The importance of male underwear in cases of alleged sexual assault.

The potential evidential value of male underwear in cases of alleged sexual assault is often overlooked. Male underwear can be a critical item in the investigation of alleged sexual assaults. Body fluids/DNA, which may transfer to the penis during sexual contact, may in turn transfer to the inside front of the underwear, and persist for months or years, provided the underwear are not washed.

Evaluation of indirect transfer mechanisms of semen under varying test conditions.

There is limited data available on the subject of indirect transfer of non-visible body fluids, particularly semen, and often forensic science practitioner experience alone must be used to guide expectations. It can be difficult to assess the likelihood of proposed transfer scenarios without knowledge of how different variables can affect a transfer. The following work carried out by the Association of Forensic Service Providers UK and Ireland Body Fluid Forum explores how the features of transferred semen change with differences in the primary and secondary surface (porous and non- porous), different contact types (passive, pressure and pressure+) and with wet and dry primary stains.

Enzyme activity, DNA degradation and drying times of semen, saliva and vaginal material.

The stability of enzyme activity and the amount of detectable DNA within liquid samples of semen, saliva and vaginal material were tested across a number of days. The concentration of DNA within neat semen and saliva samples fell significantly after one week of refrigeration. No apparent change in acid phosphatase or amylase enzyme activity was observed in neat semen and saliva samples over 96 or 72 h respectively.

Cardiovascular disease in transgender individuals.

The population of people identifying as transgender has grown rapidly in recent years, resulting in a substantive increase in individuals obtaining gender-affirming medical care to align their secondary sex characteristics with their gender identity. This has established benefits for patients including improvements in gender dysphoria and psychosocial functioning, while reducing adverse mental health outcomes. Despite these potential advantages, recent evidence has suggested that gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Assessing the background levels of body fluids on hands.

Forensic scientists are often asked to assist the court by evaluating the significance of finding body fluids on the hands of an individual; however, there is an absence of published data regarding the background levels of body fluids on hands. Whilst the scientist can use casework experience to inform the courts on the significance of the results, it would be advantageous to have data which could assist with this interpretation. This study was designed to ascertain the background levels of blood, semen, saliva, hairs/fibres and staining/debris on hands in the general population by sampling from delegates attending a scientific conference.

Examining the transfer of male DNA onto female underwear in simulated non sexual social interaction versus digital penetration to assist in the evaluation of results in casework scenarios.

Experiments have been carried out by the UK and Ireland Association of Forensic Science Providers Body Fluid Forum (AFSP BFF) to determine the levels of male DNA, detected during Y-STR analysis, that may be expected on female underwear from non-sexual social interaction and digital penetration, versus non-sexual social interaction only. The data obtained strongly supports the existing assumptions made: whilst low levels of DNA may be inadvertently transferred to the inside surface of a female's underwear during social interaction with a male, there is a low expectation of detecting a matching Y-STR profile to that male, which is suitable for statistical evaluation, unless he is a co-habitant of that female.

Illuminating the benefits and limitations of forensic light sources.

Forensic light sources, such as a Crime-lite, are used in forensic laboratories and by police staff in the examination for, and detection of, biological material. Whilst the benefits of using forensic light sources are relatively well understood, their limitations are less-so. This report details the outcome of studies, validation and review by three forensic laboratories, as well as three case examples, to highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of the tested forensic light sources and to demonstrate that, whilst a useful preliminary screening tool, they should not be used in isolation without subsequent presumptive chemical testing.

Novel recovery methods for biological materials in cases of alleged sexual assault: A word of caution.

Many believe that an increase in the public confidence in the investigation of sexual crimes, and in conviction rates, will lead to an increase in the reporting of these crimes. Consequently, Forensic Science Providers are continually striving to make improvements in evidence recovery and examination and the subsequent interpretation of evidence. One development is in methods that enable an individual to self-sample.

Evaluative approach to semen transfer in a case of alleged sexual assault: A case study.

This paper demonstrates a logical framework for evaluating forensic evidence, first described by Cook et al. [1,2], using a casework example of an alleged sexual assault involving semen transfer. Here we show in real time how the case strategy can change with additional information and how to use available experience and published data to interpret the findings obtained, given the background information provided.

The neural correlates of ongoing conscious thought.

A core goal in cognitive neuroscience is identifying the physical substrates of the patterns of thought that occupy our daily lives. Contemporary views suggest that the landscape of ongoing experience is heterogeneous and can be influenced by features of both the person and the context. This perspective piece considers recent work that explicitly accounts for both the heterogeneity of the experience and context dependence of patterns of ongoing thought.

Temporal proximity to the elicitation of curiosity is key for enhancing memory for incidental information.

Curiosity states benefit memory for target information, but also incidental information presented during curiosity states. However, it is not known whether incidental curiosity-enhanced memory depends on when incidental information during curiosity states is encountered. Here, participants incidentally encoded unrelated face images at different time points while they anticipated answers to trivia questions.

Hello, is that me you are looking for? A re-examination of the role of the DMN in social and self relevant aspects of off-task thought.

Neural activity within the default mode network (DMN) is widely assumed to relate to processing during off-task states, however it remains unclear whether this association emerges from a shared role in self or social content that is common in these conditions. In the current study, we examine the possibility that the role of the DMN in ongoing thought emerges from contributions to specific features of off-task experience such as self-relevant or social content. A group of participants described their experiences while performing a laboratory task over a period of days.

