bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Volatility of the Index of Shanghai Stock Market Research Based on ARCH and Its Extended Forms
Authors: Liu Hao , Zhang Zuoquan , Zhao Qin
Published: March 2010

The proposed ARCH and its extension model have brought a powerful tool
for the study of stock market volatility as well as verify that a “high risk brings
high‐yield” and the “leverage effect” of stock market. This paper gives modeling
analysis by using the ARCH group models; in the last ten years Shanghai′s index
returns, concluded that there are significant “high‐yield associated with high‐risk”
phenomenon and the “leverage effect” in the domestic securities market.
The previous studies in fitting return series of ARMA models, mostly with low
accuracy have a very subjective “observation autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation
function method,” and even directly use “random walk” model. That
will inevitably have some impact on the accuracy of the model. While this paper
adopts the Pandit‐Wu formulaic modeling method, the ARMA model is built
on a strong theoretical foundation.
Study of Sweep and Induced Dihedral Effects in Subsonic Axial Flow Compressor Passages—Part I: Design Considerations—Changes in Incidence, Deflection, and Streamline Curvature
Authors: Ramakrishna P. V. , Govardhan M.
Published: March 2010

This article presents the study of Tip Chordline Sweeping (TCS) and Axial Sweeping (AXS) of low‐speed axial compressor rotor blades against the performance of baseline unswept rotor (UNS) for different tip clearance levels. The first part of the paper discusses the changes in design parameters when the blades are swept, while the second part throws light on the effect of sweep on tip leakage flow‐related phenomena. 15 domains are studied with 5 sweep configurations (0∘, 20∘ TCS, 30∘ TCS, 20∘ AXS, and 30∘ AXS) and for 3 tip clearances (0.0%, 0.7%, and 2.7% of the blade chord). A commercial CFD package is employed for the flow simulations and analysis. Results are well validated with experimental data. Forward sweep reduced the flow incidences. This is true all over the span with axial sweeping while little higher incidences below the mid span are observed with tip chordline sweeping. Sweeping is observed to lessen the flow turning. AXS rotors demonstrated more efficient energy transfer among the rotors. Tip chordline sweep deflected the flow towards the hub while effective positive dihedral induced with axial sweeping resulted in outward deflection of flow streamlines. These deflections are more at lower mass flow rates.
Promyelocytic Sarcoma of the Spine: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Pacilli Leonardo , Lo Coco Francesco , Ramadan Safaa Mahmoud , Giannì Laura , Pingi Alberto , Remotti Daniele , Majolino Ignazio
Published: March 2010

Myeloid sarcoma (MS, previously named granulocytic sarcoma or chloroma) is a rare extramedullary tumour of immature myeloid cells. It can be present before, concurrently with, or after the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. MS is extremely uncommon in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In the case described here, MS was the sole site of APL relapse and the cause of spinal cord compression. The patient presented with neurologic symptoms due to a paravertebral mass of MS after 7 years of complete remission. He was treated with excision of the mass followed by local radiotherapy. Systemic treatment was also given with combined arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid and the patient was able to achieve a second prolonged clinical and molecular remission.
Application of the Cole‐Hopf Transformation for Finding Exact Solutions to Several Forms of the Seventh‐Order KdV Equation
Authors: Salas Alvaro H. , Gómez S. Cesar A.
Published: March 2010

We use a generalized Cole‐Hopf transformation to obtain a condition that allows us to find exact solutions for several forms of the general seventh‐order KdV equation (KdV7). A remarkable fact is that this condition is satisfied by three well‐known particular cases of the KdV7. We also show some solutions in these cases. In
the particular case of the seventh‐order Kaup‐Kupershmidt KdV equation we obtain other solutions by some ansatzes different from the Cole‐Hopf transformation.
Glucagon Effects on Ischemic Vasodilatation in the Isolated Rat Heart
Authors: Rosic Mirko , Pantovic Suzana , Rosic Gvozden , Tomic-Lucic Aleksandra , Labudovic Tatjana , Zivkovic Vladimir , Jakovljevic Vladimir
Published: March 2010

The myocardial reperfusion following ischemia leads to the ischemic vasodilation by affecting the release of various vasoactive substances, such as free radicals, NO, and histamine. In addition, some evidences suggest that glucagon itself may alter the release of those substances. In this study, we investigated the ischemic vasodilation of the isolated rat heart, as well as the concentrations of NO, TBARS, and histamine in the coronary venous effluent either in the presence or in the absence of glucagon. Our results showed that in the presence of glucagon, there was a faster restoration of coronary perfusion pressure during ischemic vasodilation compared to the absence of glucagon ( versus  s) with no apparent changes in TBARS concentration. The glucagon's administration leads to the decreased release of histamine by approximately 35%. Biphasic release of NO in the presence of glucagon initially showed augmentation by 60%, followed by the significant attenuation of 45%.
Volume Density, Distribution, and Ultrastructure of Secretory and Basolateral Membranes and Mitochondria Predict Parietal Cell Secretory (Dys)function
Authors: Miller Marian L. , Andringa Anastasia , Zavros Yana , Bradford Emily M. , Shull Gary E.
Published: March 2010

