bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Composites Materials: Addressing the Climate Change
Authors: Gupta Anu , Kumar Ajit
Published: March 2013

Climate change is a long-term phenomena due to the long lifespan of greenhouse gases and the slow response of climate system. The dialogues and negotiations are going on and a number of solutions are being proposed by the economic, scientific, academic, industrial and political communities. Still, a fundamental sustainable solution is away from the ground reality. The present work addresses the issue of climate change with the usage of composites materials in different fore-front areas. Composites find a wide range of applications and add a lot of value towards a sustainable environment. Ranging from the building materials to the aviation materials, an eco-effective solution has been proposed with specific composites. Along with the traditional materials, the modern era green and bio-composites have also been dealt with, presenting a cost-effective and readily available technological solution to address high-range global concern.
Assessment of Carbon-di-Oxide Emission Mitigation Potential through Implementation of Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation Measures in Power Sector of West Bengal
Authors: Choudhury B. K. , Sengupta Piyali
Published: March 2013

Power is the basic need and key driver for economic growth and poverty alleviation as per capita energy consumption as an index for standard of living. In India, the important challenge is that the supply of electricity should be reliable with quality and available at affordable price. Power sector in India is growing at the rate of 8% per annum 1 which, at least, if not more, has been reported to be necessary to achieve GDP growth rate of 8%. Indian Power Ministry, having the target of ‘Power for all by 2012’ 2 , calls for reliable and quality power for all with optimal power cost of commercially viable power industry. With the increase of industrialization, the Indian government is struggling to meet the growing electricity demand. Though new renewable energy source is ranked fourth with an installed capacity of around 13.2 GW, power generation is still dominated by coal (78.5 GW) 3 . In the given scenario, where a country faced power shortage of 11% and pick demand shortage about 14% [Ministry of Power, Government of India (2009)], and almost half of the electricity produced does not reach the consumer and where more than 70% of the petroleum product demand is met by import, conservation of energy can lead to vital gains. In the present scenario, the issue of sustainability has been brought to the forefront, particularly because of increasing consumption of fossil-fuels, ever rising fuel import bill, India's commitment to reduce carbon intensity despite gigantic transmission and distribution loss of power. The present paper reviews the opportunity of carbon emission mitigation through implementation of Energy Efficiency measures in the Power Sector of West Bengal which also bring forward the collateral benefits such as sustainability in energy and economy, control of fuel consumption, reduction of import bill and reduction of losses in transmission and distribution. Some cases have been selected to represent scenario of generation and T&D loss separately. The findings of the selected cases are suitably extrapolated to arrive at recommendation and conclusion with regard to assessment and achievement of carbon emission mitigation potential of the power sector in the state of West Bengal.
Antecedents of Clearance and Settlement Process Redesign: A Case of Indian Capital Markets
Authors: Goyal Preeti , Dhankar Raj S.
Published: March 2013

Clearance and settlement process is at the core of capital markets infrastructure. Globally, these markets have witnessed enormous changes which have been accompanied with many redesigns to underlying clearance and settlement process. Existing research has focused on various facets of the clearance and settlement process including regulation, technology, process design, operations and integration of the process, right through processing and its impact on performance and structure. Using a case study methodology, this study reveals that the following are the suggested redesigns to the clearance and settlement process in the Indian capital markets: introduction of novation, settlement in dematerialized mode, introduction of rolling settlement, ban on deferral products, introduction of settlement on T+3 and then on T+2 basis, and the introduction of elaborate risk management tools.
Competitive Technical Intelligence Tools for Innovation and Technology Forecasting
Authors: Das Subir Ranjan
Published: March 2013

Competitive Technical Intelligence is a systematic process focused on monitoring the competitive and technical environment of an organization for the purpose of better decision making in the areas of technology innovation, technology forecasting, product design, research and development (R&D), which can be used from investment tactics to managing technology risks to adopting long-term business strategies. Technology innovation can sometimes be forecast emotionally and empirically. Though emotional involvement with a product or process can help in the initial growth stage, it ultimately acts as a barrier when desperation and frustration inevitably crop up. On the other hand, moving to information and knowledge-based processes of forecasting prevents such emotional challenges. This article focuses on eight popular tools used for systematic approach to technology forecasting and the emerging methods of Competitive Technical Intelligence.
Investor's Behavior and Investment Avenues in Global Downturn: A Case Study of Millennium City
Authors: Singh P. K. , Tanwar Sunita , Yadav C. S.
Published: March 2013

