bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cultural flows and cosmopolitanism in Mughal India
Authors: Chatterjee Kumkum
Published: September 2009

This article explores a phase of cultural efflorescence characterised by temple construction, the cultivation of music, scholarship, the copying and embellishment of manuscripts in the kingdom of Bishnupur in south-western Bengal from the late sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The inspiration for these cultural accomplishments is traced to a combination of Mughal–Rajput and Vaishnava influences. The article traces the historical factors that made possible the complex inter-relations among these strands of culture and argues that the rulers of Bishnupur initiated this cultural programme with the aim of assimilating cosmopolitan, elite practices associated with Northern Indian courtly society. The discussion highlights the role of Mughal–Rajput courtly culture in creating a concept of cosmopolitanism in tandem with the devotional culture of Vaishnavism.
Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Stiffened and Unstiffened Laminated Composite Plates Using a High-order Element
Authors: Hegaze Moutaz M.
Published: September 2009

Stiffened plates are used in several applications, such as aircrafts, ships, and aerospace structures. Dynamic analysis of stiffened and unstiffened composite laminated plate is presented in this work using a high-order finite element. The shear effect has been taken into consideration in the derivation of the element. This technique gives us the ability to avoid the problem of unsymmetry of stiffness matrix due to large deformation effect. The accuracy of the proposed derivation of the element has been verified through the comparison of the results with published, software (ANSYS-11) and experimental results. The effects of the number of layers and degree of orthtropy are studied with different case studies by different boundary conditions and thickness-to-span ratio. A comparison with different kind of elements is presented.
The Invasion of a Mustard Seed: A Reading of Mark 5.1-20
Authors: Garroway Joshua
Published: September 2009

This article reads Mark’s tale of the Gerasene demoniac as a narrative explication of the parables in the preceding chapter—particularly the mustard seed—in which the kingdom of God is described in light of the paradigmatic kingdom of the period, imperial Rome. The account portrays the violent destruction of Rome, achieved through synecdoche by the annihilation of an occupying ‘Legion’, as well as the peaceful infiltration of a new kingdom, achieved through mimesis in the second scene by the demoniac’s ‘invasion’ of a hostile crowd. In so doing, the passage both mimics and subverts standard ancient ideologies of kingdom and invasion.
Narrative Analysis as a Text Critical Tool: Mark 16 in Codex W as a Test Case
Authors: Shepherd Thomas R.
Published: September 2009

In their description of the history of the transmission of the New Testament text, textual critics can use narrative analysis to elucidate the theological tendencies of narrative portions of an individual manuscript. The current article is an application of this methodology to the text of Mk 16.9-20 in Codex W. The article correlates the theological tendencies of this passage against the rest of the text of Mark in W with the outcome that there is reasonable evidence for a Tendenz focused on the cosmic power of Christ. This, in turn, correlates well with the triumph of the church over paganism in the fourth to fifth centuries CE when W was copied.
Paul’s Caricature of his Chief Rival as a Pompous Parasite in 2 Corinthians 11.20
Authors: Welborn L.L.
Published: September 2009

2 Corinthians 11.20 has received too little discussion in the literature on Paul’s opponents at Corinth, and, surprisingly, even less notice in recent research on patron—client relations in the Pauline communities. This article argues that 2 Cor. 11.20 depicts the leading figure among Paul’s apostolic rivals as an instance of a social type so familiar and loathsome that he was a favorite subject of ridicule in comedy, mime, and satire: the parasite, specifically, the ‘august parasite’ (σεμνoπαράσσιτoς), who puts on airs and abuses his host and other guests. A composite portrait of this stock character is drawn from the comedies of Alexis, Antiphanes, Plautus and Terence, and from Lucian’s satirical defense of the parasitic art. Parallels to Paul’s vocabulary (καταδoυλoωσ, κατεσθιω, λαμβάνσω etc.) are traced in Greco-Roman comedies and satires. Paul’s satirical account of the behavior of a rival missionary in 2 Cor. 11.20 serves not only as a foil to Paul’s own modest conduct, but also functions as a reproach to the Corinthians for their complaisant response to the interloper. This hortatory function must be borne in mind as one seeks to comprehend the roles that Paul, his rival and the Corinthians play in the little scenario Paul has constructed.
Absent Presences of Paul and Christ: Enargeia in 1 Thessalonians 1—3
Authors: Heath Jane M.F.
Published: September 2009

