X-ray diffraction (XRD) evaluation of questioned cremains.

The practice of cremating human remains is becoming increasingly common around the world, which has also resulted in increased incidents of mishandling, illegal disposal, and fraud. X-ray diffraction (XRD) offers a clear method of differentiating cremated remains from common filler materials, such as cement and wood ash. XRD can also be used to determine if cremated remains have been contaminated, and if so, to what extent.

The use of portable XRF as a forensic geoscience non-destructive trace evidence tool for environmental and criminal investigations.

Hand-held, portable X-Ray fluorescence instruments (pXRF) provide a means of rapid, in-situ chemical characterisation that has considerable application as a rapid trace evidence characterisation tool in forensic geoscience. This study presents both a control test study which demonstrates optimisation of the data collection process, alongside a range of individual forensic case studies, including heavy metal contamination, conflict archaeology, forensic soil characterisation, and verification of human remains, which together validate the technique and provide some comparison between field-based and laboratory-based pXRF applications. Results highlight the time-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of in-situ, field-based pXRF analyses for material characterisation when compared with other trace evidence methods.

Identification of cremains using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and a comparison to trace element analysis.

The ability to distinguish human cremains from filler materials can be important in a variety of situations, the most notorious recent example being the Tri-State Crematorium incident. However, the majority of the papers in the recent literature present methods that rely on trace or minor element analysis, usually followed by a statistical or variable cluster analysis, to determine attribution. This approach is inherently risky, as there is significant natural variation in the trace and minor element body burdens within the human population and no real baseline for comparison.

The effect of changes in surface wettability on two-phase saturated flow in horizontal replicas of single natural fractures.

By using translucent epoxy replicas of natural single fractures, it is possible to optically measure aperture distribution and directly observe NAPL flow. However, detailed characterization of epoxy reveals that it is not a sufficiently good analogue to natural rock for many two-phase flow studies. The surface properties of epoxy, which is hydrophobic, are quite unlike those of natural rock, which is generally assumed to be hydrophilic.