The Effect of Various Coverings on the Rate of Human Decomposition
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Classification of Cell Death
Cell Death and Differentiation (2005) 12, 1463–1467 & 2005 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved 1350-9047/05 $30.00 www.nature.com/cdd News and Commentary Classification of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death G Kroemer*,1, WS El-Deiry2, P Golstein3, ME Peter4, D Vaux5, with or without, caspase activation and that ‘autophagic cell P Vandenabeele6, B Zhivotovsky7, MV Blagosklonny8, death’ represents a type of cell death with (but not necessarily W Malorni9, RA Knight10, M Piacentini11, S Nagata12 and through) autophagic vacuolization. This article details the G Melino10,13 2005 recommendations of NCCD. Over time, molecular definitions are expected to emerge for those forms of cell 1 CNRS-UMR8125, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39 rue Camille-Desmoulins, death that remain descriptive. F-94805 Villejuif, France 2 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA Preface 3 Centre d’Immunologie INSERM/CNRS/Universite de la Mediterranee de Marseille-Luminy, Case 906, Avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, It is obvious that clear definitions of objects that are only France shadows in Plato’s cage are difficult to be achieved. Cell death 4 The Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, 924 E 57th and the different subroutines leading to cell death do not Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 5 escape this rule. Even worse, the notion of death is strongly Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, influenced by religious and cultural beliefs, which may UK 6 Molecular Signalling and Cell Death Unit, Department for Molecular Biomedical subliminally influence the scientific view of cell death. -
Guidelines for Determining Death Based on Neurological Criteria
GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING DEATH BASED ON NEUROLOGICAL CRITERIA New Jersey 2014 1 These guidelines have been drafted by the New Jersey Ad Hoc Committee on Declaration of Death by Neurologic Criteria, under the leadership of Dr. John Halperin, M.D. and William Reitsma, RN. We are grateful for the hard work and knowledgeable input of each of the following medical, legal and health care professionals. The authors gratefully acknowledge the work of the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, and the guidelines for Brain Death Determination they promulgated in 2011. This document provides the foundation for these guidelines. John J. Halperin, M.D., FAAN, FACP Medical Director, Atlantic Neuroscience Institute Chair, Department of Neurosciences Overlook Medical Center Summit, NJ Alan Sori, M.D., FACS Director of Surgical Quality, Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center Paterson, NJ Bruce J. Grossman, M.D. Director of Pediatric Transport Services Pediatric Intensivist K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune, NJ Gregory J. Rokosz, D.O., J.D., FACEP Sr. Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs/CMO Saint Barnabas Medical Center Livingston, NJ Christina Strong, Esq. Law Office of Christina W. Strong Belle Mead, NJ 2 GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING DEATH BASED ON NEUROLOGICAL CRITERIA BACKGROUND This document provides guidance for determining death by neurological criteria (commonly referred to as “brain death”), aims to increase knowledge amongst health care practitioners about the clinical evaluation of death determined by neurological criteria and reduce the potential for variation in brain death determination policies and practices amongst facilities and practitioners within the State of New Jersey. -
Terrestrial Decomposition
Terrestrial Decomposition • Objectives – Controls over decomposition • Litter breakdown • Soil organic matter formation and dynamics – Carbon balance of ecosystems • Soil carbon storage 1 Overview • In terrestrial ecosystems, soils (organic horizon + mineral soil) > C than in vegetation and atmosphere combined 2 Overview • Decomposition is: 1. Major pathway for C loss from ecosystems 2. Central to ecosystem C loss and storage 3 Overview 4 Incorporation 1 year later Overview • Predominant controls on litter decomposition are fairly well constrained 1. Temperature and moisture 2. Litter quality • N availability • Lignin concentration • Lignin:N • Mechanisms for soil organic matter stabilization: 1. Recalcitrance (refers to chemistry) 2. Physical protection • Within soil aggregates • Organo-mineral associations 3. Substrate supply regulation (energetic limitation) 5 Overview • Disturbance can override millenia in a matter of days or years: 1. Land use change 2. Invasive species 3. Climate change • Understanding the mechanistic drivers of decomposition, soil organic matter formation, and carbon stabilization help us make management decisions, take mitigation steps, and protect resources. 6 Overview Native Ōhiʻa - Koa forest Conversion to Reforestation in grass-dominated pasture (80 yr) Eucalyptus plantation (10 yr) Conventional sugar cane harvest. 20° C 18° C 16° C 14° C 7 Sustainable ratoon harvest. Decomposition • Decomposition is the biological, physical and chemical breakdown of organic material – Provides energy for microbial growth -
