Baechler, S, Morelato, M, Gittelson, S, Walsh, S, Margot, P, Roux, C & Ribaux, O 2020, 'Breaking the barriers between intelligence, investigation and evaluation: A continuous approach to define the contribution and scope of forensic science', Forensic Science International, vol. 309.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Forensic science has been evolving towards a separation of more and more specialised tasks, with forensic practitioners increasingly identifying themselves with only one sub-discipline or task of forensic science. Such divisions are viewed as a threat to the advancement of science because they tend to polarise researchers and tear apart scientific communities. The objective of this article is to highlight that a piece of information is not either intelligence or evidence, and that a forensic scientist is not either an investigator or an evaluator, but that these notions must all be applied in conjunction to successfully understand a criminal problem or solve a case. To capture the scope, strength and contribution of forensic science, this paper proposes a progressive but non-linear continuous model that could serve as a guide for forensic reasoning and processes. In this approach, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, iterative thinking and the notion of entropy are used to frame the continuum, situate forensic scientists’ operating contexts and decision points. Situations and examples drawn from experience and practice are used to illustrate the approach. The authors argue that forensic science, as a discipline, should not be defined according to the context it serves (i.e. an investigation, a court decision or an intelligence process), but as a general, scientific and holistic trace-focused practice that contributes to a broad range of goals in various contexts. Since forensic science does not work in isolation, the approach also provides a useful basis as to how forensic scientists should contribute to collective and collaborative problem-solving to improve justice and security.
Bowman, S, Casares-de-Cal, MÁ, Alvarez-Dios, J, Gomez Tato, A, Roffey, P, Richardson, A, McNevin, D & Gahan, ME 2020, 'Identification of Bacillus and Yersinia species and hoax agents by protein profiling using microfluidic capillary electrophoresis with peak detection algorithms', Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences.
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© 2019, © 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis are biological agents that pose an increasing concern to national security if deliberately disseminated. Hoax agents, including suspicious white powders and environmental bacterial species, can also cause disruption. In either scenario it is of high importance to rapidly and accurately identify any suspicious powder as hazardous or hoax. Protein profiling, using microfluidic capillary electrophoresis, provides a rapid (less than 40 minutes), reliable and field-based screening method. Two commonly encountered hoax agents, three Bacillus species (including B. anthracis Sterne strain), two Yersinia species and E. coli were profiled on the Experion™ System (Bio-Rad). Peak detection algorithms were developed for the identification of protein peaks in electropherograms. Boolean logic paths were then employed to predict the electrophoretic pattern of samples. Parameters assessed included variation within and between Experion™ Pro260 chips and the ability to discriminate between samples over time intervals, between operators and between field and laboratory analyses. Classification with optimal Boolean logic paths reported no misclassification with an accuracy of 100% for B. anthracis Sterne strain, B. thuringiensis (powder and culture-based), B. cereus and plain wheat flour. Overall there was 75% correct identification for the eight sample types tested.
Byard, RW, Simpson, E & Forbes, SL 2020, 'Arid Climate Adipocere-The Importance of Microenvironment.', Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 327-329.
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Skeletal remains were retrieved from a cave in an arid desert environment. The submitted material consisted of dried grass, soil, and malodorous skeletal remains wrapped in leather. After examination, it was revealed that the smell had not been due to recent decomposition but to adipocere. The cause of death was listed as "undetermined" and a suggested date of death as "unknown." Although adipocere usually requires a damp environment or submersion in water to develop, this case provides further evidence for the rare possibility of adipocere formation in an otherwise very dry environment. Wrapping of the body in leather material had produced an impermeable barrier which had sequestrated and preserved bodily fluids allowing anaerobic decay with fat hydrolysis and adipocere formation. Microenvironments may have potentially significant and quite idiosyncratic effects on decompositional processes which may initially confuse investigations.
