bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sydney Principles’ for reducing the commercial promotion of foods and beverages to children
Authors: Swinburn Boyd , Sacks Gary , Lobstein Tim , Rigby Neville , Baur Louise A , Brownell Kelly D , Gill Tim , Seidell Jaap , Kumanyika Shiriki 
Published: May 2008

AbstractA set of seven principles (the ‘Sydney Principles’) was developed by an International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) Working Group to guide action on changing food and beverage marketing practices that target children. The aim of the present communication is to present the Sydney Principles and report on feedback received from a global consultation (November 2006 to April 2007) on the Principles.The Principles state that actions to reduce marketing to children should: (i) support the rights of children; (ii) afford substantial protection to children; (iii) be statutory in nature; (iv) take a wide definition of commercial promotions; (v) guarantee commercial-free childhood settings; (vi) include cross-border media; and (vii) be evaluated, monitored and enforced.The draft principles were widely disseminated and 220 responses were received from professional and scientific associations, consumer bodies, industry bodies, health professionals and others. There was virtually universal agreement on the need to have a set of principles to guide action in this contentious area of marketing to children. Apart from industry opposition to the third principle calling for a statutory approach and several comments about the implementation challenges, there was strong support for each of the Sydney Principles. Feedback on two specific issues of contention related to the age range to which restrictions should apply (most nominating age 16 or 18 years) and the types of products to be included (31 % nominating all products, 24 % all food and beverages, and 45 % energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages).The Sydney Principles, which took a children’s rights-based approach, should be used to benchmark action to reduce marketing to children. The age definition for a child and the types of products which should have marketing restrictions may better suit a risk-based approach at this stage. The Sydney Principles should guide the formation of an International Code on Food and Beverage Marketing to Children.
A NOTE ON THE CLOSURE OF CONVOLUTION POWER MIXTURES (RANDOM SUMS) OF EXPONENTIAL DISTRIBUTIONS
Authors: ALBIN J. M. P. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractWe make a correction to an important result by Cline [D. B. H. Cline, ‘Convolutions of distributions with exponential tails’, J. Austral. Math. Soc. (Series A)43 (1987), 347–365; D. B. H. Cline, ‘Convolutions of distributions with exponential tails: corrigendum’, J. Austral. Math. Soc. (Series A)48 (1990), 152–153] on the closure of the exponential class $\mathcal {L}(\alpha )$ under convolution power mixtures (random summation).
DIFFERENCES OF COMPOSITION OPERATORS BETWEEN WEIGHTED BANACH SPACES OF HOLOMORPHIC FUNCTIONS
Authors: BONET JOSÉ , LINDSTRÖM MIKAEL , WOLF ELKE 
Published: May 2008

AbstractWe consider differences of composition operators between given weighted Banach spaces$H_v^{\infty }$orHv0of analytic functions with weighted sup-norms and give estimates for the distance of these differences to the space of compact operators. We also study boundedness and compactness of the operators. Some examples illustrate our results.
Soil nutrient and plant responses to solarization in an agroecosystem utilizing an organic nutrient source
Authors: Seman-Varner R. , McSorley R. , Gallaher R.N. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractSoil solarization is used to manage nematodes, pathogens and weeds, but relatively few studies have examined solarization effects on soil mineral nutrients, soil properties and plant tissue nutrients. This study was designed to optimize the duration of solarization treatment for the management of soil and plant nutrients and crop biomass in an agroecosystem utilizing an organic nutrient source. The experiment was a split-plot with treatment duration as the main effect and solarization as the sub-effect. Solarization treatments of 2-, 4- and 6-week durations began on sequential dates and concluded in mid-August. Immediately post-treatment, okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) seedlings were transplanted into subplots for tissue nutrient analysis. Freshly chopped cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] hay was applied to the soil surface directly around the okra seedlings as an organic nutrient source. Immediately following solarization treatment, concentrations of soil K and Mn were higher, while Cu and Zn concentrations were lower in solarized soils than in non-solarized soils. Soil pH was slightly lower in solarized plots. Concentrations of K, N, Mg and Mn in okra leaf tissue were higher in solarized plots than in non-solarized plots, but concentrations of P and Zn were lower in plants grown in solarized soil. Okra biomass was three and four times higher in the 4- and 6-week solarization treatments than in non-solarized treatments. Based on data from this experiment, 4- and 6-week durations of solarization were optimal for increasing crop biomass. The data indicate that solarization has significant effects on soil and plant nutrients. Results of the nutrient analyses suggest that the availability of nutrients from an organic source was not limited by solarization.
Effects of soil fungi on weed communities in a corn–soybean rotation
Authors: Jordan N. , Huerd S. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIn a variety of ecosystems, interactions between soil microbiota and weedy plants can strongly affect population and community dynamics of these plants. However, weed–soil microbe interactions are not well characterized in field-crop agroecosystems. In Minnesota (USA), we repeatedly applied a fungicide (benomyl) to field plots in a corn–soybean crop rotation in each of 3 years, and sowed experimental weed communities containing host species for arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and non-host species. Benomyl typically suppresses formation of mycorrhizal symbiosis in AMF-host plant species, and may also affect other soil fungi. We assessed weed density and biomass production, and monitored AMF colonization rates in each of 3 years. We found that weed density, biomass, community composition and the relative performance of AMF-host and non-host weed species were all significantly responsive to fungicide applications, although for all attributes responsiveness was variable. Fungicide application increased total weed density and biomass production in nearly all cases; most effects were modest but reached a maximum of 49%. Fungicide application also increased the relative performance of non-host species in most cases, although most effects were again modest. Our findings are the first assessment of responses by field-crop weeds to direct manipulation of soil microbial communities in a field setting, and suggest that the population and community ecology of these weeds can be strongly affected by the fungal component of soil microbiota.
Suicide attacks and Islamic law
Authors: Munir Muhammad 
Published: May 2008

