bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Everything and at once
Authors: Hrinchuk Serhiy
Published: October 2007

The commander of the Kiev Regional Command of the UNSD and religious affairs advisor to the UNA, in conversation with Bohdan Vivchar, gives an insight into the workings of the UNSD and UNA and the principles behind its involvement in the Transdnistria conflict
End of a Multicultural World
Authors: Klaic Dragan
Published: October 2007

Preoccupation with the horrors of mass suffering and destruction in one-time Yugoslavia obscures the role of culture and intellectuals in the development and escalation of a vicious civil war. The old Communist leaders, the federal military, a jingoistic and chauvinist media, nationalist fanatics and a supine international community share responsibility for the explosion in former Yugoslavia. Its intellectuals, too, have much to answer for
Close-up of death
Authors: Drakulic Slavenka
Published: October 2007

In the name of memory, and that it shall never happen again, TV cameras invite their audience to participate in their necrophiliac obsession with death and atrocity
New order, same faces, same voices
Authors: Hillen Sean
Published: October 2007

It looks like democracy, claims liberal credentials, but the magic of the market is all an illusion in the closed circuit of Bucharest's media
Writers without a market
Authors: Molnar Michael
Published: October 2007

Economic samizdat and Agatha Christie have driven the avant-garde to the photocopier
Final departure
Authors: Aygi Gennady
Published: October 2007

Wallenberg in Budapest: 1988
Street wise, post literate and running wild
Authors: Novikov Denis
Published: October 2007

Irena Maryniak talks to Denis Novikov, one of Russia's younger poets, who mourns the passing of Russian literature.
Why they said 'No!'
Authors: Elsie Robert
Published: October 2007

After six centuries of tyranny, dictatorship and oppression, Albanians are finding democratic reform a slow and painful business
Media
Authors: Pope Nicole
Published: October 2007

There is no official state censorship of the press in Turkey. Newspapers discover they have overstepped the mark only when called to the courts. The constitution and anti-terrorist laws leave ample room for restrictive interpretation.
Politics or culture
Authors: Çetinkaya Yalcin
Published: October 2007

The secular, modernising Republic of Turkey kicked out Islam along with the Sultan. Growing numbers of Turks are now demanding the return of their lost religious heritage and identity
Making waves
Authors: Carver Richard , Maja-Pearce Adewale
Published: October 2007

In a continent with relatively low rates of literacy, radio is the most effective means of communication. At a time when democracy is putting down tentative roots in Africa, this report looks at the independent radio stations which have emerged over the last 15 years, and examines the extent to which they have contributed to the plurality of voices within their respective countries
Karachi kills me
Authors: McAulay Nicholas
Published: October 2007

A growing number of human rights reports highlight Pakistan's descent into uncontrollable civil violence
Democracy courtesy Thomas Cook
Authors: Foley Michael
Published: October 2007

Eight hundred international observers pronounced the Palestinians' first election 'free and fair', but the media failed to come up to scratch
Chechen warning
Authors: Bukovski Vladimir , Cohn-Bendit Daniel , Glucksmann André , Milosz Czestaw , Schneider Peter , Sontag Susan , Turowicz Jerzy
Published: October 2007

Seek not to know for whom the Chechen bell tolls write a number of correspondents in an open letter to Le Monde that taxes the international community with its pusillanimity on the war in Chechnya
Lament for Beirut
Authors: Hakim Carol
Published: October 2007

Fifteen years of civil war cost Lebanon its pre-eminent position in Arab journalism
Editorial and military censors
Authors: Sela Michal , Black Ian
Published: October 2007

Concentration of ownership is the main threat to Israel's once vibrant and combative press
Arafat's law
Authors: Hussari Ruba
Published: October 2007

Since Arafat's return to Gaza and Jericho in May 1994, arrests of journalists, detention without trial, and the closures of newspapers have created an atmosphere of fear in which self-censorship and silence flourish
The laws of literacy
Authors: Chakava Henry M
Published: October 2007

In spite of the lack of state support, Kenya boasts the largest and fastest growing publishing industry in East Africa
Tracing the limits
Authors: Butalia Urvashi
Published: October 2007

Sex, religion — but above all maps — are taxing the Indian censor
Health warnings
Authors: Walsh Lynne
Published: October 2007

Sex education is part of the school curriculum in the UK but attempts to publish teaching material that goes beyond the birds and the bees have had a chequered career
Portrait of a year
Authors: Moorehead Caroline
Published: October 2007

Once again, as the human rights organisations deliver their annual reports for 1995, they tell a grim tale of abuse, violation and murder
The long arm of commerce
Authors: Hilton Isabel
Published: October 2007

Faced with western competition for the lucrative China trade, human rights organisations are hard pressed to get their Chinese motion through the Geneva session of the UN Human Rights Commission
The end of a heritage
Authors: Foley Michael
Published: October 2007

The Republic of Ireland sheds Its culture of secrecy, but Journalists fear they will be left out In the cold
Why we're not voting Communist
Authors:   Members of the KGB reserve
Published: October 2007

