bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Bottle, Old Wine: China's Governance of Hong Kong in View of Its Policies in the Restive Borderlands
Authors: Chou Bill
Published: February 2019

This paper reviews Beijing's Hong Kong policy, arguing that the policy mirrors China's policy towards its restive borderlands represented by Tibet and Xinjiang. The rule of Hong Kong and other borderlands in China will be understood in an analytical framework that highlights four broad policies of governing borderlands: promises of a high degree of local autonomy; extension of politico-administrative control; cultural assimilation; and economic integration and domination. These policies may be conceptualised within the term “coercion.” It is argued that before Hong Kong's retrocession to China in 1997, the PRC's approach to the territory, in comparison to its approaches to Tibet and Xinjiang, was the least coercive – that is, China initially promised Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy over domestic affairs. The degree of coercion was stepped up when Hongkongers were perceived as becoming increasingly alienated from the new regime.
“In Accordance with Local Conditions”: Policy Design and Implementation of Agrarian Change Policies in Rural China
Authors: Trappel René
Published: February 2019

An important part of Beijing's strategy to reduce the welfare gap between urban and rural parts of China has been the promotion of urbanisation. Replacing peasant agriculture with commercial operations of scale is an integral part of this endeavour. This article analyses the implementation of policies meant to transform the structure of Chinese agriculture. It argues that the central government is using a set of very flexible policies, project-based implementation and adaption to local conditions to guide and support an existing dynamic of structural transformation in agriculture. Local governments, in turn, appreciate the flexibility, the political predictability, the potential revenue improvements and the cognitive framework inherent in these programmes. The article is primarily based on interviews with leading cadres at the township and county levels in the provinces of Shandong, Sichuan and Guizhou between 2008 and 2010.
The Role of China and India in the G20 and BRICS: Commonalities or Competitive Behaviour?
Authors: Cooper Andrew F. , Farooq Asif B.
Published: February 2019

This paper examines China and India's relationship within the ambit of the G20 process and the autonomous BRICS institutional architecture. The evolving relationship of each of these two emerging powers within these different institutional settings demonstrates a degree of agentic commonality and distinction. China's and India's approaches to both the G20 and the BRICS summit processes highlight a combination of status-seeking and hedging behaviour. While China's cautious approach is complemented by assertive leadership in matters of national interest, India's leadership has a very specific orientation towards developmental issues. Whereas China's approach focuses on the United States and the rest of the West, India's approach is increasingly positioned as a response to China.
The Political Economy of Organisational Violence in Chinese Industry
Authors: Shou Huisheng , Green Gary S.
Published: February 2019

“Organisational violence” involves wilful, illegal business behaviour that has the potential to harm workers, consumers, or the environment. We use a combined perspective from the fields of political economy and criminology to examine the incongruously high level of organisational violence among Chinese firms that exists despite robust efforts by the government to put forth regulatory laws that prohibit it. As the explanation for this incongruity, we assert two conditions that synergistically interact in a bidirectional relationship: 1) the complex legal structural barriers to effective enforcement against organisational violence caused by a politically biased and administratively fragmented Chinese political system, and 2) a socially disorganised business environment that does not recursively message the wrongfulness of organisational violence. The analysis rejects not only financial gain as a relevant factor in the commission of organisational violence but also other current perspectives on the causes of organisational violence in China.
Chinese Investment in Taiwan: A Challenge or an Opportunity for Taiwan?
Authors: Lee Chun-yi , Yin Ming-xi
Published: February 2019

Cross-Strait economic activities are no longer unidirectional. The Taiwanese government opened the doors to Chinese investment in 2009. This paper addresses the following crucial question: What is the impact of Chinese investment on Taiwan's high-technology industrial development? Two further questions immediately follow: Will Chinese investment put Taiwanese industrial development at risk? Will an influx of Chinese investment lead to a turning point for Taiwanese industry? The paper first reviews Chinese investment in Taiwan under the framework of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and then explains why we have chosen to focus here on the high-technology industry in Taiwan. It then outlines the main elements of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) before seeking to answer the above research questions. Fieldwork for this paper was conducted from December 2014 to March 2016. Interviewees include Chinese investors, along with consultants from a Taiwanese institute created to promote industrial development.
Moving beyond “China in Africa”: Insights from Zambian Immigration Data
Authors: Postel Hannah
Published: February 2019

China's growing presence in Africa is not news: the expansion of bilateral trade and investment ties has garnered intense media and political focus over the past decade. However, less is known about the people accompanying these increasingly intensive flows of goods and capital. This paper focuses on Zambia, drawing on multiple primary datasets to shed light on both the scale and nature of Chinese migration to the continent. Two years of Department of Immigration employment-permit data serve as the basis for the first quantitative analysis of the “Chinese” in “Africa,” illuminating the increasing diversity of this population flow. While the growing Chinese presence in Africa is often viewed as a coherent neocolonialist strategy planned and implemented by the Chinese state, this paper demonstrates that it is in fact typified by a multitude of both public and private actors with independent motives.
Superfluous, Mischievous or Emancipating? Thailand's Evolving Senate Today
Authors: Chambers Paul
Published: February 2019

In Thailand's emerging democracy, the Senate has played an often underestimated role. This study analyzes Thailand's Upper House, examining its historical evolution until 2009. In particular, it focuses on the following questions. What innovations did the 1997 Constitution bring to the Senate? How and why was the Senate adjusted under the 2007 constitution? The study further reviews the Senate elections of 2000 and 2006 as well as the election/ selection of 2008. Finally, it postulates as to the continued significance of an Upper House in Thailand and offers recommendations for the future course of Thailand's developing Senate.
Burma/ Myanmar: Challenges of a Ceasefire Accord in Karen State
Authors: Core Paul
Published: February 2019

Burma (Myanmar) has seen some of the longest-running insurgencies in the world, which have had a devastating effect on local populations and the country as a whole. While the Karen National Union (KNU), which has fought successive Burmese governments since 1949, is in a critical phase of its life, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KPC) is experiencing life under a ceasefire accord with the Burmese government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Major challenges have occurred since the ceasefire and future developments are uncertain. Like all ceasefire groups in the country, the KPC has come under immense pressure to follow the government's “seven-step road map” to democracy, compete in the 2010 elections, and transform its troops into a border guard force under the control of the Burmese military or face disarmament. This article seeks to provide some insights into a ceasefire group, to analyse the failures and successes of the ceasefire accord, and to outline future challenges to the country.
Community Building at the Time of Nargis: The ASEAN Response
Authors: Amador Julio Santiag
Published: February 2019

Cyclone Nargis was one of the most powerful disasters to hit Myanmar and Southeast Asia. Myanmar was criticized internationally for its allegedly slow effort in allowing international aid to enter into the country. This paper examines the criticism levelled against the ASEAN for its slow response in providing aid to the beleaguered in Myanmar and relates that criticism to ASEAN's disaster management policy. It focuses on ASEAN's engagement with Myanmar in order to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the country. The paper suggests that in time ASEAN will have to move from its doctrine of non-intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state to one of non-indifference if it wishes to remain relevant. Ultimately, ASEAN will have to re-evaluate its own goals in order to be a more successful apparatus for interstate and regional affairs, especially with respect to humanitarian crises brought about by natural disasters.
The MoA-AD Debacle – An Analysis of Individuals’ Voices, Provincial Propaganda and National Disinterest
Authors: Williams Timothy
Published: February 2019

For nearly forty years a violent conflict has been raging in Mindanao where the Moros are fighting for independence from the Philippine state. On August 5th 2008 the peace negotiation panels of the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were set to sign a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD), a final stepping stone on the way to a comprehensive peace agreement. However, a well-organised wave of protest swept from Christian settlers in Mindanao to the Supreme Court in Manila which declared the agreement unconstitutional. This paper presents a chronology of events surrounding the debate, analyses the arguments used in support and opposition of the MoA-AD and searches for causes of its demise, before looking at lessons to be learned for the future, especially regarding what President Arroyo can achieve before leaving office this year and what will be left to her successor.
ASEAN and Strategic Rivalry among the Great Powers in Asia
Authors: Egberink Fenna , van der Putten Frans-Paul
Published: February 2019

This paper looks at ASEAN's role in the context of the three main bilateral relations among the great powers in Asia: China-US, China-Japan, and China-India. The authors argue that although ASEAN's influence is limited in terms of geographical reach and its impact on actual security issues, Southeast Asia is potentially an important object of great power rivalry and thus the sub-region is highly relevant to Asian geopolitics. The key question with regard to geopolitical stability is how ASEAN will deal with increased great power rivalries in its own sub-region.
Indonesian Political Islam: Capitalist Development and the Legacies of the Cold War
Authors: Hadiz Vedi R.
Published: February 2019