This study analyzed the demography of investors in Gurgaon and its correlation with the investment pattern and criteria of investment. The study analyses how customer think and evaluate the situation before investing in the shares in Indian stock market, and at the same time it also tries to see that how customer behaves after investing in shares with market speculation and sentiments. This paper tried to find out the awareness of the investors towards the various technical factors and their applications related to shares and share market. A structured questionnaire was constructed in which each question pertains to specific task. A sample of sample size 250 was taken of all investors in Gurgaon, HR. It is concluded that most of the investors in Gurgaon are male, youth, salaried, well educated and have higher income. Youths have the extra funds to dispose as most of them were found between 20–30 years age group, have higher income and hence have more fund at their disposal. The investors think some common things as fundamentals of company, promoters, reputation and goodwill, quarterly result and dividend before investing. Mutual funds emerged as preferred choice among investors. They used to sell shares generally when they required fund or when market is booming. Market is efficient as the investors are well informed and the information is readily available.
Corporate Social Responsibility: A Case of Infosys Technologies Ltd.
Authors: Kapoor Shveta , Sandhu H. S.
Published: March 2013

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is viewed as a comprehensive set of policies and programmes that are integrated into business operations, supply chains and decision-making processes throughout the company. The case deals with CSR initiatives of Indian IT major-Infosys Technologies Ltd. The company is actively involved in the areas of community involvement, human resource development, environmental contribution, product contribution and customer relations, rural development, and shareholders relations. The paper also provides an insight into the expected role of companies in CSR in the times of recession.
Effectiveness of College Management – A Comparative View of Teachers and Principals
Authors: Kaur Dalwinder
Published: March 2013

The paper explores the perceptions of teachers and principals towards management of colleges. The study also examines the differences (if any) in the perceptions of teachers and principals of the colleges. Results showed that perceptions of teachers towards college management are not much acceded to the availability of research environment, educational material, faculty motivation and placement of students in the colleges. It was also revealed from the study that principals are not much inclined to agree with research environment for teachers and placement of students in colleges. Comparison of the views of teachers and principals showed that teachers are significantly less satisfied regarding management of colleges in respect of faculty-related factors i.e. teaching environment, research environment, educational material, infrastructure, and faculty motivation. Views are also significantly different for another factor related to the students i.e. education of students. However, their views are not significantly different for remaining two of the student-related factors, namely ‘placement of students’ and ‘extra curricular activities of students’. College-wise comparison showed that perceptions of teachers and principals are significantly different for many factors, in some, but not in all colleges.
Understanding Distribution Pattern of Banking Sector Stock Prices in Indian Stock Market
Authors: Praloy  , Sooraj  , Archana  , Rinu  , Charul  , Parashar Neha
Published: March 2013

The Indian stock market prices, which have been mostly tracked and understood by various techniques, were assumed to follow the normal distribution properties. The pattern of stock price returns of different companies was assumed to fit the same normal Gaussian distribution in analyzing their properties in most of the studies. Prediction of future movements with their probabilities was also calculated and the various graphs also interpreted. The hierarchies of the distributions, which will best fit the stock price returns, were also analysed by conducting suitable tests. Stable distributions which handle skewed data with heavy tails were read and understood in detail and their various forms analyzed alongside their parameters. The parameters with their values were interpreted and the top three distributions for each of the companies explained. This paper comes out with the understanding of the different distributions that might explain the stock price returns of banking companies and hence should also help in predicting future movement for fund manager. The research generates that burr, dagum, log logistic and Cauchy distribution are almost common factors in fitting the data values.
Different Leadership Styles across Hierarchical Levels: A Case Study on Indian Automobile Industry
Authors: Ansari Amirul Hasan , Naeem Fakhra
Published: March 2013

Contemporary leaders are very much concerned with the organizational as well as individual vision. They would strive for the realization of the objectives and to make it possible to make every endeavour to bring the desired vision into reality with shared values that gain commitment and also help formulate strategy for getting there. There has been quest to identify the best leadership style suitable for different hierarchical levels and in all kinds of the organizations. The paper aims at exploring the effective and suitable leadership style for the growing organizations. It has been observed that generally, a significant difference is found between the senior and first-level managers' leadership styles, but not in senior and middle-level managers or middle and first-level managers. This paper further examines the major leadership styles at different hierarchical levels in Indian automobile organizations. Analysis in the paper suggests that an organizational leader must have strong professional will and humility in order to become effective and efficient. Primary data were collected from a randomly selected sample size of 360 managers from three levels from automobile industry in and around Delhi and NCR. The data were subjected to multiple regression analysis. The results and their significance as well as implications are discussed in the paper.
Application of Fama and French Three Factor Model and Stock Return Behavior in Indian Capital Market
Authors: Mehta Kiran , Chander Ramesh
Published: March 2013

