Components of paint thinner in body fluids clearly detected using the salting-out technique

For a more sensitive detection of paint thinner components in body fluids, we made use of a salting-out technique, with sodium chloride added to blood samples followed by gas chromatography, using the headspace method. The detection of ethyl acetate and isobutanol was considerably enhanced using these approaches.     

A very slow BF variant (S085) detected in a Japanese population

Using high-voltage agarose gel electrophoresis and immunofixation a very slow BF variant was detected in a Japanese person living in Yamanashi district. The family analysis suggested the hereditary occurrence of a new allele, BF*S085.     

Toxicological analysis of lidocaine in biological materials by using HPLC

A rapid and reliable method to analyze lidocaine in biological materials was developed using column extraction method and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Two peaks for lidocaine and procaine as an internal standard (IS) were separated clearly with no interfering peaks appearing in the chromatogram. The annual change of lidocaine caused intoxications was described. From medico-legal aspects, the method was applied to authentic samples from autopsied victims and concentrations of lidocaine in 29 cases were evaluated briefly.     

PGD phenotyping in bloodstains, organ tissues, dental pulps and hair roots by isoelectric focusing

Polymorphism of PGD was investigated in bloodstains, organ tissues, dental pulps, hair roots and semen by isoelectric focusing. This technique provided much higher resolution of PGD isoenzymes than starch gel electrophoresis. Phenotyping was possible from bloodstains for 5 weeks, from organ tissues (except pancreas) for 1-3 weeks, from dental pulps for 2 weeks and from hair roots for 2 weeks when they were stored at room temperature. The method is simple, rapid, reliable and therefore useful in medicolegal individualization of bloodstains, organ tissues, teeth and hairs.     

Histological examination of the temporal bone in medicolegal cases of asphyxia

Histological findings of the temporal bone in 23 autopsy cases of various asphyxial fatalities were studied. The temporal bones of 12 cases who died of tumors including mammary cancer, gastric cancer, myxoma of heart and craniopharyngioma, the bones of 3 cases of heart attack and the bones of 17 cases who died of various poisoning (barbiturate, amphetamine, paraquat and alcohol) were used as controls. In drowning, the primary finding was hemorrhage in the mastoid air cells of the bilateral temporal bones. In cases of strangulation by ligature, hemorrhage and edema of the cochlear duct in the inner ear as well as hemorrhage in the mastoid air cells were demonstrated bilaterally. In contrast, congestion and edema in the mastoid air cells and inner ear were found in cases of manual strangulation but there was no hemorrhage. From these results, the histological examination of the temporal bone is useful as an adjunct procedure for diagnosing the cause of asphyxia. Differentiation between drowning, strangulation by ligature and manual strangulation may be possible by observing hemorrhages or their absence in the mastoid air cells and inner ear.     

Is There Hope for Firms Facing the Technology Gap? A case of China's mobile industry

We have examined the way in which local firms in China's handset industry, confronted with a technology gap, have achieved growth, using the concept of boundaries of the firm. Chinese local firms have lacked technology, and have therefore turned to outside firms for development, design, and manufacturing in some cases. On the other hand, they themselves have focused on sales and marketing, using their advantage of familiarity with the home market. Consequently, by establishing a growth condition in which their selection of boundaries counterbalances the technology gap, they have been able to expand their market shares in comparison with foreign firms.     

Eight grannies with nine teeth between them: Community construction in China

Following on from the development of a market orientated economy and from the promotion of village governance in China, experiments (not all in different cities) have been taking place as precursors to the reform of urban basic level governance and below. The experiments have also been taking place at that time crucial to China’s growing participation in the global community. Bilateral trade relations, regional associations and membership in the WTO are changing the nature of the urban landscape with a profound impact on grassroots governance. We argue that the pressure to innovate is producing both competition and tension between the experiments that seek administrative and managerial effectiveness and efficiency and those that wish to promote representation and participation as well. Based on our fieldwork that covered six cities (Shenyang, Qingdao, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan), we introduce typical cases of these two patterns of experiments and discuss why the difference in emphasis has come about. For this paper we have selected a relatively prosperous city, Qingdao and a relatively poor city, Shenyang as case studies. co-author with Stephanie Donald of the "State of China Atlas"(1999), and co-editor with Marc Blecher and Sarah Cook of "Asia Politics in Development: Essays in Honour of Gordon White’` (Forthcoming March 2003). author of The Politics of Wage Policy in Post-Revolutionary China (Macmillan, 1992). He received his Ph.D. in 1988 from the University of Sussex and later spent several years as Visiting Scholar at the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong and the Embassy of Japan in Beijing. We are grateful to Sarah Cook, Ford Foundation, who was instrumental in arranging the fieldwork, the Leverhulme Trust for its generous support and to our many friends and colleagues in China for their wisdom and encouragement.     

Toxicological analysis of thiamylal in biological materials by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A reliable and sensitive method to analyze thiamylal in biological materials was developed, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A quantitative determination was made by use of mass fragmentography with the lower detection limit of 0.01 microgram/g. Thiopental was used as the internal standard. Distribution of the drug in the blood and body tissues of rats was examined. The method was then used to detect thiamylal in tissues from an autopsied patient and concentration of this drug in the body materials was evaluated, from medico-legal aspects.