They served It well In their time, but the members of the old KGB know too much of the Inner terror of the Party to give Its new-style leaders a second chance
Old griefs revisited
Authors: Kovalev Sergei
Published: October 2007

In Russia today, human rights is a political and legal issue. The future of democracy depends on their being given priority
A vote for nostalgia
Authors: Havel Václav
Published: October 2007

Throughout eastern Europe, the Communists are on the return. Not in itself a cause for anxiety, says the president of the Czech Republic, more a matter of nostalgia, a proper democratic desire for change engendered by the harsh transition to the market
Uncensored and unashamed
Authors: Kimball Roger
Published: October 2007

The Idea that art, or any other form of expression, is censored in the USA today is preposterous. In testing the limits of free expression, artists have trivialised not only art but the freedom in whose name it was created
Photography on trial
Authors: Adler Amy
Published: October 2007

Public anxiety over sexual expresslon has reached an unprecedented peak. Portrayal of chlldhood sexuality Is at the centre of the debate
Megaphones for the dispossessed
Authors: Lucie-Smith Edward
Published: October 2007

'An awful lot of what was introduced in a kind of anti-establishment spirit has — such is the irony of things — found its way into the highest precincts of contemporary high art, as if co-operation were irresistible, and the art world, like the commercial world, feeds and flourishes on what was intended to call it in question and overthrow it.' Arthur C Danto in 'Bad Aesthetic Times' from Encounters and Reflections: Art in the Historical Present, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 1990)
Kingdom for a horse
Authors: Culic Marinko
Published: October 2007

Croatian President Franjo Tudjman proposes to bring together the bones of victims and their torturers in a joint memorial' on the site of their World War II concentration camp. For denouncing this latest 'symbol of reconciliation', Marinko Culic and the editor of Feral Tribune were sued for 'defamation of the President'. Their case has been deferred until 25 September
Time for change
Authors: Tantawi Mohammed Sayed
Published: October 2007

After 10 years as Egyptian state mufti, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi was appointed Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar mosque on 27 March. During his tenure as mufti, Tantawi, 68, advanced a liberal interpretation of Islam that was applauded by some but opposed by others, mainly conservative scholars at the 1,000-year-old Al-Azhar. In the following interview with Amira Howeldy of A1 Ahram , Sheikh Tantawi spells out his position on a number of controversial issues. Commentators, including Nasr Abu Zaid, are optimistic that his appointment to the country's most influential Islamic institution may ameliorate some of its more pressing problems
Less cash, more troubles
Authors: Springborg Robert
Published: October 2007

There is too much at stake for the government to reform the economy or cut back on public spending. But economic stagnation and a corresponding loss of influence could be the spur to political change
The virtuous circle
Authors: Ware John
Published: October 2007

Saudi's criminal Justice system is in the hands of Allah. There can, therefore, be no miscarriages
Mirage in the desert
Authors: Al-Rasheed Madawi
Published: October 2007

One unusual consequence of the Gulf War, In a country that derives its legitimacy solely from Islam, was the emergence of a much strengthened Islamist opposition. The post-war crisis of legitimacy among the ruling group raised serious questions on their right to govern after having mismanaged the economy and overspent on an inefficient defence system. And, once the war was over, the government had to face the Islamist challenge without Its economic weapons
The power behind the veil
Authors: Yamani Mai
Published: October 2007

Socially and politically excluded, women are finding the means of changing their situation in the application of their wealth
Menacing normality
Authors: Pinckney Darryl
Published: October 2007

Extremism is built into the very heart of America's dearest institutions — the Constitution, the Union and the Church. It is the extremes of the mainstream we have most to fear
War to the last
Authors: Zitouni Djamal
Published: October 2007

The first known policy statement from Algeria's Armed Islamic Groups offers no quarter to the enemies of Islam
Afghan cockpit
Authors: Simpson John
Published: October 2007

The Taliban are the most extreme Islamist movement in the world. Their attempt to overthrow Kabul's Islamic government has reduced the country to rubble
Encounter with the devils
Authors: Toer Pramoedya Ananta
Published: October 2007

More than three hundred years ago the nutmeg groves of Buru Island were burnt by the soldiers of the Dutch East Indies Trading Company. Fruit dissolved to ash; seeds, carried away by the wind, landed on barren earth. A savanna formed and the island's nutmeg trade was wiped out forever. Forced to leave their coastal settlements, the island's inhabitants were gradually absorbed in the embrace of the forest. They became hunters and gatherers; their only farming implement, a kind of spear used to poke holes in the soil. Arab traders who visited the island called these people 'Alfuru,' 'the people of the interior.'

