PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “BURIAL”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Polar group burial contributes more to protein stability than nonpolar group burial.

On the basis of studies of Asn to Ala mutants, the gain in stability from burying amide groups that are hydrogen bonded to peptide groups is 80 cal/(mol A(3)). On the basis of similar studies of Leu to Ala and Ile to Val mutants, the gain in stability from burying -CH(2)- groups is 50 cal/(mol A(3)). Thus, the burial of an amide group contributes more to protein stability than the burial of an equivalent volume of -CH(2)- groups. Applying these results to folded proteins leads to the surprising conclusion that peptide group burial makes a larger contribution to protein stability than nonpolar side chain burial. Several studies have shown that the desolvation penalty for burying peptide groups is considerably smaller than generally thought. This suggests that the hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions of peptide groups in the tightly packed interior of folded protein are more favorable than similar interactions with water in the unfolded protein.

Amides↗
PubMed1991

[Results of computer-assisted studies of population structure and burial practices of adults of the late Roman burial ground in the Minshat Abu Omar (east Nile delta)].

The results of 1448 skeletons met the requirements (database) for the completed examinations. Statistical correlations between situation of the skeletons in view of compass directions, position of the skeletons, grave type and mumification traces were calculated. More than 90% of the analyzed individuals were buried in west-east direction (head-feet). In 69% of all cases the skeletons were buried with their hands on or next to the pelvis. 98% of all mummies examined were found in the position hand/hands on shoulder. Special grave architecture was given in 15.8% of the examined individuals. The average life-expectancy for the group between 20 to 29 amounted to 14.65 years. The cluster-analysis showed clear differentiation of the male group in 3 to 4 subpopulations. For the female group a mathematical probability for 3 subpopulations was given. Connecting the data of cluster and burial types a significant distinction between the four male clusters - according to the distribution of the skeleton positions - could be seen. Within the female group a clear correlation between clusters and common characteristics could be found in 7 subgroups. Differentiated distribution was revealed in the different alignments of the skeletons.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of sand burial on survival, growth, gas exchange and biomass allocation of Ulmus pumila seedlings in the Hunshandak Sandland, China.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the last decade, the number of young plants of Ulmus pumila in the Hunshandak Sandland has decreased sharply because of severe sand burial, and their ecological protective function has been weakened. In order to develop an understanding of the tolerance of U. pumila to sand burial and to suggest reasonable measures to protect the sparse-elm-grassland ecosystem, the effects of burial on the survival, growth, photosynthesis and biomass allocation in U. pumila were studied. METHODS: Seedlings were buried at five different depths in pot experiments: no burial (control), partial burial (33 % and 67 % stem height), and complete burial (100 % and 133 % stem height). Growth analyses and measurements of photosynthesis were carried after the plants had been uncovered. KEY RESULTS: All the plants survived partial burial, but about 30 % and 80 % of the seedlings died as a result of the 100 % and 133 % sand burial treatments, respectively. The numbers of newly produced leaves and branches, and the height of the stems of the seedlings in the 33 % and 67 % burial treatments during the period of the experiment were significantly greater than those in the control. Furthermore, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were also elevated by the partial burial, but not affected by burial time. This might be attributed to the increased root length, which improved water acquisition. The biomass and biomass allocation of the seedlings were significantly changed by the burial treatments and burial times. The biomass was enhanced by partial burial but was reduced by complete burial at each burial time. However, the biomass allocation was not significantly changed by the 33 % and 67 % sand burial treatments 2 or 4 weeks following the burial. CONCLUSIONS: Ulmus pumila was shown to be tolerant to partial sand burial, but must be protected from complete burial.

