The effects of larval crowding and food type on the size and development of the blowfly, Calliphora vomitoria

The use of entomological evidence in the estimation of the post mortem interval (PMI) often depends on the size and developmental stage of blowfly larvae collected from a corpse. Therefore, factors which can have an effect on the larval size and growth rate can have implications for reliable PMI determinations. This study explores the competitive effects of larval overcrowding on Calliphora vomitoria reared on three different pig tissues--liver, brain and muscle. The competitive feeding environment within the more crowded larval cultures resulted in increased development rates and the production of undersized larvae and adults. Variation in the extent of these effects was observed on each of the three body tissues, highlighting the importance of documenting the positions from which entomological evidence is recovered from a corpse.     

Under the gaze of the 'big nations': Refugees, rumours and the international community in Tanzania

In most academic literature refugees are portrayed either asthose who lack what national citizens have or as a threat tothe national order of things. This article explores the effectsof being excluded in such a way, and argues that Burundian refugeesin a camp in northwest Tanzania find themselves in an ambiguousposition, being excluded from the national order of things —secluded in the Tanzanian bush — while simultaneouslybeing subject to state-of-the-art humanitarian interventions— apparently bringing them closer to the internationalcommunity. The article explores the ways in which refugees in the camprelate to the international community. Ambiguous perceptionsof the international community are expressed in rumours andconspiracy theories. These conspiracy theories create a kindof ontological surety by presenting the Hutu refugees as thevictims of a grand Tutsi plot supported by ‘the big nations’.Finally, the article argues that refugees — being excludedfrom the nation-state and being subject to the government ofinternational NGOs — seek recognition from the internationalcommunity rather than any nation-state. This does not, however,destabilize the hegemony of the nation-state, as refugees perceivetheir own position as temporary and the international communityas the guarantor of a more just international order in the longrun.     

State Livelihood Planning and Legibility in Vietnam’s Northern Borderlands: The “Rightful Criticisms” of Local Officials

Macro-level policies frequently transform and reconfigure local livelihood options. While there is a small but growing body of ethnographic work regarding ethnic minority livelihoods in Vietnam’s mountainous borderlands, there is far less research examining the state decrees and policies implemented there and the opinions of state workers who have to apply them. This article starts to address this gap. First, we examine contemporary Vietnamese state legislation regarding upland livelihoods. We focus on the directions found in 82 livelihood-related state decrees, examining their scope and edicts while critiquing what they overlook regarding upland livelihood needs and approaches. Then, from in-depth interviews with state officials in Hà Giang Province, a mountainous upland region with a proportionately large ethnic minority population, we explore the opinions of those charged with the implementation of these decrees. Building on O’Brien’s earlier work on rightful resistance in China, we suggest that a form of “rightful criticism” has emerged among upland state officials, allowing us to reveal the contours of political power in Vietnam’s borderlands. Moreover, we draw attention to the lack of acknowledgement of ethnic diversity in these uplands within policy and official practice.     

Application of mist to fingermark detection: Misting with high-boiling-point liquid containing p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde and cyanoacrylate

In order to detect latent fingerprints that could be damaged by liquid or powder reagents, non-destructive processes such as gaseous reagents have been developed. In this report, we propose the use of fine mist generated when hot vapor of high-boiling-point liquids is rapidly cooled by surrounding air for fingermark detection. Octyl acetate (OA), 2-phenoxyethanol (2PE), and methyl decanoate (MD) were found to efficiently produce mist when heated to 230°C. By combining these liquids with p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) and cyanoacrylate (CN), our team demonstrated effective fluorescence staining of cyano-treated fingermarks using DMAC/OA misting or DMAC/2PE misting, and one-step fluorescence detection of latent fingermarks without cyanoacrylate treatment using DMAC/OA/CN misting or DMAC/MD/CN misting. Fingermark fluorescence was efficiently observed by excitation with a blue LED light (max. wavelength 470 nm) equipped with an interference filter and passing through a 520 nm long-pass filter. We successfully obtained fluorescent images from fingermarks on several substrate materials using the developed misting method.     

Evaluation of the (hu)MANid program for sex and ancestry estimation in a diverse,contemporary CT scan-based sample

Human remains from forensic and bioarcheological contexts are often fragmentary, requiring methods for estimating a forensic profile that are based upon limited skeletal features. In 2017, Berg and Keryhercz created an online application, (hu)MANid, that provides sex and ancestry estimation from mandibular morphoscopic traits and linear measurements. In this study, we examine the utility of the (hu)MANid application in a diverse, urban US adult sample (aged 20–45; n = 143) derived from computed tomography (CT) scans. We secondarily conduct a preliminary analysis of the program's utility in a sample of adolescents (aged 15–17; n = 40). Six morphoscopic, and eleven morphometric traits were recorded as directed by the literature associated with the (hu)MANid program. Percent correct classification and posterior predictive values were calculated for the sex and ancestry estimations output by the program; chi-squared tests were employed to compare self-reported and predicted ancestry. In the adult sample, sex was accurately predicted for 75.52% of the sample. Ancestry prediction, however, was less favorable ranging from 19.3% to 50% correct. For the adolescent sample, correct sex estimation (45%) did not surpass what could occur by chance alone, though ancestry prediction fared better than in the larger adult sample (percent correct prediction overall average: 47.5%, range 35.71%–71.43%). The (hu)MANid application shows utility for use with CT scan-derived adult samples for sex estimation, but caution is warranted for ancestry estimation and use with samples that may not have reached full adult maturity.     

Prevalence of xylazine in overdose cases: An analysis of Miami-Dade County medical examiner case data

Xylazine sedative, muscle relaxant, and analgesic used in a veterinary setting. Although xylazine was never approved for therapeutic use in humans, it has become popular in the street drug market as a cutting or bulking agent in the fentanyl and heroin supply. Recently, there has been a significant increase in the detection of xylazine in postmortem forensic toxicology casework. Xylazine can be identified during routine toxicology screening utilizing instrumentation such as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Using the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's LIMS system, all cases received between 2015 and 2022 in which xylazine was reported were reviewed. The cases studied include accidental drug overdose deaths in Miami-Dade County as well as Collier County (Naples), Florida. In total, there are 170 cases; the majority are accidental polydrug overdoses involving White males between the ages of 25 and 44 years old. Of the 170 cases, 37% listed xylazine as the cause of death. 13% of cases contained only xylazine and fentanyl while the remaining 87% of deaths were attributed to polydrug toxicity involving two or more substances. The prevalence of xylazine can be attributed to its increasing popularity rather than an increase in caseload. In 2019, xylazine was present in only 4% of all accidental fentanyl overdoses. By 2021, this percentage has increased sixfold, with xylazine present in 24% of all accidental fentanyl overdoses. Despite a decrease in fentanyl overdoses in 2022, the percentage of xylazine detection remained the same.