bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polities and Political Discourse: Was Mande Already A Segmentary Society in the Middle Ages?
Authors: Jansen Jan
Published: May 2006

Stephan Bühnen has applied some of my ideas to a wider region than southwestern Mali, and shown that the principles of Mande status discourse make possible new interpretations on sources and political processes in the entire West African Sudan. Inspired by Bühnen's analysis, I am convinced that the principles of Mande status discourse may shed light on various processes, varying from political struggles between families to the construction of contemporary ethnic identities. I hope that this reply will not be the end of the discussion on West African genealogies, and that others will join us.

Although Bühnen ideas are fruitful, there are also points to contest. Lack of space forces me to focus on three points of Bühnen's critique: the way I elaborate the term “segmentary;” his remarks that I overlook a “bulk of testimony recorded in medieval Arabic sources;” and his complaint of my “inadequate understanding of historical polities.”

Since Bühnen accepts my analysis of the Mande genealogies and their relation to nineteenth-century society, I will take this as my point of departure. I will argue that we cannot deduce the “historical reality of polities” for the available material without being misled by our own prejudices and fallacies. The ‘old’ sources are not as one-dimensional as Bühnen thinks: a status claim does not necessarily represent an irreversible hierarchy in a relationship. Bühnen ignores the context, overlooks the dynamics of Mande status discourse, and presupposes his model of chiefdoms.

I admit that I am vague about the way I operationalize the term “segmentary,” but a definition of “segmentary” is not necessary to my argument since I focus on a discourse which shows that any relation in Mande is hierarchical as well as based on a dichotomy—for instance, ‘older-younger’ or ‘founder-stranger.’
Writing Biographies of Boorana: Social Histories at The Time of Kenya's Independence
Authors: Aguilar Mario I.
Published: May 2006

In June 1963 Daudi Dabaso Wawera, who at that time was District Commissioner of Isiolo, and Chief Hajji Galma Diida were killed in a Somali ambush near Mado Gashi, fifty kilometers from Garba Tulla, in the area surrounding the Waso Nyiro river in Eastern Kenya. While both of them were killed, their companions and escorts were not touched, in an ambush that was premeditated and calculated. It was a political assassination, insignificant for the processes leading to Kenya's independence later that year, but quite significant for the subsequent historical responses offered by the Boorana of the area, to their eventual integration into a newly-created independent African nation.

That integration was not at all easy; in particular, the time leading to Kenya's independence was a turbulent one for the Waso Boorana. They were part of a larger group of semi-nomadic pastoralists who made up most of the population of that colonial administrative segment of northern Kenya, known as the Northern Frontier District (N.F.D.) As a result they lived in a territory claimed by ethnic Somali to be part of the newly created Somali republic, and who still wanted the actual constitution of a Greater Somalia, a political and symbolic construction that would include all Somali living in northeast Africa.

While support for the Somali cause was not unified among the peoples of northern Kenya, the Muslim Boorana of the Waso area of the Isiolo District in particular showed an immediate support for the claims of secession expressed by their Muslim Somali brothers.
Contextualizing and Decontextualizing African Historical Photographs
Authors: Adenaike Carolyn Keyes
Published: May 2006

In the summer of 1992 I was fortunate enough to visit two large collections of photographs for the purpose of African historical research.Muse and subject of this essay, these collections are housed in the library of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (hereafter FCO) and the library of the Royal Commonwealth Society (hereafter RCS), both in London. Although comparable in some respects, the two contrast sharply in styles of organization. It is this contrast which motivates the present writing, as it illustrates certain effects of the organization of collections on the usefulness of photographs as historical sources, and it leads as well to some reflections on the nature of historical evidence and visual images.

Both the RCS and the FCO have substantial holdings of photographic materials which should be of interest to Africanist historians generally. The size of the RCS collection has been variously estimated at between 45,000 and 70,000 photographs, while that of the FCO is approximately as large. In both cases, the researcher must make an appointment to see the collections, and neither is open to the general public. At the time of this writing, the FCO, having moved to a new location, has closed its photo collection, with no plans to reopen in the near future.

Specialists on Nigeria will find that the FCO and RCS each have over 30 albums relevant to this country's history. The FCO has somewhat larger Nigerian holdings, while the RCS collection will be of greater interest to historians of Sierra Leone and other West African countries. The Nigerian materials in the FCO are generally older, many falling roughly betweenca. 1890 andca. 1920, while the RCS holdings tend to concentrate on the mid-twentieth century. The FCO's Nigeria albums are approximately equally divided between the northern and southern portions of the country, while those of the RCS focus more heavily on northern Nigeria.
The Documentation of Ilorin by Samuel Ojo Bada
Authors: Danmole H. O. , Falola Toyin
Published: May 2006