The present study is designed to empirically test the three factor model suggested by Fama and French on Indian stock market and to document the evidences as to how firm characteristics are used as a better way to explain the stock return behavior. Fama-French (1993) used value factors to elaborate the explanatory power of CAPM. The present study has considered companies listed under the BSE 500 index series for the empirical tests. The overall findings indicated that the three factor model given by Fama and French is more powerful, than its other variants of taking one or two factors in explaining the variability in the returns of all six portfolios.
Tourism Industry in Andhra Pradesh and Its Financial Performance – A Study of APTDC
Authors: Safiuddin Syed Khaja
Published: March 2013

Tourism industry across the globe is one of the fast-growing industries starting from holiday pay package to medical tourism. It was in the last quarter of the 1900's that increased attention was paid to the desirability of holiday with pay. Up to the beginning of 20th century, tourists traveled almost exclusively by rail and steam ship. Since the beginning of 2000s medical tourism also became familiar as days passed on. In Andhra Pradesh, the Tourism Corporation was incorporated during the year 1976 in the name of Travel and Tourism Development Corporation Pvt. Ltd and became a wholly-owned Government company in March, 1980. In the year 1998, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) was a loss-making unit. There was a strong move to even close down the Corporation. In the year 2002–2005, APTDC generated revenues totaling Rs.330 million, making it one of the best State run corporations and now making a strong bid to be the top Tourism Corporation in India. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze the Financial Performance of APTDC, using selected financial ratios. The purpose of this paper is to assess the long-term efficiency of the corporation with which its activities are being managed as well as short-term performance in terms of its ability to meet current obligations. The study is carried out for a period of seven (07) years commencing from 2001–02 to 2008–09.
East Meets West: Effects of Justice On Employees' Commitment within the Context of International Joint Ventures in China
Authors: Wong Yui-Tim
Published: March 2013

The main purpose of this study is to explore and compare the relationships of justice and commitment among Chinese employees working in International Joint Ventures (IJVs) and reformed State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) today. In this study, distributive justice and procedural justice are considered as antecedents of affective commitment, and interactional justice is considered as antecedent of commitment to supervisor. Additionally, the model further suggests that affective commitment will affect employees' turnover intention and organisational citizenship behaviour; and commitment to supervisor will affect employees' organisational citizenship behaviour. A data set consisting of 247 employees in two international joint ventures and 253 employees in two state-owned enterprises in Shanghai and Southern China are used to test the hypotheses empirically. The LISREL results support the hypotheses. The study shows the major differences of employees' attitudes and behaviour in international joint ventures and state-owned enterprises in China today. The effect of distributive justice on employees' affective commitment is stronger in SOE than in IJV. On the contrary, the effect of procedural justice on employees' affective commitment is stronger in IJV than in SOE. Additionally, the effect of interactional justice on commitment to supervisor is similar in both types of organisation. These results reveal that interactional justice is highly emphasized in both IJVs and SOEs in contemporary China, though the employees are working in different organisational contexts. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of the present study are discussed.
Stock Futures Trading Information and Spot Price Volatility: Evidence from the Indian Pharmaceutical Sector
Authors: Srinivasan P.
Published: March 2013

Exponential GARCH model was employed to examine the impact of futures trading on spot market volatility of the twelve underlying shares of pharmaceutical sector of India. The empirical analysis was conducted for the daily closing price returns of each stock of pharmaceutical firms for the different time periods from 1st January, 1996 through 12th March, 2009. The analysis reveals mixed findings. Most of the selected pharmaceutical stocks reveal an introduction of futures market declined the volatility of underlying spot market. This is followed by positive impact of introduction of futures on the spot market volatility of the selected underlying shares of pharmaceutical firms in India. Besides, the empirical findings of most of the selected pharmaceutical scrips indicate the existence of positive asymmetric response to new information on the volatility of underlying spot market.
BRIC Stock Markets: An Econometric Analysis
Authors: Gambhir Jitin , Bhandari Jitender
Published: March 2013

Globalization, economic adjustment and integration among countries have increased relation among stock markets and the correlation may in turn compel investors' to allocate their funds and change their portfolios. The present paper is an attempt to understand this relationship among BRIC countries. An econometric analysis has been conducted on BRIC countries stock market returns for the period 2004 to 2010. The term BRIC includes Brazil, Russia, India and China. The main objective of this study is to provide investor's information related to stock market co-integration among the players of BRIC financial markets.
Positive Feedback Strategy of FIIs in Indian Stock Market: A Sectoral Analysis
Authors: Raju G. , Kumar Santosh
Published: March 2013

