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Psychiatry & Behavioral Science—July 2021
AK bullet (7.62 × 39 mm) holes on 1‐mm sheet metal: A forensic‐related study in aid of...
Bullet holes play a major role in the trajectory determination of fired bullets, potentially suggesting where the shots were fired from. Few methods are currently employed to estimate the angles of incidence of fired bullets using bullet holes. The literature has stressed that kn...
The assessment of the impact of induction spatial effects on magnetic flux measurements of...
Magnetic flux measurements of toners can aid in the rapid differentiation of toner‐printed specimens in the context of investigations of forgeries or alterations of printed documents. However, some variables that may impact magnetic flux measurements, including hysteresis effects...
Pathology/Biology Section Updates
Development and evaluation of a synthetic cathinone targeted gas chromatography mass...
To address challenges associated with the increased prevalence of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs), laboratories often adopt new techniques or new methods with the goal of obtaining more detailed chemical information with a higher level of confidence. To demonstrate how new m...
Maternal filicide and mental illness: A descriptive study of 17 women hospitalized in a...
Maternal filicide is defined as the murder of a child by its mother. Many classifications have been elaborated based on underlying motives such as altruism, mental pathology, fatal maltreatment, spousal revenge, or an unwanted child. Pathological filicide refers to cases in which...
Richard Rosner Award – Submission Deadline Extended Until August 1
A hierarchy of expert performance as applied to forensic anthropology
Due to their medicolegal repercussions, forensic anthropology conclusions must be reliable, consistent, and minimally compromised by bias. Yet, a synthetic analysis of the reliability and biasability of the discipline's methods has not yet been conducted. To do so, this stud...
General Section Call for Nominations
Forensic anthropology casework performance: Assessing accuracy and trends for biological...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy rates and trends in forensic anthropology casework concerning the estimation of the biological profile (sex, age, ancestry, and stature). Identified cases from the Forensic Anthropology Database for Assessing Methods Accur...
Psychiatric and legal considerations in cases of Fetal Abduction by Maternal Evisceration
Fifteen cases of Fetal Abduction by Maternal Evisceration (FAMAE) reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children during 1987–2011 outline the findings from a review of the forensic psychiatric considerations and legal course of each of the cases. Most offender...
A framework for the development of targeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS)...
With the increased presence of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) in casework, drug analysis has become more challenging. To address these challenges, new screening technologies with improved specificity are being implemented, allowing for the creation and adoption of targeted ...
Fatal jellyfish envenoming—Pediatric and geographic vulnerabilities
Lethal jellyfish envenoming is a very rare event. Two illustrative cases of fatalities following envenomation from the multi‐tentacled box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, are reported that involved a six‐year‐old boy and a three‐year‐old girl, both of whom had been playing in shall...
Simple chemical tests to identify Cannabis derivatives: Redefinition of parameters and...
The chemical identification of Cannabis is commonly carried out using the Duquenois–Levine (DL) colorimetric test. On the other hand, its active substances called cannabinoids are differentiated by thin‐layer chromatography (TLC). This work aims to optimize parameters of these tw...
AAFS and ASB Present a Webinar on Standard Practices for Measurement Traceability in...
This 1-hour webinar spotlights the American National Standard on measurement traceability in the field of forensic toxicology.
Fatal systemic (paradoxical) air embolism diagnosed by postmortem funduscopy
Air embolism is often unrecognized and underreported. Published case reports or case series describe only rare fundal examinations of retinal air emboli (RAE) — a distinctive sign of systemic air embolism. We report an infant, found unresponsive at home, who died in the emergen...
Investigation of patterns and dynamics of substance users: A long‐term toxicology study on...
The purpose of the present study is to investigate dynamics underlying drug abuse and identify statistical correlations/patterns of forensic findings and sociodemographic factors in a population of illicit substance users. The following long‐term studies were conducted: (a) a ret...
Secondary traumatic stress, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and perceived organizational...
Secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction have been described since the 1980s and extensively studied in first responders, law enforcement, legal professionals, and human service providers. There are few studies in forensic science professionals. To determi...
Back to Amido Black: Uncovering touch DNA in blood‐contaminated fingermarks
Blood‐contaminated fingermarks (FMs) found in violent crime scenes may directly connect the suspect to the crime by linking the FM to the suspect and the DNA from the blood to the victim. However, marks that are incomparable are considered "dead‐evidence" as the link to...
Nondestructive discrimination of red silk single fibers using total reflection X‐ray...
In a strangulation case, when a necktie is used as a murder weapon, the dyed silk single fiber becomes an important evidence sample to solve the crime. Dyed silk single fibers contain elements, such as Cr and Co, which are obtained from dyeing using metal mordants. Currently, the...