Global marginalization

Globalization will bring drastic changes to the world economy, and the poorer developing economies, such as those in sub‐Saharan Africa, could be left behind and become marginalized, says Makoto Taniguchi, formerly deputy secretary‐general of the OECD and now at Waseda University. Taniguchi sees the “Age of Globalization” as a catch‐up process for emerging developing economies and suggests the developed nations should put in place a new development strategy to assist them. This paper was given at a conference on “Challenges of Globalization” organized by the Institute for International Policy Studies and held in Tokyo in December 1997.     

A discrimination method for paper by Fourier transform and cross correlation

A non-destructive method for discriminating between different types of paper has been proposed, using image analysis, Fourier transformation, and cross-correlation matching. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) is used to extract the periodicity in the structure of paper that results from the manufacturing processes. The light-transmission images of the paper to be Fourier transformed are obtained from a flatbed image scanner. The similarity between the power spectrum of the FFT of the sample and that of a reference is quantified using a cross-correlation matching method. An advantage of using frequency analysis is that periodicity can be detected even if the sample is damaged or is printed on. The technique works on samples as small as 2 cm2.     

Thin layer chromatography/fluorescence detection of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine and related compounds

A rapid and sensitive method for the detection of six methylenedioxylatedphenethylamines, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA); 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine; N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butamine; N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3-butamine; and 3,4-methylenedioxydimethylamphetamine, by thin-layer chromatography with fluorescence detection is proposed. These compounds form fluorophores on the developing plate following spraying with a reagent consisting of sodium hypochlorite, potassium hexacyanoferrate (III), and sodium hydroxide, and heating for 3 min at 100 degrees C. Blue fluorescent spots were observed under ultraviolet light in a wavelength range of 250-400 nm. The detection limits for MDMA and the above related compounds were 50 ng. The proposed method was effectively applied to the detection of MDMA in urine samples.     

An interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on voluntary contributions to a public good in a large economy

We develop a model of voluntary contributions to a public good in a large economy where peoples?? preferences consist of extrinsic and intrinsic payoffs. The model considers (i) the interplay between the two payoffs and (ii) the possibility that public provision discourages moral motivation in the intrinsic payoff (motivational shift). We show that a wide variety of crowd-out/in occurs due to public provision within a single framework, and its occurrence depends on the magnitude of motivational shift and the characteristics of the public good in relation to private goods in the extrinsic payoff.     

美元、欧元、日元及亚洲货币——建立一个更稳定的国际货币体系

2007年4月7日-8日,由外交学院和上海社会科学院主办的东亚思想库网络第三届东亚金融合作会议在上海召开。本次会议是在东亚金融危机爆发10周年这样特殊的背景下召开的,一些东亚金融界与政界要人应邀与会并作主旨发言。虽然与会人士都为当前东亚经济活力的恢复与东亚金融合作所取得的成绩感到高兴,但同时对当前全球经济失衡下东亚经济金融所面临的新形势表示担忧,进一步全面推进和强化东亚金融合作就显得尤为紧迫与必要。流动性过剩、美元化、外汇储备风险、汇率稳定和私人资本流动等成为描述当前东亚经济金融形势的关键词;推进现有合作机制,加强区内银行、证券、保险等业务合作,实现官方合作与民间合作良性互动,寻求本地区货币汇率的稳定,推动本地区金融市场发展,让本地区资金留在本地区,则成为与会代表的共同心声。为了让更多的人分享专家们的精彩发言和深刻思想,特将发言整理发表。     

An autopsy report on a ruptured rudimentary horn (uterine anomaly) with ectopic pregnancy

The rudimentary horn is a rare developmental anomaly of the Müllerian duct. Ectopic pregnancy in the rudimentary horn is estimated to occur in one out of 76,000–150,000 pregnancies. A 30-year-old primigravida suddenly collapsed after 3 days of continuous abdominal pain. Emergency laparotomy revealed a massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage and fetal demise. The growth of the fetus after 19 weeks of gestation is believed to have caused the rudimentary horn rupture, thereby rapidly leading to hemorrhagic shock in the mother and ischemic death in the fetus. This is the first autopsy report on maternal death due to the rudimentary horn or other Müllerian duct anomalies, which emphasizes the need for forensic pathologists to consider this condition as a possible cause of unexpected death in fertile women. In addition, it is very important for clinicians to detect Müllerian duct anomalies by sonography during routine obstetric examinations, and promptly diagnose anomaly related ectopic pregnancies in women displaying symptoms of an acute abdomen, intraperitoneal hemorrhage, or shock in the emergency practice.     

Forensic DNA Analysis of Wheat Flour as Commonly Used in White Powder Cases

In the wake of terrorist attacks using anthrax and ricin, white powder is often encountered in cases of malicious mischief and terrorist threats. Wheat flour is a common white powder encountered in such criminal investigations. We used DNA analysis to investigate wheat flour samples for identification and discrimination as trace evidence. Species identification of commercially available wheat flour was carried out by sequencing a partial region of the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit gene (rbcL). Samples were discriminated using short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. The rbcL sequences of all wheat flour samples were identical and showed a high level of similarity to known wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sequences. Furthermore, flours had characteristic patterns in STR analyses, with specific cultivars showing distinctive patterns. These results suggested that the identification of wheat flour species is possible using rbcL sequencing, and that STR analysis is useful for discriminating between samples.     

The current state of world population: A North-South contrast

While the world population continues to demonstrate explosive growth as a whole, the current state of population in developing regions, the so-called "South," is in sharp contrast with that of industrialized regions, the so-called "North." The South has a disproportionately high proportion of child population, as well as high overall population growth rates. Most governments in these areas have sought fertility decline to around the replacement level through family planning programs. The North is characterized by continuous population aging and will face population decline. In order to cope with stagnant low fertility, some governments have sought to raise fertility to around the replacement level by strengthening family policies. In this paper, Professor Makoto Atoh, Director General at the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Tokyo, contrasts the populations of the North and South and recommends possible policy options for the governments of developed countries, especially Japan.     

Japanese Demographic Crisis in View of Marx’s Capitalist Law of Population

ABSTRACT

In more than four decades, Japanese society has rapidly intensified a tendency towards a very low fertility rate with a smaller number of children. It is generally confirmed that a society needs a total fertility rate of at least 2.1 in order to avoid a decline in its total population. The total fertility rate in Japan was still 2.14 in 1973, when the period of high economic growth in the post-World War II ended. It continued to decline to 1.26 in 2005. It then recovered somewhat in 2015, as the post-war “junior” baby-boom generation reacted to its last chance to have children. However, the recovery is temporary, and the Japanese total fertility rate is estimated to slide again in the 2020s. This article examines this transition through a re-examination of Marx’s capitalist law of population. This approach rejects the naturalist theory of population and directs attention to Japan’s demographic decline in the context of neo-liberal policies in contemporary capitalism.