scholarly journals Common and much less common scenarios in which botany is crucial for forensic pathologist and anthropologists: a series of eight case studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Caccianiga ◽  
Giulia Caccia ◽  
Debora Mazzarelli ◽  
Dominic Salsarola ◽  
Pasquale Poppa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Unusual Case ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Other ◽  
Disposal Site ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Forensic Pathologist ◽  
Sampling Protocols ◽  
Murder Weapon

AbstractIt is commonly accepted that crime scene recovery and recording are key moments of any judicial inspection in which investigators must decide on the correct strategies to put into place. Complex outdoor scenarios, presenting partially or entirely skeletonised remains, can benefit more than others by the intervention of environmental specialists (forensic anthropologists, archaeologists, entomologists and botanists). These experts are capable of singling out, correctly recording and recovering environmental evidence that can lead to a more comprehensive reconstruction of a given criminal episode. If human remains are discovered in an outdoor scenario, the on-site presence of a botanist will guarantee a correct approach to the identification, recording and recovery of any botanical evidence. If an on-site botanist is not available, the operators must be capable of both the botanical evaluation of a scene and the implementation of correct botanical sampling protocols.The following collection of unusual case histories that aim at underlining the efficacy of forensic botany will examine the determination of post mortem or the post depositional interval, evidence for a victim’s post mortem transfer, evidence for the identification of a primary crime scene and evidence for the identification of a victim’s dismemberment site. In another two cases, one, we will illustrate the important role that forensic botany played in the discrimination between botanical material used to voluntarily conceal a victim and vegetation that had grown naturally above a disposal site, whereas the other will highlight the protocols implemented for the identification of a murder weapon.

Determination of the Time of Death by Continuous Post-Mortem Temperature Measurements

1977 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jørn Simonsen ◽  
Jorgen Voigt ◽  
Niels Jeppesen
Keyword(s):  
Brain Temperature ◽  
The Other ◽  
Temperature Measurements ◽  
Reliable Estimate ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Brain

In 20 cases with known times of death continuous post-mortem measurements of the temperature fall in brain, calf, liver, axilla and rectum of the bodies have been made, and, in addition, the environmental temperature has been recorded. The observations were not made under standardized conditions, and the clothing of the bodies was left untouched as far as possible. The measurements of the brain temperatures have given the greatest accuracy in determining the time of death; for temperatures above 25 °C the uncertainty was of the order of magnitude of ±2 1/2 hours, at lower temperatures greater. The other sites of measurement permitted less reliable estimates of the post-mortem time, but none of them were found to be appropriate beyond 20 hours after death. There is one factor which cannot be calculated. It is the temperature at the moment of death. All investigations show that it may vary enormously. In the present study the difference between the maximum and the minimum starting temperature ranges between 5 °C and 8 °C, dependent on the site of measurement. As the fall in temperature—irrespective of the site of measurement—during the first few hours post mortem is of the magnitude of 1 °C per hour, the above variation gives an inaccuracy which by far exceeds what can be achieved of greater accuracy by the aid of brain temperature measurements. For this reason the authors feel justified in concluding that the determination of the time of death will always be encumbered with great uncertainty, but that the most reliable estimate within the first 20 hours after death can be based upon the measurement of the brain temperature associated with an evaluation of the development of the signs of death. None of the other methods tested so far appears to have offered a greater reliability.

Determination of the lattice translation across {110} APBs in GaAs

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 600-601
Author(s):  
D.R. Rasmussen ◽  
N.-H. Cho ◽  
C.B. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Lower Energy ◽  
Antiphase Boundary ◽  
The Other ◽  
Boundary Structure ◽  
Interface Plane ◽  
Inversion Symmetry ◽  
High Angle ◽  
Equilibrium Distance

Domains in GaAs can exist which are related to one another by the inversion symmetry, i.e., the sites of gallium and arsenic in one domain are interchanged in the other domain. The boundary between these two different domains is known as an antiphase boundary [1], In the terminology used to describe grain boundaries, the grains on either side of this boundary can be regarded as being Σ=1-related. For the {110} interface plane, in particular, there are equal numbers of GaGa and As-As anti-site bonds across the interface. The equilibrium distance between two atoms of the same kind crossing the boundary is expected to be different from the length of normal GaAs bonds in the bulk. Therefore, the relative position of each grain on either side of an APB may be translated such that the boundary can have a lower energy situation. This translation does not affect the perfect Σ=1 coincidence site relationship. Such a lattice translation is expected for all high-angle grain boundaries as a way of relaxation of the boundary structure.

