Forensic evidence enhancement using physiological aspects and processes

Fingermark examination is one of the most common forensic techniques used by the police and forensic examiners. Many methods for developing fingermarks on countless different surfaces exist, and various analytical methods are utilised to extract further information from fingermarks once visualised. However, there are still several areas of fingermark identification and examination that can be optimised.The need to dark adapt the eyes prior to fingermark examination in low light environments was investigated. It was discovered that participants could visualise an average of 16 % more fluorescent patterns when allowing their eyes time to adapt to their darkened environment. This large increase in the amount visualised by participants suggests that crime scene officers should be allowing their eyes time to dark adapt prior to conducting examinations in the dark. [Continues.]</div

Torts

Covers cases on strict liability disguised in terms of negligence and on false imprisonment—arrest without a warrant in misdemeanor cases

Upgrading the SR-30 Miniature Turbojet for Adaptable Exhaust

The California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly, SLO) Aerospace Department is requesting a variable nozzle adaptation for their SR-30 turbojet engine. The nozzle is intended for laboratory use in sophomore and junior level courses to supplement instruction on the effects that exhaust behavior has on the performance of propulsion technologies. Topics covered during a performance study of the SR-30 turbojet engine will include, but are not limited to: Brayton Cycle analysis, turbojet operation in ideal and non-ideal test conditions, instrumentation limitations, and basic nozzle operation. The SR-30 turbojet engine is similar in design and operation to engines used to power full-size jets, but is scaled down in size for practical use in educational laboratories. Current designs for variable area nozzles in the aeronautics industry are tailored for use on large jet engines, rather than small educational engines such as the SR-30 turbojet. Therefore, this senior project seeks to adapt existing technology designs to an appropriate scale, and manufacture a variable-area nozzle that will allow for controlled exhaust-flow restriction. The solution proposed in this document draws on existing fighter jet variable nozzles J85 and F119-PW-100 for inspiration in nozzle flap layout and uses common methods of robotic motion control, including linear electronic actuators and hydraulic actuators. Given the scale of the existing turbojet exhaust pipe, this senior project team, “TurboTRIO”, has determined that a circular nozzle would be difficult to actuate in an accurate, flexible, and durable manner. Similarly, design specifications such as thrust-vectoring capabilities and hydraulic control systems present themselves as unnecessarily complicated for the scope of this project. As such, these were likewise discarded. The proposed design is, consequently, a converging-diverging nozzle with a fixed-area converging duct and throat, and a variable-area diverging duct. The diverging duct will have a rectangular cross-section, and will be composed of two stationary flaps and two independently-actuated flaps controlled via mechanical linear actuation. This design will allow for educational demonstrations and performance analyses of a sonic converging nozzle, supersonic converging-diverging nozzle, and potentially engine thrust vectoring

Beating the Blues: Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for the treatment of depression and anxiety with older people

Introduction With increasing longevity the population of the world is becoming older and there are growing numbers of people over the age of 65 years. This has implications for services providing psychological treatment to older people as there is likely to be an increasing demand for evidenced-based treatments such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) in the coming years. There are, however, relatively few clinical psychologists specialising in working with older people and therefore additional ways of dealing with the growing demands are essential. Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CCBT) offers one potential option and NICE recommends Beating the Blues (BTB) as the most clinically and cost-effective package for treating depression. However, no study to date has explored the use of BTB with older people. Objective The objective of the study was to address this gap in the literature and had the following aims: 1) to explore the uptake rate of BTB with older people; 2) to explore the characteristics of older people opting to receive BTB; 3) to explore the drop-out rate from BTB with older people; and 4) to determine if BTB was effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in older people experiencing these difficulties. The findings were compared to previous research on BTB with younger adults. Methodology A between-groups, repeated measures design (with assessment time as the repeated measure) was used. Participants were given a free choice of receiving BTB plus treatment as usual (BTB+TAU) or treatment as usual alone (TAU). Treatment as usual was provided by clinicians from older people community mental health teams (e.g. psychiatric nurses) and the only constraint that was placed in this was that no face-to-face psychological therapy from an accredited therapist could be provided. The participants opting to receive BTB also completed eight sessions of BTB on a weekly basis. All participants completed a range of outcome measures prior to commencing treatment (pre), after eight weeks (post) and after a further 4 weeks (one month follow-up). Results & Discussion The results indicated that 56.9 per cent of the participants opted to receive BTB and they reported having significantly more experience and confidence using a computer than those who declined BTB. It was also found that 72.7 per cent of older people completed all eight sessions of BTB (27.3 per cent discontinuation rate). This was comparable to what has been found in previous studies of BTB with younger adults. A two (treatment group) x three (time) repeated measures ANOVA revealed that, in comparison to the TAU group, the BTB+TAU group showed statistically significant greater improvements on measures of depression and anxiety by the end of treatment. This was maintained at one month follow-up. Furthermore, in comparison to the TAU group the BTB had a higher percentage of participants who met criteria for clinically significant improvement by the end of treatment and at one-month follow-up. The results suggest that BTB is an acceptable and effective treatment for older people experiencing depression and anxiety and the implications of these findings are discussed

Forensic anthropometry from fingerprints- A collaboration between chemistry and design [Abstract]

