Science & Justice最新文献

{"title":"IFC: Editorial Board and Aims and Scope","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00143-1","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00143-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 6","pages":"Article 101359"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Direct analysis of THC containing edibles using Py-GC/MS","authors":"Fatma Almadani ,&nbsp;Samar Gewily ,&nbsp;Adnan Lanjawi ,&nbsp;Hind Alshuhomi ,&nbsp;Rashed Alremeithi ,&nbsp;Saif-eldin Khalil ,&nbsp;Mohamad J. Altamimi","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Edible cannabinoid products have been in high demand for the past century due to their ease of use, discretion, and most importantly due to the induced long lasting psychoactive effect. Therefore, monitoring and analyzing THC edibles is critical. In this study, THC edibles were analyzed qualitatively using pyrolysis coupled with GC/MS as an innovative application to compare its sensitivity and effectiveness to other traditional techniques such as GC/MS, by analyzing seven different edible cannabinoids that were collected from Dubai Police Forensic Laboratories from the years 2017–2022. Pyrolysis GC/MS is known to provide an easier, and faster analysis technique and this study validates its use in the analysis of cannabis edible products. Results showed that Py-GC/MS is a reliable technique for the analysis of edible cannabinoids as a linear regression was obtained between concentration and abundance with R² = 0.99, also it was found that matrix effect was significantly reduced in comparison to GC/MS analysis. Sample preparation time and the use of chemical reagents were reduced, saving both time, cost and most importantly limiting human error impact on the analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 6","pages":"Article 101346"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cause analysis of spontaneous combustion and self-detonation of homemade ammonium nitrate explosives","authors":"Yajun Li ,&nbsp;Xianhe Deng ,&nbsp;Zhanfang Liu ,&nbsp;Jili Zheng ,&nbsp;Guannan Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongling Guo ,&nbsp;Hongcheng Mei ,&nbsp;Can Hu ,&nbsp;Kui Wu ,&nbsp;Jun Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the strict control of industrial explosives, the easy accessibility of raw materials and simple preparation methods have made homemade explosives (HMEs), especially ammonium nitrate (AN)-based HMEs, widely manufactured, sold, and used by criminals and terrorists. Fertilizers containing chemically modified AN are often employed to produce AN-HMEs. To enhance explosive power and sensitivity, criminals commonly add highly energetic substances such as potassium chlorate (KClO₃) to these fertilizers. However, due to the incompatibility of the added substances, spontaneous combustion and self-detonation often occur. The investigation of such spontaneous combustion and self-detonation is more difficult than that of explosions triggered by fire or flammable materials, as they typically arise naturally during storage without external heat source. The compositional analysis of explosive residues deposited at crime scenes is therefore of significant forensic value for subsequent crime reconstruction. Nevertheless, factors such as crystal phase, thermal properties, component compatibility in explosive mixtures, and the intermediates formed are often overlooked. In this study, an explosion during storage caused by AN-HMEs illegally mixed with KClO₃ was investigated. The composition of the explosive residues was analyzed, and simulated storage experiments were conducted under both open and closed conditions. The phase composition, thermal stability, and compatibility of the explosive mixtures in storage experiments were examined to elucidate the mechanisms of spontaneous combustion and self-detonation. Additionally, attempts were made to explain why the characteristic ClO₃⁻ ion added to the fertilizer was not detected in the residues. The results indicate that although AN and KClO₃ are thermodynamically stable individually, their mixture reduces the thermal stability of AN, revealing their incompatibility. It was demonstrated that under room temperature and closed storage conditions, AN and KClO₃ can form an unstable intermediate, ammonium chlorate (NH₄ClO₃). Subsequently, NH₄ClO₃ was synthesized, characterized, and its crystal structure analyzed via Rietveld refinement. NH₄ClO₃ decomposes at 58 °C, releasing heat that accumulates within the explosives and forms hot spots, thereby initiating detonation. Since the decomposition products are gaseous, ClO₃⁻ was not detected in the explosive residues.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 6","pages":"Article 101319"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145011301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From intuitive to structured quality control: implementing checklist-based peer reviews of reports in Norwegian digital forensic units","authors":"Nina Sunde ,&nbsp;Olav Dahl","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101298","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Digital evidence plays a critical role in solving crimes, making its quality essential. This study examines the implementation of a structured, checklist-based peer review process for technical analysis reports within digital forensic units of the Norwegian Police. It incorporates two data collections: a qualitative study based on interviews following a trial implementation, and a quantitative survey assessing peer review practices one year after the trial. Using Normalisation Process Theory, the study retrospectively analyses the trial phase and prospectively evaluates the post-trial phase. Results indicate that during the trial, coherence and cognitive participation were achieved to the greatest extent, whereas collective action and reflexive monitoring were achieved to a limited extent. One year later, survey findings suggest further strengthening of cognitive participation and reflexive monitoring, while collective action remained underdeveloped. Additionally, the distinction between systematic checklist-based peer review and intuitive review practices appears to have become increasingly blurred. These findings highlight the need for a systematic and coordinated effort to ensure the sustainable implementation and normalisation of structured peer review practices in digital forensic units.