Evolution of forensic autopsy and current legal procedures in Turkey

The first documented forensic autopsy in Turkey was in 1843 during the Ottoman period. In this article, the evolution and current legal procedures regarding forensic autopsies with emphasis on current legal procedures following the declaration of Turkish Republic in 1923 are delineated.     

Echinococcal hydatid cyst at the right ventricle outlet with leakage to the pulmonary artery outflow causing follicular airway disease and sudden death

Postmortem examination of a 35-year-old parous woman who died suddenly revealed a hydatid cyst mass located at the right ventricular outlet, with a grossly discernible defect opening to the pulmonary outflow tract. Pulmonary hemorrhage, follicular bronchitis, and bronchiolitis also were present, with severe acute purulent exudation in the airways. Hydatid cyst complications must be kept in mind when dealing with sudden deterioration and death in patients who are residents of regions where echinococcosis is endemic.     

Fatal chest injury from a shotgun slug: homicide, accident or suicide?

A 78-year-old hunter was found dead beside his raised hide with a gunshot wound to his chest. In the present case, the reconstruction of the shooting event revealed an accident. Disregarding all safety rules, the hunter had placed his superposed rifle-shotgun on the chair and pulled the barrels of the cocked gun towards his body. One of the triggers interlocked with the button of a camping chair's cushion and a shot was fired. Furthermore the morphology of wounds from shotgun slugs is discussed on the basis of the autopsy findngs.     

Rule-takers,rule-makers,or rule-promoters? Turkey and Mexico's role as rising middle powers in global economic governance

Rising middle powers play increasingly active international roles, yet so far we lack systematic analyses of their aspirations and impact on global economic governance. This paper addresses this gap. I argue that the role that rising middle powers assume in global economic governance depends on the degree of alignment of their regulatory preferences with those of established powers, and on the strength of their regulatory institutions. If their preferences are aligned and they develop high regulatory capacity in an issue area, they will aspire to promote existing global rules in their own region. They will engage in regional rule-promotion because of growing economic ties to their region, and also because their regulatory agencies are socialized into these rules within transgovernmental networks. I explore these arguments empirically through case studies of two rising middle powers, Turkey and Mexico, in the global governance of competition law and policy.     

The politics of recognition of Crimean Tatar collective rights in the post-Soviet period: With special attention to the Russian annexation of Crimea

This paper examines the process of how Crimean Tatars strived to attain group-differentiated rights since they have returned to their homeland in the early 1990s. Whereas the politics of minority rights were viewed through security lens in earlier literature, we emphasize the significance of cultural constructs in influencing the minority policies, based on qualitative content analysis of “speech acts” of elites, and movement and policy documents. Focusing on the interaction of the framing processes of Crimean Tatars with the Crimean regional government, Ukraine, and Russia, we argue that the “neo-Stalinist frame” has played a major role in denying the rights of Crimean Tatars for self-determination and preservation of their ethnic identity in both pre and post annexation Crimea. The Crimean Tatars counter-framed against neo-Stalinist frame both in the pre and post-annexation period by demanding their rights as “indigenous people”. Ukraine experienced a frame transformation after the Euromaidan protests, by shifting from a neo-Stalinist frame into a “multiculturalist frame”, which became evident in recognition of the Crimean Tatar status as indigenous people of Crimea.     

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia cases in forensic autopsies

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia or cardiomyopathy (ARVD or ARVC) is an increasingly recognized entity with clinical and forensic implications. This is the first series documenting ARVD in 5 separate cases in forensic autopsies from Turkey declared as natural sudden cardiac death following complete autopsy and toxicologic analysis. There was a male preponderance (M/F=4), with a mean age of 50.     

Body height estimation based on dimensions of sacral and coccygeal vertebrae

This study is to evaluate whether it is possible to predict living stature from sacral and coccygeal vertebral dimensions. Individual vertebral body heights, sacral height (SH), and sacrococcygeal height (SCH) were recorded from the magnetic resonance images of 42 adult males. Sum of the heights of five sacral vertebrae (sigmaS), the first four coccygeal vertebrae (sigmaC), and the total height of the sacral and the first four coccygeal vertebrae together (sigmaSC) were also recorded. Linear regression equations for stature estimation were produced using the above mentioned variables. The regression equations were constructed and tested by using jack-knife procedure. Statistical analyses indicated that the combined variables (SH, SCH, sigmaS, sigmaC, sigmaSC) were more accurate predictors of stature than the heights of individual vertebrae. The results of the study pointed out that the equations derived from sacrococcygeal dimensions perform somewhat better than ones based on foot and head variables, but worse than those based on long-bone length. As a conclusion, the dimensions of sacral and coccygeal vertebrae could be used for stature estimation when long bones are not available.