bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin II infusion restores stimulated angiogenesis in the skeletal muscle of rats on a high-salt diet
Authors: Petersen Matthew C. , Munzenmaier Diane H. , Greene Andrew S.
Published: February 2006

Elevated dietary salt intake has previously been demonstrated to have dramatic effects on microvascular structure and function. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a high-salt diet modulates physiological angiogenesis in skeletal muscle. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were placed on a control diet (0.4% NaCl by weight) or a high-salt diet (4.0% NaCl) before implantation of a chronic electrical stimulator. After seven consecutive days of unilateral hindlimb muscle stimulation, animals on control diets demonstrated a significant increase in microvessel density in the tibialis anterior muscle of the stimulated hindlimb relative to the contralateral control leg. High salt-fed rats demonstrated a complete inhibition of this angiogenic response, as well as a significant reduction in plasma ANG II levels compared with those of control animals. To investigate the role of ANG II suppression on the inhibitory effect of high-salt diets, a group of rats that were fed high salt were chronically infused with ANG II at a low dose. Maintenance of ANG II levels restored stimulated angiogenesis to control levels in animals fed a high-salt diet. Western blot analysis indicated that inhibition of angiogenesis in high salt-fed rats was not due to changes in VEGF or VEGF receptor type 1 protein expression in response to stimulation; however, the degree to which VEGF receptor 2 protein increased with stimulation was significantly lower in high salt-fed animals. This study demonstrates an inhibitory effect of high salt intake on stimulated angiogenesis and suggests a critical role for ANG II suppression in mediating this antiangiogenic effect.
Is oxygen supply a limiting factor for survival during rewarming from profound hypothermia?
Authors: Kondratiev Timofei V. , Flemming Kristina , Myhre Eivind S. P. , Sovershaev Mikhail A. , Tveita Torkjel
Published: February 2006

It has been postulated that unsuccessful resuscitation of victims of accidental hypothermia is caused by insufficient tissue oxygenation. The aim of this study was to test whether inadequate O2supply and/or malfunctioning O2extraction occur during rewarming from deep/profound hypothermia of different duration. Three groups of rats ( n = 7 each) were used: group 1 served as normothermic control for 5 h; groups 2 and 3 were core cooled to 15°C, kept at 15°C for 1 and 5 h, respectively, and then rewarmed. In both hypothermic groups, cardiac output (CO) decreased spontaneously by >50% in response to cooling. O2consumption fell to less than one-third during cooling but recovered completely in both groups during rewarming. During hypothermia, circulating blood volume in both groups was reduced to approximately one-third of baseline, indicating that some vascular beds were critically perfused during hypothermia. CO recovered completely in animals rewarmed after 1 h ( group 2) but recovered to only 60% in those rewarmed after 5 h ( group 3), whereas blood volume increased to approximately three-fourths of baseline in both groups. Metabolic acidosis was observed only after 5 h of hypothermia (15°C). A significant increase in myocardial tissue heat shock protein 70 after rewarming in group 3, but not in group 2, indicates an association with the duration of hypothermia. Thus mechanisms facilitating O2extraction function well during deep/profound hypothermia, and, despite low CO, O2supply was not a limiting factor for survival in the present experiments.
Hypoxia upregulates lung microvascular neurokinin-1 receptor expression
Authors: Zee Eric D. , Schomberg Stacey , Carpenter Todd C.
Published: February 2006

Subacute exposure to moderate hypoxia can promote pulmonary edema formation. The tachykinins, a family of proinflammatory neuropeptides, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary edema in some settings, including the pulmonary vascular leak associated with exposure to hypoxia. The effects of hypoxia on tachykinin receptor and peptide expression in the lung, however, remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that subacute exposure to moderate hypoxia increases lung neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor expression as well as lung substance P levels. We tested this hypothesis by exposing weanling Sprague-Dawley rats to hypobaric hypoxia (barometric pressure 0.5 atm) for 0, 24, 48, or 72 h. Hypoxia led to time-dependent increases in lung NK-1 receptor mRNA expression and lung NK-1 receptor protein levels at 48 and 72 h of exposure ( P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry and in situ NK-1 receptor labeling with substance P-conjugated fluorescent nanocrystals demonstrated that hypoxia increased NK-1 expression primarily in the pulmonary microvasculature and in alveolar macrophages. Hypoxia also led to increases in lung substance P levels by 48 and 72 h ( P < 0.05) but led to a decrease in preprotachykinin mRNA levels ( P < 0.05). We conclude that subacute exposure to moderate hypoxia upregulates lung NK-1 receptor expression and lung substance P peptide levels primarily in the lung microvasculature. We speculate that this effect may contribute to the formation of pulmonary edema in the setting of regional or environmental hypoxia.
Modulation of the Ca2+ sensitivity of airway smooth muscle cells in murine lung slices
Authors: Bai Yan , Sanderson Michael J.
Published: February 2006