This article explores the genesis of Indonesian political Islam and its interactions with the nationalist secular state in the immediate post-colonial era while examining some of the origins of the ‘radical’ stream that has garnered much attention in the current post-authoritarian period. It puts forward the idea that, rather than an outcome of Indonesian democratisation, this stream was in fact the product of authoritarian New Order rule. The article also considers some parallels in the trajectories of political Islam more generally in Indonesia, the Middle East and North Africa, especially as a kind of populist response to the tensions and contradictions of global capitalism. It addresses the city of Surakarta (Solo) as a case study and highlights the importance of Cold War politics in moulding political Islam in Indonesia and elsewhere. The approach emphasises historical and sociological factors shaping political Islam that have tended to be relegated to the background in prevalent security-oriented analyses concerned with issues of terrorism and violence.
Indonesian Perceptions and Attitudes toward the ASEAN Community
Authors: Benny Guido , Abdullah Kamarulnizam
Published: February 2019

The major criticism of the ASEAN Community idea is its elitist approaches. It lacks the most crucial components that have brought about the success of other similar regional organizations such as the European Union (EU): the involvement of the general public in the formation process. This study, therefore, analyses to what extent the Indonesian public understands and perceives the proposed regional community idea. By using statistical tests, the study accesses several interlinked factors such as knowledge about the ASEAN Community concept, perception of the process of establishment of the regional community, and perceived achievement of ASEAN as a regional organization to understand the Indonesian public's attitude. The study found that despite Indonesian respondents’ relative lack of knowledge on the proposed formation of the ASEAN Community, they are indeed supportive of the idea. They also show some support for the proposed creation of the regional community under its three core pillars, namely the Security Community, Economic Community, and Socio-Cultural Community. Furthermore, the Indonesian respondents also perceive that the formation of the community would be beneficial not only to their country, but also to the society and economy.
Reconciling Trade and Environmental Protection in ASEAN-China Relations: More than Political Window Dressing?
Authors: Dosch Jörn
Published: February 2019

Has the growing pro-environment rhetoric in ASEAN-China relations resulted in the effective mainstreaming of environmental issue into trade agreements and multilateral cooperation frameworks? The article discusses the cases of the ASEAN China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and argues that there is no shortage of national and regional policy agendas that visibly link trade growth and environmental considerations. However, this nexus is still a weak one in terms of implementation and effectiveness. The most promising initiatives towards an effective reconciliation of trade growth and environmental sustainability are promoted and often driven by foreign donors, most prominently the European Union (EU).
Multiplicity within Singularity: Racial Categorization and Recognizing “Mixed Race” in Singapore
Authors: Rocha Zarine L.
Published: February 2019

“Race” and racial categories play a significant role in everyday life and state organization in Singapore. While multiplicity and diversity are important characteristics of Singaporean society, Singapore's multiracial ideology is firmly based on separate, racialized groups, leaving little room for racial projects reflecting more complex identifications. This article explores national narratives of race, culture and belonging as they have developed over time, used as a tool for the state, and re-emerging in discourses of hybridity and “double-barrelled” racial identifications. Multiracialism, as a maintained structural feature of Singaporean society, is both challenged and reinforced by new understandings of hybridity and older conceptions of what it means to be “mixed race” in a (post-)colonial society. Tracing the temporal thread of racial categorization through a lens of mixedness, this article places the Singaporean case within emerging work on hybridity and recognition of “mixed race”. It illustrates how state-led understandings of race and “mixed race” describe processes of both continuity and change, with far-reaching practical and ideological impacts.
Burmese Attitude toward Chinese: Portrayal of the Chinese in Contemporary Cultural and Media Works
Authors: Zin Min
Published: February 2019

This paper argues that since at least the mid 1980s, there has been an observable negative attitude among the people of Burma against the Chinese. Such sentiment is not just transient public opinion, but an attitude. The author measures it by studying contemporary cultural and media works as found in legally published expressions, so as to exclude any material rejected by the regime's censors. The causes of such sentiment are various: massive Chinese migration and purchases of real estate (especially in Upper Burma), Chinese money that is inflating the cost of everything, and cultural “intrusion.” The sentiment extends to the military, as well: the article examines a dozen memoirs of former military generals and finds that Burma's generals do not trust the Chinese, a legacy of China's interference in Burma's civil war until the 1980s. The public outcry over the Myitsone dam issue, however, was the most significant expression of such sentiment since 1969, when anti-Chinese riots broke out in Burma. The relaxation of media restrictions under the new government has allowed this expression to gather steam and spread throughout the country, especially in private weekly journals that are becoming more outspoken and daring in pushing the boundaries of the state's restrictions.
Elections, Independence, Democracy: The 2012 Timorese Electoral Cycle in Context
Authors: Feijó Rui Graça
Published: February 2019

