Comparative Area Studies Research Articles

Comparative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Cross-Sectional Area of Anatomic Double Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Grafts and the Contralateral Uninjured Knee

To evaluate the differences between cross-sectional area of the reconstructed graft by 2 anatomic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction techniques, transportal and outside-in and contralateral uninjured knee. In prospective, randomized controlled trials, magnetic resonance imaging of both the reconstructed anatomic double-bundle ACL graft side and the contralateral uninjured knee of 92 patients (mean age, 34.7 ± 10.7 years) between November 2010 and January 2013 were compared. The 3-dimensional curved multiplanar reconstruction function of OsiriX v5.6 was used. Cross-sectional area was measured from the femoral insertion site to the tibial insertion site at 5 different locations, including the midsubstance. A significant difference was observed between areas of the uninjured side and reconstructed side at the 5 locations. The area of the reconstructed graft at the femoral insertion site (64 ± 13 mm(2)) and midsubstance (62 ± 11 mm(2)) was larger that of the normal ACL (femoral insertion site; 60 ± 13 mm(2), P = .005 and midsubstance; 47 ± 13 mm(2), P = .0001), whereas at the tibial insertion site (71 ± 13 mm(2)) it was smaller than normal ACL (97 ± 22 mm(2), P = .0001). The measured area between the reconstructed graft and normal uninjured side at the femoral insertion site was relatively closer than that at midsubstance and the tibial insertion-site area. A double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction graft relatively closely restored the cross-sectional area of the femoral footprint area but was smaller than that of the tibial footprint area; however, the cross-sectional area of graft was much larger than that of the midsubstance.

The locational reorganization of large-scale retail stores in Kyoto City since the late 2000s: comparative study of downtown area and suburban area

The locational reorganization of large-scale retail stores in Kyoto City since the late 2000s: comparative study of downtown area and suburban area

Measuring total mercury due to small-scale gold mining activities to determine community vulnerability in Cihonje, Central Java, Indonesia.

This research is comparative study of gold mining and non-gold mining areas, using four community vulnerability indicators. Vulnerability indicators are exposure degree, contamination rate, chronic, and acute toxicity. Each indicator used different samples, such as wastewater from gold mining process, river water from Tajum river, human hair samples, and health questionnaire. This research used cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry to determine total mercury concentration. The result showed that concentration of total mercury was 2,420 times than the maximum content of mercury permitted in wastewater based on the Indonesian regulation. Moreover, the mercury concentration in river water reached 685 ng/l, exceeding the quality threshold standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). The mercury concentration in hair samples obtained from the people living in the research location was considered to identify the health quality level of the people or as a chronic toxicity indicator. The highest mercury concentration--i.e. 17 ng/mg, was found in the gold mining respondents. Therefore, based on the total mercury concentration in the four indicators, the community in the gold mining area were more vulnerable to mercury than communities in non-gold mining areas. It was concluded that the community in gold mining area was more vulnerable to mercury contamination than the community in non-gold mining area.

Maghreb, European neighbour, or Barbary Coast: constructivism in North Africa

For over a decade I co-edited the Journal of Latin American Studies, and more recently I have been reflecting on the rationale for comparative area studies. So, when invited to write an introduction to this issue it was irresistible to stray into what for me is essentially Tierra incognita, and to offer some suggestions about alternative ways of imagining the core characteristics of this challenging large region.

Are Young Mothers in India Deprived of Maternal Health Care Services? A Comparative Study of Urban and Rural Areas

This article attempts to study the effect of age of women at birth on the use of maternal health care services separately for urban and rural areas using data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-3, 2005–2006, India. The indicators of use of maternal health care services used in this study are use of antenatal care services recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) (includes three or more antenatal check-ups during the first trimester, two or more tetanus toxoid (TT) injections and taking 100 iron and folic acid tablets during pregnancy), place of delivery, assistance at delivery and use of postnatal care services. At first, the percentage of births that utilized various maternal health care services are discussed separately for urban and rural areas, followed by difference in utilization of maternal health care services between adolescent and adult mothers. Finally, logistic and multinomial regressions are used to examine the influence of age of women at birth on the use of maternal health care services for controlling for other factors. Multivariate results revealed that women who gave birth during adolescence are less likely to use antenatal, natal and postnatal care services in both urban and rural areas. Therefore, efforts should be made to educate parents and other family members on the consequences of early marriage and early pregnancy and also the importance of delaying marriage.

Comparative Area Studies and Middle East Politics after the Arab Uprisings

The Arab uprisings have brought about a new wave of Middle East political science research that seeks to comparatively account for the different political trajectories in the region. In order to situate these diverse post-2011 scholarly studies, this paper introduces Comparative Area Studies (CAS) as an analytical perspective which combines the context sensitivity of area studies with the explicit and systematic use of comparisons. It finds that while intra-regional comparisons are the mainstay of political science studies of the Arab uprisings, there is also an emerging, very promising strand of cross-regional comparisons that draws on insights from, for example, the post-Soviet space or from European history. The paper concludes by evaluating the promises, risks and prospects of following a CAS perspective in the study of Middle East politics.

Comparing What to What? Intersecting Methodological Issues in Comparative Area Studies and Transitional Justice Research

The paper discusses how current methodological debates on the potentials of Comparative Area Studies intersect with current trends in transitional justice research. As the field of transitional justice studies is approximating a status of maturation, academic enterprises tend to focus on empirical as well as theoretical generalization. The challenge of comparative transitional justice research consists less in weighing national impacts of policies than in taking into account a more historicized conception of causality, inclined to complex long-term processes as well as global interdependencies. From the perspective of Comparative Area Studies, the case of transitional justice studies testifies to the need of combing local, national, transnational, trans-local as well as global foci of analysis.

The Contribution of Central Eurasian Studies to Russian and (Post-)Soviet Studies and Beyond

The Contribution of Central Eurasian Studies to Russian and (Post-)Soviet Studies and Beyond Uyama Tomohiko (bio) I was slightly surprised when the editor of Kritika commissioning this piece wrote that some people in the field of Eurasian studies, especially Central Asian studies, are dissatisfied that the field still seems marginalized in the larger profession, which they view as excessively focused on Russia and the USSR. When I decided to study Central Asia in 1988, this was truly a rare and unusual choice for university students, but many specialists in Soviet/Russian studies had already recognized the need to study this region, and my teachers welcomed my choice. The number of students of Central Asian—or more broadly, Central Eurasian—studies rapidly increased in the late 1990s and the 2000s, and I have never felt my field marginalized during the last 15 years.1 The renaming of a number of research institutes and associations to include the word “Eurasian”—such as the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard, and my workplace, the Slavic–Eurasian Research Center at Hokkaido University—reflects the importance attached to Central Eurasia in post-Soviet studies. To my knowledge, there are more people worried about the marginalization of Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet studies in the social sciences and humanities more generally than there are about Central Eurasian studies in particular. However, I do recognize the risk that Central Eurasian studies may be marginalized in the near future for three reasons. First, Central Eurasia is [End Page 331] seldom a focal point in world politics. Despite some predictions right after the collapse of the Soviet Union that Central Asia would become a region with permanent conflicts (and indeed some did occur), fortunately it has been relatively stable compared with the Middle East, Afghanistan, and even eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang), a historically integral part of Central Asia. More serious conflicts in the Caucasus also have become less visible recently. A number of authors write about the “New Great Game” in Central Eurasia, but the main battlefield of the power game between Russia and the West—at least for the moment—appears to be Ukraine rather than Central Eurasia. Second, although I do not have any statistics, the number of graduate and undergraduate students majoring in Central Eurasian studies seems to be decreasing, at least in Japan. There can be many explanations for this, but I would like to point out a difference of experiences between generations: while specialists in this field now in their 40s and 30s, having heard news about perestroika and the independence of the former Soviet republics when they were students or schoolchildren, had an image of Central Eurasia as a region with an interesting future, current students have rarely heard news that would evoke a vivid and positive image of this region. It should be added, however, that it is easier than before to access information about Central Eurasia, and opportunities to communicate with people sometimes do excite interest among students. Third, although Central Eurasian studies greatly advanced in the past 20 years, fewer pathbreaking works have appeared recently, a point I explore in greater detail below. From this perspective, at least at the moment, study of the region is not providing as much “buzz” as it has in the past. Taking into consideration the state of affairs mentioned above, in this essay I try, first, to summarize the contribution that Central Eurasian studies have made to Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet studies; second, to demonstrate the merit of Central Eurasian studies in comparative area studies and, specifically, comparative imperial history; and third, to contemplate ways of preventing the marginalization of Central Eurasian studies in the future. This essay is written from the perspective of a Japanese specialist in the modern history and politics of Central Eurasia (especially Central Asia), with special attention to Central Eurasian studies in the West and Japan (with an emphasis on the latter), not in post-Soviet countries. I do this only to make the story simple, although I attach great importance to collaboration with scholars in Central Eurasia and Russia. A conspicuous feature of Central Eurasian studies...

