bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative estimation of vertical heights of maxillary and mandibular jawbones in elderly dentate and edentulous subjects
Authors: Panchbhai Arati S.
Published: November 2012

The residual alveolar ridge resorption is inevitable with aging. The purpose of the study was to determine and compare differences in the vertical measurements of jaw bones in elderly dentate and edentulous subjects. The study sample included 51 elderly dentate subjects and 59 edentulous subjects. The panoramic radiographs were used to quantify the reduction in the alveolar ridges at 5 sites in each jaw. There were significant differences between elderly dentate and edentulous subjects in maxilla and mandible. The percentage reduction in the vertical height of edentulous subjects as compared to dentate subjects ranges from 29% to 39%. The reduction in the heights was greater in mandible than in maxilla in both the study groups. The vertical measurements were significantly greater in men than in women in maxilla and the mandible. Vertical heights of maxillary and mandibular jaw bones are important factors in planning complete denture and the implant supported prosthesis. Further studies would be necessary to determine the region specific resorption of jaw bones and its association with the duration of denture wear in edentulous subjects.
Exploratory study to identify the process used by pharmacy staff to verify the accuracy of dispensed medicines
Authors: Anto Berko , James Kathryn Lynette , Barlow Dave , Brinklow Nigel , Oborne C Alice , Whittlesea Cate
Published: November 2012

Objectives

To determine the common stages and strategies involved in the dispensing accuracy-checking process used by pharmacy staff and to determine the training activities used by these staff to gain the knowledge and skills for accuracy checking.

Method

Face-to-face tape-recorded ethnographic interviews (n = 28) were undertaken in 2009–2010 at two large teaching hospitals with a purposive sample of pharmacists and accredited checking technicians qualified to undertake the final accuracy check on dispensed medicines. Participants described their accuracy-checking process, strategies used to aid checking using anonymised prescriptions and accurate dispensing of medicines to aid discussion. The range of training activities undertaken to develop this skill were discussed. Qualitative data were analysed in accordance with the principles of grounded theory to identify themes.

Key findings

The accuracy-checking process was described as a cognitive and systematic process. The order in which accuracy checking was executed was found to follow two pathways, with all participants checking the prescription first before verifying either the label or dispensed product. Various physical and sensory aids were used to assist in this verification process. There were inconsistencies in the level of accuracy-checking training received by pharmacists and accredited checking technicians, with many pharmacists reporting no training.

Conclusion

Although an important medication-error prevention strategy, until this study little was known about the process used by pharmacy staff when verifying the accuracy of dispensed medicines. Accuracy checking is a complex cognitive task involving verification of the product and label with the prescription. Strategies obtained during past experience and in training were used to aid checking. The study highlighted that pharmacy staff training to undertake this task was variable. Application of strategies identified in this study may allow individuals to adopt further safeguards to improve patient safety.
Absorption characteristics of epidural levobupivacaine with adrenaline and clonidine in children
Authors: Chalkiadis George A. , Abdullah Farah , Bjorksten Andrew R. , Clarke Alexander , Cortinez Luis I. , Udayasiri Sonal , Anderson Brian J.
Published: November 2012

Aim

To determine if the addition of adrenaline, clonidine, or their combination altered the pharmacokinetic profile of levobupivacaine administered via the caudal epidural route in children.

Methods

Children aged <18 years old scheduled to undergo sub‐umbilical surgery were administered caudal levobupivacaine plain 2.5 mg·ml−1 or with adjuvants adrenaline 5 mcg·ml−1 or clonidine 2 mcg·ml−1 or their combination. Covariate analysis included weight and postnatal age (PNA). Time–concentration profile analysis was undertaken using nonlinear mixed effects models. A one‐compartment linear disposition model with first‐order input and first‐order elimination was used to describe the data. The effect of either clonidine or adrenaline on absorption was investigated using a scaling parameter (FabsCLON, FabsADR) applied to the absorption half‐life (Tabs).

Results

There were 240 children (median weight 11.0, range 1.9–56.1 kg; median postnatal age 16.7, range 0.6–167.6 months). Absorption of levobupivacaine was faster when mixed with clonidine (FabsCLON 0.60; 95%CI 0.44, 0.83) but slower when mixed with adrenaline (FabsADR 2.12; 95%CI 1.45, 3.08). The addition of adrenaline to levobupivacaine resulted in a bifid absorption pattern. While initial absorption was unchanged (Tabs 0.15 h 95%CI 0.12, 0.18 h), there was a late absorption peak characterized by a TabsLATE 2.34 h (95%CI 1.44, 4.97 h). The additional use of clonidine with adrenaline had minimal effect on the bifid absorption profile observed with adrenaline alone. Neither clonidine nor adrenaline had any effect on clearance. The population parameter estimate for volume of distribution was 157 l 70 kg−1. Clearance was 6.5 l·h−1 70 kg−1 at 1‐month PNA and increased with a maturation half‐time of 1.6 months to reach 90% of the mature value (18.5 l·h−1 70 kg−1) by 5 months PNA.

