Better law‐making and the interinstitutional (dis)agreements: Some comments

This work argues that there is no univocal interpretation of what regulatory policy is and pursues. Taking the strategy of the European Commission as a starting point only, it addresses more specifically the Union legislature's perspective, which, in a democratic decision‐making process, cannot compromise its autonomy. In the unique constitutional universe of the European Union, the “Better Law‐Making” agenda pursues an important additional objective: facilitating the very process of adopting legislation by means of interinstitutional conflict prevention mechanisms and through a common approach to interpretation and implementation of primary law. That is the main purpose of the Interinstitutional Agreements on the quality of legislation, which place them in the position of a sort of soft constitutional law.     

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.     

Ritual Demonstrations versus Reactive Protests: Participation Across Mobilizing Contexts in Mexico City

Using an innovative survey of protest participants and nonparticipants from five major street demonstrations in Mexico City in 2011 and 2012, this study tests the assumption that influences on protest participation vary across different types of events; namely, ritual demonstrations and reactive protests. The comparison is based on two assumptions: that these are two of the dominant forms of protest in contemporary Latin America, and that specifying the context for different types of social movement participation provides a better understanding of the individual mobilization process for groups seeking to defend their rights or gain new benefits. The comparative analyses reveal some crucial differences. Political interest and previous political experience are more influential in the decision to take part in reactive demonstrations. For ritual demonstrations, the decision to participate tends to be driven more by personal and organizational connections.     

The Nature and Basis of Human Dignity

Abstract. We argue that all human beings have a special type of dignity which is the basis for (1) the obligation all of us have not to kill them, (2) the obligation to take their well‐being into account when we act, and (3) even the obligation to treat them as we would have them treat us, and indeed, that all human beings are equal in fundamental dignity. We give reasons to oppose the position that only some human beings, because of their possession of certain characteristics in addition to their humanity (for example, an immediately exercisable capacity for self‐consciousness, or for rational deliberation), have full moral worth. What distinguishes human beings from other animals, what makes human beings persons rather than things, is their rational nature, and human beings are rational creatures by virtue of possessing natural capacities for conceptual thought, deliberation, and free choice, that is, the natural capacity to shape their own lives.     

DNA analysis of abortion material assisted by histology screening.

In cases of rape leading to fertilization, paternity testing can retrospectively identify the assailant. Abortion material commonly represents a mixture of maternal and fetal tissue and blood, which cannot be differentiated with the naked eye. Consequently, DNA typing of abortion material may be complicated, including band overlap if maternal tissue predominates. Therefore, histology screening of the abortion content for typical fetal tissue components, such as chorionic villi, followed by selected DNA typing of this sample is suggested. This combined approach is illustrated by a selected case demonstrating the reliability and concurrence of the histology and genetic results.     

The role of non-timber forest products in poverty reduction in India: prospects and problems

The vast natural resources of India's forests, including non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as medicinal and aromatic plants, leaves, fruits, seeds, resins, gums, bamboos, and canes, offer employment that provides up to half the income of about 25 per cent of the country's rural labour force. However, poor harvesting practices and over-exploitation in the face of increasing market demand are threatening the sustainability of these resources, and thus the livelihoods of forest-dependent tribal communities. This article analyses the role of NTFPs in livelihoods-improvement initiatives and considers recent initiatives intended to enhance their conservation and sustainable management. It recommends policies to optimise the potential of NTFPs, both to support rural livelihoods and to contribute to India's social, economic, and environmental well-being.