Effects of DNA Extraction Methods on Recovery, Degradation, and Loss

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Many working with genomic DNA can afford to lose large portions of it during its extraction without negatively impacting downstream analysis. However, with work targeting highly degraded DNA sources, retention of every molecule can be key to successful analyses. This webinar addressed the insufficient documentation of absolute efficiencies of extraction methods and the nature of DNA loss associated with the study of low copy number and degraded DNA samples.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 20, 2010.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqED7R7yT6o

Intact Low Explosives Analysis with an Emphasis on Microscopical Methods

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar discussed intact low explosives analysis with a focus on microscopical methods. It covered terminology for explosives, the rationale of low explosives analysis for most crime laboratories, six categories of low explosives, and examples of three analyses using microscopical methods.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 16, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5-ywS8V19o

PACE™: Rapid and Automated Artifact Identification and Number of Contributor Prediction

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar focused on the use of PACE™, a method developed by Syracuse University, to perform artifact management and probabilistically predict the number of contributors (NOC) in forensic DNA samples. This is performed using a combination of biological modeling and machine learning, permitting high accuracy NOC calls (greater than 90%) of complex mixtures. It does so rapidly (seconds to minutes) without the need for high performance computing resources. We discussed the design and development of the PACE system, how to interpret the output, and provided recommendations on how to implement the system in a forensic laboratory. This included a full demonstration of the software and how to navigate the interface and read reports. Finally, we discussed a current project funded by the NIJ that seeks to develop PACE for sequencing-based analyses.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 28, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6LtumQvRWM

UK Urgent question: China, human rights and threats to UK national security.

Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)

On Monday 2 February, the Lord Speaker accepted a request for an urgent question by Lord Alton of Liverpool. Members will question government on its recent discussions concerning human rights and threats to UK national security with the government of China.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1DrOKHzAfE

Ventilation Limited Fires: Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Residential structure fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited. Therefore accounting for the impact of ventilation on fire is important. Examining flow paths within the structure can aide in fire pattern analysis.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 10, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyC17X9ExNM

Managing an Accredited Digital Forensics Laboratory

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar covered management challenges unique to a digital forensics unit in a laboratory and offer practical solutions to overcome these challenges.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 1, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2K2a2BI_w8

Identifying an Unknown Paint System Using the RCMP PDQ Program

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Using a typical OEM paint system, the PDQ Maintenance Team will walk through the best practices to efficiently use the database and spectral libraries to identify the most likely source of an unknown paint system. Details gathered from this process include manufacturing plant, year range, and models.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Paint Data Query (PDQ) program is an international OEM automotive paint database used to help identify possible suspect vehicles involved in hit and run incidents based on paint evidence left at the scene of a crime. Paint systems on an automobile typically have three or four layers: a clear coat over a topcoat over one or more undercoats. Each paint layer contains pigments, fillers, and binders. Automotive manufacturing plants often use unique combinations of paint layers, which allow forensic scientists to determine the most likely manufacturing plant, make/model, and year range for the vehicle from which the paint chip originated.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 8, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5OnltQ697E

Recent Advances in Tandem Separation and Detection Techniques for the Analysis of Emerging Drugs

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar discussed the role of emergent technologies for both separation and detection techniques employed in chromatographic systems to increase selectivity for the identification of emerging drugs. Techniques include supercritical fluid chromatography, multi-dimensional liquid chromatography, multi-modal liquid chromatography, nano liquid chromatography, vacuum ultraviolet detection, and cold electron ionization mass spectrometry.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on March 19, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv83ML9WMuM

Results of a Black Box Study on the Accuracy and Reliability of Palm Print Comparisons

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This presentation described, presented the results of, and discussed a recent black box study to establish an error rate estimate for palm comparisons. These results provided the first step in establishing the foundational validity of palmar comparisons, as defined by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on March 12, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JezxezAqTVk

The Time to Collect is Now: DNA Evidence in Groping Sexual Assault Cases

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Improving the overall response to sexual assault includes understanding how touch DNA evidence impacts groping sexual assault cases. This webinar will illustrate the importance of these cases and highlight proposed guidelines for evidence collection.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 27, 2019.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOSYumdadO0