bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Parotid Tumors
Authors: Koyuncu Mehmet , ŞeŞen Teoman , Akan HÜseyin , Ismailoglu Ahmet A. , Tanyeri YÜcel , Tekat Atilla , Ünal Recep , Incesu LÜtfi
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE

The role of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of parotid tumors was investigated.

METHODS

Forty patients with the clinical suspicion of a parotid mass underwent both CT and MRI of the parotid region. Two radiologists independently assessed the CT and MRI results with respect to tumor localization, tumor margin characteristics, and infiltration of surrounding tissue. Histopathologic specimens were obtained in all cases and correlated with the radiologic findings.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of CT and MRI were nearly the same for tumor location, tumor margin, and tumor infiltration.

CONCLUSION

The 2 imaging techniques provided the same information with respect to the presurgical planning and contribute to the diagnosis and therapy planning of parotid tumors. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:726‐32.)
The Endoscopic Modified Lothrop Procedure for Salvage of Chronic Frontal Sinusitis after Osteoplastic Flap Failure
Authors: Stankiewicz James A. , Wachter Bryan
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE

While reported results utilizing the osteoplastic flap procedure are very good, some patients fail the surgery due to recurrent or persistent frontal sinus disease. This study was performed to evaluate the utility of the endoscopic modified Lothrop sinus surgery for osteoplastic flap failure.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

A retrospective chart analysis and telephone survey of 10 patients from outside our institution for whom an osteoplastic flap with fat obliteration failed were salvaged using a computerized endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure.

RESULTS

The main complaints were headache/pressure and recurrent infection. The usual pathology was chronic sinusitis and/or mucocele. The frontal recess and floor of the frontal sinus were the most common areas of persistent disease. Symptomatic clinical improvement was noted in more than 90% of patients.

CONCLUSION

Salvage endoscopic modified Lothrop sinus surgery is recommended for a limited number of traditional osteoplastic flap failures. Computerized surgical navigation may help avoid complications in situations with abnormal anatomy and previous dissection.

SIGNIFICANCE

The endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure should be considered to salvage failed osteoplastic flap sinus obliteration. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:678‐83.)
Long‐Term Hearing Preservation after Middle Fossa Removal of Vestibular Schwannoma
Authors: Friedman Rick A. , Kesser Bradley , Brackmann Derald E. , Fisher Laurel M. , Slattery William H. , Hitselberger William E.
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine long‐term hearing preservation in vestibular schwannoma patients after undergoing middle fossa resection.

STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, AND OUTCOME MEASURES

We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing middle fossa resection from 1990 to 1995 at a tertiary care center. Pure‐tone thresholds, before resection and at least 5 years after resection, and speech discrimination scores are reported.

RESULTS

Seventy percent of patients with immediate postoperative hearing maintained serviceable hearing at more than 5 years after surgery. Pure‐tone average in the operative ear changed at the same rate as hearing in the unoperated ear during this follow‐up period.

CONCLUSIONS

More than two thirds of patients who underwent middle fossa resection of a vestibular schwannoma with some hearing postoperatively maintain that hearing at greater than 5 years of follow‐up. Surgery alone does not have a negative impact on long‐term hearing preservation. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:660‐5.)
Hearing Loss with Stapedotomy in Otitis Media
Authors: Falcone Michael T. , Gajewski Byron J. , Antonelli Patrick J.
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE

Stapes fixation is often found in patients with either active or inactive otitis media (OM). Stapedotomy is generally not performed in ears with OM because of the potential risk of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Recent studies have demonstrated that the inner ear may be fenestrated in the presence of OM without significantly increased risk of SNHL. The goal of this study was to determine if stapedotomy in the presence of OM significantly increases the incidence of postoperative SNHL.

METHODS

Streptococcus pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa was injected bilaterally into the middle ears of guinea pigs (n = 18 and 16, respectively). A control group (n = 14) was injected with saline solution. Two days postinjection, a unilateral stapedotomy was performed. Auditory thresholds were evaluated by electrocochleography before and after stapedotomy.

RESULTS

Bacterial OM was induced in all ears injected with pneumococci and pseudomonas. Auditory thresholds increased in all ears treated with stapedotomy. Stapedotomy performed in the presence of pseudomonas OM resulted in significantly greater SNHL than in control or pneumococcal ears (P = 0.0055). Hearing thresholds were not significantly different between pneumococcal OM and control ears treated with stapedotomy.

CONCLUSION

Stapedotomy in the presence of pseudomonas OM, but not pneumococcal OM, significantly increases the risk of SNHL in the guinea pig model.

SIGNIFICANCE

Stapedotomy should be avoided in patients with active OM, particularly in the presence of pseudomonas. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:666‐73.)
Surgical Treatment of Otosclerosis in Elderly Patients
Authors: Ayache Denis , Corre Alain , van Prooyen Sandrine , Elbaz Pierre
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze hearing results of stapes surgery in otosclerotic patients older than 65 years.

