Weapon-wound matching of sharp force trauma to bone – a micro-CT analysis

Nearly 40% of murders in the UK result from sharp force trauma caused by knives. Weapon-wound matching in Forensic anthropology attempts to estimate weapon class from the wound characteristics but few studies have investigated quantitative methods for performing this analysis on the microscopic scale. In this study five cadaveric pig torsos, prepared to mimic human anatomy, were stabbed in the upright position with 12 different knives. Knife dynamics were recorded using a Casio high-speed camera (420fps). Samples were chemically defleshed exposing the regions on the ribs where the knives have made contact, thus marking the bone, so micro-CT can be performed. All samples underwent a pre and post-stab CT scan so that rib marks could be matched to the knife used. Preliminary results show that there is a significant difference between serrated and none serrated cut geometry regardless of knife force or penetration angle. If these results hold true for the larger sample of knives tested within this study (analysis currently in progress) and the significant differences between knives are above noise then, a new technique for statistically estimating knife class from cut marks can be developed. Applications of this in forensic anthropology will aid criminal investigators in their inquiries

The structure of the hexameric atrazine chlorohydrolase AtzA

Atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA) was discovered and purified in the early 1990s from soil that had been exposed to the widely used herbicide atrazine. It was subsequently found that this enzyme catalyzes the first and necessary step in the breakdown of atrazine by the soil organism Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP. Although it has taken 20 years, a crystal structure of the full hexameric form of AtzA has now been obtained. AtzA is less well adapted to its physiological role (i.e. atrazine dechlorination) than the alternative metal-dependent atrazine chlorohydrolase (TrzN), with a substrate-binding pocket that is under considerable strain and for which the substrate is a poor fit

Relationships between Peak Oxygen Uptake and Arterial Function: a Preliminary Study

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Re-engineering forensic anthropology : new techniques in sharp force trauma analysis

In forensic anthropology the analysis of microscopic tool marks found in skeletal sharp force trauma is a challenging area. Many different imaging methods have been employed to measure cut mark characteristics in aid of developing diagnostic tools for estimating knife type used for these marks. Furthermore numerous experimental methods for creating tool marks for analysis have been used. A novel method for creating, analysing and presenting tool marks using reverse engineering and metrology was investigated. 5 Pig torsos prepared to mimic human anatomy were stabbed using seven different knives. Following chemical defleshing the ribs were micro-CT scanned for the analysis of tool marks left from the knives. Other methods including SEM, Digital microscopy and Laser scanning were also considered. Various geometrical measurements of the cut mark micro-morphology were taken. These measurements were statistically analysed using SPSS. Knife types gave statistically significant different cut mark width, length, wall angle, floor radius and shape (p<0.001). Knife sub-types and individual knives also gave statistically significant differencing in width and shape (p<0.001). Statistical classification of cut marks as either serrated or non-serrated made marks was shown to be 90% if width, length, wall angle and floor radius were accounted for. This indicated that determining knife type quantitatively is possible and could aid criminal investigators with their enquires. 3D models of these cut marks could also be developed for potential use in court for forensic expert testimony

Racial Differences in Cortical Bone Mass, Size and Estimated Strength at the Tibial Diaphysis in Early Pubertal Children

poster abstractOsteoporotic fracture rates differ according to race, with blacks having up to half the rate of whites. The reduced fracture rate in blacks has been suggested to be due to their superior bone mass; however, mass is not the sole determinant of bone strength. Bone strength, and consequent fracture risk, is also influenced by how bone material is distributed or structured. It is likely bone structure also contributes to the lower incidence of fractures in blacks and that racial differences in bone structure have roots in childhood. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of race on pQCT-derived cortical bone mass, size and estimated strength at the tibial diaphysis in early pubertal children. 160 children were recruited, with equal subjects according to race (black, n=80; white, n=80) and sex (female, n=80; male, n=80). Subjects were at sexual maturation stages 2 or 3. Tomographic slices of the tibial diaphysis at 66% proximal from the medial malleolus were acquired using pQCT. Slices were assessed for cortical volumetric BMD (Ct.vBMD), cortical BMC (Ct.BMC), total (Tt.Ar) and cortical (Ct.Ar) area, density weighted maximum (IMAX) and minimum (IMIN) second moments of area, density-weighted polar strength-strain index (SSIP), and muscle cross-sectional area (mCSA). Group differences were assessed by two-way analysis of covariance, with race (black vs. white) and sex (female vs. male) as independent variables. Covariates included predicted years from peak height velocity (maturity offset), tibial length and mCSA. There were no interactions between race and sex (all P=0.50-0.98) or main effect for sex (all P=0.08-0.45). Blacks had 15.7% more Ct.BMC, and 10.8-11.8% larger Tt.Ar and Ct.Ar than whites (all P<0.001). The greater enhancement of Ct.BMC relative to Ct.Ar resulted in blacks having 3.6% greater Ct.vBMD than whites (P<0.001). The combination of increased cortical bone mass, size and density in blacks contributed to enhanced estimated bone strength, with IMAX, IMIN and SSIP being 20.0%, 34.5% and 25.2% greater in blacks than whites, respectively (all P<0.001). These data indicate that early pubertal black children have enhanced bone mass, size and estimated bone strength at the tibial diaphysis versus whites, independent of tibial length and mCSA. They suggest bone structural differences may contribute to observed racial differences in fracture rates and that structural divergence between races develops during childhood