To investigate the phenomenon of Ca2+ sensitization, we developed a new intact airway and arteriole smooth muscle cell (SMC) “model” by treating murine lung slices with ryanodine-receptor antagonist, ryanodine (50 μM), and caffeine (20 mM). A sustained elevation in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was induced in both SMC types by the ryanodine-caffeine treatment due to the depletion of internal Ca2+ stores and the stimulation of a persistent influx of Ca2+. Arterioles responded to this sustained increase in [Ca2+]i with a sustained contraction. By contrast, airways responded to sustained high [Ca2+]i with a transient contraction followed by relaxation. Subsequent exposure to methacholine (MCh) induced a sustained concentration-dependent contraction of the airway without a change in the [Ca2+]i. During sustained MCh-induced contraction, Y-27632 (a Rho-kinase inhibitor) and GF-109203X (a protein kinase C inhibitor) induced a concentration-dependent relaxation without changing the [Ca2+]i. The cAMP-elevating agents, forskolin (an adenylyl cyclase activator), IBMX (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor), and caffeine (also acting as a phosphodiesterase inhibitor), exerted similar relaxing effects. These results indicate that 1) ryanodine-caffeine treatment is a valuable tool for investigating the contractile mechanisms of SMCs while avoiding nonspecific effects due to cell permeabilization, 2) in the absence of agonist, sustained high [Ca2+]i has a differential time-dependent effect on the Ca2+ sensitivity of airway and arteriole SMCs, 3) MCh facilitates the contraction of airway SMCs by inducing Ca2+ sensitization via the activation of Rho-kinase and protein kinase C, and 4) cAMP-elevating agents contribute to the relaxation of airway SMCs through Ca2+ desensitization.
Increased renal α-ENaC and NCC abundance and elevated blood pressure are independent of hyperaldosteronism in vasopressin escape
Authors: Tiwari Swasti , Packer Randall K. , Hu Xinqun , Sugimura Yoshihisa , Verbalis Joseph G. , Ecelbarger Carolyn A.
Published: February 2006

Previously, we demonstrated that rats undergoing vasopressin escape had increased mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), plasma and urine aldosterone, and increased renal protein abundance of the α-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), the thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC), and the 70-kDa band of γ-ENaC (Song J, Hu X, Khan O, Tian Y, Verbalis JG, and Ecelbarger CA. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 287: F1076–F1083, 2004; Ecelbarger CA, Knepper MA, and Verbalis JG. J Am Soc Nephrol 12: 207–217, 2001). Here, we determine whether changes in these renal proteins and MAP require elevated aldosterone levels. We performed adrenalectomies (ADX) or sham surgeries on male Sprague-Dawley rats. Corticosterone and aldosterone were replaced to clamp these hormone levels. MAP was monitored by radiotelemetry. Rats were infused with 1-deamino-[8-d-arginine]-vasopressin (dDAVP) via osmotic minipumps (5 ng/h). At day 3 of dDAVP infusion, seven rats in each group were offered a liquid diet [water load (WL)] or continued on a solid diet (SD). Plasma aldosterone and corticosterone and urine aldosterone were increased by WL in sham rats. ADX-WL rats escaped, as assessed by early natriuresis followed by diuresis; however, urine volume and natriuresis were somewhat blunted. WL did not reduce the abundance or activity of 11-β-hydroxsteroid dehydrogenase type 2. Furthermore, the previously observed increase in renal aldosterone-sensitive proteins and escape-associated increased MAP persisted in clamped rats. The densitometry of immunoblots for NCC, α- and γ-70 kDa ENaC, respectively, were (% sham-SD): sham-WL, 159, 278, 233; ADX-SD, 69, 212, 171; ADX-WL, 116, 302, 161. However, clamping corticosteroids blunted the rise at least for NCC and γ-ENaC (70 kDa). Overall, the increase in aldosterone observed in vasopressin escape is not necessary for the increased expression of NCC, α- or γ-ENaC or increased MAP associated with “escape.”
Effect of simvastatin on high glucose- and angiotensin II-induced activation of the JAK/STAT pathway in mesangial cells
Authors: Banes-Berceli Amy K. , Shaw Sean , Ma Guochuan , Brands Michael , Eaton Douglas C. , Stern David M. , Fulton David , Caldwell R. William , Marrero Mario B.
Published: February 2006

