Copyright (c) 2009 Berkeley Electronic Press All rights reserved. http://www.bepress.com Recent documents in The Berkeley Electronic Press en-us Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:11:31 PST 3600 http://www.bepress.com/cppm/vol4/iss1/46 http://www.bepress.com/cppm/vol4/iss1/46 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:14:33 PST The complex flow patterns induced in fluidized bed catalytic reactors and the competing parameters affecting the mass and heat transfer characteristics makes the design of such reactors a challenging task to accomplish. The models of such a process rely heavily on predictive empirical correlations for mass and heat transfer coefficients. Unfortunately, published empirical based correlations have the common shortcoming of low-prediction efficiency compared with experimental data. In this work, an artificial neural network approach is used to capture the reactor characteristics in terms of heat and mass transfer based on published experimental data. The developed ANN-based heat and mass transfer coefficients relations were used in a conventional FCR model and simulated under industrial operating conditions. The hybrid model predictions of the melt-flow index and the emulsion temperature were compared to industrial measurements as well as published models. The predictive quality of the hybrid model was superior to other models. This modeling approach can be used as an alternative to conventional modeling methods. Ahmmed Saadi Ibrehem Modeling and ANN http://www.bepress.com/jirspa/vol4/iss1/art9 http://www.bepress.com/jirspa/vol4/iss1/art9 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:10:27 PST The revised Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ-R: Hall & Martin, 1997) assesses visual and kinesthetic movement imagery abilities and has become a popular questionnaire in sport and exercise psychology research. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the MIQ-R including internal consistency, stability, factor structure, and gender invariance. There were 325 male (n = 136) and female (n = 189) athletes/dancers who participated in the study. Gender-specific internal consistency coefficients ranged from .83 to .89 and the test-retest reliabilities over a one week period for the subscales were .80 for visual and .81 for kinesthetic imagery abilities. The best model fit from confirmatory factor analyses results was for a 2-factor structure with an interrelationship between the subscales. These results support the finding that visual and kinesthetic imagery abilities are separate but related constructs. An examination of invariance by gender indicated that the model fit females better than males. Eva V. Monsma movement imagery measurement gender variance confirmatory factor analysis http://www.bepress.com/bejeap/vol9/iss1/art47 http://www.bepress.com/bejeap/vol9/iss1/art47 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:34:02 PST Emerging evidence from neuroscience and clinical research suggests a novel hypothesis about tobacco use: consumers may choose to smoke, in part, as a "self-medicating" response to the presence of economic insecurity. To test this hypothesis, we examine the effect of economic insecurity (roughly, the risk of catastrophic income loss) on the smoking behavior of a sample of male working-age smokers from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). Using instrumental variables to control for unobserved heterogeneity, we find that economic insecurity has a large and statistically significant positive effect on the decision to continue or resume smoking. Our results indicate, for example, that a 1 percent increase in the probability of becoming unemployed causes an individual to be 2.4 percent more likely to continue smoking. We find that the explanatory power of economic insecurity in predicting tobacco use is comparable to (but distinct from) household income, a more commonly used metric. Michael G. Barnes D12 D87 I12 I18 I38 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A54 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A54 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:51:05 PST A series of high surface area (~700 m2/g) nanostructured coupled semiconductor photocatalysts (NCSP) based on transition metals (M = Cr, V) doped titania-silica aerogel of various molar ratios of Ti:Si (1:25, 1:33 and 1:50) were synthesized via direct synthesis and wet impregnation methods. All samples reveal well-dispersed TiO2 with three different types of Ti coordination namely isolated Ti, non-isolated Ti and octahedrally coordinated Ti species. Cr and V (5 wt%)-titania silica aerogel under visible light irradiation reduced the bandgap energy of T25 to 2.9 eV. The photocatalytic activity of NCSP is 3 fold more active than photocatalyst supported on amorphous silica. Cr (5 wt%)-titania silica aerogel photocatalyst gives the highest conversion of styrene under both UV and visible light irradiation (55% and 47% respectively). Halimaton Hamdan catalysis http://www.bepress.com/rle/vol5/iss1/art27 http://www.bepress.com/rle/vol5/iss1/art27 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:57:48 PST Property law usually addresses encroachments with ejectment. Building encroachments differ, however, as restoring a landowner's property claims implies the reversal of often large costs sustained by the builder. The authority thus confronts the following dilemma: either it stands by the landowner, thereby facing the social costs of undoing significant investments and possibly supporting an opportunistic landowner that tries to hold up the builder, or it defends the investment of the builder thereby endorsing a kind of private eminent domain. In addressing building encroachments, national property laws have deployed different remedies ranging from a property rule in favor of the landowner to a property rule in favor of the builder with a variety of liability rules, often hybridized with property rules, in between. This paper models the builder-owner conflict after the theory of optional law (Ayres, 2005); it frames different national solutions into a common analytical setting; and it evaluates the different laws in their relative allocative and distributive outcomes and their capacity to constrain opportunistic behavior. Matteo Rizzolli K11 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A53 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A53 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:42:58 PST The production of Substitute Natural Gas from biomass (Bio-SNG) is an attractive option to reduce CO2 emissions and replace declining fossil natural gas reserves. The Energy research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) is