Forensic Science Review最新文献

{"title":"Scotch Whiskies and Forensic Examinations of Manufacturing-Derived Features for Their Authentication.","authors":"T C Chang, H W Huang, W T Chang","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the global whisky market reaching $65.6 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $89.48 billion by the end of 2029, the incentives for fraud in relation to (and adulteration of) this alcoholic beverage are self-evident. Law enforcement agencies worldwide have taken actions against crimes of this nature, with forensic scientists playing crucial roles (mainly through expert testimonies on sample authenticities) during legal proceedings. Important issues associated with Scotch whisky authentication include: (a) understanding the typical manufacturing process; (b) acquisition of reference samples; and (c) effective utilization of instrumentations to characterize features derived from the manufacturing process and strategic approaches for the interpretation of analytical findings. Following a brief review of the definition/classification, manufacturing, and adulteration/counterfeiting of Scotch whiskies, this review focuses on the characterization of manufacturing-derived features and interpretation of analytical findings as grouped into: (a) quantitative analysis of single compounds; (b) qualitative analysis and intensity ratio of multiple compounds; (c) chemometric analysis of selected multi-compounds; and (d) quantitative analysis of selected elements. Finally, a flowchart for conducting the authentication process, from various significantly different perspectives, is proposed.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"36 2","pages":"127-142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141996636","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":"Current State of Forensic Science Improvement in the United States: Lessons from Wrongful Convictions.","authors":"J S Morgan","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Advocates and researchers have made many recommendations for forensic science improvement in the United States. These proposals are often motivated by wrongful convictions related to false or misleading forensic evidence. In many cases, the connection between the proposals and the actual experience of wrongful convictions has not been well defined. Further, recommendations may not have been realizable given the structure of the criminal justice system in the United States and the practical realities of forensic science laboratories. Finally, limited attempts have been made to assess recommendations over time to determine the progress of forensic science improvement and elucidate continuing gaps. Reports from the Department of Justice, the National Academy of Sciences, and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology are assessed to determine the extent to which their recommendations have been implemented, whether the recommendations align with the actual experience of wrongful convictions, and how the American forensic science community has implemented forensic science improvement. The most successful proposals reflect a broad movement toward quality assurance, improved standards, and organizational improvement in the forensic sciences. Less successful proposals are associated with calls for large federal investments, difficulties in community-wide implementation, or uncertain linkage to foundations in science and practice. Significant progress has been made in the standardization of reporting and testimony, assessment of the foundational reliability of the disciplines, and DNA mixture interpretation. Significant gaps remain to improve medicolegal death investigation, governance, and the implementation of standards. Improved allocation and use of resources will be required to meet continuing challenges in capacity building, training, and proficiency testing, although past experience indicates that both federal and non-federal funding will be required to address these issues. Continued improvement is needed to address the issues associated with wrongful convictions, although forensic science leaders have demonstrated the ability to prioritize improvement initiatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"36 1","pages":"41-54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139651868","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":"Origin of the First Handheld Breath Alcohol Analyzer Incorporating an Electrochemical Sensor.","authors":"A Wayne Jones","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Historical events leading to the development of the first handheld instrument for breath alcohol analysis using an electrochemical sensor are reviewed. The first prototype instrument, known as the Alcolmeter Pocket Model, became available in 1972 and weighed only 180 g and was about the size of a cellphone. By the mid-1970s, the Alcolmeter instrument was used by police forces in several countries as a preliminary roadside test of driver sobriety. Positive results in a roadside breath test were considered sufficient evidence to arrest a suspect for further evaluation and testing. This might entail an evidential-quality breath alcohol test or taking a sample of the driver's blood for analysis at a forensic laboratory. The main advantages of breath testing over blood testing are the non-invasive nature of the sampling procedure compared with sticking a needle in a vein to draw blood, and obtaining immediate information whether or not a person is in breach of the drunk driving legislation.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"36 1","pages":"26-31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139651795","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":"Lip print evidence: Poland as the Last Bastion of Practical Cheiloscopy.","authors":"J Kasprzak, G M Fonseca","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cheiloscopic examinations have long been conducted, and many scientists have reported the usefulness of cheiloscopy for personal identification with a characteristic and individual pattern of furrows on the vermilion lip. For almost 40 years, research conducted in Poland has determined the patterns of these furrows and the separation and development of their individual features. This was the basis for forming expert opinions and presenting them in court as evidence. In Poland, cheiloscopic expertise is performed and the results of precise procedures that are accredited and assessed serve as evidence. Although the legal system in Poland (continental system) is completely different from the American system, cheiloscopic expertise was also assessed in detail according to the American standards of evidence. This narrative review presents the problem of cheiloscopic expertise as a scientific and practical issue and provides a brief historical overview of this field and the foundations of the Polish cheiloscopic identification method. We conclude that Poland has sufficient historical background and a robust development of cheiloscopy in the field on a scientific and legal basis; however, due to its reports being in the Polish language, its absence from the most relevant specialized literature, or simply a lack of cooperation between countries and experts, the country has unfairly been left out of the discussion. We believe that a new look at the Polish contribution to lip print identification is necessary to reinsert this topic into the current discussion of a new identification paradigm.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"36 1","pages":"55-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139651794","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":"Analysis of drugs in wastewater: Forensic science perspective.","authors":"E Mwenesongole","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drug usage data in a community has traditionally been obtained through population surveys, records from law enforcement activities related to drug-related crime, drug treatment centers, prison data, and hospital records. Wastewater-based epidemiology has gained traction in the last 10 years as a formidable complimentary tool to monitor, track, and estimate community consumption of both illicit and therapeutic drugs within a community. In wastewater-based epidemiology, targeted biomarkers (parent drug and/or metabolite) of illicit and therapeutic drugs are quantified in wastewater and back-calculated to community consumption. In conjunction with more traditional methods of obtaining drug usage data, information from wastewater-based epidemiology has been used to detect the types and amounts of drugs being used within a community. One of the main advantages of wastewater-based epidemiology is the near-real-time data obtained from it, which assists with the quick adaptation of both harm reduction and supply mitigation strategies. Wastewater-based epidemiology has also seen an increase in forensic application through the detection of production facilities within a community, determining the synthesis route of certain illicit drugs like methamphetamine, and enantiomeric profiling to distinguish between illicit and therapeutic use of drugs. This review summarizes the main focus areas and applications of wastewater-based epidemiology from a forensic perspective.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"35 2","pages":"79-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10307454","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":"Systematic review on forensic craniofacial reconstruction. I. facial soft-tissue thickness.","authors":"J S Sehrawat,&nbsp;B Ahlawat","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forensic anthropologists are traditionally interested in facial approximations and reconstruction of physiognomies of individuals from past populations and creation of lifelike features onto unknown skulls retrieved from forensic or bioarchaeological contexts. Present review article examines the significance of facial soft-tissue thickness (FSTT) in craniofacial reconstruction by revisiting the studies published in the recent past decade (2010-21). The searches for published articles mentioning the FSTT and related topics over these years were performed using the following search engines: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus. A total of 325 research articles were identified using different keywords, out of which 84 studies were found relevant for systematic review presented in this article. The selected studies were further analyzed based on the adopted study design, radiographic modality used for estimating FSTT, and generated databases and their advantages and limitations. Out of 84 relevant articles, 30 articles presented databases for sex, age, and ethnicity-dependent variations in soft tissue thickness measurements. Finally, 17 studies reporting sexual dimorphic variations in FSTT values estimated in supine or upright postured individuals (aged 18-90 years and above) were considered for meta-analysis. This article gives a decisive outlook on research trends in FSTT estimations, its contributions in refining craniofacial reconstruction technology, and identifying where we lack and where we can improve.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"35 2","pages":"107-136"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10490966","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":"The Current Regulations in Handling Autopsy of COVID-19 Corpses: A Narrative Review.","authors":"R G Menezes,&nbsp;R S Bakhurji,&nbsp;A A AlGhuneem,&nbsp;H A AlAbdullah,&nbsp;N I Al-Saleh,&nbsp;M K Eskander","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people around the world either directly or indirectly. Deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing cause of death. It is estimated that millions of excess deaths were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The importance of a clinical autopsy on COVID-19 corpses lies in understanding the pathogenesis of the disease better. Moreover, a forensic autopsy may be performed on a COVID-19-infected corpse when indicated for medico-legal purposes. From the autopsy perspective, handling COVID-19-infected corpses requires specific guidelines and safety measures to be followed to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus. This is essential as COVID-19 is an emerging infectious disease caused by a newly discovered virus. This review narrates the safety measures that should be followed at different stages of handling COVID-19 corpses, starting from the death scene to burial and funeral. Ethical issues in handling COVID-19 corpses are also briefed in this review. As COVID-19 can be transmitted through infected bodies, it is crucial to wear recommended personal protective equipment, specifically for aerosol-generating procedures. There are specific safety measures to be considered before transporting the body to the mortuary, with particular requirements to be implemented there, such as specific engineering controls, staff training, and autopsy room precautions. After conducting the autopsy, disinfection of the tools and equipment, body bags, transport vehicles, and the autopsy room should be considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"35 1","pages":"47-57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10449669","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":"Cannabidiol and Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol: Cannabinoids of Rising Interest and Concern.","authors":"R M White","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although much is known about Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its inactive open ring isomer, cannabidiol, far less is known about the effects, metabolism, and pharmacodynamics of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol's double-bond isomer, Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol. With the passage of the so-called United States \"Farm Bill,\" which was made law in order to allow legal hemp cultivation in the United States, more needs to be known about the effects of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, a double-bond isomer of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabidiol (CBD), which is an open-ring isomer of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol. It is the aim of the review to summarize current knowledge of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD, including the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of CBD. Also, plant genetics, the effect of cannabinoids on the current topic of viral entry into mammalian cells, and the current practice of vaping, dabbing, and dripping are covered.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"35 1","pages":"27-45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10449668","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":"Dental Anomalies as Identification Strategies for Unknown Human Remains: Literature Review and Applications.","authors":"J S Sehrawat,&nbsp;B Ahlawat","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The unique hard and resilient nature of human teeth makes them useful for various forensic odontological examinations. Structural alterations, cultural modifications, pathological variations, and restorative material make them excellent forensic indicators about biological identity of the unknown deceased or living individuals. Variations in the anatomical details of teeth may be imprinted by defective dental development, traumatic damages, pathologies, and nonmasticatory or weaponry use of teeth during an individual's lifetime. Such imprints can be used for comparisons and identification in forensic anthropology. Deliberate dental alterations/modifications and mutilations practiced due to cultural or esthetic purposes have been reported from some contemporary human population groups as well as from some ancient documented skeletal collections. Willful dental modifications have been most commonly done by filling, drilling, grooving, grinding, staining, and chipping. These dental features may be useful only for differentiation of varied anthropological populations, but their forensic utility cannot be ignored, particularly when antemortem dental records are available for comparisons. Various dental developmental anomalies and defects, restorations, pathological signatures, and occupational markers definitely corroborate other methods of forensic identifications, but cannot be used as sole criteria for individualization of unknown human remains retrieved in medicolegal scenarios. This review article attempts to glean information about various characteristic features of teeth and their forensic significance to aid identification of unknown human dental remains found in forensic contexts; its concluding emphasis focuses on the role of such dental individualities in identification strategies for human remains excavated from an abandoned ancient well situated underneath a religious structure at Ajnala (Amritsar), India. The unique dental features, extrinsic staining of anterior teeth, low frequency of dental pathologies, and notched incisors of those excavated remains were suggestive of them belonging to slain sepoy from an historic military regiment.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"34 2","pages":"107-129"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40588929","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":"How Nordic Countries Enforce Impaired Driving Legislation.","authors":"A W Jones","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article reviews how the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden enforce their legislation pertaining to driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other impairing drugs. The evidence necessary for a successful prosecution of traffic offenders has undergone radical changes over the past 50 years. The once widely used clinical tests of impairment are no longer a major element of the prosecution case and a physician is more seldom required to examine apprehended drivers and document any clinical signs and symptoms of alcohol and/or drug influence. These clinical tests have been superseded by results derived from a comprehensive toxicological analysis of psychoactive substances in samples of the driver's blood. The current statutory limits of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) are among the lowest in the world: Norway and Sweden (0.20 g/kg) and Denmark and Finland (0.50 g/kg). Results from using evidential quality breath-alcohol instruments are accepted as evidence in drunk-driving cases and this has necessitated setting statutory breath-alcohol concentration (BrAC) limits. Laws dealing with driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) other than alcohol have also been updated and made more pragmatic for prosecution of traffic offenders. In Finland and Sweden zero-tolerance laws exist, making it illegal to drive with any quantifiable amount of a scheduled drug in the driver's blood. Prescription drugs are exempt from this zero-tolerance mandate provided the medication was used in accordance with a physician's ordination. Lacking a valid prescription or if there is a supratherapeutic concentration of the drug in blood, this will lead to a prosecution for DUID. In Denmark and Norway threshold concentration limits have been established for many psychoactive drugs, both licit and illicit. After these stricter laws for DUID were introduced, the number of suspects apprehended by the police per year increased by as much as tenfold in some Nordic countries. There is increasing evidence that many traffic delinquents in the Nordic countries suffer from a substance-use disorder, because repeat-offending is a common occurrence. This suggests that some type of treatment and rehabilitation program might be more beneficial compared with conventional penalties for people arrested for DUI and/or DUID.</p>","PeriodicalId":38192,"journal":{"name":"Forensic Science Review","volume":"34 2","pages":"131-143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40588930","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}