bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relation Between the Metabolic Syndrome and Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Koren-Morag N. , Goldbourt U. , Tanne D.
Published: June 2005

Background and Purpose—

The combination of risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome is receiving increased attention, but prospective data on the syndrome’s association with ischemic cerebrovascular events are scarce. We explored the relation of metabolic syndrome versus frank diabetes with first-ever ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in a large cohort of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Methods—

Patients with coronary heart disease, screened for a clinical trial, underwent an extensive medical evaluation and follow-up for cerebrovascular disease over 4.8 to 8.1 years. National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria were used to define the metabolic syndrome, with body mass index substituted for waist circumference. Patients with previously diagnosed diabetes or with a fasting plasma glucose level >125 mg/dL (≥7.0 mmol/L) were considered diabetic.

Results—

The study sample comprised 14 284 patients, of which 3703 (26%) fulfilled the criteria for the metabolic syndrome without diabetes and 3500 others (25%) the criteria for diabetes. Adjusting for stroke risk factors, patients with the metabolic syndrome without diabetes exhibited a 1.49-fold increased odds for ischemic stroke or TIA (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20 to 1.84), whereas those with frank diabetes had a 2.29-fold increased odds (95% CI, 1.88 to 2.78). The relative odds for ischemic stroke or TIA, associated with presence of the metabolic syndrome per se, were 1.39 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.77) in men but 2.10 (95% CI, 1.26 to 3.51) in women. Although all components of the metabolic syndrome were associated with increased risk for ischemic stroke or TIA, impaired fasting glucose and hypertension were the strongest predictors of risk.

Conclusions—

The presence of the metabolic syndrome, even without diabetes, in patients with pre-existing atherosclerotic vascular disease identifies patients at increased risk for ischemic stroke or TIA. The suggestion of more pronounced risk associated with the metabolic syndrome in women deserves further assessment in other cohorts.
The Deleterious or Beneficial Effects of Different Agents in Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Keep Richard F. , Xi Guohua , Hua Ya , Hoff Julian T.
Published: June 2005

Background and Purpose—

Thrombin, heme oxygenase, complement, microglia activation, and leukocyte infiltration are all actively upregulated in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Experimental evidence suggests that all these factors are involved in ICH-induced brain injury. This suggests a scenario whereby ICH actively (through gene and protein upregulation) induces pathways that result in brain injury.

Summary of Review—

In this comment, we suggest a potential answer to this conundrum. The upregulation of these factors may have been an evolutionary adaptation to limit brain injury during small hematomas (microbleeds). There is evidence that low levels of thrombin and heme oxygenase limit brain injury. In contrast, the excessive upregulation of these same factors may have a harmful effect after a large hematoma.

Conclusion—

The mechanisms upregulated to limit brain injury after microbleeds may also induce injury after large hematomas. The effect of hematoma size on the mechanisms involved in ICH-induced brain injury and the implications of any such effect on clinical therapies merit further investigation.
Smoking and Elevated Blood Pressure Are the Most Important Risk Factors for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in the Asia-Pacific Region
Authors: Feigin Valery , Parag Varsha , Lawes Carlene M. M. , Rodgers Anthony , Suh Il , Woodward Mark , Jamrozik Konrad , Ueshima Hirotsugu
Published: June 2005

Background and Purpose—

The cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is poorly understood and there are few large cohort studies of risk factors for SAH. We investigated the risk of SAH mortality and morbidity associated with common cardiovascular risk factors in the Asia-Pacific region and examined whether the strengths of these associations were different in Asian and Australasian (predominantly white) populations.

Methods—

Cohort studies were identified from Internet electronic databases, searches of proceedings of meetings, and personal communication. Hazard ratios (HRs) for systolic blood pressure (SBP), current smoking, total serum cholesterol, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol drinking were calculated from Cox models that were stratified by sex and cohort and adjusted for age at risk.

Results—

Individual participant data from 26 prospective cohort studies (total number of participants 306 620) that reported incident cases of SAH (fatal and/or nonfatal) were available for analysis. During the median follow-up period of 8.2 years, a total of 236 incident cases of SAH were observed. Current smoking (HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.8 to 3.4) and SBP >140 mm Hg (HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.5 to 2.7) were significant and independent risk factors for SAH. Attributable risks of SAH associated with current smoking and elevated SBP (≥140 mm Hg) were 29% and 19%, respectively. There were no significant associations between the risk of SAH and cholesterol, BMI, or drinking alcohol. The strength of the associations of the common cardiovascular risk factors with the risk of SAH did not differ much between Asian and Australasian regions.

