Managing Processes of Globalization:: A Spotlight on the University as a Key Institution in the 21st Century

Der Artikel thematisiert die zunehmende Bedeutung von Universitäten im Zeitalter der globalen Wissenslandschaft. Akademische Mobilität, der Austausch von Wissen und die damit verbundenen Kapitalströme tragen erheblich zur globalen Vernetzung und zur Neuordnung der Weltpolitik bei. Universitäten werden als Orte verstanden, an denen diese grenzüberschreitenden Prozesse initiiert und kontrolliert werden. Im Fokus stehen hier Universitäten im globalen Süden, was Diskussionen über deren Rolle in Globalisierungsprozessen anregt und somit das Spektrum der globalen Hochschulforschung erweitert. Der Artikel gliedert sich in vier Teile, wobei sich der erste mit einer diskursiven Neuausrichtung befasst. Zweitens werden die Beziehungen zwischen Universität und Staat vor dem Hintergrund einer Portalperspektive skizziert, bevor im dritten Teil die Relevanz von Diferenzierung und akademischen Hierarchien erklärt wird. Das letzte Argument stellt die Aussagekraft von nationalen Mobilitätsstatistiken in Frage.This article looks at the heightened role of universities in the global knowledge age. Flows of people, ideas, and also capital in the academic realm continue to multiply, propelling global connectedness and contributing to the reshuling of the hitherto prevailing political orders. Universities are understood as places where these lows are instigated and controlled. The article adds insight to the ield of global higher education by emphasizing universities in the Global South, to better understand their role in shaping processes of globalization. Four arguments guide the reader, the irst of which explains how universities have been discursively rescaled. The second argument looks at university-state relations and increased institutional power. Differentiation in the higher-education landscape and academic hierarchies are examined in the third part, while section four reveals shortcomings of mobility igures aggregated at national level

Portals of Globalization –: An Introduction

Die Kategorie der Portale der Globalisierung wurde in die Globalisierungsforschung eingeführt, um die Verankerung und Artikulation globaler Ströme an bestimmten Orten zu untersuchen. So wird sichtbar, wie Grenzüberschreitung und deren Regulierung auf verschiedenen Handlungsebenen verknüpft sind, und wie Akteure an diesen Orten globale Verlechtungen lenken. Veränderungen der Position dieser Orte in globalen Netzwerken zeigen Reichweite, Funktion und Wandel globaler Verbindungen sowie Verschiebungen räumlicher Ordnungen an. Dieses Doppelheft nimmt Debatten zur Historizität, regionalen Unterschieden und räumlichen Komplexität von Globalisierungsprozessen auf und stärkt vor diesem Hintergrund die empirische Bandbreite der Forschung. Die Autoren analysieren historische und gegenwärtige Portale der Globalisierung aus verschiedenen disziplinären Perspektiven und mit unterschiedlichen regionalen Schwerpunkten. Ein besonderer Fokus der Beiträge liegt auf Untersuchungen zu Afrika, Asien und Lateinamerika. Dies trägt dazu bei, Vorstellungen über die Zentren und Peripherien der Globalisierung, die Mechanismen und Ausrichtung von Zirkulationen, und die Asymmetrien globaler Verlechtungen zu überprüfen. Portals of globalization is an analytical category introduced in globalization research to investigate how global lows are anchored and articulated in particular places. It has been used to analyse the way lows and controls come together on multiple scales, and how actors in these places actively manage global entanglements. Consequently, the changing positionality of these places in global networks can reveal the scope, function, and transformation of global connections and shifting spatial orders. Stemming from research debates on the historicity, regional diference, and spatial complexity of globalization processes, this issue seeks to strengthen empirical insights from diferent disciplinary and regional perspectives. It brings together research on past and present portals of globalization to facilitate the dialogue across disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. A special focus on a variety of local and regional contexts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America allows us to re-evaluate assumptions about the centres and peripheries of globalization processes, the mechanisms and directionality of circulations, and the asymmetries in global connectedness

Sexual function after sacrospinous fixation for vaginal vault prolapse: bad or mad?

Background: The main indication for sacrospinous ligament suspension is to correct either total procidentia, a posthysterectomy vaginal vault prolapse with an associated weak cardinal uterosacral ligament complex, or a posthysterectomy enterocele. This study aimed to evaluate sexual function and anatomic outcome for patients after sacrospinous ligament suspension. Methods: For this study, 52 patients who had undergone sacrospinous ligament fixation during the preceding 5years were asked to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. The patients were vaginally examined using the ICS POP score, and the results were compared with their preoperative status. For statistical analysis, GraphPad for Windows, version 4.0, was used. Results: The 52 patients were examined during a follow-up period of 38months. No major intraoperative complications were noted. Recurrence of symptomatic apical descent was noted in 6% of the patients and de novo prolapse in 13.5%. Only one patient was symptomatic. Three patients experienced de novo dyspareunia, which resolved in two cases after stitch removal. Sexual function was good, rating higher than three points for each of the domains including satisfaction, lubrication, desire, orgasm, and pain. Conclusion: Sacrospinous ligament fixation still is a valuable option for the treatment of vaginal vault prolapse. Sexual function is satisfactory, with few cases of de novo dyspareuni

Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of a Model Magnesium Battery

Energy-storage systems are considered as a key technology for energy and mobility transition. Because traditional batteries have many drawbacks, there are tremendous efforts to develop so-called postlithium systems. The magnesium-sulfur (MgS) battery emerges as one alternative. Previous studies of Mg-S batteries have addressed the environmental footprint of its production. However, the potential impacts of the use-phase are not considered yet, due to its premature stage of development. Herein, a first prospective look at the potential environmental performance of a theoretical Mg-S battery for different use-phase applications is given to fill this gap. By means of the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, an analysis of different scenarios and a comparison with other well-established technologies are conducted. The results suggest that the environmental footprint of the Mg-S is comparable with that of the commercially available counterparts and potentially outperforms them in several impact categories. However, this can only be achieved if a series of technical challenges are first overcome