The Rev. (Chief) Samuel Ojo, better known as Ojo Bada of Saki, who died in 1992 at the reputed age of 117, was a very versatile person indeed. A Babalawo (“diviner”) converted to a Baptist pastor and a carpenter who became a schoolteacher, he was also to graduate from a storyteller to the author of over fifty essays, pamphlets, and books. He became a Christian in 1902, received his elementary education from 1907 to 1913, and attended the Baptist Theological Seminary at Ogbomoso from 1924 to 1926. His life after 1926 revolved around the Church, as a founder of several churches and a pastor, and in education as a teacher. He took the chieftaincy title of Bada, following in his father's footsteps in 1937. His title, church, and school duties brought him more contacts with the government, first as a member of the Oyo Divisional Council from 1938 to 1958, later a member of the Oyo Provincial Council from 1959 to 1963, and finally a member of the House of Chiefs from 1961 to 1965. For his community service he received the MBE (Member of the British Empire) in 1963 and became a Justice of Peace in 1965. He devoted his spare time to writing.
The Stone Sculptures of the Upper Guinea Coast
Authors: Hart W. A. , Fyfe Christopher
Published: May 2006

The Upper Guinea Coast—the modern Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia—is one of the few parts of Africa where people have carved stone sculptures. The stone figures sculpted there, usually in soft steatite, or soap-stone, are generally called nomoli or pomta, depending on whether they have the standard features of figures found in southeastern Sierra Leone, or of those from the Kono and Kissi areas further north. There is a third group which consists mainly of sculpted heads on pedestal-like necks. They have been known to Europeans since at least the 1850s, and scholars have been publishing articles about them since 1901. This paper is a critical review of these publications.
The Royal African Company of England's West African Correspondence, 1681-1699
Authors: Law Robin
Published: May 2006

This paper draws attention to an ambitious project in the publication of source material for the precolonial history of West Africa, which has recently been approved for inclusion in the Fontes Historiae Africanae series of the British Academy. In addition to self-promotion, however, I wish also to take the opportunity to air some of the problems of editorial strategy and choice which arise with regard to the editing and presentation of this material, in the hope of provoking some helpful feedback on these issues.

The material to be published consists of correspondence of the Royal African Company of England relating to the West African coast in the late seventeenth century. The history of the Royal African Company (hereafter RAC) is in general terms well known, especially through the pioneering (and still not superseded) study by K.G. Davies (1957). The Company was chartered in 1672 with a legal monopoly of English trade with Africa. Its headquarters in West Africa was at Cape Coast (or, in the original form of the name, Cabo Corso) Castle on the Gold Coast, and it maintained forts or factories not only on the Gold Coast itself, but also at the Gambia, in Sierra Leone, and at Offra and Whydah on the Slave Coast. It lost its monopoly of the African trade in 1698, and thereafter went into decline, effectively ceasing to operate as a trading concern in the 1720s, although it continued to manage the English possessions on the coast of West Africa until it was replaced by a regulated company (i.e., one open to all traders), the Company of Merchants Trading to Africa, in 1750.
Judicial and Legal Records in the National Archives of Ghana/Accra: An Introduction for Users
Authors: Akotia Pino
Published: May 2006

Judicial and legal records in the National Archives of Ghana headquarters repositories are important primary source materials for historians, social scientists, and other researchers, and in particular practicing lawyers. The holdings of the national archives service, both in Accra and its network, cover records relating to the political and bureaucratic activities of government. This paper focuses on the Accra holdings pertaining to judicial and legal records, in order to draw attention to the decisive attractiveness of these record series in general and, in particular, the Accra judicial and legal records to a generation inclined to both quantification and sociological analysis and to provide a guide to prospective users.

The headquarters of the national archives service, where the judicial and legal records are located, is situated on Castle Road in Accra near the junction with Barnes Road. The offices are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. The search room functions between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The formal requirement for admission to use the archives materials is the searcher's ticket obtained from the Search Room Officer on the spot.
The Nigerian Records Survey Remembered
Authors: Hair P. E. H.
Published: May 2006

Since all of today's trained African historians took up their burden in the 1960s or later decades, it is gratifying to be an untrained African historian who began in the 1950s, inasmuch as my early career can now be immodestly presented to younger researchers as historical documentation. This thought has arisen when reading in HA 18 a contribution by Simon Heap on the Nigerian National Archives at Ibadan. The archive's inspired founder, Kenneth Onwuka Dike, being long dead, a note on the history of the archives, or rather on its prehistory, can be offered from probably the Only Survivor.
The Trevor-Roper Trap or the Imperialism of History. An Essay
Authors: Fuglestad Finn
Published: May 2006

This is, as the title makes clear, an essay; that is to say, a genre in which it is considered legitimate for the author to put forward his own more or less (in this case rather more) subjective viewpoints. As such it contains quite a number of short cuts and mouthfuls. I have also deemed it necessary, for the sake of the logic of the argumentation, to make occasional and rather long de-tours via a number of obvious, and at times downright elementary, points. My excuse is that the genre virtually requires it. And my hope is that the following pages will provide at least some food for thought.