STUDY DESIGN

Among 473 primary stapedectomies, 16 were performed in patients over 65 years old and were retrospectively reviewed. Hearing results were compared with those of a randomly selected group of 16 patients younger than 65 years old.

RESULTS

Improvement in hearing (closure of the air‐bone gap to <20 dB) was achieved in all of the cases, and closure of the air‐bone gap to less than 10 dB occurred in 87.5% at 1 month and in 81.8% at the last evaluation (mean follow‐up, 19.5 months). Hearing results were similar in elderly and younger patients.

CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE

Stapes surgery is an effective procedure in elderly patients with oto‐sclerosis to avoid hearing aid use or to facilitate hearing aid fitting. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:674‐7.)
Diagnosis and Management of Pulmonary Metastasis from Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis
Authors: Silver Robert D. , Rimell Frank L. , Adams George L. , Derkay Craig S. , Hester Ryan
Published: December 2003

OBJECTIVE

We sought to review the current and proposed management, as well as bring about discussion, of managing the patient with distal tracheal and pulmonary parenchymal involvement by recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS

We conducted a review of 6 patients with pulmonary metastasis from RRP at 3 academic tertiary care hospitals. Interventions included surgical and medical management with antiviral, chemotherapeutic, and/or immunemodulating agents.

RESULTS

Although treatment with ±–2‐² interferon, isotretinoin, and methotrexate have not proved to eradicate pulmonary involvement by RRP, possible epithelial stabilization and slowing of disease progression are noted.

CONCLUSIONS

The rates of distal tracheal and pulmonary metastasis as seen in our cohort were higher than previously reported. Approximately 12% of our patients with RRP have distal tracheal spread and as many as 7% of all patients with RRP at our institutions have pulmonary dissemination. Also, high suspicion for malignant conversion to squamous carcinoma in the patient with pulmonary spread should be maintained. In addition, aggressive treatment, although not proved to eradicate the pulmonary disease, should be undertaken due to the high morbidity and mortality associated with pulmonary dissemination of RRP in our cohort.
The Safety of Intranasal Steroids
Authors: Benninger Michael S. , Ahmad Nadir , Marple Bradley F.
Published: December 2003

The increasing use of intranasal steroids in the management of allergic rhinitis reflects their efficacy, tolerability, and safety. However, issues related to the safety of intranasal steroids continue to generate debate and confusion among clinicans. Consequently, there is often reluctance and uncertainty in prescribing these effective agents for the treatment of perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis. Issues of particular concern are whether intranasal steroids adversely affect various homeostatic systems, influence growth and bone metabolism, and compromise ocular function. Furthermore, the expanding role of intranasal steroids in the pediatric, geriatric, and postmenopausal populations has raised concerns that these agents may result in a steroid burden that more readily causes adverse effects. An extensive review of the literature overwhelmingly supports the assertion that intranasal steroids are safe in prescribed doses and should allay the misconceptions regarding their appropriate use in the management of allergic rhinitis. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:739‐50.)
In vivo interaction between CDKA and eIF4A: a possible mechanism linking translation and cell proliferation
Authors: Hutchins Andrew P. , Roberts Gethin R. , Lloyd Clive W. , Doonan John H.
Published: December 2003

In a proteomics‐based screen for proteins interacting with cyclin‐dependent protein kinase (CDK), we have identified a novel CDK complex containing the eukaryotic translation initiation factor, eIF4A. Reciprocal immunoprecipitations using antibodies against eIF4A indicate that the interaction is specific. The CDKA–eIF4A complex is abundant in actively proliferating and growing cells but is absent from cells that have ceased dividing. The CDKA–eIF4A complex contains kinase activity that is sensitive to the CDK‐specific inhibitor roscovitine. This interaction points to a possible molecular mechanism linking cell proliferation with translational control.
Production of endogenous matrix superoxide from mitochondrial complex I leads to activation of uncoupling protein 3
Authors: Talbot Darren A , Lambert Adrian J , Brand Martin D
Published: December 2003

Superoxide generated using exogenous xanthine oxidase indirectly activates an uncoupling protein (UCP)‐mediated proton conductance of the mitochondrial inner membrane. We investigated whether endogenous mitochondrial superoxide production could also activate proton conductance. When respiring on succinate, rat skeletal muscle mitochondria produced large amounts of matrix superoxide. Addition of GDP to inhibit UCP3 markedly inhibited proton conductance and increased superoxide production. Both superoxide production and the GDP‐sensitive proton conductance were suppressed by rotenone plus an antioxidant. Thus, endogenous superoxide can activate the proton conductance of UCP3, which in turn limits mitochondrial superoxide production. These observations provide a departure point for studies under more physiological conditions.
Two engineered eglin c mutants potently and selectively inhibiting kexin or furin
Authors: Liu Zhi-xue , Fei Hao , Chi Cheng-wu
Published: December 2003

