bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Discreet Pleasures of the Courtly Hunt Abū Nuwās and the ‘Abbāsid Tardiyyah
Authors: Stetkevych Jaroslav
Published: September 2008

In the hands of the early ‘Abbāsid poet, Abū Nuwās (d. 199 or 200/814 or 815), the free-standing tardiyyah (hunt poem) no longer features the pathos-laden wretched hunter of the pre-Islamic rahīl nor the chivalrous heroic hunter of the fakhr of the pre-Islamic qasīdah, but rather a hunter who is courtly and discreet and, as a persona, almost invisible. In the extensive corpus of hunt-poems attributed to Abū Nuwās, two basic types are identifiable. The first exhibits a subjective perspective in which the poet is the agent of the hunt. This type typically opens with the Imru' al-Qays-derived wa-qad aghtadī (“I would set out early in the morning”) formula and can be characterized as wasf (subjectively-involved description). Typologically and terminologically distinct from this is the second type, the hunt-poem of objectively distanced description (na‘t), which characteristically opens with the formula an‘atu (“I shall describe”). Through selected examples, the study analyzes the thematic and stylistic differences between these two types as well as their overlap in intermediate subjective-objective hunt-poems.
“Is It Because My Face Is Black?”
Authors: Oladosu Afis Ayinde
Published: September 2008

This article focuses on three poems written by one of the late 20th century writers in Sudan, Muhammad Miftāh al-Faytūrī (b.1930), in order to show how the Sudanese have thought about race and racial subjectivities. It situates “al-Tūfān al-Aswad”, “Ilā Wajhin Abyad” and “Thawrat Qaryah” against the postcolonial theories of Frantz Fanon, Albert Memmi, Edward Said and the uncelebrated Sudanese critic, Mu‘āwiyyah Muhammad Nūr (1909-1941). The article reengages postcolonial discourse in and on Africa, retrieves Arabs' perspective on Black politics and identities and tries to show how al-Faytūrī, using Sudan's Afro-Arabic cultural heritage as a reference point, has tried to give agency to Africans even under the unfavourable atmosphere of colonialism in Africa.
Out of the Closet: Representation of Homosexuals and Lesbians in Modern Arabic Literature
Authors: Al-Samman Hanadi
Published: September 2008

Although a great deal of research and criticism has been done on homoerotic desire in Arabomedieval adab literature, very little has been written on its representation in modern Arabic literature. In order to address this scholarly gap, my study poses the following questions: why is there an increase of homosexual and lesbian characters, at this contemporary juncture, in Arabic fiction? And what are the effects of such an exposure on the status of Arab gay rights? I argue that depictions of male homosexuality in contemporary texts draw on power dialectics of master/slave, active/passive and local/colonial, and as such reflect a sense of overall powerlessness, inferiority and alienation from the political process, while underscoring the Arab male's loss of manhood and of self. In contrast, female homosexuality remains locked into traditional, heterocentric discourse which claims that lesbianism exists only as a prelude to, or as a temporary replacement of “normative” heterosexuality, thus undermining the validity of lesbian body politics. Contrary to the medieval tradition which allowed more fluidity in the depiction of same-sex definitions and practices, and acknowledged the variants of homoerotic desire and action, contemporary Arab cultural and literary engagements of the topic overlook the biological aspect of this desire. Furthermore, they project gay encounters as a symptom of the social deterioration caused by political and economic oppression of the Arab citizen. I conclude that more attention must be given to the biological essence of sexual differentiation, to the body politics rather than gender politics, if the emergence of a recognized, outspoken Arab homosexual or lesbian identity is ever to be realized.
The Swiss Regulatory Framework for Paediatric Health Research
Authors: Junod Valerie
Published: September 2008

Medical research on minors entails both risks and benefits. Under Swiss law, clinical trials on children, including nontherapeutic drug trials, are permissible. However, ethics committees must systematically verify that all clinical studies have a favorable risk-benefit profile. Additional safeguards are designed to ensure that children are not unnecessarily involved in research and that proper consent is always obtained. Federal Swiss law is undergoing revision to extend these protections beyond clinical trials to a broad array of health research. The Swiss drug agency also seeks to improve the incentives for pharmaceutical firms to develop new paediatric drugs and relevant paediatric drug labels.
Research with Minors in Germany
Authors: Hart Dieter , Buchner Benedikt
Published: September 2008

The European GCP Directive has been implemented into German law in sect. 40 ff. AMG (German pharmaceutical law). Unlike the Directive, German pharmaceutical law basically differentiates between three constellations of clinical trials on minors: clinical trials on healthy minors, clinical trials on ill minors with an individual benefit for the individual participant, and clinical trials on ill minors without direct benefit for the individual participant, but with a so-called “group benefit”. Particularly the latter possibility of conducting clinical trials on minors even if no individual benefit can be expected is not a matter of course in Germany since due to historical experiences a sceptical attitude towards clinical research on humans prevailed for a long time. German legislature has availed itself of the option granted by Article 3 of the GCP Directive to establish a higher level of protection of clinical trial subjects than the European level.
Legislation and Review of Medical Research with Minors in The Netherlands
Authors: Kenter
Published: September 2008