Back in the early 1960s the distinguished Professor Hugh Trevor-Roper of Oxford University proclaimed, as every Africanist probably knows, that at least precolonial Black Africa had no history. He must have meant what he said, for he repeated his contention in 1969 by putting the label “unhistoric” on the African continent; the whole of the African continent that is, including Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Maghrib.

On the face of it there is little reason why we should bother with this type of point of view now in the 1990s. After all, the avalanche of articles and books on African history—including several multi-volume General Histories—which have been published since the 1960s, in a sense bear testimony to the absurdity of Trevor-Roper's position.

And yet, for all that, I am not quite certain that the malaise engendered by Trevor-Roper and his like has been entirely dissipated. After all, Trevor-Roper remains a frequently-quoted historian. But more to the point, there is often in my opinion a rather embarrassing insistence in the specialist Africanist litera¬ture on the “extraordinary complexity and dynamism” of Black Africa's past; an insistence not infrequently coupled with the urge, apparently never appeased, to put to rest the myth of Primitive Africa. There is also an equally embarrassing insistence on behalf of many Africanists to pin the label “state” on even the tiniest of polities in precolonial Africa, thus obscuring the appar¬ent fact that perhaps a majority of Africans in the precolonial era lived in so-called “acephalous” societies.
P. E. Isert in German, French, and English: A Comparison of Translations
Authors: Winsnes Selena Axelrod
Published: May 2006

Paul Erdmann Isert's Reise nach Guinea und den Caribäischen Inseln in Columbien (Copenhagen 1788) seems to have enjoyed a lively reception, considering the number of translations, both complete and abridged, which appeared shortly after the original. Written in German, in Gothic script, it was quickly ‘lifted over’ into the Roman alphabet in the translations (into Scandinavian languages, Dutch, and French), thus making it available to an even greater public than a purely German-reading one. In the course of my research for the first English translation, I have found that the greatest number of references to Reise in modern bibliographies have been to the French translation, Voyages en Guinée (Paris, 1793). This indicates a greater availability of the translation, a greater degree of competence/ease in reading French than the German in its original form, or both. The 1793 translation has recently been issued in a modern reprint, with the orthography modernized and with an introduction and notes by Nicoué Gayibor. Having recently completed my own translation, I have now had the opportunity to examine the 1793 edition more closely, and have noticed a number of variations and divergencies from the original. I would like to examine these here, largely as an illustration of problems in translation, using both a copy of the 1793 edition and the new reprint. The latter, barring a few orthographical errors—confusion of f's and s's—is true to its predecessor.
Southeastern Nigeria, the Niger-Benue Confluence, and the Benue in the Precolonial Period: Some Issues of Historiography
Authors: Afigbo A.E.
Published: May 2006

The technicians of historical methodology have usually emphasized that the relationship between historians and their facts is, or should be, dialectic. This supposed counsel of perfection, however, glosses over an important point whose neglect is usually, or indeed invariably, a source of serious distortion or error—that is, the fact that such a dialogue can only begin after the historian has already immersed himself in the available sources, and thus has in some way been taken captive by those sources. Indeed, if the historian can manipulate his facts, it appears that his sources can also manipulate him.

Thus the kind of history the historian writes depends all the time on the kind of sources available to him. The more the sources are narrow in focus and unidirectional in orientation, the narrower the range of the historian's work and the more such work is oriented in the direction from which the sources derive. The wider the range of the sources, and the more these are multidirectional, the more the competent and scientific historian is in a position to produce a work that does more justice to the many-faceted experiences of man in society—that is, the more the historian is in a position to take a meaningful aim at the Rankean goal of all historical effort.

This tendency for the historian to be taken captive by the provenance and the main interest of his sources has been, and continues to be, operative among the historians of Nigeria's peoples and polities.
A Note on the Sao Tome Archives
Authors: Alpern Stanley B.
Published: May 2006

When I wrote two prominent European historians of western Africa that I was planning a trip to São Tomé and would check out the national archives, one replied: “Are there really local archives? The Cape Verdes seem to have lost theirs.” The other remarked that “[i]t would certainly be worth finding out whether any of the old archives are still on the island.” Even the person who would be my host there, a resident American official, had the impression that the Portuguese had carted off all the colonial records when São Tomé and Príncipe became independent in 1975.

I am happy to report that the Arquivo Histórico of the new nation is alive and surprisingly well. On my visit in March of 1996 I met two dedicated and cultivated young women who were doing their utmost against long odds to organize and preserve all that is left of their country's written records. They are Maria Nazaré Ceita, a trained historian who is Director General of Culture of São Tomé e Principe, and, under her, Anabela Barroso, Director of the Arquivo Histórico.

