Forensic Science and Technology Commons^™

Understanding The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Cybercrime, Sinyong Choi, Thomas Dearden, Katalin Parti

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Artificial intelligence is one of the newest innovations that offenders also exploit to satisfy their criminal desires. Although understanding cybercrimes associated with this relatively new technology is essential in developing proper preventive measures, little has been done to examine this area. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of the articles featured in the special issue of the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime, ranging from deepfake in the metaverse to social engineering attacks. This issue includes articles that were presented by the winners of the student paper competition at the 2024 International White Hat Conference.

Investigating The Intersection Of Ai And Cybercrime: Risks, Trends, And Countermeasures, Sanaika Shetty, Kyung-Shick Choi, Insun Park

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

No abstract provided.

Integrated Model Of Cybercrime Dynamics: A Comprehensive Framework For Understanding Offending And Victimization In The Digital Realm, Troy Smith Phd

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

This article introduces the Integrated Model of Cybercrime Dynamics (IMCD), a novel theoretical framework for examining the complex interplay between individual characteristics, online behavior, environmental factors, and outcomes related to cybercrime offending and victimization. The model incorporates key concepts from existing theories, empirical evidence, and interdisciplinary perspectives to provide a comprehensive framework. In contrast to traditional criminological theories, the proposed model integrates concepts from multiple disciplines to offer a holistic framework that captures the complexity of cybercrime and specifically caters for the uniqueness of cyberspace. The article will provide a detailed overview of the conceptual model, its theoretical underpinnings drawing …

Indiana Law Supporting Newly Established Indiana Innocence Project, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

Law students from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law will have the opportunity to help exonerate wrongfully convicted Hoosiers through the newly established Indiana Innocence Project, which officially launched Saturday (Aug. 17).

Established in association with the national Innocence Project—which has helped free more than 240 wrongfully convicted prisoners since 1992—the Indiana Innocence Project (INIP) has been made possible through the support of the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, along with the Law School and IU’s Department of Criminal Justice.

The Indiana Innocence Project will screen and investigate cases with meritorious innocence claims, secure DNA testing when biological evidence …

Application And Implications Of Radiocarbon Dating In Forensic Case Work: When Medico-Legal Significance Meets Archaeological Relevance, Benoit Bertrand, Thibault Clauzel, Pascale Richardin, Anne Bécart, Philippe Morbidelli, Valery Hédouin, Carina Marques

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The estimation of the postmortem interval for skeletal remains is a crucial aspect of forensic anthropology. This paper illustrates the importance of radiocarbon analysis for establishing medico-legal significance and supporting forensic identification, through the analysis of three case studies for which the years of both birth and death were investigated. In Audresselles, Northern France, a partial skull was discovered with no contextual information or identity. Radiocarbon dating yielded an average calibrated calendar age of 4232 BCE (92.5% probability), indicating significant archaeological value but no forensic relevance. In the second case, skeletal remains were found in the flooded underground of a …

The Mda Forensic Dental Team Needs More Volunteers, Patrick Houlihan Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Michigan Dental Association Forensic Dental Identification Team (MDA-FDIT) urgently needs more volunteers. In this article, learn of their impressive record of service to the public and the profession, which has been widely recognized for the important role it plays in the identification of both individual victims and those of mass disasters. Formed in the early 1980s, MDA-FDIT plays a crucial role in identifying disaster victims using dental records. The team has been instrumental in identifying victims from incidents like the 1987 Northwest Flight 255 crash and has assisted in various mass-casualty situations, including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. MDA-FDIT works …

An Internal Validation Of The Ande Rapid Dna Instrument For Bone, Tissue, And Blood Samples, Alexandra Leichnam

Student Theses

The goal of this study is to internally validate the ANDE 6C Rapid DNA I-Chip reagent for use on disaster victim identification (DVI) samples. The internal validation tested nine samples each of postmortem blood, tissue, and bone. This study tested the instrument’s precision, accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility. Precision and accuracy were tested by confirming that the same sample run on the ANDE instrument and the Power Plex Fusion amplification system produced a DNA profile that is consistent with the known profile. Repeatability was tested through confirming the correct results are obtained for sample runs performed by the same operator. Reproducibility …