The Positive feedback hypothesis stipulates the strategy of rushing in when the markets are booming and rushing out when the markets are on the decline. The present study empirically documents the static and dynamic interaction between FII flows and returns of various indices of National Stock Exchange, using daily data for the variables from 2000 to 2009. Results indicate that there is evidence of positive feedback trading in Indian context in four selective indices viz. Bank Nifty, CNX Midcap, CNX Nifty Junior, and S&P CNX 500 out of fifteen sampled indices. It is also observed that FIIs are not only causating agents but also the effects of the stock return; and there is selective bidirectional relationship between net FII flows and returns of selected indices viz. CNX Midcap, CNX Nifty Junior, S&P CNX 500 and S&P CNX Nifty out of the (Fifteen) sampled indices.
Impact of Training and Development Programme on Productivity of Oil-Mills in Coimbatore District
Authors: Kumar L. Sudhir , Ramachandran A.
Published: March 2013

This report focuses on the training and development program given by the Oil-Mills in Coimbatore District. The survey was conducted in the District of Coimbatore by considering 120 sample respondents by adopting Tippets table. A well structured questionnaire was adopted to collect the requisite primary data. The collected data were analyzed using statistical tools such as weighted average and chi-square analysis. The study highlights the impetus of the training and development programme to improve the morale of the workers and productivity of oil mills at Coimbatore.
What's Wrong with Misleading Advertising? — An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Sharma Rishi Raj , Chander Subhash
Published: March 2013

Advertising is widely criticised not only for the role it plays in selling the product but also for the way it influences our society. In the era of cut-throat competition, the advertisers resort to certain practices such as puffery, deception, etc. and this leads to misleading advertising. The present study examines the ethical issues involved in misleading advertising as perceived by the respondents. This study attempts to explore the various attributes that constitute misleading advertisement. The central issue of the ethical discussion is to determine the various factors revealing the perceptions of the respondents towards the issue of misleading advertising as a whole. The sample of 460 respondents was drawn from the major districts of Punjab, one of the prosperous states of India, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The scale reliability was tested and factor analysis was used. The study reveals that the most of the respondents are well aware of the various unethical practices of misleading advertisements and perceive these as untruthful business. There are also a few respondents who feel that the exaggeration in advertising may be allowed as a permissible lie. The study provides an ethical implication to the advertisers, who are in the business of making profits, and leaving a word of caution for them to re-evaluate their communication strategies to come out with a new equation of advertising maintaining the balance of professionalism and ethics.
Implementation of TQM: A Case Study in an Auto Company
Authors: Venkateshwarlu N. , Agarwal Ashish , Kulshreshtha Manoj
Published: March 2013

This case study has been carried on Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation in an auto company. The XYZ auto company is producing auto parts and components to large scale auto companies producing the various automotive vehicles. XYZ Auto Company is the best and tier one supplier to about 3 companies and their branches located in different places. This XYZ auto company is already an ISO 9000 certified company and planning to implement the TQM philosophy and best practicing the TQM tools and techniques in the company. The top management already identified a quality team comprises distinguished members from the different departments including design, marketing, HR, production, purchase, suppliers, industrial engineering and quality etc; the team is called as TQM implementation team. Expected results after TQM implementation are improved quality of supplies, improved quality of processes, improved employee satisfaction and improved customer satisfaction. In this case study, it was found that need of TQM training is very essential for the employees in the company to get in to the TQM implementation process.
Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Performance in Insurance Sector
Authors: Ahuja Anjali
Published: March 2013

There has been an increase in the interest in the concept of emotional intelligence in different organizations in past two decades. This is due to increase in research in this area after Daniel Goleman's work in 1995. People started realizing the importance of non-cognitive intelligence in their lives. According to researchers, Emotional intelligence is an ability of an individual which results into increased work performance. This is an attempt to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and work performance of the front-line executives in Indian Insurance sector. This is an empirical study, conducted by collecting data from 100 executives on two parameters: Emotional Intelligence and Work Performance. Correlation and Regression analysis was conducted to find out the relationship and the results signify the role of emotional intelligence in work performance of executives in insurance industry. The findings of this study can have great implication for insurance organizations, HR professionals, trainers and researchers.
Inter — Linkage of FII Inflows and Stock Market Volatility
Authors: Saxena Swami P. , Bhadauriya Sonam
Published: March 2013

In the age of transnational capitalism, significant amounts of capital are flowing from developed world to emerging economies like India. An important feature of the development of stock market in India has been the growing participation of Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in the last 15 years. In India, major portion of FIIs has gone into equities since its inception in 1990's. Given the huge volume of these flows, especially after 2003, its impact on domestic financial market is worthy of a rigorous empirical analysis. The existing literature suggests that the short-term nature of FII has a possibility of bidirectional causality running between it and stock returns. As the Indian equity market is growing, the trend and future prospects in FIIs has become a topic of great concern. The paper is intended at exploring the causal relationship between FIIs inflows and volatility in indices of NSE by adopting Granger Causality test in a bivariate VAR framework. The objective of paper was to explore answer to the research question “whether movements in FIIs inflows have an effect on stock market returns or movements in stock market returns have an effect on direction of FIIs inflows in India in particularly at National Stock Exchange, one of the fastest emerging stock markets with high volatility. The analysis covered daily data series on FIIs inflows and S&P CNX NIFTY for seven financial years from April 2003 to March 2010. To investigate whether the data is stationary or not, the researchers used Augmented Dickey Fuller test and Phillips Perron test.
Measurement of Time Varying Volatility of Indian Stock Market through GARCH Model
Authors: Mehta Kiran , Sharma Renuka
Published: March 2013

