Exam Flashcards
Antigen
A substance that stimulates the body to produce antibodies against it
Antibodies are contained in the RBCs T/F
False
What revolutionary technique replaced blood typing for associating bloodstain evidence with a particular individual?
DNA
What are the 4 important antigens?
A, B, O, D
Agglutination is associated to what?
Incompatible blood types
What system is used currently for properly matching a donor and recipient for a transfusion?
ABO system
What percentage of blood content does plasma account for?
55
Karl Landsteiner discovered that blood can be classified by its what?
Type
What is the fluid portion of unclotted blood called?
Plasma
What kind of structure does DNA have?
Double helix
What is an example of the best current presumptive search technique that results in chemiluminescence which can last for several minutes?
Bluestar
Mitochondrial DNA is found outside the nucleus of the cell and is inherited solely from the father T/F
False
DNA is a molecule that is formed by linking together a series of repeating units known as what?
Nucleotides
Complimentary base pairing refers to what?
G always pairs with C and T always pairs with A
G always pairs with C and T always pairs with A is a fact that refers to what?
Complimentary base pairing
When is a P30 test performed?
When no sperm are found to be present within the sample
What is the building block for the human body?
DNA
Each nucleus of a cell contains how many chromosomes?
46
No two people have the same DNA T/F
False - identical twins have the same DNA
Where can a reference sample of mtDNA be obtained?
From any maternally related relative
During a sexual assault, for example, biological evidence such as hair, skin cells, semen, or blood can be left on a victim’s body or other parts of the crime scene T/F
True
Mitochondrial DNA is found inside the nucleus of the cell and is inherited solely from the mother T/F
False
Where is mtDNA found and inherited from?
Found in the mitochondria of every cell (not in the nucleus!) and inherited solely from the mother
How many nucleus vs mitochondria in each cell?
Only one nucleus but hundreds of thousands of mitochondria
Who may elimination samples be taken from?
Anyone who had lawful access to the crime scene and may have left biological material
All individuals of the same maternal lineage are what by mtDNA analysis?
Indistinguishable
Crime scene DNA samples are compared to suspect’s DNA for the presence of what?
A set of specific DNA markers
What do elimination samples help to do?
Determine if the evidence is from a suspect or another person
If multiple swabs are collected, they all should be packaged and sealed in the same container to avoid cross contamination. T/F
False
What should you do if the stained object is transportable?
Submit the item intact
In crimes of violence, how is blood usually found?
In the form of dried stains
The exact location of blood samples and controls are calculated by triangulating transient objects T/F
False
In addition to identification and comparison testing, what else may provide information concerning how blood was deposited?
The shape and pattern of the blood staining
Collection of suspected dry blood stains requires the swab to be preferably moistened with distilled water T/F
True
What should be collected as a control for bloodstains?
An unstained area adjacent to the suspected bloodstain
What is used to collect liquid blood?
A dry sterile swab
After collecting a suspected dry blood stain, it is not necessary to air dry since it was a dried stain T/F
False - the swab was moistened so it needs to be dried
What kind of container is wet swabbed blood packaged in?
Porous
Using an alternate light source (ALS) to detect semen at a crime scene is foolproof as a confirmatory test T/F
False
In a rape case, investigators can collect and analyze DNA of any consensual sexual partner from only the past day T/F
False
The crime scene investigator need not attempt to recover articles associated to a sexual assault crime scene since the victim will be examined by a medical professional to recover sufficient DNA to identify the perpetrator T/F
False
Another confirmatory test is known as a P30 test. This test is performed for the presence of spermatozoa T/F
False
What is the ideal way to preserve biological evidence?
Freeze it
Evidence with dried biological stains should be stored in a room without temperature control T/F
False
Saliva stains are not usually evident from a visual examination. However, certain types of evidence frequently contain traces of saliva such as what?
Bite marks
Where are confirmatory tests for semen done?
Can only be done in the lab
In all cases, it is essential to have the victim examined by a medical professional as soon as possible T/F
True
What other substances with fluoresce similar to semen?
Fabric softeners, toothpaste, sweat
What does BPA stand for?
Bloodstain pattern analysis
What is bloodstain pattern analysis?
The science of examining and interpreting blood present at a bloodshed event in order to determine what events occurred, in what order, and who possibly left the stains
In what shape does blood fall?
Sphere
How do bloodstains dry?
From the outside towards the inside
What end of an elongated bloodstain will typically point in the direction of travel?
Tail/narrow/tapered
Where does the tail/narrow/tapered end of an elongated bloodstain typically point?
In the direction of travel
The more viscous a fluid, what?
The slower is flows
Should you include the tail when measuring the length of a bloodstain?
No
What does it mean if a resulting bloodstain is circular?
The blood impacted the surface at 90 degrees
If an investigator were to draw an imaginary line through the long axis of bloodstains in the opposite of observed travel, they would arrive at the point in which the event occurred. This point is known as the what?
Area of convergence
In a crime scene, the direction that blood travelled, determined by the bloodstain’s shape is known as what?
Directionality
What is directionality?
The direction that blood travelled