The range and limitation of sub-national regime variations under electoral authoritarianism: The case of Russia

ABSTRACT

As has been demonstrated by scholars, different levels of a polity may encompass different political regimes. In this study we examine variations in regional political regimes which have developed under Russia's system of electoral authoritarianism. Comparing the results of two cycles of regional assembly elections (2008–12 and 2013–17) we analyse and compare elections results and levels of electoral contestation in both the party list (PL) and single member district (SMD) contests. This allows us to identify the range of sub-national regime variations: ‘hegemonic authoritarian’, ‘inter-elite bargain authoritarian’, ‘clearly-competitive authoritarian’, and ‘moderately-competitive authoritarian’ regions. Approximately half of the regions demonstrate stable electoral patterns across both cycles. At the same time, none of the regions go beyond the authoritarian limitations imposed by the Russian regime. The variation is explained by a combination of structural and agency factors with a prevalence of the latter.     

Professional Identity and Dishonest Behavior

This essay discusses the fraud triangle, or how factors such as opportunity to cheat, motivation to cheat or ability to rationalize or justify dishonest behavior lead to dishonesty. The fraud triangle is applied on behavior of professionals active in fields such as medicine, education, research and science or clergy. Evidence shows that even in these fields, which attract more altruistic individuals, the fraud triangle factors predicts emergence of behavior in breach of ethical standards. In the conclusion several measures for reducing dishonesty are discussed. Disciplines such as forensic economics or behavioral ethics are emphasized to provide wider variety of tools to detect and reduce dishonest behavior.     

Bleedings into the Anterior Aspect of the Intervertebral Disks in the Lumbar Region of the Spine as a Diagnostic Sign of Hanging

Abstract: Simon’s hemorrhages are ventral intervertebral hemorrhages located beneath the anterior longitudinal ligament that have been described in cases of hanging and tend to appear in the lumbar region of the spine. There are also reports of Simon’s hemorrhages in cases of blunt trauma, asphyxia, drowning, and putrefaction. In a prospective analysis of 2226 autopsies, we found Simon’s hemorrhages in 65 out of 178 cases of hanging and also in 17 cases in a group of 350 controls with various causes of death. The relative frequency of occurrence of Simon’s bleedings in cases of hanging was 37%. Simon’s hemorrhages can be considered an objective vital finding, which is not absolutely specific for hanging. The absence of hemorrhages in intervertebral disks does not exclude death by hanging. This study suggests that Simon’s bleedings in cases of hanging are more frequent in rather young individuals, in cases with free body suspension, and in individuals with minimal degenerative changes in the lumbosacral part of the spinal column.     

An Unusual Zip Gun Suicide—Medicolegal and Ballistic Examination

Abstract:  Home-made guns are imitations of typical firearms and usually have handgun characteristics. This article presents an unusual case of a suicide carried out by means of a fatal gunshot wound to the head using a home-made zip gun. A 49-year-old male, with a history of paranoid psychosis was found dead in the dwelling place of a family house. The investigation at the crime scene did not lead to suspicion of a gunshot wound because of the unusual nature of the firearm used. A medical examiner diagnosed an opened head injury as the primary cause of the victim's death. The autopsy findings provided immediate grounds for further inspection of the crime scene. Subsequently, a simple zip gun, which had been overlooked during the scene investigation, was discovered. An undeformed projectile recovered from the victim's head was consistent with the use of the home-made firearm. Following the completion of the investigations and autopsy, the death was classified as a suicide.     

Multiple Giant Coronary Artery Aneurysms: A Rare Cause of Sudden Cardiac Death

Multiple giant aneurysms involving the coronary arteries are uncommon and rarely reported. In the presented case, a 63‐year‐old man with poorly controlled hypertension died suddenly. Gross autopsy examination showed multiple giant thrombus‐filled coronary artery aneurysms, atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, and cardiomegaly. Histological sections of the coronary aneurysms showed atherosclerotic changes with both organized and fresh thrombus. Giant coronary aneurysm is defined as a segmental enlargement of a coronary artery with a diameter exceeding 20 mm or more. The main etiology of this nebulous entity is attributed to atherosclerosis and inflammatory or inherited connective tissue disorders with the remainder being congenital, infectious, or idiopathic. Before its cataclysmic presentation, when ruptured or thrombosed, giant coronary aneurysm usually has a silent clinical course. Sudden death owing to giant multiple coronary aneurysms is rare and mandates careful classification of the aneurysms and prudent search for autoimmune‐mediated or genetically based factors for subsequent ancillary autopsy studies.     

中亚地区的俄中关系:合作还是竞争?

由于各种原因,中俄对中亚的政策有很大的不同,但双方应考虑到彼此动机的差异.鉴于这两个大国都有志于中亚的稳定,而中亚的稳定又有赖于双方旨在刺激中亚经济发展和消除中亚贫困的共同努力,因此中俄有可能、也有必要协调双方在中亚的利益.上海合作组织也能在一定程度上作为协调中俄之间、以及中俄与中亚各国间利益关系的体制框架.     

Amussat’s Sign in Hanging—A Prospective Autopsy Study

Abstract: Amussat’s sign is typically a transverse laceration of the intimal layer of carotid arteries described in cases of hanging. Subtotal laceration of the carotid artery is not strictly specific for hanging and can be also caused by blunt neck trauma, extreme overstretching, or whiplash‐injuries. In a prospective autopsy study of 178 cases of hanging, Amussat’s sign was found in 29 cases (a relative frequency of 16.1%). A statistically significant association between the occurrence of tears in the intimal layer of carotid arteries and the victims’ age was discovered in the cases studied (the frequency increased with age; p < 0.05). The occurrence of Amussat’s sign was independent of gender, weight, completeness of the victim’s body suspension, and position of the ligature knot on the neck. The study demonstrates the fact that the most probable cause of Amussat’s sign is a combination of direct compression of the artery by the rope and indirect stretching because of the gravitational drag produced by the weight of the body.     

Fatal suicidal crossbow injury--the ability to act

We report a case of a 58-year-old man who committed suicide using a modern crossbow. The victim shot himself in the chest with a conical field-tip arrow from close proximity. We first presumed that this was a case of homicide committed with a firearm. We were, however, subsequently proved wrong. The reasons for the primary statement were as follows: the external morphology of the entrance wound being typical of a firearm discharged from long distance; the perforation found on the victim's clothing; the absence of the firearm at the place of death; the absence of the arrow in the wound. All of these reasons forced us initially to conclude that the case was one of homicide. In the reported case, the man, after having been shot with an arrow, was further able to act, even though the abdominal aorta and liver were seriously injured. While the arrow was in the wound, the injuries may not have led to massive bleeding because of incomplete tamponade of the defects by the arrow shaft. Pulling the arrow out of the victim's wound track initiated massive bleeding. Despite all these injuries, the man was capable of pulling the bow string again and reloading the crossbow with the arrow used in the first attempt. This case demonstrates that forensic investigations into crossbow injuries can be very difficult, especially when the bolt has been removed from the body.     

Foreign policy, rhetorical action and the idea of otherness: The Czech Republic and Russia

This article employs the concept of rhetorical action in an analysis of the recent developments in Czech-Russian political relations. Through the discourse analysis of key Russian political speeches and official documents related to the Czech Republic, as well as Czech speeches tackling the same issues, we look at two different rhetorical actions employed by Russia to induce changes in Czech policy. The attempts to make Czech policy unacceptable in the wider community of European democracies were only partially successful. While the first rhetorical action aimed against Czech NATO membership failed, the new diplomatic strategy stressing the need for a “normalization” of relations was successful in transforming Czech policy towards Russia.