Intentional Damage Research Articles

Preliminary risk analysis for LNG tankers approaching a maritime terminal

LNG ships may represent a remarkable risk source, especially when approaching a land terminal, not only due to the possible occurrence of maritime accident, but also since they may represent a suitable target for terrorist attacks. A preliminary risk analysis for LNG ships approaching the Panigaglia terminal is carried out: based on literature data and on the characteristics of the location, a spill originated from a sea accident can be excluded; on the contrary, intentional damages may cause the release of a large amount of LNG, giving rise to a pool fire. Consequence analysis shows that dangerous thermal effects are expected within a radius of 700–1500 m; in the location under exam, the impact on resident population will be negligible, for the most probable attack site, and marginal for an occasionally used anchorage, which should be no longer allowed.

Induction of traumatic temporomandibular joint ankylosis in growing rats: a preliminary experimental study

There are many reports on the management of pediatric temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis. However, few authors have investigated the etiology of this disease in children. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of damage to both the condylar cartilage and disk in the induction of traumatic TMJ ankylosis during the growth period. The study was performed in growing rats by a common condyle fracture model. Intentional damage was performed to both the disk and condylar cartilage in the experimental group (n = 12), while the disk and condylar cartilage in the control group was left untouched (n = 12). Sham-operated growing rats were deemed the blank group (n = 10). Two rats from the experimental group and two from the control group were killed 24 h after the operation, and the result following surgical intervention was observed. Each rat's body weight in the three groups was monitored and recorded at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks after surgery. Twelve weeks after the operation, all animals were killed. The prognosis was compared by mandible deviation measure, body weight evaluation, and histological observation. Animals from the experimental group presented a slow body weight increase and obvious mandible deviation while all involved TMJs showed fibrous ankylosis in various degrees. The damage to both the condylar cartilage and disk in the condylar fracture might play a vital role in traumatic TMJ ankylosis development during the growth period. The results of this study suggest that more attention should be paid to condylar fractures in children that are accompanied with severe cartilage and disk damage, which is a matter of significance for pediatric TMJ ankylosis prevention.

Pediatric Helmet Use: Teaching Patients to Use Their Heads

<P>An injury is “any intentional or unintentional damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to thermal, mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen.” More simply, an injury is caused by an external force that causes damage to the body. Technologic change has altered the equation between forces generated by an activity and the capacity for the human body to experience those forces without suffering an injury. Examples include faster automobiles in greater numbers on the road; recreational vehicles (such as all-terrain vehicles, motorbikes, and motorized scooters) that can reach higher speeds and are widely available; and competitive sports (such as skiing/snowboarding, and hockey) where improvements to equipment increase potential velocity of the activity. These factors are compounded by the fact that individuals are stronger and larger than in years past, contributing to and potentially amplifying the forces of impact on an individual during collision mechanisms.</P> <H4>ABOUT THE AUTHORS</H4> <P>Cinnamon Dixon, DO, is Clinical Fellow, Division of Emergency Medicine, and Michael A. Gittelman, MD is Associate Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. </P> <P>Address correspondence to: Cinnamon Dixon, DO, Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, ML# 2008, Cincinnati, OH 45229; fax: 513-636-7967; or e-mail: <a href="mailto:Cinnamon.Dixon@cchmc.org">Cinnamon.Dixon@cchmc.org</a>. </P> <P>Dr. Dixon and Dr. Gittelman have disclosed no relative financial relationships.</P> <H4>EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES</H4> <OL> <LI>Determine the impact of traumatic brain injury on children participating in sporting and recreational activities.</LI> <LI>Identify activities for which helmet usage is recommended and/or required according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.</LI> <LI>Discuss strategies to encourage helmet usage among patients and communities.</LI> </OL>

Spatially Resolved Current-Voltage Measurements—Evidence for Nonuniform Photocurrents in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Spatial current distributions of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) mediated with a cobalt polypyridine complex are described. By rastering a laser over the surface of a DSSC while measuring the short-circuit current, a spatial current image is obtained. Experiments that highlight the potential uses of this technique are discussed. First, intentional damage inflicted on the photoanode and cathode of the DSSC are visualized with the scanning technique and second, the effects of increased pressure of the cell holder clamps are discussed and shown to warrant further investigation. Finally, other variations of the scanning technique are suggested.

