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Wang J, Lu X, Zhang Z, Gao R, Pei C, Wang H. Application of chemical attribution in matching OPNAs-exposed biological samples with exposure sources- based on the impurity profiles via GC × GC-TOFMS analysis. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1718:464718. [PMID: 38335883 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Chemical attribution is a vital tool to attribute chemicals or related materials to their origins in chemical forensics via various chemometric methods. Current progress related to organophosphorus nerve agents (OPNAs) has mainly focused on the attribution of chemical sources and synthetic pathways. It has not yet been applied in matching exposed biological samples to their sources. This work used chemical attribution to explore organic impurity profiles in biological samples exposed to various OPNAs. Chemical attribution was first used to identify the exposure source of biological samples based on the full-scan data via comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC × GC-TOFMS). Taking peak area as the only variable, it can quickly match exposed samples to their sources by applying unsupervised or supervised models, screen difference compounds via one-way ANOVA or t-tests, and then identify valuable impurities that can distinguish different types of exposed samples. To further obtain the impurity profile only applicable to a certain weapon' samples, the irrelevant components were removed via conventional methods. The findings showed there were 53 impurities that can promote distinguishing six groups of OPNA exposed samples, as well as 42 components that can be used as valuable impurities to distinguish class G and class V samples. These were all unique impurities that appear in a certain weapon' samples. The outcomes can be a reference for tracing the source for OPNA-exposed samples, which was beneficial to the further development in source matching of forensic samples. Moreover, the chemical attribution for impurity profiles in biological samples after weapons exposure may inspire research into the characteristics of impurity profile in biological samples as well as practical applications of chemical attribution for OPNA-exposed samples, that may expand potential biomarkers and break the limits of existing markers in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Xiaogang Lu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Zixuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Runli Gao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Chengxin Pei
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Hongmei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
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2
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Carneiro CR, Silva CS, Weber IT. A preliminary study of fingerprint aging using near infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI). Anal Methods 2023; 15:6451-6459. [PMID: 37975279 DOI: 10.1039/d3ay01386c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Fingerprinting is one of the most commonly used techniques to obtain pieces of evidence for identification of individuals. An estimation of how long a trace has been left at a crime scene could represent an important improvement for criminal investigations. There is no reliable analytical method, however, to estimate the age of a fingerprint, since this is an uncontrolled process and changes are affected by factors such as environmental conditions. This study aims to better understand the aging process of fingerprints and identify the relevant variables and limitations of the fingerprint aging process using near infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI). For this purpose, aging of the fingerprints of 13 volunteers was evaluated using partial least squares - discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) as a preliminary exploratory approach. Four different modelling approaches were evaluated. The percentage of correctly classified pixels varied from 20.92% to 66.67%. An analysis of the associated spectra found that during the first days of aging the degradation of fat-soluble components, as well as the elimination/absorption of water, seemed to follow non-uniform trends and vary in degradation rate from donor to donor. Better classification tended to occur over longer aging times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline R Carneiro
- University of Brasília, Institute of Chemistry, LIMA, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil.
| | - Carolina S Silva
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Ingrid T Weber
- University of Brasília, Institute of Chemistry, LIMA, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil.
