Personality identification of unidentified corps in the morgue

In order to identify unidentified corps in morgue, new possibilities of craniofascial identification based on use of the dental status and facial skeleton asymmetry were studied. An original computer program was created. The program contains all identification signs and information search base making it possible to improve corpse authentication and identification.     

Maggot development during morgue storage and its effect on estimating the post-mortem interval

When insect evidence is obtained during autopsy, forensic entomologists make decisions regarding the effects of low-temperature (-1 degrees C to 4 degrees C) storage of the body and associated insects when estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI). To determine the effects of storage in a morgue cooler on the temperature of maggot masses, temperatures inside and outside of body bags containing a human cadaver and porcine cadavers (seven replicates) were measured during storage. Temperatures remained significantly higher (p<0.05) inside of the body bags relative to the cooler, and remained at levels sufficient for maggot feeding and development. If the assumption that no insect development takes place during preautopsy refrigeration is made, potential error rates in PMI estimation of 8.6-12.8% occur. The potential for blow fly larvae to undergo significant development while being stored in the morgue is a possibility that forensic entomologists should consider during an investigation involving samples collected from autopsy. Case and experimental evidence also demonstrate that substantial tissue loss can occur from maggot feeding during morgue storage.     

Growth of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) Maggots in a Morgue Cooler*

Abstract: In estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) using maggots obtained during autopsy, the forensic entomologist makes decisions regarding the effects of low‐temperature storage of the body on the insects. In this case report, a corpse was found in an abandoned house in the residential area of Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia. The maggots were found to be alive inside the mouth of the deceased although the corpse had been in the morgue cooler for 12 days. The maggots were reared and identified as Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius). The emerged adult flies were kept as a stock colony, and the duration of development under the indoor fluctuating temperature regime was studied. The total duration of developmental process of this species was 9.5 ± 0.5 days, and the PMI estimated was 3.2 ± 0.6 days. This case report demonstrates the survival of Ch. megacephala maggots for 12 days and their growth inside the morgue cooler.     

Some problems in identification of an unidentified corpse

Presents data on the number of unidentified corpses sent to the morgue of Bureau of Forensic Medical Expert Evaluations of the Rostov region and discusses the shortcomings in organization of medical criminalistic personality identification. Discusses some scientific problems investigated at Department of Forensic Medicine of Rostov State Medical University.     

Lessons learned from large-scale comparative dental analysis following the South Asian tsunami of 2004

The aim of this study was to examine the quality of the ante-(AM) and postmortem (PM) dental data that were submitted for entry into the PLASS data system in Phuket, Thailand, following the Boxing Day (December 26) Tsunami, 2004. The investigators were two forensic odontologists who were part of the New Zealand Disaster Victim Identification team that worked at Wat Yang Yao morgue and at the Information Management Center in Phuket. Our findings underline the usefulness of dental data in human identification, but point to a number of significant sources of error. Of the 78 PM records received, only 68% of radiographs and 49% of photos confirmed the accompanying dental charting. This underlines the value, particularly of photographs of the dental arches, in quality control. It also points to a large error component, which may have been due to inexperience of the operators, fatigue, poor conditions in the temporary morgue, or the problem of tooth-colored fillings. Of the 106 AM records received, 62% were of unacceptable quality and 64% were either not accompanied by radiographs or had poor quality radiographs. These results indicate that AM data collection ideally needs to be collated and checked by a forensically trained dentist(s) in the country of origin.     

Fatality management in mass casualty incidents

Medical involvement in mass casualty incidents requires proper planning and preparedness. In disaster situations, legal aspects concerning the dead add to the general problem of a lack of time, place and resources to maintain routine working conditions, and demand authority and competence. The aspects of planning the recovery of the dead, transportation and morgue facilities, establishment of cause of death, identification, and the final disposition of the dead are discussed. The implementation of forensic mass fatality teams is felt to be the right answer for a better planning and coordination.     

From the octopus to the spider’s web: the transformations of the Sicilian mafia under postfordism

Since 1989, when the Berlin wall fell, criminal organizations have undergone to deep changes. Globalisation has indeed brought about new opportunities for new criminal organizations, as well as creating new illegal markets. For most scholars, the Sicilian mafia, or Cosa Nostra (CN), has suffered the blows of these changes and entered a deep crisis. This article aims to show that CN is not in crisis, but it is rather experiencing the changes from a fordist to a psot-fordist regime of capitalist accumulation. In order to demonstrate this thesis, the author will analyse the flaws of previous mafia theorists, the changes in economy and also in culture.     