AbstractSuicide attacks are a recurrent feature of many conflicts. Whereas warfare heroism and martyrdom are allowed in certain circumstances in times of war, a suicide bomber might be committing at least five crimes according to Islamic law, namely killing civilians, mutilating their bodies, violating the trust of enemy soldiers and civilians, committing suicide and destroying civilian objects or properties. The author examines such attacks from an Islamic jus in bello perspective.
Human rights in Iraq's transition: the search for inclusiveness
Authors: Pace John P. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe aftermath of the invasion of Iraq set unprecedented challenges to the United Nations in the political and in the human rights spheres. Since the first involvement of the United Nations under Security Council Resolution 1483 (2003), the United Nations, through its assistance mission (UNAMI), has provided support to the process of transition from a military occupation resulting from an unlawful invasion to a fully sovereign and independent state, an objective yet to be fully achieved. The article looks at this trajectory from the angle of the involvement of the Security Council, the legal context, the protection of human rights and the striving for reconciliation, sovereignty and inclusiveness.
The ethos–practice gap: perceptions of humanitarianism in Iraq
Authors: Hansen Greg 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis article summarizes a country study on Iraq conducted by the Humanitarian Agenda: 2015 project of the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, between October 2006 and May 2007.* Based on a sample survey of perceptions of humanitarian action among Iraqis at the community level and among humanitarian agencies in the region, the study focuses on what Iraqis and aid workers believe to be true about the way in which the humanitarian apparatus has functioned or malfunctioned in Iraq, and why. Its findings confirm both the strength of the humanitarian ethos in Iraq and the operational value of principled humanitarianism, but call attention to significant gaps at ground level between ethos and practice.
Ethnicity, federalism and the idea of sectarian citizenship in Iraq: a critique
Authors: Visser Reidar 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe article discusses the “ethnic paradigm” that currently prevails in analyses of Iraqi history and politics. While acknowledging the strong forces associated with ethnic and sectarian loyalties in the country, the article points to three important indicators of the surviving Iraqi nationalist sentiment that cut across these ethno-sectarian categories. It highlights the misfit between Western approaches to Iraqi politics and indigenous Iraqi political thinking on ethnicity and sectarianism, and pays special attention to the implications for the debates about federalism and the partitioning – “soft” or “hard” – of Iraq.
Crossing the desert – the ICRC in Iraq: analysis of a humanitarian operation
Authors: Palmieri Daniel 
Published: May 2008

AbstractFor almost 60 years, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been doing its best to provide humanitarian assistance to those groups in Iraq that need it most. This article describes the humanitarian operations of the ICRC in Iraq from 1950 to the present day, in particular the support it has given to different minorities in the country and its humanitarian responses to the various armed conflicts. It shows that the legal framework that provides the basis for the ICRC's humanitarian activities also limits its ability to take action in situations beyond the scope of its mandate. In armed conflicts the ICRC faces the risk of being used by governments for their own ends. The challenge for the ICRC is to strike a balance between meeting its treaty-based obligations and exercising its right of humanitarian initiative, and to avoid selecting the recipients of its aid on the sole basis of opportunities made available by governments.
The crisis of professional responsibility in Iraqi journalism: avoiding incitement to violence and armed conflict
Authors: Abdel Majid Ahmad 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis article proposes that the current journalistic challenges in Iraq necessitate, inter alia, a commitment by journalists to their professional responsibility, since this will guarantee the avoidance of the danger of sliding into the implications that usually result from armed sectarian conflicts. This responsibility should be exercised to assist the victims and promote a spirit of tolerance and reconciliation through the principles of professional ethics based on balance, equity, accuracy and objectivity. It might not be possible to achieve this without a code, agreed upon by all, which persons working in the journalistic profession would apply in a manner consistent with the fundamental principles of professional journalism, which require emotional detachment when formulating the content of news reports. The author proposes a preliminary theory or vision that could be modified or discussed in order to achieve this purpose in a country that is suffering, and will continue to suffer, from merciless bloodshed.
Wartime estimates of Iraqi civilian casualties
Authors: Daponte Beth Osborne 
Published: May 2008

