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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Forensic Biology
Pepper Spray Exposure And The Effect On Dna Profiling Of Blood, Brandon Schmakel
Pepper Spray Exposure And The Effect On Dna Profiling Of Blood, Brandon Schmakel
Honors Projects
Pepper spray is a common self defense tool used in both law enforcement and civilian settings, with the goal of incapacitating the sprayed individual. In real casework where pepper spray was used, a red-brown stain which tested positive presumptively for blood provided no DNA profile after further testing six months later. A previous graduate student, Emma Crawn, attempted to emulate these casework conditions and instead achieved a DNA profile with slight indications of inhibition or degradation. Further analysis of active pepper spray ingredients such as Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) and Chloroacetophenone (CN) reveals that there are observed reactions, such as oxidation, …
Capillary Electrophoresis Vs Massively Parallel Sequencing: A Cost-Benefit Analysis, Samia Williams
Capillary Electrophoresis Vs Massively Parallel Sequencing: A Cost-Benefit Analysis, Samia Williams
Honors Projects
Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) is a new Forensic Science field allowing multiple samples to be sequenced simultaneously. In contrast to CE, multiple types of genetic markers including those from different nucleic acids can be used in the same assay. Additionally, MPS has opened the doors to certain fields of Forensic DNA Analysis like Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy and Forensic Phenotyping assays containing upwards of 100 SNPs. While quite expensive and requiring a high cost for initiating, MPS has the potential to save time and greatly increase the throughput of Forensic DNA Analysis in crime labs.
Buffer Vs. Swabs: Efficacy Of Carrier Nucleic Acids In Robotic Extractions, Shawn Cecil
Buffer Vs. Swabs: Efficacy Of Carrier Nucleic Acids In Robotic Extractions, Shawn Cecil
Honors Projects
This study compared the efficiency of two carrier nucleic acid methods, specifically using salmon sperm DNA (spDNA), in robotic solid-phase extractions of cotton swab samples. Robotic extractions reduce processing time and workload but result in substantially lower DNA recovery than manual organic extraction. This research tested 10 µg of spDNA being added to the lysis buffer or pre-treating the swabs with it before DNA was added. Both methods showed a significant increase in recovery compared to extractions with no carrier. In the buffer extractions, recovery ranged from 69.4% to 117.5% and the swabs being pre-treated ranged from 84.2% to 125.8% …
Color Tests For The Presumptive Identification Of A Range Of Benzodiazepines, Regan Mulvin
Color Tests For The Presumptive Identification Of A Range Of Benzodiazepines, Regan Mulvin
Honors Projects
Color tests are presumptive chemical tests that determine the class of drug in both laboratory and field settings. Despite the rising popularity of benzodiazepines and the usefulness of color tests, there is no widely accepted color test for identifying them. This study tested six different color tests against five benzodiazepines, including diazepam, clonazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, and flualprazolam, to identify which of the tests would work most generally across all benzodiazepines. Of the six tests, the McKibben test, the Janovsky test, and the Zimmerman test all showed potential usefulness as a presumptive color test. More studies should be done on a …
Advancement Of Wrongful Conviction Prevention Strategies In Forensic Science, Isabella Pinto
Advancement Of Wrongful Conviction Prevention Strategies In Forensic Science, Isabella Pinto
Honors Projects
The National Registry of Exonerations (NRE) has identified 1,051 of its logged cases to involve forensic evidence in some way, nearly one-third of the total 3,600 exonerations in its database. Analysis of the NRE and Innocence Project databases revealed the most common factors in forensic-related wrongful convictions: expert testimony, flawed methodologies (most of which are no longer in use), and statistical misinterpretations of results. The majority of scholars agree that oversight in forensic casework must be improved in order to meaningfully resolve issues. Creation of commissions in each state would address all of the identified errors, though not a catch-all …
Identification Of Areas Of Weakness In Forensic Footwear Research, Kathryn Roy
Identification Of Areas Of Weakness In Forensic Footwear Research, Kathryn Roy
Honors Projects
Forensic footwear examinations have been carried out for almost a century, but the foundational validity of identifying a questioned impression to a particular shoe has been questioned by the National Research Council and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The focus of this paper was to identify the current weaknesses present in forensic footwear impression research. Additionally, a future experiment was proposed to address these concerns and improve the foundational validity of footwear impression comparisons. A total of 15 footwear research studies varying in methodology and content were analyzed and contrasted. From this, a lack of studies …