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Cano-Trujillo C, García-Ruiz C, Ortega-Ojeda FE, Romolo F, Montalvo G. Forensic analysis of biological fluid stains on substrates by spectroscopic approaches and chemometrics: A review. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1282:341841. [PMID: 37923402 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bodily fluid stains are one of the most relevant evidence that can be found at the crime scene as it provides a wealth of information to the investigators. They help to report on the individuals involved in the crime, to check alibis, or to determine the type of crime that has been committed. They appear as stains in different types of substrates, some of them porous, which can interfere in the analysis. The spectroscopy techniques combined with chemometrics are showing increasing potential for their use in the analysis of such samples due to them being fast, sensitive, and non-destructive. FINDINGS This is a comprehensive review of the studies that used different spectroscopic techniques followed by chemometrics for analysing biological fluid stains on several surfaces, and under various conditions. It focuses on the bodily fluid stains and the most suitable spectroscopic techniques to study forensic scientific problems such as the substrate's characteristics, the influence of ambient conditions, the aging process of the bodily fluids, the presence of animal bodily fluids and non-biological fluids (interfering substances), and the bodily fluid mixtures. The most widely used techniques were Raman spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FTIR). Nonetheless, other non-destructive techniques have been also used, like near infrared hyperspectral imaging (HSI-NIR) or surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), among others. This work provides the criteria for the selection of the most promising non-destructive techniques for the effective in situ detection of biological fluid stains at crime scene investigations. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY The use of the proper spectroscopic and chemometric approaches on the crime scene is expected to improve the support of forensic sciences to criminal investigations. Evidence may be analysed in a non-destructive manner and kept intact for further analysis. They will also speed up forensic investigations by allowing the selection of relevant samples from occupational ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cano-Trujillo
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen García-Ruiz
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando E Ortega-Ojeda
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francesco Romolo
- Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza, Via Moroni 255, 24127, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Gemma Montalvo
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
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Huhtala S, Nordgaard A, Ahrens B, Alberink I, Korpinsalo T, Bovens M. Chemometrics in Forensic Chemistry - Part III: Quality assessment and interpretation of chemometric output. Forensic Sci Int 2023:111612. [PMID: 36906436 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
The number of samples sent to forensic laboratories as well as the complexity of the drug situation has increased tremendously during recent years. At the same time the amount of data gathered from chemical measurements has been mounting. This creates challenges for forensic chemists: how to handle the data, how to reliably answer the questions asked, and how to examine the data to find new properties or how to disclose connections with respect to source attribution of samples within a case or retrospective to past cases, stored in a database. Previously published articles Chemometrics in Forensic Chemistry - Part I and II discussed where in the forensic workflow of routine casework chemometrics is applied, and presented examples of chemometric methods used in cases of illicit drugs. This article explains through examples that the chemometric results must never stand-alone. Before such results are reported, quality assessment steps, which may consist of operational, chemical, and forensic assessments are required. In each case a forensic chemist needs to consider the suitability of chemometric methods, based on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). This is because while chemometric methods are powerful tools managing complex data, they are to some extent chemically blind.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Huhtala
- National Bureau of Investigation, Jokiniemenkuja 4, 01370 Vantaa, Finland.
| | - A Nordgaard
- National Forensic Centre, Swedish Police Authority, 58194 Linköping, Sweden
| | - B Ahrens
- Federal Criminal Police Office, KT45, 65173 Wiesbaden, Germany
| | - I Alberink
- Netherlands Forensic Institute, Laan van Ypenburg 6, 2497 GB, The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - T Korpinsalo
- National Bureau of Investigation, Jokiniemenkuja 4, 01370 Vantaa, Finland
| | - M Bovens
- Zurich Forensic Science Institute, P.O. Box 8021, Zurich, Switzerland
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Weber A, Hoplight B, Ogilvie R, Muro C, Khandasammy SR, Pérez-Almodóvar L, Sears S, Lednev IK. Innovative Vibrational Spectroscopy Research for Forensic Application. Anal Chem 2023; 95:167-205. [PMID: 36625116 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Weber
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States.,SupreMEtric LLC, 7 University Pl. B210, Rensselaer, New York 12144, United States
| | - Bailey Hoplight
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Rhilynn Ogilvie
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Claire Muro
- New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center, Building #30, Campus Access Rd., Albany, New York 12203, United States
| | - Shelby R Khandasammy
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Luis Pérez-Almodóvar
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Samuel Sears
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Igor K Lednev
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222, United States.,SupreMEtric LLC, 7 University Pl. B210, Rensselaer, New York 12144, United States
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6
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Feng Wang Y, Bing Zhao Y, Wang X, Ting Liu Z. Exploration of coarse-to-fine FTIR feature extraction for handlebar grip materials: A common path for forensic examination of microtraces. Microchem J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2023.108399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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7
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John DK, Dos Santos Souza K, Ferrão MF. Overview of cocaine identification by vibrational spectroscopy and chemometrics. Forensic Sci Int 2023; 342:111540. [PMID: 36565684 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The use of non-destructive forensic methods for cocaine identification is of outstanding importance, given the amount of samples seized. Techniques such as ATR-FTIR, Raman, and NIR spectroscopy have become alternatives to circumvent this problem, as they allow fast, cheap analysis, and enable the reanalysis of samples. When combined with chemometrics, these spectroscopic methods can be used to determine and quantify cocaine samples, meaning that the limitations of existing techniques can be overcome. This review article covers spectroscopic techniques for identifying cocaine in different forms and matrices, such as food and textiles, which are materials used for smuggling. The chemometric identification of cocaine in oral fluid and water is also discussed. In addition, vibrational spectroscopy techniques using portable equipment are described. This work seeks to evaluate the main chemometric applications of spectroscopic data and to find new perspectives on the identification of cocaine using chemometrics.