Conclusions

The addition of adrenaline decreases the rate of levobupivacaine systemic absorption, reducing peak concentration by half. Levobupivacaine concentrations with adrenaline adjuvant were reduced compared to plain levobupivacaine for up to 3.5 hours. Clonidine as an adjuvant results in faster systemic absorption of levobupivacaine and similar concentration time profile to levobupivacaine alone. Adding adrenaline with clonidine does not alter the concentration profile observed with adrenaline alone.
Is a New Multilateral Environmental Agreement on Ocean Acidification Necessary?
Authors: Kim Rakhyun E.
Published: November 2012

No multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) has so far been concluded with a view to addressing the problem of ocean acidification. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is considered by many as being capable of addressing ocean acidification as it regulates carbon dioxide emissions – the root cause of the problem. In this article it is argued that, on the contrary, the UNFCCC does not provide an adequate legal framework for the problem because ocean acidification is not an effect of ‘climate change’, meaning that it is outside the UNFCCC's jurisdiction. The article provides a critical examination of whether ocean acidification is likely to be addressed through the self‐organization of existing MEAs or whether a new MEA is necessary. Specifically, it considers the extent to which the provisions of relevant MEAs are applicable to ocean acidification and how their decision‐making bodies have responded to the problem. This article observes inherent weaknesses in the emerging polycentric order and reaches the conclusion that a new MEA on ocean acidification is necessary to fill the regulatory gap. The article concludes by outlining two hypothetical candidates as a way of discussing key considerations informing the choice of an appropriate form and forum for an MEA on ocean acidification.
Meta‐synthesis and evidence‐based health care – a method for systematic review
Authors: Korhonen Anne , Hakulinen‐Viitanen Tuovi , Jylhä Virpi , Holopainen Arja
Published: November 2012

Background

Even the systematic reviews of qualitative studies are discussed health literature, the significance of their results is not fully recognised in evidence‐based practice.

Aim

The aim of this article is to describe the systematic reviews of qualitative studies, metasynthesis and its process and consider the meaning of meta‐synthesis in evidence‐based practice.

Conclusions

Meta‐synthesis is a method for synthesising knowledge, for example, relating to service users' healthcare‐related experiences and the factors that facilitate their involvement in their own care and commitment to a healthy lifestyle. This type of knowledge is needed in evidence‐based practice. Meta‐synthesis is a concept that includes several methodologies in synthesising qualitative research findings. This article focuses on meta‐synthesis with meta‐aggregation as a method for combining data from original studies. Following the principles of scientific rigour, systematic reviews synthesise the best available and critically appraised knowledge. The article describes the process and the role of systematic review of qualitative studies and discusses its significance for evidence‐based practice when making clinical and administrative decisions, as well as more widely in social and political decision‐making.
Are Quasi‐markets in Education what theBritish Public Wants?
Authors: Exley Sonia
Published: November 2012

In the context of inconclusive evidence on the extrinsic successes of quasi‐markets, policy defences of school choice and competition in education have often discussed the intrinsic, empowering value of choice for consumers, arguing that school choice for parents is ‘what people want’. Discourses often imply that choice is desired for its own sake rather than merely as a means by which families can escape what are deemed to be poor quality schools. Support for an idealistic, abstract notion of ‘choice’ is also taken to imply support for quasi‐markets overall and is not considered alongside possible competing values that people may hold at the same time as they value choice. Additionally, views of parents are often examined without considering possible differences in views between parents and non‐parents. Contributing to debates about how far a public desire exists for quasi‐markets in education, this article draws on data from newly designed questions fielded as part of the 2010British Social Attitudes survey. The article finds that while choice ‘in the abstract’ is supported widely by both parents and non‐parents (albeit slightly more so by parents), a valuing of choice among theBritish public appears to be more instrumental than intrinsic – potentially problematic given evidence on the extrinsic benefits of quasi‐markets is mixed. Support for choice is tempered among parents and non‐parents by clear opposition to vouchers, school diversity, government spending on transport costs to facilitate choice and by strong support for the idea of sending children to the ‘nearest state school’.
Long Distance Case Assignment in Finnish*
Authors: Brattico Pauli
Published: November 2012

Abstract. Long distance case assignment remains a little studied corner of grammar. This paper documents such phenomenon in Finnish. In this language the choice of the direct object case depends on several local and remote case assigners. Remote case assigners need not occupy the same clause as the assignees: case assignment penetrates any number of non‐finite clause boundaries of all types, adjunct boundaries, and even noun heads. Two hypotheses concerning the phenomenon are put forward: one, which says that the phenomenon is essentially an illusion and involves only local case assignment, and another, which says that genuine long distance case assignment is at issue. The latter hypothesis will find support from this work. A number of possible hypotheses (e.g. based on polarity, aspect, information structure, case assignment proper) are explored concerning the grammatical mechanism responsible for the phenomenon, and it is concluded that the phenomenon is an instance of syntactic case assignment. It is suggested that long distance case is triggered by left peripheral functional elements related to agreement, polarity and tense‐aspect, and that it implements an A′‐dependency.
Hydrodynamics of Jets From Guillotine Steam Generator Tube Rupture: Modeling, Analytical Results, Computational Fluid Dynamics Calculation, and Comparison With Experimental Data
Authors: Muñoz-Cobo J. L. , Herranz L. E. , Escrivá A.
Published: November 2012