Determination of the Burgers vector of a dislocation in a Fe-Mn alloy by weak-beam image in HVEM

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 330-331
Author(s):  
Y. Ishida ◽  
H. Ishida ◽  
K. Kohra ◽  
H. Ichinose
Keyword(s):  
High Order ◽  
Simulation Technique ◽  
The Other ◽  
Image Simulation ◽  
Diffraction Vector ◽  
Burgers Vector ◽  
Weak Beam ◽  
Beam Image ◽  
Edge Component

IntroductionA simple and accurate technique to determine the Burgers vector of a dislocation has become feasible with the advent of HVEM. The conventional image vanishing technique(1) using Bragg conditions with the diffraction vector perpendicular to the Burgers vector suffers from various drawbacks; The dislocation image appears even when the g.b = 0 criterion is satisfied, if the edge component of the dislocation is large. On the other hand, the image disappears for certain high order diffractions even when g.b ≠ 0. Furthermore, the determination of the magnitude of the Burgers vector is not easy with the criterion. Recent image simulation technique is free from the ambiguities but require too many parameters for the computation. The weak-beam “fringe counting” technique investigated in the present study is immune from the problems. Even the magnitude of the Burgers vector is determined from the number of the terminating thickness fringes at the exit of the dislocation in wedge shaped foil surfaces.

Determination of Plasminogen in Clots and Thrombi

1966 ◽  
Vol 16 (01/02) ◽  
pp. 038-050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Hedner ◽  
Inga Marie Nilsson ◽  
B Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Mean Value ◽  
Main Mechanism ◽  
Clot Lysis ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Digestion Time ◽  
Normal Volunteers ◽  
Casein Solution ◽  
The Mean

SummaryThe plasminogen content was determined by a casein method in plasma and serum from 20 normal volunteers. The mean plasminogen content was found to be 10.1 ACU (the arbitrary caseinolytic unit defined in such a way that using a 3% casein solution and a digestion time of 20 min. at 37°C, 10 ACU gave an extinction of 0.300). No difference between serum and plasma regarding the plasminogen content was found.Plasminogen was determined in drained and drained plus washed clots prepared from 2 ml plasma. The highest values found in the drained clots were 0.9 ACU/clot and 0.2 ACU/clot in the drained plus washed clots.Plasminogen was also determined in drained and drained plus washed clots prepared from plasma with added purified plasminogen. The plasminogen was recovered in the washing fluid. According to these tests, then, purified added plasminogen is washed out of the clots.The plasminogen content of 20 thrombi obtained post mortem was also determined. The mean value was found to be 0.7 ACU/cm thrombus. Judging from our results, the “intrinsic clot lysis theory” is not the main mechanism of clot dissolution.

Procedures for the Quantitative Determination of Autoprothrombin C

1962 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 434-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmond R Cole ◽  
Ewa Marciniak ◽  
Walter H Seegers
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Determination ◽  
Plasma Sample ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
The Other ◽  
Clotting Time ◽  
Bovine Plasma ◽  
Autoprothrombin C

SummaryTwo quantitative procedures for autoprothrombin C are described. In one of these purified prothrombin is used as a substrate, and the activity of autoprothrombin C can be measured even if thrombin is in the preparation. In this procedure a reaction mixture is used wherein the thrombin titer which develops in 20 minutes is proportional to the autoprothrombin C in the reaction mixture. A unit is defined as the amount which will generate 70 units of thrombin in the standardized reaction mixture. In the other method thrombin interferes with the result, because a standard bovine plasma sample is recalcified and the clotting time is noted. Autoprothrombin C shortens the clotting time, and the extent of this is a quantitative measure of autoprothrombin C activity.

Determination of Factor XIII Activity and of Factor XIII Inhibitors Using an Ammonium-Sensitive Electrode

1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (02) ◽  
pp. 563-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Hellstern ◽  
K Schilz ◽  
G von Blohn ◽  
E Wenzel
Keyword(s):  
Factor Xiii ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
The Other ◽  
Activity Measurement ◽  
Factor Xiii Deficiency ◽  
Assay Procedure ◽  
Stabilization Factor ◽  
Release Method ◽  
Sensitive Electrode

SummaryAn assay for rapid factor XIII activity measurement has been developed based on the determination of the ammonium released during fibrin stabilization. Factor XIII was activated by thrombin and calcium. Ammonium was measured by an ammonium-sensitive electrode. It was demonstrated that the assay procedure yields accurate and precise results and that factor XIII-catalyzed fibrin stabilization can be measured kinetically. The amount of ammonium released during the first 90 min of fibrin stabilization was found to be 7.8 ± 0.5 moles per mole fibrinogen, which is in agreement with the findings of other authors. In 15 normal subjects and in 15 patients suffering from diseases with suspected factor XIII deficiency there was a satisfactory correlation between the results obtained by the “ammonium-release-method”, Bohn’s method, and the immunological assay (r1 = 0.65; r2= 0.70; p<0.01). In 3 of 5 patients with paraproteinemias the values of factor XIII activity determined by the ammonium-release method were markedly lower than those estimated by the other methods. It could be shown that inhibitor mechanisms were responsible for these discrepancies.

