bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hidden Secrets or the Mysteries of Daily Life. Hebrew Entries in the Journal Books of the Early Modern Astronomer Gottfried Kirch
Authors: Kühn Sebastian , Rebiger Bill
Published: November 2012

Abstract

In the astronomical journal books written in German of Gottfried Kirch (1639–1710), a Christian astronomer and publisher with close connections to Pietists, several entries in Hebrew script are striking. In fact, it is not Hebrew or Yiddish but German in Hebrew characters. There is no doubt that the transcription follows more or less an orthography known from Yiddish. Since the content of these entries is rather banal and reflects daily life, it is possible that they are nothing but a kind of scholarly joke, a private pleasure, and practice of scholarly skills. While these private notes were not capable of academic discourse, perhaps Kirch playfully tried to enhance their status by using an uncommon script in contrast to the astronomical data. In this way, it was possible to cover over the triviality of daily life by a veil of mystery by transcribing it in Hebrew characters.
African Trading Post in Guangzhou: Emergent or Recurrent Commercial Form?
Authors: Bredeloup Sylvie
Published: November 2012

Abstract

In the early 2000s, nationals of Sub-Saharan Africa who had settled in the market places of Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur, moved to Guangzhou and opened offices in the upper floors of buildings inBaiyunandYuexiuDistricts. These were located in the northwest of the city, near the central railway station and one of the two fairs of Canton. Gradually these traders were able to create the necessary conditions of hospitality by opening community restaurants on upper floors, increasing the number of showrooms and offices as well as the services of freight and customs clearance in order to live up to an African itinerant customer’s expectations. From interviews carried out between 2006 and 2009 in the People’s Republic of China and in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, and West Africa, the article will first highlight the economic logics which have contributed to the constitution of African trading posts in China and describe their extension from the Middle East and from Asia. The second part will determine the respective roles of migrants and traveling Sub-Saharan entrepreneurs, before exploring their interactions with Chinese society in the setting up of these commercial networks. It will also look at the impact of toughening immigration policies. It is the principle of the African trading posts of anchoring of some traders in strategic places negotiated with the host society that allows the movement but also the temporary settlement of many visitors. The first established traders purchase products manufactured in the hinterland to fulfill the demand of the itinerant merchants who in turn supply customers located in other continents.
‘Living in the Lives of Men’: Martha Foster Crawford
Authors: Vaughn Cross Carol Ann
Published: November 2012

This article seeks to contribute to the historiography on cross-cultural, interpersonal relationships between Western women and non-Western men by describing some of the interpersonal relationships between a missionary teacher, a pioneer of Woman’s Work for Woman in North China who later criticized single-sex programs that divided men and women, and her male Chinese teachers and students in Shandong (Shantung). The article discusses the development of new social and emotional experiences within the context of guanxi (“kuan-hsi”).These interpersonal connections developed within the broader nexus of traditional and changing relationships with Chinese women and Western men, who were also adapting cultural ideas of sex and gender. Considering such individual variables as marital status, personality, and context, the article presents the meaning that the female missionary gave to her relationships with Chinese males, particularly a favored student to whom she attached herself so closely that she jeopardized her marriage. The article concludes that as Crawford contributed to some of the expansion of opportunities for Chinese males, the opportunities for her transplanted and cross-culturally nourished ideal of sexual equality and social interactivity expanded as well, thanks to such men as Wu Zuan Zhao (Wu Tswun Chao) and Guo You Yong (Kwo Yu Yoong).
Mapping Gender and the Responsibility to Protect: Seeking Intersections, Finding Parallels
Authors: Bond Jennifer , Sherret Laurel
Published: November 2012

Over the past decade, the international community has acknowledged that traditional notions of conflict and protection must be re-visited if true human security is to be realized. Consistent with this recognition, both the responsibility to protect and the women, peace, and security agenda challenge the status quo and offer new perspectives from which to approach responses to conflict. Unfortunately, the former was developed without consideration of the latter, and a tremendous opportunity to benefit from years of experience and expertise was thus missed. This article demonstrates that while recent discourse surrounding the responsibility to protect suggests some increased awareness that conflict affects men and women differently, there remains a significant disconnect between the development of this framework and the ever-growing body of work on the gendered nature of peace and security issues. Our identification of this ongoing chasm is accompanied by two simple observations: first, that this renders the responsibility to protect inconsistent with other international commitments and priorities; and second, that incorporation of the links between gender and conflict will improve the ability of the responsibility to protect to afford true protection.
The Durban Climate Conference between Success and Frustration
Authors: Streck Charlotte , Chagas Thiago , von Unger Moritz , O’Sullivan Robert
Published: November 2012

The outcomes of the Durban climate change conference leave plenty of room for interpretation and are generally ambivalent. Climate negotiators launched a new negotiation track that is expected to result in a legally meaningful agreement by all parties (developed and developing) to kick-in in 2020. The establishment of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action signaled a significant departure from the developed/ developing country divide that permeates the Protocol. It further committed countries to a process leading an ‘outcome with legal force’; arguably more than a mere political agreement.