Chauviré, B & Thomas, PS 2020, 'DSC of natural opal: insights into the incorporation of crystallisable water in the opal microstructure', Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry.
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© 2019, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary. Low-temperature DSC on a wide range of opal-A and opal-CT samples was carried out to estimate the proportion of crystallisable water and to determine the size of water-filled cavities. A wide range of crystallisable water contents in the range 4.9 to 41.9% of the water contained in opals were observed, although the proportion of crystallisable water did not correlate with structure. Pore size and pore size distribution were estimated from the melt temperature depression and heat flow data, respectively. Opal-CT was observed to have smaller water-filled pores (radii < 2 nm) than opal-A (radii from 2.5 to 4.9 nm), suggesting that molecular water may be contained between nanograins in the microstructural units (spheres or lepispheres). A narrower pore size distribution was calculated for opal-CT, and no melting of the crystallisable water was observed where bulk water would be expected to melt, suggesting the absence of larger voids. The melting peaks for opal-A, on the other hand, transitioned into the melting of bulk water suggesting the presence of significantly larger water-filled pores, an observation consistent with the microstructure observed in SEM micrographs.
Heather, E, Shimmon, R & McDonagh, A 2020, 'Organic impurity profiling of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) synthesised from catechol and eugenol via 4-allylcatechol', Forensic Science International, vol. 309.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. This work examines organic impurity profiles of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) that has been synthesised from the “pre-precursors” catechol (1,2-dihydroxybenzene) and eugenol, via a safrole intermediate. MDMA was synthesised from the catechol- and eugenol-derived safrole intermediate via two routes, which resulted in the synthesis of MDMA from catechol via two routes (Route 1A and 1B) and from eugenol via two routes (Route 2A and 2B). Twelve organic impurities were identified in MDMA synthesised via Routes 1A and 1B, and eleven organic impurities were identified in MDMA synthesised via Routes 2A and 2B. Route specific organic impurities were identified in MDMA that indicated the “pre-precursors” catechol and eugenol were used in the respective synthetic routes. Route specific organic impurities were also identified in MDMA that indicated the route used to synthesise safrole from the “pre-precursor” and the route used to synthesise MDMA from safrole. Thus, the use of the “pre-precursors” catechol and eugenol and the synthetic route utilised could be ascertained by the organic impurity profiling of MDMA under the conditions used here.
Iqbal, MA, Ueland, M & Forbes, SL 2020, 'Recent advances in the estimation of post-mortem interval in forensic taphonomy', Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 52, pp. 107-123.
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One of the key elements in a criminal death investigation is the estimation of time since death, as this information can assist with identifying the victim and prosecuting an offender. Estimating post-mortem interval (PMI) is a challenging task given the many variables that act on the rate and process of decomposition. This review presents current advances in estimating PMI in forensic taphonomy. The use of scoring systems based on visual observations and the development of empirical formulas have been proposed for soft tissue analysis. In the absence of soft tissue, the citrate content of bone and radiometric dating are recommended for PMI estimations of hard tissue. Recent studies have shown an increased focus on associated evidence found on or near the remains. This includes botanical and mycological evidence such as vegetation changes, the presence or absence of certain plant species, and fungal succession. Decomposition chemistry represents an emerging discipline where biomarkers can be analysed within different mediums such as tissue, soil associated with decomposing remains and decomposition fluid. Although advances are being made in these many taphonomic disciplines, the field still has a long way to go in terms of finding the elusive formula for accurately estimating PMI of decomposed remains
Khuu, A, Spindler, X & Roux, C 2020, 'Detection of latent fingermarks and cells on paper.', Forensic science international, vol. 309, p. 110185.
