bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Why European Commissioners Matter*
Authors: Smith Andy 
Published: December 2004

AbstractDiscussions of the role European Commissioners play in European Union politics are shaped by three powerful implicit assumptions. These posit a causal relationship between a Commissioner's behaviour and previous career, portfolio and national origin. In addition, Commissioners are seen as exacerbating the fragmentation of the European Commission as a whole. Based on an empirical study of eight Commissioners from the Delors II and the Santer colleges, this article challenges or reformulates these assumptions. In so doing, it also shows that sociologies of actors such as European Commissioners ‘matter’ to the study of politics in the European Union.
The Legislative Powers and Impact of the European Parliament
Authors: Maurer Andreas 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis article investigates the impact of the legislative powers of the European Parliament (EP), particularly the co‐decision procedure. After explaining the development of the legislative procedures, the article analyses the extent to which the different procedures have been used since their creation. It then considers how growing legislative power has affected the EP's internal development, how far the EP has been able to influence EU legislation, and whether EP involvement in legislation has enhanced or impeded the efficiency of the EU legislative process. The article concludes by considering possible areas for further reform of the EP's role in the EU's legislative system.
Public Support for the European Parliament*
Authors: Gabel Matthew 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe study of the European Parliament (EP) is motivated in large part by its central role in the democratic legitimacy of the European Union (EU). Public support for the EP is important to this legitimacy. At a fundamental level, a parliament designed to represent citizens ought to enjoy public respect and support and, in this study, I examine whether EU citizens vary systematically in their support for the EP. Based on regression analysis of Eurobarometer survey data, I demonstrate that EU citizens differ in their support for the EP based on their considerations of the current scope of EU governance, their appraisal of EU membership, their sense of European political identity, and their level of satisfaction with national democracy. These results have implications for how institutional reforms may shape public support for and the legitimacy of the EU.
City of talents? Berlin's regional economy, socio‐spatial fabric and ‘worst practice’ urban governance
Authors: Krätke Stefan 
Published: December 2004

Berlin's reinstatement as the capital of Germany has raised great expectations of its transformation into a major economic centre of the European urban system. However, the city has not been able to fulfil these expectations. Today, Berlin is being hit by a financial crisis with dramatic consequences for the city's future development prospects. This article outlines the main outcomes of Berlin's socio‐economic restructuring in the 1990s: a tremendous loss of jobs in traditional industries has contributed to rising unemployment and the spread of urban poverty. The city has been a prime playground for speculative real estate investment, which has left behind a huge amount of unoccupied office space. On the other hand, new islands of economic growth have been developing in Berlin, particularly in knowledge‐intensive economic activities and the media industry. This development is related to the city's functioning as a highly attractive living place for the ‘creative class’ in Germany. At the same time, the city is an outstanding example of ‘worst practice’ urban governance, which has led to a financial crisis with truly catastrophic effects. The current financial consolidation policy may damage the prospects of Berlin's few growth sectors in the field of knowledge‐intensive economic activities.Le rétablissement de Berlin en capitale de l'Allemagne a suscité d'énormes attentes quant à sa transformation en centre économique majeur du réseau urbain européen, espoirs qui se sont révélés vains. Aujourd'hui, Berlin est frappée par une crise financière aux conséquences dramatiques pour les perspectives de développement de la ville. Cet article présente les principaux aboutissements de la restructuration socio‐économique de la capitale dans les années 1990: une terrible déperdition d'emplois dans les industries traditionnelles a nourri une progression du chômage et de la pauvreté urbaine; devenue terrain de jeu privilégié des spéculateurs immobiliers, la ville compte désormais une multitude d'espaces de bureaux inoccupés. En revanche, ont éclos des îlots de croissance économique, notamment dans les médias et les domaines où le savoir est important. Cette évolution tient au fonctionnement de la capitale comme lieu de vie particulièrement attrayant pour les ‘créatifs’ en Allemagne. Parallèlement, la ville constitue un remarquable cas de ‘pire pratique’ de gouvernance urbaine ayant amené une crise financière aux effets réellement catastrophiques; pour finir, la politique de consolidation financière actuelle va peut‐être entraver l'avenir des rares secteurs berlinois en expansion dans les sphères d'activités économiques demandeuses de savoir.
The co‐optation of squatters in Amsterdam and the emergence of a movement meritocracy: a critical reply to Pruijt
Authors: Uitermark Justus 
Published: December 2004

