bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of low IQ arsonists at psychiatric assessment
Authors: Dickens Geoff , Sugarman Philip , Ahmad Farooq , Edgar Simon , Hofberg Kristina , Tewari Sidharta
Published: February 2010

We conducted a retrospective study of arsonists referred for psychiatric assessment and found that 88/202 (43.6%) had an IQ of 85 or below. The low IQ group showed more evidence of childhood temperamental disturbance, and a later pattern of internal problems rather than external factors expressing themselves as fire-setting. This study highlights the likelihood of lifelong, temperamental problems being apparent in childhood, and being predictive and possibly causative of fire setting in people with a low IQ. Better understanding of the distinct characteristics of lower IQ arsonists is essential for improved prevention, treatment and management.
Unnatural deaths among children in the Transkei region of South Africa
Authors: Meel B.L.
Published: February 2010

Nearly 99% of the 10.9 million children worldwide under the age of five years who died in 2000 were from developing countries. This amounts to at least 29,000 deaths per day (UNICEF, 2005). This study aims to trace the pattern of unnatural deaths in the Transkei region of South Africa. It is a records review of the medico-legal autopsies carried out between 1996 and 2004 at Umtata General Hospital (UGH). All subjects aged 18 years or below were considered as children.

Between 1996-2004, 7,303 unnatural deaths were recorded. Of these, 1,449 (19.8%) were children. Trauma accounted for 1,028 (70.9%) child deaths and 421 (29.1%) were deaths related to other causes such as hanging, burns, lightning strike, drowning, gas suffocation, falls from a height and poisoning. Motor vehicle accidents accounted for 469 (45.6%) deaths and homicides for 553 (54.4%) deaths. The homicides were firearms injuries, 196 (19%), stab wounds, 185 (18%), and blunt trauma, 178 (17.3%). Non-traumatic deaths were hanging, 81 (19.2%), drowning, 166 (39.4%), lightning strike, 38 (9%), burns, 51 (12.1%), gas suffocation, 24 (5.7%), poisoning, 33 (8.4%) and falls from a height 28 (6.7%).

There is a high risk of unnatural death among children in the area of Mthatha. It threatens the survival of young children in this region of South Africa. Poverty is an underlying cause for these preventable deaths.
Appeals to the Mental Health Review Tribunal in an ageing population
Authors: Deshpande Nikhila , Morton Theresa , Haque Saeed , Oyebode Femi
Published: February 2010

The United Kingdom (UK) population is ageing. This change is accompanied by an increase in the number of people aged over 65 who come into contact with psychiatric services. The use of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) in patients above 65 years of age is limited. These patients are less likely to appeal against their detention and may vary in socio-demographic and clinical characteristics compared with younger patients who are more likely to appeal against their detention. All patients detained for the first time under the MHA in the ten-year period 1992-2002 at Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Birmingham, were studied for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.

More appeals against detention came from people below 65 years of age. Patients detained on section 2 (MHA) appealed more often than patients on section 3. Only a few patients with a diagnosis of dementia appealed against their detention. Additional safeguards should be introduced for this group. We recommend that the appeal process should be simpler and should provide information in all the major languages used in the UK.
Suicide pact by hanging
Authors: Rastogi Prateek , Nagesh K.R.
Published: February 2010

A suicide pact is an agreement between two people to end their lives. The presence of an over-dependent relationship and a threat to the maintenance of closeness are strongly associated with the attempt. We present a case of a suicide pact where a 19-year-old female and a 20-year-old male who were lovers committed suicide by hanging because of opposition to their marriage from the family members.
Volatile substance abuse and crime: Data from UK press cuttings 1996-2007
Authors: Flanagan R.J. , Fisher D.S.
Published: February 2010

Volatile substance abuse (VSA, solvent abuse, ‘glue sniffing’), carries a risk of sudden death (some 700 deaths in the UK, 1996-2006). However, mortality data take no account of the social cost of the habit. From press cuttings we have identified 508 instances (569 individuals: 507 male, median age 25 yr, range 8-51 yr and 62 female, median age 18 yr, range 11-36 yr) where VSA, either alone or together with alcohol/other drugs, was reported in association with criminal or antisocial behaviour that resulted in a criminal conviction or caution. The frequency of reports decreased from 84 per annum (1997 and 1998) to 20 (2007). The agents reported (17 individuals, two agents) were ‘glue’ (225), LPG/‘butane’/aerosol propellants (176), ‘solvents’ (158), and petrol (gasoline) (27). The offences cited (most serious crime) were: homicide (35), rape or other sexual assault (34), arson (25), assault or serious threat of assault (192), child neglect/cruelty (6), attempting to pervert the course of justice (2), criminal damage (41), burglary/robbery/theft/shoplifting (100), nuisance/breach of the peace/breach of antisocial behaviour order (104), driving whilst impaired and other vehicle-related offence (22), and supply (non-retail) (8). Thirty offenders were given life sentences or detained indefinitely under mental health legislation. Reports came from all parts of the UK, although most were from Northern England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. There were many reports of recidivists; one 34-year-old male had made 113 court appearances, and had spent approximately nine years in custody. Although there are severe limitations to data derived from press cuttings and not-withstanding that in some cases VSA may have been raised in mitigation, these data provide an additional insight into the problem posed by VSA in the UK.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in cases of terminal cancer: the opinions of physicians and nurses in Greece
Authors: Parpa Efi , Mystakidou Kyriaki , Tsilika Eleni , Sakkas Pavlos , Patiraki Elisabeth , Pistevou-Gombaki Kyriaki , Govina Ourania , Vlahos Lambros
Published: February 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of physicians and nurses on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in advanced cancer patients in Greece. Two hundred and fifteen physicians and 250 nurses from various hospitals in Greece completed a questionnaire concerning issues on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.

