Dan Osei Mensah Bonsu

@adelaide.edu.au

University of Adelaide

Dan Osei Mensah Bonsu


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https://researchid.co/naasei
14

Scopus Publications

404

Scholar Citations

10

Scholar h-index

12

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Leveraging Social Media Data to Understand COVID-19 Prevention Measures in Construction: A Machine Learning Approach
    Emmanuel B. Boateng, Daniel Oteng, Dan N. O. Bonsu, Vinod Gopaldasani
    Buildings, 2025
    The COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly challenging time for the construction industry as it experienced significant disruptions to operations, affecting various stakeholders. With various national and international health agencies promoting preventive measures, the construction industry struggled with the implementation of these measures due to the unique nature of the work involved in construction. This study aimed to highlight the ways in which stakeholders in the construction industry interacted and responded to the prescribed preventive measures through social media analysis. Using model-based clustering and structural topic modelling, this study provided insights into the prevalent discussion topics in social media around prevention measures in construction. In addition, sentiment analysis demonstrated interesting polarisation around the topic areas. Four prevalent topics that encapsulated the entirety of the social media data were identified, with two of the topics showing an upward trend, as expected, while the other two topics showed a contrasting downward trend. These findings offer practical value for construction managers and policymakers by revealing the effectiveness of different communication strategies and identifying areas where prevention measures faced resistance or acceptance. The sentiment polarisation patterns (50% positive, 40% negative) provide actionable insights for developing more targeted engagement approaches, while the topic evolution trends inform the timing and focus of safety communications. Construction organisations can leverage these insights to improve workplace safety protocols and enhance stakeholder buy-in for future health initiatives. This study lays the foundation for future studies to investigate the connections between the prevalent prevention and the interrelated dynamics within the conversation regarding COVID-19 prevention strategies in the construction sector.
  • Investigation of a Y-chromosome screening approach for sexual assault evidence using the QIAGEN Investigator Casework GO! kit
    Dan Nana Osei Bonsu, Natasha Mitchell, Claire Jeanes, Julianne Henry
    Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2025
    Following an alleged sexual assault, a victim may undergo a medical examination whereby internal or external bodily swabs may be collected and submitted to a forensic laboratory to be screened for the presence of semen. At Forensic Science SA (FSSA), this involves microscopic examination of a smear prepared from each swab for the presence of sperm. Microscopic detection of sperm is confirmatory for semen, but the process is very time‐consuming, especially where very low levels are present. Moreover, microscopy results are not a reliable predictor of the amount of male DNA that might be recovered. SWGDAM recommends a direct‐to‐DNA approach as an efficient alternative. Therefore, we investigated the Qiagen Casework GO! kit (CWG), in conjunction with the Y‐chromosome marker in the Quantifiler Trio DNA quantification kit, for the rapid screening of sexual assault swabs for the presence of male DNA (termed ‘Y‐screen’). We initially investigated two swab types, the Copan cotton swab (currently used in Forensic Examination Collection Kits (FECK) submitted to FSSA) and the Sarstedt Forensic XL swab (a Forensic DNA grade alternative). The optimal size of the swab cutting and the volume of CWG lysis mix for the Y‐screen was determined to be 1/8 and 100 μL, respectively, which ensured cost minimization and sample preservation. The performance of the optimized Y‐screen method was compared with conventional microscopy using a series of simulated sexual assault swabs constructed by spiking female buccal swabs with serial dilutions of semen. For Copan cotton swabs, all samples with detectable sperm by microscopy had detectable levels of male DNA using the Y‐screen. The Y‐screen also showed greater sensitivity than microscopy for this swab type, detecting male DNA in 8% of samples where sperm was not observed. In contrast, 36% of Forensic XL swabs gave undetectable male DNA when sperm was observed by microscopy, which indicated that the Y‐screen approach with CWG may not be compatible with all swab types. A casework trial of the Y‐screen approach using 46 FECK swabs (Copan cotton swabs) submitted across 29 cases confirmed the higher sensitivity of the Y‐screen approach as compared to conventional microscopy. Here, 44% of FECK swabs that had no observable sperm by microscopy had detectable male DNA using the Y‐screen. There were no instances where the FECK swabs with observable sperm by microscopy had undetectable male DNA using the Y‐screen. Our study confirmed the utility of the Y‐screen approach using CWG to expedite the downstream DNA analysis of FECK swab samples in operational casework.