working on the development of a technology to convert a wide range of biomass into Bio-SNG. The ECN Bio-SNG technology is based on indirect gasification of biomass. The MILENA indirect gasifier is developed to produce a gas, which can be upgraded into SNG with a high efficiency. Because of the indirect heating of the gasification process, no air separation is required. Char and tar are removed from the producer gas and are used as fuel to produce the required heat for the gasification process. The OLGA tar removal technology is used to remove tar and dust from the gas. After gas cleaning, the gas is catalytically converted into a mixture of CH4, CO2 and H2O. After compression and removal of CO2 and H2O, the remaining methane can be used as Bio-SNG. ECN produced the first Bio-SNG in 2004, using a conventional fluidized bed gasifier. The lab-scale MILENA gasifier was built in 2004. The installation is capable of producing approximately 8 Nm3/h methane-rich medium calorific gas with high efficiency. The lab-scale installation has been in operation for more than 1000 hours now and is working fine. Several biomass fuels were tested. Woody biomass appears to be the most suited fuel. The lab-scale gasifier is coupled to lab-scale gas cleaning installations (including OLGA) and a methanation unit. The integrated system was tested during several duration tests. The 30 kWth lab-scale gasifier was scaled up to 800 kWth biomass input. ECN has recently finished the construction of this pilot-scale gasifier, which has been taken into operation in the summer of 2008. First results, using wood as a fuel, show that the gas composition is similar to gas from the lab-scale installation. The pilot scale gasifier will be coupled to the existing pilot scale OLGA gas cleaning unit in 2009. Tests with the pilot-scale MILENA and OLGA will form the basis of a 10 MW MILENA - OLGA - gas engine demonstration plant. This demonstration will be taken into operation in 2012 and will be followed by a large SNG demonstration. 10 MW biomass input is seen as an attractive commercial scale for combined heat and power production from biomass. The scale foreseen for a commercial single-train Bio-SNG production facility is between 50 and 500 MWth. The expected net overall efficiency from wood to Bio-SNG is 70%. Christiaan M. van der Meijden new chemical reactor concepts http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A52 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A52 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:42:55 PST In this work, modeling of a catalyst pellet (uniform, non-uniform) for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is studied. Under FTS conditions the pores of catalyst pellet are filled with heavy hydrocarbons leading to transport restrictions through the pellet. On the other hand, the active materials used as catalysts are often expensive metals dispersed on large-surface area supports. In order to understand the catalyst behavior aiming to improve its performance parameters such as effectiveness factor and yield modeling of a catalyst pellet with various types of non-uniform activity distributions are examined. The models were solved by OCFE method at non-isothermal conditions. Moreover, a parametric sensitivity analysis has been carried out to compare the effects of various non-uniform activity distributions, the pellet size, the feed composition and the temperature on the performance of the catalyst. Hadis Zarrin Modeling Catalyst http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A51 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A51 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:42:49 PST The need for green renewable sources is adamant because of the adverse effects of the increasing use of fossil fuels on our society. Biomass has been considered as a very attractive candidate for green energy carriers, chemicals and materials. The development of cheap and efficient fractionation technology to separate biomass into its main constituents is highly desirable. It enables treatment of each constituent separately, using dedicated conversion technologies to get specific target chemicals. The synergistic combination of aquathermolysis (hot pressurised water treatment) and pyrolysis (thermal degradation in the absence of oxygen) is a promising thermolysis option, integrating fractionation of biomass with production of valuable chemicals. Batch aquathermolysis in an autoclave and subsequent pyrolysis using bubbling fluidised bed reactor technology with beech, poplar, spruce and straw indicate the potential of this hybrid concept to valorise lignocellulosic biomass. Hemicellulose-derived furfural was obtained in yields that ranged from 2 wt% for spruce to 8 wt% for straw. Hydroxymethylfurfural from hemicellulose was obtained in yields from 0.3 wt% for poplar to 3 wt% for spruce. Pyrolysis of the aquathermolised biomass types resulted in 8 wt% (straw) to 11 wt% (spruce) of cellulose-derived levoglucosan. Next to the furfurals and levoglucosan, appreciable amounts of acetic acid were obtained as well from the aquathermolysis step, ranging from 1 wt% for spruce to 5 wt% for straw. To elucidate relations between the chemical changes occurring in the biomass during the integrated process and type and amount of the chemical products formed, a 13C-solid state NMR study has been conducted. Main conclusions are that aquathermolysis results in hemicellulose degradation to lower molecular weight components. Lignin ether bonds are broken, but apart from that, lignin is hardly affected by the aquathermolysis. Cellulose is also retained, although it seems to become more crystalline, probably due to a higher ordering of amorphous cellulose when the samples are cooled down after aquathermolysis. These NMR results are in agreement with thermogravimetric analyses results. Paul J. de Wild Biorefineries Thermochemical Processing of Biomass http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A50 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A50 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:42:44 PST The efficiency of liquid/liquid dispersion is an important sake in numerous sectors, such as the chemical, food, cosmetic and environmental industries. In the present study, dispersion is achieved in an open-loop reactor consisting of simple curved pipes, either helically coiled or chaotically twisted. In both configurations, we investigate the drop breakup process of two immiscible fluids (W/O) and especially investigate the effect of the continuous phase viscosity, which is varied by the addition of different fractions of butanol in the native sunflower oil. The global Reynolds numbers vary between 40 and 240, so that the