Eglin c with mutants L45R and D42R at the P1 and P4 positions has been reported to become a stable inhibitor toward the proprotein convertases (PC), furin and kexin, with a K
i of 2.3×10−8 and 1.3×10−10 M, respectively. The mutant was further engineered at the P2′–P4′ positions to create a more potent and selective inhibitor for each enzyme. The residue Asp at P1′ which is crucial for stabilizing the conformation of eglin c remained unchanged. The eglin c mutants cloned into the vector pGEX‐2T and expressed in Escherichia coli (DH5α) were purified to homogeneity, and their inhibitory activities toward the purified recombinant furin and kexin were examined. The results showed that (1) Leu47 at P2′ replaced with either a positively or negatively charged residue resulted in a decrease in inhibitory activities to both enzymes; (2) the replacement of Arg with Asp at P3′ was favorable for inhibiting furin with a K
i of 7.8×10−9 M, but not for inhibiting kexin; (3) the replacement of Tyr with Glu at P4′ increased the inhibitory activity to kexin with a K
i of 3×10−11 M, but was almost without any influence on furin inhibition. It was indicated that the inhibitory specificity of eglin c could be changed from inhibiting elastase to inhibiting PCs by site‐directed mutation at the P positions, while the inhibitory selectivity to furin or kexin could be optimized by mutation at the P′ positions.
Spermine is not essential for survival of Arabidopsis
Authors: Imai Akihiro , Akiyama Takashi , Kato Tomohiko , Sato Shusei , Tabata Satoshi , Yamamoto Kotaro T , Takahashi Taku
Published: December 2003

Spermine is the final product of the polyamine biosynthetic pathway and is ubiquitously present in most organisms. The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana has two genes encoding spermine synthase: ACAULIS5 (ACL5), whose loss‐of‐function mutants show a severe defect in stem elongation, and SPMS. In order to elucidate the function of spermine in plants, we isolated a T‐DNA insertion mutant of the SPMS gene. Free and conjugated spermine levels in the mutant, designated spms‐1, were significantly decreased compared with those in the wild‐type, but no obvious morphological phenotype was observed in spms‐1 plants. We further confirmed that acl5‐1 spms‐1 double mutants contained no spermine. Surprisingly, acl5‐1 spms‐1 was fully as viable as the wild‐type and showed no phenotype except for the reduced stem growth due to acl5‐1. These results indicate that spermine is not essential for survival of Arabidopsis, at least under normal growth conditions.
SAYYID QUTB'S DOCTRINE OF JĀHILIYYA
Authors: Shepard William E.
Published: December 2003

This article focuses on one of the most striking ideas to come out of the radical Islamist movements of recent decades: the doctrine of jāhiliyya presented by the Egyptian activist Sayyid Qutb (1906–66) in his latest writings.
ISLAMISM IN SOUTHERN EGYPT: A CASE STUDY OF A RADICAL RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT
Authors: Toth James
Published: December 2003

For years, religious violence and terrorism in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt have splashed across the headlines and surged across the screen, announcing yet another round of senseless death and destruction. While Arabists and Islamicists attempt to pick their way carefully through the ideological and intellectual minefields to make sense of what is happening, the wider public generally disregards their insights and instead sticks to what it knows best: deeply ingrained prejudices and biases. Egyptian, Arab, Muslim—all are painted in a very unfavorable light. Even in Egypt, many bystanders show the same sorry prejudices. In the end, people simply blame the brutality on inexplicable backward religious ideas and then move on.
A SECULAR ISLAM: NATION, STATE, AND RELIGION IN UZBEKISTAN
Authors: Khalid Adeeb
Published: December 2003

The collapse of the Soviet Union a decade ago engendered both hope and fear about the future of Islam in Uzbekistan (and Central Asia in general). Many Muslims from other countries hoped that, freed from the constraints of the Soviet regime, Uzbeks and other Central Asians would rediscover their religious traditions and rejoin the broader Muslim world.1 Other observers feared that Islam would emerge as a political force and threaten the security of the region.2 As the decade progressed and militant Islamist organizations appeared, fear tended to overshadow hope. The events of autumn 2001 in Afghanistan, when fighters belonging to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) played a prominent role alongside the Taliban, seemed to vindicate the darkest fears,3 and to justify the unremitting campaign that the regime of President Islom Karimov has waged against “religious extremism” since 1998.
POST-REVOLUTIONARY ISLAMIC DISCOURSES ON MODERNITY IN IRAN: EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTIVITY
Authors: Vahdat Farzin
Published: December 2003

In contrast to what might be expected after the triumph of a colossal revolutionary process and the establishment of a state deriving its power mainly from a strong ideological drive, in Iran the development of socio-political thought did not end with the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Indeed, the post-revolutionary period has witnessed a proliferation of socio-political discourses articulated by groups and individuals inside and outside the country, notwithstanding censorship and attempts to control the flow of information by the government.1
ROSWITHA BADRY, Die zeitgenössische Diskussion um den islamischen Beratungsgedanken (šūrā): Unter dem besonderen Aspekt ideengeschichtlicher Kontinuitäten und Diskontinuitäten. Freiburger Islamstudien, Bd. 19 (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998). Pp. 654.
Authors: OPWIS FELICITAS
Published: December 2003