In The Netherlands medical research with minors is regulated in the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act. During the legislation process in the Houses of Parliament in the 1990s the issue of non-therapeutic research with minors and incapacitated subjects was heavily debated. Stringent regulations were formulated for this type of research and the Act became operational in December 1999. In order to implement the Clinical Trial Directive 2001/20/EG, the Act was modified on several issues. However, the Act was not modified on the issue of non-therapeutic research with minors and incapacitated subjects. As a result at present the Dutch law is more restrictive on non-therapeutic research with minors than the EU Directive. Currently, discussion is ongoing to adapt the Dutch law in order to harmonize it with the EU Directive.
Research with Minors in Greece and the EU Directive on Clinical Trials
Authors: Canellopoulou-Bottis Maria
Published: September 2008

This article describes the legal rules for research with minors in Greece in relation to the EU Directive on clinical trials and the Greek Code of Medical Ethics.
Children's Rights as Crime Prevention
Authors: Howe Brian
Published: September 2008

The purpose of this article is to examine the linkage between implementing the rights of children, as described in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and preventing youth crime. Using Canada as a case study and comparing jurisdictions in Canada where youth crime rates are relatively low and high, the article concludes that efforts at crime prevention are more successful where child and family policies in support of children's rights are stronger. What this illustrates is the importance of implementing children's rights as means of preventing crime.
Children's Rights, Confidentiality and the Policing of Children
Authors: Roche Jeremy
Published: September 2008

This article considers particular provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Children Act 2004 in order to advance the argument that despite having ratified the UNCRC, and thereby endorsing the idea of consulting with children and promoting their participation, current policy in England and Wales is still locked within a discourse which sees children either as victims or threats. These discourses of risk operate to undermine and deny children's citizenship claims and to justify an intensification of the policing of children's lives – and thus their families, friends and communities. The article provides a short history of children's rights to set the scene for a critical evaluation of this legislation and then considers key provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and associated protocols on sexually active young people and how this links with the reconfiguration of child welfare practice heralded by the Children Act 2004. By way of conclusion it poses some critical questions with regard to these shifts in law and regulatory practice and highlights the increasing tension between professionals' commitment to children's rights, including the ‘right’ to confidentiality, and the trajectory of government policies impacting on children and families.
To Be or not to Be? A Critical Appraisal of the Welfare of Children Conceived through New Reproductive Technologies
Authors: Blyth Eric
Published: September 2008

Over three million children are believed to have been born worldwide – and over 200,000 annually - as a result of “new reproductive technologies” (NRTs). This paper provides a critical review of the proposition that children are always best-served by being born. Drawing on the specific examples of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI); multiple births; pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and selecting the characteristics of children, and donor conception it argues that there are defensible welfare arguments for curtailing unrestricted access to NRTs. Increased and wider dialogue is proposed to encourage the implementation of practices and policies that take account of the interests of all those affected by NRTs and which command public support.
Validation of a Simple Steady-State Forecast of Minimum Nocturnal Temperatures
Authors: Kala Jatin , Lyons Tom J. , Foster Ian J. , Nair Udaysankar S.
Published: September 2008

A two-layer steady-state resistance model is compared with routine meteorological data collected from the Western Australian wheat belt during 2000–06. Major difficulties in implementing such a model are the correct parameterization for the incoming longwave radiation and estimation of daily soil moisture, neither of which are routinely measured. These difficulties are addressed by testing parameterizations for incoming longwave radiation calibrated to local conditions and incorporating a soil–water balance model based on routine weather data. The modified model has RMSE and biases ranging from 2.4° to 3.1°C and −0.2° to 0.8°C, respectively, across the wheat belt when comparing all minimum nocturnal temperatures. The model is shown to predict frost events approximately 55% of the time and illustrates that frost damage to foliage may occur when screen temperatures are < 2°C.
Discontinuity Issues with Radiosonde and Satellite Temperatures in the Australian Region 1979–2006
Authors: Christy John R. , Norris William B.
Published: September 2008

The temperature records of 28 Australian radiosonde stations were compared with the bulk-layer temperatures of three satellite products of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) for the period 1979–2006. The purpose was to use the satellite data as “reference truth” to quantify the effect of changes in station equipment, software, and operations on the reported upper air temperatures and resulting trends. The products are lower troposphere (LT), midtroposphere (MT), and lower stratosphere (LS).

