WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
October 27, 2021

Sixty-eight U.S. forensic laboratories are now using STRmix™ forensic software to resolve mixed DNA profiles previously considered too complex to interpret.

The newest lab to begin using STRmix™ is the Phoenix Police Department Laboratory Services Bureau, a nationally accredited forensic lab that provides technical assistance and training, evaluates and analyzes evidence, interprets results, and provides expert testimony related to crime scene evidence.

“The decision by the Phoenix PD Crime Lab and so many others to turn to STRmix™ comes down to the software’s strong track record,” says John Buckleton DSc, FRSNZ, Forensic Scientist at the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and one of the developers of STRmix™.

According to Buckleton, STRmix™ has been responsible for producing usable, interpretable, and legally admissible DNA evidence in more than 300,000 cases worldwide since its introduction in 2012. That number includes a wide range of violent crime and sexual assault cases, as well as cold cases in which STRmix™ was used to re-examine evidence originally dismissed as inconclusive.

In addition to the Phoenix PD Crime Lab, STRmix™ is currently being used in the U.S. by numerous forensic labs, including those operated by the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL). Internationally, nine state and territory forensic laboratories in Australia and New Zealand, and 14 labs in other countries including the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and Denmark are now using STRmix™.

STRmix™ works by assessing how closely multitudes of proposed profiles resemble or can explain an observed DNA mixture. Relying on methodologies routinely used in computational biology, physics, engineering, and weather prediction, the probability of the observed DNA evidence can be calculated assuming the DNA originated from either a person of interest or an unknown donor. These two probabilities are then presented as a likelihood ratio (LR), inferring the value of the findings and level of support for one proposition over the other.

A new version of STRmix™, Version 2.9, was recently launched. STRmix™ v2.9 contains a number of new features, including: the introduction of a batch maker mode, allowing multiple interpretations to occur simultaneously, and database search templates; memory usage improvements, which are particularly significant in dealing with higher order DNA profile mixtures; and improvements to biological modelling calculations designed to improve the modelling of stutter peaks.

The success of STRmix™ has led its development team to create two related products. DBLR™ allows forensic labs to undertake superfast database searches, visualize the value of their DNA mixture evidence, and carry out mixture-to-mixture matches, now allowing kinship analysis. FaSTR™ DNA, meanwhile, rapidly analyzes raw DNA data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits and assigns a number of contributors (NoC) estimate.

When used in conjunction with STRmix™, FaSTR™ DNA, and DBLR™ complete the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching. For more information, visit https://www.strmix.com.

Note: The views and opinions expressed should not be attributed the Phoenix Police Department, the Crime Lab, the City of Phoenix, its directors, officers, employees, or councils.

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Houston, TX (PRWEB)
October 14, 2021

Houston-based criminal defense attorney Mark Thiessen of Thiessen Law Firm has been named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for the ninth consecutive year. Additionally, Thiessen is ranked among the top 100 lawyers in Houston and in the state of Texas — the only DWI lawyer to achieve this feat in 2021.

“It’s such an incredible honor to be recognized as one of the top attorneys in my home state of Texas, and to represent my area of expertise among so many incredible lawyers makes it all the more special,” said Thiessen. “I’m extremely grateful not only to Thomson Reuters for their recognition, but also to my clients who inspire me to keep growing and fighting every day, and to my team at Thiessen Law Firm who make it all possible.”

To be named a Super Lawyer indicates that Thiessen has excelled in multiple areas of the legal profession. Thiessen passed Thomson Reuters’s patented 12-factor evaluation process — a feat accomplished by only five percent of Texas attorneys who apply. In addition to his high-profile wins on complex cases involving intoxication manslaughter, blood tests, and more, Thiessen is also quadruple Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, DUI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense as approved through the American Bar Association, DUI Law by the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, and as a Certified Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy Foundation. Mark Thiessen is the only attorney in the United States to possess this combination of Board Certifications.

