A dialogic approach to understanding regime conflicts: the case of the development agenda

Despite the fact that early work on international regimes conceptualised them as dialogic in nature, this fundamental regime property has remained relatively underdeveloped. Drawing on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin and his circle, this article proposes a dialogic framework for understanding regimes and the political struggles that constitute them. Focusing on the contextual and relational properties of signification processes within a regime, one of the key arguments is that neither their dialogic nature nor the trajectory and outcome of a particular conflict can be understood without giving full attention to language as a power-laden form of action. By focusing on how language and discourse are implicated and put to work in a particular instance of regime contestation, namely the Development Agenda proposed by a group of developing countries’ representatives at the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2004, efforts are made not only to bring to the fore the political and ideological nature of the ‘shared understandings’ without which a regime would not exist, but also the manner in which they are reproduced and reinvigorated, even by acts that set out to challenge them.     

液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱法同时检测生物检材中百草枯及其代谢物

目的建立生物检材中同时检测百草枯(paraquat,PQ)及其主要代谢物单季铵盐(monoquat)、百草枯-单吡啶酮(paraquat-monopyridone,MP)、百草枯-联吡啶酮(paraquat-dipyridone,DP)、4-羧基-1-甲基吡啶盐(4-Carboxy-1-methylpyridinium ion,MINA)的液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)检测方法。方法以百草枯氘代内标(Paraquat-d8 Dichloride,PQ-D8)作为内标,检材样品调节pH后,经乙腈沉淀蛋白,使用不同色谱柱洗脱,在多反应监测模式下检测。结果百草枯PQ、monoquat、MP、DP、MINA的线性范围分别是5~800ng/mL、0.5~80ng/mL、5~800ng/mL、2.5~400ng/mL、2~320ng/mL(r均高于0.993),日内、日间精密度(RSDs)分别在5%~14%、3%~13%、3%~15%、5%~13%、2%~15%之间,准确度(RE)分别在91%~116%、80%~100%、80%~111%、85%~114%、91%~114%之间。生物样品处理后自动进样器上室温放置72h,各物质的准确度分别在90%~119%、56%~125%、60%~110%、78%~98%、83%~117%之间。结论本测定方法前处理过程简便,分离效果好,提取效率高,可使用本方法对疑似百草枯中毒的检材进行原体及代谢物的检测,为案件提供法律依据;本实验优化了课题组前期建立的生物样品中百草枯及monoquat、MP的检测方法,参考其案例结果,检测相应检材,对比分析,该检测方法在原体含量大幅下降时,痕量代谢物仍可检出。     

An innovative transfer DNA experimental design and qPCR assay: Protocol and pilot study

Forensic “touch” DNA samples are low-quantity samples that are recovered from surfaces that have been touched by single or multiple individuals. These samples can include DNA from primary contributors who directly touched the surface, as well as secondary contributors whose DNA was transferred to the surface through an intermediary. It is difficult to determine the type of transfer, or how often and under what conditions DNA transfer occurs. In this paper, we present an innovative protocol that combines (1) a paired male and female transfer DNA experimental design in which the presence of male DNA indicates secondary transfer and (2) a cost-effective quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay of a sex-specific region in the Amelogenin gene to detect male and female DNA. We evaluate the ability of the Amelogenin qPCR assay to detect low concentrations of male and female DNA in mixed samples. We also test experimental DNA samples using our transfer DNA protocol to differentiate primary and secondary DNA transfer. Male DNA was detected in the majority of known mixed samples, even in samples with 4× more female DNA—this result demonstrates the ability to detect low concentrations of male DNA and the presence of secondary transfer DNA in our experimental design. Primary DNA transfer was detected in 100% of our experimental trials and secondary DNA transfer was detected in 37.5% of trials. Our innovative protocol mimics realistic case scenarios to establish rates of primary and secondary DNA transfer in an inexpensive and simplified manner.     

What is the cost of voting?

Despite a wealth of literature on the determinants of electoral turnout, little is known about the cost of voting. Some studies suggest that facilitating voting slightly increases turnout, but what ultimately matters is people's subjective perceptions of how costly voting is. This paper offers a first comprehensive analysis of the subjective cost of voting and its impact on voter turnout. We use data from an original survey conducted in Canada and data from the Making Electoral Democracy Work project which covers 23 elections among 5 different countries. We distinguish direct and information/decision voting costs. That is, the direct costs that are related to the act of voting and the costs that are related to the efforts to make (an informed) choice. We find that the cost of voting is generally perceived to be very small but that those who find voting more difficult are indeed less prone to vote, controlling for a host of other considerations. That impact, however, is relatively small, and the direct cost matters more than the information/decision cost.     

The Role of Civic Engagement in Trisectoral Governance Approaches as Factors for Success in East German Municipalities

The demographic diminution and the special economic situation in the East necessitate flexible strategies that make use of all available on-site resources. This includes taking into account economic concerns in governmental and developmental strategies for the public sector as well as improved integration of ‘active citizens’, for whom the government must provide adequate basic parameters in order to assure lasting and effective participation. In this context, the following article presents the findings of a study on East German municipalities that clarifies the obstacles and specific potentials of a stronger cooperation between the various societal sectors that is characterised by trisectoral governance.     

Role models in politicians will disappoint you: Cautionary notes on Aids leadership in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

In the face of HIV/Aids the call for political leadership is often made. Invariably, one form that this call takes involves leaders being called upon to act as role models. But time after time scandalous revelations arise. These scandals appear to have the potential to damage efforts to address HIV/Aids. This article assumes that it is not appropriate to attempt to limit public expression concerning the sex-related behaviours of politicians. The author further notices, with reference to post-apartheid leadership in South Africa, that the actions, behaviours and motivations of political leaders cannot be readily assumed to result in desired behaviours in relation to HIV/ Aids. It is proposed that rather than cynically saying we are waiting for ideal leaders to arise, we can embrace the challenge of our time by first allowing ourselves to question the status quo. The aim is to recover questions of the possible roles of politicians as questions of how human relations can be achieved. In other words, the aim is to argue for an approach that humanises both politicians and those who would (be given to) follow them.     

New Event Data in Conflict Research

This paper first presents an overview of data on 390 international crises, which incorporate 826 foreign policy crises, from the end of 1918 to the end of 1988.

A set of crisis profiles is then constructed for the two superpowers of the post‐World War II era, and for three regional systems, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The data on international crises are presented in terms of a common format for the regional profiles, with slight modifications for the superpowers, in order to facilitate comparisons: time and space; duration; onset; threat; behavior; severity of violence; US/USSR activity; global organization involvement; and outcome. Within these categories, distributions are noted for each of the polarity structures—multipolarity (1918–39), bipolarity (1945–62), and polycentrism (1963–1988). Thereafter, comparisons are made between US and USSR crises (after World War II), and among the three regional profiles.

The central thrust of the findings from these profiles is clear: they focus attention on the dual characteristics of twentieth century crises, their pervasiveness and diversity. These traits, in turn, make much more difficult the task of constructing a theory that provides a systematic explanation of interstate crisis from onset to termination. Complex reality imposes an intolerable burden on the search for necessary and sufficient conditions of crisis. In positive terms, it leads to a shift in focus, from ‘necessary and sufficient’ to the “most likely” conditions as the most credible path to theory.     

细菌的CRISPR/cas免疫及免疫识别

综述了40%真细菌以及几乎所有古细菌基因组内存在的CRISPR位点以及细菌的CRISPR/cas免疫机制。主要从CRISPR/cas免疫的抗感染机制、特异性间隔序列的获取、crRNA的成熟以及免疫识别等方面展开论述,阐述了成簇存在的、被短的重复回文序列所分割的非自身基因(CRISPR位点)以及通过类RNA干扰(RNAi)机制特异性地抵抗噬菌体及侵袭性质粒的二次感染。提出此技术在临床上用来抑制抗生素抗性质粒以及毒力因子在病原菌中传播的应用前景。     

跨国销售的增长凸显公共关系战略的重要性

经济全球化的发展使企业面对更多的市场机会,企业在进行跨国销售中也遇到了新的困难,通过政府、企业、社会公众层次公关,可以减轻企业所受到的不公正的贸易待遇,从而最终达到企业的经营目标.     

HPLC-ESI/MS/MS检测奥克托金的方法研究

目的建立HPLC-ESI-MS/MS检测奥克托金的方法。方法在负离子模式下,引入CH3COO-,形成加合离子[M＋CH3COO]-,通过电喷雾电离和多反应监测模式,找出离子对,进行定性分析。结果确定奥克托金的检测离子对为354.9/46.0,354.9/147,354.9/174.2和354.9/100,最低检出限达5×10-2ng/mL。结论本方法可以有效的检出微量奥克托金。