The diversity of dental patterns in the orthopantomography and its significance in human identification

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of orthopantomography for human identification. Three hundred orthopantomograms were randomly selected from those stored at Dental Hospital of Yonsei University in Seoul. Dental patterns observed in the orthopantomograms were converted into eight codes and their diversity was calculated. The diversity of dental patterns in the orthopantomogram data was 99.92% for full dentition and the diversity of mandible (99.28%) was slightly higher value than that of maxilla (98.22%). In the case of molars and premolars in both jaws, the diversity values ranged from 92.13% to 96.04%. It was founded that orthopantomography is a valuable means of personal identification not only based on full dentition but also when only the posterior teeth are available. The present study indicates that orthopantomography is excellent means of forensic identification.     

Constituency Opinion and PAC Contributions: A Case of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

To test whether interest group politics doharm to a representative democracy, thispaper simulates congressionaldistrict-level constituency opinion onabortion. Analyzing the relationshipbetween the constituency opinion andNARAL's contributions in the 102nd and103rd Congresses, this paper presentsempirical evidence that NARAL'scontribution decision is influenced byconstituency opinion. The evidence,however, is mixed. Constituency opinioninfluences NARAL's decision on who will getits money. Constituency opinion, however,does not influence NARAL's decision on whowill get more money. According to theseresults, financial representation byinterest groups does not seriously causeharm to a representative democracy, but itcan still bias the representativeness tosome extent. An interest group may selectlegislators whose districts support itsposition less strongly and contribute agreater amount of money to the legislators.     

Xi Jinping’s Diplomatic Philosophy and Vision for International Order: Continuity and Change from the Hu Jintao Era

This article compares the diplomatic philosophy and vision for international order held by Xi Jinping and that of his predecessor, Hu Jintao. It focuses on foreign policy initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, to explore how Xi sees the world, what his diplomatic agenda is, how he has contextualized this agenda, and what policies he has developed to achieve it. It also discusses the ways in which Xi has maintained the direction of his predecessor, Hu Jintao, and the ways in which he has altered it. The article concludes with an examination of how Xi’s vision for international order differs from the existing international system.     

Examining Relationships Between Legislative and Presidential Influences and Organizational Probity: Evidence from South Korean Central Government Agencies

In public management, few empirical studies have been conducted on the effects of the most influential political authorities—the legislature and the president—on government organizations, despite the theoretical and practical significance of these effects. This study tests the relationships between legislative and presidential influences and organizational probity in South Korean central government agencies, on the basis of political transaction-cost and principal–agent theories. We use three measures of legislative influence—inspectional influence (total annual days of legislative inspection), statutory influence (rules-to-laws ratio), and budgetary influence (ratio of reprogramming budget to total budget), and one measure of presidential influence (annual number of substantive meetings with the president). Then, these independent variables are linked to the organizational probity measure from audited archival data. The two-time-point panel data analysis reveals a positive link between legislative inspectional influence and probity but a negative relationship between the presidential influence measure and probity; the results support theoretical arguments for control over administrative agencies. Thus, the evidence suggests that governments should be cautious of implementing reforms that increase organizational or managerial autonomy.     

Friendship Dynamics of Adolescent Aggression,Prosocial Behavior,and Social Status: The Moderating Role of Gender

Interactions with friends are a salient part of adolescents’ experience at school. Adolescents tend to form friendships with similar peers and, in turn, their friends influence adolescents’ behaviors and beliefs. The current study investigated early adolescents’ selection of friends and friends’ influence with regard to physical aggression, prosocial behavior, and popularity and social preference (i.e., likeability) among fifth and sixth graders (N?=?736, 52% girls at wave1, N?=?677, 52% girls at wave 2) in elementary schools in South Korea. The moderating role of gender on early adolescents’ friend selection and influence was also examined. With longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena), we found that youth tended to select friends with similar levels of physical aggression and popularity, and their friends influenced their own physical aggression and popularity over time. The higher youth were in social preference, the less likely they chose physically aggressive peers as friends. Boys were more likely to select highly popular peers as friends compared to girls, and influence effects for physical aggression and popularity were stronger for boys compared to girls. The results underscore the importance of gender in friendship dynamics among Asian early adolescents.     

`Civil society' in Japanese politics: Implications for contemporary political research

Abstract. This article presents a definitional and historical summary of 'civil society' as a western concept, and then traces how it was used in Japanese political theory and practice. 'Civil society' discourse became a familiar term amongst post–war Japanese historians and social scientists in the period 1945–1970, and thus preceded the recent international proliferation of 'civil society' literature in the 'west' from the 1970s onwards. 'Civil society' discourse was politicised in practice in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s, principally in opposition movements wanting to encourage political participation by ordinary citizens. While some 'civil society' discourse in Japan was based on an idealisation of 'western' ideas and practice, it is also the case that the individualism and democratisation implied in 'civil society' discourse has been very differently understood in 'western' countries and very unevenly instituted in their political practice. A simple East–West frame makes significant similarities between Japanese ideas and practice and 'western' concepts and politics disappear, and additionally causes significant differences within the 'west' regarding individualism and democratisation to become invisible.     

Boys are Affected by Their Parents More Than Girls are: Parents’ Utility Value Socialization in Science

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Gender differences in parental value socialization of their children’s motivation, achievement, and career aspirations in science were investigated. Direct...     

Forensic evaluation and haplotypes of 19 Y-chromosomal STR loci in Koreans

In this study, 19 Y-specific STR loci (DYS19, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS388, DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS446, DYS449, and DYS464) were analyzed in 301 unrelated Korean males by three multiplex PCR systems. The haplotype diversity using the classical set of Y-STRs (DYS19, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, and DYS385; multiplex I) was 0.9963. For the same individuals, the haplotype diversity value using the new set of highly informative Y-STRs (DYS385, DYS446, DYS449, and DYS464; multiplex III) was 0.9989, while that using the combined set of Y-STRs by adding DYS388 to the previously studied DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, DYS438, and DYS439 (multiplex II) was 0.9509. A total of 297 different haplotypes were identified using the 19 Y-STR markers, of which 293 were unique and 4 were found twice. The overall haplotype diversity was 0.9999. The evaluation of the information of selected markers by combination of each marker with the minimal haplotype showed that DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, and DYS438 do not significantly contribute to increment of haplotype diversity. However, respective conjunction of DYS464, DYS449, and DYS446 with the minimal haplotype considerably increased the haplotype diversity. Especially, DYS464 is expected to be the most useful marker that can be included in the expanded minimal haplotype. These results including the haplotype data at 19 Y-STR loci in the present study would provide useful information in forensic practice in a Korean population.