Acid secretion in gastric parietal cells requires highly coordinated membrane transport and vesicle trafficking. Histologically, consensus defines acid secretion as the ratio of the volume density (Vd) of canalicular and apical membranes (CAMs) to tubulovesicular (TV) membranes, a value which varies widely under normal conditions. Examination of numerous achlorhydric mice made it clear that this paradigm is discrepant when used to assess most mice with genetic mutations affecting acid secretion. Vd of organelles in parietal cells of 6 genetically engineered mouse strains was obtained to identify a stable histological phenotype of acid secretion. We confirmed that CAM to TV ratio fairly represented secretory activity in untreated and secretion-inhibited wild-type (WT) mice and in NHE2−/− mice as well, though the response was significantly attenuated in the latter. However, high CAM to TV ratios wrongly posed as active acid secretion in AE2−/−, GHKA−/−, and NHE4−/− mice. Achlorhydric genotypes also had a significantly higher Vd of basolateral membrane than WT mice, and reduced Vd of mitochondria and canaliculi. The Vd of mitochondria, and ratio of the Vd of basolateral membranes/Vd of mitochondria were preferred predictors of the level of acid secretion. Alterations in acid secretion, then, cause significant changes not only in the Vd of secretory membranes but also in mitochondria and basolateral membranes.
Desmosomal Component Expression in Normal, Dysplastic, and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Narayana Nagamani , Gist Julie , Smith Tyler , Tylka Daniel , Trogdon Gavin , Wahl James K.
Published: March 2010

Squamous cell carcinoma (oral SCC) is the most common oral cancer in the U.S., affecting nearly 30,000 Americans each year. Despite recent advances in detection and treatment, there has been little improvement in the five‐year survival rate for this devastating disease. Oral cancer may be preceded by premalignant disease that appears histologically as dysplasia. Identification of molecular markers for cellular change would assist in determining the risk of dysplasia progressing to oral squamous cell carcinoma. The goal of this study was to determine if any correlation exists between histological diagnosed dysplasia and OSCC lesions and altered expression of desmosomal cell‐cell adhesion molecules in the oral epithelium. Our data showed that oral SCC tissue samples showed decreased immunoreactivity of both desmoplakin and plakophilin‐1 proteins compared to normal oral epithelium. Furthermore, significant decrease in desmoplakin immunoreactivity was observed in dysplastic tissue compared to normal oral epithelium. In contrast, the level of desmoglein‐1 staining was unchanged between samples however desmoglein‐1 was found localized to cell borders in oral SCC samples. These data suggest that changes in expression of desmoplakin and plakophilin‐1 may prove to be a useful marker for changes in tissue morphology and provide a tool for identifying pre‐neoplastic lesions of the oral cavity.
Integrating GHS into the Ghrelin System
Authors: Veldhuis Johannes D. , Bowers Cyril Y.
Published: March 2010

Oligopeptide derivatives of metenkephalin were found to stimulate growth-hormone (GH) release directly by pituitary somatotrope cells in vitro in 1977. Members of this class of peptides and nonpeptidyl mimetics are referred to as GH secretagogues (GHSs). A specific guanosine triphosphatate-binding protein-associated heptahelical transmembrane receptor for GHS was cloned in 1996. An endogenous ligand for the GHS receptor, acylghrelin, was identified in 1999. Expression of ghrelin and homonymous receptor occurs in the brain, pituitary gland, stomach, endothelium/vascular smooth muscle, pancreas, placenta, intestine, heart, bone, and other tissues. Principal actions of this peptidergic system include stimulation of GH release via combined hypothalamopituitary mechanisms, orexigenesis (appetitive enhancement), insulinostasis (inhibition of insulin secretion), cardiovascular effects (decreased mean arterial pressure and vasodilation), stimulation of gastric motility and acid secretion, adipogenesis with repression of fat oxidation, and antiapoptosis (antagonism of endothelial, neuronal, and cardiomyocyte death). The array of known and proposed interactions of ghrelin with key metabolic signals makes ghrelin and its receptor prime targets for drug development.
Participation in Genetic Testing Research Varies by Social Group
Authors: Hensley Alford Sharon , McBride Colleen M. , Reid Robert J. , Larson Eric B. , Baxevanis Andreas D. , Brody Lawrence C.
Published: March 2010