Four periods of significant shifts in temperatures were found in the radiosondes relative to both satellite datasets. In the first two shifts—around 1982/83 and 1987/88—the radiosondes experienced an accumulated LT and MT warming shift of 0.5 K on average. These shifts coincided with equipment changes. If unadjusted for these shifts, the radiosondes report spurious tropospheric warming of almost 0.2 K decade−1. For LS in the first period, there is relative warming but in the second, cooling. If unadjusted, the radiosondes overstate LS cooling by about −0.15 K decade−1.

The third (early 1990s) and fourth (1998 LT and MT and 2002 LS) shifts are less robustly connected to changes in the radiosondes. Errors in the construction methodology of the satellite products likely account for at least part of the discrepancies but cannot be attributed with confidence to a specific cause. Having opposite signs in the two periods, the last two discrepancies tend to cancel each other. The net effect of these last two shifts on the overall LT and MT trends of ±0.03 K decade−1 is small.
On the Quality of Real-Time Altimeter Gridded Fields: Comparison with In Situ Data
Authors: Pascual Ananda , Boone Christine , Larnicol Gilles , Le Traon Pierre-Yves
Published: September 2008

The timeliness of satellite altimeter measurements has a significant effect on their value for operational oceanography. In this paper, an Observing System Experiment (OSE) approach is used to assess the quality of real-time altimeter products, a key issue for robust monitoring and forecasting of the ocean state. In addition, the effect of two improved geophysical corrections and the number of missions that are combined in the altimeter products are also analyzed. The improved tidal and atmospheric corrections have a significant effect in coastal areas (0–100 km from the shore), and a comparison with tide gauge observations shows a slightly better agreement with the gridded delayed-time sea level anomalies (SLAs) with two altimeters [Jason-1 and European Remote Sensing Satellite-2 (ERS-2)/Envisat] using the new geophysical corrections (mean square differences in percent of tide gauge variance of 35.3%) than those with four missions [Jason-1, ERS/Envisat, Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidoninterlaced, and Geosat Follow-On] but using the old corrections (36.7%). In the deep ocean, however, the correction improvements have little influence. The performance of fast delivery products versus delayed-time data is compared using independent in situ data (tide gauge and drifter data). It clearly highlights the degradation of real-time SLA maps versus the delayed-time SLA maps: four altimeters are needed in real time to get the similar quality performance as two altimeters in delayed time (sea level error misfit around 36%, and zonal and meridional velocity estimation errors of 27% and 33%, respectively). This study proves that the continuous improvement of geophysical corrections is very important, and that it is essential to stay above a minimum threshold of four available altimetric missions to capture the main space and time oceanic scales in fast delivery products.
Sea Surface Temperature Estimation from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-12 (GOES-12)
Authors: Merchant C. J. , Harris A. R. , Maturi E. , Embury O. , MacCallum S. N. , Mittaz J. , Old C. P.
Published: September 2008

This paper describes the techniques used to obtain sea surface temperature (SST) retrievals from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 12 (GOES-12) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution. Previous SST retrieval techniques relying on channels at 11 and 12 μm are not applicable because GOES-12 lacks the latter channel. Cloud detection is performed using a Bayesian method exploiting fast-forward modeling of prior clear-sky radiances using numerical weather predictions. The basic retrieval algorithm used at nighttime is based on a linear combination of brightness temperatures at 3.9 and 11 μm. In comparison with traditional split window SSTs (using 11- and 12-μm channels), simulations show that this combination has maximum scatter when observing drier colder scenes, with a comparable overall performance. For daytime retrieval, the same algorithm is applied after estimating and removing the contribution to brightness temperature in the 3.9-μm channel from solar irradiance. The correction is based on radiative transfer simulations and comprises a parameterization for atmospheric scattering and a calculation of ocean surface reflected radiance. Potential use of the 13-μm channel for SST is shown in a simulation study: in conjunction with the 3.9-μm channel, it can reduce the retrieval error by 30%. Some validation results are shown while a companion paper by Maturi et al. shows a detailed analysis of the validation results for the operational algorithms described in this present article.
On the Impact of WRF Model Vertical Grid Resolution on Midwest Summer Rainfall Forecasts
Authors: Aligo Eric A. , Gallus William A. , Segal Moti
Published: September 2008

Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model exploratory sensitivity simulations were performed to determine the impact of vertical grid resolution (VGR) on the forecast skill of Midwest summer rainfall. Varying the VGR indicated that a refined VGR, while adopting the widely used North America Regional Reanalysis (NARR) for initial and lateral boundary conditions, does not necessarily result in a consistent improvement in quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPFs). When averaged over a variety of microphysical schemes in an illustrative case, equitable threat score (ETS) and bias values actually worsened with a greater overpredicted rainfall for half of the rainfall thresholds when the VGR was refined. Averaged over strongly forced cases, ETS values worsened for all rainfall thresholds while biases mostly increased, indicating a further overprediction of rainfall when the number of levels was increased. Skill improved, however, for all rainfall thresholds when the resolution above the melting level was increased. Skill also improved for most rainfall thresholds when the resolution in the surface layer was increased, which is attributed to better-resolved surface turbulent momentum and thermal fluxes. Likewise, a refined VGR resulted in improvements in weakly forced cases, which are governed mostly by thermodynamic forcing and are sensitive to vertical profiles of temperature and moisture. Application of the factor separation method suggested that the refined VGR more frequently had a negative impact on skill through the interaction between lower-atmospheric processes and microphysical processes above the melting level.
Is attachment at ages 1, 6 and 16 related to autonomy and relatedness behavior of adolescents in interaction towards their mothers?
Authors: Becker-Stoll Fabienne , Fremmer-Bombik Elisabeth , Wartner Ulrike , Zimmermann Peter , Grossmann Klaus E.
Published: September 2008

This study investigates whether attachment quality at ages 1, 6 and 16 is related to autonomy and relatedness behavior in adolescence. In a follow-up of the Regensburg Longitudinal Study, forty-three 16-year-old adolescents and their mothers were assessed in a revealed differences task and a planning a vacation task. Attachment was assessed during infancy using the Ainsworth Strange Situation and at age six with the reunion procedure. Adolescent attachment representation was assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview. Results provided no evidence for significant continuity between infant or childhood attachment behavior and adolescent attachment representation. Instability of attachment organization, however, was linked to a higher number of experienced risk factors. Substantial relations between adolescent attachment representation and adolescent autonomy and relatedness behavior were found in both interaction tasks with their mothers. Further, significant relations between attachment qualities at ages 1 and 6 and adolescent interaction behavior during the planning a vacation task at age 16 were found. Thus, independent of attachment stability or instability, both early attachment in infancy and childhood and concurrent attachment representation were significantly related to autonomy and relatedness behavior in adolescence.
Development of a model describing individuated adult child–parent relationships
Authors: Buhl Heike M.
Published: September 2008

This study investigates age-related changes and dyadic-specific differences in adult child–parent relationships. Using an individuation framework, two German samples of 224 and 105 participants aged between 21 and 47 years were administered the Network of Relationships Inventory, the Emotional Autonomy Scale and the Authority Reciprocity Questionnaire. Factor analyses resulted in a measurement model valid for adult children, their mothers and fathers. The model includes connectedness (with emotional and cognitive aspects) as well as individuality (assessed as power symmetry). Connectedness decreased with age. Symmetry in father–child relationships increased over time, while mother–child relationships were perceived to be symmetrical by early adulthood. Child–mother relationships were more connected than child–father relationships. Sons described themselves as more powerful than did daughters.
Families as niches during communism in East Germany: Consequences for parent–child relationships during times of change
Authors: Reis Olaf
Published: September 2008

This study brings together two main theoretical traditions in order to better understand how parent–child relationships are influenced by the societal conditions around the family. The concept of the ecological niche has been used to describe the way in which East German families dealt with government institutions during communism, while we used the concept of individuation to describe relationships between parents and their children. Using a model predicting individuation within a family we demonstrate that the type of niche predicts individuation even after intrafamilial variables, such as the level of parent–child conflict, agency and time of the interaction have been controlled for. By employing hierarchical log-linear techniques to analyze narrative interviews of parents and their adult children from 34 families, we found that families who were more balanced in their interactions with communist government institutions were also more balanced in their parent–child individuations.
Human awareness and uses of odor cues in everyday life: Results from a questionnaire study in children
Authors: Ferdenzi Camille , Coureaud Gérard , Camos Valérie , Schaal Benoist
Published: September 2008

The Children's Olfactory Behavior in Everyday Life questionnaire was developed to assess attention to, and uses of, odors in real-life situations, and to evaluate individual variations. The tool comprises 16 items prompting self-reports of active seeking, awareness and affective reactivity to odors of food, people and the environment. Children (102 girls, 113 boys) aged 6–10 years participated in the study. The results revealed that girls were significantly more olfaction-oriented than boys, especially towards the odors of people, self and the environment. An increasing ability of children to describe the odor facets of their perceptual world was found between 6 and 10 years, partly due to ameliorating verbal skills. Finally, owning an “attachment object” was linked to olfactory reactivity to odors, especially in social and affective contexts. Overall, this research contributes to expand our understanding of the behavioral importance of odors in children and its individual variations, and it brings additional arguments against the prevalent concept of functional microsmaty applied to the human species.
The Persistence of the `Old' Idea of Culture and the Peace Process in Ireland
Authors: Finlay Andrew
Published: September 2008

