Norm Entrepreneurs and Atlanticist Foreign Policy in Central and Eastern Europe: The Missionary Zeal of Recent Converts

The article discusses the role of norms in the foreign policy making of Central and East European states in the 2000s. It deconstructs the normative foundations of the so-called ‘Atlanticist’ orientation of Central and East European states, going beyond the standard ‘neorealist’ notion whereupon strategic and security concerns lead small states to align with superpowers. The case studies of the Czech and Slovak republics demonstrate that norms, such as human rights and democracy, have an autonomous and traceable effect on state behaviour. More specifically, we argue that norms have translated themselves into policy outcomes via the agency of influential ‘norm entrepreneurs’, such as ex-dissidents and their associates.     

‘Telling our Way of Life': Modes of Mediating Social Life in German and Polish Primary-School Textbooks

The events of 1989-1991 in Central and Eastern Europe brought political and economic changes to the post-Communist societies, which required them to redraw the social and psychological maps of their countries and carried with them the promise of partaking in the 'Western way of life'. The introduction of liberalised ideologies, both at the official level and in most of the freed media, also had to be translated into the countries' education systems. New textbooks that would accommodate the new social and political realities had to be written. We are interested in this article in whether and how these new realities are reflected in primary-school teaching materials. For this paper, our analysis will focus on data from two current textbooks that are used in German and Polish primary schools, respectively. We shall be focusing particularly upon those units of the book aimed at defining or describing realities. Taking into account both linguistic and visual modes of representation, we are interested in revealing the 'way of life', the lived ideologies, constructed in these textbooks.     

Educating for active compliance: discursive constructions in citizenship education

This article examines the discursive construction of ‘active citizenship’ within recent civics curriculum documents across three provinces in Canada. New secondary school civics curricula have emerged across liberal democratic states since the year 2000, presumably in response to the perception of youth as disengaged from political involvement. Many of the new curricula subsequently emphasize ‘active’ engagement within the polity. The central task of this paper is to better understand what such ‘active citizenship’ actually means, via the methodological tool of discourse analysis. Engaging a theoretical frame that incorporates Foucauldian governmentality theory and cultural theories of the role of the state in creating subjectivities, the paper ultimately argues that the ‘active citizen’ of contemporary civics curricula is, in fact, a deeply neoliberal subject. The article then draws on feminist theories of citizenship in order to assess the forms of exclusion that the curriculum documents inadvertently create, arguing that they ultimately participate in a long tradition of devaluing such elements of citizenship as relationality and emotional ties. We conclude that one of the fundamental goals of citizenship education – to expand access to citizenship participation for all – has failed.     

Immunohistochemical proof of amelogenin in teeth--a contribution to the evaluation of the age in the identification of unknown corpses

When a corpse is found that cannot be identified, one of the forensic tasks is to determine how old the person was when she or he died. To solve this frequently asked question in forensic practice, the enamel protein amelogenin was marked immunohistochemically in 249 extracted teeth. Amelogenin is already produced during prenatal development and is gradually used up throughout life into old age. Hence, the demonstrability decreases with age. The extent of the labelling can be quantified by measuring the mean optical density (MOD). While it is not possible to determine the age on the basis of the mean optical density measurements alone, logistic regression of the MOD together with dichotomisation of the teeth according to age allows statements as to whether the person was younger or older than 30 years.     

The relationship between regulation and contracts in infrastructure industries: Regulation as ordered renegotiation

This paper discusses the relationship between regulation and contracts in infrastructure industries and the role of regulation, particularly the role of regulatory agencies in the review, revision, and renegotiation of contracts. The paper starts with a short survey of relevant economic and legal issues. Examples are presented of how and why infrastructure contracts, including concession contracts, have been combined with monitoring and enforcement by external regulatory agencies. The examples discussed include historical UK experience, recent French experience, and developing country experience. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role that regulatory entities can play to reinforce trust and sustain contracts by enabling simpler contracts, resolving contract misunderstandings, and providing processes for ordered renegotiations.     

Allele frequencies of 19 STR loci in a Philippine population generated using AmpFlSTR multiplex and ALF singleplex systems

Allele frequencies for the 19 short tandem repeat (STR) loci CSF1PO, D2S1338, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S306, D8S1179, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D19S433, D21S11, DHFRP2 (FOLP23), F13A01, FES/FPS, FGA, TH01, TPOX, and vWA were obtained from a sample of 106 unrelated Filipinos from different regions of the Philippine archipelago.     

Fiery tongues and mystical motivations: glossolalia in a forensic population is associated with mania and sexual/religious delusions

Comparisons are made between a nonrandom sample of 18 glossolalists and 130 non-glossolalists admitted to a maximum-security forensic hospital. The glossolalic mentally disordered offender exhibited a predominance of diagnoses in the manic spectrum, and was typically psychotic. The delusions, hallucinations, and crimes were predominately of a religious and sexual nature. Glossolalist perpetrators tended to be female. We review the extant research on glossolalia in both normal and clinical samples. and integrate our findings, the first study of glossolalia in a forensic setting.     

The use of pulmonary interstitial emphysema as an indicator of live birth

Making the determination of live birth versus stillbirth in a discarded newborn infant based on gross and microscopic autopsy findings can be a challenging task for the forensic pathologist. The traditional criteria for live birth determination are frequently challenged in court, and indisputable evidence of live birth remains elusive. The histologic finding of pulmonary interstitial emphysema has not been considered as a useful determinant of live birth. The authors report two cases of discarded newborn infants in which the finding of pulmonary interstitial emphysema was used as an indicator of live birth.