Virtopsy: CT and MR imaging of a fatal head injury caused by a hatchet: A case report

Hatchet blows to the human skull often cause fatal injuries. We present a case of homicide by hatchet blow that underwent CT, MRI, and autopsy examination. Skull fragmentation, fracture lines, and brain injuries were demonstrated prior to autopsy. Many of the hatchet-specific characteristics (flaking, crushing, shattering, and fracture lines) described in literature were observed in the post-mortem imaging of this case.

[Influence of local anaesthesia on pain and distress induced by bloodless castration methods in young lambs]

Behavioural and cortisol responses of lambs were used as indicators of pain and distress to assess short- and long-term effects of bloodless castration methods with and without local anaesthesia. Eighty lambs, aged 2-7 days, were control handled or castrated by crushing- Burdizzo- or rubber ring method with and without local anaesthesia. Either 4 mg/kg diluted lidocaine, or corresponding volumes of physiologic sodium chloride solution were distributed in both spermatic cords and the scrotal neck. The serum cortisol response was monitored for 48 h, behavioural- and clinical traits over a 3-month period. The crushing castration method was excluded from the study after 10 lambs had been castrated, since this method showed severe local reactions. Local anaesthesia significantly reduced behavioural and cortisol responses after rubber ring castration and tendentially after Burdizzo castration. Prolonged or chronic pain after rubber ring castration with anaesthesia was not evident. If combined with local anaesthesia, both the rubber ring and the Burdizzo method are acceptable methods for castration of lambs up to one week of age.

[Influence of local anaesthesia on short- and long-term pain induced in calves by three bloodless castration methods]

Behavioural and cortisol responses of calves were used as indicators of pain to assess short- and long-term effects of three bloodless castration methods with and without local anaesthesia. Eighty calves, aged 21 to 28 days, were control handled (20) or castrated by Burdizzo (25), rubber ring (25), or crushing technique (10). Either a total volume of 10 ml of Lidocaine or NaCl was distributed in both spermatic cords and the scrotal neck. The plasma cortisol response was monitored for 72 hours, and behavioural and clinical traits over a three-month period. Castration success was assessed by degree of atrophy and histological tissue examination. The crushing technique cannot be recommended due to incomplete castration success, and the evaluation was stopped after 10 animals. Local anaesthesia reduced the level of indicators of acute pain after Burdizzo and rubber ring technique. It did, however, not result in a totally painless castration. When castration is performed at the age of 3 to 4 weeks, the rubber ring but not the Burdizzo method showed evidence of chronic pain lasting for several weeks.

A centrifugal ice microtome for measurements of atmospheric CO₂ on air trapped in polar ice cores

For atmospheric CO2 reconstructions using ice cores, the technique to release the trapped air from the ice samples is essential for the precision and accuracy of the measurements. We present here a new dry extraction technique in combination with a new gas analytical system that together show significant improvements with respect to current systems. Ice samples (3–15 g) are pulverised using a novel centrifugal ice microtome (CIM) by shaving the ice in a cooled vacuum chamber (−27 °C) in which no friction occurs due to the use of magnetic bearings. Both, the shaving principle of the CIM and the use of magnetic bearings have not been applied so far in this field. Shaving the ice samples produces finer ice powder and releases a minimum of 90% of the trapped air compared to 50%–70% when needle crushing is employed. In addition, the friction-free motion with an optimized design to reduce contaminations of the inner surfaces of the device result in a reduced system offset of about 2.0 ppmv compared to 4.9 ppmv. The gas analytical part shows a higher precision than the corresponding part of our previous system by a factor of two, and all processes except the loading and cleaning of the CIM now run automatically. Compared to our previous system, the complete system shows a 3 times better measurement reproducibility of about 1.1 ppmv (1 σ) which is similar to the best reproducibility of other systems applied in this field. With this high reproducibility, no replicate measurements are required anymore for most future measurement campaigns resulting in a possible output of 12–20 measurements per day compared to a maximum of 6 with other systems.