Determination of the Number of Conserved Chromosomal Segments Between Species

Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 1387-1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhir Kumar ◽  
Sudhindra R Gadagkar ◽  
Alan Filipski ◽  
Xun Gu
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
The Other ◽  
Segment Length ◽  
Human Genomes ◽  
Genomic Divergence ◽  
Human And Mouse

AbstractGenomic divergence between species can be quantified in terms of the number of chromosomal rearrangements that have occurred in the respective genomes following their divergence from a common ancestor. These rearrangements disrupt the structural similarity between genomes, with each rearrangement producing additional, albeit shorter, conserved segments. Here we propose a simple statistical approach on the basis of the distribution of the number of markers in contiguous sets of autosomal markers (CSAMs) to estimate the number of conserved segments. CSAM identification requires information on the relative locations of orthologous markers in one genome and only the chromosome number on which each marker resides in the other genome. We propose a simple mathematical model that can account for the effect of the nonuniformity of the breakpoints and markers on the observed distribution of the number of markers in different conserved segments. Computer simulations show that the number of CSAMs increases linearly with the number of chromosomal rearrangements under a variety of conditions. Using the CSAM approach, the estimate of the number of conserved segments between human and mouse genomes is 529 ± 84, with a mean conserved segment length of 2.8 cM. This length is &lt;40% of that currently accepted for human and mouse genomes. This means that the mouse and human genomes have diverged at a rate of ∼1.15 rearrangements per million years. By contrast, mouse and rat are diverging at a rate of only ∼0.74 rearrangements per million years.

scholarly journals Determination of the Height of Hard X-Ray Sources in the Solar Atmosphere by Measurement of Photospheric Albedo Photons

1975 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 239-241
Author(s):  
John C. Brown ◽  
H. F. Van Beek
Keyword(s):  
Solar Atmosphere ◽  
The Other ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Source Models ◽  
The One

SummaryThe importance and difficulties of determining the height of hard X-ray sources in the solar atmosphere, in order to distinguish source models, have been discussed by Brown and McClymont (1974) and also in this Symposium (Brown, 1975; Datlowe, 1975). Theoretical predictions of this height, h, range between and 105 km above the photosphere for different models (Brown and McClymont, 1974; McClymont and Brown, 1974). Equally diverse values have been inferred from observations of synchronous chromospheric EUV bursts (Kane and Donnelly, 1971) on the one hand and from apparently behind-the-limb events (e.g. Datlowe, 1975) on the other.

Determination of Sulfaquinoxaline, Sulfathiazole, Sulfamerazine, and Sulfamethazine in Feed Concentrates or Premixes

1973 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1475-1479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ugo R Cieri
Keyword(s):  
Silica Gel ◽  
The Other ◽  
Uv Absorbance ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Sulfaquinoxaline is determined by its UV absorbance at about 358 nm, where the other 3 sulfonamides do not absorb. Sulfathiazole, sulfamerazine, and sulfamethazine are determined by a quantitative TLC procedure, based on the separation of the compounds on silica gel plates; the spots are extracted and the centrifuged extracts are analyzed spectro-photometrically. A method of calculating the total sulfonamide content, independent of the individual components, is also introduced.

scholarly journals VIII. On the descending degenerations which follow lesions of the gyrus marginalis and gyrus fornicatus in monkeys

1889 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 331-354
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Cerebral Lesions ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Grant

The following paper contains the record of an investigation into the degenerations which follow lesions of the gyrus marginalis and gyrus fornicatus in Monkeys. The work has been carried on under my direction by Mr. France, with the aid of a grant from the Government Grant Fund, and represents part of a long investigation into the degenerations which follow artificially produced cerebral lesions, the material for which has been furnished by cases operated upon in conjunction respectively with Professor V. Horsley and Dr. Sanger Brown. These cases and the physiological results of the operations have already been published in the ‘Philosophical Transactions.’ The experiments here dealt with, twelve in number, comprise only the lesions of the gyrus marginalis and gyrus fornicatus, and, with one exception (case 12), are taken from the series of experiments performed in conjunction with Mr. Horsley. Of the twelve cases, six were of removal, or attempted removal, of the gyrus marginalis, and six of removal, or attempted removal, of the gyrus fornicatus. But in only one or two instances was the lesion, as determined by post-mortem examination, exactly limited to the convolution which it was attempted to remove, for in most cases the adjacent gyrus was to a certain extent involved in the injury. This was especially the case when removal of the gyrus fornicatus had been attempted, on account of its deep situation, and the difficulty of getting at it without some manipulation of the superjacent gyrus. Nevertheless, the removal of one or the other gyrus was sufficiently complete in all the cases here selected to produce characteristic symptoms and characteristic descending degenerations.

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