Household composition and family structures of Ukrainian Cossacks in the second half of the eighteenth century

One of the main problems faced by social historians of the Cossack Hetmanate (Cossacks' autonomous territory situated on the Left Bank of the Dnieper River) is a poor knowledge of population issues. This article therefore focuses on the history of the family and households in eighteenth-century Ukraine. Unlike the historiography of Western Europe, where active research in this field started in the 1960s, contemporary Ukrainian historiography includes only a few studies dedicated to these issues. Recently renewed interest in population issues is due to the widening scope of historical research and to changes in the methodological paradigm that started in the twenty-first century. Historical research of the Ukrainian family and population is thus in its infancy and reconsidering these aspects is crucial for a global scholarship.     

‘Donors are not interested in reality’: the interplay between international donors and local NGOs in Kyrgyzstan's HIV/AIDS sector

This article explores the interplay between international donors and local NGOs in Kyrgyzstan's HIV/AIDS sector. It argues that donors have transposed ready-made policies without sufficient consideration of the local context and that NGOs have responded strategically, adapting their proposals and reports to the expectations of donors. This complex interplay has resulted in unintended consequences that have undermined an effective response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It has given rise to ‘virtual realities’ detached from developments on the ground. The funding system has also led to corruption and misappropriation of funds and the failure of NGOs to become sustainable. Largely bypassing the state in the allocation of funds, international donors have also undermined an already weak state.     

Fatal Fentanyl Patch Misuse in a Hospitalized Patient with a Postmortem Increase in Fentanyl Blood Concentration

Opioid‐related mortality happens, even in healthcare settings. We describe serial postmortem fentanyl blood concentrations in a hospital inpatient who fatally abused transdermal fentanyl. This is a single‐patient case report. A 42‐year‐old man with lymphoma was started on transdermal fentanyl therapy while hospitalized for chronic abdominal pain. The patient was last seen awake 1.3 h prior to being found apneic and cyanotic. During the resuscitation attempt, a small square‐shaped film was removed from the patient's oropharynx. Femoral blood was collected 0.5 and 2 h postmortem, and the measured fentanyl concentration increased from 1.6 to 14 ng/mL. Study limitations include potential laboratory or collection errors and missing data. (i) Providers must be vigilant for signs of fentanyl patch abuse. (ii) Postmortem blood concentrations are not static postmortem, likely secondary to decreasing pH, increased aqueous solubility, and tissue redistribution, and are therefore unlikely to accurately represent antemortem blood concentrations.     

Decomposition Rate and Pattern in Hanging Pigs

Accurate prediction of the postmortem interval requires an understanding of the decomposition process and the factors acting upon it. A controlled experiment, over 60 days at an outdoor site in the northwest of England, used 20 freshly killed pigs (Sus scrofa) as human analogues to study decomposition rate and pattern. Ten pigs were hung off the ground and ten placed on the surface. Observed differences in the decomposition pattern required a new decomposition scoring scale to be produced for the hanging pigs to enable comparisons with the surface pigs. The difference in the rate of decomposition between hanging and surface pigs was statistically significant (p = 0.001). Hanging pigs reached advanced decomposition stages sooner, but lagged behind during the early stages. This delay is believed to result from lower variety and quantity of insects, due to restricted beetle access to the aerial carcass, and/or writhing maggots falling from the carcass.     

Soilwater Conductivity Analysis to Date and Locate Clandestine Graves of Homicide Victims

In homicide investigations, it is critically important that postmortem interval and postburial interval (PBI) of buried victims are determined accurately. However, clandestine graves can be difficult to locate; and the detection rates for a variety of search methods (ranging from simple ground probing through to remote imaging and near‐surface geophysics) can be very low. In this study, simulated graves of homicide victims were emplaced in three sites with contrasting soil types, bedrock, and depositional environments. The long‐term monthly in situ monitoring of grave soil water revealed rapid increases in conductivity up to 2 years after burial, with the longest study evidencing declining values to background levels after 4.25 years. Results were corrected for site temperatures and rainfall to produce generic models of fluid conductivity as a function of time. The research suggests soilwater conductivity can give reliable PBI estimates for clandestine burials and therefore be used as a grave detection method.     

