Forensic Science and Technology Commons^™

Ant Predation Of Blow Flies During Decomposition And Its Potential Impact On Pmi Estimations, Vincent J. Nappi

Student Theses

When an organism dies, the process of decomposition begins and many insects are attracted to the decomposing remains, or carrion, as a prospective food source for themselves, or their offspring. Blow flies (Family: Calliphoridae), in particular, are one of the first insects to discover and colonize a dead body due to the ability to detect a decomposing resource from large distances. As a result, forensic entomologists take advantage of the behavior and developmental cycles of early colonizers to calculate the post-mortem interval (PMI) in order to determine the time since death. However, along with the insects that are attracted to …

Range Of Detection For Proteins And Dna From Fingerprints On Fired And Unfired Cartridge Casings, Stacey-Ann R. Sterling

Student Theses

Cartridges and spent cartridge casings can be probative pieces of evidence. Unfortunately due to a combination of factors such as exposure to high temperatures and initially low amounts of biological material on the surface, DNA testing so far has been mostly unsuccessful for these items. Typing other marker systems, such as protein polymorphisms, on the same biological evidence would add power of discrimination. To explore this option we developed a DNA-protein trypsin-based co-extraction method that was optimized for unfired and fired cartridges. Various sample wet and dry collection methods and multiple metal casings, such as aluminum, nickel, steel, and brass …

Optimizing A Method For Simultaneous Recovery Of Proteins And Dna From Fingerprints, Steven Kranes

Student Theses

DNA testing on touched objects is a valuable tool in forensic investigations, but DNA is usually present in low amounts, causing poor STR typing results. For touch DNA evidence, there is a clear need for additional individualization, especially for highly probative samples. This could be achieved by testing genetically variable proteins. The goal of this project was to develop a DNA/protein co-extraction method to facilitate DNA and protein testing on the same evidence item. Existing DNA extraction methods were carefully adjusted to allow for downstream mass spectrometry analysis. Initial experiments on saliva and fingerprints placed on glass suggested that trypsin …

Digital Anti-Forensics: An Implementation And Examination, Stephanie Dachs

Student Theses

The rise of computer use and technical adeptness by the general public in the last two decades are undeniable. With greater use comes a greater possibility for misuse, evidenced by today’s incredible number of crimes involving computers as well as the growth in severity from that of cyber hooliganism to cyber warfare. Although frequently utilized for privacy and security purposes, the vast range of anti-forensic techniques has contributed to the ability for hackers and criminals to obstruct computer forensic investigations.

Understanding how anti-forensics may alter important and relevant data on an electronic device will prove useful for the success and …

Detection Of Cathinone And Mephedrone In Plasma By Lc-Ms/Ms Using Standard Addition Quantification Technique, Theron W. Ng-A-Qui

Student Theses

Designer drugs are structural analogs of Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Schedule I and II substances. They are synthesized to mimic the effects of illegal drugs of abuse and to bypass the provisions of drug regulations. Despite the increased availability of designer drugs, few studies have focused on specific analytical extraction techniques for their detection and quantification in biological samples. Solid phase extraction (SPE) is the most commonly used technique for sample preparation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extraction efficiency of the various SPE columns with different sorbent materials for two designer drugs, cathinone and mephedrone in …

Bayesian Approach To Toolmark Analysis, Antonio W. Del Valle

Student Theses

Statistical analysis of toolmarks using frequentist methods can be problematic for assorted reasons. Thus, in order to analyze toolmarks whilst avoiding these issues, a Bayesian approach is taken. Specifically for this thesis we discuss the computation of a specific Likelihood Ratio for toolmark comparisons. This Bayesian based approach involves using data already at hand in conjunction with a probability model in order to establish an estimate for its “value”, i.e. the “weight of evidence”. Making the calculations to obtain a Likelihood Ratio is very cumbersome and time consuming. Also many commercial software packages hide the process and underlying assumptions that …

Chemical Identification Of Synthetic Cannabinoids In Herbal Incense Products, Karol F. Alvarez Heredia

Student Theses

The emergence of synthetic cannabinoids is an ongoing challenge for forensic, clinical analytical chemists and toxicologists. Different analogs are continuously introduced in the market to circumvent the legislation and to enhance their pharmacological activity. In the present project, a total of seven synthetic cannabinoids were identified in four herbal incense products by employing GCMS, and LC-TOF. Fractional collection of four out of the seven synthetic cannabinoids was performed using HPLC followed by the collection of FTIR-ATR spectra. Five out of seven synthetic cannabinoids were classified as indazole carboxamide derivatives, which include 5Fluoro-EMB-Pinaca, 5Fluoro-AMB, MA-Chminaca, AB-Chminaca, and 5Fluoro-AKB-48. The remaining two …