Over the course of three and a half centuries little changed on this island. It was a stagnant world of malaria, filariasis, tiling ringworm, parasites and tuberculosis, a continuum of intertribal warfare and intervillage disputes. And then there came a most historic time, August 1969, when Buru Island became a prison camp for more than 10 thousand political prisoners.
Interviews: Georgia on my mind
Authors: Merabishvili Ivane
Published: October 2007

Many see southern Georgia as a potential flashpoint. A Georgian journalist talks to some of its people
Notes of an accused man
Authors: Akhmedov Ayaz
Published: October 2007

Ayaz Akhmedov, editor of the satirical newspaper Cheshma (Spring) was put on trial in Baku from 3-19 October 1995 with three other journalists. He was found guilty under article 188-6 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic — 'Insulting the honour and dignity of the president of the republic through the mass media' — and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. On 11 November of the same year he was pardoned and released from custody by decree of President Heydar Aliyev
Profile of a high stakes roller
Authors: Mabro Nevine
Published: October 2007

The rise of the Union Oil Company of Californla from bit player to big gambler In the energy game Is one of the more Intriguing developments on the global scene
You're not alone; The hearing
Authors: Maraşli Recep
Published: October 2007

Recep Maraşli, now 41 years old, is one of the most eminent and scholarly activists for the Kurdish cause. He was first imprisoned at the age of 16 for his newspaper articles; he subsequently became publisher of the periodical Komal , which focuses on the Turkish Kurdish community. In 1982 he was sentenced to 36 years' imprisonment, but was released in 1991 on condition that he did not 'reoffend'; he has since been rearrested. He is at present on trial for alleged membership of PRK-Rizgari, a pro-Kurdish group. These two poems are written in Turkish, though Maraşli is Kurdish.
Myths, lies and the royals
Authors: Hird Christopher
Published: October 2007

In Britain, we are not able to read of royal pecadilloes in Kitty Kelley's latest kiss-and-tell-all, The Royals. The UK media and publishers have seen to that. With the deference that has characterised its relationship with the crown since time immemorial, the press has conspired to belittle and diminish a book that undermines long held establishment shibboleths. In the interest of public debate on a subject long kept under wraps, and with no need for unsubstantiated gossip or the more malicious tittle-tattle of the streets, Index shows another side of the story.
Time for a byte of privacy please
Authors: Davies Simon
Published: October 2007

Digital technologies - like video cameras, DNA profiling, satellite surveillance, police systems and credit reporting agencies to name but a few - have created the potential for invasions of privacy and rights on a scale that could scarcely have been imagined even 20 years ago - and the threat to everyone's privacy increases daily
A thrice-partitioned history
Authors: Kabeer Naila
Published: October 2007

The partition of a nation is generally accompanied by the simultaneous evocation of notions of identity as the basis of its separate components, and of difference to rationalise their separation
The march of Vishnu
Authors: Triparthi Salil
Published: October 2007

A new wave of Hindu nationalism with its intolerant demand for a return to a remote and mythical 'golden age' of Hindu dominance is threatening all who stand in its way
Partition as exile
Authors: Chaudhuri Amit
Published: October 2007

The story of Partition does not stop in 1947: it is not the story of a moment but the story of exile, movement and resettlement; an agonised transition from old to new that presages the preoccupations that have come to dominate the latter half of this century
Reinventing partition
Authors: O'Farrell John
Published: October 2007

Politically, the partition of Ireland has been a dismal failure; culturally it has succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of its instigators
Grave matters
Authors: Rich Vera
Published: October 2007

A quarrel over the dead has exhumed the 'floozy of history' in the Eastern Marches
Another year over
Authors: Petley Julian
Published: October 2007

And deeper in trouble. Censorship is out; financial pressures, over-cautious and bureaucratic managements, hostile newspapers and the spectre of costly and unpleasant legal action constitute the pressures which throughout 1997 threatened to neuter British TV
What future for the Roma? An outsider's view
Authors: Biro Andras
Published: October 2007

'The Romani population occupies a peculiar position. Despite its distinctly visible ethnicity, It has no political entity and no territory of its own' (Andrzej Mirga & Nlcolae Gheorghe)
True Europeans
Authors: Grass Günter
Published: October 2007

The German Nobel Prize winner explains why he started his Roma Foundation in 1997
Balkan triptych
Authors: Galjus Orhan
Published: October 2007

As in Bosnia, Kosovo's Roma are the third party caught in the crossfire of other people's wars
Showdown
Authors: Mobasser Nilou
Published: October 2007

Iran's new President, Mohamad Khatami, campaigned on a free expression platform and came to power in a surprise election victory on 23 May last year with an overwhelming mandate from the people. The press, writers and artists - as well as the 70 per cent of the population under 20 - breathed deep of the air of freedom that swept through the stifling atmosphere of the fundamentalist regime. On the first anniversary of Khatami's election, the regime struck back, seeking once again to stifle debate - and to regain control of the country's future
Appleby Horse Fair
Authors: Law Barrie
Published: October 2007

Ever since its establishment in 1685 the Appleby Fair has attracted Roma horse traders. Now it is the last great Gypsy gathering in England
Brussels spouts
Authors: Walker Martin
Published: October 2007

Information overload, the exigencies of reporting on national interests, and the EU's reluctance to lift the curtain on its activities precludes most serious investigative Journalism in the European capital
Murdering the future
Authors: O'Farrell John
Published: October 2007

The bombs In Ballymoney and Omagh were designed to wreck forever the hope of peace in Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement was the target of a minority on both sides who voted 'No' to peace and 'Yes' to the destructive violence into which they are locked. The bombs backfired: by targeting children, the paramilitary on both sides not only murdered the future in a literal sense, they sealed their own fates as those who had marked 'Yes' on a ballot paper found the courage in grief to stand up and make their voices heard
Parades and power
Authors: Bryan Dominic , Jarman Neil
Published: October 2007

Whenever political change in the north threatens their centuries-old hegemony, the protestant marching season takes on a special significance. This year's Orange parades marched to confrontation to the fading tune of a dying order
Smashed Hits
Authors: Petley Julian
Published: October 2007

Though its trials are less monitored and recorded, music is no less subject to censorship than other forms of artistic expression, and the methods are much the same. These run the usual gamut from killing or imprisonment to banning the works themselves, and thence into that nebulous domain in which 'taste' and market forces are the engines of restriction.
Bad as bad can be
Authors: Lewis Miles Marshall
Published: October 2007

'You better swing, batter, batter, swing/'Cause once you get your third felony/Yeah, 50 years you gotta bring/It's a deadly game of baseball/So when they try to pull you over/Shoot 'em in the face, y'all.' ('Deadly Game' C-Bo)
A world of lost music
Authors: Malm Krister
Published: October 2007

Throughout Africa, musicians have been trapped in bondage by a combination of national cultural policies, poverty and exploitative businessmen. In the case of Patrick Balisidaya of Tanzania, it was the government who played exploiter
Silent Spring
Authors: Akhavan Hengameh
Published: October 2007

As usual in Iran, it's the women who are at the sharp end of musical censorship
The Last Empire
Authors: Griffin Michael
Published: October 2007

Portugal's 500-year empire comes to an end on 20 December 1999 with the return of Macau to China. Index looks at the legacy of 'Lusophonia', the archipelago of language and culture that embraces Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and East Timor
A celebration in waiting
Authors: Couto Mia
Published: October 2007

They may share a common language, but Portugal's erstwhile colonial subjects are still waiting for recognition of their rightful place in the history of the 'Discoveries'
Give us back our torture house
Authors: Boal Augusto
Published: October 2007

In a successful plea to the Rio Chamber of Deputies, Brazil's most famous agit-prop dramatist called for the conservation of the apparatus of torment
There's no beating that devil
Authors: Ibrahim Sonallah , Porteous Rebecca
Published: October 2007

For a prisoner, every victory is a great victory, and where books are prohibited, every book is a great book
Marsh's Library
Authors: Foley Michael
Published: October 2007

In 1701 Dublin was a 'lewd and debauched' town with nowhere to sit down and read. Archbishop Marsh's gift remedied at least the second complaint
Books for the hungry
Authors: Lessing Doris
Published: October 2007

Even in the simplest surroundings, books and the learning they bring are the staff of life
A skewed Utopia
Authors: Mcgee Brian
Published: October 2007

Cuba's National Library is not quite what it seems: mysteriously absent titles and a surfeit of exemplary works by the leader reflect the anxieties of the revolution
Dear Mr President
Authors: Curuvija Slavko
Published: October 2007

Slavko Curuvija, editor of Dnevni Telegraf (Daily Telegraph) was one of the regime's own. Until he stepped out of line, first with a swingeing criticism of Milosevic's 10-year rule in his weekly Evropljanin (The European), followed by an exposé of corruption in his wife's Yugoslav United Front Party. This was lèse-majesté and could no longer be tolerated. Already sentenced - thought not yet imprisoned - for the latter, Curuvija was assassinated on 11 April. The excerpt below is from his 'Open Letter' to Milosevic published in Dnevni Telegraf on 19 October 1998
Ataturk's Children
Authors: Hutchings Roger
Published: October 2007

'There are no such people as Kurds,' said Turkey's founding father, Kemal Ataturk. The Turkish government and army hold to that today, and another of Europe's most ancient peoples suffers the consequences
A race apart
Authors: Kohn Marek
Published: October 2007

Media controversy and campus unrest typically attend race scientists' pronouncements — but is this censorship?
Paper tigers
Authors: Tripathi Saul
Published: October 2007

They called them 'tigers' and marvelled at their phenomenal growth rates. They became the model for less prosperous places and 'Asian values' - the authoritarian ruler's answer to democracy and human rights - were lauded as the route to success. But now the edifice is crumbling and, for the first time in a generation, the citizens of East Asia are getting a reminder of what poverty and deprivation are all about - and are making their dissatisfaction felt
The right to buy
Authors: Walt Vivienne
Published: October 2007

Will China's 'little emperor' generation break away from the one-child rule?
The language of the future
Authors: Tudge Colin
Published: October 2007

Science may have some big questions but, despite the hype, it doesn't yet have the big answers
Better the devil
Authors: Sterling Bruce , Weldon Fay , Phillips Adam , Fisher Frank
Published: October 2007

The future, in the shape of cloning and genetic engineering, is already with us. But society and government have yet to address the difficult moral choices it imposes. Index asked a number of writers to leap beyond the everyday, and speculate on the future
Best-kept secret
Authors: Mogale Nthabiseng
Published: October 2007

South African women are living on the front-line of a war in which one of them is raped every 12 seconds. It wasn't like that before black rule, the whites say. Or was it?
White pebble, black shoe
Authors: Du Preez Max
Published: October 2007