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Fingermarks and DNA are valuable traces in forensic investigations potentially allowing for the identification of the source of the trace or highlighting a link between a touched object and an individual. These traces are often latent and need to be detected before recovery. While a number of validated methods exist for fingermark detection, no routine method is in place for the detection of DNA. This study investigates the use of pdimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMAB) in conjunction with indanedione zinc (IND-Zn) for the detection of latent cellular material and fingermarks on paper. The aim of this proof-of-concept study is to determine the successfulness of this reagent (DMAB-IND) in the detection of the respective traces and observe the impact it has on the resulting DNA profile. It was found that latent fingermarks and the associated cells could be visualised following treatment with the reagent. Samples treated with DMAB-IND showed a significantly higher percentage of alleles called compared to IND-Zn-treated and untreated samples due to the targeted recovery of cells. However, the reagent appears to degrade DNA at a rapid rate, requiring the treated samples to be processed for DNA on the day of treatment.
Lefrancois, E, Belackova, V, Silins, E, Latimer, J, Jauncey, M, Shimmon, R, Mozaner Bordin, D, Augsburger, M, Esseiva, P, Roux, C & Morelato, M 2020, 'Substances injected at the Sydney supervised injecting facility: A chemical analysis of used injecting equipment and comparison with self-reported drug type', Drug and Alcohol Dependence, vol. 209.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Providing information about substances injected can reduce the negative impact of illicit drug consumption and support people who inject drugs to make informed decisions. In Australia, information about drugs injected relies largely on periodic self-report surveys. For the first time, the analysis of the residual content of used injecting equipment was conducted in a supervised injecting facility (SIF) located in Sydney, Australia. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the substances injected by clients through: (1) chemical analyses of the content of used syringes; (2) comparison of these results with clients' self-reported drug use; and (3) assessing the usefulness of analysing other injecting equipment to detect substances used. During one week in February 2019, syringes and other injecting equipment were collected at the Sydney SIF. Their residual content was analysed by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. Heroin was the most commonly detected substance (present in 51% of syringes), followed by methamphetamine (22%) and oxycodone (10%). In addition to the main psychoactive substance, cutting agents reported in the literature were also detected in used syringes. The main psychoactive substance identified by laboratory analysis reliably corresponded with users' self-reported drug type. Analytical confirmation of substances injected allows for the provision of better targeted harm reduction messaging based on timely and objective data. The approach used is amenable to clients and feasible in the Australian SIF context. Upscaling and wider implementation could be done through Needle and Syringe Programs, and would support the early detection of harmful substances entering drug markets and better inform harm reduction strategies.
Leong, HS, Philp, M, Simone, M, Witting, PK & Fu, S 2020, 'Synthetic Cathinones Induce Cell Death in Dopaminergic SH-SY5Y Cells via Stimulating Mitochondrial Dysfunction.', International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 21, no. 4.
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Increasing reports of neurological and psychiatric complications due to psychostimulant synthetic cathinones (SCs) have recently raised public concern. However, the precise mechanism of SC toxicity is unclear. This paucity of understanding highlights the need to investigate the in-vitro toxicity and mechanistic pathways of three SCs: butylone, pentylone, and 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Human neuronal cells of SH-SY5Y were cultured in supplemented DMEM/F12 media and differentiated to a neuronal phenotype using retinoic acid (10 μM) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (81 nM). Trypan blue and lactate dehydrogenase assays were utilized to assess the neurotoxicity potential and potency of these three SCs. To investigate the underlying neurotoxicity mechanisms, measurements included markers of oxidative stress, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and intracellular calcium (Ca2+), and cell death pathways were evaluated at two doses (EC15 and EC40), for each drug tested. Following 24 h of treatment, all three SCs exhibited a dose-dependent neurotoxicity, characterized by a significant (p < 0.0001 vs. control) production of reactive oxygen species, decreased mitochondrial bioenergetics, and increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. The activation of caspases 3 and 7 implicated the orchestration of mitochondrial-mediated neurotoxicity mechanisms for these SCs. Identifying novel therapeutic agents to enhance an altered mitochondrial function may help in the treatment of acute-neurological complications arising from the illicit use of these SCs.
