Putting the City on the World Art Map: Star Curators and Nation Branding

International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society - Over the last two decades, we have seen a worldwide expansion of the concept and practice of cultural diplomacy, along with the emergence...     

Image analysis of gunshot residue on entry wounds. II--A statistical estimation of firing range.

A statistical investigation of the relationship between firing range and the amount and distribution of gunshot residue (GSR), used automated image analysis (IA) to quantify GSR deposit resulting from firings into pig skin, from distances ranging between contact and 45 cm. Overall, for a Ruger .22 semi-automatic rifle using CCI solid point, high velocity ammunition, the total area of GSR deposit on the skin sections decreased in a non-linear fashion with firing range. More specifically there were significant differences in the amount of GSR deposited from shots fired at contact compared with shots fired from distances between 2.5 and 45 cm; and between shots fired from a distance of 20 cm or less, with shots fired at a distance of 30 cm or more. In addition, GSR particles were heavily concentrated in the wound tract only for contact and close range shots at 2.5 cm, while the particle distribution was more uniform between the wound tract and the skin surfaces for shots fired from distances greater than 2.5 cm. Consequently, for future scientific investigations of gunshot fatalities, once standards have been established for the weapon and ammunition type in question, image analysis quantification of GSR deposited in and around the gunshot wound may be capable of providing a reliable, statistical basis for estimating firing range.     

Race and Ethnicity: Responsible Use from Epidemiological and Public Health Perspectives

While the concepts of race and ethnicity have been abused historically, they are potentially invaluable in epidemiology and public health. Epidemiology relies upon variables that help differentiate populations by health status, thereby refining public health and health care policy, and offering insights for medical science. Race and ethnicity are powerful tools for doing this. The prerequisite for their responsible use is a society committed to reducing inequalities and inequities in health status. When this condition is met, it is irresponsible not to utilize these concepts.     

低氧和氧化应激中 NO介导培养神经元损伤机理的实验研究

目的探讨低氧、氧化应激中一氧化氮（NO）和氧自由基之间关系及其对培养神经元的损伤机理。方法对培养的新生大鼠神经细胞分别进行低氧、H2O2氧化应激处理和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）抗氧化应激处理,用比色法等检测培养上清液中NO、丙二醛（MDA）、乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）和SOD含量变化指标。结果与对照组比较,低氧组和H2O2组的NO、LDH、MDA含量均显著增高,SOD含量显著降低,NO与SOD含量变化呈负相关关系。预先给予终浓度为200U/ml的SOD处理,可使神经细胞的NO、LDH和MDA释放量明显减少。各组间NO含量与LDH、MDA含量呈正相关关系。结论低氧、氧化应激促使神经元NO产生增多,NO有增加氧自由基对神经细胞的损伤作用。SOD具有清除氧自由基和减轻NO对神经元的损伤作用。     

Competing Realities in China–India Multilateral Discourse: Asia's enduring power rivalry

Asymmetric growth in foreign policy dynamics and power posture between China and India at the regional level is the new contour of current Asian politics. One vital aspect of it is the multilateral power politics or engagement through which rising powers connect and integrate with regional vis-à-vis global conditions in order to contend and compete with each other's strategic interests and primacy. This Asian rendezvous is part and parcel of the rhetoric of liberalist sentiments, which realistically do not work in favor of the developing countries' relationships. The history of the China–India bilateral discourse suggests that. In today's context, the increasing multilateral engagement between the two countries is a potential medium for denying space and holding an edge over each other's priority of acquiring assorted global resources, forming an Asian and a global identity, and notably in securing respective national strategic objectives. Current foreign policy contours of both countries are quite different from the previous order and politics. The boundary will continue to be the fundamental problem in their bilateral discourse, while the Asian discourse of Sino–Indian multilateral politics will be decided by their competition and power rivalry in resources and identity.     

多头带绦虫六钩蚴Tm45W基因的克隆表达与免疫原性分析

为分析多头带绦虫Tm45W重组蛋白的免疫原性,利用RT-PCR技术首次从激活的多头带绦虫六钩蚴中扩增出多头带绦虫Tm45W基因。将扩增产物重组于原核表达载体pET32a(+)中,构建pET32a-Tm45W表达载体,转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中,经IPTG诱导表达融合蛋白;表达产物进行SDS-PAGE和Western-blot分析后,将纯化的Tm45W重组蛋白免疫小鼠,用ELISA检测其血清抗体。结果显示,Tm45W基因全长为813bp,其开放阅读框为765bp,编码255个氨基酸,与多头带绦虫新疆株多头蚴45m基因(序列号:EU326106)的部分序列同源性为90.60%;表达的重组蛋白大小为45ku,与脑多头蚴病羊血清的免疫印迹分析呈阳性反应;小鼠免疫后第1周血清中即可检测到抗Tm45W蛋白的特异性抗体,并于免疫后第35天达到高峰。结果表明Tm45W重组蛋白具有较好的反应活性,能引起机体较强的体液免疫反应。     

A view from below: industrial re-structuring and women's employment at four Russian enterprises

The labor market in Russia has changed significantly during the last decade. This transformation has resulted in notable changes in employment and unemployment patterns, and in labor mobility, flexibility and insecurity. One critical question is whether these changes signal important differences in labor market outcomes by gender. The approach taken here is to focus on the Russian industrial enterprise. In our study, we find that women experience different internal labor market opportunities and external job prospects than men and those differences in experience are reflected in the actual hiring practices at our firms, with men substituting for women, and women finding it particularly difficult to negotiate the increasingly closed labor market in Russia. At the same time important differences persist among women, differences that do not exist for men.