Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Pathology After Shotgun Injury to the Brain

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was initially conceptualized in boxers, but has extended to other athletes in recent years, albeit with limited clinical correlations. It is often asserted that CTE pathology represents the substrate for progressive neurodegenerative disease. We report the case of a shotgun injury to the brain with 42‐year survival and no neurological disease progression until shortly before death. The decedent had no other traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure and did not play football or other high energy collision sport. Neuropathological examination confirmed tissue damage, but additionally demonstrated localized patterns of phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) meeting criteria for CTE pathology. P‐tau and TDP‐43 deposits within marginal tissue of damaged brain were also present focally. No amyloid‐β (Aβ) deposits were present. These findings indicate that CTE pathology may occur following a single, severe TBI.     

Detection of Brodifacoum and other Rodenticides in Drug Mixtures using Thermal Desorption Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (TD‐DART‐MS)

In recent months, there has been increased reporting of seized drug and toxicology cases containing rodenticides, the active ingredient in rat poisons. Seeing as rodenticides are not scheduled substances, they are not commonly screened for in seized drug analysis. This work investigates the use of TD‐DART‐MS for the simultaneous detection of rodenticides and drugs. Six rodenticides were evaluated, an optimal method was established, and limits of detection in the tens of nanograms were calculated. Additional studies highlight that detection at less than 1% by weight in mixtures with AB‐FUBINACA, cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine was possible. This work presents an optimized method for detection of these compounds, allowing for the simultaneous detection of drugs and rodenticides, providing drug chemists with a tool for rapid identification of these compounds for forensic or public health purposes.     

Bone Mineral Density Adult Age Estimation in Forensic Anthropology: A Test of the DXAGE Application

Estimating age‐at‐death of individuals represented only by skeletonized human remains is a fundamental aspect of forensic anthropological casework. Recently, several researchers have proposed that bone mineral density (BMD) is a useful predictor of age‐at‐death in forensic contexts. Navega et al. (JFS 63(2):497–503) developed an online application called DXAGE for calculating age‐at‐death from BMD parameters. This study tests the utility of DXAGE by utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). BMD data from a female subsample (n = 470) of the NHANES 2007–2008 dataset were analyzed, and the relationship between predicted age and real age was examined. Inaccuracy was 14.25 years, and bias was ?7.20 years. Results show that there is a weak correlation between predicted and actual age (r = 0.47) using the DXAGE application. While BMD data are potentially useful for predicting age age‐at‐death, the DXAGE application should be used cautiously in forensic anthropological contexts.     

Increased Hematocrit Due to Electrical‐Waveform Exposures in Splenectomized Sus scrofa,

In laboratory studies of the pig Sus scrofa, hematocrit has consistently increased after conducted‐electrical‐weapon (CEW) exposures, possibly due to contraction of the spleen. Splenectomized animals and intact sham control animals were exposed, each for 30 sec, to a benchtop‐produced electrical waveform of net charge levels similar to those of some CEWs. Changes in the blood were compared statistically. Hematocrit increased significantly in both splenectomized and sham animals. There were no significant main‐effect differences between values of hematocrit from the two groups. There were, however, significant interactive effects of time and splenectomy for hematocrit, red blood cell count, and hemoglobin. After peak values were reached for these variables, values returned toward baseline levels more slowly in splenectomized animals. This may have been due to the lack of a spleen to sequester red blood cells (thereby resulting in more cells remaining in the general circulation), unlike sham animals with intact spleens.     

Forensic Comparison of Automotive Aluminum Wheel Fragments Using Synchrotron Radiation X‐ray Fluorescence with 18‐ and 116‐keV Excitation X‐rays

The performance of synchrotron radiation X‐ray fluorescence (SR‐XRF) spectrometry for nondestructive discrimination of small fragments of automotive aluminum wheels was studied. Fragments (< 500 × 500 μm²) of 45 kinds of wheels were first analyzed by scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS) and then by SR‐XRF. Despite the Mg/Al intensity ratio being a useful identification index, SEM‐EDS was not efficient enough because of the absence of other meaningful indicators of comparison. Conversely, pairwise comparison was conducted and a 92.9% identification was achieved via SR‐XRF using 18‐keV X‐rays. Trace heavy elements in the high‐energy region were detected by SR‐XRF using 116‐keV X‐rays, and an 82.9% identification was obtained. Combined use of 18‐ and 116‐keV X‐rays allowed 98.2% identification. Hence, SR‐XRF is a powerful tool for nondestructive discrimination of automotive aluminum wheels with high precision using trace elements in a wide energy region.     