Proximity to power can be a dangerous thing, particularly for good journalism
What's the difference between a Kurd and a Kosovar?
Authors: Nezan Kendal , Vidal-Hall Judith
Published: October 2007

Turkey's Kurds ask why they have not benefited from the same international humanitarian concern as the Kosovo Albanians
Enemy of the people
Authors: Griffin Michael
Published: October 2007

You'll find a welcome in the Falkland Islands these days — just as long as you don't get too interested in the penguins
In Dublin's fair city
Authors: Foley Michael
Published: October 2007

The surprise banning of a Dublin listings magazine has raised a number of questions, chief among them: why does Ireland still have a Censorship of Publications Board?
Dangerous ground
Authors: Roy Olivier , Vidal-Hall Judith
Published: October 2007

The USSR's Afghanistan foray exposed its military weakness and accelerated political instability
You say you want a revolution
Authors: Ellison Chris
Published: October 2007

In the last decade few things have had more impact on our lives than Information Technology - but does upheaval amount to revolution?
Sale of the decade
Authors: Morgan Peter
Published: October 2007

Despots eventually die, but their treasures outlive them and may raise a little cash for the countries they have bankrupted
Communicating fear
Authors: Thompson Mark
Published: October 2007

The role of the media in forging war in former Yugoslavia was more complex than is often argued
How Far Can Ki‐Energy Reach?—A Hypothetical Mechanism for the Generation and Transmission of Ki‐Energy
Authors: Ohnishi S. Tsuyoshi , Ohnishi Tomoko
Published: October 2007

‘Ki‐energy’, which can be enhanced through the practice of Nishino Breathing Method, was reported to have beneficial health effects. Although Ki‐energy can play an important role in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as yet it is unknown how Ki‐energy is generated, transmitted through air and received by another individual. We previously proposed that Ki‐energy may include near‐infrared radiation, and that the wavelength was between 800 and 2700 nm. Since Ki‐energy is reflected by a mirror, we believe that the ‘Ki‐beam’ has a small divergence angle. It can also be guided in a desired direction. The acrylic mirror reflection experiment suggests that the wavelength may be between 800 and 1600 nm. Using a linear variable interference filter, we found that Ki‐energy may have a peak around 1000 nm. We have also observed that ‘sensitive’ practitioners responded to Ki sent from a distance of 100 m. All of these results suggest that (i) Ki‐energy can be guided as a directional ‘beam’ with a small divergence angle; (ii) the beam can be reflected by a mirror and (iii) Ki‐energy may have a specific wavelength. Since these properties are characteristics of the laser radiation, we propose a quantum physics‐based mechanism of ‘Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation’ (i.e. LASER) for the generation of Ki‐energy. Volunteers responded to Ki even with a blindfold. This suggests that the skin must be detecting Ki‐energy. We propose that the detector at the skin level may also have the stimulated emission mechanism, which amplifies the weak incident infrared radiation.
Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) Extract and its Active Constituents (Crocin and Safranal) on Ischemia‐Reperfusion in Rat Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Hossein , Modaghegh Mohammad Hadi , Saffari Zahra
Published: October 2007

Saffron and its constituents have been shown to decrease ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury in kidney or brain tissues. In this study, the effects of saffron ethanolic extract and its constituents, crocin and safranal, were evaluated in skeletal muscle during I/R injury. Hind limb ischemia was induced using clamping the common femoral artery and vein. After 2 h ischemia, the clamp of the femoral vessels of animals was taken off and the animal underwent 1h reperfusion. Muscle injuries were evaluated by recording of the electromyographic (EMG) potentials and performing some biochemical analysis including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total sulfhydryl (SH) groups and antioxidant capacity of muscle (using FRAP assay). The ethanolic extract of saffron (5, 20 and 80 mg kg−1), crocin (50, 200 and 400 mg kg−1), safranal (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 ml kg−1) and normal saline (10 ml kg−1) were administered intraperitoneally 1 h prior reperfusion. The average peak‐to‐peak amplitude during I/R was significantly increased in extract, crocin and safranal groups in comparison with control‐ischemic group. Following saffron, crocin and safranal administration, the total SH contents and antioxidant capacity were elevated in muscle flap. The MDA level was declined significantly in test groups. It is concluded that saffron extract and its constituents show a protective effect against lower limb I/R in rat.
Orthosiphon versus Placebo in Nephrolithiasis with Multiple Chronic Complaints: A Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Premgamone Amorn , Sriboonlue Pote , Maskasem Srinoi , Ditsataporncharoen Wattana , Jindawong Bungornsri
Published: October 2007