Durban also succeeded in securing a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, albeit with fewer developed countries. However, the conference did not succeed in extracting any new substantive commitments from countries. The wording of the Durban Platform is unspecific and contains ample room for interpretation. The diversity and complexity of the issues at hand help explaining the slow progress on the substance. While international negotiators continue to seek compromise on many issues, subnational governments, private actors, and civil society have started implementing climate solutions. If the climate challenge is to be overcome, international climate talks must be able to pick up on these initiatives and more quickly step-up to its role as a central coordinator and catalyst of efforts.
Bechala sommeri Ilger & Brauckmann, 2012 enlightens the Namurian griffenfly diversity (Insecta: Odonatoptera: Bechalidae)
Authors: Nel André , Ilger Jan-Michael , Brauckmann Carsten , Prokop Jakub
Published: November 2012

Bechala sommeriIlger & Brauckmann, 2012, the type species of the type genus of the early Late Carboniferous (Namurian) family Bechalidae Ilger & Brauckmann, 2012, is redescribed. It does not belong to the order Megasecoptera as previously proposed. The taxon is clearly attributable to Odonatoptera for the typical venation characters as CuA separating from MP obliquely, a true arculus with concave RP and convex MA emerging from a composite vein R+MA, short ScP, and presence of convex intercalaries IR2 and IR1 between the main branches of RP3/4, RP2 and RP1. We transfer this taxon with the monospecific family Bechalidae to Odonatoptera. A new diagnosis is given for Bechalidae and its type genus Bechala. Furthermore, the presence of an oblique subnodal crossvein very far from the ending of ScP and close to the base of RP2 confirms the hypothesis that the subnodus is a structure originally independent of the nodus with a different function in relation to wing tracheation. The Bechalidae are included in a clade (Meganeuridae–Sinierasipteridae–Bechalidae–Lapeyridae–Nodialata), in contrast to a sister group relationships between the two clades Meganisoptera (=Namurotypidae–Paralogidae–Kargalotypidae–Kohlwaldiidae–Meganeuridae) and Odonatoclada (=Lapeyridae–Nodialata), while the potential relationships between the Campylopteridae and the Lapeyridae and Nodialata are rejected. Bechala represents a ‘damselfly-like’ ecological niche in the Namurian, showing the high diversity of the earliest known Odonatoptera, strongly suggesting an Early Carboniferous, if not Late Devonian age for this pterygote clade.
„Wie die Juden Gewalt schreien“: Aurel Onciul und die antisemitische Wende in der Bukowiner Öffentlichkeit nach 1907
Authors: Corbea-Hoisie Andrei
Published: November 2012

This paper explores the dissemination of anti-Semitic themes, motives, and clichés in the k. & k. province of Bukovina, around 1900. It is argued that the abrupt unleashing of brutally anti-Jewish discourses in this most eastern province of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, after the anti-Semitic wave which had reached its peak in Vienna and in the center of Austria in the last decades of the 19th century, goes back to local social and national conflicts deeply rooted in the contradictions of the modernization process. The fact that the Romanian politician Aurel Onciul—originally involved in the liberal opposition to the political domination of the large estate-owners—posed as one of the beacons of this ideological approach, does not only reveal an opportunistic alignment of Romanian political groupings with the Christian Socialists under Karl Lueger after the 1907 imperial elections, but also illustrates the radically anti-modern trend in the political thinking of the emerging middle class that was to have serious consequences for the political development in post-World War Romania. This multi-layered deconstruction of this episode of Bukovina’s history, under-researched in the academic literature to date, is based on a meticulous study of the printed press in the urban center of Czernowitz prior to 1914, which depicts the co-existence of linguistically- and nationally-diverse cultural spaces but also the “impossibility” of their inter-cultural integration.
LESS DIVERSITY - MORE INTEGRATION: INTERETHNIC RELATIONS IN THE CONTEMPORARY BALKANS 1
Authors: BIEBER FLORIAN
Published: November 2012

Summary: This article surveys the state of diversity in Southeastern Europe by examining the nature of interethnic relations and diversity, minority rights protection and political participation of minorities. During the past decade, state repression and hostility towards minorities have largely made way to including minorities in government and introducing comprehensive minority rights protection laws. These improvements at the level of policy are often not matched in terms of general interethnic relations. Majority-minority relations remain burdened by the 1990s and Southeastern Europe is considerably more homogenous than it was in 1989. As a consequence, legal and policy changes are often the consequence of international and in particular EU pressure rather than domestic processes.
Politics of Protest in Supervised Statehood: Co-Shared Governance and Erosion of Citizenship.The Case-study of the Vetevendosje! Movement in Kosovo
Authors: Vardari-Kesler Alma
Published: November 2012

