Variation of δ2H, δ18O & δ13C in crude palm oil from different regions in Malaysia: Potential of stable isotope signatures as a key traceability parameter

A total of 33 crude palm oil samples were randomly collected from different regions in Malaysia. Stable carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) was determined using Flash 2000 elemental analyzer while hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions (δ²H and δ¹⁸O) were analyzed by Thermo Finnigan TC/EA, wherein both instruments were coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The bulk δ²H, δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C of the samples were analyzed by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA). Unsupervised HCA and PCA methods have demonstrated that crude palm oil samples were grouped into clusters according to respective state. A predictive model was constructed by supervised OPLS-DA with good predictive power of 52.60%. Robustness of the predictive model was validated with overall accuracy of 71.43%. Blind test samples were correctly assigned to their respective cluster except for samples from southern region. δ¹⁸O was proposed as the promising discriminatory marker for discerning crude palm oil samples obtained from different regions. Stable isotopes profile was proven to be useful for origin traceability of crude palm oil samples at a narrower geographical area, i.e. based on regions in Malaysia. Predictive power and accuracy of the predictive model was expected to improve with the increase in sample size. Conclusively, the results in this study has fulfilled the main objective of this work where the simple approach of combining stable isotope analysis with chemometrics can be used to discriminate crude palm oil samples obtained from different regions in Malaysia. Overall, this study shows the feasibility of this approach to be used as a traceability assessment of crude palm oils.     

Determinants of e-government maturity： Do organizational specific factors matter？

E-government is said to be an efficient and effective way of delivering government services to its customers. Web information accessibility and online transactional services increase transparency, openness of bureaucratic institutions and reduce cost of transactions. Global e-government surveys which portray the trend in countries＇ e-government readiness and stage of e-government maturity rank developing countries at the bottom. Based on the benefits reaped from e-government and the fact that some countries can progress than others; it is evident that e-government has become a development phenomenon to researchers and policy makers. Accordingly, the basic empirical question to researchers has been on what determines e-government maturity？ To answer this question, it is important first to distinguish between e-readiness and e-government maturity in order to understand the intuition behind this question. E-readiness comprises of all prerequisite necessary to implement e-government while e-government maturity refers to the actual level of e-government progress a country has attained based on websites assessment. While macro factors such as level of Gross Domestic Product, human capital and ICT （information and communication technology） infrastructure are important in determining e-government maturity at the national level; they may not necessarily explain differences of e-government maturity among government agencies within the same country. In other words, why there are differences in e-government maturity among governmental agencies even in those countries which are ranked at the top. In this paper authors argue that organizational specific factors play a vital role in determining the stage of organizational e-government maturity. To accentuate the argument, authors provide one of the possible frameworks and respective propositions to indicate the influence of organizational specific characteristics on e-government maturity.     

The applications of MicroCT in studying age-related tooth morphological change and dental age estimation: A scoping review

Conventional dental age estimation relies on destructive methods such as sectioning and staining, which are unpreferable when the tooth is required for evidential or archeological preservation. MicroCT is a non-destructive, high-resolution imaging technique that allows for accurate morphometrical measurement. Although microCT technology has been applied in a variety of dental studies, studies focusing on dental age-related change and dental age estimation based on microCT imaging remain lacking. Based on the question: “How has microCT technology been applied in studying human age-related tooth morphological change and dental age estimation studies?”, the authors conducted a scoping review in accordance with the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A literature search using five major scientific databases identified 452 articles, with 11 full-text articles being eligible to be included in the scoping review. Furthermore, 6 out of the 11 studies performed dental age estimation modeling. An overview of the parameters used in the selected articles revealed a variety of tooth characteristics, such as pulp cavity to whole tooth volume ratio, secondary dentin, as well as the diameter of root canal orifice. The findings of this scoping review highlight the extent microCT is used in studying dental age-related changes, as well as the effectiveness of microCT in dental age estimation studies. This review serves as a guide for future forensic odontology age estimation studies.     