Indian stock market has witnessed various confrontations during last two decades resulting into occurrence of alternate phases of the market cycle. The recent financial crisis occurred in the world stock markets has caused vigorous movements in the Indian stock markets, but India has emerged as one of the soundest emerging economies of the world after this crisis. The present study is focused to examine the time varying volatility of Indian stock market specifically in equity market and has considered S&P CNX Nifty index of NSE (National Stock Exchange) for a period of approximately a decade, i.e., March 2001 to October 2010. For the alleged purpose, a total of 2415 daily observations of closing value of market proxy have been considered for all empirical tests for the study period. It is further destined to study whether there is an improvement in the persistence of stock market volatility during last decade or not. The findings of the study documented that the Indian equity market has witnessed the prevalence of time varying volatility where the past volatility has more significant impact on the current volatility. The identification of persistence of conditional volatility can help the investors to forecast their returns from equity market under alternate market phenomenon.
Perspectives of Ecological behaviour and attitude to the Environment: An empirical analysis on Kolkata citizens
Authors: Sarkar Partha Sarathi , Bhattacharya Siddharthya , Sengupta Partha Pratim
Published: March 2013

Increasingly, people choose ecological products when they do the shopping, not only because it is a healthier option but also because it helps to sustain the environment for future generations. They are prepared to switch products for ecological reasons and stop buying products from companies that cause pollution. Firms and other economic institutions are aware of the importance of reflecting these attitudes towards the environment in developing their products. This paper is focused on environmental attitudes as meaningful mediator of ecological behavior. A three-dimensional approach to this variable has been developed, which addresses its emotional, cognitive and co native components. A random sample survey of 384 individuals was used to verify the conceptual model and framework. This model was assessed initially by principal factor analysis and subsequently, by reproduced correlation. Findings of this study showed that environmental attitudes have a significant effect on ecological behaviour.
Predictors of Organisational and Job Commitment in Diverse Organisation
Authors: Riasudeen S. , Srinivasan P.T.
Published: March 2013

Group level variables such as group task, group process, group composition, group cohesiveness and group structure have been found to have effect on the behaviour and affective states of their members. Hence there is a strong need to device a comprehensive understanding of the effects of group factors on the individual with the consideration of the relationships among these group factors and their relative importance in predicting commitment. Four different firms situated in different localities in Chennai city have participated in this study and purposive sampling was adopted for the selection of 475 employees from these firms. A structured questionnaire was distributed and collected data were analysed using hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analysis to assess the extent of variance in commitment can be explained by group factors. The results show that the task autonomy feedback, task related support, task interdependence, task variety and work group climate have emerged as important predictors of both organizational and job commitment in the diverse organization.
Individual Differences and Stress at Workplace
Authors: Sharma Jyoti , Devi Arti
Published: March 2013

The potential for increased levels of stress in the contemporary work environment has made work stress a burgeoning area of concern for individuals and organisations. However, the organizational and work related factors do not lead to stress unless perceived as stressful by the individual employees. The literature has underlined the importance of individual differences in explaining the phenomenon of work stress and has strived for convergence of the diversity in the level of work stress on account of the presence of difference in individuals. It is with this background that present composition has been designed to comprehend those individual differences which account for variation in work stress among the employees. Taking the sample of 575 employees working in various sub-sectors of service sector of Jammu & Kashmir (India), the study has documented the existence of significant differences between the level of work stress and personal characteristics like age, gross monthly salary, work experience, marital status and educational qualification besides the personality traits, namely, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. Thus, study recommends that in addition to the stressors in work environment, the organisations should devise and invest in strategies that recognise the individual differences.
Pesticide Exposure and Endocrine Dysfunction in the Cotton Crop Agricultural Workers of Southern Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Khan Dilshad A. , Ahad Karam , Ansari Wafa M. , Khan Hizbullah
Published: March 2013