■ This article is less concerned with the weaknesses of the old anthropological idea of culture than with how and why, despite these weaknesses, it has retained such influence with the liberal state. It approaches these questions using a case study in the management of conflict: the peace process in Ireland and the agreement reached ten years ago on Good Friday 1998. According to some, the model on which the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) is based — usually referred to as consociational — has become the default position of the international community when it comes to the management of conflict. In line with consociational principles, the GFA accords cultural rights to two specific communities — something that is at odds with the traditional liberal idea that rights accrue to individuals. Focusing on several key debates, the article traces the influence of ideas about culture and identity on the peace process. Crucial here is that the `old' idea of culture justifies a conflation of individual and collective, communal identity such that the former is understood as dependent on the latter. The respect that liberalism traditionally accords to the individual is thereby extended to the group of which s/he is a member. Finally, considering the role of anthropologists in the Irish case, the article concludes by querying what it is that is specifically anthropological about the old idea.
Writing as a Citizen?
Authors: Whitaker Robin
Published: September 2008

■ This article traces a series of frustrations and dilemmas that arose from people's attempts to participate in Northern Ireland's peace process in ways that challenged the reduction of its politics to a single line of conflict. As attempts to expand the possibilities for active citizenship, they were not entirely successful. However, the article argues that dilemmas offer privileged access to contradictions and conflicts at work within both political actors and the scene of their actions. The dilemmas explored here are examined for what they can reveal about the political culture of the peace process and the prospects for democratic life after the Good Friday Agreement. Some of these problems emerged as a result of the author's partisan involvement in the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, one of the parties to the 1996—8 peace talks. As such, this article also asks how participation in the peace process might contribute to the ethnographic record of the peace process.
A study of the potential teratogenic effect of large doses of promethazine used for a suicide attempt by 32 pregnant women
Authors: Petik D , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

In Hungary, promethazine, a phenothiazine antihistamine, is the second most frequently used drug during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of very large doses of promethazine that were used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy on embryo-fetal development. Self-poisoned pregnant women were identified from patients of the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Korányi Hospital, Budapest, who were admitted from the three million people of Budapest and surrounding region. The rate of congenital abnormalities, intrauterine development (based on pregnancy age at delivery and birth weight), and cognitive-behavioral status of exposed children born to mothers who attempted suicide with promethazine alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy was compared with their sib controls. In all, 89 of the 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy between 1960 and 1993 used promethazine for a suicide attempt. Of these 89 women, 32 delivered newborn babies. The dose of promethazine taken by these women for self-poisoning ranged between 125 mg and 1750 mg (mean of 544 mg, i.e., 21.8 tablets). Of the 32 promethazine-exposed children, nine (28.1 %) were affected with congenital abnormalities. However, of 11 pregnant women who attempted suicide with promethazine between the 3rd and 12th postconceptional week, that is, the critical period for production of most major congenital abnormalities, only three were affected with defects, and the critical periods for producing these defects did not overlap with the time of the suicide attempt during pregnancy. Of 34 unexposed sibs, five (14.7%) had congenital abnormalities; the difference in the total rate of congenital abnormalities between the exposed children and their sib controls was not significant. There also was no difference in pregnancy age-specific birth weight between exposed children and their sibs. Mean intelligence quotient was not reduced, and the incidence of behavioral deviation was not increased in the exposed children. The findings of this study did not indicate teratogenic or fetotoxic (including neurotoxic) effects of large doses of promethazine in children born to mothers who self-poisoned during pregnancy, although the total rate of congenital abnormalities was very high. Our experience shows the feasibility and benefits of using the self-poisoning model in estimating human teratogenic/fetotoxic risks of exposure to drugs.
A study of the effects of large doses of medazepam used for self-poisoning in 10 pregnant women on fetal development
Authors: Gidai J , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

The purpose of this article is to report an evaluation of the teratogenic and fetotoxic potential of medezepam in humans based on pregnant women who used very large doses of medazepam for a suicide attempt. All self-poisoned patients were cared for at the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Koranyi Hospital, a toxicological inpatients clinic in Budapest, Hungary, between 1960 and 1993. Pregnant women were identified from self-poisoned subjects admitted from a population base of three million people of Budapest and the surrounding region. The rates of congenital abnormalities (CAs), intrauterine fetal development, cognitive and behavioral status in children born to mothers who attempted suicide with medazepam alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy was compared in their sib controls. Between 1980 and 1993, 835 pregnant women in our study attempted suicide during pregnancy with drugs. Of these, 314 delivered live-born infants and 283 were examined and/or evaluated. Thirty-two (3.8%) of these 835 pregnant women used medazepam with or without other drugs for self-poisoning; 10 of these women delivered live-born babies. The dose of medazepam used for the suicide attempt ranged between 60 and 500 mg, with a mean of 276 mg. Eight of the 32 suicide attempts involving medazepam occurred between the 4th and 12th postconceptional weeks. Of the 10 live-born exposed children, one was affected with congenital inguinal hernia; one of the 13 sib controls had a lethal hydronephrosis. No adverse effects were observed on intrauterine growth, cognitive status, or behavioral deviations in the 10 children born to mothers who attempted suicide with medazepam during pregnancy. Very large doses of medazepam were used for self-poisoning during pregnancy. These doses did not increase the rate of CAs even though eight mothers attempted suicide during the most critical period for production of CAs. No fetotoxic, including neurotoxic, effects of exposure of live-born children to a very large dose of medazepam were observed. Our experiences show the feasibility and benefits of use of the self-poisoning model in estimating human teratogenic and fetotoxic risks of drugs.
A study of the teratogenic and fetotoxic effects of large doses of chlordiazepoxide used for self-poisoning by 35 pregnant women
Authors: Gidai J , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