Paul is absent from Thessalonica; Christ is (in some sense) absent until his parousia; God is distant, invisible; the missionary visit lies in the past. But in the letter they receive from Paul, the Thessalonians find these manifold presences conjured under Paul’s pen and again made vivid. The following article studies this in the context of ancient discussion of enargeia. Although enargeia was never well systematized in antiquity, the term was frequent in diverse contexts for a range of interrelated phenomena connected with effects of vivid presence. Previously, scholarly discussion of ‘absent-presences’ in Paul has focused on Paul’s practice of making his own personal presence vivid to addressees, and this has been debated chiefly in the light of ancient epistolary theory. The introduction of enargeia opens the way for investigation of a wider range of ‘absent-presences’ and relationships between them, and places the discussion in a broader cultural setting. The aim is a theologically and historically richer exegesis of the epistle.
Making Fear Personal: Hebrews 5.11—6.12 and the Argument from Shame
Authors: Perry Peter S.
Published: September 2009

The author of Hebrews directly shames his audience in 5.11-12: ‘you have become νωθρoί in hearing ... you need someone to teach you ... You need milk not solid food’. Taking into account occurrences in other literature, νωθρoί in Heb. 5.11 and 6.12 is best translated as ‘unambitious’, connoting a shameful failure to recognize and act on advantages. Mapping the use of emotion in Hebrews with Aristotle’s definitions reveals that this direct shaming is unique and critical to the argument of the epistle. The hearers may dismiss warnings of God’s wrath as relevant to others but not themselves. Shame in 5.11—6.12 makes this fear personal.
Intelligent token Petri nets for modelling and control of reconfigurable automated manufacturing systems with dynamical changes
Authors: NaiQi Wu  , MengChu Zhou
Published: September 2009

Considering dynamical changes in manufacturing systems, such as rework and system reconfiguration, this paper presents a new Petri net (PN) model called an intelligent token PN (ITPN). In this model, tokens representing job instances carry real-time knowledge about system status and changes just like smart cards in practice. By taking this advantage, dynamical changes of a system can be easily modelled. An ITPN can model a system in a modular way, leading to a very compact model. When changes occur, it needs to modify only the changed part from the current model. Thus, an ITPN is highly reusable. Based on the ITPN model, a deadlock-free control (DFC) policy is presented. With this control policy, an ITPN is deadlock-free and reversible. In particular, when an ITPN is changed according to the changes of the system, the policy is still applicable to the modified model. Thus, one need not modify the control policy when an ITPN model is modified.
Interactive Web service composition based on Petri net
Authors: Ping Sun  , ChangJun Jiang  , MengChu Zhou
Published: September 2009

One of the most promising advantages of Web service technology is the possibility of creating value-added services by combining existing ones. For interactive services, sending and receiving an arbitrary number of messages may occur during a service process. It is important that the service composition is not only based on input/output interface, but also related to process behaviour. This paper deals with the problem of interactive Web service composition, ie, for a complex interactive composition schema, and how to discover and select concrete services to satisfy the requirements of users and service interaction. Firstly, a Web service is modelled as an open Petri net, with messages and inner process description, and the service interaction is achieved via asynchronous composition. Then, according to abstract composite service, concrete services are discovered by some rules. These rules include interface consistency, structural-characteristic preservation, which assures the correct interaction between services. With the help of Petri net language, the similarity degree of abstract and concrete services based on their interface and inner process is evaluated, which provides guides for service selection.
A fault monitor for automated manufacturing systems using a hybrid Petri nets formalism
Authors: Dotoli M. , Fanti M.P. , Mangini A.M.
Published: September 2009

Fault monitoring is an essential requirement for safety and reliability of industrial systems. The paper presents a novel event-based online monitoring technique for automated manufacturing systems, ensuring timely and accurate detection of system failures. The monitor model is based on first-order hybrid Petri nets, ie, Petri nets that make use of first-order fluid approximation. The proposed fault analysis technique relies on a modular framework, so that elementary monitors can be connected with other monitors to check more complex systems while avoiding the state—space explosion problem. In addition, the presented monitor detects system faults as soon as possible, before the maximum execution time assigned to each task. Several examples and an application to an automated manufacturing system proposed in the related literature enlighten the simplicity and modularity of the technique.
Multi-mode transportation planning of crude oil via Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search and Path Relinking
Authors: Qingning Shen  , Haoxun Chen  , Feng Chu  , MengChu Zhou
Published: September 2009

The transportation of crude oil from production fields to refineries is a very important operation in the oil industry. In this paper, an inventory routing problem for crude oil transportation is studied, where the crude oil is transported from a central depot to a set of customers with dynamic demand using multiple transportation modes. Oil can be transported through marine routes, pipelines or a combination of the two modes. The marine transportation of crude oil is performed by a heterogeneous fleet of tankers with limited capacity owned by an oil distributor itself and/or the tankers of different types rented from a third party. Each transportation operation has a lead time and the storage capacity of oil at each customer is limited. The problem is to determine over a given planning horizon an optimal oil transportation plan that minimizes the total transportation and inventory costs subject to various constraints. The plan defines the number of tankers of each type to rent and the number of tankers of each type to dispatch on each route in each period. A mixed-integer programming model is established for the problem. Because of the high complexity and large size of the problem, the model is too complicated to be solved exactly. A metaheuristic method, the Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) enhanced by an intensification strategy based on Path Relinking is developed to find its near-optimal solutions. Numerical test results of the method demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.
The Glocalization of Mission as Transformation
Authors: Tizon Al
Published: September 2009