  • Metal–DNA interactions: Exploring the impact of metal ions on key stages of forensic DNA analysis
    Dan Nana Osei Bonsu, Denice Higgins, Claire Simon, Julianne M. Henry, Jeremy J. Austin
    Electrophoresis, 2024
    Forensic DNA analysis continues to be hampered by the complex interactions between metals and DNA. Metal ions may cause direct DNA damage, inhibit DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification or both. This study evaluated the impact of metal ions on DNA extraction, quantitation, and short tandem repeat profiling using cell‐free and cellular (saliva) DNA. Of the 11 metals assessed, brass exhibited the strongest PCR inhibitory effects, for both custom and Quantifiler Trio quantitation assays. Metal ion inhibition varied across the two quantitative PCR assays and the amount of DNA template used. The Quantifiler Trio internal PCR control (IPC) only revealed evidence of PCR inhibition at higher metal ion concentrations, limiting the applicability of IPC as an indicator of the presence of metal inhibitor in a sample. Notably, ferrous ions were found to significantly decrease the extraction efficiency of the DNA‐IQ DNA extraction system. The amount of DNA degradation and inhibition in saliva samples caused by metal ions increased with a dilution of the sample, suggesting that the saliva matrix provides protection from metal ion effects.
  • From clean spaces to crime scenes: Exploring trace DNA recovery from titania-coated self-cleaning substrates
    Dan Nana Osei Bonsu, Denice Higgins, Jeremy J. Austin
    Science and Justice, 2023
  • Quantitative PCR overestimation of DNA in samples contaminated with tin
    Dan Nana Osei Bonsu, Denice Higgins, Claire Simon, Corey S. Goodwin, Julianne M. Henry, et al.
    Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2023
    Metals can pose challenges while conducting forensic DNA analysis. The presence of metal ions in evidence-related DNA extracts can degrade DNA or inhibit PCR as applied to DNA quantification (real-time PCR or qPCR) and/or STR amplification, leading to low success in STR profiling. Different metal ions were spiked into 0.2 and 0.5 ng of human genomic DNA in an "inhibition study" and the impact was evaluated by qPCR using the Quantifiler™ Trio DNA Quantification Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and an in-house SYBR Green assay. This study reports on a contradictory finding specific to tin (Sn) ions, which caused at least a 38,000-fold overestimation of DNA concentration when utilizing Quantifiler Trio. This was explained by the raw and multicomponent spectral plots, which indicated that Sn suppresses the Quantifiler Trio passive reference dye (Mustang Purple™, MP) at ion concentrations above 0.1 mM. This effect was not observed when DNA was quantified using SYBR Green with ROX™ as the passive reference, nor when DNA was extracted and purified prior to Quantifiler Trio. The results show that metal contaminants can interfere with qPCR-based DNA quantification in unexpected ways and may be assay dependent. The results also highlight the importance of qPCR as a quality check to determine steps for sample cleanup prior to STR amplification that may be similarly impacted by metal ions. Forensic workflows should recognize the risk of inaccurate DNA quantification of samples that are collected from substrates containing tin.
  • Ethics reporting in forensic science research publications – A review
    Dan O.M. Bonsu, Constance B. Afoakwah, Maxwell Abedi, Denice Higgins, Jeremy J. Austin
    Forensic Science International, 2022
  • Lip print enhancement: review
    Maxwell Abedi, Constance Afoakwah, Dan Nana Osei Mensah Bonsu
    Forensic Sciences Research, 2022
    Lip print (LP) evidence can be an essential tool for human forensics. LPs have conventionally been developed using substances such as lysochrome dyes, fluorescent dyes, indigo dye, aluminium powder...
  • Spectroscopic (analytical) approach to gunshot residue analysis for shooting distance estimation: a systematic review
    Maxwell Abedi, Dan O. M. Bonsu, Isaac K. Badu, Richmond Afoakwah, Pooja Ahuja
    Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2021
    Background The determination of the shooting distance using gunshot residue (GSR) analysis is crucial in the investigation and reconstruction of firearm-related crimes. However, the conventional chemographic method for GSR analysis is destructive and has limited sensitivity and selectivity. While the spectroscopic method has potential in GSR analysis for crime investigation, there is a current lack of consistency in the spectroscopic results obtained for shooting distance estimation via GSR analysis. Addressing such limitations will enhance the forensic capabilities of law enforcement and provide an added advantage to crime laboratories during an investigation. It will also reinforce the use of such spectroscopic data in a criminal investigation. Main text We obtained all peer-reviewed