The histological staining technique using rhodizonate is also effective for the determination of the firing distance by examining the distribution and intensity of the staining reaction. The differentiation between absolute close-range shots and long-range shots is generally possible without any doubt. The method is not recommended for routine examinations but it is very useful for cases lacking the possibility to investigate smoke and powder deposits in a criminalistic manner, i.e. surgical skin biopsies of hospitalised victims and skin highly altered by the effects of fire, water or by post-mortem decomposition.

The number of cells in the cerebrospinal fluid increases after death. It is not clear whether this observation represents a post-mortem or a supravital phenomenon. There is speculation that some of the cells actively enter the cerebrospinal fluid during the first hours after death and that the rest exfoliate from the subarachnoid layer. The post-mortem cell count in cerebrospinal fluid correlates to the time after death and can be described mathematically (polynomial curve of third order).

From January 1995 through March 2000, temperatures in the passenger compartment of automobiles of different sizes were measured under varying weather conditions (sunshine, cloudy skies, rain) at two locations in eastern Switzerland. During the cold season, the interior temperature rose to 21 degrees C when cars were exposed to sunshine, whereas in summer interior temperature extremes of up to 89 degrees C were recorded. Make, model, and color of the vehicles were of only minor influence.

No abstract