More physicians (43.3%) than nurses (3.2%, p<0.0005) reported that in the case of a cardiac or respiratory arrest, they would not attempt to revive a terminally ill cancer patient. Only 1.9% of physicians and 3.6% of nurses agreed on physician-assisted suicide. Forty-seven per cent of physicians and 45.2% of nurses would prefer the legalization of a terminally ill patient's hastened death; in the case of such a request, 64.2% of physicians and 55.2% of nurses (p=0.06) would consider it if it was legal.

The majority of the participants tended to disagree with euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in terminally ill cancer patients, probably due to the fact that these acts in Greece are illegal.
Addiction and the pharmacology of cannabis: implications for medicine and the law
Authors: Lader Malcolm
Published: February 2010

The topic of drug addiction or misuse of drugs has numerous far-reaching ramifications into areas such as neuroscience, medicine and therapeutics, toxicology, epidemiology, national and international economics and politics, and the law.

The general principles of drug addiction are first summarised. A recurring and intrinsic problem is lack of adequate characterisation of the independent variable, namely the drug taken. Secondly, it is not feasible to allocate subjects randomly to treatments. Thirdly, the heterogeneity of different forms of addiction precludes facile generalisations.

“A problem drug user is anyone who experiences social, psychological, physical, or legal problems related to intoxication, and/or regular excessive consumption, and/or dependence as a consequence of their use of drugs” (UK Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs, 1982)

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants whose products are used as recreational drugs. Claims have been made for a range of therapeutic properties. Its two main active principles are Δ9 – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). These compounds have contrasting pharmacological properties. THC is suspected of causing psychotic phenomena, but CBD seems more sedative and may even be antipsychotic. The past use of cannabis, particularly the concentrations of THC and CBD, can be monitored with hair analysis. Recent studies involving the administration of THC and CBD to human subjects are reviewed.

Suggestions are made for further research into the pharmacology and toxicology of CBD. Such data may also point to a more rational evidence-based approach to the legal control of cannabis preparations.
Coincident deaths: double suicide or murder-suicide?
Authors: Jensen Lisbeth L. , Gilbert John D. , Byard Roger W.
Published: February 2010

A retrospective review was undertaken in South Australia over an 11-year period from July 1996 to June 2007 of all multiple, unnatural, non-accidental deaths in adults (>16 years) looking for cases of double suicide and murder-suicide. All cases had undergone a full police and coronial investigation and full autopsy. There were seven cases of double suicide involving 14 individuals: nine males and five females ranging in age from 29 to 79 years (average 49 yrs). Over the same period there were eight murder-suicides involving 16 individuals: nine males and seven females ranging in age from 17 to 83 years (average 49 yrs). All the murder-suicide perpetrators were male and the majority of the victims were female (7/8). All eight perpetrators committed suicide with gunshot wounds to the head (N=8; 100%); one victim was manually strangled and the remainder died from gunshot wounds to the head, neck and upper chest. In contrast, all but two of the double suicide victims died of carbon monoxide toxicity, with the remaining couple dying from mixed drug toxicity. While differentiating between these two groups may be difficult, double suicide victims used much less violent methods than perpetrators of murder-suicide and often had histories of chronic debilitating disease. Spousal and familial links characterised both groups.
Manufacturing fault causes a false negative for haematuria using Makromed m8l urinalysis test strips
Authors: Winstock G.B.
Published: February 2010

A 35-year-old male patient presented with painful gross macroscopic haematuria. Urinalysis using Makromed test strips showed a negative reading for blood. Subsequent laboratory analysis showed the presence of gross haematuria. A referral to a consultant urologist confirmed a diagnosis of renal stones. Subsequent investigations by the author indicated that a manufacturing fault was responsible for this error. Discussion with the manufacturer identified a fault in the packaging which led to photosensitive light degradation of enzyme pathways, resulting in a false negative finding. In situations when gross clinical findings are not supported by on-site diagnostic tests, the clinician should consider the possibility that the diagnostic tool is at fault and not the clinician.

