Research Areas
Pattern recognition is a challenging aspect of forensic fire debris analysis that is addressed by my research group. Fire debris analysts are required to detect the pattern of a multiple-component ignitable liquid in the presence of a highly complex background. Gas chromatography – mass spectrometry is the industry standard method for analysis of fire debris samples. Interpretation of the data and inference regarding the presence or absence of ignitable liquid residue benefits greatly from the application of chemometrics. Statistical learning methods have been shown by our laboratory to produce validated models that allow the analyst to make probabilistic statements regarding the evidentiary value of fire debris samples.
Publications
- Leffler,* J. E., Sigman, M. E. and Lindley, S. M. “Supercritical Carbon Dioxide: Behavior of π* and β Solvatochromic Parameters in Media of Different Densities,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1985, 107, 1471.
- Leffler,* J. E. and Sigman, M. E. “Supercritical Carbon Dioxide 2. π* and the Dielectric Function for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Media at Various Densities,” J. Phys. Chem. 1986, 90, 6063.
- Leffler,* J. E. and Sigman, M. E. “Supercritical Carbon Dioxide 3. The Decomposition of Phenylazotriphenylmethane in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide,” J. Org. Chem. 1987, 52, 1165.
- Leffler,* J. E. and Sigman, M. E. “Supercritical Carbon Dioxide: The cis to trans Relaxation and the , n-π* Transition of 4-(Dimethylamino)-4′-nitroazobenzene,” J. Org. Chem. 1987, 52, 1165.
- Leffler,* J. E., Sigman, M. E. and Barbas, J. T. “Supercritical Carbon Dioxide 5. Carboxyinversion Reactions of Diacyl Peroxides. Alkyl Group Rearrangement and Carbon Dioxide Exchange,” J. Org. Chem. 1987, 52, 1754.
- Schuster,* G. B., Sigman, M. E. and Autrey, T. “Aroylnitrenes with Singlet Ground States: Photochemistry of Acetyl-Substituted Aroyl and Aryloxycarbonyl Azides,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1988, 110, 4297.
- Sigman, M. E. and Closs,* G. L. “Free Energy and Structure Dependence of Intramolecular Triplet-Energy Transfer in Organic Model Compounds,” J. Phys. Chem. 1991, 95, 5012-5017.
- Sigman,* M. E., Zingg, S. P., Pagni, R. M. and Burns, J. H. “Photochemistry of Anthracene in Water,” Tetrahedron Lett. 1991, 32(41), 5737-5740.
- MacInnis, J. M., McDonald, K. A., Sigman, M. E. and Greenbaum,* E. “Simultaneous Measurement of Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution and Carbon Dioxide Assimilation Under Anaerobiosis,” Photochem. Photobiol. 1992, 58, 718-723.
- Barbas, J. T., Sigman,* M. E., Buchanan, A. C., III and Chevis, E. A. “Photolysis of Substituted Naphthalenes on SiO2 and Al2O3,” Photochem. Photobiol. 1993, 58(2), 155-158.