Signals underlying the induction and expression of long-term, injury-related plasticity in sensory neurons of Aplysia

An important goal in the study of long-term memory is to understand the signals that induce and maintain the underlying neural alterations. In Aplysia, long-term sensitization of defensive reflexes has been examined in depth as a simple model of memory. Extensive studies of sensory neurons (SNs) in Aplysia have led to a cellular and molecular model of long-term memory that has greatly influenced memory research. According to this model, induction of long-term memory in Aplysia depends upon serotonin (5-HT) release and subsequent activation of the cAMP-PKA pathway in SNs. The evidence supporting this model mainly came from studies of long-term synaptic facilitation (LTF) using dissociated (and therefore axotomized) cells growing in culture. However, studies in more intact preparations have produced complex and discrepant results. Because these SNs function as nociceptors, and display similar alterations (long-term hyperexcitability [LTH], LTF, and growth) in models of memory and nerve injury, this study examined the roles of 5-HT and the cAMP-PKA pathway in the induction and expression of long-term, injury-related LTH and LTF in Aplysia SNs. ^ The results presented here suggest that 5-HT is not a primary signal for inducing LTH (and perhaps LTF) in Aplysia SNs. Prolonged treatment with 5-HT failed to induce LTH of Aplysia SNs in either ganglia or dissociated-cell preparations. Treatment with a 5-HT antagonist, methiothepin, during noxious nerve stimulation failed to reduce 24 hr LTH. Furthermore, while 5-HT can induce LTF of SN synapses, this LTF appears to be an indirect effect of 5-HT on other cells. When neural activity was suppressed by elevating divalent cations or by using tetrodotoxin (TTX), 5-HT failed to induce LTF. Unlike LTF, LTH of the SNs could not be produced, even when 5-HT treatment occurred in normal artificial sea water (ASW), suggesting that LTH and LTF are likely to depend on different signals for induction. However, methiothepin reduced the later expression of LTH induced by nerve stimulation, suggesting that 5-HT contributes to the maintenance of LTH in Aplysia SNs.n of somata from the ganglion (which axotomizes SNs) or crushing peripheral n. ^ In summary, this study found that 5-HT and the cAMP-PKA pathway are not involved in the induction of long-term, injury-related LTH of Aplysia SNs, but persistent release of 5-HT and persistent PKA activity contribute to the maintenance of LTH induced by injury. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)^

Ein Forschungsreisender als Notbehelf: Hermann von Wissmann und der erste Überseeeinsatz des Deutschen Reichs (1889-1891)

When the German government faced for the first time an irregular war in German East Africa in 1888, it realised that it did not have the necessary means for such a conflict. Hermann Wissmann, an explorer, was therefore given the mandate to form and lead a force of mercenaries that was bound to him personally on the basis of contracts. Although Wissmann was successful in crushing the disturbances, the government of the Reich refused to give him a leading administrative position in the new formed protectorate subordinate directly to the Kaiser. It feared that the entrepreneur of violence, which had up to then been backed up, would not accept the regulations of colonial rule that should be implemented. Soon, however, it became clear that due to entrenched local views on sovereignty and legitimacy it would be difficult to transfer the western European concept of the monopoly of the state on violence to Africa.

SPH calculations of asteroid disruptions: The role of pressure dependent failure models

We present recent improvements of the modeling of the disruption of strength dominated bodies using the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) technique. The improvements include an updated strength model and a friction model, which are successfully tested by a comparison with laboratory experiments. In the modeling of catastrophic disruptions of asteroids, a comparison between old and new strength models shows no significant deviation in the case of targets which are initially non-porous, fully intact and have a homogeneous structure (such as the targets used in the study by Benz and Asphaug, 1999). However, for many cases (e.g. initially partly or fully damaged targets and rubble-pile structures) we find that it is crucial that friction is taken into account and the material has a pressure dependent shear strength. Our investigations of the catastrophic disruption threshold (27, as a function of target properties and target sizes up to a few 100 km show that a fully damaged target modeled without friction has a Q(D)*:, which is significantly (5-10 times) smaller than in the case where friction is included. When the effect of the energy dissipation due to compaction (pore crushing) is taken into account as well, the targets become even stronger (Q(D)*; is increased by a factor of 2-3). On the other hand, cohesion is found to have an negligible effect at large scales and is only important at scales less than or similar to 1 km. Our results show the relative effects of strength, friction and porosity on the outcome of collisions among small (less than or similar to 1000 km) bodies. These results will be used in a future study to improve existing scaling laws for the outcome of collisions (e.g. Leinhardt and Stewart, 2012). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helium and neon isotopes in oceanic crust of ODP Hole 118-735B