While contemporary Muslim countries are not exactly textbook democracies, the desire for (more) popular participation in the political decision-making process exists. With the current polarization of anything Western as bad and anything Islamic as good (one notices the opposite use of these adjectives by some Westerners), the odds are low that Western political systems will provide the vocabulary to articulate demands for popular participation. Many Muslims look to the concept of shūrā, which broadly means consultation, to address the problem. Shūrā is considered a truly Islamic principle because it is mentioned in the Qurءan, practiced by the Prophet Muhammad, and makes up part of classical Islamic thought. The Qurءanic and sunnaic references, however, are very general, and early Islamic history imbued the actual practice of consultation with the negative connotation of fitna, or civil unrest. Nevertheless, in the modern period, Muslim authors took renewed interest in the concept of shūrā to structure their political landscape.
ASMA BARLAS, “Believing Women” in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qurءan (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002). Pp. 254. $50 cloth; $21.95 paper.
Authors: SANDS KRISTIN ZAHRA
Published: December 2003

Asma Barlas's objective in this book is to uncover the essentially egalitarian message of the Qurءan by defining the best methodology for reading the Qurءan and by applying this methodology to better understand its message concerning the ontological and social status of women. In Part I, she draws on the work of previous scholars to fashion a critique of interpretations that conflate the Qurءan with secondary texts such as a hadith and tafsīr, texts she views as instrumental in the incorporation of misogynist beliefs and customs into Islam. She calls for a reaffirmation of the primacy of the Qurءanic text but read in a new way—holistically and as a historically situated text. A Muslim who does not question the divine origin of the Qurءan, Barlas insists on the individual responsibility of its readers correctly to uncover its meanings through the use of their intellects, using the tool of ijtihād rather than the blind acceptance of traditional interpretations.
THEODORE HALL PARTRICK, Traditional Egyptian Christianity: A History of the Coptic Orthodox Church (Greensboro, N.C.: Fisher Park Press, 1996). Pp. 240. $14.95 paper.
Authors: ISKANDER JOHN
Published: December 2003

Of all of the “Oriental churches,” it is the Coptic church that has garnered the greatest scholarly attention. Nevertheless, the state of Coptic studies leaves much to be desired. Certain aspects have been studied in some depth at the expense of others that are equally important. Thus, while the Gnostic texts, the Christological controversies, the position of the Alexandrine church, and—to a lesser extent—the modern Coptic renaissance have received a good deal of attention, social history in the pre-modern period is sorely lacking, as is any serious attempt to understand the Coptic community in its Islamic context after the 7th century. Several previous synthetic works on the Coptic church, moreover, now appear problematic for their apologetic or polemical approaches to the subject. The present book, while not filling the lacunae, does provides a welcome, balanced synthetic history of the Coptic church.
URI RUBIN, Between Bible and Qurءan: The Children of Israel and the Islamic Self-Image, Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam, vol. 17 (Princeton, N.J.: Darwin Press, 1999). Pp. 293. $29.95 cloth.
Authors: STEWART DEVIN
Published: December 2003

This book, adopting the method of Rubin's earlier work on the image of the Prophet Muhammad, The Eye of the Beholder: The Life of Muhammad as Viewed by the Early Muslims (1995), examines hadith reports of the first three Islamic centuries that draw on Qurءanic/biblical material. He analyzes these reports as attempts on the part of Muslims to define themselves vis-à-vis the People of the Book—primarily Jews, and to a lesser extent Christians. Each of the work's three parts reflects a particular historical attitude toward the Jews and definition of the relationship between Jews and Muslims.
M. R. GHANOONPARVAR, Translating the Garden, (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002). Pp. 196. $32.95 cloth
Authors: AMIRSOLEIMANI SOHEILA
Published: December 2003

In this book, M. R. Ghanoonparvar describes his experience of translating Shahrokh Meskoob's Guftugū dar bāgh (Dialogue in the Garden), a fictionalized dialogue between a writer and his painter uncle during the course of which many aspects of Iranian culture are discussed through the prism of gardens, long held to be significant to the Persians. The author clearly states the thesis of his book on the very first page: “[this book] is about the act of translating, the actual process of translating.” In what follows, the reader accompanies the author–translator along the path that leads from the latter's interest in Dialogue in the Garden to his numerous struggles and decisions regarding individual words, passages, and concepts, and then ultimately to the completed translation of the work, which is presented at the end of the book (pp. 125–68).
DAVID J. ROXBURGH, Prefacing the Image: The Writing of Art History in Sixteenth-Century Iran, Studies and Sources in Islamic Art and Architecture, vol. 9 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2001). Pp. 289. $59.00 cloth.
Authors: LOSENSKY PAUL
Published: December 2003