Background: Advances in technology have made individual access to personal genetic information foreseeable in the near future. Policy makers and the media forecast that the ready availability of personal genetic profiles would benefit both the individual and the health care system by improving outcomes and decreasing cost. However, there is a significant gap between having access to genetic data and either wanting or understanding the information it provides. Objective: Our primary aim was to evaluate, using a population-based sample of healthy adults, whether gender, race and education status influences interest and participation in a multiplex genetic susceptibility test. Methods: Healthy, insured individuals, 25–40 years of age, were approached via a large, integrated health system in which primary and specialty care is available. Study participants were offered personalized genetic risk information on 8 common chronic health conditions. Social groups historically known not to participate in genetic research (men, African Americans and those from lower education neighborhoods) were oversampled. We describe the recruitment outcomes and testing decisions of these social groups. Results: We found that even among those with access to health care, African Americans were less likely to participate in the multiplex genetic susceptibility test, while those from higher education neighborhoods were more likely to participate. Conclusions: Our results suggest that large social groups will likely be underrepresented in research in personalized genomics even when robust population-based recruitment strategies are employed.
Development and Validation of a Self-Administered Questionnaire for Myasthenia Gravis Patients
Authors: Maniaol A.H. , Brunborg C. , Tallaksen C.M.E.
Published: March 2010

Background: To date, the investigation of the epidemiological profile of myasthenia gravis (MG) is sparse, and the influence of environmental and lifestyle factors on the occurrence of the disease remains thus unknown. The main aim of this study, which is part of a European collaborative project (EuroMyasthenia), was to develop a self-administered questionnaire to investigate these potential predisposing factors for MG. No instrument for investigating these particular factors has previously been designed for MG patients. Material and Methods: The questionnaire was developed in 3 stages: (1) devising a draft questionnaire based on questions derived from previously validated questionnaires and self-designed questions on MG characteristics; (2) testing the questionnaire on Norwegian MG patients (n = 57), and (3) assessing the content and criterion validity, and test-retest reliability, of the final questionnaire. Results: The questionnaire was easy to use and showed good feasibility for MG patients. Psychometric evaluation established the validity and reliability of the self-designed questions on MG characteristics. Conclusion: This is the first validated instrument developed to identify self-assessed environmental factors and potential predisposing factors for MG, and suitable for use in large-scale epidemiological studies.
Out of Zion Into Philadelphia and West Africa: Faith Tabernacle Congregation, 1897-1925
Authors: Mohr Adam
Published: March 2010

In May 1897 Faith Tabernacle Congregation was formally established in North Philadelphia, emerging from an independent mission that shortly thereafter became the Philadelphia branch of John Alexander Dowie’s Christian Catholic Church. Faith Tabernacle probably abstained from merging with Dowie’s organization because, unlike the Christian Catholic Church, it rigorously followed the faith principle for managing church finances. Like the Christian Catholic Church, Faith Tabernacle established many similar institutions, such as a church periodical (called Sword of the Spirit), a faith home, and a missions department. After Assistant Pastor Ambrose Clark became the second presiding elder in 1917, many of these institutions began flourishing in connection with a marked increase in membership, particularly in the American Mid-Atlantic as well as in Nigeria and Ghana. Unfortunately, a schism occurred in late 1925 that resulted in Clark’s leaving Faith Tabernacle to found the First Century Gospel Church. This event halted much of Faith Tabernacle’s growth both domestically and in West Africa. Subsequently, many of the former Faith Tabernacle followers in Nigeria and Ghana founded the oldest and largest Pentecostal churches in both countries.
Catholic Pentecostalism in Haiti: Spirit, Politics, and Gender
Authors: Rey Terry
Published: March 2010

This paper explores one of the most impressive developments in Haitian religion over the last few decades, that of the Catholic Renewal, situating it in the context of broader social and political change and gauging its trajectory in the course of modern Haitian religious history. While not ignoring the important and related issues of syncretism and apostasy, it focuses on three of the most salient aspects of the renewal in Haiti: 1) its confrontational posture toward the nationally popular African-based religion of Vodou; 2) its contribution to a depoliticization of popular Catholicism; and 3) the overwhelmingly female composition of its membership. What sociological interpretations can be made of all of these aspects, and what specifically Haitian dimensions to them can be discerned? Through historical, regional, and global contextualizations, combined with the author’s multi-site ethnographic research conducted intermittently over a 15-year period, these and related questions are here critically addressed.
The Ancient Dād in Southwest Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Azraqi Munira
Published: March 2010

Al-dād is a unique sound in Arabic. It is believed that this sound is what makes Arabic a distinguished language. However, its description has confused the linguists for long time. Some modern linguists believe that al-dād described by the ancient linguists is not used in the present time. On the other hand, Arabic speakers may not know that the sound they use for the classical pronunciation of al-dād is not the one described by the ancient Arab linguists. This study records the existence of a sound that has the features of al-dād as described by the ancient Arab linguists. It is used among some speakers in Southwest Saudi Arabia.
Men of War: British Sailors and the Impressment Paradox
Authors: Brunsman Denver
Published: March 2010

