Postmortem Fluid Concentrations of Heroin Biomarkers and Their Metabolites

Only limited data exist concerning the utility of complementary specimens in heroin-related deaths. As such, this report employed a validated LC-MS-MS method to quantify 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), 6-acetylcodeine (6-AC), and their metabolites morphine and codeine in blood with (BN) and without preservative (B) and the additional unpreserved specimens of vitreous humor, urine, stomach contents, and bile from 20 postmortem cases in which heroin was the primary cause of death. The median concentration of 6-MAM in BN was 0.011 mg/L, B was 0.008 mg/L, urine was 0.186 mg/L, vitreous humor was 0.022 mg/L, stomach contents was 0.147 mg/L, and bile was 0.012 mg/L. Only one case was found to be positive for 6-AC in B (case 6, 0.002 mg/L), and the median concentration of 6-AC was 0.002 mg/L in BN, 0.012 mg/L in urine, 0.003 mg/L in vitreous humor, 0.057 mg/L in stomach contents, and 0.004 mg/L in bile. These findings present new information on the distribution of these analytes in complementary matrices and support their inclusion for accurately determining the role of heroin in opioid-related deaths.     

Can Islamists be secularized? Religion and politics in urban Bangladesh

As in many other Muslim majority states, the Islamist parties play a significant role in the body politic of Bangladesh. Because of their counter-hegemonic modus operandi, the question arises regarding the ability of the Islamists to cohabit democratically in a secular or a quasi-secular political system. The literature on secularization, secularism, and Islam relies on a grand narrative of the reasons to address the question and provides us with polarized answers regarding the Islamists’ ability to accommodate the principle of secularism. However, almost all of the works have been done on the abstract, theoretical level and do not address the interplay of social and political factors in Muslim societies. None of the research on Islamism in Bangladesh addresses Islamist parties’ ability or inability to participate in a quasi-secular, democratic system through acclimating to secularism in the rubric of their political ideology, Islamism. This study therefore examines the grassroots-level socio-political interplays of the Islamist activists with the non-Islamists and analyzes their willingness and ability to accommodate secularism in order to democratically participate in a quasi-secular political system.     

Corporate Sustainability and Financial Performance of Banks in Muslim Economies: The Role of Institutions

Sustainability performance (SP) provides firms with the opportunities that if strategically handled could improve the financial performance of these firms through reputation building. This research aims to investigate the impact of SP on the bank's performance in Muslim countries. This research further investigates the role of institutions in moderating the relationship between SP and the banks' financial performance. It is found that banks with higher SP tend to have better financial performance. Furthermore, the marginal results suggest that the impact of SP is greater for banks in countries with greater institutional quality. These findings are robust to different proxies of financial performance. It is imperative not only to report sustainability practices, but it is equally important to publicize these activities. The sustainable business models would create value for the banks if properly managed and communicated well. This can be made more effective with strong institutions in the country. Moreover, the results are suggesting that banks can enjoy more through contributing to society, doing their part in the equitable distribution of wealth, social justice, and economic wellbeing.     

Scientist entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia

This paper examines scientist entrepreneurship at universities in Saudi Arabia. It is the first paper to examine scientist research in the context of the Middle East and, in particular, Saudi Arabia. In this paper we hypothesize that scientist entrepreneurship is positively influenced by experience, gender, social capital, human capital, and university and other institutional policies encouraging commercialization activities. To test our hypotheses, we use data from a unique survey of scientists from three universities in Saudi Arabia. The paper finds that there are key elements to scientist entrepreneurship that provide a sharp contrast to what has been established in the literature based on studies from the OECD countries. Finally, managerial implications are discussed and future research is recommended.     

The Theory of Retroactivism: Arab Resistance to Educational and Technological Progress

The article examines the reluctance of Arab culture to ‘Western’ ideas of education and technology. It, first, establishes a conceptual framework for those cultures dominated by ‘retroactivism’—a school of thought that advocates a return to traditions and argues against progressive innovation. The article then puts this framework into practice, addressing the research question: In what instances, if any, do retroactivists accept educational and technological progress? This question was answered by first examining the ways in which a retroactivistic culture approached educational and technological progress. This examination helped generate a timeline of attempts to introduce educational and technological innovations into Arab culture. This timeline shows that Arab culture resists innovation in all its various forms and therefore sustains a retroactivism-dominated way of life. Retroactivists believe in what ‘renewism’ or ‘revivalism’: referring to movements that emerge from time to time throughout history that issue appeals to adhere to old norms and values, using strategies to remind society of the need to return to past ideologies. This means that, although retroactivistic cultures might accept certain innovations, there can occasionally be ‘renewistic movements’ that seek to bring society back to old times, thereby seeking to (peacefully or violently) undermine or eliminate existing innovations.     

Hong Kong: Administrative Reform and Recent Public Sector Changes — The Institutionalisation of New Values

Public sector management in Hong Kong is facing major challenges as the territory has undergone substantial changes in the past four decades. A small government, following a policy of nonintervention in a colonial setting, has resulted in a highly structured system whereby it is more convenient to plan and coordinate administrative activities. This centralised structure and the prevailing role culture have combined to facilitate the implementation and institutionalisation of changes in the public service. Considering the experience and activities of selected government departments, it appears that there is a move toward more accountability and a consumer-oriented approach to public sector management in Hong Kong. The new initiatives appear to be consistent with the needs and mood of the society and seem likely to persist in the future, despite an element of uncertainty stemming from the reversal of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China.     

TEST BY FIRE

In 2013,when Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative,at that time people understood very little about what a shared future for all humanity meant.And they understood even less the vision that sought to unite without unifying,spoke of a moral leadership without moralizing,and conceived of a power based on partnerships and not alliances.