The title and publication series of Prefacing the Image initially suggest that it treats a topic of interest only to specialists in art history—a dozen or so rhetorically ornate prefaces composed for bound albums of calligraphies, drawings, and paintings (muraqqaע) during the 16th century. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the scope of this study extends far beyond such disciplinary boundaries. “The primary objective of this book is to study the preface through a variety of approaches—historical, cultural, social, and intellectual” (p. 17). By integrating the album preface into a broad network of social practices and literary discourses, Roxburgh's well-researched and probing study should be of interest not only to art historians but also to any reader with an interest in the cultural and intellectual life of the later Persianate world.
ANTHONY SHAY, Choreographic Politics: State Folk Dance Companies, Representation and Power (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 2002). Pp. 290. $65.00 cloth; $19.95 paper.
Authors: ÖZTÜRKMEN ARZU
Published: December 2003

Anthony Shay's Choreographic Politics fills an important gap in the research of the history of folk dancing, a gap opened by the controversial status of “state folk dance ensembles,” whose performances have often been neglected or despised by folklorists and dance scholars. Staged folk dances have always charmed audiences with the energy they embed in their performances but they have also puzzled them, because it is clear that they are more of a “representation” than a true reflection of a locality's reality. The analysis of “state folk dance ensembles,” then, moves on the edges of folklore and “fake lore,” the art of dance and the ethnography of dance. Choreographic Politics touches on this very sense of illusion and disillusion, focusing on the politics of state folk dance ensembles, a cultural product of the post-war era.
MOLLY GREENE, A Shared World: Christians and Muslims in the Early Modern Mediterranean (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2000). Pp. 228.
Authors: FINLAY ROBERT
Published: December 2003

In 1669, after twenty-four years of devastating war, Venice surrendered the island of Crete to the Ottoman Turks. As a Venetian commander described it, Crete was “the most beautiful crown to adorn the head of the Most Serene Republic” (p. 4). It was a grievous loss for Venice, which did not resign itself to the loss of its beautiful crown for another fifty years, until the end of the last Ottoman–Venetian war in 1718. The period of early Ottoman rule between 1669 and 1718 is the subject of Molly Greene's excellent study. Her emphasis throughout is on multiple identities, mixed narratives, hybrid solutions, cross-cutting allegiances, and historical continuity. Along with historians such as Leslie Pierce and Jane Hathaway, she rejects the model of Ottoman decline, styling it a “meat-grinder” (p. 20) of a thesis that focuses on a weak sultanate and ignores both the complexity and vitality of Ottoman imperial governance. She also rejects the notion that the transition from Venetian to Ottoman control in Crete marked a sharp dividing line, an event that helped wring the ambiguity out of the Mediterranean world (p. 5).
SCOTT C. LEVI, The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550–1900 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2002). Pp. 319. $93.00.
Authors: KHALID ADEEB
Published: December 2003

This fine book provides the first comprehensive account of the Indian merchant communities that arose in Central Asia in the 16th century and continued to occupy an important niche in the local economy until the turn of the 20th century. The subject of India's relations with Central Asia and Russia has often been addressed, but it has usually fallen afoul of methodological and linguistic boundaries that divide the historiographies of the two regions. This is the first work that is equally at home in both Indian and Central Asian history. Levi's greatest contribution is to bring Central Asian sources to bear fully on his argument. He uses Persian-language narrative and documentary sources from Central Asia (housed in the manuscript collections of the Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies in Tashkent) and the state archives of Uzbekistan to glean useful new information about life in the diaspora and the activities of its members. He backs these up with accounts of European travelers, which he has mined with great thoroughness for all references to Indian merchants.
MONTY NOAM PENKOWER, Decision on Palestine Deferred: America, Britain and Wartime Diplomacy 1939–1945, Cass Series: Israeli History, Politics and Society (London: Frank Cass, 2002). Pp. 397. $62.50 cloth.
Authors: DAVIDSON LAWRENCE
Published: December 2003

Monty Noam Penkower has written a detailed and documented account of the diplomatic relations of American, British, and Palestine-based Zionists with the American and British governments from 1939 to 1945. His theme is that these governments showed a callous disregard for the suffering of Jews in the Holocaust because they refused free immigration into Palestine. The author's scholarship is sound in terms of the people and diplomacy with which he deals. The probable audience for the book is scholars and researchers who are interested in the history of the Holocaust and the response to it by both the Allied powers and Zionist leaders, as well as those interested in the origins of the Israeli state. However, the events covered in this work are explicitly tied to Palestine and its fate, and in that regard the author has produced only a “half history.” Penkower's treatment of Palestine is incomplete because the subject of the Palestinian Arabs, who bear the consequences of the negotiations, planning, and conspiring that the work details are mentioned only in passing and then almost always in negative terms. It is as if one were to write the history of Nazi planning for the Holocaust and only rarely and disapprovingly mention Jews.
Global Trade Law: Challenges and Options for Africa
Authors: Fasan Olu
Published: December 2003

The Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, completed in 1994, has fundamentally transformed the legal landscape of the world trading system, making the WTO arguably the most powerful international economic institution in the world. Yet, the systemic problems that have dogged the WTO since its establishment in 1995 have their roots in the nature of this transformation and its implications for developing countries, especially African states. Developing countries, hitherto excluded from GATT rules, became subject to expanded WTO legal rules and disciplines on a range of new areas, including services, intellectual property rights and investment measures. The possibility of deepening and widening the rule-base of the trade regime is also likely with the Doha agenda, which includes possible negotiations on new rules dealing with investment, competition policy, trade facilitation, and transparency in government procurement.

Clearly, the increasing legalization and internationalization of trade rules have implications for weak states. International legalization involves sophisticated bargaining where power relations play a significant role. The purpose of this article is to explore, in the context of some of the theories of international law and political economy, how the preferences and interests of African countries are reflected in international rule making that involves both weak and powerful states. The article traces the institutional and legal evolution of the world trading system and how African countries have been affected by these developments. The new Doha agenda is examined with a view to establishing whether it holds out any real hope of redressing the imbalances in the system. Finally, suggestions are made as to how global trade rules can be fair, and therefore made to work for poor states.
Participation of Developing Countries in the WTO Dispute Settlement System
Authors: Qureshi Asif H.
Published: December 2003

In this article, a brief statistical account of the participation of developing members in the WTO dispute settlement system is given. This account is set against a consideration of the criteria for measuring the participation of developing members in the WTO dispute settlement system. This is followed by a focus on how the “developing condition” has been argued and taken into consideration in the dispute settlement practice of the WTO. Finally, some of the principal problems involved in participation, along with suggested reforms, which relate to the participation of developing members in the WTO dispute settlement system, are considered.
Geographical Indications for Foods, Trips and the Doha Development Agenda
Authors: Echols Marsha A.
Published: December 2003

Geographical indications (GI's) for foods link a quality or characteristic of a product to its locality of origin. GI's usually represent traditional or artisanal knowledge and techniques, yet they are recognized as a form of intellectual property. A GI may propel a food or beverage product from commodity status (blue cheese) into the high value niche or gourmet market (Roquefort cheese) and, consequently, can have a positive social and economic impact on farmers and rural development. African teas, coffees and other special products might benefit from greater international recognition and protection of GI's. Geographical indications are defined in but receive very limited international protection under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Inellectual Property (TRIPS). Most regulation of GI's in national (e.g., in the Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa) or regional (e.g., the Bangui Agreement and in the E.C.). At the WTO and during the Doha Development Round discussions Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa, among other African countries, have argued for the expansion of the TRIPS rules, as have the E.C. and Switzerland. Ausralia, Japan, and the U.S., several countries in Latin America, and others conside GI's as likely protectionist measures and prefer to rely on trademarks. Each African country must determine whether the potential benefits of GI's—including their positive impact on rural development—sufficiently balance the costs of implementing some form of an international system.
Can Nigerian Local Government Councils Autonomously Impose Rates?
Authors: Achara R.A.C.E.
Published: December 2003

Having been elected from the same pool from which state and federal officials have emerged, it might, on the face of it, seem rather unjustifiable to deny local government council (LGC) officials the autonomous tax imposition authority, which is ordinarily inherent in any government. But this is what the 1999 Constitution seems to have done in denying the autonomous power of rating to the LGCs, however, this constitution has used words made ambiguous by their historically varying content such that even the highest Nigerian court has been misled. The drafting has led to the impression that LGCs may “impose”, rather than merely “collect”, rates or any other such taxes by their own authority.

This article attempts to discover the character and consequences of this hermeneutic problem, the apparent misconceptions that have led to it, and the doctrinal and historical approaches the courts may adopt for its solution. In trying to appreciate or rationalize the court's misapprehension of this part of the constitution, the article suggests that the major reason is the drafter's attempt to create a three-tier federation while at the same time retaining the traditional two-tier constitutional structure for allocation of federalist power.

To return the courts to the right path, this article proffers historical approaches for clarification of the conceptual haze. It then concludes that, although the Nigerian constitution allows a delegation of rating power to LGCs, contrary to the current position of the Supreme Court, this rating authority is not autonomous.
Overcoming the Difficulty in Registering Caution on Certificates of Occupancy in Lagos State
Authors: Banire Muiz
Published: December 2003

This paper examines the status of the certificate of occupancy in relation to the question of title to land in Nigeria. This is with a view to determining whether or not the present state of real property registration laws in Lagos State of Nigeria permits the registration of a caution on the certificate of occupancy so as to reveal any charge or encumbrance on the certificate of occupancy upon a cursory examination. In this regard, the paper investigates the question of whether or not the certificate of occupancy is a document of title, which assures the existence of a right of occupancy in favour of the holder.
Does the ‘We’ in Gal 2.15–17 Include Paul's Opponents?
Authors: WALKER WILLIAM O.
Published: December 2003