In the long eighteenth century, the British Royal Navy established dominance of the seas with the widely despised forced labor system of impressment. Previous attempts at explaining this paradox have erred either in deemphasizing the devastating personal and communal costs of impressment or by stressing that the navy’s oppressive system of discipline left sailors with no choice but to serve admirably. In fact, sailors exercised their agency both by resisting British press-gangs and by serving to the best of their ability on naval vessels. The British navy created incentives that appealed to mariners’ professional self-interests and male gender aspirations. Through naval service, sailors regained some of their dignity and sense of manhood that capture by press-gangs had taken away.
Nharas and Morenas Horras: A Luso-African Model for the Social History of the Spanish Caribbean, c. 1570-1640
Authors: Wheat David
Published: March 2010

Drawing on little-used archival materials held in Seville’s Archive of the Indies and ecclesiastical records from the Cathedral of Havana, this article argues that free African and African-descended women participated in Spain’s colonization of the Caribbean to a degree that has not been fully recognized. Regularly described as vecinas (heads of household) and as spouses to Iberian men in key port cities, free women of color played active roles in the formation and maintenance of Spanish Caribbean society during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, not as peripheral or marginalized figures, but as non-elite insiders who pursued their own best interests and those of their families and associates.
Beyond Guns, Germs, and Steel: European Expansion and Maritime Asia, 1400-1750
Authors: Andrade Tonio
Published: March 2010

Why did Europeans rather than other Eurasians build the world’s first global empires, extending a measure of control, however fragile and contingent, over the oceans of the world? This article suggests that the best place to find an answer to the question is not in Europe but in Asia. Europeans were not alone in creating overseas empires in the early modern period, but the Asian counterparts to the Portuguese, Dutch, and English Empires are little known. Focusing on two of those Asian examples—the Ya’rubi Dynasty of Oman and the Zheng maritime empire of China—the author suggests that although European technology did confer an advantage on European mariners, it was not an insuperable advantage. Asian powers could adopt and adapt European cannons, ships, and nautical charts and beat the Europeans at their own game. Indeed, he suggests, this intra-Eurasian borrowing is a key process of history over the longue durée.
Deploying Cognitive Sociology to Advance Human Rights
Authors: Gregg Benjamin
Published: March 2010

No one, neither speculative philosopher nor empirical anthropologist, has ever shown human rights to be anything other than a culturally particular social construction. If human rights are not natural, divine, or metaphysical, then they can only be a social construction of particular cultures. If so, then many cultures may justifiably reject them as culturally foreign and hence without local normative validity. In response to this conclusion I develop a cognitive approach to any local culture ‐ a cognitive approach in distinction to a normative one. It allows for advancing human rights as rights internal to any given community’s culture. Human rights can be advanced internally by means of “cognitive re-framing,” a notion I develop out of Erving Goffman’s theory of frame analysis. I deploy it in two examples: female genital mutilation in Africa and child prostitution in Asia.
Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Fuzzy-Sets: Agenda for a Research Approach and a Data Analysis Technique
Authors: Schneider Carsten Q. , Wagemann Claudius
Published: March 2010

“Qualitative Comparative Analysis” (QCA) is an increasingly applied methodological tool in comparative social sciences. It is well suited for the analysis of causally complex claims framed in terms of necessity and sufficiency. This article presents the epistemology of QCA and discusses its applicability to social science research questions. It also illustrates some of the features that have recently been added to this set of methodological tools. This article is best read in close conjunction with Schneider and Wagemann’s “Standards of Good QCA Practice,” the next paper in this journal issue.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Moving from Power Brokerage to Relationship Restructuring
Authors: Harutunian Ruben
Published: March 2010

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh represents the failure of mediation efforts in the context of a prolonged and successful ceasefire which has created disincentives for compromise. Today’s difficult negotiation atmosphere originates from perceiving the conflict as primarily an ethnic problem couched in the rhetoric of a territorial dispute. Further, a prolonged and successful ceasefire has entrenched powerful economic and political interests on both sides which stand to gain from continued limbo. With this in mind, the Minsk Group should shift its focus to the implementation of confidence-building measures between the authorities on both sides as well as the three societies involved. Secondly, the Minsk Group co-chairs can no longer just serve as peace brokers, but must be co-signers to the negotiated agreement, emphasizing their role as guarantors of a long-term peace between Armenians and Azeris. Finally, any long-term agreement will have to include aspects of mutual economic development, cross-cultural exchange, and socio-political understanding.
Paradigms of Political Mythologies and Perspectives of Reconciliation in the Case of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Authors: Gahramanova Aytan
Published: March 2010