Biomass↗
PubMed2006

Adventitious root production and plastic resource allocation to biomass determine burial tolerance in woody plants from central Canadian coastal dunes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Burial is a recurrent stress imposed upon plants of coastal dunes. Woody plants are buried on open coastal dunes and in forested areas behind active blowouts; however, little is known about the burial responses and adaptive traits of these species. The objectives of this study were: (a) to determine the growth and morphological responses to burial in sand of seven woody plant species native to central Canadian coastal dunes; and (b) to identify traits that determine burial tolerance in these species. METHODS: Field experiments were conducted to determine the responses of each species to burial. Saplings were exposed to burial treatments of 0, 10, 25, 50 and 75 % of their height. Burial responses were evaluated based on regressions of total biomass, height, adventitious root production and percentage allocation to shoot, root and adventitious root biomass on percentage burial. KEY RESULTS: Pinus strobus and Picea glauca lacked burial tolerance. In response to the burial gradient, these species showed a strong linear decline in total biomass, minimal adventitious root production that peaked at moderate levels (25-50 % burial) and no change in allocation to shoots vs. roots. The tolerant species Juniperus virginiana, Thuja occidentalis and Picea mariana showed a quadratic response to burial, with little change in biomass up to 50 % burial, but a large decline at 75 %. These species produced abundant adventitious roots up to 50 % burial, but did not alter allocation patterns over the range of burial levels. Populus balsamifera and Salix cordata were stimulated by burial. These species showed linear increases in biomass with increasing burial, produced copious adventitious roots across the gradient and showed a clear shift in allocation to vertical shoot growth and adventitious root production at the expense of the original roots under high burial conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Adventitious root production and plastic resource allocation to biomass are adaptive traits of coastal dune woody plants in central Canada, and provide a basis for assessing burial tolerance in woody plants on coastal dunes throughout the world.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2000

Respiration during snow burial using an artificial air pocket.

CONTEXT: Asphyxia is the most common cause of death after avalanche burial. A device that allows a person to breathe air contained in snow by diverting expired carbon dioxide (CO2) away from a 500-cm3 artificial inspiratory air pocket may improve chances of survival in avalanche burial. OBJECTIVE: To determine the duration of adequate oxygenation and ventilation during burial in dense snow while breathing with vs without the artificial air pocket device. DESIGN: Field study of physiologic respiratory measures during snow burial with and without the device from December 1998 to March 1999. Study burials were terminated at the subject's request, when oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry (SpO2) dropped to less than 84%, or after 60 minutes elapsed. SETTING: Mountainous outdoor site at 2385 m elevation, with an average barometric pressure of 573 mm Hg. PARTICIPANTS: Six male and 2 female volunteers (mean age, 34.6 years; range, 28-39 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Burial time, SpO2, partial pressure of end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2), partial pressure of inspiratory CO2 (PICO2), respiratory rate, and heart rate at baseline (in open atmosphere) and during snow burial while breathing with the device and without the device but with a 500-cm3 air pocket in the snow. RESULTS: Mean burial time was 58 minutes (range, 45-60 minutes) with the device and 10 minutes (range, 5-14 minutes) without it (P=.001). A mean baseline SpO2 of 96% (range, 90%-99%) decreased to 90% (range, 77%-96%) in those buried with the device (P=.01) and to 84% (range, 79%-92%) in the control burials (P=.02). Only 1 subject buried with the device, but 6 control subjects buried without the device, decreased SpO2 to less than 88% (P=.005). A mean baseline ETCO2 of 32 mm Hg (range, 27-38 mm Hg) increased to 45 mm Hg (range, 32-53 mm Hg) in the burials with the device (P=.02) and to 54 mm Hg (range, 44-63 mm Hg) in the control burials (P=.02). A mean baseline PICO2 of 2 mm Hg (range, 0-3 mm Hg) increased to 32 mm Hg (range, 20-44 mm Hg) in the burials with the device (P=.01) and to 44 mm Hg (range, 37-50 mm Hg) in the control burials (P=.02). Respiratory and heart rates did not change in burials with the device but significantly increased in control burials. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, although hypercapnia developed, breathing with the device during snow burial considerably extended duration of adequate oxygenation compared with breathing with an air pocket in the snow. Further study will be needed to determine whether the device improves survival during avalanche burial.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Hypercapnia increases core temperature cooling rate during snow burial.

Previous retrospective studies report a core body temperature cooling rate of 3 degrees C/h during avalanche burial. Hypercapnia occurs during avalanche burial secondary to rebreathing expired air, and the effect of hypercapnia on hypothermia during avalanche burial is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the core temperature cooling rate during snow burial under normocapnic and hypercapnic conditions. We measured rectal core body temperature (T(re)) in 12 subjects buried in compacted snow dressed in a lightweight clothing insulation system during two different study burials. In one burial, subjects breathed with a device (AvaLung 2, Black Diamond Equipment) that resulted in hypercapnia over 30-60 min. In a control burial, subjects were buried under identical conditions with a modified breathing device that maintained normocapnia. Mean snow temperature was -2.5 +/- 2.0 degrees C. Burial time was 49 +/- 14 min in the hypercapnic study and 60 min in the normocapnic study (P = 0.02). Rate of decrease in T(re) was greater with hypercapnia (1.2 degrees C/h by multiple regression analysis, 95% confidence limits of 1.1-1.3 degrees C/h) than with normocapnia (0.7 degrees C/h, 95% confidence limit of 0.6-0.8 degrees C/h). In the hypercapnic study, the fraction of inspired carbon dioxide increased from 1.4 +/- 1.0 to 7.0 +/- 1.4%, minute ventilation increased from 15 +/- 7 to 40 +/- 12 l/min, and oxygen saturation decreased from 97 +/- 1 to 90 +/- 6% (P < 0.01). During the normocapnic study, these parameters remained unchanged. In this study, T(re) cooling rate during snow burial was less than previously reported and was increased by hypercapnia. This may have important implications for prehospital treatment of avalanche burial victims.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Nitrogen levels in long bones from coffin burials interred for periods of 26-90 years.

Samples of long bones were obtained from 42 bodies buried in coffins at two sites over a 26 to 93 year period. Quicklime had been added to 17 of the coffins and there was fuel oil contamination of three of these. Long bone total nitrogen levels obtained by the macro Kjeldahl method were subjected to statistical analysis and their distribution plotted on a graph of burial time versus bone total nitrogen content. The highest nitrogen level recorded was 4.06 g per 100 g of bone (26 years) and the lowest 3.27 g per 100 g of bone (80 years). The oldest burial (93 years) gave a total nitrogen level of 3.49 g per 100 g of bone. For practical purposes, for burials deeper than 4 ft, the rate at which nitrogen is lost is independent of depth of burial. Although the overall trend was for nitrogen content to decrease with age, it was noted that despite being the oldest of the burials, the quicklime burials still possessed a relatively high nitrogen content. The maintenance of a relatively high nitrogen content in the quicklime burials was thought at first to be due to the quicklime acting as an inhibitor of decomposition during the initial period of interment. Statistical analysis, however, showed there to be no correlation between the addition of lime and the bone nitrogen level. Fuel oil contamination of three of the skeletons led to a high nitrogen content being recorded in the long bones, giving the impression that those burials were more recent than they actually were.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The effect of the burial environment on adipocere formation.

Adipocere is a decomposition product comprising predominantly of saturated fatty acids which results from the hydrolysis and hydrogenation of neutral fats in the body. Adipocere formation may occur in various decomposition environments but is chiefly dependent on the surrounding conditions. In a soil burial environment these conditions may include such factors as soil pH, temperature, moisture and the oxygen content within the grave site. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of these particular burial factors on the rate and extent of adipocere formation. Controlled laboratory experiments were conducted in an attempt to form adipocere from pig adipose tissue in model burial environments. Infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed to determine the lipid profile and fatty acid composition of the adipocere product which formed in the burial environments. The results suggest that adipocere can form under a variety of burial conditions. Several burial factors were identified as enhancing adipocere formation whilst others clearly inhibited its formation. This study acts as a preliminary investigation into the effect of the burial environment on the resultant preservation of decomposing tissue via adipocere formation.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2005