Death & Decomposition Part II
Death & Decomposition Part II Review: Why is TSD/PMI so important? Review: What happens in the Fresh (1st) Stage of Decomposition? STAGE 2: Bloat ⦿ 0-10 days ⦿ Putrefaction: bacterially-induced destruction of soft tissue and gas formation › Skin blisters and marbling › Build-up of fluids from ruptured cells and intestines Putrefaction – the gross stuff ➢ Decomposition that occurs as a result of bacteria and other microorganisms ➢ Results in gradual dissolution of solid tissue into gases and liquids, and salts Putrefaction ➢ Characteristics: ○ Greenish discoloration ○ Darkening of the face ○ Bloating and formation of liquid or gas-filled blisters ○ Skin slippage Putrefaction ➢ Begins about 36 hours after death ➢ Further destruction is caused by maggots and insects ➢ Above 40 F, insects will feed until the body is skeletonized Influences of Putrefaction ➢ Heavy clothing and other coverings speed up the process by holding in body heat ➢ Injuries to the body surface promote putrefaction ○ provide portals of entry for bacteria Marbling Stage 3: Active Decay ➢ 10-20 days after death ➢ Body begins to collapse and black surfaces are exposed ➢ Bloated body collapses and leaves a flattened body ➢ Body fluids drain from body Active Decay Active Decay: Destruction of Tissue • Severe decomp can result in complete destruction of soft tissue Active Decay: Advanced Decomposition Stage 4: Dry Decay ➢ 20-365 days after death ➢ Remaining flesh on body is removed and body dries out ➢ Body is dry and continues to decay very slowly due to lack of moisture ➢ -
Plant Species Effects on Nutrient Cycling: Revisiting Litter Feedbacks
Review Plant species effects on nutrient cycling: revisiting litter feedbacks Sarah E. Hobbie Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA In a review published over two decades ago I asserted reinforce those gradients and patterns of NPP, focusing that, along soil fertility gradients, plant traits change in on feedbacks operating through plant litter decomposition. ways that reinforce patterns of soil fertility and net Specifically, I evaluate two key assumptions underlying primary productivity (NPP). I reevaluate this assertion the plant litter feedback idea: (i) plant litter traits vary in light of recent research, focusing on feedbacks to NPP predictably along fertility gradients, and (ii) such variation operating through litter decomposition. I conclude that reinforces soil fertility gradients through effects on decom- mechanisms emerging since my previous review might position and litter N release. Given the number of synthetic weaken these positive feedbacks, such as negative cross-site analyses of plant traits and their consequences effects of nitrogen on decomposition, while others for nutrient cycling over the past two decades, the time is might strengthen them, such as slower decomposition ripe for revisiting my original assertions. Indeed, I show of roots compared to leaf litter. I further conclude that that my original assertion is more nuanced and complex predictive understanding of plant species effects on than originally claimed. In particular, I discuss the need to nutrient cycling will require developing new frameworks consider leaf litter decomposition more carefully and move that are broadened beyond litter decomposition to con- beyond consideration of leaf litter feedbacks to a more sider the full litter–soil organic matter (SOM) continuum. -
Life After Death and the Devastation of the Grave
In Michael Martin and Keith Augustine, eds., The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case Against Life After Death, Rowman & Littlefield 2015. Life After Death and the Devastation of the Grave Eric T. Olson 1. Life After Death One of the fundamental questions of human existence is whether there is life after death. If we had an oracle willing to answer just one philosophical question by saying “Yes” or “No,” this is the one that many of us would ask. Not being an oracle, I am unable to tell you whether there is an afterlife. But I can say something about whether there could be. Is it even possible? Or is the hope that we have life after death as vain as the hope that we might find the largest prime number? One way to think about whether there could be life after death is to ask what would have to be the case for us to have it. If it were possible, how might it be accomplished? Suppose you wanted to know whether it was possible for a hu- man being to visit another galaxy and return to earth. To answer this question, you would need to know what such a journey would involve. What sort of spaceship or other means of transport would it require? How fast would it have to go, and how long would the journey take? Only once you knew such things would you be able to work out whether it could possibly be done. In the same way, we need to know what our having life after death would require in order to see whether it is possible. -
Guideline Completion of Death Certificates