It is widely held that reconciliation follows conflict resolution. However, in the case of “frozen” conflicts, where the negotiation process is protracted and reconciliation is postponed for years, negative transformations take root. In this respect, attention to the past cannot be overestimated. How the past is framed in the domestic public sphere is an indicator of potential positive or negative transformation. By analyzing the frames of political mythology, the elements of ethnic identity and the historicisms based on divergent narratives of the political discourse in rivaling Armenia and Azerbaijan, this article argues that discourse transformation is vital to a successful reconciliation process where the role of mid-level leaders is crucial. While political mythology forces events by creating a context for negative transformation of the conflict, peacebuilding can support a protracted pre-settlement phase (’no peace, no war’) and can also facilitate the conflict settlement process through positive transformation. In order to cope with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, at least in its relational aspect, the whole discourse infrastructure must be transformed. For this to happen, peacebuilding must be linked to reconciliation goals.
National Cultural Autonomy in Russia: A Case of Symbolic Law
Authors: Osipov Alexander
Published: March 2010

In this article, the author discusses the Russian experience in utilizing the no- tion of non-territorial, or 'national cultural', autonomy for the management of ethnic diversity. The term 'national-cultural autonomy' can be used to mean several things, including a right, a political principle, and a specific type of organization. The author assumes that such notions as autonomy, ethnicity, group, and culture should not be reified, and must be regarded as practical categories with shifting meanings and implications; he also emphasizes the need to distinguish between symbolic and instrumental law. The point of departure is the disjuncture between the high symbolic status and negligible instrumental value of national-cultural autonomy in Russia. The author provides an overview of the Russian legislation on nongovernmental organizations, of the 1996 Federal Law on National-Cultural Autonomy, and of other legislation incorporating the notion of national-cultural autonomy. He concludes that NCAs, which are legally defined as NGOs, face a number of disadvantages vis-à-vis other types of NGOs. National-cultural autonomy also should not be seen as a political tool, since no efforts have been made to implement the goals declared or implied in the law or in official statements. In the meantime, the idea of national-cultural autonomy is highly valued, and the number of NCAs in Russia has been growing over the years. The author concludes that the very issue of national-cultural autonomy in Russia should not be regarded in terms of the law and legal regulation; rather, it must be seen in terms of symbolism. The idea of national-cultural autonomy is a component of the Russian public consensus on the way ethnic diversity should be described and managed.
Future, Past and Present in Russian Constitutional Politics: Russian Constitutions in a Conceptual-Historical Perspective
Authors: Ruutu Katja
Published: March 2010

The present article uses the methods of conceptual history to investigate the transformation of Soviet and Russian constitutional concepts. My intention is to show the whole constitutional movement of Russia, and to focus on the 'time layers' (future, past and present) used by actors in constructing the key concepts that inform the narratives of the constitutional unity of the Soviet Union/Russian Federation. By focusing on the six constitutions adopted in the Soviet Union/Russian Federation, the article will seek to show that Soviet/Russian conceptual history is more multifaceted, and more political in nature, than is commonly thought. Because the political unity of the state was restricted not only by the constitution, but also by the party ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, political debates concerning constitutional concepts represented the key discussions for all the reformative pursuits of Soviet politics. Constitutional concepts were the most important means to argue and create a basis for a new political presentation and new political programs. This pattern has also been typical of present-day Russian politics, with the difference that, so far, only one constitution has been adopted in the Russian Federation. Specifically, we will seek to relate Putin's constitutional concepts to the textual base, and the political background, of the previous constitutions. On a more general level, the present article should contribute to the development of a theory of periodization that takes into consideration the shifts in a period's key concepts and vocabularies.
Introduction
Authors: Bühler-Niederberger Doris
Published: March 2010

This article outlines the approach underlying the articles in this monograph issue of the journal. The sociology of childhood is still a young branch of the discipline, as ‘little actors’ have for a long time tended to be overlooked by sociologists. The main question that was considered to be of real sociological interest concerned the transformation of ‘little savages’ into civilized, reliable social actors, into adult actors, namely socialization. In contrast, the new sociological view of children fosters the study of a variety of children’s issues, addressing questions which are overlooked, excluded, marginalized or rendered illegitimate by the focus on socialization. Some important starting points and the central concepts of the ‘new’ childhood sociology — as it is often characterized by its proponents — are outlined. The development and ‘state of the art’ of this sociological field in different countries needs to be compared and reflected against the background of everyday assumptions and social problems in each of the respective societies in order to foster the further production of sociologically relevant knowledge — this constituted the programmatic approach of the articles assembled here.
From Structure—Action to Politics of Childhood
Authors: Strandell Harriet
Published: March 2010

This article discusses the main developments in Finnish childhood sociology from the 1980s to contemporary times. The early phase, influenced by historical and ethnological understandings of childhood, constituted and legitimated the sociological study of children and childhood, by understanding children as social actors and childhood as a permanent structure of society. A divide between actor- and structure-oriented approaches characterized this first phase. The 1990s brought with it a more political understanding of childhood, due to changes in the economic sector, in welfare politics and the ratification of the UN Convention on the Right of the Child. Recent work, partly informed by post-structural challenges, aims at developing more fluid and mobile concepts, trying to overcome the divide between action and structure. The organization and the consolidation of the research field have been rapid in recent years.
Reflections on the Sociology of Childhood in the UK
Authors: Moran-Ellis Jo
Published: March 2010

