The Reed-Stanton press rig for the generation of reproducible fingermarks : towards a standardised methodology for fingermark research

In the search for better or new methods/techniques to visualise fingermarks or to analyse them exploiting their chemical content, fingermarks inter-variability may hinder the assessment of the method effectiveness. Variability is due to changes in the chemical composition of the fingermarks between different donors and within the same donor, as well as to differential contact time, pressure and angle. When validating a method or comparing it with existing ones, it is not always possible to account for this type of variability. One way to compensate for these issues is to employ, in the early stages of the method development, a device generating reproducible fingermarks. Here the authors present their take on such device, as well as quantitatively describing its performance and benefits against the manual production of marks. Finally a short application is illustrated for the use of this device, at the method developmental stages, in an emerging area of fingerprinting research concerning the retrieval of chemical intelligence from fingermarks

Sample treatment for tissue proteomics in cancer, toxicology, and forensics

Since the birth of proteomics science in the 1990, the number of applications and of sample preparation methods has grown exponentially, making a huge contribution to the knowledge in life science disciplines. Continuous improvements in the sample treatment strategies unlock and reveal the fine details of disease mechanisms, drug potency, and toxicity as well as enable new disciplines to be investigated such as forensic science. This chapter will cover the most recent developments in sample preparation strategies for tissue proteomics in three areas, namely, cancer, toxicology, and forensics, thus also demonstrating breath of application within the domain of health and well-being, pharmaceuticals, and secure societies. In particular, in the area of cancer (human tumor biomarkers), the most efficient and multi-informative proteomic strategies will be covered in relation to the subsequent application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA), due to their ability to provide molecular localization of tumor biomarkers albeit with different spatial resolution. With respect to toxicology, methodologies applied in toxicoproteomics will be illustrated with examples from its use in two important areas: the study of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and studies of effects of chemical and environmental insults on skin, i.e., the effects of irritants, sensitizers, and ionizing radiation. Within this chapter, mainly tissue proteomics sample preparation methods for LC-MS/MS analysis will be discussed as (i) the use of LC-MS/MS is majorly represented in the research efforts of the bioanalytical community in this area and (ii) LC-MS/MS still is the gold standard for quantification studies. Finally, the use of proteomics will also be discussed in forensic science with respect to the information that can be recovered from blood and fingerprint evidence which are commonly encountered at the scene of the crime. The application of proteomic strategies for the analysis of blood and fingerprints is novel and proteomic preparation methods will be reported in relation to the subsequent use of mass spectrometry without any hyphenation. While generally yielding more information, hyphenated methods are often more laborious and time-consuming; since forensic investigations need quick turnaround, without compromising validity of the information, the prospect to develop methods for the application of quick forensic mass spectrometry techniques such as MALDI-MS (in imaging or profiling mode) is of great interest

Modeling the Responses of TSM Resonators under Various Loading Conditions

We develop a general model that describes the electrical responses of thickness shear mode resonators subject to a variety of surface loadkgs. The model incorporates a physically diverse set of single component loadings, including rigid solids, viscoelastic media and fluids (Newtonian or Maxwellian). The model allows any number of these components to be combined in any configuration. Such multiple loadings are representative of a variety of physical situations encountered in electrochemical and other liquid phase applications, as well as gas phase applications. In the general case, the response of the composite is not a linear combination of the individual component responses. We discuss application of the model in a qualitative diagnostic fashion, to gain insight into the nature of the interracial structure, and in a quantitative fashion, to extract appropriate physical parameters, such as liquid viscosity and density and polymer shear moduli

Generalized concept of shear horizontal acoustic plate mode and Love wave sensors

An approach to mass and liquid sensitivity for both the phase velocity and insertion loss of shear mode acoustic wave sensors based on the dispersion equations for layered systems is outlined. The approach is sufficiently general to allow for viscoelastic guiding layers. An equation for the phase velocity and insertion loss sensitivities is given which depends on the slope of the complex phase velocity dispersion curves. This equation contains the equivalent of the Sauerbrey and Kanazawa equations for loading of a quartz crystal microbalance by rigid mass and Newtonian liquids, respectively, and also describes surface loading by viscoelastic layers. The theoretical approach can be applied to a four-layer system, with any of the four layers being viscoelastic, so that mass deposition from a liquid can also be modelled. The theoretical dispersion equation based approach to layer-guided shear horizontal acoustic wave modes on finite substrates presented in this work provides a unified view of Love wave and shear horizontal acoustic plate mode (SH-APM) devices, which have been generally regarded as distinct in sensor research. It is argued that SH-APMs with guiding layers possessing shear acoustic speeds lower than that of the substrate and Love waves are two branches of solution of the same dispersion equation. The layer guided SH-APMs have a phase velocity higher than that of the substrate and the Love waves a phase velocity lower than that of the substrate. Higher-order Love wave modes are continuations of the layer-guided SH-APMs. The generalized concept of SH-APMs and Love waves provides a basis for understanding the change in sensitivity with higher-frequency operation and the relationship between multiple modes in Love wave sensors. It also explains why a relatively thick layer of a high-loss polymer can be used as a waveguide layer and so extends the range of materials that can be considered experimentally. Moreover, it is predicted that a new type of sensor, a layer-guided SH-APM sensor, can be constructed in a manner analogous to a Love wave device. The sensitivity of such a device is predicted to approach that of a Love wave sensor whilst retaining the advantage of the SH-APM of using the face opposite the one possessing the transducers as the sensing surface

Density−Viscosity Product of Small-Volume Ionic Liquid Samples Using Quartz Crystal Impedance Analysis

Quartz crystal impedance analysis has been developed as a technique to assess whether room-temperature ionic liquids are Newtonian fluids and as a small-volume method for determining the values of their viscosity−density product, ρη. Changes in the impedance spectrum of a 5-MHz fundamental frequency quartz crystal induced by a water-miscible room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimiclazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate ([C4mim][OTf]), were measured. From coupled frequency shift and bandwidth changes as the concentration was varied from 0 to 100% ionic liquid, it was determined that this liquid provided a Newtonian response. A second water-immiscible ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide [C4mim][NTf2], with concentration varied using methanol, was tested and also found to provide a Newtonian response. In both cases, the values of the square root of the viscosity−density product deduced from the small-volume quartz crystal technique were consistent with those measured using a viscometer and density meter. The third harmonic of the crystal was found to provide the closest agreement between the two measurement methods; the pure ionic liquids had the largest difference of 10%. In addition, 18 pure ionic liquids were tested, and for 11 of these, good-quality frequency shift and bandwidth data were obtained; these 12 all had a Newtonian response. The frequency shift of the third harmonic was found to vary linearly with square root of viscosity−density product of the pure ionic liquids up to a value of √(ρη) ≈ 18 kg m−2 s−1/2, but with a slope 10% smaller than that predicted by the Kanazawa and Gordon equation. It is envisaged that the quartz crystal technique could be used in a high-throughput microfluidic system for characterizing ionic liquids