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Bujaroska M, Papoutsis I, Anastasova L, Petkovska R, Petreska Ivanovska T, Spiliopoulou C, Stankov A, Petrushevska-Tozi L. Estimation of the relationship between diazepam use and risk of violent death using post-mortem data. Maced Pharm Bull 2022. [DOI: 10.33320/maced.pharm.bull.2022.68.03.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marija Bujaroska
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Criminology and Medical Deontology, Medical Faculty, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mother Theresa 19, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
| | - Ioannis Papoutsis
- Department of ForensicMedicine and Toxicology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Liljana Anastasova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mother Theresa 47,1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
| | - Rumenka Petkovska
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mother Theresa 47,1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
| | - Tanja Petreska Ivanovska
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mother Theresa 47,1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
| | - Chara Spiliopoulou
- Department of ForensicMedicine and Toxicology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Aleksandar Stankov
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Criminology and Medical Deontology, Medical Faculty, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mother Theresa 19, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
| | - Lidija Petrushevska-Tozi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mother Theresa 47,1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
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9
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Lepot L, Vanhouche M, Vanden Driessche T, Lunstroot K. Interpol review of fibres and textiles 2019-2022. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2022; 6:100307. [PMID: 36588587 PMCID: PMC9794884 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2022.100307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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10
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de Souza DM, de Moura Messias PJ, Silva Santos ID, Ramalho ED, Ferrari Júnior E, de Oliveira Morais PA. Scott test associated with multivariate image analysis: A more selective alternative for cocaine research in forensic laboratories. Forensic Sci Int 2022; 335:111277. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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11
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Bogdal C, Schellenberg R, Höpli O, Bovens M, Lory M. Recognition of gasoline in fire debris using machine learning: Part I, application of random forest, gradient boosting, support vector machine, and naïve bayes. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 331:111146. [PMID: 34968789 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.111146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The detection and identification of ignitable liquid (IL) residues in fire debris are two very challenging tasks in a fire investigation. To this day, the recognition of IL in fire debris includes the chemical analysis of the fire debris composition, followed by the examination and interpretation of the analysis result by a trained forensic examiner. Throughout the last decade, chemometrics and artificial intelligence have become increasingly important. In the present study, machine learning algorithms capable of recognizing gasoline residues in fire debris based on GC-MS data have been developed. Four methods, including random forest, gradient boosting, support vector machine, and naïve bayes are applied and used to classify fire debris samples into the two categories "with gasoline" or "without gasoline". A fifth method (logistic regression) did not converge due to well separated classes. A database comprising 360 measurements, including fire debris samples of real cases as well as fire debris samples spiked with known amounts of weathered gasoline (up to 99.6%), was available to train the machine learning algorithms (using 85% of the data) and to subsequently test the performance of the methods when classifying unknown samples (using 15% of the data). In general, the methods perform very well, as three of it succeeded to classify all test samples correctly without any false positive or false negative allocations. One (naïve bayes) was not trained enough to classify other (non-gasoline) IL correctly as "no gasoline". Furthermore, the random forest method reveals which chemical compounds are most relevant for the algorithm to classify the samples. In general, the presented approach is highly promising and could easily be extended or adapted to other types of IL. Similar to the neural network presented in the accompanying paper, such methods have the potential to serve as a fast screening technique for fire debris samples, thus supporting the forensic examiner by providing an additional independent opinion. Nonetheless, the definite identification of IL residues in fire debris always has to be accomplished by a forensic examiner.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bogdal
- Zurich Forensic Science Institute, Zeughausstrasse 11, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - R Schellenberg
- Zurich Forensic Science Institute, Zeughausstrasse 11, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - O Höpli
- Zurich Municipal Police, Zeughausstrasse 31, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M Bovens
- Zurich Forensic Science Institute, Zeughausstrasse 11, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M Lory
- Zurich Forensic Science Institute, Zeughausstrasse 11, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland
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13
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Lu X, Zhang Z, Liu H, Tang H, Gao R, Pei C, Wang H, Xiao J. Forensic signatures of a chemical weapon precursor DMPADC for determination of a synthetic route. Talanta 2021; 232:122476. [PMID: 34074444 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Chemical forensics has been widely recognized as an important tool to investigate alleged use of chemical weapons and/or to identify the illicit production of chemical warfare agents. This paper describes the use of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine chemical attribution signatures (CAS) N,N-dimethylphosphoramidic dichloride (DMPADC), a key precursor of tabun, for tracking the production of tabun. Synthetic samples were identified and classified by using GC-MS and chemometrics. Analysis samples (n = 27) were collected from three synthetic DMPADC routes; 20 potential CAS were identified, and the structures of five CAS were assigned. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to summarize the distribution trend of the samples and to check for the presence of outliers. A Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) model was established to discriminate and classify the synthetic samples. The proposed model in this paper has high predictive ability, and the test set samples can be correctly categorized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaogang Lu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China
| | - Zixuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China
| | - Haibo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China
| | - Hui Tang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China
| | - Runli Gao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China
| | - Chengxin Pei
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China
| | - Hongmei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China.