The emergence and development of the sociology of childhood in the UK is strongly connected to the establishment of this area of study in the Nordic countries. However any account of this must also look at the wider context of political and cultural constructions of childhood, children and young people, and intergenerational relationships in the UK. In the early stages of childhood studies there was a synchrony between the orientation of the new social studies of childhood in the UK and changes in how children came to be politically positioned, particularly with respect to an emphasis on children’s voices, their capacity to be agentic and their status as social actors. Since then the political status of childhood has become more problematic. In the last few years there has been a notable shift towards the demonization of teenagers (adolescents) along with rising levels of anxiety concerning children generally. This represents something of a divergence between the orientations of UK policy and politics and contemporary orientations of the sociology of childhood.
Childhood in Australian Sociology and Society
Authors: van Krieken Robert
Published: March 2010

This article outlines the specific form taken by the social scientific study of childhood in Australia, identifying both what is shared with childhood research in other English-language countries, and what is distinctive in the Australian setting. It begins by sketching the social history of childhood in Australia, with particular reference to what was specific about the childhood experiences of Aboriginal children, as well as the peculiarities of settler-colonial family life. It then goes on to identify the moves towards a distinct focus on childhood in Australian sociology, which have until now been relatively modest, closely linked to other social science disciplines (notably history, anthropology, social policy and psychology), and theoretically more or less derivative of international developments in childhood sociology. The key research themes are outlined, including Aboriginal childhoods, the children of asylum-seekers and refugees and children’s experience of divorce and separation, against a background of an increasingly neoliberal organization of social science research activity. The article then sketches the place of childhood in Australian public debate, and concludes with some observations on the possible future directions of the sociology of childhood in Australia.
Children’s Citizenships
Authors: Baraldi Claudio
Published: March 2010

During the 1970s and 1980s, sociological studies in Italy were exclusively concerned with ‘adolescence’ as distinct from the general category of ‘childhood’. In the 1990s, local administrations and national government promoted new opportunities for children’s participation in society, and sociologists began to analyse the various aspects of this participation. Since the 1990s, sociological research has included the legal and political bases of children’s citizenship and rights, forms of interaction promoting children’s participation, ways of including children in mainstream cultural tendencies, children’s observations of their social context, intercultural situations involving children, deviance and the labelling of children. The expansion of childhood sociology, however, has been slow, and the political impulse which supported children’s participation has partially evaporated. Childhood sociology in Italy remains marginal in scientific research and university teaching. Its future depends partly on renewed political commitment to promoting children’s participation; however, its main obstacle is the lukewarm interest within the sociological community.
Children and Childhood in Romanian Society and Social Research
Authors: Stanciulescu Elisabeta
Published: March 2010

This article draws on Romanian sociological and anthropological literature, laws and official statistics, as well as on the most important programmes and reports of various organizations, in order to: (1) depict a historical map of the main theoretical and methodological approaches, themes and objects of research on children and childhood in Romania; and (2) outline some historical evolutions of the value of children in Romanian society. The article highlights prominent lines of continuity as well as significant changes, and indicates some similarities and dissimilarities between Romanian society and social sciences and its western counterparts. It reveals that Romanian sociological traditions were once particularly promising with regard to the structural sociology of children and childhood, but nowadays research has become more open to the ‘sociology of children’ or to ‘the minority group child’, while the structural sociology of childhood remains an isolated ‘island’.
Childhood in Sociology and Society
Authors: Bass Loretta E.
Published: March 2010

The field of childhood studies in the US is comprised of cross-disciplinary researchers who theorize and conduct research on both children and youth. US sociologists who study childhood largely draw on the childhood literature published in English. This article focuses on American sociological contributions, but notes relevant contributions from non-American scholars published in English that have shaped and fueled American research. This article also profiles the institutional support of childhood research in the US, specifically outlining the activities of the ‘Children and Youth’ Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA), and assesses the contributions of this area of study for sociology as well as the implications for an interdisciplinary field.
Children and Childhood in Dutch Society and Dutch Sociology
Authors: van Daalen Rineke
Published: March 2010

Growing up in the Netherlands means growing up in a country with a strong domestic tradition, which is anchored both in the institutions of the welfare state and in the mentality of the people. In the 21st century, however, this condition hampers the adjustment to changes in family relations and in society at large. One implication is the ambiguous position of children, hanging between the private and the public domain, implying specific tensions and dilemmas. Two issues are significant: the division of responsibility for children between parents and collective institutions; and the search of parents and other educators — peers included — to find a balance between external social control and self-control in the formation of the personality of children. Dutch sociological research on children and childhood is scarce and fragmentary, which may be linked to the ambiguous social position of contemporary Dutch children.
Democracy, Institutionalization, and Corporate Alliances
Authors: Conybeare John , Kim Dong-Hun
Published: March 2010

