Generating DNA profiles from immunochromatographic cards using LCN methodology

The aim of this research was to obtain DNA profiles from immunochromatographic test devices which have already yielded positive results with body fluids obtained from fourteen volunteers. Three different immunochromatographic cards for the identification of human blood and one for the identification of human saliva were used for this research. Each body fluid was detected using the appropriate immunochromatographic card. The used cards were kept at room temperature for various lengths of time. The membranes were removed at the end of the designated times and the entire strip was extracted using low copy number (LCN) extraction procedure. The extracted DNA was amplified using reduced amplification volume and higher PCR cycle numbers. Autosomal STR profiles were detected using AmpFℓSTR^® Identifiler™ PCR Amplification Kit from Applied Biosystems (AB). Additionally, DNA extracted from the male volunteers was amplified using the AB AmpFℓSTR^® Yfiler™ PCR Amplification Kit. Analysis of the amplified products was carried out by capillary electrophoresis injection on the AB 3130xl Genetic Analyzer. The generated DNA data was analyzed using the SoftGenetics GeneMarker^® HID Version 1.7 software.Autosomal and Y-STR DNA profiles were obtained from most of the cards which were stored at room temperature for up to three months. DNA profile was obtained from all four types of the immunochromatographic cards used in this study. These profiles were concordant with the profiles obtained from the donors’ reference samples.     

The Executive Budget in the Federal Government: The First Century and Beyond

This article reviews the history of executive budgeting in the United States a century after President William Howard Taft's Economy and Efficiency Commission proposed an executive budget. This history, the authors argue, does not suggest that giving more budget power to the president will improve budget outcomes. Instead, what is needed is more cooperation between the branches of government and a better‐educated public—goals that were shared by budget reformers when the Taft report was published.     

The detection of multiply charged dyes using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for the forensic examination of pen ink dyes directly from paper

Abstract:  Laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) is emerging as a technique for questioned document examination. Its use is limited to detecting ink dyes that are neutral or singly charged. Several inks contain dyes that are multiply charged and LDMS cannot be employed for their identification. We have successfully detected >20 polyionic dyes that can be used in the manufacture of inks using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS, directly from paper, with the matrix, 2-(4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid (HABA), and the additive, diammonium hydrogen citrate (DAHC). For example, Acid Violet 49, a charged dye containing one positively-charged site and two negatively charged sulfonate groups, cannot be detected by LDMS, but forms intact, singly charged ions in the MALDI MS experiment. The method described is also useful for identifying multiply charged dye mixtures that are used in modern pen inks.     

Analysis of Pigmented Inkjet Printer Inks and Printed Documents by Laser Desorption/Mass Spectrometry*,†

Abstract: Anyone with a computer, scanner, and color printer has the capability for creating documents such as identification cards, passports, and counterfeit currency. Laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) has been demonstrated as a powerful tool for colorant analysis. Inkjet printers are now moving largely toward the use of pigments as colorants; their insolubility makes analysis by simpler methods such as thin‐layer chromatography no longer an option. Recent developments in pigmented inkjet printer inks, such as gloss optimizers that coat pigment particles, may prohibit colorant analysis by LDMS. We demonstrate here that pigments used in inks from two Epson printers can be detected and analyzed by LDMS. Also, LDMS spectra of various colors created using a 4‐cartridge (cyan/magenta/yellow/black, CMYK) inkset are evaluated, to begin to develop an approach for unraveling LDMS data from real samples, to determine the number of inks used by a printer, and the chemical composition of the colorants.     

The Differentiation of the Volatile Organic Signatures of Individuals Through SPME-GC/MS of Characteristic Human Scent Compounds

Abstract:  Human scent evidence is utilized as an investigative tool through canine scent discriminations based on the premise that human scent is an individualizing characteristic. This study describes the development of what is effectively a human scent barcode consisting of the relative ratios of an individual's "primary odor" compounds utilized to determine a reproducible and individualizing profile which can be stored in a searchable database for a proof of concept of human scent as a biometric measure. Triplicate hand odor samples were evaluated from 10 subjects utilizing solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) and compared via Spearman Rank Correlations. Narrowing the compounds considered for each subject to only those common in all three samples, or a subject's "primary odor constituents," produced a greater degree of both individualization and discrimination; at both correlation thresholds of 0.9 and 0.8, the individuals were correctly discriminated and identified in 99.54% of the cases.