A Study of the Background Levels of Male DNA on Underpants Worn by Females.

This study is the first to examine the background level of male DNA on underpants worn by females in the absence of sexual contact. Here, we examined 103 samples from the inside front of underpants from 85 female volunteers. Samples were examined for the presence of male DNA using NGM SElect and PowerPlex Y23 kits.

Modes of operation: A topographic neural gradient supporting stimulus dependent and independent cognition.

Human cognition is flexible - drawing on both sensory input, and representations from memory, to successfully navigate complex environments. Contemporary accounts suggest this flexibility is possible because neural function is organized into a hierarchy. Neural regions are organized along a macroscale gradient, anchored at one end by unimodal systems involved with perception and action, and at the other by transmodal systems, including the default mode network, supporting cognition less directly tied to immediate stimulus input.

Imagining Sounds and Images: Decoding the Contribution of Unimodal and Transmodal Brain Regions to Semantic Retrieval in the Absence of Meaningful Input.

In the absence of sensory information, we can generate meaningful images and sounds from representations in memory. However, it remains unclear which neural systems underpin this process and whether tasks requiring the top-down generation of different kinds of features recruit similar or different neural networks. We asked people to internally generate the visual and auditory features of objects, either in isolation (car, dog) or in specific and complex meaning-based contexts (car/dog race).

Default mode network can support the level of detail in experience during active task states.

Regions of transmodal cortex, in particular the default mode network (DMN), have historically been argued to serve functions unrelated to task performance, in part because of associations with naturally occurring periods of off-task thought. In contrast, contemporary views of the DMN suggest it plays an integrative role in cognition that emerges from its location at the top of a cortical hierarchy and its relative isolation from systems directly involved in perception and action. The combination of these topographical features may allow the DMN to support abstract representations derived from lower levels in the hierarchy and so reflect the broader cognitive landscape.

Meaningful inhibition: Exploring the role of meaning and modality in response inhibition.

We frequently guide our decisions about when and how to act based on the meanings of perceptual inputs: we might avoid treading on a flower, but not on a leaf. However, most research on response inhibition has used simple perceptual stimuli devoid of meaning. In two Go/No-Go experiments, we examined whether the neural mechanisms supporting response inhibition are influenced by the relevance of meaning to the decision, and by presentation modality (whether concepts were presented as words or images).

Distant from input: Evidence of regions within the default mode network supporting perceptually-decoupled and conceptually-guided cognition.

The default mode network supports a variety of mental operations such as semantic processing, episodic memory retrieval, mental time travel and mind-wandering, yet the commonalities between these functions remains unclear. One possibility is that this system supports cognition that is independent of the immediate environment; alternatively or additionally, it might support higher-order conceptual representations that draw together multiple features. We tested these accounts using a novel paradigm that separately manipulated the availability of perceptual information to guide decision-making and the representational complexity of this information.

Dimensions of Experience: Exploring the Heterogeneity of the Wandering Mind.

The tendency for the mind to wander to concerns other than the task at hand is a fundamental feature of human cognition, yet the consequences of variations in its experiential content for psychological functioning are not well understood. Here, we adopted multivariate pattern analysis to simultaneously decompose experience-sampling data and neural functional-connectivity data, which revealed dimensions that simultaneously describe individual variation in self-reported experience and default-mode-network connectivity. We identified dimensions corresponding to traits of positive-habitual thoughts and spontaneous task-unrelated thoughts.

Varieties of semantic cognition revealed through simultaneous decomposition of intrinsic brain connectivity and behaviour.

Contemporary theories assume that semantic cognition emerges from a neural architecture in which different component processes are combined to produce aspects of conceptual thought and behaviour. In addition to the state-level, momentary variation in brain connectivity, individuals may also differ in their propensity to generate particular configurations of such components, and these trait-level differences may relate to individual differences in semantic cognition. We tested this view by exploring how variation in intrinsic brain functional connectivity between semantic nodes in fMRI was related to performance on a battery of semantic tasks in 154 healthy participants.

Fractionating the anterior temporal lobe: MVPA reveals differential responses to input and conceptual modality.

Words activate cortical regions in accordance with their modality of presentation (i.e., written vs.

An individual differences analysis of the neurocognitive architecture of the semantic system at rest.

Efficient semantic cognition depends on accessing and selecting conceptual knowledge relevant to the current task or context. This study explored the neurocognitive architecture that supports this function by examining how individual variation in functional brain organisation predicts comprehension and semantic generation. Participants underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and, on separate days, performed written synonym judgement, and letter and category fluency tasks.

Exploring the role of the posterior middle temporal gyrus in semantic cognition: Integration of anterior temporal lobe with executive processes.

Making sense of the world around us depends upon selectively retrieving information relevant to our current goal or context. However, it is unclear whether selective semantic retrieval relies exclusively on general control mechanisms recruited in demanding non-semantic tasks, or instead on systems specialised for the control of meaning. One hypothesis is that the left posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) is important in the controlled retrieval of semantic (not non-semantic) information; however this view remains controversial since a parallel literature links this site to event and relational semantics.

The transfer of touch DNA from hands to glass, fabric and wood.

The transfer of DNA from hands to objects by holding or touching has been examined in the past. The main purpose of this study was to examine the variation in the amount of DNA transferred from hands to glass, fabric and wood. The study involved 300 volunteers (100 for glass, 100 for fabric and 100 for wood) 50% of which were male and 50% female.