One person with two DNA profiles: a(nother) case of mosaicism or chimerism

Nuclear DNA markers, such as short tandem repeats (STR), are widely used for crime investigation and paternity testing. STR were used to determine whether a piece of tissue regurgitated by a dog was part of the penis of a dead, emasculated, man. Unexpectedly, when analyzing the recovered material and a blood sample from the deceased, five out of the 18 loci differed. According to the results, one could have concluded that these samples originated from two different persons. However, taking into account contextual information and data from complementary genetic analyses, the most likely hypothesis was that the deceased was a genetic mosaic or a chimera. Within a forensic genetic context, such genetic peculiarities may prevent associating the perpetrator of an offense with a stain left at a crime scene or lead to false paternity exclusions. Fast recognition of mosaics or chimeras, adapted sampling scheme, as well as careful interpretation of the data should allow avoiding such pitfall

Ruptured pseudo-aneurysm of a femoral artery in a drug abuser revealed by post-mortem CT angiography

A 35-year-old drug addict was found dead in a public toilet with a ruptured groin, which was later diagnosed to be a leaking pseudo-aneurysm. Investigation at the scene revealed impressive external hemorrhage related to a groin wound. Post-mortem computed tomography angiography demonstrated an aneurysm of the right femoral artery with leak of contrast liquid. Signs of blood loss were evident at autopsy, and histological examination revealed necrosis and rupture of the pseudo-aneurysm. Toxicological analyses were positive for methadone, cocaine, citalopram, and benzodiazepines. This is the first case report in the literature of a ruptured femoral pseudo-aneurysm with a post-mortem radiological diagnosi

ANALISIS MAKRO EKONOMI SEBELUM DAN SESUDAH PENERAPAN REDENOMINASI MATA UANG

Rencana redenominasi rupiah di Indonesia menjadikan pengalaman beberapa negara yang telah menerapkan redenominasi mata uang penting untuk ditinjau dari sisi makro ekonomi saat sebelum dan sesudah redenominasi sehingga menjadi dasar pertimbangan bagi Indonesia mengambil keputusan dalam rencana penerapan redenominasi rupiah. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui ada tidaknya perbedaan kondisi inflasi, nilai tukar, ekspor, penanaman modal asing (PMA) dan pertumbuhan ekonomi 1 tahun sebelum dan 1 tahun sesudah menerapkan redenominasi pada 20 negara yang telah menerapkan redenominasi. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif dengan alat analisis uji beda dua rata-rata sampel berpasangan. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa pada variabel nilai tukar terdapat perbedaan antara sebelum dan sesudah redenominasi yaitu nilai tukar semakin lemah setelah penerapan redenominasi, sedangkan pada variabel inflasi, ekspor, PMA, dan pertumbuhan ekonomi tidak terdapat perbedaan sebelum dan sesudah redenominasi. Rupiah redenomination which planned by Indonesia make the experience of countries that have implemented the currency redenomination is important to be reviewed in terms of macroeconomic before and after the redenomination so that it becomes a basic consideration for Indonesia to take decisions in the plan of implementation rupiah redenomination. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is difference in the conditions of inflation, exchange rate, exports, foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth in the current 1 year before and 1 year after implementing the redenomination in the 20 countries that have implemented the currency redenomination. This study used a quantitative method, with analysis dependent sample t-test which showed that there is a difference between before and after redenomination in exchange rate variable is getting weaker after the implementation of the redenomination, while there is no difference before and after the redenomination in inflation, exports, FDI, and economic growth

One person with two DNA profiles: a(nother) case of mosaicism or chimerism.

Nuclear DNA markers, such as short tandem repeats (STR), are widely used for crime investigation and paternity testing. STR were used to determine whether a piece of tissue regurgitated by a dog was part of the penis of a dead, emasculated, man. Unexpectedly, when analyzing the recovered material and a blood sample from the deceased, five out of the 18 loci differed. According to the results, one could have concluded that these samples originated from two different persons. However, taking into account contextual information and data from complementary genetic analyses, the most likely hypothesis was that the deceased was a genetic mosaic or a chimera. Within a forensic genetic context, such genetic peculiarities may prevent associating the perpetrator of an offense with a stain left at a crime scene or lead to false paternity exclusions. Fast recognition of mosaics or chimeras, adapted sampling scheme, as well as careful interpretation of the data should allow avoiding such pitfalls

Driver behaviour analysis through simulation

Human error is one of the principal influencing factors that lead to road accidents, and is attributed to increased mental workload induced by distractions such as advertisements and in-vehicle music. Workload, however, is characterized by intrinsic properties and hence difficult to be observed and quantified. Phenotype behaviours, such as lateral deviations, speed and headway, act as good indicators of driver workload and driving style. Driving simulators emerged as a promising technology for the analysis of driving conditions and road users' behaviour in an attempt to tackle the problem of road accidents. However, the cost of designing or owning a simulator to conduct a safety analysis is prohibitive for many government agencies. The work presented herein demonstrates the design and development of a driving simulator, using a 3D game engine. The simulator was employed to analyze the driving behaviours of local road users for a chosen black spot in Nicosia-Cyprus. Data collected from the experiments were analyzed and preliminary results are presented along with conclusions. © 2013 IEEE

