Detecting grave sites from surface anomalies: A longitudinal study in an Australian woodland.

Forensic investigations of single and mass graves often use surface anomalies, including changes to soil and vegetation conditions, to identify potential grave locations. Though numerous resources describe surface anomalies in grave detection, few studies formally investigate the rate at which the surface anomalies return to a natural state; hence, the period the grave is detectable to observers. Understanding these processes can provide guidance as to when ground searches will be an effective strategy for locating graves. We studied three experimental graves and control plots in woodland at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (Sydney, Australia) to monitor the rate at which surface anomalies change following disturbance. After three years, vegetation cover on all grave sites and control plots had steadily increased but remained substantially less than undisturbed surroundings. Soil anomalies (depressions and cracking) were more pronounced at larger grave sites versus the smaller grave and controls, with leaf litterfall rendering smaller graves difficult to detect beyond 20 months. Similar results were observed in two concurrent burial studies, except where accelerated revegetation appeared to be influenced by mummified remains. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall may prolong the detection window for grave sites by hindering vegetation establishment. Observation of grave-indicator vegetation, which exhibited abnormally strong growth 10 months after commencement, suggests that different surface anomalies may have different detection windows. Our findings are environment-specific, but the concepts are applicable globally

Identification of beer spoilage microorganisms using the MALDI Biotyper platform

Published online: 9 February 2016Beer spoilage microorganisms present a major risk for the brewing industry and can lead to cost-intensive recall of contaminated products and damage to brand reputation. The applicability of molecular profiling using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in combination with Biotyper software was investigated for the identification of beer spoilage microorganisms from routine brewery quality control samples. Reference mass spectrum profiles for three of the most common bacterial beer spoilage microorganisms (Lactobacillus lindneri, Lactobacillus brevis and Pediococcus damnosus), four commercially available brewing yeast strains (top- and bottom-fermenting) and Dekkera/Brettanomyces bruxellensis wild yeast were established, incorporated into the Biotyper reference library and validated by successful identification after inoculation into beer. Each bacterial species could be accurately identified and distinguished from one another and from over 5600 other microorganisms present in the Biotyper database. In addition, wild yeast contaminations were rapidly detected and distinguished from top- and bottom-fermenting brewing strains. The applicability and integration of mass spectrometry profiling using the Biotyper platform into existing brewery quality assurance practices within industry were assessed by analysing routine microbiology control samples from a local brewery, where contaminating microorganisms could be reliably identified. Brewery-isolated microorganisms not present in the Biotyper database were further analysed for identification using LC-MS/MS methods. This renders the Biotyper platform a promising candidate for biological quality control testing within the brewing industry as a more rapid, high-throughput and cost-effective technology that can be tailored for the detection of brewery-specific spoilage organisms from the local environment.Michelle Elizabeth Turvey, Florian Weiland, Jon Meneses, Nick Sterenberg, Peter Hoffman

COVID-19 is associated with early emergence of preeclampsia: results from a large regional collaborative

Objective: To examine the relationship between COVID-19 and preeclampsia (PreE) in a large, diverse population. Study Design: The COVID-19 in Pregnancy and The Newborn: State of Michigan Collaborative established a database of pregnant patients admitted to 14 institutions in Southern Michigan. Patients with COVID-19 (cases) were matched to 2 or 3 non-COVID patients (controls) on the same unit within 30 days of each case. Relative Risks (RR) were calculated using robust Poisson regression models with adjustment for covariates. Chi-squared test for trend was used to assess the increase in risk with the severity of disease. Results: 369 cases and 1,090 controls were delivered between March - October 2020. An increased risk of PreE (RR=1.8), driven almost entirely by an increase in preterm PreE (pretermPreE) (RR=2.85) was observed in COVID pregnancies (Table 1), with a dose-response relationship with symptomatology and severity (Table 2). The associations between COVID-19 disease and PreE or pretermPreE were independent of other risk factors, as demonstrated by the minimal changes in RR after adjustment for confounders (Table 1). However, African American (AA) COVID patients experienced pretermPreE 1.9 times more than COVID patients of other races (10.1 vs 5.3), an increase not observed in control patients. The strength of the association for COVID with PreE was comparable to the association of PreE with chronic hypertension and nulliparity (data not shown). Increasing symptoms and severity of COVID-19 were associated with an increased risk for PreE with placental lesions, even after adjustment for relevant covariates (Tables 1 & 2). Non-PreE COVID patients had an increased trend of placental lesions compared to non-COVID patients, reaching significance for intravillous thrombin. Conclusion: COVID-19 is significantly associated with early emergence of PreE, independent of known risk factors other than AA race. Our study shows that among patients predisposed to PreE, COVID-19 impacts PreE severity in that it leads to pretermPreE. Further studies on COVID-19 and PreE, with a focus on racial disparities, is warranted

Racial Disparities and Risk for COVID-19 Among Pregnant Patients: Results from the Michigan Statewide Collaborative

Objective: Previous studies have looked at COVID-19 outcomes in pregnancy and racial disparities among patients with COVID-19, but few have studied racial disparities among pregnant patients with COVID-19. Our goal in this study is to analyze the relationship between race and disparate COVID-19 risk in pregnancy. Study Design: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on data collected as part of the COVID-19 in Pregnancy and The Newborn: State of Michigan Collaborative, a database of pregnant patients admitted to 14 institutions in Southern Michigan. Cases were defined as patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result. Controls, those with suspicion of COVID-19 prior to universal screening or a negative PCR test, were matched to cases on the same unit within 30 days of each case. For this analysis, the two primary groups of interest were non-Hispanic Black (Black) vs. non-Hispanic White (White) patients. Potential covariates were age, body mass index (BMI), chronic hypertension, diabetes, asthma, substance use, and smoking; the dependent variable was COVID/non-COVID in a robust Poisson regression model. In addition, 18 symptoms and disease severity (mild/moderate/severe) were compared between the Black and White groups using the same statistical method. Results: Of 1,131 gravidas, 42.9%(n=485) were Black. These patients were at two-fold greater risk for COVID-19 compared with their White counterparts [35.9% vs. 18.3%, RR=1.96(1.6-2.4)]. After adjusting for obesity and diabetes, the risk of COVID-19 in Black patients remained higher compared to the risk among White patients (aRR=2.46 [1.87-3.24]). There were no differences in symptoms nor severity of disease presentation between the groups. Conclusion: In our population, Black patients are more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 infection during pregnancy. This finding is not explained by a range of covariates. Other factors, such as social determinants of health, may be important to understand this disparity and warrant further examination

Electrophilic "Fischer Type" Phosphinidene Complexes of Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Ruthenium

Chloride abstraction from chloroaminophosphido complexes of molybdenum, tungsten, and ruthenium leads to the terminal aminophosphinidene complexes [Cp*(CO)3Mo(=PNiPr2)][AlCl4] (3), [Cp*(CO)3W(=PNiPr2)][AlCl4] (4), and [Cp*Ru(CO)2(=PNiPr2)][AlCl4] (6). These are the first structurally characterized examples of heteroatom-substituted phosphinidene complexes, and 6 is the first example of a late transition metal phosphinidene complex.NRC publication: Ye

Reactivity of Electrophilic Terminal Phosphinidene Complexes : P-P Bond Forming Reactions with Phosphines and Diphosphines

Reaction of the electrophilic phosphinidene complex [Cp*Mo(CO)3{PNiPr2}][AlCl4] with triethylphosphine results in reversible coordination of the phosphine to the phosphinidene phosphorus atom followed by carbonyl displacement at the metal. Phosphine-coordinated phosphinidene complexes with P-P bonds can be isolated by using diphosphines which coordinate first to the phosphinidene and then chelate to the phosphinidene and metal atoms.NRC publication: Ye

Terminal Aminophosphinidene Complexes of Iron, Ruthenium, and Osmium

The chloroaminophosphido complexes [Cp*M(CO)2{P(Cl)NiPr2}] (1, M = Fe; 2, M = Ru; 3, M = Os), formed by the reaction of [Cp*M(CO)2]- with iPr2NPCl2, undergo abstraction of chloride by aluminum trichloride, affording isolable, thermally stable, cationic terminal aminophosphinidene complexes [Cp*M(CO)2{PNiPr2}][AlCl4] (4, M = Fe; 5, M = Ru; 6, M = Os). The structures of all three complexes have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The iron complex 4 has historical significance, having been spectroscopically detected at low temperature in 1984, prior to the description of the first stable 1-phosphinidene complex, but not isolated or structurally characterized.NRC publication: Ye

The Synthesis and Reactivity of a Mixed Nitrosyl/Phosphinidene Cluster of Ruthenium. Formation of Nitride and Nitrene Clusters

NRC publication: Ye