Altered handwriting suggests cognitive impairment and may be relevant to posthumous evaluation

Judging the validity of a disputed will is complex; however, one of the main issues is what the mental status of the testator was at the time of the will. If the will is handwritten, a handwriting analysis can provide information on the mental status of the testator. We tested how two writing parameters (the "writing score," a novel evaluation scale that we previously described, and the percentage of spelling mistakes) are capable to identify cognitively impaired persons. These parameters are especially helpful because they can be used to evaluate the mental status of a deceased person. We found a significant correlation between either parameter and established scales of neuropsychological evaluation (Mini Mental State Examination and Milan Overall Dementia Assessment scale). Specifically, a poor score on either parameter reliably identified a compromised cognitive status. These may represent helpful additions to existing techniques in posthumously identifying persons with severe cognitive impairment.     

Death from renal cyst: spontaneous or traumatic rupture?

We report an unusual death of an apparently healthy 56-year-old male due to massive hemorrhage caused by rupture of an artery in the wall of a solitary renal cyst, possibly after a relatively minor trauma. Fatalities due to spontaneous or posttraumatic rupture of renal cysts are extremely rare but can represent a potential danger for people with acquired cystic kidney disease. Our report describes results of the forensic investigation and discusses possible mechanisms of the rupture.     

How to Build a ‘Beautiful China’ in the Anthropocene. The Political Discourse and the Intellectual Debate on Ecological Civilization

The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate on global prosperity in the post-GDP world, with specific attention given to the political discourse and intellectual debate on ecological civilization in China. I will first assess the national and international implications of assuming that China as a whole is a ‘locality’. I will then focus specifically on one of the most significant political and intellectual debates in Chinese studies today, namely the social and environmental challenges linked to China’s political and socio-economic development. In this light, I will engage with the debate on the Anthropocene - the era during which humans have become an earth-altering force – and its interrelationship with the discourse on ecological civilization. In China, the term ‘ecological civilization’ appeared in the 1980s in the academic domain and was then appropriated by political discourse. This article proves that the concept of eco-civilization, in a similar way to the Anthropocene, has a significant discursive power: it allows for a shift from the binary political economy discourses of ‘growth’ versus ‘development’, and ‘socialism’ versus ‘capitalism’, to the inquiry of eco-socially sustainable prosperity. The final aim of this article is both to offer a more nuanced analysis of the relationship between the political discourse and academic debate, and to substantiate the rhetoric trope of ‘Advancing Ecological Civilization and Building a Beautiful China’.     

A New Robust Epigenetic Model for Forensic Age Prediction

Forensic DNA phenotyping refers to an emerging field of forensic sciences aimed at the prediction of externally visible characteristics of unknown sample donors directly from biological materials. The aging process significantly affects most of the above characteristics making the development of a reliable method of age prediction very important. Today, the so-called “epigenetic clocks” represent the most accurate models for age prediction. Since they are technically not achievable in a typical forensic laboratory, forensic DNA technology has triggered efforts toward the simplification of these models. The present study aimed to build an epigenetic clock using a set of methylation markers of five different genes in a sample of the Italian population of different ages covering the whole span of adult life. In a sample of 330 subjects, 42 selected markers were analyzed with a machine learning approach for building a prediction model for age prediction. A ridge linear regression model including eight of the proposed markers was identified as the best performing model across a plethora of candidates. This model was tested on an independent sample of 83 subjects providing a median error of 4.5 years. In the present study, an epigenetic model for age prediction was validated in a sample of the Italian population. However, its applicability to advanced ages still represents the main limitation in forensic caseworks.     