A Multimodal Fusion Approach for Bullet Identification Systems

In the field of forensic science, bullet identification is based on the fact that firing the cartridge from a barrel leaves exclusive microscopic striation on the fired bullets as the fingerprint of the firearm. The bullet identification methods are categorized in 2‐D and 3‐D based on their image acquisition techniques. In this study, we focus on 2‐D optical images using a multimodal technique and propose several distinct methods as its modalities. The proposed method uses a multimodal rule‐based linear weighted fusion approach which combines the semantic level decisions from different modalities with a linear technique that its optimized modalities weights have been identified by the genetic algorithm. The proposed approach was applied on a dataset, which includes 180 2‐D bullet images fired from 90 different AK‐47 barrels. The experimentations showed that our approach attained better results compared to common methods in the field of bullet identification.     

Fluorescence of 1,2‐Indanedione with Amino Acids Present in the Fingerprint Residue: Application in Gender Determination

1,2‐indanedione is used for latent fingerprint visualization on porous surfaces. In this paper, fluorescence spectra of 1,2‐indanedione after reacting with 21 individual amino acids present in latent fingerprints residue were measured in water‐methanol solutions. The fluorescence intensity depends on the amino acid used, while the fluorescence peak does not change much. The concentration of amino acids in fingerprint residue in females is almost the double of their concentration in males. This property combined with fluorescence of 1,2‐indanedione‐amino acids compounds is used for gender determination, by comparing the fluorescence intensity peaks in the same experimental conditions. In this preliminary study, the fluorescence signal from the samples representing females was almost two times the signal for samples representing males. In addition to the reduction by almost 50% of the number of suspects in a criminal research case, these results could be helpful in gaining some knowledge about the papillary residue composition.     

The Role,Benefits, and Concerns of Digital Technology in the Family Justice System

Digitalization is increasing across family justice systems around the world. What are the benefits? What will be the impact on professional practice and legal representation? What are the concerns for those who may be digitally disadvantaged? How much can justice itself become digital?     

Preliminary Data on the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Moderating the Link between Psychopathy and Aggression in a Nonforensic Sample

This short report presents preliminary data on the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in moderating the relationship between psychopathy and aggression in a nonforensic sample. A sample of 109 volunteer men was administered the Psychopathic Personality Inventory‐Revised (PPI‐R), the Reactive‐Proactive Aggression Questionnaire, and the Mayer‐Salovey‐Caruso emotional intelligence Test in individual sessions. Correlation and moderation analyzes showed that, at low levels of EI (in terms of strategic ability to understand and manage one's own and others’ emotions), people scoring high on the total PPI‐R and impulsivity dimension seemed to be both reactively and proactively aggressive. By contrast, at high levels of strategic ability, the relationships between psychopathy and aggression were no longer significant. These preliminary results encourage further investigation into the role of EI ability in mitigating aggressive outcomes in psychopathic subjects.     

The Physical Effects of Contact and Close‐Distance Gunfire on Sweatshirt Fleece

Powder stippling caused by the impact of propellant particles during close‐distance gunfire has been previously described on skin and solid objects only. Additionally, radial tearing has been described as clear evidence of a contact‐distance shot, requiring no further testing. Patterns of discrete perforating holes (referred to here as “stippling perforations”) and other physical damage on sweatshirt fleece fabrics were prepared. Using the firearm and ammunition in this study, stippling perforations were observed to a maximum muzzle‐to‐target distance of 35 cm (10 inches). In addition, radial tearing and disintegration were present (and often more extensive) at greater than contact distance. The presence of stippling perforations could augment muzzle‐to‐target distance estimates generated using the Griess test, or allow distance estimates when the Griess test is not feasible. Unlike what has been previously reported, testing on the original evidence (or similar substitute) is warranted when physical damage is used to estimate shooting distance.