SOME FORENSIC ASPECTS OF BALLISTIC IMAGING

Analysis of ballistics evidence (spent cartridge casings and bullets) has been a staple of forensic criminal investigation for almost a century. Computer-assisted databases of images of ballistics evidence have been used since the mid-1980s to help search for potential matches between pieces of evidence. In this article, we draw on the 2008 National Research Council Report Ballistic Imaging to assess the state of ballistic imaging technology. In particular, we discuss the feasibility of creating a national reference ballistic imaging database (RBID) from test-fires of all newly manufactured or imported firearms. A national RBID might aid in using crime scene ballistic evidence to generate investigative leads to a crime gun’s point of sale. We conclude that a national RBID is not feasible at this time, primarily because existing imaging methodologies have insufficient discriminatory power. We also examine the emerging technology of micro- stamping for forensic identification purposes: etching a known identifier on firearm or ammunition parts so that they can be directly read and recovered from crime scene evidence. Microstamping could provide a stronger basis for identification based on ballistic evidence than the status quo, but substantial further research is needed to thoroughly assess its practical viability

Fatty acid profiles of spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) phyllosoma fed enriched Artemia

Three di¡erent life stages of spiny lobster larvae (phyllosoma) of Panulirus homarus were fed A1-Selco- enriched Artemia in two culture treatments, one with the microalgae Nannochloropsis salina (green water) and the other without the microalgae (clear water) to assess the ability to manipulate their fatty acid composition. Phyllosoma fed with 3-h A1- Selco-enriched Artemia salina attained Stage VIII (5.3mm) and StageV (3.4mm) in 42 days in the green and clear water treatments respectively. The higher content of the essential fatty acids in N. salina (eicosapentaenoic acid, 25.8%; arachidonic acid, 9.5%; and docosahexaenoic acid, 4.2%) in the green water system increased the fatty acid content of the live food Artemia, and ultimately the phyllosoma

Determination of Transformation Matrix in a Hybrid Multi-Axis Laser-Aided Manufacturing System and its Practical Implementation

The Laser Aided Manufacturing Process (LAMP) is a multi-axis hybrid manufacturing process comprised of both an additive process, laser deposition, and a subtractive process, CNC machining. Determination of transformation matrix is one of the most important tasks to bridge the gap between process planning (software) and real deposition/machining process. The first part of the paper discusses an algorithm for computing the position of point/points in three-dimensional space, using homogenous transformation matrices. The second part of the paper discusses about how the algorithm was used in practice to build 3-D parts and part-repair using hybrid manufacturing process

Micelles of Different Morphologies - Advantages of Worm-like Filomicelles of PEO-PCL in Paclitaxel Delivery

Worm-like and spherical micelles are both prepared here from the same amphiphilic diblock copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly (ε-caprolactone) (PEO [5 kDa]-PCL [6.5 kDa]) in order to compare loading and delivery of hydrophobic drugs. Worm-like micelles of this degradable copolymer are nanometers in cross-section and spontaneously assemble to stable lengths of microns, resembling filoviruses in some respects and thus suggesting the moniker filomicelles . The highly flexible worm-like micelles can also be sonicated to generate kinetically stable spherical micelles composed of the same copolymer. The fission process exploits the finding that the PCL cores are fluid, rather than glassy or crystalline, and core-loading of the hydrophobic anticancer drug delivery, paclitaxel (TAX) shows that the worm-like micelles load and solubilize twice as much drug as spherical micelles. In cytotoxicity tests that compare to the clinically prevalent solubilizer, Cremophor® EL, both micellar carriers are far less toxic, and both types of TAX-loaded micelles also show 5-fold greater anticancer activity on A549 human lung cancer cells. PEO-PCL based worm-like filomicelles appear to be promising pharmaceutical nanocarriers with improved solubilization efficiency and comparable stability to spherical micelles, as well as better safety and efficacy in vitro compared to the prevalent Cremophor® EL TAX formulation

A Drosophila DEG/ENaC Subunit Functions Specifically In Gustatory Neurons Required For Male Courtship Behavior

Detection of specific female pheromones stimulates courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster males, but the chemosensory molecules, cells, and mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here we show that ppk25, a DEG/ENaC ion channel subunit required for normal male response to females, is expressed at highest levels in a single sexually dimorphic gustatory neuron of most taste hairs on legs and wings, but not in neurons that detect courtship-inhibiting pheromones or food. Synaptic inactivation of ppk25-expressing neurons, or knockdown of ppk25 expression in all gustatory neurons, significantly impairs male response to females, whereas gustatory expression of ppk25 rescues the courtship behavior of ppk25 mutant males. Remarkably, the only other detectable albeit significantly weaker expression of ppk25 occurs in olfactory neurons implicated in modulation of courtship behavior. However, expression of ppk25 in olfactory neurons is not required for male courtship under our experimental conditions. These data show that ppk25 functions specifically in peripheral taste neurons involved in activation of courtship behavior, an unexpected function for this type of channel. Furthermore, our work identifies a small subset of gustatory neurons with an essential role in activation of male courtship behavior, most likely in response to female pheromones

Distribution of luminescent Vibrio harveyi and their bacteriophages in a commercial shrimp hatchery in South India

Luminescent Vibrio harveyi is a natural microflora of marine and coastal water bodies and is associated with mortality of larval shrimp in penaeid shrimp hatcheries. It is also known that the bacteriophages occur virtually in all places where their hosts exist. In this study, distribution of luminescent V. harveyi and the bacteriophages affecting these hosts was examined in a commercial Penaeus monodon hatchery during three shrimp larval production cycles, including a cycle affected by luminescent bacterial (LB) disease outbreak

Simple bounds for one-shot pure-state distillation in general resource theories

© 2020 American Physical Society. We present bounds for distilling many copies of a pure state from an arbitrary initial state in a general quantum resource theory. Our bounds apply to operations that are able to generate no more than a δ amount of resource, where δ≥0 is a given parameter. To maximize applicability of our upper bound, we assume little structure on the set of free states under consideration besides a weak form of superadditivity of the function Gmin(ρ), which measures the overlap between ρ and the set of free states. Our bounds are given in terms of this function and the robustness of resource. Known results in coherence and entanglement theory are reproduced in this more general framework

Proximate composition and fatty acid profile of the myctophid Diaphus watasei Jordan & Starks, 1904 from the Arabian Sea

The edible portion of Diaphus watasei, a benthopelagic fish collected off Quilon, south-west coast of India was analysed for proximate composition and fatty acid profile. The fleshy part of the fish was found to contain 15.62% protein, 11.71% fat, 0.47% minerals, 0.28% soluble carbohydrate and 0.01% crude fibre. The dry matter in the fish was found to be about 28%. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were found to have the highest (36.7%) share among total fatty acids followed by saturated fatty acids (SFA) (33.3%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (25.5%). The abundant fatty acids were found to be oleic acid, palmitic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid, linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and palmitoleic acid. The most predominant fatty acid was recorded as oleic acid which contributed 32% to the total fatty acids. Docosahexaenoic acid formed the single largest component of PUFA (9.33%) followed by γ linolenic acid (3.97%) and eicosapentaenoic acid (3.83%). The ω-3 PUFA contributed about 70% of the total PUFAs. The most important ω-3 PUFAs were EPA and DHA that contributed 73% to the total ù -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids