bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the Empowerment of Women in Africa
Authors: Dibie Josephine , Dibie Robert
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This paper examines the predicament of prejudice that women face in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It explores the social and economic factors that militate against the integration of women into senior administrative and political leadership positions in the continent. It contends that if women are under represented in Africa because of open or indirect mechanism of exclusion and discrimination, then educating women and girls is not enough. Equity for women and girls will only change if the public and private sectors’ institutions are galvanized to change simultaneously. Further it stresses that the public, private sectors and NGOs in Africa need to introduce diversity management programs as a policy at the national and regional government levels in order to engage talented women in its process of seeking sustainable development.

The paper also argues that in offering women the opportunity to access economic resources as well as to disentangle their identities from those of their families they will contribute immensely in the sustainable development process of Africa. It contends that no development process will be totally beneficial to a nation if it does not involve women. The concluding section recommended some policies that would effectively reduce discrimination against women in the public service as well as stimulate and integrate talented women interests in the social, economic, leadership, and political development of Africa.
The Making of an Organic Intellectual: Claude Ake, Biographical and Theoretical Orientations
Authors: Arowosegbe Jeremiah O.
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Although the ideas of political leaders in Africa provide a popular entrée to African politics, the exploration of their contributions and profiles still remains a largely underdeveloped genre. This is especially the case with intellectuals and scholar-activists on the continent. Yet by challenging existing hierarchies and oppressive institutions as well as truth regimes and the structures of power that produce and support them, engaged scholars occupy a critical position in society as vanguards of various popular struggles. The world therefore has a lot to learn from their contributions and failings as progressive social forces. This article examines Claude Ake’s corpus as a basis for filing this gap. It discusses his contribution to the autochthonous transformation of the state in Africa - using endogenous knowledge production - as one of his major legacies for the social sciences in Africa. Being a political scientist with an unusually broad intellectual formation and horizon, the article highlights the developments and shifts, which shaped his worldview and writings. It pays attention to his production - over the last four decades - of a wide ranging body of works, which have been quite instructive not only for their analytic acuity, methodological rigour and theoretical sophistication, but also for being remarkable works of magisterial erudition, the products of an exceptionally great mind, written with a deftly profound authority and also constituting a significant attempt to adapt the intellectual legacies of Marxist scholarship towards understanding the political economy and social history of contemporary Africa from a broadly critical perspective.
Determinants of Pension Fund Efficiency in Kenya: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Njuguna Amos G. , Arnolds Cecil
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of the operational and financial efficiency of pension funds in Kenya. A sample of 362 pension schemes was drawn from the Kenyan Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) register. The empirical results show that pension governance, leadership and regulations do not significantly influence the operational and financial efficiency of pension funds. The results do however reveal that pension regulations influence the leadership and governance practices of the pension schemes. Moreover, the schemes with more middle-aged members (31-40 years) are perceived to be better governed. Lastly, the results reveal fund size to be an important determinant of the financial efficiency of the pension funds.
The Question of the Future of Indian Muslims in Malaysia: The Post-Mahathir Legacy Era
Authors: Yurni Ahmad Noor Sulastry
Published: April 2012

Abstract

The Malays, Chinese and Indian community in Malaysia have been homogenized since British colonialism. The existence of Indian Muslims’ identity caused a new paradigm shift in Malaysia involving the racial discussion. This paper traces the difference in Indian Muslims’ identities from Indian and the Hindus. I argued that Indian Muslims share Islam as their religion and faith, while maintaining a Malay way of life and custom in their daily practices. In Malaysia, the Indian Muslim community struggled to place their future in terms of social, economic allocation and political justification among the other communities. However, the strength of ethnic politics clearly charted out their involvement in the political base and moved them to fight for their cause and rights. Hence, today’s Indian Muslim community has caused an Islamic resurgence, which has brought a new Indian dimension as a whole.
How to Start a Cosmogony: On the Poetics of Beginnings in Greece and the Near East
Authors: López-Ruiz Carolina
Published: April 2012

Abstract

In this essay I explore the beginning lines of the most relevant cosmogonies from the eastern Mediterranean, focusing on theEnuma Elish, Genesis 1 and Hesiod’sTheogony. These opening lines reveal some of the challenges faced by the authors of these texts when committing to the written word their version of the beginning of the universe. Hesiod’sTheogonywill be treated in more length as it presents an expanded introduction to the creation account. This close reading is followed by a few reflections on the question of authorship of these and other Greek and Near Eastern cosmogonies.
Sons of the Sun: The Mythological Foundations of the First Dynasty of Uruk
Authors: Woods Christopher
Published: April 2012