flow remains laminar while the Dean roll-cells in the bends develop significantly. Different fractions of butanol are added to the oil in each case to examine the influence of the continuous phase viscosity on the drop size distribution of the dispersed phase (water). When the butanol fraction is decreased, the dispersion process is intensified and smaller drops are created. The Sauter mean diameters obtained in the chaotic twisted pipe are compared with those in a helically coiled pipe flow. The results show that chaotic advection intensifies the droplet breakup until there is a 25% reduction in droplet size. Charbel Habchi Chemical reactors multifunctional heat exchanger-reactors http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/S2 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/S2 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:18:42 PST Surfactants can increase the low rate of heterogeneous liquid-liquid reactions involving partially miscible substrates through formation of micelles. This is a direct consequence of higher solubilization of substrates by micelles in reaction zones. In this case, rate enhancement of NaOH (base) catalyzed hydrolysis of ethyl acetate was studied. Micelles by cationic surfactant tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB) made the rate enhancement. In the presence of NaOH, CMC (critical micellar concentration) of TTAB decreases from its original value and attains the value of 2.97 × 10-4 M. In the absence of TTAB, the second order rate constant increases linearly with temperature. The hydrolysis reaction follows second order kinetics at different temperatures in the presence of different concentrations of TTAB. For a particular temperature, on addition of TTAB beyond CMC, rate constant first increases sharply and then becomes almost constant. At TTAB concentration of 1.485 × 10-3 M, rate constant attains maximum value (2.65 times of rate constant without TTAB) and then it becomes almost constant. The applied model successfully explains change in rate constant due to incorporation of micelles by the addition of TTAB. This model involves certain assumptions like one substrate molecule is solubilized in one micelle; substrate molecule doesn't form a complex with monomer of surfactant; and no competitive inhibition occurs during reaction. Correlations between bulk phase rate constant (k0), micellar phase rate constant (km) and temperature (T) are incorporated into the model for this particular system. Debajyoti Goswami Micellar Catalysis http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A49 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A49 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:02:23 PST It is well known that the catalytic characteristics of perovskites for various redox reactions depend primarily on the preparation procedure. The conventional method for perovskite preparation, the so-called "ceramic method," involves a calcination step with a temperature of at least 800 oC, resulting in large grain size and low specific surface area (usually several m2/g). Recently, a new method for perovskite preparation designated as reactive grinding has been proposed by our group, generating a large variety of perovskites at room temperature with extraordinarily high specific surface areas on the order of 100 m2/g when grinding additives are used. Additionally, this novel technology is favorable to yield perovskites with an abundant deficiency structure simultaneously with a nanosized crystallite domain. Series of La(Co, Mn)1-x(Cu)xO3 perovskites were prepared by reactive grinding and characterized by XRD, O2-TPD, and H2-TPR showing anion deficiency (O2 vacancy) in lanthanum cobaltites and cation deficiency (O2 excess) in lanthanum manganites. These samples were thereafter used for catalytic purification of NO, CO and soot pollutants coming from an automobile. For NO reduction by CO, a better catalytic performance was found over LaCoO3 compared to LaMnO3. The deNOx activity of LaCoO3 can be considerably improved via 20% Cu substitution, leading to a 97% N2 yield and nearly complete CO conversion at 450 oC. This improvement was ascribed to the ease of generation of anion deficiencies after Cu incorporation, which plays a crucial role in NO adsorption and dissociation. A mechanism was proposed with dissociation of chemisorbed NO upon oxygen vacancies forming N2 and/or N2O, and oxidized perovskite surface, with continuous reduction by CO with the production of CO2. For soot combustion, the better activity was observed again in the case of LaCoO3 with respect to LaMnO3. A mechanism was proposed with an attack of soot by O- species which immigrates from the perovskite surface. Cation deficiency of lanthanum manganites associates with overstoichiometric oxygen from the perovskite lattice, which can be only utilized for an oxidation process but less active compared to molecular oxygen formed upon anion vacancies. In summary, the anion deficiency of perovskite-typed oxides seems to make more contribution for both NO reduction and soot oxidation in comparison with cation deficiency. Runduo Zhang Environmental Catalysis http://www.bepress.com/fhep/12/1/5 http://www.bepress.com/fhep/12/1/5 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:28:06 PST Critics of me-too innovation often argue that follow-on drugs offer little incremental clinical value over existing pioneer products, while at the same time increasing health care costs. We examine whether consumers view follow-on and pioneer drugs as close substitutes or distinct clinical therapies. For five major classes of drugs, we find that large reductions in the price of pioneer molecules after patent expiration--which would typically lead to decreased consumption of strong substitutes--have no effect on the trend in demand for follow-on drugs. Our findings are likely unaffected by health insurance, competitive pricing of me-toos, marketing, and switching costs. Anupam B. Jena Health Policy http://www.bepress.com/sagmb/vol8/iss1/art46 http://www.bepress.com/sagmb/vol8/iss1/art46 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:52:42 PST A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a standard strategy for detecting disease susceptibility genes, despite unsettled controversies on many aspects, including optimal study design and statistical analysis. As for study design, a two-stage design has been applied to maximize cost-effectiveness. However, there has been little consensus on appropriate statistical analysis for two-stage design. Thereby perplexing the researchers as to which statistical measures should be applied at the first stage, and how to determine the significance level of the differences at the second