RemoteForensicCSI: Enriching teaching, training and learning through networking and timely CPD.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about rapid, transformational change to pedagogic practice on a global scale. During this time, educators across all levels needed to significantly broaden and upskill their digital skills and competence to instantaneously turn face-2-face content into remote, online provision, particularly during periods of national lockdown. Whilst there was significant e-content available in some subject domains, there were limited e-resources available to those working within the criminal justice sector. The #RemoteForensicCSI network was established in attempts to fill this gap and support both practitioner and learner transition within further and higher education and industry. This article evaluates the value and impact that the #RemoteForensicCSI initiative had on the personal development of network participants, their peers and learners, whilst considering, reflecting on and recommending how remote delivery may influence the future of teaching, training and learning within education and the wider criminal justice sector.

Self-identification of electronically scanned signatures (ESS) and digitally constructed signatures (DCS).

The use of electronic signatures as a form of identification is increasingly common, yet they have been shown to lack the dynamic features found in online signatures. In this study, handwritten signatures were scanned to produce electronically scanned signatures (ESS) which were then digitally altered to produce digitally constructed signatures (DCS). The ESS and DCS were presented back to participants to identify which were genuine. Only 1% of participants correctly identified all signatures, with a mean score of 57.6% identifications. The lack of self-recognition of ESS raises questions on their reliability and usefulness as means of personal identification.

Role-play Games (RPGs) for Mental Health (Why Not?): Roll for Initiative.

COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of the general public negatively, associated with preventative measures, restricting life activities. These restrictions, such as the stay-at-home strategy, resulted in heightened stress, depression, loneliness, substance abuse, and domestic violence, violating people's occupational and personal lives. During the pandemic, the demands for role-play games (RPGs) have increased: for example, the sales of "Dungeons & Dragons" tripled, underscoring the potential mental health benefits of such games. However, research into the mental health benefits of such games remains under-developed, needing more scientific attention. Accordingly, this commentary paper reviews the existing literature, and suggests areas for application and research about RPGs and mental health including psychotherapy, career guidance, education, and people with disabilities. Insights offered can help practitioners and researchers in RPGs and mental health conduct empirical research and develop alternative approaches for mental health in stressful times.

Exposing latent fingermarks on problematic metal surfaces using time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy.

Fingermarks are a key form of physical evidence for identifying persons of interest and linking them to the scene of a crime. Visualising latent (hidden) fingermarks can be difficult and the correct choice of techniques is essential to develop and preserve any fingermarks or other (e.g. DNA) evidence that might be present. Metal surfaces (stainless steel in particular) have proven to be challenging substrates from which to reliably obtain fingermarks. This is a great cause for concern among police forces around the globe as many of the firearms, knives and other metal weapons used in violent crime are potentially valuable sources of fingermark evidence. In this study, a highly sensitive and non-destructive surface science technique called time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) was used to image fingermarks on metal surfaces. This technique was compared to a conventional superglue based fuming technique that was accompanied by a series of contrast enhancing dyes (basic yellow 40 (BY40), crystal violet (CV) and sudan black (SB)) on three different metal surfaces. The conventional techniques showed little to no evidence of fingermarks being present on the metal surfaces after a few days. However, ToF-SIMS revealed fingermarks on the same and similar substrates with an exceptional level of detail. The ToF-SIMS images demonstrated clear ridge definition as well as detail about sweat pore position and shape. All structures were found to persist for over 26 days after deposition when the samples were stored under ambient conditions.

A preliminary study investigating class characteristics in the Gurmukhi handwriting of 1st and 2nd generation Punjabis.

Gurmukhi is a written script of the Punjabi language spoken by 104 million people worldwide. It has been previously shown in a study of Punjabi residents to contain several unique class characteristics. In this paper these class characteristics and others were analysed in both 1st generation and 2nd generation Punjabi decedents residing in the United Kingdom. Using the Pearson Chi-squared test, eight characteristic features were found to be statistically different in the Gurmukhi handwriting of the two populations (p > 0.01). Additionally there are several changes in previously identified class characteristics, such as script type and angularity of characters, between the 1st generation and 2nd generation Punjabi populations. These class characteristics may be of value to forensic document examiners and allow them to identify the population and the generation of the writer of a suspect document.