| | - Junhua Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, PR China.
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15
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Carby-Robinson D, Dalsgaard PW, Mollerup CB, Linnet K, Rasmussen BS. Cocaine profiling method retrospectively developed with nontargeted discovery of markers using liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry data. Drug Test Anal 2021; 14:462-473. [PMID: 34265168 PMCID: PMC9291609 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Illicit drug profiling performed by forensic laboratories assists law enforcement agencies through providing information about chemical and/or physical characteristics of seized specimens. In this article, a model was developed for the comparison of seized cocaine based on retrospective analysis of data generated from ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐TOF‐MS) comprehensive drug screening. A nontargeted approach to discover target compounds was employed, which generated 53 potential markers using data from cocaine positive samples. Twelve marker compounds were selected for the development of the final profiling model. The selection included a mixture of commonly used cocaine profiling targets and other cocaine‐related compounds. Combinations of pretreatments and comparison metrics were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves to determine the combination with the best discrimination between linked and unlinked populations. Using data from 382 linked and 34,519 unlinked distances, a classification model was developed using a combination of the standardization and normalization transformations with Canberra distance, resulting in a linked cut‐off with a 0.5% false positive rate. The present study demonstrates the applicability of retrospectively developing a cocaine profiling model using data generated from UHPLC‐TOF‐MS nontargeted drug screening without pre‐existing information about cocaine impurities. The developed workflow was not specific to cocaine and thus could potentially be applied to any seized drug in which there are both sufficient data and impurities present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Carby-Robinson
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Petur Weihe Dalsgaard
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Brinch Mollerup
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian Linnet
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Brian Schou Rasmussen
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Meola S, Huhtala S, Broséus J, Jendly M, Jalava K, Aalberg L, Esseiva P. Illicit drug profiling practices in Finland: An exploratory study about end users' perceptions. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 324:110848. [PMID: 34111809 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Illicit drug profiling (i.e. chemical and/or physical profiling) to compare and relate illicit drugs samples has been actively used in routine case work at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Finland. This preliminary and exploratory work reviews NBI's illicit drug profiling practices. Particular emphasis is put on communication of forensic results and how the NBI has promoted the use of forensic data in an intelligence perspective by establishing a case coordination service. Moreover, our study evaluates the comprehension, integration and usefulness of illicit drug profiling from end users' point of view by means of an online survey and face-to-face interviews. Findings are compared with theoretical aspects as described in literature. Results show that in the Finnish context illicit drug profiling is used and useful in the investigation and in court. From end users' perspective, real practical relevance relies in its use as intelligence during the investigation. However, to be truly useful, illicit drug profiling results must be communicated promptly during the investigation, with sufficient clarity and interpreted correctly by end users. Factors influencing the integration of illicit drug profiling in the forensic process are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Meola
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Dorigny, Switzerland; Forensic Laboratory, National Bureau of Investigation, 01301 Vantaa, Finland.