Makromed urine tests strips (MUTS) have been used in this practice for several years. There had been no previous concerns raised by any clinician within the group practice, nor by the Primary Care Trust, or any authoritative professional body. Argyropoulos et al. (2004) reported that renal stones cause haematuria in 92.9% of cases.
Avulsion of the left internal mammary artery graft after minimally invasive coronary surgery: fatal complication or medical error?
Authors: Viel Guido , Balmaceda Ute , Sperhake Jan P.
Published: February 2010

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) is performed through a left anterior mini-thoracotomy without the use of a cardiopulmonary bypass and offers greater potential for more rapid recovery, reduced pain and a decreased need for blood transfusion than conventional coronary artery bypass grafting. Few major complications of the MIDCAB procedure have been reported in the literature since the first intervention was performed in 1995, but the most serious one is avulsion of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft near the site of anastomosis with the left anterior descending coronary artery. Forensic issues regarding the role of the surgeon in causing this life-threatening emergency condition have not been discussed. We report here the case of a 48-year-old man who died 18 days after a MIDCAB of massive thoracic bleeding due to the avulsion of the LIMA graft. We discuss the probable etiopathogenesis of this fatal complication from a forensic point of view.
Crossing the line: should the threshold for admission of mentally disordered offenders be lowered?
Authors: Aldridge Clare , Jones Chris
Published: February 2010

Despite repeated support from central government, the policy of diversion from custody remains at best a partial success. One reason for this may be the conflict between this policy and the move towards community-based mental health services. This paper explores the criteria that might be applied when deciding whether or not to admit a mentally disordered offender to hospital, and the differences between these and the criteria which might apply in a community setting.

The authors conclude that there are compelling reasons why the threshold for admission of offender patients should be different from that for non-offender patients, and that the principle of deinstitutionalisation of mental health services should be modified when applied to forensic populations.
Pattern of coroners' autopsies at Ring Road State Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria: a retrospective study (1994-2000)
Authors: Akang E.E.U. , Akinremi T. , Oje E.M. , Oluwasola A.O. , Ipadeola T.O.
Published: February 2010

This study reviews 1,993 coroners' autopsies performed at the Adeoyo and Ring Road State Hospitals, Ibadan, over a seven-year period (January 1994 to December 2000). The most common indication for a coroner's autopsy was accidental death (59.8%), followed by homicidal death (20.7%), sudden natural death (11.6%), maternal death (1.4%) and suicidal death (0.4%). The overall male to female ratio was 2.8:1 and the majority of victims were in the fourth decade of life. Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of accidental death. Homicidal deaths were 9.3 times more common in male than female victims and the most common mode of death was firearm injuries. In contrast to an earlier study from University College Hospital, Ibadan, the present study has revealed a predominance of accidental and homicidal deaths, with a relatively lower rate of maternal deaths.
Patterns of injury seen in deaths from accidental falls down a staircase: a study from South Delhi
Authors: Behera C. , Rautji R. , Dogra T. D.
Published: February 2010

The present study is a retrospective analysis of 92 cases of death from an accidental fall down a staircase, which were autopsied at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, during a ten-year period from 1996 to 2005. The cases were analysed with regard to age, sex, location, cause of death and pattern of injury. Males (62, 67.39%) outnumbered females (30, 32.61%). The commonest age group involved was 31-40 years (28.26%) followed by 21-30 years (18.47%) and 51-60 years (14.13%). The lowest number of cases (4.34%) was in the 11-20 years age group. All deaths were accidental in nature.

The most common cause of death was head injury (80.43%) followed by haemorrhagic shock resulting from intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic visceral injuries (9.78%) and injury to the neck (4.34%). The parietal and temporal bones were those most frequently fractured in head injury cases. Cerebral oedema (n=56, 70.88%), followed by subdural haematoma (n=34, 43.03%) were the two most common intra-cranial injuries. Two females were accidentally hanged while descending stairs. The majority of accidents happened at home (n=90, 97.82%). Alcohol was detected in ten cases (17.54%). Fatalities from falls down a staircase were most often reported in the rainy season.
An autopsy case of suicide by acetylene explosion
Authors: Kashiwagi Masayuki , Hara Kenji , Takamoto Mutsuo , Kageura Mitsuyoshi , Matsusue Aya , Sugimura Tomoko , Kubo Shin-ichi
Published: February 2010

We report an autopsy case of a male welder in his thirties who was found dead in an exploded truck cabin. The roof, windows and doors of the cabin had been blown up to 50 metres away. An oxygen cylinder and an acetylene cylinder, both unexploded, were found in the back of the truck. The deceased was lying on the driver's seat. His entire body was burnt, carbonised and partially skeletonised. There was a small amount of soot in his oesophagus and stomach and a large volume of bloody fluid in the trachea and bronchi. There was an extensive haemorrhage in the posterior thoracic wall. No drugs were detected in the blood. Hardly any carbon monoxide and combustion-related gases were detected in the blood, therefore he was not considered to have died from the fire. Acetylene was detected in his blood (21.5 μg/ml in the femoral vein blood) and urine (7.49 μg/ml), with marked haemorrhaging in his back. We therefore concluded that the victim died because of an acetylene explosion in the cabin and also that this was a suicide.
Forensic databases: implications of the cases of S and Marper
Authors: Hepple Bob
Published: February 2010

The recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of S and Marper highlights some of the crucial ethical and legal issues relating to privacy, informed consent and discrimination raised by the use of forensic databases. This article explains the judgment and discusses some broader questions, in particular the reliability of fingerprint and DNA evidence and its effectiveness in preventing and detecting crime. The approach of the European judges is strongly rights-based, in contrast to the unsophisticated utilitarianism of the English courts. Their main objection is to the ‘blanket and indiscriminate’ retention of all kinds of forensic bioinformation. Not only does this make it difficult to justify a compulsory population-wide database, but it will also require strict criteria for retention of each kind of bioinformation and adequate safeguards for both convicted and unconvicted individuals.
Completion of risk assessment and monitoring within forensic psychiatry
Authors: Galappathie Nuwan , Heeramun Ragini , Jethwa Krishma
Published: February 2010

There is a clear need for high standards of risk assessment and monitoring within forensic psychiatry. This has been highlighted by a number of high profile homicide enquires which have called for better standards of multidisciplinary risk assessment and monitoring. There are no national standards for risk assessment. We conducted a study to audit electronically the completion rate of a service-designed risk assessment document within Fromside, a medium secure unit in the UK. The completion rates for key sections of 64 risk assessment documents were assessed. Only 48 of the 64 (75%) documents were electronically available. The completion rates ranged from 59/64 (92%) for the retrospective risk review to 46/64 (72%) for relapse indicators. Only 35/64 (55%) risk documents were updated within the last three months. We found that the use of risk profile documents has helped achieve good standards of risk assessment, however greater priority needs to be given to ongoing monitoring. We recommend that consideration is given to the development of national guidelines for multidisciplinary risk assessment and monitoring.
The police and section 135(1) of the Mental Health Act 1983
Authors: Andoh Benjamin
Published: February 2010

The police play a very important role in society. It is, basically, maintenance of the peace through law enforcement, prevention of crime and provision of social support. One aspect of their provision of social support, so far as mentally disordered persons are concerned, is their role under section 135(1) of the Mental Health Act 1983, about which there is a paucity of studies, in contrast with section 136 of that Act. This paper aims to contribute to the meagre literature on section 135. It looks at the role of the police and the origins of section 135(1). It analyses the subsection as it presently operates, makes some observations (including a comment on the House of Lords' decision in Ward v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and Another [2005] that there is no requirement for the names of professionals to be stated in a warrant issued under the subsection) and suggests how the subsection should be amended in order both to make it clearer and to reduce anxiety on the part of the person to be removed to a place of safety.
Train-related suicides in Milan, Italy: analysis of cases 1993-2008
Authors: Battistini Alessio , Gentile Guendalina , Palazzo Elisa , Zoja Riccardo
Published: February 2010

Evidence of the frequent use of mainline and metropolitan trains as a means of suicide in and around Milan prompted the authors to analyse the occurrence of this event between 1993 and 2008 in Milan, examining data from the Institute of Legal Medicine. The 155 selected cases were analysed for various aspects, including the chronology and dynamics of the event, the personal, epidemiological and psychiatric profile of the victims and the features of the injuries found during autopsy.
Offender-victim body mass ratio and the decision to arrest in cases of intimate partner violence
Authors: Cullinane Dennis M. , Hirschel David , Buzawa Eve , Pattavina April , Iannaci Lisa , Faggiani Don
Published: February 2010

As a result of the growing trend toward criminalisation of cases of domestic violence, there has been a great increase in the number of jurisdictions in the United States that have implemented ‘pro-arrest’ and ‘mandatory arrest’ laws. One of the objectives of this legislation is to encourage arrest when there is probable cause to believe that an assault has occurred. Along with the increase in the overall rate of arrest for intimate partner violence there has been a dramatic increase in the arrest of both the parties involved in an incident. In these cases the police do not identify any one party as the primary aggressor. A number of factors may account for this. Analysing these factors can prove beneficial in guiding protocol design and the arresting officer's decision-making process. A yet untested factor that may help explain police arrest practices concerns the relative body mass between the two parties and whether the police use this factor to determine which party is the primary offender. In this study we examine the basic relationship between offender and victim body masses and arrest decisions in 950 cases from police departments in four states: Connecticut, Idaho, Virginia and Tennessee. Our analysis finds that a significant correlation exists between offenders' and victims' body masses, and the resulting arrest decisions. The cause for this relationship remains unspecified, but may involve several factors such as the ability of a larger offender to inflict trauma on a smaller victim, or simply an arresting officer's perception of offender ability to inflict trauma. The cause of this correlation may have significant implications for arrest protocols in those states currently honouring pro-arrest legislation in cases of domestic violence, and those jurisdictions considering them.
An unusual fatal construction site injury in India
Authors: Rautji Ravi , Behera C. , Dogra T.D.
Published: February 2010