Liu, T, Zhang, W, Yuwono, M, Zhang, M, Ueland, M, Forbes, SL & Su, SW 2020, 'A data-driven meat freshness monitoring and evaluation method using rapid centroid estimation and hidden Markov models', Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical, vol. 311.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The food industry needs a fast and stable method to monitor and evaluate the freshness of meat products. This paper proposes the use of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) sensor-based electronic nose with a data-driven approach, hidden Markov models (HMMs), to detect meat spoilage. The data-driven approach we proposed include: (i) A training algorithm using segmental rapid centroid estimation (RCE) to increase the overall stability of the HMM optimisation algorithm; (ii) A monitoring algorithm using a single HMM trained only by fresh samples to track the change of meat freshness in real-time when the storage condition is not specified; (iii) An HMM-based decoding algorithm to cluster the freshness level when the whole life-span data of meat stored in a specific storage condition is available. Then, HMM for each freshness level is trained and applied in parallel as freshness evaluation models to classify the tested meat samples. In freshness monitoring, case studies on fish, beef and chicken demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of this method. In freshness evaluation, we observed sensitivity and specificity of 96.32% ± 2.83% and 99.07% ± 0.69%, 99.09% ± 2.40% and 99.82% ± 0.48%, as well as, 99.35% ± 0.27% and 98.31% ± 0.71% respectively for fish, beef and chicken, which warrants further investigation.
McNevin, D 2020, 'Forensic inference of biogeographical ancestry from genotype: The Genetic Ancestry Lab', WIREs Forensic Science, vol. 2, no. 2.
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Meng, L, Ren, Y, Zhou, Z, Li, C, Wang, C & Fu, S 2020, 'Monodisperse silica nanoparticle suspension for developing latent blood fingermarks', Forensic Sciences Research, pp. 1-9.
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Michelot, H, Chadwick, S, Morelato, M, Tahtouh, M & Roux, C 2020, 'The screening of identity documents at borders for forensic drug intelligence purpose', Forensic Chemistry, vol. 18.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The need for law enforcement agencies to obtain results more rapidly has driven the increased use of field-deployable technology in the field. Currently used in a case-by-case approach, the potential of these new technologies, could go beyond the traditional objective of forensic science (i.e. characterisation and identification) and provide timely information about criminal phenomena (i.e. multi-case approach). The use of portable instrumentation could for instance provide rapid information to law enforcement agencies about drug prevalence and drug smuggling if used in a systematic manner. This paper outlines the potential of using portable instrumentation to gather information related to illicit drugs rapidly. An innovative concept is proposed to screen surfaces of passports for the detection of remnants of illicit substances using rapid equipment already deployed at border controls. An experimental procedure was built to determine if powdered drugs could be detected on the surface of contaminated passports. Various scenarios were tested, including transfer, activity and persistence parameters. Experiments were conducted employing two different instruments, i.e. Ion Mobility spectroscopy (IMS) and Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation coupled to an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (APCI-ITMS). Promising results were obtained with the proposed method notably with the APCI-ITMS instrument as drugs were detected in minute amounts even after one hour of activity. High rates of false positives were obtained with the IMS contrary to APCI-ITMS. As a result, APCI-ITMS allows for the detection of remnants of illicit substances on passports’ surfaces and the approach employed in this proof of concept can be deployed in a real environment such as in airports.
Morelato, M, Medeiros Bozic, S, Rhumorbarbe, D, Broséus, J, Staehli, L, Esseiva, P, Roux, C & Rossy, Q 2020, 'An insight Into Prescription Drugs and Medicine on the AlphaBay Cryptomarket', Journal of Drug Issues, pp. 002204261987295-002204261987295.