The reality of globalization warrants an understanding of mission that negotiates global and local realities. This article explores the way in which the global and the local have informed Mission as Transformation, a holistic missionary movement among radical evangelicals that developed in earnest since Lausanne ’74. How have local expressions — particularly Filipino expressions — of Transformation helped to form a global understanding of Transformation? And vice versa: How does a global understanding serve local expressions? The Transformational view of the global-local — or glocal — relationship as symbiotic and not antagonistic undermines both universal theologies that are imposed on all cultures and to local theologies that lack global accountability.
Ecumenical Engagement Resurrected: The Demise and Rebirth of the National Council of Churches, Singapore
Authors: Harvey Thomas
Published: September 2009

This article examines the history of the National Council of Churches, Singapore. In particular it considers the ways in which the role and nature of ecumenical engagement in Singapore transformed as the impetus for ecclesial unity, social and political engagement shifted from a project and concern of foreign missionaries to that of Singaporean church leaders. Further, it examines the ecclesial, social and political implications as ecumenical activity becomes grounded in a non-western setting.
100 Years of Indian Sociology
Authors: Welz Frank
Published: September 2009

In the 20th century Indian sociology grew from the enterprise of a small elite group to a respectable size and visible voice in global sociology. It bears the potential to reconnect the sociological discourse with the classical ‘big’ questions that haunted sociology for an entire century. But for shaping the global agenda of sociology, this essay argues, the sociological discourse in India first had to deconstruct its alter ego. Overcoming the reception of western sociology as a monolithic construct will remove an intellectual obstacle. This leitmotiv is discussed by reflecting on three recent books, by Yogesh Atal, T. K. Oommen and Yogendra Singh, which analyse the development of Indian sociology as a ‘locus of struggles’ (Bourdieu): Where did it come from? How does it operate? Where will it go? While tracing its evolution and interaction with western sociological discourse, the essay first discusses the introduction of social sciences to India as a colonial heritage that implanted empiricist ‘outsider ’ studies of ‘native’ cultures, and identifies the reception of the American siblings of structural-functionalism and empiricism that dominated western sociology in the 1960s. Both intellectual encounters provoked the traditionalist call for indigenization as a counterforce to the perceived westernization of Indian social thought from 1950 to 1980. Finally, considering the recent attempt of a perspective ‘from below’, the essay discusses how far the view that places the increasing exclusion of specific groups from the public discourse on the sociological agenda could unite Indian sociology — and decentre the global one.
‘Masculine Domination’
Authors: Sangren P. Steven
Published: September 2009

This article reprises 1970s discussions of gender inequality in feminist anthropology to critique contemporary assumptions regarding gender construction, advocating a psycho-cultural explanation for the ubiquity of masculine domination. The currency of what I term ‘culturalist empiricism’, in its emphasis on cultural difference, downplays inquiry into human commonalities with respect to gender and entails questionable assumptions regarding how culture operates to construct. Analysis of Chinese patriliny understood as a ‘mode of production of desire’ provides a case in point toward rethinking how cultures can differ with respect to gender construction without abandoning anthropology’s commitment to comprehending human commonalities. The approach is relevant beyond China’s culturally particular context, and it suggests substantial revision of idealist assumptions regarding anthropology’s object — culture.
Monks, Monarchs and Mountain Folks
Authors: Evrard Olivier , Leepreecha Prasit
Published: September 2009

The development of domestic (or national) tourism in Thailand in the second half of the 20th century relied on a new kind of relationship between the state and local cultures. Rural spaces have been reinvented and transformed into appealing visual and conceptual archetypes which sustain discourses on both local and national identity and history. Thai tourism allows a kind of pacification of the relations between the centre and the periphery, but it also perpetuates an internal colonialism, both towards Tai and non-Tai populations. This article investigates the social significance of domestic tourism in Chiang Mai and the links between non-Western representation of travel, nationalism and localized identity. It focuses on three attractions scattered along the road going up to the mountain of Suthep (Doi Suthep), one of the most famous tourist destinations in northern Thailand: a Buddhist temple, a royal palace and an ethnic village. These three attractions provide crucial insights into the history of domestic tourism in Thailand: its similarities to and differences from previous forms of travel, its relations to the idealization of the rural and its role in the pacification of the relations between the Thai state and its geographic and social margins.
Notes on the (post)colonial in the Maghreb
Authors: Hannoum Abdelmajid
Published: September 2009