Kosovo’s case presents a mixture of post-socialist politics with a post-war reality. Its deeply divided society is struggling to solve the ethnic conflict while dealing with state-building and democratization. Within this context, the existence of a dual governing authority (local and international) has created a unique political and social context of supervised statehood with contested external sources of power. In an attempt to shed light on Kosovo’s contentious politics, in this article I examine the case study of the social movement “Levizja Vetevendosje!” (LV), i.e. the Movement for Self-determination, while arguing firstly that given the discourse of Security and Stabilization, the collective resistance of LV is framed as an issue of security and as such a destabilizing factor, resulting thus in the de-politization and the marginalization of LV’s contentious collective action. Secondly, I claim that the establishment of co-shared governance between the local and international political institutions has led to the estrangement of the domestic society from the daily political arena due to the reciprocal dependency of both sides on each other, resulting in the erosion of citizenship in Kosovo.
Bulgarian Migrants in Spain: Social Networks, Patterns of Transnationality, Community Dynamics and Cultural Change in Catalonia (Northeastern Spain)
Authors: Gómez Mestres Sílvia , Molina Jose Luis , Hoeksma Sarah , Lubbers Miranda
Published: November 2012

We analyze the Bulgarian migrant social networks in two localities (Roses and Barcelona) of Northeastern Spain (Catalonia), in order to determine the sociodemographic profile of Bulgarian migrants in these localities and assess the different patterns of adaptation (which means selective cultural changes to fit better with dominant practices) and community dynamics developed in each place. The methodology used is the structured interview supported by an open-source program (EgoNet) for collecting personal network data, along with participant observation and in-depth interviews. In addition, Bulgarian migrant associations and entities in Spain have been identified as a part of the global pattern of adaptation of this group. We show that local context matters for the type of adaptation of migrants. Therefore, in small contexts it is possible to form part of a denser and more homogeneous ethnic network, having at the same time a similar proportion of Catalan-Spaniard contacts as in larger towns. Small contexts favor segmented (or dual) adaptation to the host society. This adaptation manifests important and substantial differences between the public sphere (visible to the host society) and the private sphere (family life and close friends).
The effects of rehearsal on auditory cortex: An fMRI study of the putative neural mechanisms of dance therapy
Authors: DeSouza Joseph F. , Bar Rachel
Published: November 2012

We were interested in examining the time course of the evolution when beginning to learn a motor habit and it’s associated neural functional changes in the brain. To accomplish this we employed five professional dancers that were scanned using a within subjects design. Each dancer participated in four fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scanning sessions over the training and learning of a dance to a 1 min piece of music employing a typical blocked design (5 epochs with alternations of a 30-s fixation period). We also tested five control subjects that had dance experience but did not learn the dance to this music. Subjects were asked to visualize dancing while listening to a piece of music. At the first scanning session, only 4 rehearsals of the piece (initial acquisition phase) were studied. The control subjects were also tested at this time period but they had no rehearsals and had no visual exposure to the music before scanning. The second scanning session occurred one week later, after a total of 9 rehearsals. The third scanning session was completed 7 weeks after initial acquisition of the dance (the dance was performed a total of 16 times after initial training). Thus in total there were 22 scanning sessions using 10 subjects. Additionally a control motor scan was performed in each scanning session to activate motor regions that should not change activation patterns across all scanning sessions. Results revealed a significant increase of BOLD signal, across the sessions in a network of brain regions including bilateral auditory cortex to supplementary motor cortex. These results suggest that as we learn a motor sequence from music, greater neuronal activity occurs and we discuss the potential neural network involved in dance and its implications towards alternative neural regions that are potentially recruited during dance therapy.
Roll rate thresholds in driving simulation
Authors: Nesti Alessandro , Barnett-Cowan Michael , Bülthoff Heinrich H. , Pretto Paolo
Published: November 2012

The restricted operational space of dynamic driving simulators requires the implementation of motion cueing algorithms that tilt the simulator cabin to reproduce sustained accelerations. In order to avoid conflicting inertial cues, the tilt rate is limited below drivers’ perceptual thresholds, which are typically derived from the results of classical vestibular research, where additional sensory cues to self-motion are removed. These limits might be too conservative for an ecological driving simulation, which provides a variety of complex visual and vestibular cues as well as demands of attention which vary with task difficulty. We measured roll rate detection threshold in active driving simulation, where visual and vestibular stimuli are provided as well as increased cognitive load from the driving task. Here thresholds during active driving are compared with tilt rate detection thresholds found in the literature (passive thresholds) to assess the effect of the driving task. In a second experiment, these thresholds (active versus passive) are related to driving preferences in a slalom driving course in order to determine which roll rate values are most appropriate for driving simulators so as to present the most realistic driving experience. The results show that detection threshold for roll in an active driving task is significantly higher than the limits currently used in motion cueing algorithms, suggesting that higher tilt limits can be successfully implemented to better optimize simulator operational space. Supra-threshold roll rates in the slalom task are also rated as more realistic. Overall, our findings indicate that increasing task complexity in driving simulation can decrease motion sensitivity allowing for further expansion of the virtual workspace environment.
‘Visual’ acuity of the congenitally blind using visual-to-auditory sensory substitution
Authors: Striem-Amit Ella , Guendelman Miriam , Amedi Amir
Published: November 2012

Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) convey visual information through sounds or touch, thus theoretically enabling a form of visual rehabilitation in the blind. However, for clinical use, these devices must provide fine-detailed visual information which was not shown yet for this or other means of visual restoration. To test the possible functional acuity conveyed by such devices, we used the Snellen acuity test conveyed through a high-resolution visual-to-auditory SSD (The vOICe). We show that congenitally fully blind adults can exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) blindness acuity threshold using SSDs, reaching the highest acuity reported yet with any visual rehabilitation approach. Preliminary findings of a neuroimaging study of a similar reading task using SSDs suggest the specific involvement of the congenitally blind visual cortex in processing sights-from-sounds. These results demonstrate the potential capacity of SSDs as inexpensive, non-invasive visual rehabilitation aids, as well as their advantage in charting the retention of functional properties of the visual cortex of the blind.
Temporal processing of self-motion: Translations are processed slower than rotations
Authors: Soyka Florian , Barnett-Cowan Michael , Giordano Paolo R. , Bülthoff Heinrich H.
Published: November 2012

Reaction times (RTs) to purely inertial self-motion stimuli have only infrequently been studied, and comparisons of RTs for translations and rotations, to our knowledge, are nonexistent. We recently proposed a model (Soyka et al., 2011) which describes direction discrimination thresholds for rotational and translational motions based on the dynamics of the vestibular sensory organs (otoliths and semi-circular canals). This model also predicts differences in RTs for different motion profiles (e.g., trapezoidal versus triangular acceleration profiles or varying profile durations). In order to assess these predictions we measured RTs in 20 participants for 8 supra-threshold motion profiles (4 translations, 4 rotations). A two-alternative forced-choice task, discriminating leftward from rightward motions, was used and 30 correct responses per condition were evaluated. The results agree with predictions for RT differences between motion profiles as derived from previously identified model parameters from threshold measurements. To describe absolute RT, a constant is added to the predictions representing both the discrimination process, and the time needed to press the response button. This constant is approximately 160 ms shorter for rotations, thus indicating that additional processing time is required for translational motion. As this additional latency cannot be explained by our model based on the dynamics of the sensory organs, we speculate that it originates at a later stage, e.g., during tilt-translation disambiguation. Varying processing latencies for different self-motion stimuli (either translations or rotations) which our model can account for must be considered when assessing the perceived timing of vestibular stimulation in comparison with other senses (Barnett-Cowan and Harris, 2009; Sanders et al., 2011).
Ecology and Distribution of the Isopod Genus Idotea in the Baltic Sea: Key Species in a Changing Environment
Authors: Leidenberger Sonja , Harding Karin , Jonsson Per R.
Published: November 2012

Marine isopods of the genus Idotea [I. balthica (Pallas, 1772), I. chelipes (Pallas, 1766), and I. granulosa Rathke, 1843] are common meso-grazers that enter deep into the Baltic Sea and here appear to live at their physiological limit, determined by salinity and temperature tolerance. We review available data on distribution and community ecology to assess the functional role of Idoteain the Baltic Sea and how global change may affect essential ecological interactions. Data from the last 150 years suggest an on-going shift southward for I. chelipes and I. granulosa that may be caused by a changing climate. Several studies report local extinctions and mass abundances, which may be caused by a changing food web from over-fishing and eutrophication. The three species of Idotea have clear habitat segregation in the Baltic Sea, where salinity, temperature and vegetation are the main dimensions. Idotea spp. have a central role as grazers and in communities dominated by the perennial macrophytes Fucus spp. and Zostera marina and attain impressive feeding rates on a range of epiphytes/filamentous algae (top-down effect). Idotea can have both a direct negative grazing effect on macrophytes but also an indirect positive effect by removing epiphytes. The relative role of nutritional value and chemical defence for food preference is yet unclear for Idotea. Baltic idoteids are also important prey for several fish (bottom-up effect) and fish predation may have increased following overfishing of piscivorous fish. It is concluded that Idotea is a key taxon in the Baltic Sea food web, where guilds often contain few dominant species. Changes in population dynamics of Idotea, as a function of human generated global change, may have large-scale consequences for ecosystem functions in a future Baltic Sea, e.g. the extent of vegetation cover in the coastal zone.
Subgrouping in Uto-Aztecan
Authors: Hill Jane H.
Published: November 2012

