A CROSS‐NATIONAL TEST OF BONGER'S THEORY OF CRIMINALITY AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS*

Using international data for 100 countries, we test two hypotheses derived from Bonger's Marxian theory of crime. The analyses support the hypothesis that the degree of capitalism significantly predicts homicide rates, but they fail to confirm that the de‐moralization of the population (loss of moral feelings for others) mediates the relationship between capitalism and homicide. Although capitalism is not the best predictor among those considered, overall, the results underline the importance of Bonger's ideas because both capitalism and corruption (our indicator of de‐moralization) show reasonably strong relationships with homicide rates and compete with other variables commonly used as predictors of international homicide rates. The results confirm the usefulness of attempting to subject Marxian ideas to positivist, quantitative tests, with an eye to integrating Marxian theories with other mainstream theories, such as institutional anomie theory.     

鸡myostatin基因成熟区段DNA的克隆及其在甲醇酵母中的融合表达

根据GenBank中鸡myostatin(AF019621)成熟区段的cDNA序列设计了1对引物,利用PCR技术扩增了萧山鸡myostatin的成熟区段,构建了重组真核表达载体myostatin-pPIC9K,并在甲醇酵母中融合表达了myostatin蛋白。结果发现,萧山鸡myostatin基因存在2处碱基变异:T204→C204(编码的氨基酸没有变),C205→T205(编码的氨基酸由Pro变成Ser),从而产生了1个EspⅠ或Bpu1102Ⅰ限制性内切酶酶切位点。核苷酸序列同源性分析表明,myostatin基因成熟区段DNA在不同物种间具有高度的保守性。SDS-PAGE鉴定结果表明,表达的目的蛋白(26 ku)具有生物学活性。     

DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics: Recommendations on the interpretation of mixtures

The DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) was convened at the 21st congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics held between 13 and 17 September in the Azores, Portugal. The purpose of the group was to agree on guidelines to encourage best practice that can be universally applied to assist with mixture interpretation. In addition the commission was tasked to provide guidance on low copy number (LCN) reporting. Our discussions have highlighted a significant need for continuing education and research into this area. We have attempted to present a consensus from experts but to be practical we do not claim to have conveyed a clear vision in every respect in this difficult subject. For this reason, we propose to allow a period of time for feedback and reflection by the scientific community. Then the DNA commission will meet again to consider further recommendations.     

NGOs and Ethnic Conflict: Lessons from the Work of the Project on Ethnic Relations in the Balkans

This article examines the impact of nongovernmental organization-sponsored contact and communication on fostering peaceful solutions to ethnic conflict via case studies of the activities of the Project on Ethnic Relations (PER) in Romania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia. It explores five operational principles that guide PER activity: creating credible, neutral forums for dialogue; maintaining momentum; working within political realities; encouraging indigenous solutions from within existing processes; and acting with the backing of powerful states. These principles explain PER's success as a "weak mediator" of ethnic conflicts. According to this analysis, PER also exhibits organizational characteristics that contribute to success, including nonpartisanship, area expertise and extensive networks of local contacts, and an ability to secure the trust of local actors.
A significant indicator of the success of PER activities is the establishment by conflicting parties of institutionalized mechanisms for addressing their differences. Contrary to the view that electoral competition contributes to conflict, this study finds that the possibility of achieving an electoral advantage by participating cooperatively in conflict resolution activities creates incentives for local actors to recognize opportunities offered by PER activities and leads local actors to heed PER's advice. Finally, the article offers a cautionary observation. While PER's perceived influence with major international actors may contribute to its local successes, once a state actor with the power to impose a solution has committed itself to ending a conflict, its preferences outweigh any local interests in determining the outcome and renders the efforts of a "weak mediator" such as PER irrelevant.     

The evolution of European legal integration

This article contributes to the development of theories on European integration by testing and exploring statistical models on the long-term development of legislative activity of the European Commission. Drawing on legal information gained from the European Union’s PreLex database and analyzing it with the help of statistical analyses, we map out growth patterns of EU law between 1976 and 2003. We construct time-series models and models based on non-linear regression. While the performance of models based on the traditional theoretical approaches, intergovernmentalism and neo-functionalism, is rather poor, the analysis suggests that nonlinear dynamic models might be an interesting avenue for future conceptualizations of the EU integration process. This article is based on a paper presented at the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union Second Pan-European Conference on EU Politics, “Implications of a Wider Europe: Politics, Institutions and Diversity”, 24–26 June 2004, Bologna, Italy. We would like to thank the seminar participants for useful comments.     

欧洲银行监管委员会《外包标准》(建议稿)介评 ——兼论我国金融外包监管法之完善

金融外包给金融风险监管提出了新的要求.有鉴于此,欧洲银行监管委员会先后出台了两份建议稿试图为银行业务外包风险监管在欧盟的框架内提供统一的指导原则.名为<外包标准>的建议稿是在<外包高级原则>(建议稿)的基础上于2006年4月出台的,二者在名称及具体内容上都有较大的不同.<外包标准>建议稿在保留第1份建议稿特色的基础上,强调了对客户金融隐私的保护,修正了金融监管部门对外包的监管权,使外包业务的分类更加明确.但是,现行建议稿在监管标准的制订上未充分考虑不同种类的外包商可能对外包风险造成的影响,要求所有的外包都必须有服务水平协议也较为绝对化.参考欧洲银行监管委员会在金融外包监管方面的立法经验,考虑我国金融外包的实践,我国应当制定普遍的金融外包监管法,同时对<电子银行业务管理办法>中电子银行业务外包部分进行完善.     

WHERE IS THE VILLAGE GOING? MAINTAINING AND INCLUDING CULTURAL STRENGTHS TO PROTECT CHILDREN ORPHANED IN KENYA

This article is the result of a master's thesis about children and their universal right to be included in a family environment. This is not only protected under international law, but also intuitive to human beings. HIV‐AIDS continues to threaten lives of children, particularly in sub‐Saharan Africa in the form of orphaning. Looking at a case study from Kenya, it is revealed that, while legal protection is yet to be fully realized in the state, strong cultural norms of value are alive. Currently, the extended family system is the greatest protection to children orphaned or at risk of being orphaned. However, this system was made invisible in the domestic laws of Kenya under the Children Act 2001. This neglect calls for questions not only regarding the protection cultural norms may offer, according to the best interests of children, but also as to the cultural environment being created with the new law.     

PREDICTING WHO REOFFENDS: THE NEGLECTED ROLE OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT IN RECIDIVISM STUDIES*

Prior studies of recidivism have focused almost exclusively on individual‐level characteristics of offenders and their offenses to explore the correlates of reoffending. Notably absent from these studies are measures reflecting the neighborhood contexts in which individuals live. The current research addresses this shortcoming. Using data on a sample of ex‐offenders in Multnomah County, Oregon (Portland and surrounding area) in conjunction with 2000 census data, we answer two questions. First, which individual‐level factors influence rates of recidivism? Second, to what extent does neighborhood socioeconomic status account for variation in the reoffending behavior of ex‐prisoners that is not explained by their individual‐level characteristics? We find that those who return to disadvantaged neighborhoods recidivate at a greater rate while those who return to resource rich or affluent communities recidivate at a lesser rate, controlling for individual‐level factors.     

技术傻化的社会学阐述

傻化是操作技术的简易化，是用少的或浅显的知识去使用产品。“界面”(操作技术)是可以相对独立于“系统”(运行技术)的。技术傻化已渗透到日常生活的各个领域，其原因是：(1)现代社会的知识成指数函数增长，科技产品极大丰富；(2)专业化分工日益加深，制作(生产)日益与使用(消费)相分离；(3)开发商为实现其产品大众化目标，不断使其产品的操作简易化。技术傻化在发展中国家中有其重要功能。它有助于高新技术的推广普及，产生良好的社会经济效益；有助于消除现代社会中的“数字鸿沟”这一新型不平等形式；有助于丰富普通人的生活。     

高铜对雏鸭肝影响的病理学观察

将360只1日龄天府肉鸭随机分为6组,分别喂以对照日粮(Cu 8 mg/kg)和高铜日粮(Ⅰ组:Cu100 mg/kg;Ⅱ组:Cu 200 mg/kg;Ⅲ组:Cu 400 mg/kg;Ⅳ组:Cu 600 mg/kg;Ⅴ组:Cu 800 mg/kg)6周,研究日粮铜添加水平对雏鸭肝及其相关生化指标的影响。结果显示,Ⅱ组、Ⅲ组、Ⅳ组、Ⅴ组雏鸭肝出现不同程度的病理损伤,肝细胞颗粒变性、空泡变性。Ⅳ组、Ⅴ组肝铜含量和血清铜含量均显著高于对照组(P<0.01)。Ⅲ组、Ⅳ组和Ⅴ组血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶、天门冬氨酸氨基转移酶活性显著升高(P<0.01)。结果表明,日粮铜含量达400~800 mg/kg即可引起肝的病理损伤。