According to Ballantyne, another possible aim of the study will be to document exactly when autosomal DNA analysis fails. At seven or nine days, the current consensus is that there is no hope for an autosomal STR profile. "If we successfully obtain a Y-STR profile with a sample collected seven or nine days later, we can perhaps use the expertise we have gained to also tease out an autosomal profile," Ballantyne explains. "We'll be more certain whether or not it should be a routine matter to collect samples more than a few days after the assault. For example, if the study shows that more than 50 percent of the samples yield a reportable DNA profile after four days, it would have important policy implications. It won't be just a report in a scientific journal.