Serology Exam Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards for reviewing serology, blood spatter analysis, and DNA fingerprinting concepts based on lecture notes.

Angle of Impact Formula

$$\text{Angle} = \text{inverse sin}\,(\frac{\text{width}}{\text{length}})$$

High Velocity Impact Spatter

Blood spatter pattern that creates a mist of tiny droplets.

Low/Medium Velocity Impact Spatter

Blood spatter pattern that creates larger mother droplets with satellite spatter.

Restriction Enzyme

A tool used in DNA fingerprinting that cuts DNA samples at specific points.

Gel (DNA Fingerprinting)

A substance that slows down larger DNA fragments and allows smaller ones to pass through.

Electrical Current (DNA Fingerprinting)

A force that pulls negatively charged DNA fragments through the gel.

DNA Subunits

Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine.

Amino Acids

The molecules that DNA codes for.

Gel Electrophoresis

The best method for separating strands of DNA.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A process used to make copies of DNA material.

DNA Base Pairs

Adenine pairs with Thymine, and Cytosine pairs with Guanine.

Point of Origin Height Formula

$$\tan(\theta) = \frac{\text{height}}{\text{distance}}$$

Point of Convergence

The point determined by drawing straight lines through the long axis of several bloodstains.

Passive Blood Stain

A blood stain created by gravity without any external force.

Terminal Velocity

The maximum speed a blood droplet can reach in the air.

White Blood Cells (Leukocytes)

Components of blood where DNA is found and which protect the body from foreign invaders.

Genotype

The combination of alleles an organism inherits for a specific trait.

Phenotype

The physical appearance of an organism resulting from its set of genotypes.

Universal Donor

Blood type O.

Universal Receiver

Blood type AB.

Kastle-Meyer Test

A test used to determine if a red substance is blood.

Luminol

A substance used to reveal previous blood stains from long ago.

Precipitin Test

A test used to determine if blood is of human origin.

Castoff Blood Patterns

A type of projected blood spatter that can indicate the direction of movement.

CODIS

The national DNA database.

Antigen

A protein on a cell that serves as an identification name tag.

Antibody

Proteins designed to attack foreign invaders in the body.

Agglutination

The clumping of red blood cells.

Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes)

Cells that transport oxygen and carbon dioxide through the body.

Platelets (Thrombocytes)

Blood components responsible for clotting blood.

Karl Landsteiner

The individual who first determined that blood could be distinguished by group or type.

The Innocence Group

An organization that attempts to free people believed to be falsely convicted using old, untested DNA samples.

Mitochondrial DNA

DNA inherited from the mother, found in the mitochondria, known for its high quantity and forensic durability.

Maryland

The state that does not allow the use of relatives' DNA to identify a suspect unrelated to the crime.

Dominant Allele

An allele strong enough to mask the recessive allele.

Recessive Allele

An allele whose trait is hidden when a dominant allele is present.

Serology Forensic Scientists

Karl Landsteiner, Leone Lattes, and Alec Jeffereys.