Behind every good research there are data. What are they and their importance to forensic science

Data underpinning science have become one of the most precious assets in research, and while the principles of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) have been put forward as a guide to how to approach data handling, data sharing and long-term storage still remain a challenge for many research areas including forensic science. The reporting and the sharing of data can be made easier by giving them structure, the use of suitable labels and the inclusion of descriptors collated into metadata prior to their deposition in repositories with persistent identifiers. Such a systematic approach would strengthen the quality and the integrity of research while providing greater transparency to published materials

Scientometric analysis of the forensic science literature for fibre as an evidence type:Access and data availability

The large volume of information available within citation databases has become a challenge to manage and distil in all areas of research. In this study, a scientometric approach has been applied to fibres as an evidence type using information contained in Scopus and Web of Science. A comparison was also made with the references listed in the INTERPOL International Forensic Science Managers Symposium Science (IFSMS) reports (2004–2019) where only a limited number of documents were common with the citation databases, illustrating the value of the IFSMS reports. Finally, this study also highlights that data availability and location are generally omitted in publications. The forensic science community has an opportunity to change this culture and lead the way in making their data available, aligning with the ideals of fairness, openness and transparency of the underpinning data upon which scientific developments are based

Rewarded multi-modal neuronal self-organization: Example of the arm reaching movement

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. internationale.International audienceThis paper presents a computational model of cortical organization, enhancing the fact that self-organization in connected cortical modules have to be joint. This architecture is validated on the learning of the control of a robotic arm device, through sensori-motor integration. In order to get rid of the use of an inverse model of the arm, the self-organization of the whole network is conditioned by a reward signal. The point of the model is that this reward signal is given at the motor level only, but its effects are spread to the whole architecture by a side effect of the coherence keeping function in the cortical modules. First experiments on this approach are discussed

Synthèse d'architecture sur FPGA sous contrainte de précision des calculs

Les FPGAs sont de plus en plus considérés comme une solution incontournable pour les applications de traitement du signal. Dans le même temps, les contraintes telles que le coût, la consommation et le temps de mise sur le marché des applications de traitement du signal exigent la mise en oeuvre de méthodologies d'implantation automatique d'algorithmes spécifiés en virgule flottante au sein de FPGAs utilisant l'arithmétique virgule fixe. Dans cet article, une nouvelle méthodologie de synthèse d'architecture sous contrainte de précision est présentée. Cette approche s'appuie sur une bibliothèque d'opérateurs arithmétiques virgule fixe caractérisant le coût des opérateurs en fonction de leur largeur. Pour obtenir une implantation efficace, le processus d'optimisation est couplé avec la synthèse d'architecture. De plus, l'évaluation de la précision est réalisée par une approche analytique permettant ainsi d'obtenir des temps d'optimisation raisonnables

Multi-criteria self-organization: Example of motor-dependent phonetic representation for a multi-modal robot

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. internationale.International audienceThis paper presents a computational self-organizing model of multi-modal information, inspired from cortical maps. It shows how the organization in a map can be influenced by the same process occurring in other maps. We illustrate this approach on a phonetic - motor association, that shows that the organization of words can integrate motor constraints, as observed in humans

Making Cortically-Inspired Sensorimotor Control Realistic for Robotics: Design of an Extended Parallel Cellular Programming Model

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. internationale.International audienceThis paper introduces a multi-layer software architecture, that allows smart design and implementation of complex cortical neural networks, and efficient parallel execution on multiprocessor machines. The developer implements cortical networks sticking to their natural fine grained formalism, without caring about its mapping on coarse grained parallel computers. The developer can use a set of graphical tools to easily develop and debug the cortical systems. Some experiments of new cortical model design on multiprocessor PCs are introduced, and some performance measurements are given. This software suite is operational and currently in use in our laboratory to control a robotic am through cortical neural networks running on multiprocessor PCs

Creation of a universal experimental protocol for the investigation of transfer and persistence of trace evidence:Part 1 - From design to implementation for particulate evidence

Understanding the transfer and persistence of different types of trace evidence between different donor and receiving surfaces under specific conditions, circumstances and alleged competing defence and prosecution hypotheses is a significant need. Acquiring such a knowledge base enables hypothesis testing to be undertaken more readily and with greater confidence. A longstanding goal has been to develop a unified approach to transfer and persistence studies which are fit for purpose but also scalable.Here we propose a low cost, universal experimental protocol using a recognised and well researched proxy material for the development and aggregation of ground truth transfer and persistence data at scale. We also propose and provide the tools to enable the creation of an open source and open access data repository of experimental data to act as a resource for practitioners and researchers in addressing transfer and persistence questions

Trends and challenges in the use of drugs as forensic evidence:A scientometric approach to map the current literature

The rapid increase in the production and distribution of illicit drugs has led to vast amounts of data being generated through research and other publications, making it difficult to effectively distill and analyze current and emerging trends. The present study used a scientometric approach to identify trends and challenges in the use of drugs as an evidence type in forensic science by examining reference lists available in the INTERPOL IFSMS reports and the citation database Scopus. It has been identified that “new psychoactive substances” is one of the most frequently used keywords by authors, highlighting the swift response by communities to characterize these emerging compounds. However, it was also noted that despite drugs being a global threat, only limited international collaboration was observed between research groups and the majority of the studies are from authors affiliated within the same country. Finally, an argument is made to encourage a more comprehensive approach in aggregating results on drugs for greater transparency and broader distribution of findings

Drug inhibition of HDAC3 and epigenetic control of differentiation in Apicomplexa parasites

Plasmodium and Toxoplasma are parasites of major medical importance that belong to the Apicomplexa phylum of protozoa. These parasites transform into various stages during their life cycle and express a specific set of proteins at each stage. Although little is yet known of how gene expression is controlled in Apicomplexa, histone modifications, particularly acetylation, are emerging as key regulators of parasite differentiation and stage conversion. We investigated the anti-Apicomplexa effect of FR235222, a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi). We show that FR235222 is active against a variety of Apicomplexa genera, including Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, and is more potent than other HDACi's such as trichostatin A and the clinically relevant compound pyrimethamine. We identify T. gondii HDAC3 (TgHDAC3) as the target of FR235222 in Toxoplasma tachyzoites and demonstrate the crucial role of the conserved and Apicomplexa HDAC-specific residue TgHDAC3 T99 in the inhibitory activity of the drug. We also show that FR235222 induces differentiation of the tachyzoite (replicative) into the bradyzoite (nonreplicative) stage. Additionally, via its anti-TgHDAC3 activity, FR235222 influences the expression of ∼370 genes, a third of which are stage-specifically expressed. These results identify FR235222 as a potent HDACi of Apicomplexa, and establish HDAC3 as a central regulator of gene expression and stage conversion in Toxoplasma and, likely, other Apicomplexa