A 35-year-old male, employed at a construction site, accidentally injured himself when an iron rod, which he was handing up from the ground floor to a fellow worker standing on the first floor, fell backwards. It pierced his suprascapular fossa on the right side, damaging great vessels and the tricuspid valve, and entered the pericardial cavity after puncturing the posterior wall of the right ventricle. The iron rod was taken out by fellow workers at the site and the injured man was immediately taken to a nearby clinic where he was resuscitated and the wound was stitched. He was later transferred to a tertiary care hospital where he died about an hour after admission. Though many bizarre injuries have been reported at construction sites, a fatal injury of this nature deserves a mention in the forensic literature.
True and simulated homicidal hangings: a six-year retrospective study
Authors: Sauvageau Anny
Published: February 2010

The manner of death in hangings is virtually always suicide. Uncommonly, accidental hangings do also occur. Homicidal hangings, however, are generally thought to be highly unusual. Despite some case reports of homicidal hangings, retrospective studies have demonstrated that homicidal hangings are virtually non-existent. The present study was undertaken retrospectively to evaluate the incidence of true and simulated homicidal hangings in the forensic population of Quebec (Canada) during a six-year study period. In a total of 251 cases of hanging, suicide was the leading manner of death (239 cases); the remaining cases were accidents (eight cases) and homicides (four cases). This unusually high homicidal hanging rate in Quebec (1.6%) is hard to explain. It could be attributed to an intrinsic particularity of the population and culture. It could also be that our forensic team shares a strong interest in asphyxial deaths as a research topic and, therefore, is particularly alert in detecting such homicides. Nevertheless, this relatively higher homicidal rate may be a reminder that homicidal hangings do sometimes occur. This study emphasises the importance of not disregarding this manner of death in hangings.
Evaluation of the Impact of a tele-ICU Pharmacist on the Management of Sedation in Critically III Mechanically Ventilated Patients
Authors: Forni Allison , Skehan Nancy , Hartman Christian A , Yogaratnam Dinesh , Njoroge Milka , Schifferdecker Christopher , Lilly Craig M
Published: February 2010

Background:

An organized and uniform approach to managing sedation in critically ill patients has been associated with improved outcomes, but the most effective means of optimizing sedative medication use in clinical practice has not been fully determined. Pharmacist interventions directed at improving sedation guideline compliance have been shown to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation.

Objective:

To determine the impact that pharmacy staffing configurations that include a tele-ICU pharmacist have on compliance with an intensive care unit (ICU) sedation guideline in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients requiring continuous-infusion sedative medications.

Methods:

Compliance with an established ICU sedation guideline, the performance of daily sedative interruptions, and the number of sedative medication–related interventions were evaluated before and after expansion of the ICU pharmacist staffing model to include comprehensive off-hours pharmacist coverage supported with established tele-ICU resources. In both groups, sedation was managed by the primary ICU team. In the intervention group, a pharmacist working in the tele-ICU center performed electronic record audits and made sedative medication recommendations to the primary team.

Results:

The addition of third shift tele-ICU pharmacist support was associated with a significant increase in the percentage of patients who received a daily sedative interruption (45% vs 54%; p < 0.0001). This occurred in the context of significant increases in the total number of ICU pharmacist interventions (36 vs 49.4 per 100 patient days, p < 0.0001), the number of therapeutic interventions (20.4 vs 26.1 per 100 patient days, p < 0.001), and the number of sedative-related interventions (0.9 vs 4.4 per 100 patient days, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

Tele-ICU resources can be utilized to increase compliance with an established ICU sedation guideline and extend the benefits that daytime ICU clinical pharmacy services provide. Increased ICU pharmacist availability may have additional benefits not measured in this study.
Thioamide dianions derived from N-arylmethyl thioamides: Generation and application as carbon nucleophiles adjacent to the nitrogen atom
Authors: Murai Toshiaki
Published: February 2010

This review illustrates the ready availability of thioamide dianions and their versatility as carbon nucleophiles adjacent to the nitrogen atom. The products derived from the addition of thioamide dianions to a range of electrophiles can participate in a cyclization reaction to form nitrogen-containing heterocycles. The electronic properties of thioamide dianions are also considered.
Synthesis of homo- and heterocyclic silanes via intermediates with Si=Si bonds
Authors: Abersfelder Kai , Scheschkewitz David
Published: February 2010

An account is given of our efforts in the synthesis of homo- and heterocyclic silanes via occasionally stable unsymmetrically substituted disilene intermediates of the A2Si=Si(A)B type that are accessible from a disila analog of a vinyl lithium. This approach is particularly powerful in the preparation of three-membered rings such as cyclotrisilanes with a residual functionality that can be either electro- or nucleophilic in nature and can even give rise to ring-expanded products with preserved Si=Si moiety. The intermediacy of transient silylenes in some of these transformations is discussed as well as the structural effects of the electronic properties of the residual functional group. The relevance of these studies for the understanding of Si(100) surface annealed species during the epitaxial growth of elemental silicon is pointed out, and the potential of the methodology for the synthesis of unusual polycyclic silicon clusters is noted.
Anodic oxidation of m-terphenyl thio-, seleno- and telluroethers: Lowered oxidation potentials due to chalcogen···π interaction
Authors: Ammam Malika , Zakai Uzma I. , Wilson George S. , Glass Richard S.
Published: February 2010