AbstractChallenges exist when making reliable and valid estimates of civilian mortality due to war. This article first discusses a framework used to examine war's impact on civilians and then considers challenges common to each statistical approach taken to estimate civilian casualties. It examines the different approaches that have been used to estimate civilian casualties associated with the recent fighting in Iraq to date and compares the results of different approaches. The author concludes by proposing that after fighting has ceased, other approaches to estimating Iraqi civilian mortality, such as post-war retrospective surveys and demographic analysis, should be employed.
A neutral, impartial and independent approach: key to ICRC's acceptance in Iraq
Authors: Mattli Karl , Gasser Jörg 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe article describes the context of the ICRC's operations in Iraq, where the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, the Gulf War in 1990–1 and the effects of sanctions preceded the 2003 conflict and the spread of sectarian violence. The many serious attacks, including the bombing of the ICRC delegation in Baghdad in 2003 and continuing threats to the ICRC delegates, led to a low-visibility presence and required a new modus operandi in which a real presence on the ground was backed up by remote-control mechanisms for assistance activities in the most insecure areas. Projects to cover essential needs by ensuring water supplies and sewage disposal and supporting health facilities exemplify this new ICRC operational framework. Whereas remote control and support operations enabled programmes of increasing scope and size to be implemented, they could not replace a direct physical presence on the ground, and acceptance-building had to be reinforced through networking and communicational aspects. The authors argue, however, that there is still room for independent, neutral and impartial humanitarian action in Iraq – despite inherent security risks.
How Much Will Precipitation Increase With Global Warming?
Authors: Lambert F. Hugo , Stine Alexander R. , Krakauer Nir Y. , Chiang John C. H. 
Published: May 2008

The advent of meteorological satellites during the 1970s made possible the observation of the seasonally shifting patterns of global precipitation. It was not until recently, however, that the record could be considered long enough to investigate longer‐term trends and the relationship between global precipitation and global warming. Using data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) instrument, Wentz et al. [2007] reported that global mean precipitation increased at a rate of 7.4±2.6% per °C between 1987 and 2006.Meanwhile, general circulation models (GCMs) used to predict climate change simulate twentieth‐ and 21st‐century mean precipitation increases of about 13% per °C [Held and Soden, 2006]. This difference seems surprising because some GCMs can adequately reproduce the much longer twentieth‐ century surface‐based land‐mean precipitation record [Lambert et al., 2005]. Global precipitation changes are tied to the surface energy budget through evaporation and to the tropospheric energy budget through condensation. Thus, if GCMs do underestimate global precipitation changes, the simulation of other climate variables will be affected.
Active Surveillance to Determine the Impact of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Colonization on Patients in Intensive Care Units of a Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Authors: Patel Mukesh , Weinheimer Jeffrey D. , Waites Ken B. , Baddley John W. 
Published: May 2008

