Literatur

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Neck extension as a cause of SIDS

The intradural sagittal diameter at the second cervical vertebra (SD/C2) of 62 SIDS cases was measured myelographically. This SD/C2 proved to be dependent on body size, body weight, and age. A clear, age-dependent difference is to be found in the primarily narrow spinal canal. This parameter (SD/C2), which is more precisely defined in adults on the basis of clinical, radiological, and autopsical findings is assumed to have the value of 0.5 cm in the first 2 months, 0.6 cm in the third month, and 0.65 cm in the fourth month. The resulting potential danger to infants is dependent upon their position. The SD/C2, was significantly decreased in extension as compared to a neutral posture. With consideration of the primarily narrow spinal canal in the infant, there is, according to our measurements, a potential hazard for the infant in any further, significant shortening of the SD/C2. This is independent of the width of the spinal canal under maximal extension. We found individual cases in which the SD/C2 was decreased by almost 50% from the normal value in neutral position. No correlation was found between the primary width of the spinal canal and the degree of luminal reduction upon extension.     

Direct democracy in Switzerland: Do elites matter?

Abstract. Direct democratic institutions, while centrepieces of the Swiss political system, find themselves under attack. In this article, we challenge the widespread criticism that popular rights increasingly limit the political elite's control of the decisionmaking process. Our analysis is based on aggregate data of all acts voted on by the Swiss Parliament since 1947 – those brought about by popular initiatives or those subject to optional and mandatory referendum – and on individual survey data on most federal votes held since 1981. We underline the high support of government and the impact of elite consensus on the destiny of legislative acts in the plebiscitary phase (submitted to a vote or not, subsequently accepted or not). While congruent with the aggregate analysis, results obtained at the individual level are less clearcut. The influence of voting recommendations and information channels on the voter's decision appears rather weak.     

Flourishing retail in the post-soviet sphere? Potentials and constraints of small-scale retail activities in rural Kyrgyzstan

The demise of the USSR led to the collapse of its centrally organised retail system. With this collapse the supply of consumer goods dried up, especially in the remote parts of the former USSR. At the same time the advent of capitalism offered a new institutional framework for independent retail activities. In the Kyrgyz Republic, where the economic liberalisation followed strictly the Washington Consensus, a large number of small shops emerged in both urban and rural areas. This study analyses the reasons for this boom in retail start-ups as well as the constraints the mainly inexperienced merchants encounter. As will be shown, any success in retail activities depends greatly on the performance of other economic sectors. The main goal of starting a retail business is to minimize risks within the overall livelihood strategies of households in rural Kyrgyzstan.     

Barack Obama Meets Celebrity Metaphor

Common knowledge suggests that elections are won or lost based on demographics, finances, and other structural elements. Whether candidates win or lose, however, is a matter of action. Symbolic identification, metaphor, and an unfolding narrative—and how they are managed and interpreted in the flow of events—determine who will emerge victorious from the democratic struggle for power. The McCain campaign’s effort to cast Obama as a celebrity, with the hollow trivialities and self-aggrandizement of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, proves to be one of the most dangerous episodes for the Obama campaign. In response, the Democrats must adjust the staging of Obama’s Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver as a performance of purpose and gravitas, rather than glitz and adoration.