Since December of 1995 they and a tiny staff have been moving the archives into spacious, if spartan, new quarters in the heart of São Tomé city. The modernistic one-story building used to be the offices of the Prime Minister. When I visited the place, much had already been done. Long neat rows of boxed and dated dossiers were up on shelves, though jumbles of papers remained to be sorted. The archives also contains a small library for researchers and space for a large, as yet unfurnished, reading room.
Sibling Rivalry? The Intersection of Archeology and History
Authors: Robertshaw Peter
Published: May 2006

Communication between the practitioners of the two disciplines [history and archeology] is still often difficult.

Five years ago Jan Vansina asked historians whether archeologists were their siblings. The question seems to have been rhetorical, since Vansina himself offered the opinion that, at least “when archaeologists offer specific reconstructions of history, as they often do in their site reports, they are historians.” However, he also admitted that archeology “is a discipline in its own right.” Since no historians were sufficiently riled by these assertions to offer a response to Vansina's article, we must assume that archeologists are accepted, though not necessarily with open arms, in the family of historians. But what did archeologists say about their adoption? Nothing it appears, though perhaps many archeological practitioners missed Vansina's article because it was published in an historical, not an archeological, journal. I stumbled across the article a couple of years ago and plunged in with both anticipation and trepidation. Which archaeologist could resist reading a critique of his discipline by a respected historian? My feelings turned out to be justified. I was both excited and a little dismayed by what I read, though I was relieved to find that my own archeological efforts in Uganda were favorably viewed by theeminence grise.
Using the Missionary Sisters of Africa (White Sisters) Archives
Authors: Tuck Michael W.
Published: May 2006

In early summer 1999 I spent three days at the White Sisters' archives in Rome, and the following account may best be described as a cautionary tale. My reason for being in Rome was to use the White Fathers' archives, where I spent a very productive three weeks. Since I was interested in issues of medical care and gender in colonial Uganda, both areas of activity by the White Sisters, the White Fathers' archivist suggested I try to visit the White Sisters archives as well. He called and made the arrangements for my visit, although the White Sisters' archivist, Sister Claire-Michelle, was quite reluctant.

I found the research conditions at the White Sisters archives to be very restrictive. Sister Claire-Michelle established a work space for me in a parlor on the ground floor of the house, and my time was spent there. The archives are kept on the third floor and I was not allowed to see them. The archives are not completely cataloged, although there are some lists of materials. I explained to the archivist my interest in issues of gender and health, and in general issues dealing with African women. She never really seemed to understand, and kept bringing me material about African nuns. When I did request specific materials she brought them to me only after she had screened them. At one point I requested a report written by a sister in early twentieth-century Uganda who was inspecting various stations. Rather than bring me the report, Sister Claire-Michelle read through it and then brought me some photocopied pages.
Making History, Creating Gender: Some Methodological and Interpretive Questions in the Writing of Oyo Oral Traditions
Authors: Oyewumi Oyeronke
Published: May 2006

Of all the things that were produced in Africa during the colonial period—cash crops, states, and tribes, to name a few—history and tradition are the least acknowledged as products of the colonial situation. This does not mean that Africans did not have history before the white man came. Rather, I am making distinctions among the following: firstly, history as lived experience; secondly, history as a record of lived experience which is coded in the oral traditions; and finally, the recently constituted written history. This last category is very much tied up with European engagements with Africa and the introduction of “history writing” as a discipline and as profession. But even then, it is important to acknowledge the fact that African history, including oral traditions, were recorded as a result of the European assault.

This underscores the fact that ideological interests were at work in the making of African history, as is true of all history. As such, tradition is constantly being reinvented to reflect these interests. A. I. Asiwaju, for example, in a paper examining the political motivations and manipulations of oral tradition in the constitution of Obaship in different parts of Yorubaland during the colonial period writes: “in the era of European rule, particularly British rule, when government often based most of its decisions over local claims upon the evidence of traditional history, a good proportion of the data tended to be manipulated deliberately.” This process of manipulation produced examples of what he wittily refers to as “nouveaux roisof Yorubaland.”
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlates of Impaired Cognition in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Manschot Sanne M. , Brands Augustina M.A. , van der Grond Jeroen , Kessels Roy P.C. , Algra Ale , Kappelle L. Jaap , Biessels Geert Jan ,   on behalf of the Utrecht Diabetic Encephalopathy Study Group
Published: May 2006

