Forensics News and Research

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Precise method to determine age of bruises

Forensic scientists have to rely on their own subjective experience when asked to ascertain the age of contusions. Now, however, researchers in Norway have found a far more objective and precise method.

15 Jun 2011

New tool to rapidly assess risk of aggressive, violent behavior by children and adolescents

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed a tool to rapidly assess the risk of aggressive and violent behavior by children and adolescents hospitalized on psychiatric units. Ultimately, they hope to use the questionnaire to improve treatment and prevention of aggressive behavior in schools and in the community.

13 Jun 2011

Risky behavior, psychiatric disorders and substance abuse contribute to opioid overdose

Deaths related to prescription opioid therapy are under intense scrutiny, prompting those in pain medicine-clinicians, patient advocates, and regulators-to understand the causes behind avoidable mortality in legitimately treated patients.

13 Jun 2011

Walden University's School of Psychology offers two new new online degree programs

Professionals or aspiring professionals in the field of psychology want to help people cope in trying times, maintain their sense of well-being or even promote productivity and performance in the workplace. Two new online degree programs in Walden University's School of Psychology are designed to prepare students to meet the needs of individuals, groups and organizations in today's sometimes challenging world.

10 Jun 2011

Thermo Fisher Scientific launches new triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has announced the launch of its new triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) system designed to offer best-in-class selectivity, analytical performance and productivity. The Thermo Scientific TSQ Quantum XLS Ultra delivers the increased matrix selectivity needed for challenging applications that require lower levels of quantitation in extremely complex matrix extracts. With its exceptional sensitivity, easy detection and reliable peak integration, the system provides superior performance for the most difficult of matrix challenges.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 7 Jun 2011

Thermo Fisher Scientific unveils three new mass spectrometry products at 59th Annual ASMS Conference

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, introduced three breakthrough instruments that take mass spectrometry (MS) analysis to new levels of performance in resolution, speed, sensitivity and accuracy. The new instruments were unveiled at the 59th Annual ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, being held June 5-9 at the Colorado Convention Center.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 7 Jun 2011

Bruker to showcase record performance achievements of maXis 4G system at ASMS 2011

Bruker, the pioneer of ultrahigh-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, today announced a major extension of the successful maXis UHR Qq-TOF technology range, which Bruker will showcase at the ASMS 2011 conference in Denver, Colorado, starting this Sunday, June 5.

3 Jun 2011

JRC report shows how molecular technologies can help combat illegal fishing, support traceability

Low-cost catfish fillets sold as expensive sole fillets or cod caught in the North Sea but declared as originating from the Baltic Sea are both examples of types of fraud in the fisheries sector. A European Commission report published today shows how molecular technologies - based on genetics, genomics, chemistry and forensics - can provide clear answers to questions such as "what species does this fish product come from….where was this fish caught….is it wild or farmed?".

30 May 2011

Bacteria that infect cystic fibrosis patients could help combat MRSA

A bacteria which infects people with cystic fibrosis could help combat other antibiotic-resistant microbes, according to a team from Cardiff and Warwick Universities.

27 May 2011

EPO awards Trilink patent for CleanAmp Primers

TriLink BioTechnologies, Inc., a leader in manufacturing high quality oligonucleotides and nucleoside triphosphates, announced today the award of their CleanAmp Primer patent by the European Patent Office (EPO Patent no. 2032714).

27 May 2011

UH launches careers of 5 NSF Graduate Research Fellows for 2011

The University of Houston (UH) launched the graduate careers of five National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellows for 2011. Recognizing outstanding students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, the three-year fellowships cover tuition and include a $30,000 annual stipend.

21 May 2011

Nearly one third of the miners on a synthetic form of cannabis

New research has revealed that a synthetic form of cannabis is being consumed and has shown up in one in ten West Australian mine workers’ urine samples. The state's ChemCentre provides forensic testing for police and the State Coroner. They have been given the contract on an increasing basis by private companies in mining regions to test their workers for the substance, known as Kronic.

12 May 2011

Researchers analyze gene expression profiles to understand molecular mechanisms behind various diseases

Over the past decades, researchers seeking to understand molecular mechanisms underlying various diseases, notably cancer, have taken advantage of DNA microarrays to interrogate tissues specimen of patients for the expression status of thousands of genes at once.

9 May 2011

Protocols to determine when sexual assault kits need to be tested

Researchers at Sam Houston State University and the University of Texas at Austin will team up with representatives from the criminal justice system in Houston to establish protocols to determine when sexual assault kits need to be tested by crime labs.

6 May 2011

Alpine Access completes third party audit for compliance with HIPAA and HITECH Acts

Alpine Access, the premier provider of virtual contact center solutions and services, today announced it completed an independent, third party audit for compliance with HIPAA and HITECH Act data security requirements.

25 Apr 2011

Injury Sciences launches WrExpert Pro for scientific analysis of vehicle damages related auto injury claims

During its annual industry conference Injury Sciences LLC announced the release of WrExpert Pro™, the next and most advanced generation of software for the scientific analysis of vehicle damages and related auto injury claims. WrExpert Pro™ leverages data integration with client systems and leading third party technology providers and, with little or no manual data entry, delivers a biomechanical analysis that includes assessments of vehicle impact forces and occupant injury potential.

20 Apr 2011

Why we 'lust for blood'

We are fascinated with the lurid details of sensational murder trials. Horror fiction and slasher movies thrill us-the gorier the better. When we drive by the scene of an accident, we're compelled to slow down. And it's no secret that brutal video games are solid moneymakers. Why do we thirst for the frighteningly grotesque? In The "LUST FOR BLOOD: WHY WE ARE FASCINATED BY DEATH, MURDER, HORROR, AND VIOLENCE" veteran psychologist Jeffrey A. Kottler explains our dark desire for guts, gore, and the gruesome.

20 Apr 2011

HF/E bunk bed research can prevent deaths among children

Ryan was just four years old when he went to sleep on his bunk bed one night and never woke up. His mother found him strangled to death the next morning with his neck caught between the vertical post of his side ladder and mattress.

16 Apr 2011

UC Irvine's Elder Abuse Forensic Center earns US Justice Department recognition

The US Department of Justice has honored Dr. Laura Mosqueda and UC Irvine's Elder Abuse Forensic Center with a 2011 Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services.

12 Apr 2011

Detection of latent fingerprints through release of fluorescein from a nanofiber mat

When a forensic agent dusts a surface with powder or exposes it to the vapors of an iodine chamber, mystery fans know what is going on: This is how latent fingerprints are made visible so that they can be compared to those of a suspect. Su Chen and a team at Nanjing University of Technology have now developed a new process for especially rapid and simple detection of fingerprints. As the Chinese researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, all it takes is a special nanofiber mat that is pressed onto the suspect surface and briefly treated with hot air—the fingerprints appear as red ridge patterns.

11 Apr 2011