Photosynthetic responses of plant communities to sand burial on the machair dune systems of the outer hebrides, Scotland.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The effects of both short-term (2 weeks) and long-term (6 weeks) burial on the photosynthetic efficiency of four typical plant sub-communities of the machair sand dunes of the Outer Hebrides are described. Previous studies have examined the photosynthetic responses on individual species rather than the response at the community level. METHODS: Three replicate turves from four different sub-community types (foredune grassland, dune slack, three-year fallow and unploughed grassland) were subjected to short- and long-term burial treatments after acclimatisation in an unheated greenhouse for approximately 10 weeks. Three replicate control turves from each sub-community were left unburied. After treatment, photosynthetic rate was measured at 16-20 h and 40-44 h after re-exposure, using an infra-red gas analyser, with standardization by total leaf area for each turf. Effects of sub-community type, burial duration and time since re-exposure were analysed by 3-factor split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures for time since re-exposure in the subplots. KEY RESULTS: Buried turves were characterized by a low dark respiration rate, which may represent a maintenance response to burial. After removal of sand, each machair sub-community showed some capacity for an elastic photosynthetic response. There were no differences between the effects of short- and long-term burial on the photosynthetic efficiency of machair vegetation, although turves buried for 6 weeks generally attained photosynthetic rates approaching those of control rates sooner than turves buried for 2 weeks. Photosynthetic responses to burial varied between sub-communities, with the slack turves exhibiting the poorest capacity for recovery within the investigated 44-h period. CONCLUSIONS: In the machair environment, the ability to maintain photosynthetic equipment whilst buried, and the ability to bring about a relatively rapid reinstatement of photosynthetic mechanisms on emergence or exposure, is an important adaptation for survival. Survival is closely related to the ability of a plant to replenish carbohydrate reserves before the next burial event.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1991

The oxygen content of ocean bottom waters, the burial efficiency of organic carbon, and the regulation of atmospheric oxygen.

Data for the burial efficiency of organic carbon with marine sediments have been compiled for 69 locations. The burial efficiency as here defined is the ratio of the quantity of organic carbon which is ultimately buried to that which reaches the sediment-water interface. As noted previously, the sedimentation rate exerts a dominant influence on the burial efficiency. The logarithm of the burial efficiency is linearly related to the logarithm of the sedimentation rate at low sedimentation rates. At high sedimentation rates the burial efficiency can exceed 50% and becomes nearly independent of the sedimentation rate. The residual of the burial efficiency after the effect of the sedimentation rate has been subtracted is a weak function of the O2 concentration in bottom waters. The scatter is sufficiently large, so that the effect of the O2 concentration in bottom waters on the burial efficiency of organic matter could be either negligible or a minor but significant part of the mechanism that controls the level of O2 in the atmosphere.

Atmosphere↗
PubMed1999

Middle Palaeolithic burial is not a dead issue: the view from Qafzeh, Saint-Césaire, Kebara, Amud, and Dederiyeh.

Inferences of purposeful Middle Palaeolithic (MP) burial are almost universally accepted, despite published arguments that the pre-1960s discoveries are equally well explained by natural processes. In the modern human origins debate (perhaps the most hotly disputed question in palaeoanthropology) inferences of MP burial are crucial in arguments for an early Upper Pleistocene emergence of modern humans. The present paper contributed to that debate by re-examining a number of post-1960s excavations of MP hominid remains. Because these were excavated with meticulous attention to depositional circumstances and stratigraphic context, most palaeoanthropologists consider these inferences of purposeful burial to be based on irrefutable evidence. This paper focuses on the reasoning behind such claims, especially the assumption that articulated sketetal material is prima facie evidence for deliberate burial. First it reviews a range of processes operating in caves and rockshelters that condition the probability of articulated skeletal material preserving without hominid intervention. Processes such as deposition, decomposition, and disturbance are inherently more variable in caves and rockshelters than is usually acknowledged. The first section concludes that purposeful protection is not necessary to account for the preservation of articulated skeletal remains. The second part of the paper examines the published record from Qafzeh, Saint-Césaire, Kebara, Amud and Dederiyeh, where the majority of the remains claimed to have been buried are fragmented, incomplete, and disarticulated. This re-examination suggests that in all of the post-1960s cases of putative burial, the hominid remains occur in special depositional circumstances, which by themselves are sufficient to account for the preservation in evidence at these sites. This conclusion severely weakens arguments for purposeful burial at the five sites. Moreover, the equivocal nature of the evidence in the more recent cases renders even less secure the similar claims made for discoveries of hominid skeletal remains at La Chapelle-aux-Saints, Le Mousterier, La Ferrassie, Teshik-Tash, La Grotte du Régourdou, Shanidar, and several others. Finally, by highlighting the equivocal nature of the evidence, this paper underscores the ongoing need for palaeoanthropologists to specify as wide a range of taphonomic processes as possible when interpreting the archaeological record. This will aid in producing robust inferences, and will bring about increasingly accurate knowledge of when hominids became human.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Searching for the IRA "disappeared": ground-penetrating radar investigation of a churchyard burial site, Northern Ireland.

