Jack of all trades, master of one: domain-specific and domain-general contributions to perceptual expertise in visual comparison.

Perceptual expertise is typically domain-specific and rarely generalises beyond an expert's domain of experience. Forensic feature-comparison examiners outperform the norm in domain-specific visual comparison, but emerging research suggests that they show advantages on other similar tasks outside their domain of expertise. For example, fingerprint examiners not only outperform novices in fingerprint comparison, but also in face comparison.

Individual differences in distributional statistical learning: Better frequency "discriminators" are better "estimators".

People can easily extract and encode statistical information from their environment. However, research has primarily focused on (i.e.

Measuring the rarity of core-delta distances in fingerprint patterns in the Dutch population.

In latent print examination, a conclusion on an individualization is primarily based on the presence of corresponding minutiae. Depending on the level of correspondence between the minutiae on the fingermark and on the reference print, a match is concluded. However, a fingermark is analyzed on all three levels: general pattern combined with core-delta distance, minutiae, and third-level detail.

Toward better AFIS practice and process in the forensic fingerprint environment.

Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) are used in forensic operational environments worldwide. Traditionally, these systems are search systems only and have limited workflow to support forensic processes in recommended best-practice approaches. This paper addresses this issue by presenting best practice approaches and processes for AFIS in forensic environments.

Real-time electrochemical screening of cocaine in lab and field settings with automatic result generation.

This work presents the results of a novel application for the fast on-site screening of cocaine and its main cutting agents in suspicious and confiscated samples. The methodology behind the novel application consists of portable electrochemical detection coupled with a peak recognition algorithm for automated result output generation, validated both in laboratory and field settings. Currently used field tests, predominantly colorimetric tests, are lacking accuracy, often giving false positive or negative results.

From facial images of different quality to score based LR.

A simple method is proposed to assess the quality of a trace facial image in the context of the facial recognition system used using the similarity scores with low quality different-source facial images, defined as the Confusion Score (CS). Methods are proposed to calculate the probability of finding the correct facial image in a database using low quality images for investigational purposes using the CS, as well as calculation of the Likelihood Ratio (LR) for comparison of low quality trace facial images with good quality reference facial images, based on the assessed CS of the trace image. Improvement of performance of an LR-system using training datasets stratified on CS over the use of pooled data is demonstrated.

Match me if you can: Evidence for a domain-general visual comparison ability.

Visual comparison-comparing visual stimuli (e.g., fingerprints) side by side and determining whether they originate from the same or different source (i.

Measuring calibration of likelihood-ratio systems: A comparison of four metrics, including a new metric devPAV.

Numerical likelihood-ratio (LR) systems aim to calculate evidential strength for forensic evidence evaluation. Calibration of such LR-systems is essential: one does not want to over- or understate the strength of the evidence. Metrics that measure calibration differ in sensitivity to errors in calibration of such systems.

Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples.

The emergence of new psychoactive drugs in the market demands rapid and accurate tools for the on-site classification of illegal and legal compounds with similar structures. Herein, a novel method for the classification of synthetic cathinones (SCs) is presented based on their electrochemical profile. First, the electrochemical profile of five common SC (i.

Evaluation of glass evidence at activity level: A new distribution for the background population.

For evidence evaluation of the physicochemical properties of glass at activity level a well-known formula introduced by Evett & Buckleton [1,2] is commonly used. Parameters in this formula are, amongst others, the probability in a background population to find on somebody's clothing the observed number of glass sources and the probability in a background population to find on somebody's clothing a group of fragments with the same size as the observed matching group. Recently, for efficiency reasons, the Netherlands Forensic Institute changed its methodology to measure not all the glass fragments but a subset of glass fragments found on clothing.

Why calibrating LR-systems is best practice. A reaction to "The evaluation of evidence for microspectrophotometry data using functional data analysis", in FSI 305.

In their paper "The evaluation of evidence for microspectrophotometry data using functional data analysis", in FSI 305, Aitken et al. present a likelihood-ratio (LR) system for their data. We show the values generated by this system cannot be interpreted as LRs: they are ill-calibrated and should be interpreted as discriminating scores.

Imaging-assisted hydrogel formation for single cell isolation.