In the current study, we investigated the effect of simvastatin on the ability of high glucose (HG) and ANG II to activate the JAK2-STAT signaling cascade and induce glomerular mesangial cell (GMC) growth. We found that pretreatment with simvastatin significantly inhibited HG- and ANG II-induced collagen IV production, JAK2 activation, and phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3 in GMC. We also found that the activation of JAK2 by HG and ANG II was dependent on the Rho family of GTPases. Consistent with these in vitro results, both albumin protein excretion and phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 were attenuated in renal glomeruli by administration of simvastatin in a streptozotocin-induced rat model of HG diabetes. This study demonstrates that simvastatin blocks ANG II-induced activation of the JAK/STAT pathway in the diabetic environment, in vitro and in vivo, and, thereby, provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying early diabetic nephropathy.
Activity of the Dual Kinase Inhibitor Lapatinib (GW572016) against HER-2-Overexpressing and Trastuzumab-Treated Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Konecny Gottfried E. , Pegram Mark D. , Venkatesan Natarajan , Finn Richard , Yang Guorong , Rahmeh Martina , Untch Michael , Rusnak David W. , Spehar Glenn , Mullin Robert J. , Keith Barry R. , Gilmer Tona M. , Berger Mark , Podratz Karl C. , Slamon Dennis J.
Published: February 2006

Lapatinib (GW572016) is a selective inhibitor of both epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER-2 tyrosine kinases. Here, we explore the therapeutic potential of lapatinib by testing its effect on tumor cell growth in a panel of 31 characterized human breast cancer cell lines, including trastuzumab-conditioned HER-2-positive cell lines. We further characterize its activity in combination with trastuzumab and analyze whether EGFR and HER-2 expression or changes induced in the activation of EGFR, HER-2, Raf, AKT, or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) are markers of drug activity. We report that concentration-dependent antiproliferative effects of lapatinib were seen in all breast cancer cell lines tested but varied significantly between individual cell lines with up to 1,000-fold difference in the IC50s (range, 0.010-18.6 μmol/L). Response to lapatinib was significantly correlated with HER-2 expression and its ability to inhibit HER-2, Raf, AKT, and ERK phosphorylation. Long-term in vivo lapatinib studies were conducted with human breast cancer xenografts in athymic mice. Treatment over 77 days resulted in a sustained and significant reduction in xenograft volume compared with untreated controls. For the combination of lapatinib plus trastuzumab, synergistic drug interactions were observed in four different HER-2-overexpressing cell lines. Moreover, lapatinib retained significant in vitro activity against cell lines selected for long-term outgrowth (>9 months) in trastuzumab-containing (100 μg/mL) culture medium. These observations provide a clear biological rationale to test lapatinib as a single agent or in combination with trastuzumab in HER-2-overexpressing breast cancer and in patients with clinical resistance to trastuzumab. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1630-9)
Soy Phytochemicals Prevent Orthotopic Growth and Metastasis of Bladder Cancer in Mice by Alterations of Cancer Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis and Tumor Angiogenesis
Authors: Singh Ajita V. , Franke Adrian A. , Blackburn George L. , Zhou Jin-Rong
Published: February 2006