The electrochemistry of m-terphenylthio-, seleno-, and telluroethers was studied using cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile. All of the compounds studied showed irreversible oxidations. The first oxidation potentials for the thio- and selenoethers are less positive than expected. This facilitation in oxidation is ascribed to through-space S···π and Se···π inter-action, respectively, on removal of an electron. No evidence for a comparable effect was found for the phenyltelluro-ethers studied.
Transition-metal-catalyzed cleavage of carbon–selenium bond and addition to alkynes and allenes
Authors: Fujiwara Shin-ichi , Toyofuku Masashi , Kuniyasu Hitoshi , Kambe Nobuaki
Published: February 2010

This account summarizes our recent results on transition-metal-catalyzed cleavage of C–Se bond and addition to unsaturated hydrocarbons such as alkynes and allenes. Pd(0)-catalyzed intramolecular carbamoselenation of alkynes forms four- to eight-membered α-alkylidenelactams. Interestingly, four-membered ring formation is faster than five- and six-membered ring formation. Intramolecular vinylselenation of suitably structured alkynes offers pathways to conjugated δ-lactam frameworks. Electron-withdrawing groups on the vinyl moiety are essential to promote this reaction. Intermolecular 1,2-addition of selenol esters onto allenes proceeds with excellent regioselectivity and high stereoselectivity in the presence of a Pd(0) catalyst, producing functionalized allyl selenides. In addition, Pd(0)-catalyzed intramolecular selenocarbamoylation of allenes gives α,β-unsaturated γ- and δ-lactams with perfect regioselectivity. The scope and limitations, as well as reaction pathways, are discussed.
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T for Early Prediction of Evolving Non–ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome and Negative Troponin Results on Admission
Authors: Giannitsis Evangelos , Becker Meike , Kurz Kerstin , Hess Georg , Zdunek Dietmar , Katus Hugo A
Published: February 2010

Background: We sought to determine the diagnostic performance of the new high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay for early detection of non–ST-segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Methods: We enrolled patients with retrospectively confirmed unstable angina or NSTEMI and an initially negative cTnT concentration and compared the performance of baseline concentrations and serial changes in concentration within 3 and 6 h. Percentage change criteria included ≥20% δ change and ROC-optimized value.

Results: Based on the standard fourth-generation cTnT result of ≥0.03 μg/L, an evolving NSTEMI was diagnosed in 26 patients, and 31 patients were classified as having unstable angina. With the use of the hs-cTnT assay at the 99th-percentile cutoff, the percentage of NSTEMI cases detected increased gradually from 61.5% on presentation to 100% within 6 h, and the overall number of MI diagnoses increased by 34.6% (35 vs 26 cases). A δ change ≥20% or ≥ROC-optimized value of >117% within 3 h or ≥243% within 6 h yielded a specificity of 100% at sensitivities between 69% and 76%. The standard cTnT at the 99th percentile was less sensitive than hs-cTnT for early diagnosis of MI on presentation, and follow-up samples obtained within the initial 3 h demonstrated very low specificity of cTnT compared with hs-cTnT.

Conclusions: The high-sensitivity cTnT assay increases the number of NSTEMI diagnoses and enables earlier detection of evolving NSTEMI. A doubling of the hs-cTnT concentration within 3 h in the presence of a second concentration ≥99th percentile is associated with a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 88%.
Universalisms and francophonies
Authors: Lionnet Franoise
Published: February 2010

To reject the term Francophone, that describes so well non-hexagonal literatures and puts them in dialogue with Anglophone, Hispanophone or Sinophone literatures, is tantamount to acquiescing to the metropole's old assimilationist agendas. The manifesto pour une littrature-monde en
franais (Le Bris et al. 2007) is a well-meaning but clumsy attempt at renaming other literatures in order to have them fit into the world Republic of Letters as defined and understood by a universalizing French perspective. By ignoring the specificities of bilingualism, the manifesto remains
indifferent to the rhetorical practices that are the philological hallmark of many Francophone texts. This essay surveys some of the negative reactions to the manifesto and proposes a definition of francophonies, in the plural, that opens up literature to new and productive understandings
of universality in a decentred and multilingual world.
Pour une littrature-monde en franais: manifesto retro?
Authors: Sugnet Charles J
Published: February 2010

This article offers a critique of the contradictions and problems in Michel Le Bris' manifesto(s) for a littrature-monde en franais (Le Bris et al. 2007), seeing the manifesto as a new iteration of francophonie and a retreat from the urgent intellectual and artistic work of confronting the aftermath of colonialism in France. Starting with an analysis of the manifesto's mistaken and incomplete appropriation of anglophone postcolonial literary models such as Salman Rushdie, the article argues that in its straw-man attack on structuralism and its general anti-intellectualism, its dismissal of history and power relations, its embrace of Conrad, Stevenson, and H. Rider Haggard, its overvaluation of travel per se, its reaffirmation of a colonial exotic whereby writers from the periphery provide colour and vitality to renew an enfeebled Europe, and in its vatic romanticism, the manifesto is really a plea to move backward towards the values and ideas of the late nineteenth century, rather than a manifesto that moves towards a literary future.
Literary tourism, littrature monde, and the ethics of conversation in Ernest Ppin's L'Envers du dcor
Authors: Murray-Romn Jeannine
Published: February 2010