Generally speaking, J. Louis Martyn is rather dubious regarding recent attempts
to interpret Paul's Galatian letter in terms of ancient rhetorical canons. He does, however, express considerable interest in the rhetorical strategies employed in Galatians.
Of particular concern in the present study is Martyn's understanding of Paul's rhetorical
use of ‘we’ (ημεις) in Gal 2.15–17.
Acquisition of second-language speech: Effects of visual cues, context, and talker variability
Authors: HARDISON DEBRA M.
Published: December 2003

The influence of a talker's face (e.g., articulatory gestures) and voice, vocalic context, and word position were investigated in the training of Japanese and Korean English as a second language learners to identify American English /[invertedr]/ and /l/. In the pretest–posttest design, an identification paradigm assessed the effects of 3 weeks of training using multiple natural exemplars on videotape. Word position, adjacent vowel, and training type (auditory–visual [AV] vs. auditory only; multiple vs. single talker for Koreans) were independent variables. Findings revealed significant effects of training type (greater improvement with AV), talker, word position, and vowel. Identification accuracy generalized successfully to novel stimuli and a new talker. Transfer to significant production improvement was also noted. These findings are compatible with episodic models for the encoding of speech in memory.
Categorization of vowel length in German poor spellers: An orthographically relevant phonological distinction
Authors: LANDERL KARIN
Published: December 2003

In an orally presented vowel length categorization task with both word and nonword stimuli, a group of 10-year-old German-speaking poor spellers performed less accurately and consistently slower than a group of normal spellers of the same age. The poor spellers' level of performance was comparable to that of a group of 8-year-old inexperienced spellers. In an experimental design, the influence of the phonological characteristics of the preceding and succeeding consonant on children's decisions about vowel length was examined. The type of onset had hardly any effect whereas the offset consonant had a marked influence. It is concluded that vowel length categorization is associated with the ability to mark vowel length in spelling. Vowel length predicts but is not sufficient to explain difficulties in orthographically correct spelling of vowel length.
Prosodic differences in mothers' speech to toddlers in quiet and noisy environments
Authors: NEWMAN ROCHELLE S.
Published: December 2003

We examined mothers' speech to 2-year-old children in both quiet and moderately noisy conditions. Mothers were recorded while teaching their children two words, one of which occurred in the context of other people speaking. Parents used characteristics of infant-directed speech (IDS) to these older children. Even more interesting was that many of the prosodic changes typical in IDS were accentuated in noise. In a context in which multiple people were speaking simultaneously, mothers spoke to their children with both increased pitch and increased word duration relative to when they spoke in a quiet condition. However, these changes were quite small, lending only mixed support to proposals that one of the advantages of IDS is that it is easier to separate from background noise.
Taboo words and reprimands elicit greater autonomic reactivity in a first language than in a second language
Authors: HARRIS CATHERINE L. , AYÇIÇEĞI AYŞE , GLEASON JEAN BERKO
Published: December 2003

Second language speakers commonly acknowledge that taboo terms can be uttered with greater ease in their second language (L2) than in their first language (L1). To investigate this phenomenon psychophysiologically, 32 Turkish–English bilinguals rated a variety of stimuli for pleasantness in Turkish (L1) and English (L2) while skin conductance was monitored via fingertip electrodes. Participants demonstrated greater autonomic arousal to taboo words and childhood reprimands (“Shame on you!”) in their L1 compared to their L2. This finding provides quantifiable support for the subjective experiences of L2 speakers.
Is chronic otitis media associated with differences in parental input at 12 months of age? An analysis of joint attention and directives
Authors: YONT and KRISTINE M. , SNOW CATHERINE E. , VERNON–FEAGANS LYNNE
Published: December 2003

A rather robust literature exists that views children's language development in the context of interactions with adults. This literature generally focuses on typically developing children and suggests that joint attention facilitates communication development whereas directives do not. In order to understand the crucial features of input supporting language acquisition, research must examine children in less than optimal conditions, including children with chronic otitis media (OM). Controversy exists regarding the outcomes of children with OM, and we argue that parental input is an important factor often neglected in research that may mediate language outcomes. The current study investigates whether parents interact differently with their 12-month-old children based upon children's OM status. The results indicate that parents of chronically affected children direct attention more often and engage in fewer joint attentional episodes than parents of nonchronically affected children. Findings suggest that chronic OM has a localized affect on attentional interactions, the forms of input consistently implicated in language acquisition. Thus, children with OM may receive less than optimal input than peers.
The effect of story presentation rates on story retelling by individuals with Down syndrome
Authors: SEUNG HYE-KYEUNG , CHAPMAN ROBIN S.
Published: December 2003