Imaginario y Tecnologías Digitales: el sueño del receptor activo

En este trabajo nos proponemos hacer una reflexión sobre las tecnologías digitales y los imaginarios sociales que se generan en torno a ellos. En particular, trabajamos sobre el fenómeno de la inserción de TIC en el ámbito educativo, tomando como caso una universidad en la que se fomenta el uso de herramientas digitales como soporte pedagógico. El argumento que orienta esta práctica es que las posibilidades de acceso a la información conducen a la generación de nuevas formas de interacción que independizan las prácticas educativas de los contextos espaciales y temporales. Estas, a su vez, favorecen la autogestión, la integración de la tecnología, la colaboración, la creatividad y las cualidades emprendedoras. A partir de estas expresiones, parece emerger la idea de que los estudiantes tienen ahora la posibilidad de volverse más activos, más protagonistas de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje gracias a las nuevas tecnologías. Para poder reflexionar sobre estas cuestiones, nos resulta interesante poner en cuestión esta idea de recepción activa vinculada a las prácticas que los jóvenes realizan con las tecnologías digitales en sus experiencias de aprendizaje universitarias relacionándolas con los conceptos de autonomía de Cornelius Castoriadis (1999) y de ensoñación de Daniel Horacio Cabrera Altieri (2011), constructos teóricos que nos permiten acercarnos a los imaginarios que circulan en torno a la tecnología en la sociedad contemporánea.status: publishe

Determination of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Postmortem Samples in Ectopic Pregnancies

Increased human chorionic gonadotropin levels (HCG) can be detected in femoral blood, bile, and vitreous humor collected during autopsy of pregnant women using a standard kit designed for living patients. In the study herein, the concentrations of HCG were measured in postmortem serum, vitreous, bile, cerebrospinal, and pericardial fluids in 4 cases of fatal ectopic pregnancy and 40 controls using a quantitative electrochemiluminescence immunoassay designed for living patients. No false-negative cases were identified in any of the analyzed samples in any of the ectopic pregnancy cases. No correlations were found between total HCG levels in postmortem serum and the other tested specimens. The results of this study would suggest that higher HCG in bile, vitreous, pericardial, and cerebrospinal fluids may confirm the existence of ectopic pregnancy and therefore identify other situations in which this hormone is increased, although gestational age cannot be reliably estimated using these values

Las redes sociales en los estudiantes universitarios. Representaciones sociales y prácticas educativas

En este trabajo abordamos la problemática de las percepciones y el uso de las redes sociales en el ámbito educativo que presentan los alumnos de nivel universitario. Analizamos de qué manera estos sujetos se apropian de las redes sociales en sus procesos de aprendizaje formales y qué representaciones sociales construyen en torno a este fenómeno. La sociedad contemporánea se encuentra en una fase de transformación, producto de innovaciones económicas, políticas, tecnológicas y culturales. Es por esto que surgen nuevos desafíos y problemáticas que demandan la atención de distintos actores sociales. En este marco, el desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación ha configurado nuevos modos de relacionamiento entre los sujetos, lo que ha despertado el interés de numerosos estudiosos de lo social. En este sentido, la educación, como actividad social, también está atravesada por estas nuevas posibilidades que brindan las herramientas digitales. Las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación son un elemento muy importante en la vida de los jóvenes porque a través de ellas realizan sus consumos simbólicos, construyen y reconstruyen sus identidades, amplían sus relaciones y establecen interacción a distancia. Por lo tanto, analizar el uso que los estudiantes universitarios hacen de las redes sociales tiene que ver no con la idea de consumo, sino con la idea de esa relación entre los sujetos y los medios que se configura a partir de la representación social que se va constituyendo.status: publishe

Postmortem findings in bone cement implantation syndrome-related deaths

Several mechanisms have been postulated as potentially involved in life-threatening complications during cemented surgery. In this study, we evaluated the role of anaphylaxis and pulmonary fat embolism in the pathophysiology of bone cement implantation syndrome in a series of fatal cases that underwent medicolegal investigations. Postmortem findings in these cases were compared with those obtained from individuals who died after other injuries and/or interventions and in which activated mast cells and pulmonary fat embolism were involved in the pathogenesis of death. Fifty subjects were selected including 6 individuals who had undergone cemented total hip arthroplasty and died intraoperatively, 32 subjects who died shortly after being involved in traffic accidents, 8 individuals who died shortly after the injection of contrast material, and 4 subjects who had undergone orthopedic surgery and died postoperatively. Massive pulmonary fat embolism was determined to be the cause of death in all the 6 subjects who died intraoperatively as well as the main cause of death in traffic-road victims with rapid respiratory function deterioration. Mast cell activation was identified exclusively in the group of subjects who died shortly after contrast material administration. Massive pulmonary fat embolism appears to be the most important factor responsible for severe cardiorespiratory function deterioration during cemented arthroplasty. Cardiac comorbidities can also significantly influence the severity of intraoperative complications, thus corroborating the hypothesis of a multifactorial model in the pathogenesis of bone cement implantation syndrome. Copyright \uc2\ua9 2014 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins