Minimally invasive postmortem telebiopsy

For the past 10 years, medical imaging techniques have been increasingly applied to forensic investigations. To obtain histological and toxicological information, tissue and liquid samples are required. In this article, we describe the development of a low-cost, secure, and reliable approach for a telematic add-on for remotely planning biopsies on the Virtobot robotic system. Data sets are encrypted and submitted over the Internet. A plugin for the OsiriX medical image viewer allows for remote planning of needle trajectories that are used for needle placement. The application of teleradiological methods to image-guided biopsy in the forensic setting has the potential to reduce costs and, in conjunction with a mobile computer tomographic scanner, allows for tissue sampling in a mass casualty situation involving nuclear, biological, or chemical agents, in a manner that minimizes the risk to involved staff.     

Accuracy and reliability of cone beam computed tomography of the jaws for comparative forensic identification: a preliminary study

Conventional computed tomography is an emerging modality in forensic identification but is not sufficiently accurate for use in dental identification primarily because of problems with metallic dental restoration-induced streak artifact. In this study, the accuracy and reliability of recording forensic information from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of the jaws when compared to conventional panoramic radiographs has been analyzed under experimental conditions. Information could be recorded with near-perfect repeatability and reproducibility. Information could also be recorded accurately, the sensitivity being 96.6% (95% CI, 95.1-98.1) and specificity being 98.4% (95% CI, 96.2-100). The metal dental restoration-induced streak artifact was at a level that permitted, in most cases, accurate observations. This is considered an important step in validating CBCT as a tool in comparative dental identification of bodies. It may have a role in mass fatalities and in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents, but further studies are required to assess the feasibility of this.     

The Characterization of 3,4-Dimethylmethcathinone (3,4-DMMC)

Analogs and derivatives of traditional illicit drugs are ever increasing in variety and creativity. Staying abreast of the new developments is a constant challenge for every forensic laboratory. Recently, a seizure from Australian Customs Service presented our laboratory with the designer cathinone 3,4-dimethylmethcathinone (3,4-DMMC). Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry were employed to analyze the spectroscopic characteristics of this cathinone. As an analog, 3,4-DMMC exhibits similar if not identical IR and UV profiles to mephedrone (4-MMC) and methcathinone; however, the retention time from GC is unique as expected, and the electron impact fragmentation pattern is consistent with the fragmentation pattern of other cathinones. The chemical shifts of the carbons and hydrogens were assigned by both one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques, while the molecular weight was confirmed by LC/MS.     

日本强震及核危机对全球经济的影响

地震、海啸、核安全问题接连发生,日本正在经历史上罕见的“大创伤”。强震、海啸、核危机对日本经济的负面冲击明显大于阪神地震。日本地震后的灾后重建与阪神地震时的财政环境明显不同,地震提高了日本政府的违约风险和隐含的主权债务风险。但对世界经济整体而言,日本大地震不会影响全球经济复苏的步伐。虽然全球股市企稳回升,但“核阴云”笼罩亚太、大宗商品呈现先抑后扬的态势,加之受利比亚战争及发达国家的量化宽松货币政策等外围因素影响,日本大地震使全球金融市场未来面临诸多不确定性。日本地震对中国经济影响有限,灾后重建对中国出口及产业发展带来有利契机。     

跨界损害责任的认定——以日本向海洋排放核污水为视角

跨界损害责任作为国际责任制度的重要内容,逐渐成为联合国国际法委员会以及各国关注的热点问题。文章通过日本地震后向太平洋排放核污水事件,结合跨界损害责任的法理基础,对该行为进行认定,并指明日本应当承担的相应的损害赔偿责任。     

Japanese Labour Unions and Nuclear Energy: A Historical Analysis of Their Ideologies and Worldviews

This article analyses how diverse stances toward nuclear energy were produced and reproduced among Japanese labour unions from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, and how these stances of the formative period influenced the subsequent development of inter-union politics before and after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011, based on content analysis of union bulletins and other materials of pro- and anti-nuclear energy unions. This article asks three research questions: (i) what factors contributed to pro- or anti-nuclear energy stances of labour unions?; (ii) what elements constituted or framed unions’ arguments on the issue of nuclear energy?; and (iii) what impact did these stances and arguments formed in the early period have on the subsequent development of inter-union politics over nuclear energy, especially in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster? The paper shows union ideologies and institutional integration were the factors influencing unions’ stances on nuclear energy. It also analyses the worldviews of pro- and anti-nuclear energy unions based on the three policy styles of technological enthusiasts, moralists and cost-benefiters. The Fukushima disaster reinforced the previously formed division of union ideologies, but considerably weakened the discourse of technological enthusiasm stressed by pro-nuclear energy unions.     

