A Blue Spectral Shift of the Hemoglobin Soret Band Correlates with the Age (Time Since Deposition) of Dried Bloodstains

The ability to determine the time since deposition of a bloodstain found at a crime scene could prove invaluable to law enforcement investigators, defining the time frame in which the individual depositing the evidence was present. Although various methods of accomplishing this have been proposed, none has gained widespread use due to poor time resolution and weak age correlation. We have developed a method for the estimation of the time since deposition (TSD) of dried bloodstains using UV-VIS spectrophotometric analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) that is based upon its characteristic oxidation chemistry. A detailed study of the Hb Soret band (λmax = 412 nm) in aged bloodstains revealed a blue shift (shift to shorter wavelength) as the age of the stain increases. The extent of this shift permits, for the first time, a distinction to be made between bloodstains that were deposited minutes, hours, days and weeks prior to recovery and analysis. The extent of the blue shift was found to be a function of ambient relative humidity and temperature. The method is extremely sensitive, requiring as little as a 1 µl dried bloodstain for analysis. We demonstrate that it might be possible to perform TSD measurements at the crime scene using a portable low-sample-volume spectrophotometer

Point Defects and Diffusion in Ni₃Ga

ABSTRACTThe properties of intrinsic point defects and the self-diffusion behaviour of the constituent elements in Ni3Ga have been studied by positron annihilation, tracer diffusion and interdiffusion experiments. Thermal vacancies have been detected by positron lifetime measurements for specimens quenched from high temperatures. The vacancy formation energy is in the range between 1.7 and 1.8 eV, and is not dependent strongly on the composition. The tracer diffusion coefficients of Ni and Ga are of the same order of magnitude, and the interdiffusion coefficient is about 10 times larger than the diffusion coefficient of Ni. The diffusion in Ni3Ga has been found to satisfy the Darken-Manning equation, as expected from the model of the self-diffusion in this type of materials, where both the species of atoms are assumed to migrate primarily in the sub-lattice of the major element via the ordinary vacancy mechanism.</jats:p

Development and survival of Orius albidipennis and O. laevigatus (Het.: Anthocoridae) on various diets

The effect of various diets on nymphal development and survival of two predaceous anthocorid bugs, Orius albidipennis (Reuter) and O. laevigatus (Fieber) was investigated in the laboratory. Five different diets were Compared: eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller; eggs of E. kuehniella plus mixed flower pollen; only mixed flower pollen; pollen from sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Mazurka) flowers; and sweet pepper plants. A high percentage of predators successfully completed nymphal development on those diets containing lepidopterous eggs. When fed on sweet pepper pollen, the survival percentages were 65% for O. laevigatus and 38% for O. albidipennis. No nymphs of either species completed the nymphal stage on mixed flower pollen or on sweet pepper plants. Development was significantly faster on diets containing eggs of E. kuehniella. Results are discussed in relation to the capability of the bugs to survive periods of prey scarcity and to the optimization of release strategies for these predators in the greenhouse