■ This article examines the formation of French colonial culture in the Maghreb and the power relations it has generated. Through an analysis of colonial knowledge, the author shows the different and changing discursive strategies put in place to comprehend and control the local population. He also argues that the effects of this colonial knowledge continue in the present and, far from debunking it, national reactions by historians helped make colonial categories and understanding part of the present.
Grant and Contract Management Within an Intergenerational Shared-Site Organization: A Case Study
Authors: Ruggiano Nicole
Published: September 2009

Intergenerational shared-site (IGSS) organizations have expanded in number and scope over the past few decades. These organizations are based on a human service model that simultaneously provides services to children and older adults, many times under the same roof. Although there has been increased research on the psychological and social effects that intergenerational interactions have on participants, little is known about the organizational processes that occur within these organizations. Utilizing a triangulation of traditional field methods, this study attempts to expand existing knowledge of intergenerational organizations by examining the grant and contract management experiences of a large IGSS agency. The findings indicate that public funding sources for human services are segregated by generational focus, creating challenges to nonprofit intergenerational organizations in grant and contract acquisition and management. Recommendations for future research and implications for providers in IGSS settings are provided.
Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Neuroinflammation
Authors: Kannan Sujatha , Balakrishnan Bindu , Muzik Otto , Romero Roberto , Chugani Diane
Published: September 2009

Injury to the central nervous system is characterized by localization of activated microglia at the site of injury. The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor expressed on the outer mitochondrial membrane of the activated microglia is a sensitive biomarker for the detection of this neuroinflammatory response to an insult. PK11195, an isoquinoline ligand that specifically binds peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, can be tagged with a positron emitter and used as a tracer for molecular imaging of this receptor in vivo by positron emission tomography (PET). [11C](R)PK11195 has been used in the imaging of various neuroinflammatory disorders, such as Alzheimer disease and multiple sclerosis. On the basis of our small-animal PET imaging studies using a neonatal rabbit model of maternal inflammation-induced cerebral palsy, we propose that PET imaging using [11C](R)PK11195 may be a valuable tool for detecting neuroinflammation in the brain of newborns born to mothers with chorioamnionitis.
White Matter Damage After Chronic Subclinical Inflammation in Newborn Mice
Authors: Xiaoyang Wang  , Hellgren Gunnel , Löfqvist Chatarina , Wenli Li  , Hellström Ann , Hagberg Henrik , Mallard Carina
Published: September 2009

Preterm infants exposed to inflammation are at increased risk of white matter injury and/or cerebral palsy. To investigate the effect of chronic inflammation on the developing white matter, we administered low-dose lipopolysaccharide once a day from postnatal days 3 to 11, examined white matter changes at postnatal day 12, and monitored serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 and insulin-like factor binding protein-3. A single injection of lipopolysaccharide decreased the serum insulin-like growth factor 1 level but not the insulin-like factor binding protein-3 level. At postnatal day 12, quantification of immunohistochemical staining for axonal, myelin, and oligodendrocyte markers revealed impaired myelination in subcortical white matter. In addition, brain gray matter volume decreased and spleen and liver weight increased at postnatal day 12. These data suggest chronic subclinical inflammation hampers development of white and gray matter in early life, which may be associated with insulin-like growth factor 1 deficiency.
Neuroprotective Interventions: Is It Too Late?
Authors: Jenkins Dorothea D. , Chang Eugene , Singh Inderjit
Published: September 2009

In most cases of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, the exact timing of the hypoxic-ischemic event is unknown, and we have few reliable biomarkers to precisely identify the phase of injury or recovery in an individual patient. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that for neuroprotection in neonates to succeed, an understanding of the phase of injury is important to ascertain. In addition, in utero antecedents of chronic hypoxia, hypoxic preconditioning, intrauterine infection, and fetal gender may change the expected time course of injury. Neuroprotective interventions, such as hypothermia and N-acetylcysteine, currently have efficacy in human and animal studies only if instituted early in the inflammatory cascade. Although these cascades are currently being investigated, molecular mechanisms of recovery have received little attention and may ultimately reveal a window for therapeutic intervention that is much longer than current paradigms.
Injury to the Preterm Brain and Cerebral Palsy: Clinical Aspects, Molecular Mechanisms, Unanswered Questions, and Future Research Directions
Authors: Babcock Michael A. , Kostova Felina V. , Ferriero Donna M. , Johnston Michael V. , Brunstrom Jan E. , Hagberg Henrik , Maria Bernard L.
Published: September 2009

