Feature Papers in Forensic Sciences in 2023

A special issue of Forensic Sciences (ISSN 2673-6756).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 3490

Special Issue Editors

1. TOXRUN – Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, Advanced Polytechnic and University Cooperative (CESPU), CRL, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
2. Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
3. UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
4. MTG Research and Development Lab, 4200-604 Porto, Portugal
Interests: real-world evidence; implementation science; toxicology; forensic sciences; psychoactive substances; drugs; biomedical research; scientometrics; scientific medical writing; pedagogical Innovation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Center for Research in Anthropology, CRIA, NOVA FCSH, 1069-061 Lisboa, Portugal
2. Cranfield Defense & Security, Cranfield University, Bedford MK43 0AL, UK
Interests: forensic anthropology; age assessment; sex assessment; human collection; ethics; paleopathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Archaeology and Classics Program, American University of Rome, Via Pietro Roselli 4, 00153 Rome, Italy
Interests: archaeological methods and science; remote sensing and GIS; landscape archaeology; archaeological prospections; forensic archaeology; forensic geophysics; forensic geoscience; art crime; cultural heritage protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality submissions in the research field of forensic sciences. We encourage researchers from various fields within the journal’s scope to contribute papers highlighting the latest developments in their research field or to invite relevant experts and colleagues to do so. The topic of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to:

Computer forensics, criminology, forensic accounting (also known as forensic accountancy or financial forensics), forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, forensic art, forensic astronomy, forensic ballistics, forensic biomechanics, forensic chemistry, forensic genetics, and forensic geology.

Both original research articles and comprehensive review papers are welcome. You are welcome to send short proposals for Special Issue feature papers to our Editorial Office (forensicsci@mdpi.com) prior to submission.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira
Dr. Francisca Alves Cardoso
Dr. Pier Matteo Barone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forensic Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forensic sciences
  • forensic toxicology
  • forensic anthropology
  • forensic geoscience
  • forensic archaeology

Published Papers (3 papers)

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14 pages, 4077 KiB  
Article
Discrimination Efficiency of Thermogravimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry in Soil Forensics
by Rodrigo Studart Corrêa, Renata Esteves Ribeiro, Marina Pereira Borges, Ettore Ferrari Júnior and Juliano de Andrade Gomes
Forensic Sci. 2024, 4(1), 96-109; https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci4010007 - 02 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Forensic soil analysis is crucial in criminal investigations, necessitating robust analytical methodologies for an accurate discrimination of soil types and origins. This study explored the discrimination efficiency of thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric analyses of Inceptisol, reddish Oxisol, and yellowish Oxisol soils from [...] Read more.
Forensic soil analysis is crucial in criminal investigations, necessitating robust analytical methodologies for an accurate discrimination of soil types and origins. This study explored the discrimination efficiency of thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric analyses of Inceptisol, reddish Oxisol, and yellowish Oxisol soils from Brazil’s Cerrado region. Ninety air-dried soil samples collected at various locations underwent thermal analysis, focusing on mass loss of gibbsite, goethite, and kaolinite at specific temperatures. The log-transformed data were submitted to principal component analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis. The thermogravimetry emerged as a highly discriminatory tool, effectively delineating between soil types, and even detecting spatial variations. In contrast, the differential scanning calorimetry exhibited limited discriminatory power. The findings underscore the thermogravimetric potential as a valuable technique in soil forensics, providing critical insights into composition and spatial variations essential for criminal investigations. This study highlights the need for further research to explore synergies with complementary techniques, aiming to enhance forensic discrimination across diverse soil types and geographic contexts. The objective representation of results in this abstract emphasizes the significance of thermogravimetry in advancing forensic analysis of soil vestiges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Forensic Sciences in 2023)
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12 pages, 4328 KiB  
Technical Note
Use of the Investigator ESSplex SE QS Kit (QIAGEN) at Half PCR Reaction Volumes for the Analysis of Forensic Samples
by Anna Barbaro, Giacomo Falcone, Angelo La Marca and Aldo Barbaro
Forensic Sci. 2024, 4(1), 152-163; https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci4010009 - 14 Mar 2024
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Abstract
The Investigator ESSplex SE QS Kit (Qiagen) is a next-generation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit that, in 60 min, amplifies 17 Short Tandem Repeat (STR) markers, including the five European Standard Set (ESS) loci (D10S1248, D12S391, D1S1656, D22S1045, D2S441), the SE33 marker, and [...] Read more.
The Investigator ESSplex SE QS Kit (Qiagen) is a next-generation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit that, in 60 min, amplifies 17 Short Tandem Repeat (STR) markers, including the five European Standard Set (ESS) loci (D10S1248, D12S391, D1S1656, D22S1045, D2S441), the SE33 marker, and the locus Amelogenin for sex determination. Two quality sensors (QS1 and QS2) are also co-amplified to check PCR performance. Since forensic laboratories carry out hundreds of DNA typings annually, we verified the kit’s performance using half reaction volumes with the aim of improving the number of samples that may be amplified with a single kit and consequently reducing laboratory costs. In the present study, intended as a technical note rather than internal validation, some control samples (oral swabs) with known DNA profiles and 40 real casework samples were analyzed. We observed that reducing the total reaction volume, while keeping all component ratios unaltered, yields DNA profiles comparable to those obtained using standard reaction volumes and with allele peaks higher than those with regular volumes. Using half volumes for PCR amplification enables the analysis of a larger number of samples compared to the standard protocol, thereby reducing laboratory costs without compromising the quality of the analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Forensic Sciences in 2023)
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20 pages, 675 KiB  
Systematic Review
Biobanks: Archives or Resources? Their Secondary Use for Forensic Purposes—A Systematic Review
by Giulia Sguazzi, Giulia Fasani, Filippo Renò and Sarah Gino
Forensic Sci. 2024, 4(1), 42-61; https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci4010004 - 01 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Since the biobanks’ inception in 1980, millions of human biological samples have been stored worldwide for medical research or treatment purposes. Today the secondary use of biobanks plays an increasingly important role in research projects because it allows large-scale research starting from professional [...] Read more.
Since the biobanks’ inception in 1980, millions of human biological samples have been stored worldwide for medical research or treatment purposes. Today the secondary use of biobanks plays an increasingly important role in research projects because it allows large-scale research starting from professional collections of biospecimens and related clinical data. It would be limiting, in the “-omics” era, to not consider the enormous potential value to law enforcement of these biospecimens, where the availability of high-performance techniques makes it possible to obtain a large amount of data, even within a single session. Therefore, the quality of the sample, in addition to the associated clinical information, becomes of crucial importance to derive scientifically valid information, including for forensic research purposes. Proposing the introduction of the concept of “solidarity”, traditionally applied only to medical and research biobanks, led to public commitment to forensic medicine. Granting the forensic researcher this possibility certainly raises some questions regarding regulatory and ethical aspects of consent, privacy, confidentiality, transparency, and participant/donor trust. Since the debate has not stopped since the origin of biobanks, this review aims to explore the state of the art relating to the use of human biological material in medical biobanks for biomedical and forensic research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Forensic Sciences in 2023)
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