Current Challenges Of Digital Forensics, Alec Noland

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Criminals have access to advanced technology that enables them to carry out malicious activities, often leaving behind digital evidence. Digital forensics is the scientific investigation of digital evidence that aims to uncover criminal activity and prevent further disruption. The increase in cybercrime has made digital forensics an essential aspect of the justice system. However, the field is currently struggling to keep up with the rapidly growing threat of cybercrime due to several challenges. One of these challenges stems from a lack of universal standardization in required qualifications, education, and training, causing discrepancies between agencies and organizations. The pace of technological …

The Limitations And Future Of Isotope Analysis In Forensic Anthropology, Kris Weller

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This research paper will discuss the applications of isotope analysis in forensic anthropology, focusing on the limitations of this technique and its potential future uses. Isotope analysis is based on the principle that isotope ratios vary across geographic regions and that humans incorporate those unique isotope ratios into their bodies when they eat and drink. Forensic anthropology uses isotope analysis to determine a decedent’s approximate region of origin or residence. It is especially in cases where the remains are partially or highly decomposed, and when other avenues of investigation have been exhausted. In its current form, the applications of isotope …

Understanding Cadaver Dogs, Carlyn Sampson

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The exploration of cadaver dogs as an accuracy and reliability tool in the field of forensic science. Due to limited research on cadaver dogs, this paper will illustrate the main factors that are crucial to making reliable and accurate scent detection dogs. It also highlights the olfactory system of dogs, which sets them apart from other mammals and enables them to detect scents with a high degree of accuracy. It will dive into the research on the genetics of canine olfaction, and the role of olfactory receptor genes in scent identification. It is demonstrated that different dog breeds are comparable …

Child Pornography: A Growing Threat For Forensic Science In The Digital Age, Nadia Palomares

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

In the United States, child pornography is any visual portrayal of people under the age of eighteen in sexually explicit circumstances. Child pornography can be found in multiple forms. With each advancement in visual technology, there is a new form in which sexual content, including child pornography, can be depicted. Photographs, films, videos, and live streaming are all popular modern forms, while artwork and the written word were popular forms before the invention of the camera in 1816. Unfortunately, the rate of these advancements in technology has far surpassed the rate of those in forensics. The use of outdated techniques …

The Use Of Microbiome Sequencing To Identify Individuals In Forensic Science, Sophia Konieczny

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The Human Genome Project's (HGP) completion in 2003 laid the groundwork for further research into the human body. This paved the way for microbiome sequencing, revealing the diverse microbial communities within the human body. These advancements led to the emergence of microbial forensics, leveraging Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies like Amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics for individual identification. Unlike traditional genetic profiling, microbiome analysis provides insights beyond genetic profiling, offering information about an individual's lifestyle and environment. Microbial communities on the skin's surface and objects can serve as trace evidence, aiding in suspect identification and investigative leads. Despite its promise, …

Recovery Of Nuclear Dna From Skeletal Remains Decomposed In Freshwater, Zoe L. Sikon

Master's Theses

This research compared freshwater and dry decomposition environments and their impact on DNA recovery from Sus scrofa domesticus(domestic pig) femora over a 3-month period. Prior to decomposition, initial cuttings were taken from "fresh" bone samples. Cuttings were then collected at 3-week intervals from waterlogged and dry bone samples. All samples were extracted using the vendor recommended protocol for the Applied Biosystems PrepFiler BTA extraction kit and an updated version of the same protocol, that substitutes Proteinase K with additional Dithiothreitol (DTT) (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2012.). DNA quantitation was performed using pig-specific custom primer sets, with the QuantStudio 5 Real-Time …

The Application Of Particle-Correlated Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Soils To Mock Casework Scenarios, Sam Gong

Master's Theses

Soil is a continuous material, reaching across geological bodies, and is distinctly variable and differentiable based on aspects such as geographic location, seasonal factors, and human interference. In combination with its highly transferable nature, the complexity of soil makes it valuable material for forensic trace evidence and object-to-scene association. The development of forensic soil analysis is currently focused on mineralogy. Raman spectroscopy is a chemical technique that has previously been studied for mineralogy uses. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy has been researched for use in other fields of forensic science as well. As such, it is possible to use Raman spectroscopy for …

Effects Of Ethanol On Gaba Transaminase, Mary Corrigan

Master's Theses

Ethanol is the primary active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, and functions in the body as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. The overt effects ethanol has on the body, e.g. diminished cognitive ability, loss of motor control, slurred speech, impaired balance, etc., are well documented. While the behavioral consequences of consumption are well understood, how ethanol actually functions on a mechanistic level to elicit those effects has yet to be satisfactorily elucidated.