stage. Here, using simulation studies, we compared statistical operating characteristics of the screening in a two-stage GWAS by taking into consideration the proper balance of false-positive and false-negative error. As a result, the lower bound of confidence interval for odds ratios is recommended as the first stage measure, and then the second stage criteria should primarily depend on the purpose of the genome screen or its role in the overall gene-hunting scheme. Based on the simulation study, we suggest rules of thumb about which statistics to use in a given situation. An application of all operating characteristics of the screening method to an actual GWAS for gastric cancer illustrates the practical relevance of our discussion. Yasunori Sato Genetics http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art4 http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art4 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:21:19 PST Although Paul Courant presents the Google Books Settlement as a win-win-win, Pamela Samuelson sees trouble ahead if it is approved. Pamela Samuelson http://www.bepress.com/harvardbiostat/paper108 http://www.bepress.com/harvardbiostat/paper108 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:32:01 PST Caitlin Biedron Design of Experiments and Sample Surveys Health Services Research http://www.bepress.com/ijfe/vol5/iss5/art1 http://www.bepress.com/ijfe/vol5/iss5/art1 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:26:11 PST Aspergillus niveus produced high levels of α-amylase and glucoamylase in submerged fermentation using the agricultural residue cassava peel as a carbon source. In static conditions, the amylase production was substantially greater than in the agitated condition. The optimized culture conditions were initially at pH 5.0, 35°C during 48 hours. Amylolytic activity was still improved (50%) with a mixture of cassava peel and soluble starch in the proportion 1:1 (w/w). The crude extract exhibited temperature and pH optima approximately 70°C and 4.5, respectively. Amylase activity was stable for 1 h at 60°C, and at pH values between 3.0 and 7.0. The enzyme hydrolysed preferentially maltose, starch, penetrose, amylose, isomaltose, maltotriose, glycogen and amylopectin, and not hydrolysed cyclodextrin (α and ß), trehalose and sucrose. In the first hour of reaction on soluble starch, the hydrolysis products were glucose and maltose, but after two hours of hydrolysis, glucose was the unique product formed, confirming the presence in the crude extract of an α-amylase and a glucoamylase. Tony Marcio Silva microbiology biotechnology http://www.bepress.com/jhubiostat/paper200 http://www.bepress.com/jhubiostat/paper200 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:28:12 PST The ability to measure gene expression based on a single microarray hybridization is necessary for microarrays to be a useful clinical tool. In its simplest form, this amounts to estimating whether or not each gene is expressed in a given sample. Surprisingly, this problem is quite challenging and has been disregarded for the most part in favor of estimating relative expression. We purpose addressing this problem by: (1) using the distribution of observed log2 intensities across a wide variety of tissues to estimate an expressed and an unexpressed distribution for each gene, and (2) for each gene in a sample, denoting it as expressed if its observed log2 intensity is more likely under the expressed distribution than under the unexpressed distribution and as unexpressed otherwise. The first step is accomplished by fitting a hierarchical mixture model to the plethora of publicly available data. To guarantee that each gene will be unexpressed in at least one tissue, we hybridized yeast samples to human microarrays and included these arrays when estimating the distributions. The output of our algorithm is a vector of ones and zeros denoting which genes are estimated to be expressed (ones) and unexpressed (zeros). We call this a gene expression barcode. To investigate the performance of the barcode algorithm, we use 8277 publicly available microarrays from Affymetrix's HGU133a platform. We illustrate the agree- ment of our algorithm with the results from a controlled experiment and an alternative technology and demonstrate its utility by predicting sample types in two difficult sce- narios. The methods described here are implemented in the R package barcode and are currently available for download at http://biostat.jhsph.edu/∼mmccall/software/. Matthew N. McCall Microarrays http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art35 http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol6/iss1/art35 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:53:04 PST The aim of this study was to evaluate how student nurse teachers meet the requirements of nurse teachers as they practice teaching in nurse education. The data was collected by the Evaluation of Requirements of Nurse Teachers (ERNT), as self-evaluations and peer evaluations answered by 40 student teachers over three years. The response rate was 82%. The total number of completed questionnaires received was 143. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The student teachers gained a high level of competence as teachers. The highest level of competence was reported in relationships with students, while the lowest level was associated with teaching skills. Of the single requirements, the weakest skills were related to teaching decision-making and encouraging students constantly to seek new knowledge. The nursing competence was mainly evaluated with high-level scores. Evaluations by the student teachers themselves and their peer students were in line. Leena Kaarina Salminen nurse teacher education competence of student teachers http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art3 http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art3 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:51:15 PST Gary Richardson argues that although Republicans campaign against redistribution, they govern by redistributing money from Democratic states to Republic states. Gary Richardson A D6 P16 http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art2 http://www.bepress.com/ev/vol6/iss10/art2 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:04:52 PST Will the heath care plans lead to higher taxes, deficits, and health care costs without health gains? Glenn Hubbard of Columbia and John Cogan and Daniel Kessler of Stanford think so. John Cogan I1-I18 - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health http://www.bepress.com/rle/vol5/iss1/art26 http://www.bepress.com/rle/vol5/iss1/art26 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:24:17 