The authors bring together and extend three strands of existing research: the propensity of democracies to ally with each other, the effects of alliances being institutionalized, and the causal impact of democracy in promoting investment. This literature is applied to corporate alliances, predicting the probability that announced alliance contracts will be completed by the participants. The authors find that democratic political regimes generate rules that create corporate shareholder democracy and that the latter promotes the institutionalization of corporate alliances. Corporate democracy and alliance institutionalization will both, controlling for transaction costs, increase the probability that corporate alliances will be completed. The findings suggest a positive association among democratic corporate governance, the willingness of corporate alliance partners to accept institutionalized ties, and the creation of an environment conducive to commercial investment commitments through alliances. Overall, corporations appear to respond to some of the same alliance incentives as sovereign states.
“How Asian Am I?”: Asian American Youth Cultures, Drug Use, and Ethnic Identity Construction
Authors: Hunt Geoffrey , Moloney Molly , Evans Kristin
Published: March 2010

This article analyzes the construction of ethnic identity in the narratives of 100 young Asian Americans in a dance club/rave scene. Authors examine how illicit drug use and other consuming practices shape their understanding of Asian American identities, finding three distinct patterns. The first presents a disjuncture between Asian American ethnicity and drug use, seeing their own consumption as exceptional.The second argues their drug consumption is a natural outgrowth of their Asian American identity, allowing them to navigate the liminal space they occupy in American society. The final group presents Asian American drug use as normalized and constructs identity through taste and lifestyle boundary markers within social contexts of the dance scenes. These three narratives share a sense of ethnicity as dynamic, provisional, and constructed, allowing one to go beyond the static, essentialist models of ethnic identity that underlie much previous research on ethnicity, immigration, and substance use.
Deadlock-free assignment of wafer processing in photolithography equipment - by using a CPN model
Authors: Xiaoyi He  , Zhiming Wu
Published: March 2010

Cluster tools are widely used in wafer fabrication nowadays. Photolithography equipment, the most expensive equipment in wafer fabrication, is comprised of a serial of cluster tools. So far, there has been much research on the assignment of wafers processing in photolithography equipment. Since a production lot may include several kinds of wafer with different routes and the sequence order of wafers in a lot is stochastic, deadlock may occur at any time. Hence, we are not able to determine a schedule before the production batch starts; instead, we need a deadlock-free wafer dispatching method that can not only complete the requested wafer routine procedures but also reduce the total makespan. Here, we employ a transition digraph to check the occurring deadlock and a coloured Petri net (CPN) approach to model the photolithography equipment to ascertain clearly the system state via identification of the kind of wafers situated on respective positions and obtain a smooth and satisfactory control for the executed process. The employed CPN model is a timed high-level Petri net. Also, a well known CPN Tool (http://wiki.daimi.au.dk/cpntools/cpntools.wiki) is used for model editing, simulating and analysing. Accompanied by the photolithography equipment model built, a deadlock-avoidance supervisor is designed to ensure wafer deadlock-free dispatching at each step. This graphic model is easy to understand and can be extended to more complex cases.
Modal parametric identification of flexible mechanical structures in mechatronic systems
Authors: Chee Khiang Pang  , Lewis Frank L. , Tong Heng Lee
Published: March 2010

To shorten the development and production time of mechatronic systems, an integrated servo-mechanical design procedure combining mechanical structure prototyping and fast servo evaluation is essential. In this paper, a modal parametric identification procedure is developed for estimation of residues, damping ratios, and natural frequencies of resonant modes for linear-time-invariant flexible mechanical systems. The coefficients and residues of the transfer function model are optimized via two subsequent least squares error optimization criteria in modal summation form. The proposed methodology is verified with experimental frequency responses measured from a commercial dual-stage hard disk drive using a laser Doppler vibrometer. Our results show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed system identification algorithm for estimating the modal parameters of flexible mechanical structures in mechatronic systems.
Self-learning fuzzy control of scan tracking measurement in copying manufacture
Authors: Jia Zhenyuan  , Lu Xiaohong  , Yang Jiangyuan
Published: March 2010

Aiming at the effect of the geometric shape of the model surface on the precision of scan tracking control, technologies of model surface geometric feature extraction and predictive control technology are researched. A self-learning fuzzy controller is designed and realized, which automatically adjusts the scan tracking velocity according to the smoothness of the model surface. Finally, through the Matlab simulation experiment, the realizability and application effect of the studied self-learning control method of surface scan tracking velocity are verified.
A Strategic Theory of the Firm as a Nexus of Incomplete Contracts: A Property Rights Approach
Authors: Kim Jongwook , Mahoney Joseph T.
Published: March 2010