Algor mortis: an erroneous measurement following postmortem refrigeration

Determination of the time of death is one goal of medicolegal death investigations. Algor mortis has been used as a measure of the postmortem interval (PMI). We prospectively recorded the core temperatures of 19 adult bodies entering our morgue cooler and at 3, 6, and 9 h of refrigeration. We then compared the cooling rate with the calculated body mass index (BMI). For each individual body, the rate of cooling was fairly linear with no evidence of a plateau. There was fair to moderate correlation between the BMI and the cooling rate: cooling rate = -0.052 (BMI) + 3.52. The probability of linearity in any given case was 36%. Variables affecting this correlation included the presence and the layers of clothing and if the clothing was wet. Our data confirm that algor mortis is of very limited utility in determining the PMI in bodies that have been refrigerated.     

以赛亚·伯林自由观的悖论:在多元与一元之间

以赛亚·伯林依据价值多元论而主张消极自由,在其文本中实际上存在着两个等级序列——第一等级序列和第二等级序列——的消极自由。这种对消极自由的区分,可以解释柏林自由观的悖论,即对立基于价值多元论的消极自由的推演最终导向了消极自由价值的一元主义。这一悖论反映出伯林自由观的价值多元论与消极自由主张之间的张力。自由一元主义的结局表明伯林没有摆脱自由主义的普世主义心态,而试图将自由作为一种普世化规则的结果,必然是另一种形式的"强迫自由"。     

The Taganka—A Bolshevik Club?

Iurii Liubimov flew into Berlin for a few days in response to a strange and even bold proposal: to appear on the stage in the role of Famusov. Andreas Schmidt, a German film director who had made the art film Leningrad November and many other documentaries at Lenfilm, decided to put on an uncommon spectacle as part of the Berlin—Moscow Exhibition. He recognized a psychological similarity in the destinies of Chatskii and many Soviets belonging to the third and fourth waves of emigration; the stagnant situation at home drives them from their nests, and when they are far away, they long for the home they have forsaken, but returning brings them no joy, and confronted with the new reality, they hurry back to the place from which they came.     

Application of compact ultrasound imaging device to postmortem diagnosis

In regions with low autopsy rates, forensic examiners often have to rely on external findings. Imaging techniques can assist the external examination and provide a more objective diagnosis. The SonoSite 180, a portable ultrasound device, was used for the examination of dead bodies. The influence of different degrees of decomposition was estimated. Even in cases with intestinal gas formation images of internal organs could be obtained with special techniques. Various pathological findings were detected by ultrasound and verified by autopsy (e.g. pericardial tamponade, cardiac hypertrophy, fatty liver, aortic aneurysm, metastatic liver, etc.). The experiences with the SonoSite 180 are promising. The device can be carried to the death scene or to the morgue and therefore serve as a valuable tool for medicolegal applications.     

Radiation safety for the NOMAD portable X-ray system in a temporary morgue setting

The purpose of this study was to determine the radiation levels resulting from leakage and scatter encountered by the forensic dental personnel using the Nomad at St. Gabriel, LA, following Hurricane Katrina. Using a Keithley Radiation Survey Meter and Lucite head phantom, radiation levels were measured at various distances and angles from the Nomad corresponding to the positions occupied by the dental personnel at St. Gabriel. The measurements were used to approximate the maximum total radiation dose from the Nomad to each team member for a 2- and a 4-week deployment. The results show that the maximum scatter radiation dose to any team member was 4.4 microR per X-ray or 0.253 millisieverts (mSv) for a 2-week deployment and 0.506 mSv for a 4-week deployment. Therefore, the leakage and scatter radiation dose from the Nomad was insignificant compared with established radiation safety guidelines of 50 mSv per year for all team members.     

论和谐社区建设中的政府角色定位

本文以城市和谐社区建设中的地方政府角色为着眼点,分析了和谐社区建设中政府角色错位的原因.提出在构建和谐社区过程中,政府应与社区之间建立分工合作的新型关系,应扮演好社区建设的服务者和保障者、社区组织的培育者、社区建设的谋划者和组织者、社区关系的协调者等新角色,发挥政府在建设和谐社区中的作用,以期实现社区和谐的战略目标.     