The structural correlates of impaired cognition in type 2 diabetes are unclear. The present study compared cognition and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between type 2 diabetic patients and nondiabetic control subjects and assessed the relationship between cognition and MRI findings and blood pressure and metabolic control. The study included 113 patients and 51 control subjects. Brain MRI scans were rated for white matter lesions (WMLs), cortical and subcortical atrophy, and infarcts. Neuropsychological test scores were divided into five cognitive domains and expressed as standardized Z values. Type 2 diabetes was associated with deep WMLs (P = 0.02), cortical (P < 0.001) and subcortical (P < 0.05) atrophy, (silent) infarcts (P = 0.06), and impaired cognitive performance (attention and executive function, information-processing speed, and memory, all P < 0.05). Adjustment for hypertension did not affect the results. Within the type 2 diabetic group, cognitive function was inversely related with WMLs, atrophy, and the presence of infarcts (adjusted for age, sex, and estimated IQ), and there was a modest association with HbA1c and diabetes duration. This association was strongest for age, even more so than in control subjects. We conclude that cognitive impairments in patients with type 2 diabetes are not only associated with subcortical ischemic changes in the brain, but also with increased brain atrophy.
The oblique cord of the forearm in man
Authors: Tubbs R. Shane , O'Neil James T. , Key Christopher D. , Zarzour Jessica G. , Fulghum Sarah B. , Kim Eugenia J. , Lyerly Michael J. , Shoja Mohammadali M. , George Salter E. , Jerry Oakes W.
Published: May 2006

There is minimal and often conflicting data in the literature regarding the oblique cord of the forearm. The current study seeks to elucidate further the anatomy of this structure of the upper extremity. In adult cadavers, the oblique cord was observed for and, when found, measurements were made of it. Ranges of motion were carried out while observation of the oblique cord was made. An oblique cord was found on 52.6% of sides. Gantzer's muscle was found on 55% of sides and, when present, had attachment into the oblique cord on five sides. The oblique cord was present on 13 sides with a Gantzer's muscle. Of the 20 sides with an oblique cord, no Gantzer's muscle was found on 10. The mean length of the oblique cord was 3.4 cm. In the majority of specimens, this cord tapered from proximal to distal. The proximal, middle, and distal widths of this structure had means 9, 7, and 4 mm, respectively. The oblique cord was found to travel ∼45 degrees from a line drawn through the ulna and more or less traveled perpendicular to the insertion site of the bicipital tendon. This ligament was lax in the neutral position and with pronation became lax in all specimens. The oblique cord progressively became taut with increased supination from the neutral position and was maximally taut with the forearm fully supinated. Tautness of this cord was also found with distal distraction of the radius. Following the transection of the oblique cord, no discernable difference was observed in regard to maximal supination of the forearm or distal distraction of the radius. No obvious instability of the proximal forearm was found following transection of the oblique cord. Functionally, although the oblique cord may resist supination, it is unlikely that this structure affords significant stability to the proximal forearm, as it was often absent, of a very small caliber, and based on our observations, following its transection, the amount of supination of the forearm did not increase. Moreover, one would expect that this structure would never resist supination alone, as the larger overlying muscles would become taut prior to calling upon the action of this cord. Based on our findings, the function of the oblique cord appears insignificant in providing significant stability to the proximal forearm; however, further investigative studies are now necessary to confirm these data. Clin. Anat. 20:411–415, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Medical applications in case-based reasoning
Authors: HOLT ALEC , BICHINDARITZ ISABELLE , SCHMIDT RAINER , PERNER PETRA
Published: May 2006

This commentary summarizes case-based reasoning research applied in the medical domain. In this commentary the term ‘medical’ is used in an all-encompassing manner. It comprises all aspects of health, for example, from diagnosis to nutrition planning. This article provides references to researchers in the field, systems, workshops, and landmark publications.
AT2 receptor‐mediated vasodilation in the mouse heart depends on AT1A receptor activation
Authors: van Esch Joep H M , Schuijt Martin P , Sayed Jilani , Choudhry Yawar , Walther Thomas , Jan Danser A H
Published: May 2006

Angiotensin (Ang) II type 2 (AT2) receptors are believed to counteract Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor‐mediated effects. Here, we investigated AT2 receptor‐mediated effects on coronary and cardiac contractility in C57BL/6 mice.

Hearts were perfused according to Langendorff. Baseline coronary flow (CF) and left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) were 2.7±0.1 ml min−1 and 111±3 mmHg (n=50), respectively.

Ang II (n=14) concentration dependently decreased CF and LVSP, by maximally 41±4 and 25±3%, respectively (pEC50s 7.41±0.12 and 7.65±0.12). The AT1 receptor antagonist irbesartan (n=4) abolished all Ang II‐induced changes, whereas the AT2 receptor antagonist PD123319 (n=6) enhanced (P<0.05) the effect of Ang II on CF (to 59±1%) and LVSP (to 44±2%), without altering its potency. A similar enhancement was observed in the presence of nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester HCl (L‐NAME; n=4). On top of L‐NAME, PD123319 no longer affected the response to Ang II (n=4).

The AT2 receptor agonist CGP42112A (n=4) did not affect CF or LVSP, nor did CGP42112A (n=4) alter the constrictor response to the α1‐adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine. Furthermore, Ang II exerted no effects in hearts of AT1A−/− mice (n=5), whereas its effects in hearts of AT1A+/+ wild‐type control mice (n=7) were indistinguishable from those in hearts of C57BL/6 mice.

In conclusion, Ang II exerts opposite effects on coronary and cardiac contractility in the mouse heart via activation of AT1A and AT2 receptors. AT2 receptor‐mediated effects depend on NO and occur only in conjunction with AT1A receptor activation.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 148, 452–458. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706762
Involvement of serine/threonine protein phosphatases sensitive to okadaic acid in restraint stress‐induced hyperlocomotion in cocaine‐sensitized mice
Authors: Maeda Takehiko , Yoshimatsu Taku , Hamabe Wakako , Fukazawa Yohji , Kumamoto Kazumasa , Ozaki Masanobu , Kishioka Shiroh
Published: May 2006

We used okadaic acid (OA), a potent preferential inhibitor of PP2A and PP5 but not PP1 (PP subfamilies), to examine the involvement of serine/threonine protein phosphatase (PP) in behavioral sensitization stimulated by treatment with cocaine in mice.

Repeated administration of cocaine (10 mg kg−1) once a day for five consecutive days produced a progressive increase in locomotor activity that was maintained after the cessation of cocaine treatment, as revealed by the fact that a challenge dose of cocaine given on day 7 of withdrawal reproduced an enhanced stimulant effect.

On the seventh day of withdrawal, OA‐sensitive PP activity and expression of PP2A and PP5, but not PP1γ, were increased in whole‐cell extract of the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area in cocaine‐sensitized mice, compared to saline‐treated mice.

Restraint stress increased locomotor activity in cocaine‐sensitized mice on day 7 after drug administration was ceased. The locomotor activity was more susceptible to restraint‐elicited enhancement in cocaine‐sensitized mice than in saline‐treated mice. The restraint‐induced hyperlocomotion was suppressed by a single intracerebroventricular injection of OA immediately before restraint in cocaine‐sensitized mice, but this suppression did not occur in saline‐treated mice.

The membrane fraction of the whole brain in cocaine‐sensitized mice showed that OA‐sensitive activity levels rise after mice are subjected to restraint, and this is concomitant with an increase in expression levels of PP2A and PP5, but not PP1γ.

These results suggest that the upregulated OA‐sensitive PPs are involved in stress‐induced hyperlocomotion in cocaine‐sensitized mice. There may be intracellular mechanisms mediating psychostimulant cross‐sensitization to stress underlying the spontaneous recurrence of its psychosis.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2006)148, 405–412. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706769
Managing the Expert
Authors: Paton Robert
Published: May 2006

An organisation′s knowledge base, acquired over a period of time
and at great expense, is one of its most valuable and dynamic assets.
Unfortunately, it is a most difficult resource to manage, as it is for a
great part stored in a highly mobile and volatile database, namely the
“heads” of the technical and managerial experts employed by
the organisation. This article addresses the issue of knowledge
retention and interrogation through the introduction of a company‐wide
programme of expert systems development. It suggests that the personnel
function should act as “product champions”, establishing a
viable infrastructure to support the development of the knowledge base
in an interactive and integrated manner.
Product Management in Less Developed Countries
Authors: Mersha Tigineh
Published: May 2006

A case study is presented of a Dutch multinational′s introduction
of a consumer product to rural Ethiopia based on the author′s direct
experiences as an employee of the company. How the company stimulated
the demand for sugar by effectively responding to the unique
environmental conditions with a particular focus on the creative
approaches it utilised to penetrate the rural markets is described.
Useful lessons learnt by the company in Ethiopia may be provided to
other multinationals and entrepreneurs who may be considering the
production and marketing of basic consumer products in less developed
countries.
Personal Financial Services: Marketing Strategy
Determination
Authors: Ennew Christine , Wright Mike , Watkins Trevor
Published: May 2006

The major issues in, and influences on, the determination of
marketing strategy across the personal financial services sector are
examined. Recent changes in the competitive environment emphasise the
need to see banks in the context of the sector as a whole. New survey
evidence is discussed which relates to the nature of marketing research,
advertising strategy, distribution strategy and the use of information
technology.
Product Management in Corporate Banking
Authors: Stevenson Brian D.
Published: May 2006

The effective management of banking products becomes more critical
as the external environment becomes more competitive. In the corporate
sector this is particularly true and a structured, methodical, yet
flexible, approach is required. The structure of the product management
process is outlined. The key elements are dealt with and the
interrelationships with other organisational functions are illustrated,
together with the factors that complicate management in the
international arena.
Questions about Quality Costs
Authors: Bajpai Anil K. , Willey Phillip C.T.
Published: May 2006

The importance of quality costs and benefits is sometimes not recognised by industrial managers. Quality costs money but the benefits which accrue are elusive and hard to quantify. The way in which quality costs have been regarded in the past are reviewed and the old basis challenged. A new basis for recognising and exploiting quality benefits is proposed.
Training, Problem Solving and Quality Improvement ‐ Some Forgotten Lessons from Japan
Authors: Perman D.C.
Published: May 2006