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Internet access has provided new ways to trade goods. Unlike conventional legal sale sites, cryptomarkets facilitate exchanges in a context where the anonymity of participants is warranted. The aim of this article was to obtain a better understanding of the trafficking of prescription drugs and medicine on the AlphaBay cryptomarket. The results showed that alprazolam, oxycodone, and Adderall were the most offered prescription drugs while alprazolam, diazepam, and oxycodone were the most sold substances. The sale was dominated by North America, Australia, and Western European countries. The revenue of prescription drugs was estimated to be more than US$65 million since the creation of AlphaBay, a small market in comparison with the worldwide legal pharmaceutical market’s estimate of US$1.3 trillion in 2020. Digital traces offer a complementary way to understand the trafficking of prescription drugs and medicine and to identify the most prolific vendors and their implication in this trafficking.
Pamphlett, R, Satgunaseelan, L, Jew, SK, Doble, PA & Bishop, DP 2020, 'Elemental bioimaging shows mercury and other toxic metals in normal breast tissue and in breast cancers', PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 1.
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© 2020 Pamphlett et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Objective Exposure to toxic metals such as mercury has been proposed to be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer since some metals can promote genetic mutations and epigenetic changes. We sought to find what toxic metals are present in normal breast tissue and in the tumours of women who had mastectomies for invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Materials and methods Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks from mastectomies for breast carcinoma were examined from 50 women aged 34–69 years. Paraffin blocks selected for elemental analysis were from breast tissue not involved by carcinoma and from the carcinoma itself. Seven micrometer-thick sections were stained with autometallography to demonstrate the presence of mercury, and subjected to laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to confirm the presence of mercury and to detect other toxic metals. Results Autometallography-detected mercury was seen in intraductal secretions and some luminal epithelial cells of normal breast lobules in 26 (55%) of the 47 samples where lobules were present, and in 10 (23%) of carcinomas from the 44 samples where carcinoma was present. In eight samples ductal carcinoma in situ was present and one of these contained mercury. LA-ICP-MS confirmed the presence of mercury in samples that stained with autometallography, and detected lead, iron, nickel, aluminium, chromium and cadmium in some samples. Conclusions Mercury was present in normal breast lobules in more than half of mastectomy samples that contained an invasive carcinoma, and in a smaller proportion of carcinomas and ductal carcinomas in situ. Other toxic metals that may interact synergistically with mercury could be detected in some ...
Phan, K, Barash, M, Spindler, X, Gunn, P & Roux, C 2020, 'Retrieving forensic information about the donor through bacterial profiling', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE, vol. 134, no. 1, pp. 21-29.
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Pyke, GH, Kalman, JRM, Bordin, DM, Blanes, L & Doble, PA 2020, 'Patterns of floral nectar standing crops allow plants to manipulate their pollinators.', Scientific reports, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1660.
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'Pollination syndromes' involving floral nectar have eluded satisfactory evolutionary explanation. For example, floral nectars for vertebrate-pollinated plants average low sugar concentrations, while such animals prefer high concentrations, perplexing pollination biologists and arousing recent controversy. Such relationships should result from evolutionary games, with plants and pollinators adopting Evolutionarily Stable Strategies, and nectar manipulating rather than attracting pollinators. Plant potential to manipulate pollinators depends on relationships between neighbouring flowers within plants, for all nectar attributes, but this has not been investigated. We measured nectar volume, concentration and sugar composition for open flowers on naturally-growing Blandfordia grandiflora plants, presenting classic bird-pollinated plant syndrome. To evaluate potential pollinator manipulation through nectar, we analysed relationships between neighbouring flowers for nectar volume, concentration, proportion sucrose, log(fructose/glucose), and sugar weight. To evaluate potential attraction of repeat-visits to flowers or plants through nectar, we compared attributes between successive days. Nearby flowers were positively correlated for all attributes, except log(fructose/glucose) as fructose≈glucose. Most relationships between nectar attributes for flowers and plants on successive days were non-significant. Nectar-feeding pollinators should therefore decide whether to visit another flower on a plant, based on all attributes of nectar just-obtained, enabling plants to manipulate pollinators through adjusting nectar. Plants are unlikely to attract repeat pollinator-visits through nectar production. Floral nectar evolution is conceptually straightforward but empirically challenging. A mutant plant deviating from the population in attributes of nectar-production per flower would manipulate, rather than attract, nectar-feeding pollinators, altering pollen transfer, hence repr...