Geographical Patterns of Analysis in IR Research: Representative Cross-Regional Comparison as a Way Forward

In recent decades, there has been significant debate about the representation of the various world regions in international relations research. This paper contributes to the debate by providing the results of a survey of 290 research articles published over the last decade in three leading disciplinary journals. The survey shows that non-Western cases are indeed underrepresented in the research. However, an analysis of the research articles according to their research topics, objectives, and methodology finds no explanation for this underrepresentation. I argue in this paper that the inclusion of non-Western cases is important to secure the validity of international relations research. “Representative cross-regional comparison,” which is based on comparative area studies approaches, is presented as a research design that addresses this issue.

A comparative study of the specific surface area and pore structure of different shales and their kerogens

The pore structures and controlling factors of several different Paleozoic shales from Southern China and their kerogens were studied using nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy methods. The results indicate that: 1) The specific surface area is 2.22–3.52 m2/g and has no correlation with the TOC content of the Permian Dalong Formation shales, nanopores are extremely undeveloped in the Dalong Formation kerogens, which have specific surface areas of 20.35–27.49 m2/g; 2) the specific surface area of the Silurian Longmaxi Formation shales is in the range of 17.83–29.49 m2/g and is positively correlated with TOC content, the kerogens from the Longmaxi Formation have well-developed nanopores, with round or elliptical shapes, and the specific surface areas of these kerogens are as high as 279.84–300.3 m2/g; 3) for the Niutitang Formation shales, the specific surface area is 20.12–29.49 m2/grock and increases significantly with increasing TOC and smectite content. The Niutitang Formation kerogens develop a certain amount of nanopores with a specific surface area of 161.2 m2/g. Oil shale was also examined for comparison, and was found to have a specific surface area of 19.99 m2/g. Nanopores are rare in the Youganwo Formation kerogen, which has a specific surface area of only 5.54 m2/g, suggesting that the specific surface area of oil shale is due mainly to the presence of smectite and other clay minerals. The specific surface area and the number of pores present in shales are closely related to TOC, kerogen type and maturity, smectite content, and other factors. Low-maturity kerogen has very few nanopores and therefore has a very low specific surface area, whereas nanopores are abundant in mature to over-mature kerogen, leading to high specific surface areas. The Longmaxi Formation kerogen has more developed nanopores and a higher specific surface area than the Niutitang Formation kerogen, which may be due to differences in the kerogen type and maceral components. A high content of smectite may also contribute to shale surface area. The pore volume and specific surface area of low-maturity kerogens are mainly attributable to pores with diameters above 10 nm. By contrast, the pore volume of mature kerogens consists predominantly of pores with diameters above 10 nm with some contribution from about 4 nm diameter pores, while the specific surface area is due mainly to pores with diameters of less than 4 nm. Through a comparative study of the specific surface area and pore structure characteristics of different shales and their kerogens, we conclude that the Longmaxi Formation shales and Niutitang Formation shales have greater sorption capacities than the Dalong Formation shales.

Crystallographically uniform arrays of ordered (In)GaN nanocolumns

In this work, through a comparative study of self-assembled (SA) and selective area grown (SAG) (In)GaN nanocolumn (NC) ensembles, we first give a detailed insight into improved crystallographic uniformity (homogeneity of crystallographic tilts and twists) of the latter ones. The study, performed making use of: reflective high energy electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, reveals that unlike their SA counterparts, the ensembles of SAG NCs show single epitaxial relationship to both sapphire(0001) and Si(111) underlying substrates. In the second part of the article, making use of X-ray diffraction, we directly show that the selective area growth leads to improved compositional uniformity of InGaN NC ensembles. This further leads to improved spectral purity of their luminescence, as confirmed by comparative macro-photoluminescence measurements performed on SA and SAG InGaN NC ensembles. An improved crystallographic uniformity of NC ensembles facilitates their integration into optoelectronic devices, whereas their improved compositional uniformity allows for their employment in single-color optoelectronic applications.