This study evaluated pesticide effects on reproductive and thyroid hormones of cotton farmers of southern Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 88 cotton farmers (42 spray applicators and 46 cotton pickers) were randomly included with an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls. Sampling was done in high spraying and peak picking seasons. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total triiodothyroxine (TT3), and free thyroxine (fT4) were carried out by enzymatic immunoassay. Plasma cholinesterase (PChE) levels were measured by Ellman’s method. Serum FSH, LH, and testosterone levels were significantly high in spray applicators ( P < .01).Serum FSH and testosterone levels were significantly raised in cotton pickers ( P < .01). Serum prolactin was decreased significantly in both groups ( P < .01).Serum fT4 was significantly reduced in cotton pickers ( P < .01). Pesticide exposure is associated with thyroid and reproductive hormone levels disturbance.
Burden of Injury From Explosive Remnants of Conflict in Lao PDR and Cambodia
Authors: Durham Jo , Hoy Damian
Published: March 2013

In postconflict settings, a substantial number of injuries and related disabilities are caused by land mines and explosive remnants of war. This article reviews the literature on the prevalence of these injuries and subsequent disabilities in Cambodia and Lao PDR. Three major electronic databases were systematically for publications on the prevalence of these injuries. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. Five of these were in Cambodia and 1 in Lao PDR. None of these studies could estimate national prevalence rates of these injuries; only 2 considered the broader impact of related disabilities. The different methodological approaches and limitations of the studies prevented statistical synthesis. The studies reviewed suggested accurate estimates of the prevalence of war injuries and consequent disabilities are missing. There is a need for a comprehensive epidemiological research to quantify the burden that results from such injuries.
Hallux Valgus—An Acquired Deformity of the Foot in Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Holstein Arthur
Published: March 2013

In this series, acquired hallux valgus deformity occurred in those cerebral palsied children who, when initially seen as prewalkers, had neutral foot alignment and then developed a stance and gait pattern of flexion-adduction at the hips, flexion at the knees, and equinus of the feet, with external torsional effect in the leg below the knee forcing the foot into relative equinovalgus. This resulted in an abducted forefoot manifested primarily as a hallux valgus. The one variation to this premise was the equinovarus heel and adducted forefoot. Here, the resultant thrust was on the lateral border of the foot, and hallux valgus did not occur. In all instances where the response to surgery is incomplete, the foot deformity will develop. Finally, it is noted that a posterior tibial lengthening added to the surgical procedures done for the equinovarus foot has the potential ability in the cerebral palsied child to convert an equinovarus, which does not produce an acquired hallux valgus, into equinovalgus, which does produce this deformity.
Peg and Dowel Fusion of the Proximal Interphalangeal Joint
Authors: Alvine Franklin G. , Garvin Kevin L.
Published: March 2013

The clawtoe or hammertoe deformity is frequently encountered in office practice. The etiology of this condition remains obscure, although intrinsic atrophy or imbalance was suspected as early as 1863 by Duchenne. Arthrodesing the proximal interphalangeal joint converts the more powerful flexor tendon to a flexor of the metatarsophalangeal joint, thereby alleviating pressure on the metatarsal head and distributing the weight more evenly on the forefoot. Arthrodesing is accomplished by the peg and dowel method, with the fourth toe presenting the most technical difficulties. An extensor tenotomy or dorsal capsulotomy of the metatarsophalangeal joint is frequently necessary to realign the toe with the corresponding metatarsal ray. A collodian dressing is used to immobilize the toe for a period of 4 to 6 weeks, with a fusion rate of 97% in 73 toes. All patients were contacted, with 87% responding favorably and stating that they had relief of their pain and were able to resume wearing normal footwear.
Correction of Hypermobile Flatfoot in Children by Molded Insert
Authors: Bordelon R. Luke , Lusskin Ralph
Published: March 2013

One hundred feet in 50 children between the ages of 3 and 9 years with a diagnosis of idiopathic hypermobile flatfoot had a custom-molded insert ordered. A specific method of casting, correcting the various components of the deformity was utilized. An 1/8-inch polypropolene insert was fabricated from the positive cast. The insert was worn in leather shoes with a long counter, steel shank, and Thomas heel. The flatfoot was evaluated and classified by measurement of the talometatarsal angle on a standing lateral X-ray. The insert was fabricated so that the standing lateral talometatarsal angle was corrected to neutral with the insert on the foot and the foot in the shoe.

The preliminary reports indicate that a correction can be obtained at the rate of 0.41° per month or approximately 5° per year. There was no significant loss of motion of the foot or the ankle. Perhaps this regimen may be utilized in those children with a hypermobile flatfoot for whom treatment is advised.
Radiographic Measurements of the Normal Adult Foot
Authors: Steel Maxwell W. , Johnson Kenneth A. , DeWitz Myrna A. , Ilstrup Duane M.
Published: March 2013

Various radiographic measurements of the normal adult foot have been reported in both early and recent literature; however, a complete description of radiographic quantitative data has yet to be reported. The purpose of this study is to describe the range of the normal foot using standard radiographic techniques that can be applied to the clinical setting. This should provide the data necessary for the accurate interpretation of foot radiographs.

