Gunshot residues found at the exit wound: a case report.

Gunshot residues (GSRs) play an important role in forensic investigations of gun-related violence. The presence of GSRs has been described to help to identify the bullet entry area, as it was supposed not to be found at exit wounds. This report details the suicidal headshot of an 84-year-old male where unburned tube-like, cuboid and flake-formed powder particles have been found not only at the inside of the muzzle but also circular around the exit wound. With very short-barrelled weapons, it must be expected that part of the propellant charge leaves the barrel unburned behind the bullet. In contrast to that, the barrel length of the used weapon should lead to a complete burn-up of powder particles. The surprisingly large number of unburned powder particles present at the exit wound of the injury gave reason for further investigation to understand the underlying ballistic aspects and outlines the importance of having a close look at incidence scene photos during an investigation

Der Nutzen von Feldenkrais-Klassen, um das Gleichgewicht von älteren Personen zu verbessern: ein systematischer Review

Kontext: Eine regelmässige physische Betätigung ist essentiell für ältere Leute, um eine gute Funktionsfähigkeit und Selbständigkeit zu bewahren. Dabei kommt insbesondere dem Gleichgewicht eine hohe Bedeutung zu, sind doch Stürze die häufigsten Unfälle im Alter. Die Feldenkrais-Methode (FM) basiert auf Prinzipien des motorischen Lernens und zielt auf ein höheres Körperverständnis, ein erweitertes Bewegungsrepertoire und eine bessere Bewegungsfähigkeit ab. Dies legt nahe, dass es sich um ein gewinnbringendes Programm für die alternde Population handeln könnte. Ziel: Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war, zu untersuchen, ob die FM nützt, um das Gleichgewicht bei älteren Personen zu verbessern. Methode: Eine systematische Literatursuche wurde in PubMed, Cinahl, Cochrane Library und PEDro durchgeführt. Resultate: 7 Studien entsprachen den Einschlusskriterien. Diskussion: 4 Studien hatten eine brauchbare methodologische Qualität, waren aber grösstenteils mit dem erheblichen Risiko von Verzerrungen verbunden. Diese Studien fanden signifikant positive Effekte beim Gleichgewicht, bei der Gleichgewichtszuversicht und bei der Mobilität. Die Ergebnisse wurden zum Teil durch kleine Effektgrössen relativiert. Keine Studie fand eine signifikante Verschlechterung. Konklusion: Die FM kann für ältere Leute, die das Gleichgewicht verbessern möchten, empfohlen werden. Die aktuelle Evidenz ist erfolgversprechend, jedoch tief. Es wird zusätzliche Forschung nach Best Practice benötigt

Characterisation of the key-aroma compounds among the volatile constituents in different hemp strains (Cannabis sativa L.)

The key-aroma compounds and the volatile constituents of the flowers of three different industrial hemp varieties (KC Virtus, Felina 32 and Santhica 70) grown during a field study in Switzerland, have been analysed by means of Gas Chromatography Olfactometry (GC-O) and Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) in fresh flower samples at different time points of plant growth. The GC-O analysis revealed 33 different odour-active compounds, whereas most of these compounds were detectable in all three hemp cultivars, with different odour intensities. Not only terpenes but also compounds from other substance classes were detected as odour-active constituents. The GC-MS analysis of the terpene constitution in the same samples revealed cultivar-specific differences among the main volatile constituents. Furthermore, changes in the terpene profile could be observed during plant growth. Overall, it could be shown that the flowers of industrial hemp varieties can be regarded as a valuable source of aroma compounds for future food and beverage application

Evolution of the polyphenol and terpene content, antioxidant activity and plant morphology of eight different fiber-type cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. cultivated at three sowing densities

The chemical composition of the inflorescences of eight different fibre-type Cannabis sativa L. cultivars grown in Switzerland was monitored for different sowing densities over the season 2019. HPLC-MS, GC-MS and GC-FID, as well as spectrophotometric techniques were used to measure the total phenolic content (TPC) and the antioxidative activity of the inflorescence extracts, and to characterise and quantify the flavonoids and terpenes produced by the different cultivars over different sowing densities from July to September 2019. The main finding of the present study is that the TPC, as well as the individual flavonoids and terpenes, were mainly influenced by the harvest period and the phenological stage of the plant. The content of polyphenols and flavonoids decrease during the flower development for all cultivars studied. The terpene content increased with maturation. The monoterpenes/sesquiterpenes ratio also changed between the early flowering (majority of sesquiterpenes) and the end of flowering (majority of monoterpenes). The sowing density showed an impact on plant morphology, a low density such as 30 seeds/m2 influencing the production of bigger flowers, thus increasing the yield of polyphenols and terpenes production. Therefore, hemp inflorescences can be regarded as valuable by-products of fibre production, for their valorisation in the food and beverage industry in addition to cosmetics and perfumery

Novel time- and location-independent postharvest treatment of cocoa beans : investigations on the aroma formation during “moist incubation” of unfermented and dried cocoa nibs and comparison to traditional fermentation

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.9b06119.The aroma properties of cocoa nibs obtained by applying a novel postharvest treatment were investigated using methods of the molecular sensory science approach, i.e., solvent extraction and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation, aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), stable isotope dilution analysis, calculation of odor activity values (OAVs), and orthonasal sensory evaluation; those properties were then compared to the unfermented and dried raw material and a traditionally fermented sample of the same harvest. For the treatment, unfermented and dried cocoa nibs were, first, rehydrated with lactic acid and ethanol solution to adjust the pH value to 5.1 and, second, incubated under aerobic conditions for 72 h at 45 °C and subsequently dried. This treatment was used to induce enzymatic reactions within the cotyledon matrix, which also occur inside the bean during microbial fermentation of the surrounding fruit pulp. The results of the AEDA showed that many of the key aroma compounds found in fermented and dried cocoa increased during the incubation treatment. Especially some “fruity” esters were found with an equal or even higher flavor dilution (FD) factor in the incubated sample compared to the fermented sample, whereas the fermented sample showed high FD factors for “pungent, sour” and “sweaty” acids, such as acetic acid and 2- and 3-methylbutanoic acids. The quantitative data and calculated OAVs for the samples supported the findings of the AEDA, underlining the potential of this approach as a controllable and reproducible alternative postharvest treatment

Structural relaxation of E' gamma centers in amorphous silica

We report experimental evidence of the existence of two variants of the E' gamma centers induced in silica by gamma rays at room temperature. The two variants are distinguishable by the fine features of their line shapes in paramagnetic resonance spectra. These features suggest that the two E' gamma differ for their topology. We find a thermally induced interconversion between the centers with an activation energy of about 34 meV. Hints are also found for the existence of a structural configuration of minimum energy and of a metastable state.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

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Injuries in Ice Hockey: A Questionnaire Survey in Second League Amateur Ice Hockey Players in the Canton of Bern (Switzerland)

Hintergrund Zweikämpfe an der Bande oder Kontakt mit dem Puck, Eishockeyschläger oder Schlittschuhen können Verletzungen bei Eishockeyspielern verursachen. Für eine adäquate Prävention von Verletzungen und Planung des Verletzungsmanagements ist eine gute epidemiologische Datenlage notwendig. In der Schweiz fehlen bis dato solche epidemiologischen Daten im Amateur-Eishockey. Diese Arbeit hatte das Ziel, die Verletzungshäufigkeit, Verletzungslokalisationen, Verletzungsart, Schweregrad, Verletzungsmechanismen, Präventionsmaßnahmen sowie Zugang zu Erstversorgung nach einer Verletzung in Zweitliga-Amateur-Eishockeymannschaften des Kantons Bern aufzuzeigen. Probanden/Methodik Diese deskriptive Studie wurde mittels einer retrospektiven, selbstrapportierten Fragebogenerhebung am Ende der Saison 2017/18 durchgeführt. Erhoben wurden anthropometrische Merkmale, Angaben zum Trainings- und Wettkampfvolumen, zur Verletzungshäufigkeit, Verletzungslokalisationen, Verletzungsart, Schweregrad, Verletzungsmechanismen und Präventionsmaßnahmen sowie zur klinischen Versorgung im Fall einer Verletzung. Ergebnisse 86 von 96 Fragebögen konnten ausgewertet werden. Während der letzten 12 Monate verletzten sich 44 Spieler 1-mal und 5 Spieler 2-mal. Die Verletzungshäufigkeit betrug im Training 0,7 Verletzungen pro 1000 Stunden und im Wettkampf 4,7 pro 1000 Stunden. Die meist genannten Verletzungslokalisationen waren Knie (17,9 %), Fuß (14,3 %), Kopf (12,5 %) und Schulter (10,7 %). Verletzungen wurden vorwiegend durch externe Faktoren produziert. Distorsionen, Frakturen und Kontusionen waren die häufigsten Verletzungsarten. 19 Verletzungen hatten eine Auszeit von mehr als 4 Wochen zur Folge („schwer“). Schlussfolgerung Die Verletzungshäufigkeit war im Wettkampf 6,35-mal höher im Vergleich zum Training. Die Hälfte aller Verletzungen wurde in der unteren Extremität lokalisiert, davon 18 % am Knie. 19 Verletzungen wurden als „schwer“ eingestuft. Verletzungen wurden vorwiegend durch externe Faktoren produziert. Mögliche Präventionsmaßnahmen sind Fördern von Fairplay, das Anpassen von Spielregeln, Förderung zum Tragen von Schutzausrüstung, das Üben des peripheren Sehens und Krafttraining für die Rumpf- und Beinmuskulatur. Um die Vergleichbarkeit solcher Studien zu erhöhen, ist das Handhaben von standardisierten Definitionen bzgl. „Verletzung“ und „Verletzungsschweregrad“ notwendig.Background High speed, fights at the hard boarder or contact with the puck, hockey sticks or skates may cause injuries in ice hockey players. Precise knowledge of epidemiologic data is needed for adequate prevention of hockey injuries and to plan their management. In Switzerland, to date, such epidemiological data are not available for amateur ice hockey. The aim of this study was to evaluate injury frequency, injury location, type of injury, injury severity and injury mechanisms, prevention measures and access to care in case of injury in second division amateur ice hockey teams of the Canton of Bern. Subjects/Methodology This descriptive study was conducted using a retrospective, self-reported questionnaire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Anthropometric characteristics, training and competition volume, injury frequency, injury location, type of injury, injury severity, injury mechanisms and preventive measures as well as access to clinical care in case of injury were assessed. Results Eighty-six out of 96 questionnaires could be evaluated. During the previous 12 months, 44 players were injured once and five players were injured twice. The injury frequency during training was 0.7 injuries per 1000 hours; during competition it was 4.7 per 1000 hours. The four most often reported injury locations were knee (17.9 %), foot (14.3 %), head (12.5 %) and shoulder (10.7 %). Injuries were mainly produced by external factors. Distortions, fractures and contusions were the most common types of injuries. Nineteen injuries resulted in a break of more than four weeks (“severe injury”). Conclusion The injury frequency was 6.35 times higher during competition as compared with training. Half of all injuries were located in the lower limb. Nineteen injuries were classified as “severe”. Injuries were mainly produced by external factors. Possible prevention measures include promoting fair play, adapting the rules of the game, promoting the use of protective equipment, practising peripheral vision, and strengthening the trunk and leg muscles. To increase the comparability of such studies, the use of standardised definitions concerning “injury” and “injury severity” is necessary