The National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory is charged with assisting law enforcement in p... more The National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory is charged with assisting law enforcement in prosecuting wildlife crime. Typical victims seen in the Lab include bears, eagles, wolves, etc. In recent years, veterinary pathologists have observed and collected colorful plastic fragments associated with the gunshot wounds. Sometimes the color and shape of the polymer pieces are sufficient to give an indication of the caliber and manufacturer of a plastic-tipped projectile. Such is the case with some of the Nosler Ballistic Tip® bullets, due to a color code assigned to different calibers, however, white tips are used for all the calibers of Nosler Accubond® bullets and olive-drab green is used by Nosler in all calibers of their E Tip® bullets. Hornady uses red-colored tips for all of the bullets sold under the Hornady brand. Hornady also furnishes bullets to other ammunition manufacturers with different colored tips. Hornady V-Max® bullet tips loaded in 17 HMR cartridges are black for...
Attention to illegal logging practices and demanding policies in transnational timber trade have ... more Attention to illegal logging practices and demanding policies in transnational timber trade have driven the need for species-level identification of timber. Historically wood has been identified to genus level using microscopy and anatomical characteristics, however, new chemometric and imaging methods have been developed to increase the speed and precision of timber identification. This study approaches species identification using a combination of complementary methods: Direct Analysis in Real Time–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART-TOFMS), wood anatomy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Seven commercially and environmentally significant species in Pterocarpus, including P. erinaceus (CITES Appendix II), P. santalinus (CITES Appendix II), P. tinctorius (CITES Appendix II), P. indicus, P. macrocarpus, P. dalbergioides, and P. soyauxii were studied. It was found that DART-TOFMS paired with discriminant analysis of principal components (PCA) could classify species with an accuracy o...
Gold nanomites on gold nanotriangles were produced using a combination of bottom-up synthesis and... more Gold nanomites on gold nanotriangles were produced using a combination of bottom-up synthesis and top-down fabrication. Modified gold nanostar protocols were the basis for the synthesis to form the...
Background and Objectives: The origin of traded timber is one of the main questions in the enforc... more Background and Objectives: The origin of traded timber is one of the main questions in the enforcement of regulations to combat the illegal timber trade. Substantial efforts are still needed to develop techniques that can determine the exact geographical provenance of timber and this is vital to counteract the destructive effects of illegal logging, ranging from economical loss to habitat destruction. The potential of chemical fingerprints from pith-to-bark growth rings for individual comparison and geographical provenance determination is explored. Materials and Methods: A wood sliver was sampled per growth ring from four stem disks from four individuals of Pericopsis elata (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and from 14 stem disks from 14 individuals of Terminalia superba (Côte d’Ivoire and Democratic Republic of the Congo). Chemical fingerprints were obtained by analyzing these wood slivers with Direct Analysis in Real Time Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART TOFMS). Results: I...
Many species of Dalbergia are prized hardwoods, generally referred to as ‘Rosewood,’ and used in ... more Many species of Dalbergia are prized hardwoods, generally referred to as ‘Rosewood,’ and used in high-end products due to their distinctive hue and scent. Despite more than 58 species of...
The National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory is charged with assisting law enforcement in p... more The National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory is charged with assisting law enforcement in prosecuting wildlife crime. Typical victims seen in the Lab include bears, eagles, wolves, etc. In recent years, veterinary pathologists have observed and collected colorful plastic fragments associated with the gunshot wounds. Sometimes the color and shape of the polymer pieces are sufficient to give an indication of the caliber and manufacturer of a plastic-tipped projectile. Such is the case with some of the Nosler Ballistic Tip® bullets, due to a color code assigned to different calibers, however, white tips are used for all the calibers of Nosler Accubond® bullets and olive-drab green is used by Nosler in all calibers of their E Tip® bullets. Hornady uses red-colored tips for all of the bullets sold under the Hornady brand. Hornady also furnishes bullets to other ammunition manufacturers with different colored tips. Hornady V-Max® bullet tips loaded in 17 HMR cartridges are black for...
Attention to illegal logging practices and demanding policies in transnational timber trade have ... more Attention to illegal logging practices and demanding policies in transnational timber trade have driven the need for species-level identification of timber. Historically wood has been identified to genus level using microscopy and anatomical characteristics, however, new chemometric and imaging methods have been developed to increase the speed and precision of timber identification. This study approaches species identification using a combination of complementary methods: Direct Analysis in Real Time–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART-TOFMS), wood anatomy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Seven commercially and environmentally significant species in Pterocarpus, including P. erinaceus (CITES Appendix II), P. santalinus (CITES Appendix II), P. tinctorius (CITES Appendix II), P. indicus, P. macrocarpus, P. dalbergioides, and P. soyauxii were studied. It was found that DART-TOFMS paired with discriminant analysis of principal components (PCA) could classify species with an accuracy o...
Gold nanomites on gold nanotriangles were produced using a combination of bottom-up synthesis and... more Gold nanomites on gold nanotriangles were produced using a combination of bottom-up synthesis and top-down fabrication. Modified gold nanostar protocols were the basis for the synthesis to form the...
Background and Objectives: The origin of traded timber is one of the main questions in the enforc... more Background and Objectives: The origin of traded timber is one of the main questions in the enforcement of regulations to combat the illegal timber trade. Substantial efforts are still needed to develop techniques that can determine the exact geographical provenance of timber and this is vital to counteract the destructive effects of illegal logging, ranging from economical loss to habitat destruction. The potential of chemical fingerprints from pith-to-bark growth rings for individual comparison and geographical provenance determination is explored. Materials and Methods: A wood sliver was sampled per growth ring from four stem disks from four individuals of Pericopsis elata (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and from 14 stem disks from 14 individuals of Terminalia superba (Côte d’Ivoire and Democratic Republic of the Congo). Chemical fingerprints were obtained by analyzing these wood slivers with Direct Analysis in Real Time Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART TOFMS). Results: I...
Many species of Dalbergia are prized hardwoods, generally referred to as ‘Rosewood,’ and used in ... more Many species of Dalbergia are prized hardwoods, generally referred to as ‘Rosewood,’ and used in high-end products due to their distinctive hue and scent. Despite more than 58 species of...
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