Department of Health Center for Health Statistics Guideline Revised – 2/23/17 Title: Completion of Death Certificates Number: CHS D-10 References: RCW 70.58.170 Contact: Daniel O’Neill, Senior Policy Analyst Phone: 360-236-4311 Email: [email protected] Effective Date: February 23, 2017 Approved By: Christie Spice The Department of Health provides this guideline for medical certifiers of death certificates. Medical certifiers include allopathic and osteopathic physicians, physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners, chiropractors, coroners and medical examiners to follow when completing death certificates. The Department receives complaints that health care providers fail to complete death certificates in a timely manner or fail to accurately list the cause of death on the death certificate. The death certificate provides important information about the decedent and the cause of death. Death certification errors are common and range from minor to severe. Under RCW 70.58.170, a funeral director or person having the right to control the disposition of human remains must present the death certificate to the medical certifier last in attendance upon the deceased. The medical certifier then has two business days to certify the cause of death according to his or her best knowledge and sign or electronically approve the certificate, unless there is good cause for not doing so. The medical certifier should register cause and manner of death information through the Washington State Electronic Death Reporting System (EDRS). The EDRS facilitates timely registration of the death and rapid collection of cause and manner of death information. The EDRS can be found at https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/edrs/EDRS/. -
Organic Matter Decomposition in Simulated Aquaculture Ponds Group Fish Culture and Fisheries Daily Supervisor(S) Dr
O rganic matter decomposition in simulated aquaculture ponds Beatriz Torres Beristain Promotor: Prof. Dr. J.A .J. V erreth H oogleraar in de V isteelt en V isserij W ageningen U niversiteit C o-promotor: Dr. M .C .J. V erdegem U niversitair docent bij the Leerstoelgroep V isteelt en V isserij W ageningen U niversiteit Samenstelling promotiecommissie: Prof. Dr. Y . A vnimelech Technion, Israel Institute of Technology Prof. Dr. Ir. H .J. Gijzen U N ESC O -IH E, Delf, N etherlands Prof. Dr. Ir. M . W .A . V erstegen W ageningen U niversiteit Prof. Dr. Ir. A .A . K oelmans W ageningen U niversiteit Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd binnen de onderzoekschool W IA S O rganic matter decomposition in simulated aquaculture ponds Beatriz Torres Beristain Proefschrift Ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor O p gezag van de rector magnificus van W ageningen U niversiteit, Prof. Dr. Ir. L. Speelman, In het openbaar te verdedigen O p dinsdag 15 A pril 2005 des namiddags te half tw ee in de A ula Torres Beristain, B. O rganic matter decomposition in simulated aquaculture ponds PhD thesis, Fish C ulture and Fisheries Group, W ageningen Institute of A nimal Sciences. W ageningen U niversity, P.O . Box 338, 6700 A H W ageningen, The N etherlands. - W ith R ef. œW ith summary in Spanish, Dutch and English ISBN : 90-8504-170-8 A Domingo, Y olanda y A lejandro Table of contents C hapter 1 General introduction. 1 C hapter 2 R eview microbial ecology and role in aquaculture ponds. -
The Corporeality of Death
Clara AlfsdotterClara Linnaeus University Dissertations No 413/2021 Clara Alfsdotter Bioarchaeological, Taphonomic, and Forensic Anthropological Studies of Remains Human and Forensic Taphonomic, Bioarchaeological, Corporeality Death of The The Corporeality of Death The aim of this work is to advance the knowledge of peri- and postmortem Bioarchaeological, Taphonomic, and Forensic Anthropological Studies corporeal circumstances in relation to human remains contexts as well as of Human Remains to demonstrate the value of that knowledge in forensic and archaeological practice and research. This article-based dissertation includes papers in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, with an emphasis on taphonomy. Studies encompass analyses of human osseous material and human decomposition in relation to spatial and social contexts, from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. In this work, a combination of bioarchaeological and forensic taphonomic methods are used to address the question of what processes have shaped mortuary contexts. Specifically, these questions are raised in relation to the peri- and postmortem circumstances of the dead in the Iron Age ringfort of Sandby borg; about the rate and progress of human decomposition in a Swedish outdoor environment and in a coffin; how this taphonomic knowledge can inform interpretations of mortuary contexts; and of the current state and potential developments of forensic anthropology and archaeology in Sweden. The result provides us with information of depositional history in terms of events that created and modified human remains deposits, and how this information can be used. Such knowledge is helpful for interpretations of what has occurred in the distant as well as recent pasts. In so doing, the knowledge of peri- and postmortem corporeal circumstances and how it can be used has been advanced in relation to both the archaeological and forensic fields. -
I Ana Rafaela Ferraz Ferreira Body Disposal in Portugal: Current