The human teratogenic potential of chlordiazepoxide is debated. To study the effects on the fetal development of very large doses of chlordiazepoxide that were used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy, self-poisoned pregnant women were identified from patients in a toxicological inpatient clinic in Budapest, Hungary. Comparisons were made between congenital abnormalities, intrauterine fetal development, and cognitive–behavioral status of the exposed children born to mothers who attempted suicide with chlordiazepoxide alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy and their sib controls. Of 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy between 1960 and 1993, 88 (8.4%) used chlordiazepoxide with or without other drugs for suicide attempt; 35 of these women delivered live-born infants. Doses of chlordiazepoxide taken ranged between 20 and 300 mg, with a mean of 117 ± 86 mg. Of 35 exposed children, six (17.1 %) were affected with congenital abnormalities compared with three (13.6%) of their 22 sibs (OR with 95% CI: 1.3 (0.3–4.4). Of 18 pregnant women who attempted suicide between the 4th and 12th postconceptional week, the period most sensitive to congenital malformation, four delivered live-born children affected with a congenital abnormality (atrial septal defect type II, complex defect of respiratory system, mild pyelectasis because of the stenosis of ureteropelvic junction, congenital inguinal hernia). Two other children had fetal alcohol syndrome and unrecognized multiple congenital abnormality including talipes equinovarus, deformation type, and four minor anomalies. The pregnancy age–specific mean birth weight indicated intrauterine fetal growth retardation, which was confirmed by a dose–response relationship and by the higher rate of low birth–weight newborns. Cognitive status and behavioral scale of exposed children did not indicate neurotoxic effects. Very large doses of chlordiazepoxide used for suicide attempts during pregnancy did not induce a higher rate of congenital abnormalities but were associated with dose-dependent intrauterine growth retardation.
No association found between use of very large doses of diazepam by 112 pregnant women for a suicide attempt and congenital abnormalities in their offspring
Authors: Gidai J , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

The teratogenic potential of diazepam is debated. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of extremely high doses of diazepam used for attempted suicide during pregnancy on embryo-fetal development. Pregnant women were identified from the female patients of the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Korányi Hospital, Budapest, who had been admitted as self-poisoned subjects from the three million people of Budapest and the surrounding region. This evaluation compares the incidences and types of congenital abnormalities observed in exposed children born to mothers who attempted suicide with diazepam alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy with their sib controls. The database consists of a total of 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy between 1960 and 1993. Of these 1044 self-poisoned pregnant women, 229 (21.9%) used diazepam with or without other drugs for a suicide attempt; 112 of these women delivered live-born infants. Doses of diazepam taken ranged between 25 and 800 mg. Of 112 exposed children, 15 (13.4%) had congenital abnormalities, whereas of their 112 matched sibs, eight (7.1%) had congenital abnormalities (odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals: 2.0, 0.8–5.0). Of 37 pregnant women who attempted suicide between the 4th and 12th postconceptional weeks, five (13.5%) delivered live-born babies with a congenital abnormality (undescended testis in two exposed children; congenital dysplasia of the hip, talipes equinovarus deformation type, congenital inguinal hernia—each in one exposed child). The suicide attempts of the mothers of these children did not occur during the critical periods for induction of these defects, indicating that the observations were unrelated to diazepam. The very large doses of diazepam used for self-poisoning during pregnancy did not increase the rate of congenital abnormalities in the offspring.
Introduction and history of the Hungarian project for monitoring suicide attempts in pregnant women
Authors: Christian MS , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

