Sustained Combustion of Bodies: Some Observations*

Abstract: Previous tests have explored the fire effects and fuel characteristics of animal carcasses in intense fires of relatively short duration. Here, test fires were conducted involving intact human cadavers and torsos that included nonaccelerated, long‐duration fires involving the bedding and clothing (in the manner of typical accidental deaths). The objective was to observe the fire conditions (size, radiant heat flux, and duration), where a human body represented the major fuel package in a nonaccelerated fire. The pattern of damage to the body was documented and compared with that resulting from a furnished room fire. Two intact, unembalmed human cadavers were exposed to fires of simulated accidental origin. The bedding was ignited by an open flame, and the fires were allowed to burn unaided to self‐extinguishment. It was found that normal human bodies can support a modest‐sized fire for some 6–7 h under these conditions. The presence of a substrate material that can act as a wick for the combustion of the rendered body fat results in extensive destruction of the torso where the greatest amount of subcutaneous fat resides, with less damage to the head and limbs. A third (partial) cadaver was exposed to a recreation of a typical accidental fire in a furnished room that progressed to full room involvement. This fire of some 15 min of total duration inflected only surface‐layer damage to the torso of the victim.     

Constitutionalism and imperialism Sub Specie Spinozae

This paper examines the public, private and political in the work of Adriana Cavarero by drawing upon the situations of two women whose lives feature in her work: Elizabeth I and Penelope. It includes an analysis of the way in which Cavarero is rethinking Hannah Arendt’s view of ‘the political.’ Cavarero’s exposition of the metaphor of the King’s two bodies in the common law is explored, along with her critique of hylomorphism. Finally, it extends her work in Stately Bodies by considering different images of the power of the body in later political discourses regarding the worker’s body and the effect of the advance of techno-science. This paper was presented at ‘The State He’s In – Political Philosophy and the Figural: A Conference with Adriana Cavarero on her book Stately Bodies: Literature, Philosophy and the Question of Gender’ at Warwick University, Department of Philosophy in May 2004. I would like to thank Adriana and all the conference participants for their comments. Thanks also to the referees of this paper. I have kept the informal style of presentation from the conference, along with the emphasis upon theoretical, rather than historical, analysis.     

Elizabethan ‘Spinning’ and Penelope’s Weaving: The Political, the Common Law and Stately Bodies

This paper examines the public, private and political in the work of Adriana Cavarero by drawing upon the situations of two women whose lives feature in her work: Elizabeth I and Penelope. It includes an analysis of the way in which Cavarero is rethinking Hannah Arendt’s view of ‘the political.’ Cavarero’s exposition of the metaphor of the King’s two bodies in the common law is explored, along with her critique of hylomorphism. Finally, it extends her work in Stately Bodies by considering different images of the power of the body in later political discourses regarding the worker’s body and the effect of the advance of techno-science. This paper was presented at ‘The State He’s In – Political Philosophy and the Figural: A Conference with Adriana Cavarero on her book Stately Bodies: Literature, Philosophy and the Question of Gender’ at Warwick University, Department of Philosophy in May 2004. I would like to thank Adriana and all the conference participants for their comments. Thanks also to the referees of this paper. I have kept the informal style of presentation from the conference, along with the emphasis upon theoretical, rather than historical, analysis.     

Democracy,social capital and school governing bodies in South Africa

Critics of school governing bodies (SGBs) – both on the left and on the right – tend to rely upon arguments that ignore significant portions of the act that created SGBs – the South African Schools Act (SASA) – the exact nature of the changes to SGBs wrought by amendments to the act and the manner in which the courts, in interpreting the act, have both reinforced the autonomy of SGBs at the same time as they have set limits on those powers. The authors’ reading takes seriously all of the provisions of SASA, its amendments and various court constructions of SASA's provisions. This close reading of the South African Constitution, SASA, SASA's amendments and the case law reveals the lineaments of a fourth level of democratic government. Even with their uneven success as a fourth tier of democratic government, SGBs reflect, in many respects, the most important interactions that citizens have with the state. The authors contend that SGBs provide a vehicle for popular political participation that is quite real, and that participation is made no less real by the strictures imposed upon them by South Africa's constitutional and regulatory order. Despite concerns about their lack of capacity, SGBs enjoy popular acceptance and participation across class and language divides. The legal status of SGBs does not merely enhance various forms of local democracy, SGBs also maintain and create effective social networks that generate new stores of social capital. The ability to provide new forms of democratic participation and to create new stores of social capital suggests that SGBs have the makings of a great, new and rather unique ‘South African’ political institution.     

