NCJ Number
127812
Journal
Journal of the Forensic Science Society Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: (July/August 1990) Pages: 193-246
Date Published
1990
Length
54 pages
Annotation
Six articles cover different forensic practices including detection of p30 antigen, capillary column pyrolysis-gas chromatography of hair, photographing of indented impressions under oblique light, interpretation of glass evidence, measurement of the alignment of typewritten characters, and examination of fly larvae on a putrefied cadaver.
Abstract
Results from a study of 52 sexual assault cases indicate that the p30 assay gave no false positive and fewer false negative reactions than the acid phosphatase test. Human head hairs from 18 individuals were examined; three components were found to differ significantly among the individuals, but not to change over 18 months' time. It is proposed that when photographing indented impressions, because parts of it lie parallel to the oblique light and cast little shadow, the light should be projected from perpendicular directions on the first and second steps and superimposed to produce a more accurate final print. Four hypothetical glass-on-clothing cases demonstrate the advantages of the Bayesian approach to glass interpretation over the conventional coincidence methods. A system is described which can measure misalignments of typewritten characters to an accuracy of 0.02 mm. The presence of fly larvae makes toxicological investigations on cadavers possible in spite of the absence of blood and/or urine. Morphine and phenobarbital were simultaneously identified and assayed in several tissues of a putrefied cadaver and in fly larvae found on the cadaver. Tables, charts, figures and references for each article