Abstract

The Sun-god’s particular patronage of the legendary first dynasty of Uruk is well documented in the Sumerian epic tradition, even as evidence for the veneration of the god in this city is minimal. It is argued here that the Sun-god’s special status is part of a broader network of relationships centering upon the goddess Inana, which sought to identify the kings—of Uruk and later of Ur—not only with her lover, Dumuzi, but also with her twin brother, Utu, thereby doubly affirming their bond with the patroness of Uruk. The equation of the ostensibly contradictory roles of lover and brother, a unity of opposites, motivates aspects of the imagery and metaphorical language of the Uruk I epic cycle.
Nineteenth-Century Australian Charismata: Edward Irving’s Legacy*
Authors: Elliott Peter
Published: April 2012

Abstract

In recent decades, most interpreters have argued that as an organized movement, Australian Pentecostalism began in 1909 with Janet Lancaster’s Good News Hall. This article argues that Australian Pentecostal beginnings should be recalibrated to 1853, with the arrival of representatives of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Melbourne. The evidence indicates that the Catholic Apostolic Church continually taught and practiced the charismatic gifts in Australia throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. The existence of an established denomination in Australia embracing and exhibiting the charismatic gifts for the period 1853 to 1900 challenges the dominant Lancaster interpretation. This evidence also argues for a direct historic link between Australian Pentecostalism and the charismata of Edward Irving and the nascent Catholic Apostolic Church in 1830s London.
Improving the Effectiveness of Multilateral Trade Negotiations: A Synopsis
Authors: Albin Cecilia
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This special issue of International Negotiation explores from different perspectives how multilateral trade negotiations, primarily within the World Trade Organization (WTO), can become more effective. The challenges associated with this task have grown, as the parties and issues involved in such talks have increased in number and diversity. The specific topics addressed include the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and domestic-level factors, agenda management, legitimacy and procedural issues, turning points, the challenge posed by the pursuit of bilateral and regional alternatives, and the question of gains to be had from multilateralism. The conclusions drawn from these studies are wide-ranging and relevant for multilateral negotiations generally. They highlight, among other matters, the significance of decision-making procedures used in the negotiation process.
Setting the Table for Success – or Failure? Agenda Management in the WTO
Authors: Albin Cecilia , Young Ariel
Published: April 2012

Abstract

How does the agenda management process influence the effectiveness of multilateral trade talks in the World Trade Organization (WTO)? How can the all-important agenda be shaped so as to enhance the prospects of an agreement being reached? How the agenda is managed directly affects the negotiation process which follows and the eventual outcome. Yet researchers have paid little attention to the particular dynamics and challenges of agenda management in large-scale multilateral negotiations, and actual practice points to several weaknesses. This article proposes that the complexity of the agenda in multilateral talks needs to be managed and reduced in procedurally just ways if a successful outcome (agreement) is to result. It develops an analytical framework of agenda management in multilateral negotiations and conducts a structured focused comparison to explain the differences in outcomes of two rounds of WTO negotiations: the failure of the 2003 Cancún Ministerial Conference and the success of the 2004 Geneva negotiations in reaching an agreement. The findings support the proposition that a successful outcome depends in part on reducing agenda complexity and that this needs to be achieved in procedurally acceptable (if not just) ways.
NGOs in WTO Talks: Patterns of Performance and What They Mean
Authors: Sjöstedt Gunnar
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have remained outside all the GATT rounds since the 1950s. In contrast, hundreds of NGOs have taken part in the current WTO round. This article maps the formal participation of NGOs in five ministerial conferences during the Doha round. It also analyzes various forms of NGO involvement in the WTO trade talks, such as lobbying and capacity-building of developing countries. An assessment of the current and potential capacities of NGOs in the Doha round requires that their performance be seen from an explicit negotiation perspective. Both NGO participation and involvement, as well the interaction between these two forms of NGO performance need to be considered. An assessment of how NGOs may have an impact on negotiation effectiveness and efficiency in WTO rounds should be approached from a long-term perspective and should consider other kinds of outcomes than formal final agreements. NGO performance in WTO may increase the complexity of negotiations or the significance of non-trade issues. NGO activities outside the WTO may disturb multilateral trade negotiations in the short term, such as during ongoing Ministerial Conferences. On the other hand, NGOs may also help to pave the way for constructive long-term changes in the WTO regime, which, in turn, may have a favorable impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall WTO negotiation system.
Domestic-Level Factors and Negotiation (In)Flexibility in the WTO
Authors: Lilja Jannie
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Some suggest that the fault lines of the WTO’s perceived failures actually lie in failures at the domestic level. This study examines the factors that can explain flexibility (and inflexibility) in multilateral trade negotiations within WTO member states. To shed light on the role of domestic factors in influencing WTO positions, we examine one member state in connection with a high-level meeting. India at the July 2008 Ministerial is selected primarily for methodological reasons. The empirical analysis provides preliminary support for the proposition that domestic policy-making structures marked by continuous information exchange and coordination are more likely to yield negotiation flexibility in multilateral talks. More specifically, the intense interaction that marks the relationships between actors involved in policy making on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) and services, where the Indian negotiation position was flexible overall, stands in contrast to what took place in the area of agriculture, where India took a manifestly inflexible stand. Competing explanations fail to fully account for the variation in these negotiating postures. A key insight from the analysis is that organized and regularized consultations, involving the same actors over time, are important. There is also a need for public outreach strategies in connection with high-level WTO meetings.
The Ambiguous Role of the WTO in Times of Stalled Multilateral Negotiations and Proliferating FTAs in East Asia
Authors: Lindberg Lena , Alvstam Claes G.
Published: April 2012

Abstract

The world trading system is characterized by a growing number of free trade agreements (FTAs). Limited progress in the negotiations at the multilateral level within the WTO has contributed to this development, inducing countries to seek faster, alternative ways to speed up liberalization, which make it possible to take advantage of preferential treatment with key trading partners. This article discusses what role the WTO should take with regard to FTAs in times of stalled multilateral negotiations and proliferating FTAs, and how FTAs can contribute to the multilateralization of regionalism. When results at the multilateral level are scarce, there may be a shift towards other alternatives in which the WTO is left out. This may force the WTO to function reactively, simply facing facts as an organization, rather than proactively, where it may play some role in shaping the FTA development. FTAs are not an entirely separate phenomenon from the WTO, since countries that negotiate FTAs play two roles. They are members of the WTO and as such are part of the work and negotiations of the organization. They are also part of trade arrangements that are limited to a smaller number of countries, and hence can negotiate against the interest of the entire multilateral organization. This article explores how these agreements can facilitate the work and negotiations of the WTO to regionalize bilateralism and multilateralize regionalism, here named the “sticky rice” approach. Various East Asian trade arrangements are used as empirical examples.
The Protection of Traditional Knowledge in the Knowledge Economy: Cross-Cutting Challenges in International Intellectual Property Law
Authors: Dagne Teshager
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This article explores and analyses existing frameworks and current initiatives for legal protection of traditional knowledge (TK) in international intellectual property law. The need to protect TK and to secure fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from its use is accepted in major forums of international intellectual property law-making. Considerable differences exist, however, on the mode and scope of protection, and the extent to which the issue of TK protection can be addressed in respective institutions entrusted with the task: the CBD, WIPO, WTO, and FAO. In this article, general trends and specific problems that underlie demands for the protection of TK are analysed in light of contemporaneous trends of global economic integration in the age of global knowledge economy. After consideration of challenges and threats to TK that need to be addressed through a protection system, initiatives for the protection of TK in national and international frameworks are analytically explored, and various proposals and approaches for protection are critically examined.
When Are We Speculating on History? A Mandelbaumian Theory
Authors: Verstegen Ian
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This paper is a classic critique of speculative philosophies of history based on Maurice Mandelbaum’s work. Unlike the more famous invective by Karl Popper, I argue that Mandelbaum’s is a richer and more interesting approach, which reveals through exposition a deeper unity to Mandelbaum’s work than is normally evident. Because Popper’s nominalism is suspicious of all metaphysics, it loses credibility whereas Mandelbaum placed reflection on the nature of society and causality at the center of his interests. Mandelbaum’s critique then is an invitation to investigate metaphysics on realist principles and he requires that we have a robust theory of historical ontology and truth with which to judge what goes beyond the proper representation of history and becomes speculative.
The Letter concerning Enmities as a Polemical Source for Monastic Relations of the Mid-Sixteenth Century
Authors: Ostrowski Donald
Published: April 2012

The Letter concerning Enmities between the Kirillov and Iosifov Monasteries has been used since the middle of the nineteenth century as a major source for monastic relations of the early sixteenth century. It is a mid-sixteenth-century composition extant in a single copy. Most likely composed in the Volokolamsk Monastery by Vassian Koshka (d. 1568), the former archimandrite of the Vozmitsk Monastery, the Letter describes disagreements between Nil Sorskii and his follower Vassian Patrikeev, on the one hand, and Iosif Volotskii and his followers Dionisii Zvenigorodskii and Nil Polev, on the other. It is a polemical source intended to convince the reader that Nil Sorskii and Vassian Patrikeev provoked these disagreements. Containing inaccuracies, inexactitudes, and unconfirmable assertions, the testimony of the Letter differs from early sixteenth-century sources. It is not a reliable source of evidence for the early sixteenth century, but the point of view of its author is better understood within the context of Church-State and internal monastic relations of the post-Stoglav middle of the sixteenth century.
Muscovite Law on Monasteries
Authors: Weickhardt George G.
Published: April 2012

