Death during transforaminal epidural steroid nerve root block (C7) due to perforation of the left vertebral artery

Treatment for individuals suffering from migraines and pain due to an inflammation or impingement of a nerve range from noninvasive methods such as massage, physical therapy, and medications to invasive methods such as epidural steroid injections and surgery. Each method of treatment has an associated level of risk. While minor to moderate complications from such procedures do occur, deaths are very rare. We report the first cited case of a death associated with the pain management procedure called nerve root block, also referred to as a transforaminal epidural steroid injection. We present the medical history and autopsy findings of a 44-year-old white female who died of massive cerebral edema secondary to the dissection of the left vertebral artery and subsequent thrombosis due to the perforation of that artery by a 25-gauge spinal needle during a C-7 nerve root block.     

The Indian Movement and Political Democracy in Ecuador

This article examines the implications of the Ecuadorian Indian movement for democratic politics. During the 1990s, the movement successfully fostered indigenous and popular participation in public life, influenced government policies, and became a contender in power struggles. But in the institutional domain, the participatory breakthrough had mixed effects. While the movement fulfilled functions of interest representation and control of state power, its involvement in a coup attempt demonstrated that its political socialization had not nurtured a sense of commitment to democracy. The evidence is discussed by reference to the proposition that civil society actors may or may not contribute to democracy. The article argues that the study of the democratic spinoffs of civil activism requires a context-specific approach that considers the particularistic orientations of civil associations and pays attention to their definition of means and ends, the institutional responses evoked by their initiatives, and the unintended consequences of their actions.     

代际权利与责任语境下的青年展望:来自非洲的启示

本文从追溯不同时代青年的定义出发,对青年运动、青年领袖等概念进行了探讨,并以在非洲的田野调查为基础,对代际社会和青年的权利责任行为进行了分析,希望以更包容的态度对青年的角色进行界定,思考适合21世纪秩序的代际关系、权利和责任.     

Introduction to a Special Section on ‘Exchange Rate Pass-through in Developing and Emerging Markets’

Abstract

The interest in exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) in emerging market and developing economies has burgeoned in the last two decades. Small, open and trade-dependent economies embody special features that can make it difficult to obtain reliable estimates of ERPT. This Special Section includes a survey of recent research in developing and emerging market countries on ERPT, focusing on the monetary policy relevance of ERPT.

The frequent misspecifications that produce unreliable ERPT estimates are highlighted. Many empirical issues raised in the survey are illustrated by the macro- and the micro-economic empirical studies on South Africa (SA) included in this Special Section, and an earlier published JDS paper on ERPT in SA.     

Credibility and legitimacy in policy-driven innovation networks: resource dependencies and expectations in Dutch electric vehicle subsidies

The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the influence of credibility on the likelihood to grant consortia of collaborating actors an innovation subsidy. Theorizing from the viewpoint of resource dependence theory and the sociology of expectations, we hypothesize that four types of credibility of influence: scientific credibility, market credibility, expectation track record, and generated social capital. We operate on two levels of analysis, the actor and the consortium. We quantitatively analyze the Dutch electric vehicle subsidy program as case. We develop a model that accurately forecasts which consortia are most likely to receive subsidies. We demonstrate that generated social capital and market credibility positively influence the likelihood of receiving innovation subsidies, while scientific credibility sources and expectation track record have a negative influence. Based on these findings we provide policy recommendations and avenues for further research.     

Loyalty for sale? Military spending and coups d’etat

Coups d’etat continue to be common around the world, often leading to changes in leaders and institutions. We examine the relationship between military spending and coups and find that (i) successful coups increase military spending by more than failed attempts, and (ii) coups are more likely when military spending as a share of GDP is relatively low. Our identification strategy deals with the problem of reverse causality between coups and military spending by exploiting the conditional independence between a coup’s outcome and the change in military spending that follows it. We interpret our results as evidence that the military may stage coups in order to increase its funding, and rule out several alternative explanations.