PST We develop a model of lawmaking to study the efficiency implications of, and variation in, jurisdictions' choices between promulgation of indigenously developed laws and legal transplants. Our framework emphasizes the sequential nature of lawmaking, the ubiquity of uncertainty, considerations about ex-ante promulgation versus ex-post adjustment costs, and the importance of the political context of legal reform. In discerning the patterns of inefficiencies in both transplantation and indigenous lawmaking, we elucidate the role of heterogeneity of interests and adaptability of a legal system. We also find that domestic corruption per se need not justify transplantation of foreign legal models. Our results support the view that local conditions are a crucial determinant of the appropriate path of institutional reform. Peter Grajzl D02 D72 K00 K40 P51 http://www.bepress.com/jdpa/vol2/iss1/art3 http://www.bepress.com/jdpa/vol2/iss1/art3 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:37:36 PST Poverty and corruption are pervasive in Afghanistan and opium production is rampant, especially in the country's most insecure southern regions. Afghanistan's opium production now accounts for the overwhelming majority of the world's heroin supply. The International Council on Security and Development, a European think tank formerly known as the Senlis Council, is advocating a policy response that it refers to as "Poppy for Medicine." Under the Council's proposal, poppy farmers in Afghanistan would gain access to the world's legal pharmaceutical market through a two-tiered licensing program. A careful examination of India's experience as the world's sole licensed exporter of raw opium and of the world market for legal opiates casts serious doubt on this proposal. Legal medicinal opium production is an improbable answer for at least five reasons: first, illegal production will continue; second, diversion from the legal market to the illegal market is inevitable; third, diversion will involve further corruption; fourth, there may not be a market; and fifth, Afghanistan lacks the institutional capacity to support a legal pharmaceutical industry. Victoria A. Greenfield international drug control policy opium production pharmaceutical licensing Afghanistan India http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art6 http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art6 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:47:01 PST Although the global economy has flourished in the current global economic governance regime, the foundations of this order are starting to crumble. Both in trade and in finance, the existing institutions are under severe stress. In trade, more and more countries undermine the WTO by implementing preferential trade agreements. In finance, the IMF has been weak for most of this decade, although it experienced a revival in the current crisis. First and foremost, this weakness of the institutions of global economic governance is the result of policies implemented by the transatlantic powers. Both the European Union and the United States are actively pursuing policies that weaken the existing institutions. In trade, there is a large gap between the official rhetoric, which highlights the importance of the multilateral regime, and the trade policy practice, which is weakening the WTO. In finance, the transatlantic powers have until very recently blocked any progress in the IMF with regard to lending policies. In addition, the EU continues to defend its unjustified overrepresentation in the IMF's governance structures.The article suggests that one of the key explanations for this development is the weak support for globalization in most OECD-countries. Confronted with no enthusiasm for globalization in their domestic constituencies, policy makers in Europe and the United States are increasingly opting for policies that will, over time, erode the existing regimes of global economic governance. Heribert Dieter International political economy http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art5 http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art5 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:46:59 PST Reform of the multilateral trade regime is not simply a second order problem within a wider economic crisis. The completion of the Doha Round may be a second order question but the global trade regime faces a series of broader systemic challenges beyond the completion of the current negotiations. This paper identifies five challenges: (i) a marked reduction in popular support for open markets in major OECD countries; (ii) the stalling of a transition from one global economic equilibrium to another; (iii) a lack of clarity and agreement on the agenda and objectives for the WTO as we move deeper into the 21st century; (iv) the demand for fairness and justice in the governance of the WTO--the 'legitimacy' question and (v) the rise of regional preferentialism as a challenge to multilateralism. Failure to address these challenges will represent not only a fundamental question for the future of the WTO as the guarantor of the norms and rules of the global trade regime specifically, but also the ability to establish greater coherence in global economic governance overall when its need is arguably greater than at any time since the depression years of the 20th century inter-war period. Richard Higgott international political economy international relations http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art4 http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art4 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:46:55 PST Drawing upon a comprehensive database of contemporary protectionism, this paper offers an initial assessment of the extent to which our understanding of protectionism may have to evolve. While some long-standing features of protectionism appear to have endured (such as the distribution of discriminatory measures across economic sectors), specific corporate needs arising from the global financial crisis and particular national attributes are more likely to have influenced the choice of beggar-thy-neighbor policy instruments than binding trade rules and other international accords. Simon J. Evenett http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art3 http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art3 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:46:52 PST This paper discusses the pros and cons of a Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA) in comparison with an informal trade-facilitating marketplace between Europe and the US. It finds considerably more cons, especially since TAFTA would be expected to produce larger, more detrimental