The author surveys Muscovite law regulating monasteries, focusing on which courts exercised jurisdiction over monasteries and the legal right to appoint or remove superiors of monasteries. Throughout the Muscovite period secular courts had jurisdiction over lawsuits involving claims to land brought by or against monasteries, and this jurisdiction was confirmed in the 1550 Sudebnik. Lawsuits involving “spiritual matters” were heard by church courts, and the Stoglav confirmed the church courts’ jurisdiction over lawsuits brought by laymen against monastic personnel. The Stoglav also gave the tsar a veto over the appointment of monastic superiors, but many secular officials, prelates and the brothers themselves had influence and authority over the choice of a candidate. While the Stoglav and actual practice required that the brothers obey the superior, there is much evidence that in the management of monasteries the superior sought the consensus of his council of elders. Chapter 13 of the 1649 Ulozhenie constituted a major change in the law. It confided jurisdiction over lawsuits against monasteries and their personnel to a state chancellery staffed by lay judges. The 1666-1667 Church Council, however, restored the jurisdiction of church courts to where it had been prior to 1649. Although the law was unstable throughout the Muscovite period, the monasteries continued to exercise some measure of legal autonomy from the state.
Mohawk Reinvention of the Fort Orange and Albany Courthouses, 1652-77
Authors: Rine Holly A.
Published: April 2012

This article analyzes the process of how Albany came to stand as a center of Anglo-Indian relations in the seventeenth century. Through the understanding of the diverse and changing geographical interpretations of particular places and spaces, this paper analyzes Iroquois, Dutch and English understandings of significance and uses of the Fort Orange, later Albany, courthouse to demonstrate how the Iroquois, Mohawks in particular, were able to both function within and contribute to the reinvention of this quintessential European institution to suit their own diplomatic purposes. Through understanding varying interpretations of the court as a diplomatically significant place, we gain a clearer understanding of the role of Native peoples in the creation of this cross-cultural courthouse as it became “the only appointed and prefixed place” of the Covenant Chain of Alliance between the Iroquois and English in 1677.
Rebels’ Property: Smuggling and Imperial [Dis]loyalty in the Anglo-American Atlantic
Authors: Rogers Patricia
Published: April 2012

In early 1776, the Royal Navy entered Liverpool, Nova Scotia searching for smuggled goods. The sailors found what they sought in three warehouses, including that of Simeon Perkins, the local magistrate. My curiosity over this incident includes an off-hand reference to the contraband as “rebels’ property”. Why describe trade goods in politically loaded terms? Caught up in the pre-revolutionary tensions, understandings of illegal commerce intertwined with debates over political ideologies and imperial obligations between Great Britain and its original mainland colonies. In the process, loyalty to empire became linked to commerce in the imperial imagination. In this essay, I focus on the experience of Nova Scotia as seen through the diary of Simeon Perkins. Although not one of the central venues of the American Revolution, Nova Scotia represented one site of intersection between the metropole and its colonies. As such, it reveals a unique insight into the larger imperial civil war and the anxieties that produced it.
Impact of Covariance Localization on Ensemble Estimation of Surface Downwelling Longwave and Shortwave Radiation Fluxes
Authors: Forman B. A. , Margulis S. A.
Published: April 2012

Accurate estimates of terrestrial hydrologic states and fluxes are, in large part, dependent on accurate estimates of the spatiotemporal variability and uncertainty of land surface forcings, including downwelling longwave (LW) and shortwave (SW) fluxes. However, such characterization of land surface forcings does not always receive proper attention. This study attempts to better estimate LW and SW fluxes, including their uncertainties, by merging different sources of information while considering horizontal error correlations via implementation of a 2D conditioning procedure within a Bayesian framework. A total of 25 experiments were performed utilizing four different, readily available downwelling radiation products. The localized region of space used to constrain horizontal error correlations was defined using an influence length, , specified a priori. Quantitative comparisons are made against an independent, ground-based observational network. In general, results suggest moderate improvement in cloudy-sky LW fluxes and modest improvement in clear-sky SW fluxes during certain times of the year when using the 2D framework relative to a more traditional 1D framework, but only up to a certain influence length scale. Beyond this length scale the flux estimates were typically degraded because of the introduction of spurious correlations. The influence length scale that yielded the greatest improvement in LW radiative flux estimation during cloudy-sky conditions, in general, increased with increasing cloud cover. These findings have implications for improving downwelling radiative flux estimation and further enhancing existing Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) frameworks.
Accurate multi-robot targeting for keyhole neurosurgery based on external sensor monitoring
Authors: Comparetti Mirko Daniele , Vaccarella Alberto , Dyagilev Ilya , Shoham Moshe , Ferrigno Giancarlo , De Momi Elena
Published: April 2012