Nephrolithiasis in the communities of Northeast Thailand frequently presents with multiple chronic health complaints, i.e. myofascial pain, back pain, dyspepsia, arthralgia, headache, fatigue, frank paresthesia, dysuria and any of these aggravated by purine‐rich food (PRF). We assessed the efficacy of Orthosiphon in treating subjects with at least two active symptoms and negative for urine white blood cells. Subjects were randomly allocated to two groups. Crude extract of Orthosiphon given in a capsule (equivalent to 1.6–1.8 g of dried leaves of Orthosiphon) two times a day to Group 1 (n = 36) and a placebo to Group 2 (n = 40) for 14 days. The medication for each subject was packed and its code kept secret until the data analysis. Both groups were asked not to consume any of 25 purine‐rich foods (PRFs) during treatment. The primary measure was the reduced sum of active severity symptoms as recorded using the visual analog scale before and after therapy (i.e. on day 7 and 14). The data on 76 subjects were processed. The mean of the total scores (95% CI) of the symptoms in each group were decreased significantly (P < 0.001); 185.6 (153.3, 218.0) to 94.7 (58.2, 131.2) in the Orthosiphon group and 196.1 (164.4, 227.8) to 89.6 (62.8, 116.5) in the placebo group. When comparing between groups, no statistically significant difference was found. The mean consumption in PRFs was significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in both groups; however, Orthosiphon did not have additional benefit over placebo at 7 and 14 days of treatment during which they reduced these foods.
Antiviral Activity of Some Plants Used in Nepalese Traditional Medicine
Authors: Rajbhandari M. , Mentel R. , Jha P. K. , Chaudhary R. P. , Bhattarai S. , Gewali M. B. , Karmacharya N. , Hipper M. , Lindequist U.
Published: October 2007

Methanolic extracts of 41 plant species belonging to 27 families used in the traditional medicine in Nepal have been investigated for in vitro antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) and influenza virus A by dye uptake assay in the systems HSV‐1/Vero cells and influenza virus A/MDCK cells. The extracts of Astilbe rivularis, Bergenia ciliata, Cassiope fastigiata and Thymus linearis showed potent anti‐herpes viral activity. The extracts of Allium oreoprasum, Androsace strigilosa, Asparagus filicinus, Astilbe rivularis, Bergenia ciliata and Verbascum thapsus exhibited strong anti‐influenza viral activity. Only the extracts of A. rivularis and B. ciliata demonstrated remarkable activity against both viruses.
Retraction: Blockage of intracellular proton extrusion with proton pump inhibitor induces apoptosis in gastric cancer
Authors: Yeo Marie , Kim Dong‐Kyu , Park Hee Jin , Cho Sung Won , Cheong Jae Youn , Lee Kwang Jae
Published: October 2007

The following article fromCancer Science, ‘Blockage of intracellular proton extrusion with proton pump inhibitor induces apoptosis in gastric cancer’ by Marie Yeo, Dong‐Kyu Kim, Hee Jin Park, Sung Won Cho, Jae Youn Cheong and Kwang Jae Lee (doi: 10.1111/j.1349‐7006.2007.00642.x), published online on 23 October 2007 on Blackwell Synergy (http://www.blackwell‐synergy.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Takashi Tsuruo, and Blackwell Publishing. All authors wish to retract this paper because of the use of RGM‐1 without the prior permission of the original establisher.

Proton pump inhibitors have been used for treatment of acid‐related gastroesophageal diseases and they act as potent inhibitors of gastric acid pump, H+/K+‐ATPase. Since cancer cellsin vivooften exist in an ischemic microenvironment with a lower pH, maintenance of cellular pH is important for cell survival. In this study, we evaluated whether blocking of proton extrusion with proton pump inhibitors could inhibit the viability of gastric cancer cells. Treatment of human gastric cancer cells with proton pump inhibitors significantly attenuated cell viability in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. The pro‐apoptotic activity of proton pump inhibitors was mediated by release of cytochrome c and caspases activation. Gastric cancer cells showed the resistance to acidity of culture medium, which was related with a remarkable increase of extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation in the acidic condition. This ERK1/2 phosphorylation was completely inhibited by pretreatment with proton pump inhibitors, suggesting that its inhibitory action on phosphorylation of ERK1/2 might contribute to the induction of apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. In conclusion, our results suggest novel therapeutic approaches for gastric cancer with proton pump inhibitors. (Cancer Sci2008; 99: 185–185)
The prevalence of postoperative pain and flare‐up in single‐ and multiple‐visit endodontic treatment: a systematic review
Authors: Sathorn C. , Parashos P. , Messer H.
Published: October 2007

Aim  The aim of this systematic review was to assess the evidence regarding postoperative pain and flare‐up of single‐ or multiple‐visit root canal treatment.

Methodology  CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched. Reference lists from identified articles were scanned. A forward search was undertaken on the authors of the identified articles. Papers that had cited these articles were also identified through Science Citation Index to identify potentially relevant subsequent primary research.

Review methods  The included clinical studies compared the prevalence/severity of postoperative pain or flare‐up in single‐ and multiple‐visit root canal treatment. Data in those studies were extracted independently.

Results  Sixteen studies fitted the inclusion criteria in the review, with sample size varying from 60 to 1012 cases. The prevalence of postoperative pain ranged from 3% to 58%. The heterogeneity amongst included studies was far too great to conduct meta‐analysis and yield meaningful results.

Conclusion  Compelling evidence indicating a significantly different prevalence of postoperative pain/flare‐up of either single‐ or multiple‐visit root canal treatment is lacking.
Species richness in Madeiran land snails, and its causes
Authors: Cook Laurence M.
Published: October 2007

Aim To unravel the reasons why a group of islands of 800 km2area should support over 200 extant land snail species.