discriminatory effects on dynamic non-member economies, mainly in Asia but also in food-exporting regions as well. Efficiency-enhancing effects are argued to be achievable under a marketplace concept which does not separate insiders from outsiders. It is also shown that in foreign direct investment (FDI) and FDI-related service trade, TAFTA seems redundant as in recent years bilateral capital and trade flows have proven to be buoyant without preferential treatment. Rolf J. Langhammer http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art2 http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art2 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:46:49 PST The U.S. is no longer providing leadership in trade policy. In recent years, we have seen a sharp turn toward a rapid proliferation of bilateral preferential trade agreements, accords that are likely to undermine the World Trade Organization (WTO). By pursuing a strategy of 'competitive liberalization' both on a sectoral basis under the Bill Clinton administration, and then a policy of seeking bilateral arrangements under the George W. Bush administration, this article argues that American administrations have undermined the coalition for free trade in the United States. Consequently, protectionist industries including textiles, steel, and agriculture have made further liberalization more difficult and thus the prospects for promoting continued trade liberalization have grown dimmer. Vinod Aggarwal political economy business http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art1 http://www.bepress.com/bap/vol11/iss3/art1 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:46:47 PST Over the last 60 years, the multilateral management of trade through the GATT and subsequently through the WTO has been led by the United States and Europe. Since the turn of the new millennium, however, developing countries have increasingly used their leverage to insist that talks on agriculture receive priority attention, deny the inclusion of investment and competition policy on the negotiating agenda, and block agreement on negotiating modalities for agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA). Cooperation between the United States and the European Union is still essential, but no longer sufficient, for successful multilateral negotiations. Specifically, the "BRICKs" (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Korea) are likely to be pivotal in directing the course and contributing to the success or failure of the WTO. Jeffrey J. Schott international trade political economy http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/77 http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/77 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:32:08 PST Robert Ditch Emergency Management http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art9 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art9 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:45 PST Professor Khaled Hroub's review of Olivier Roy's three books--The Failure of Political Islam; Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah; and The Politics of Chaos in the Middle East--published in New Global Studies (Vol. 3, Issue 1, 2009, Article 6), is interesting but leaves the reader wanting more analysis. This essay is an attempt to do just that. Ehsan Ahrari Contemporary History and Society http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art8 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art8 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:44 PST Jessica Gienow-Hecht Contemporary History and Society http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art7 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art7 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:43 PST Pietro Maffettone Globalization http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art6 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art6 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:42 PST Patrice Higonnet Contemporary History and Society Global Culture Globalization http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art5 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art5 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:41 PST Dominant international relations theories fall short of explaining rising interdependencies among sovereign states and the proliferation of the non-governmental activities at both sub-state and supra-state levels. This article surveys the record of such attempts and suggests an alternative approach for the future of globalization studies. Didem Buhari Gulmez Global Culture Globalization http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art4 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art4 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:40 PST Long time Middle East expert Alastair Crooke examines the gaps in understanding regarding globalization between Islamic and Western cultures. Alastair Crooke Contemporary History and Society Global Culture Globalization http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art3 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art3 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:38 PST Democracy is generally considered to be the most successful form of government. Yet we remain uncertain about its relationship to modernization. What is essential is not democracy but good governance, according to Alexander Pope's challenge. Political Elasticity (PE) theory provides a way of linking public administration to economic success and, in so doing, explaining Asian economic progress in the absence of liberal democracy. Using terminology based upon PE theory, Vietnam, China, and Singapore, in comparison to Ghana, Russia, and Jamaica, have been successful by manifesting classical democracy, rather than liberal democracy, primary, rather than secondary corruption, and elastic, rather than inelastic decentralization. At the conclusion, the experience of South Korea is presented to show that, in the process of reducing corruption by improving governance, it has been able to achieve globalization success, despite using an unorthodox economic approach. Herbert H. Werlin Contemporary History and Society Economics http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art2 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art2 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:37 PST Social resistance to globalization forces is a dominant feature of the current phase of international relations and global political economy. But there exists no satisfactory theoretical framework to study social resistance from the perspective or context of the peripheral societies. This