Robotics has recently been introduced in surgery to improve intervention accuracy, to reduce invasiveness and to allow new surgical procedures. In this framework, the ROBOCAST system is an optically surveyed multi-robot chain aimed at enhancing the accuracy of surgical probe insertion during keyhole neurosurgery procedures. The system encompasses three robots, connected as a multiple kinematic chain (serial and parallel), totalling 13 degrees of freedom, and it is used to automatically align the probe onto a desired planned trajectory. The probe is then inserted in the brain, towards the planned target, by means of a haptic interface. This paper presents a new iterative targeting approach to be used in surgical robotic navigation, where the multi-robot chain is used to align the surgical probe to the planned pose, and an external sensor is used to decrease the alignment errors. The iterative targeting was tested in an operating room environment using a skull phantom, and the targets were selected on magnetic resonance images. The proposed targeting procedure allows about 0.3 mm to be obtained as the residual median Euclidean distance between the planned and the desired targets, thus satisfying the surgical accuracy requirements (1 mm), due to the resolution of the diffused medical images. The performances proved to be independent of the robot optical sensor calibration accuracy.
A technique for motion capture of the finger using functional joint centres and the effect of calibration range of motion on its accuracy
Authors: Warlow Oliver ME , Lawson Sian EM
Published: April 2012

A method of kinematic analysis of the fingers using stereo-photogrammetry, referred to as the phalanx transformation technique, has been proposed. Functional methods were used to define the joint axes and subsequently each finger segments’ anatomical coordinate system. Thirteen subjects were tested and the accuracy of the technique assessed. The average error across the three joints of the finger was found to be 0.6 mm, which translates to a 2.2% error in predicted joint reaction force when using a biomechanical model. The subjects were required to have sufficient movement in their joints to define the joint axes functionally. Some subjects of clinical interest can have a significantly reduced mobility owing to injury or pathology, therefore, the effect of calibration range of motion on accuracy was analysed. It was found that, for a range of motion typical of a subject with rheumatoid arthritis, the errors in predicted joint reaction force were <7%. The accuracy of this technique compared favourably with others previously proposed and, considering the other errors inherent in modelling, those found in this study were deemed to be acceptable.
The domopolitics of Japanese human security
Authors: Hynek Nik
Published: April 2012

Japan’s approach to human security has commonly been regarded as progressive, imbued with liberal internationalist commitment. In this article, I offer an alternative and critical perspective on Japanese human security, arguing that the mainstream understanding neglects some important features of the phenomenon. I pay attention to the tight links between Japanese discourses and practices of international development and humanitarian assistance, refugee policy, counter-terrorism, and NGO regulation. So far, these issue areas have only been examined separately in the literature, thereby obscuring the strong affinities of human security to national security and non-liberal bureaucratic control. I argue that once the international and the domestic sides of Japanese human security are studied together, the approach can no longer be understood as resting on a combination of liberal values and ‘Asian’ values. Instead, it needs to be studied through a domopolitical diagram concerned with national security – that is, governance in the image of the home, linking citizenship, state and territory. After an initial discussion of the notion of domopolitics and its conceptual extension to the Japanese context, the article investigates the domopolitical relationship between Japanese human security as practised in Afghanistan and Japan’s domestic refugee policy. It continues by examining the emergence of juridico-bureaucratic administration of NGOs within the domestic context and its subsequent extension to the area of Japanese human security, before ending with a few concluding remarks.
Anticipating emergencies: Technologies of preparedness and the matter of security
Authors: Adey Peter , Anderson Ben
Published: April 2012

In this article, we examine contemporary ‘resilience’ through UK preparedness – an apparatus of security enacted under the legal and organizational principles of UK Civil Contingencies and civil protection legislation and practices. By examining the design, practices and technologies that constitute the exercises performed within Civil Contingencies, the article first suggests that the manner in which exercises have been mobilized as examples of preparedness and apocalyptical imaginations of the ‘unthinkable’ should be understood within the highly specific societal and political contexts that shape them. More substantially, the article then provides a nuanced understanding of the life of the security assemblage through an in-depth analysis of the exercise and its design, materials, play and contingent relations. Seeking to deepen and widen concerns for what matters in security studies, animated by concern for objects, bodily affects, contingencies and excess, the article contends for a more serious concern with how security and its practices can surprise, shock, enthral and disrupt in a manner that need not only be associated with failure.
Preempting the next disaster: Catastrophe insurance and the financialization of disaster management
Authors: Grove Kevin
Published: April 2012