In an attempt to determine the helium and neon isotopic composition of the lower oceanic crust, we report new noble gas measurements on 11 million year old gabbros from Ocean Drilling Program site 735B in the Indian Ocean. The nine whole rock samples analyzed came from 20 to 500 m depth below the seafloor. Helium contents vary from 3.3*10**-10 to 2.5*10**-7 ccSTP/g by crushing and from 5.4*10**-8 to 2.4*10**-7 ccSTP/g by melting. 3He/4He ratios vary between 2.2 and 8.6 Ra by crushing and between 2.9 and 8.2 by melting. The highest R/Ra ratios are similar to the mean mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) ratio of 8+/-1. The lower values are attributed to radiogenic helium from in situ alüha-particle production during uranium and thorium decay. Neon isotopic ratios are similar to atmospheric ratios, reflecting a significant seawater circulation in the upper 500 m of exposed crust at this site. MORB-like neon, with elevated 20Ne/22Ne and 21Ne/22Ne ratios, was found in some high temperature steps of heating experiments, but with very small anomalies compared to air. These first results from the lower oceanic crust indicate that subducted lower oceanic crust has an atmospheric 20Ne/22Ne ratio. Most of this neon must be removed during the subduction process, if the ocean crust is to be recirculated in the upper mantle, otherwise this atmospheric neon will overwhelm the upper mantle neon budget. Similarly, the high (U+Th)/3He ratio of these crustal gabbros will generate very radiogenic 4He/3He ratios on a 100 Ma time scale, so lower oceanic crust cannot be recycled into either MORB or oceanic island basalt without some form of processing.

Efecto de la interacción genotipo-ambiente sobre la expresión del contenido de allicina y ácido pirúvico en ajo (Allium sativum L.)

La expresión de la intensidad del flavor en los bulbos de ajo (Allium sativum L.), depende tanto de factores genéticos como ambientales. Las características organolépticas se manifiestan por la presencia de compuestos organoazufrados, específicamente tiosulfinatos, siendo el representante mayoritario la allicina (diallil tiosulfinato). El ácido pirúvico constituye un producto secundario de la reacción enzimática generadora del flavor, por lo que su medición se asocia a la intensidad de pungencia en ajo. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue estudiar si la variabilidad en el contenido de allicina y pirúvico está más asociada a las características genéticas o a la influencia de las regiones de cultivo. Se seleccionaron cuatro cultivares (Castaño INTA, Sureño INTA, Lican INTA y Unión) pertenecientes al banco de germoplasma del Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) La Consulta, Mendoza, Argentina, cultivados en diferentes zonas geográficas: La Consulta (Dpto. San Carlos, Mendoza), Esquel (Chubut) y Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego). Se cuantificó la allicina mediante Cromatografía Líquida de Alta Resolución (HPLC) y pungencia mediante espectrofotometría. A partir del análisis estadístico de los valores obtenidos se puede inferir que existen diferencias significativas en el contenido de allicina y pirúvico entre distintas cultivares de una misma zona y en el contenido de allicina y pirúvico para la misma cultivar en distintas zonas.