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101298"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discriminatory power of the Precision ID GlobalFiler™ NGS STR panel v2 in monozygotic twins for forensic applications","authors":"R.I.B. Fonseca ,&nbsp;G. Valle-Silva ,&nbsp;C.T. Mendes-Junior ,&nbsp;C. Fridman","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) are the standard technique used in forensic genetics for individual identification due to their high polymorphism and robustness. Although Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) enables the analysis of many STRs, Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) offers enhanced resolution and the ability to detect STRs’ isoalleles and their flanking regions, enhancing the discrimination power of this analysis. Despite the fact that STR kits for NGS are well standardized for evaluating forensic samples, there is no data on their effectiveness in differentiating monozygotic (MZ) twins, which are indistinguishable by CE. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Precision ID GlobalFiler™ NGS STR Panel v2 in discriminating monozygotic twins by analyzing STRs and their flanking regions. Peripheral blood samples from thirty-two pairs of monozygotic twins were collected and CE and NGS profiles were compared. Then, NGS data were analyzed using Converge, IGV and STRait Razor software. The results showed agreement between the profiles generated by CE and NGS, with the exception of individual G037B, which presented a dropout in allele 13 of the Penta D marker in the Converge analysis. Using IGV, it was possible to note that this result was probably due to sequencing failure in different parts of the reads. On the other hand, STRait Razor was successful in detecting allele 13 in this individual, even with its low coverage (19 reads). Isoalleles were observed in 8 STRs markers, in both individuals of the 10-pair MZ, however, it was not possible to differentiate identical twins. Next, by analyzing the flanking region of the markers, the Converge software pointed out two SNPs in the regions adjacent to the STRs. For individual G016A, rs560609904 was detected in the TPOX marker and for individual G027B, the SNP rs569521603 in D6S1043. But after analysis by STRait Razor and Sanger sequencing to validate these results, these findings were not confirmed. The NGS error rate was analyzed, showing that the SNPs previously pointed out by Converge were in fact sequencing errors and not somatic mutations. In summary, in spite of not differentiating MZ twins, we concluded that the Precision ID GlobalFiler^TM NGS STR Panel v2 kit is an effective tool at identifying isoalleles, which increases the discrimination power for forensic analysis. We also strongly recommend the use of more than one genotype calling software to analyze NGS data in order to confirm the results and to tell apart sequencing errors from actual genetic variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101305"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The microbiome and volatile organic compounds reflecting the state of decomposition in an indoor environment","authors":"Veronica M. Cappas ,&nbsp;Reena Roy ,&nbsp;Emily R. Davenport ,&nbsp;Dan G. Sykes","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101302","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101302","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given that a variety of factors can affect the decomposition process, it can be difficult to determine the post-mortem interval (PMI). The process is highly dependent on microbial activity, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a by-product of this activity. Given both have been proposed to assist in PMI determination, a deeper understanding of this relationship is needed. The current study investigates the temporal evolution of the microbiome and VOC profile of a decomposing human analog (swine) in a controlled, indoor environment. Microbial communities were sampled at six-time points up to the active decay phase (72 swabs in total). VOC headspace samples were collected every six hours with six sampling times in common with the swab times. Sampling locations included the abdominal area, anus, right ear canal, and right nostril. Bacterial communities were found to significantly change during decomposition (p &lt; 0.001), and communities shifted differently based on sample location. The families Moraxellaceae, Planococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Staphylococcaceae drove these community shifts. From random forest analysis, the nostril sampling location was determined to be the best location to predict stage of decomposition. Individual VOCs exhibited large temporal shifts through decomposition stage in contrast to smaller shifts when evaluated based on functional groups. Finally, pairwise linear regression models between abdominal area bacteria and selected VOCs were assessed; Planococcaceae and Tissierellaceae were significantly correlated to indole. Overall, this study provides an exploratory analysis to support the connection between the microbiome, VOCs, and their relationship throughout decomposition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101302"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144331393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"IFC: Editorial Board and IFC: Aims and Scope","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00106-6","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00106-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101322"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protocol developed by the Forensic Science Police of Santa Catarina, Brazil, for identifying wildlife animal species in seized material","authors":"I.S. Perecin ,&nbsp;Marna Eliana Sakalem ,&nbsp;Leandro Luis Martins","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101300","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101300","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The identification of wildlife animal species using skeletal