A forensic case study of a naturally mummified brain from the bushveld of South Africa

The present study reports our observations of a naturally mummified human brain found in the bushveld of South Africa. This case extends the geographic and climatic ranges in which mummified brains have been found, and it represents an additional case where no human activity has led to the mummification. The mummified brain was c. one fifth the size of a normal human brain, while the gyral and sulcal patterns of a typical human brain were clear. CT scanning of the brain revealed that subcortical structures, normally evident in this type of imaging, were not discernable, indicating a slow mummification process. Histological examination of the tissue revealed near complete degradation of the microanatomical structure, with only putative Nissl bodies remaining as identifiable neural microstructures. The specimen appears to have survived several veld fires, as well as a high annual rainfall, and a high relative humidity. It is thought that specific conditions amenable to brain mummification, but not other soft tissues, occurred in the skull of this specimen in the weeks postmortem.     

Further evidence to show population specificity of discriminant function equations for sex determination using the talus of South African blacks

Several studies have shown that osteometric differences exist between different population groups. Thus, discriminant function equations derived for the determination of sex from skeletal elements are population specific. In a previous study, the authors derived such equations from nine measurements of the talus of South African whites with high levels of average accuracies. The validity of some of the equations was tested on data collected from a South African black sample that consisted of 120 tali, equally distributed by sex, derived from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons. The average accuracies dropped significantly. This necessitated the derivation of new equations for the South African black population and the average accuracies obtained ranged between 80% and 89%. The validity of the equations derived from the present study was tested using the leave-one-out classification and two independent samples (1 and 2). The applicability of the equations with very high classification rate from the present study was tested on Independent sample 1 of 10 white tali with poor results. The result of the validity of these equations on an Independent sample 2 of 10 black tali revealed acceptably high average accuracies in correct classification thereby supporting earlier observations on population specificity of discriminant function equations.     

A Primer to Traditional Knowledge Protection in India: The Road Ahead

Liverpool Law Review - As India moves ahead in the twenty-first century to be a global player, it must take a balanced and inclusive approach. Marginalized and vulnerable tribal communities make...     

Preferences,Spatial Prices and Inequality

This study examines the effect of prices on inequality in rural India during the period of economic reforms and beyond (1999/2000–2009/2010). It proposes a framework for calculating ‘exact’ price indices, based on the ‘Exact Affine Stone Index’ (EASI) demand system, and shows its usefulness by calculating spatial prices and regionally varying temporal prices that allow for both differences in preferences between states and over time. The study finds that the nature of inflation has been regressive during (1999/2000–2004/2005) and progressive during (2004/2005–2009/2010) and that the effects of temporal price inflation and spatial prices on inequality are qualitatively different.     

Discriminating sex in South African blacks using patella dimensions

For many years, sex determination has been carried out on skeletal remains to identify individuals in forensic cases and to assess populations in archaeological cases. Since it has been shown that not all bones are found in a forensic case, discriminant function equations should be derived for all bones of the body to assist in sex determination. Numerous studies have shown the usefulness of bones of the lower extremity (e.g. femur, tibia) in sex determination using discriminant function analysis, but the use of patella measurements has not been extensively investigated for this purpose. It is therefore the aim of this study to derive discriminant function equations for sex determination from measurements of the patella of South African blacks as represented in the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons. A total sample of 120 (60 male, 60 female) patellae were measured using six measurements. The Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) program was used to derive the equations. Stepwise and direct analyses were performed with the highest rate of classification of 85% thereby making the patella useful for sex determination. Thus, the proposed equations derived from this study should be used with caution and only on the South African black population group.     

Relationship Between Motivation to Lead,Mental Health Status,and Job Satisfaction of Male and Female Civil Police Constables

The purpose of the study was to examine the differences in perceptions of motivation to lead, mental health, and job satisfaction of male and female police constables. Police constables (N = 203, male = 144, female = 59) were surveyed at four districts (Varanasi, Mirzapur, Allahabad and Lucknow) in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India. Participants’ responses were obtained on questionnaires which measured demographic characteristics, motivation to lead (Dubrin, 1998), psychological well-being, psychological distress (Heubeck & Neill Psychological Reports, 87:431–440, 2000), and job satisfaction (Dantzker’s Journal of Crime and Justice 16:171–181, 1993). Results of t test analysis indicated that job experience, salary, education, motivation to lead, and psychological well-being were significantly different among the male and female police constables. Motivation to lead was a significantly positive correlate of job satisfaction among male participants only while psychological well-being was significantly, positively correlated with job satisfaction of both male and female participants. Psychological well-being also exercised partial mediator effects on the positive relationship between “motivation to lead” and job satisfaction in male police constables only. However, psychological distress was negatively correlated with job satisfaction of male police constables. The findings have significant implications for increasing job satisfaction in the police department. Findings indicate that the government should concentrate on removing anomalies in the job conditions of the female police constables so as to promote psychological well-being. Simultaneously, the police department should also pay attention to conditions which can increase motivation to lead among its female police constables.     

Fatal splenic arterial aneurysmal rupture associated with chronic pancreatitis

Splenic arterial aneurysms (SAA) are rare and are usually atherosclerotic and/or related to pregnancy. Because pregnancy is the most important predisposing factor, the strong predilection of SAA for women is not surprising. The authors report a case of SAA rupture in a man with chronic pancreatitis as the predisposing factor. A 56-year-old man with abdominal pain and hematemesis was resuscitated and underwent endoscopy, but he died 18 hours later of massive hematemesis before definitive surgery could be carried out. At autopsy, there was chronic pancreatitis with fibrous adhesions tethering the tail of the pancreas, spleen, and posterior wall of the stomach together. The SAA was indented into the posterior wall of the stomach, into which it had ruptured from without. He also had alcoholic cirrhosis but no esophageal varices or conventional gastric ulcers. Other important predisposing factors such as abdominal trauma, infective endocarditis, polyarteritis nodosa, and segmental medial arteriopathy were absent. Histologic examination confirmed the rupture of the SAA. The SAA had Monckeberg medial calcinosis but little evidence of atherosclerosis. The well-documented complications of acute and chronic pancreatitis include shock, abscess, pseudocyst formation, and duodenal obstruction. This report describes the rare complication of SAA rupture, which may be fatal.