The structural homology between ethanol and the C3 and C4 carbons of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mature CNS, has led us to hypothesize …

Determination Of Common Drugs Of Abuse And Metabolites In Oral Fluid: Comparison Of Different Extraction Procedures, Melissa Koffer

Student Theses

Oral fluid has been gaining importance in forensic and clinical toxicology for many different drug testing scenarios. Oral fluid is composed of saliva, along with gingival fluid, bacteria, and food residues. Drug testing using oral fluid has many advantages over other matrices (blood, urine) such as the non-invasive collection, reduced risk of tampering, and shorter detection windows which show recent drug use. The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical method for the determination of 19 drugs of abuse and metabolites in oral fluid by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and compare three different extraction methods: liquid-liquid …

The Detection Of Blood And The Recovery Of Dna From Heat-Damaged Surfaces, Teresa A. Distefano

Master's Theses

When investigating a scene exposed to high temperatures and long burn times, investigators should consider that recoverable blood could be linked to a source and give important profile information after DNA analysis. By locating blood with presumptive and confirmatory reagents, even after exposure to damaging conditions, investigators can attempt not only to confirm that blood was present but also to determine the DNA profile of the blood. Experimenting with the different burn times and temperatures in which blood is still detectable can be followed with DNA analysis, which will show whether the blood is viable after exposure to these damaging …

Adults Matter Too: An Examination Of State Adult Missing Persons Policies And Procedures To Implement A Best Practices Handbook, Hunter Smith

Honors Theses

The most recent estimates put the number of active missing person records at 97,127. Over the past eight years, child active records have decreased by 2,530, while adult active records have increased by 14,696. While there is no clear explanation for this trend, a common theory is that there are multiple federal and state laws requiring the entry of missing people under the age of 2; however, very few, if any, extend to adults. Additionally, there is a lack of standardization across available policies and procedures for where these cases should be reported, the time frame for doing so, and …

How Gender Affirming Care Affects The Current Sex Estimation Standards In Forensic Anthropology: A Preliminary Study, Dakota Taylor

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Current sex estimation standards in forensic anthropology are based on individuals whose gender matches their biological/osteological sex, also known as Cisgendered individuals. Recently, transgender individuals have started to become more common in the forensic context due to the increase in hate crimes and violence. This research builds upon past research done on how facial feminization surgery can affect both visual and metric methods, where it was found that forensic anthropologists should rely on the visual methods if they suspect someone to be transgender due to it being more accurate and being able to clearly state the scars left on the …

Numerical Variations In The Thoracic And Lumbar Vertebrae Within The John A. Williams Skeletal Collection, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, Nc (Usa), Leanna Annette Sanford

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This research is on how human variation can lead to the identification of remains based on skeletal variation. The data were collected by performing a morphoscopic trait study of the John A. Williams (J.A.W.) Documented Human Skeletal Collection at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC (USA). Morphoscopic traits are nonmetric traits, visually identified using the knowledge of osteology. The study was performed to study variation of the vertebral column, specifically focusing on morphoscopic traits of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. The focus of this research is centralized on the presence of numerical variations in the vertebral column such as eleven …

The Osteobiography Of Human Remains From The Seaview And Indian Town Trail Archaeological Sites, Maggie M. Klemm

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Extensive site surveys and excavations on the Island of Barbuda led by Sophia Perdikaris have identified over 62 sites spanning from the Archaic time period to Historic times. Over the last 18 years, these multidisciplinary teams have focused on mapping all sites and performing rescue excavations on sites threatened by sea level rise, erosion or development. Two such sites are the Saladoid site of Seaview (BA016) and the Troumassoid site of Indian Town Trail (BA01). The dunes surrounding the site of Seaview receive the brunt of storms and hurricanes. In 1998 hurricane Georges exposed skeletal material now part of the …

A Manual On The Planning And Integration Of Archaeological Methods In To Outdoor Forensic Search Investigations, Jonathan Robert Garcia