The classical historical linguistic method for establishing a phylogenetic subgroup requires evidence of shared innovation from a reconstructed protolanguage. In spite of the fact that UtoAztecan is one of the better-known American language families, there is surprisingly little work on the family within this framework. Instead, subgrouping hypotheses have emerged largely from the application of lexicostatistical methods. With the exception of two very clearly defined clades, Aztecan and Tepiman, Uto-Aztecan subgrouping remains controversial. In this paper I discuss issues in subgrouping that emerge from attention to shared phonological innovation, and compare subgroups that, in my view, can be fairly securely established on this basis with the subgroups suggested by the recent efforts in numerical-taxonomic subgrouping undertaken by the ASJP Consortium.
The Nude in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Russian Sculpture
Authors: Samu Margaret
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This article analyzes Russian attitudes toward nudity in art in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, from the importation of Italian nudes by Peter the Great to the continued study of the nude model by Socialist Realist artists. Questions addressed include the reception of nude sculpture in Russia and its change over time; the role of life models; and the subject matter sculptors chose.
Secularisation, R.I.P.? Nonsense! The ‘Rush Hour Away from the Gods’ and the Decline of Religion in Contemporary Japan
Authors: Reader Ian
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Sociologists of religion such as Rodney Stark and José Casanova have pronounced secularisation theories to be dead or a ‘myth,’ and in so doing they have often cited Japan as an example of the vigour of religion in the modern world. This article refutes their claims by examining the contemporary Japanese religious situation and showing that, far from being vibrant, religion, whether organised, institutional, or related to popular and folk practices, is in decline. It draws on extensive survey data to show that levels of faith, adherence and practice have decreased significantly, and that they do so especially in conjunction with rising levels of urbanisation and education—two conditions identified in secularisation theory as associated with religious decline. The study examines counter-claims that some areas (notably pilgrimage and ‘spirituality’) are growing in Japan, and shows that the reverse is true. Pilgrimages are losing support while there is evidence that the ‘turn to spirituality’—cited by some scholars as a replacement for organised religion—has petered out in Japan. Thus there is a strong secularising tendency in Japan that refutes the claims of those who wish to bury secularisation theory; as the Japanese case shows, it remains a potent force in the modern world.
Observations on the Blurring of the Religious and the Secular in a Japanese Urban Setting
Authors: Porcu Elisabetta
Published: November 2012

Abstract

This paper presents some observations on how the borders between the religious and the secular are perceived, blurred and reinterpreted at the community level in Kyoto. These reflections are based mainly on my extended fieldwork in the city, where I participated in and took note of the activities of two chōnaikai (neighborhood associations). I also observed and examined events related to the Gion matsuri, which takes place in July and is one of the three main festivals in Japan. The neighborhood associations play a pivotal role in Kyoto’s community life, and the boundaries between the religious and the secular very often remain indistinct due to the ambiguous character of the chōnaikai. In this context, I analyze some of the religious activities within the chōnai, such as taking care of the small votive shrine dedicated to the bodhisattva Jizō, and events related to Shintō. With regard to local festivals, I explore religious and secular aspects of the Gion matsuri, an event that attracts crowds of visitors from all over Japan and abroad, which offers the opportunity to investigate the intermingling of religion and business, local government, culture and tourism.
Separation of Religion and State in Stable Christian Democracies: Fact or Myth?
Authors: Fox Jonathan
Published: November 2012

This study compares separation of religion and state (SRAS) as it is conceived in theory with its realization in practice in 40 stable Christian democracies between 1990 and 2008 based on data from the Religion and State Round 2 dataset. There is no agreement in the literature on how SRAS ought to be conceived. Many scholars argue that SRAS is a necessary condition for liberal democracies. The present study examines four models of SRAS found in the literature, and a non-SRAS model that addresses the appropriate role of religion in democracies: secularism-laicism, absolute SRAS, neutral political concern, exclusion of ideals, and acceptable support for religion. The study analyzes three factors: (a) whether the state supports one or some religions more than others; (b) the extent of religious legislation; and (c) restrictions on the religious practices and institutions of religious minorities. The analysis shows that depending on the definition of SRAS used, between zero and eight of the 40 countries practice SRAS. Based on this finding, I conclude that either SRAS is not a necessary condition for liberal democracy or many states commonly considered to be liberal democracies are not.
The Educational Autonomy of Perfectionist Religious Groups in a Liberal State
Authors: Rosen Mark D.
Published: November 2012

This Article draws upon, but reworks, John Rawls’ framework from Political Liberalism to determine the degree of educational autonomy that illiberal perfectionist religious groups ought to enjoy in a liberal state. I start by arguing that Rawls mistakenly concludes that political liberalism flatly cannot accommodate Perfectionists, and that his misstep is attributable to two errors: (1) Rawls utilizes an overly restrictive “political conception of the person” in determining who participates in the original position, and (2) Rawls overlooks the possibility of a “federalist” basic political structure that can afford significant political autonomy to different groups within a single country. With these insights, I argue that some, though not all, religious Perfectionists are consistent with a stable liberal polity, and explain why foundational Rawlsian premises require that Perfectionists be accommodated to the extent possible.