Self‐inflicted bodily harm among victims of intimate‐partner violence

AbstractIn this study, we surveyed 113 women psychiatric inpatients with regard to histories of intimate‐partner violence and six self‐harm behaviours related to the intentional damage of one's body (e.g., cutting, hitting, scratching self). Multiple regression analysis revealed that a history of domestic violence was a statistically significant predictor of bodily self‐harm even after controlling for age and having ever been married. Among some victims of domestic violence, this statistical relationship may indicate an underlying common psychodynamic theme such as a high threshold for body maltreatment and/or low body esteem. Regardless, these data suggest that mental health clinicians need to explore among women victims of intimate‐partner violence the presence of self‐initiated bodily self‐harm. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

National campaign effects on secondary pupils' bullying and violence

Research on pupils' bullying (1991) and violence (1993) motivated the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to initiate a national campaign on school safety. The government campaign was undertaken from 1995 to 2000. To test for differences in secondary pupils' bullying and violence before and after the campaign while controlling for different contextual variables. In 1991, a representative survey on bullying was conducted in 36 secondary schools with 1,055 pupils from Year 2 and 4 classes (age range 13-16 years). In 1993, a survey on violent behaviour took place in 71 secondary schools with 1,998 pupils from Year 3 and 4 classes (age range 14-16 years). In 2000, a survey on bullying and violence was conducted in 60 secondary schools with 9,948 pupils from Year 1 to 6 classes (age range 12-18 years). The data from pupils in identical school years were compared with respect to bullying (1991-2000) and violence (1993-2000). The statistical relations were analysed in two stepwise multiple regression analyses. Year of investigation (1991- 2000, 1993-2000) was the respective dependent variable. The independent variables were pupils' bullying or violence scores, sex, school year, contextual lesson, school, and community variables. In both regression analyses, the contextual lesson and school variables discriminated between the measurement years. Also, compared with 1991, the pupils in 2000 scored lower for being a bully and higher for being bullied directly. Compared with 1993, the pupils in 2000 scored lower for being a victim of intentional damage to property or emotional violence, lower for being a perpetrator of disruptive behaviour in school, and higher for being a perpetrator of intentional damage to property. The differences between the contextual variables measured before and after the campaign reflect changes in educational and instructional situations. Independent of these differences, the national campaign appears to have helped improve the awareness of pupils' social behaviour and elicit, in particular, a decrease in pupils' violent behaviour. However, more specific pedagogical and preventative support for pupils socially at risk appears to be needed to have a more prosocial impact on the behaviour of secondary school pupils.

Women’s Experience of Violence During Stalking by Former Romantic Partners

This study investigated female experiences of physical violence during stalking by a former romantic partner. It aimed to identify factors that were predictive of such stalking violence. Two hundred and twenty female undergraduates who defined themselves as victims of stalking following the dissolution of a romantic relationship completed a short questionnaire. From their responses, 11 predictor variables were considered. These were self-reported relationship experiences of physical and sexual violence, intentional damage to participant's property, partner jealousy, isolation, monitoring, criticism and insults by the former partner, former partner's drug and alcohol abuse, and specific threats of violence while being stalked. The dependent variable in the study was whether stalking violence occurred; 35.9% (79/220) of participants experienced stalking violence. Logistic regression analysis revealed that there were statistically significant independent associations between threats, partner jealousy, and former partner drug abuse and stalking violence.

How Litigation Can Promote Product Safety

For at least the past three decades, injuries have been recognized as an important public health problem in the United States. In 2001, there were approximately 157,000 deaths due to injuries in the US. There were also almost 30 million non-fatal injury incidents.Injuries have been defined as: “…any unintentional or intentional damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to thermal, mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen”. Within public health, the field of injury prevention and control is dedicated to reducing the burden of injuries on the lives of people around the world.Injury prevention seeks to reduce injuries by: 1) identifying risk factors, 2) designing interventions to address the risk factors, 3) implementing those interventions, 4) evaluating their effectiveness, and 5) replicating those that work. As with many other public health problems, interventions can target factors associated with the human or host, vehicle or vector, and the physical or social environment.

Characterization of Silicon Wafer Back Sides with Low Thermal Oxide Layers by Copper Deposition

Copper decoration was performed on silicon wafer back sides covered with a low thermal oxide (LTO) layer. Under the conditions applied, 50 V across the electrolytical cell for about 5 min, patches with a lateral extension of 150 μm and larger were generated, and can be observed visually with haze light illumination. The defects on the wafer back side causing decoration have characteristic lateral dimensions on the order of few micrometers, heights and depths of well below 1 μm up to several micrometers, and originate mostly from interactions of the silicon wafer back side with particles. In the case of silicon wafer back sides manufactured with intentional damage for external gettering and covered with a LTO, only such defects are clearly marked by copper decoration that deviate from the characteristic back side texture. Thus, copper decoration is a method that, for the first time, allows the systematic investigation of defects with micrometer dimensions on present standard commercially available and coated silicon wafer back sides. Location of the defects is accurate enough for high resolution characterization equipment such as atomic force microscopy or those that can be used for chemical analysis. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

Fiberoptic delivery of laser energy to remove occlusions from ventricular shunts: technical report.

Shunts frequently require surgical replacement because occlusions block the ventricular tubing. We have examined the hypothesis that a surgical laser coupled to an optical fiber can deliver sufficient energy to disrupt the occlusion in situ and thus afford a less invasive method of repair. Choroid plexus tissue found in shunts explanted from patients, model tissues such as polyacrylamide gel, and animal tissues inserted into shunts were examined. Occlusions were fragmented by pulsed laser energy of 2.09-microm wavelength and 300-microsecond duration delivered via a flexible optical fiber several meters in length. The methods and conditions were similar to those likely to be used for preclinical in vivo studies. Short-lived vapor bubbles generated at the fiber tip disrupted occlusions within the shunt and expelled tissue blocking the inflow holes. Energy requirements to disrupt and remove occlusions in vitro were determined. Laser pulse energies and exposure thresholds that cause intentional damage to shunts also were determined. Laser energies needed to disrupt occlusions were below the energy needed to damage the shunt components. Our results show that a strategy using surgical lasers and optical fibers is feasible and suggest that the procedure could be used to repair blocked shunts without requiring surgical replacement.

Julgamento moral: estudo comparativo entre crianças institucionalizadas e crianças de comunidade de baixa renda com relação à emergência do sentimento de culpa

A culpa, um importante aspecto afetivo do desenvolvimento moral, tem sido utilizada como um de seus principais indicadores. Nas criancas, a aprimora-se gradualmente, sendo influenciada pelos modelos de moralidade e metodos disciplinares aos quais estao expostas (Harris, 1989). O presente estudo buscou verificar possiveis diferencas na emergencia do sentimento de entre 32 meninos (6-12 anos) provenientes de grupos distintos, sendo 16 de comunidade carente e 16 de instituicao que atende criancas sob risco e abandono. Utilizaram-se tarefas de checagem do reconhecimento de emocoes, julgamento de personagem em situacao de dano acidental e intencional, e relato de episodio pessoal envolvendo culpa, alem de entrevista exploratoria dos modelos de moralidade com os quais convivem as criancas. Encontraram-se concepcoes distintas de culpa, classificadas nos niveis ser apontado como culpado, ter culpa e sentir culpa. A idade parece determinar tais concepcoes, enquanto o grupo de origem nao se mostra significativamente influenciador, talvez porque os dois grupos compartilhem diversas caracteristicas.

Möglichkeiten des Hörerhalts bei Labyrinth-Fisteln von unterschiedlichem Schweregrad

The labyrinthine fistula continues to be one of the most common complications in ears with cholesteatoma. Fifty-one patients with labyrinthine fistula were identified in a series of 1243 cases with cholesteatoma operated upon between 1989 and 1993 at the University ENT Clinic Wuerzburg. The surgical management concept comprised of removing the cholesteatoma matrix, categorizing the fistula type, and immediate covering of the labyrinthine capsule defect with bone dust, perichondrium and fibrin glue. The classification system of the fistulae used in the study used the depth of labyrinthine involvement as a criterion and also took into account the possibility of intentional or accidental damage to the labyrinth during surgical manipulation (Fig. 1). From 1991 on, patients were treated with 500 mg of Presnisolon 21 hydrogen succinate in a single intravenous dose, at the time the fistula was corrected. The postoperative hearing results were graded based on the extend of preservation of inner ear function at or near the preoperative level. None of the patients who had corticosteroid therapy suffered a profound sensory neural hearing loss (Fig. 2, 3), whereas five ears without steroids and a deep fistula lost function completely. The study concluded that corticosteroids have a beneficial impact on postoperative outcome in cases with severe injury to the membranous labyrinth.