This article explains how and why the relationship between the Amsterdam squatter movement and the local government has changed over the last decade. Besides reassessing Pruijt's analysis of the Amsterdam squatter movement in a recent issue of this journal, the article also engages with the post‐Fordist literature on social movements. This literature is largely based on the assumption that a subversive identity is incompatible with co‐optation. However, as such ‘soft factors’ as culture gain more importance in urban growth strategies, it is likely that some segments of urban movements may become co‐opted while retaining their subversive identity. It is hypothesized that we are witnessing the emergence of a movement meritocracy: with the rise of soft neoliberal urban policies, the way in which the local polity delivers incentives follows an increasingly discriminatory pattern, giving a place to those segments that contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the city whilst ignoring segments that struggle for basic provisions. These processes are probably not peculiar to Amsterdam and there is an urgent need for post‐Fordist and other social movement theory to investigate what are the consequences of these shifts for government‐movement interactions.Comment et pourquoi la relation entre le mouvement des squatters d'Amsterdam et le gouvernement local a‐t‐elle changé au cours de la dernière décennie? Outre l'examen de l'analyse qu'a faite Pruijt du mouvement des squatters d'Amsterdam dans un récent numéro de cette revue, l'article s'appuie sur la littérature post‐fordiste des mouvements sociaux. Celle‐ci se fonde surtout sur l'hypothèse qu'une identité subversive est incompatible avec une cooptation. Or, comme les ‘facteurs intangibles’ tels que la culture prennent de l'importance dans les stratégies d'expansion urbaine, il est probable que certains segments des mouvements urbains pourront être cooptés tout en gardant leur nature subversive. On suppose l'apparition d'une méritocratie des mouvements: avec l'essor des politiques urbaines néolibérales de compromis, la manière dont le gouvernement local propose des mesures d'incitation suit un modèle de plus en plus discriminatoire, donnant une place aux segments qui contribuent à la vibration culturelle de la ville, tout en ignorant ceux qui luttent pour des services de base. Les processus n'étant sans doute pas propres à Amsterdam, il est urgent que les théories des mouvements sociaux, post‐fordistes ou autres, étudient les conséquences de ces changements dans les interactions entre gouvernement et mouvements.
Comparison of zinc oxide and eugenol, and Vitapex for root canal treatment of necrotic primary teeth
Authors: MORTAZAVI M. , MESBAHI M. 
Published: December 2004

Summary.Objectives.  The aims of this study were to evaluate iodoform base materials for root canal treatment of necrotic primary teeth, and to compare them with traditionally used zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE).Sample and Methods.  Zinc oxide and eugenol and Vitapex (a premixed calcium hydroxide and iodoform paste) were compared for root canal treatment in 52 necrotic primary teeth in two groups of children with a mean age of 5 years and 8·4 months. All the patients were followed‐up clinically and radiographically 3 months and 10–16 months postoperatively.Results.  The overall success rates of Vitapex and ZOE were 100% and 78·5%, respectively. Using Fisher's Exact Test, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0·05).Conclusion.  Both ZOE and Vitapex gave encouraging results. Vitapex, however, can be used more safely whenever there is a doubt about the patient's return for follow‐up.
An epidemiological survey of the time and sequence of eruption of permanent teeth in 4–15‐year‐olds in Tehran, Iran
Authors: MOSLEMI M. 
Published: December 2004

Summary.Aim.  The aims of this study were to define the average time of eruption of permanent teeth, the range of variation of the eruption time of each tooth, and their sequence of eruption amongst boys and girls in Tehran, Iran.Methods.  The population under study comprised 3744 pupils and students in the 4–15‐year‐old age group (1786 girls and 1958 boys) who were randomly selected from schools and training centres in the 20 districts covered by the General Department of Education and Training in Tehran. The research was carried out on a cross‐sectional basis. The average age at eruption of permanent teeth, excluding third molars, was given as the mean (± SD) and median in months for each gender. A table of percentiles of the eruption time was also determined.Results.  The results show that, with the exception of the maxillary second premolars, the average age at eruption of permanent teeth in girls is less than in boys. The results also show that mandibular teeth have an earlier eruption time than maxillary teeth in both boys and girls. By the age of 96 months, 97% of the girls had all their first permanent molars. In boys, the corresponding age was 99 months. Amongst girls, maxillary canines erupt earlier than maxillary second premolars.Conclusion.  On average, girls have their permanent teeth erupt earlier than boys. The sequence of eruption differs between girls and boys for maxillary canines and maxillary second premolars.
A double‐blind randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of topical bupivacaine in reducing distress in children following extractions under general anaesthesia
Authors: GAZAL G. , BOWMAN R. , WORTHINGTON H. V. , MACKIE I. C. 
Published: December 2004

