Fingerprint reagents with dual action: color and fluorescence

We define "dual fingerprint reagents" as chemical formulations that produce with latent fingerprints in one stage impressions that are both colored and fluorescent. Solutions containing ninhydrin and group IIb metal salts appear to be true dual reagents. Application of these formulations to latent fingerprints on paper is as efficient as the two-step process beginning with ninhydrin and followed by treatment with metal salt. In the color mode, fingerprint detectability with the two ninhydrin-metal salt reagents (one with zinc chloride and the other with cadmium chloride) is comparable with that of ninhydrin itself, in spite of the difference in color. The sensitivity is significantly higher in the fluorescence mode. To view the latent impressions the exhibits are treated with ninhydrin-metal salt reagents and observed under white light illumination and under fluorescence conditions. Cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature enhances the fluorescence considerably. In the shorter wavelength domain, ninhydrin-metal salt reagents exhibit higher sensitivity than the recently reported dual reagent, genipin. The latter is advantageous, however, in the longer wavelength domain, on paper items with strong self-fluorescence, such as brown wrapping paper or paper printed with fluorescent ink. Upon reduction of the ninhydrin concentration 10-fold, ninhydrin-metal salt formulations become purely fluorogenic reagents; no color is noticed but the fluorescence is as intense as with concentrated solutions. Working at lower concentrations is an advantage from ecological and economical viewpoints.     

A comparison of the use of vacuum metal deposition versus cyanoacrylate fuming for visualisation of fingermarks and grab impressions on fabrics

Both vacuum metal deposition (VMD) and cyanoacrylate fuming (CAF) are techniques used to visualise latent fingermarks on smooth non-porous surfaces such as plastic and glass. VMD was initially investigated in the 1970s as to its effectiveness for visualising prints on fabrics, but was abandoned when radioactive sulphur dioxide was found to be more effective. However, interest in VMD was resurrected in the 1990s when CAF was also used routinely. We now report on studies to determine whether VMD or CAF is the more effective technique for the detection of marks on fabrics. Four different fabrics, nylon, polyester, polycotton and cotton, were utilised during this study, along with 15 donors who ranged in their age and ability to leave fingermarks, from good to medium to poor, thus reflecting the general population. Once samples were collected they were kept for a determined time (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 21 or 28 days) and then treated using either the gold and zinc metal VMD process or standard cyanoacrylate fuming.The smoother fabrics, such as nylon, consistently produced greater ridge detail whereas duller fabrics, like cotton tended only to show empty prints and impressions of where the fabric had been touched, rather than any ridge details. The majority of fabrics did however allow the development of touch marks that could be targeted for DNA taping which potentially could lead to a DNA profile. Of the two techniques VMD was around 5 times more effective than CAF, producing a greater amount of ridge detail, palmar flexion creases and target areas on more samples and fabrics.     

“502”真空熏显手印技术的应用现状

在我国,“502”加温加湿熏显手印技术已广为普及,但“502”真空熏显手印技术人们了解很少。本文通过介绍“502”熏显手印技术的发展,着重介绍真空熏显方法的特点。     

“502”加膜一染色法显现油质手印

目的探索方便快捷并有效的油质手印显现方法。方法用“502”熏显常见玻璃、粗糙皮革等不同客体上不同遗留时间的油汗手印和多油手印,加染后用透明胶带粘取。结果显现了30天左右大多数非渗透性客体上的油质加层手印,10天左右渗透性客体上的油质渐层手印。结论本方法适用于油质加层手印及部分油质渐层手印的显现,显出手印清晰,流畅,不破坏手印。     

An assessment of the effectiveness of 5-methylthioninhydrin within dual action reagents for latent fingerprint development on paper substrates

A critical investigation of 5-methylthioninhydrin (5MTN) is presented as a 'dual action' formulation component for the development of latent finger marks on paper substrates. Preparation of a dual action reagent was performed by combining proportions of 5MTN and zinc chloride (ZnCl(2)) in a pre-mixed solution. Developed prints (deposited on filter paper substrates) could be subsequently visualised in both colour and fluorescence modes. Finger mark quality was graded using a quartered print approach for a number of reagent compositions to deliver an optimised formulation recipe. To fully appraise 5MTN in comparison to currently employed chemistries, this reagent was evaluated against three alternative amino acid selective reagents, ninhydrin, 1,8-diazafluorenone (DFO) and 1,2-indandione/ZnCl(2). Six common paper types were used for this purpose and split depletion finger marks from six donors were collected. Finger mark sets were also left for two days or two weeks to show the effect of ageing on development quality. For the first time, it was shown that 5MTN/ZnCl(2) is effective as a 'dual action' reagent under the United Kingdom climate conditions. However, results presented herein show that the existing recommended chemistries and the 1,2 indandione/ZnCl(2) process are all more effective than this new latent finger mark enhancement reagent. In a preliminary sequencing study, we show the effectiveness of the existing DFO-ninhydrin sequence over dual action reagents.     

彩色背景客体上手印的显现方法

目的利用真空金属镀膜法和＂502＂胶熏显法之间的空间互补性原理,考察显现杂色背景客体表面潜手印过程中遇到的杂色背景干扰问题。方法对杂色背景客体表面的同一枚手印分别采用紫外照相、＂502＂胶熏显、真空镀膜方法处理,比较去除背景干扰能力。结果采用＂502＂胶熏显,真空金属镀膜后期增强处理,能够使指纹纹线清晰连贯,并能有效消除背景杂色干扰。结论该方法可有效消除背景杂色干扰,清晰显现有彩色背景的易拉罐、照片纸等客体上的指纹。     

Application of mist to fingermark detection: Misting with high-boiling-point liquid containing p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde and cyanoacrylate

In order to detect latent fingerprints that could be damaged by liquid or powder reagents, non-destructive processes such as gaseous reagents have been developed. In this report, we propose the use of fine mist generated when hot vapor of high-boiling-point liquids is rapidly cooled by surrounding air for fingermark detection. Octyl acetate (OA), 2-phenoxyethanol (2PE), and methyl decanoate (MD) were found to efficiently produce mist when heated to 230°C. By combining these liquids with p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) and cyanoacrylate (CN), our team demonstrated effective fluorescence staining of cyano-treated fingermarks using DMAC/OA misting or DMAC/2PE misting, and one-step fluorescence detection of latent fingermarks without cyanoacrylate treatment using DMAC/OA/CN misting or DMAC/MD/CN misting. Fingermark fluorescence was efficiently observed by excitation with a blue LED light (max. wavelength 470 nm) equipped with an interference filter and passing through a 520 nm long-pass filter. We successfully obtained fluorescent images from fingermarks on several substrate materials using the developed misting method.     

Processes involved in the development of latent fingerprints using the cyanoacrylate fuming method

Chemical processes involved in the development of latent fingerprints using the cyanoacrylate fuming method have been studied. Two major types of latent prints have been investigated-clean and oily prints. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used as a tool for determining the morphology of the polymer developed separately on clean and oily prints after cyanoacrylate fuming. A correlation between the chemical composition of an aged latent fingerprint, prior to development, and the quality of a developed fingerprint has been observed in the morphology. The moisture in the print prior to fuming has been found to be more important than the moisture in the air during fuming for the development of a useful latent print. In addition, the amount of time required to develop a high quality latent print has been found to be within 2 min. The cyanoacrylate polymerization process is extremely rapid. When heat is used to accelerate the fuming process, typically a period of 2 min is required to develop the print. The optimum development time depends upon the concentration of cyanoacrylate vapors within the enclosure.     

Investigation of hydrogen cyanide generation from the cyanoacrylate fuming process used for latent fingermark detection

Cyanoacrylate fuming is one of the most common techniques employed for the detection of latent fingermarks on non-porous surfaces such as plastic and glass. The technique is generally applied by exposing items of interest to the vapours generated by heating a suitable quantity of commercial cyanoacrylate adhesive. In this study, the potential for highly toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) to be generated from the overheating of cyanoacrylate was investigated. Two commercial cyanoacrylate adhesives and two quantitative methods for the determination of HCN were employed: (i) the sodium picrate method; and (ii) the picrate-resorcinol method. (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis was used to confirm the presence of cyanide. In addition, the thermal decomposition of cyanoacrylate was studied using simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA). It was determined that detectable and quantifiable amounts of HCN were generated from the thermal decomposition of cyanoacrylate monomer and polymer at temperatures as low as 200 °C. Using an optimised picrate-resorcinol method, it was shown that around 10 μg of HCN could be generated from the heating of 1g of cyanoacrylate monomer at 200 °C. For one of the adhesives tested, this increased to above 100 μg of HCN when 1g of cyanoacrylate monomer was heated at 280 °C. Recommendations are provided that, if followed, should ensure that the cyanoacrylate fuming process can be safely applied with minimal risk to the operator.     

