Innovation for inclusive development in Southeast Asia: the roles of regional coordination mechanisms

In the past, studies on inclusive development involve mainly the perspective of equitable distribution of economic and societal outputs. This study, however, takes a different approach and analyses the potential roles of regional coordination mechanisms (RCMs), specifically universities and research council's networks within Southeast Asia, in disseminating the innovation-related activities for inclusive development or Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID). The literature on innovation intermediaries within the realm of innovation systems studies was used to establish the framework of the study. The findings indicate that RCMs have a huge potential role to play. However, due to a number of reasons, including lack of funding support, lack of attention and commitment to IID, weak engagement with industry and non-governmental organisations, the implementation of the IID activities was rather poor. As a whole, the study argues that current approaches are not well positioned and it is fragmented preventing the effective use of RCMs despite their potentials for IID efforts. The study attributes this to the systemic failures in the regional coordinating systems. In enhancing the role of RCMs in IID, this study recommends the promotion of IID platform, the leveraging of non-government organisations and industry as well as energising the Southeast Asia engagement in promoting IID.     

Dreams of a Secular Republic: Elite Alienation in Post-Zia Pakistan

Since the onset of the “war on terror,” an apparently irreconcilable “secular-religious” divide has come to the fore in Pakistani society with ostensibly deep historical roots. In this article the “divide” is critically interrogated through an historical-sociological analysis, including detailed interviews with a small sample of both “secularists” and leftists who do not subscribe to the “secular-religious” binary. The article emphasises that substantive social changes have taken place over the past four decades, coeval with the erosion of a relatively insular structure of power dominated by the secular, Westernised successors to the British. The concomitant rise of a “nativised” middle class has both been cause and consequence of the old elite’s steady retreat into its private ghettoes. The latter’s growing alienation from wider society – including the realm of formal politics – has been accompanied by growing alarmism about the increasingly illiberal and hyper-religious character of the mass of the population. Elite alienation has intensified since 2001, making the “secular-religious” divide a self-fulfilling prophecy. Notwithstanding its protestations, however, the elite remains the major beneficiary of the prevailing structure of power, and a meaningful transformative politics – both secular and responsive to the material deprivations of ordinary people – remains conspicuously absent.     

The Moore thesis: what's left after 1989?

This article reconsiders the work of Barrington Moore and his critics on the historical emergence of democracy in the light of post-communist democratization. What are we to make of a region which violates Moore's dictum – “No bourgeoisie, no democracy”? Using the tools of comparative historical analysis, it makes sense of how democracy emerged in the region by developing a theory which both explains why this was possible and what social actors were essential to this outcome. With attention to patterns of social development in the region, the politics of elite alliance in the final phase of communism, the strength of civil society at extrication, and the role of the international system, it explains differences in regime outcomes across the region.     

REVISITING THE CRIMINOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF EXPOSURE TO FETAL TESTOSTERONE: A META‐ANALYSIS OF THE 2D:4D DIGIT RATIO*

As criminology has become more interdisciplinary in recent years, biosocial criminology has earned a place at the table. Although this perspective comes in many forms, one important proposition has gained increasing attention: that the 2D:4D finger digit ratio—a purported physical biomarker for exposure to fetal testosterone—is related to criminal, aggressive, and risky/impulsive behavior. Strong claims in the literature have been made for this link even though the findings seem to be inconsistent. To establish the empirical status of this relationship, we subjected this body of work to a meta‐analysis. Our multilevel analyses of 660 effect size estimates drawn from 47 studies (14,244 individual cases) indicate a small overall effect size (mean r = .047). Moderator analyses indicate that this effect is rather “general” across methodological specifications—findings that are at odds with theoretical propositions that specify the importance of exposure to fetal testosterone in predicting criminal and analogous behavior later in life. We conclude with a call for exercising caution over embracing the findings from one or two studies and instead highlight the importance of systematically organizing the full body of literature on a topic before making decisions about what does, and what does not, predict criminal and analogous behavior.     

Age Estimation in Living Egyptians Using Signal Joint T‐cell Receptor Excision Circle Rearrangement

Age estimation is one of the challenges in forensic sciences. There are many techniques to estimate the age. Molecular biology approach is one of these techniques. Signal joint T‐cell receptor excision circles gene (sjTRECs), is one of this approach. We aimed to use sjTRECs as a suitable marker for age estimation among Egyptian population. TaqMan qPCR approach was used to quantify sjTREC levels in blood samples obtained from 153 healthy Egyptian individuals ranging from a few weeks to 70 years. Our results showed a significant negative correlation between sjTREC levels and age with p ≤ 0.05. Moreover, the individual's age can be determined through this formula Age = ?30.671+ (?5.998Y) (Y is dCtTBP ? sjTREC) with standard error ±7.35 years. Within the forensic context, sjTREC' levels can be used to estimate the Egyptian individual's age accurately.     

Determination of Inorganic Ion Profiles of Illicit Drugs by Capillary Electrophoresis

A portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with dual capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C⁴D) was used to determine the inorganic ionic profiles of three pharmaceutical samples and precursors of two illicit drugs (contemporary samples of methylone and para‐methoxymethamphetamine). The LODs ranged from 0.10 μmol/L to 1.25 μmol/L for the 10 selected cations, and from 0.13 μmol/L to 1.03 μmol/L for the eight selected anions. All separations were performed in less than 6 min with migration times and peak area RSD values ranging from 2 to 7%. The results demonstrate the potential of the analysis of inorganic ionic species to aid in the identification and/or differentiation of unknown tablets, and real samples found in illicit drug manufacture scenarios. From the resulting ionic fingerprint, the unknown tablets and samples can be further classified.     

Blunt Craniofacial Trauma as a Manifestation of Excited Delirium Caused by New Psychoactive Substances

The body of a 19‐year‐old male was found apparently concealed underneath bushes with recent head and facial trauma, and multiple superficial abrasions. Subsequently, it was discovered that the decedent had been running into objects and buildings following the ingestion the evening before of what was thought to be lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Blood staining of a nearby wall close to where the body was lying was in keeping with the described behavior. Toxicology revealed 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy), in addition to two only recently available drugs 2‐(4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐N‐[(2‐methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine, (25B‐NBOMe), and 1‐(3,4‐methylenedioxyphenyl)‐2‐(1‐pyrrolidinyl)‐1‐butanone, (MDPBP). At autopsy, the skull was fractured with cerebral swelling, contusions, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Death was due to blunt cranial trauma against a background of mixed drug toxicity. The case demonstrates a rare cause of death in a drug‐induced acute delirium, as well as highlighting two new designer street drugs that may result in significant aberrant behavior.     

中国北方汉族群体DRD4基因3个位点遗传多态性

目的调查DRD4基因启动子区-1240L/S、-521C/T和第三外显子48bp VNTR 3个位点在中国北方汉族群体的遗传多态性分布,评价其法医学应用价值。方法收集中国北方汉族207例个体血液样本,提取模板DNA,采用聚合酶链反应和等位基因特异性扩增技术,对3个位点进行分型检测,应用Arlequin 3.5软件对分型数据进行统计分析。结果 3个位点分别检出2个(-1240L/S、-521C/T)和6个(48bp VNTR)等位基因,3种和9种基因型,经χ2检验,各位点基因频率分布均符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡(P0.05);DP值均超过0.5;3个位点共检出14种单倍型,其中8种为主要单倍型,DP值为0.940,PE值为0.804;-1240L/S位点与非洲及高加索人群间的差异具有统计学意义(P0.05),而与日本人群以及-521C/T位点与3种群体之间均无显著性差异(P0.05)。结论中国北方汉族人群DRD4基因3个位点多态性分布均较好,在法医学个体识别与亲子鉴定中具有一定的应用价值。     

溺死大鼠肺组织AQP-1、AQP-4的表达

目的观测生前溺死与死后抛入河水中大鼠肺组织水通道蛋白-1(aquaporin-1,AQP-1)、AQP-4的表达变化。方法将30只健康雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为河水溺死组、抛尸入水组及脱颈致死组。HE染色观察各组大鼠肺组织形态学变化,实时荧光定量PCR法检测各组大鼠肺组织AQP-1、AQP-4 m RNA的表达,免疫组织化学、Western印迹法检测其蛋白表达。结果免疫组织化学法和Western印迹法检测河水溺死组AQP-1蛋白的表达高于抛尸入水组和脱颈致死组(P0.05)。免疫组织化学法显示河水溺死组AQP-4蛋白的表达高于抛尸入水组和脱颈致死组(P0.05),而Western印迹法未检测出三者的差别(P0.05)。河水溺死组大鼠肺组织的AQP-1、AQP-4 m RNA表达高于抛尸入水组(P0.05)。结论河水溺死组的大鼠在急性肺损伤时肺组织AQP-1、AQP-4 mRNA及蛋白表达增高可能对生前溺死与死后抛尸的鉴别有一定意义。     

间接酶标抗体染色法检测石蜡切片中鸡肾型传染性支气管炎病毒的研究

以抗鸡肾型传染性支气管炎病毒（ＮＩＢＶ）Ｔ株的鼠源超免疫血清为一级抗体,辣根过氧化物酶（ＨＲＰ）标记的羊抗鼠ＩｇＧ为二级抗体,建立了检测石蜡切片中ＮＩＢＶ抗原的间接酶标抗体染色技术。经过特异性试验和阻断性试验,表明该方法具有高度的敏感性和特异性。应用该法对人工感染ＮＩＢＶＣ９００１株的鸡气管和肾石蜡切片中的病毒抗原进行了检测,结果：气管从感染后０．５～１１ｄ,肾从感染后１～２０ｄ,均检测到病毒抗原,阳性染色主要集中于气管粘膜上皮细胞和肾小管上皮细胞浆内。