articles relevant to shooting distance estimation from searching Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. We specifically searched the databases using the keywords “shooting distance,” “range of fire,” “gunshot residue,” “firearm discharge residue,” and “firearm-related crime” and obtained 3811 records. We further filtered these records using a combination of two basic keywords “gunshot residue” and “shooting distance estimations” yielding 108 papers. Following a careful evaluation of the titles, abstracts, and full texts, 40 original peer-reviewed articles on shooting distance estimation via GSR analysis were included in the study. The forgoing included additional sources (n = 5) we obtained from looking through the reference lists of the forensic articles we found. Short conclusion This paper discusses the current scope of research concerning the chemographic and spectroscopic analysis of GSR for shooting distance estimation. It also examines the challenges of these techniques and provides recommendations for future research.
  • Comparison of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabbing systems for touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces
    Dan O. M. Bonsu, Matthew Rodie, Denice Higgins, Julianne Henry, Jeremy J. Austin
    Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology, 2021
    A previous study evaluating two swabbing systems found that DNA was best recovered from sterile metal substrates using an Isohelix™ swab wetted with isopropyl alcohol rather than a Rayon swab with water as the wetting agent. We tested the same swabbing systems on metal (aluminum, brass, and stainless steel) and plastic substrates in a regularly touched environment to simulate the non-deliberate transfer of touch evidence likely seen in a casework scenario, to ascertain the performance of these swabs in an uncontrolled situation. Higher amounts of touch DNA were recovered with Isohelix™ swabs (0.5 – 3.3 ng) compared to Rayon swabs (0.13 – 1.2 ng). The Isohelix™ swabbing system was found to significantly recover more touch DNA (p = 0.04) from the metal substrates than the Rayon swabbing system, consistent with the findings of our previous work. The results contribute to our understanding of the impact of sample collection techniques on touch DNA recovery from problematic metal surfaces and suggest that supplemental cleaning of substrates as a precautionary step against the spread of infections may affect touch DNA persistence and the recovery efficiency of swabs.
  • Evaluation of the efficiency of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabs for recovery of DNA from metal surfaces
    Dan O. M. Bonsu, Denice Higgins, Julianne Henry, Jeremy J. Austin
    Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology, 2021
    We investigated the recovery and extraction efficiency of DNA from three metal surfaces (brass, copper, steel) relevant to forensic casework, and plastic (control) using two different swabbing systems; Rayon and Isohelix™ swabs, with sterile water and isopropyl alcohol respectively, as the wetting solutions. Twenty nanograms of human genomic DNA were applied directly to Isohelix™ and Rayon swabs; and to the metal and plastic substrates. All substrates were left to dry for 24 h, followed by single wet swabbing and extraction with the DNA IQ™ System. DNA extracts were quantified using real time quantitative PCR assays with SYBR green chemistry. DNA was extracted from directly seeded Isohelix™ swabs with a high efficiency of 98%, indicating effective DNA-release from the swab into the extraction buffer. In contrast, only 58% of input DNA was recovered from seeded Rayon swabs, indicating higher DNA retention by these swabs. Isohelix™ swabs recovered 32 – 53% of DNA from metal surfaces, whilst the Rayon swabs recovered 11—29%. DNA recovery was lowest from copper and highest from brass. Interestingly, Rayon swabs appeared to collect more DNA from the plastic surface than Isohelix™ swabs, however, due to the lower release of DNA from Rayon swabs they returned less DNA overall following extraction than Isohelix™ swabs. These results demonstrate that DNA samples deposited on metal surfaces can be more efficiently recovered using Isohelix™ swabs wetted with isopropyl alcohol than Rayon swabs wetted with sterile water, although recovery is affected by the substrate type.
  • Counterfeit formulations: analytical perspective on anorectics
    Dan Osei Mensah Bonsu, Constance Afoakwah, Maria de la Paz Aguilar-Caballos
    Forensic Toxicology, 2021
  • Forensic touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces – A review
    Dan Osei Mensah Bonsu, Denice Higgins, Jeremy J. Austin
    Science and Justice, 2020
  • Forensic science in Ghana: A review
    Aaron O. Amankwaa, Emmanuel Nsiah Amoako, Dan Osei Mensah Bonsu, Moses Banyeh
    Forensic Science International Synergy, 2019
  • Immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML): a potent alternative therapy
    Desmond O. Acheampong, Christian K. Adokoh, Du-Bois Asante, Ernest A. Asiamah, Prince A. Barnie, et al.
    Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 2018

