“Zones of indistinction” and visions of post-reconciliation South Africa in District 9

In this article, I explore the ways in which District 9 reflects South Africa’s current socio-political transition through the problematical representation of the film’s eponymous slum and its impoverished inhabitants as well as its protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe. Drawing on Giorgio Agamben’s influential ideas of biopolitics, I demonstrate the ways in which the film provides a compelling critique of the effects of neoliberal capitalism on post-apartheid transition and South Africa’s complex geopolitical landscape. In this regard, I analyze how the slum figures as a “zone of indistinction” where political and economic forces combine to produce the paradoxical conditions in which impoverished South Africans are included in a democratic social contract, but are simultaneously excluded from the socioeconomic benefits that it promises.     

CCTV-9的国内新闻对中国国家形象的建构

作为CCTV-9的旗舰型新闻栏目，《环球嘹望》的国内新闻在建构国家形象时，主要展示了国家生活中经济、政治以及社会与法制等方面的内容，国家领导人和各级政府官员是其主要的消息来源并主导对国家事务的解读和定义，显示出强烈的主观意识和官方色彩。即便CCTV-9在新闻报道中实际上已经非常注重官方与民间角色的平衡，但是这些“进步”在不经意间被淹没在浓墨重彩的官方报道中了。因此，中国的电视新闻对外传播还应具备跨文化传播的意识，注重受众调查，为他们提供一幅能够真正读懂的地图，从而在国际上树立良好的国家形象。     

Werbungskosten ab Vermietungsabsicht (auch bei ursprünglich selbst bewohnter und noch leerstehender Wohnung)

Ist der endgültige Entschluss, eine Wohnung zu vermieten durch ernste und nachhaltige Vermietungsbemühungen belegt, so liegen (vorab entstandene) Werbungskosten auch für die Zeit vor, in der die zun?chst selbst bewohnte Wohnung noch leer steht.     

Recognition of Early Myocardial Infarction by Immunohistochemical Staining with Cardiac Troponin‐I and Complement C9*

Abstract: The diagnosis of early myocardial infarction (MI) after death, especially in the first few hours (c. 6 h) after the onset of MI, poses a challenge to the forensic pathologists. During this time, the damaged myocardium does not show grossly identifiable morphological changes and may not be recognized even with routine histological microscopic examination. However, the infarcted cardiac tissue releases certain chemicals that can be detected microscopically, two of these being cardiac troponin‐I (CT‐I) and complement C9 (C9). This study utilizes the importance of these two biomarkers immunohistochemically in an attempt to identify this early phase of MI. This study reveals that the early phase of MI of <6 h duration may be detected through immunohistochemical staining with CT‐I and C9. The ischemic/infarcted cardiac myofibers in the <6 h group display reduced/absent CT‐I staining as well as positive C9 staining.     

European Court of Justice rules on the protection of databases under the Database Directive (96/9/EC)

The European Court of Justice has ruled on the circumstances in which databases may be protected by the Database Directive. In a decision that renders the protection of databases a narrow concept, the ECJ appears to have introduced a new requirement that a database must comprise its author9;s “creative ability” in order to qualify for protection as a copyright work.     

Anfechtung einer Vereinbarung über die gemeinsame Verwaltung mehrerer WE-Liegenschaften nur im Rechtsweg – kein liegenschaftsübergreifender Aufteilungsschlüssel iSd § 32 WEG 2002

Liegenschaftsübergreifende Vereinbarungen (hier: betreffend 2 benachbarte WE-Liegenschaften über die Aufteilung und Abrechnung von Bewirtschaftungskosten sowie 2 gesonderte Abrechnungs- und Abstimmungseinheiten) k?nnen nicht im wohnrechtlichen Au?erstreitverfahren nach § 52 Abs 1 Z 9 iVm § 32 Abs 2, 5 und 6 WEG 2002, sondern nur im streitigen Rechtsweg überprüft werden. Eine von § 32 Abs 1 WEG 2002 abweichende Vereinbarung über den Aufteilungsschlüssel der gemeinschaftlichen Liegenschaftsaufwendungen oder über eine von der Liegenschaft abweichende Abrechnungs- und Abstimmungseinheit bezieht sich n?mlich immer nur auf die konkrete WE-Liegenschaft, keinesfalls aber auf mehrere.     

Analysis of the autopsy,toxicological, and psychiatric reports of Portugal’s first major forensic case: part III

This work presents an odd historical record obtained through more than 14Ȁ9;years of research regarding one of the first major European forensic cases. The presumed homicide of Mário Guilherme Augusto de Sampaio in 1890 was allegedly perpetrated by his uncle, the prestigious doctor Vicente Urbino de Freitas. This famous poisoning had international repercussions for decades, with the participation of several forensic experts that made the history of forensic sciences, namely forensic toxicology and pathology. This third work aims to collect, restore, and analyse all the forensic evidence, particularly from the autopsy, toxicological, and psychiatric forensic reports. Facts regarding the life of Vicente Urbino de Freitas during his exile in Brazil were also recovered, along with a vast and outstanding assortment of forensic medicine photographs from the 19th century.     

Characterization of Algerian-Seized Hashish Over Eight Years (2011–2018). Part II: Chemical Categorization

In Algeria, large quantities of hashish are seized every year. This study aimed to investigate the total content of major cannabinoids in the illicit seized hashish in Algeria over an 8-year period (2011–2018) in order to establish the chemical profile of North African hashish. A total of 3265 hashish samples were analyzed using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method, allowing the simultaneous quantification of both the acidic and the neutral forms of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN). The results revealed a slight upward trend in the mean THC content, from 7.0% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2018, with an overall mean value of 8.4%. The overall means of CBD and CBN content were 3.5% and 0.8%, respectively. The number of high-potency hashish samples gradually increased to reach 6% in 2018. Two distinct hashish chemotypes were identified: the highly populated chemotype II, corresponding to the traditional medium-potency hashish ([THC + CBN]/CBD ~ 2.16), and chemotype I, containing hashish samples of relatively high THC levels and low levels of CBD (ratio ~ 4.90). Both chemotypes I and II were characterized in the ternary plot, and the proportions (THC:CBD:CBN) were about 85%:13%:2% and 60%:35%:5%, respectively.     

A Song of Policy Incongruence: The Missing Choir of Consumer Preferences in GMO‐Labeling Policy Outcomes

This article focuses on the degree of policy congruence, and by extension policy responsiveness, of U.S. federal‐ and state‐level GMO labeling laws from 2011–2016. Utilizing consumer survey data, evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates consumers prefer clear text‐based indication if food products contain genetically modified ingredients. However, the federal law adopted in 2016 mandates GMO labeling but with exceptions permitted to clear on‐package text labeling. The results of this study demonstrate that consumer preferences were not adequately represented at the federal level and were misaligned with state policy activities as captured in the aggregate outcome. State legislatures were actively proposing mandatory legislation with only a few cases of success, which did not adequately represent the wishes of the people. Given the misalignment and overall policy incongruence, the consequences of pending federal law are discussed in light of why the voices of the consumer choir were not heard by lawmakers.