Conclusions—

Cigarette smoking and SBP are the most important risk factors for SAH in the Asia-Pacific region.
Western Esotericism and the Science of Religions
Authors: Voss Karen-Claire , Faivre Antoine
Published: June 2005

The term “esotericism” refers here to the modern esoteric currents in the West (15th to 20th centuries), i.e. to a diverse group of works, authors, trends, which possess an “air de famille” and which must be studied as a part of the history of religions because of the specific form it has acquired in the West from the Renaissance on. This field is comprised of currents like: alchemy (its philosophical and/or “spiritual” aspects); the philosophia occulta; Christian Kabbalah; Paracelsianism and the Naturphilosophie in its wake; theosophy (Jacob Boehme and his followers, up to and including the Theosophical Society); Rosicrucianism of the 17th century and the subsequent similarly-oriented initiatic societies; and hermetism, i.e. the reception of the Greek Hermetica in modern times.
Authority and Orality in the Mahāyāna
Authors: Lopez Donald
Published: June 2005

The Mahāyāna sūtras, acknowledged by scholars to have been composed centuries after the death of the Buddha, almost invariably begin with the stock phrase, “thus did I hear,” thereby maintaining the conceit of orality. The paper explores the role of this orality as it figures in strategies of authority for the Mahāyāna sūtras in Indian Buddhism. The paper considers at some length recent scholarship (notably that of Richard Gombrich) on the question of when Buddhist texts were first written down, in light of the widely read but highly problematic theories of orality put forth by Walter Ong and Jack Goody. The paper next compares the positions on speech (and by extension, orality) in the Mīmāmsaka view of the Vedas and in the Buddhist view of the word of the Buddha. Although Buddhist scholastics devoted a great deal of energy to attacking the Mīmāmsaka position of the eternal nature of the Vedas as sound and although scholars have tended to regard the Hindu and Buddhist positions as antithetical, there are significant unacknowledged affinities between the Mīmāmsaka and Buddhist positions which help explain why the Mahāyāna sūtras begin, “thus did I hear.” The paper concludes with a discussion of the possible significance of writing in the rise of the diverse association of cults of the book which we have come to call the Mahāyāna.
Assessing the Impact of Statutory Change: A Statewide Multilevel Analysis of Restitution Orders in Pennsylvania
Authors: Ruback R. Barry , Ruth Gretchen R. , Shaffer Jennifer N.
Published: June 2005

This research analyzed decisions in 170,260 restitution-eligible cases in Pennsylvania from 1990 to 1998 to infer the policies underlying the imposition of restitution when it was discretionary and to assess whether a 1995 statutory change making restitution mandatory changed those policies. Multilevel analyses of restitution decisions from the 1990-1994prestatutory change period suggested that judges considered restitution to be both a victim-focused sanction, in that restitution was ordered more for offenders who committed more serious crimes and for property offenders (whose crimes could be more easily quantified), and an offender-focused sanction, in that restitution was ordered more for offenders who pleaded guilty, offenders with no prior record, White offenders, and female offenders. The statutory change increased the proportion of restitution orders statewide from 1996 to 1998. Moreover, it appeared to meet the policy goal of greater focus on victims.
Criminogenic Effects of the Prison Environment on Inmate Behavior: Some Experimental Evidence
Authors: Camp Scott D. , Gaes Gerald G.
Published: June 2005

The current study analyzed a subset of the experimental data collected by Berk, Ladd, Graziano, and Baek (2003) to test whether different intensities of incarceration make inmates more criminal while incarcerated. There were 561 male inmates whose equivalent classification scores indicated they had the same level of risk to commit institutional misconduct at the time they were incarcerated. One half of these inmates were sent to the lowest security-level prisons in California, and the other one half were sent to prisons one step down from the highest security level in California. If prisons are criminogenic, then the probability of misconduct should vary with the security level to which the inmates were assigned. Instead, inmates were equally likely to commit misconduct in prison regardless of whether they were assigned to a Level I (lowest security level) or a Level III prison.
Contested commodification: Consultancies and their struggle with new concept development
Authors: Heusinkveld Stefan , Benders Jos
Published: June 2005

This article draws on a product innovation perspective to explore the process of knowledge commodification. It is argued that key suppliers of management knowledge do not particularly regard this process as unproblematic. Using interviews with management consultants, this study provides an understanding of the internal elements that may inhibit or encourage the development of new knowledge products. Exploratory results reveal several major impediments to linking commodification efforts with the consultancy and suggest the importance of internal legitimation efforts before market launch. The findings indicate the importance of considering the process in which management ideas gain ‘good currency’ within the system of knowledge supply. This has some notable implications for research on knowledge commodification and management fashion.
Many diversities for many services: Theorizing diversity (management) in service companies
Authors: Janssens Maddy , Zanoni Patrizia
Published: June 2005