Lengua y Literatura : Disciplina escolar. Hacia una metodología circunstanciada de su enseñanza

La metodología circunstanciada de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura desarrollada y argumentada a lo largo de esta investigación se presenta como un modo de renegociar los encastres de perspectivas de las didácticas de la lengua o la literatura que hoy muestran en la Argentina su historia de entramados y superposiciones de diversos estatutos de saberes. Estas reconfiguraciones, estudiadas en las últimas cuatro décadas, no son ajenas a las coyunturas políticas, ni a los mecanismos de reproducción y producción de la cultura escolar y del sistema educativo, expresados en las particularidades de la disciplina escolar. Por ello, esta metodología se articula en tres fundamentos que no sobreimprimen nuevas prerrogativas didácticas a las reconfiguraciones de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura que actualmente encarnan la disciplina escolar y el sistema educativo en tres de sus niveles [primario, pero con especial atención al secundario e ingresos a la educación superior]. Básicamente, y más allá de sus matices, se trata de reconfiguraciones que develan la reificación de la lectura y la escritura como contenidos de enseñanza en nombre de criterios de utilidad y realidad para los docentes y alumnos. Así, se explica que los efectos de este estado de situación van consolidando un vacío metodológico revelado a través de relatos que permiten recuperar una historia reciente de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura en la Argentina, de los devenires de cada una de sus perspectivas, que, en apariencia, no se cruzarían. Sin embargo, puestos en relación, muestran los hechos en los que esas perspectivas se conjugaron, acaso conjuraron, e iniciaron sus complejas, y, a veces, no tan nítidas, alianzas. No obstante, ninguna perspectiva se impone por completo. Mirados sus efectos desde el trabajo docente, se encuentra un encastre entre el textualismo cognitivista, la psicogénesis y la más reciente perspectiva sociocultural e histórica, que abonan a una argamasa de saberes desestabilizadores de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura como rito de institución. Por el contrario, con sus prerrogativas siempre articuladas en retóricas de "cómo debe ser la mejor enseñanza" de la lengua y la literatura, de la lectura y la escritura, suman categorías, conceptos, recortes de líneas teóricas, investigaciones, por lo general, todos disímiles, para remodelarlos en orientaciones por demás distantes y ajenas a las realizaciones cotidianas del trabajo docente.Los fundamentos aquí planteados, entonces, se circunstancian en los modos en que docentes y alumnos dicen que se realiza la enseña de la lengua y la literatura. Asimismo, se expone que una idea de cambio radical no es pertinente para la comprensión de prácticas/acciones sociales como las educativas institucionales, y que, en realidad, es necesario recuperar en sentido estricto, y de las teorías sociales, la noción de cambio como variación de la reproducción y producción social. Por lo tanto, los postulados desarrollados para una metodología circunstanciada de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura están pensados en ese orden de la variación y no del aplastamiento de los sentidos que, histórica y culturalmente, la constituyen e instituyen

Lengua y Literatura : Disciplina escolar. Hacia una metodología circunstanciada de su enseñanza

La metodología circunstanciada de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura desarrollada y argumentada a lo largo de esta investigación se presenta como un modo de renegociar los encastres de perspectivas de las didácticas de la lengua o la literatura que hoy muestran en la Argentina su historia de entramados y superposiciones de diversos estatutos de saberes. Estas reconfiguraciones, estudiadas en las últimas cuatro décadas, no son ajenas a las coyunturas políticas, ni a los mecanismos de reproducción y producción de la cultura escolar y del sistema educativo, expresados en las particularidades de la disciplina escolar. Por ello, esta metodología se articula en tres fundamentos que no sobreimprimen nuevas prerrogativas didácticas a las reconfiguraciones de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura que actualmente encarnan la disciplina escolar y el sistema educativo en tres de sus niveles [primario, pero con especial atención al secundario e ingresos a la educación superior]. Básicamente, y más allá de sus matices, se trata de reconfiguraciones que develan la reificación de la lectura y la escritura como contenidos de enseñanza en nombre de criterios de utilidad y realidad para los docentes y alumnos. Así, se explica que los efectos de este estado de situación van consolidando un vacío metodológico revelado a través de relatos que permiten recuperar una historia reciente de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura en la Argentina, de los devenires de cada una de sus perspectivas, que, en apariencia, no se cruzarían. Sin embargo, puestos en relación, muestran los hechos en los que esas perspectivas se conjugaron, acaso conjuraron, e iniciaron sus complejas, y, a veces, no tan nítidas, alianzas. No obstante, ninguna perspectiva se impone por completo. Mirados sus efectos desde el trabajo docente, se encuentra un encastre entre el textualismo cognitivista, la psicogénesis y la más reciente perspectiva sociocultural e histórica, que abonan a una argamasa de saberes desestabilizadores de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura como rito de institución. Por el contrario, con sus prerrogativas siempre articuladas en retóricas de "cómo debe ser la mejor enseñanza" de la lengua y la literatura, de la lectura y la escritura, suman categorías, conceptos, recortes de líneas teóricas, investigaciones, por lo general, todos disímiles, para remodelarlos en orientaciones por demás distantes y ajenas a las realizaciones cotidianas del trabajo docente.Los fundamentos aquí planteados, entonces, se circunstancian en los modos en que docentes y alumnos dicen que se realiza la enseña de la lengua y la literatura. Asimismo, se expone que una idea de cambio radical no es pertinente para la comprensión de prácticas/acciones sociales como las educativas institucionales, y que, en realidad, es necesario recuperar en sentido estricto, y de las teorías sociales, la noción de cambio como variación de la reproducción y producción social. Por lo tanto, los postulados desarrollados para una metodología circunstanciada de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura están pensados en ese orden de la variación y no del aplastamiento de los sentidos que, histórica y culturalmente, la constituyen e instituyen

