Forensic Biology Commons^™

A Qualitative Nmr And Histological Analysis Of Adipocere Formation In Different Aqueous Environments Using Sus Scrofa Models, Mia M. Sorrentino

Student Theses

Adipocere is a wax-like crust that has the potential to form over corpses in moist, humid, and anaerobic environments, preserving them in a process similar to that of mummification. The substance can be identified within 3-6 months postmortem and is characterized by the ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids. Palmitic acid and stearic acid are the most abundant in comparison to myristic and oleic acids. The goal of this study was to investigate factors affecting adipocere formation in different aqueous environments. Pork belly samples were submerged in water samples collected from different places around New York City …

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 …

The Chemistry Of Decomposition: The Mechanisms To Decay The Human Body, Lydia J. Buxa

Senior Honors Theses

Taphonomic analysis separates decomposition into four major stages: fresh, early decomposition, advanced decomposition, and skeletonization. It is easy to demarcate the observable changes to the body, but it is far more difficult to know what underlying biochemical processes are occurring. Fresh decomposition begins with algor mortis, livor mortis, and rigor mortis, which sets the stage for the major workforces of decomposition: autolysis and putrefaction. The external signs of decomposition appear in early decomposition, which can be attributed to the breakdown of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. This also leads to major changes in the moisture levels during advanced decomposition, …

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 …

Investigating Concealments In Infanticide: Incidents And Forensic Entomological Implications, Gillian L. Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Forensic entomology plays a critical role in estimating the minimum postmortem interval (mPMIs), based on insect evidence. When victims are concealed, this can complicate mPMI estimates. Utilizing data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) from 2018 to 2021, I found that victims of infanticides and neonaticides are often concealed. I first investigated the demographics of offenders and victims, how often victims are concealed, and the most common means of concealment. I found that victims of infanticide were likely to be concealed 5% of the time, and neonaticides 50% of the time. Next, I investigated how concealment alters insect …

Are Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Active Nocturnally In South Georgia?, Breana R. Manning

Honors College Theses

Medicolegal forensic entomology uses insect colonization of remains to estimate minimum post-mortem intervals (mPMI). Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are among the earliest colonizers, yet their nocturnal activity remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine whether blow flies are active at night and whether artificial light influences their behavior. Using baited bottle traps in both artificially lit and unlit environments near Georgia Southern University, flies were collected over two trials in fall 2024. Of the 1,843 blow flies collected, only six were captured at night (0.003%), suggesting minimal nocturnal activity. Lucilia coeruleiviridis preferred unlit environments. In contrast, Cochliomyia macellaria was …

Accurate Body Weight Class Prediction From Mirna And Gene Expression In Blood And Saliva Samples, Kimberly Lettner

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

miRNA interference on protein abundance related to glucose uptake and lipid production has been evaluated in biomedical research and linked to metabolic disorders like severe obesity. The direct regulation of protein abundance caused by miRNAs on a person’s metabolism can lead to an increased weight and overall size. Body size, measured by BMI, provides additional physical descriptions that can be combined with hair color, eye color, age, and skin pigment to aid investigations of unidentified remains or unknown suspects not found in a database. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the miRNA expression of target biomarkers in dried …

Hemolytic And Non-Hemolytic Group B Streptococcus Strains’ Impact On Infection And Inflammation In Human Placental And Immune Cells, Olivia S. Harlow, Natalie Anumolu, Shannon Manning, Erica Boldenow

Summer Research

• Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonizes 10-30% of women.
• GBS remains the leading cause of infectious neonatal morbidity and mortality1
• GBS is defined as being β-hemolytic, but about 3% of strains are non-hemolytic.
• Recent data suggest that non-hemolytic strains also pose health risks to infants2.
• Previous data from our lab demonstrated that GB37 is non-hemolytic when grown on blood agar, but is hemolytic when grown in suspension with red blood cells.

Genotype And Allele Frequencies Of Nine Str Loci In Sikhs From Malaysia., Tan Chin Teck

Student Works (2010-2019)

Allele frequencies for nine short tandem repeats (STRs) gene loci (CSF1PO, TPOX,TH01, F13A01, FESFPS, vWA, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317) were obtained from analyses of saliva DNA from 109 unrelated healthy Sikh individuals residing in Malaysia. DNA was extracted using phenol/chloroform/isoamly alcohol method. 2ng of DNA for each sample was amplified following the instruction in GenePrint® STR Systems (Promega Corporation) CTT, FFv and SilverSTR III Multiplex kits. PCR products were separated in denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver stained using Promega DNA Silver Staining System. The results were then calculated and processed to establish a statistical database for Sikh community. Chi-square test …