Forensic Science International: Synergy最新文献

{"title":"Finally a really forensic worldwide standard: ISO 21043 Forensic sciences, Part 4, Interpretation","authors":"Charles E.H. Berger","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many influential reports have highlighted the need for improvement in forensic science, calling for a better scientific foundation and quality management. A well-structured and internationally agreed-upon framework is provided by the ISO 21043 <em>Forensic sciences</em> standard series, the importance of which goes beyond traditional quality management. Guided by principles such as logic, transparency, and relevance, the ISO 21043-4 <em>Interpretation</em> standard contains requirements and recommendations, but also introduces a common language and supports both evaluative and investigative interpretation. Development of the standard aimed for the flexibility needed across diverse areas of expertise while promoting consistency and accountability, and this paper explains the standard and the principles that underpin it from an insider perspective.</div><div>Above all, ISO 21043 represents a unique opportunity to unify and advance forensic science as a discipline, and to improve the reliability of expert opinions and trust in the justice system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100589"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forensic DNA Phenotyping: Examining knowledge and operational view from police officers","authors":"Audrée Gareau-Léonard ,&nbsp;Vincent Mousseau ,&nbsp;Frank Crispino ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Milot","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100586","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100586","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) is a tool predicting physical characteristics from DNA to provide investigative leads. Research has mainly focused on the development and validation of molecular marker panels and associated statistical models to predict phenotypes. However, little is known about the operational value of DNA phenotyping, as perceived by the targeted users (i.e. police officers involved in criminal investigations). We used a questionnaire to survey 163 officers across Québec (Canada), and who are involved in major crime investigations, to better understand their knowledge and opinion regarding DNA phenotyping. Their responses show that a majority (63 %) are not yet familiar with DNA phenotyping. However, most respondents (58 %) support its use, especially for crimes against the person, if proven reliable. This research emphasizes the relevance of surveying police officers during the development and implementation of such operational forensic tools, as their expectations were not entirely in line with the current and anticipated possibilities of phenotyping, particularly with regard to the most useful traits to target. Respondents consider most useful predictions on eye colour, ethnicity, age and height, whereas it is biogeographical origin that is currently predicted (even if not a phenotype), and the last two traits are difficult to accurately predict. The perspective of police officers gathered here also argues in favor of involving other actors of the justice system to better delineate the scope of FDP in criminal cases and to improve its integration throughout the judicial process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100586"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Abbreviated injury scale-guided assessment of traumatic deaths: postmortem CT versus autopsy","authors":"Kiratika Likkachai ,&nbsp;Sirote Wongwaisayawan ,&nbsp;Kornpira Siriwes ,&nbsp;Wisarn Worasuwannarak","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100588","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100588","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic agreement between postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and conventional autopsy in assessing injury severity and determining the cause of death using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS).</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>A retrospective analysis was conducted on 65 trauma-related fatalities that underwent both PMCT and autopsy. Injuries were classified by anatomical region and scored using AIS. Severity was categorized as minor (AIS 0–3) or major (AIS 4–6). The cause of death was determined based on either expert opinion or the highest AIS score per region. Agreement between PMCT and autopsy was analyzed using kappa statistics, correlation coefficients, and chi-square tests.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Moderate agreement in AIS scoring was observed across most anatomical regions (36 %–52 %). Agreement improved substantially when classifying injuries as minor or major (78 %–86 %). The overall concordance for determining the cause of death was 33.85 % using expert opinion (κ = 0.23) and 55.38 % using AIS scoring (κ = 0.41). PMCT showed high sensitivity in detecting skeletal injuries but was limited in identifying soft tissue damage and vascular lesions, particularly in the abdomen and external surface regions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>PMCT demonstrates substantial agreement with autopsy in classifying injury severity, especially when guided by AIS scoring. While PMCT alone may not replace autopsy in all cases, its utility is enhanced through standardized injury scoring. PMCT may serve as a reliable adjunct or alternative in select forensic contexts, particularly where autopsy is declined or unavailable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100588"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143895680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chaos theory and its applications in forensic anthropology","authors":"Sarajane Smith-Escudero ,&nbsp;Angela Dautartas ,&nbsp;Jesse R. Goliath ,&nbsp;Shawn P. Lambert","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chaos