We report a flexible single-cell isolation method by imaging-assisted hydrogel formation. Our approach consists of imaging-aided selective capture of cells of interest by encasing them into a polymeric hydrogel, followed by removal of unwanted cells and subsequent release of isolated cells by enzymatic hydrogel degradation, thus offering an opportunity for further analysis or cultivation of selected cells. We achieved high sorting efficiency and observed excellent viability rates (>98%) for NIH/3T3 fibroblasts and A549 carcinoma cells isolated using this procedure.

Lessons learned from inter-laboratory studies of carbon isotope analysis of honey.

Forensic application of carbon isotope ratio measurements of honey and honey protein to investigate the degree of adulteration with high fructose corn syrup or other C plant sugars is well established. These measurements must use methods that exhibit suitable performance criteria, particularly with regard to measurement uncertainty and traceability - low levels of adulteration can only be detected by methods that result in suitably small measurement uncertainties such that differences of 1‰ or less can be reliably detected. Inter-laboratory exercises are invaluable to assess the state-of-the art of measurement capabilities of laboratories necessary to achieve such performance criteria.

Measuring the Rarity of Fingerprint Patterns in the Dutch Population Using an Extended Classification Set.

Latent print examiners often use their experience and knowledge to reach a conclusion on the identity of the source. Their conclusion is primarily based on their personal opinion on the rarity of the matching fingerprint features. Fingerprint patterns, if present, can play a significant role in the final assessment of a match.

Implementation and assessment of a likelihood ratio approach for the evaluation of LA-ICP-MS evidence in forensic glass analysis.

For the comparative analysis of glass fragments, a method using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is in use at the NFI, giving measurements of the concentration of 18 elements. An important question is how to evaluate the results as evidence that a glass sample originates from a known glass source or from an arbitrary different glass source. One approach is the use of matching criteria e.

Numerical likelihood ratios outputted by LR systems are often based on extrapolation: When to stop extrapolating?

A recent trend in forensic science is the development of objective, automated systems for the comparison of trace and reference material that give as output numerical likelihood ratios (LRs). For well discriminating LR systems, often the probability of the evidence given one or the other hypothesis depends on the density from the tail of a probability distribution. The models for probability distributions are trained by data.

β-Amyloid Precursor Protein and Ubiquitin Immunohistochemistry Aid in the Evaluation of Infant Autopsy Eyes With Abusive Head Trauma.

Purpose: To investigate β-amyloid precursor protein (β-APP), ubiquitin, and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) immunostaining as a diagnostic tool to aid in the discrimination between abusive head trauma and nonabusive head trauma in postmortem ocular histopathologic investigation.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Methods: Seventy-four eyes of 37 infants were studied for hemorrhage and immunohistochemical expression of β-APP, ubiquitin, and GFAP in the retina and optic nerve.

Atrial fibrillation coincides with the advanced glycation end product N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine in the atrium.

Presence of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the heart induces a proinflammatory phenotype. However, the presence of AGEs within atrial tissue of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is unknown and was analyzed here. Left atrial appendage tissue from 33 AF patients and 9 controls was analyzed for the presence of the major AGEs N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), VCAM-1, neutrophilic granulocytes, lymphocytes, and macrophages in both the fat tissue and myocardium separately.

Performance evaluation of automated fingerprint identification systems for specific conditions observed in casework using simulated fingermarks.

Few studies have been reported on the performance evaluation of automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) for fingermark-to-fingerprint comparisons. This paper aims to illustrate to fingerprint examiners the relevance of evaluating the AFIS performance under specific conditions by carrying out five types of performance tests. The conditions addressed are the number of minutiae assigned to a fingermark, manual and automatic assignment of the minutiae, the finger region from which the fingermark originates, the degree of distortion in the fingermark, and the difference in orientation between fingermarks and fingerprints.

The detection and identification of quaternary nitrogen muscle relaxants in biological fluids and tissues by ion-trap LC-ESI-MS.

Quaternary nitrogen muscle relaxants pancuronium, rocuronium, vecuronium, gallamine, suxamethonium, mivacurium, and atracurium and its metabolites were extracted from whole blood and other biological fluids and tissues by using a solid-phase extraction procedure. The extracts were examined by using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). The drugs were separated on a ODS column in a gradient of ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.