The importance of increasing the forensic relevance of oral health records for improved human identification outcomes

First published online 4 April 2017Dental comparison can confirm human identity to a high degree of certainty. Research examining Australian-made records demonstrated suboptimal recording of dental traits important for forensic dental identification and compliance with Dental Board of Australia (DBA) record keeping guidelines. This is a significant issue for human identification by dental comparison; lack of adequate antemortem information can hinder or obstruct outcomes. Reported identification opinions from the Forensic Odontology Unit of South Australia (FOUSA) during 2011-2015 were assessed to determine whether the quantitative and qualitative value of antemortem records affected the ultimate identification outcome. Identity was established in 79% (n=197) of the 249 cases presented to the FOU-SA; odontology was unable to categorically confirm an individual's identity for the remaining 21%. Dental records of almost all cases demonstrated a lack of antemortem data for comparison. Inadequate antemortem information within dental records may preclude identity determination; at minimum, an outcome is hindered by a greater number of issues requiring reconciliation. Given previous results regarding adherence to DBA guidelines, practitioners should reasonably be expected to make small recording changes to improve the continuity of clinical patient care. This antemortem recording improvement will potentially improve the rate at which a forensic identification is reconciled.Lauren Stow and Denice Higgin

Upstream-binding factor is sequestered into herpes simplex virus type 1 replication compartments

Previous reports have shown that adenovirus recruits nucleolar protein upstream-binding factor (UBF) into adenovirus DNA replication centres. Here, we report that despite having a different mode of viral DNA replication, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) also recruits UBF into viral DNA replication centres. Moreover, as with adenovirus, enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged fusion proteins of UBF inhibit viral DNA replication. We propose that UBF is recruited to the replication compartments to aid replication of HSV-1 DNA. In addition, this is a further example of the role of nucleolar components in viral life cycle

Web-based Remote Sensing Applications and Java Tools for Environmental Monitoring

This paper introduces a web-based remote sensing application which can provide advanced image comparison and processing functions for natural habitat conservation and environmental monitoring. This project is one of several NASA Affiliated Research Center (ARC) projects being developed at San Diego State University in response to NASA\u27s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) Focus Area program. This project utilized Java programming and commercial Internet Map Server technology to provide integrated web-based analytical capabilities to regional government agencies and park services. A prototype website (http://map.sdsu.edu/arc) was established to demonstrate the on-line analytical functions and potential operational applications for environmental monitoring and habitat managers. The web-based prototype was tested and evaluated by several user groups, including park rangers, graduate students, and GIS professionals. Users\u27 feedback indicated that the Java-based tools and Internet Map Servers can provide a flexible way to access both remote sensing data and geospatial analytical tools for environmental monitoring tasks

Delineation of geological problems for use in urban planning

Activities of the University of Alabama in support of state and local planning commissions are reported. Demonstrations were given of the various types of remotely sensed images available from U-2, Skylab, and LANDSAT; and their uses and limitations were discussed. Techniques to be used in determining flood prone areas were provided for environmental studies. A rapid, inexpensive method for study was developed by which imagery is copied on 35 mm film and projected on existing topographic maps for measuring delta volume and growth

Electrostatics in wind-blown sand

Wind-blown sand, or "saltation," is an important geological process, and the primary source of atmospheric dust aerosols. Significant discrepancies exist between classical saltation theory and measurements. We show here that these discrepancies can be resolved by the inclusion of sand electrification in a physically based saltation model. Indeed, we find that electric forces enhance the concentration of saltating particles and cause them to travel closer to the surface, in agreement with measurements. Our results thus indicate that sand electrification plays an important role in saltation.Comment: 4 journal pages, 5 figures, and supplementary material. Article is in press at PR

Indonesian Throughflow as a preconditioning mechanism for submarine landslides in the Makassar Strait

This work was completed as part of a Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) pump-priming project at Heriot Watt University (PI Nicholson). We would like to thank our partners at Bandung Institute of Technology, and the members of the Indonesian Marine Geological Institute and Geological Survey of Indonesia for their discussion and contribution to this research. We thank TGS and Multiclient Geophysical for permission to publish seismic and multibeam data respectively. D.R. Tappin publishes with the permission of the Executive Director of the BGS (United Kingdom Research and Innovation).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Impact of Molecular Architecture and Adsorption Density on Adhesion of Mussel-Inspired Surface Primers with Catechol-Cation Synergy.

Marine mussels secrete proteins rich in residues containing catechols and cationic amines that displace hydration layers and adhere to charged surfaces under water via a cooperative binding effect known as catechol-cation synergy. Mussel-inspired adhesives containing paired catechol and cationic functionalities are a promising class of materials for biomedical applications, but few studies address the molecular adhesion mechanism(s) of these materials. To determine whether intramolecular adjacency of these functionalities is necessary for robust adhesion, a suite of siderophore analog surface primers was synthesized with systematic variations in intramolecular spacing between catechol and cationic functionalities. Adhesion measurements conducted with a surface forces apparatus (SFA) allow adhesive failure to be distinguished from cohesive failure and show that the failure mode depends critically on the siderophore analog adsorption density. The adhesion of these molecules to muscovite mica in an aqueous electrolyte solution demonstrates that direct intramolecular adjacency of catechol and cationic functionalities is not necessary for synergistic binding. However, we show that increasing the catechol-cation spacing by incorporating nonbinding domains results in decreased adhesion, which we attribute to a decrease in the density of catechol functionalities. A mechanism for catechol-cation synergy is proposed based on electrostatically driven adsorption and subsequent binding of catechol functionalities. This work should guide the design of new adhesives for binding to charged surfaces in saline environments

N4WBP5A (Ndfip2), a Nedd4-interacting protein, localizes to multivesicular bodies and the Golgi, and has a potential role in protein trafficking

N4WBP5A (Ndfip2) belongs to an evolutionarily conserved group of Nedd4-interacting proteins with two homologues in mammalian species. We have previously shown that N4WBP5A expression in Xenopus oocytes results in increased cell-surface expression of the epithelial sodium channel. N4WBPs are characterized by one or two amino terminal PPxY motifs and three transmembrane domains. Here we show that both PPxY motifs of N4WBP5A mediate interaction with WW domains of Nedd4 and that N4WBP5A can physically interact with the WW domains of several Nedd4-family proteins. N4WBP5A is ubiquitinated and ubiquitination does not significantly affect the turnover of N4WBP5A protein. Ubiquitination of N4WBP5A is enhanced by Nedd4 and Nedd4-2 expression. N4WBP5A localizes to the Golgi, vesicles associated with the Golgi complex and to multivesicular bodies. We show that the ectopic expression of N4WBP5A inhibits receptor-mediated endocytosis of labelled epidermal growth factor. N4WBP5A overexpression inhibits accumulation of EGF in large endocytic/lysosomal vesicles suggestive of a role for N4WBP5A in protein trafficking. We propose that N4WBP5A acts as an adaptor to recruit Nedd4 family ubiquitin-protein ligases to the protein trafficking machinery.Linda M. Shearwin-Whyatt, Darren L. Brown, Fiona G. Wylie, Jennifer L. Stow and Sharad Kuma

Drop Splashing on a Dry Smooth Surface

The corona splash due to the impact of a liquid drop on a smooth dry substrate is investigated with high speed photography. A striking phenomenon is observed: splashing can be completely suppressed by decreasing the pressure of the surrounding gas. The threshold pressure where a splash first occurs is measured as a function of the impact velocity and found to scale with the molecular weight of the gas and the viscosity of the liquid. Both experimental scaling relations support a model in which compressible effects in the gas are responsible for splashing in liquid solid impacts.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure