A pilot study into the use of phosphorescent sand in glass transfer studies.

Phosphorescent sand is proposed as a model system to study the behaviour of glass particles and support their activity level interpretation. Pilot experiments into the properties of the phosphorescent particles indicate that they are comparable to glass. Phosphorescent particles are charged effectively using ultraviolet illumination.

Crystal clear connections - database matching unknown glass fragments to reference glass from ATM explosions.

This paper introduces the concept of an operational reference glass database, specifically designed for broken glass fragments from ATM attacks, jewelry store robberies, and ramraids on high-end clothing stores. The database, initiated in 2014, is used to compare glass traces from organized crews involved said criminal activities. Utilizing LA-ICPMS, this study establishes a methodology for collecting reference glass samples from the scenes of the aforementioned crimes, thus creating a comprehensive database containing over 3500 reference glass samples from crime scenes.

The outcome of the forensic triage preceding disaster victim identification in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17.

Malaysia Airlines flight 17 crashed on 17 July 2014 while flying over an area of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. The first forensic trace evidence was collected after the human remains were transferred to a safe location in the Netherlands for identification and repatriation. Disaster victim identification processes were therefore undertaken in concert with the forensic investigation.

Determination of seventeen major and trace elements in new float glass standards for use in forensic comparisons using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Consensus concentration values for seventeen (17) major and trace elements typically present in soda-lime glass manufactured using the "float " process and used in the quantitative analysis and forensic comparison of glass samples were determined using laser ablation (LA) micro sampling coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This is the first reporting of the chemical characterization of a new set of float glass intended for use as matrix-matched calibration standards in the forensic analysis and comparison of glass by LA-ICP-MS using a standard test method (ASTM E2927-16e1). Three Corning Float Glass Standards (CFGS) were manufactured at low, medium, and high concentrations of 32 elements typically encountered in float glass samples as found in forensic casework.

Virtual and simulated striated toolmarks for forensic applications.

Large numbers of experimental toolmarks of screwdrivers are often required in casework of toolmark examiners and in research environments alike, to be able to recover the angle of attack of a crime scene mark and to determine statistically meaningful properties of toolmarks respectively. However, in practice the number of marks is limited by the time needed to create them. In this article, we present an approach to predict how a striated mark of a particular tool would look like, using 3D surface datasets of screwdrivers.