Chadwick Scott, Moret Sebastien, Jayashanka Nilesh, Lennard Chris, Spindler Xanthe, Roux Claude
University of Technology Sydney, Centre for Forensic Science, Broadway, 2007, Australia.
University of Technology Sydney, Centre for Forensic Science, Broadway, 2007, Australia.
Forensic Sci Int. 2018 Aug;289:381-389. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.06.014. Epub 2018 Jun 18.
The primary aims of fingermark detection research are to improve the quality and increase the rate of detection of identifiable impressions. This is usually performed through the development of new methods and technologies to provide alternatives to or improve current procedures. While research of this nature is important to pursue, it fails to address the underlying question related to the factors that affect the detection of a latent fingermark. There has been significant research that has examined the differences between techniques, donors and fingermark age, as well as the composition of latent fingermarks. However, they tend not to focus on determining how these factors influence the quality of the developed mark. This study involved the development and evaluation of over 14,000 natural fingermarks deposited on a variety of surfaces to examine the effect of substrate, age, donor variability (both inter- and intra-), depletions and type of finger on fingermark development. Fingermarks were deposited on four substrates (two non-porous and two porous) and developed with either indanedione-zinc (IND-Zn) or cyanoacrylate followed by rhodamine 6G staining (CA+R6G). Three independent assessors graded each mark on the quality of development using an absolute scale proposed by the UK Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST). The data generated from these assessments were then analysed for trends or other useful insights. The results from this work reaffirm that individual substrate characteristics (and the choice of development technique) play a significant role in determining the number and quality of marks developed. It was found that fingermarks were more likely to be detected on porous substrates and to also be of a higher quality than on non-porous. The effect of fingermark donor variability was also explored, with significant differences observed between donors and within donors. This research shows that current detection techniques do not detect all available fingermarks, reinforcing the need for further research into the fundamentals of fingermark detection in order to gain a better understanding of the techniques currently used. The study has identified considerations for the development of novel techniques and how we need to account for variability when designing fingermark research experiments.
指纹检测研究的主要目标是提高可识别指纹的质量并增加其检出率。这通常通过开发新方法和技术来实现，以便为当前程序提供替代方案或加以改进。虽然这类研究很有必要开展，但它未能解决与影响潜在指纹检测的因素相关的根本问题。已有大量研究探讨了技术、供体和指纹年龄之间的差异，以及潜在指纹的成分。然而，这些研究往往没有专注于确定这些因素如何影响显影指纹的质量。本研究涉及在各种表面上沉积并开发超过14000个自然指纹，以检验底物、年龄、供体变异性（包括个体间和个体内）、损耗以及手指类型对指纹显影的影响。指纹被沉积在四种底物上（两种无孔底物和两种多孔底物），并用茚满二酮锌（IND-Zn）或氰基丙烯酸酯进行显影，随后用罗丹明6G染色（CA+R6G）。三名独立评估人员使用英国应用科学与技术中心（CAST）提出的绝对评分标准对每个指纹的显影质量进行评分。然后对这些评估产生的数据进行分析，以寻找趋势或其他有用的见解。这项工作的结果再次证实，个体底物特性（以及显影技术的选择）在决定显影指纹的数量和质量方面起着重要作用。研究发现，与无孔底物相比，指纹在多孔底物上更有可能被检测到，并且质量也更高。还探讨了指纹供体变异性的影响，观察到不同供体之间以及同一供体内存在显著差异。这项研究表明，当前的检测技术无法检测到所有可用的指纹，这进一步凸显了对指纹检测基础进行深入研究的必要性，以便更好地理解当前使用的技术。该研究确定了开发新技术时需要考虑的因素，以及我们在设计指纹研究实验时如何考虑变异性。