This article maintains that insights gained by joining property rights theory with Austrian economics can contribute to the dynamic capabilities literature by giving context to key constructs in the dynamic capabilities approach, particularly the nature of organizational processes and resource positions. By defining resources and capabilities as bundles of property rights, scholars can theoretically consider how firms develop, deploy, and renew those resources and capabilities by a process of bundling and rebundling resource combinations. Furthermore, central to bundling resource combinations is the contracting process, which generates information that leads to more efficient solutions that are achieved through intense bargaining and ingenuity, that in turn lead to discovery of new economic opportunities. However, in a world of positive transaction costs, the notion of the firm as a nexus of (complete) contracts is less useful for the authors’ purposes; rather, the firm is defined as a nexus of incomplete contracts, which enables the possibility of entrepreneurial alertness and ingenuity. Thus, the authors maintain that the contracting process is a form of the entrepreneurial discovery process enabling firms to sense and seize new economic opportunities. Furthermore, the authors suggest that property rights theory informs a contractual process-oriented approach for analyzing how dynamic capabilities are developed, sustained, and rejuvenated and in so doing intertwines firm boundary issues with the capabilities dimension of a strategic theory of the firm.
Jeremiah 1.4-10: ‘Lost and Found’ in Translation and a New Interpretation
Authors: Roshwalb Esther H.
Published: March 2010

Jeremiah 1.4-10 presents the first encounter between God and Jeremiah, an encounter which results in Jeremiah’s commission to be a prophet of God. The text is characterized by two literary devices: (1) the use of stereotypical expressions, which have led exegetes to treat vv. 4-10 as ‘the call proper’ of Jeremiah’s commission, and (2) the presence of two guiding themes—namely, verbal skill and physical strength. These themes highlight Jeremiah’s qualifications as God’s prophet, compel the reader to heed the text’s content, and prepare him/her for the next two dialogues, which this article claims constitute Jeremiah’s true call to the prophetic mission. The aims of this article are: to present detailed philological and thematic analysis of vv. 4-10; to evaluate the contributions of multiple translations to our understanding of the text and to offer a new translation; and to show that this text does not fulfill the requirements of ‘a call proper’ to Jeremiah. These insights dispel any remaining confusion about the meaning of Jeremiah’s call proper.
Proverbs 28.1-11: A Small Poem?
Authors: Bricker Daniel P.
Published: March 2010

Disagreement has been expressed between scholars over the existence of poetic sub-units in Prov. 10.1—22.16 and 25.1—29.27. Some claim that there is evidence of poetic units in these chapters that go beyond the couplet, while others deny this, saying that most of the proverbs in these chapters are limited to the typical proverbial form, which is the two-line saying. Proponents of the latter view would not see any larger development beyond the poetic couplets in these two sections of Proverbs. This article proposes the identification of a small poem in Prov. 28.1-11, and also attempts to answer some of the objections posed by those who are skeptical of the existence of poetic units such as the one suggested here.
Bakhtin Reads the Song of Songs
Authors: Pfenniger Jennifer
Published: March 2010

If Mikhail Bakhtin were to read the Hebrew text of the Song of Songs, he would likely propose three claims in regard to it, namely: (1) the Song of Songs is an Event of Events; (2) the Song of Songs represents a Genre of Genres; and (3) the Song of Songs is an Utterance of Utterances. In this article, the Song as an ‘Event of Events’ will be explored within the context of the Song’s variegated but quite cleanly polarized history of interpretation; the Song as representative of a ‘Genre of Genres’ will be treated in light of the components and attributes of its Hebrew text and structure; and the Song as an ‘Utterance of Utterances’ will be pursued in relation to the Song’s relevance and resonance within other parts of Hebrew Scripture.
Departure of Ships? An Investigation of ‭יצ‬ in Numbers 24.24 and Isaiah 33.23
Authors: Scurlock Joann
Published: March 2010

This article argues that Hebrew ‭יצ‬ is not an Egyptian loanword for ‘ship’ but a verbal noun with the base meaning ‘coming forth’, hence ‘(military) expedition’ or the like. This new understanding requires reinterpretation of two important passages in which this word appears, namely, Num. 24.23-24 and Isa. 33.21-22. It is suggested that Num. 24.23-24 is a reference to the fall of Assyria to the Chaldeans, which both gives the passage geographical sense and marks it as a late addition to the original text. Isaiah 33.21-22 is a miniature hymn in which, it is argued, Yahweh is described as an inaccessible place of rivers and streams, a rather odd metaphor, but one expressing the concept of transcendent godhead in its original formulation.
Hypnic headache secondary to haemangioblastoma of the cerebellum
Authors: Mullally William J , Hall Kathryn E
Published: March 2010

We report a case of secondary hypnic headache in a patient with a haemangioblastoma of the cerebellum. The number of secondary cases is steadily increasing in the medical literature and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain should be considered mandatory after arriving at a presumptive diagnosis.