The Impact of Colonialism on 19th and Early 20th Century China

This essay attempts to critically analyze the overall impact of colonialism on 19th and early 20th century China. Analysis has been done primarily in the context of modernization theory and world-systems theory in order to get the contrasting views at two extreme levels. In addition, the liberal market approach has also been used to balance the two extremes. It has been noted that several positive influences of colonialism on the Chinese economy and society remained limited within a small area only. Contrarily, the most devastating impact of colonialism had been on the Qing state. The forceful imperialist invasion dealt a major blow to its overall capacity to lead China as a united nation towards prosperity. In summary, this essay argues in favor of an overarching negative impact of colonialism on China

China’s Current Role in Global Economic Governance: Pushing for Gradual Changes by Remaining within the System

Once the alienated economy, China is now well integrated with the rest of the world. The country recognizes the growing importance of global economic governance. In fact, it is now almost impossible to ensure effective and meaningful global economic governance without ensuring China’s active participation. This article critically evaluates Chinese views of global economic governance and then tries to ascertain how the country has been participating in the process. The article argues that domestic development priorities play very important role in shaping China’s global behavior pattern. It further argues that be it in the G20, in multilateral financial institutions or in the WTO, China has been following the prudent strategy of remaining within the system in order to influence gradual changes in global economic governance. It does not want to follow its strategy of alienation any more like it did earlier, between the 1950s and late 1970s

Effectiveness of the Chinese Communist Party’s Anti-corruption Institutions and Policies: A Critical Review

The intensity of corruption in China has been progressively high since the 1980s. This seriously undermines the overall effectiveness of Chinese anti-corruption institutions and policies. This article argues that the existing anti-corruption measures in China have not been working properly to eliminate or even contain the problem at an acceptable level. It seems that something has been holding it back somewhere. This article argues that China badly needs, inter alia, a sincere demonstration of ‘political will’ from the top coupled with the introduction of ‘rule of law’ in the country. Without these two important elements, it will probably be quite difficult for China to achieve an effective anti-corruption mechanism

Habitat, ecology, and venom variation of cobras (genus Naja) and other venomous snakes of Bangladesh

Im Fokus dieser Dissertation steht die Zerstörung des Lebensraumes von Schlangen durch anthropogene Einflüsse im Zusammenhang mit dem Auftreten von Schlangenbissen bei Menschen. Zum Schutz der Schlangen und dem Problem der Schlangenbisse wurden vier wesentliche Anforderungen erarbeitet. Mit Hilfe eines Artenverteilungsmodells wurden die ökologischen Nischen von 29 Giftschlangenarten aus Bangladesch und von zehn Kobraarten (Naja) aus Asien ermittelt. Auf lokaler Ebene wurde festgestellt, dass Überschwemmungen, Waldtypen, Ökosysteme und klimatische Parameter das Verbreitungsgebiet der Schlangenarten in Bangladesch beeinflussen. Auf regionaler Ebene sind anthropogene Faktoren wie die Zerstörung von Schlangenlebensräumen, Handel, Ausbeutung und Tötung von Schlangen wahrscheinlich die Hauptursachen für den Rückgang der Populationen der asiatischen Naja. Auf beiden Ebenen führt der Klimawandel zu einer Verkleinerung der ökologischen Nischen von Schlangenarten in Bangladesch und Asien. In Bangladesch könnten die untersuchten Arten innerhalb der nächsten 50 Jahre mehr als 90 % ihren derzeitigen Lebensraum verlieren (Asiatische Naja durchschnittlich 56 % (12 bis 100 %)). Wenn günstige Nischen nicht erhalten werden können, könnten viele Schlangenarten in einigen Ländern Asiens, darunter Bangladesch, in wenigen Jahrzehnten aussterben. Darüber hinaus wurde in der vorliegenden Studie geschätzt, dass die Zahl der jährlichen Schlangenbisse in Bangladesch mehr als doppelt so hoch sein könnte wie bisher angenommen. Da der Klimawandel zu einer geografischen Verschiebung günstiger Nischen führen kann, kann sich diese Veränderung auch auf die Häufigkeit von Schlangenbissen auswirken. Bei der Analyse von Giftvariationen und der Wirksamkeit von Antivenomen wurde festgestellt, dass isolierte Populationen deutliche intraspezifischere Giftvariationen zeigen.Snakes are threatened by habitat degradation and anthropogenic impacts, while accidental encounters between humans and snakes may result in snakebite incidents. Thus, the conservation of snakes snakebite problem, a global public health emergency, are interconnected. I found four primary needs for a combined solution to satisfy both above causes. A species distribution model was employed to identify the ecological niches of 29 venomous snake species from Bangladesh and of ten cobra species (Naja) from Asia. At the local scale, flood events, forest types, ecosystems, and climatic parameters were found to shape the range of snake species in Bangladesh. At the regional scale, anthropogenic factors, like snake habitat destruction, trade, exploitation, and snake killings are likely to be the main causes for the decrease in populations of Asian Naja. At both levels, climate change causes shrinking and fragmenting the ecological niches of snake species in Bangladesh and Asia. In Bangladesh, the studied species may lose more than 90% of their current climatic niche within the next 50 years. In the same timeframe, Asiatic Naja may lose an average of 56% (12- 100%) of the area of suitable climatic niches. If favourable niches cannot be preserved, many snake species might go extinct from several countries in Asia in a few decades, including Bangladesh. In addition, the present study estimated that there might be more than double the amount of annual snakebite incidents in Bangladesh than previously estimated. As climate change may cause geographical shifting of favourable niches, this change may also have consequences for the frequency of snakebites, so snakebite should be considered a climate driven dynamic public health problem. While analysing venom variations and the efficacy of antivenom, I found that venom should be sampled from geographically or ecologically isolated populations of each venomous snake, because isolated populations have shown distinct intraspecific venom variations

