Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Coomassie Brilliant Blue Dye As A Method For Analyzing Fracture Markings In Bone, Abigail Hoffmeister, David Harutunyan, Matthew Aizawa, Everett Baker, Brandon Mendoza, Chase Freeman, Siran Iskanian

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Coomassie Brilliant Blue Dye is a dye commonly used to stain proteins. Because of its ability to adhere to proteins, this research has focused on perfecting a method of dyeing a fractured flat bone in order to most accurately observe and analyze fracture markings within the trabecular layer. Stereoscopic microscopy was the chosen technique of analysis for this research because of its proven effectiveness in glass and ceramic fractography to observe varying depths. In order to most effectively apply stereoscopic microscopy to this research, the following variables were manipulated to maximize color contrast in the trabecular layer in order to …

Differentiation Of Human, Dog, And Cat Hair Fibers Using Dart Tofms And Machine Learning, Laura Ahumada, Erin R. Mcclure-Price, Chad Kwong, Edgard O. Espinoza, John Santerre

SMU Data Science Review

Hair is found in over 90% of crime scenes and has long been analyzed as trace evidence. However, recent reviews of traditional hair fiber analysis techniques, primarily morphological examination, have cast doubt on its reliability. To address these concerns, this study employed machine learning algorithms, specifically Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Random Forest, on Direct Analysis in Real Time time-of-flight mass spectra collected from human, cat, and dog hair samples. The objective was to develop a chemistry- and statistics-based classification method for unbiased taxonomic identification of hair. The results of the study showed that LDA and Random Forest were highly …

How To Resuscitate A Sick Vm In The Cloud, Xuhua Ding

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A guest virtual machine in a cloud platform may fall “sick” when its kernel encounters a fatal low-level bug or is subverted by an adversary. The VM owner is hence likely to lose her control over it due to a kernel hang or being denied of remote accesses. While the VM can be rebooted with the assistance from the cloud server, the owner not only faces service disruption but also is left with no opportunity to make an in-depth diagnosis and forensics on the spot, not to mention a live rectification. Currently, the cloud service provider has neither incentive nor …

Reply To Response By Fbi Laboratory Filed In Illinois V. Winfield And Affidavit By Biederman Et Al. (2022) Filed In Us V. Kaevon Sutton (2018 Cf1 009709), Susan Vanderplas, Kori Khan, Heike Hofmann, Alicia Carriquiry

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

1 Preliminaries

1.1 Scope

The aim of this document is to respond to issues raised in Federal Bureau of Investigation¹ and Alex Biedermann, Bruce Budowle & Christophe Champod.²

1.2 Conflict of Interest

We are statisticians employed at public institutions of higher education (Iowa State University and University of Nebraska, Lincoln) and have not been paid for our time or expertise when preparing either this response or the original affidavit.³ We provide this information as a public service and as scientists and researchers in this area.

1.3 Organization

The rest of the document precedes as follows: we begin …

Forensic Analysis Of Synthetically Generated Western Blot Images, Sara Mandelli, Davide Cozzolino, Edoardo Cannas, João Phillipe Cardenuto, Daniel Moreira, Paolo Bestagini, Walter Scheirer, Anderson Rocha, Luisa Verdoliva, Stefano Tubaro, Edward Delp

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The widespread diffusion of synthetically generated content is a serious threat that needs urgent countermeasures. As a matter of fact, the generation of synthetic content is not restricted to multimedia data like videos, photographs or audio sequences, but covers a significantly vast area that can include biological images as well, such as western blot and microscopic images. In this paper, we focus on the detection of synthetically generated western blot images. These images are largely explored in the biomedical literature and it has been already shown they can be easily counterfeited with few hopes to spot manipulations by visual inspection …

Application Of A Photoacoustic Tomography System: A Case Study On The Monitoring Of Pig Tissue Decomposition, Lusiana Sandra Oey, Mitrayana Mitrayana, Moh. Ali Joko Wasono

Makara Journal of Science

Pig carcasses have been used in forensic research because they share several similarities to human cadaver, including decomposition. In several studies, the decomposition of pig’s cadaver for a certain time can be used as a model to determine the time of death of a human. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the days of spoilage of pig tissue and the level of average sound intensity produced by the sample. Then, in this study, pig skeletal muscles were allowed to decay with a variation of 1–5 days. Afterward, these muscles were imaged using diode laser-based photoacoustic tomography. Results …

Firearms And Toolmark Error Rates, Susan Vanderplas, Kori Khan, Heike Hofmann, Alicia L. Carriquiry

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

We have outlined several problems with the state of error rate studies on firearm and toolmark examination. Fundamentally, we do not know what the error rate is for these types of comparisons. This is a failure of the scientific study of toolmarks, rather than the examiners themselves, but until this is corrected with multiple studies that meet the criteria described in Section 3, we cannot support the use of this evidence in criminal proceedings.