Location The temperate Atlantic Madeiran archipelago.

Methods Distributional surveys and model testing.

Results Repeated volcanic events have changed the topography of the islands and created periodic further isolates. There has been climatic fluctuation and varying sea level. Individual locations are not species‐rich, but there is replacement from one subregion to another. Evidence of competitive interactions is lacking.

Main conclusions High diversity results from the fortuitous coincidence of rates of geological and climatic change and isolation on the one hand, and migration and genetic divergence on the other. Hubbell’s neutral model of biodiversity explains species richness if a factor is added describing structural instability or periodicity, here called the geodetic rate. This geodetic, biological interaction can explain why some archipelagos are species‐rich.
Three‐dimensional finite element analysis of the application of attachment for obturator framework in unilateral maxillary defect
Authors: SUN J. , JIAO T. , TIE Y. , WANG D.
Published: October 2007

Summary  Aims:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the stress on the abutment teeth and framework in a unilateral maxillary defect which was restored by an obturator retained by resin‐bonded extracoronal attachment.

Methods:  A three‐dimensional finite element model of the human unilateral maxillary defect was constructed. Traditional obturator framework with four casting circumferential clasp was established (model 1). A continuous lingual guide plane of 0·5 mm thickness on all of the remaining teeth, with Mini‐SG/F attachment on the mesial surface of the central incisor was also established (model 2). The modelling and analytical processes were performed using the ANSYS technologies.

Results:  Stress was transmitted to the anterior part of the palate, with stress values being lower on the anterior teeth compared with the posteriors. The highest stress value of model 1 and model 2 was 13·1 Mpa, 19·9 Mpa respectively. Stress concentrations were found at the junction of the attachment to the lingual guide plane and the anterior part of the lingual plane.

Conclusion:  The results of this study suggest that the application of a resin‐bonded extracoronal attachment for obturator retention is in accordance with the design principles for the restorative treatment of maxillary defects. The design of the attachment framework needs to be further investigated. Benefit can be gained by splinting the abutment teeth.
Six costs of immunity to gastrointestinal nematode infections
Authors: COLDITZ I. G
Published: October 2007

The strength of the immune response and the outcome of the interaction of a host with a parasite are influenced by genetic and phenotypic characteristics of both parties, and by environmental variables. Allocation of host resources to immune defence reduces resources available for other life‐history traits. This review identifies six potential costs to the host from immune activation. The costs are likely to be broadly applicable to other immune responses in vertebrate species. Five phenotypic costs arise from: (i) increased metabolic activity; (ii) reduced nutrient availability due to anorexia; (iii) altered priorities for nutrient utilization; (iv) change in size and turnover of pools of immune cells and proteins; and (v) immunopathology from inappropriate or excessive immune activation. Subsumed by these costs is the cost of altered efficiency of nutrient use. A sixth cost is the genetic cost which arises from a change in the capacity of offspring to express production and life‐history traits following selection for parasite resistance. The sensitivity of immune responses to the phenotypic status of the host, and the role the immune system shares with the neuroendocrine system in controlling use of resources underpin the importance of immunocompetence to the life‐history of the host.
US regulatory system for genetically modified [genetically modified organism (GMO), rDNA or transgenic] crop cultivars
Authors: McHughen Alan , Smyth Stuart
Published: October 2007

This paper reviews the history of the federal regulatory oversight of plant agricultural biotechnology in the USA, focusing on the scientific and political forces moulding the continually evolving regulatory structure in place today. Unlike most other jurisdictions, the USA decided to adapt pre‐existing legislation to encompass products of biotechnology. In so doing, it established an overarching committee (Office of Science and Technology Policy) to study and distribute various regulatory responsibilities amongst relevant agencies: the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Agriculture. This paper reviews the history and procedures of each agency in the execution of its regulatory duties and investigates the advantages and disadvantages of the US regulatory strategy.
Your new product development (NPD) is only as good as your process: an exploratory analysis of new NPD process design and implementation
Authors: Harmancioglu Nukhet , McNally Regina C. , Calantone Roger J. , Durmusoglu Serdar S.
Published: October 2007

Given industry competitiveness, how do firms' new product development (NPD) process designs differ when responding to an innovation mandate? How do NPD design elements differ across firms when implementing NPD processes? These design elements are strategic business unit (SBU) senior management involvement, business case content, customer interactions, and cross‐functional integration. What are the consequences of different combinations of NPD process design elements for innovation productivity? We explore these questions via a collective case study of newly implemented NPD process designs at three different SBUs of a major US‐based international conglomerate, 1 year after receiving the mandate to grow through innovation. Our analysis suggests that industry competitiveness and firm characteristics influence the NPD process design as SBUs employ distinct combinations of NPD design elements. The differential emphasis on design elements leads to variation in process design and divergence in innovation productivity.
Counterfeit, imitation, reverse engineering and learning: reflections from Chinese manufacturing firms
Authors: Minagawa Tetsuya , Trott Paul , Hoecht Andreas
Published: October 2007