This study demonstrates the wide variation in bony relationships of the normal adult foot. When certain recognized criteria of radiographic measurements were evaluated, some were found to be defined as too narrow or inaccurate. Most importantly, because of this wide range, surgical procedures to produce radiographic homogeneity are not indicated. Treatment should be directed specifically toward areas of pain and not radiographic appearance.
Metatarsalgia: A Clinical Review of Diagnosis and Management
Authors: Scranton Pierce E.
Published: March 2013

Metatarsalgia is the symptom of pain in the region of the metatarsophalangeal articulations. In a careful analysis of 98 patients who presented with complaints of forefoot pain, 23 distinct diagnoses were made as to the etiology of their pain. These diagnoses were grouped under primary metatarsalgia, secondary metatarsalgia, and pain under the forefoot. Specialized tests, such as stance phase cholesterol-crystal force plate analysis and intraarticular or digital nerve block, are helpful in determining the diagnosis and the likelihood of effective treatment.
The Early Complications of Subtalar Dislocation
Authors: Mac Surendrapal Singh , Kleiger Barnard
Published: March 2013

Although the treatments and results of subtalar dislocations are usually considered as nonproblematical, review of 10 cases seen over a 6-year period proved otherwise. Difficulties were encountered with four of these cases consisting of associated foot injuries, failure to recognize the dislocation, incarceration of the dislocation, vascular complications, and iatrogenic infection. The management of these cases is discussed.
Chronic and Recurrent Dislocations of the Fifth Toe
Authors: Jahss Melvin H.
Published: March 2013

Ten cases of chronic and recurrent dislocations of the fifth toe were reviewed. The history consisted of forceful abduction by catching the toe on a piece of furniture while walking barefoot. In every case the pathology was overlooked by the treating physician or the patient failed to seek medical care. All of the patients were seen years after the initial injury. The clinical patterns revealed a relatively fixed abduction deformity at the proximal interphalangeal level or a recurrent dislocation occurring on weightbearing at either the proximal interphalangeal or metatarsophalangeal level. Treatment consisted of resection of the head and neck of the proximal phalanx and/or syndactyly to the fourth toe. Results were uniformly excellent.
Articular Osteoid Osteoma of the Talus: A Case Report
Authors: Gould Nathaniel
Published: March 2013

A case report of an occult articular osteoid osteoma of the talus is presented that remained undiagnosed for 4 1/2 years despite repeated X-rays, bone scan, tomography, and surgical exploration. The problems of the surgical approach are also detailed.
A Roentgenographic Technique to Evaluate and Document Hindfoot Position
Authors: Samuelson K. M. , Harrison R. , Freeman M. A. R.
Published: March 2013

The position of the posterior portion of the foot is difficult to evaluate and document on the basis of clinical examination. Conventional roentgenographic techniques also do not allow objective determination of hindfoot position. A new roentgenographic technique utilizing a double-exposure has been developed to allow accurate documentation of the position of the calcaneus relative to the ankle. Normal adult values for this technique have been determined from 60 normal feet.
Hallux Rigidus: Cheilotomy or Implant?
Authors: Gould Nathaniel
Published: March 2013

Fifty-one feet in 42 patients with varying degrees of symptomatic hallux rigidus and with 2 years of follow-up have been operated with excellent results. Cheilotomy was performed in all cases with only cheilotomy employed in the young patients and implant surgery (single-stem silicone) reserved for the older and more advanced arthritis cases. Pain generally disappeared within 3 months. Range of toe motion in dorsiflexion increased. All patients returned to their activity of choice. All patients were able to utilize off-the-shelf footwear postoperatively. There have been no fractures or inflammatory reactions of the implants as yet, including those inserted 4 or more years ago.
Acute Management of Major Trauma Involving the Foot and Ankle with Hoffmann External Fixation
Authors: Kenzora John E. , Edwards Charles C. , Browner Bruce D. , Gamble James G. , DeSilva Jivaka B.
Published: March 2013

Massive trauma involving the foot was treated by external fixation in 33 cases and followed for 1 to 3 years. Amputations were performed in seven (21%) because of uncontrollable deep sepsis in two and massive injury in five. The other 26 (79%) had functionally acceptable feet at follow-up, but all had some stiffness and cosmetic deformity. Complications attributed to the Hoffman external fixation were limited to three pin tract infections.

We recommend Hoffmann external fixation when it is necessary to: 1) stabilize major open fracture dislocations; 2) maintain length where bone is lost or extensively comminuted; 3) prevent soft tissue contractures; 4) control joint position for delayed ankle arthrodesis; and 5) provide easy access for soft and bone tissue reconstructions.
Surgical Treatment of Stenosing Tenosynovitis at the Ankle
Authors: Trevino Saul , Gould Nathaniel , Korson Roy
Published: March 2013

Twelve cases of stenosing tenosynovitis about the ankle (eight posterior tibial and four peroneal), with at least 2 to 4 years of follow-up, have been successfully relieved of their symptoms and returned to increased activity by utilizing a simplified comprehensive surgical technique.