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

As archaeology and its applications into forensic contexts develop into the growing discipline of forensic archaeology, an increasing amount of literature has resulted stemming from research on the integration of common archaeological methods. However, much of this literature is intended for professional archaeologists or forensic anthropologists who are well experienced in their respective disciplines. Emerging literature generally does not consider those who leads efforts at forensic scenes in the outdoors such as law enforcement officers who often lack a background in archaeology or forensic anthropology. This thesis seeks to resolve this dilemma by creating a new and accessible manual. The …

Influences Of Social Media, Samuel Whatley Ii

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The Internet is a double-edged sword because it provides easy access to information of both good and bad intentions. Censorship justifications under whoever deems something misinformation, provide little oversight on being a neutral public forum. For instance, the influence of elections by not covering a story and censoring opposing views does not promote the notion of being a neutral public forum. Artificial intelligence being applied to many technological applications have fueled the censorship machine. In some instances, artificial intelligence can generate stories to media sites (i.e., ChatGPT) with no verification of the details. From science fiction to science reality, taking …

The Role Of Investigative Genetic Genealogy In The Field Of Criminal Justice, Chloe Haas

Honors Projects

Investigative genetic genealogy is an investigative method used by law enforcement to solve crimes. It involves the uploading of DNA found at a crime scene to genealogy databases to narrow down the suspect pool. The research question for this study is: Is law enforcement’s use of investigative genetic genealogy ethical? I conducted ten interviews with individuals who had a background in the Criminal Justice field, the legal field, the forensics field, and the field of genealogy to see their opinions on this topic. A majority of the participants in this study stated that they believe that law enforcement should be …

Understandings Of Vulnerability And Social Determinants Of Health In Forensic And Expert Social Anthropology: A Scoping Review, James W. W. Rose, David M. Tran

The Qualitative Report

Forensic and expert social anthropology (FESA) is a branch of social anthropology that specialises in the provision of evidence to legal-administrative processes, which are overseen by courts and other legally empowered bodies, and which give regard to the social cultures of legally and administratively involved individuals and communities (LAIICs). Despite a preoccupation with political advocacy in the broader philosophy of social anthropology, FESA literature does not typically give regard to LAIIC vulnerability defined qualitatively in terms of social determinants of health, including physical, mental, and social well-being. This paper presents findings from a JBI/PRISMA-ScR scoping review of n=1,674 texts, identifying …

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 …

Book Review: Tracers In The Dark: The Global Hunt For The Crime Lords Of Cryptocurrency, Marion Jones

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Doubleday released Andy Greenberg’s Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency in November 2022. Through vivid case studies of global criminal investigations, the book dispels myths about the anonymizing power of cryptocurrency. The book details how the ability to identify cryptocurrency users and payment methods successfully brought down several large criminal empires, while also highlighting the continuous cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement officials and criminal actors using cryptocurrency. The book is an excellent resource for law enforcement officials, academics, and general cybersecurity practitioners interested in cryptocurrency-related criminal activities and law enforcement techniques.

Navigating The Digital Frontier: The Intersection Of Cybersecurity Challenges And Young Adult Life, Hannarae Lee

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Papers from this issue advocate for empowering young adults with knowledge and tools to navigate cyberspace safely, emphasizing the necessity of heightened cybersecurity measures and proactive education. As we advance into the digital abyss, this call becomes imperative, ensuring that the young adults' experience remains a journey of growth and enlightenment, unaffected by the shadows of unseen online threats.

2023 Ulm Student Research Symposium Proceedings, Burton Ashworth

Multidisciplinary Psychology: A Journal of Collaboration

This is the results and proceedings from the 2023 ULM Student Research Symposium.

Bone Traces And Modifications From Feeding By Dermestes Maculatus, B. V. Adams, Leon G. Higley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

That Dermestes maculatus feeding can leave marks on bones is established in the literature - that D. maculatus routinely mark bones is not. Our results here, exposing fleshed bones to D. maculatus adults and immatures for almost two months after complete tissue removal, indicate that under natural conditions D. maculatus do not feed on bones. The key issue seems to be the ability of D. maculatus to seek new food sources versus being confined (and eventually starving) on bones. In a natural setting, once a food supply is exhausted, D. maculatus would seek new food …