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Leveraging Social Media Data to Understand COVID-19 Prevention Measures in Construction: A Machine Learning Approach
    EB Boateng, D Oteng, DNO Bonsu, V Gopaldasani
    Buildings 15 (13), 2191 , 2025
    2025
  • Investigation of a Y‐chromosome screening approach for sexual assault evidence using the QIAGEN Investigator Casework GO! kit
    DNO Bonsu, N Mitchell, C Jeanes, J Henry
    Journal of Forensic Sciences 70 (3), 1133-1148 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Forensic Evidence Processing in Gender-Based Violence Cases: Handbook for Criminal Justice Practitioners
    A Amankwaa, J Wessels, A McNevin, A Langley, B Budowle, DNO Bonsu, ...
    United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime , 2024
    2024
  • Metal–DNA interactions: Exploring the impact of metal ions on key stages of forensic DNA analysis
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, C Simon, JM Henry, JJ Austin
    Electrophoresis 45 (9-10), 779-793 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 13
  • Interpreting mixed DNA profiles in Gender-Based Violence cases
    D Bonsu, A McNevin, J Watherston
    Handbook on DNA evidence processing in Gender-Based Violence cases for … , 2024
    2024
  • From clean spaces to crime scenes: Exploring trace DNA recovery from titania-coated self-cleaning substrates
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, JJ Austin
    Science & Justice 63 (5), 588-597 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 2
  • Quantitative PCR overestimation of DNA in samples contaminated with tin
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, C Simon, CS Goodwin, JM Henry, JJ Austin
    Journal of Forensic Sciences 68 (4), 1302-1309 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 11
  • Zinc, Not Copper, Is the Major Contributor to DNA Degradation and PCR Inhibition in DNA Samples Contaminated with Brass
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, J Austin
    2023
    Citations: 1
  • Ethics Reporting in Forensic Science Research Publications – A Review
    DOM Bonsu, CB Afoakwah, M Abedi, D Higgins, JJ Austin
    Forensic Science International , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 20
  • Forensic trace DNA recovery and amplification from metal and metal-coated surfaces
    DNOAM Bonsu
    The University of Adelaide , 2022
    2022
  • The Investigator Casework Go! Kit for Improved DNA Recovery from Touch DNA Samples
    D Bonsu, N Mitchell, J Henry
    Kit for Improved DNA Recovery from Touch DNA Samples , 2022
    2022
  • Comparison of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabbing systems for touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces
    DOM Bonsu, M Rodie, D Higgins, J Henry, JJ Austin
    Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 17 (4), 577-584 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 17
  • Spectroscopic (analytical) approach to gunshot residue analysis for shooting distance estimation: a systematic review
    M Abedi, DOM Bonsu, IK Badu, R Afoakwah, P Ahuja
    Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences 11 (1), 34 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 10
  • Counterfeit formulations: analytical perspective on anorectics
    DOM Bonsu, C Afoakwah, M de la Paz Aguilar-Caballos
    Forensic Toxicology, 1-25 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 10
  • Evaluation of the efficiency of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabs for recovery of DNA from metal surfaces
    DOM Bonsu, D Higgins, J Henry, JJ Austin
    Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 20
  • Lip print enhancement: review
    M Abedi, C Afoakwah, DNOM Bonsu
    Forensic Sciences Research , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 24
  • Forensic touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces–a review
    DOM Bonsu, D Higgins, JJ Austin
    Science & Justice 60 (3), 206-215 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 109
  • Forensic science in Ghana: a review
    AO Amankwaa, EN Amoako, DOM Bonsu, M Banyeh
    Forensic Science International: Synergy 1, 151-160 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 35
  • A Guide on Illegal Fishing Activities in Ghana. USAID/Ghana Sustainable Fisheries Management Project
    R Afoakwah, MBD Osei, E Effah
    Management Project. Prepared by the University of Cape Coast. GH2014_SCI048_UCC , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 62
  • Immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML): a potent alternative therapy
    DO Acheampong, CK Adokoh, DB Asante, EA Asiamah, PA Barnie, ...
    Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy 97, 225-232 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 68