Pemetaan Potensi Ekonomi Sektoral dan Estimasi Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Kabupaten Pamekasan

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui klasifikasi pertumbuhan sektor perekonomian wilayah Kabupaten Pamekasan; dan mengetahui sektor-sektor basis dan sektor unggulan di Kabupaten Pamekasan. Pendekatan kuantitatif pada penelitian ini dilakukan dengan analisis, Location Quotient dan Shift Share, dan Tipology Klassen. Hasil penelitian menyimpulkan sektor yang masuk dalam kategori unggulan dengan kriteria tergolong sektor maju dan tumbuh dengan pesat, sektor basis dan kompetitif, serta kontribusinya yang besar terhadap pembentukan PDRB Kabupaten Pamekasan, yaitu sektor perdagangan besar dan eceran, reparasi mobil, dan speda motor. Sedangkan sub sektor perdagangan besar dan eceran, reparasi mobil, dan sepeda motor yang potensial untuk dikembangkan sebagai sub sektor unggulan, yaitu sub perdagangan besar dan eceran

Climate change and the increase of human population will threaten conservation of Asian cobras

Asian cobras (genus Naja) are venomous snakes distributed from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Because cobras often live near humans settlements, they are responsible for a large part of snakebite incidents and as such pose a challenge for public health systems. In the light of growing human populations, correctly mapping the present and future ranges of Asian cobras is therefore important for both biological conservation and public health management. Here, we mapped the potential climatic niches of ten Asian cobra species for both the present and the future, with the aim to quantify changes in climate and human population densities relative to their current and future ranges. Our analyses reveal that cobras that are adapted to dry climates and inhabit islands have narrow climatic niches, while those of mainland species with larger geographic ranges are much wider. We also found a higher degree of fragmentation of future cobra distributions; within the next 50 years, Asian cobras will lose an average of around 60% of their current suitable climatic range. In the near future, Naja mandalayensis, N. sputatrix, N. samarensis, and N. philippinensis are likely to have no accessible suitable climate space left. Besides, a further increase of human populations in this region may also exponentially accelerate the effects of anthropogenic impacts. Solutions for conservation may involve awareness and appropriate use of law to overcome the rate of habitat degradation and the increase of animal trade of Asian cobras, while promoting investment on health systems to avoid snakebite fatalities.German Academic Exchange ServiceEuropean Research CouncilMuseum für Naturkunde – Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung (3498)Peer Reviewe

PERENCANAAN KEBIJAKAN INVESTASI DALAM PERCEPATAN PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI KABUPATEN PACITAN

