The external occipital protuberance: can it be used as a criterion in the determination of sex?

Sex determination of a corpse can be problematic in cases where the body is damaged. Useful criteria would assist in the identification of sex in such cases. The goal of this study is to determine the usefulness of the external occipital protuberance (EOP) in the determination of sex, especially in lateral cranium radiographs. The types and configurations of the EOP were investigated on normal lateral cranium radiographs of 1000 subjects (500 males and 500 females) and 694 dry-skull remains (371 males and 323 females) from a 16th Century Anatolian population for the purpose of sex determination. In the radiographic examination, the incidence of less prominent (Type 1) EOP is found to be 85.4% in females whereas 17.8% in males. The spine type (Type 3) EOP is found to be 63.4% in males and to be 4.2% in females. On the other hand, studies of dry-skull remains revealed the incidence of Type 1 EOP to be 67.5% in females and Type 3 EOP to be 55.2% in males. The crest type (Type 2) EOP is approximately equal in both sexes and is found to be less valuable for sex determination in both groups.     

Framework for teachers' acceptance of information and communication technology in Pakistan: Application of the extended UTAUT model

The motive of this research paper is to investigate the teachers' adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in Pakistan and the application of extended UTAUT model in a new context. A number of factors can cause changes in intention towards the usage of ICT including social, behavioral, and psychological factors, but this study, using the UTAUT model, is limited to examining the behavioral determinants of teachers' acceptance of ICT. To achieve the objective, a quantitative approach was adopted where questionnaire‐based data were obtained for analysis. The analyses were conducted on 341 valid responses that were collected from the teachers of high secondary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Getting the data analyzed through SPSS and AMOS, our results show that performance expectancy, efforts expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and information technology capabilities play a significant role in shaping teachers' adoption of ICT. Moreover, behavioral intentions mediate the relationship between the predictors and ICT usage. Based on the findings of this paper, administrators and government are recommended to spend additional efforts and money by launching programs for their teachers to increase the usage of ICT in their teaching and schools. The study provides numerous insights for teachers, school administrators, and government ICT‐based smart teaching and learning institutions.     

Profile and Life Span of the PKK Guerillas

This study attempts to explore the span of a life in a specific terrorist organization, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). It suggests the following: The average lifespan of a person in the PKK is about two-and-a-half years (i.e., not a very long one). Females join the PKK at a younger age (about 1.4 years) and die at a younger age (about 1.4 years) compared to males, but their lifespan is not any different than that of males. The age at which a PKK member joins the organization, and the age at which (s)he dies varies by year. The age at which a PKK member joins the organization, and the age at which (s)he dies varies by where (s)he comes from. Still, another interesting observation is that the average lifespan of a PKK member varies by where (s)he comes from.     

Role of blogging in perceived learning and satisfaction of students

The contemporary smart concepts of education signify a heavy role of blogging tools in digital learning environments that have a substantial effect on students' learning and satisfaction. This study aims to analyze the influence of students' four perceptions about blogging that is, perception of digital technology (PDT), perceptions of teaching and learning (PTL), perceptions of previous blogging experience (PBE), and perceived usefulness of blogging (PUB) on the frequency of blogging and then assesses the impact of the frequency of blogging on perceived satisfaction as well as perceived learning of students. For this purpose, the researchers conducted a quantitative study with a positivist approach in which the data were collected from 350 students in Anhui Province, China to conduct analysis of the proposed relationships. The results of the current study suggest that there is a positive impact of PDT, PTL, PBE and PUB on the frequency of blogging. It means that the positive perceptions of students towards digital technology, teaching and learning, previous bogging experience and usefulness of blogging result in higher frequency and use of blogging activity. It further indicates that the high frequency of blogging has ultimately a positive impact on perceived satisfaction and perceived learning. The discussion and findings of the current study have useful implications for theory and practice because they provide empirical evidence and theoretical guidelines about the role of blogging in perceived learning and satisfaction.     

Effects of acute cold exposure on blood-brain barrier permeability in acute and chronic hyperglycemic rats

These experiments were carried out to study, the effects of cold exposure on the permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) in hyperglycemic rats. The integrity of the BBB was investigated using Evans blue albumin (EBA) extravasation. Serum glucose levels in hyperglycemic rats were significantly higher than that obtained from normoglycemic rats (P < 0.05). Mean arterial blood pressure in hypothermic groups significantly dropped into lower levels, than that obtained in normothermic groups (P < 0.05). The EBA extravasation to the cerebellum in the group of cold exposure+acute hyperglycemia significantly increased compared with the values obtained from the cold exposure group (P < 0.05). The EBA extravasation to the brain regions of diabetic rats exposed to cold increased more than that in normotermic control rats (P < 0.05), but did not exceed the levels in cold controls. The result of this study suggests that, acute hyperglycemia superimposed upon the permeability of BBB in the rat exposed to cold, only in selected regions of the brain, especially the cerebellum, and this result could be an important factor to explain the mechanisms of death related with hyperglycemia+cold exposure in forensic medicine.     

Pleural effusion in bodies recovered from water

Both in saltwater and freshwater drowning cases, a common autopsy sign is pleural effusion. However, the factors that determine the amount of pleural effusion have not been well established. An attempt was therefore made to correlate the amount of pleural fluid in bodies recovered from water with several parameters registered on the judicial files as well as autopsy findings from the years 1994-1998. The number of cases with pleural fluid increase was found to be very high in saltwater drowning (P<0.001). But, when the freshwater and saltwater drowning cases with pleural fluid increase were compared according to pleural fluid amount, no significant difference was detected (521+/-340 and 768+/-536 ml, respectively). Although there was a positive correlation between the decomposition degree and the fluid in the pleural cavity, a relative decrease was detected in the amount of effusion contrary to the expectations in cases of extreme decomposition. Pleural fluid amount provides significant data about the type of water and the cause of death in early postmortem interval. And there is a link between the time spent in water and the amount of pleural effusion. With the advance of the postmortem interval, decomposition level and the duration of immersion should be taken into account in differential diagnosis.     

Maternal death due to non-traumatic fat embolism

The aim of this report is to document a case of non-traumatic fat embolism (NTFE) and to address the need for considerition of fat embolism in suspicious deaths resulting from respiratory distress in the postpartum period. A 28-years-old woman autopsied at the Morgue Department of the Council of Forensic Medicine is included to the study. This female became unconscious and developed respiratory distress 4 h after delivery, and this was followed by respiratory arrest. External examination revealed resuscitation marks and normal postmortem changes. Light microscopy revealed massive fat embolization involving most of the alveolar capillaries on several sections. Only in one particular area was a bone marrow embolus. Pathological diagnosis of the lung was diffuse pulmonary fat embolism. There was no evidence of other organ involvement with emboli. Other visceral organs showed no striking findings other than mild congestion. The cause of death was considered to be respiratory insufficiency resulting from severe fat embolism of the lungs.