In this work we study the hydrodynamics of characteristic gas jets resulting from guillotine breaks of steam generator tube rupture sequences (SGTR) in pressurized nuclear power reactors. As an initial step towards describing an “in-bundle” gas jet, a hydrodynamic model of free gas jets emerging from a guillotine break under prototypical SGTR conditions has been developed. First we have studied the jet characteristic for an isolated tube; the analytical model estimates variables such as trajectories, centerline velocities, velocity distribution, and Reynolds stresses. We have performed model comparisons with experimental data for different experimental conditions with different mass flow rates, and we have found good agreement of the model with the experimental results. Additionally, an “ad hoc” expression has been derived for the centerline jet velocity, which has been experimentally confirmed. Consistently with the experimental data and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations the analytical model predicts no outflow near the jet center. As a complementary issue, we have performed CFD calculations for a guillotine tube rupture when the tube is surrounded by several rows of neighboring tubes, in this case the jet trajectories are affected by the Coanda effect near the tubes.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Vancomycin-Induced Nephrotoxicity Associated with Dosing Schedules That Maintain Troughs between 15 and 20 Milligrams per Liter
Authors: van Hal S. J. , Paterson D. L. , Lodise T. P.
Published: November 2012

In an effort to maximize outcomes, recent expert guidelines recommend more-intensive vancomycin dosing schedules to maintain vancomycin troughs between 15 and 20 mg/liter. The widespread use of these more-intensive regimens has been associated with an increase in vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity reports. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to determine the nephrotoxicity potential of maintaining higher troughs in clinical practice. All studies pertaining to vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity between 1996 and April 2012 were identified from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Controlled Trial Registry, and Medline databases and analyzed according to Cochrane guidelines. Of the initial 240 studies identified, 38 were reviewed, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, higher troughs (≥15 mg/liter) were associated with increased odds of nephrotoxicity (odds ratio [OR], 2.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.95 to 3.65) relative to lower troughs of <15 mg/liter. The relationship between a trough of ≥15 mg/liter and nephrotoxicity persisted when the analysis was restricted to studies that examined only initial trough concentrations (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.81 to 5.37). The relationship between troughs of ≥15 mg/liter and nephrotoxicity persisted after adjustment for covariates known to independently increase the risk of a nephrotoxicity event. An incremental increase in nephrotoxicity was also observed with longer durations of vancomycin administration. Vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity was reversible in the majority of cases, with short-term dialysis required only in 3% of nephrotoxic episodes. The collective literature indicates that an exposure-nephrotoxicity relationship for vancomycin exists. The probability of a nephrotoxic event increased as a function of the trough concentration and duration of therapy.
Organizational Form and Long-Run Stock and Operating Performance following Corporate R&D Expenditures
Authors: Chen Sheng-Syan , Yu Chin-Te , Su Xuan-Qi , Lai Shu-Miao
Published: November 2012

Building upon two competing hypotheses, the 'efficient investment' hypothesis and the 'internal capital markets' hypothesis, we set out in this study to examine the role of organizational form, in terms of 'focus' versus 'diversification', in explaining the long-run stock and operating performance following corporate R&D expenditure. In a sample of 165 announcements of increases in R&D expenditure, we find that focused announcing firms experience significantly greater long-run stock and operating performance following R&D investment, as compared to diversified announcing firms. Our findings are robust to different methods of generating long-run stock performance, various measures of operating performance and alternative benchmarks for the calculation of abnormal performance. Overall, our results provide convincing evidence to suggest that the 'efficient investment' hypothesis dominates the 'internal capital markets' hypothesis.
The Effect of an Open Carpal Tunnel Release on Thumb CMC Biomechanics
Authors: Tanner Marc A. , Conrad Bryan P. , Dell Paul C. , Wright Thomas W.
Published: November 2012

Purpose. We have observed worsening thumb pain following carpal tunnel release (CTR) in some patients. Our purpose was to determine the effect of open CTR on thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) biomechanics.Methods. Five fresh-frozen cadaver arms with intact soft tissues were used. Each specimen was secured to a jig which fixed the forearm at 45° supination, and the wrist at 20° dorsiflexion, with thumb pointing up. The thumb was axially loaded with a force of 130 N. We measured 3D translation and rotation of the trapezium, radius, and first metacarpal, before and after open CTR. Motion between radius and first metacarpal, radius and trapezium, and first metacarpal and trapezium during loading was calculated using rigid body mechanics. Overall stiffness of each specimen was determined.Results. Total construct stiffness following CTR was reduced in all specimens but not significantly. No significant changes were found in adduction, pronation, or dorsiflexion of the trapezium with respect to radius after open CTR. Motion between radius and first metacarpal, between radius and trapezium, or between first metacarpal and trapezium after open CTR was not decreased significantly.Conclusion. From this data, we cannot determine if releasing the transverse carpal ligament alters kinematics of the CMC joint.
A Rare Case of Noninsulinoma Pancreatogenous Hypoglycemia Syndrome
Authors: Nadelson Jeffrey , Epstein Alan
Published: November 2012

As the obesity pandemic continues to worsen and medical interventions remain only moderately effective, bariatric surgery remains an important option for patients. In certain instances, patients who have undergone the procedure experience postprandial symptoms of neuroglycopenia caused by noninsulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemia syndrome (NIPHS). NIPHS is a recently described syndrome and is also very rare, and therapeutic approaches are still under debate. We report the case of a 51-year-old female who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and presented with episodic postprandial hypoglycemia 2 years after surgery. An insulinoma was absent from all abdominal imaging. Fasting C-peptide, insulin, and glucose were normal. Due to the possibility of NIPHS, clinical treatment was commenced with acarbose, leading to a significant reduction of hypoglycemic episodes. NIPHS occurs in approximately 0.5% to 7% of patients with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. Sporadic hypoglycemia postgastric bypass is an important entity that should be understood by all surgeons and internists who are involved in postgastric bypass care.
Off-Clamp Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy for a Fat-Poor Angiomyolipoma Arising from the Renal Capsule: A Case Report
Authors: Kodama Koichi , Takase Yasukazu , Motoi Isamu , Saito Katsuhiko
Published: November 2012

Renal function can be significantly preserved after nephron-sparing surgery by decreasing the intraoperative ischemic duration or by performing off-clamp surgery. We report the case of a 56-year-old woman diagnosed with a minimal-fat angiomyolipoma arising from the renal capsule, which was successfully treated by retroperitoneoscopic partial nephrectomy without hilar clamping. Computed tomography revealed a 16 × 13 mm homogenous lenticular mass protruding from the lateral aspect of the left kidney. On both T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance images, the mass exhibited homogenous low-signal intensity and well-defined margins. Laparoscopic magnification indicated that the exophytic tumor was attached to the renal cortex by a small peduncle. The tumor was resected completely with negative surgical margin. The estimated glomerular filtration rate after surgery was nearly equal to that before surgery. Off-clamp laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a feasible surgical option to prevent ischemic renal damage in select patients presenting with small, exophytic, and peripheral renal masses.
Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment of a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Patient with Melanoma, Adenocarcinoma, and Hepatic and Osteolytic Metastases: Need to Implement Strategies for Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer in Spinal Cord Injury Patients
Authors: Vaidyanathan Subramanian , Mansour Paul , Hughes Peter L. , Selmi Fahed , Singh Gurpreet , Pulya Kamesh , Soni Bakul M.
Published: November 2012

A male tetraplegic patient with, who had been taking warfarin, developed haematuria. Ultrasound scan revealed no masses, stones, or hydronephrosis. Urinary bladder had normal configuration with no evidence of masses or organised haematoma. Urine cytology revealed no malignant cells. Four months later, CT urography revealed an irregular mass at the base of urinary bladder. Cystoscopic biopsy revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, which contained goblet cells and pools of mucin showing strongly positive immunostaining for prostatic acid hosphatase and patchy staining for prostate specific antigen. Computed Tomography revealed multiple hypodense hepatic lesions and several osteolytic areas in femoral heads and iliac bone. With a presumptive diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma, leuprorelin acetate 3.75 mg was prescribed. This patient expired a month later.Conclusion. (i) Spinal cord injury patient, who passed blood in urine while taking warfarin, requiresrepeatedinvestigations to look for urinary tract neoplasm. (ii) Anti-androgen therapy should be prescribed for 2 weeks prior to administration of gonadorelin analogue to prevent tumour flare causing bone pain, bladder outlet obstruction, uraemia, and cardiovascular risk due to hypercoagulability associated with a rapid increase in tumour burden. (iii) Spinal cord physicians should adopt a caring and compassionate approach while managing tetraplegic patients with several co-morbidities, as aggressive diagnostic tests and therapeutic procedures may lead to deterioration in the quality of life.
Immune Biomarker Response Depends on Choice of Experimental Pain Stimulus in Healthy Adults: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Cruz-Almeida Yenisel , King Christopher D. , Wallet Shannon M. , Riley Joseph L.
Published: November 2012

Few studies in healthy subjects have examined the neuroimmune responses associated with specific experimental pain stimuli, while none has measured multiple biomarkers simultaneously. The aim of the present study was to compare the neuro-immune responses following two common experimental pain stimuli: cold pressor test (CPT) and focal heat pain (FHP). Eight adults participated in two counterbalanced experimental sessions of FHP or CPT with continuous pain ratings and blood sampling before and 30 minutes after the sessions. Despite similar pain intensity ratings (FHP =42.2±15.3; CPT =44.5±34.1;P=0.871), CPT and FHP induced different neuro-immune biomarker responses. CPT was accompanied by significant increases in cortisol (P=0.046) and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (P=0.043) with significant decreases in several pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-1β(P=0.028), IL-12 (P=0.012), TNF-α(P=0.039), and MCP-1 (P=0.038)). There were nonsignificant biomarker changes during the FHP session. There were close to significant differences between the sessions for IL-1β(P=0.081), IFN-γ(P=0.072), and IL-12 (P=0.053) with biomarkers decreasing after CPT and increasing after FHP. There were stronger associations between catastrophizing and most biomarkers after CPT compared to FHP. Our results suggest that CPT is a stressful and painful stimulus, while FHP is mostly a painful stimulus. Thus, each experimental pain stimulus can activate different neuro-immune cascades, which are likely relevant for the interpretation of studies in chronic pain conditions.
Proper Fuzzification of Prime Ideals of a Hemiring
Authors: Kumbhojkar H. V.
Published: November 2012

Prime fuzzy ideals, prime fuzzyk-ideals, and prime fuzzyh-ideals are roped in one condition. It is shown that this way better fuzzification is achieved. Other major results of the paper are: every fuzzy ideal (resp.,k-ideal,h-ideal) is contained in a prime fuzzy ideal (resp.,k-ideal,h-ideal). Prime radicals and nil radicals of a fuzzy ideal are defined; their relationship is established. The nil radical of a fuzzyk-ideal (resp., anh-ideal) is proved to be a fuzzyk-ideal (resp.,h-ideal). The correspondence theorems for different types of fuzzy ideals of hemirings are established. The concept of primary fuzzy ideal is introduced. Minimum imperative for proper fuzzification is suggested and it is shown that the fuzzifications introduced in this paper are proper fuzzifications.
Instructional Quality and Attitudes toward Mathematics: Do Self-Concept and Interest Differ across Students' Patterns of Perceived Instructional Quality in Mathematics Classrooms?
Authors: Lazarides Rebecca , Ittel Angela
Published: November 2012

Using a person-centered research approach, the present study explored individual differences in students' perceptions of instructional quality in secondary school mathematics classes and their relations to students' self-concept and interest in mathematics. Drawing on data collected from 425 high school students from ten schools in Berlin, Germany (male: 53.2%; female: 46.3%), latent class analyses (LCA) revealed four distinct patterns of perceived quality of instruction. Almost half of the sample (46%) had a high likelihood of perceiving an overall low quality in mathematics classes. Those students reported particular low self-concept and interest in mathematics. Compared to male students, female students were significantly more likely to belong to this “challenging pattern.” Consequences for educational practice are discussed and suggest that instruction in mathematics should take into account learners' highly individual ways of perceiving and evaluating their learning environment.
The Rhetorical Resolution of Sophokles’ Aias
Authors: Hawthorne Kevin
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The resolution at the end of Sophokles’Aiasis brought about through a collaborative rhetorical strategy between Odysseus and Agamemnon. They agree to redirect theiragônaway from the deliberative question of whether to bury Aias toward an interrogation of Odysseus’philia, so that Agamemnon can eventually grant the burial publicly as a favor to Odysseus. In Aristotelian terms, the debate takes the unusual form of developing the characterpistisin isolation from the logicalpistis. This mutual avoidance of a demand for theoretical agreement is analogous to democratic practice.
Rivalry, Retribution, and Religion: The Art of Paul Pfeiffer
Authors: Wallace Isabelle Loring
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Drawing on the work of literary critic René Girard, this paper considers the work of contemporary digital artist Paul Pfeiffer, arguing that his work establishes compelling parallels between various biblical narratives and aspects of contemporary-culture as defined (and dominated) by technology’s omniscient and all-seeing eyes. Fleshing out the comparison Pfeiffer seems to make between the vengeful eye of an all-seeing, Old Testament God and our own culture’s relentless surveillance by mass and new media, I suggest that Pfeiffer also aligns various biblical sacrifices—namely, the Old Testament sacrifice of the world by flood, and subsequently, in the New Testament, the sacrifice of Jesus by God—with the contemporary sacrifice of the world (or more accurately, reality) by new technologies that have radically restructured our relation to both time and space. Pfeiffer thereby reinterprets new media, treating it as if an enactment of dynamics at the very heart of the Judeo-Christian tradition, perhaps performed for the purpose of decatheting the primal trauma described therein. Moreover, although not expressly referenced by Pfeiffer, the Fall, as wrought by man’s rivalrous consumption of the apple in the Garden of Eden, is everywhere present in Pfeiffer’s oeuvre, whether in the form of athletic hubris or (see the sacrifice of Larry Johnson in Pfeiffer’s Fragment of a Crucifixion), or in the quintessential form of man’s desire to acquire information known only by an (announcer’s) authoritative and disembodied male voice (see Pfeiffer’s Desiderata, a work made with raw footage from the well-known game show The Price is Right). That these rivalries necessitate some form of compensatory sacrifice is a fact that brings together the various components of Pfeiffer’s work, comprised as it is of various rivalries alongside originary sacrifices and the rituals designed to recall their significant and, for Girard, palliative effects.
The Ebb and Flow of Popular Islamic Music Forms: Zikir Maulud Amongst Sambas Malays
Authors: Mee Wendy
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This paper describes the contemporary context of Zikir Maulud, a popular, religiously-inspired musical practice that has a long history in Sambas, a regency in West Kalimantan. The formation of a Zikir Maulud association several years ago resulted in the establishment of a monthly, inter-village circuit, one in which women figure prominently as performers and the representatives of their village. Despite this initiative, there is little evidence that Zikir Maulud is attracting new performers. The paper outlines three broad approaches to the study of Malay cultural forms, before arguing that people’s interest in Zikir Maulud is best understood in relation to changes associated with urbanisation, social mobility and new media. These social forces not only erode the forms of sociality that support Zikir Maulud as a village-based cultural performance, but result in new cultural sensibilities and modes of textuality, which shape people’s level of interest and participation in cultural forms. Here Zikir Maulud and its association with older, village-based forms of entertainment cannot compete with vernacular forms of digitalised and audiovisual entertainment that situate people in broader, translocal contexts.
“A Splendid Patrimony”: Wang Bo and the Development of a New Poetic Decorum in Early Tang China
Authors: Warner Ding Xiang
Published: November 2012

This essay proposes that we extract Wang Bo from the retrospectively formulated context of the so-called “Four Elites of the Early Tang” and attempt instead to assess Wang Bo's poetry within other relevant contexts, foremost his own family tradition. By taking into consideration ideas and inspirations that Wang Bo drew from this tradition, an alternative approach is suggested to understanding the development of the “new decorum” in early Tang poetry that has long been attributed to Wang Bo. In so doing, this essay argues more generally for a different literary-historical narrative of the early Tang.
Rewriting the Qing Constitution: Bao Shichen's “On Wealth” (Shuochu)
Authors: Rowe William T.
Published: November 2012

In 1801, with Heshen recently deposed and the Jiaqing emperor having assumed his personal rule, a young household tutor named Bao Shichen wrote an ambitious essay—Shuochu (On Wealth)—laying out the reforms he believed would set the Qing empire back on the path to political strength and economic prosperity. Although Bao would go on to achieve celebrity as a reformist advisor to high-ranking policy-makers, this particular work, in which he presents his most comprehensive statement on political economy, remained unpublished for more than a century. In the final decade of the Qing it was rediscovered and published by Liu Shipei and his associates in the National Essence (guocui) movement, hailed as a prescient document anticipating current political trends and presenting strong similarities to Western political practice. The present article explores the content of this work in detail, arguing that, despite its relatively cautious tone, it does indeed offer a bold and somewhat populist revision of the unwritten constitution that governed the Qing empire.
Scientific Labor and Universities within Globalization
Authors: Figueroa Sepúlveda Víctor M.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This article investigates the way in which scientific labor in Latin America is affected by the neoliberal model. After the key elements of this model are summarized, the main features of the region’s system for innovation in material production are reviewed. Finally, an evaluation is offered of the impact of related international policies. Special attention is given to the role of universities, the way that they operate within the context of underdevelopment, and the nature and scope of transformations that they are compelled to undertake.
Emergent Vulnerability in Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America: The Case of Mexico
Authors: Delgado Silvana Andrea Figueroa
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Over recent decades, Latin America has seen its position in the world order erode. Its share of total world exports has significantly declined. A broad opening to foreign investment has economically depressed many local initiatives, and the region’s economic growth is now largely dependent upon foreign capital. Nevertheless, an incipient trend has become established that reflects a change in preference for foreign capital destinations, shaped by the degree to which a science-technology base is present. This draws attention to the fact that tax facilities, proximity to markets, and cheap labor are insufficient factors to guarantee the cycle of capital, since what stands out is the outgoing transfer of the innovation activity itself. Latin American governments have done little to build an attractive science-technology platform that could allow our countries to join these rapidly growing chains of commodity production. This ultimately suggests that greater exclusion is to be expected. In this article, the case of Mexico is highlighted as an example of these trends.
The Social Appropriation of Science as Counter-Hegemony: Technology Challenges Facing Bolivia and Venezuela
Authors: Yáñez Leonel Álvarez , Limón Héctor De la Fuente
Published: November 2012

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the challenges that confront a national strategy that favors sovereign, progressive and counter-hegemonic development projects. The social appropriation of science plays a prime role in such a strategy and can be contrasted with its logical opposite, the capitalist appropriation of science. Never before has so much knowledge been accumulated with potential to transform the surrounding environment in favor of humanity. Nevertheless, the fact that this knowledge has been placed in the service of the interests of a minority who control political and economic power is far from creating the conditions for achieving a humane and just society, and instead is tending towards an abyss of terrifying proportions. The future of life itself on this planet is threatened by the ravages of hunger, poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and environmental degradation, which now touch millions.
The Mahdī and the Treasures of al-Ṭālaqān
Authors: Anthony Sean W.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This study highlights a hitherto neglected trope of Muslim apocalyptic literature—namely, that in a region known as al-Ṭālaqān there awaits the future Mahdī a great treasure that will gain him a mighty army to aid him fight the final battle against evil. Tracing the trope’s origin in Zoroastrian apocalypticism and its subsequent dissemination in a wide array of Muslim apocalyptic traditions, this paper argues that this apocalyptic trope ultimately entered into Muslim apocalypticism, in particular Šīʿite apocalypticism, during a Zaydī revolt against the ʿAbbāsids led by the Ḥasanid Yaḥyā b. ʿAbd Allāh in the year 176/792. The paper then explores how the revolt of Yaḥyā b. ʿAbd Allāh shaped the function of the ‘treasures of al-Ṭālaqān’ trope in Muslim apocalypticism and how Yaḥyā’s personality and the revolt he inspired continued to leave an indelible imprint on Imāmī apocalypticism thereafter.
Muʿtazilism in a 20th century Zaydī Qurʾān commentary*
Authors: Schwarb Gregor
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The Zaydīs in Yemen are the only current within Islam that fostered the continuous transmission and study of Muʿtazilī kalām up to the present time. This article aims to examine the presence and quality of Muʿtazilī kalām in a major Zaydī composition of the 20th century, namely ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-ʿAǧrī’s (1320-1407/1902-1987) Miftāḥ al-saʿāda, which was completed in May 1952. The Miftāḥ and other works of Zaydī scholars written during the first half of the 20th century provide us with valuable insights into Zaydī-Hādawī scholarship in Northern Yemen prior to the Republican revolution of 1962 and furnish important information about the education of 20th century Zaydī-Hādawī scholars and the contents of their libraries. The wide range of Muʿtazilī and non-Muʿtazilī sources used and quoted in the Miftāḥ sheds light on the distinct impact of various phases of a centuries-old school- and teaching-tradition.
« Dites, mais ne dites pas » : le Taqwīm al-lisān d’Ibn al-Ğawzī*
Authors: Ghersetti Antonella
Published: November 2012

Résumé

Cette note présente le Taqwīm al-lisān, ouvrage relativement peu connu d’Ibn al-Ğawzī (m. 597/1200) appartenant au genre du laḥn al-ʿāmma. Le petit traité d’Ibn al-Ğawzī présente plusieurs motifs d’intérêt dont la relative originalité des phénomènes linguistiques recensés constitue le trait le plus intéressant. L’ouvrage est placé dans le contexte des controverses linguistiques entre philologues arabes et examiné sous l’angle de l’utilité de ce genre de textes pour l’histoire de la langue.
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy und die Sprachverkörperung der Gesellschaft
Authors: Tasch Roland
Published: November 2012

This article intends to disclose the linguistic dimension in the work of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. At first sight, his work might seem an encyclopaedia of all kinds of reasonable ideas and methods. At closer inspection however, one finds in it an ineluctable order of alternating passions of the human heart, which reveal themselves in the human language. As in articulate language one word calls for the next, so does every one of our passions call for the next. The deeper and truer it is, the more urgently does it call. For such is the nature of man, that his heart never wholly loses itself in one single word or passion. On it goes from one devotion to the next, not because it is ashamed of its first touch, but because it must be on fire perpetually. Therefore man has to use his creative skills. Because if the heart of man does not fall in love any longer with somebody or something, it falls ill.
Non-invasive monitoring of adrenocortical activity in European badgers (Meles meles) and effects of sample collection and storage on faecal cortisol metabolite concentrations
Authors: Barja Isabel , Escribano-Ávila Gema , Lara-Romero Carlos , Virgós Emilio , Benito Javier , Rafart Elena
Published: November 2012

Due to the increasing demand for methods to quantify adrenal activity in response to stressors in wild animals, we evaluated whether stimulation with adrenocorticopic hormone (ACTH) increases faecal cortisol metabolite levels in European badgers. We also conducted several experiments to evaluate the effect of storage time and collection methods on cortisol metabolite levels of faecal samples. Faecal samples were collected from five captive European badgers (Meles meles) and cortisol metabolites were quantified by an enzyme immunoassay. Faecal cortisol metabolite levels increased 1-2 days after ACTH injection and dropped to pre-treatment levels 3 days after ACTH stimulation. We found that cortisol metabolite levels were not affected by the 8-hour time lapse from collection in the field until freezing of faecal samples, environmental exposure (temperature 25.66 ± 2.55°C; range 21.20-32.20) or mean relative humidity 62.77 ± 9.90% (range 42.00-79.00). Cortisol metabolites were not homogenously distributed in the scats. Cortisol metabolite levels were significantly lower when faecal extracts and samples were frozen for long periods of time (14 weeks or more). Thus, the measurement of faecal cortisol metabolites is a suitable method for the non-invasive evaluation of adrenocortical activity in European badgers. However, some aspects related to the collection and storage of faecal samples should be considered in future studies conducted with this species.
The World Bank Administrative Tribunal’s External Sources of Law: The Next Chapter (2006–2010) (Part I)
Authors: Hansen Peter C.
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The World Bank Administrative Tribunal has begun its second quarter-century with a jurisprudential flowering of extraordinary proportions. Mr. Hansen’s study, which builds on his earlier 25-year retrospective, comprehensively surveys the Tribunal’s numerous doctrinal developments during this time. In this article, which is part one of two, Mr. Hansen revisits two of the four subjects explored in his retrospective: (i) the roles of the contract of employment, Bank rules, international treaties and national laws in the composition of the pactum established between a staff member and the Bank; and (ii) the development of binding custom from the practices of the Bank, other institutions and national governments. The third and fourth subjects, which deal with the Tribunal’s use of general legal principles and precedents drawn from international and domestic tribunals, shall be handled in the forthcoming second part of this study. Extensively footnoted, Mr. Hansen’s study is intended for both academics and practitioners specializing in international administrative law and comparative international jurisprudence.
Conscientious Objection to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: International Human Rights Standards and European Law and Practice
Authors: Zampas Christina , Andión-Ibañez Ximena
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The practice of conscientious objection often arises in the area of individuals refusing to fulfil compulsory military service requirements and is based on the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as protected by national, international and regional human rights law. The practice of conscientious objection also arises in the field of health care, when individual health care providers or institutions refuse to provide certain health services based on religious, moral or philosophical objections. The use of conscientious objection by health care providers to reproductive health care services, including abortion, contraceptive prescriptions, and prenatal tests, among other services is a growing phenomena throughout Europe. However, despite recent progress from the European Court of Human Rights on this issue (RR v. Poland, 2011), countries and international and regional bodies generally have failed to comprehensively and effectively regulate this practice, denying many women reproductive health care services they are legally entitled to receive. The Italian Ministry of Health reported that in 2008 nearly 70% of gynaecologists in Italy refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds. It found that between 2003 and 2007 the number of gynaecologists invoking conscientious objection in their refusal to perform an abortion rose from 58.7 percent to 69.2 percent. Italy is not alone in Europe, for example, the practice is prevalent in Poland, Slovakia, and is growing in the United Kingdom. This article outlines the international and regional human rights obligations and medical standards on this issue, and highlights some of the main gaps in these standards. It illustrates how European countries regulate or fail to regulate conscientious objection and how these regulations are working in practice, including examples of jurisprudence from national level courts and cases before the European Court of Human Rights. Finally, the article will provide recommendations to national governments as well as to international and regional bodies on how to regulate conscientious objection so as to both respect the practice of conscientious objection while protecting individual’s right to reproductive health care.
Psycho-Social Aspects Surrounding Criminal Investigations into Mass Graves
Authors: Klinkner Melanie
Published: November 2012

In the context of transitional justice, forensic investigations into mass graves aim to respond to the humanitarian needs arising from human rights’ violations or to satisfy legal, evidentiary requirements. Whilst victims are cited as the main rationale behind international criminal justice, the actual investigative and prosecution procedures may not focus on the psycho-social ramification these activities have for survivors. This becomes particularly evident when considering forensic investigations of mass graves. Anchored in the transitional justice framework, the article identifies and examines issues surrounding excavations such as 1) religion, culture and commemoration; 2) history, revisionism and demystification; 3) identification; and the 4) impact on the domestic judiciary and capacity-building within the Cambodian and Yugoslavian context. Finally the article asks whether it is the duty of investigations to take psycho-social factors into account when embarking on forensic missions.
The ‘Long Grass’ of Agreements: Promise, Theory and Practice
Authors: Rooney Eilish , Swaine Aisling
Published: November 2012

Peace agreements have their honeymoon periods launched by a photo shoot marking the outbreak of ‘peace’. The work of converting the promise and hard-won compromises of a transition into reality is fraught with visible and hidden threats. When can we know a transition is ‘working’? How can we calculate the level of security threat posed to future stability by deep rooted structural inequalities? What role does restorative justice play in these dilemmas? The textual and political site for this analysis is Northern Ireland’s 1998 Agreement. Intersectionality theory aids analysis of the gender dynamics of law and politics in this jurisdiction. We find that political stability has built-in gendered costs and benefits. Local restorative justice initiatives may proactively reduce communal tensions but benefits to women may be less evident. An intersectional assessment brings women’s lives into the picture and moreover explains how transitions work in practice.
Case Report on C-411/10, N.S. and C-493/10, M.E. and Others, 21 December 2011
Authors: Lieven Sophie
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The European Court of Justice clarified through this judgment the way in which the overloading of a Member States’ asylum system affects the EU arrangements for determining the Member State responsible for asylum applications lodged in the EU and thereby drastically reduced the possibility granted to Member States to transfer asylum applicants. The Member States now have an obligation to verify that no serious risk of violation of the Charter rights of the applicant exits in the receiving country before being allowed to transfer the person. The practical consequences of this ruling are still uncertain but further cooperation between Member States should be able to enhance the level of protection of human rights within the Common European Asylum System.