Contrary to current definitions of diversity as a set of a priori sociodemographic characteristics, this study re-conceptualizes diversity as an organizational product. Through the analysis of qualitative data from four service organizations, we show that organization-specific understandings of diversity are based on the way employees’ sociodemographic differences affect the organization of work, either contributing to it or hampering it. Such understandings of diversity, in turn, shape organization-specific approaches to diversity management. From our empirical results, we further inductively derive two dimensions of service processes that appear to play a central role in shaping diversity (management) in service organizations: customers’ proximity versus invisibility and diversity-customized versus profession-customized service. We conclude the article on a more critical note, reflecting on how specific constellations of work/understanding of diversity/diversity management enable and/or constrain employees’ agency, including the possibility to challenge existing power relations.
Network learning: An empirically derived model of learning by groups of organizations
Authors: Knight Louise , Pye Annie
Published: June 2005

Building on a previous conceptual article, we present an empirically derived model of network learning - learning by a group of organizations as a group. Based on a qualitative, longitudinal, multiple-method empirical investigation, five episodes of network learning were identified. Treating each episode as a discrete analytic case, through cross-case comparison, a model of network learning is developed which reflects the common, critical features of the episodes. The model comprises three conceptual themes relating to learning outcomes, and three conceptual themes of learning process. Although closely related to conceptualizations that emphasize the social and political character of organizational learning, the model of network learning is derived from, and specifically for, more extensive networks in which relations among numerous actors may be arms-length or collaborative, and may be expected to change over time.
The “Poodle Theory” and the Anglo-American “Special Relationship”
Authors: Azubuike Samuel
Published: June 2005

A familiar aspect of the criterion against Britain and Prime Minister Tony Blair's staunch support for America in the recent war against Iraq most relates to the “theory” that Blair is but a mere “poodle” of George Bush; a subservient lieutenant at the beck and call of his master in Washington. A related but more perceptive criticism, shared by many scholars and analysts is the charge that Blair's subservience to Washington is a potent indication that Britain has lost its freedom of manoeuvre in foreign policy. That Britain's close diplomatic, intelligence and defence cooperation with, and dependence on, America have deprived it of the ability to oppose America. The myth of the “special relationship” has condemned Britain to the rank of a mere vassal in the American empire. However, critics may have overstated their case because Blair's choices were influenced substantially by his own strongly held political principles and convictions.
Political Empowerment of Women in Soviet Union and Russia
Authors: K.B. Usha
Published: June 2005

The Marxist–Leninist ideology on the “women question” and the Soviet legal guarantees created the gender paradox which despite high levels of achievement in education and employment reflected lower representation of women in political institutions. This is a legacy of the Soviet system which contemporary Russia needs to address while meeting the challenges of political empowerment as part of the democratic transition. Due to international interventions and the globalization of gender mainstreaming, the Russian Government introduced measures for empowering women politically. Notably, however, the changes brought in by the democratic transition in Russia have had a negative impact on aspects of gender equality. Given the cultural/structural attitudinal changes and the problems of daily lives and the male dominated political culture, the success of these policies partly depends on the capability of Russian women to meet challenges through new forms of struggles for transforming the political process in their favour.
Using Innovative Learning Technologies to Promote Learning and Engagement in an Urban Science Classroom
Authors: Hug Barbara , Krajcik Joseph S. , Marx Ronald W.
Published: June 2005

Recent reform movements within the United States have called for science for all and educational reforms to support this goal. In light of these reform movements and concerns regarding learning within urban schools, science educators and policy makers have pushed for the incorporation of learning technologies within schools as a way of creating equity and promoting learning among diverse learners. The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools has been working to create and adopt standards and project-based science curricula in a large systemic reform effort. A core challenge of this partnership has been to embed learning technologies within these units to support active and engaged learning. This article examines how two interactive learning technologies embedded within an extended project-based science curriculum unit are capable of engaging urban students in actively learning key science concepts.
Fashioning Modernity in Telugu
Authors: Rajagopal Vakulabharanam
Published: June 2005

This article looks at the politics of modernity within Telugu culture by focusing on Kandukuri Viresalingam, the most prominent Westernizing social reformer from the Telugu-speaking region of British India in the nineteenth century. It analyses two of his major literary productions—an autobiography and a novel—and his wider interventions within the public sphere. This study reflects on the ambivalences and contradictions within the reformist project, and the nature of its association with nationalism. It is suggested that in the battle between social reformers and political nationalists, the former managed to assert their social leadership. This allowed Viresalingam's legacy to be successfully appropriated by the nationalist ideology of the region. By showing that political nationalism could indeed accommodate critiques of Indian society from Western or colonial perspectives, the article puts forward an argument different from some of the current understandings of Indian nationalism.
Rhyming Revolution
Authors: Dasgupta Rajarshi
Published: June 2005