The 2007 launch of the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) introduced a new mechanism of state security against the uncertainties of climate change. Proponents argue that increasing the ability of member-states to finance disaster recovery through catastrophe insurance mitigates the effects of increasingly frequent and intense hurricanes and thus contributes to climate change adaptation. In contrast, I offer a critical analysis of the CCRIF that draws out how it facilitates what I call the ‘financialization of disaster management’. The introduction of financial logics and techniques enables the state and capital to visualize a population’s self-organizing adaptive capacity as both a threat to state-based forms of order and a value that can be leveraged on capital markets as catastrophe risk. Leveraging enhances a state’s ability to repair its critical infrastructure and preemptively negate undesirable adaptations. The CCRIF blends risk pooling with parametric insurance techniques to turn the uncertainty surrounding a population’s immanent adaptability into catastrophe risks that can be leveraged to enhance state security and capital accumulation in an emergent environment.
Issues of clinical and cultural competence in Caribbean migrants
Authors: Hickling Frederick W. , Paisley Vanessa
Published: April 2012

The level of out-migration from the Caribbean is very high, with migration of tertiary-level educated populations from Caribbean countries being the highest in the world. Many clinicians in receiving countries have had limited diagnostic and therapeutic experience with Caribbean migrants, resulting in diagnostic and therapeutic controversies. There is an urgent need for better understanding of these cultural differences. The paper explores issues of clinical and cultural competence relevant to assessing, diagnosing, and treating Caribbean migrants with a focus on three areas: cultural influences on illness phenomenology; the role of language differences in clinical misunderstandings; and the complexities of culture and migration. Clinical issues are illustrated with case studies culled from four decades of clinical experience of the first author, an African Jamaican psychiatrist who has worked in the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and New Zealand.
Generalized extragradient iterative method for systems of variational inequalities
Authors: Ceng Lu Chuan , Wong Mu Ming , Latif Abdul
Published: April 2012

The purpose of this article is to investigate the problem of finding a common element of the solution sets of two different systems of variational inequalities and the set of fixed points a strict pseudocontraction mapping defined in the setting of a real Hilbert space. Based on the well-known extragradient method, viscosity approximation method and Mann iterative method, we propose and analyze a generalized extra-gradient iterative method for computing a common element. Under very mild assumptions, we obtain a strong convergence theorem for three sequences generated by the proposed method. Our proposed method is quite general and flexible and includes the iterative methods considered in the earlier and recent literature as special cases. Our result represents the modification, supplement, extension and improvement of some corresponding results in the references.

Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): Primary 49J40; Secondary 65K05; 47H09.
The effect of dietary zinc - and polyphenols intake on DMBA-induced mammary tumorigenesis in rats
Authors: Bobrowska-Korczak Barbara , Skrajnowska Dorota , Tokarz Andrzej
Published: April 2012

Background

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with zinc and polyphenol compounds, i.e. resveratrol and genistein, on the effectiveness of chemically induced mammary cancer and the changes in the content of selected elements (Zn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Ca) in tumors as compared with normal tissue of the mammary gland.

Methods

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into study groups which, apart from the standard diet and DMBA (7,12-dimethyl-1,2- benz[a]anthracene), were treated with zinc ions (Zn) or zinc ions + resveratrol (Zn + resveratrol) or zinc ions + genistein (Zn + genistein) via gavage for a period from 40 days until 20 weeks of age. The ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) technique was used to analyze the following elements: magnesium, iron, zinc and calcium. Copper content in samples was estimated in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

Results

Regardless of the diet (standard; Zn; Zn + resveratrol; Zn + genistein), DMBA-induced breast carcinogenesis was not inhibited. On the contrary, in the Zn + resveratrol supplemented group, tumorigenesis developed at a considerably faster rate. On the basis of quantitative analysis of selected elements we found - irrespectively of the diet applied - great accumulation of copper and iron, which are strongly prooxidative, with a simultaneous considerable decrease of the magnesium content in DMBA-induced mammary tumors. The combination of zinc supplementation with resveratrol resulted in particularly large differences in the amount of the investigated elements in tumors as compared with their content in normal tissue.

