Reverse engineering--rapid prototyping of the skull in forensic trauma analysis

Rapid prototyping (RP) comprises a variety of automated manufacturing techniques such as selective laser sintering (SLS), stereolithography, and three-dimensional printing (3DP), which use virtual 3D data sets to fabricate solid forms in a layer-by-layer technique. Despite a growing demand for (virtual) reconstruction models in daily forensic casework, maceration of the skull is frequently assigned to ensure haptic evidence presentation in the courtroom. Owing to the progress in the field of forensic radiology, 3D data sets of relevant cases are usually available to the forensic expert. Here, we present a first application of RP in forensic medicine using computed tomography scans for the fabrication of an SLS skull model in a case of fatal hammer impacts to the head. The report is intended to show that this method fully respects the dignity of the deceased and is consistent with medical ethics but nevertheless provides an excellent 3D impression of anatomical structures and injuries.     

Determination of the mineral content and the transparency of the root dentine of human teeth

One hundred and fifty-six teeth were extracted from corpses aged between 15 and 79 years. Of these, 101 teeth were selected for measurement of the mineral content of the root by photon beam absorption. Six or seven cross-sections were measured in each root, and the mean values calculated for the apical, medial, and coronal part within each decade. Further, 20 selected teeth were embedded in methacrylate and the length of the zone of transparency determined in longitudinal sections. There was no significant age dependency of the root's mineral content. There was no correlation between the extent of transparency and the mineral content.     

European Associations in Higher Education

The last fifteen years have witnessed a drastic increase in higher education cooperation in Europe. In parallel to this development, the number of European associations in higher education has grown considerably. This article constitutes a first systematic look at these organisms. After providing a working definition, it tries to encapsulate the rationale and the main activities of these associations, followed by a first attempt at a typology. A short history of the European higher education association is combined with an analysis of the links between its large-scale emergence and the provision of higher education cooperation programmes by the European Union. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Die Umsetzung der Umgebungslärmrichtlinie in deutsches Recht

Das Europ?ische Parlament und der Rat der Europ?ischen Union haben am 25.6.2002 eine Richtlinie über die Bewertung und Bek?mpfung von Umgebungsl?rm in Kraft gesetzt. Die Richtlinie verpflichtet die Mitgliedsstaaten, eine L?rmplanung auf den Weg zu bringen, um den Umgebungsl?rm zu verhindern, ihm vorzubeugen oder ihn zu mindern.     

Wüstenstrom aus der Sahara für die finnische Sauna

Zusammenfassung  Mit der Gründung der Mittelmeer-Union in Paris am 13. Juli 2008 ist ein Thema in das mediale Zentrum der energiepolitischen Debatte gerückt, das bislang eher Insidern bekannt war: Die verst?rkte Nutzung und der Import von Sonnenenergie aus der Mittelmeerregion nach Europa. Der Beitrag stellt das zugrunde liegende soziale, wirtschaftliche und technische Konzept dieser Systeminnovation dar, um anschlie?end Ans?tze für ihre rechtliche Bew?ltigung vorzustellen. Als zentral erweisen sich dabei Instrumente zur gezielten F?rderung effizienter Kraftwerke sowie eine europaweit koordinierte Netzausbauplanung.     

“Bubbles”—A Spot Diagnosis

Abstract: Aspiration of blood is a phenomenon observed in violent and natural death scenarios. Bloodstain patterns evolving from expectoration of aspired blood may look suspicious of a violent genesis and thus mislead crime scene investigators. In the present case, a woman was found lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Furthermore, bloodstains covered her face, clothing, and surrounding furniture and walls. Bloodstain pattern analysis and medicolegal inspection of the suspected scene of crime were carried out and revealed dispersed stains with enclosed gas bubbles in the absence of signs of physical violence leading to the assessment of a natural manner of death. The bloodstains were attributed to expiration of blood because of an internal bleeding. Medicolegal autopsy confirmed the on‐site diagnosis as a fatal esophageal varix rupture was found.     

Eintragung in die Liste der Rechtsanwälte – Verfassungsfragen

Der vorliegende Aufsatz untersucht, ob die zur Ausübung der Rechtsanwaltschaft erforderliche praktische Verwendung bei einem Rechtsanwalt immer und in jeder Fallkonstellation die von der Rechtsanwaltsordnung geforderten vollen drei Jahre betragen muss. Es wird gezeigt, dass in bestimmten Konstellationen auch eine zeitlich geringere Verwendungsdauer bei einem Rechtsanwalt im Lichte verfassungsrechtlicher Anforderungen – konkret: des Gleichheitsgrundsatzes, der Erwerbsbetätigungsfreiheit und der Berufsausbildungsfreiheit – entgegen der bisherigen Judikatur des VfGH als Erfüllung der "Kernzeit" gewertet werden müsste.     

Maneuvering with Crime. An Empirical Reconstruction of “Populist” Stances on Youth Crime in German Parliamentary Debates

Recent years have seen a wide discussion of populism in penal policy, which is internationally regarded as a strong drive for establishing punitive tendencies. Generally, “penal populism” is characterized by an extensive consensus across the most influential political parties, a punitive orientation, and the dismissal of scientific or professional expertise. Recent penal policy therefore appears to be a relatively unified practice strongly oriented toward punitive measures that primarily address the public and its perceived need for protection. Because analyses of Anglophone countries are predominant in this discussion, we contrast them with a reconstruction of debates on youth crime in German parliaments from 1970 to 2012. They exhibit a wide variety of populist articulations. Although they imply a strong punitive bias, they also encompass a very heterogeneous rhetoric of penal policy. In conclusion, we argue that penal populism can (and should) be described as a tactical practice, i.e., as political maneuvering employed to negotiate the prospects of punitive and other styles of politics.