Thiessen has also recently expanded his operations to include an office in Aspen, Colorado, where he will be defending those accused of DUI and other criminal offenses alongside his wife and fellow attorney, Taly Thiessen.

ABOUT THIESSEN LAW FIRM

Founded by criminal defense specialist Mark Thiessen in 2011, Thiessen Law Firm has represented hundreds of clients facing DWI charges and has successfully defended clients in high-profile cases against a range of charges, notably an intoxication manslaughter case in 2016. Thiessen Law Firm also provides exceptional family law and personal injury services. Learn more at http://www.thetexastrialattorney.com.

ABOUT SUPER LAWYERS

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from over 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazine and in leading city and regional magazines across the country. For more information about Super Lawyers, go to http://www.superlawyers.com.

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For more information, please contact Daniel Ebbs at 713-864-9000, or email ebbs@thetexastrialattorney.com.

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“Reestablishing Inglewood as the sports and entertainment capital of the world is an ongoing collaborative effort between government leaders and private business, and WOW Media is proud to continue playing a prominent role in the revitalization,” said WOW Founder and President Scott Krantz.

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
September 30, 2021

Today digital signage leader WOW Media announced its most artistic full-motion digital outdoor billboard to date. The new board will be located at the intersection of South La Brea Avenue and Manchester Blvd., the high-profile entrance to Inglewood’s Downtown Market Street Promenade.

The full-motion digital display will be designed in collaboration with renowned Inglewood-based architect and (fer) studio founder Christopher Mercier and digital display leader WOW Media. Architect Mercier previously worked for world renowned architect Frank Gehry. His firm (fer) studio has been instrumental in Inglewood’s current architectural and artistic renaissance.

The full-motion digital billboard will be comprised of three individual offset digital display panels made of LED screens all warped within a dynamic curving ribbon of light emitting diodes. The full-motion digital billboard will prominently display the City of Inglewood seal along with City of Champions branding and will mark the entrance to Inglewood’s Market Street Promenade.

“Reestablishing Inglewood as the sports and entertainment capital of the world is an ongoing collaborative effort between government leaders and private business, and WOW Media is proud to continue playing a prominent role in the revitalization,” said WOW Founder and President Scott Krantz. “Collaboration and customization is the new frontier for the outdoor industry and this unique partnership is another step toward fully realizing our shared vision for Inglewood’s future and the industry as a whole.”

“Designing a state-of-the-art beacon that our community can enjoy for its artistic merits while displaying innovative messages from the businesses that are flocking to Inglewood is a collaboration that I’m proud to be associated with,” said (fer) studio’s Christopher Mercier. “While I’ve worked on projects around the world, this collaboration with WOW Media within walking distance of my home is a challenge and honor that I am thrilled to tackle.”

Utilizing WOW’s network of 22 digital boards throughout Inglewood, advertisers will have unprecedented, multiple impression points whether customers are flying into LAX or taking in a Rams or Chargers’ game at SoFi Stadium.

About Christopher Mercier

Christopher L. Mercier, AIA, founded form, environment, research (fer) – studio in early 2002, following nine years as a Senior Associate/Project Architect for Gehry Partners, LLP (formally Frank O. Gehry & Associates). Spanning his more than 30-year career, Mercier has designed many of Los Angeles’ most prominent locations such as Father’s Office, Brera Restaurant and numerous private residences. Previously he worked on many of the industry’s most respected international projects, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Condé Nast Cafeteria in New York, artist Richard Serra’s pedestrian bridge in London, and the Bio-Diversity Museum in Panama, among other architectural icons. For more info see http://www.ferstudio.com.

About WOW Media Network

WOW Media’s leading digital outdoor network includes 22 boards in and around the Inglewood area of Los Angeles, the epicenter of sports and entertainment, making the company the largest digital outdoor network outside of Times Square. As #1 in Los Angeles digital signage, WOW has run campaigns for brands and studios such as Netflix, Amazon, Samsung, AT&T, Omega, Apple and Corona. For more information, please go to http://www.WOWMediaNetwork.com.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
September 30, 2021

STRmix™ Version 2.9, the newest version of the groundbreaking forensic software used to resolve mixed DNA profiles previously considered too complex to interpret, will be launched today.

