Suicidal deaths using fireworks

The use of commercial explosives is an unusual method of commiting suicide, and only a few cases have been described in the medicolegal literature. In this paper, two cases of suicide are considered that reflect backgrounds of financial problems and psychological illnesses, respectively. Both individuals comitted suicide by detonating an explosive (fireworks). In the first case putting the explosive on his head and in the second case into his mouth. In both cases the cause of death was the destruction of the central nervous system. The following cases emphasize the importance of the forensic pathologist in the recognition of the scene, as well as the systematical collection of trace evidence of the explosion for their subsequent study in the laboratory and their correlation with the autopsy findings.     

Glucose and lactate in vitreous humor compared with the determination of fructosamine for the postmortem diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic illness responsible for a great number of deaths. In postmortem diagnosis, because of the difficulty involved in interpreting blood glucose levels and relatively nonspecific pathologic features, biochemical markers in vitreous humor are useful. The aim of this study was to compare the results obtained for the combined determination of lactate and glucose with fructosamine levels recorded in the vitreous humor of two diagnostic groups (one diabetic and the other nondiabetic). The authors intended to ascertain the capacity of different markers measured in vitreous humor to diagnose diabetes mellitus. Fifty-one cadavers (mean age, 58.7 years; standard deviation, 17.09) were studied. The mean postmortem interval was 16.4 hours (standard deviation, 9.05). Cases were assigned to two diagnostic groups according to whether they were previously diagnosed as either diabetic or nondiabetic. Statistically significant differences for glucose, fructosamine, and the sum values of glucose and lactate were found between the two diagnostic groups. The highest levels were obtained in the group of cases with a previous diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. After the comparison of receiver operating characteristic curves, the sum values of glucose and lactate in vitreous humor is a better predictor of antemortem diabetes mellitus than the fructosamine.     

The use of the LightCycler for the detection of Y chromosome SNPs

A novel methodology based on PCR monitoring on-line with fluorescent formats using the LightCycler for Y chromosome SNP typing is proposed. The main advantages of the system are the time necessary for the analysis (which is around 20 min), the robustness and the accuracy of the method and especially its sensitivity, which permits the detection of the male component in male-female mixtures up to 1:300 for some of the SNPs.Singleplexes of four different SNPs (M9, sY81, SRY-1532 and SRY-2627) as well as two duplexes (M9 and sY81 on the one hand and SRY-1532 and SRY-2627 on the other) were efficiently implemented. A simultaneous amplification and analysis of the four SNPs is also possible. It seems difficult with the current methodology to implement more than a quadruplex.     

Juvenile Delinquency in Central European Cities: A Comparison of Registration and Processing Structures in the 1990s

The authors trace and compare the developments in recorded juvenile delinquency in Hamburg, Prague, Cracow and Budapest from 1991-1997 and then analyse the processing and selection procedures of the various justice systems. They devote special attention to ethnic minorities within this filtering process. The most salient feature is that the crime rates and processing structures in the former socialist countries display considerable similarities. It would almost be possible to speak of a specific type of criminal justice system with a typical form of reaction. While in the West, the large number of suspects is considerably reduced during later stages of selection to a much smaller number (those actually sentenced and/or imprisoned), what the authors call a funnel model, in the East a smaller number of suspected offenders enters this selection process, but tends to remain within it and be sentenced - the cylinder model. These procedural structures have changed little in the 1990s, and there has certainly not been any increasing alignment of the Eastern systems with the Western one. Indeed, the difference has, if anything, become greater. These lower crime statistics as compared with the West - represented here by Hamburg - are, however, not only the result of equally large discrepancies between the real crime rates, but in this regard the pro-active crime prevention measures of the police, which in Hamburg have caused the inclusion of an increased number of juveniles and foreigners in the crime statistics since 1995, have also had a great effect. The research project thus clearly demonstrates the importance of interpreting crime statistics neither as a true representation nor as a distorted reflection of the activities of a criminal justice system. Instead, these statistics should be seen as reflecting specific processing procedures and methods of crime control.     

Hungary's pre-accession strategy to the European Union in education, training and research

The article presents an analysis of the expected impact of EU accession on the Hungarian education, training and academic research system with a number of recommendations for an integration policy in these sectors. The first part of the article develops four themes: (1) the current level of preparation of the country for accession in the education sector, (2) the possible longer term benefits of accession, (3) the shorter term costs and (4) the most important elements of a policy of integration. A distinction is made between material and cultural, and that of political cost and benefits, the stress being laid on the second. One of the conclusions of the author is that accession may open up a number of new opportunities for the development and modernisation of the country but that these can be exploited only if the country has a coherent sectorial strategy. Specific preparation actions are proposed in the areas of school education, higher education, vocational training and research policy. The article presents a list of the most important short term government measures and the needs for institutional development. It also makes a proposal for possible further themes of investigation and research. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Call to Action—The Essential Role of Advocacy

Editor's Note: The Perspectives featured in this issue of Public Administration Review were adapted from May 2016 commencement addresses: Anna Maria Chavez, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, spoke on the 12th at Arizona State University's College of Public Service and Community Solutions; Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Leader in the United States House of Representatives spoke on the 7th at New York University's Wagner School of Public Service; and Tommy Thompson, the former Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health & Human Services, spoke on the 15th at the University of Wisconsin's La Follette School of Public Affairs. These Perspectives reaffirm the highest principles of American public administration: that by and large, government is NOT the problem, and quite often indeed holds the solution; that effective and helpful public policy depends on informed expert opinion and research; and that those who enter public service should do so with a commitment to the notion that America best fulfills its promise when we seek the well‐being of all people, including the least fortunate. We chose these messages from among a wealth of commencement speeches because while they come from leaders with quite different political views, background, and experience, taken together they offer a coherent and inspiring call to public service. Dan Feldman, Perspective and Commentary Editor     

Paraquat (gramoxone) poisoning in south-west Hungary, 1977-1984. Toxicological and histopathological aspects of group intoxication cases

Fifty-six cases of paraquat poisoning were examined during the 8 years 1977-1984. The ratio of cases of accidental to intentional ingestion of the poison was 1:1; 23.2% of the total (13/56) survived several months or years. In 1983, 11 subjects accidentally drank 10-30 ml of gramoxone; eight of 11 died in 2 weeks. Toxicological investigations demonstrated rapid elimination of poison from the blood, as well as prolonged fixation of paraquat in the lung, kidney, liver, and spleen tissues. Histological examinations showed multiorgan failure from renal tubular necrosis and pulmonary hemorrhage with alveolar epithelial injury. Pulmonary proliferative changes were present in only two cases who survived 7 and 10 days and in which artificial ventilation was utilized.