Inferior Frontal Gyrus Activation Underlies the Perception of Emotions, While Precuneus Activation Underlies the Feeling of Emotions during Music Listening.

While music triggers many physiological and psychological reactions, the underlying neural basis of perceived and experienced emotions during music listening remains poorly understood. Therefore, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), I conducted a comparative study of the different brain areas involved in perceiving and feeling emotions during music listening. I measured fMRI signals while participants assessed the emotional expression of music (perceived emotion) and their emotional responses to music (felt emotion). I found that cortical areas including the prefrontal, auditory, cingulate, and posterior parietal cortices were consistently activated by the perceived and felt emotional tasks. Moreover, activity in the inferior frontal gyrus increased more during the perceived emotion task than during a passive listening task. In addition, the precuneus showed greater activity during the felt emotion task than during a passive listening task. The findings reveal that the bilateral inferior frontal gyri and the precuneus are important areas for the perception of the emotional content of music as well as for the emotional response evoked in the listener. Furthermore, I propose that the precuneus, a brain region associated with self-representation, might be involved in assessing emotional responses.

Theory-consuming or Theory-producing?: Studying Turkey as a Theory-developing Critical Case

Case studies of Turkey are typically read and cited as narratives of the Turkish case itself, suppliers of case-specific data, or at best, applications of more general theories. They are not perceived as theory-testing, producing, or even informing exercises. While this tendency partly results from the institutional, geographical–cultural, and methodological biases of extant social sciences, scholars may also be to blame for neglecting theory-development or for producing descriptive narratives. How can Turkish Studies scholars successfully contribute to general theory-development in their respective disciplines? The main value of Turkey for producing theory may lie in its rare combination of many qualities and in its temporal and regional variations. Thus, this article argues that, besides small-N and large-N comparative studies, the most promising way Turkish Studies can engage in theory-building may be by examining Turkey as a theory-developing critical case, i.e. as a crucial or, pathway or within-unit comparative case. For this, scholars would carefully design their studies as theory-infirming, theory-confirming, or theory-producing crucial case studies, utilize temporal and cross-sectional comparisons, and pay special attention to causal mechanisms, sequences, and processes. By using evidence from publications that draw on the Turkish case, the article shows that, since the 1990s, scholars have produced more research published in highly ranked journals of comparative politics, international relations and area studies. They also generate more single case studies with general theoretical ambitions and more visibility but so far with unclear actual theoretical impact. The article discusses some qualities of Turkey which make it a promising critical case for theory-development and how studying it this way can also help to achieve a better understanding of Turkey itself.

Comparative Study of the Electrocatalytically Active Surface Areas (ECSAs) of Pt Alloy Nanoparticles Evaluated by Hupd and CO-stripping voltammetry

This study intends to provide some insight in the up-to-date elusive assessment of a correct choice of method for estimating the active surface area of Pt alloy nanoparticle catalysts. Taking PtNi3 nanoparticles as an example, we have compared three types of electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) data, CO-ECSA, Hupd-ECSA, and Hupd/CO-ECSA, which were evaluated from CO stripping and underpotentially deposited hydrogen stripping steps applied at different times along a reference catalyst activity test protocol. Considering a total of six different detailed voltammetric test protocols, we address Pt alloy particle size effects, analyze the effect of the time of application of CO and hydrogen stripping, and study their effect on the Pt mass and Pt surface-specific activities for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In a discussion of the ratio of CO charge to hydrogen charge, it is shown that this quantity is more complex than previously thought and not associated with a specific surface structure. The Hupd/CO-ECSA data are found to be a reasonable balance for the estimate of surface area normalized, so-called specific catalytic ORR activities.

The Scope and Selectivity of Comparative Area Studies: Transitional Justice Research

The paper discusses how current methodological debates on the potential of comparative area studies intersect with current trends in transitional justice research. As the field of transitional justice studies is approaching saturation, academic efforts in this field are increasingly focused on empirical as well as theoretical generalization. The challenge of comparative transitional justice research is less to weigh the national impacts of policies than to incorporate a more historicized conception of causality that includes complex longterm processes and global interdependencies. From the perspective of comparative area studies, the case of transitional justice studies testifies to the need to combine the local, national, transnational, translocal, and global levels of analysis.