Lengua y Literatura : Disciplina escolar. Hacia una metodología circunstanciada de su enseñanza

La metodología circunstanciada de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura desarrollada y argumentada a lo largo de esta investigación se presenta como un modo de renegociar los encastres de perspectivas de las didácticas de la lengua o la literatura que hoy muestran en la Argentina su historia de entramados y superposiciones de diversos estatutos de saberes. Estas reconfiguraciones, estudiadas en las últimas cuatro décadas, no son ajenas a las coyunturas políticas, ni a los mecanismos de reproducción y producción de la cultura escolar y del sistema educativo, expresados en las particularidades de la disciplina escolar. Por ello, esta metodología se articula en tres fundamentos que no sobreimprimen nuevas prerrogativas didácticas a las reconfiguraciones de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura que actualmente encarnan la disciplina escolar y el sistema educativo en tres de sus niveles [primario, pero con especial atención al secundario e ingresos a la educación superior]. Básicamente, y más allá de sus matices, se trata de reconfiguraciones que develan la reificación de la lectura y la escritura como contenidos de enseñanza en nombre de criterios de utilidad y realidad para los docentes y alumnos. Así, se explica que los efectos de este estado de situación van consolidando un vacío metodológico revelado a través de relatos que permiten recuperar una historia reciente de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura en la Argentina, de los devenires de cada una de sus perspectivas, que, en apariencia, no se cruzarían. Sin embargo, puestos en relación, muestran los hechos en los que esas perspectivas se conjugaron, acaso conjuraron, e iniciaron sus complejas, y, a veces, no tan nítidas, alianzas. No obstante, ninguna perspectiva se impone por completo. Mirados sus efectos desde el trabajo docente, se encuentra un encastre entre el textualismo cognitivista, la psicogénesis y la más reciente perspectiva sociocultural e histórica, que abonan a una argamasa de saberes desestabilizadores de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura como rito de institución. Por el contrario, con sus prerrogativas siempre articuladas en retóricas de "cómo debe ser la mejor enseñanza" de la lengua y la literatura, de la lectura y la escritura, suman categorías, conceptos, recortes de líneas teóricas, investigaciones, por lo general, todos disímiles, para remodelarlos en orientaciones por demás distantes y ajenas a las realizaciones cotidianas del trabajo docente.Los fundamentos aquí planteados, entonces, se circunstancian en los modos en que docentes y alumnos dicen que se realiza la enseña de la lengua y la literatura. Asimismo, se expone que una idea de cambio radical no es pertinente para la comprensión de prácticas/acciones sociales como las educativas institucionales, y que, en realidad, es necesario recuperar en sentido estricto, y de las teorías sociales, la noción de cambio como variación de la reproducción y producción social. Por lo tanto, los postulados desarrollados para una metodología circunstanciada de la enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura están pensados en ese orden de la variación y no del aplastamiento de los sentidos que, histórica y culturalmente, la constituyen e instituyen

Geochemical analyses of ODP Leg 135 samples

Statistical analysis of X-ray fluorescence data acquired during Leg 135 indicates that this instrument produces data of comparable precision to good land-based laboratories. We also examined contamination of certain elements caused by crushing during the use of the tungsten carbide apparatus. Although the concentrations of most elements are not altered during crushing, the powders prepared on the ship should not be used in subsequent studies where key elements of the investigation include W, Co, Ta, Pb, and low levels of Nb.