Quantifying the dimensions of nanoscale organic surface layers in natural waters.

Nanoscale surface films are known to develop on surfaces exposed to natural waters and have potential impacts on many environmental processes. A new method using atomic force microscopy is presented which physically removes the developed film in a defined area and then quantifies the difference in height between the film and the area where the film has been removed. The difference gives the absolute thickness of the surface film, which has not previously been measured. Suwannee River humic acid was exposed to substrates, and the surface film thickness as a function of pH and exposure time was measured. Discrete and very small colloids in the range 1-5 nm were observed as expected, and these sat on a coherent surface film, notthe original mica substrate. Low pH values of 2 gave rise to relatively thick surface films of about3 nm, although these films were not continuous at higher pH values. At pH 4.8, the film thickness increased with exposure time up to about 5 h and did not subsequently increase. The maximum film thickness measured was about 1 nm at that pH. The method is applicable to the measurement of many environmental surfaces, although resolution will depend on the substrate and film roughness.

The Bacillus subtilis DnaD and DnaB proteins exhibit different DNA remodelling activities.

Primosomal protein cascades load the replicative helicase onto DNA. In Bacillus subtilis a putative primosomal cascade involving the DnaD-DnaB-DnaI proteins has been suggested to participate in both the DnaA and PriA-dependent loading of the replicative helicase DnaC onto the DNA. Recently we discovered that DnaD has a global remodelling DNA activity suggesting a more widespread role in bacterial nucleoid architecture. Here, we show that DnaB forms a "square-like" tetramer with a hole in the centre and suggest a model for its interaction with DNA. It has a global DNA remodelling activity that is different from that of DnaD. Whereas DnaD opens up supercoiled DNA, DnaB acts as a lateral compaction protein. The two competing activities can act together on a supercoiled plasmid forming two topologically distinct poles; one compacted with DnaB and the other open with DnaD. We propose that the primary roles of DnaB and DnaD are in bacterial nucleoid architecture control and modulation, and their effects on the initiation of DNA replication are a secondary role resulting from architectural perturbations of chromosomal DNA.

The Bacillus subtilis DnaD protein: a putative link between DNA remodeling and initiation of DNA replication.

The Bacillus subtilis DnaD protein is an essential protein and a component of the oriC and PriA primosomal cascades, which are responsible for loading the main replicative ring helicase DnaC onto DNA. We present evidence that DnaD also has a global DNA architectural activity, assembling into large nucleoprotein complexes on a plasmid and counteracting plasmid compaction in a manner analogous to that recently seen for the histone-like Escherichia coli HU proteins. This DNA-remodeling role may be an essential function for initiation of DNA replication in the Gram +ve B. subtilis, thus highlighting DnaD as the link between bacterial nucleoid reorganization and initiation of DNA replication.

DnaG interacts with a linker region that joins the N- and C-domains of DnaB and induces the formation of 3-fold symmetric rings.

Loading of the replicative ring helicase onto the origin of replication (oriC) is the final outcome of a well coordinated series of events that collectively constitute a primosomal cascade. Once the ring helicase is loaded, it recruits the primase and signals the switch to the polymerization mode. The transient nature of the helicase-primase (DnaB-DnaG) interaction in the Escherichia coli system has hindered our efforts to elucidate its structure and function. Taking advantage of the stable DnaB-DnaG complex in Bacillus stearothermophilus, we have reviewed conflicting mutagenic data from other bacterial systems and shown that DnaG interacts with the flexible linker that connects the N- and C-terminal domains of DnaB. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging experiments show that binding of the primase to the helicase induces predominantly a 3-fold symmetric morphology to the hexameric ring. Overall, three DnaG molecules appear to interact with the hexameric ring helicase but a small number of complexes with two and even one DnaG molecule bound to DnaB were also detected. The structural/functional significance of these data is discussed and a speculative structural model for this complex is suggested.