This article looks at communist engagement with literature in late colonial Bengal, and argues that the present Left hegemony in the state is largely based on the successful construction of a Marxist discourse in bhadralok cultural productions. By analyzing the verses of two iconic Marxist poets—Sukanta Bhattacharya and Samer Sen—I try to show how the terms of this discourse register important shifts from Marxist theory, and adapts to specific concerns of the Bengali intelligentsia, especially in regard to their self-perception and imagination of social transformation. Despite internal differences on the notion of revolution and revolutionary subject in such texts, the article tries to establish how the articulation of Marxism took on a distinctive middle class character in the process.
Control of a Quadrotor Helicopter Using Dual Camera Visual Feedback
Authors: Altuğ Erdinç , Ostrowski James P. , Taylor Camillo J.
Published: June 2005

In this paper we propose a vision-based stabilization and output tracking control method for a model helicopter. A novel two-camera method is introduced for estimating the full six-degrees-of-freedom pose of the helicopter. One of these cameras is located on-board the helicopter, and the other camera is located on the ground. Unlike previous work, these two cameras are set to see each other. The pose estimation algorithm is compared in simulation to other methods and is shown to be less sensitive to errors on feature detection. In order to build an autonomous helicopter, two methods of control are studied: one using a series of mode-based, feedback linearizing controllers and the other using a backstepping-like control law. Various simulations demonstrate the implementation of these controllers. Finally, we present flight experiments where the proposed pose estimation algorithm and non-linear control techniques have been implemented on a remote-controlled helicopter.
Management of Bone Loss Associated with Recurrent Anterior Glenohumeral Instability
Authors: Chen Andrew L. , Hunt Stephen A. , Hawkins Richard J. , Zuckerman Joseph D.
Published: June 2005

The diagnosis and treatment of osseous deficiencies associated with anterior shoulder instability have been a challenge to physicians for centuries. Whereas historical goals centered on the stable reduction and prevention of recurrent dislocation, current standards of success are predicated on the restoration of motion and strength and the return to functional activities, including competitive athletics. Reestablishment of anterior shoulder stability thus requires the recognition of osseous defects of the humeral head and glenoid, as well as a thorough understanding of the available treatment options in the context of a disciplined treatment algorithm. Although many surgical procedures have been described for the management of osseous deficiencies in association with anterior shoulder instability, in the authors’ experience, such procedures are seldom necessary. The purpose of this summary is to review treatment options as well as indications and techniques to address these bony deficiencies.
Compression Strength of Stitched Laminates after Low-velocity Impact
Authors: Xiaoquan Cheng , Al-Mansour Ali M. , Zhengneng Li , Chenghe Kou
Published: June 2005

Tests are conducted using stitched laminates in order to calculate the unnotched failure stress and the compression after impact (CAI) strength of the stitched laminates. Unnotched laminates, laminates with a hole, and laminates with impact damage are used in the tests. All the specimens are made of two different types of layup sequence of laminates with three different stitching directions - 0, 45, and 90. In this paper, an FEM model is developed using the MSC PATRAN software to predict the CAI strength of stitched laminates. Two failure criteria are applied to the model to predict the CAI strength, the point stress criterion (PS) and the fiber breakage in damage zone (FD) criterion. The influence of the moduli retention ratio (Mr) is investigated. The predicted CAI strengths show a good agreement when compared with the test results.
Postcuring Effects on Impact Behavior of Glass/Epoxy Composite Laminates
Authors: Kumar C. Rahul , Radhakrishna K. , Rao R. M. V. G. K.
Published: June 2005

Studies had been undertaken on the effects of different postcure schedules on the impact resistance of RT-cured glass/epoxy laminates, subjected to repeated drop tests using an in-house built uninstrumented drop weight impact tester. The impact resistance was assessed in terms of two parameters, viz., the number of drops to failure (Nf) and the delamination area growth (dA). The specimens were postcured at different time-temperature combinations and the impact response was studied at three different incident energy levels (10.6, 12.6, and 14.8 J). It was found that, the Nf and dA values increased to a maximum at an optimum postcure schedule of 85 C/4 h. The extent of composite cure for the different postcure schedules was ascertained by measuring the glass transition temperatures (Tg), in order to obtain an appreciation for correlation between the impact resistance and the chemical cure status of the composite. Also, single drop impact studies were made at the 25-J energy level using an instrumented impact tester (DYNATUP 8250) and the aforesaid optimum postcure schedule was reconfirmed.
Analysis of Long Fibers Direction of Transversely Isotropic Hyperelastic Material for Thermoforming Application
Authors: Erchiqui F. , Bendada A. , Gakwaya A.
Published: June 2005