Electrochemical And Mass Spectrometry Methods For Identification Of Gunshot Residues (Gsr) In Forensic Investigations, Kourtney A. Dalzell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Gun violence continues to be one of most significant challenges straining the USA society causing thousands of human lives lost every year. In 2020 alone, firearm-related incidents including homicide, accidents, and suicides, reached a staggering number of over 43,000.^1,2 With the increase in these types of incidents, several service areas in crime laboratories are heavily impacted by the number of cases run on a yearly basis. These include firearm examinations, gunshot residue (GSR) analysis, bullet hole identification, and shooting distance determination, which are crucial to support a criminal investigation and, overall, the justice system in our country. These areas …

Identifying And Minimizing Sources Of Variability Within Modern Spectroscopic Techniques For The Forensic Analysis Of Glass, Oriana Christy Ovide

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Broken glass is a trace material frequently found at crime scenes such as hit-and-runs, burglaries, assaults, and homicides. Existing research encompassing the forensic analysis of glass evidence is vast. Published studies cover the analysis and interpretation of various types of glass. However, organizations such as the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), National Institute of Standards and Technology Organization of Scientific Area Committees (NIST-OSAC), and American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE) continue to identify glass-specific research needs to strengthen the scientific foundations of the field. Current gaps within the forensic glass community involve understanding modern glass formulations, re-evaluating the performance …

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 …

Internet Of Things Software And Hardware Architectures And Their Impacts On Forensic Investigations: Current Approaches And Challenges, Abel Alex Boozer, Arun John, Tathagata Mukherjee

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The never-before-seen proliferation of interconnected low-power computing devices, patently dubbed the Internet of Things (IoT), is revolutionizing how people, organizations, and malicious actors interact with one another and the Internet. Many of these devices collect data in different forms, be it audio, location data, or user commands. In civil or criminal nature investigations, the data collected can act as evidence for the prosecution or the defense. This data can also be used as a component of cybersecurity efforts. When data is extracted from these devices, investigators are expected to do so using proven methods. Still, unfortunately, given the heterogeneity in …

Resolution Of Portable Raman Spectrometers And Its Effect On The Analysis Of Biological Specimens, Jalissa Thomas

Chemistry

Body fluid traces are a common and a major form of evidence that can be found at a crime scene, as it is a good source of DNA. As such, it is vital that body fluid evidence is properly detected and identified. Issues with the current methods of identifying body fluids and the large backlog of evidence in most forensic labs call for more accurate on-scene (in situ) body fluid identification. Past research has demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy is an advantageous tool for accurately and quickly identifying body fluids, namely in the laboratory. Portable Raman instruments have been …

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy For Cocaine Detection, Kiersten Jo Mead

Chemistry

The detection of drugs of abuse using Raman spectroscopy is of particular interest to forensic researchers at the moment. Raman spectroscopy is highly specific, fast, non-destructive, and can be adapted for in-situ measurements, making it the ideal forensic technique. Researchers working under the guidance of Doctor Igor Lednev have been able to use UV resonance Raman spectroscopy to detect cocaine in oral fluid without the need for sample pretreatment. They were however unable to detect the cocaine at forensically relevant levels. To overcome this limitation, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used in this proof of concept study for the detection …

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.

Differential Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry (Dms-Ms) For Forensic And Nuclear-Forensic Applications, Ifeoluwa Ayodeji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In forensics and nuclear-forensics, the current lab-based analytical technique employed can be laborious, time consuming, and less suitable for in-situ and real time screening. However, it is important to develop fast and fieldable instrumental technique, without a tradeoff for its high throughput, for drug screening and radionuclear analysis. The underlying factors to be considered in the instrument development ranges from: high potency of samples, even at very low concentration; complex nature of samples in the surrounding environment; real-time chemical composition variation; and instrument size, weight and power (SWAP) consideration. Differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), also known as field asymmetric waveform ion …