My ultimate conclusions are that liberal polities ought to grant significant autonomy to those illiberal groups that satisfy specified conditions, and that the autonomy of such “eligible” illiberal groups is subject to two further constraints, which I call “well-orderedness” and “opt-out.” The autonomy to which eligible Perfections are entitled includes the authority to educate their children in a way that provides a fair opportunity for the groups to perpetuate themselves. The constraint of well-orderedness, however, permits the State to impose educational requirements that facilitate peace and political stability. Accommodating eligible illiberal groups, subject to these constraints, is an instantiation of liberal commitments, not a compromise of liberal values.
Selecting the Elite: Status, Geography and Capital—Admission of Rural Students into Peking University (1978-2005)
Authors: Yunshan Liu , Zhiming Wang , Xiaofang Yang
Published: November 2012

This article examines new students from rural areas admitted to Peking University from 1978 to 2005. In order to illustrate the intense maneuvering between social status groups for the benefits and prestige accordant with admission to Peking University, it analyzes the status struggles of these rural students and the special barriers they must overcome. Regional disparities in admissions, the sizes of elite selection circles across different provinces and cities, and the distribution of resources for quality basic education are also analyzed. By examining the culture, institutions, structures and processes of the selection process in China, the authors argue that a seemingly fair and merit-based selection process actually obscures complex and powerful interests capable of manipulating it. The study also raises two issues associated with cultivating elite students, cultural capital shortages and cultural discontinuities, that are in need of further consideration.
Inequity in Intergenerational Mobility in Transitional China and Its Dynamics: The Effects of Schooling
Authors: Jinyan Zhou , Yue-ping Chung
Published: November 2012

In this study, the relationship between schooling and intergenerational mobility was examined by applying regression analysis and path analysis models to the CHNS dataset. It was found that schooling has only small effects on status and economic equality. It was found that stronger, intermediate effects resulted from parents’ transforming advantages attached to their economic, educational and household registration status into advantages for their children. These trends, now growing stronger in transitional China, have resulted from increasing returns to education and increasingly unequal access to education. In order to prevent schooling from contributing to the solidification of economic inequality, equity in access to education must be pursued.
Vote Buying With Multiple Distributive Goods
Authors: Albertus Michael
Published: November 2012

Within the rich literature on distributive politics, models of vote buying treat the distributive logic of different particularistic incentives as theoretically similar. This article relaxes that assumption, focusing on how the nature of a good affects the political logic of its distribution, and then uses data from a new compilation of land transfers and rural investment projects from the 1958–1990 agrarian reform program in Venezuela to empirically test the resulting theoretical implications. By comparing the distribution of land and rural investment, the analysis demonstrates that a party may simultaneously target both swing and core groups of voters with particularistic goods, the choice being determined by the distributive good. Although land was primarily distributed in areas where political competition was highest, rural investment projects were targeted at parties’ core constituencies.
Marvellous histories: Reading the Shāhnāmah in India
Authors: Khan Pasha M.
Published: November 2012

This article considers the reception and genre of the Shāhnāmah in India. It takes as its starting-point comments made by the poet Mirza Asad Allah Khan Ghalib in 1866, moving on to look at a Mughal Shāhnāmah adaptation, the Tarikh-i dil-gusha-i Shamsher-Khani, and its Urdu translations, as well as other Persian, Urdu and Arabic texts. It investigates the (mis)identification of the Shāhnāmah’s genre, looking at cases in which it was understood as historiographical rather than as a romance, and seeking an explanation for this ‘contamination’ of the sincere genre of history by the mendacious romance genre. A methodological split in the historiographical corpus is proposed, between a rationalist (‘ aqli) and transmission-based ( naqli) method. The contest between these two methods is considered, and the prevalence of transmission-based history and its similarity to romance is brought forward as a possible reason for the porousness of the border between these ostensibly opposing genres.
Saintly visions: Other histories and history’s others in the medieval ruins of Delhi
Authors: Taneja Anand Vivek
Published: November 2012

