Experiences of evidence presentation in court: an insight into the practice of crime scene examiners in England, Wales and Australia

Background: The ability to present complex forensic evidence in a courtroom in a manner that is fully comprehensible to all stakeholders remains problematic. Individual subjective interpretations may impede a collective and correct understanding of the complex environments and the evidence therein presented to them. This is not fully facilitated or assisted in any way with current non-technological evidence presentation methods such as poor resolution black and white photocopies or unidimensional photographs of complex 3D environments. Given the wide availability of relatively cheap technology, such as tablets, smartphones and laptops, there is evidence to suggest that individuals are already used to receiving visually complex information in relatively short periods of time such as is available in a court hearing. courtrooms could learn from this more generic widespread use of technology and have demonstrated their ability to do so in part by their adoption of the use of tablets for Magistrates. The aim of this current study was to identify the types of digital technology being used in courts and to obtain data from police personnel presenting digital evidence in court. Results: A questionnaire study was conducted in this research to explore current technology used within courtrooms from the perspective of crime scene personnel involved in the presentation of complex crime scene evidence. The study demonstrated that whilst many of the participants currently utilize high-end technological solutions to document their crime scenes, such as 360° photography or laser scanning technologies, their ability to present such evidence was hindered or prevented. This was most likely due to either a lack of existing technology installed in the court, or due to a lack of interoperability between new and existing technology. Conclusion: This study has contributed to this academic field by publishing real life experiences of crime scene examiner’s, who have used advanced technology to record and evaluate crime scenes but are limited in their scope for sharing this information with the court due to technological insufficiency. Contemporary recording techniques have provided the opportunity for further review of crime scenes, which is considered to be a valuable property over previous documentation practice, which relied upon the competency of the investigator to comprehensively capture the scene, often in a single opportunity

Optical photon reassignment microscopy (OPRA)

To enhance the resolution of a confocal laser scanning microscope the additional information of a pinhole plane image taken at every excitation scan position can be used (Sheppard 1988). This photon reassignment principle is based on the fact that the most probable position of an emitter is at half way between the nominal focus of the excitation laser and the position corresponding to the (off centre) detection position. Therefore, by reassigning the detected photons to this place, an image with enhanced detection efficiency and resolution is obtained. Here we present optical photon reassignment microscopy (OPRA) which realizes this concept in an all-optical way obviating the need for image-processing. With the help of an additional intermediate optical beam expansion between descanning and a further rescanning of the detected light, an image with the advantages of photon reassignment can be acquired. However, just as in computational photon reassignment, a loss in confocal sectioning performance is caused by working with relatively open pinholes. The OPRA system shares properties such as flexibility and ease of use with a confocal laser scanning microscope, and is therefore expected to be of use for future biomedical routine research

Patient and public involvement and engagement: Practice case study with reflections and learnings from a small rural district general hospital

The notion of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in research has been around for some time, and it is considered essential to ensure high-quality relevant research that is shared and that will make a difference. This case study of practice aims to share the PPIE practice from Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a small rural district general hospital. It describes the process of recruiting patients and members of the public as research volunteers, as well as the plethora of engagement and involvement activities with which they have been involved to date. This is followed by a reflection on the process and an overview of plans for the future, highlighting key challenges as well as learnings. A dedicated role to support/oversee PPIE activities is recommended to coordinate large groups of research volunteers, as well as to monitor the important impact of their input, which is considerable. Increasing diversity and access to under-served groups, and embedding the research volunteer role within the wider clinical research team, are also highlighted as fundamental challenges, as well as opportunities to make the most from this valuable resource. The case study of practice puts forward a recommendation to all research departments to embed PPIE in all of the work that they do

Transforming Student and Staff Experiences with Active Learning Tutorials in Advanced Chemistry Courses

In order to increase student engagement and provide more opportunities for students to develop their creativity in the context of three large advanced chemistry courses, we have introduced active learning designs in the courses’ tutorial sessions. The tutorial designs focused on collaborative learning, student-generated content and real-world industrial situations. The tutorial activities, carefully scaffolded, focussed on students generating their own problems from scratch, dealing with situations that mimic what might happen on an industrial design team, and writing a short question following the typical format of a final exam question. The tutorial sessions lasted one hour each, and were delivered during the time lapse of three weeks. Most of the students had none or very limited previous experience with active learning instruction. Despite this, students adapted immediately to the active learning format, displaying good collaborative learning skills and a higher level of engagement and attendance to the sessions with respect to traditional taught tutorials. In the post instruction surveys, students reported an increased positive experience, recognising that the sessions allowed them to apply their knowledge to new situations, and stimulated them to learn more on the topics while practising transferable skills in peer discussions. Lecturers who delivered the sessions with active learning for the first time, reported a positive transformation on their own teaching experience. This article discusses the details of the active learning design, the student perceptions and staff teaching experience, highlighting how active learning can be a positive transformative experience not only for the students but also for the academic staff

The adaptation of a 360° camera utilising an alternate light source (ALS) for the detection of biological fluids at crime scenes.

