fluids : Species Differentiation And The Effect Of Substrate Interference And Laser Power, Gregory Keith Mclaughlin
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Several recent discoveries demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy has a unique capability to characterize body fluid traces in a forensic capacity. This approach has thus garnered interest in the forensic community since 2008, when a proof of concept experiment established that blood, semen, vaginal fluid, sweat and saliva are easily differentiable through their Raman spectra. Several possible methods of identification have been described in the literature, one approach uses chemometrical models, and another applies recently formulated multidimensional Raman signatures. The analytical sampling method and the identification procedure provide several desirable traits for the field of forensic science. In particular, Raman spectroscopy …
Raman Spectroscopy For The Identification Of Body Fluid Traces : Mixtures And Contaminations, Race And Gender Differentation, Aliaksandra Sikirzhytskaya
Raman Spectroscopy For The Identification Of Body Fluid Traces : Mixtures And Contaminations, Race And Gender Differentation, Aliaksandra Sikirzhytskaya
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Body fluid traces are an important type of forensic evidence, which play a significant role in the reconstruction of a violent crime and often help to identify a victim or suspect based on DNA analysis. Despite a great need, there is no a single method, which could identify multiple body fluids. In addition, majority of current methods are destructive for the evidence. For about eight years, our laboratory has been working on the development of a new nondestructive method for identification of body fluid traces based on Raman microspectroscopy combined with advanced statistics. High differentiation power of the method has …
Fractional Comparison Of Arson Accelerants Using Advanced Distillation, Sarah Clickner
Fractional Comparison Of Arson Accelerants Using Advanced Distillation, Sarah Clickner
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Detection of accelerants is often critical in proving a fire was intentional. Establishing a fire was intentionally set is not an easy task and hinges on the preservation of accelerant present in fire debris. Various accelerants have previously been studied using the advanced distillation method to get fractional composition information. The resulting fractions from advanced distillations were compared to evaporation and burn samples to determine if there were any similarities.
Statistical Analysis Of Gasoline As An Accelerant Using Principal Component Analysis, Carolyn Frantz
Statistical Analysis Of Gasoline As An Accelerant Using Principal Component Analysis, Carolyn Frantz
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Arson is one of the most difficult crimes to investigate, as much of the physical evidence is destroyed by the fire. Evidence of an accelerant at a scene is often vital in determining whether a fire was intentional or accidental. Gasoline is one of the most commonly used accelerants, due to its wide availability and low cost. Neat gasoline samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to identify the components present in each gasoline and differentiate between gasoline samples based on their seasonal blend and grade. Advanced distillations were executed to compare regular and premium grade gasolines and determine …
Advanced Statistical Methods For Biochemical And Forensic Applications Of Raman Spectroscopy, Vitali Sikirzhytski
Advanced Statistical Methods For Biochemical And Forensic Applications Of Raman Spectroscopy, Vitali Sikirzhytski
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This work is dedicated to the development and application of advanced statistical methods for biochemical and forensic applications of Raman spectroscopy. We developed a new concept of multidimensional Raman signatures for forensic identification of body fluid traces, which was successfully applied to the study of dried blood, semen, saliva, sweat and vaginal fluid stains. Several alternative advanced chemometric techniques were also successfully tested for the problems of pure body fluids discrimination and mixture analysis. Studies of body fluid mixtures with low blood and semen concentrations indicated that the detection limit of a minor contributor was as low as a few …
Raman Spectroscopy Of Body Fluids : A Nondestructive Identification Technique For Forensic Applications, Kelly Virkler
Raman Spectroscopy Of Body Fluids : A Nondestructive Identification Technique For Forensic Applications, Kelly Virkler
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The analysis of body fluid evidence during forensic investigations is a complicated process, yet it is a critical step in determining the key facts of a crime. There is no doubt that DNA analysis is an extremely useful tool that can identify a suspect or victim, but crime scene investigators must first locate and identify potential body fluid stains that can be collected for DNA analysis. Current screening tests are destructive to the sample and can give false positive results, so a nondestructive technique such as Raman spectroscopy, that can possibly confirm the presence of a particular fluid, could lend …