Timor-Leste rose to independence following a path that included three electoral processes organized under the auspices of the UN and has thus got elections imprinted on its own genetic code. After independence, the responsibility for electoral processes – a key aspect of the sovereignty of the Timorese people – was passed to the nation's authorities, who organized two full rounds of presidential and legislative elections in 2007 and 2012 with the assistance of the international community. This effort constitutes a major element in the process of granting the new regime internal and external legitimacy and at the same time is a response both to citizens’ perception of the political game in order to secure their empowerment and to the call for transparent, internationally acknowledged procedures. Initially, this essay analyses the legal and administrative framework for Timorese elections, bearing these competing requirements in mind. It then focuses on the 2012 elections: first, on the two rounds of presidential elections, including the intricate relationship between presidential candidacies and political parties, and then on the results of the legislative poll, which had a major impact on the political landscape. The final section deals with the challenges that lie ahead for the coming political cycle (2012–2017).
Navigating the Security Dilemma: China, Vietnam, and the South China Sea
Authors: Blazevic Jason J.
Published: February 2019

Competition and conflict in the South China Sea involves many nations due to its resources and vital sea lanes. However, it is China which increasingly serves as a common denominator of intensifying anxiety for its South China Sea maritime neighbours due to the aggressive scope of its claims to the sea and its islands. Among those states, Vietnam is most affected as it is first in the path of Chinese ambitions – ambitions which authorities fear would give China significant tactical military and economic advantage. For China, there are similar fears over threats to the sea lanes and sea bed resources. Leaders of both states also perceive their diplomatic and martial actions in the sea in historical terms as well. However, enforcement actions taken by either state may lead to a worsening security dilemma in which reactive security strategies could dangerously destabilise relations. This article discusses the motivations and strategies of both states as well as the consequences of such and applies realism, its tenets of defensive and offensive realism, and neoliberalism to examine their security concerns and perceptions. The article further proposes that the most valuable insights can be provided by defensive realism and neoliberalism, which together can encourage security, cooperation and conciliation in order to best promote the improvement of relations.
Contributions to Transformative Change in Cambodia: A Study on Returnees as Institutional Entrepreneurs
Authors: Wijers Gea D. M.
Published: February 2019

This paper explores the experiences of Cambodian French returnees who are contributing to transformative change in Cambodia as institutional entrepreneurs. In order to delve into how returnees and their work are perceived in both host and home country, this multi-sited research project was designed as a comparative case study. Data was primarily collected through conversations with individual informants from the Lyonnese and Parisian Cambodian community as well as selected key informants in Phnom Penh. Excerpts of case studies are presented and discussed to illustrate the history, context and situation of their return as these influence their institutional entrepreneurial activities and the ways in which they use their transnational social networks as resources. It is argued that the process of return and the initiation of institutional entrepreneurship are best explored through the threefold activities of returnees’ brokering, bargaining and building for transformative change as affected by (trans)national opportunity structures and institutions.
Economic Guidance and Contestation: An Analysis of Thailand's Evolving Trajectory of Development
Authors: Chambers Paul
Published: February 2019

This paper broadly examines the history of Thailand's models of development from the fall of the absolute monarchy in 1932 to the present. It asks two questions: First, what have the models been? How do they interact? And how successful have they been? Second, to what extent has partisanship entered into Thailand's development debate? The paper argues that Thailand's current development strategy has enabled the country to achieve a relative degree of success in achieving economic growth. Nevertheless, Thailand continues to encounter economic problems – felt mostly amongst the lower classes. Moreover, there is today a clash in development models, which is based more on political ideology rather than economic efficiency. As such, development debates in Thailand have become part and parcel of the post-2006 political acrimony which continues to engulf the country.
Negotiating Media ‘Balance’ in Malaysia's 2013 General Election
Authors: Tapsell Ross
Published: February 2019

This article will discuss recent trends in Malaysia's media surrounding the 2013 general election (GE13). It will argue that the GE13 produced two important trends in the media industry. First, there was increased political-party participation in social media, citizen journalism and blogging. In fact, it practically led to a ‘cyberwar’ between political parties, making the realm of the online and social media increasingly polarised and partisan. Second, many mainstream media outlets in Malaysia successfully pursued a platform of more ‘balanced’ coverage, suggesting an increased space of negotiation and contestation amongst the previously muzzled print, television and radio industry. This article will conclude with an assessment of the future trends in the media industry in Malaysia post GE13.
The Malaysian General Elections of 2013: The Last Attempt at Secular-inclusive Nation-building?
Authors: Noor Farish A.
Published: February 2019