| | - Sami Huhtala
- Forensic Laboratory, National Bureau of Investigation, 01301 Vantaa, Finland
| | - Julian Broséus
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Dorigny, Switzerland
| | - Manon Jendly
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Dorigny, Switzerland
| | - Kaisa Jalava
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Dorigny, Switzerland; Forensic Laboratory, National Bureau of Investigation, 01301 Vantaa, Finland
| | - Laura Aalberg
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Dorigny, Switzerland; Forensic Laboratory, National Bureau of Investigation, 01301 Vantaa, Finland
| | - Pierre Esseiva
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Lausanne, Batochime, 1015 Lausanne, Dorigny, Switzerland
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Lu X, Zhang Z, Gao R, Wang H, Xiao J. Recent progress in the chemical attribution of chemical warfare agents and highly toxic organophosphorus pesticides. Forensic Toxicol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11419-021-00578-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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18
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Abstract
Forensic investigations are often reliant on physical evidence to reconstruct events surrounding a crime. However, there remains a need for more objective approaches to evidential interpretation, along with rigorously validated procedures for handling, storage and analysis. Chemometrics has been recognised as a powerful tool within forensic science for interpretation and optimisation of analytical procedures. However, careful consideration must be given to factors such as sampling, validation and underpinning study design. This tutorial review aims to provide an accessible overview of chemometric methods within the context of forensic science. The review begins with an overview of selected chemometric techniques, followed by a broad review of studies demonstrating the utility of chemometrics across various forensic disciplines. The tutorial review ends with the discussion of the challenges and emerging trends in this rapidly growing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina Sauzier
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia.
| | - Wilhelm van Bronswijk
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia.
| | - Simon W Lewis
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia.
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19
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He X, Wang J, Teng X, Fan L, Li X, Wei C, Zhang C. On the rapid and non-destructive approach for barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and phenothiazines determination and differentiation using spectral combination analysis and chemometric methods. Microchem J 2021; 162:105853. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2020.105853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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20
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Lee LC, Ishak AA, Abdul Hamid N, Ravi Y, Ahmad MA, Ali N. A comparison between univariate and multivariate statistical techniques to determine source of pen inks using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) chromatograms. J LIQ CHROMATOGR R T 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/10826076.2020.1858867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Loong Chuen Lee
- Forensic Science Program, Center for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Unviersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
- Institute of IR4.0 (IIR4.0), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Ab Aziz Ishak
- Forensic Science Program, Center for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Unviersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Nadirah Abdul Hamid
- Forensic Science Program, Center for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Unviersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Yaishnavee Ravi
- Forensic Science Program, Center for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Unviersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Muhamad Adib Ahmad
- Forensic Science Program, Center for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Unviersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Norazwani Ali
- Forensic Science Program, Center for Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Investigative Studies (CODTIS), Faculty of Health Sciences, Unviersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
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21
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Deconinck E, Aït-Kaci C, Raes A, Canfyn M, Bothy JL, Duchateau C, Mees C, De Braekeleer K, Gremaux L, Blanckaert P. An infrared spectroscopic approach to characterise white powders, easily applicable in the context of drug checking, drug prevention and on-site analysis. Drug Test Anal 2020; 13:679-693. [PMID: 33197122 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
More and more events, such as the summer music festivals, are considering the possibilities for implementing on-site testing of psychoactive drugs in the context of prevention and harm reduction. Although the on-site identification is already implemented by plenty of drug checking services, the required rapid quantitative dosing of the composition of illicit substances is still a missing aspect for a successful harm reduction strategy at events. In this paper, an approach is presented to identify white powders as amphetamine, cocaine, ketamine or others and to estimate the purity of the amphetamine, cocaine and ketamine samples using spectroscopic techniques hyphenated with partial least squares (PLS) modelling. For identification purposes, it was observed that mid-infrared spectroscopy hyphenated with PLS-discriminant analysis allowed the distinction between amphetamine, cocaine, ketamine and other samples and this with a correct classification rate of 93.1% for an external test set. For quantitative estimation, near-infrared spectroscopy was more performant and allowed the estimation of the dosage/purity of the amphetamine, cocaine and ketamine samples with an error of more or less 10% w/w. An easily applicable, practical and cost-effective approach for on-site characterisation of the majority of the psychoactive samples encountered in Belgian nightlife settings based on IR spectroscopy was proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Deconinck
- Scientific Direction Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Service of Medicines and Health Products, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.,RD3 Unit of Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus de la Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Camille Aït-Kaci
- Scientific Direction Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Service of Medicines and Health Products, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.,RD3 Unit of Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus de la Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Andries Raes
- Scientific Direction Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Service of Medicines and Health Products, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Michaël Canfyn
- Scientific Direction Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Service of Medicines and Health Products, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Luc Bothy