One of the most important and commonly encountered evidence types that can be recovered at crime scenes are biological fluids. Due to the ephemeral nature of biological fluids and the valuable DNA that they can contain, it is fundamental that these are documented extensively and recovered rapidly. Locating and identifying biological fluids can prove a challenging task but can aid in reconstructing a sequence of events. Alternate light sources (ALS) offer powerful non-invasive methods for locating and enhancing biological fluids utilising different wavelengths of light. Current methods for locating biological fluids using ALS's may be time consuming, as they often require close range searching of potentially large crime scenes. Subsequent documentation using digital cameras and alternate light sources can increase the investigation time and due to the cameras low dynamic range, photographs can appear under or over exposed. This study presents a technique, which allows the simultaneous detection and visualisation of semen and saliva utilising a SceneCam 360° camera (Spheron VR AG), which was adapted to integrate a blue Crime Lite XL (Foster+Freeman). This technique was investigated using different volumes of semen and saliva, on porous and non-porous substrates, and the ability to detect these at incremental distances from the substrate. Substrate type and colour had a significant effect on the detection of the biological fluid, with limited fluid detection on darker substrates. The unique real-time High Dynamic range (HDR) ability of the SceneCam significantly enhanced the detection of biological fluids where background fluorescence masked target fluorescence. These preliminary results are presented as a proof of concept for combining 360° photography using HDR and an ALS for the detection of biological stains, within a scene, in real time, whilst conveying spatial relationships of staining to other evidence. This technique presents the opportunity to presumptively screen a crime scene for biological fluids and will facilitate simultaneous location and visualisation of biological evidence

Phase sensitive detection of dipole radiation in a fiber-based high numerical aperture optical system

We theoretically study the problem of detecting dipole radiation in an optical system of high numerical aperture in which the detector is sensitive to \textit{field amplitude}. In particular, we model the phase sensitive detector as a single-mode cylindrical optical fiber. We find that the maximum in collection efficiency of the dipole radiation does not coincide with the optimum resolution for the light gathering instrument. The calculated results are important for analyzing fiber-based confocal microscope performance in fluorescence and spectroscopic studies of single molecules and/or quantum dots.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Visual Climate Change Communication: From Iconography To Locally Framed 3D Visualization

Climate change is an urgent problem with implications registered not only globally, but also on national and local scales. It is a particularly challenging case of environmental communication because its main cause, greenhouse gas emissions, is invisible. The predominant approach of making climate change visible is the use of iconic, often affective, imagery. Literature on the iconography of climate change shows that global iconic motifs, such as polar bears, have contributed to a public perception of the problem as spatially and temporally remote. This paper proposes an alternative approach to global climate change icons by focusing on recognizable representations of local impacts within an interactive game environment. This approach was implemented and tested in a research project based on the municipality of Delta, British Columbia. A major outcome of the research is Future Delta, an interactive educational game featuring 3D visualizations and simulation tools for climate change adaptation and mitigation future scenarios. The empirical evaluation is based on quantitative pre/post-game play questionnaires with 18 students and 10 qualitative expert interviews. The findings support the assumption that interactive 3D imagery is effective in communicating climate change. The quantitative post-questionnaires particularly highlight a shift in support of more local responsibility

Core–shell catalyst pellets for effective reaction heat management

Catalyst research is concerned with synthesizing increasingly active materials, leading to safety issues at reactor scale, unless the reaction heat release is controllable. Computational studies predict that core–shell pellets with catalytically active core and inert shell are beneficial for this purpose, compared to established concepts such as catalyst pellet dilution. At high temperatures, reactant diffusion through the shell becomes rate-determining, resulting in a well-controllable heat release rate, which prevents further temperature increase. Here, industrial catalyst pellets were coated in a fluidized-bed pilot plant, demonstrating large-scale production feasibility. The obtained pellets were characterized via Dynamic Image Analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Computed Tomography. Conducted CO2 methanation experiments confirm the predicted trends, if the applied shell is fully closed. Furthermore, mathematical and experimental studies demonstrate, that the inert shell shifts selectivity. Based on this work, safer and yet economical reactor operation is anticipated also for other reaction systems