真空镀膜与“502”熏显法显现非渗透性客体上汗潜手印的比较研究

目的探索真空镀膜手印显现技术,提高现场潜在手印显现率。方法通过真空镀膜与＂502＂熏显法显现常见非渗透性客体上汗潜手印的对比实验,比较二者显现效果优劣。结果真空镀膜法对于显现常见非渗透性客体上的新鲜和陈旧汗潜手印都有着明显的优势。结论真空镀膜是一种更为灵敏的非渗透性客体手印显现方法,是现有手印显现方法的重要补充。     

Deterrence and brutalization: The dual effects of executions

On April 21, 1992, California received wide national attention when Robert Alton Harris was executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin. Harris's execution marked a reintroduction of the death penalty in California after a 25-year moratorium. We use weekly time-series data on the level and type of criminal homicide incidents in the state from 1989 through 1995 to exploit the quasi-experimental qualities of this naturally occurring “experiment,” and assess the impact of Harris's execution on the incidence of homicide. As in several recent studies, we disaggregate criminal homicides into forms of murder highly likely to be affected by capital punishment: felony-murders of nonstrangers, for which we predict a deterrent effect, and argument-murders of strangers, for which we predict a brutalization effect. On the basis of an autoregressive integrated moving-average approach to time-series analysis, we find (as predicted) a significant decline in the level of nonstranger felony-murders and a significant increase in the level of argument-based murders of strangers in the period following the execution. Moreover, the increase in argument-based stranger murders associated with the Harris execution endured across a subsequent execution period, while the decline in nonstranger felony-murders shifted to the subsequent execution.     

Nanoscale analysis of the interaction between cyanoacrylate and vacuum metal deposition in the development of latent fingermarks on low-density polyethylene

Vacuum metal deposition (VMD) has been previously demonstrated as an effective development technique for latent fingermarks and in some cases has been shown to enhance prints developed with cyanoacrylate (CA) (superglue) fuming. This work utilizes scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the interactions of the two development techniques when applied to latent fingermarks on low-density polyethylene. CA is shown to act principally on the eccrine deposits around sweat pores, where polymerization results in long polymer fibrils a few 100 nm in width. Subsequent VMD processing results in additional areas of development, for example, between pores. However, the primary mode of deposition of zinc is by interaction with the polymerized CA, the fibrils of which become decorated with zinc nanoparticles. Areas with limited CA deposition and no significant polymerization are also enhanced with the VMD process, resulting in increased print development.     

运用PolyCyano UV粉末熏显手印的最佳浓度探究

目的研究PolyCyano UV粉末的熏显浓度对手印显现效果的影响,确定最佳的熏显浓度。方法通过控制熏显的温度、相对湿度和熏显时间等变量来确定熏显浓度的最佳值。结果该粉末熏显手印的最佳熏显浓度为1g/m3~3g/m3。结论该方法具有一步熏显操作简便、显现时间短、用量少、无需二次染色增强、不破坏生物检材、显现效果明显等特点,适合推广使用。     

论双重版电影版权的“二元”承认与保护——一个国际贸易体制下电影版权保护的国际法新原则

境外电影作品的引进产生双重版电影版权的保护冲突问题,对此依我国现行法律无法实现对境外电影作品版权的合理保护。本文提出双重版电影版权二元承认与保护的理论,并在对这一理论进行多维分析的基础上,阐明了其合理价值及其对于完善我国涉外版权关系调整与保护的必要性和重要性;论述了境外原版电影版权的各项具体著作权在二元保护理论中的配置问题;提出了境外原版电影在中国境内享有的版权和禁止的版权的版权二分法;认为不论对境外原版电影作品的何种版权的侵权形式均应当承担民事责任以有利于禁止境外违禁作品在中国境内的非法传播,并给出立法建议以期完善我国的境外电影作品版权保护制度。     

Narratives of criminal action and forensic psychology

Purpose. In commenting on Youngs and Canter's (2011) study, Ward (2011) raises concerns about offenders’ personal narratives and their link to self‐concepts and identity. His comments relate to explorations of personal life stories rather than the narratives of actual crimes that are the focus of Youngs and Canter's (2011) study. The elaboration of this different focus helps to allay many of Ward's (2011) concerns and reveals further possibilities for developing the narrative approach within forensic psychology. Methods. The focus on offenders’ accounts of a particular crime allows the development of a standard pro forma, the Narrative Role Questionnaire (NRQ), which deals with the roles a person thinks they played when committing a crime. These roles act as a summary of the criminal's offence narrative. Multivariate analysis of the NRQ clarifies the specific narrative themes explored by Youngs and Canter (2011) . Results. The examination of the components of the NRQ indicates that offence narratives encapsulate many psychological processes including thinking styles, self‐concepts, and affective components. This allows the four narrative themes identified by Youngs and Canter to provide the basis for rich hypotheses about the interaction between the dynamics of personal stories and identity. The four narratives of criminal action also offer a foundation for understanding the particular, detailed styles of offending action and the immediate, direct processes that act to instigate and shape these. Conclusion. These developments in our understanding of offence narratives generate fruitful research questions that bridge the concerns of investigative and correctional applications of narrative theory.     

Identification of fentanyl derivatives

An interpretative approach to the identification of fentanyl homologs and analogs is presented. The techniques employed are liquid/liquid extractions; capillary gas chromatography; and infrared, mass, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral characterization. Spectral data are presented for eight fentanyl derivatives of clandestine origin.