article highlights the problems of theorizing social resistance from the peripheral context, raises new questions about the applicability of the existing Marxist and critical political economy theoretical frameworks to analyze peripheral social resistance, and proposes an alternative theoretical framework where social resistance is defined as a struggle for survival. Mohammed Nuruzzaman Globalization http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art1 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol3/iss2/art1 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:34 PST This article discusses the role non-state actors may play in the democratization of global governance. It is argued that the nature of international power in a globalizing world requires a redefinition of democracy that is more expansive than the traditional notion of electoral representative democracy. Within this context, non-state actors can play important roles in democratizing global governance because they can potentially represent a range of interests in ways that transcend national boundaries. Two case studies are considered: the World Bank Inspection Panel and non-state participation under NAFTA. These case studies demonstrate that while non-state participation can lead to more democratic governance, it can also lead to governance that is less democratic, particularly if corporate actors are allowed to dominate or if important stakeholders are excluded. While the participation of non-state actors in global governance is potentially problematic, the development and implementation of an appropriate policy framework could help to mitigate the potential risks of non-state actor involvement in international affairs. Framing the participation of non-states within the context of democracy is therefore important. Since democratic values are widely supported by powerful policy makers, understanding the participation of non-state actors within the context of democracy would lend support to government reforms to empower civil society actors in ways that could lead to more representative decision-making at the international level. Adam Sechooler Globalization http://www.bepress.com/gj/vol9/iss4/art5 http://www.bepress.com/gj/vol9/iss4/art5 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:50:50 PST With its fundamental decision In re Winship (1970) the United States Supreme Court set the constitutional basis of the standard of persuasion in criminal trials. The long standing standard of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" was selected by the Court as the bedrock that protects the values at stake in a criminal case. Soon after this decision a dispute started between scholars and Courts on whether the "reasonable doubt standard" ought to be defined by jury instructions or could be considered a matter of the jurors' "original understanding," that is a "self-evident" concept. Depending on the solution of the dispute, failing to define the standard through suitable instruction could amount to a reversible constitutional error (i.e. a constitutional error that imposes reversal). In 2006 the highly discussed law n.46 introduced the standard of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" ( prova "al di là di ogni ragionevole dubbio") in the Italian Criminal Procedure Code. The law does not define the standard but just states it. Even prior to this, in Italy, the standard at issue had been applied in important decisions by the Corte di Cassazione and some scholars had strongly argued the need of its introduction in the Italian criminal system. Both the Italian courts and Italian scholars had impliedly or explicitly referred to the U.S. legal experience for guidance. The U.S. and Italian criminal systems are notably different. Apart from the differences in substantial criminal law, those in criminal procedure are pronounced. According to these differences it is possible to argue that the same standard of persuasion might be given a different regime of application in the two systems. The present paper doesn't deal with this last issue, but is based on the premise that the concept itself of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" has the same significance in the two systems. The aim of this paper is to show that "proof beyond a reasonable doubt," far from being a self-evident concept, needs accurate explanation. In order to do that, the paper studies the Italian and the U.S. legal cultures on the subject; that is, using Lawrence M. Friedman's words, "the ideas, values, expectations and attitudes - towards the standard - which some public or some part of the public holds." First, it focuses on the so called "external legal culture" remembering that this kind of legal culture has, through the institution of the jury, a peculiar weight in the application of the law in the U.S. criminal system. At this stage, the study also takes into account the "ideas of the standard" that emerge from movies, literature and newspapers. Afterwards the paper quickly focuses on the so called "internal legal culture," studying relevant decisions and doctrinal contributions to the subject. The consideration of the Italian and U.S. legal cultures leads to the conclusion that there is widespread confusion on the concept of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" even within the community of lawyers and judges. For a correct understanding of the standard there is the need for a definition and, especially, for the specification of its rationales and its contents. Thus, the last goal of the paper is to point out the fundamental traits of the reasonable doubt standard with the help of the legal cultures previously assessed. A hint is also offered by some linguistic and further sociological consideration. The hope is to contribute, even slightly, to the understanding and therefore the application of such an important rule. Federico Picinali "sociology of law" "evidence law" "criminal law" http://www.bepress.com/gj/vol9/iss4/art4 http://www.bepress.com/gj/vol9/iss4/art4 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:50:47 PST Hedge funds have become active lately in the market for corporate control. Their active involvement has been propelled by a tactic allowing them to decouple voting rights from economic ownership and labeled in the literature as "encumbered shares" or "empty voting." The aim of this article is twofold. On the one hand, I address the impact of hedge funds' activism on the financial markets and on the portfolio companies. In general terms, hedge funds' activism should be seen as a neutral element. After a cost-benefit analysis, I show that the costs implied by hedge funds' activism are at least offset by the relevant benefits. Data