Cerebral palsy will affect nearly 10% of the 60 000 very low-birth-weight infants born in the United States in the next year, and an even greater percentage will display some form of permanent neurological impairment resulting from injury to the preterm brain. The 2008 Neurobiology of Disease in Children Symposium, held in conjunction with the 37th annual meeting of the Child Neurology Society, aimed to define current knowledge and to develop specific aims for future clinical, translational, and fundamental science. A complex interplay of both destructive and developmental forces is responsible for injury to the preterm brain. Advances in imaging and histology have implicated a variety of cell types, though preoligodendrocyte injury remains the focus. Research into different mechanisms of injury is facilitating new neuroprotective and rehabilitative interventions. A cooperative effort is necessary to translate basic research findings into clinically effective therapies and better care for these children.
A Simple Physiologic Algorithm for Managing Hemodynamics Using Stroke Volume and Stroke Volume Variation: Physiologic Optimization Program
Authors: McGee William T.
Published: September 2009

Intravascular volume status and volume responsiveness continue to be important questions for the management of critically ill or injured patients. Goal-directed hemodynamic therapy has been shown to be of benefit to patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, acute lung injury and adult respiratory distress syndrome, and for surgical patients in the operating room. Static measures of fluid status, central venous pressure (CVP), and pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) are not useful in predicting volume responsiveness. Stroke volume variation and pulse pressure variation related to changes in stroke volume during positive pressure ventilation predict fluid responsiveness and represent an evolving practice for volume management in the intensive care unit (ICU) or operating room. Adoption of dynamic parameters for volume management has been inconsistent. This manuscript reviews some of the basic physiology regarding the use of stroke volume variation to predict fluid responsiveness in the ICU and operating room. A management algorithm using this physiology is proposed for the critically ill or injured in various settings.
Creep Analysis of an Isotropic Rotating Al—SiCp Composite Disc taking into Account the Phase-specific Thermal Residual Stress
Authors: Singh S.B. , Rattan Minto
Published: September 2009

Analysis of steady-state creep in a rotating disc made of Al—SiCp composite has been carried out using isotropic Hoffman yield criterion and the results obtained are compared with those using von Mises yield criterion ignoring difference in yield stresses. The material parameters characterizing difference in yield stresses have been used from experimental results of other studies. The stress and strain rate distributions developed due to rotation have been calculated and compared for both the criteria. It is observed that the stress distribution is not too much affected due to presence of phase specific thermal residual stress. The presence of residual stress has contributed to an increase in the tangential strain rate particularly in the region near the outer radius of the disc, as compared to the tangential strain rate in the disc without residual stress. The radial strain rate, which is compressive, changes significantly due to the presence of residual stress and even becomes tensile in the middle of the disc. It is thus concluded that the presence of residual stress significantly affects the creep in an isotropic rotating disc.
Toxicology and biodistribution study of CIGB-230, a DNA vaccine against hepatitis C virus
Authors: Bacardí Dania , Amador-Cañizares Yalena , Cosme Karelia , Urquiza Dioslaida , Suárez José , Marante Jeny , Viña Ariel , Vázquez Ariel , Concepción Joel , Pupo Maylín , Aldana Lizet , Soria Yordanka , Romero Juan , Madrigal Roberto , Martínez Leticia , Hernández Lourdes , González Idania , Dueñas-Carrera Santiago
Published: September 2009

CIGB-230, a mixture of a DNA plasmid expressing hepatitis C virus (HCV) structural antigens and a HCV recombinant capsid protein, has demonstrated to elicit strong immune responses in animals. The present study evaluated the plasmid biodistribution after the administration of CIGB-230 in mice, as well as toxicity of this vaccine candidate in rats. In the biodistribution study, mice received single or repeated intramuscular injections of CIGB-230, 50 μg of plasmid DNA mixed with 5 μg of Co.120 protein. Plasmid presence was assessed in ovaries, kidney, liver, pancreas, mesenteric ganglion, blood, and muscle of the injection site by a qualitative polymerase chain reaction. The toxicology evaluation included treatment groups receiving doses 5, 15, or 50 times higher, according to the body weight, than the expected therapeutic clinical dose. During the first hour after repeated inoculation, a promiscuous distribution was observed. However, 3 months later, plasmid could not be detected in any tissue. There was an absence of detectable adverse effects on key toxicology parameters and no damage evidenced in inspected organs and tissues. These results indicate that CIGB-230 is nontoxic at local and systemic levels and no concerns about persistence are observed, which support clinical testing of this vaccine candidate against HCV.
Risk assessment of severe tricyclic antidepressant overdose
Authors: Eyer Florian , Stenzel Jochen , Schuster Tibor , Felgenhauer Norbert , Pfab Rudi , von Bary Christian , Zilker Thomas
Published: September 2009

