Case of Fatal Starvation: Can Stable Isotope Analysis Serve to Support Morphological Diagnosis and Approximate the Length of Starvation?

The diagnosis of death as a result of starvation is established on anthropological measurements, visual appearance of the deceased on external and internal examination, microscopic analysis, laboratory testing, and exclusion of other causes of death. Herein, we present our findings on a case of 95‐year‐old man who died of starvation. After the diagnosis of starvation was established by traditional forensic medicine methods, we have conducted retrospective segmental analysis of stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope ratios in hair sample. This method reveals periods of starvation through decrease in δ¹³C and increase in δ¹⁵N along the strand of hair. Our analysis revealed the decrease of 0.6 ‰ in δ¹³C during the last 10–12 weeks prior to death, similar as reported in other investigations. Also, a decrease of 0.7 ‰ in δ¹⁵N during the last 8–10 weeks prior to death was determined that was different than observed in previous studies.     

Cardiac tamponade caused by migration of a swallowed sewing needle

The case of a 20-year-old female prisoner who died due to cardiac tamponade caused by a swallowed sewing needle migration is reported. According to the autopsy report and complete analysis of medical records, the migration of the swallowed needle was reconstructed: from esophagus and stomach, through diaphragm and pericardium up to the left heart ventricle, where the needle was found at the autopsy. The case is very interesting and unique: there has been no similar case described in medical literature so far.     

Literature, Social Poetics, and Identity Construction in Montenegro

This article outlines the contested nature of identity in Montenegro and elaborates on its phases of development. It also problematizes the nature of the efforts to create mechanisms of civil society in contemporary Montenegro.     

Postmortem production of ethanol in different tissues under controlled experimental conditions

The aim of this study was to follow the postmortem ethanol production phenomenon under controlled experimental conditions (temperature, time interval) in different tissues. Specimens of blood, liver, skeletal muscle and kidney were taken from 30 corpses and no chemical preservatives were used in the specimens collected. Ethanol concentrations were detected by gas chromatography. All specimens stored at -20 degrees C and 4 degrees C did not show any change in ethanol concentration in an eight-day time interval. At 20 degrees C and 30 degrees C, all tissues, except blood, showed statistically significant ethanol production over the time interval tested. However, blood sample kept at 30 degrees C, showed statistically significant increase in ethanol production on the 2nd and 4th day comparing to the controls. Thus, we can state that postmortem ethanol production occurs in different tissues, and is increased at higher temperatures and, in general, it is in accordance with the course of time.     

Determination of polymorphism at eight STR loci in the Croatian population using automated detection

Population study was carried out on the sample of 167 unrelated donors from the wider area of the Croatia's capital, Zagreb, using the short tandem reapet (STR) loci: TH01, VWFA31, FES/FPS, F13A01, D1S1656, D12S391, D18S535 and D22S683.     

Copycatting the smell of death: Deciphering the role of cadaveric scent components used by detection dogs to locate human remains

Human remains detection dogs (HRDD) are commonly used by law enforcement agencies to search for cadavers. Biological material is typically used as a training stimulus, also called aids, to train dogs to recognize the smell of cadavers. While HRDD training approaches have received extensive attention, information remains limited on the olfactory cues used to train them. Here, we aimed to decipher the chemical basis of detection dog olfaction. Five specific objectives were explored to precise whether the composition or the concentration of the training aids drives the HRDDs responses. We recorded the behavioral responses of four HRDDs exposed to different cadaveric-like smells. We found that HRDDs recognized a simplified synthetic aid composed of cadaveric compounds. The lowest concentration at which HRDDs continued to perceive the cadaveric smell was determined. HRDDs were not impacted by slight modifications to the chemical composition of a blend of odors that they have been trained with. HRDDs associated sulfur and nitrogen compounds as human cadaver. Our findings highlight a lack of specificity of HRDDs to cadaveric compounds, which could lead to error of detection. Moreover, all dogs did not positively respond to the same blends, despite being trained with the same aids and procedure. However, we confirmed that dogs could be trained with a simplified blend of molecules. The chemical composition of a training aid has, therefore, high consequences on the performance of the trained animal, and this conclusion opens additional questions regarding olfaction-based detection animals.     

The mechanics of democracy promotion tools: bridging the knowledge-to-practice gap

By drawing upon the literature that diagnoses the gap between academics and practitioners, this article categorises and describes the traditional democracy promotion tools developed by international governmental and non-governmental organisations to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. Further, it examines the utility of ICTs in promoting and upholding democratic change. The findings inform considerations and specific recommendations offered to the tool developers on how to converge traditional and new democracy promotion tools. These are intended to assist in focusing tool design and development efforts, and promoting standardisation and innovation.     

Party,Regional and Linguistic Proportionality Under Majoritarian Rules: Swiss Federal Council Elections

The elections to the Swiss Federal Council in December 2015 re‐established a system of party‐centred concordance, cherished in consociational theory, consisting of two representatives of the Swiss People's Party, two Radicals, two Social Democrats and one Christian Democrat. At the same time, the government has rarely been as unbalanced in terms of the representation of Switzerland's languages and regions. The article analyses the concept of concordance with regard to both aspects of governmental inclusiveness. It also highlights the crucial role of electoral rules used in governmental elections. It argues that they resemble the Alternative Vote, a majoritarian electoral system that has been criticized in consociational theory but prescribed by the rival, centripetalist approach to power sharing.