A uniform approach to determine measurement uncertainty in routine chemical forensic casework.

In routine forensic chemical casework where measurements are performed on reference materials, determination of measurement uncertainty is described in several guidelines. The proposed methods often have the drawback that they are not derived from a statistical framework and may lead to conservative confidence intervals. Furthermore, the formulas involved may vary considerably for different types of reference material.

Potential of Proteomics in Forensic Phenotyping: A Focus on Biological Sex Estimation.

Forensic DNA analysis is well established for phenotyping, providing valuable investigative leads. Proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins, is emerging as a complementary tool to DNA analysis, particularly for enhancing the evidential value of traces. This study explores the potential of proteomics to extract phenotypic traits from whole blood, using the estimation of biological sex as a starting point.

An Integrated proteomic workflow for body fluid classification and single amino acid variant identification: Advancing towards body fluid source attribution.

A particularly challenging subject in the investigation of forensic human biological traces is analyzing samples containing mixtures of body fluids from multiple donors. Ideally, researchers want to identify each type of body fluid present. However, traditional methods, like mRNA and DNA profiling, often struggle with sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency, especially in complex mixtures.

Making AI accessible for forensic DNA profile analysis.

Deep learning has the potential to be a powerful tool for automating allele calling in forensic DNA analysis. Studies to date have relied on bespoke model architecture and painstaking manual annotations to train models, which makes it challenging for other researchers to work with these techniques. In this study, we explore the possibility of training a well-performing model using data gathered as part of casework, and employing a widely adopted architecture: the U-Net.

Determination of relevant sampling locations for burglary investigations.

Residential burglaries often go unsolved, as collected DNA traces and fingermarks frequently originate from residents rather than the offender. It is therefore important to know how to target sampling locations that specifically relate to the burglary event. However, data that aid in assessing the likelihood of a burglar touching certain surfaces, and, consequently leaving trace evidence, is unavailable.

Fast DNA reports for investigative leads in casework practice: An automated workflow for mixture analysis using database searching based on probabilistic genotyping.

The Fast DNA Identification Line (Fast ID Line) is a series of software solutions automating the process of DNA profile analysis, contamination checks, comparison with reference profiles, elimination and criminal DNA database comparison, report generation and dissemination of results to law enforcement. The Fast ID Line v1.0 focussed on identifying candidates that could be contributors to single-source profiles or major contributors to mixed DNA profiles.

Nodewise Predictability in Cross-Sectional Data Does Not Outperform Mechanical Totals in Predicting Sexual Reoffending.

This study compares the predictive accuracy of sexual reoffending using dynamic risk factors' sum score (mechanical totals) and nodewise predictability, a model accounting for their interrelationships. Dynamic risk factors of North American men ( = 5,315) were measured by the STABLE-2007. The area under the curve (AUC) of both methods was determined by splitting the dataset at a [20:80] ratio, repeated over 300 iterations with random training and test samples.

Simultaneous analysis of organic and inorganic explosive traces by online two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

To investigate and process a crime scene after an explosion, analytical methods that can detect trace amounts of explosive material are essential. These chemical traces are of high chemical diversity, encompassing both inorganic and organic materials of forensic interest requiring different analytical techniques for characterization. In this work, we developed a workflow that allows for, the simultaneous separation and detection of inorganic anions, cations, and organic explosive materials from a single injection.

Methodological requirements to publish results obtained using high-risk forensic methods in FSI.

This editorial provides guidance on what is required for publication in Forensic Science International, particularly regarding methods for detecting deception. The European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act (EU-AI act) labels these methods as high-risk. The editorial discusses the importance of addressing ethical concerns and ensuring that the outcomes of such research do not compromise fundamental rights or the integrity of science.

Inter-laboratory evaluation of the VISAGE enhanced tool and models for age estimation from blood and buccal cells.

Over the past decade, numerous assays for forensic age estimation based on the analysis of DNA methylation markers have been developed, demonstrating significant potential for use in criminal investigations. Despite these advancements, only few comprehensive evaluation studies were published. In this study, we present findings of an extensive inter-laboratory evaluation of the VISAGE Enhanced Tool and its associated statistical models for epigenetic age estimation in blood and buccal swabs.

Finally a really forensic worldwide standard: ISO 21043 , Part 4, Interpretation.

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 standard series, the importance of which goes beyond traditional quality management. Guided by principles such as logic, transparency, and relevance, the ISO 21043-4 standard contains requirements and recommendations, but also introduces a common language and supports both evaluative and investigative interpretation.

mRNA profiling and donor association of mock casework samples: Results of a 3rd and 4th EDNAP collaborative exercise.