In a previous paper, we developed an alternative perspective on product imitation and innovation. In this paper, we explore some of our research questions using empirical data gathered in China. While we do not condone counterfeit activities, we explore the role of counterfeiting, imitation and learning from the perspective of Chinese manufacturers and provide insight from a small number of key informants about the motives and incentives for non‐consensual acquisition of technology and their views on what Western firms should be doing to counteract the threat to their technological advantage. In this paper, we argue that where companies use the technology property of others to develop their own technology capability without the consent of the other party (non‐consensual acquisition of technology), firms should consider whether there are opportunities for collaboration before resorting immediately to the legal tools at their disposal to enforce intellectual property rights and seek financial recompense from infringers without due consideration of the learning, new product development and innovation context. We believe that the findings from our case studies can make a significant contribution towards a better understanding of non‐consensual acquisition of technology in an innovation context. In particular, the information gained from the key informants provides their perspective on the causes of non‐consensual acquisition of technology and their views and recommendations of how companies affected by this behaviour might be able to better handle this problem.
Corporate Raiders, Performance and Governance in Europe
Authors: Croci Ettore
Published: October 2007

I analyse 136 block purchases made by corporate raiders in Europe between 1990 and 2001. Contrary to the hypothesis that these investors expropriate the target companies, there is a positive market reaction to the first public announcement of these purchases. In the long‐run, raiders earn an abnormal profit when they sell their stakes. When they still held their positions at the end of the sample period, abnormal returns were insignificant. Raiders' activities do not improve operating performance. The findings are consistent with superior stock picking ability among these investors, but do not support the hypothesis that raiders are governance champions.
Optimal Microstructures
Authors: O'Hara Maureen
Published: October 2007

This paper considers the basic issue of the optimal microstructure for trading financial assets. I propose a framework for addressing optimality that draws on the functions that markets perform. These functions include liquidity, price discovery, and the reduction of uncertainty. Because the characteristics of financial assets and their investors differ, I show that their optimal microstructure may differ as well. I illustrate these points by analysing the evolution of corporate and municipal bond trading in the USA. The paper also discusses the particularly important role that microstructure plays for developing financial markets.
The Effect of Socially Responsible Investing on Portfolio Performance
Authors: Kempf Alexander , Osthoff Peer
Published: October 2007

More and more investors apply socially responsible screens when building their stock portfolios. This raises the question whether these investors can increase their performance by incorporating such screens into their investment process. To answer this question we implement a simple trading strategy based on socially responsible ratings from the KLD Research & Analytics: Buy stocks with high socially responsible ratings and sell stocks with low socially responsible ratings. We find that this strategy leads to high abnormal returns of up to 8.7% per year. The maximum abnormal returns are reached when investors employ the best‐in‐class screening approach, use a combination of several socially responsible screens at the same time, and restrict themselves to stocks with extreme socially responsible ratings. The abnormal returns remain significant even after taking into account reasonable transaction costs.
Volatility‐Spillover Effects in European Bond Markets
Authors: Christiansen Charlotte
Published: October 2007

Volatility spillover from the US and aggregate European bond markets into individual European bond markets using a GARCH volatility‐spillover model is analysed. Strong statistical evidence of volatility spillover from the US and aggregate European bond markets is found. For EMU countries, the US volatility‐spillover effects are rather weak (in economic terms) whereas the European volatility‐spillover effects are strong. The bond markets of EMU countries have become much more integrated after the introduction of the euro, and in recent years they have become close to being perfectly integrated. The main driver of the integration appears to be convergence in interest rates.
Citizen Participation in a Mediated Age: Neighbourhood Governance in The Netherlands
Authors: UITERMARK JUSTUS , DUYVENDAK JAN WILLEM
Published: October 2007

Two developments — the fragmentation of governance and the mediatization of politics — lead governmental organizations to engage in discursive and institutional competition. These new circumstances also drastically change the relationship of governmental organizations to clients, target groups and the citizenry as a whole. We empirically investigate these changes through a study of a privately funded community development organization in the Netherlands, the Neighbourhood Alliance. In this case, it is no longer the citizenry that articulates a public discourse, but a public discourse that, through the mediation of an institutional entrepreneur like the Neighbourhood Alliance, stipulates what type of participation is appropriate. This development raises the critical issue of the nature and mechanisms of democratic engagement in a fragmented, mediatized polity.

Deux évolutions — la fragmentation de la gouvernance et la médiatisation de la politique — poussent les organismes gouvernementaux à une concurrence symbolique. Ces contexte nouveau change aussi radicalement la relation de ces organismes avec les usagers, les groupes ciblés et les citoyens dans leur ensemble. Nous examinons ces transformations à travers une étude empirique d'une structure néerlandaise à fonds privés de développement de quartiers, Wijkalliantie (alliance de quartier). En l'occurrence, ce ne sont plus les habitants qui déclinent un discours public, mais un discours public qui, par le biais d'une entreprise institutionnelle comme l'alliance de quartier, spécifie le type de participation approprié. Cette évolution soulève la question cruciale de la nature et des mécanismes de l'engagement démocratique dans un fonctionnement politique fragmenté et médiatisé.