《行政许可法》对地方立法的影响

行政许可法颁布和施行的意义不仅仅局限于行政法治这一领域,而且以独特的视角为地方立法今后的发展提供了难得的参考。在地方立法理念上的变化体现为:平衡公益和私益,追求效益,立法应务实创新;对地方立法体制及立法技术的影响表现为:地方对行政许可设定具有很强的局限性,地方立法主体需重新认识和定位,注重以立法事项的性质确定立法主体,在权限上既赋予地方一定的专有立法权,同时对地方立法权进行一些具体的禁止作为补充,健全地方立法的具体内容,完善地方立法技术。即便如此,行政许可法仍对地方立法可能造成以下负面影响:首先是借行政许可法留下的可观的立法空间,扩大地方立法权;其次是由于行政审批改革与立法同步,立法中部门利益将会反弹。     

社会救助非政府主体参与机制研究——社会救助需要多元化发展

本文运用公共物品私人提供理论与公共服务市场化理论,从社会救助非政府主体参与的必然性和可能性上探讨社会救助主体的多元化发展,进而探讨非政府主体参与机制的建立,从而推动社会救助制度的完善与发展。     

Popular evaluations of election quality in Africa: Evidence from Nigeria

Despite the important consequences of citizens' election quality perceptions on political behavior and political attitudes, very little is known about how citizens formulate their perceptions of election quality. In this paper, I assess the correlates of citizens' perceptions of election quality. I suggest that the performance of election-related institutions is an important correlate of citizens' election quality perceptions. However, citizens' experience with electoral irregularities, and partisan affiliation also matter. I test these hypotheses in the context of the 2007 Nigerian general elections using survey data from Afrobarometer and International Foundation for Electoral Systems. The findings provide robust support for the hypotheses. Most importantly, the results indicate that the performance of electoral management bodies is associated with citizens' assessment of election quality in Africa and that citizens demand electoral management bodies with impartiality and professionalism.     

The application of geographic information systems and spatial analysis to assess dumped and subsequently scattered human remains

This study utilizes geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis (SA) technology to address the problems associated with prediction of location and effective recovery of dumped and scattered human remains in Louisiana. The goals are to determine if a selective bias exists in Louisiana as to where and when human remains are dumped and to assess whether or not geographically specific patterns exist in the dispersal of human remains. We hypothesized that a positive relationship exists between postmortem interval (PMI) and dispersal distance, and that there are negative relationships between PMI and dispersal direction and between dispersal direction and distance. Our results indicate that, in Louisiana, remains are more often dumped in rural areas away from a structure, and are found within (1/4) mile of the nearest road. For Louisiana, no seasonal bias was found in the analysis of when remains are dumped. Furthermore, with the exception of the relationship between PMI and the shortest distance remains were dispersed, no geographically specific patterns were detected in the analyses of dispersal distance, dispersal direction, and PMI.     

SEM/EDAX检测内脏异物元素成分诊断溺死

为探讨溺死诊断的依据和推断入水地点，用扫描电镜／X－射线谱仪（SEM／EDAX）检测19例溺死尸体及28只溺死兔的肺、肾、心、肝等组织异物颗粒及其元素成分和含量，并以陆地上死亡尸体14具及8只陆地上勒死兔（2只勒死后入水浸泡6天）作实验对照。结果发现，19例溺死尸体及28只溺死兔的肺边缘区呼吸性细支气管、肺泡管、肺泡囊及肺泡内均可见高能谱值的异物颗粒，其大小自数微米至数十微米不等，多为无定形异物颗粒或细小异物颗粒集落。其中元素成分为硅、铝、钙、铁、铬、钛、钼、铅、锡、铜、溴等，与入水地点溺液中所含元素成分相同；肾、心、肝组织异物颗粒检出率分别为77％、53％及47％，数量较少，颗粒较小，大小自1微米以下至十数微米。非溺死尸体及实验兔的肺、肾、心、肝组织未检出或偶尔检出异物颗粒，其元素成分多为铁、钙或硅等，可能是病理及生理性异物颗粒，如含铁血黄素、钙化灶等。用SEM／EDAX检测水中尸体组织中异物颗粒及其元素成分和含量，可以诊断溺死，推断入水区域，为明确案件性质和确定侦察范围提供科学依据。     

Policing Women’s Bodies in an Illiberal Society: The Case of Ireland

This journal article outlines the history of the policing women’s bodies in Ireland in the context of law, crime and reproduction. It does this by means of three case studies. The first case study explores the policing of women’s bodies in relation to sexuality. The second case study focuses on reproduction and the policing of women’s bodies in relation to reproduction. The third and final case study considers the policing of women’s bodies in relation to abortion. Taken together, these three case studies provide an overview of the capacity, and indeed the readiness, that exists in Irish society to police women’s bodies and to do so particularly in relation to sexuality and reproduction.