Curvilinear fractures in burned remains: an assessment of the relationship between fracture convexity and fire directionality

Burned remains present a challenge for forensic anthropologists due to the variable nature of fires, the unique way fires impact remains, and the impact of heat changes on the analysis of the remains. A topic of extensive study is the fracture patterns seen in burned remains. Curvilinear fractures are one type of fracture that was originally discussed in the context of studying the preburned state of remains (Baby, 1954; Binford, 1963; Buikstra and Swegle, 1989). These fractures are thought to be created through the kinetic energy generated as muscles shrink and pull on the periosteum, fracturing the bone below (Symes et al., 2008). The convexity of the curvilinear fracture has been theorized to indicate the direction heat moved along bone and, more specifically, points towards the direction of the heat source (Pope, 2007; Symes et al., 2008). To assess the relationship between fracture convexity and fire directionality, the limbs of four sheep were burned in pairs with the dorsal side down and the caudal end away from the origin of the fire. During the burns, video footage was recorded and observation notes were taken. Qualitative observations were summarized using the burn notes, videos, and recovered bones. These observations documented the pattern of limb destruction and movement, color and uniformity of the burn pattern per bone, and all instances of curvilinear fractures and the direction of these fractures. A total of 18 curvilinear fractures were seen on 17 of the 56 bones examined. Of these 18 fractures, 14 were convex distally which was the predicted direction and four were convex proximally. An a posteriori power analysis was conducted and found that a sample size of 32 would be needed for a repetition of this study to have high power and effect size. In this preliminary study, conclusions suggest that curvilinear fractures are not related to fire directionality but likely indicate how heat moves along a bone. With a larger sample size, there are many avenues to further assess how curvilinear fractures are created and what information they can contribute to the anthropological analysis of burned remains

An Examination of Pre-major Health Student\u27s Readiness for Interprofessional Education at a Technical College

Interprofessional education (IPE) can be defined as knowledge gained when two or more professionals (or students) learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes (World Health Organization, 2010). The ultimate goal of IPE is to improve patient care outcomes through the promotion of teamwork, and through collaboration between various healthcare professionals. The current literature supports the notion that the concept of IPE should be initiated as early in the educational process as possible, and sustained throughout a student’s education. This study examined a group of early career health sciences students at a local technical college. Participants’ knowledge of IPE and perceived readiness to enter an IPE program were tested before and after working on an online instructional module focused on IPE with a health science focus. Participants’ knowledge of IPE and perceived readiness to enter an IPE program were tested before and after working on an online instructional module focused on IPE with a health science focus. Participants’ knowledge of IPE and perceived readiness to enter an IPE program were tested before and after working on an online instructional module focused on IPE with a health science focus. Results showed significant increases in participants’ perceived readiness to enter the profession from pretest to posttest, although these could not be attributed to the intervention; and results showed generally low levels of participants’ knowledge surrounding IPE

The Relationship Between the Number of Shots and the Quality of Gamma Knife Radiosurgeries

Radiosurgery is a non-invasive alternative to brain surgery that uses a single focused application of high radiation to destroy intracerebral target tissues. A Gamma Knife delivers such treatments by using 201 cylindrically collimated cobalt-60 sources that are arranged in a hemispherical pattern and aimed to a common focal point. The accumulation of radiation at the focal point, called a \shot due to the spherical nature of the dose distribution, is used to ablate (or destroy) target tissue in the brain. If the target is small and spherical, it is easily treated by choosing one of four available collimators (4, 8, 14, or 18 mm). For large, irregular targets, multiple shots are typically required to treat the entire lesion, and the process of determining the optimal arrangement and number of shots is complex. In this research, fast simulated annealing and a novel objective function are used to investigate the relationship between the number of shots and the quality of the resulting treatment. Sets of 5, 10, 25, 50, and an unrestricted number of shots are studied for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). As the shot limit increases the following improvements in plan quality are observed: the conformity of the prescription isodose line increases, the lesion dose becomes more homogeneous, and an increase use of smaller collimators to deposit dose. Large improvements in plan quality are realized by increasing the number of shots from 5 to 50, and to achieve a similar magnitude of improvement past 50 requires an increase over 1500 shots for the complex lesion investigated. This observation suggests that it is clinically valuable to improve the Gamma Knife\u27s delivery capabilities so that 50 shot treatments are possible

Electrochemical Studies of Fluorenone in Ionic Liquids and Aprotic Solvents

The electrochemical behavior of 9-fluorenone in acetonitrile / tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEA BF 4 ) solutions has been explored by additions of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIm BF 4 ) and the proton donor 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP). The effect of EMIm BF 4 addition was found to be consistent with complexation of the dianion of 9-fluorenone by the EMIm cation, causing a positive shift of the second reduction process. Addition of HFIP as proton donor, on the other hand, caused the formation of a single reduction process near the first fluorenone reduction process

Kupeantha (Coffeeae, Rubiaceae), a new genus from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea

Two new coffee relatives (tribe Coffeeae, Rubiaceae), discovered during botanical expeditions to Cameroon, are examined for generic placement, and the placement of three previously known species (Argocoffeopsis fosimondi, A. spathulata and Calycosiphonia pentamera) is reinvestigated using plastid sequence (accD-psa1, rpl16, trnL-F) and morphological data. Seed biochemistry of the new species and pollen micromorphology (only one of the two species) are also studied. Based on the plastid sequence data, the new taxa are nested in a wellsupported monophyletic group that includes Argocoffeopsis and Calycosiphonia. Within this clade, three well-supported subclades are recovered that are morphologically easy to diagnose: (1) Calycosiphonia (excluding C. pentamera), (2) Argocoffeopsis (excluding A. fosimondi and A. spathulata), and (3) a clade including the above excluded species, in addition to the new species. Based on the results, Kupeantha, a new genus of five species, is described, including two new Critically Endangered taxa from the Highlands of Cameroon: Kupeantha ebo and K. kupensis. Phytochemical analysis of Kupeantha seeds reveals compounds assigned as hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, amino acids and ent-kaurane diterpenoids; caffeine was not detected. Kupeantha is the first new genus described in tribe Coffeeae in 40 years