Schemes to improve quality performance have often concentrated on short‐term results or policy statements which do not establish the relevant work practices. In Japan such practices are firmly embedded in favourable cultural beliefs and organisational frameworks. The need in the UK is to establish a company framework which will encourage improved performance. The conclusion is that the unintended benefit of an integrated training scheme will provide such a framework.
An Examination of Some Switching Procedures Used in Sampling Inspection
Authors: Soundararajan V. , Devaraj Arumainayagam S.
Published: May 2006

It is shown that the quick switching system, tightened normal tightened scheme and other switching systems emerge from the generalised two‐plan system involving normal and tightened inspection. The corresponding operating characteristic (OC) functions are also shown to emerge from generalised results. The performance of different systems compared with reference to their OC curves. The possibility of being applied in a critical area of application (in which the single sampling plans are not possible to apply) is indicated.
Reliability Modelling of Manufacturing Systems with Multiple Repair Modes
Authors: Calabria R. , Pulcini G. , Rapone M.
Published: May 2006

The technological level achieved by manufacturing systems in recent years has caused an exponential enlargement of problems to be faced by management, such as cost minimisation, reliability and maintainability allocation, diagnostic system design. A newly developed model for assessing the impact of failures of equipment (subject to multiple repair modes) on system production capability is presented. It is based on the numerical simulation of delay times in the production flow and enables the analyst to consider alternative and realistic policies of failure management, different starting periods and ending procedures of a finite production phase. Some examples of series manufacturing systems, with and without buffer, are analysed and sensitivity analyses are performed to assess the influence of variations of reliability and/or maintainability characteristics of the equipment on the system performances.
Programme Planning with Logic Trees
Authors: Bott T.F. , Eisenhawer S.W.
Published: May 2006

This article describes a programme planning tool for complex research and development projects called the Process Tree Management Tool (PTMT). The PTMT was developed for use in programme management for a particular large, diverse, advanced weapon system. The PTMT includes a set of logic diagrams and specially developed software for manipulating the information represented by the logic diagrams. Two logic diagrams are included in the PTMT in its current form. One diagram, called a process tree, graphically represents the physical processes that occur when an engineered system functions successfully. Another, called a programme tree, includes gates representing elements of a successful research, development, and fabrication programme. These trees are used in conjunction to store programmatic and scientific information useful for a manager of a large, technical research and development programme. The objective of this article is to explain the methodology involved in development of the process tree and its associated programme tree and to describe a computer software tool based on the HYPERTALK language that make the logic diagrams vastly more useful to the manager. The methodology is illustrated by a relatively simple and understandable example.
Quality in a Global Context: A Framework for Analysis
Authors: Kathawala Yunus , Nanda Varun
Published: May 2006

Until recently, quality in most of the Third World countries was given little or no emphasis. However, today most of these countries are endeavouring to infuse a high degree of quality in their products. This endeavour is proving to be fruitful, which is encouraging more countries to accelerate their efforts to produce higher quality products and services. This article examines how quality management is currently being practised in the newly industrialised countries and in the less developed countries. On identifying the common problems a model will be developed which could commonly apply to most of the developing countries.
Effect of Inspection Error on MIL STD 105D Sampling Plans: Some Observations
Authors: Chakraborty S. , Bapaye
Published: May 2006

Inspection error has been and continues to be an important area of research particularly in statistical quality control. While considerable work has been reported on the effect of inspection error on different sampling plans and the implications thereof, very little seems to have been done to assess the effects of such errors on MIL STD 105D plans. In this article some aspects related to inspection errors and operation of MIL STD 105D plans have been studied. Based on this study some observations have been made which have led to the development of a few subtle practical guidelines that may prove helpful to the operating manager in administering such plans effectively.
Game Theory in the Talmud: An Economic Perspective
Authors: Ohrenstein Roman A.
Published: May 2006

Modern “game theory”, unlike the Talmudic game method,
is a highly advanced analytical tool, both in sophistication as well as
in application. Nevertheless, the game as such, whether of chance or
strategy, has been practised from time immemorial, including by the
ancient Hebrews. It is demonstrated that within the Talmudic dialectics,
the game method was often utilised to solve intricate questions,
theoretical as well as practical.
Schmoller on Justice &–Today
Authors: Seifert Eberhard K.
Published: May 2006

Schmoller claimed that the basic principle of social reform was a
contemporary version of Aristotelian “justice”. On the one
hand Schmoller defends the necessity for social reform against
conservative attacks whilst at the same time denying the legitimacy of
Socialist demands for income distribution. The Schmoller approach to
justice is re‐examined not only as an important contribution to the
history of economics, but of surprising contemporary relevancy.
On People's Welfare in Aganbegyan's The Economic Challenge of Perestroika
Authors: Raiklin Ernest
Published: May 2006