Forensic anthropometry from fingerprints- A collaboration between chemistry and design [Abstract

Quantifying Radiation Effects of Energetic Electron Precipitation From the Van Allen Radiation Belts Into the Earth’s Atmosphere

In this study, energetic particle precipitation from the Earth&rsquo;s radiation belts was investigated as a source of radiation exposure for humans at airline altitudes. When a charged particle from the radiation belts (such as an electron) collides with the Earth&rsquo;s upper atmosphere it can generate a cascade of collisions that propagate down through the atmosphere, ionizing atmospheric neutrals. Products of these collisions can deposit energy in the form of ionizing radiation, which can be of particular concern for humans when exposed to high doses over long periods of time. This study quantified the radiation dose that humans could be exposed to at varying altitudes in the Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere due to Energetic Electron Precipitation (EEP). MEPED electron energy spectrum and flux data from the POES and MetOp satellite constellations were used as inputs for a Monte Carlo based radiation model, which computed the radiation dose rates at altitudes between 500 km and Earth&rsquo;s surface. These predictions were compared with radiation doses measured at aviation altitudes by the ARMAS particle detectors, and with Iridium-Next REACH radiation measurements in LEO. Global maps of radiation dose were generated using both the REACH measurements and the MEPED forward-modeled predictions, and were used to characterize the spatial and temporal behavior of EEP events. Statistical analyses of the results are presented for data recorded during 2019 across all three data sources, and specific EEP events were identified and discussed. It was concluded that while energetic electron precipitation does reach aviation altitudes, it does not make up a large proportion of the radiation doses detected by ARMAS in this region of the atmosphere.</p

Finding evidence in the dark: utilization of inkjet-printed amino acids

© 2019, © 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. Inkjet-printing amino acids has been suggested as a method to obtain pseudo latent fingermarks which are identical to each other and can therefore be used to compare different fingermark development techniques. This article outlines how this method of printing amino acids was utilized to obtain standardized fluorescent patterns that could be used to assess individual’s dark adaptation. Shapes, letters and patterns were printed in alanine using a standard inkjet printer, then developed using DFO to provide fluorescent images when viewed under green light and through a red filter. Images were also printed and developed using ninhydrin to obtain the resultant developed image in Ruhemann’s purple. The use of the fluorescent patterns to assess dark adaptation led to the confirmation that forensic examiners should dark adapt their eyes prior to looking for fluorescent evidence in the dark, as 16% more evidence was discoverable after waiting an average of 10 minutes in the dark prior to examination

Mechanistic insight into the fluorescence activity of forensic fingerprinting reagents.

Fingerprint detection is still the primary investigative technique for deciphering criminal inquiries and identifying individuals. The main forensic fingerprinting reagents (FFRs) currently in use can require multiple treatment steps to produce fingerprints of sufficient quality. Therefore, the development of new, more effective FFRs that require minimal chemical treatment is of great interest in forensic chemistry. In this work, prudently crafted density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory calculations are utilized to derive mechanistic insight into the optical activity of the non-fluorescent product of ninhydrin, diketohydrindylidenediketohydrindamine (DYDA), and fluorescent product of DFO (1,8-diazafluoren-9-one). We investigate various protonation sites to gain an understanding of isomeric preference in the solid-state material. A relaxed scan of a single torsion angle rotation in the S minimized geometry of the O-protonated DYDA isomer suggests a conical intersection upon ∼10° rotation. We show that the absence of a rigid hydrogen-bonded network in the crystal structure of DYDA supports the hypothesis of torsion rotation, which leads de-excitation to occur readily. Conversely, for the fluorescent DFO product, our calculations support an avoided crossing suggestive of a non-radiative mechanism when the torsion angle is rotated by about ∼100°. This mechanistic insight concurs with experimental observations of fluorescence activity in DFO and may aid the photophysical understanding of poorly visualized fingerprints due to weak fluorescence. We show that identifying suggestive avoided crossings via the method described here can be used to initialize thoughts toward the computational design of FFRs

The importance of dark adaptation for forensic examinations; an evaluation of the Crime-lite Eye™

Forensic practitioners are recommended to dark adapt their eyes prior to conducting evidential searches in the dark. The dark adaptation process remains poorly standardised across the discipline, with little quantified regarding the benefits of such preparative steps. Herein, we report the findings of a study that recruited 50 participants to assess the effectiveness of the Crime-lite Eye™ a darkness adaptation device developed to assist forensic practitioners both in the laboratory and in field. Participants were tasked with searching for the fluorescent signatures left by reaction of 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO) with amino acids, in a manner akin to the fluorogenic fingerprint treatment of porous evidence. Using an Epson Stylus Photo R265 inkjet printer, ink cartridges were filled with alanine solutions of various concentrations, allowing different motifs to be printed onto copy paper and subsequently developed using DFO. Participants searched for this ‘evidence’ both with and without dark adapted vision. On average, participants were able to locate and correctly recognise 16% more evidence once dark adapted using the Crime-lite Eye™. The increase in evidence located by participants once dark adapted suggests that crime scene officers should be dark adapting in order to visualise as much as possible. The time taken to dark adapt, 10 min on average during this study, is not excessively long, and should not significantly slow the investigation