• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.52
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• pp.337.1-337.14
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• 2018

Background: Mitochondrial heteroplasmy, the co-existence of different mitochondrial polymorphisms within an individual, has various forensic and clinical implications. But there is still no guideline on the application of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) in heteroplasmy detection. We present here some critical issues that should be considered in heteroplasmy studies using MPS. Methods: Among five samples with known innate heteroplasmies, two pairs of mixture were generated for artificial heteroplasmies with target minor allele frequencies (MAFs) ranging from 50% to 1%. Each sample was amplified by two-amplicon method and sequenced by Ion Torrent system. The outcomes of two different analysis tools, Torrent Suite Variant Caller (TVC) and mtDNA-Server (mDS), were compared. Results: All the innate heteroplasmies were detected correctly by both analysis tools. Average MAFs of artificial heteroplasmies correlated well to the target values. The detection rates were almost 90% for high-level heteroplasmies, but decreased for low-level heteroplasmies. TVC generally showed lower detection rates than mDS, which seems to be due to their own computation algorithms which drop out some reference-dominant heteroplasmies. Meanwhile, mDS reported several unintended low-level heteroplasmies which were suggested as nuclear mitochondrial DNA sequences. The average coverage depth of each sample placed on the same chip showed considerable variation. The increase of coverage depth had no effect on the detection rates. Conclusion: In addition to the general accuracy of the MPS application on detecting heteroplasmy, our study indicates that the understanding of the nature of mitochondrial DNA and analysis algorithm would be crucial for appropriate interpretation of MPS results.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.115-121
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• 2021

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS), which are ethanol metabolites, are direct indicators of ethanol intake; they have been studied in a variety of biological samples in forensic science. It is necessary to analyze ethanol metabolites to determine whether the ethanol detected in autopsy cases was due to alcohol consumption before death or due to the ethanol produced from post-mortem decay. In general, EtG and EtS are detected in the blood together with ethanol; however, it may be difficult to secure blood depending on the extent of decay. Therefore, the aforementioned method should be replaced by detecting the ethanol metabolites using tissue biological samples. In this study, we determined the optimal experimental conditions for detecting EtG and EtS from spleen samples using Liquid Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Herein, the test method was validated, and an analysis method was applied to the actual autopsy cases.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.626-643
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• 2023

As mobile forensics has emerged as an essential technique, the demand for technology development, education and training is increasing, wherein images are used. Academic societies in South Korea and national institutions in the US and the UK are leading the Mobile Forensic Image development. However, compared with disks, images developed in a mobile environment are few cases and have less active research, causing a waste of time, money, and manpower. Mobile Forensic Images are also difficult to trust owing to insufficient verification processes. Additionally, in South Korea, there are legal issues involving the Telecommunications Business Act and the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information. Therefore, in this study, we requested a review of a standard model for the development of Mobile Forensic Image from experts and designed an 11-step development model. The steps of the model are as follows: a. setting of design directions, b. scenario design, c. selection of analysis techniques, d. review of legal issues, e. creation of virtual information, f. configuring system settings, g. performing imaging as per scenarios, h. Developing a checklist, i. internal verification, j. external verification, and k. confirmation of validity. Finally, we identified the differences between the mobile and disk environments and discussed the institutional efforts of South Korea. This study will also provide a guideline for the development of professional quality verification and proficiency tests as well as technology and talent-nurturing tools. We propose a method that can be used as a guide to secure pan-national trust in forensic examiners and tools. We expect this study to strengthen the mobile forensics capabilities of forensic examiners and researchers. This research will be used for the verification and evaluation of individuals and institutions, contributing to national security, eventually.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2023

With the popularization of digital devices in the era of the 4th industrial revolution and the increase in cyber crimes targeting them, the importance of securing digital data evidence is emerging. However, the difficulty in securing digital data evidence is due to the use of anti-forensic techniques that increase analysis time or make it impossible, such as manipulation, deletion, and obfuscation of digital data. Such anti-forensic is defined as a series of actions to damage and block evidence in terms of digital forensics, and is classified into data destruction, data encryption, data concealment, and data tampering as anti-forensic techniques. Therefore, in this study, anti-forensic techniques are categorized into data concealment and deletion (obfuscation and encryption), investigate and analyze recent research trends, and suggest future anti-forensic research directions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.42-48
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• 2013

Forensic engineering is the application of engineering principles covering the investigation of constructed facilities and systems that fail to perform as intended, causing personal injury or damage to property, environmental, economy etc. In the year 2012, two collapsed accidents of the large scaffolding system in national thermal power station occurred one after another, causing many casualties. In this study, we had performed to investigate the collapsed accident of scaffolding system occurred in the a thermal power station of two accidents. First, the investigation about the collapsed accidents site had performed to understand collapsed state and structures of the scaffolding system. Second, reviewing the materials concerning about the applied weight on the scaffolding system had performed. The applied weight is sum of the weights of the 15 workers, additional materials for coating work and dispersed and loaded shot ball on the foothold etc. the applied weight that calculated exceed more three times than the safe working load. Third, we had confirmed the install state of the materials of the scaffolding system by reviewing the quantity of the materials on the manual and the real system. Last, structural analysis had performed to evaluate structural integrity of the scaffolding system using Ansys. Through a series of this processes, the definite accidents causes of the collapsed scaffolding system revealed. Through these studies, the collapse accident that may occur in the scaffolding system in thermal power station can be minimized by performing specialized and systematic investigation on the accidents in terms of Forensic engineering.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.170-179
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• 2023