Rao, SS, Lago, L, Gonzalez de Vega, R, Bray, L, Hare, DJ, Clases, D, Doble, PA & Adlard, PA 2020, 'Characterising the spatial and temporal brain metal profile in a mouse model of tauopathy', METALLOMICS, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 301-313.
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Sornalingam, K, McDonagh, A, Canning, J, Cook, K, Johir, MAH, Zhou, JL & Ahmed, MB 2020, 'Photocatalysis of 17α-ethynylestradiol and estriol in water using engineered immersible optical fibres and light emitting diodes', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 33.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This research aims to promote photocatalysis of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in water. Two reactor setups with (i) modified air-clad optical fibres and (ii) waterproof LED strips were utilised to transmit light to photocatalysts P25 TiO2 and gold-modified TiO2 (Au-TiO2). The performances to photodegrade 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and estriol (E3) under Cool White and UVA high efficacy LEDs were examined. Au-TiO2 showed superior photocatalytic activity for EE2 removal over P25 TiO2. The pseudo first-order rate constants for EE2 photocatalysis under UVA were 0.55 h−1 and 0.89 h−1 for TiO2 and Au-TiO2, respectively. E3 was effectively degraded by Au-TiO2 in the immersible LED strip reactor (0.13 h−1).
Sztynda, T, Chow, D & Lal, S 2020, 'Optical Flow Analysis of Emotional Human Facial Expressions – Forensic Application', International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Systems and Machine Learning, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 209-218.
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Emotional facial expressions have been suggested as indicators of a person’s intended actions when they display a set of specific facial reactions. Our aim was to investigate Optical Flow to identify specific emotions with the long-term objective to create an algorithm that would automate the process. This would remove all allegations of bias to give security personnel an objective way of screening individuals in a crowd who may require closer scrutiny. This paper describes our preliminary studies, using film clips to elicit dynamic natural facial responses. This has identified key elements that need to be evaluated further, such as gender and age of the people under observation, as well as specific facial elements that may be of greater benefit than whole facial images for the purpose of screening crowds for potential perpertrators of anti-social behaviour.
Tkacheva, A, Zhang, J, Sun, B, Zhou, D, Wang, G & McDonagh, AM 2020, 'TEMPO-Ionic Liquids as Redox Mediators and Solvents for Li-O-2 Batteries', JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C, vol. 124, no. 9, pp. 5087-5092.
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Ueland, M, Brown, A, Bartos, C, Frankham, GJ, Johnson, RN & Forbes, SL 2020, 'Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items', Separations, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 5-5.
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Globally, the rapid decline in wildlife species has many causes. The illegal trafficking of fauna and flora is a major contributor to species decline and continues to grow at an alarming rate. To enable the prosecution of those involved in the trafficking of illegal wildlife, accurate and reliable identification is paramount. Traditionally, morphology and DNA amplification are used. This paper investigates a novel application of volatilome profiling using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry for wildlife sample detection. Known samples of elephant-derived ivory, other dentine samples, and bone (a common ivory substitute) were used as reference samples for volatilome profiling. Subsequently, specimens that were suspected ivory from border control seizures were obtained and analysed. Confirmatory DNA analyses were conducted on seized samples to establish the reliability parameters of volatilome profiling. The volatilome method correctly identified six of the eight seized samples as elephant ivory, which was confirmed through DNA analysis. There was also clear distinction of African elephant ivory parts from the bone and dentine samples from other species, as shown through PCA and discriminant analyses. These preliminary results establish volatilome profiling through GC×GC-TOFMS as a novel screening method used for the identification of unknown wildlife contraband.