The prism of strategic culture and South Asian nuclearization

In this paper, Ken Booth's concept of strategic culture is drawn on to examine India and Pakistan's nuclear policy options/policies. The thrust of the argument is that the perceptions of India and Pakistan's strategic insecurities as interpreted by their security managers, through the prism of their strategic cultures, have, in conjunction with material, domestic and technological factors, defined their nuclear trajectories. In framing the argument, although appreciative of the material (realist) realm, attention is drawn simultaneously to the inter-subjective (constructivist) realm, namely, that productions of insecurities are also ‘cultural’. This constructivist line of analysis, which draws attention to culture ‘as both a source of insecurity and an object of analysis’ in international relations, has implications on the future of a nuclearized South Asia.     

Migrant Networks in the Urban Labour Market: Evidence from India

This paper analyses the informal channels of the job search process through migrant networks in the urban labour markets in developing countries. Using a novel approach and nationwide sample survey, we measure various aspects of migrant networks such as size, diversity, efficiency and experience content and estimate their effect on probability of employment. Our findings suggest that migrant stock (having experience content) has an inverted-U relationship with the probability of finding a job for a migrant. The share of employed workers in a migrant network (efficiency) and different origin identity (diversity) positively affect the employment outcome through weak ties. Further, the migrant network effect is more active in larger cities as compared to smaller urban areas. The implications of this study indicate towards the importance of non-market informal channels in job searches and the need for integrating labour markets to harness the benefits of larger positive network externalities.     

Some factors of resistance to Chilo suppressalis in rice varieties

Incorporation of fresh-plant water extracts of resistant and susceptible rice varieties into artificial media showed that larvae ofChilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) have a definite preference for the susceptible variety (Rexoro) over a resistant variety (TKM 6), and suffered significantly poor growth on the other resistant variety (Taitung 16). Antibiosis in TKM 6 and Taitung 16 is attributed, at least in part, to biophysical and biochemical factors, respectively.

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Zusammenfassung Wasserextrakte von Frischpflanzen von anf?lligen (Rexoro) und resistenten (TKM 6 und Taitung 16) Reissorten wurden in Laboruntersuchungen verwendet, um einige Resistenzfaktoren gegenüberChilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) zu identifizieren. Extrakte von Rexoro und TKM 6, eingearbeitet in Agar-Zucker-Zellulose-Medium, zeigten, da? die Larven eine eindeutige Vorliebe für die anf?llige Sorte (Rexoro) hatten. Larven, die an künstlicher Di?t mit eingearbeitetem Extrakt von Taitung 16 gehalten wurden, zeigten signifikant schlechteres Wachstum. Antibiosis bei TKM 6 und Taitung 16 wird, zum mindestens teilweise, zurückgeführt auf biophysikalische bzw. biochemische Faktoren.

     

Death certificates in Germany, England, The Netherlands, Belgium and the USA

Every country has its own legal system regarding post mortem examinations and death certificates. The authorities want to know the cause and the manner of death of their citizens and especially whether someone is responsible for the death of someone else. In this article a comparison is made between the legal regulations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, England and the USA. Specific attention is given to the following aspects: which official performs the post mortem exam, what is the role of the attending physician by issuing the death certificate and how is the privacy of the deceased protected.