Summary.Objective.  This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of topical bupivacaine (0·25%) in reducing postoperative distress following extraction of teeth under general anaesthesia in children.Design.  The study was a double‐blind randomized controlled trial.Setting.  The study was conducted in a dental hospital.Sample.  The sample comprised 135 children aged between 2 and 12 years of age who were undergoing outpatient general anaesthesia for simple dental extractions.Methods.  The children were randomly allocated to one of two groups: the bupivacaine group (the study group) comprised 68 children whilst the sterile water group (the control group) comprised 67. Following the extraction of their teeth, children had swabs soaked in the appropriate solution placed over the exposed teeth sockets. A five‐point face scale was employed by an independent observer to evaluate the distress for each child. Evaluation of distress was made preoperatively, on recovery from the general anaesthetic, and again, 15 min following recovery from the anaesthetic.Results.  There were no statistically significant differences between the mean distress scores for the bupivacaine and sterile water groups preoperatively, postoperatively or 15 min postoperatively. For both groups, however, there were significant increases in distress scores between the preoperative and 15 min postoperative assessment scores.Conclusion.  Extraction of teeth under general anaesthesia does cause distress in children. There is no evidence that topical bupivacaine reduces this distress when compared to sterile water.
A modern pollen–climate calibration set from northern Europe: developing and testing a tool for palaeoclimatological reconstructions
Authors: Seppä Heikki , Birks H. J. B. , Odland Arvid , Poska Anneli , Veski Siim 
Published: December 2004

AbstractAims and location The potential of pollen records in quantitative climate reconstructions has been widely debated but seldom tested. Our aim is to develop a pollen–climate transfer function for northern Europe and test its performance and inference power by numerical cross‐validation with modern climate data. Annual mean temperature (Tann) was assessed as the critical climatic variable becauseTannhas a distinct south–north gradient (5.5 to −4.7 °C) in the study region with a corresponding zonal vegetation gradient from the hemiboreal zone in the south to the northern boreal zone in the north.Methods We collected 137 pollen surface samples from small‐ to medium size lakes from southern Estonia to northern Finland. The transfer function forTannwas developed with weighted averaging partial least squares (WA‐PLS) regression. All 102 terrestrial pollen and spore types were included in the calculation sum and all 137 surface samples and all 102 taxa were included in the transfer function. The performance of the WA‐PLS transfer function was evaluated by leave‐one‐out cross‐validation.Results A cross‐validated root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of our model is 0.89 °C and the coefficient of determination (r2) between the observed meteorologicalTannvalues and those predicted by the model in leave‐one‐out cross‐validation is 0.88. The RMSEP as a percentage of the gradient length ofTannis 8.8%. These figures indicate high performance statistics for our transfer function compared with other inference models. This is probably because of standardization of our surface‐sampling and pollen‐analytical procedures, careful selection of the surface sample sites with consideration of the relevant pollen source area, the simple patterns of vegetation zones and climate in the study area, and the mostly natural floristic composition of the forests in northern Europe. However, we also demonstrate the limitations of our model in reliably detecting fine‐scale climatic variability.Main conclusions The study shows the strong influence ofTannon modern pollen composition and demonstrates the potential of pollen data for long‐term climate reconstructions in northern Europe. It also provides evidence against simple interpretations of fine‐scale variations in a single climate reconstruction. In particular, our results highlight the importance of careful study design and implementation in the construction of pollen–climate transfer functions.
Trauma and tribulation: the experiences and attitudes of operating room nurses working with organ donors
Authors: Regehr Cheryl , Kjerulf Maria , Popova Svetlana R , Baker Andrew J 
Published: December 2004

Background. In the past two decades, significant medical advances have resulted in remarkable success and survival rates for organ recipients. However, the rates of donation have not kept pace with the demand, resulting in a critical shortage of available healthy organs. It has been suggested that the attitudes of medical personnel towards organ retrieval is a key success factor in improving organ donation. Yet there is evidence that those closest to the process of procurement are the most negative.Aims and objectives. This study sought to examine the attitudes towards organ donation of operating room nurses and their experiences of participating in the procurement of organs for transplant, in order to unravel factors that contribute to their attitudes.Methods. This study relied upon in‐depth qualitative interviews with 14 operating room nurses who participated in organ procurement in a large urban trauma centre.Results. The results of this study suggest that the process of organ procurement is highly stressful and raises many concerns for operating room nurses. Factors, which added to participants’ distress, include organizational factors such as strained relationships within surgical teams, concerns about the dignity of the patient and the well‐being of the family and exposure to death and trauma.Conclusions. Experiences of nurses participating in surgical removal of organs for transplantation resulted in personal feelings of distress and negative attitudes to the issue of organ donation which may be transmitted to others and undermine organ procurement efforts.Relevance to clinical practice. The concerns of these vital members of the organ procurement team should be heeded and actions taken to reduce their distress and improve their attitudes towards donation.
Kidney transplantation: determination of the problems encountered by Turkish patients and their knowledge and practices on healthy living
Authors: Talas Melek Serpil , Bayraktar Nurhan 
Published: December 2004

