Objective: Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) is an established method for disease, complications, and cause of death determination in both clinical and forensic cases. By adding intravascular infusion of contrast medium, computed tomography angiography (PMCTA) provides additional information on vascular structures and hemorrhages. When easily applicable and low in costs, this technique would be more frequently applied and of additional value to clinical and educational purposes, particularly in forensic scientific context. Materials and Methods: PMCTA was performed on 10 bodies of the anatomy department. First, a metal T-piece was inserted into the femoral artery as part of standard practice for conservation. Secondly, surplus contrast medium with sodium chloride was infused into the body through a catheter tube set attached to the metal T-piece, using a readily available enteroclysis pump from our radiology department. Results: With added costs of approximately € 266 (personnel and materials) and an additional procedure time of 15-20 minutes, successful infusion of contrast mixture was achieved with the enteroclysis pump. Partial or complete opacification was measured in 89% of arteries, with enhancement of soft tissue visualization. Conclusion: This study successfully evaluated an inexpensive and easy to use method to perform PMCTA for post-mortem investigations.
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Introduction: The purposeofthisstudywastoassessoccurrenceof fluid stasisinthesinus,trachea and mainstem bronchionPMCT. Materials andmethods: Patients were collected from different groups, two adult and two paediatric groups. Patients who died from drowning or evident trauma to head and neck were excluded.
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Progetto Ustica is an experiment in "civically-engaged game design" and addresses the Ustica Massacre ("Strage di Ustica"), where 81 people lost their lives as an air-to-air missile hit a civilian aircraft in 1980. Progetto Ustica has been developed as part of an Action Research effort with the objective of preserving and transmitting the historical memory of the event. With this post-mortem essay, we reflect on the game design challenges that Progetto Ustica faced, we introduce different conceptualizations of "memory" emerging from our design practice, and we synthesize some lessons learned (implications for design) towards other "civically-engaged games" for socio-cultural heritage.
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Human activity is omnipresent in our landscapes. Animals can perceive risk from humans similar to predation risk, which could affect their fitness. We assessed the influence of the relative intensity of recreational activities on the bodyweight and pregnancy rates of red deer (Cervus elaphus) between 1985 and 2015. We hypothesized that stress, as a result of recreational activities, affects the pregnancy rates of red deer directly and indirectly via a reduction in bodyweight. Furthermore, we expected non-motorized recreational activities to have a larger negative effect on both bodyweight and fecundity, compared to motorized recreational activities. The intensity of recreational activities was recorded through visual observations. We obtained pregnancy data from female red deer that were shot during the regular hunting season. Additionally, age and bodyweight were determined through a post-mortem examination. We used two Generalized-Linear-Mixed Models (GLMM) to test the effect of different types of recreation on (1) pregnancy rates and (2) bodyweight of red deer. Recreation had a direct negative correlation with the fecundity of red deer, with bodyweight, as a mediator as expected. Besides, we found a negative effect of non-motorized recreation on fecundity and bodyweight and no significant effect of motorized recreation. Our results support the concept of humans as an important stressor affecting wild animal populations at a population level and plead to regulate recreational activities in protected areas that are sensitive. The fear humans induce in large-bodied herbivores and its consequences for fitness may have strong implications for animal populations.Projectnummer: SVB/RAAK.PRO 02.048
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This article explores how concern about animal welfare and animal rights relates to ecological citizenship by discussing student assignments written about the Dutch Party for Animals or PvdD. ‘Animal welfare’, ‘animal rights’, and ‘ecological citizenship’ perspectives offer insights into strategic choices of eco-representatives and animal rights/welfare advocates as well as educators. The assignments balance animal issues with socio-economic ones, explore the relationship between sustainability and ethics, and attribute responsibility for unsustainable or unethical practices. Analysis of student assignments reveals nuanced positions on the anthropocentrism-ecocentrism continuum, showing students’ ability to critically rethink their place within larger environmental systems. Some students demonstrated compassion for nonhumans, indicating that biophilia is evenly distributed among different groups of students. This article finds that fostering pro-environmentalism and animal welfare or rights requires the deepening of the debate contesting but also connecting key issues in sustainability and ethics. This analysis can be valuable for political parties representing nonhumans, or for education practitioners in getting students to think about the challenges in human-environment relationships and for advancing support for ecodemocracy. https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol8/iss1/10/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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