A Comparative Study of Sexual Communication between the Naglabhudi Slum and the Adanbagh Developed Colony, Agra

The present study is based on the researcher's field work among the adolescent girls in two areas of Agra. It has been observed that the sexual communication defers in terms of the socio-economic background of the respondents located in different colonies. In the slum of Naglabhudi, sexual education is considered not only unnecessary, but also a taboo to talk about; on the contrary, in the developed colony of Adanbagh, it is not only acceptable, but the parents even encourage desired discussions on sexual communication. This study would focus on the reasons behind the skewed communication between mothers and adolescent girls, and how the complex issues between them can be resolved. In this paper, the researcher has chosen a comparative study of the slum area of Naglabhudi and the developed colony of Adanbagh in Agra.

Espacios fronterizos del sur sudamericano. Propuesta de un modelo conceptual para su estudio

Se presenta un modelo conceptual para abordar el estudio geográfico comparado de los espacios fronterizos formados entre Estados nacionales. La sistematización empírica en la que se basa la propuesta se realiza en el ámbito del sur sudamericano, entendiendo por tal al área donde se diferenciaron, a lo largo de los siglos xix y xx, los territorios de seis Estados nacionales: Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Paraguay y Uruguay. Este artículo apunta a renovar, desde la tradición geográfica crítica, los estudios sobre fronteras de la Argentina, a partir de una mirada relacional y multiescalar en la construcción de los territorios. El modelo aludido reconoce seis componentes principales para el estudio de los espacios fronterizos: diferenciación territorial, fronterización, territorios interiores, territorios exteriores, lugares de frontera y movilidades.

Uranium contamination of fluvial systems. Mechanisms and processes. Part I : geochemical mobility of uranium along the water path, the Koekemoerspruit (South Africa) as a case study

Tailings deposits from gold- and uranium mining usually contain elevated amounts of radioactive and chemotoxical heavy metals. By seepage dissolved uranium and other contaminants migrate from tailings deposits via groundwater into adjacent fluvial systems. The subsequent transport in streams and rivers is one of the most effective pathways of distributing contaminants throughout the biosphere. In a comparative study of mining areas in Germany, South Africa and Australia mechanisms of non-point stream-contamination and the aqueous transport of uranium were investigated. The study comprises geochemical analyses of samples from various sediment-water systems along the aqueous pathway as well real-time in situ-measurements in the fluvial system itself. In this paper geochemical data of water- and sediment samples from the Koekemoer Spruit as a typical example for a mining affected stream in South Africa - are analysed with respect to possible mechanisms of transport and immobilisation of uranium migrating in solution. Ratios between dissolved and solid phases of uranium for various water-sediment-systems along the aqueous pathway indicated, unexpectedly, significant lower mobility of uranium in stream and channel water than in the groundwater-floodplain system. Correlation of various geochemical parameters suggests co-precipitation of uranium along with calcium-carbonate and iron/manganese-compounds is the main reason for the higher immobilisation rate in the flowing water systems.

Sporting Mega-Events and South-to-South Security Exchanges: A Comparative Study of South Africa and Brazil

Summary The FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics are the most prestigious major sporting events in the world, and host governments implement security measures to match this stature. While global concerns about terrorism have led to a dramatic upsurge in the extent of security measures, the perceived threat of urban crime is becoming an increasingly prominent cause for apprehension. This has been of particular importance to South Africa’s recent 2010 World Cup and for the unprecedented sequential hosting of both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. In both contexts, security has been used as a statement of intent: the respective states have instrumentalized mega-events as an international platform to signal their ability to secure urban environments. This article will focus on a comparative study of areas in which the respective security preparations for the World Cup in Brazil have overlapped with the measures deployed in South Africa. Using examples of how Brazilian authorities have sought advice from their South Africa counterparts, it will suggest that both countries have adopted comparable risk aversion strategies.

A Study on the Characteristics and Issues of Social Relationships of the Elderly Living in Suburban Public Housing : A Comparative Study of both Public Housing and Surrounding Areas

A Study on the Characteristics and Issues of Social Relationships of the Elderly Living in Suburban Public Housing : A Comparative Study of both Public Housing and Surrounding Areas