Katelynn A Perrault Uptmor

I was fortunate to be raised in an environment where I was never told that I couldn’t do or study something just because I was a girl. I have, however, dealt with gender bias many times in my career, and know that it is something that I will continue to face in the future to some extent. From each experience, I try to learn and grow.

Alignment excel spreadsheet, sample summary reports generated from sequencing FID sample files. Kava samples: Sample 1: Tikaram's (Tonga) Sample 2: Unknown (Tonga) Sample 3: Tikaram's (Vanuatu) Sample 4: Mai (Fiji) Sample 5: Happy Warrior (Fiji) Sample 6: Tikaram's Pure Waka (Fiji)

In forensic thanato-chemistry, the understanding ofthe process of soft tissue decomposition is still limited. Abetter understanding of the decomposition process and thecharacterization of the associated volatile organic compounds(VOC) can help to improve the training of victim recovery(VR) canines, which are used to search for trapped victimsin natural disasters or to locate corpses during criminal investigations.The complexity of matrices and the dynamic natureof this process require the use of comprehensive analyticalmethods for investigation. Moreover, the variability of theenvironment and between individuals creates additional difficultiesin terms of normalization. The resolution of the complexmixture of VOCs emitted by a decaying corpse can beimproved using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography(GC× GC), compared to classical singledimensionalgas chromatography (1DGC). This study combinesthe analytical advantages of GC×GC coupled to timeof-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) with the data handlingrobustness of supervised multivariate statistics to investigatethe VOC profile of human remains during early stages ofdecomposition. Various supervised multivariate approachesare compared to interpret the large data set. Moreover, earlydecomposition stages of pig carcasses (typically used as humansurrogates in field studies) are also monitored to obtain adirect comparison of the two VOC profiles and estimate therobustness of this human decomposition analog model. In thisresearch, we demonstrate that pig and human decompositionprocesses can be described by the same trends for the majorcompounds produced during the early stages of soft tissuedecomposition.Peer reviewe

Human remains detection (HRD) dogs are recognised as a valuable and non-invasive search method for remains concealed in many different environments, including clandestine graves. However, the search for buried remains can be a challenging task as minimal odour may be available at the grave surface for detection by the dogs. Handlers often use a soil probe during these searches in an attempt to increase the amount of odour available for detection, but soil probing is considered an invasive search technique. The aim of this study was to determine whether the soil probe assists with increasing the abundance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) available at the grave surface. A proof-of-concept method was developed using porcine remains to collect VOCs within the grave without disturbing the burial environment, and to compare their abundance at the grave surface before and after probing. Detection and identification of the VOC profiles required the use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) due to its superior sensitivity and selectivity for decomposition odour profiling. The abundance of decomposition VOCs was consistently higher within the grave environment compared to the grave surface, except when the grave surface had been disturbed, confirming the reduced availability of odour at the grave surface. Although probing appeared to increase the abundance of VOCs at the grave surface on many of the sampling days, there were no clear trends identified across the study and no direct relationships with the environmental variables measured. Typically, the decomposition VOCs that were most prevalent in the grave soil were the same VOCs detected at the grave surface, whereas the trace VOCs detected in these environments varied throughout the post-burial period. This study highlighted that probing the soil can assist with releasing decomposition VOCs but is likely correlated to environmental and burial variables which require further study. The use of a soil probe to assist HRD dogs should not be disregarded but should only follow the use of non-invasive methods if deemed appropriate.

Cadaver-detection dogs use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to search for human remains including those deposited on or beneath soil. Soil can act as a sink for VOCs, causing loading of decomposition VOCs in the soil following soft tissue decomposition. The objective of this study was to chemically profile decomposition VOCs from surface decomposition sites after remains were removed from their primary location. Pig carcasses were used as human analogues and were deposited on a soil surface to decompose for 3 months. The remains were then removed from each site and VOCs were collected from the soil for 7 months thereafter and analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). Decomposition VOCs diminished within 6 weeks and hydrocarbons were the most persistent compound class. Decomposition VOCs could still be detected in the soil after 7 months using Principal Component Analysis. This study demonstrated that the decomposition VOC profile, while detectable by GC×GC-TOFMS in the soil, was considerably reduced and altered in composition upon removal of remains. Chemical reference data is provided by this study for future investigations of canine alert behavior in scenarios involving scattered or scavenged remains.

