Source type Academic writing

Joe Biden’s Aid to Hawaii vs Ukraine Aid Compared: What We Know

Some Republicans and conservative commentators questioned President Joe Biden's priorities after the government announced a further $200 million of security assistance for Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion, on the same day that people affected by the fires in Hawaii were offered $700 a household. This is not the totality of the federal aid that will go to Maui, however. Although some figures have been released, the disaster recovery effort is in its early stages and further disbursements are expected in the days and weeks to come.

December 6, 2023
2023 Hawaii wildfires Fact checks / debunkings

Atlas of Forensic Pathology: Prahlow & Byard

Postmortem changes refer to various processes that occur in a body after death producing a variety of effects. These changes can be divided into early and late time periods, the latter represented by decomposition, however the entire process represents a continuum. While the sequence of events can be predicted, many variables can influence the rate and extent of these alterations to the body, and so it is simply not possible to reliably estimate an accurate time of death (“postmortem interval”) based on these changes alone.

October 3, 2023
Context

Environmental conditions and bodily decomposition: Implications for long term management of war fatalities and the identification of the dead during the ongoing Ukrainian conflict

In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the deaths incurred during the early weeks of the war and will attempt to illustrate the range of variables which will inform the practical response to recover and identify those killed, before they receive their final burial. It will introduce some of the organisations which have provided forensic support and will also identify emerging ethical considerations which should be monitored for the remainder of the conflict.

September 19, 2023
Attacks on civilians Bucha Genocide Genocide vs Ukraine (2022-)Russia Ukraine War crimes

Evaluation of Postmortem Changes

Postmortem changes constitute the natural progression of the body’s decomposition after death, beginning at the cellular level. The process involves complex cellular and biological phenomena. The changes that commence immediately after death continue to occur over a prolonged period at different rates for different organs. The onset and extent of these changes are affected by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The rates are not precise and differ from one geographical region to another and also differ in the same geographic region from one season to another. Understanding postmortem changes is essential for estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) or time since death, one of the primary objectives of the forensic autopsy. The timings of the appearance of the various postmortem changes mentioned in this brief overview of postmortem changes are only guidelines pertaining to tropical climates unless otherwise specified and should never be considered as absolute.

September 19, 2023
Technical source

Methods of Estimation of Time Since Death

Forensic pathologists are essentially required to estimate the time since death (TSD) to assist in death investigation by limiting the investigation period and thus helping narrow down the number of suspects in homicide cases. TSD also provides valuable information in establishing the timeline of events that lead to death. This activity reviews the prevalent methods, including traditional and modern techniques, and the inherent shortcomings of the methods of estimation of time since death relates to the essential points needed by members of an interprofessional team managing the medico-legal investigation of death.

September 19, 2023
Technical source

Russia’s Eliminationist Rhetoric Against Ukraine: A Collection

Dating at least to 2008 or 2009, increasingly hostile language laid the groundwork for rejecting Ukraine’s existence as a state, a national group, and a culture. What follows is a compilation of publicly available statements (readers are invited to submit by email any that we may have missed). Experts such as Francine Hirsch, a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg,” have pointed to such language as evidence of genocidal intent toward the Ukrainian people. Whether and how the concept of “genocide” applies to Russia’s campaign against Ukraine is the subject of debate, notwithstanding the reference in Article II of the Genocide Convention to “the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such.”