Reconstructing the past in a post-Ottoman village: Turkishness in a transnational context

This study analyzes transformations of historiography and identity discourses by focusing on the Memory House of Ali R?za Efendi (the father of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk) as a “site of historical consciousness” which was reconstructed in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia. The House, referred to by the villagers as the “Memory House of Atatürk,” was opened in 2014 in a Muslim village, Kocac?k, with the support of the Turkish state. Through material and textual representations of Atatürk’s life, the House speaks to the Turkishness and Turkish presence in the Balkans. The Turkishness, however, is imagined through the neo-Ottoman and Islamic prisms. The House thus becomes the locus of alternative interpretations of the past, and, consequently, narratives of Muslims’ identity and origin in the region. Moreover, as it is reconstructed at the nexus of the local and the transnational, the House is also called a symbol of the “politics of brotherhood” between Macedonia and Turkey. In this way, the institution embodies the reconstruction of the past not only at the local and national levels, but also at the international level.     

Changes in Fingerprints and the Quantity of Material Forming the Print Depending on Hand Cleanliness,Gender, and Ambient Conditions

Impressions of friction ridges left on a surface are important evidence for identifying an individual and can be used to confirm his or her presence at the scene of an incident. Factors influencing the durability of fingerprints include the physiological characteristics and cleanliness of the individual, environmental factors, and time. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of atmospheric factors, gender, hand cleanliness and time on the width of friction ridge impressions and the amount of material forming the print. The research shows that factors such as gender, ambient conditions, and hand cleanliness affect the width of the ridge impressions and the quantity of material forming the print. The passage of time significantly reduces both the width of the ridge impressions and the quantity of the material forming the print.     

Carbofuran poisoning of pregnant woman and fetus per ingestion

A case of carbamate pesticide poisoning of a pregnant woman by carbofuran ingestion is presented. The mother recovered from the poisoning in the hospital but necrosis of the fetus was found. Toxicological findings of the liver, brain, and kidney of the fetus revealed carbofuran in concentrations comparable with the mother's blood. Our findings in the case contribute to the research on permeation of the placental barrier by chemical substances.     

B. Reviews and notes: Bibliographies and works of reference

A GREEK AND ARABIC LEXICON: MATERIALS FOR A DICTIONARY OF THE MEDIÆVAL TRANSLATIONS FROM GREEK INTO ARABIC. Edited by GERHARD ENDRESS and DIMITRI GUTAS. Fascicle 1. (Handbook of Oriental Studies, the Near and Middle East, XI. Band.) Leiden, Brill, 1992. 30*. 96pp. Hfl.40.‐

THE ROLE OF THE BOOK IN THE CIVILISATIONS OF THE NEAR EAST: PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE HELD AT THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY AND THE CHESTER BEATTY LIBRARY, DUBLIN, 29 JUNE – 1 JULY 1988 = MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 5 (1990–1991). Leiden, Ter Lugt Press, c1993. 136pp. Hfl 210.‐

BROCADE OF THE PEN: THE ART OF ISLAMIC WRITING. Edited by CAROL GARRETT FISHER. East Lansing, Michigan State University, 1991. 100pp. B&W illustrations and Arabic calligraphy.

AFGHANISTAN. Compiled by SCHUYLER JONES. (World Bibliographical Series, 135.) Oxford, Santa Barbara & Denver, Clio Press, 1992. xxvi+281pp.     

Recent trends in abortion legislation in Eastern Europe,with particular reference to Poland

LL.M., Warsaw University 1968; Ph.D. (law), Warsaw University 1974; Dr. hab. (law), Warsaw University 1986.     

Psychoactive drugs in the road traffic in the legal and consultative aspects—Experience gained by the Forensic Medicine Department, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice

Introduction

In the years 1997–2007 in the Forensic Medicine Department, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice a total of 785 blood samples collected from drivers being the perpetrators of road accidents was tested for the presence of psychoactive drugs.

Methods

The studies took advantage of FPIA (Abbott), ELISA (Neogen), LC–MS and GC FID.

Results

21% of tested samples were positive. In the blood of the driver cannabinoids, amphetamine and its derivatives were most frequently found. Moreover, individual opium alkaloids, their combinations with barbiturates, benzodiazepines or amphetamine, benzodiazepine derivatives (isolated cases), drugs of benzodiazepine group in combination with barbiturates, tramadol or tricyclic anti-depressants (isolated cases), carbamazepine, phenotiazine, cocaine, dibenzepine, benzene, toluene and acetone were determined.

Conclusion

The obtained results showed cannabinoids and amphetamine derivatives to be the most frequent whereas opium alkaloids, barbiturates and benzodiazepines rather rare psychoactive drugs found in the tested blood samples of the drivers involved in the road accidents. The authors suggest screening psychoactive drugs not only in drivers involved in road accidents but also those put through the routine road check procedures. While giving opinions on the influence of the above mentioned drugs on the psychophysical efficiency of road traffic users, drugs and compounds which are not subject to legal control but have an effect on the human psychomotor efficiency and thus, enhance the risk of the road accident should be also taken into account.