Application Of The Benford’S Law To Social Bots And Information Operations Activities, Lale Madahali, Margeret Hall

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Benford's law shows the pattern of behavior in normal systems. It states that in natural systems digits' frequency have a certain pattern such that the occurrence of first digits in numbers are unevenly distributed. In systems with natural behavior, numbers begin with a “1” are more common than numbers beginning with “9”. It implies that if the distribution of first digits deviate from the expected distribution, it is indicative of fraud. It has many applications in forensic accounting, stock markets, finding abnormal data in survey data, and natural science. We investigate whether social media bots and Information Operations activities are …

A Domain Specific Language For Digital Forensics And Incident Response Analysis, Christopher D. Stelly

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

One of the longstanding conceptual problems in digital forensics is the dichotomy between the need for verifiable and reproducible forensic investigations, and the lack of practical mechanisms to accomplish them. With nearly four decades of professional digital forensic practice, investigator notes are still the primary source of reproducibility information, and much of it is tied to the functions of specific, often proprietary, tools.

The lack of a formal means of specification for digital forensic operations results in three major problems. Specifically, there is a critical lack of:

a) standardized and automated means to scientifically verify accuracy of digital forensic tools; …

Map My Murder: A Digital Forensic Study Of Mobile Health And Fitness Applications, Courtney Hassenfeldt, Shabana Baig, Ibrahim Baggili, Xiaolu Zhang

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The ongoing popularity of health and fitness applications catalyzes

the need for exploring forensic artifacts produced by them. Sensitive

Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is requested by the applications

during account creation. Augmenting that with ongoing

user activities, such as the user’s walking paths, could potentially

create exculpatory or inculpatory digital evidence. We conducted

extensive manual analysis and explored forensic artifacts produced

by (n = 13) popular Android mobile health and fitness applications.

We also developed and implemented a tool that aided in the timely

acquisition and identification of artifacts from the examined applications.

Additionally, our work explored the type of …

Raman Spectroscopic Examination Of Bloodstains For Forensic Purposes : Background And Race Determination, Ewelina M. Mistek

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Chapter 1 of this thesis critically overviews recent developments in forensic trace evidence analysis since 2016. It covers improvements to existing techniques as well as new methods for the analysis of fibers, hair, paint, glass, gunshot residue (GSR), and explosives.

Raman And Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy For Forensic Analysis: Case Studies On The Identification Of Illicit Substances And Artist Pigments, Abed Haddad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Raman spectroscopy is an effective tool for detecting trace amounts of material by fingerprint-like vibrational spectra. At times, the weak intensity of Raman scattering can make it difficult to distinguish trace materials. This shortcoming is addressed by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which produces strong signal enhancements when target compounds are near metal nanoparticles. For the first part of this thesis, the identification of fentanyl and carfentanil, main culprits in the opioid epidemic, was done using normal Raman and the SERS spectroscopy. As an aid in the assignment of the spectral lines, a computational model was built using Density Functional Theory …

Chip-Off Success Rate Analysis Comparing Temperature And Chip Type, Choli Ence, Joan Runs Through, Gary D. Cantrell

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Throughout the digital forensic community, chip-off analysis provides examiners with a technique to obtain a physical acquisition from locked or damaged digital device. Thermal based chip-analysis relies upon the application of heat to remove the flash memory chip from the circuit board. Occasionally, a flash memory chip fails to successfully read despite following similar protocols as other flash memory chips. Previous research found the application of high temperatures increased the number of bit errors present in the flash memory chip. The purpose of this study is to analyze data collected from chip-off analyses to determine if a statistical difference exists …

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 …

Evaluation Of Fingerprint Content For Forensic Crime Scene Analysis And Drug Metabolite Detection, Erica Kathryn Brunelle

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

With respect to criminal investigations, one key piece of evidence that often gets overlooked are fingerprints. For years, fingerprint samples have been believed to be useful only for matching purposes using their unique ridges, shapes, and sizes. With the rapid growth of forensic science, it has become evident that the development of fingerprint analysis has been stagnant. The traditional approach has been advantageous for the identification of many individuals; however, many fingerprint samples have been labeled “unusable” due to smudging, smearing, or any one of a myriad of reasons that could cause inconclusive matches. These samples can, however, still be …

Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis Of Amino Acids In Biological Tissues: Applications In Forensic Entomology, Food Authentication And Soft-Biometrics In Humans, Mayara Patricia Viana De Matos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In this work we demonstrate the power of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) to analyze proteinaceous biological materials in three distinct forensic applications, including: 1) linking necrophagous blow flies in different life stages to their primary carrion diet; 2) identifying the harvesting area of oysters for food authentication purposes; and 3) the ability to predict biometric traits about humans from their hair.

