Chinese Society and its New Emerging Culture

China has gone through major changes during the last two decades. The following research aims to present and analyze the current evolutions taking place in the less visible stratum of the Chinese social structure, that of values. The study is based on in-depth interviews and brings to the fore a number of themes that have undergone radical changes. Among the 220 analytical categories initially considered, 12 main themes have been identified as being strongly subjected to changes. Focusing on significant themes, such as a growing process of ‘individuation’, a materialistic orientation, a resurgence of ancient creeds, changes within the family, a shift in women's status, a transformation of role models, a social change from equality to differentiation, and a shift in the vision of the world, this article presents key indicators of the major trends in contemporary urban China.     

Bacterial Translocation and Sample Contamination in Postmortem Microbiological Analyses

The diagnostic value of postmortem bacteriology has been discussed controversially for decades. In the study herein, contamination during sampling procedures and postmortem translocation were investigated to interpret postmortem microbiology results. One hundred medicolegal autopsy cases in total were included. Radiology, histology, bacteriology, and biochemistry were performed in all cases. Based on all investigation findings, 4 groups of cases were identified: death unrelated to infection, true infections, false positive (contamination during sampling procedures, postmortem translocation and mixed situations), and undetermined. The results of this study indicate that postmortem bacteriology provides useful data supporting infection‐related deaths, especially when potentially significant observations are accompanied by consistent autopsy, histology, and biochemistry. Result interpretation requires careful evaluation of number and type of isolated microorganisms.     

A letter from Iraq: the writing of Iraqi correspondents in al-ʿAlam al-ʾIsraʾili and Israʾil

The most extensive participation of Jews in the literary Arabic revival (The Nahda) was in monarchial Iraq. Jewish Intellectuals had contributed to the development of national Iraqi culture. These intellectuals have been studied in the context of the non-Jewish Iraqi intellectuals, focusing on their national and cultural integration in the new Iraqi state. This article observes the participation of those intellectuals in two non-Iraqi Jewish journals which were published in literary Arabic, Isra?il, published in Cairo, and al-?Alam al-Isra?ili, published in Beirut. By changing the point of view from Iraqi Jews in the non-Jewish Iraqi cultural sphere to Iraqi Jews in a non-Iraqi Jewish cultural sphere, the article examines their relation between Iraqi identity and the national Jewish identity.     

The use of DNA stabilizing solution to enable room temperature storage and transportation of buccal and trace sample swabs

It is proposed that a DNA stabilizing solution (DNA Genotek Inc.) designed to preserve DNA in saliva samples at room temperature can be extrapolated to the storage of swab heads. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution for the preservation of reference swabs (buccal) and trace samples (facial swabs). To this end, the solution was used during a twin-site DNA transfer project assessing background levels of carer DNA present in children. Tubes containing 400 μl of solution were used to store and transport swab heads. At the laboratory, samples were extracted using the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen), quantified using the Quantifiler Duo Kit and profiled using the AmpF?STR^® SGM Plus^® PCR Amplification Kit (both Applied Biosystems). Twenty-eight PCR cycles were applied to all samples. Thirty-four cycles or a longer electrophoresis injection time was applied to trace samples where necessary. All Reference swabs produced high quantities of DNA and full DNA profiles after 28 cycles. Profile morphology indicated good quality DNA with no degradation. Of the trace samples, sufficient profiles were achieved to study the transfer of carer DNA making the solution fit for continued use in this project. DNA stabilizing solution enables the storage and transportation of swabs without freezing. This is convenient, reduces transportation costs and enables instant analysis of samples upon arrival at the laboratory. This is a useful alternative for a multi-site research project as well as a reliable storage tool for use in remote areas.     

The characterization of automobile body fillers

Body fillers are sometimes encountered with paint evidence from hit-and-run accidents. Little forensic research has been conducted and published on the subject since 1986. The objective of this study was to determine if chemical and physical differences in body fillers from various manufacturers existed and could be identified. Thirty-three samples of light-weight automobile body fillers and spot putties were obtained. The fillers and putties were compared using light microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), and pyrolysis gas chromatography (pyGC). Results from fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis placed the samples into five groups and differentiated six samples. Light microscopy placed the samples into one of five color groups. PyGC placed the samples into three groups and differentiated one sample. SEM-EDX placed the samples into four groups and differentiated 13 samples. Using these analysis methods, 19 of the 33 samples could be discriminated. The best discriminatory tool was found to be SEM-EDX.     

Attachment and the Development of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: The Role of Regulating Positive and Negative Affect

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Although widely accepted, attachment theory’s hypothesis that insecure attachment is associated with the development of depressive symptoms through emotion...     

The Impact of Elections on Cooperation: Evidence from a Lab‐in‐the‐Field Experiment in Uganda

Communities often rely on sanctioning to induce public goods contributions. Past studies focus on how external agencies or peer sanctioning induce cooperation. In this article, we focus instead on the role played by centralized authorities, internal to the community. Combining “lab‐in‐the‐field” experiments with observational data on 1,541 Ugandan farmers from 50 communities, we demonstrate the positive effect of internal centralized sanctioning authorities on cooperative behavior. We also show that the size of this effect depends on the political process by which authority is granted: subjects electing leaders contribute more to public goods than subjects who were assigned leaders through a lottery. To test the ecological validity of our findings, we relate farmers’ behavior in the experiment to their level of cooperation in their community organization. We show that deference to authority in the controlled setting predicts cooperative behavior in the farmers’ natural environment, in which they face a similar social dilemma.