Science & Justice最新文献

{"title":"From novice to expert: Student conceptual growth in understanding experimental error using a hands-on laboratory activity","authors":"Charlotte Disney,&nbsp;Dana-Marie Dennis,&nbsp;Tamra Legron-Rodriguez","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101399","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101399","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how a targeted, sustainable laboratory activity can be used to develop students’ understanding of measurement errors and experimental uncertainty. The activity prompted students to critically consider sources of error in an experimental context and the need for calibration of measuring devices, thereby reinforcing principles of Good Laboratory Practices and Quality Assurance. Unlike complex procedures that often involve multiple variables and chemicals, this activity was intentionally designed to isolate and highlight the issues related to measurements using simple, sustainable materials: an analytical balance, a weighing container, an adjustable volume micropipette, and water. The primary aim of this study is to investigate students’ conceptual development regarding error, uncertainty, and calibrations. To accomplish this, a pre-test/post-test (prelab/postlab) design was used to compare student understanding before and after the laboratory activity. Students were given a prelab and postlab assessment that included a scenario: A student pipettes 1.00 mL of water into a weighing container and determines the mass using an analytical balance. The assessment included two open-ended questions (OEQs): 1) What are the sources of error associated with the process? and 2) What are some ways to minimize the errors associated with the process? Student responses from the two questions before (prelab) and after (postlab) the experiment were collected. Using qualitative analysis, responses were thematically analyzed, and codes were grouped according to the level of conceptual sophistication (e.g., novice ideas and expert ideas). Analysis of student responses over two semesters showed a shift in student understanding. Before the activity, the most common errors identified by students (OEQ1) were novice ideas (86% novice, 32% expert). After the experiment, a greater number of expert responses were encountered (33% novice, 67% expert). Before the experiment, the most common solutions identified by students (OEQ2) were novice ideas (60% novice, 40% expert). After the experiment, a greater number of expert responses were encountered (37% novice, 63% expert). These findings highlight the pedological value of incorporating targeted, conceptually focused, sustainable laboratory activities to support student learning in measurement, uncertainty, and calibrations. <span><span>Supplementary material</span></span>s, including the qualitative analysis codebooks and experimental protocol are provided to support adoption of the activity and further research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101399"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crimino-forensic applications to arson prevention: spatiotemporal factors","authors":"Tess Meyer ,&nbsp;David Keatley ,&nbsp;John Coumbaros ,&nbsp;Brendan Chapman","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101400","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101400","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Crime is known to distribute unevenly across space and time, leading to the formation of crime clusters. Similarly, incidences of arson have shown clustering, which allows for the investigation of hotspotting techniques for analysis. Geographical hotspot mapping typically only views arson through a single lens, but predictions may be improved by including criminological factors in analysis and through the integration of temporal analysis with spatial analysis.</div><div>This study aimed to incorporate additional variables alongside traditional geographical hotspotting to investigate arson using Western Australian bushfire data from 2017 to 2023. The data were analysed temporally and spatially for discernible trends in fire-setting in the suspicious and deliberately lit subset. The geographical hotspots were measured against criminological factors that were hypothesised to facilitate (e.g. proximity to petrol service stations and main roads) or deter (e.g. proximity to police/fire stations and water bodies) arson.</div><div>When analysing the temporal characteristics of the data increased number of bushfires occurred during warmer seasons and times of leisure such as weekends. Spatial clustering of fires was also demonstrated through 21 hotspots, all concentrated around urban and populated areas. When measuring these geographical hotspots against the criminological characteristics, a statistically significant difference was observed between arson facilitators and deterrents. This is the first study to combine criminological theory, spatio-temporal analysis, and geographic hotspotting techniques to establish fire patterns and clusters. This research paves the way for the development of a proximity prediction method which may identify areas targeted by fire-setters and allow for preventative policing in these locations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101400"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mock crime scene challenge as a collaborative tool for student learning","authors":"Dhruvi Panchal,&nbsp;Nirmala Krishnamurthy","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101396","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101396","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Collaborative learning is a teaching approach that focuses on students’ exploration and application of theoretical knowledge and aims at encouraging student interaction and active learning. In this study, we have utilized a novel Mock Crime Scene (MCS) challenge as a collaborative tool for student learning. The MCS challenge was a two-pronged approach in which student groups had to design a crime scene for their peers to investigate as well as conduct an investigation on another crime scene. Student survey results and in-person interviews provided insights into student perceptions on the MCS challenge. Students felt that the challenge was an effective collaborative exercise as it supported peer discussion and coordination within the group. Results also revealed that students perceived that this hands-on experience was more engaging than quizzes or exams and improved their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Overall, this study revealed that the MCS challenge can be used as a collaborative tool for student learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101396"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-destructive detection of soot-obscured latent fingermarks using robotic