“尊重党员主体地位“命题的重大意义

"尊重党员主体地位"这一重大命题的提出,体现了我们党对共产党执政规律认识的进一步深化和升华。是对马克思主义建党理论的新发展和理论创新,是对党的建设坚持以科学发展观为指导方针的具体体现,是对中国共产党自身建设经验的科学总结,是全面推进党的建设新的伟大工程的战略措施。     

Party Discipline and Universalism: The Case of Budgeting in Berlin

Work on the US Congress has found that when partisan differences are strong, legislation tends to be passed by minimum winning coalitions. When partisanship is weak, Congress and its committees often rely on the norm of universalism or 'giving something to everyone' to pass legislation. Universalism in legislative voting is expected to lead to bloated or inefficient public spending. This article investigates whether these hypotheses about party discipline and universalism hold true outside the United States. A comparison of fiscal decision-making in local legislatures in eastern Berlin, where newly created political parties are weakly disciplined, and in western Berlin, where established party caucuses are highly disciplined, finds this is indeed the case. The article concludes by raising questions for future research on universalism and other post-communist legislatures.     

论伯林的自由观——从两种自由概念谈起

伯林提出了“积极自由”与“消极自由”的著名区分。在深刻剖析了三种不同类型的积极自由观和二十世纪极权主义的逻辑联系的基础上,伯林认为消极自由观是“机会”、“能够”、“可能性”取向的自由观,以区别于“必须”、“应该”取向的积极自由观。但伯林的剔除了自主概念的消极自由观也蕴含了内在的危机。     

Lustration as a Problem of the Social Basis of Constitutionalism

One part of building a new constitution after wars, revolutions, civil wars, or dramatic regime changes is to draw a cultural boundary in time, declaring various aspects of the old regime illegitimate and various legalities and constitutional principles of the new regime legitimate. One part of that process, in turn, is to decide how the new regime should treat the guilt of individuals for terror, collaboration, betrayal of information to the regime, and the like. This essay argues that such lustration processes should be a very minor part of the definition of the meaning of the pat, and even less of a part of building social supports under the new constitution. It also assesses the contributions on lustration in this issue in light of this view of what place lustration should play in the construction of democratic constitutions after authoritarian regimes.     

Haptoglobin subtypes in Berlin, GDR. A simple procedure for haptoglobin purification and subtyping

Sera were obtained from 1,275 blood donors in Berlin, probands involved in paternity tests, and from 119 families with 235 children; the sera were subtyped by isoelectric focusing, following preparation and reductive molecular cleavage of haptoglobin. In this paper, an uninvolved preparation technique is described for routine testing. Allelic frequencies are: Hp *1F = 0.1471; *1S = 0.2502; *2FF = 0.0020; *2FS = 0.5753; *2SS = 0.0251. Only one deviation from autosomal codominant inheritance was recorded in the family examinations, with illegitimacy considered possible. In the region of Berlin, the changes of ruling out uninvolved individuals in paternity suits have gone up from 18% (conventional technique recording two frequent alleles) to 33% (subtyping).     

Persecution of Jewish forensic pathologists

Not even forensic pathologists were spared by the anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich. Fritz Strassmann and Paul Fraenckel were among more than 140 faculty of the Berlin Department of Medicine persecuted by the national socialist dictatorship. It was because of their Jewish background that Georg Strassmann was expelled from university in Breslau, and Leone Lattes was forced to leave in Pavia. Miklós Nyiszli was deported from Oradea to Auschwitz and forced to perform forensic autopsies. Stefan Jellinek in Vienna, Ludwik Hirszfeld in Warsaw and Friedrich Schiff in Berlin were other medical professionals whose achievements had enriched legal medicine before they became victims of anti-Jewish persecution.     

世界贸易组织与中国经济法治的互动关系——关于中国加入世界贸易组织进程的法律思考

中国加入世界贸易组织的进程曲折漫长但富有成果。中国的加入 WTO 是世界贸易组织与中国经济法治建设之间的互动与互融的共同结果。加入 WTO 进程的完成并不意味着这种互动关系的终结,而是标志着世界贸易组织与中国经济法治的互动进入一个新的发展时期。