Prognostic factors for severe complications in tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) overdose remain unclear. We therefore evaluated the value of clinical characteristics and electrocardiograph (ECG) parameters to predict serious events (seizures, arrhythmia, death) in severe TCA overdose of 100 patients using logistic regression models for risk assessment. The overall fatality rate was 6%, arrhythmia occurred in 21% and 31% of the patients developed seizures. Using an univariable logistic regression model, the maximal QRS interval (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.06-1.41; p = .005), the time lag between ingestion and occurrence of first symptoms of overdose (OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.99-1.29; p = .072) and the age (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.55-0.98; p = .038) were determined as the solely predictive parameters. In the multivariable logistic regression model, the QRS interval could not be established as independent predictor, however, the terminal 40-ms frontal plane QRS vector (T40) reached statistical significance regarding prediction of serious events (odds ration [OR] 1.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.84; p = .041), along with age and time lag between ingestion and onset of symptoms of overdose with a sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 70%, respectively. Evaluation of both clinical characteristics and ECG-parameters in the early stage of TCA overdose may help to identify those patients who urgently need further aggressive medical observation and management.
Homicidal poisoning by injection of methidathion: The first ever report
Authors: Ozdemir Caglar , Kar Hakan , Bilge Yasar , Batuk Gokhan , Batuk Hulya Isler
Published: September 2009

We present the first ever case of homicidal poisoning due to injection of methidathion, an organophosphate insecticide. Case: A 4-month-old baby presented to the emergency department with chief complaints of unconsciousness and irregular respiration. A bitter odour and an injection site with a greenish blue colouration and two bullaous lesions were noticed by the emergency department physicians. Postmortem examinations revealed a wide shiny blue colouration of the antecubital region with oedematous muscular fascia and focal liquefaction necrosis. Blood and tissue levels were positive for methidathion. Our case report emphasizes the necessity of a detailed crime scene investigation and postmortem examination for the possibility of homicide in such cases. Although injection sites may be the expected results of medical treatment, dermal lesions also may be associated with injections of toxic substances.
Do Macroeconomic Indicators Explain India's Sovereign Ratings? An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Samantaraya Amaresh , Verrier Jeanne
Published: September 2009

Sovereign rating—an assessment of the relative likelihood of a country defaulting on its financial obligations—is important not only because better ratings facilitate external borrowing at favourable rates of interest, but also for the impetus it gives to the development of domestic financial markets in an emerging economy. Assessing the role of various macroeconomic factors influencing India's sovereign rating, our preliminary analysis indicated that while upgrading India's sovereign rating since 2003–04 both Standard and Poor's and Moody's apparently taken, high GDP growth, rising foreign reserves, declining fiscal deficit and rising exports into account, but the economic rational for downgrading the rating between 1998 and 2002 is not very convincing. The econometric analysis, using an ordered probit model, did not find strong statistical support for several relevant macroeconomic indicators in the determination of India's sovereign ratings. Could a major part of the explanation have come from some other sources, such as qualitative social and political considerations? India's relatively low sovereign ratings compared to its peers raises questions about rating agencies appropriately accounting for India's excellent economic performance in recent years; its formidable record of serving all external liabilities on time; and factors related to political stability and the social fabric of unity amidst diversity. Had these factors been taken into account appropriately, perhaps India's rating would have been better reflective of reality.
Central Fiscal Transfers and States’ Own-Revenue Efforts in India
Authors: Panda Prasant Kumar
Published: September 2009

Using the fixed and random effect panel regression models the paper tries to empirically examine the incentive effects of federal transfers on states’ own-revenue. Per capita resource transfers from the centre are found to be significant and negatively associated with states’ own-revenue, own-tax revenue and own-non-tax revenue in per capita terms, irrespective of choices of models or specification. This possibly indicates that central transfers have a dampening effect on states’ revenue efforts. Further, the incentive criterion for tax effort as used in the Finance Commission devolutions and in the Gadgil formula used by the Planning Commission is not reflected in the system, and it has failed to induce the desired, positive revenue pattern in states. The paper calls for assigning a higher weight to tax effort in the devolution formula and for more effective co-ordination among different channels in designing criteria and incentives.
Dynamics of Agricultural Development and Rural Poverty in Indian States
Authors: Ghosh Madhusudan
Published: September 2009

This paper examines the inclusiveness of growth in agriculture and the dynamics of change and inter-state variation in rural poverty in India between 1972–73 and 2004–05. The incidence of and regional variations in rural poverty increased significantly, immediately after economic reforms. Variations in rural poverty have been associated with variations in consumption, inequality, agricultural performance and agrarian structure. The benefits of growth in agriculture seem to have trickled down to the rural poor, but the strength of the trickle-down process and the inclusiveness of growth have been limited and are weakening with time. The regressive features of the agrarian structure and the process of marginalisation and proletarianisation of the peasantry seem to have aggravated rural poverty. The results offer important policy implications for the alleviation of rural poverty.
Foreign Firms and Inter-industry Spillovers in Indian Manufacturing
Authors: Iyer G. Chidambaran
Published: September 2009