In the first application, we measured the amino-acid-level fractionation that occurs at each major life stage of Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) blow flies. Adult blow flies oviposited on raw pork muscle, beef muscle, or chicken liver. Larvae, pupae …

Digital Forensics In The Next Five Years, Laoise Luciano, Ibrahim Baggili, Mateusz Topor, Peter Casey, Frank Breitinger

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cyber forensics has encountered major obstacles over the last decade and is at a crossroads. This paper presents data that was obtained during the National Workshop on Redefining Cyber Forensics (NWRCF) on May 23-24, 2017 supported by the National Science Foundation and organized by the University of New Haven. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed from twenty-four cyber forensics expert panel members. This work identified important themes that need to be addressed by the community, focusing on (1) where the domain currently is; (2) where it needs to go and; (3) steps needed to improve it. Furthermore, based on the …

Automating Mobile Device File Format Analysis, Richard A. Dill

Theses and Dissertations

Forensic tools assist examiners in extracting evidence from application files from mobile devices. If the file format for the file of interest is known, this process is straightforward, otherwise it requires the examiner to manually reverse engineer the data structures resident in the file. This research presents the Automated Data Structure Slayer (ADSS), which automates the process to reverse engineer unknown file for- mats of Android applications. After statically parsing and preparing an application, ADSS dynamically runs it, injecting hooks at selected methods to uncover the data structures used to store and process data before writing to media. The resultant …

Forensic Analysis Of Immersive Virtual Reality Social Applications: A Primary Account, Ananya Yarramreddy, Peter Gromkowski, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Our work presents the primary account for exploring the forensics of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) systems and their social applications. The Social VR applications studied in this work include Bigscreen, Altspace VR, Rec Room and Facebook Spaces. We explored the two most widely adopted consumer VR systems: the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift. Our tests examined the efficacy of reconstructing evidence from network traffic as well as the systems themselves. The results showed that a significant amount of forensically relevant data such as user names, user profile pictures, events, and system details may be recovered. We anticipate that this …

Experience Constructing The Artifact Genome Project (Agp): Managing The Domain's Knowledge One Artifact At A Time, Cinthya Grajeda, Laura Sanchez, Ibrahim Baggili, Devon R. Clark, Frank Breitinger

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

While various tools have been created to assist the digital forensics community with acquiring, processing, and organizing evidence and indicating the existence of artifacts, very few attempts have been made to establish a centralized system for archiving artifacts. The Artifact Genome Project (AGP) has aimed to create the largest vetted and freely available digital forensics repository for Curated Forensic Artifacts (CuFAs). This paper details the experience of building, implementing, and maintaining such a system by sharing design decisions, lessons learned, and future work. We also discuss the impact of AGP in both the professional and academic realms of digital forensics. …

Using Multivariate Statistical Tools To Evaluate Dioxin/Furan Congener Profiles And Inform Policy Decisions, Will Hafner, Jonathan Nuwer, Timothy Hammermeister, Peter Striplin, Chance Asher

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Multivariate statistical methods (collectively referred to as chemometrics) are a valuable means of reducing the variability and complexity of large data sets. When incorporated with data visualization tools such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS), the output of these chemometric methods can be presented in a manner that is both intuitive and more readily usable for informing policy decisions. We have used these chemometric methods and visualization tools to evaluate the distributions of, and contributions from, various dioxin/furan congener profiles in sediments at three embayments in Puget Sound. One of these embayments was Budd Inlet, which is located in the south …

The Development Of Bioaffinity-Based Concepts For On-Site Forensic Analyses : Blood, Sweat, And ... Fingerprints?, Crystal Huynh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

There have been many advances in forensic science over the recent years, but a majority of the tests currently preformed are still heavily reliant upon laboratory-based processes. This means that valuable pieces of information are left unexamined until a crime scene has been completely processed and evidence is moved to a crime lab. In some cases, the evidence may even be left in a queue due to backlogs from previous cases. The delay resulting from the time necessary for crime scene processing and transportation, as well as additional time spent waiting on lab equipment availability, hinders an investigator’s ability to …