theory, initially developed by Edward Lorenz, a mathematician and meteorologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has evolved from a theory of the natural and physical sciences to a theory that has broad, interdisciplinary applications. Fundamentally, chaos theory connects various scientific disciplines by explaining how seemingly random behaviors that happen in non-linear or “chaotic” systems, no matter how minor, can lead to major consequences. While forensic anthropology is often considered an a-theoretical subfield of anthropology, the discipline has witnessed a proliferation of theoretical publications in recent years. It engages with a variety of theories, ranging from low-level theories of archaeological recovery to high-level theories such as human evolution and adaptation to understand human variability. However, in its primacy, forensic anthropologists struggled to understand the systems and agents involved in forensic contexts. The utilization of chaos theory and non-linear systems has the potential to transform the field, providing a new lens to better understand forensic contexts. This paper will delve into the interdisciplinary ways forensic anthropology can employ chaos theory, specifically in developing a range of non-linear systems theoretical frameworks, especially in work concerning human decomposition and reconstruction of forensic contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100587"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Policy critique: The conflation of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma – a measure with several negative effects","authors":"Niels Lynøe ,&nbsp;Anders Eriksson","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100585","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100585","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The amalgamizing of shaken baby syndrome (SBS) with the much broader and heterogeneous abusive head trauma (AHT) diagnosis is problematized. We suggest that the reason why American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) took this step in 2009 was a response to another theory being presented and discussed from 2001 and onwards. This theory had completely different legal consequences as it suggested that the medical findings on which the SBS diagnosis were based, i.e. “the triad” (subdural hemorrhages/SDH, retinal hemorrhages/RH, and encephalopathy) were non-traumatic. If such an explanation was accepted, this would reveal not only that serious legal abuses had occurred in the past and that the pediatricians should be held responsible for this, but also that it would in the future be more difficult to protect the child by claiming abuse in cases of unclear diagnosis. We present also other steps, taken by other pediatric organizations, having similar effects upon the current SBS controversy.</div><div>We suggest that these value-based considerations were the underlying reasons why SBS was integrated in the AHT concept, and why competing theories and evidence-based criticism is ignored, allowing to always interpret triad findings as the result of abuse. If the ethical principle to protect the child is more important to AAP than the scientific ambition to develop evidence-based diagnostic procedures, we encourage AAP to be honest and admit this prioritization. Or at least to admit that in this ethical dilemma, AAP finds that the least bad choice is <em>First of all, protect the child!</em> despite the price is that many infants and its siblings may be separated on wrong grounds from their family, and that caregivers might be falsely accused and convicted of child abuse.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100585"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143815566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Technical Note: A comparison of solvents for optimal extraction and morphological identification of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from sticky traps","authors":"Kate M. Barnes ,&nbsp;Mark T. Bulling ,&nbsp;Gosia Wosik ,&nbsp;Alana F.V. Twinn ,&nbsp;Samara Lemon ,&nbsp;Chloe Foreman ,&nbsp;Kinga Babiarz ,&nbsp;Katherine Brown","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100583","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100583","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Passive sampling techniques such as sticky traps are recommended for research studies assessing colonisation patterns of forensically important flies. However, there are no standardised protocols for the optimal removal of flies to ensure accurate morphological identification to species level. This study assessed the use of four freely available solvents (mineral oil, vegetable oil, baby oil and an orange-based solvent) in terms of facilitating extraction from sticky traps, and potential effects on subsequent identification of three blow fly species of forensic importance, <em>Calliphora vicina, Calliphora vomitoria</em> and <em>Lucilia sericata</em>. Results indicated that species were differentially affected by the oils but, overall, the orange-based solvent had the least effect on the morphological features of each species, and therefore, was considered the best throughout the study. Additionally, the orientation of flies on the traps had no significant effect on the quality of morphological characteristics. It is recommended that the orange-based solvent method outlined in this paper is used for the removal of blow flies from sticky traps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100583"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143786196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Small samples, big problems—the inability to provide a sample in breath alcohol testing: Case reports","authors":"Aaron Olson","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100584","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100584","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Breath alcohol testing is a cornerstone of impaired driving investigations, yet some individuals are physiologically unable to provide adequate breath samples, leading to charges of refusal despite efforts to comply. This paper presents seven case reports of individuals who failed to meet the minimum volume requirements of the DataMaster DMT breath alcohol analyzer due to factors such as age, gender, respiratory conditions, and smoking history. Despite seemingly genuine attempts to provide valid samples, these individuals were charged with refusing to submit to a chemical test.