Visas and work permits: Possible global negotiating initiatives

We discuss global options for initiatives intended to ameliorate adverse impacts of visa and work permit systems used by national governments around the world. We first describe and document some of their effects, noting the relative lack of other research work on these issues. We then discuss proposals for a new and supplemental global visa structure which have been made as part of the Mode 4 GATS negotiations in the WTO, suggesting that the GATS/WTO may be an imperfect institutional location for negotiating on these matters. We then evaluate other approaches, including what realistically could be possible if a new body specifically created for global negotiation in the area were to be used.

Exporting to China and ASEAN countries： Perceived advancement in marketing competencies and export performance

Malaysians firms have made inroads into the non-traditional export markets. Such ventures are expected to result in increased knowledge about the marketing systems that are posited to be different from the traditional export markets. This paper reports on the perceived improvement in marketing competencies of Malaysian exporters. The results of data analysis show that there are five dimensions of marketing competency. In ranking order, segmenting and targeting competency is ranked highest followed by product management, export management, product differentiation and promotion. Multiple regression analysis was performed to test the explanatory power of each marketing competency on export performance of firms exporting to China and ASEAN countries. The result revealed that none of the marketing competency explained the variation in export performance for the China market. However, among exporters in ASEAN countries, it was noted that promotion competency resulted in a negative impact on both measures of export performance. Product competency is positively associated with financial measure of export performance. Competencies in segmenting and targeting, and export management are positively associated with non-financial performance.     

纺织品配额的结束：东盟经济的启示

在2005年1月多边纤维协议终止以前,人们普遍担心小额纺织商、布匹生产商(包括那些在东南亚一些国家的生产商)将抵挡不住来自中国和印度市场的冲击。对于以纺织和服装为主要出口商品的国家,如柬埔寨、老挝、菲律宾、印度尼西亚尤其如此。在菲律宾,纺织和制衣产业是该国第二大出口创汇产业,可解决40万人的就业问题。在柬埔寨,纺织和服装产品则占了出口商品的87%,解决了20万人的就业问题。由于拥有大批廉价劳动力,中国在纺织和制衣方面的竞争优势已经对东盟国家的相关产业产生了一些冲击。然而,当大量的中国纺织和制衣产品输出到西方市场的时候…     

Roadside detection of impairment under the influence of ketamine--evaluation of ketamine impairment symptoms with reference to its concentration in oral fluid and urine

Although there are many roadside testing devices available for the screening of abused drugs, none of them can be used for the detection of ketamine, a popular abused drug in Hong Kong. In connection to local drug driving legislation, effective roadside detection of ketamine in suspected drug-impaired drivers has to be established. According to the drug evaluation and classification program (DEC), ketamine is classified in the phencyclidine (PCP) category. However, no study has been performed regarding the signs and symptoms exhibited by users under the influence of ketamine. In a study to develop a protocol for effective roadside detection of drug-impaired drivers, 62 volunteers exiting from discos were assessed using field impairment tests (FIT) that included measurements of three vital signs (i.e. body temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure), three eye examinations [pupil size, lack of convergence (LOC) and horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN)] and four divided attention tests (Romberg, one-leg stand, finger-to-nose and walk-and-turn tests). Subsequent laboratory analysis of oral fluid and urine samples from the participants revealed the presence of common abused drugs in both the urine and oral fluid samples of 55 subjects. The remaining 7 subjects with no drug in their oral fluid samples were used as drug-free subjects. In addition, 10 volunteers from the laboratory who were regarded as drug-free subjects were also assessed using the same FIT. Among the 62 volunteers, 39 of them were detected with ketamine in their oral fluid. Of these ketamine users, 21 of them (54%) with only ketamine found in their oral fluid samples while the rest (18 subjects) of them had other drugs (i.e. MA, MDMA, benzodiazepines and/or THC) in addition to ketamine. Of the 21 ketamine-only users, 15 of them (71%) were successfully identified by FIT. It was found that when salivary ketamine concentrations were greater than 300 ng/mL, signs of impairment became evident, with over 90% detection rate using the FIT. By comparing the FIT observations on the 21 ketamine-only users with the drug-free subjects, the typical signs and symptoms observable for subjects under the influence of ketamine included LOC, HGN, elevated pulse rate and in general, failing the divided attention tests, especially the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand.     

