Police of the Czech Republic

Background/Objectives: Early localization of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) remains challenging despite technological advances in endoscopic navigation, as the procedure often necessitates multiple ionizing imaging examinations. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a radiation-free optical method for SPN localization based on near-infrared (NIR) translumination. Methods: A miniaturized NIR light source was introduced into the bronchial tree to illuminate the lung parenchyma. The transmitted and scattered NIR light was detected in real time from the pleural side using minipleuroscopy and a CMOS camera. The approach exploits intrinsic differences in optical absorption and scattering between normal and pathological lung tissue, allowing visualization of the parenchymal micro-architecture without exogenous contrast agents. Results: In ex vivo porcine lungs, tissue structures were clearly visualized through up to approximately 4 cm of parenchyma. In a ventilated pig (n = 1), bronchial NIR illumination was consistently detected from the pleural cavity and produced distinct images of lobular structures and the bronchial mucosa. Conclusions: These feasibility findings demonstrate that NIR translumination can provide radiation-free intra-thoracic visualization and may serve as a valuable adjunct for biopsy guidance. Further quantitative validation and clinical translation are warranted to establish its applicability in human pulmonary procedures.

Abstract Visualization of fingerprints on irregular metal objects is crucial in forensic practice, and electrochemical deposition of copper films provides a simple and effective solution in this regard. Latent fingerprints were visualized by chronoamperometric reduction of Cu2⁺ from a 0.02 M copper sulfate solution in 0.1 M sulfuric acid. The deposition parameters were optimized for stainless-steel (−0.450 V vs. Ag/AgCl, 180 s) and brass (−0.250 V vs. Ag/AgCl, 120 s) and successfully applied to real objects (coins, keys, and cartridge cases). Fingerprint details were evaluated using a stereoscopic microscope. All samples showed fingerprint quality suitable for identification. The method is fast, cost-effective, and applicable to curved or irregular surfaces, making it a promising tool for practical forensic applications. Graphical Abstract

Fired cartridge cases are often found at crime scenes connected with a shooting, and their prompt analysis can be very useful for the police investigation. In addition to dactyloscopy (fingerprints) that tends to be more or less damaged on the cartridges and often are not adequate for individual identification, there are also scent traces on the fired cartridges that are not fully destroyed by the gun's being fired. In this pilot study, we compare the human scent remaining on cartridge cases after firing with scent samples from different volunteers to find out who loaded the gun before the gun was shot. In this experiment, a simulated crime scene was prepared, and one of our volunteers loaded the weapon. Analysis of the scent remaining on cartridge cases was carried out using two different methods, namely, olfactronics and olfactorics.

Numerous biosensors have shown exceptional analytical performance under laboratory conditions, yet only a few are capable of on-site use with complex, non-model samples while exhibiting reliable analytical performance. Here, we present a new portable biosensor for the rapid (30 min) and accurate detection of bacterial agents in “real-world” food samples, which are originally in either solid or liquid form. The biosensor combines well-established quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technology, with innovative terpolymer brush nano-coatings on the sensing surface to efficiently reduce non-specific fouling from food samples. Following reagent-free sample preparation, where solid food samples are homogenized, we validated the sensor's detection capabilities on native pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) in hamburgers, Czech dumplings, and milk. We achieved limits of detection (LOD), as low as 7.5 × 102 CFU/mL in milk, a value approaching fundamental QCM limits, using a simple direct detection assay format. The biosensor's exceptional reusability was demonstrated through 60 sequential hamburger sample injections, resulting in only a minor LOD shift toward the end of series. A 10-min sonication treatment during sample preparation significantly enhanced sensitivity for E. coli O157:H7 in hamburgers and dumplings, yielding LODs as low as 3.1 × 10³ CFU/mL and 2.6 × 10⁴ CFU/mL, respectively. For on-site analysis, we integrated the nano-coated sensing chip into a custom-built four-channel portable QCM biosensor with an optimized microfluidic system, which can be produced on a scale suitable for practical deployment.