Fast diagnostic results using breath analysis are an anticipated possibility for disease diagnosis or general health screenings. Tests that do not require sending specimens to medical laboratories possess capabilities to speed patient diagnosis and protect both patient and healthcare staff from unnecessary prolonged exposure. The objective of this work was to develop testing procedures on an initial healthy subject cohort in Hawaii to act as a range-finding pilot study for characterizing the baseline of exhaled breath prior to further research. Using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), this study analyzed exhaled breath from a healthy adult population in Hawaii to profile the range of different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and survey Hawaii-specific differences. The most consistently reported compounds in the breath profile of individuals were acetic acid, dimethoxymethane, benzoic acid methyl ester, and n-hexane. In comparison to other breathprinting stud...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are monitored in numerous fields using several commercially-available sampling options. Sorbent-based sampling techniques, such as solid-phase microextraction (SPME), provide pre-concentration and focusing of VOCs prior to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. This study investigated the dynamics of SPME Arrow, which exhibits an increased sorbent phase volume and improved durability compared to traditional SPME fibers. A volatile reference mixture (VRM) and saturated alkanes mix (SAM) were used to investigate optimal parameters for microbiological VOC profiling in combination with GC–MS analysis. Fiber type, extraction time, desorption time, carryover, and reproducibility were characterized, in addition to a comparison with traditional SPME fibers. The developed method was then applied to longitudinal monitoring of Bacillus subtilis cultures, which represents a ubiquitous microbe in medical, forensic, and agricultural applications. ...

Human remains detection (HRD) dogs are recognised as a valuable and non-invasive search method for remains concealed in many different environments, including clandestine graves. However, the search for buried remains can be a challenging task as minimal odour may be available at the grave surface for detection by the dogs. Handlers often use a soil probe during these searches in an attempt to increase the amount of odour available for detection, but soil probing is considered an invasive search technique. The aim of this study was to determine whether the soil probe assists with increasing the abundance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) available at the grave surface. A proof-of-concept method was developed using porcine remains to collect VOCs within the grave without disturbing the burial environment, and to compare their abundance at the grave surface before and after probing. Detection and identification of the VOC profiles required the use of comprehensive two-dimensional g...

The use of glues for stone tool hafting is an important innovation in human evolution. Compared to other organic remains, glues are preserved more frequently, though mainly in small spots. Reliable identification requires chemical molecular characterization, which is tra- ditionally performed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Current methods of extraction and derivatization prior to GC–MS are destructive and require relatively large samples, which is problematic for prehistoric glue residues. In this paper, we discuss the results of an experimental study using a new method (HS-SPME GC×GC–HRTOFMS) that proves effective for identifying small quantities of compound glues. The method is non-destructive with an improved sensitivity in comparison to traditional GC–MS, and it has a high potential for prehistoric samples.

The complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the headspace of Trappist and craft beers was studied to illustrate the efficiency of thermal desorption (TD) comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) for highlighting subtle differences between highly complex mixtures of VOCs. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), multiple (and classical) stir bar sorptive extraction (mSBSE), static headspace (SHS), and dynamic headspace (DHS) were compared for the extraction of a set of 21 representative flavor compounds of beer aroma. A Box-Behnken surface response methodology experimental design optimization (DOE) was used for convex hull calculation (Delaunay's triangulation algorithms) of peak dispersion in the chromatographic space. The predicted value of 0.5 for the ratio between the convex hull and the available space was 10% higher than the experimental value, demonstrating the usefulness of the approach...

In forensic casework, non-invasive and minimally-invasive methods for postmortem examinations are extremely valuable. Whole body postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) is often used to provide visualization of the internal characteristics of a body prior to more invasive procedures and has also been used to locate gas reservoirs inside the body to assist in determining cause of death. Preliminary studies have demonstrated that exploiting the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) located in these gas reservoirs by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-HRTOF-MS) may assist in providing information regarding the postmortem interval. The aim of the current study was to further develop the procedures related to solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and GC×GC-HRTOF-MS analysis of gas reservoirs collected from deceased individuals. SPME fiber extraction parameters, internal standard approach, and sample stability were investigated....