ABSTRAKJawa Timur merupakan wilayah strategis dan memiliki kontribusi perekonomian yang signifikan terhadap perekonomian Nasional dan menjadi salah satu pusat pertumbuhan Nasional yang memiliki tingkat pertumbuhan ekonomi yang relatif sama dibandingkan dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi Nasional. Pertumbuhan ekonomi tersebut diperbandingkan menurut wilayah utara dan selatan Jawa Timur, dapat diketahui bahwa pertumbuhan ekonomi wilayah utara meliputi: Tuban, Lamongan, Gresik, Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Probolinggo dan Situbondo lebih besar kontribusi peertumbuhannya terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi Jawa Timur jika dibandingkan dengan wilayah selatan yang meliputi: Pacitan, Trenggalek, Tulungagung, Blitar, Malang, Lumajang, Jember dan Pacitan. Kondisi fisik dan topografi Kabupaten Pacitan yang terdiri dari daerah pegunungan, perbukitan, dan wilayah pantai (laut) menyimpan banyak potensi di beberapa sektor ekonomi, tetapi pengembangan wilayahnya masih tertinggal dari Kabupaten-Kabupaten lain di Jawa Timur. Hal tersebut tercermin dari PDRB perkapita Kabupaten Pacitan selama ini selalu menempati urutan terakhir di Provinsi Jawa Timur, yang berarti memiliki keterlambatan pertumbuhan.Perencanaan kebijakan investasi yang di dasarkan pada potensi wilayah guna mempercepat pertumbuhan ekonomi Kabupaten Pacitan yang berimplikasi terhadap penurunan tingkat disparitas wilayah di Jawa Timur. Untuk mendukung kegiatan di atas dan dalam rangka meningkatkan investasi di Kabupaten Pacitan, perlu adanya kajian terkait Potensi Ekonomi dan Perencanaan Kebijakan Percepatan Investasi Dalam Rangka Meningkatkan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi di Kabupaten Pacitan.Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah alasisis LQ, analisis Shift-share, analisis Tipologi Klasen yang digunakan untuk memetakan dan mengidentifikasikan faktor potensi ekonomi di wilayah kabupaten Pacitan sehingga mencapai penyusunan konsep kebijakan investasi.Kata Kunci : Potensi Ekonomi, Investasi, Kabupaten Pacitan. DOI : https://doi.org/10.33005/jdg.v9i2.167

Climate change and the increase of human population will threaten conservation of Asian cobras

Asian cobras (genus Naja) are venomous snakes distributed from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Because cobras often live near humans settlements, they are responsible for a large part of snakebite incidents and as such pose a challenge for public health systems. In the light of growing human populations, correctly mapping the present and future ranges of Asian cobras is therefore important for both biological conservation and public health management. Here, we mapped the potential climatic niches of ten Asian cobra species for both the present and the future, with the aim to quantify changes in climate and human population densities relative to their current and future ranges. Our analyses reveal that cobras that are adapted to dry climates and inhabit islands have narrow climatic niches, while those of mainland species with larger geographic ranges are much wider. We also found a higher degree of fragmentation of future cobra distributions; within the next 50 years, Asian cobras will lose an average of around 60% of their current suitable climatic range. In the near future, Naja mandalayensis, N. sputatrix, N. samarensis, and N. philippinensis are likely to have no accessible suitable climate space left. Besides, a further increase of human populations in this region may also exponentially accelerate the effects of anthropogenic impacts. Solutions for conservation may involve awareness and appropriate use of law to overcome the rate of habitat degradation and the increase of animal trade of Asian cobras, while promoting investment on health systems to avoid snakebite fatalities.German Academic Exchange Service | Ref. 9160910

Arsenic Exposure and Age- and Sex-Specific Risk for Skin Lesions: A Population-Based Case–Referent Study in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: The objective of this population-based case–referent study in Matlab, Bangladesh, was to assess the susceptibility to arsenic-induced skin lesions by age and sex, in a population drinking water from As-contaminated tube wells. METHODS: Identification of As-related skin lesions was carried out in three steps: a) screening of the entire population > 4 years of age (n = 166,934) by trained field teams; b) diagnosis of suspected As-related cases by physicians; and c) confirmation by experts based on physicians’ records and photographs. A total of 504 cases with skin lesions were confirmed. We randomly selected 2,201 referents from the Matlab health and demographic surveillance system; 1,955 were eligible, and 1,830 (94%) were available for participation in the study. Individual history of As exposure was based on information obtained during interviews and included all drinking-water sources used since 1970 and concentrations of As (assessed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry) in all the tube wells used. RESULTS: Cases had been exposed to As more than referents (average exposure since 1970: male cases, 200 μg/L; female cases, 211 μg/L; male referents, 143 μg/L; female referents, 155 μg/L). We found a dose–response relationship for both sexes (p < 0.001) and increased risk with increasing socioeconomic status. Males had a higher risk of obtaining skin lesions than females (odds ratio 10.9 vs. 5.78) in the highest average exposure quintile (p = 0.005). Start of As exposure (cumulative exposure) before 1 year of age was not associated with higher risk of obtaining skin lesions compared to start of As exposure later in life. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that males are more susceptible than females to develop skin lesions when exposed to As in water from tube wells