</div><div>The case reports in this paper highlight the vulnerabilities in current testing protocols, including the one-size-fits-all volume requirement, equipment problems, measurement uncertainty, individual anxiety, operator bias, and lack of transparency. Proposed improvements include alternative testing methods (e.g., blood or urine), individualized volume requirements, enhanced operator training, slope-based sampling, changes in equipment design, regular volume calibration, mandatory data collection, and independent scientific review.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100584"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143786197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of stroke-induced memory impairment on handwriting–A forensic case study","authors":"Mohinder Singh ,&nbsp;Romika Chopra ,&nbsp;Ajay Sharma ,&nbsp;Vishal Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100582","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100582","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Handwriting is an acquired neuromuscular skill that relies on motor memory and brain function, which make it vulnerable to impairments caused by physical or mental conditions. This paper presents a forensic case study comparing pre- and post-stroke Devnagari writing samples of a post-neurosurgery memory-impaired patient. The study aimed to assess the feasibility, reliability, and limitations of handwriting identification, in such cases. Results revealed that there are significant differences between pre- and post-stroke handwritings, indicating distinct master pattern and potentially different writers. In the absence of medical history, a false negative opinion could have been generated in this case. This study highlights the need for contemporaneous specimens, careful evaluation, and integration of medical history in forensic document examination. It is, certainly, a grey area, emphasizing the need for further research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100582"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating changing narratives: The forensic Advisor's role in a complex sexual assault case – A case study","authors":"Antje Van Assche,&nbsp;Karolien Van Dijck","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100581","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100581"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143550307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A transdisciplinary integrated approach to improve identification outcomes for decomposed decedents in medicolegal death investigations","authors":"Victoria E. Gibbon ,&nbsp;Laura J. Heathfield ,&nbsp;Kathryn Smith ,&nbsp;Judith C. Sealy ,&nbsp;Lorna J. Martin","doi":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100579","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100579","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Successful identification of unidentified decedents is a priority to address the global burden and health crisis created by such deaths. A newly developed transdisciplinary and integrative approach is presented as a protocol. The aim is to facilitate forensic leads for medico-legal death investigations that utilize external expertise to provide additional information as an act of re-humanization of the decedent.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and analysis</h3><div>There are three critical phases to the protocol. This transdisciplinary research approach in sensitive medicolegal environments requires, first, establishment of a robust ethical framework (implementation of permissions, contracts, and ethics) to maintain evidentiary integrity and protect those involved. It also needs to facilitate dissemination of the generated facial depictions to the public to enable investigative leads. Second, it requires the identification of useful and available scientific analyses and establishment of the multi-disciplinary team. These include a medicolegal death investigation and a forensic pathology postmortem record review inclusive of forensic contextual and case data information (such as unique identifiers and personal belongings), radiographic analyses, osteobiography anthropological assessment, conventional and specialized forensic genetic analyses, and possibly stable isotope analyses to provide a richer picture and understanding of the person. Third, these multifactorial data need to be integrated into a narrative, including facial reconstruction and depiction to elicit memory and identification via public appeals for information on unresolved cases. Should an investigative lead be followed, and a possible forensic identification established, conventional methods to confirm identity can be applied (e.g. DNA profiling). While it is the first time this approach has been applied in an African context, this protocol can be replicated and adapted for other regions to improve medicolegal death investigations, Ultimately, facilitating and improving identification can provide social justice and familial closure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36925,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science International: Synergy","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100579"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143508591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}