During the past few decades, Raman spectroscopy has progressed and captivated added attention in the field of science. However, the application of Raman spectroscopy is not limited to the field of forensic science and analytical chemistry; it is one of the emerging spectroscopic techniques, utilized in the field of forensic science which in turn could be a supporting tool in the law and justice system. The advantage of Raman spectroscopy over the other conventional techniques is that it is rapid, reliable, and non-destructive in nature with minimal or no sample preparation. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of evidence from biological and non-biological origins could easily be performed by using Raman spectroscopy. The forensic domain is highly complex with multidisciplinary branches, and therefore a plethora of techniques are utilized for the detection, identification, and differentiation of innumerable pieces of evidence for the purpose of law and justice. Herein, a systematic review is carried out on the application of Raman spectroscopy in the realm of forensic biology and serology considering its usefulness in practical perspectives. This review paper highlights the significance of modern techniques, including micro-Raman spectroscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and paper-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, in the field of Raman spectroscopy. These techniques have demonstrated notable advancements in terms of their applications and capabilities. Furthermore, to comprehensively capture the progress in the development of Raman spectroscopy, all the published papers which could be retrieved from the available databases from the year 2007 to 2022 were incorporated.

Currently, law enforcement and legal consultants are heavily utilizing social media platforms to easily access data associated with the preparators of illegitimate events. However, accessing this publicly available information for legal use is technically challenging and legally intricate due to heterogeneous and unstructured data and privacy laws, thus generating massive workloads of cognitively demanding cases for investigators. Therefore, it is critical to develop solutions and tools that can assist investigators in their work and decision making. Automating digital forensics is not exclusively a technical problem; the technical issues are always coupled with privacy and legal matters. Here, we introduce a multi-layer automation approach that addresses the automation issues from collection to evidence analysis in online social network forensics. Finally, we propose a set of analysis operators based on domain correlations. These operators can be embedded in software tools to help the investigators draw realistic conclusions. These operators are implemented using Twitter ontology and tested through a case study. This study describes a proof-of-concept approach for forensic automation on online social networks.

There have been several significant advances in Raman spectroscopy instrumentation during the past few decades, and this method is now a fully mature analytical technique on par with its counterpart, infrared spectroscopy. The latter method experienced a quantum leap in use in the forensic science laboratory following the introduction of inexpensive FT-IR spectrometers in the 1980s, but forensic scientists have been slower to embrace Raman spectroscopy. However, this promising technique is finally making some inroads into the forensic science laboratory, and to facilitate this process, this article presents a comprehensive review of Raman spectroscopy; it emphasizes how and why this underutilized method can be a very valuable tool for the analysis of a wide variety of evidentiary materials. Part I of this article described the principles of Raman spectroscopy, including theory, instrumentation, and a comparison of spectral data obtained using infrared and Raman methods for various analytes. Part II discusses how different analytical conditions can affect Raman spectra, and what bearing this and other factors may have on spectral interpretation; it also presents a review of the literature describing applications of Raman spectroscopy for the examination of various types of evidence.

There have been several significant advances in Raman spectroscopy instrument technology during the past few decades, including the introduction of several new laser sources, the development of holographic gratings, efficient Rayleigh line rejection filters, and CCD array detectors, and the advent of FT-Raman spectrometers. In view of these developments, Raman spectroscopy is now a fully mature analytical technique on par with its counterpart, infrared spectroscopy. The latter technique experienced a quantum leap in use in the forensic science laboratory following the introduction of inexpensive FT-IR spectrometers in the 1980s, but forensic scientists have been slower to embrace Raman spectroscopy. This may stem in part from the perception that fluorescence prevents its use for many samples. However, a more significant factor may be insufficient understanding of the unique capabilities of Raman spectroscopy, including how it can provide information not accessible using other methods. This promising technique is finally making some inroads into the forensic science laboratory, and this will continue as forensic scientists gain a greater appreciation of its features and merits. To facilitate this process, this article presents a comprehensive review of Raman spectroscopy, with an emphasis on how and why this underutilized cousin to infrared spectroscopy can be a very valuable tool for the analysis of a wide variety of evidentiary materials. Owing to the wide scope of this review, it is presented in two parts. Most forensic scientists are not very familiar with inelastic scattering and Part I of this article describes the principles and instrumentation of Raman spectroscopy. Forensic scientists, however, are generally more knowledgeable about infrared spectroscopy, and a comparison of the spectral data produced by these two related vibrational methods for various categories of analytes is also presented and discussed.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence and consensus-based guidelines for nutrition management of maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) were developed as part of a project to create nutrition guidelines for inherited metabolic disorders identified through newborn screening. The objective of this study was to describe and evaluate the role of evidence analysts in the systematic review phase of guideline development to improve quality of process and output and inform future guideline development projects.
METHODS: Recruitment, training and output of evidence analysts were documented throughout the MSUD project. The role of analysts was to critically review and rate the scientific quality of published literature and abstract pertinent information using quality checklists and abstraction worksheets. A secure, web-based application was developed to standardize the process and establish permanent documentation. Analysts completed a post-project survey on perceptions of their role, training and the evidence analysis process.
RESULTS: Of 23 recruits, 65% (15) completed evidence analyst training; 73% of those (11) participated in the analysis of 98 literature articles. Analysts reviewed a median of four articles (range 1-16) with median productivity of 1.1 articles per month. All analysts surveyed (n = 9) understood their role and agreed that training was adequate; 100% agreed that analyst involvement was critical in developing guidelines for MSUD.
CONCLUSIONS: Evidence analysts played a key role in appraising and abstracting evidence to develop nutrition guidelines for MSUD. With critical improvements to the process, particularly more stringent and systematic evaluation and documentation of analyst performance related to productivity and quality, we will continue to recruit, train and support evidence analysts in evidence-based guideline development projects.

BACKGROUND: Indian Journal of Palliative Care (IJPC) provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary evidence base for an evidence-informed clinical decision making.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the levels of evidence of articles published in IJPC in the years 2010-2011.
METHODS: Systematic review of palliative care journals.
METHODS: Systematic review of articles was done and was scored according to Center for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence into any of the five grades. The articles were categorized based upon article type, number of authors, study approach, age focus, population focus, disease focus, goals of care, domains of care, models of care, and year of publication.
METHODS: All descriptive analysis was done using frequencies and percentiles, and association between all categorical variables was done using Chi-square test at 95% confidence interval (CI) using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL).
RESULTS: There was a greater prevalence of low level evidence (level 4: n = 46, 51%; level 5: n = 35, 39%) among the 90 selected articles, and article type (original articles with higher level of evidence, P = 0.000), article approach (analytical studies with higher level of evidence, P = 0.000), domains of palliative care (practice-related studies with higher level of evidence, P = 0.000) and models of care (biological or psychosocial model with higher level of evidence, P = 0.044) had a significant association with the grade of levels of evidence. Association with other factors was not statistically significant (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The levels of research evidence for palliative care provided by articles published in IJPC were predominantly level 4 and level 5, and there is scope for more high quality evidence to inform palliative care decisions in the developing countries.