Forensic investigation of microtraces on an item of Dutch eighteenth century clothing in the Rijksmuseum collection

Most garments in museum collections have belonged to people of high societal status. Clothing of the common people, however, has rarely been preserved. Because of this, the conservation of such rare items is of special importance. The current study focuses on such an object from the Rijksmuseum collection; a pair of eighteenth century breeches that were retrieved from an anonymous grave on Spitsbergen. As these breeches contain several unidentified materials, it is unclear how best to conduct the conservation of the object. The identification of trace material plays a key role within criminal law and therefore, it is hypothesized that a forensic approach could provide a suitable framework within this case of cultural heritage as well. After forensic examination, trace material was analyzed using a microscopy-based approach and was found to be mainly of biological origin. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy indicated the presence of human skin remains. It was concluded that a modern forensic approach can successfully be applied to a historical object within cultural heritage and can assist decision-making regarding possible future conservation of the object. The systematic application of the forensic methodology was found to be appropriate with little to no modification to classify and identify trace materials, but further improvements could be made. The current work should be seen as a starting point that allows for more questions regarding museum objects to be answered in a forensic manner, including aspects such as authenticity, the chain of custody, the context, original use and object conservation

Characterization and comparison of smokeless powders by on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography

Smokeless powders (SPs) are one of the most commonly used propellants for ammunition but can also be abused as energetic material in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) such as pipe bombs. After a shooting or explosion, unburnt or partially burnt particulates may be observed which can be used for forensic investigation. SPs comprise mainly nitrocellulose (NC) and additives. Therefore, the characterization of both NC and the additives is of significant forensic importance. Typically, the identification, classification, and chemical profiling of smokeless powders are based exclusively on the analysis of the additives. In this study, information regarding the NC base component was combined with the chemical analysis of the additives using two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). The system combines size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) in an on-line heart-cut 2D-LC configuration. In the first dimension, the NC is characterized by its molecular-weight distribution (MWD) while being separated from the additives. The additives are then transferred to the second-dimension separation using a novel analyte-transfer system. In the second dimension, the additives are separated to obtain a detailed profile of the low-molecular-mass compounds in the SP. With this approach, the MWD of the NC and the composition of the additives in SP have been obtained within an hour. A discrimination power of 90.53% was obtained when studying exclusively the NC MWD, and 99.47% for the additive profile. This novel combination enables detailed forensic comparison of intact SPs. Additionally, no extensive sample preparation is required, making the developed method less labor intensive

Coffee-Banana Intercropping: Implementation guidance for policymakers and investors

Coffee-Banana Intercropping (VBI) addresses all 3 pillars of CSA in a multifaceted way. CBI in both Arabica nad Robusta generates 50% more revenue then either coffee or banana monocrop. Farmers' risk is reduced by practising CBI, making them more resilient to climate change impacts. Transformational changes are needed in the attitude towards CBI, to support scaling up of the practice

Elevated brain glutamate levels in type 1 diabetes: correlations with glycaemic control and age of disease onset but not with hypoglycaemia awareness status

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