In this work, we present the modeling and numerical simulation using the explicit dynamic finite element method for the hyperelastic behavior of a thin, transversely isotropic and incompressible thermoplastic membrane. The Lagrangian formulation together with the assumption of the membrane theory is used. The numerical validation is performed by comparing the theoretical solution for the uniaxial and equibiaxial Hencky deformation with the numerical results. Moreover, the effect of the transversely hyperelastic material on the thickness and on the stress distribution, for the membrane inflation, are analyzed for three different fibers orientations. Finally, a simple example of thermoforming part is presented.
Design of Ablative Liners for High Heat and Erosive Conditions
Authors: Siddiqui A. O. , Balasubrahmanyam G.
Published: June 2005

This paper presents an analytical approach to predict the thermal response of charring and noncharring ablative liners exposed to high heat and erosive conditions. A one-dimensional transient thermal model has been developed, which forms the basis of a computer code to predict the temperature distribution in the liner, the amount of char and erosion, and the liner thickness required to satisfy a given design criterion. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by comparing the predicted and the experimental results available for the carbon-phenolic and the graphite liners, which showed a good agreement to each other.
The empire of political thought: civilization, savagery and perceptions of Indigenous government
Authors: Buchan Bruce
Published: June 2005

This paper examines the relationship between understandings of Indigenous government and the development of early-modern European, and especially British, political thought. It will be argued that a range of British political thinkers represented Indigenous peoples as being in want of effective government and regular conduct due to the absence of sufficiently developed property relations among them. In particular, British political thinkers framed the ‘deficiencies’ of Indigenous people by ideas of civilization in which key assumptions connected ‘property’, ‘government’, and ‘society’ as the attainments of civilized polities and societies. Accordingly, Indigenous peoples in Australia and elsewhere were perceived to live in associations (rather than ‘societies’) bound by custom and tradition (rather than ‘government’). The paper will thus identify conceptual connections made between property, polity, and sovereignty in European and British political thought, and argue that such understandings provide a useful resource for understanding colonial attitudes to Indigenous people in Australia down to the present day.
The enigma of subjectivity: Ludwig Binswanger’s existential anthropology of mania
Authors: Lanzoni Susan
Published: June 2005

The Swiss psychiatrist Ludwig Binswanger is best known for his existential analysis ( Daseinsanalyse) presented in a series of case studies in the 1940s, but his existential anthropology of mania of the early 1930s has received less attention. He introduced this new existential science as a disciplinary hybrid of existential philosophy and clinical psychiatry, and, in doing so, transformed the genre of narrow medical case study into a broader discourse of philosophical anthropology. The very ambitiousness of his method, however, tended to eclipse the individuality of his manic patient; its delineation of the conditioning structures of manic experience rendered the patient’s life-history and her functional state as secondary to these structures.
Society as experiment: sociological foundations for a self-experimental society
Authors: Gross Matthias , Krohn Wolfgang
Published: June 2005

Experiments are generally thought of as actions or operations undertaken to test a scientific hypothesis in settings detached from the rest of society. In this paper a different notion of experiment will be discussed. It is an understanding that has been developed in the classical tradition of the Chicago School of Sociology since the 1890s, but has so far remained unexplored. This sociological understanding of experiment does not model itself strictly on the natural sciences. Rather, it implies a process of societal self-experimentation without a fixed setting of a sociological experimenter. The paper discusses this notion of experiment in relation to the recursive dependency of the application and the production of sociological knowledge. It is contended that this concept of a self-experimental society offers theoretical insights that could well prove fruitful for a sociological concept of experiment beyond the realm of the laboratory.
Modern templates of happiness: performing spiritualism and psychotechnics in Denmark
Authors: Triantafillou Peter , Moreira Afonso
Published: June 2005

Inspired by Michel Foucault’s notion of subjugated knowledge, this paper elaborates an analytical framework seeking to unsettle the authority of contemporary psychology. This framework focuses on the performative dimension of psychology and other ‘psy-regimes’, namely the practices and actions that may be undertaken on the basis of these forms of knowledge. We probe this framework by exploring the emergence, utilization and demise of spiritualism (1880s to 1920s) and psychotechnics (1920s to 1960s) in Denmark. On the basis of this framework, we argue that the rise and fall of these psy-regimes may be understood neither in terms of (inadequate) epistemological rigour nor in terms of social repression, but instead as radically contingent events that correlated with particular programs and techniques seeking to promote human happiness and productivity.
Time and the structuring of ritual performance in the xenotransplantation debate
Authors: Bickford Julia , Mather Charles , Fleising Usher
Published: June 2005