The major objective of Aganbegyan′s book is to enhance arguments
made by Gorbachev in the latter′s Perestroika. New Thinking for Our
Country and the World. Like his leader, Aganbegyan asserts that the
ultimate purpose of perestroika is people′s welfare and that the
policy of the acceleration of the Soviet economic development is the
principal means to achieve the goal. This article challenges
Aganbegyan′s claim. It argues that: (1) given the inefficient and
wasteful character of the Soviet system, the projected increase in the
standard of living of the Soviet population could be accomplished now,
and not in the future; (2) the acceleration of the economic growth and
restructuring of Soviet society contradict one another and, thus, make
the attainment of the proclaimed goal impossible even in the future, and
(3) the forthcoming reform of retail prices more than anything else
reveals the true, anti‐consumerist nature of the policies of the Soviet
leadership.
The Conditional View of the Neoclassical and Marxist
Approaches to the Concept of Productive Labour
Authors: Raiklin Ernest , McCormick Ken
Published: May 2006

The major reason for the divergence of views regarding the
definition of productive labour is the fact that the concept is viewed
from different perspectives. For example, neoclassical economists see a
world comprised of atomistic and selfish individuals. In this world, any
kind of labour producing any good or service is considered productive if
it creates utility for anybody. Marxists, on the other hand, do not
reject this broad relationship between labour and utility, but deny that
all activities creating utility are productive. Grouping individuals
into social classes, Marxists insist that labour is productive only if
it contributes to the historical development of the dominant mode of
production. In this era, labour is productive only if it generates
profits for the capitalist. The two viewpoints do not contradict one
another, but actually complement each other. Economic concepts are
concrete and thus conditional and relative.
Confucianism and Nation Building in Singapore
Authors: Chwee Huat Tan
Published: May 2006

The outstanding economic growth of several East Asian countries has
attracted world attention. Many observers have attributed the success of
these Confucian countries to their common cultural values, such as
respect for authority, loyalty to good leaders, preference for order,
hard work, thrift and emphasis on education. The above factors seem to
have worked in Singapore, although some researchers have observed that
economic success and rapid changes have eroded these traditional values.
In Singapore, the political leaders have now cautioned Singaporeans
against assimilating alien values and becoming a pseudo‐Western society.
They have called for a set of national principles based on Asian values
to guide Singaporeans into the next century.
Gustav von Schmoller and Social Economics
Authors: Backhaus Jürgen G.
Published: May 2006

It is proposed that social economics is in danger of losing its
societal significance if economic analysis is reduced to one method
only. Recently, prominent economists have emphasised the need to
reintroduce the historical method into economic research work. A brief
look is taken at some of the seminal examples of historical work in
economics, particularly the German historical school. Other areas
discussed include the scope and consequences of neglect of historical
methods in contemporary economics; an outline of Schmoller′s work as an
example of a historical social economist; and how Schmoller′s work
compared with that of his contemporaries. The article concludes with a
plea for a renewed emphasis on historical methods in economics.
A New Era in the Professional Development of School
Administrators: Lessons from Emerging Programmes
Authors: Murphy Joseph , Hallinger Philip
Published: May 2006

Eleven representative examples of professional development are
examined in what is labelled a new era of administrator training. An
analysis is presented of the conditions that have helped foster interest
in the creation of new approaches to the training of school
administrators. Ten current conditions in the area of administrator
training where improvement is needed are reported on. Commonalities
among the new approaches to training are discussed and these principles
juxtaposed against the status quo in administrator training. It
is concluded that the new era of professional development is
significantly different from many current training programmes, in terms
of both process and content. These differences are examined in detail.
Potential problems in these newer approaches to administrator training
are noted.
A Comparative Study of Principals′ Administrative Behaviour
Authors: Ae Chung Kyung , Miskel Cecil G.
Published: May 2006

Using a structured observation technique, five secondary principals
from school districts in a large metropolitan area of Korea were
observed for 27 days. Extensive interviews were conducted to help
explain the meanings of the observed managerial behaviours and to
compare the reported behaviours to those of their American counterparts.
Korean principals spent more time at their desks, on trips away from
their schools and on personal matters than American principals and less
time in meetings, monitoring, touring and personal exchanges. Both
groups allocate their time according to their stated priorities of
programme development, personnel issues and school management. However,
neither actually spend as much time on programme development as they
believe they do.
Radical Administrative Reforms in New Zealand Education:
The Implications of the Picot Report for Institutional Managers
Authors: Macpherson R.J.S.
Published: May 2006

Major political intervention into the administration of education
in New Zealand sought to encourage responsiveness as a norm of
professional, administrative and organisational practices in a wider
context of social and economic reform. The author was engaged for six
months as a policy analyst by the New Zealand Government and that
experience is drawn on to summarise the background and nature of the
intervention; the Picot proposals to be implemented are set out and the
expected performance of institutional managers is identified.