Haemorrhages in head tissues during the asphyxiation process.

Two rates of carbon dioxide flow into the termination chamber were applied for the euthanasia of rats. The classical phases of asphyxia were observed in both groups of animals although their course was prolonged in rats exposed to the lower gas flow. The haemorrhages were assessed histologically in the following structures: the pericranium, compact bone and diplo? of the skull, sagittal suture, nape muscle and its attachment, and the dura.The haemorrhages appeared regularly in the sagittal suture in all cases from both experimental groups. The possible significance of this phenomenon for the forensic practice was pointed out.     

A Non-Essentialist Version of Legal Pluralism

The concept of legal pluralism has been touted by many socio-legal scholars as a key concept in the analysis of law. Yet, after almost twenty years of such claims, there has been little progress in the development of the concept. This article will argue that the underlying cause of this lack progress lies in the fact that promoters of the concept have relied upon function-based, essentialist concepts of law. It will describe the problems generated by such concepts and, following this general analysis, will review the versions of legal pluralism articulated by Boaventura de Sousa Santos and Gunther Teubner. The critique of their versions of legal pluralism will lead into the posing of a non-essentialist alternative which avoids the conceptual problems of prevailing versions of legal pluralism, and provides a better tool for purposes of research and analysis of the relationship between law and society.     

The theory of cardiac lesions from blunt chest injury

The main theories of myocardial lesions associated with a blunt chest injury proposed starting from the XIXth century till the present time are considered based on the overview of the literature data. It is shown that the theory of selective mechanical activation of ATP-dependent K+ channels is most promising for further investigations into the mechanisms of myocardial dysfunction resulting from blunt chest injuries. The authors emphasize the absence of the universally accepted theory explaining the mechanism behind traumatic cardiac troubles and its fatal outcome despite numerous studies of cardiac lesions in patients with a blunt chest injury. It dictates the necessity of further research, both clinical and experimental, for a deeper insight into the problem.     

Fertility control in historical China revisited: New methods for an old debate

We revisit the debate over the deliberate control of reproduction in historical China through a reanalysis of data from the Qing (1644–1911) Imperial Lineage that accounts for physiological or other differences between couples that affected their chances of having children. Even though studies of contemporary and historical European fertility suggest that failing to control for such differences may obscure evidence of parity-specific control, previous studies of historical Chinese fertility have not accounted for them. We show that in the Lineage, failure to account for such differences leads the association between the number of children already born and the chances of having another birth to appear to be positive, but that once they are accounted for properly, the relationship is inverted. Based on this, we conclude that lineage members adjusted their reproductive behavior based on the number of children. We also show that the sex composition and survival of previous births affected reproductive behavior. We conclude by suggesting that one way forward in the ongoing debate over fertility control in historical China is through application of such methods to other datasets and comparison of results. We also suggest that progress in the debate over fertility in historical China has been impeded by confusion over the definition of fertility control, so that some behaviors are recognized as fertility control by some parties in the debate but not others.     

Assessment of the cause and mode of death of victims of a mass industrial accident in the Halemba coal mine

On 21 November 2006 in the Halemba coal mine, Ruda ?l?ska, a mass industrial accident occurred. The underground catastrophe was probably due to combustion of methane followed by explosion of pulverised coal and resulted in death of twenty-three miners. The occurrence has been acknowledged to be one of the most serious accidents in Polish mining industry. Post-mortem examinations of the deceased were carried out in Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, and in some cases additional dissecting techniques were employed. Photographs were taken as well as numerous specimens for various laboratory tests were collected. Toxicological analyses of blood samples revealed high levels of carboxyhaemoglobin saturation in seventeen cases, and detected presence of methane in the lungs of seven individuals, whereas microscopic specimens mainly showed lesions characteristic of putrefaction. The post-mortem procedures eventually allowed to establish the cause of death of all victims. The authors attempt to determine a range of requisite medico-legal proceedings and examinations that should be carried out in case of a mass industrial accident, and emphasise the need for development of appropriate guidelines.     

Entrepreneurial orientation and generic competitive strategies for emerging SMEs: Financial and nonfinancial performance perspective

In the competitive markets, business ventures have not only emphasized financial performance but nonfinancial performance has also become the need of the day due to its significant role in increasing customers. However, minor attention is given to the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, business strategy and nonfinancial performance of emerging small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study scrutinizes the effect of each dimension of entrepreneurial orientation (i.e., innovativeness, risk‐taking, and proactiveness) and each of generic competitive strategies (i.e., differentiation and cost leadership) on the performance (financial and nonfinancial) of emerging SMEs. We surveyed 373 SMEs operating in Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. For the data analysis and hypotheses testing, we used AMOS.21. The findings display that innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk‐taking significantly improve financial performance while insignificantly impact nonfinancial performance. Differentiation and cost leadership strategies significantly spur financial as well as nonfinancial performance of SMEs. This study advises that top managers of SMEs in the emerging economies need to maintain a focus on entrepreneurial activities and formulate unique competitive strategies to attain higher performance. This research further recommends policymakers to initiate entrepreneurship programs for SMEs to configure entrepreneurial posture of the businessmen. Further recommendations have stated.     

The role of behavioral economics and behavioral decision making in Americans' retirement savings decisions

Traditional economic theory posits that people make decisions by maximizing a utility function in which all of the relevant constraints and preferences are included and weighed appropriately. Behavioral economists and decision-making researchers, however, are interested in how people make decisions in the face of incomplete information, limited cognitive resources, and decision biases. Empirical findings in the areas of behavioral economics and judgment and decision making (JDM) demonstrate departures from the notion that man is economically rational, illustrating instead that people often act in ways that are economically suboptimal. This article outlines findings from the JDM and behavioral-economics literatures that highlight the many behavioral impediments to saving that individuals may encounter on their way to financial security. I discuss how behavioral and psychological issues, such as self-control, emotions, and choice architecture can help policymakers understand what factors, aside from purely economic ones, may affect individuals' savings behavior.     

Seizures of Clandestinely Produced Tablets in Santa Catarina,Brazil: The Increase in NPS from 2011 to 2017

Ecstasy is the name given to a large group of substances known as “club drugs” traded in the form of tablets, powder and liquid that present a varied composition, including mainly 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and analogous substances, in addition to the growing presence of new psychoactive substances. Based on this, clandestinely produced tablets (“ecstasy tablets”) seized by police in Santa Catarina in the period from 2011 to 2017 were analyzed. During the study period, 3472 seizures occurred, which resulted in total 498,443 tablets seized. Seventy nine substances were identified. In the year 2011, about 90% of the tablets contained MDMA. This number decreased to 66.6% in 2017. On the other hand, there was an increase in the number of tablets that mainly contained synthetic cathinones, as well as tryptamine and piperazine derivatives. Police seizures in the metropolitan region of Florianópolis and on the coast prevailed over the rest of the state.