Nowadays, there are limited capabilities to limit the speed of vehicles or to stop them. The current methods used within communication on the roads use informative messages that are not influencing the movement of the vehicles. Currently, to limit the speed of the vehicles only destructive and invasive methods are used. These methods can lead to threats to the health and lives involved in road traffic. In this paper, we designed and verified a unique system for influencing the speed of vehicles. The test-bed consists of two vehicles that contain COHDA-MK6 OBU devices and a mobile application for managing the vehicles. The verification for the developed system was performed on a race circuit in the Czech Republic with the cooperation of the Czech police. During the testing, two vehicles were going almost 100 km/h and the security forces in a police vehicle successfully stopped the other car. The process for stopping the car consists of the mobile application that sends the C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) message that is transmitted to the target vehicle. In this paper, we successfully verified in practice on a race circuit that the proposed system to limit the speed of vehicles is working.

Background: We describe patients who were recognized via conventional radiographs of the skull as manifesting wormian bones. Wormian bones are not a specific diagnostic entity and can be seen in variable forms of syndromic disorders. Materials and Methods: Seven children and three adults (of 10–28 years) were seen and diagnosed in our departments. The principal complaints for the pediatric and adult group were: ligamentous hyperlaxity, a history of delayed walking and occasional fractures, which later in life started to manifest a constellation of neurological symptoms such as nystagmus, persistent headache, and apnea. Conventional radiographs were the first traditional tools used to recognize wormian bones. We performed 3D reconstruction CT scans to further understand the precise etiology and the nature of these wormian bones and attempted to connect them with a broad spectrum of unpleasant clinical presentations. Our group of patients was consistent with the phenotypic and genotypic diagnoses of osteogenesis imperfecta type I and type IV as well as patients with multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis syndrome. Results: Three-dimensional reconstruction CT scan of the skulls confirmed that these worm-like phenotypes are in fact stemmed from the progressive softening of the sutures. The overall phenotype of the melted sutures is akin to overly stretched pastry. The most concerning sutures in this pathological process are the lambdoid. The overstretching of the lambdoid sutures was responsible for the development of sub-clinical basilar impression/invagination. Patients with certain forms of skeletal dysplasia such as osteogenesis imperfecta type I and IV manifested the heterozygous mutation of COL1A1/COLA2, shown as typical overstretching of the sutures. Similarly, patients with multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis syndrome with a heterozygous missense mutation of MAFB also manifested the phenotype of overly stretched pastry along the skull sutures. Conclusion: What we encountered via 3D reconstruction CT scan in our group of patients was entirely different than the traditional description that can be found in all relevant literature of the last decades. The worm-like phenomenon is in fact a pathological sequel occurring as a result of a progressive softening of the sutures, which results in the overstretching of the lambdoid sutures, a pathological process roughly similar to an overly stretched soft pastry. This softening is totally connected to the weight of the cerebrum (the occipital lobe of the cerebrum). The lambdoid sutures represent the weight-bearing zone of the skull. When these joints are loose and soft, they adversely alter the anatomical structures of the skull and lead to a highly hazardous derangement of the craniocervical junction. The latter causes the pathological upward invasion of the dens into the brain stem, leading to the development of morbid/mortal basilar impression/invagination.

Abstract This article explores the limitations of the oft-used biopolitical frameworks of interpreting the regulatory emergency measures that have been enacted worldwide in the face of the spreading pandemic of COVID-19. Not only have the state responses to coronavirus often been beset by manner of “biopolitical failures,” it is also the Foucauldian emphasis on the top-down formation and application of immunity that produces a view of health security that is much too narrow. In proposing an alternative framework, the article draws from the spherology of Peter Sloterdijk and suggests a transition from bio- to a distinctly sphero-political theory of immunity that is capable of integrating the ontological synergies that exist between human bodies, spaces, and atmospheres. More specifically, the spheropolitics of coronavirus are discussed in relation to the security dispositif of the household and examined through the case of the Czech Republic.

We assessed the influence of diet on the development and survival in the immature stages of the necrophagous beetle Oiceoptoma thoracicum (Linnaeus, 1758). The species is frequently observed on large cadavers, including humans, and thus can be of potential forensic relevance. We compared multiple meat tissues from three animal sources, and detected the optimal diet for rearing the species for further entomological and forensic objectives. We reared 203 individuals to adulthood at the constant temperature of 20°C. Our results represent the first robust data set of the development time for this species. They further confirmed a significant relationship between survival and the type of diet, as the highest survival rates were detected in larvae fed with both pork liver and pork muscle.