Since its introduction in 2012, STRmix™ has proven to be a highly effective tool in producing usable, interpretable, and admissible DNA results in a wide range of criminal cases, including violent crime and sexual assault cases. It has also been instrumental in helping to solve cold cases in which evidence originally was dismissed as inconclusive.

STRmix™ Version 2.9 contains a number of new features, including:

• The introduction of a batch maker mode, allowing multiple interpretations to occur simultaneously, and database search templates;
• Memory usage improvements, which are particularly significant in dealing with higher order DNA profile mixtures; and
• Improvements to biological modelling calculations designed to improve the modelling of stutter peaks.

Some of the new features contained in STRmix™ v2.9 were made in response to recommendations made by the forensic laboratories currently using the software. “These changes will enable those labs to better address the on-the-job needs they regularly encounter,” says Dr. Jo-Anne Bright, Senior Science Leader at the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and one of the developers of STRmix™.

Noting that the latest version of STRmix™ underwent more than a year of extensive development and testing, Dr. Bright explains that demand for the software “continues to be extremely high due to the critical role it plays in helping to solve crimes and excluding individuals who have been wrongly associated as the source of crime scene evidence.”

To date, STRmix™ has been used to interpret DNA evidence in more than 300,000 cases worldwide. That number includes numerous U.S. court cases, including at least 83 successful admissibility hearings.

STRmix™ works by assessing how closely multitudes of proposed profiles resemble or can explain an observed DNA mixture. Using well-established statistical methods routinely used in computational biology, physics, engineering, and weather prediction, the probability of the observed DNA evidence can be calculated assuming the DNA originated from either a person of interest or an unknown donor. These two probabilities are then presented as a likelihood ratio (LR), inferring the value of the findings and level of support for one proposition over the other.

The team behind STRmix™ has also launched two related products: DBLR™, an application used with STRmix™ that allows users to undertake superfast database searches, visualize the value of their DNA mixture evidence, carry out mixture to mixture matches and kinship analyses; and FaSTR™ DNA, expert forensic software that rapidly analyzes raw DNA data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits and assigns a number of contributors (NoC) estimate.

Together, STRmix™, FaSTR™ DNA, and DBLR™ complete the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching. For more information, visit http://www.strmix.com

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
September 15, 2021

The Rhode Island Department of Health Forensic Science Laboratory is the latest U.S. forensic lab to announce plans to use STRmix™ forensic software to resolve mixed DNA profiles previously considered too complex to interpret.

STRmix™ has proven to be a highly effective tool in producing usable, interpretable, and legally admissible DNA results in a wide range of criminal cases, including violent crime and sexual assault investigations. STRmix™ has also been instrumental in helping to reexamine cold cases in which evidence originally was dismissed as inconclusive.

The Rhode Island Department of Health Forensic Science Laboratory supports the state’s criminal justice system through the accurate, thorough, and timely examination of evidence. The laboratory provides the most scientifically advanced and technologically proficient investigative capabilities available to evaluate evidence and courtroom testimony.

STRmix™ works by assessing how closely multitudes of proposed profiles resemble or can explain an observed DNA mixture. Relying on methodologies routinely used in computational biology, physics, engineering, and weather prediction, the probability of the observed DNA evidence can be calculated assuming the DNA originated from either a person of interest or an unknown donor. These two probabilities are then presented as a likelihood ratio (LR), inferring the value of the findings and level of support for one proposition over the other.

To date, STRmix™ use in interpreting complex DNA evidence has been instrumental in successfully resolving more than 300,000 cases worldwide. This success rate has led 68 local, state, federal, and private forensic laboratories throughout the U.S. – including those operated by the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) – to begin using STRmix™.

