1,679 research outputs found

    When DNA Won\u27t Work

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    Within the criminal justice system, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) evidence has often been heralded as the gold standard of forensic science. In a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that DNA testing has an unparalleled ability both to exonerate the wrongly convicted and to identify the guilty. It has the potential to significantly improve both the criminal justice system and police investigative practices. The phrases “unparalleled ability” and “significantly improve” reflect the high standard that DNA has attained in both forensic science and the entire criminal justice system. Forensic DNA technology has a major advantage over other forensic science fields because of its reliance on statistics and its historical development from medical science, which relies on double-blind testing, error analysis, and rigorous peer review. These factors distinguish DNA analysis from other forms of forensic analysis such as fingerprinting, ballistics, trace evidence, forensic anthropology (bones), handwriting analysis, and others. But every analytical field has its limits, and can be misappropriated. This article summarizes some of the key areas where the use of forensic DNA can be improved and includes proposed remedies

    Digital Forensics Tools Integration

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    As technology has become pervasive in our lives we record our daily activities both intentionally and unintentionally. Because of this, the amount of potential evidence found on digital media is staggering. Investigators have had to adapt and change their methods of conducting investigations to address the data volume. Digital forensics examiners current process consists of performing string searches to identify potential evidentiary items. Items of interest must then go through association, target comparison, and event reconstruction processes. These are manual and time consuming tasks for an examiner. This thesis presents a user interface that combines both the string searching capabilities that begin an investigation with automated correlation and abstraction into a single timeline visualization. The capability to improve an examiner\u27s process is evaluated on the tools ability to reduce the number of results to sort through while accurately presenting key items for three use cases

    Trace DNA Detection Using Diamond Dye: A Recovery Technique to Yield More DNA

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    This study aspires to find a new screening approach to trace DNA recovery techniques to yield a higher quantity of trace DNA from larger items of evidence. It takes the path of visualizing trace DNA on items of evidence with potential DNA so analysts can swab a more localized area rather than attempting to recover trace DNA through the general swabbing technique currently used for trace DNA recovery. The first and second parts consisted of observing trace DNA interaction with Diamond Dye on porous and non-porous surfaces. The third part involved applying the Diamond Dye solution by spraying it onto brand new and laundered brassieres that had trace DNA placed by donors on the cup and clasp areas. The stained brassieres were then visually analyzed using a Canon T8i camera and EF-S 60 mm macro lens under 455nm alternate light and a 550nm emission filter to locate areas that fluoresced, meaning that trace DNA is present, and images were captured for record. The final part of the study consisted of swabbing laundered brassieres that donors deposited trace DNA onto using the blind double swabbing and Diamond Dye-localized double swabbing techniques on the cup and clasp areas. The swabs were put through DNA extraction via the Qiagen’s QIAamp Investigator kit and quantification via Thermo Fisher’s Quantifiler Trio then analyzed for the quantity of DNA present. The data was separated into swab techniques and the data was compared using an independent t-test at 95% confidence. The one-tail analysis determined a p-value of 0.0883 with the goal being a p-value of less than 0.05. Statistically, the results show that there is not a significant difference in the amount of trace DNA retained based on whether the DNA is visualized before proceeding with double swabbing

    Annual Report Fiscal Year 2009-2010

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    https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-bureau-investigation-annual-reports/1012/thumbnail.jp

    Annual Report Fiscal Year 2006-2007

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    https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-bureau-investigation-annual-reports/1015/thumbnail.jp

    Annual Report Fiscal Year 2007-2008

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    https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-bureau-investigation-annual-reports/1014/thumbnail.jp

    KSC Tech Transfer News, Volume 2, No. 2

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    This issue contains articles about: (1) the Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) and the manager of the program, Alexis Hongamen, (2) New Technology Report (NTR) on a Monte Carlo Simulation to Estimate the Likelihood of Direct Lightning Strikes, (3) Kennedy Space Center's Applied Physics Lab, (4) a virtual ruler that is used for many applications, (5) a portable device that finds low-level leaks, (6) a sun-shield, that supports in-space cryogenic propellant storage, (7) lunar dust modeling software, (8) space based monitoring of radiation damage to DNA, (9) the use of light-emitting diode (LED) arrays vegetable production system, (10) Dust Tolerant Intelligent Electrical Connection Systems, (11) Ice Detection Camera System Upgrade, (12) Repair Techniques for Composite Structures, (13) Cryogenic Orbital Testbed, and (14) copyright protection

    Annual Report 2016-2017

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    https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-bureau-investigation-annual-reports/1005/thumbnail.jp
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