Electron field emission from large-area cathodes: evidence for the projection model

Field emission from two special kinds of emitters has been studied in detail: intentionally introduced particles of controlled geometry, and sites produced by intentional mechanical damage to the cathode surface. We found that the size of particles seems to play no role in their threshold field but their shapes are a determinant factor since spherical particles do not emit for fields up to 120 MV m-1. The method of creation of damage sites, and the similarity of their emission on Nb and Au substrates, suggest the possibility that emission comes from geometrical protrusions. A model of superposed geometrical protrusions is proposed to explain the enhanced field emission behaviour of this particular type of surface defect.

Perimortem Damage to Human Skeletal Remains from Wupatki National Monument, Northern Arizona

ABSTRACTDamage to bone relatively soon after the time of death (perimortem) has been studied in human skeletal remains from two Pueblo sites at Wupatki National Monument: Room 59 at Wupatki Pueblo (NA405) and Tragedy House (NA682). Carnivores alone were responsible for the tooth marks, gnawing, bone breakage, and disarticulation of some 19 children and adults found in Room 59 at Wupatki. These and other taphonomic observations are used to suggest that human sickness caused the abandonment of Wupatki. The perimortem damage at Tragedy House is entirely different. There, stone tool cut marks, impact fractures, anvil and hammerstone abrasions, marrow exposure, burning, and other intentional damage by humans are evident. This taphonomic signature is unlike all known Southwest burials except those where violence and cannibalism have been suggested as the cause of the damage.

Corrosion at surface damage on an epoxy-coated reinforcing steel

The corrosion of manufactured epoxy-coated reinforcing steel with intentional surface damage in a naturally aerated NaCl solution was investigated. The progression of corrosion as a function of exposure time was studied with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Impedance diagrams were roughly semicircular with a large apparent time constant. Integrated corrosion rates from nominal charge-transfer resistance evaluations were in reasonable agreement with direct metallographic measurements of metal loss at the end of exposure. The results were interpreted with a transmission-line EIS model, proposing that cathodic reactions took place at external, semiconductive corrosion products.

A Containment Facility for Research on Foreign Noxious Weeds

Two conventional greenhouses were modified into a containment facility for the study of foreign noxious weed species that could be dangerous to North American agriculture. The facility was designed for research on the biology, ecology, and weed control technology of foreign noxious weeds, without the escape of propagules. Two growth chambers and a germinator are located within the containment facility for evaluations under controlled environmental conditions. A standard operating procedure is followed to preclude the escape of weed seeds or propagules while minimizing restrictions to research. The facilities are locked and located in a secure fenced area to reduce the probability of accidental or intentional damage. Procedures for emergencies have been designed to facilitate aid without compromising the containment security. Knowledge concerning weeds that have the potential to threaten North American agriculture will be gained from research performed within this facility.

Children’s Perceptions of a Transgressor’s Socialization as a Function of Type of Reprimand

Kindergarten, 3rd, and 6th graders were asked to evaluate actors in filmed sequences depicting accidental or intentional damage followed by expiation, explanation, or no reprimand. Kindergarteners rat

Protective Lighting of Water Works

of municipally owned public services, such as water systems, should not overlook the possibility of intentional damage during the present* world-wide emergency. Under cover of darkness or poor lighting, this may be made possible. Privately owned public utilities and industrial plants in many parts of the United States are recognizing this danger, and are providing protective lighting systems along with other safeguards. Plans to construct fences and floodlighting systems around all city water, light and power properties as guards against possible sabotage were announced recently in the trade press by Willis J. Spaulding, Commissioner of the Springfield, 111., plants; and another story from Milwaukee, Wis., indicates that night lighting to prevent sabotage is being installed around the city water plant there. Schenectady, N. Y., has provided protective lighting for its water pumping station and its reservoir will soon be equipped with lighting designed to prevent possible night sabotage. Although each case usually needs individual attention before specific recommendations can be made, a few general rules on the use of protective lighting may be given, as follows: 1. It is advisable to plan protective lighting for the worst possible visibility conditions so that it will be adequate when sabotage is most likely to be attempted. 2. Protective lighting should be of definite advantage to the property and of disadvantage to the saboteur. If there is any glare in the lighting system, it should be designed to blind the intruder and not the guards.