Tufts professors comment on US-China conflict
As China continues to detain the crew of the US Navy surveillance aircraft that collided with a Chinese fighter jet off the Chinese island of Hainan nearly two weeks ago, prominent political analysts and academics are offering their views on the future of US-China relations.At the center of the conflict lies the question of who is to blame for the collision and whether the US should submit to China's demand for a formal public apology.
International law professor Hurst Hannum of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy told The Washington Post last week that the legitimacy of China's detention of the US aircraft and crew depends on whether or not the Chinese F-8 fighter forced the US EP-3 down.
"It's fairly critical," Hannum said. "Once you're in the other country's jurisdiction, you have to look for some reason not to be there" ("US expects return of plane, crew," 4/2).
If the US could prove that the US EP-3 was forced to make an emergency landing as a result of damage inflicted by the Chinese jet fighter, the US would have a legal right to recover its plane and crew, according to Hannum.
Fletcher professor and China specialist Toshi Yoshihara told the Boston Herald yesterday that China's demand for a full apology rather than a statement of regret from the US is a reflection of Chinese culture and traditional thinking.
"If they retracted the demand, it would be seen as a weakness," he said "Apologies and mianzhi, this notion of saving face, is a very important part of everyday Chinese life" ("Local profs: U.S.-China relations won't suffer long term," 4/10).
Gene influences alcohol's apparent health benefits, says Tufts expert
Those who believe that drinking a glass of wine each day helps reduce cholesterol levels and makes for a healthy heart may be in for a surprise. A new study involving Tufts scientist Jose Ordovas found that the effect of moderate alcohol intake on a person's cholesterol varies depends on that person's particular version of a gene known as apolipoprotein E (APOE).The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that drinkers with the E2 version of the gene had the lowest levels of Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs), or "bad" cholesterol, while drinkers with the E4 version recorded higher than average LDL levels.
Ordovas, a senior scientist at the Tufts Human Nutrition Research Center in Boston, said it is still unclear as to whether moderate alcohol intake or some other behavioral factor caused the observed health benefits.
"It has been shown over and over that drinkers are different from nondrinkers in many other behavioral aspects," Ordovas told Reuters. "We need replication of these findings in other populations with different dietary and behavioral habits" ("Gene Influences Alcohol's Effect on Cholesterol," 4/6).
Child development professor highlights danger of parental selfishness
Tufts child development professor David Elkind told the DesMoines Register last week that problems with today's juveniles are partly caused by parents who force their children to mature at an earlier age. He attributed the trend to absentee parenting, which he said is becoming more and more prevalent around the US.Children growing up today are exposed to alcohol, drugs, and sex at an earlier age, Elkind said. Coupled with the decrease in youth "hang-out" spots like mall shops, clubs, and other youth centers, an early vulnerability to delinquency can lead to increased problems among today's youth.
"I don't think we appreciate enough that young kids need space," Elkind said of the importance of youth centers and other wholesome venues where children gather. "These things are much more impactful on kids than Nintendo games or rock music." ("Parents, teens both get blame for the growing-up difficulties," 4/4).
