German Criminal Police Office

About: German Criminal Police Office is a government organization based out in Wiesbaden, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Mass spectrometry. The organization has 254 authors who have published 338 publications receiving 8489 citations.

The German Stain Commission: recommendations for the interpretation of mixed stains.

Abstract: In the course of forensic DNA analysis, the interpretation of DNA profiles of mixed stains, i.e. cell material from more than a single donor, has become increasingly more important. The German Stain Commission, a joint commission of Institutes of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, has therefore developed guidelines aiming to harmonize the evaluation of mixed stains in German criminal cases.

Sample preparation by supercritical fluid extraction in environmental food and polymer analysis

Abstract: Extraction with supercritical CO2 is a versatile method for sample clean-up and trace enrichment. The off-line coupling of SFE and HPLC is used to determine various explosives in debris as well as pesticides in soil. In food analysis the metod could be applied to determine cholesterol in noodles quantitatively. Correlations between the retention in RP chromatography and required extraction conditions could the established. The higher the organic modifier concentration in the eluent has to be, the smoother the extraction conditions required. With the non-volatile solutes studied, extraction temperature had no influence on extraction yield and speed. On-line coupling of SFE and capillary SFC is a very convenient and sensitive method for the determination of polymer additives. The coupling device described can also be used for “solventless” injection in capillary SFC.

Evaluation of the Photodegradation of Crystal Violet upon Light Exposure by Mass Spectrometric and Spectroscopic Methods

Abstract: Crystal violet is a very common dye in ballpoint ink. Recent research suggests that the degradation of triarylmethane dyes gives an indication of the age of a ballpoint pen entry on a document. The main problem for the quantitative evaluation of the degradation is that it is highly dependent on the exposure to light. Moreover additional factors, such as additives and substrate play an important role in this process. The aim of this work is to compare the degradation pathways of the pure dye in water and ethanol upon exposure to xenon light by UV/VIS spectrophotometry and laser desorption ionization. Significant differences have been observed in the products and the kinetics of the degradation. N-demethylation, an expected decomposition process, was found to take place only in aqueous solution and kinetics calculations showed that the degradation occurred 2.5 times faster in ethanol compared to water. The degradation of crystal violet in inks from four ballpoint pens on paper was also studied for entries made over 2-3 years. It was observed that degradation reactions were quenched by the presence of another dye due to competitive absorption. It was also observed that the thickness of a stroke (concentration of ink) influenced the degradation process. In the absence of light only one ballpoint pen showed slight degradation. A better understanding of the influence of the paper, ink composition, and storage conditions is necessary to interpret correctly the age of an ink based on the degradation of dyes.

Forensic analysis of glass by μ-XRF, SN-ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS and LA-ICP-OES: evaluation of the performance of different criteria for comparing elemental composition

Abstract: Four interlaboratory tests were designed to evaluate the performance of match criteria for forensic comparisons of elemental composition of glass by μ-XRF, solution nebulization SN-ICP-MS, LA-ICP-OES and LA-ICP-MS. A total of 24 analysts in 18 laboratories participated in the tests. Glass specimens were selected to study the capabilities of the techniques to discriminate glass produced in the same manufacturing plant at different time intervals and to associate samples that originated from a single source. The assessment of the effectiveness of several match criteria included: confidence interval (±6s, ±5s, ±4s, ±3s, ±2s), modified confidence interval, t-test, range overlap, and Hotelling's T2. Error rates are reported for each of these criteria. Recommended match criteria were those found to produce the lowest combinations of type 1 and type 2 error rates. Performance of the studied match criteria was dependent on the homogeneity of the glass sources, the repeatability between analytical measurements, and the number of elements that were measured. The best results for μ-XRF data were obtained using spectral overlay followed by a ±3s confidence interval or range overlap. For ICP-based measurements, a wider match criterion, such as a modified confidence interval based on a fixed minimum relative standard deviation (±4s, >3–5% RSD), is recommended due to the inherent precision of those methods (typically <1–5% RSD) and the greater number of elements measured. Glass samples that were manufactured in different plants, or at the same plant weeks or months apart, were readily differentiated by elemental composition when analyzed by these sensitive methods.