Penetration Depth of Projectiles Fired from a Replica of Colt Navy of 1851 in 20% Gelatin Blocks Correlated with Fatal Injuries Assessed in an Autopsy of a 78‐Year‐Old Man

Pursuant to the Polish Weapons and Ammunitions Law, muzzle‐loading black powder weapons, manufactured before 1885, or their replicas, as well as suitable projectiles, can be possessed legally without registration and special licenses. The aim of the study was to assess the penetration depth of projectiles fired from a black powder weapon, replica of Colt Navy of 1851, in 20% gelatin blocks and to compare the obtained results with the actual injuries found on autopsy of a 78‐year‐old man who had committed suicide. In the experiments, we used the black powder weapon and ammunitions, as well as gelatin blocks serving as a soft tissue model. We ascertained that solid spherical projectiles fired from black powder weapons cause extensive injuries, especially in the initial segment of the wound canal. Additionally, based on the presence and location of the wad in the wound canal, the distance from which the shot was fired can be determined.     

Assessment of bone age based on morphometric study of the upper end of the humerus

Assessment of changes in the spongy bone structure of the upper end of the humerus is one of the common methods of age estimation. This method was devised many years ago (1894) and has never been verified in an objective numerical testing. We projected an objective morphometric method assessment of the upper end of the humerus. The study was carried out on humeri from cadavers of 88 men and 84 women. The surface area of atrophy of the spongy structure (medullary cavity) was calculated on the longitudinal section of the humerus. A new morphometric method was applied, which allowed numerical presentation of results. The results of the study show a lack of statistical correlation between atrophy of the spongy structure within the upper end of the humerus and the chronological age. Therefore, it can be concluded that the assessment of humerus structure should be omitted in the forensic medical age estimation.     

Isolation of drugs from blood and tissues with XAD-2 bags

Nylon bags containing 2-g portions of Amberlite XAD-2 resin were used for systematic analysis of drugs in biosamples. The procedure requires 10 or less grams of material, two XAD-2 bags, and enables rapid and economical isolation of most common drugs. The method was demonstrated on autopsy blood spiked with 19 of the most common drugs, and was routinely used in cases of fatal and non-fatal poisoning. The eluates were clean and suitable for direct gas chromatographic and ultraviolet spectrophotometric analysis.The procedure used appeared more convenient than XAD-2 column extraction procedures. Classic solvent extraction methods were usually less efficient.     

Effects of Re‐heating Tissue Samples to Core Body Temperature on High‐Velocity Ballistic Projectile–tissue Interactions

Damage produced by high‐speed projectiles on organic tissue will depend on the physical properties of the tissues. Conditioning organic tissue samples to human core body temperature (37°C) prior to conducting ballistic experiments enables their behavior to closely mimic that of living tissues. To minimize autolytic changes after death, the tissues are refrigerated soon after their removal from the body and re‐heated to 37°C prior to testing. This research investigates whether heating 50‐mm‐cube samples of porcine liver, kidney, and heart to 37°C for varying durations (maximum 7 h) can affect the penetration response of a high‐speed, steel sphere projectile. Longer conditioning times for heart and liver resulted in a slight loss of velocity/energy of the projectile, but the reverse effect occurred for the kidney. Possible reasons for these trends include autolytic changes causing softening (heart and liver) and dehydration causing an increase in density (kidney).     

Local Nomenklatura in Communist Poland: The Case of the Warsaw Voivodship (1956–1970)

The nomenklatura system granted Poland’s communist party the opportunity to control key recruitment processes. This article analyses the rules whereby party authorities, between 1956 and 1970, introduced and implemented the nomenklatura system locally. The main goal is to examine how the system functioned, focusing on the strategy pursued by local party structures. The article shows that the agents manipulated the system and modified its rules. As a result, the nomenklatura system became one of the key forces behind the growing importance of informal political practices in Poland’s socialist-state system.     

Referring Phrases with Deictic Indication and the Issue of Comprehensibility of Texts of Normative Acts: The Case of Polish Codes

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique - The paper focuses on a specific type of referring legal provisions, in which the referring...     

Do Formalist Judges Abide By Their Abstract Principles? A Two-Country Study in Adjudication

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique - Recent literature in experimental philosophy has postulated the existence of the...