This paper looks at the Malaysian General Election campaign of 2013, and focuses primarily on the 1Malaysia project that was foregrounded by the administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak. It compares the 1Malaysia project with other projects aimed at nation-building, such as the Wawasan 2020 project of former Prime Minister Mahathir and the Islam Hadari project of former Prime Minister Badawi; and asks if 1Malaysia was truly an attempt at building a sense of Malaysian nationhood based on universal citizenship regardless of race or religion; and it also considers the response to the 1Malaysia project that came from the opposition parties of the country. Malaysia has experienced a steady process of islamisation that dates back to the Mahathir era, and the question of whether the political domain of Malaysia has been overcome by religious-communitarian markers and values will be raised in the paper as well.
Overseas Voter Mobilisation in Singapore: Implications from Malaysia's 13th General Election
Authors: Gomez James , Omar Rusdi
Published: February 2019

This paper discusses voter mobilisation and other election-related activities of Malaysian voters living, studying and working in Singapore in the context of Malaysia's 13th general election (GE13). According to the World Bank, nearly 400,000 Malaysians reside in the city-state. Thus these figures represent a significant Malaysian voter pool based in Singapore. Efforts to mobilise these voters for general elections or other causes have political implications for both countries, which became apparent following Singapore-based Malaysians’ activities to encourage Malaysians to return home to cast their votes during the 13th general election. Singapore's strict public assembly laws led to several legal issues related to the voter mobilisation and election campaign activities undertaken by Malaysians in the city-state. These legal issues became a source of friction between the two countries during the elections as government leaders and authorities on both sides of the causeway accused the other of interfering in domestic political matters. Given the growing number of Malaysians in Singapore and the likely repeat of Malaysian voter mobilisation activities in Singapore in the run-up to the fourteenth general election (GE14) in 2018, issues related to the election activities of Malaysian voters in Singapore stand to be another set of factors that will shape the health of bilateral relations between these two countries.
Child-raising, Childbirth and Abortion In Extremis: Women's Stories of Caring for and Losing Children during the Violence of 1965–1966 in Indonesia
Authors: Pohlman Annie
Published: February 2019

In this paper I examine women survivors’ stories about childbirth and child-raising during the period of mass violence following Indonesia's 1965 coup, as well as some accounts of abortion during detention. The focus of my research is not on children's experiences per se but rather on women survivors’ accounts about what happened to their children. I discuss various aspects of these experiences, including: being pregnant and giving birth; caring for children in and outside detention; the harm and abuse of children; losing children; and forced abortions. These stories reveal much about how women cared for and lost children as well as about what happened to children during the violence of 1965. I argue that examining these experiences must therefore also be central to understanding how women and their children survived and coped with the mass violence of 1965–1966. I also argue that these stories of caring for children, as well as of how children were harmed or lost, were fundamental parts of many women's testimonies.
Timor-Leste's Foreign Policy: Securing State Identity in the Post-Independence Period
Authors: Sahin Selver B.
Published: February 2019

This paper examines some of the major ideational aspects of Timor-Leste's foreign policy orientation in the post-independence period. Drawing upon the constructivist accounts of state behaviour, the paper situates Timorese leaders’ foreign policy decisions in the broader context of their search to position the fledging nation in the global political order. It argues that Timor-Leste's insecure state identity has shaped its leaders’ foreign policy preferences in the post-independence period. This identity can be examined by separating it into two parts: the construction of spatial boundaries and the creation of a temporal “other”. The former is evidenced by the leadership's rhetorical emphasis on the country's Portuguese heritage and their prioritisation of ASEAN membership, both of which are closely related to the consolidation of the young nation's political and cultural identity. The creation of a temporal other, as illustrated by the rise of political discourse emphasising sovereignty, reflects a wider transitional process that is embedded in the country's transformation from colony to independent state under international supervision as well as the state's transformation from “fragile” or “failing” to “stable”. A detailed analysis of the basic aspects of Timor-Leste's insecurities as a constitutive element of its foreign policy becomes instrumental to understanding the country's nation-state-building experience since its separation from Indonesia in 1999, as it enters a new phase of socio-political structuring following the withdrawal of the international security presence in 2012.
Evaluating Competing “Democratic” Discourses: The Impact on Human Rights Protection in Southeast Asia
Authors: Gomez James , Ramcharan Robin
Published: February 2019

This paper evaluates the impact of competing “democratic” discourses on human rights protection in Southeast Asia. The authors identify three key discourses emanating from a set of national governmental policies, advocacy positions promoted by both global and local civil society and international standards and procedures adopted by members of inter-governmental organisations. These discourses, the authors argue, are collectively shaping the emerging ASEAN inter-governmental human rights regime. The political impact of these competing “democratic” discourses and their complex interactions bring a cultural dimension to regional human rights. The authors argue that observers seeking to understand the emergence of norms, the establishment of institutions and their capacity to collectively protect regional human rights, need to understand these competing discourses.
Knowledge Cluster Formation as a Science Policy in Malaysia: Lessons Learned
Authors: Evers Hans-Dieter , Gerke Solvay
Published: February 2019