optical coherence tomography","authors":"Kangkang Liu ,&nbsp;Bin He ,&nbsp;Changyu Chen ,&nbsp;Zhenwen Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaojun Li ,&nbsp;Guimin Cheng ,&nbsp;Zhigang Li ,&nbsp;Yaping Luo ,&nbsp;Ning Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fires frequently obliterate or contaminate physical evidence, complicating scene reconstruction. Latent fingermarks can survive combustion but are often masked by soot, making conventional powdering or chemical enhancement both ineffective and potentially destructive to ridge detail and DNA. This study evaluates optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a rapid, non-contact alternative for visualizing soot-covered fingermarks on substrates commonly encountered at fire scenes, including stainless-steel door handles and window glass. A spectral-domain OCT probe was mounted on a six-axis robotic arm, enabling automated raster scanning over irregular items. Natural fingermarks were deposited on three stainless-steel door handles with different surface curvatures and on tempered window glass, then exposed to open flame for five minutes to produce uniform soot layers. Volumetric OCT data were rendered into <em>en face</em> projections in under one minute (∼37 s for the acquisition of OCT data, ∼20 s for the analysis) per specimen. On flat or gently curved steel surfaces, OCT resolved Level-1 and Level-2 ridge detail through soot; pronounced curvature reduced contrast but still yielded identifiable minutiae. Glass produced the highest-quality images, revealing sweat pores (Level 3). Because the technique is non-destructive and contact-free, both the soot layer and underlying residue remained intact, permitting subsequent DNA profiling and accelerant analysis. The results demonstrate that robotic-OCT can serve as a first-line screening tool at post-fire scenes, enhancing the recovery of comparison-quality fingermarks while preserving downstream evidential value.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101397"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using open-source software and interdisciplinary teaching to increase digital forensics accessibility, and inclusivity, with sustainable development and learning in higher education","authors":"Ian C Whittaker ,&nbsp;Joshua Thomson ,&nbsp;Megan Dilley-Salter ,&nbsp;Robyn Adams ,&nbsp;Edward A Breeds ,&nbsp;Maria Chiara Roffin ,&nbsp;Laurence Shaw ,&nbsp;Rachel S Bolton-King","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ensuring rigorous forensic image processing means not only adhering to the relevant industry standards but also a solid foundation of teaching the principles behind the skills. This study examines six years of a level 5 undergraduate “Forensic Image Processing” module and focuses on using open-source software and interdisciplinary teaching to provide a competence based active learning environment, to improve professional development. A discussion of the importance of understanding how an image is processed is included, especially when applying automated processes. The results of this approach show a benefit of education for cultural diversity. Within the module the computing workshops have a negligible award gap, while the exam shows a 6% gap in favour of ethnic minority students. The major factor affecting student outcomes in the module is the year it was delivered partly with online learning via remote workshops with a drop of average attainment for all students.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101398"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A preliminary assessment of factors influencing the indirect transfer of saliva and their impact on forensic examination outcomes","authors":"Jonathan Finnis ,&nbsp;Geraldine Davidson ,&nbsp;Karen Alexander ,&nbsp;Jennie Lewis ,&nbsp;Maggie Boyce ,&nbsp;Finlay Kennedy ,&nbsp;David Casey ,&nbsp;Nicola Clayson ,&nbsp;Isla Fraser ,&nbsp;Charlotte Murphy ,&nbsp;Charlotte Hargreaves ,&nbsp;Nighean Stevenson ,&nbsp;Sharon Doole ,&nbsp;Carol Rogers","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2026.101395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The following work, carried out by the Association of Forensic Service Providers, Body Fluid Forum, provides an initial assessment of whether examination findings, specifically visibility of staining under white light, fluorescence beneath Crime-lite® ML2, stain size and Phadebas® activity, could assist in evaluating scenarios relating to how saliva may have been transferred. This preliminary study used saliva from a single donor with a single initial transfer volume and involved indirect transfers using porous and non-porous primary and secondary surfaces, differing degrees of contact and both wet and dried saliva stains. Within the limitations of this small-scale study, whether the saliva was wet or dry at the point of transfer had the greatest impact on the outcome of the recorded examination findings. Most significantly, all wet transfers tested Phadebas® positive, whereas no Phadebas® positive reactions were observed for any dry transfers. Only limited differences were noted between stains transferred from or to the tested surface types, or with different amounts of contact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 2","pages":"Article 101395"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Automated microscopy in forensic biology: Validating the use of deep neural networks for the detection of human spermatozoa in Christmas Tree stained slides”. [Sci. Just. 66(1) (2026) 101370]","authors":"Dean C. Topping,&nbsp;Teresa Tran,&nbsp;Colby M. Hymus,&nbsp;Nicholas S. Mountford,&nbsp;Yoon C. Liew,&nbsp;Scott E. Egan,&nbsp;Penny L. Cooper","doi":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101377","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101377","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 1","pages":"Article 101377"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"IFC: Editorial Board and Aims and Scope","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00166-2","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00166-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 1","pages":"Article 101382"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BM1: Events Guide","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00172-8","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00172-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 1","pages":"Article 101388"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prelim 3: Contents","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00170-4","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1355-0306(25)00170-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49565,"journal":{"name":"Science & Justice","volume":"66 1","pages":"Article 101386"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}