A role of dietary bioactive components in bladder cancer prevention is biologically plausible because most substances or metabolites are excreted through the urinary tract and are consequently in direct contact with the mucosa of the bladder. We first determined antigrowth activity of genistein against poorly differentiated 253J B-V human bladder cancer cells in vitro. Genistein inhibited the cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner via G2-M arrest, down-regulation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and induction of apoptosis. We also evaluated both genistin, which is a natural form of genistein, and the isoflavone-rich soy phytochemical concentrate (SPC) on the growth and metastasis of 253J B-V tumors in an orthotopic tumor model. Mice treated with genistin and SPC had reduced final tumor weights by 56% (P < 0.05) and 52% (P < 0.05), respectively, associated with induction of tumor cell apoptosis and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis in vivo. In addition, SPC treatment, but not genistin treatment, significantly inhibited lung metastases by 95% (P < 0.01) associated with significant down-regulation of NF-κB expression in tumor tissues and reduction of circulating insulin-like growth factor-I levels, suggesting that SPC may contain other bioactive ingredients that have antimetastatic activity. The results from our studies suggest that further clinical investigation should be warranted to apply soy phytochemicals, such as SPC, as a potent prevention regimen for bladder cancer progression. This orthotopic human bladder tumor model also provides a clinically relevant experimental tool for assessing potential preventive activity of other dietary components against bladder tumor growth and metastasis. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1851-8)
Transcriptional Repression of Telomerase RNA Gene Expression by c-Jun-NH2-Kinase and Sp1/Sp3
Authors: Bilsland Alan E. , Stevenson Katrina , Atkinson Stuart , Kolch Walter , Keith W. Nicol
Published: February 2006

Telomerase is essential for immortalization of most human cancer cells. Expression of the core telomerase RNA (hTR) and reverse transcriptase (hTERT) subunits is mainly regulated by transcription. However, hTR transcriptional regulation remains poorly understood. We previously showed that the core hTR promoter is activated by Sp1 and is repressed by Sp3. Here, we show that the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1)/c-Jun-NH2-kinase (JNK) pathway represses hTR expression by a mechanism that involves Sp1 and Sp3. Promoter activity was induced by the JNK inhibitor SP600125 and was repressed by activated MEKK1. Repression by MEKK1 was blocked by SP600125 or enhanced by coexpression of wild-type but not phosphoacceptor mutated JNK. SP600125 treatment also increased levels of endogenous hTR. Mutations in the hTR promoter Sp1/Sp3 binding sites attenuated SP600125-mediated promoter induction, whereas coexpression of MEKK1 with Sp3 enhanced hTR promoter repression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that levels of immunoreactive Sp1 associated with the hTR promoter were low in comparison with Sp3 in control cells but increased after JNK inhibition with a reciprocal decrease in Sp3 levels. No corresponding changes in Sp1/Sp3 protein levels were detected. Thus, JNK represses hTR promoter activity and expression, apparently by enhancing repression through Sp3. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1363-70)
Red Meat Enhances the Colonic Formation of the DNA Adduct O6-Carboxymethyl Guanine: Implications for Colorectal Cancer Risk
Authors: Lewin Michelle H. , Bailey Nina , Bandaletova Tanya , Bowman Richard , Cross Amanda J. , Pollock Jim , Shuker David E.G. , Bingham Sheila A.
Published: February 2006

Red meat is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer and increases the endogenous formation of N-nitrosocompounds (NOC). To investigate the genotoxic effects of NOC arising from red meat consumption, human volunteers were fed high (420 g) red meat, vegetarian, and high red meat, high-fiber diets for 15 days in a randomized crossover design while living in a volunteer suite, where food was carefully controlled and all specimens were collected. In 21 volunteers, there was a consistent and significant (P < 0.0001) increase in endogenous formation of NOC with the red meat diet compared with the vegetarian diet as measured by apparent total NOC (ATNC) in feces. In colonic exfoliated cells, the percentage staining positive for the NOC-specific DNA adduct, O6-carboxymethyl guanine (O6CMG) was significantly (P < 0.001) higher on the high red meat diet. In 13 volunteers, levels were intermediate on the high-fiber, high red meat diet. Fecal ATNC were positively correlated with the percentage of cells staining positive for O6CMG (r2 = 0.56, P = 0.011). The presence of O6CMG was also shown in intact small intestine from rats treated with the N-nitrosopeptide N-acetyl-N′-prolyl-N′-nitrosoglycine and in HT-29 cells treated with diazoacetate. This study has shown that fecal NOC arising from red meat include direct acting diazopeptides or N-nitrosopeptides able to form alkylating DNA adducts in the colon. As these O6CMG adducts are not repaired, and if other related adducts are formed and not repaired, this may explain the association of red meat with colorectal cancer. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1859-65)
Characterization of a von Hippel Lindau Pathway Involved in Extracellular Matrix Remodeling, Cell Invasion, and Angiogenesis
Authors: Kurban Ghada , Hudon Valérie , Duplan Eric , Ohh Michael , Pause Arnim
Published: February 2006

Inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene results in highly vascularized tumors, making the VHL tumor syndrome an ideal system to study the mechanisms of angiogenesis. VHL operates along two pathways with the first involving hypoxia-inducible factor-α degradation and down-regulation of its proangiogenic target genes vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor-β, and the second pathway promoting extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly. Secretion of proangiogenic factors was shown to be a primary inducer of angiogenesis. Here, we show that loss of ECM assembly correlates with tumor angiogenesis in VHL disease. Upon inactivation of the VHL-ECM assembly pathway, we observe tumors that are highly vascularized, have a disrupted ECM, and show increased matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity. Loss of the VHL pathway leading to hypoxia-inducible factor-α degradation results in tumors with increased vascular endothelial growth factor levels but with surprisingly low microvessel density, a tightly assembled ECM and low invasive ability. We conclude that loss of ECM integrity could promote and maintain tumor angiogenesis by providing a route for blood vessels to infiltrate tumors. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1313-9)
Identification of Arctigenin as an Antitumor Agent Having the Ability to Eliminate the Tolerance of Cancer Cells to Nutrient Starvation
Authors: Awale Suresh , Lu Jie , Kalauni Surya K. , Kurashima Yukiko , Tezuka Yasuhiro , Kadota Shigetoshi , Esumi Hiroyasu
Published: February 2006

Tumor cells generally proliferate rapidly and the demand for essential nutrients as well as oxygen always exceeds the supply due to the unregulated growth and the insufficient and inappropriate vascular supply. However, cancer cells show an inherent ability to tolerate extreme conditions, such as that characterized by low nutrient and oxygen supply, by modulating their energy metabolism. Thus, targeting nutrient-deprived cancer cells may be a novel strategy in anticancer drug development. Based on that, we established a novel screening method to discover anticancer agents that preferentially inhibit cancer cell viability under the nutrient-deprived condition. After screening 500 medicinal plant extracts used in Japanese Kampo medicine, we found that a CH2Cl2-soluble extract of Arctium lappa exhibited 100% preferential cytotoxicity under the nutrient-deprived condition at a concentration of 50 μg/mL with virtually no cytotoxicity under nutrient-rich condition. Further bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation led to the isolation of arctigenin as the primary compound responsible for such preferential cytotoxicity; the compound exhibited 100% preferential cytotoxicity against nutrient-deprived cells at a concentration of 0.01 μg/mL. Furthermore, arctigenin was also found to strongly suppress the PANC-1 tumor growth in nude mice, as well as the growth of several of the tested pancreatic cancer cell lines, suggesting the feasibility of this novel antiausterity approach in cancer therapy. Further investigation of the mechanism of action of arctigenin revealed that the compound blocked the activation of Akt induced by glucose starvation, which is a key process in the tolerance exhibited by cancer cells to glucose starvation. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1751-7)
A Novel Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Protein Kinase Cι Blocks Transformed Growth of Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells
Authors: Stallings-Mann Melody , Jamieson Lee , Regala Roderick P. , Weems Capella , Murray Nicole R. , Fields Alan P.
Published: February 2006

We recently showed that atypical protein kinase Cι (PKCι) is required for transformed growth of human non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells by activating Rac1. Genetic disruption of PKCι signaling blocks Rac1 activity and transformed growth, indicating that PKCι is a viable target for development of novel therapeutics for NSCLC. Here, we designed and implemented a novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer–based assay to identify inhibitors of oncogenic PKCι signaling. This assay was used to identify compounds that disrupt the interaction between PKCι and its downstream effector Par6, which links PKCι to Rac1. We identified aurothioglucose (ATG), a gold compound used clinically to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and the related compound, aurothiomalate (ATM), as potent inhibitors of PKCι-Par6 interactions in vitro (IC50 ∼1 μmol/L). ATG blocks PKCι-dependent signaling to Rac1 and inhibits transformed growth of NSCLC cells. ATG-mediated inhibition of transformation is relieved by expression of constitutively active Rac1, consistent with a mechanism at the level of the interaction between PKCι and Par6. ATG inhibits A549 cell tumor growth in nude mice, showing efficacy against NSCLC in a relevant preclinical model. Our data show the utility of targeting protein-protein interactions involving PKCι for antitumor drug development and provide proof of concept that chemical disruption of PKCι signaling can be an effective treatment for NSCLC. ATG and ATM will be useful reagents for studying PKCι function in transformation and represent promising new agents for the clinical treatment of NSCLC. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1767-74)
The c-myc Gene Is a Direct Target of Mammalian SWI/SNF–Related Complexes during Differentiation-Associated Cell Cycle Arrest
Authors: Nagl Norman G. , Zweitzig Daniel R. , Thimmapaya Bayar , Beck George R. , Moran Elizabeth
Published: February 2006