The current study examined the effect of story presentation rates on story recall performance in 35 individuals with Down syndrome and 3 control groups (35 mental age matched, 35 syntax comprehension matched, and 35 syntax production matched children). Three short audiotaped stories were presented to each individual at three different rates (normal, storyteller [slow with expressive inflections], and slow rate). The effect of group but not rate was significant. Individuals with Down syndrome recalled more content words than the production-matched group and the production-matched group recalled fewer content words than the mental age matched and comprehension-matched groups. The results were interpreted in relation to working memory deficits in individuals with Down syndrome, developmental change in story recall of typically developing children, and the contribution of syntax comprehension to story recall.
Learning to read: English in comparison to six more regular orthographies
Authors: ARO MIKKO , WIMMER HEINZ
Published: December 2003

Reading performance of English children in Grades 1–4 was compared with reading performance of German-, Dutch-, Swedish-, French-, Spanish-, and Finnish-speaking children at the same grade levels. Three different tasks were used: numeral reading, number word reading, and pseudoword reading. The pseudowords shared the letter patterns for onsets and rimes with the number words. The results showed that with the exception of English, pseudowords in the remaining orthographies were read with a high level of accuracy (approaching 90%) by the end of Grade 1. In contrast to accuracy, reading fluency for pseudowords was affected not only by regularity but also by other orthographic differences. The results highlight the need for a revision of English-based characterizations of reading development.
A survey on the use of relevance feedback for information
access systems
Authors: RUTHVEN IAN , LALMAS MOUNIA
Published: December 2003

Users of online search engines often find it difficult to express their need for information in the form of a query. However, if the user can identify examples of the kind of documents they require then they can employ a technique known as relevance feedback. Relevance feedback covers a range of techniques intended to improve a user's query and facilitate retrieval of information relevant to a user's information need. In this paper we survey relevance feedback techniques. We study both automatic techniques, in which the
system modifies the user's query, and interactive techniques, in which the user has control over query modification. We also consider specific interfaces to relevance feedback systems and characteristics of searchers that can affect the use and success of relevance feedback systems.
Representation of procedures and practices in contextual graphs
Authors: BRÉZILLON P
Published: December 2003

Over the last ten years a community that is interested in context has emerged. Brézillon (1999) gave a survey of the literature on context in artificial intelligence. There is now a series of conferences on context, a website and a mailing list. The number of web pages with the word “context” has increased tenfold in the last five years. Being among the instigators of the use of context in real-world applications, I present in this paper the evolution of my thoughts over the last years and the results that have been obtained, including a representation formalism based on contextual graphs and the use of this formalism in a real-world application called SART. I present how procedures, practices and context are intertwined, as identified in the SART application and in different domains. I root my view of context in the artificial intelligence area and give a general presentation of my view of context under the three aspects – external knowledge, contextual knowledge and proceduralised context – with the implementation of this view in contextual graphs. I discuss how reasoning is carried out, based on procedure and practices, in the formalism of contextual graphs and show how incremental acquisition
of practices is integrated in this formalism.
THE EFFECTS OF INFERRING, VERIFYING, AND MEMORIZING ON THE RETENTION OF L2 WORD MEANINGS
Authors: Mondria Jan-Arjen
Published: December 2003

This study investigated whether a word-learning method in which learners infer the meaning of unknown words from the context, subsequently verify the meaning with the aid of a word list, and finally memorize the meaning (“meaning-inferred method”) leads to better retention than one in which the meaning of unknown words is given in the form of a translation so that learners can immediately start memorizing (“meaning-given method”). Additionally, the learning effect of the various stages of the meaning-inferred method (inferring, verifying, and memorizing) was investigated. In all cases the amount of time invested was recorded. The most important findings were: (a) The meaning-inferred method leads to a similar level of retention as the meaning-given method, but the former is considerably more time-consuming and therefore less efficient; and (b) each separate stage of the meaning-inferred method leads to retention, but the learning effect of memorizing is the greatest, and the learning effect of verifying is about the same as that of inferring.
PARSING STRATEGIES IN L1 AND L2 SENTENCE PROCESSING
Authors: Papadopoulou Despina , Clahsen Harald
Published: December 2003

To contribute to a better understanding of second language (L2) sentence processing, the present study examines how L2 learners parse temporarily ambiguous sentences containing relative clauses. Results are reported from both off-line and on-line experiments with three groups of advanced learners of Greek whose native languages (L1s) were Spanish, German, or Russian as well as from corresponding experiments with a control group of adult native speakers of Greek. We found that, despite their nativelike mastery of the construction under investigation, the L2 learners showed relative-clause attachment preferences that were different from those of the native speakers. Moreover, the L2 learners did not exhibit L1-based preferences in their L2 Greek, as might be expected if they were directly influenced by L1 attachment preferences. We suggest that L2 learners integrate information relevant for parsing differently from native speakers, with the L2 learners relying more on lexical cues than the native speakers and less on purely structurally based parsing strategies.