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Forensic touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces–a review
    DOM Bonsu, D Higgins, JJ Austin
    Science & Justice 60 (3), 206-215 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 109
  • Immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML): a potent alternative therapy
    DO Acheampong, CK Adokoh, DB Asante, EA Asiamah, PA Barnie, ...
    Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy 97, 225-232 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 68
  • A Guide on Illegal Fishing Activities in Ghana. USAID/Ghana Sustainable Fisheries Management Project
    R Afoakwah, MBD Osei, E Effah
    Management Project. Prepared by the University of Cape Coast. GH2014_SCI048_UCC , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 62
  • Forensic science in Ghana: a review
    AO Amankwaa, EN Amoako, DOM Bonsu, M Banyeh
    Forensic Science International: Synergy 1, 151-160 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 35
  • Lip print enhancement: review
    M Abedi, C Afoakwah, DNOM Bonsu
    Forensic Sciences Research , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 24
  • Ethics Reporting in Forensic Science Research Publications – A Review
    DOM Bonsu, CB Afoakwah, M Abedi, D Higgins, JJ Austin
    Forensic Science International , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 20
  • Evaluation of the efficiency of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabs for recovery of DNA from metal surfaces
    DOM Bonsu, D Higgins, J Henry, JJ Austin
    Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 20
  • Comparison of Isohelix™ and Rayon swabbing systems for touch DNA recovery from metal surfaces
    DOM Bonsu, M Rodie, D Higgins, J Henry, JJ Austin
    Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 17 (4), 577-584 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 17
  • Metal–DNA interactions: Exploring the impact of metal ions on key stages of forensic DNA analysis
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, C Simon, JM Henry, JJ Austin
    Electrophoresis 45 (9-10), 779-793 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 13
  • Quantitative PCR overestimation of DNA in samples contaminated with tin
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, C Simon, CS Goodwin, JM Henry, JJ Austin
    Journal of Forensic Sciences 68 (4), 1302-1309 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 11
  • Spectroscopic (analytical) approach to gunshot residue analysis for shooting distance estimation: a systematic review
    M Abedi, DOM Bonsu, IK Badu, R Afoakwah, P Ahuja
    Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences 11 (1), 34 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 10
  • Counterfeit formulations: analytical perspective on anorectics
    DOM Bonsu, C Afoakwah, M de la Paz Aguilar-Caballos
    Forensic Toxicology, 1-25 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 10
  • From clean spaces to crime scenes: Exploring trace DNA recovery from titania-coated self-cleaning substrates
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, JJ Austin
    Science & Justice 63 (5), 588-597 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 2
  • Investigation of a Y‐chromosome screening approach for sexual assault evidence using the QIAGEN Investigator Casework GO! kit
    DNO Bonsu, N Mitchell, C Jeanes, J Henry
    Journal of Forensic Sciences 70 (3), 1133-1148 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Zinc, Not Copper, Is the Major Contributor to DNA Degradation and PCR Inhibition in DNA Samples Contaminated with Brass
    DNO Bonsu, D Higgins, J Austin
    2023
    Citations: 1
  • Molecular basis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Cape Coast, Ghana
    DOM Bonsu
    2013
    Citations: 1
  • Leveraging Social Media Data to Understand COVID-19 Prevention Measures in Construction: A Machine Learning Approach
    EB Boateng, D Oteng, DNO Bonsu, V Gopaldasani
    Buildings 15 (13), 2191 , 2025
    2025
  • Forensic Evidence Processing in Gender-Based Violence Cases: Handbook for Criminal Justice Practitioners
    A Amankwaa, J Wessels, A McNevin, A Langley, B Budowle, DNO Bonsu, ...
    United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime , 2024
    2024
  • Interpreting mixed DNA profiles in Gender-Based Violence cases
    D Bonsu, A McNevin, J Watherston
    Handbook on DNA evidence processing in Gender-Based Violence cases for … , 2024
    2024
  • Forensic trace DNA recovery and amplification from metal and metal-coated surfaces
    DNOAM Bonsu
    The University of Adelaide , 2022
    2022