reported by recent empirical studies seem to back this conclusion. However, when empty voting is used, a potential risk of incentives distortion arises, particularly when empty voting is coupled with a conflicted position of the hedge fund which stands on both sides of the transaction, as illustrated by the famous King-Mylan case. In addition, I show with a numerical example that under certain circumstances empty voting likely causes and/or facilitates value-destroying (inefficient) mergers. On the other hand, the article pursues a policy approach. I do not present ad hoc policy measures based either on disclosure or voting abstention proposals, as already done in literature. Rather, I frame empty voting used in merger and acquisition transactions within the current Delaware corporate law standards of review. I indeed propose a functional approach based on the fiduciary duties doctrine which is applicable to empty voting regardless of the technical device employed. It endorses the direct involvement of the disinterested shareholders (i.e. the shareholders other than the empty voters) and posits that an approval of the transaction by the majority of disinterested shareholders should trigger a business judgment presumption. Andrea Zanoni http://www.bepress.com/gj/vol9/iss4/art3 http://www.bepress.com/gj/vol9/iss4/art3 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:50:44 PST This article explores the promises and pitfalls of behavioral economics for comparative legal research, in particular in view of what could be called the apparently mere heuristic aspirations of traditional comparative legal research. Starting from the well-known functional method of comparative law, the first part of the article draws attention to an important feature of most contemporary comparative legal research, that is, its remarkable lack of interest in empirical substantiation of its underlying claims and beliefs. Recently, this attitude has even been explicitly promoted by ‘heuristically inclined' functional comparatists. The second part of the article explores to what extent behavioral economics could prove of assistance in ‘overcoming' these mere heuristic aspirations. It is submitted that behavioral economics does have valuable insights to offer comparative legal research, notably as regards the empirical validation and (cultural) variability of the point of reference chosen. Julie De Coninck comparative law http://www.bepress.com/jirspa/vol4/iss1/art8 http://www.bepress.com/jirspa/vol4/iss1/art8 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:18:56 PST An understanding of the effects of imagery on performance is well documented (Weinberg, 2008). However, most of the research has been conducted examining adult athletes (Hall, 2001); few studies have investigated the characteristics of youth sport performers imagery use. Participants from a United Kingdom sports academy included 74 individuals (42 male, 32 female), with a mean age of 16.76 (SD = 0.72). The sample included 24 national, 23 county, and 27 club athletes from a total of 13 sports. Participants completed the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ; Hall et al., 1998) and the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ; Issac et al., 1986). Participants were grouped according to competitive level, practice volume, and imagery ability. Results indicated that athletes use motivational general-mastery imagery most frequently with motivational general-arousal used the least. There was also a significant difference between practice volume and subsequent imagery use. The results suggest that applied practitioners' working with youth sport performers should consider practice volume as a potential characteristic that influences the frequency of imagery use. John K. Parker development http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A48 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/A48 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:09:01 PDT Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is one of the main odor causing, toxic, and corrosive chemicals found in wastewater treatment, pulp and paper and several other industries. One of the main challenges of winter operation of biofilters for H2S removal is to deal with the heat effects of biofiltration process. During winter lower air temperature, snow fall on biofilter vessels and moisture condensation in air ducts decrease percent removal of H2S significantly. In this work, laboratory and field data that are collected during winter operation of biofilters are analyzed and presented. The results demonstrate that temperature within the biofilter should be maintained at a minimum of 15°C to avoid lower percent removal or odor breakthrough resulting from untreated H2S emissions in the air. It was found that heat input to the incoming air by steam addition easily remedy the problem. Zarook M. Shareefdeen biotechnology http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/R4 http://www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol7/R4 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:08:41 PDT There has been tremendous development within mixing operations in industry. Incomplete knowledge of this process caused serious economic losses to process industries. For optimum yields and the economic potential that goes with better understanding of mixing, research in this field continues to grow. The major forms of mixing in industry are either by mechanical or pneumatic agitation. Airlift bioreactors achieve mixing through pneumatic agitation and have gained attention over two decades for their fluid dynamic characteristics and low power consumption. It has been widely applied in bioprocess industries for production of biochemicals, to wastewater treatment in which the performance of this reactor has been overwhelming with respect to its production levels as compared to the conventional mechanical agitation.In this review, mixing through mechanical and pneumatic agitation is compared. An extensive literature is distilled from various investigators on the hydrodynamics and mixing characteristics of airlift bioreactors. This review has emphasis on factors that affect mixing such as the geometrical parameters of the vessel, gas flow rate, properties of the liquid medium, sparger design and measuring techniques employed. In an attempt to understand process related issues, sophisticated advances in the measuring techniques provides more insight into mixing in this reactor. Thus extensive correlations have been proposed by various investigators to predict the hydrodynamic and mixing parameters. Some design modifications proposed by several scholars have also been reviewed. Farouza Gumery Bioreactor deisgn