Conclusions

Diet supplementation with zinc and polyphenol compounds, i.e. resveratrol and genistein had no effect on the decreased copper level in tumor tissue and inhibited mammary carcinogenesis in the rat. Irrespectively of the applied diet, the development of the neoplastic process in rats resulted in changes of the iron and magnesium content in the cancerous tissue in comparison with the healthy mammary tissue. The application of combined diet supplementation with zinc ions and resveratrol considerably promoted the rate of carcinogenesis and increased the number of DMBA-induced mammary tumors.
'maskBAD' - a package to detect and remove Affymetrix probes with binding affinity differences
Authors: Dannemann Michael , Lachmann Michael , Lorenc Anna
Published: April 2012

Background

Hybridization differences caused by target sequence differences can be a confounding factor in analyzing gene expression on microarrays, lead to false positives and reduce power to detect real expression differences. We prepared an R Bioconductor compatible package to detect, characterize and remove such probes in Affymetrix 3’IVT and exon-based arrays on the basis of correlation of signal intensities from probes within probe sets.

Results

Using completely mouse genomes we determined type 1 (false negatives) and type 2 (false positives) errors with high accuracy and we show that our method routinely outperforms previous methods. When detecting 76.2% of known SNP/indels in mouse expression data, we obtain at most 5.5% false positives. At the same level of false positives, best previous method detected 72.6%. We also show that probes with differing binding affinity both hinder differential expression detection and introduce artifacts in cancer-healthy tissue comparison.

Conclusions

Detection and removal of such probes should be a routine step in Affymetrix data preprocessing. We prepared a user friendly R package, compatible with Bioconductor, that allows the filtering and improving of data from Affymetrix microarrays experiments.
Ecological partitioning and diversity in tropical planktonic foraminifera
Authors: Seears Heidi A , Darling Kate F , Wade Christopher M
Published: April 2012

Background

Ecological processes are increasingly being viewed as an important mode of diversification in the marine environment, where the high dispersal potential of pelagic organisms, and a lack of absolute barriers to gene flow may limit the occurrence of allopatric speciation through vicariance. Here we focus on the potential role of ecological partitioning in the diversification of a widely distributed group of marine protists, the planktonic foraminifera. Sampling was conducted in the tropical Arabian Sea, during the southwest (summer) monsoon, when pronounced environmental conditions result in a strong disparity in temperature, salinity and productivity between distinct northern and southern water masses.

Results

We uncovered extensive genetic diversity within the Arabian Sea planktonic foraminifera, identifying 13 morphospecies, represented by 20 distinct SSU rRNA genetic types. Several morphospecies/genetic types displayed non-random biogeographical distributions, partitioning between the northern and southern water masses, giving a strong indication of independent ecological adaptations.

Conclusions

We propose sea-surface primary productivity as the main factor driving the geographical segregation of Arabian Sea planktonic foraminifera, during the SW monsoon, with variations in symbiotic associations possibly playing a role in the specific ecological adaptations observed. Our findings suggest that ecological partitioning could be contributing to the high levels of 'cryptic' genetic diversity observed within the planktonic foraminifera, and support the view that ecological processes may play a key role in the diversification of marine pelagic organisms.
Analysis of plant LTR-retrotransposons at the fine-scale family level reveals individual molecular patterns
Authors: Domingues Douglas S , Cruz Guilherme MQ , Metcalfe Cushla J , Nogueira Fabio TS , Vicentini Renato , de S Alves Cristiane , Van Sluys Marie-Anne
Published: April 2012

Background

Sugarcane is an important crop worldwide for sugar production and increasingly, as a renewable energy source. Modern cultivars have polyploid, large complex genomes, with highly unequal contributions from ancestral genomes. Long Terminal Repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) are the single largest components of most plant genomes and can substantially impact the genome in many ways. It is therefore crucial to understand their contribution to the genome and transcriptome, however a detailed study of LTR-RTs in sugarcane has not been previously carried out.

Results

Sixty complete LTR-RT elements were classified into 35 families within four Copia and three Gypsy lineages. Structurally, within lineages elements were similar, between lineages there were large size differences. FISH analysis resulted in the expected pattern of Gyps y/heterochromatin, Copia/euchromatin, but in two lineages there was localized clustering on some chromosomes. Analysis of related ESTs and RT-PCR showed transcriptional variation between tissues and families. Four distinct patterns were observed in sRNA mapping, the most unusual of which was that of Ale1, with very large numbers of 24nt sRNAs in the coding region. The results presented support the conclusion that distinct small RNA-regulated pathways in sugarcane target the lineages of LTR-RT elements.

