Copper Brace Method: A New Technique for Reconstructing Broken Bone Fragments

Human skulls and other bones recovered in forensic anthropological contexts may be found broken into multiple pieces, requiring reconstruction. This article prescribes a new method, termed copper-brace met hod, that simultaneously enables retaining the matching pieces of bones and readjusting them during the process of reconstruct ion, ensuring an acceptable likeness in the spatial and contour configuration of the final reconstruction

Nocturnal Ovipositioning of Flies

Post-mortem interval (PMI) is calculated by ascertaining the age of the immature stages of blow flies demonstrating the longest period of association with decomposed human remains. The time at which the flies oviposit is generally assumed to be during the day time in which the flies are known to be active. A few researchers have indicated that limited number of flies do oviposit during night hours and under artificial lighting although studies on twilight ovipositioning have not been carried out so far. Moreover, previous researchers have indicated the use of mutton purchased from the market which does not preclude the possibility of flies depositing the eggs in the market place. This thesis is the compendium of findings of a research that addressed, for the first time, the possibility of ovipositioning during twilight as well as using beef purchased directly from the slaughter house in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The control and night experiments were carried out inside the campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan. The results indicate the possibility of limited ovipositioning during the twilight period which further declines during the night period although ovipositioning is found significantly delayed by 4 to 5 days after continuous exposure of the animal model during the twilight and night time while diurnal oviposition in the control animal model does not indicate such delay. It is argued here that the delayed appearance of limited maggots attributable to nocturnal ovipositioning need not be construed as a factor attributing to estimating longer PMI since the maggots on account of immediate diurnal ovipositioning are the ones that are longer and considered for estimating PMI. It is suggested that PMI has to be estimated only by considering diurnal ovipositioning and the possibility of disposal during night has to be left for the investigating agency to establish through evidence other than entomological

Verification and explanation of the prophetic traditions (Hadiths) of kindness to animals

This research includes a collection of Hadiths (prophetic traditions) mentioned by Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in which he urged Muslims to deal kindly with the animals when Muslims use these animals for all purposes like riding, loading milking and even slaughtering them. The researcher has also verified the authenticity, judged and explained all of these respective Hadiths in a wise way to show the greatness of Islam in dealing with animals; he was neither lengthy nor short. In fact, the greatness of Islam is clearly shown in dignifying these animals which, in turn, entails how Islam honors the humans and prioritize them in treatment and dignity

AKTIVITAS EKSTRAK JAHE GAJAH (Zingiber officinaie) DENGAN ZINC TERHADAP KADAR GLUKOSA DARAH MENCIT YANG DIINDUKSI STREPTOZOTOCIN DAN PAKAN HIPERKOLESTEROL

Ginger rhizome is a pari of the ginger plant that can he used for the treatment. Ginger extracts proven to lower blood glucose levels. The objective of this research to determine the activity of ginger extract (Zingiber officinale) in combination with zinc as antihyperglycemic. Male mice DDW were divided into 8 treatment groups, each consisting of 6 mice. Group I ( normal control) , group II ( negative control) , group III (positive control) were given metformin , group IV, and V, were given doses of ginger extract 0, 75 mg/20g mice and zinc 0.4 mg/20g mice, group VI, VII, and VIII , were given ginger extract at a dose of 0. 75 mg/20g mice + zinc at a dose 0,4 mg/20g mice , 1.5 mg/20g mice + 0,4 mg/20g mice , 3 mg / 20g mice + 0,4 mg/20g mice, respectively. Test animals fed cholesterol for 28 days and streptozotocin induced on day 14 , and then given a dose of ginger extract and comparator drug for 14 days. Blood sampling was done on days 29 and 44. Blood glucose test results showed ginger extract combination dose of 1.5 mg/20g mice and zinc doses 0.4 mg/20g mice were able to lower blood glucose levels comparable to metformin dose of 1.3 mg/20 g mice

Erosion-Corrosion Simulation of Thermally Sprayed WC-Based Cermet in Artificial Seawater and Dam Water Environments

Mechanical equipment operated in a water dam environment is at risk of erosion-corrosion. To address this issue, thermally sprayed cermet coatings are an adequate solution for increasing resistance to corrosion and wear in hydro turbines, especially with high river sedimentation loads such as those in Cirata and Jatiluhur dams in Indonesia. In this study, WC-based cermet coatings with WC-10Co-4Cr and WC-12Co respectively were coated on AISI 1030 steel substrate and evaluated in media simulating the Cirata and Jatiluhur water dam environments, as well as in simulated seawater conditions. The morphology and structure of the sprayed coating were analyzed by SEM and XRD, and microhardness, porosity, and surface roughness were also studied. The corrosion resistance of the coating was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization. More importantly, erosion-corrosion resistance in seawater simulations studied by Closed Flow Loop System (CFLS) equipment utilizing coupon tests was also explored. The results showed that the WC-10Co-4Cr coating has good electrochemical corrosion resistance with less erosion-corrosion compared to the WC-12Co coating, at 0.06-0.15 mm/year and 0.16-0.26 mm/year, respectively. Coatings with Cr content show a lower corrosion rate due to the formation of stable WCr2O6 and W18O49 oxides, making them a good choice for coating hydro turbine components

Factors affecting the eco-environment identification through change detection analysis by using remote sensing and GIS: a case study of Tikrit, Iraq