remains is of utmost importance in the fight against illegal hunting. In order to achieve assertive identification, the use of reliable and accessible techniques is mandatory. The present study evaluates radiography and maceration techniques for successful species identification of seized material in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil. The identification was conducted following a protocol developed by the Forensic Science Police of Santa Catarina, and contains cases of multiple mammalian and avian species, and methods were compared regarding precision, demanded time, and cost. A total of 11 different species were identified using the protocol. The results indicate that both radiography and maceration were effective to identify most of the seized material, and additional DNA analysis was necessary in very few cases. In addition, the identification using radiography was faster, and precise for most cases, while presenting low-cost to be conducted. This study underscores the applicability of radiography and maceration in forensic investigations and highlights their potential for broader forensic applications. Additionally, such methodologies are expected to be widely disseminated and standardized for other expert contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101300"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144262538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using fingermark powders and lifters on rhino horn to support anti-poaching efforts","authors":"Lauren Woodcock ,&nbsp;Thomas Mancini ,&nbsp;Julia Ringe ,&nbsp;Nunzianda Frascione","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101310","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101310","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildlife poaching and the trade of wildlife items is a large area of illegal business that is alleged to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. However, wildlife forensics remains an understudied field even though the consequences of poaching are catastrophic and can lead to the spread of zoonotic disease and a decrease in biodiversity. Even though fingermark analysis is cost-effective, easy to deploy in the field and has a long history of securing criminal convictions in court, wildlife forensics is mainly limited to DNA-based techniques. Rhinos are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, with some species being hunted to near extinction.</div><div>To reduce rhino poaching and tackle the trade of rhino horn, this research used various fingerprint powders, including standard and fluorescent powders, to visualise fingermarks deposited on rhino horn. Eight fingermark powders were tested, including four traditional powders (i.e., magneta-flake, aluminium, and reduced scale black and white powders) and four fluorescent powders (i.e., red-and-green-fluorescent powders, along with Foster + Freeman’s fpNatural® 1, and fpNatural® 2,). The rhino horn sample used in this study was cut in half, and latent fingermarks were enhanced on both the rough and smooth sides of the rhino horn. Lifting tape and black gelatine were employed to lift enhanced fingermarks, and fingermarks were photographed on Foster + Freeman’s DCS®4 (for standard powders) and DCS®5 (for fluorescent powders).</div><div>Black gelatine was found to be significantly superior to tape in preliminary trials, and therefore, only black gelatine was used to lift powdered fingermarks after initial experiments. This study highlights that metallic powders (namely aluminium and magneta flake), and all fluorescent powders are effective options to enhance latent fingermarks on rhino horn, yielding marks suitable for comparison and search on fingermark databases. These fingermarks can be lifted using black gelatine without significant loss of fingermark detail. Due to the rough nature of the surface, fingermarks were significantly inferior in quality on the rough outer surface than the smooth inner cut section of the rhino horn. The recommendations made in this study can have an impact on the illegal wildlife trade when deployed in the field, providing more tools to assist front line anti-poaching agents and leading to an increase in convictions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101310"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144867237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age characterization of donor based on fatty acid substances analysis in fingermarks","authors":"Li-Xue Wang ,&nbsp;Ya-Bin Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a critical frontier in forensic science, the profiling of physical evidence characteristics has garnered substantial attention. This study employed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to investigate age-related differences in sebaceous fingermark fatty acid compositions. Fingermark samples from 80 volunteers were analyzed to characterize fatty acid profiles across different age groups. Non-parametric tests were used to identify target fatty acids with significant age-dependent variations, followed by comparative evaluation of unsupervised (PCA) and supervised (RBF, MLP) classification models to develop a high-accuracy age prediction framework. Results revealed distinct fatty acid trends with age: younger donors predominantly exhibited saturated fatty acids with carbon numbers ≤ 10; mid-chain saturated fatty acids (C10–C20) showed minimal age-related variation; and long-chain fatty acids (C ≥ 20) were more abundant in older donors. Significant age-group differences were identified for octanoic acid, decanoic acid, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, and tetracosanoic acid. The multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model achieved an overall accuracy of 84.6 %, outperforming other algorithms in age classification. This study enhances the understanding of age-related lipid dynamics in sebaceous fingermarks and establishes a robust analytical pipeline for forensic age profiling, offering practical implications for criminal investigation and biometric identification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"65 5","pages":"Article 101303"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144331394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}