STRmix™ is also being used in all nine state and territory forensic laboratories in Australia and New Zealand, as well as 14 labs in other countries around the globe including the U.K., Ireland Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and Denmark.

The success STRmix™ has enjoyed to date led the team behind its development to introduce two related products which in combination with STRmix™ complete the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching:

•     DBLR™, an application which when used with STRmix™ allows forensic laboratories to undertake superfast database searches, visualize the value of their DNA mixture evidence, and carry out mixture to mixture matches, now allowing kinship analysis; and
•     FaSTR™ DNA, expert forensic software which rapidly analyzes raw DNA data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits and assigns a number of contributors (NoC) estimate.

Beyond these products, STRmix™ developers are planning to introduce a new version of their groundbreaking forensic software later this year. The most recent version of STRmix™ now on the market, STRmix™ Version 2.8, was introduced in the fall of 2020 and includes several new features, such as the ability to deal with more complex profiles faster and improved modelling and memory usage.

STRmix™ v2.8 also features a top-down approach that enables users to set the number of major contributors to a mixed DNA profile in which there is interest, and then obtain the LR only for those contributors.

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GAITHERSBURG, Md. (PRWEB)
August 12, 2021

The Montgomery County Police Department Crime Lab is the latest forensic laboratory in the U.S. to begin using STRmix™ forensic software to interpret low-level, degraded, or mixed DNA profiles in criminal investigations.

The Crime Lab, one of seven crime laboratories in Maryland, provides forensic services to the Montgomery County Police Department and several other user agencies through six primary units: Crime Scene Unit; Latent Print Unit; Firearms Examination Unit; Forensic Biology Unit; Forensic Chemistry Unit; and Electronic Crimes Unit.

Since its introduction in 2012, STRmix™ has proven to be highly effective in interpreting such complex DNA evidence, contributing to the successful resolution of more than 220,000 cases worldwide.

“STRmix™ has produced interpretable and legally admissible DNA evidence in a wide range of violent crime and sexual assault cases, as well as cold cases in which it was used to re-examine evidence originally dismissed as inconclusive,” explains John Buckleton DSc, FRSNZ, Forensic Scientist at the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and one of the developers of STRmix™.

As a result of its successful use, demand for STRmix™ has risen dramatically. With the addition of Montgomery County, which went live on June 10, 65 local, state, federal, and private forensic laboratories throughout the U.S. (including the FBI and ATF) are now using STRmix™ to interpret complex DNA profiles. They are joined by all nine state and territory labs in Australia and New Zealand, and labs in 13 other countries, including the U.K. Canada, Finland, and Denmark.

STRmix™ works by assessing how closely multitudes of proposed profiles resemble or can explain an observed DNA mixture. Relying on methodologies routinely used in computational biology, physics, engineering, and weather prediction, the probability of the observed DNA evidence can be calculated assuming the DNA originated from either a person of interest or an unknown donor. These two probabilities are then presented as a likelihood ratio (LR), inferring the value of the findings and level of support for one proposition over the other.

In late 2020, a new version of STRmix™, STRmix™ Version 2.8, was introduced following nearly a year of extensive development and testing. STRmix™ v2.8 features a top-down approach that enables users to set the number of major contributors to a mixed DNA profile in which there is interest, and then obtain the LR only for those contributors. This approach allows users to tackle more complex profiles faster. The new version of STRmix™ also contains improved modelling and memory usage.

The team behind STRmix™ has also launched two related products: an update of DBLR™, an application used with STRmix™ that allows users to undertake superfast database searches, visualize the value of their DNA mixture evidence, and carry out mixture to mixture matches, now allowing kinship analysis; and FaSTR™ DNA, expert forensic software that rapidly analyzes raw DNA data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits and assigns a number of contributors (NoC) estimate.

Together, STRmix™, FaSTR™ DNA, and DBLR™ complete the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching. For more information, visit http://www.strmix.com.

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