Regional science policy aims to create productive knowledge clusters, which are central places within an epistemic landscape of knowledge production and dissemination. These so-called K-clusters are said to have the organisational capability to drive innovations and create new industries. Many governments have used cluster formation as one of their development strategies. This paper looks at Malaysia's path towards a knowledge-based economy and offers some evidence on the current state of knowledge cluster formation in that country. If the formation of a knowledge cluster has been the government policy, what has been the result? Is there an epistemic landscape of knowledge clusters? Has the main knowledge cluster really materialised? Data collected from websites, directories, government publications and expert interviews have enabled us to construct the epistemic landscape of Peninsular Malaysia, and Penang in particular. We identify and describe several knowledge clusters with a high density of knowledge producing institutions and their knowledge workers. An analysis of the knowledge output, measured in terms of scientific publications, patents and trademarks, shows that knowledge clusters have indeed been productive – as predicted by cluster theory – although the internal working of clusters require further explanation.
Duterte's Resurgent Nationalism in the Philippines: A Discursive Institutionalist Analysis
Authors: Teehankee Julio C.
Published: February 2019

Early in his administration, Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial sixteenth president of the Philippines, did what no other Filipino president has done before – announce a separation from the geopolitical interests of its former colonial master, the United States of America. Beyond the personal slights caused by the US criticism of his anti-drug campaign lies a deeper sense of historical grievance that has been ingrained in Duterte's generation and his identity as a Mindanaoan. Not only does he represent Mindanao's resentment towards “imperial Manila,” but also a historical blowback against “US imperialism.” Duterte's nationalist exhortations can be traced to the cycle of regime narratives in the Philippines, which serves as a medium for institutional continuity and change through the mobilisation of ideas at a discursive level. By reviving the anti-US nationalism of his youth, Duterte is repudiating the liberal reformist, albeit elitist, narrative of the Aquino-to-Aquino regimes. Duterte's so-called “pivot to China” is also a dramatic reversal of his predecessors’ strong anti-China and rabidly pro-American foreign policy position. This paper blends Vivien A. Schmidt's discursive institutional analytical framework with Stephen Skowronek's concept of presidential leadership in political time to analyse how crafted narratives are transformed into governance scripts that bind together a coalition of interests within a particular institutional setting.
A Strategy of Attrition through Enforcement: The Unmaking of Irregular Migration in Malaysia
Authors: Chin Low Choo
Published: February 2019

This article reviews Malaysia's attempt to achieve zero migration irregularity by focusing on workplace enforcement, and examines how Malaysia's migration control has become a struggle between the state and employers. Applying the framework of “enforcement through attrition,” this research examines three newly introduced principles governing workplace enforcement: employer sanctions, the Strict Liability Principle, and the Employers’ Mandatory Commitment. The shift to employers in Malaysia's attrition landscape aims to control illegal employment, thereby frustrating the friendly environment to affect migrants’ behaviour. The Malaysian experience suggests that increasing legal consequences for employers hiring undocumented workers runs parallel with making them accountable for the welfare of their foreign workers, thus ensuring better protection of migrant rights. Drawing upon data from semi-structured interviews, government documents, regulations and online news media, this paper empirically analyses the new policy's effects and implications. The findings suggest this deterrence model has a positive effect on the existing documented migrants, demonstrating an increase in both legal employment and in wages for the existing legal migrant workforce.
Synthesis and anti-human immunodeficiency virus activity of substituted (o,o-difluorophenyl)-linked-pyrimidines as potent non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
Authors: Čechová Lucie , Dejmek Milan , Baszczyňski Ondřej , Šaman David , Gao Liping , Hu Eric , Stepan George , Jansa Petr , Janeba Zlatko , Šimon Petr
Published: February 2019

With the worldwide number of human immunodeficiency virus positive patients stagnant and the increasing emergence of viral strains resistant to current treatment, the development of novel anti-human immunodeficiency virus drug candidates is a perpetual quest of medicinal chemists. Herein, we report a novel group of diarylpyrimidines, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, which represents an important class of current anti-human immunodeficiency virus therapy. Series of diarylpyrimidines containing o, o-difluorophenyl (A-arm), 4-cyanophenylamino (B-arm), and a small substituent (e.g. NH2, OMe) at positions 2, 4, and 6 of the pyrimidine ring were prepared. The A-arm was modified in the para position (F or OMe) and linked to the central pyrimidine core with a variable spacer (CO, O, NH). Antiviral activities of 20 compounds were measured against wild type human immunodeficiency virus-1 and mutant reverse transcriptase strains (K103N, Y181C) using a cytoprotection assay. To the most promising structural motives belong the o, o-difluoro- p-methoxy A-arm in position 4, and the amino group in position 6 of pyrimidine. Single digit nanomolar activities with no significant toxicity (CC50 > 17,000 nM) were found for compounds 35 (EC50 = 2 nM), 37 (EC50 = 3 nM), and 13 (EC50 = 4 nM) having O, NH, and CO linkers, respectively.
Use of wearable sensors for pregnancy health and environmental monitoring: Descriptive findings from the perspective of patients and providers
Authors: Runkle Jennifer , Sugg Maggie , Boase Danielle , Galvin Shelley L. , C. Coulson Carol
Published: February 2019