Changes in eco-environment that are caused by climate changes and human exploitation have been a significant problem around the whole world for a long time. The eco-environment of Iraq is exposed to degradation, particularly in the middle and southern parts. By using an approach that combines remote sensing and GIS, this study examines the changes that have occurred during various periods between 1972 and 2010 in the Tikrit district in Iraq and identifies the factors responsible for the degradation. A significant change was observed in the area covered by vegetation and water, especially between 1990 and 2010, which exacerbated desertification as the vegetation and water area decreased by 16 and 59.6%, respectively. Also, the urban area increased with varying paces of growth. In the period 1990–2000, the urban area increased by 8.8% only, which is not surprising considering the population increase. However, between 2000 and 2010, the urban area increased dramatically by 47.5%, due to the war which led to migration from Baghdad (Iraq Capital) to Tikrit. This study proves that climate change, desertification, and immigration due to wars were the major roles in changing the environment. Also, it reveals that geospatial techniques can be successfully used to monitor the effects on the land cover/ use changes and, hence, on the eco-environment

A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISM OF SCAPULA BY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN THE MALAYSIAN POPULATION

Objective: Sex estimation is one of the crucial steps for human identification, which is evident in cases of commingled, eroded, and/or missing remains. When pelvis or skull are unavailable, scapula has been used as an alternative bone for determining sex. Besides, the scapula was shown to be population-specific in several studies. Limited dry bone collections in Malaysia have led to various recommendations of virtual anthropology studies of bone in human identification. The aims of this study were to investigate the sexual dimorphism of the scapula using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) imaging and to generate population-specific equations for sex determination in the Malaysian population.Methods: A total of 66 CT thorax images of 33 males and 33 females were taken. Morphological breadth (MB) and morphological length (ML) on bilateral scapulae were measured on 3D CT reconstructed images. Independent t-test and discriminant function analysis (DFA) were performed for analysis.Results: Results revealed that both parameters showed sexual dimorphism of scapula but displayed no difference between the right and left scapulae. DFA showed that MB and ML had high accuracy for sex estimation. The equations were highly accurate when both parameters were used in combination, followed by MB only and ML only, in that sequence.Conclusion: In brief, scapula measurements may be useful for forensic assessment of sex in the Malaysian population

The post-mortem resilience of facial creases and the possibility for use in identification of the dead

The post-mortem resilience of facial creases was studied using donated bodies in order to establish the efficacy of crease analysis for identification of the dead. Creases were studied on normal (pre-embalmed) and bloated (embalmed) cadavers at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID) to establish whether facial bloating would affect facial crease visibility. Embalming was chosen to simulate the effects produced by post-mortem bloating. The results suggested that creases are resilient and changes were only detected for creases located on the periphery of the face, particularly at areas where the skin is thick, such as at the cheeks. Two new creases not previously classified were identified; these creases were called the vertical superciliary arch line and the lateral nose crease. This research suggests that facial creases may be resilient enough after death to be utilised for human identification

Comparison of 3D reconstruction of mandible for preoperative planning using commercial and open-source software

3D printing of mandible is important for pre-operative planning, diagnostic purposes, as well as for education and training. Currently, the processing of CT data is routinely performed with commercial software which increases the cost of operation and patient management for a small clinical setting. Usage of open-source software as an alternative to commercial software for 3D reconstruction of the mandible from CT data is scarce. The aim of this study is to compare two methods of 3D reconstruction of the mandible using commercial Materialise Mimics software and open-source Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK) software. Head CT images with a slice thickness of 1 mm and a matrix of 512x512 pixels each were retrieved from the server located at the Radiology Department of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. The CT data were analysed and the 3D models of mandible were reconstructed using both commercial Materialise Mimics and open-source MITK software. Both virtual 3D models were saved in STL format and exported to 3matic and MeshLab software for morphometric and image analyses. Both models were compared using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Hausdorff Distance. No significant differences were obtained between the 3D models of the mandible produced using Mimics and MITK software. The 3D model of the mandible produced using MITK open-source software is comparable to the commercial MIMICS software. Therefore, open-source software could be used in clinical setting for pre-operative planning to minimise the operational cost

PENAMBAHAN PROBIOTIK MICROBACTER ALFAAFA 11 TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN, KELANGSUNGAN HIDUP DAN FCR PADA BENIH IKAN PATIN SIAM (Pangasius hypophthalmus)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk Menganalisis pengaruh perbandingan pemberian pakan komersil dan probiotik terhadap pertumbuhan, kelangsungan hidup, FCR pada ikan patin siam (Pangasius hypophthalmus). Penelitian dilaksanakan di kampus C Fakultas Perikanan Universitas PGRI Palembang.Jalan Sakti Wiranata Kelurahan Srimulya Kecamatan Sematang Borang RT. 08 RW. 02 Palembang. Kegiatan penelitian dilakukan selama 28 hari. Ikan uji yang digunakan adalah benih ikan patin ukuran 4 cm dengan menggunakan kolam terpal sebanyak 12 buah yang berukuran 1 m x 1 m x 80 m. Penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) terdiri 4 taraf perlakuan dengan 3 kali ulangan yaitu perlakuan P1 (Tanpa Probiotik 0 ml), P2 (Probiotik 5 ml), P3 (Probiotik 10 ml), dan P4 (Probiotik 15 ml). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pertumbuhan berat rata-rata dan panjang benih ikan patin siam (Pangasius hypophthalmus) yang terbaik terdapat pada perlakuan P2 dengan berat 7,85 gram dan panjang 6,30 cm. Untuk kelangsungan hidup ikan patin siam (Pangasius hypophtalmus) nilai tertinggi tertinggi terdapat pada perlakuan P2 sebesar 97,33%, dan Konversi pakan nilai terendah terdapat pada perlakan P2 dengan rata-rata 0,65. Serta secara keseluruhan dari perhitungan nilai pertumbuhan, kelangsungan hidup, dan FCR pada ikan patin siam (Pangasius hypophthalmus) perlakuan terbaik selama masa pemeliharaan terdapat pada perlakuan P2 yang dilihat dari pertumbuhan yang baik serta biaya pakan yang murah