Grain size investigations of sediments off the coast of Istria

Composition, grain-size distribution, and areal extent of Recent sediments from the Northern Adriatic Sea along the Istrian coast have been studied. Thirty one stations in four sections vertical to the coast were investigated; for comparison 58 samples from five small bays were also analyzed. Biogenic carbonate sediments are deposited on the shallow North Adriatic shelf off the Istrian coast. Only at a greater distance from the coast are these carbonate sediments being mixed with siliceous material brought in by the Alpine rivers Po, Adige, and Brenta. Graphical analysis of grain-size distribution curves shows a sediment composition of normally three, and only in the most seaward area, of four major constituents. Constituent 1 represents the washed-in terrestrial material of clay size (Terra Rossa) from the Istrian coastal area. Constituent 2 consists of fine to medium sand. Constituent 3 contains the heterogeneous biogenic material. Crushing by organisms and by sediment eaters reduces the coarse biogenic material into small pieces generating constituent 2. Between these two constituents there is a dynamic equilibrium. Depending upon where the equilibrium is, between the extremes of production and crushing, the resulting constituent 2 is finer or coarser. Constituent 4 is composed of the fine sandy material from the Alpine rivers. In the most seaward area constituents 2 and 4 are mixed. The total carbonate content of the samples depends on the distance from the coast. In the near coastal area in high energy environments, the carbonate content is about 80 %. At a distance of 2 to 3 km from the coast there is a carbonate minimum because of the higher rate of sedimentation of clay-sized terrestrial, noncarbonate material at extremely low energy environments. In an area between 5 and 20 km off the coast, the carbonate content is about 75 %. More than 20 km from the shore, the carbonate content diminishes rapidly to values of about 30 % through mixing with siliceous material from the Alpine rivers. The carbonate content of the individual fractions increases with increasing grain-size to a maximum of about 90 % within the coarse sand fractions. Beyond 20 km from the coast the samples show a carbonate minimum of about 13 % within the sand-size classes from 1.5 to 0.7 zeta¬? through mixing with siliceous material from the alpine rivers. By means of grain-size distribution and carbonate content, four sediment zones parallel to the coast were separated. Genetically they are closely connected with the zonation of the benthic fauna. Two cores show a characteristic vertical distribution of the sediment. The surface zone is inversely graded, that means the coarse fractions are at the top and the fine fractions are at the bottom. This is the effect of crushing of the biogenic material produced at the surface by predatory organisms and by sediment eaters. lt is proposed that at a depth of about 30 cm a chemical solution process begins which leads to diminution of the original sediment from a fine to medium sand to a silt. The carbonate content decreases from about 75 % at the surface to 65 % at a depth of 100 cm. The increase of the noncarbonate components by 10 % corresponds to a decrease in the initial amount of sediment (CaC03=75 %) by roughly 30 % through solution. With increasing depth the carbonate content of the individual fractions becomes more and more uniform. At the surface the variation is from 30 % to 90 %, at the bottom it varies only between 50 % and 75 %. Comparable investigations of small-bay sediments showed a c1ear dependence of sediment/faunal zonation from the energy of the environment. The investigations show that the composition and three-dimensional distribution of the Istrian coastal sediments can not be predicted only from one or a few measurable factors. Sedimentation and syngenetic changes must be considered as a complex interaction between external factors and the actions of producing and destroying organisms that are in dynamic equilibrium. The results obtained from investigations of these recent sediments may be of value for interpreting fossil sediments only with strong limitations.