Ana Rafaela Ferraz Ferreira Body disposal in Portugal: Current practices and potential adoption of alkaline hydrolysis and natural burial as sustainable alternatives Dissertação de Candidatura ao grau de Mestre em Medicina Legal submetida ao Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar da Universidade do Porto. Orientador: Prof. Doutor Francisco Queiroz Categoria: Coordenador Adjunto do Grupo de Investigação “Heritage, Culture and Tourism” Afiliação: CEPESE – Centro de Estudos da População, Economia e Sociedade da Universidade do Porto i This page intentionally left blank. ii “We are eternal! But we will not last!” in Welcome To Night Vale iii This page intentionally left blank. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincerest thank you to my supervisor, Francisco Queiroz, who went above and beyond to answer my questions (and to ask new ones). This work would have been poorer and uglier and a lot less composed if you hadn’t been here to help me direct it. Thank you. My humblest thank you to my mother, father, and sister, for their unending support and resilience in enduring an entire year of Death-Related Fun Facts (and perhaps a month of grumpiness as the deadline grew closer and greater and fiercer in the horizon). We’ve pulled through. Thank you. My clumsiest thank you to my people (aka friends), for that same aforementioned resilience, but also for the constant willingness to bear ideological arms and share my anger at the little things gone wrong. I don’t know what I would have done without the 24/7 online support group that is our friendship. Thank you. Last, but not least, my endless thank you to Professor Fernando Pedro Figueiredo and Professor Maria José Pinto da Costa, for their attention to detail during the incredible learning moment that was my thesis examination. -
Fermentation and Anaerobic Decomposition in a Hot Spring
Fermentation and anaerobic decomposition in a hot spring microbial mat by Karen Leigh Anderson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Microbiology Montana State University © Copyright by Karen Leigh Anderson (1984) Abstract: Fermentation was investigated in a low sulfate hot spring microbial mat (Octopus Spring) according to current models on anaerobic decomposition. The mat was studied to determine what fermentation products accumulated, where in the mat they accumulated, and what factors affected their accumulation. Mat samples were incubated under dark anaerobic conditions to measure accumulation of fermentation products. Acetate and propionate (ca. 3:1) were the major products to accumulate in a 55°,C mat. Other products accumulated to a much lesser extent. Incubation of mat samples of varying thickness showed that fermentation occurred in the top 4mm of the mat. This has interesting implications for fermentative organisms in the mat due to the diurnal changes in mat oxygen concentrations. Fermentation measured in mat samples collected at various temperatures (50°,-70°C) showed acetate and propionate to be the major accumulation products. According to the interspecies hydrogen transfer model, the hydrogen concentration in a system affects the types of fermentation products produced. At a 65° C site, with natural high hydrogen levels, and at a 55°C site, with active methanogenesis, fermentation product accumulation was compared. There was a greater ratio of reduced fermentation products to acetate, with the exception of propionate, at 65°C. Ethanol accumulated at the 65°C site, as did lactate, though to a lesser extent. -
Body Identification Information & Guidelines
American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) Body Identification Information & Guidelines Revise February 2017 ABFO BODY IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION The importance of timely identification In the United States, the Medical Examiner or Coroner (ME/C) has the statutory responsibility and judicial authority to identify the deceased. The identification of unidentified living individuals is the responsibility of local, state or federal law enforcement agencies. Although it is ultimately these agencies that certify the identification it is the responsibility of the forensic odontologist to provide their opinion on the identity as it relates to forensic odontology. Those opinions are based on a standardized set of guidelines established by the forensic odontology community and are based on scientific best practices. The positive identification of an individual is of critical importance for multiple reasons that include: For unidentified living individuals: - A positive identification is vital to reunite an unidentified living individual with their family members. For the human remains: - A positive identification is vital to help family members progress through the grieving process, providing some sense of relief in knowing that their loved one has been found. - A positive identification and subsequent death certificate is necessary in order to settle business and personal affairs. Disbursement of life insurance proceeds, estate transfer, settlement of probate, and execution of wills, remarriage of spouse and child custody issues can be delayed for years by legal proceedings if a positive identification cannot be rendered. - Criminal investigation and potential prosecution in a homicide case may not proceed without a positive identification of the victim. Scientific Identification All methods of identification involve comparing antemortem data to postmortem evidence.