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has benefits both for the host country and the home country. Multinational corporations or foreign firms are supposed to have frontier technology, which are expected to have spillover effects on local firms when they enter a country. Most studies on Indian industry have focused on intra-industry spillovers and have found some evidence of this. The present study's focus is on inter-industry spillovers (for example, from auto-components to assemblers) on which there are few studies, as the literature unambiguously expects inter-industry spillovers to occur. This paper establishes the presence of spillover effects on domestic firms due to horizontal, backward and forward linkages with foreign firms in the Indian manufacturing industry, which affect domestic firms’ productivity. It also establishes that inter-industry spillovers are negative for some industries.
Project-driven Concurrent Product Development
Authors: Duhovnik Jožef , Žargi Urban , Kušar Janez , Starbek Marko
Published: September 2009

When entering the global market, companies encounter several difficulties, the most severe being long product development times and too high costs of sequential product and process development. In order to overcome this problem, the companies will have to make a shift from sequential product development (which is wasteful regarding time and costs) to a project-driven concurrent product development as soon as possible.

The article presents a procedure for project-driven concurrent product development by taking into account three strategic management methods: parallelness, standardization, and integration of product development processes. Also presented are the changes in organizational concept of the company, organization of processes, organization of work and organization of IT, which are required for a transition from sequential to concurrent product development.

Finally, an analysis is presented on concurrent product development teams in a company; this analysis is a prerequisite for a transition to a new method of product development.
Past Projects Memory: Knowledge Capitalization from the Early Phases of Innovative Projects
Authors: Marcandella Elise , Durand Marie-Gaëtane , Renaud Jean , Boly Vincent
Published: September 2009

In order to improve the innovation process, concurrent engineering may be associated with knowledge capitalization methods. The objective is to reuse knowledge having emerged during previous innovative projects. This article brings a methodological contribution to project feedback within new product development tasks. First, the interests of project feedback activities are underlined. More particularly, the impact of project feedback on knowledge management cycles is discussed. Then, a methodology based on a specific information extraction approach from past projects is detailed. The TRIZ theory constitutes the theoretical background of this research. An experiment in the field of machinery development is presented. To conclude, this article discusses the assets and limits of the approach and gives some practical advice concerning the use of memorized data within innovative projects.
ECMO Cannulation Controversies and Complications
Authors: Stulak John M. , Dearani Joseph A. , Burkhart Harold M. , Barnes Roxann D. , Scott Phillip D. , Schears Gregory J.
Published: September 2009

Advances in extracorporeal life support have expanded indications for use extending beyond patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The approach to cannulation in patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation should be individualized and based on the specific clinical scenario in which the need arises. Adherence to proper techniques of vessel visualization, exposure, and cannulation along with accurate placement of cannulae will optimize flows and minimize complications in this setting. Patients in need of mechanical circulatory support require input from a multidisciplinary team approach with systematic clinical evaluation to optimize outcome. If hemodynamics do not initially permit the successful separation from mechanical support, then a systematic search for potentially reversible patient and/ or pump related factors should be undertaken. The success of this therapy is predicated on patient selection, a multidisciplinary team approach in the intensive care unit, adherence to precise technical principles, and repeated patient evaluation.
Coalition-Formation as a Result of Policy and Office Motivations in the German Federal States
Authors: Shikano Susumu , Linhart Eric
Published: September 2009

In this article, we analyze the policy and office motivations of parties in coalition-formation processes at the German federal-state level. We utilize a model developed by Sened that considers both motivations simultaneously and introduces a method by which to estimate its key parameters using data of German state-level coalition-formations.
Public health research in Denmark in the years 1995—2005
Authors: Gulis G. , Eriksen M.L. , Aro A.R.
Published: September 2009

Background: The objective of this study was to find out the number of publications (in Danish) and research projects (including grey literature) either carried out or ongoing within the field of public health in Denmark, using the same criteria as the SPHERE project, but looking at Danish research databases. Methods: The Danish research database served as the main resource for the study supported by national reserach reports. Results: There is an increasing trend in the number of public health research projects and publications. Compared with public health research projects published in English there are differences in some categories. Overall, public health research in Denmark seems to contribute around 4.8%—6.5% of the total amount of health research. Conclusions: Public health research has a relatively low share of overall health research in Denmark.
The effect on length of sickness absence by recognition of undetected psychiatric disorder in long-term sickness absence. A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Søgaard Hans Jørgen , Bech Per
Published: September 2009