Investigating the Postmortem Molecular Biology of Cartilage and its Potential Forensic Applications

This study investigated the postmortem molecular changes that articular cartilage undergoes following burial. Fresh pig trotters were interred in 30‐cm‐deep graves at two distinct locations exhibiting dissimilar soil environments for up to 42 days. Extracts of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint cartilage from trotters disinterred weekly over 6 weeks were analyzed by Western blot against the monoclonal antibody 2‐B‐6 to assess aggrecan degradation. In both soil conditions, aggrecan degradation by‐products of decreasing molecular size and complexity were observed up to 21 days postmortem. Degradation products were undetected after this time and coincided with MCP/MTP joint exposure to the soil environment. These results show that cartilage proteoglycans undergo an ordered molecular breakdown, the analysis of which may have forensic applications. This model may prove useful for use as a human model and for forensic investigations concerning crimes against animals and the mortality of endangered species.     

The Application of Flow Cytometry as a Rapid and Sensitive Screening Method to Detect Contamination of Vitreous Humor Samples and Avoid Miscalculation of the Postmortem Interval

Research into maximizing the speed, precision, and reliability of estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) has been a recurring object of investigation and methodologies based on the vitreous humor (VH) have provided good results. However, contamination from causes not readily apparent, such as blood, can occur, and thus lead not only to an erroneous estimation of PMI, but also interfere with the correct identification of other substances in the VH. We have developed a flow cytometry method which quantifies blood contamination and is able to detect erythrocytes in 1:750,000 dilution of contaminated VH which affects the results of hypoxanthine. It is an improvement on the previous more complex mass spectrometry method, being faster, more sensitive, and readily available. As such, it could be proposed for the rapid screening of appropriate samples by detecting and eliminating blood contaminated samples from PMI estimation.     

气相色谱/质谱检验合成大麻素K3中AKB48

目的建立较为快速准确的合成大麻素K3中AKB48的气相色谱/质谱检验方法。方法对进样口温度、初始柱温、柱流速及质谱采样率等4项色谱及质谱实验参数进行考察优化。结果 GC/MS检验合成大麻素K3中AKB48的优化条件为:进样口温度280℃,柱初始温度80℃,柱流速为2.0ml/min,质谱采样率为2。结论该方法具有快速、准确、灵敏等优点,可用于K3中AKB48的定性检验鉴定。     

GC/MS/MS时间编程在火灾现场助燃剂检测中的应用

运用Varian SATURN2000气质联用仪通过GC/MS、GC/MS/MS、时间编程 GC/MS/MS对汽油样品进行分析比对,发现利用时间编程GC/MS/MS,对检测火灾现场残留汽油效果很好,可彻底排除样品中基体的背景干扰,大大提高检测灵敏度;同时对混合助燃剂（汽油+煤油、汽油+柴油）进行了实验探索。     

体液中氟乙酰胺SPE-GC/MS检测

目的　利用GC/MS与固相萃取 (SPE)技术相结合 ,开发血和尿样中氟乙酰胺鼠药的GC/MS定量分析新方法 ,并用于实际案例检测。方法　选择乙酰胺为内标 ,通过比较不同固相柱的萃取效率和不同条件对回收率的影响 ,优化用于血和尿样中氟乙酰胺萃取的固相柱和提取条件 ,利用氟乙酰胺与乙酰胺质谱图的分子离子峰面积之比与氟乙酰胺浓度的定量关系 ,建立血和尿样中氟乙酰胺鼠药的GC/MS定量分析新方法。结果　用硅胶柱萃取 ,峰面积之比与氟乙酰胺浓度在 5 0～ 90 μg/ml范围呈线性关系 ,检测限为 1 0 μg/ml。血样中氟乙酰胺检测的平均回收率达 91 6% ,标准偏差小于 7 3 %。结论　此法对实际样品的测定证明可满足氟乙酰胺鼠药中毒的定性定量要求。