Advancements in biotechnology provoke fundamental questions about the relationship of humans to the natural world. A crisis arises as the knowledge, practice, and policies concerning biotechnology grow further out of step with each other. This paper examines the role of ritual performance as a means of resolving this crisis, uniting the organic with the socio-moral aspects of science, technology and regulatory policy. Ritual performance is evident in the public discussions of the United States’ Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Xenotransplantation (SACX). In an attempt to understand the cultural responses to new knowledge, this paper examines the transcripts of several SACX meetings for its ritual elements and references to authority. We find that time is used by scientists to structure ritual performance in a way that guides public policy and attitudes toward xenotransplantation.
Ecological restoration as a real-world experiment: designing robust implementation strategies in an urban environment
Authors: Gross Matthias , Hoffmann-Riem Holger
Published: June 2005

The concept of real-world experiments is a framework to understand environmental design projects under real world conditions. Contrary to laboratory experiments that are generally thought to exclude the public, real-world experiments involve combinations of social and natural factors. In this paper the theory of real-world experiments is applied to the fieldwork of ecological restoration. The case discussed here is an ecological design process at Montrose Point, a peninsula built on landfill in Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago. It illustrates how, in the practice of ecological restoration, the idea of experiment can be understood as being built on processes of recursive learning that include different parts of the wider society and nature. The paper outlines a concept of robust implementation strategies in which public involvement is a pivotal part of a more encompassing activity of ecological practice. This is undertaken to aim at a better understanding of learning processes taking place in natural and social systems.
The media and public opinion on genetics and biotechnology: mirrors, windows, or walls?
Authors: Eyck Toby A. Ten
Published: June 2005

Arguments regarding the relationship between media discourse and public opinion have raged for decades, if not centuries. Comparing media coverage of biotechnology between 1992 and 2001 in two national newspapers with national survey data collected in early 2003, an argument is made that a general one-dimensional media effect is not occurring within the US public regarding media discourse. Given the multivalent characteristics of the media and the interpretive filters used by audiences—including ignoring information—even strong slants by the presumed opinion-leading press (the New York Times and the Washington Post) do not predict public opinion on a nascent issue such as biotechnology. While some reflections do appear between the media and public opinion, closer observations show these mirrors to be ephemeral.
Conflicted scientists: the “shared pool” dilemma of scientific advisory committees
Authors: McComas Katherine A. , Tuite Leah Simone , Sherman Linda Ann
Published: June 2005

Science advisors play a critical role in government policy making, yet these advisors are often equally attractive to regulated industry. Despite efforts to manage conflicts of interest among science advisors, allegations of conflict frequently plague advisory committee deliberations or outcomes. This article examines what we term the “shared pool” dilemma using data collected from 92 members of 11 US Food and Drug Administration advisory committees. The results suggested science advisors were generally positive about their experiences on advisory committees and viewed the committee process as impartial. Written comments suggested that advisors linked the neutrality of the process to the success of the FDA’s conflict-of-interest procedures. Even so, the advisors acknowledged the challenges associated with recruiting disinterested and qualified scientists to serve on advisory committees, reflecting the shared pool dilemma. Many advisors seemed more troubled about advisors participating when they lacked expertise than when they had minor conflicts of interest.
Prospects for Improved Air Quality at the Regional Level in Poland
Authors: Auer Matthew R.
Published: June 2005

Environmental conditions in Poland have improved since 1990 - a trend common to many countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Poland was also among the first former Eastern bloc countries to have its environmental chapter provisionally closed in the European Union (EU) accession process. Nevertheless, environmental quality in Poland severely lags behind that of its neighbours to the west. Bivariate correlations reveal that, at the regional level in Poland, there is a strong linear relationship between private wealth generation and emissions of one of Poland’s most ubiquitous pollutants, sulphur dioxide (SO2). The capital region of Poland has lower levels of SO2emissions than would be expected for its high income level. However, regression models relating SO2emissions to economic growth do not demonstrate convincingly the instrumental effect of wealth in tamping down emissions. CEE governments, like Poland, that joined the EU in 2004 have relatively less impetus to make major, additional environmental investments, because they have already crossed the key legal hurdles for EU membership. In Western Europe and in North America, strong public demands and organized interest-group pressure have been necessary for continuous improvements in environmental quality. Comparable bottom-up demand is necessary to drive environmental reforms in CEE. However, surveyed opinion in Poland, including at the regional level, does not intimate any near-term groundswell of support for costly environmental investments and, in particular, investments in air pollution abatement.
Old Europe, New Europe and the USA
Authors: Dunford Michael
Published: June 2005