The introduction describes the series of manuscripts resulting from the Hungarian Project for monitoring suicide attempts in pregnant women, as well as a history of the project, its various phases and participating individuals. This unique database contains information on all patients who attempted suicide by “self-poisoning” and were cared for at central toxicological inpatient clinic in Budapest, between 1960 and 1993. A total of 1044 patients were pregnant women, of which 19 died and 411 delivered live-born babies. Of these 411 live-born children, 367 exposed children were examined and/or evaluated. This is the first report of data on the human teratogenic potential of 93 medicinal products separately used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy. Each manuscript presents results for drugs used by at least 10 pregnant women for a suicide attempt, whereas the final paper summarizes the data of drugs used rarely for suicide attempt by pregnant women. Each patient consented to participate in the study. Critical information collected under medical supervision included examination of the patients upon admittance, stage of pregnancy at suicide attempt, blood levels of the drug(s) taken for the suicide attempt (at admittance), evaluation of the infant at birth for gestational age, weight and congenital abnormalities, and follow-up studies for 2 years after a child’s birth. These studies provide insight into the potential effects of a high dose of a drug or drugs taken during pregnancy because it is well accepted that “pulse high doses” of a drug during the initial susceptible period of pregnancy are those most likely to result in congenital abnormality. Although it is obvious that these data are not sufficient to ensure safety, and that it is necessary to have a larger population of exposed children, to achieve better statistical power, as well as to include data on other populations, this collection of papers provides an important introduction of the so-called disaster epidemiological approach in human teratology. It shows the feasibility of such studies and suggests that an international surveillance system of self-poisoned pregnant women would be useful to better estimate risk and benefit of drug use during pregnancy. It is envisioned that the information provided will assist physicians and mothers in making better decisions regarding drug exposure during pregnancy.
A study of the teratogenic and fetotoxic effects of large doses of amobarbital used for a suicide attempt by 14 pregnant women
Authors: Petik D , Timmermann G , Czeizel AE , Ács N , Bánhidy F
Published: September 2008

The teratogenic effect of barbitals is debated, and this study was performed to identify the effects of very large doses of amobarbital used for suicide attempts during pregnancy on embryo–fetal development. Self-poisoned pregnant women were identified from patients of the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Korányi Hospital, Budapest, Hungary, who were admitted from the 3 million people of Budapest and its surrounding region. A comparison was made between outcomes of pregnancies of women who attempted suicide with amobarbital alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy with sib controls. Of 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy between 1960 and 1993, 33 used amobarbital for a suicide attempt. Of these 33 women, 14 delivered live-born babies. The dose of amobarbital taken by these women ranged between 600 and 10,000 mg, with a mean of 3886 mg. Of the 14 amobarbital-exposed children, 9 had mothers who attempted suicide between the 3rd and 12th post-conceptional weeks. None of these children had a congenital abnormality, and there was no evidence of fetal growth retardation. The distribution of cognitive status and behavioral scale of the exposed children were comparable with those of their sibs although one exposed child had a very low (about 75) IQ, whereas another one was treated because of a very severe aggressive behavioral deviation. Exposure to very large doses of amobarbital that were used for self-poisoning during pregnancy did not produce teratogenic effects in this study.
Bradycardia During Dexmedetomidine and Therapeutic Hypothermia
Authors: Tobias Joseph D.
Published: September 2008

Dexmedetomidine is a centrally acting α2-adrenergic agonist which is currently Food and Drug Administration— approved for the short-term (less than 24 hours) sedation of adults during mechanical ventilation. Given its beneficial physiologic effects and limited adverse effect profile, there is growing interest regarding its potential applications in the Pediatric intensive care unit patient including sedation during mechanical ventilation, procedural sedation, the treatment of withdrawal, and prevention of emergence agitation. Although generally safe and effective, occasional hemodynamic effects including bradycardia and hypotension have been reported. Clinical experience has demonstrated that bradycardia may be more common when dexmedetomidine is administered with other medications that have negative chronotropic effects. We report 2 pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury who had good long-term neurologic outcomes, but developed clinically significant bradycardia when therapeutic hypothermia was added to a sedation regimen that included dexmedetomidine and remifentanil. The role of dexmedetomidine as a neuroprotective agent is explored as well as a review presented of previous reports of bradycardia related to dexmedetomidine.
Social and Emotional Outcomes of Child Sexual Abuse
Authors: Ozbaran Burcu , Erermis Serpil , Bukusoglu Nagehan , Bildik Tezan , Tamar Muge , Ercan Eyyup Sabri , Aydin Cahide , Cetin Saniye Korkmaz
Published: September 2008

Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic life event that may cause psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. During 2003-2004, 20 sexually abused children were referred to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic of Ege University in Izmir, Turkey. Two years later, the psychological adjustment of these children ( M age = 9.4 years, SD = 3.63 years, range = 5 to 16 years) is evaluated. Semistructured interviews, a form for the sociodemographic characteristics, are used for evaluations by a child psychiatrist who is blind to the first evaluation. It is determined that sexually abused children have more psychiatric disorders within the first year than 2 years later. However, some behavior problems occur at both short-term and long-term follow-ups.
Finite Element Modelling of Thermoplastic Matrix Composite Gas Cylinders
Authors: Antunes P.J. , Dias G.R. , Nunes J.P. , Van Hattum F.W.J. , Oliveira T.
Published: September 2008