This article is centrally concerned with understanding the perceived presence of Muslim saintly figures at various medieval ruins in contemporary Delhi. I explore how popular relationships with these ruins, centred on the presence of the saint-figures, are not ‘historical’, but still indicate meaningful connections to the medieval past. To understand these connections, this article explores the epistemological and ontological privileging of the imaginal (manifesting as dreams and visions) in Islamicate thought and everyday life, arising from the influence of Ibn ‘Arabi, by looking at both contemporary popular practices and beliefs around these ruins, as well as the significance of these ruins in Urdu antiquarian and literary texts from the early twentieth century. I argue that the ontological primacy of the imaginal is also inextricably connected to an ethics of diversity and non-sectarian ideals of justice. The imaginal becomes increasingly important for connecting to the past in the aftermath of colonial and post-colonial state violence, not only because of the destruction of the usual (discursive) modes of historical memory, but also because it poses a moral vision of the pre-modern past against the violence of the modern (state). This article ends by suggesting that the rituals around these ruins create a sensory and affective ‘archive’ of the city’s history that needs to be explored further.
Acculturation Expectations and Experiences as Predictors of Ethnic Migrants’ Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Mähönen Tuuli Anna , Jasinskaja-Lahti Inga
Published: November 2012

There is a need for a better acknowledgement of the pre- and postmigration factors that influence postmigration psychological adaptation of ethnic migrants. In the present study, first, we examined the effects of pre-acculturative stress, anticipated sociocultural difficulties, and anticipated discrimination on ethnic migrants’ ( N = 153) psychological well-being in the postmigration stage. These pre-migration factors were expected to influence postmigration acculturation experiences (i.e., perceived acculturative stress, sociocultural difficulties, and discrimination), which, in turn, were expected to be decisive for postmigration well-being. Second, we examined how the concordance between these premigration and postmigration factors affects postmigration well-being. According to the first set of results, (1) the effect of anticipated sociocultural difficulties on psychological adaptation is mediated by perceived sociocultural difficulties and acculturative stress in the postmigration stage, and (2) the effects of pre-acculturative stress and anticipated discrimination are present in terms of their impact on subsequent postmigration experiences (stress and discrimination, respectively), which are further associated with postmigration well-being. The second set of results, in turn, shows that ethnic migrants’ psychological adaptation is highest (1) when both anticipated and perceived sociocultural difficulties are low and correspond with each other (but not when they anticipated more sociocultural difficulties than they experienced after migration), (2) when they both anticipate and perceive low levels of ethnic discrimination, and (3) when their perceived acculturative stress after migration is lower than pre-acculturative stress. The implications of the results for premigration interventions are discussed.
Wisdom and Ego-Identity for Korean and American Late Adolescents
Authors: Bang Hyeyoung , Montgomery Diane
Published: November 2012

Overcoming identity crises during adolescence may help adolescents understand the world around them. Although adolescents may have developmental potential for wisdom, little is known about the direct relationship between wisdom and ego-identity or any cross-cultural effects. Wisdom dimensions (cognitive, affective, and reflective) and ego-identity statuses (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion) among 639 Korean and American late adolescents (aged 18 to 22) were investigated. The findings suggest that (a) age contributes to reflective wisdom, (b) identity achievement associates with wisdom among Korean but not among American adolescents, and (c) foreclosure and diffusion statuses are negatively associated with wisdom. This highlights school curriculum trends and emphasizes reflective wisdom for holistic adolescent development. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution.
Inhibiting Periapical Lesions through AAV-RNAi Silencing of Cathepsin K
Authors: Gao B. , Chen W. , Hao L. , Zhu G. , Feng S. , Ci H. , Zhou X. , Stashenko P. , Li Y.P.
Published: November 2012

Dental caries, one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide, affects approximately 80% of children and the majority of adults. Dental caries may result in endodontic disease, leading to dental pulp necrosis, periapical inflammation and bone resorption, severe pain, and tooth loss. Periapical inflammation may also increase inflammation in other parts of the body. Although many studies have attempted to develop therapies for this disease, there is still an urgent need for effective treatments. In this study, we applied a novel gene therapeutic approach using recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated RNAi knockdown of Cathepsin K (Ctsk) gene expression, to target osteoclasts and periapical bone resorption in a mouse model. We found that AAV-sh-Cathepsin K (AAV-sh-Ctsk) impaired osteoclast function in vivo and furthermore reduced bacterial infection-stimulated bone resorption by 88%. Reduced periapical lesion size was accompanied by decreases in mononuclear leukocyte infiltration and inflammatory cytokine expression. Our study shows that AAV-RNAi silencing of Cathepsin K in periapical tissues can significantly reduce endodontic disease development, bone destruction, and inflammation in the periapical lesion. This is the first demonstration that AAV-mediated RNAi knockdown gene therapy may significantly reduce the severity of endodontic disease.
The Specificity of Autobiographical Memories in Early Adolescence
Authors: Bosmans Guy , Dujardin Adinda , Raes Filip , Braet Caroline
Published: November 2012