Starvation, diabetes, alcoholism and hypothermia cause ketoacidosis in the human body; therefore, the cause of death can be determined by analyzing ketone bodies in the blood of the deceased. In the case of decomposition of the cadaver, however, since collecting intact blood is impossible, ketone body analysis is performed using the spleen. However, the index for diagnosing ketoacidosis is based on blood concentration, and its correlation with ketone bodies present in the spleen remains unknown. In particular, since decomposition proceeds rapidly during summer, when temperature and humidity are high, understanding the correlation between ketone bodies in the blood and spleen is important to estimate the state at the time of death from a decaying body. Therefore, in the present study, the correlation between ketone bodies in the blood and spleen of the deceased was explored. Ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyric acid [BHB] and acetone) in the blood and spleen were analyzed and compared from autopsies (>100 mg·L^-1 BHB, blood basis) conducted at the Daejeon Forensic Research Institute from June to December 2021. Moreover, the concentration of ketone bodies in the spleen juice and tissues was compared assuming the scenario of extreme decomposition. Ketone retention concentration in the blood and spleen was positively correlated, and the ratio of BHB concentration in the spleen to BHB concentration in the blood ranged from 0.52 to 1.08 (mean = 0.85 ± 0.12), although the ratio may vary depending on the degree of decomposition of the corpse.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.302-313
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• 2023

Y chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) markers have been developed continuously to complement forensic DNA analyses and population genetic studies. Initially, we collected data from previously reported Korean population Y-STR haplotype studies on 1133 individuals. We then conducted a marker expansion analysis using a dataset from the Y-STR Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD), covering up to 29 Y-STRs, referred to as Ymax. Additionally, we examined the impact of rapidly mutating (RM) Y-STRs included in this expanded marker set on the discrimination capacity. We observed that marker expansions both with (0.9896), and without (0.9510), RM Y-STR improved the discrimination capacity. Subsequently, we focused on 16 individuals belonging to seven distinct groups sharing identical haplotypes. These particular haplotypes had been previously identified among 476 unrelated males using 23 Y-STR markers from the PowerPlex^® Y23 System. We expanded the marker panel up to Ymax to explore how discrimination improved with an expansion of Y-STR markers for these 16 individuals. Among the expanded markers, DYS627, which had high discriminatory power, had a high mutation rate (1.10 × 10^-2) and high gene diversity (0.83). In contrast, DYF387S1 displayed high gene diversity (0.95) but a relatively low mutation rate (2.80 × 10^-3). We propose that these findings will be valuable in the selection of suitable Y-STR markers, depending on the objectives of forensic analyses. Additionally, the presence of frequently observed Y-haplotypes in Korean population will facilitate statistical interpretation in Y-STR DNA profiling.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.15-17
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• 2012

Eighteen of the PDE-5 inhibitors and their analogues were analyzed using GC-EI-MS. Fourteen of them could be identified by simple GC-MS method without derivatization, but hydroxyhongdenafil, hydroxyvardenafil, xanthoanthrafil and mirodenafil could not be identified without derivatization for the high polarity due to the presence of hydroxyl groups. N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) and N-methyl-N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA), widely used trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatizing reagents, were used to improve the sensitivity of the hydroxylated analogues. And the analytes could be identified by GC-MS after the derivatization.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.7-22
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• 2003

The legal dispute of electronic commerce and computer crimes are increasing because the electronic services like e-government and e-commerce are now widely used. Computer Forensics becomes the method for recovery, preservation, analysis and report regarding digital evidence essential to resolve the legal dispute and computer crime. In this paper, the developmental process of Computer Forensics is discussed. It is intended to elicit constructive discussion regarding the domestic Computer Forensics. And this discussion will be of help to establish the secure e-business and e-government services in the field of the research, legal system and technical skill of domestic Computer Forensics.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.79-89
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• 2010

Cellular and Smart phone through the business and real life is associated with an increasing number of information processing, Breaches associated with mobile terminal Tile has occurred and cause Crime and damage. In this paper, Cellular and Smart phone for mobile forensics SYN scheme and JTAG scheme to target Cellular and Smart phone for the extraction of forensic data will be studied. SYN, JTAG approach to forensic analysis indicate with the process, Every Smart phone's OS specific performance and data extraction were compared. In the laboratory, Cell and smart phone with the SYN scheme and JTAG scheme to extract forensic data Improvement compared to the extraction is presented.