The single-state alternative in Palestine/Israel

Since the Oslo Accords, the two-state solution has dominated, and frustrated, the official search for peace in Palestine/Israel. In parallel to it, an alternative struggle of resistance—centred upon the single-state idea as a more liberating pathway towards justice to the conflict—has re-emerged against the hegemony of Zionism and the demise of a viable two-state solution in Palestine/Israel. This paper inquires into the nature of this phenomenon as a movement of resistance. To this end, it reconstructs the re-emergence of the single-state solution intellectually and organisationally from within a Gramscian-inspired lens—while specifically focusing upon the centrality of the anti-Oslo writings of Edward Said and the consequent role of the Diaspora within this alternative. This it does from within a de-colonial approach to the politics of resistance which centres the political practices of the oppressed themselves in its analysis. Thus, it analyses the potential of the single-state alternative as a Gramscian ‘philosophical movement’ from within its own self-understandings, strategies and maps to power. In doing so, it aims to shed light upon a largely silenced pathway of resistance to the current peace process, to question its location between the ‘local’ and the ‘global’, and to take its possibility as a more just alternative to the status quo seriously.     

FROM RESCUE MISSIONS TO DISCIPLINE

This paper maps a shift in emphasis in the representation of Muslim women in Western discourse from that of victims in need of Western rescue to that of active participants in Islamism and the ‘Islamisation’ of the West. Muslim women activists have developed an articulate response to representations that depict them as passive victims, emphasising that many women undertake their religious practices (in particular, those relating to dress) by ‘choice’ and play an active role in resisting patriarchal practices imposed in the name of their religion. Their responses to representations of Muslim women as perpetrators of Islamic extremism who must be disciplined into acquiescing to Western/Enlightenment/secular norms, however, are still evolving.     

Restoration of engraved marks on steel surfaces by etching technique

It is known that restoration of erased engraved identification marks on the engine and the chassis of a car or on a firearm has low success rate. Unlike stamping, engraving on a metal surface leaves no pronounced, permanent subsurface deformation in the crystalline structure, also called dislocation that can be revealed by suitable methods. Hence, the current research work investigated whether metallographic reagents used in the restoration of stamp (compression) marks could be applied to recover engraved marks on steel surfaces and also to establish the sensitivity and effectiveness of some of these reagents for the restoration of the marks. Experiments were conducted by mechanically engraving alphanumeric characters on several steel plates using a computer controlled engraving machine called Gravograph. The markings were later erased from the above steel plates by removing the metal in stages of 0.01 mm through 0.04 mm below the bottom of the engraving. Several plates were thus prepared wherein each one had been abraded to a specific depth. Then eight metallographic reagents were tested on each one of the above erased plates using a swabbing technique. The results had shown that while most of the reagents were able to restore marks up to certain levels of erasure, the reagent 5 g copper sulphate, 60 ml water, 30 ml concentrated ammonium hydroxide and 60 ml concentrated hydrochloric acid restored marks erased to a depth of 0.04 mm below the engraving depth, thus presenting itself the most sensitive reagent. Quite significantly, the above reagent was also able to decipher successfully the original engraved marks that had been erased and engraved with a new number, or obliterated by centre punching. The results of this research work should benefit the forensic practitioners engaged in the serial number recovery on vehicles, firearms and other objects.     

The existing tensions in the defining of human trafficking at a UK and international level: a critical overview

Human trafficking is an ancient trade that took several forms over the centuries, from full blown state-perpetrated slavery through to illegal exploitative employment of migrants in the sex and other labor industries. At the start of the twenty-first century, a new definition of human trafficking was produced by the United Nations, within which are contained terms such as “coercion,” “deception,” “abuse of power” and “consent.” While the definition itself has largely been agreed upon, deep divisions – about the interpretation of those terms within the definition – continue to polarize the views of antagonizing political and feminist lobbying groups. The agreement on the definition seems to have served little in ironing the differences and the debates continue to be fuelled. In this article, the author elaborates on the tensions that surround the interpretation of the definition and argues that the main group to have fallen victim to the relevant yet inept international and individual state regulations is the trafficked people, while the traffickers tend to largely escape punishment. Rectifying the situation can be extremely challenging and requires sustained and large scale multinational collaborative work. So far, only little is being done to address the problem and the expectation is that it will become significantly worse before it eventually gets better.