The Economic Cost of March 11: Measuring the Direct Economic Cost of the Terrorist Attack on March 11, 2004 in Madrid

This article attempts to measure the direct costs that the terrorist attacks of 3/11 had on the economy of the region of Madrid. The evaluation has been made applying conservative criteria, and the results obtained have to be considered as minimum. The result indicates that the terrorist attacks caused a loss of nearly 212 million euros to the regional economy of Madrid, equivalent to 0.16 percent of the regional GDP (0.03 of the national GDP). This confirms that the immediate economic dimension of a terrorist attack such as the one of 3/11—apart from human catastrophic consequences—is relatively low.     

Mega-Regional Trade Deals in the Asia-Pacific: Choosing Between the TPP and RCEP?

The emergence of “mega-regional” trade agreements has recently become the most significant trade policy issue in the Asia-Pacific. Since 2010, governments in the region have launched negotiations for two new trade agreements: the United States-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the ASEAN-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Differentiated by their membership, scope and level of ambition, the TPP and RCEP embody competing visions for how the Asia-Pacific trade system should evolve, and regional governments must now make choices over which initiative better serves their economic and political interests. This article explores the trade policy choice posed by these mega-regional trade negotiations, reviewing the evolution of the Asia-Pacific trade system, the recent emergence of the TPP and RCEP, and the competitive dynamics inherent in the development of the two proposals. It argues that four key considerations (trade policy ambition, the role of ASEAN, US-China geopolitical rivalry and defensive concerns) will be of key importance in informing regional governments’ decisions as the TPP and RCEP move towards completion in 2015.     

丹东地区毒品犯罪特点及对策研究

基于对丹东地区毒品犯罪活动的研究分析,总结出该地区毒品犯罪的特点,并基于各相关部门在打击丹东地区毒品犯罪实际工作中存在的问题,提出了加大毒品犯罪的打击力度、加强针对毒品犯罪的情报工作、加强缉毒队伍软、硬件建设、加强专群工作的有机结合以及加强各相关部门配合协作等一系列有针对性的预防和打击丹东地区毒品犯罪活动的对策,以期有效遏制该地区毒品犯罪,进一步维护边境地区的安全与稳定。     

Cross-border metropolitan governance: the multi-faceted state power

Metropolitan regions have become one of the most appropriate scales to define efficient governance networks for economic and territorial development. The state still is the key actor of these partnerships. Yet the question remains whether cross-border metropolitan regions represent a new point of reference that puts state power in question or whether they only reorganize it. The centrality of state power will be examined by looking at two networks of actors (public transport and territorial marketing) working at the Eurometropolis Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai. The results reveal that a triple-faceted state power has emerged to define and organize cross-border metropolitan management.     

西部少数民族地区推进马克思主义大众化路径探析

马克思主义理论能否在西部少数民族地区实现大众化,必须综合考虑西部少数民族地区推进马克思主义大众化的内、外因素。对西部少数民族地区,建议从大力发展经济、重视发展教育事业、加强理论创新、加大宣传力度等方面入手,有效推进马克思主义大众化。     

中国直接投资东盟新四国的区位分析与对策研究

东盟新四国由于有着相似的市场特征与发展共性,适合作为细分后的投资整体区位来研究.通过新近的数据和实证资料,分析东盟新四国直接投资环境的利弊因素以及国企业投资过程中存在的一系列问题,进而提出优化并有效扩大中国企业对东盟新四国直接投资的综合对策.     

对省级行政区域城市群构建的思考——以构建大南昌城市群为例

城市群已成为国家或地区参与全球竞争与国际分工的基本地域单元。基于省级行政区域构建城市群在我国很有必要。本文以构建大南昌城市群为例,重点探讨省级行政区域城市群构建的理论基础、城市群形成与成长的条件。研究表明：江西应构建以南昌为中心,包括九江、新余、抚州、鹰潭等城市在内的大南昌城市群,使其成为全国的高技术产业及现代制造业基地、农产品生产与加工基地和综合交通运输枢纽,成为一个空间结构合理、社会经济与资源环境协调发展、具有竞争力的经济密集区。为此,江西应遵循大城市群成长规律,从规划、机构、区域分工与合作、城镇空间结构、一体化、区域创新和产业集群等方面统筹谋划,分步实施。     

产业集聚理论对中西部地区发展民营经济的应用分析

产业集聚是区域竞争优势的源泉 ,已成为发达国家、发达地区产业成长的一个显著特征。产业集聚的本质是外部经济 ,这一外部经济的主要来源有劳动市场的共享、专业性附属行业的创造和技术外溢。产业集聚可以减少环境的不确定性 ,有利于知识和技术的传播与扩散 ,形成创业空间集聚的正反馈效应 ,已经成为区域参与全球竞争的重要力量。我国中西部地区民营经济发展基础差、总量小、比重低 ,空间上的分散配置存在着私人供给的公共产品溢出效应损失 ,服务产品需求的市场外效应损失 ,信息的、知识和技术溢出效应损失。改变这一状况的一个有效途径就是在重点地区实现产业集聚 ,为民营经济的发展创造条件 ,促进工业化 ,推进城镇化 ,提升区域经济的竞争力水平     

Heteroplasmies detected in an amplified mitochondrial DNA control region from a small amount of template

When mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmies are detected, they often confound forensic identification, especially if they are the result of poor biological sampling. In this study, we determined the ratio of heteroplasmy in samples that were amplified from a very small amount of template mtDNA or a few cells using a highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure and a direct sequencing analysis. As a result, more than half of the detected sequences (i.e., 17/20, 15/20, and 14/20) showed homoplasmy derived from a variation in the heteroplasmy proportion when only 10 copies of template mtDNA samples were amplified and analyzed. Additionally, with products amplified from one or several white blood cells (WBCs), several previously undetected heteroplasmies were detected. These results indicate the risks associated with using highly sensitive mtDNA techniques in forensic investigations because of the variable proportions of heteroplasmy or nucleotide substitutions that can possibly be detected from a very small biological sample.     

Forensic utility of the mitochondrial hypervariable region 1 of domestic dogs, in conjunction with breed and geographic information

The 608-bp hypervariable region 1 (HV1) sequences from 36 local dogs were analyzed to characterize the population genetic structure of canid mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Sixteen haplotypes were identified. A 417-bp segment of this sequence was compared with GenBank sequences from a geographically representative sample of 201 dogs, two coyotes, and two wolves. Sixty-six haplotypes were identified including 62 found only in domestic dogs. Fourteen of these correspond to the 16 local haplotypes and were among the most frequent haplotypes. The local sample was judged to be representative of the much broader geographic sample. No correlation was observed between local haplotypes and the owner's characterization of dog breed. A 60-bp variation "hotspot" within the canid HV1 was identified as a potentially valuable molecular tool, particularly for assaying limited or degraded DNA samples.