Background. Although renal transplantations remove many limitations, dialysis can improve quality life in patients with end‐stage renal disease, once transplantation has been performed and the patient has been discharged with a functioning graft, life with a chronic illness continues.Aims and objectives. This study was carried out to define problems encountered by patients undergoing kidney transplantation and their knowledge and practices on healthy living.Design. This study was designed as a retrospective and descriptive survey.Methods. This study was performed on 125 patients who were followed at Social Insurance Institute's Ankara Speciality Hospital Transplantation Clinic between March and August 2001. A convenience sample was drawn from the population of renal transplant patients. A questionnaire was prepared based on the literature, which included patients’ socio‐demographic information, physiological problems, diseases and repeated hospitalizations; side‐effects and usage of immunosuppressive drugs, knowledge and practices of patients regarding healthy living and their knowledge needs. Data were collected through interviews. Percentage and chi‐square test were used in evaluation of the data.Results. Physiological problems and diseases after renal transplantations were seen such as 38.4% had infections in urinary and respiratory tract. Some had hypertension (22.4%) hypercholesterolaemia (26.5%) and 5.6% had malignancy. Most (67.2%) developed antirejection drugs side‐effects. About 55.2% were admitted to hospital after renal transplantation and 68.8% had not received any training after transplantation from a health professional. Only 35.2% knew the signs and symptoms of rejection entirely or partly. It was determined that 55.2% stated that they avoid sunlight and 56% stated that they exercise regularly. Only 26.8% of female patients do regular breast self‐examination. While 52.8% listed the forbidden foods correctly, only 27.2% could list the forbidden beverages accurately.Conclusions. According to the results, patients undergoing renal transplantation experience various problems that may influence their quality of life adversely and their knowledge and practice is not adequate for them to continue to lead healthy lives.Relevance to clinical practice. In accordance with the results of the study, offering continuing education and counselling services, preparing training guides, brochures, video cassettes and CDs for patient education, improving the national web sites to inform the public and creation of a home care system were suggested.
Raised platelet levels in diabetes mellitus complicated with nephropathy
Authors: Sterner G. , Carlson J. , Ekberg G. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract. Sterner G, Carlson J, Ekberg G (Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden). Raised platelet levels in diabetes mellitus complicated with nephropathy. J Intern Med 1998; 244: 437–41.Objectives To study if elevated platelet levels are found in early and late diabetic nephropathy.Design A retrospective study was performed of platelet count in different subgroups of patients with insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus, including patients with long and short duration of diabetes and with early signs of nephropathy. Patients with severe renal failure subjected to renal transplantation were also included.Results The results suggest that raised platelet levels were associated with early signs of diabetic nephropathy and with female gender. Amongst diabetics progressing to uraemia leading to renal transplant, the platelet level was 50% higher than in non‐diabetic uraemic patients.Conclusion It is concluded that raised platelet levels are a common finding in patients with diabetes mellitus complicated by nephropathy.
Absorption and urinary excretion of the coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol in healthy ileostomy volunteers
Authors: De Roos B. , Meyboom S. , Kosmeijer‐Schuil T. G. , Katan M. B. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract. de Roos B, Meyboom S, Kosmeijer‐Schuil TG, Katan MB (Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands). Absorption and urinary excretion of the coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol in healthy ileostomy volunteers. J Intern Med 1998; 244: 451–60.Objectives To determine the absorption and urinary excretion of the cholesterol‐raising coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol in humans.Subjects and design Nine healthy ileostomists consumed a dose of one, two or three cups of French‐press coffee together with a standardized breakfast on three separate days in random order. Subsequently, ileostomy effluent was collected for 14 h and urine for 24 h. Stability of cafestol and kahweol was also assessed under simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions.Main outcome measures Absorption of diterpenes, stability of diterpenes during incubation with gastrointestinal fluids, and urinary excretion of diterpenes.Results Corrected mean absorptions expressed as percentages of the amount consumed and the amount entering the duodenum were 67 and 88%, respectively, for cafestol, and 72 and 93%, respectively, for kahweol. We found losses of diterpenes during incubation in vitro with gastric juice (cafestol, 24%; kahweol, 32%), during storage with ileostomy effluent (cafestol, 18%; kahweol, 12%), and during freeze‐drying (cafestol, 26%; kahweol, 32%). Mean excretion of glucuronidated plus sulphated conjugates in urine was 1.2% of the ingested amount for cafestol and 0.4% of the ingested amount for kahweol.Conclusions About 70% of the ingested cafestol and kahweol is absorbed in ileostomy volunteers. Possibly, undetected metabolites are present in ileostomy effluent, resulting in lower absorption percentages. Only a small part of the diterpenes is excreted as a conjugate of glucuronic acid or sulphate in urine. Therefore, these compounds are extensively metabolized in the human body.