Advocates for jettisoning the term francophonie in favour of littrature-monde argue that francophonie, as a word and a concept, represents the legacy of a colonial relationship that places France at the centre of the globe. One of the pernicious effects of such an organization
is how the francophonie label prepares readers to approach the text as a sociological tract or an opportunity for literary tourism. This article focuses on this last problem: how can one shift the way that readers approach a text? In analyzing Ernest Ppin's L'Envers du dcor (2006),
it suggests that Ppin offers one path for the transformation of tourists and by extension, of readers. Informed by douard Glissant's theorization of la potique de la Relation (1990), this reading of Ppin develops a theory of the conversation as a means of answering the question posed
implicitly in the littrature-monde manifesto, transforming the relationship between readers and texts within the French literary sphere.
Listening to Ralph Ellison's music: Farida Belghoul and the question of invisibility
Authors: Talahite-Moodley Anissa
Published: February 2010

Farida Belghoul's use of Ralph Ellison's notion of invisibility, in her novelGeorgette!(Belghoul 1986) is an example of the ways in which migrant literature in France is part oflittrature-mondeby engaging in a dialogue with other literatures (in this case an African-American author) beyond the French or Francophone context. This article focuses on the ways in which Belghoul inGeorgette!uses Ellison's method to translate into fictional form the historical invisibility of the subject constructed as racialized other. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which the relationship between the written word and the history of slavery and colonialism is given new interpretations inInvisible Man(Ellison 1952 1995) and inGeorgette!. Belghoul draws on Ellison's method by challenging the constructed border between textuality and orality. Her novel engages the reader in a dynamic relationship with the literary text by prioritizing at times orality, and visual representations that question written texts as fixed and permanent manifestations. Thus, Ellison's poetics of invisibility enable Belghoul to reconsider language, nation and culture as notions to be reconstructed and reinvented. This process points to the possibilities of fruitful exchanges and dialogues between writers from distinct linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions who have in common a history of domination and alienation.
Cercles francophones et franais lingua franca: pour une francophonie liquide
Authors: Johansson Marjut , Dervin Fred
Published: February 2010

The concept of francophonia tends to remain homogeneous and fixed in official and day-to-day parlance. Non-native speakers of French who live outside the geographic French-speaking world(s) and who use the language on a daily basis (often with other non-native speakers) are not systematically
included in the notion of Francophonia. This article suggests a new perspective on francophonia, the third circle, which is based on extraterritoriality, instability and liquid identification in interaction. A deconstruction of discourses on Francophonia, the solid native speaker and francophone
culture will provide the basis for a definition of liquid francophonia.
La littrature-monde en franais: mlancolie ou illusion?
Authors: Laroussi Farid
Published: February 2010

In recent years world-literature in French has been heading towards a melancholic place. One reason may be that literature as cultural institution in France is slowly fading into less relevant forms that promote identity or even what the body politic refers to as national essence. Is
it possible to acknowledge Francophone literature without its historical and theoretical frames? Is it condemned to continue to look back while making headways? Any scholar would be under the impression that France finds itself caught between its past and the stakes of globalization. Not surprisingly
the French language has become more disseminated just like the old French Franc that has dissolved into the Euro zone. This uneasiness stands at the core of any study if only because literary production and reception have been growing apart. The clear distinction between the standing of Francophone
studies in North America and in France is a point in case. As for postcolonial theories and discourse, one can only point to their limitations when it comes to addressing world-literature in French. It seems that cultural hegemony has replaced the old economic patterns. One implications of
world-literature in French is to set the discourse back on values rather than on institutions.
Francophonie and universality: the ideological challenges of littrature-monde
Authors: Dutton Jacqueline
Published: February 2010

This article examines the ideological challenges to francophonie and universality initially raised in the Pour une littrature-monde en franais (2007) manifesto and elaborated further by the contributing authors to the accompanying volume of essays. The multiple perspectives and modes
of expression that emanate from a wide range of writers constitute a cohesive unit defending a common cause equality and diversity in French language literatures. Yet this polyphony of voices from within the littrature-monde movement represents its most powerful provocation, defying
a uniform approach to the argument and instead reinventing francophonie and universality with a series of different propositions. By exploring how the boundaries and constraints of the institutionalized interpretations of francophonie and universality are stretched and modified by these writers,
it may be possible to determine whether littrature-monde can effectively circumvent or overcome obstacles to inclusion for all writers of French language literatures.
Littrature-monde: hospitality in/and the Tower of Babel
Authors: Babana-Hampton Safoi
Published: February 2010