The collapse of Communism in Europe and the recent enlargement of the European Union have significantly refashioned the world. As one of three developed economic blocs (Europe, North America and East Asia) Europe has increased in size and yet faces internal divisions between old and new Europe. While having shared interests, these blocs are also rivals, as is most strikingly reflected in the struggle for markets and over the expansion of imperial influence. At the same time globalization, economic transformation and integration have been profoundly shaped by Anglo-American/neo-liberal economic ideologies. The aim of this paper is to consider some of the implications of these developments for the new Europe extending from the Atlantic to Russia. Essentially it will deal with two issues. First, it will ask whether Europe has lost economic momentum relative to its trans-Atlantic rival, qualifying the earlier view that Rhine capitalism was superior to Anglo-American capitalism. Second, after considering the question of whether the European Union is a catch-up machine in a world in which inequalities are frequently widening, it will consider in some detail the territorial and social impacts of transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU). Throughout, attention will be paid to the impact of market-led models of development on growth and inequality, and the way in which a subjection of different parts of Europe to similar economic mechanisms, while in some senses making different parts of the continent more similar, also produces profoundly differentiated economic and social geographies.
The Twelfth SAARC Summit
Authors: Sobhan Rehman
Published: June 2005

The article focuses on some of the key issues identified in the Islamabad Declaration. While it provides a road map to a South Asian Economic Union, progress will depend upon the resolution of specific problems in interconnected issue areas. For instance, increasing intra-regional trade in South Asia will require integration of regional infrastructure. This in turn implies not just the strengthening of regional transportation, transit and communication links, harmonisation of standards and simplification of customs procedures, but also monetary cooperation between central banks and energy cooperation. Investment cooperation, involving joint ventures between the public and private sectors, would need to be financially underwritten by a prospective South Asia Development Bank. Finally, the governments of the region would need to discuss, coordinate and exchange information with a view to adopting common South Asian positions in multilateral forums. Within such a cooperative framework, the goal of poverty reduction would evolve into an authentic regional agenda for South Asia.
Sino-Indian Security Relations
Authors: Guihong Zhang
Published: June 2005

This article analyses Sino–Indian security relations in the bilateral, external and regional contexts. It first argues that the boundary question and the Tibet issue are the most immediate elements in bilateral security relations. While both sides have started the process of resolving the border dispute from a political perspective through special representatives, and have reached a consensus on the political position of Tibet (and Sikkim), the sensitive part of the two issues—‘east-west swap’ and Tibetan government-in-exile respectively—are still awaiting a breakthrough. India continues to regard Pakistan as the principal external factor in its relations with China. China pays more and more attention to the India-US strategic partnership and its implications for its relations with India on the other hand. With the dual rise of Beijing and New Delhi in international society, their respective interests and influence will inevitably encounter each other in the Asian subregions. The article concludes that more China-India cooperation than competition will be sequentially seen in Central, Southeast, and South Asia in the future.
India's Disadvantages in Software
Authors: Radhakrishnan K.G.
Published: June 2005

It may seem unusual to consider India's disadvantages in software, as so far discussions have focused only on India's advantages in the sector. This is especially so since software is presently held as the engine of growth, not only for the information technology (IT) sector, but also for the Indian economy as a whole. However, a deeper look at the sector gives a different perspective. The very structure of the Indian software industry, focused on low-end services, is disadvantaged in the long run. The indigenous base of the sector is not sufficiently developed to sustain software export. Software exports themselves provide inflated magnitudes, and the major items exported are devoid of future potential. There are also various other disabilities related to areas like quality, manpower, labour cost advantages, infrastructure, research and development (R&D), marketing and finance. An appropriate growth strategy directing change of emphasis to various aspects, as detailed in the article, needs to be adopted to overcome these disadvantages, so that the Indian software industry is kept advantaged in the long run.
China's Government R&D Institutes
Authors: Yuan Wang
Published: June 2005

This article analyses the reform process of China's government R&D institutes and discusses future directions. The overall status of Chinese science and technology is reviewed in order to explain the background of the reform process. Reform was started to change the prevalent inefficiencies of government R&D institutes, which have been very important players in the Chinese national innovation system. The reform processes can be classified into two. The first is to make government R&D institutes serve the economic battlefield, while the second is to restructure their internal organisations and establish a Chinese national innovation system. After the reform, Chinese government R&D institutes have changed a lot and the results seem to be positive. However, there are still some fundamental issues unresolved and questioned, such as ownership, management and focus of R&D activities. In the last part, those associated obstacles and arguments of the reform are discussed and presented for the future policy directions.
The Evolutionary Responses of Korean Government Research Institutes in a Changing National Innovation System
Authors: Yim Deok Soon , Kim Wang Dong
Published: June 2005

Over the past forty years, Korea has shown remarkable economic growth with drastic changes in its national innovation system (NIS). In general, government research organisations play a very important role in the NIS, especially in developing countries where science and technology resources are lacking. Since Korea has developed its current national innovation system from virtually nothing, it is worth analysing the Korean government research institutes (KGRIs) in the context of Korea's NIS (KNIS) development. To this end, this article describes the concept of NIS for the analytical framework, and presents how KNIS has changed in response to the economic and industrial changes of Korea. Then the changes of KGRIs to changing KNIS are categorised over several periods. It is argued that such changes are in fact evolutionary responses and the outcome of Korean government S&T policies. Finally, the article concludes with some policy implications for other developing countries.
Support Institutions and R&D Activities in an ICT Cluster
Authors: Mohan Avvari V. , Ismail Isshammudn
Published: June 2005

Economic geography in an era of global competition poses a paradox. In theory, location should no longer be a source of competitive advantage. Open global markets, rapid transportation and high-speed communications should allow any company to source anything from any place at any time. But in practice, location remains central to competition and institutions seem to help in the development of regions. This article examines the role of Malaysia's Multimedia Development Corporation as a regional development agency—in the development of the MSC Project—the Multimedia Super Corridor Cluster, a project to develop the information and communications technology sector, started by the government of Malaysia to kickstart the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Even though the MDC has played a significant role in developing the MSC project, there is much more it can do to develop it as a ‘regional cluster’. It is concluded that the MDC has been doing a good job of marketing the MSC in general and attracting companies to set up shop in Malaysia in order to form a new knowledge-based sector. It is suggested that the business-related function should receive equal attention when any innovation cluster is designed and operated.
Government Mediation and Transformation of Thailand's National Innovation System
Authors: Intarakumnerd Patarapong
Published: June 2005

This article focuses on how a major shift in government policies can transform the national innovation system (NIS) of a developing country. Thailand's used to be a typical developing country NIS. It was quite weak and fragmented. Major change took place when Thaksin Shinawatra became prime minister in 2001. New policies and practices, which can be group together as ‘Thaksinomics’, transformed not only the government sector, but also two other leading actors of the NIS: private firms and university. Even though it is too early to draw final conclusions of the effects of Thaksin policies on Thai NIS, it is true that it became stronger and more coherent. The experience of Thailand demonstrates that a national innovation system of a latecomer country can transform from a long-standing character of a weak, fragmented and slow-learning one to a stronger, coherent and more-active-learning one, if there is a significant change in the behaviour of a key actor that can cause positive effects in other actors.
Evolving a National System of Biotechnology Innovation
Authors: Chaturvedi Sachin
Published: June 2005

This article attempts to look into the dynamics of a national system of biotechnology innovation (NSBI) in the wider framework of its role in economic development. It has been found that NSBI crucially depends not only on budgetary allocations and institutional support for advancement, but also on response to market demand. The evidence from Singapore shows that a sectoral approach in NSBI may help developing countries in finding a niche for growth instead of broadening the area of investment within biotechnology. In case of Singapore, the biomedical sector has been chosen by the national government for achieving the desired growth rate in the manufacturing sector. The various components of the NSBI and specific achievements of Singapore in this regard have been discussed in the article.
Ornamenta Uxoria. Badges of Rank or Jewellery of Roman Wives?
Authors: Kunst Christiane
Published: June 2005

This article aims at a critical assessment of Roman jewellery and its social function. The literary sources in general take a moralising stance towards jewellery and the external appearance of women, particularly of those from families of the nobility. An analysis of legal and pictorial evidence shows that the ornamenta uxoria had more than a decorative function. They clearly indicated wealth, rank and merit. Furthermore, a change of function from republican to imperial times can be detected: during the republic, a noblewoman's ornamenta were indicative of the status of her family (gens). Later, in imperial times, women were allowed ornamenta for individual merits (motherhood being first among them).
The Wine-Cup in Mughal Court Culture—From Hedonism to Kingship
Authors: Khare Meera
Published: June 2005

This article traces the trajectory of a commonplace object, the wine-cup in Mughal court culture, using painting as a source. Initially associated with hedonistic pleasure alone, the wine-cup came to be represented, in allegories of ‘wine and verse’, as a locus for the realisation of ‘divine reality’, having gnostic values. The imagery of mystical intoxication further imbued the object with a political meaning, in which the cup became a ‘world in miniature’ and the wine in it, the elixir of life, thereby legitimising the Mughal monarchy in a cosmological framework of universal and immortal rulership. However, the imagery came a full circle, when in the course of the eighteenth century, from its association with male rulership, it came to be exclusively associated with female eroticism and pure hedonism.