Background: The burden caused by psychiatric disorders on the individual and society has resulted in more studies examining interventions aimed at reducing sickness absence. Aims: To examine if detection of undetected psychiatric disorders in long-term sickness absence (LSA) would improve the rate of return to work. Methods: Over one year all 2,414 incident persons on LSA in a well-defined population were within one week after eight weeks of continuous sickness absence posted the Common Mental Disorders Screening Questionnaire (CMD-SQ) to screen for mental disorders. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), of 1,121 responding participants, persons with a minimum level of psychiatric symptoms 420 were allocated to the intervention group and 416 to the control group. The intervention was a psychiatric examination including diagnostics with Present State Examination and feedback regarding treatment and rehabilitation to the participants themselves, general practitioners and the social service taking care of the participants’ rehabilitation back to work. Of the 420 in the intervention group 329 (78.3%) participated in the intervention. The outcomes measure was in an intention treat analysis the rate of return to work. Results: The rate of return to work was non-significantly lower for the intervention group than for the control group, except for persons without a psychiatric sick-leave diagnosis who were sick-listed from full time work, who showed a significantly higher rate of return to work in the intervention group. Conclusions: The effect of interventions for return to work depends on socio-demographic characteristics. Further studies are needed regarding interventions to improve return to work.
Two cases of ethnography
Authors: Tavory Iddo , Timmermans Stefan
Published: September 2009

A B S T R A C T ■ Sociological ethnography largely draws upon two epistemologically competing perspectives — grounded theory and the extended case method — with a different conceptualization of sociological case-construction and theory. We argue that the sociological case in the extended case method is foremost a form of theoretical framing: relying on theoretical narratives to delineate the boundaries of an empirical field. Grounded theory follows the tenets of Chicago School ethnography where the sociological case is elicited from ethno-narratives of actors in the field: the institutionally and interactionally delimited ways members in the field ‘case’ their action. This difference in sociological casing, in turn, is reflected in the ways theory is used. Where the extended case method uses theoretical narratives as a denouement of the case, grounded theory employs theory to construct a grammar of social life.
Testing prices in markets
Authors: Forsberg Per
Published: September 2009

A B S T R A C T ■ This article is written to follow up on a discussion initiated by Callon and Muniesa (2005) who criticized the distinction between pure calculation (assumed in neoclassical economics) and pure judgment (assumed in ethnographic studies). They suggested a third perspective: calculations are performed by technological devices. Furthermore, they call this process ‘the qualification process’ and claim that it brings calculation and judgment together. However, in this third perspective, the meaning of judgment is reduced and has become synonymous with making distinctions. I argue that an understanding of real markets must consider two parallel processes: a ‘calculative process’ and a ‘judgmental process’. In the real market both a ‘calculative process’ and a ‘judgmental process’ involve a process where the buyer and seller ‘test’ different prices. When it comes to the judgmental process storytelling is an indispensable cultural tool. This is demonstrated using field material collected at a tanker chartering firm.
How close are we to establishing standards of lymphadenectomy for invasive bladder cancer?
Authors: Dangle Pankaj P. , Bahnson Robert R. , Pohar Kamal S.
Published: September 2009

Radical cystectomy and lymphadenectomy is an accepted standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Although the absolute limits of lymphadenectomy have not been standardized a growing body of evidence supports an improvement in nodal staging and survival from an extended lymphadenectomy. The benefit has been reported for both node negative and node positive patients. This review focuses on lymph node mapping, factors that influence total lymph node count and the optimal number of lymph nodes that should be removed at lymphadenectomy.
Stress failure plays a major role in the development of high-altitude pulmonary oedema in rats
Authors: Bai C. , She J. , Goolaerts A. , Song Y. , Shen C. , Shen J. , Hong Q.
Published: September 2009

Hypoxia and exertion are considered as the two main factors in the development of high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), however its pathophysiology remains unclear. Therefore, we established a model in which 32 Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to normoxic rest, hypoxic rest, normoxic exercise and hypoxic exercise.

An altitude of 4,700 m was simulated using hypobaric hypoxia, while exercise consisted 48 h walk with 15–20 min breaks every 4 h. Arterial blood gas, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), lung wet-to-dry weight (W/D) ratio and histological measurements were conducted on each animal.

In rats exercising in hypoxia, BAL protein and lung W/D ratio were significantly increased but no changes in BAL leukotriene B4and immunoglobulin M were observed. In the same group, lung histology showed typical haemorrhagic lung oedema and disruption of both alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium while hypoxia or exertion alone only induced slight endothelium and epithelium swelling/disruption.

Our study established a direct link between histological and physiological evidence of HAPE-like symptoms and we demonstrated that hypoxia and exertion can synergistically induce HAPE-like symptoms in Sprague–Dawley rats without inducing lung inflammation. We therefore propose that alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium stress failure play a major role in the development of HAPE.