Background

Wearable sensors and other smart technology may be especially beneficial in providing remote monitoring of sub-clinical changes in pregnancy health status. Yet, limited research has examined perceptions among pregnant patients and providers in incorporating smart technology into their daily routine and clinical practice.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of pregnant women and their providers at a rural health clinic on the use of wearable technology to monitor health and environmental exposures during pregnancy.

Methods

An anonymous 21-item e-survey was administered to family medicine or obstetrics and gynecology ( n=28) providers at a rural health clinic; while a 21-item paper survey was administered to pregnant women ( n=103) attending the clinic for prenatal care.

Results

Smartphone and digital technology use was high among patients and providers. Patients would consider wearing a mobile sensor during pregnancy, reported no privacy concerns, and felt comfortable sharing information from these devices with their physician. About seven out of 10 women expressed willingness to change their behavior during pregnancy in response to receiving personalized recommendations from a smartphone. While most providers did not currently use smart technologies in their medical practice, about half felt it will be used more often in the future to diagnose and remotely monitor patients. Patients ranked fetal heart rate and blood pressure as their top preference for health monitoring compared to physicians who ranked blood pressure and blood glucose. Patients and providers demonstrated similar preferences for environmental monitoring, but patients as a whole expressed more interests in tracking environmental measures compared to their providers.

Conclusions

Patients and providers responded positively to the use of wearable sensor technology in prenatal care. More research is needed to understand what factors might motivate provider use and implementation of wearable technology to improve the delivery of prenatal care.
Effects of different vibration frequencies, amplitudes and contraction levels on lower limb muscles during graded isometric contractions superimposed on whole body vibration stimulation
Authors: Pujari Amit N , Neilson Richard D , Cardinale Marco
Published: February 2019

Background

Indirect vibration stimulation, i.e., whole body vibration or upper limb vibration, has been investigated increasingly as an exercise intervention for rehabilitation applications. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effects of graded isometric contractions superimposed on whole body vibration stimulation. Hence, the objective of this study was to quantify and analyse the effects of variations in the vibration parameters and contraction levels on the neuromuscular responses to isometric exercise superimposed on whole body vibration stimulation.

Methods

In this study, we assessed the ‘neuromuscular effects’ of graded isometric contractions, of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of maximum voluntary contraction, superimposed on whole body vibration stimulation (V) and control (C), i.e., no-vibration in 12 healthy volunteers. Vibration stimuli tested were 30 Hz and 50 Hz frequencies and 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm amplitude. Surface electromyographic activity of the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and biceps femoris were measured during V and C conditions with electromyographic root mean square and electromyographic mean frequency values used to quantify muscle activity and their fatigue levels, respectively.

Results

Both the prime mover (vastus lateralis) and the antagonist (biceps femoris) displayed significantly higher (P < 0.05) electromyographic activity with the V than the C condition with varying percentage increases in EMG root-mean-square (EMGrms) values ranging from 20% to 200%. For both the vastus lateralis and biceps femoris, the increase in mean EMGrms values depended on the frequency, amplitude and muscle contraction level with 50 Hz–0.5 mm stimulation inducing the largest neuromuscular activity.

Conclusions

These results show that the isometric contraction superimposed on vibration stimulation leads to higher neuromuscular activity compared to isometric contraction alone in the lower limbs. The combination of the vibration frequency with the amplitude and the muscle tension together grades the final neuromuscular output.
Preparation of azobenzene-intercalated kaolinite and monitoring of the photoinduced activity
Authors: Koteja Anna , Matusik Jakub
Published: February 2019