- Scientific Direction Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Service of Medicines and Health Products, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Céline Duchateau
- Scientific Direction Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Service of Medicines and Health Products, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.,RD3 Unit of Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus de la Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Corenthin Mees
- RD3 Unit of Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus de la Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris De Braekeleer
- RD3 Unit of Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus de la Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lies Gremaux
- Scientific Direction Epidemiology and Public Health, Section Lifestyle and Chronic Diseases, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter Blanckaert
- Scientific Direction Epidemiology and Public Health, Section Lifestyle and Chronic Diseases, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
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22
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Abstract
Soil contains diverse and complex natural elements having physical, chemical, mineralogical and biological components. Soil being a transferable physical component (it can be transferred from one location to another with the help of shoes, tires, clothes, tools etc.), acts as a tool of forensic investigation to correlate a specific crime scene with criminal suspects. A variety of techniques and combinations of methods can be used to discriminate soil from different geographical locations. The present review highlights various analytical techniques (ATR-FTIR, pyGC-MS, SEM-EDX, ICP-MS/OES and XRD) for soil analysis (colour comparison, texture and particle size determination, density gradient methods and organic matter estimation) and discusses some of the famous cases solved with soil trace evidence. The objective of the present study is to provide an overview of the importance of soil as physical evidence in forensic science based on literature analysis that will help forensic scientists and researchers to select appropriate methods to discriminate different soil samples. This article reviews various analytical techniques used to differentiate soils and provides compiled information regarding soil as trace evidence in order to help academicians, researchers and forensic soil scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Sangwan
- Department of Genetics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
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23
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Eliaerts J, Meert N, Van Durme F, Dardenne P, Charles S, De Wael K, Samyn N. Challenges for cocaine detection in smuggling samples. Forensic Sci Int 2020; 319:110534. [PMID: 33360243 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Screening of seized cocaine powders is routinely performed by means of colour tests. An alternative fast screening technique is Mid-InfraRed (MIR) spectroscopy. In the context of smuggling cases, however, drugs are often processed to circumvent detection. In this study, the current screening techniques (cocaine colour test and MIR spectroscopy using libraries and chemometrics) were applied to five smuggling cases. For each case, all samples were first screened with a cocaine colour test and MIR analysis, followed by confirmation analyses with GC-MS and GC-FID to identify and quantify cocaine and cutting agents. Finally, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analyses were performed for additional characterization. All smuggling samples tested negative, both on-site as in the laboratory, for cocaine with the cocaine colour test. Four smuggling cases consisted of coloured samples. Consequently the colour test result was influenced because discolouration of the test showed almost the same colour as the colour of the powders (brown, green, red or black). In contrast, the (coloured) powders could be measured with MIR, but the MIR spectra showed no hit for cocaine using a reference library search. Moreover, cocaine was not detected in four out of the five cases after application of a chemometric classification model. GC-MS analysis, the golden standard for identification, resulted in a positive identification of cocaine in all cases. These samples contained cocaine ranging between 0.8w% and 35w%. Taking into account the results of the screening, the chromatographic and the SEM-EDX analyses, it could be presumed that cocaine was masked. False negative screening results were caused by chemically modified cocaine and/or cocaine mixed with coloured powders. In additional experiments, a sample extraction step prior to the screening techniques was performed. Two sample preparation methods (acetone and ethyl acetate) were tested and resulted in a positive screening of cocaine with the colour test and/or MIR spectroscopy. It can be concluded that the outcome of screening techniques such as colour tests and MIR spectroscopy is only presumptive and should always be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Eliaerts
- Department of Drugs and Toxicology, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium; AXES Research Group, Chemistry Department, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - N Meert
- Department of Drugs and Toxicology, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium
| | - F Van Durme
- Department of Drugs and Toxicology, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Dardenne
- Walloon Agricultural Research Centre, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - S Charles
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium
| | - K De Wael
- AXES Research Group, Chemistry Department, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - N Samyn
- Department of Drugs and Toxicology, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium
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24
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Abstract
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in paint and glass evidence from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Almirall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC4- 316, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Tatiana Trejos
- Department of Forensic and Investigative Science, West Virginia University, 208 Oglebay Hall, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6121, USA
| | - Katelyn Lambert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC4- 316, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
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25
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Salonen T, Ahrens B, Bovens M, Eliaerts J, Huhtala S, Nordgaard A, Alberink I. Chemometrics in forensic chemistry — Part II: Standardized applications – Three examples involving illicit drugs. Forensic Sci Int 2020; 307:110138. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.110138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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26
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Abstract
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in fire analysis and investigation sciences from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.
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