Simultaneous identification and association of body fluids to donors can serve as a powerful tool in the criminal investigation of mixed traces. Massively parallel sequencing of mRNA targets not only identifies the origin of the body fluids but may also provide additional contextual information about the body fluid donors of a (binary) mixture using coding region SNPs (cSNPs). Within the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP), two consecutive collaborative exercises (3rd and 4th EDNAP exercise) were organized, with the objective to evaluate the performance of two previously published high-resolution mRNA sequencing assays.

Criminalistic zoom levels: Unravelling the hierarchy of forensic traces.

In this paper, we introduce criminalistic zoom levels that describe hierarchical relations between different types of forensic traces. Criminalistic zoom levels are recognised for digital as well as physical forensic traces and may enhance synergy by showing the relation of traces studied by various examiners. We provide a brief etymological introduction to the term trace and a number of definitions found in the literature.

Birgitte Tengs case: Analysis and the wider implications for evaluation of DNA evidence given activities.

The Birgitte Tengs case was a high-profile investigation into an historic 1995 murder in Karmøy municipality, South East Norway. Rapidly mutating Y-STR analysis was carried out to identify a possible offender. The work was carried out over several years and involved a collaboration of four international laboratories.

Identifying a monozygotic twin brother as a donor of DNA in minimal, mixed forensic stains - A case example.

In forensic casework, monozygotic twins have always provided a challenge, as routinely used forensic Short Tandem Repeat (STR) profiles are not able to differentiate between the twin individuals. In this study, we applied a method to discriminate between two monozygotic twin brothers in a sexual assault case that is unique and challenging for several reasons: the use of contact stains as evidence, the stains contain DNA from two persons (victim and one of the brothers), have minimal amounts of DNA, and there are PCR inhibiting factors. Despite these challenging factors, we present a successfully solved case in which whole genome sequencing was applied to identify multiple somatic differences between the two brothers.

Calibration performance of DNAStatistX in a laboratory setting and considerations for likelihood ratio thresholds.

A previous study examining calibration and discrimination performance highlighted the need for caution when interpreting "low" likelihood ratios (LRs) derived from maximum likelihood estimate-based models DNAStatistX and EuroForMix [1]. The study reported that calibration performance was dependent on the dataset, dataset size and the subpopulation correction factor (Fst). In the worst case scenario (smallest dataset and Fst 0.

Validation of an in-house Dutch Forensic Death Coding system (FDC).

Background: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), developed by the WHO, is widely used to code and classify causes of death. While it is a suitable system for clinical data, it is not tailored for forensic diagnoses. This article explores the basic principles and methods for classification of cause of death in a forensic setting.

The influence of a skin simulant on bullet trajectory deflection in ballistic gelatine.

This study explored the influence of a skin simulant on the trajectory deflection of bullets fired through gelatine blocks. Full metal jacket round nose (FMJ-RN) bullets in caliber 9 mm Luger were fired through gelatine blocks that were clad with a skin simulant at the front, at the back and both at the front and back. The angle between the bullet trajectories before and behind the blocks were calculated for each shot.

Accounting for inter-laboratory DNA recovery data variability when performing evaluations given activities.

A large, recently published, inter-laboratory study by the ReAct group has shown that there is considerable variability in DNA recovery that exists between forensic laboratories. The presence of this inter-laboratory variability presents issues when one laboratory wishes to carry out an evaluation and needs to use the data produced by another laboratory. One option proposed by the ReAct group is for laboratories to carry out a calibration exercise so that appropriate adjustments between laboratories can be made.

STEFA G03 - Joint collaborative exercise for document examination, DNA, fingerprints and handwriting.

This article will describe the processes involved in developing the first pan-European multi-disciplinary forensic Collaborative Exercise (CE), focusing on the concepts, planning, design, preparation, implementation, co-ordination and evaluation of the CE. The results of this project demonstrate that it is feasible to develop and run a multi-discipline forensic Collaborative Exercise with results that can help to develop best practice and procedures for examining threatening letters in the future.

From digital to physical model: the use of 3D-printed models in wound ballistic reconstruction.

Synthetic models (also called "surrogates") simulating human tissues are widely used in wound ballistics. Although there are a large number of commercial models showing interesting properties, these are limited to generic shapes. The result of the interaction between the projectile and the target varies based on several parameters; therefore, using a case-specific, custom-shaped synthetic model would enhance the accuracy of the findings.

Interlaboratory study to evaluate background databases for the calculation of likelihood ratios in the interpretation of vehicle glass evidence using LA-ICP-MS data.

Glass samples were analyzed by 13 laboratories participating in an interlaboratory study that used laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) with a standard test method (ASTM E2927-23) for the forensic analysis and comparison of vehicle glass. The aim of this study was to explore the performance of the application of a match criterion described in the standard test method and from likelihood ratio (LR) calculations when reporting the significance of glass evidence comparisons. Five (5) databases populated in different countries and combinations of the databases were used as background data to calculate LRs for two (2) casework scenarios involving vehicle glass comparisons.