This article proposes a reading of the Manifeste pour une littrature-monde en franais and the book version of it as a Babelian event, in order to discern the underlying assumptions of the authors' definition of littrature-monde. Central to this analysis is the recognition and exploration
of the problematic use of the term monde and its qualifier en franais. The critical potential of the manifesto is explored and the limitations of its rhetoric are noted. It is proposed that as a Babelian text, the manifesto contains the germs of promoting a culture of literary dialogue overriding
the dominant rhetoric of death of an old literary order in which it is couched, inspired by Jacques Derrida's view of hospitality.
Book Reviews
Authors: Aitsiselmi Farid , Beauquis Corinne , Brning Angela , Narbona Inmaculada Daz , Forsdick Charles , Frith Nicki , Gyssels Kathleen , Knepper Wendy , Matzke Christine , Oktapoda Efstratia , Poole Sara , Tarr Carrie
Published: February 2010

Transition and Development in Algeria: economic, social and Cultural Challenges, Margaret Majumdar and Mohammed Saad (2005) Bristol: Intellect books, 192 pp., ISBN 9781841500744, Paperback, 19.95
Traduction et enjeux identitaires dans le contexte des Amriques,
(ed.) Louis Jolicur (2007) Qubec: Presses de l'Universit Laval, 194 pp., ISBN 978-2-7637-8547-9, Paperback, $30
Signs of Dissent: Maryse Cond and Postcolonial Criticism, Dawn Fulton (2008) Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 190 pp., ISBN 978-0-8139-2715-2,
Paperback, $20
criture en transhumance entre Maghreb et Afrique subsaharienne. Littrature, oralit, arts visuels, Hlne Tissires (2007) Paris: L'Harmattan, 293 pp., ISBN 978-2-296-02794-7, Paperback, 27.50
The Fanon Reader, Azzedine Haddour (ed.), (2006)
London: Pluto Press, xxv 206 pp., ISBN 0-7453-1560-7, Paperback, 16.99
The French Atlantic Triangle: Literature and Culture of the Slave Trade, Christopher L. Miller (2008) Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 571 pp., ISBN 978-0-8223-4151-2, Paperback, $27.95
Simone
Schwarz-Bart dans la potique du rel merveilleux. Essai sur l'imaginaire antillais, Mariella Aita (2008) Paris: L'Harmattan, 278 pp., ISBN: 9-782296 070059, Paperback, 26.50
The Black Renaissance in Francophone African and Caribbean Literatures, K. Martial Frindthi (2008)
Jefferson and London: McFarland, 209 pp., ISBN 978-0-7864-3663-7, Paperback, 34.50
Im Auge des Gesetzes: Kriminalromane aus dem frankophonen Afrika sdlich der Sahara Gattungskonventionen und Gewaltlegitimation, Katja Meintel (2008) Aachen: Shaker, 264 pp., ISBN 978-3-8322-5830-6,
Paperback, 45.80; PDF download at www.shaker.de, 4.58
Songes briss; Paroles clates; Le blanc de la parole, Najib Redouane, Posies (2008) Montral:
Les ditions du Marais, trois volumes, 66 pp., ISBN 978-2-9809859-4-2 (pbk), 66 pp., ISBN 978-2-9809859-3-5 (pbk), 65 pp., ISBN 978-2-923721-00-2 (pbk), $15 CAD
On Evelyne Accad. Essays in Literature, Feminism, and Cultural Studies, Cheryl Toman (ed.), (2007) Birmingham,
Alabama: Summa Publications, 420 pp., ISBN 978-1-883479-53-4, Hardback, $58 US

Remembering the (Post) Colonial Self. Memory and Identity in the Novels of Assia Djebar, Jenny Murray (2008) Oxford/Bern/Berlin/Bruxelles/Frankfurt am Main/New York/Wien: Peter Lang,
258 pp., ISBN 978-3-03911-367-5, Paperback, 31
Algeria Cuts. Women and Representation, 1830 to the present, Ranjana Khanna (2008) Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 301 pp., ISBN 978-0-8047-5262-6 (pbk), 17.50
Tensile shear strength of UF- and MUF-bonded veneer related to data of adhesives and cell walls measured by nanoindentation
Authors: Stöckel Frank , Konnerth Johannes , Kantner Wolfgang , Moser Johann , Gindl Wolfgang
Published: February 2010

The tensile shear strength of veneer lap joints was characterised. The joints were produced with an Automated Bonding Evaluation System (ABES) using urea-formaldehyde (UF) as well as melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) adhesive formulated for particleboard production. At a fixed heating temperature of 110°C, a systematic increase in bond strength was observed for both adhesives with increasing cure time. The absolute bond strength was significantly higher for MUF compared to UF. Nanoindentation experiments with the same specimens used for ABES revealed a very hard, stiff and brittle character of the UF resin, whereas the MUF proved significantly less hard and stiff, and less brit-tle. Wood cell walls in contact with adhesive, i.e., where adhesive penetration into the cell wall was assumed, showed significantly altered mechanical properties. Such cell walls were harder, stiffer and more brittle than unaffected reference cell walls. These effects were slightly more pronounced for UF than for MUF. Comparing UF and MUF, the micro-mechanical properties of cured adhesive and interphase cell walls confirm earlier observations that tougher adhesives can lead to higher macroscopic bond strength. In strong contrast to that, no obvious correlation was found between micromechanical properties and the strong cure time dependence of macroscopic bond strength.