Optimization of Human mtDNA Control Region Sequencing for Forensic Applications

Sequencing mitochondrial DNA hypervariable regions I and II (HVI and HVII) is useful in forensic missing person and unidentified remains cases. Improvements in ease and sensitivity of testing will yield results from more samples in a timely fashion. Routinely, amplification of HVI and HVII is followed by Sanger sequencing using the BigDye^® Terminator v3.1 Cycle Sequencing kit (Applied Biosystems) using 4 μL of ready reaction mix (RRM). Each sequencing reaction is then purified through column filtration before capillary electrophoresis. Using lower amounts of RRM (2 μL or 1 μL) and purification using BigDye^® XTerminator^? (Applied Biosystems) instead of columns showed no loss of sequence length and increased the quality and the sensitivity of testing, allowing HVI and HVII typing from mitochondrial genome equivalent to 125 fg of nuclear DNA, or 100 pg of HVI/HVII amplicons. Using this methodology, testing can be completed in 1 day, and the cost of testing is reduced.     

Regulating Cannabis: A Comparative Exploration of Canadian Legalization

This article explores cannabis regulation in Canada and the United States and examines how recent legalization efforts have manifested differently in each country. Although some of these differences are explained by uncompromising constitutional structures, this comparative exercise examines each system's political choices. While emphasis is placed on the Canadian experience, this article seeks to inform and enhance policy and regulation in both countries in addition to highlighting inherent ethical issues.     

Identification and Individualization of Lophophora using DNA Analysis of the trnL/trnF Region and rbcL Gene

Lophophora williamsii (peyote) is a small, spineless, greenish‐blue cactus found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Ingestion of the cactus can result in hallucinations due to its content of mescaline. In the United States, L. williamsii is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. In this study, we use DNA analysis of the chloroplast trnL/trnF region and chloroplast rbcL gene to identify the individuals of Lophophora. Using the rbcL gene, Lophophora specimens could be distinguished from outgroups, but species within the genus could not be distinguished. The trnL/trnF region split the Lophophora genus into several groups based on the length and substructure of an AT‐rich segment of the sequence. Our results indicate that the genetic variability at the trnL/trnF locus is greater than previously recognized. Although DNA structures at the trnL/trnF region and rbcL gene do not align with the classification of Lophophora species, they can be used to aid in forensic analysis.     

Garment, or Upper-Garment? A Matter of Interpretation?

In an adversarial common law courtroom, where one party tries to defeat the other by using words as weapons, polysemous words more often than not pose a problem to the court interpreter. Unlike in dyadic communication, where ambiguity can be easily clarified with the speaker by the hearer, court interpreters’ freedom to clarify with speakers is to a large extent restricted by their code of ethics. Interpreters therefore can only rely on the context for disambiguating polysemous words. This study illustrates the problem of polysemy in an interpreter-mediated rape trial. It exemplifies how the interpreter’s goal to avoid contradictions by making her interpretation of a polysemous word consistent with the preceding context runs counter to that of the bilingual cross-examiner, whose primary goal is to identify inconsistencies in the hostile witness’s testimony in order to discredit him. This study also manifests a denial of the interpreter’s latitude in the interpretation of contextual clues and her loss of power in a courtroom with the presence of other bilinguals.     

Production networks in China and India: a comparative analysis

In this paper, we examine and compare the two important production hubs in Asia: China and Greater China and India and South Asia. We show that in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, manufacturing trade has continued to be highly relevant, with trade in parts and components growing in importance. In contrast, in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, trade in parts and components remain limited. We then calculate various revealed comparative advantage (RCA) indices, which China having more components with RCA values exceeding one. Some of the most important components exported by China include electronic parts and telecommunication parts. One explanation is to why India is relatively weak in parts and components trade is that India is strong in service trade. Other reasons may be related to better port infrastructure, higher research and development intensity and higher educational enrollments in China.