Forensic studies

An unusual requirement with important legal ramifications is that of possession. An unbroken chain of identifiable possession (i.e., chain of custody) must be maintained. All transfers are marked on the samples as to time and date of collection, arrival at the laboratory, and all transfers must be signed by both parties. The security and handling of samples during time of possession must be verifiable as a matter of law. 

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Microscopy (qv) is appHed when particle identification and, perhaps, shape evaluation ate important in addition to size. Shape characterization is used in the abrasives (qv) industries, pollution or contamination assessment, and forensic studies (see Forensic CHEMISTRY). 

C. sativa is cultivated for several purposes. Actually, the main legal purpose is the production of hemp fibers and pulp. From these materials paper, clothes and ropes are made [12] and several Western coimtries have already legalized the cultivation of C. sativa for these purposes. In research, the drug-type of C. sativa is also cultivated, however, only for the investigation and determination of forensic studies for chemotype separation. The growth for medicinal purposes is hardly performed, hi the Netherlands C. sativa is cultivated for medicinal purposes under strictly controlled regulations by the company Bedrocan. In this chapter we discuss basic aspects of the cultivation of C. sativa and the optimization of THC content in the plant. 

E. Wild, R. Golser, P. Hille, W. Kutschera, A. Priller, S. Puchegger, W. Rom, P. Steier and W. Vycudilik, First 14C results from archaeological and forensic studies at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator, Radiocarbon 40, 273 281 (1998). 

The police may pull over a driver weaving erratically on the highway on suspicion of drunk driving. A police officer must confirm this suspicion by assessing whether the driver has a blood alcohol concentration over the "legal limit." The "Breathalyzer" test checks a person s breath using a redox reaction to determine blood alcohol concentration. This test was invented in 1953 by Robert Borkenstein, a former member of the Indiana State Police, and a professor of forensic studies. 

Vitreous humor Fluid inside the eyeball useful for forensic studies because it is not readily contaminated, and the concentration of drug is relatively stable. 

In spite of the high cost of secondary ion mass spectrometers and the technical expertise required, this sensitive microlocal and surface analytical technique can be applied successfully in forensic studies, e.g., for measurement of trace elements and inks on counterfeit banknotes.18... 

Forensic studies -particle shape classification m [SIZE MEASUREMENT OF PARTICLES] (Vol 22)... 

Elemental results from soil forensic studies have been presented as spider diagrams (Pye and Blott 2004a) or as bivariate plots (Figure 11.4). Important considerations in using this type of information are how the values in the suspect sample may reflect a different fraction of the whole and, indeed, how the sample compares to every other sample. In addition, uncertainty increases as concentrations approach the limit of detection. A study of three soils using small sample sizes (0.05 g) showed that between sample variability... 

Rawlins, B. G. and Cave, M. (2004). Investigating multi-element soil geochemical signatures and their potential for use in forensic studies, in Forensic Geoscience Principles, Techniques and Applications (K. Pye and D. J. Croft, Eds.). London Geological Society Special Publication 232,197-206. 

A wide array of laboratory techniques and instrumentation is used in forensic studies. This includes ultraviolet, infrared, and visible spectrophotometry neutron activation analysis gas chromatography and mass spectrophotometry high pressure liquid chromatography and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The techniques and instrumentation chosen depend on the type of sample or substance to be examined. 

Cf. some relevant forensic studies, set out by A. Summers, T. Mangold, The File on the Tsar, Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1976 also C. Loos, Ou soni les traces de millions de brules , Revue d Hisioire revisionnisie 5 (1991), pp. 136-142 (online www.lebensraum.org/french/rhr/Loos.pdf). 

In the years after its first publication, the so-called Leuchter Report about the alleged gas chambers of Auchwitz and Majdanek has been subject to massive, and partly justified, criticism. In 1993, Rudolf, a researcher from the prestigious German Max-Planck-Institute, published a thorough forensic study about the alleged gas chambers of Auschwitz which irons out the deficiencies and discrepancies of the Leuchter Report. 

Forensic studies suggest that monoclonal antibodies specific to albumin may be used to determine the species of origin of blood stains on archaeological artifacts. A monoclonal antibody that reacts specifically with an epitope on human serum albumin has already been produced. 

SIMS is mostly employed for microlocal analytical investigations. For example, isotope ratio measurements by SIMS have been performed in nuclear forensic studies to determine the age of Pu particles." For the age determination of Pu particles, relative sensitivity coefficients (RSC) were determined as correction factors for the different ionization efficiency of Pu compared to U. The age of a sample of known origin calculated from Pu/ " and °Pu/ U ratios agreed well with the reported age of 2.3 years." SIMS was employed for oxygen isotope ratio measurements in three different uranium oxide microparticles of nuclear forensic interest by Betti s working group." The... 

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