Blood
What 2 components is blood made up of?
Cellular and fluid
Where is DNA located in the body?
Nucleus (chromosomes)
What does toxicity depend on?
Dose (how much is taken)
Duration (how frequently it was taken)
Route of administration (how it was taken)
Interactions with other substances
When are forensic anthropologists called to a scene?
When the remains are burned, decomposed, skeletonized, buried or the cause of death is unknown
What 3 components are required for a fire to start?
Fuel, heat and oxygen
What antigens and antibodies are present in type O blood?
Anti A and Anti B antibodies
What are the 4 nitrogenous bases and how do they "bind" to one another?
Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C), Thymine (T)
A binds to T and G binds to C
List the 7 classes of drugs
Stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens, cannabis, inhalants, club drugs
What does PMI stand for and how is it determined?
PMI = post mortem interval ; time between death and corpse discovery
What are the 4 parts of a firearm?
Hammer, firing pin, cartridge, barrel
What are 3 presumptive tests for blood and what is indicative of a positive result for each?
Kastle-Meyers/Phenolphthalin (pink)
Leuco-malachite Green (blue-green)
Luminol/Bluestar (white-blue glow)
Where are genes located and what are variations of genes called?
Located on chromosomes (loci); alleles
Who is responsible for classifying controlled substances into schedules? How many schedules exist?
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); 5 schedules
What are 3 types of trauma? Give an example of each.
Sharp force trauma: created with sharp/sharp edged objects (stab wounds, chop wounds (machetes/swords), punctures)
Blunt force trauma: created with dull, hard surfaces or objects (falling, car crash, hammers, baseball bat)
Gunshot Trauma
What are the 2 classes of explosives? Explain
Low explosives: Require confinement to function, deflagrate @ a rate less than the speed of sound
High explosives: Detonate @ a rate greater than the speed of sound, do not require confinement
What is a false positive and a false negative? Give an example of a substance for each in terms of blood
False positive - gives a positive result despite the compound of interest NOT being present (Horseradish, potatoes, bleach, oxidants, peroxidases)
False negative - gives a negative result despite the compound of interest being present (Lemon juice, dilute sulfuric acid)
What is CODIS and how many loci are used to differentiate individuals?
Combined DNA Identification System ; 20 loci
How should the following be packaged?
Liquids
Powders/pills
Volatile liquids
Liquids: seal in container then place in plastic bag and seal
Powders/Pills: leave in plastic bag and label. If not in a bag, put in plastic container then seal and label
Volatile liquids: must be packaged in an airtight container to prevent evaporation
Temperature, humidity/rainfall, clothing/coverings, drugs, buried remains/remains in water
What are at least 4 class characteristics used for firearm examinations?
Caliber
Type (round, pointed, hollow point
Manufacturer (Winchester, Remington, Federal)
# of lands and grooves
Width between lands and grooves
Twist pattern (left or right)
What are 3 types of blood stains? Give an example of each.
Transfer - results from wet blood coming into contact with another surface (Smudges, smears, wipes)
Passive - result from gravity (drops, flows, pools)
Spatter - result of “spraying or splashing” of droplets that are thrown by some external force (arterial, cast off, impact)
What are 3 methods for analyzing DNA? What are the pros and/or cons of at least 2 methods?
RFLP - “Restriction fragment length polymorphism” ; Requires a large amount of high quality DNA
PCR - “Polymerase chain reaction” ; Useful for degraded samples and requires small amounts of DNA
STR - “Short tandem repeats”
What is a presumptive test and a confirmatory test? Give an example of each in terms of drug identification.
Presumptive tests: Preliminary screening tests to give ONLY an indication of which substances are present (color tests, chromatography, Ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry)
Confirmatory tests: More specific and can determine the precise identity of substance (Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, microcrystalline tests)
What is Rigor mortis, Livor mortis and Algor mortis?
Rigor Mortis: stiffening of muscles
Livor Mortis: discoloration of the body, due to blood pooling in certain areas
Algor Mortis: cooling of the body after death
What are presumptive and confirmatory tests used for analyzing GSR?
Presumptive:
Modified Griess Test: tests for the presence of nitrates; positive result will turn orange
Sodium Rhodizonate: tests for the presence of lead; positive result will turn pink
Confirmatory: Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)