WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY ESTIMATES AND GEOGRAPHIC EMBEDDED SAMPLES: CASE STUDY OF ALASKAN STELLER SEA LION

This paper examines willingness to pay for an endangered species protection program across geographically embedded samples. The samples range from the boroughs that contain critical habitat for the Steller sea lion to the state that contains these boroughs to the entire United States. The analysis is done using the contingent valuation method and comparing mean willingness to pay estimates using the Method of Convolution. When comparing willingness-to-pay estimates among paired samples, results indicate significantly different values across geographic samples, which may lead to dramatically different policy implications. Respondent motivating factors also vary from sample to sample, which may be of interest to the management agencies, especially federal agencies and those with a national scope.     

Y chromosome STRs in Croatians

Eight Y chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms (DYS19, DYS388, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393) were analyzed in the sample of 457 unrelated Croatian men. A general STR allelic frequency pattern in Croatians corresponds to other European populations with the exception of the loci DYS19 and DYS389II. The most frequent DYS19 allele was 16, while at the DYS389II the most frequent were alleles 30 and 31. The most frequent Y chromosome haplotype (16-13-13-31-24-11-11-13) was found in 33 individuals (7.22%). One hundred and seventy-four haplotypes (38.07%) were observed in single copies.     

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN EUROPEAN LEGAL PROCEEDINGS: WHY ARE FAMILY PRACTICES SO DIFFERENT FROM LEGAL THEORIES?

Debates about child custody following parental separation often have been framed in terms of a battle between the competing rights of different family members. In the United States, advocates of mothers’ rights square off against proponents of fathers’ rights, with each side claiming to truly represent children's rights. Of course, not all advocates lay claim to children's rights in contact and custody disputes merely as a tactical maneuver. Some experts believe that children are entitled to (and benefit from) their own, independent legal advocate in custody cases. In theory, at least, the position that children lay claim to a third set of independent rights is strongly held in Europe, more strongly than in many U.S. states, because of the adoption of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Europe, but not in the United States. In this article, we examine children's rights in custody disputes from a European perspective, particularly children's legal right to contact with their parents, as well as the children's right to be heard in custody and contact disputes. We find that, despite differences in legal theory, tradition, and family demographics, European countries ultimately face a familiar reality: Custody and contact disputes are, in reality, more about renegotiating family relationships than they are a matter of a mother's, father's, or child's rights.     

Vice-Premier Li Hsien-Nien gives Banquet in name of Premier Chou En-Lai for Madame Marcos

This article provides empirical light on the debate concerning whether manufacturing firms in China are becoming major innovators. Based on an innovation survey carried out in Jiangsu Province, the article finds that most firms engage in innovative activities but these are mainly of an incremental nature. Radical innovation, as a proportion of sales, is relatively low if compared internationally. Innovation in China is mainly to catch-up and is novel relative to the firm and the domestic market. A small proportion of innovation is new to the world. Intensity and productivity indicators suggest that small, foreign and textile firms are leading innovative efforts. Firms innovate to improve their general competitiveness, including improving product quality and extending market share, obtain income from technology and defend themselves from research and development expenditure by competitors. Innovators value significantly more than non-innovators the range of innovative objectives they seek to achieve. The main obstacles to innovation arise from technical and marketing weaknesses; the perception of these obstacles varies widely between radical innovators and non-innovators. The article concludes that while innovative activities are emerging it will still take some time for China to have a major role in the international division of innovative labour.     

Evaluation of Y-STR variation in Bosnian and Herzegovinian population

Eight Y-STR polymorphisms (DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392 and DYS393) were analyzed in the samples of 181 unrelated males from Bosnia and Herzegovinia. Observed STR allelic frequency pattern and locus diversity values in Bosnians and Herzegovinians correspond closer to neighboring southeastern European populations than previously reported (mostly western) European populations. One hundred and five haplotypes were identified and 78 haplotypes (74.3%) appeared in single copies. The most frequent haplotypes (DYS19-DYS385-DYS389I-DYS389II-DYS390-DYS391-DYS392-DYS393) were 16-14/15-13-31-24-11-11-13 (7.7%), 16-14/15-13-30-24-11-11-13 (7.7%) and 15-14/15-13-31-24-11-11-13 (5.5%). Total haplotype diversity was 0.9820 +/- 0.0040.     

Y chromosome STR polymorphisms in a Serbian population sample

Eight Y chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms (DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393) were analyzed in the sample of 114 unrelated males living in Serbia. A general STR allelic frequency pattern in Serbians corresponds to other European populations with the exception of loci DYS19, DYS389II and DYS385. Out of ninety identified haplotypes, 74 (64.91%) appeared in single copies. The most frequent haplotypes (DYS19-DYS385-DYS389I-DYS389II-DYS390-DYS391-DYS392-DYS393) 16-14/15-13-31-24-11-11-13 and 15-15/19-12-28-23-10-12-12 were found in four copies (3.51%). Total haplotype diversity was 0.9947+/-0.0021.