Identification of the driver in two-rider motorcycle accidents. Inguinal contusion-laceration as an indication of the driver

In motorcycle accidents involving two riders, medicolegal identification of the driver is necessary when one or both riders die. It is particularly important in the latter case, because the survivor almost always insists that he or she was not driving. One characteristic injury that distinguishes the driver from the passenger is inguinal contusion-laceration (accompanied internally by pelvic fracture). This injury, caused by collision of the pelvis with the fuel tank, identifies the driver.     

Dissecting intramural haematoma of the coronary artery with intimal tears.

A dissecting intramural haematoma of the coronary artery is an infrequent cause of sudden and unexpected death. Most cases are women and in a significant number of these women, the haematoma occurred at term to 80 days postpartum. Because the intimal rupture and communication with the lumen were not found in most of the cases, the site of rupture has been considered to be a vasa vasorum. The authors report on a case of one woman who was at a later postpartum period (106 days). The microscopic finding of the dissected coronary artery revealed two intimal tears in a section. The case showed that the dissecting intramural haematoma of the coronary artery is caused not only by the rupture of the vasa vasorum but also by the rupture of the intima.     

How Does Contract Design Affect the Uptake of Microcredit among the Ultra-poor? Experimental Evidence from the River Islands of Northern Bangladesh

This study examines the demand of microcredit among ultra-poor households in northern Bangladesh. We implemented a field experiment to identify what type of credit is best suited to their demand. We found that the uptake rate by the ultra-poor is the lowest for regular small cash credit, followed by in-kind credit. We also found that the ultra-poor are significantly more likely to join a microcredit programme than the moderately poor if a grace period with longer maturity is attached to a large amount of credit, irrespective of whether the credit is provided in cash or in kind.     

The promotion of peace education through guides in peace museums. A case study of the Kyoto Museum for World Peace,Ritsumeikan University

This paper focuses on how peace education at a peace museum is promoted by a volunteer guide service for visitors. Peace museums are places where many materials related to war and peace history are on display. To support the learning experience of museum visitors, many peace museums in Japan provide a volunteer guide service. The Kyoto Museum for World Peace, Ritsumeikan University, started such a service more than 20 years ago. A citizens’ group, called Friends for Peace, is in charge of the museum guide activities in cooperation with the museum. This article explains the purposes and nature of the service, and also reports on a survey of similar services offered by other peace museums in Japan.     

A Culturally Sensitive Approach to the Relationships between Identity Formation and Religious Beliefs in Youth

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Youth encounter issues of religion in the process of identity formation. However, most prior studies have focused on Christian youth in Western counties. This...     

A new method for detecting diatoms in human organs

A new method for diatom detection is described. It includes an ultrasonic irradiation procedure with the use of a tissue solubilizer. The method is easy to carry out and is less time-consuming than previous techniques.     

Hair analysis for drug abuse: I. Determination of methamphetamine and amphetamine in hair by stable isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method

Determination of methamphetamine and amphetamine in hair was performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using stable isotope-labeled internal standards, 2-methylamino-1-phenylpropane-2,3,3,3-d4 and 2-amino-1-phenylpropane-2,3,3,3-d4. Extraction of hair with methanol/5M hydrochloric acid (20:1) using ultrasonication was chosen as the standard method. The calibration curves for amphetamines in the hair were linear from 1 to 100 ng/mg (r greater than 0.99). The detection limit was 0.5 ng/mg at the 95% confidence level. The coefficients of variation (CV) (n = 8) of analysis using the spiked hair with methamphetamine were from 0.7 to 6%. The CV (n = 8) of analysis of the methamphetamine abuser's hair was 17.5%. Sectional analysis of monkey and human hair after methamphetamine ingestion suggested a good correlation between the duration of drug use and drug distribution in the hair.     

An infant fatality involving ajmaline

An infant fatality following accidental ingestion of ajmaline is described. Ajmaline was determined by thin-layer chromatography and infrared spectrophotometry, and quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography. The ajmaline concentration in blood was 5.5 micrograms/mL. The toxicological data relevant to the interpretation of case findings are presented.     

Studies on asphyxia: lipids in the alveoli of rats in hypoxic state

Biochemical characterization in alveolar lavage fluids of rats which had inhaled 5% oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide was studied in comparison with control rats. The protein content, consisting mainly of serum albumin, markedly increased in the hypoxic states. The phospholipid content also increased one and a half to two times as much as in the control rats. The phospholipids which increased in the alveoli were mainly pulmonary surfactant phospholipids, i.e. phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol. The phospholipid profiles did not appear to be affected by the leakage of plasma lipids. These findings indicate that pulmonary surfactant phospholipids accumulate in the alveoli of rats in the hypoxic states examined here.     

Immunohistological studies on ABH-activities in secretory cells of human major salivary glands--correlation between ABH-activities in the secretory cells and secretor-nonsecretor

The activities of A, B and H in serous cells (S-cells), mucous cells (M-cells) and excretory duct cells were examined in a large number of paraffin sections of three major salivary glands obtained from 91 corpses, using the immunofluorescence technique. The results are: By taking H activity in S-cells of the submandibular gland or A, B and H activity in M-cells of the sublingual gland as an indicator, the salivary glands were classified as Type I showing activity and Type II showing no activity. No glands corresponding to the intermediate type, as seen in the case of saliva, were noted at all. Among 91 corpses, 70 cases were classified as Type I and 21 as Type II. The results matched well with those of Lewis type tested on blood. The frequencies of the typing (Type I; 76.9%, Type II; 23.1%) were approximately in concordance with those of secretor and nonsecretor in Japanese saliva. From these results, it was assessed that the former corresponded to the secretor type in the case of saliva, and the latter to the nonsecretor type. Even in the same individual, both S-cells and M-cells exhibited different productivities of substances, depending on the glands to which they belonged. Namely, only S-cells in the submandibular gland belonging to Type I showed only H activity independent of the blood group of the individual, but the other S-cells in the other major glands did not show any activity for A, B and H. M-cells exhibited strong activity for H and/or A and/or B in the sublingual and submandibular gland and belonged to Type I, but little activity in the sublingual gland belonged to Type II. In the submandibular gland of Type II, some M-cells showed activity and others did not. On the basis of the above results, we discuss the applicability of the present genetic theory concerning the secretor and nonsecretor type in saliva to salivary glands and cells, and further refer to the reasons for appearance of the weak secretor type or intermediate type in saliva.