Objective.The impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization on mortality has not been well characterized. We sought to describe the impact of MRSA colonization on patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).Methods.We conducted a retrospective cohort study of ICU patients at the Birmingham VAMC during 2005 to evaluate the predictors of MRSA colonization and determine its effect on clinical outcomes. Surveillance cultures for MRSA were performed on admission to the ICU and weekly thereafter. Clinical findings, the incidence of MRSA infection, and mortality within 3 months after ICU admission were recorded. Predictors of mortality and S. aureus colonization were determined using multivariable models.Results.S. aureus colonization was present in 97 (23.3%) of 416 patients screened, of whom 67 (16.1%) were colonized with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and 30 (7.2%) with MRSA. All-cause mortality at 3 months among MRSA-colonized patients was significantly greater than that among MSSA-colonized patients (46.7% vs 19.4%; P = .009). MRSA colonization was an independent predictor of death (adjusted odds ratio [OR] ,3.7 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.5–8.9]; P = .003) and onset of MRSA infection after hospital discharge (adjusted OR, 7.6 [95% CI, 2.48–23.2]; P < .001). Risk factors for MRSA colonization included recent antibiotic use (adjusted OR, 4.8 [95% CI, 1.9–12.2]; P = .001) and dialysis (adjusted OR, 18.9 [95% CI, 2.1–167.8]; P = .008).Conclusions.Among ICU patients, MRSA colonization is associated with subsequent MRSA infection and an all-cause mortality that is greater than that for MSSA colonization. Active surveillance for MRSA colonization may identify individuals at risk for these adverse outcomes. Prospective studies of outcomes in MRSA-colonized patients may better define the role of programs for active MRSA surveillance.
The Level of Free Intracellular Zinc Mediates Programmed Cell Death/Cell Survival Decisions in Plant Embryos
Authors: Helmersson Andreas , von Arnold Sara , Bozhkov Peter V. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractZinc is a potent regulator of programmed cell death (PCD) in animals. While certain, cell-type-specific concentrations of intracellular free zinc are required to protect cells from death, zinc depletion commits cells to death in diverse systems. As in animals, PCD has a fundamental role in plant biology, but its molecular regulation is poorly understood. In particular, the involvement of zinc in the control of plant PCD remains unknown. Here, we used somatic embryos of Norway spruce (Picea abies) to investigate the role of zinc in developmental PCD, which is crucial for correct embryonic patterning. Staining of the early embryos with zinc-specific molecular probes (Zinquin-ethyl-ester and Dansylaminoethyl-cyclen) has revealed high accumulation of zinc in the proliferating cells of the embryonal masses and abrupt decrease of zinc content in the dying terminally differentiated suspensor cells. Exposure of early embryos to a membrane-permeable zinc chelator N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine led to embryonic lethality, as it induced ectopic cell death affecting embryonal masses. This cell death involved the loss of plasma membrane integrity, metacaspase-like proteolytic activity, and nuclear DNA fragmentation. To verify the anti-cell death effect of zinc, we incubated early embryos with increased concentrations of zinc sulfate. Zinc supplementation inhibited developmental PCD and led to suppression of terminal differentiation and elimination of the embryo suspensors, causing inhibition of embryo maturation. Our data demonstrate that perturbation of zinc homeostasis disrupts the balance between cell proliferation and PCD required for plant embryogenesis. This establishes zinc as an important cue governing cell fate decisions in plants.
The role of the renin–angiotensin system in atrial fibrillation and the therapeutic effects of ACE‐Is and ARBS
Authors: Novo Giuseppina , Guttilla Daniela , Fazio Giovanni , Cooper Debbie , Novo Salvatore 
Published: May 2008

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common rhythm disturbance in medical practice.• AF can be managed with the prevention of thromboembolism and either a rate control or rhythm control strategy; however, as both treatment strategies have important limitations, a preventative strategy could be a more attractive option.• Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE‐Is) and angiotensin‐II receptor blockers (ARBs) may play a role in preventing AF recurrence. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • The aim of the present review was to analyse evidence supporting the usefulness of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibition in patients with AF and to focus on which specific subset of patients it most favours.• Although many studies and meta‐analysis have supported the advantage of RAS block in preventing AF recurrence, it is not possible to recommend the use of ACE‐Is and ARBs in routine clinical practice specifically to prevent AF.• As these drugs are safe and manageable, they should be considered the drugs of choice in patients with AF and coexisting clinical conditions such as hypertension, coronary disease, heart failure and diabetes mellitus.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common rhythm disturbance in medical practice and represents a very expensive health problem. AF can be managed with the prevention of thromboembolism and either a rate control or rhythm control strategy. As both strategies have important limitations, probably a preventative strategy in patients at risk of developing arrhythmia can be a more attractive option.The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) seems to be involved in the genesis of arrhythmia by the following two mechanisms:

the induction of atrial fibrosis and structural remodelling by mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) expression and reduction of collagenase activity;
the induction of electrical remodelling by shortening of the atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and of the action potential duration.

For these reasons it has been hypothesized that angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE‐Is) and angiotensin‐II receptor blockers (ARBs) may play a role in preventing AF recurrence. The aim of the present review was to analyse evidence supporting the usefulness of RAS inhibition in patients with AF in order to focus on which specific subset of patients it would most favour. After reviewing the literature, we conclude that, although many studies and meta‐analyses have supported the advantage of RAS block in preventing AF recurrence, it is premature to recommend the use of ACE‐Is and ARBs specifically for the prevention of AF.However we believe that as these drugs are safe and manageable, they should be considered the drugs of choice in patients with AF and coexisting clinical conditions such as hypertension, coronary disease, heart failure and diabetes mellitus.