Surgery consists of: 1) appropriate treatment to the tendon itself whether intact, partially ruptured, or completely ruptured; 2) deepening of the constricted groove; 3) fashioning of new pulleys from available sheath and retinaculum; and 4) construction of a new sheath from regional deep fascia.

Postoperative management includes non-weightbearing, soft bandages, and home exercise therapy for 1 month, followed thereafter by intensive home therapy buildup of the involved muscle and orthoses. Pathology findings included thickening of the tendon sheath, varying degrees of fibrosis of the tendon itself, with or without rupture, and reactive hypertrophy of the bone at the involved groove.
Stenosing Tenosynovitis of the Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon at the Great Toe
Authors: Gould Nathaniel
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the previously overlooked entity, stenosing tenosynovitis of the flexor hallucis longus tendon in the sesamoid area of the great toe. Nine patients have been tabulated and successfully treated during the past 4 years, with an average 2½-year follow-up. Trauma seems to be the causative factor. Five cases had accompanying pathology.

Three cases responded to inflation of the tendon sheath with 1% lidocaine anesthesia, but the remainder required tenolysis of the sheath plus surgery to the accompanying pathology for relief.

Early recognition of this problem and prompt inflation with lidocaine may be the only required treatment if this is the only entity. Chronic cases will respond to tenolysis. A plantar full visualization surgical approach is recommended.
Genetic Considerations of Foot Anomalies in Office Practice
Authors: Wein Barry K. , Cowell Henry R.
Published: March 2013

Basic genetic principles are reviewed, with special reference to foot anomalies. The cytogenetics of Mendelian disorders (autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked dominant, and X-linked recessive) are explained, with attention to penetrance and variable expressivity. Multifactorial conditions and chromosome structural defects are also discussed. The value of tracing family genetic patterns and performing chromosome studies for diagnosing and counseling orthopaedic patients is underscored. The mechanics of genetic principles, explained in the article, are shown to be worthwhile tools in orthopaedic medicine.
Biomechanical Approach to the Treatment of Foot Problems
Authors: Mann Roger A.
Published: March 2013

A biomechanical approach is essential to proper diagnosis of foot and ankle problems. With full knowledge of how the average or neutral foot and/or ankle functions, one can then readily “spot” variations from these “norms”, and thus gain significant clues in solving your patient's complaints.

This requires careful observation and recording of attitudes in stance, gait at various speeds, and ranges of motion in small and larger joints.

The author has attempted to point out the pertinent methods of such examinations, the range of “norms” based on scientific data, and how to interpret the variations from these “norms”.

Furthermore, once your diagnosis has been established, this biomechanical analysis of your patients’ specific complaints and findings, coupled with your patients’ activities and goals, will influence your office and pre-surgical planning.
A Review of Current Concepts on the Evolution of the Human Foot
Authors: Laitman Jeffery T. , Jaffe William L.
Published: March 2013

This paper reviews a number of recent advances in understanding the evolution of the human foot. The foot has gradually changed from the grasping and clinging organ of early Eocene and Miocene and Miocene primate ancestors to the specialized weightbearing structure of modern. Recent studies have indicated that postcranial remains conmensurate with the requirements of bipedal locomotion may have been present as far back as 3½ million years ago in the forerunners of modern man known as the australopithecines. Subsequent modifications appear to be refinements to increase the efficiency of weight transmission in habitual bipedallsm.
The Acquired Unilateral Flatfoot in the Adult: Some Causative Factors
Authors: Henceroth Willam Dayton , Deyerle William Minor
Published: March 2013

Several theories and anatomical variations have been described to explain pes planus. Inherent within these has been the notion that the condition is bilateral. In this paper some causes for an acquired unilateral flatfoot in the adult are discussed and illustrative cases are presented.
Arthritides Affecting the Foot: Radiographic—Pathological Correlation
Authors: Guerra Jose , Resnick Donald
Published: March 2013

Arthritic disorders affect the bones and soft tissues of the foot just as they affect the bones and soft tissues of the hand. However, the resulting characteristic patterns of involvement have been largely neglected in previous descriptions of radiographic and pathological findings in articular diseases. This article reviews the pathogenesis of the microscopic and gross pathology of some common arthritides affecting the foot, and supports the pathological material with correlating radiographs. Rheumatoid arthritis, the seronegative spondylarthropathies, crystal-induced arthritis, degenerative joint disease, and septic arthritis are covered.