Continuous glass/polypropylene (GF/PP) commingled fiber tapes were employed to produce wrapped pressure gas vessels for domestic applications by using filament winding. The vessel structural-wall was built using a hybrid solution consisting in a very thin steel liner over wrapped by the filament wounded GF/PP commingled fiber tape layers. FEM analysis was used to evaluate if the composite gas pressure vessel based on the hybrid solution (steel liner + glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic) is capable to withstand the following pressure requirements: the metallic liner, alone, a minimum burst pressure of 4MPa and whole hybrid composite vessel minima internal test and burst pressures of 3 MPa and 6.75 MPa, respectively. Finally, gas pressure vessel prototypes manufactured in industrial cycle conditions were submitted to burst pressure tests to prove that they accomplish all European standard strength requirements.
Particular Cases of Love Surface Waves Propagation in Layered Materials
Authors: Nesvijski Edouard
Published: September 2008

Theory of wave propagation is one of fundamental milestones of materials evaluation and mechanical properties assessment for composite materials. Due to complicity of rheological properties and new design of modern composites their evaluation by acoustic waves demands adequate approaches and application of different types of surface waves generating in complex structural materials. Thermoplastic composite materials present a typical example of those changing in wave application and interpretation of received data. This paper is devoted to new results of Love surface waves analysis for composite materials evaluation. The theoretical results were obtained by computational approaches and based on MathLab codes.
At the Altar of Subalternity
Authors: Brohi Nazish
Published: September 2008

Examining the politics and discourses around Muslim women as the subalterns of the previous `other' order that must now speak—and must speak particular dictions, the article attempts to place the `new world order' within the `old' spectrum. Under the clamor of revitalized orientalist and occidentalist narratives, it suggests that the articulation spaces for women are shrinking, and both their suppression and their agency are being coopted as expressions of political binaries, reducing empowerment-talk to kitsch. The discursive value of invoking women's voices goes beyond political endorsement to the very structures of authoritarian order and moral principles of representation: the author argues that women are a critical signifier in the process of interpellation of people as subject to both.
Suffering Men of Empire
Authors: Youssef Maisaa
Published: September 2008

This article considers two discursive sites where a potential new frontier of life and death, seen by many as symptomatic of Empire, is articulated. First this article looks at two international reports that articulate a new and pressing need to formulate and adopt a discourse and practice of human security as a direct response to the challenges of a globalized world order. The second discursive site is the often drawn upon image of the Iraqi man in pain. In Iraq specifically, the emphasis on men in pain is potentially revealing of the mechanisms of humanitarian war and its reworking of international conflict. This article suggests that in the spaces of exception created by this humanitarianism, subjects like these Iraqi men in pain figure as the prepolitical humanity seen to be owed protection not guaranteed in international law.
ARCHIVING RESISTANCE Women's Testimony at the Threshold of the State
Authors: Al-Kassim Dina
Published: September 2008

Increasingly today, Fanon's imagination of the postcolonial subject of difference is reconceived in the mode of an international human rights discourse along the lines of reconciliation and reparations. South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has become the paradigmatic instance of a state mechanism capable of inducing the change from nationalist to politico-social consciousness; so pervasive is its influence that Moroccan and Algerian commissions refer explicitly to the South African example and openly cite it as a model of reconciling the people. This article examines the ways that women's testimony of political violence is called upon in the nationalist postcolony to signify both a primitive sphere outside the boundaries of national memory and public debate and the progressive character of inclusion at the advent of the new state. This paradox is illustrated in the South African TRC's commitment to symbolic reparation and to providing a space for women's testimony despite the refusal of most women to testify. What conceptions of the human are naturalized in state-mandated projects of healing that depend upon such narratives? What new forms of subjection and resistance await the citizens of the modern postcolonial state? It is with these questions about the power of the symbol to deny `voice' while granting the rights of speech that I turn to Asia Djebar's Blanc de l'Algérie, Antjie Krog's Country of My Skull and Zoe Wicomb's David's Story as a counter to the politics of testimony.
One-way street
Authors: Smith John
Published: September 2008

Former People columnist and Daily Mirror foreign correspondent Smith wonders why journalists of a certain age are hooked on nostalgia. What he describes as a "battle hardened band of brothers" are still united by a spirit of comradeship and are still spinning yarns of life in the trenches in some half forgotten war. "To outsiders," he continues, "this eagerness to embrace and commemorate a bygone era must be puzzling. Do accountants get together and re-live memorable audits? Do solicitors gather en masse to recall magistrates' courtroom capers of the past? Perhaps. But it is unlikely that their reminiscences, or those of those now plying the trade from nondescript offices dotted around the city, are laced with the laughter and lunacy of tales from Fleet Street."