The vulnerability of public spaces: challenges for UK hospitals under the 'new' terrorist threat

This article considers the challenges for hospitals in the United Kingdom that arise from the threats of mass-casualty terrorism. Whilst much has been written about the role of health care as a rescuer in terrorist attacks and other mass-casualty crises, little has been written about health care as a victim within a mass-emergency setting. Yet, health care is a key component of any nation's contingency planning and an erosion of its capabilities would have a significant impact on the generation of a wider crisis following a mass-casualty event. This article seeks to highlight the nature of the challenges facing elements of UK health care, with a focus on hospitals both as essential contingency responders under the United Kingdom's civil contingencies legislation and as potential victims of terrorism. It seeks to explore the potential gaps that exist between the task demands facing hospitals and the vulnerabilities that exist within them

Spontaneous and deliberate future thinking: A dual process account

© 2019 Springer Nature.This is the final published version of an article published in Psychological Research, licensed under a Creative Commons Attri-bution 4.0 International License. Available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01262-7.In this article, we address an apparent paradox in the literature on mental time travel and mind-wandering: How is it possible that future thinking is both constructive, yet often experienced as occurring spontaneously? We identify and describe two ‘routes’ whereby episodic future thoughts are brought to consciousness, with each of the ‘routes’ being associated with separable cognitive processes and functions. Voluntary future thinking relies on controlled, deliberate and slow cognitive processing. The other, termed involuntary or spontaneous future thinking, relies on automatic processes that allows ‘fully-fledged’ episodic future thoughts to freely come to mind, often triggered by internal or external cues. To unravel the paradox, we propose that the majority of spontaneous future thoughts are ‘pre-made’ (i.e., each spontaneous future thought is a re-iteration of a previously constructed future event), and therefore based on simple, well-understood, memory processes. We also propose that the pre-made hypothesis explains why spontaneous future thoughts occur rapidly, are similar to involuntary memories, and predominantly about upcoming tasks and goals. We also raise the possibility that spontaneous future thinking is the default mode of imagining the future. This dual process approach complements and extends standard theoretical approaches that emphasise constructive simulation, and outlines novel opportunities for researchers examining voluntary and spontaneous forms of future thinking.Peer reviewe

Functional polymorphisms in the P2X7 receptor gene are associated with stress fracture injury

Context: Military recruits and elite athletes are susceptible to stress fracture injuries. Genetic predisposition has been postulated to have a role in their development. The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) gene, a key regulator of bone remodelling, is a genetic candidate that may contribute to stress fracture predisposition. Objective: To evaluate the putative contribution of P2X7R to stress fracture injury in two separate cohorts, military personnel and elite athletes. Methods: In 210 Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) military conscripts, stress fracture injury was diagnosed (n=43) based on symptoms and a positive bone scan. In a separate cohort of 518 elite athletes, self-reported medical imaging scan-certified stress fracture injuries were recorded (n=125). Non-stress fracture controls were identified from these cohorts who had a normal bone scan or no history or symptoms of stress fracture injury. Study participants were genotyped for functional SNPs within the P2X7R gene using proprietary fluorescence-based competitive allele-specific PCR assay. Pearson Chi-square (χ2) tests, corrected for multiple comparisons, were used to assess associations in genotype frequencies. Results: The variant allele of P2X7R SNP rs3751143 (Glu496Ala- loss of function) was associated with stress fracture injury, while the variant allele of rs1718119 (Ala348Thr- gain of function) was associated with a reduced occurrence of stress fracture injury in military conscripts (P<0.05). The association of the variant allele of rs3751143 with stress fractures was replicated in elite athletes (P<0.05), whereas the variant allele of rs1718119 was also associated with reduced multiple stress fracture cases in elite athletes (P<0.05). Conclusions: The association between independent P2X7R polymorphisms with stress fracture prevalence supports the role of a genetic predisposition in the development of stress fracture injury