Although autobiographical memory specificity is an important developmental feature fostering adaptation throughout life, little is known about factors related to interindividual differences in autobiographical memory specificity. The current study investigated associations with early adolescents’ communication with mother about their experiences and their trust in her support. For this reason, 80 general population children (ages ranging from 10 to 13) were asked to retrieve specific memories of interactions with mother. Communication and trust in maternal support were measured using questionnaires. Results showed that specificity of autobiographical memories was directly linked with communication, but not with trust in maternal support. Moreover, evidence was found in favor of an indirect effect of trust on autobiographical memory specificity through communication. This study suggests that trust-related mother-child communication is important to understand interindividual differences in autobiographical memory specificity.
Anticipated Coping With Interpersonal Stressors
Authors: Zimmer-Gembeck Melanie J. , Skinner Ellen A. , Morris Helen , Thomas Rae
Published: November 2012

The same stressor can evoke different emotions across individuals, and emotions can prompt certain coping responses. Responding to four videotaped interpersonal stressors, adolescents ( N = 230, [Formula: see text] = 10 years) reported their sadness, fear and anger, and 12 coping strategies. After identifying emotion patterns using cluster analysis, associations with coping were examined. Intensity of emotion, and emotion and stressor type were associated with coping. Adolescents with intense emotions (i.e., highly sad, afraid, and angry) anticipated using more of most coping responses, whereas diffuse but moderate intensity emotion was associated with more active coping relative to other strategies. Anger was associated with less passive and more opposition coping. However, the expected coping clusters and patterns for fear and sadness were not found; no cluster of adolescents was intensely fearful or sad only. Support seeking and opposition were more common for peer-related stress, and active withdrawal was more common for parent-related stress.
Categories count: Trans fat labeling as a technique of corporate governance
Authors: Schleifer David
Published: November 2012

This article explains how regulators use categorization, quantification, and labeling to change how corporations manufacture commercial products. The Food and Drug Administration wanted to create an incentive for manufacturers to replace trans fats by requiring food labels to disclose trans fat content. The Food and Drug Administration initially proposed categorizing trans fats as saturated fats and quantifying both substances with one number on labels, but industry actors largely favored quantifying trans fats separately from saturated fats. Industry actors argued that such an approach would show consumers which products had been reformulated to contain 0 g of trans fats, thus allowing manufacturers to market reformulated products as ‘healthier’ and rewarding investments in alternative technologies. The Food and Drug Administration ultimately decided to categorize and quantify the two fats separately, specifically designing the disclosure of quantitative information in order to encourage technological change. Thus, I argue that quantifying information on commercial product labels was not only intended to govern individual consumption but was also intended to govern production in anticipation of individuals governing their consumption. Regulators used their capacity to quantify as a means to govern industrial production.
Discovering the ‘Macedonian diaspora’: a Web cartography of actors, interactions and influences
Authors: Balalovska Kristina
Published: November 2012

While the 20th century saw the emergence of a modern Macedonian nation and the establishment of an internationally recognized Macedonian state, in the 21st century ‘Macedonia’ remains a focus of struggle not only in today’s Republic of Macedonia, but also abroad, and not least among émigrés. Within this framework, our main interest is both how the diasporization (understood as a process rather than diaspora as a category) impacts national identity (re)constructions and their relation to the state, and how the struggles around nation-building and state-building impact diasporization. We therefore seek to define in this article an existing Bourdieusian ‘Macedonian diaspora’ field, its main actors, linkages and interactions, through the establishment and analysis of a web cartography. By means of this cartography we aim to establish several hypotheses about the interactions and the relative positioning of the different actors engaged in the process of ‘Macedonian diasporization’ within the framework of nation- and state -building.
The Palestinian diaspora on the Web: Between de-territorialization and re-territorialization
Authors: Ben-David Anat
Published: November 2012

This article analyzes Web-based networks of Palestinian communities in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Australia, the United States, Canada, Spain, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The findings show a thematic and demographic shift from organizations of Palestinian communities abroad to a transnational solidarity network focused on Palestinian rights and the Boycott movement. Although the Palestinian Territories function as the network’s strong center of gravity, analysis of the references reveals that diaspora and non-diaspora actors operate as two distinct but intertwined networks: while diaspora actors are unique in putting emphasis on community as activity type and on diaspora and the right of return as primary cause, non-diaspora actors are mainly dedicated to solidarity as activity and Palestinian rights and the Boycott movement as primary cause. Despite this, ties between diaspora and non-diaspora actors are stronger than among diaspora actors, which indicates that part of the dynamics of Palestinian communities is manifest not just between diaspora communities, but mostly between diaspora communities and civil society organizations in their host societies.