A search for the body of a victim of terrorist abduction and murder was made in a graveyard on the periphery of a major conurbation in Northern Ireland. The area is politically sensitive and the case of high profile. This required non-invasive, completely non-destructive and rapid assessment of the scene. A MALA RAMAC ground-penetrating radar system was used to achieve these objectives. Unprocessed and processed 400 MHz data show the presence of a collapse feature above and around a known 1970s burial with no similar collapse above the suspect location. In the saturated, clay-rich sediments of the site, 200 MHz data offered no advantage over 400 MHz data. Unprocessed 100 MHz data shows a series of multiples in the known burial with no similar features in the suspect location. Processed 100 MHz lines defined the shape of the collapse around the known burial to 2 m depth, together with the geometry of the platform (1 m depth) the gravedigger used in the 1970s to construct the site. In addition, processed 100 MHz data showed both the dielectric contrast in and internal reflection geometry of the soil imported above the known grave. Thus the sequence, geometry, difference in infill and infill direction of the grave was reconstructed 30 years after burial. The suspect site showed no evidence of shallow or deep inhumation. Subsequently, the missing person's body was found some distance from this site, vindicating the results and interpretation from ground-penetrating radar. The acquisition, processing, collapse feature and sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the known burial and empty (suspect) burial site may be useful proxies for other, similar investigations. GPR was used to evaluate this site within 3 h of the survey commencing, using unprocessed data. An additional day of processing established that the suspect body did not reside here, which was counter to police and community intelligence.

Burial↗
PubMed2003

Determination of tritium and 14C concentration in two hydrostratigraphic units below the University of California, Davis, waste burial holes at the Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research/South Campus Disposal Site (LEHR/SCDS).

The Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research site at the University of California at Davis was used as a disposal site for tritium and 14C waste generated by campus related research. This low-level radioactive waste was disposed of by shallow land burial from 1956 to 1974 in waste burial holes and resulted in extensive contamination of soils and groundwater at the LEHR/SCDS. In part, due to this contamination, the LEHR/SCDS was placed on the National Priority List in May of 1994. In 1999, soils in the vicinity of the waste burial holes were subject to a CERCLA Removal Action. To this day elevated tritium and 14C concentrations are found in two groundwater monitoring wells that are located down gradient from the waste burial holes. The Bioscreen, Natural Attenuation Decision Support System software program was used, along with site-specific hydrogeologic conditions, to estimate the maximum source zone concentrations in the water bearing intervals below the waste burial holes. The first order decay process, and assumptions of horizontal flow provided reasonably accurate estimates of contaminant concentrations in the unconfined portion of the water bearing interval, but results for the confined portion of the water bearing intervals were mixed. Dose estimates for the time period of maximum contaminant concentration in the aquifer below the waste burial holes, predicted by modeling, suggested that the 4 mrem drinking water standard had not been exceeded at this site.

Calibration↗
PubMed2004

Effects of burial and soil condition on postharvest mortality of boll Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in fallen cotton fruit.