Conclusions

Individual LTR-RT sugarcane families have distinct structures, and transcriptional and regulatory signatures. Our results indicate that in sugarcane individual LTR-RT families have distinct behaviors and can potentially impact the genome in diverse ways. For instance, these transposable elements may affect nearby genes by generating a diverse set of small RNA's that trigger gene silencing mechanisms. There is also some evidence that ancestral genomes contribute significantly different element numbers from particular LTR-RT lineages to the modern sugarcane cultivar genome.
Independent effects of adding weight and inertia on balance during quiet standing
Authors: Costello Kerry Elizabeth , Matrangola Sara Louise , Madigan Michael Lawrence
Published: April 2012

Background

Human balance during quiet standing is influenced by adding mass to the body with a backpack, with symmetrically-applied loads to the trunk, or with obesity. Adding mass to the body increases both the weight and inertia of the body, which theoretically could provide counteracting effects on body dynamics and balance. Understanding the independent effects of adding weight and inertia on balance may provide additional insight into human balance that could lead to novel advancements in balance training and rehabilitation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the independent effects of adding weight and inertia on balance during quiet standing.

Methods

Sixteen normal-weight young adult participants stood as still as possible on a custom-built backboard apparatus under four experimental conditions: baseline, added inertia only, added weight only, and added inertia and weight.

Results

Adding inertia by itself had no measurable effect on center of pressure movement or backboard movement. Adding weight by itself increased center of pressure movement (indicated greater effort by the postural control system to stand as still as possible) and backboard movement (indicating a poorer ability of the body to stand as still as possible). Adding inertia and weight at the same time increased center of pressure movement but did not increase backboard movement compared to the baseline condition.

Conclusions

Adding inertia and adding weight had different effects on balance. Adding inertia by itself had no effect on balance. Adding weight by itself had a negative effect on balance. When adding inertia and weight at the same time, the added inertia appeared to lessen (but did not eliminate) the negative effect of adding weight on balance. These results improve our fundamental understanding of how added mass influences human balance.
Stent implantation for a totally occluded right coronary artery in a six-year-old boy after Kawasaki disease: a case report
Authors: Hsu Ya-Chi , Liang Kae-Woei , Lin Ming-Chih , Fu Yun-Ching , Jan Sheng-Ling
Published: April 2012

Introduction

Coronary stenting has previously been considered to be less feasible in children under 12 years old due to the limitation of vascular access. We report the case of a six-year-old boy who successfully underwent stent implantation for his totally occluded right coronary artery.

Case presentation

A Taiwanese boy aged six years and nine months old was found to have giant aneurysms after an acute episode of Kawasaki disease. An angiography revealed that his middle right coronary artery was totally occluded. A 0.014-inch guidewire was advanced to cross the totally occluded site. After pre-dilating the middle portion of his right coronary artery with a 1.5 mm balloon, stenting of his right coronary artery was accomplished using a 2.5 × 28 mm and a 2.5 × 18 mm bare metal stent. A final angiography demonstrated no residual stenosis or dissection.

Conclusion

Coronary stenting could be a therapeutic option for children as young as six years old. Close follow-up is mandatory because the long-term outcome is still unclear, especially in a small child.
Comparison of shoe‐length fit between people with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a case–control study
Authors: McInnes Alistair D , Hashmi Farina , Farndon Lisa J , Church Amanda , Haley Maria , Sanger Debora M , Vernon Wesley
Published: April 2012

Background

Amongst the many identified mechanisms leading to diabetic foot ulceration, ill‐fitting footwear is one. There is anecdotal evidence that people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy wear shoes that are too small in order to increase the sensation of fit. The aim of this study was to determine whether people with diabetic sensory neuropathy wear appropriate length footwear.

Methods

A case–control design was used to compare internal shoe length and foot length differences between a group of people with diabetes and peripheral sensory neuropathy and a group of people without diabetes and no peripheral sensory neuropathy. Shoe and foot length measurements were taken using a calibrated Internal Shoe Size Gauge® and a Brannock Device®, respectively.

Results

Data was collected from 85 participants with diabetes and 118 participants without diabetes. The mean difference between shoe and foot length was not significantly different between the two groups. However, a significant number of participants within both groups had a shoe to foot length difference that lay outside a previously suggested 10 to 15 mm range. From the diabetic and non‐diabetic groups 82% (70/85) and 66% (78/118), respectively had a foot to shoe length difference outside this same range.

Conclusions

This study shows that although there is no significant difference in shoe‐length fit between participants with and without neuropathy, a significant proportion of these populations wear shoes that are either too long or too short for their foot length according to the 10 to 15 mm value used for comparison. The study has highlighted the need for standardised approaches when considering the allowance required between foot and internal shoe length and for the measurement and comparison of foot and shoe dimensions.