Lobbying in developing countries: The Peruvian case

In the transparent exercise of democracy, there is a technique of persuasion called lobbying. The technique involves applying persuasion by representing one's own interests or the interests of third parties. In literature, lobbying is therefore related to interest groups and pressure groups. It is considered a key tool to guarantee equal conditions in the decision‐making process that promotes democracy and citizen control is transparency. Lobbying, also called interest management, is a legitimate activity that in Latin America has a bad press and consequently a bad reputation. However, it is a very important input into the democratic process. According to the NGO Legislative Directory: “It allows the general public to engage in the public decision‐making process, and it has the potential to improve the quality of public decisions by opening channels for diverse opinions and thematic experts.” It is an activity that is put into practice in all countries of the world and that has a regulatory background in most countries of the northern hemisphere and in some South American countries such as Peru and Chile. The general spirit of these norms is to “transform a suspected irregular activity into a deliberation and democratic game,” justify the Legislative Directory.     

Studying Illegal Online Trades in Plants: Market Characteristics,Organisational and Behavioural Aspects,and Policing Challenges

European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research - Illegal commerce in plants and their derivatives threatens and destroys numerous species and important natural resources, and may cause...     

US Foreign Policy Decision‐Making during the Clinton Administration

Citizenship and identity in Europe / edited by Leslie Holmes and Philomena Murray. ‐ Aldershot: Ashgate, c1999. ‐ xii, 167 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–002‐X

The enlargement of Europe / Stuart Croft... [et al.]. ‐ Manchester and New York : Manchester University Press, c1999. ‐ XVI, 188 p. ‐ ISBN 0–7190–4971–7 (pbk)

The rebirth of Europe / Elizabeth Pond. ‐ Washington D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, C1999. ‐ xiv, 290 p. ‐ ISBN 0–8157–7157–6

Theory and reform in the European Union / Dimitris N. Chryssochoou... [et al.]. ‐Manchester and New York : Manchester University Press, c1999. ‐ xiv, 174 p. ‐(Europe in change). ‐ ISBN 0–7190–4991–1

The competitive advantage of nations: the case of Turkey : assessing Porter's framework for national advantage / Özlem Öz. ‐ Aldershot: Ashgate, c1999. ‐ xii, 214 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–982–5

Ethnic conflicts and civil society: proposals for a new era in Eastern Europe / edited by Andreas Klinke, Ortwin Renn, Jean‐Paul Lehners. ‐ Aldershot : Ashgate, c1997. ‐ XVI, 283 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–455–6 (hbk)

Ethnicity and intra‐state conflict / edited by Håkan Wiberg, Christian P. Scherrer. ‐Aldershot : Ashgate, c1999. ‐ x, 327 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–713‐X

The European Union and Turkey: an anchor/credibility dilemma / Mehmet Ugur. ‐Aldershot: Ashgate, c1999. ‐ xviii, 286 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–443–2

The G7/G8 system : evolution, role and documentation / Peter I. Hajnal; with a contribution by Sian Meikle. ‐ Aldershot : Ashgate, c1999. ‐ xvi, 197 p. – ISBN 1–84014–776–8

The G8's role in the new millennium / edited by Michael R. Hodges, John J. Kirton, Joseph P. Daniels. ‐ Aldershot : Ashgate, c1999. ‐ xvi, 191 p. – ISBN 1–84014–774–1

Mediatori in armi: l'allargamento della NATO e la politica USA in Europa / Roberto Menotti. ‐ Milano : Guerini e associati, c1999. ‐ 228 p. ‐ (Frontiere). – ISBN 88–7802–996–3

Revolutionary Iran : civil society in the modernization process / Masoud Kamali. ‐Aldershot : Ashgate, c1998. ‐ xx, 318 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–449–1

Russian national interests and the current crisis in Russia / Henry Trofimenko. ‐Aldershot: Ashgate, c1999. ‐ viii, 324 p. ‐ ISBN 1–84014–405‐X

Serbia under Milosevic : politics in the 1990s / Robert Thomas. ‐ London : Hurst &; Co., C1999. ‐ xx, 443 p. ‐ ISBN 1–85065–367–4 (pbk)

Gli Stati Uniti e l'apertura a sinistra : importanza e limiti della presenza americana in Italia / Leopoldo Nuti. ‐ Bari: Gius. Laterza &; Figli, c1999. ‐ XXIV, 729 p. ‐ ISBN 88–420–5749–5