Effects of soil condition and burial on boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, mortality in fallen cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., fruit were assessed in this study. During hot weather immediately after summer harvest operations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, burial of infested fruit in conventionally tilled field plots permitted significantly greater survival of weevils than in no-tillage plots. Burial of infested squares protected developing weevils from heat and desiccation that cause high mortality on the soil surface during and after harvest in midsummer and late summer. A laboratory assay showed that burial of infested squares resulted in significantly greater weevil mortality in wet than in dry sandy or clay soils. Significantly fewer weevils rose to the soil surface after burial of infested bolls during winter compared with bolls set on the soil surface, a likely result of wetting by winter rainfall. A combination of leaving infested fruit exposed to heat before the onset of cooler winter temperatures and burial by tillage when temperatures begin to cool might be an important tactic for reducing populations of boll weevils that overwinter in cotton fields.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1994

Embalming, body preparation, burial, and disinterment. An overview for forensic pathologists.

This article is designed as a basic guide for pathologists who are called upon to examine human remains that have been embalmed and buried for periods brief enough that soft tissues are still intact. Included is a discussion of disinterment laws; guidelines for deciding whether disinterment is warranted; funeral home and cemetery procedures; features of caskets, vaults, tombs, and gravesites; basic burial procedures; and a description of embalming chemicals and the embalming and body preparation process. Emphasis is placed on basic, routine procedures and principles of body preparation, burial, and disinterment, and on the recognition of predictable artifacts that result from such procedures. Although decomposition and skeletonization ultimately occur after burial, bodily changes that occur after burial are not discussed in this article. Disinterment is only sometimes warranted and is best accomplished in such cases through a cooperative effort among those requesting disinterment, the funeral director, the cemetery administrator, and the pathologist. If possible, autopsies should be performed according to law and prior to burial so that the need for disinterment is minimized.

Burial↗
PubMed2006

Social structures and social relations--an archaeological and anthropological examination of three early Medieval separate burial sites in Bavaria.

As part of an interdisciplinary cooperation, three early medieval separated burial sites from central Bavaria were subjected to archaeological and anthropological examinations. Separated burial sites are probably an expression of social stratification. This paper focuses on two characteristic aspects of these separated burial sites: (1) structure of the site, and (2) biological manifestation of a social upper class. The separated burial grounds Etting/Sandfeld (31 individuals), Grossmehring (44 individuals) and Kelheim (43 individuals), all located in southern Bavaria, were analyzed. Sex and age at death of all individuals were determined, and dietary behaviour was reconstructed by means of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in bone collagen. Local conditions such as climate, soil conditions or the intensity of agriculture can provoke significant variations in plant delta15N-values, which could lead to a shift of the baseline values of the corresponding trophic web. To facilitate the comparison of isotopic data from different sites, delta15N values of cattle bones were taken as a reference for the human data (presuming the diet to consumer chain). The results of dietary reconstruction indicate that the populations enjoyed very good living conditions with a primarily animal protein-based diet. Furthermore, the isotope analysis revealed more detailed indications for certain individuals regarding their social status. Some individuals can even be appointed as possible chiefs of the population, since anthropological and archaeological interpretations were in total agreement: It was possible to identify persons of a higher social status based on the structure of the burial site, grave goods and the isotopic analysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Detection of E 605 several years after burial].

Five cadavers were exhumed 8 months to 20 years after burial, as it was suspected that these persons had been poisoned with E 605. Parathion at doses of between 200 mg and 500 mg might have been administered. Parathion, aminoparathion, paraoxon, p-nitrophenol, and a decomposition product of CI solvent blue 78 (Ceresblau) were found 9 months after burial, and aminoparathion and p-nitrophenol could be detected 3 and 7 years after burial. Neither parathion nor its degradation products were found in postmortem samples 13 and 20 years after burial. As secondary findings, barbital was detected in specimens 20 years after burial. The analytical findings were confirmed by GLC mass spectrometry.

Aged↗