Estimating the postmortem interval in forensic cases through the analysis of postmortem deterioration of human head hair

Establishing the postmortem interval (PMI) of a decedent is one of the most important responsibilities a forensic investigator may face. An accurate PMI may aid in the identification of not only the victim, but also a suspect. Although many methods for determining time since death have been proposed, there is still a need to establish more reliable dating techniques. This study determines whether head hair from an individual deteriorates uniformly and if so, what association cuticle damage, fungal growth, and changes in proximal end morphology may have with PMI. Fifteen to 25 scalp hairs were pulled from nine cadavers located in the outdoor field of the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility. In addition, 15 hairs were pulled from a living 59-year-old, Caucasian male to be used as a control. Each case was placed in a category for cuticle damage, fungal growth, and proximal end morphology through the use of microscopic observations. Chi-square tests were used to determine whether head hair from the same individual deteriorates uniformly, what association cuticle damage, fungal growth, and changes in proximal end morphology may have with PMI, and what association cuticle damage, fungal growth, and changes in proximal end morphology have with each other. This study demonstrates that head hair from the same individual deteriorates uniformly. In addition, fungal growth and changes in proximal end morphology have a significant association with PMI; conversely, cuticle damage and PMI have a nonsignificant relationship. A significant association exists between fungal growth and changes in proximal end morphology. On the other hand, the relationships between cuticle damage and fungal growth, and cuticle damage and changes in proximal end morphology were not significant. Utilized in conjunction with other dating methods, the observations of fungal growth and changes in proximal end morphology of human head hair may prove beneficial in estimating a PMI

Understanding Antarctica - 50 years of British Scientific Monitoring (1959-2009)

Science has always been at the centre of human endeavour in Antarctica. It is just over 50 years since the International Geophysical Year (1957-58) established many of the long-term research and monitoring programmes now undertaken there. On the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, and on completion of International Polar Year (2007-08), it is timely to reflect on the importance of Antarctic monitoring and look to its future. Over the past 50 years, long-term environmental monitoring by the British Antarctic Survey, part of the Natural Environment Research Council, and UK universities has resulted in many important discoveries, such as the hole in the ozone layer and the rapid melting of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. Research on areas such as climate change and ice-sheet-linked sea-level rise clearly demonstrate the global importance of Antarctic science. As an active collaborator working with scientists from other Antarctic Treaty nations, the UK has achieved more than would have been possible working alone. It is essential to continue to monitor the Antarctic environment, parts of which are warming faster than anywhere else on the planet. There are also areas of science about which we have little understanding and which require new long-term research. These include surveying the deep sea, understanding the causes and effects of ocean acidification in the Southern Ocean and predicting the future of Antarctica’s ice sheets, which play a key role in determining global sea level. This publication presents examples of discoveries by UK scientists that have resulted from long-term environmental monitoring

100 years of British Military Psychology (From Myers to the MoD)

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Interactions between glaciers and rivers in the Pleistocene Mediterranean

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Which Triggers Produce the Most Erosive, Frequent, and Longest Runout Turbidity Currents on Deltas?

Subaerial rivers and turbidity currents are the two most voluminous sediment transport processes on our planet, and it is important to understand how they are linked offshore from river mouths. Previously, it was thought that slope failures or direct plunging of river floodwater (hyperpycnal flow) dominated the triggering of turbidity currents on delta fronts. Here we reanalyze the most detailed time‐lapse monitoring yet of a submerged delta; comprising 93 surveys of the Squamish Delta in British Columbia, Canada. We show that most turbidity currents are triggered by settling of sediment from dilute surface river plumes, rather than landslides or hyperpycnal flows. Turbidity currents triggered by settling plumes occur frequently, run out as far as landslide‐triggered events, and cause the greatest changes to delta and lobe morphology. For the first time, we show that settling from surface plumes can dominate the triggering of hazardous submarine flows and offshore sediment fluxes