Systems consisting of layered structures and photoactive molecules have been studied extensively. The structures of resulting complexes may be controlled by UV–Vis radiation, which subsequently affects their materials properties. This study describes a synthesis route for obtaining a photoresponsive kaolinite intercalation compound. The material was prepared by co-intercalating azobenzene and benzylalkylammonium chlorides into a methoxy form of kaolinite. The resultant materials possessed large basal spacing values in the range of 45–55 Å. The UV–Vis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses confirmed the reversible photoisomerization of azobenzene upon exposure to UV and Vis radiation. This phenomenon was significantly influenced by the type and amount of co-intercalated molecules. Upon multiple trans–cis conversions, the azobenzene partially evaporated. For the first time, a kaolinite-based material was prepared that exhibited photochromic behaviour upon UV and Vis irradiation.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in the Female Athlete
Authors: Louis-Charles Kaina , Biggie Kristin , Wolfinbarger Ainsly , Wilcox Becky , Kienstra Carolyn M.
Published: February 2019

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a term used to describe a variety of disorders involving moderate to severe impairment of the pelvic floor muscles. It can be divided into two broad categories. Relaxing PFD is more common, presenting with urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, or pelvic organ prolapse. Nonrelaxing PFD symptoms include impaired ability to evacuate urine or stool, sexual dysfunction, and pelvic pain. Unfamiliarity with this diagnosis among medical providers along with nonspecific symptoms often lead to a delayed or missed diagnosis for patients. Here, we present the case of a collegiate soccer player with PFD to illustrate the severity of presentation and progression of this disorder. We review the current literature regarding nonrelaxing PFD and all types of PFD in female athletes to raise awareness and recognition of this condition.
Does functional specialization of ribosomes really exist?
Authors: Ferretti Max B. , Karbstein Katrin
Published: February 2019

It has recently become clear that ribosomes are much more heterogeneous than previously thought, with diversity arising from rRNA sequence and modifications, ribosomal protein (RP) content and posttranslational modifications (PTMs), as well as bound nonribosomal proteins. In some cases, the existence of these diverse ribosome populations has been verified by biochemical or structural methods. Furthermore, knockout or knockdown of RPs can diversify ribosome populations, while also affecting the translation of some mRNAs (but not others) with biological consequences. However, the effects on translation arising from depletion of diverse proteins can be highly similar, suggesting that there may be a more general defect in ribosome function or stability, perhaps arising from reduced ribosome numbers. Consistently, overall reduced ribosome numbers can differentially affect subclasses of mRNAs, necessitating controls for specificity. Moreover, in order to study the functional consequences of ribosome diversity, perturbations including affinity tags and knockouts are introduced, which can also affect the outcome of the experiment. Here we review the available literature to carefully evaluate whether the published data support functional diversification, defined as diverse ribosome populations differentially affecting translation of distinct mRNA (classes). Based on these observations and the commonly observed cellular responses to perturbations in the system, we suggest a set of important controls to validate functional diversity, which should include gain-of-function assays and the demonstration of inducibility under physiological conditions.
Using Definitions to Provoke Deep Explorations into the Nature of Leadership
Authors: Raffo Deana M. , Clark Leigh A.
Published: February 2019

Leadership is filled with concepts that often do not have an agreed upon definition. The purpose of this paper is to share a learning activity that provokes students’ thinking about the nature of leadership using six leadership definitions. This activity is a dynamic starting place to explore what leadership is and is not, how it differs from management, a historical perspective of leadership, and students’ diverse perspectives about leadership. This activity is a straightforward, critical thinking exercise that offers a conduit to a deeper understanding that how we define leadership says something about what we value in a leader. We suggest modifications to this definitional exercise and discuss how to use it in different teaching environments.
The Differential Effects of High School and Collegiate Student Organization Involvement on Adolescent Leader Development
Authors: Rosch David M. , Nelson Nicole E.
Published: February 2019

We examined the relationship between high school and collegiate organizational involvement and their differential and collective effects on the development of leader self- efficacy, motivation to lead and leadership skill. Our goal was to better understand how the student leader development process unfolds at different points in time over young adulthood. The study investigated members of registered student organizations (n=757) during the Fall 2016 semester. Results of the study indicated strong developmental relationships between past high school involvement, current collegiate involvement and leader capacity change. Positional leadership and students’ priority placed on their involvement during high school were predictive of leader skill and self-efficacy, while in college, only mental and physical engagement in organizations predicted leader development.
International Student Involvement: Leading Away from Home
Authors: Georges Sky V. , Chen Huan
Published: February 2019

International students develop perceptions about leadership based on cultural practices in their home country. What is the leadership experience of international students in the United States? This study sought to describe the lived leadership experiences of international graduate students. A total of 17 participants, from 11 different countries were recruited for face-to-face in- depth interviews. The participants were enrolled in a large public university and served in a formal leadership position on campus. Four themes emerged concerning graduate students’ leadership experience with leadership and were categorized as: (1) contextually challenging; (2) essential; (3) task and people oriented, and; (4) rewarding. Recommendations are made for campus personnel and leadership educators who support international students.