从朝鲜二度核试验透视《不扩散核武器条约》的缺陷

继2006年10月9日朝鲜宣布进行了首次核试验后,2009年5月25日,朝鲜突然宣布"成功进行第二次核试验",不计后果地挑战国际社会。朝核危机彰显了《不扩散核武器条约》的不足。虽然该条约在实现全面彻底核裁军、维护世界和平与安全的国际法制进程中具有划时代的意义,但条约也存在某些概念模糊不清、对非核武器缔约国的歧视、退出条款限制不够、国际原子能机构的核查权限等问题。要真正实现全面彻底防核扩散的目标,国际社会需要努力地对条约做出合理的修订和完善,倡导以条约为基础的多边合作。     

The North Korea Problem: Perspectives on the Nuclear Debate,Economic Reforms and Beyond

ABSTRACT

Despite a plethora of research on North Korea, understanding and managing the challenges posed by the country have long been complicated with no simple solution to put an end to this decades-long security and economic predicament on the Korean Peninsula. With the potential for international conflict, attention must be given to the converging messages emerging from the scholarly works reviewed in this article: Glyn Ford, Talking to North Korea: Ending the Nuclear Standoff, Van Jackson, On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and the Threat of Nuclear War and William Overholt’s collection North Korea: Peace? Nuclear War? These works speak to the need to: take seriously the risk of nuclear war; consider the connectedness of the North’s decades-long security and economic reform dilemmas; and to acknowledge that the mistrust that is deeply rooted on all sides must be mitigated to bring peace. These books are published at a critical juncture of increased tensions following a highly publicised but remarkably short-lived effort at a breakthrough on the Korean nuclear issue, Pyongyang’s rapidly evolving security posture and its perennial domestic challenges. Each of these volumes provides valuable insights on these challenges for North Korea and internationally.     

Sanction experience and sanction behavior: an analysis of Chinese perception and behavior on economic sanctions

This paper seeks to explore the interrelationship between a country's sanction experience, perception, and behavior. The analysis focuses on the case of China, which is one of very few countries that have not only undergone a number of significant economic sanctions but also have experience of imposing economic sanctions upon others. All historical cases of major economic sanctions against China, as well as cases of Chinese economic sanctions against other countries, are examined. A comparison between China's sanction experience and sanction behavior points to a connection between the two: all strategic sanctions in history against China failed, and correspondingly, China rarely employed strategic sanctions against others. In parallel, most tactical sanctions against China were successful, and coincidentally, China has been much more open to using or threatening to use tactical sanctions in its own practice. The findings of this analysis offer an opportunity for Western policy practitioners to reconsider their approach of engaging China in order to improve future coordination and cooperation in multilateral economic sanctions.     

从东北振兴迈向东北亚大同:试论东北振兴计划与“中韩港”合作

全球化时代的东北振兴不仅具有重要的中国国内经济发展意义,还有重大的国际和地区战略意义,"中韩港"三边合作,对于从东北振兴迈向东北亚大同,具有举足轻重的作用。自上个世纪90年代以来,朝核问题成为影响东北亚和平稳定的主要因素,在六方会谈框架下,中韩双方在维护朝鲜半岛以及东北亚局势的稳定方面积累了合作的经验,两国的经济联系也日益密切。在2008年金融危机背景下,中韩经济均受到不同程度的冲击,中国需要通过拉动内需防止经济发展势头中断,韩国和中国香港特区也需要寻找新的增长空间,而东北振兴计划能够为解决上述矛盾找到出路。中国东部跨越、中部崛起、西部开发都离不开东西和谐、南北合作。"中韩港"在振兴东北问题上的合作如果奏效,有利于吸引更多的国际资本流向该地区,从而为该地区的稳定繁荣打下进一步的基础,为通向东北亚大同创造必要的条件。