The politics of performance: transnationalism and its limits in former Yugoslav popular music, 1999–2004

This paper examines transnational relations between the Yugoslav successor states from the point of view of popular music, and demonstrates how transnational musical figures (such as Djordje Balaševi?, Mom?ilo Bajagi?-Bajaga and Ceca Ražnatovi?) are interpreted as symbolic reference points in national ethnopolitical discourse in the process of identity construction. Another symbolic function is served by Serbian turbofolk artists, who in Croatia serve as a cultural resource to distance oneself from a musical genre associated by many urban Croats with the ruralization (and Herzegovinization) of Croatian city space. In addition, value judgements associated with both Serbian and Croatian newly composed folk music provide an insight into the transnational negotiation of conflicting identities in the ex-Yugoslav context. Ultimately the paper shows how the ethnonational boundaries established by nationalizing ideologies created separate cultural spaces which themselves have been transnationalized after Yugoslavia's disintegration

From parvenu to “highbrow” tastes: the rise of cultural capital in China’s intergenerational elites

A new generation of elites distinguished by their cultural endowments has emerged in China. Unlike the older generation of elites who signaled status through the display of wealth but shared similar tastes, the new generation of cultured elites has sophisticated, often Western-oriented “highbrow” tastes in their cultural consumption. By comparing the upbringings and the tastes of interviewees from various backgrounds, this study suggests a widening taste-chasm between the elites and the underclasses in urban cities. The social process behind this is argued to be the rapid formation of cultural capital in China, in which parental privileges accumulated in the market economy converted into cultural privileges in the new generation of new elites

The Economics of Communist Party Membership: The Curious Case of Rising Numbers and Wage Premium during China's Transition

As the Chinese Communist Party has loosened its grip in a more market-oriented economy, why have membership and the economic benefits of joining risen? We use three national household surveys over 11 years to answer this question for wages in urban China. Individual demand for Party membership is treated as an investment in 'political capital' that brings monetary rewards in terms of a wage premium that has risen in recent years. However, this does not explain why the wage premium is higher for the personal characteristics that reduce the probability of membership. Rationing with a scarcity value for members with those characteristics provides an explanation.

Analysis of patient-specific stimulation with segmented leads in the subthalamic nucleus

Objective Segmented deep brain stimulation leads in the subthalamic nucleus have shown to increase therapeutic window using directional stimulation. However, it is not fully understood how these segmented leads with reduced electrode size modify the volume of tissue activated (VTA) and how this in turn relates with clinically observed therapeutic and side effect cur- rents. Here, we investigated the differences between directional and omnidirectional stimu- lation and associated VTAs with patient-specific therapeutic and side effect currents for the two stimulation modes. Approach Nine patients with Parkinson’s disease underwent DBS implantation in the subthalamic nucleus. Therapeutic and side effect currents were identified intraoperatively with a seg- mented lead using directional and omnidirectional stimulation (these current thresholds were assessed in a blinded fashion). The electric field around the lead was simulated with a finite-element model for a range of stimulation currents for both stimulation modes. VTAs were estimated from the electric field by numerical differentiation and thresholding. Then for each patient, the VTAs for given therapeutic and side effect currents were projected onto the patient-specific subthalamic nucleus and lead position. Results Stimulation with segmented leads with reduced electrode size was associated with a signifi- cant reduction of VTA and a significant increase of radial distance in the best direction of stimulation. While beneficial effects were associated with activation volumes confined within the anatomical boundaries of the subthalamic nucleus at therapeutic currents, side effects were associated with activation volumes spreading beyond the nucleus’ boundaries. Significance The clinical benefits of segmented leads are likely to be obtained by a VTA confined within the subthalamic nucleus and a larger radial distance in the best stimulation direction, while steering the VTA away from unwanted fiber tracts outside the nucleus. Applying the same concepts at a larger scale and in chronically implanted patients may help to predict the best stimulation area