The activity of mammalian SWI/SNF–related chromatin remodeling complexes is crucial for differentiation, development, and tumor suppression. Cell cycle–regulating activities dependent on the complexes include induction of the p21WAF1/CIP1 kinase inhibitor and repression of E2F-responsive promoters. These responses are linked through effects on pRb phosphorylation, but the direct role of the SWI/SNF–related complexes in their regulation is not fully understood. Results presented here reveal that the complexes are required for regulation of a distinct pathway of proliferation control involving repression of c-myc expression in differentiating cells. This involves direct promoter targeting of the c-myc gene by the complexes. Induction of p21WAF1/CIP1 is specifically dependent on prior repression of c-myc, but repression of E2F-responsive genes is dissociable from the regulation of c-myc and p21WAF1/CIP1. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1289-93)
Germ Line Polymorphism in Metastatic Progression
Authors: Hunter Kent W. , Crawford Nigel P.
Published: February 2006

Somatic genetic analysis of tumors and metastases has yielded a plethora of information regarding genes associated with cancer progression. However, somatic alterations in tumor cells are only one source of variability. Genetic polymorphism may also play a significant role in person-to-person variability in metastasis frequency, raising the intriguing possibility that some individuals could be predisposed to secondary tumor development. The identification and characterization of these polymorphisms may have significant implications for the development of tailored treatment or prevention of recurrent disease. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(3): 1251-4)
Holding on in Berlin: March 1948 and SED Efforts to Control the Soviet Zone
Authors: Steege Paul
Published: February 2006

March 18, 1948 dawned cold and rainy in Berlin. Although the city government had proclaimed the hundredth anniversary of the 1848 revolution an official holiday, Berliners awoke to a day that seemed ill-made for personal or political celebrations. One century earlier, some nine hundred persons had died on Berlin's barricades, dramatically challenging the Prussianancien regimebut falling short of their aspirations for a free and unified Germany. After one hundred years that had seen only a brief interlude of tumultuous democracy between the world wars, competing forces in postwar Berlin both claimed the democratic legacy of those barricade battles in a new contest for the city. But that legacy proved difficult to control. For the Soviet-supported Socialist Unity Party (SED), Berlin represented at once the core of the party's expanding power and the greatest threat to its realization. Like the 1848 revolutionaries, the SED leadership in Berlin found the lines between victory and defeat decidedly blurred.
A Historikerstreit? A Reply to Nathan Stoltzfus's Response
Authors: Gruner Wolf
Published: February 2006

During the brutal factory raid at the end of February 1943, the Gestapo rounded up thousands of Berlin Jews at their forced labor sites and brought them to various collection points. The Gestapo immediately singled out two thousand Jews in “mixed marriages” and transferred them to a separate building in the Rosenstrasse. The traditional view of the events, which Stoltzfus promotes, is that after a week-long demonstration by their relatives, Goebbels ordered the release of the inmates on March 6, 1943. Based on a variety of hitherto overlooked documents, I provided the reader with a different interpretation in my Central European History article: that special Gestapo orders at this point still exempted the Jews in mixed marriages from deportation. I argue that the real purpose of the arrest was to facilitate the deportation of hundreds of employees of Berlin's Jewish institutions who would be replaced by the Jews in mixed marriages. This interpretation forces us to reconsider key elements of the traditional account.
Remembering and Forgetting: The Local and the Nation in Hamburg's Commemorations of the Wars of Liberation
Authors: Aaslestad Katherine
Published: February 2006

Thecommemoration and remembrance of war in modern Germany has played a potent political role in both undermining and legitimizing diverse German states, and war stories have been particularly salient to the formation of German national identity in the century that experienced two world wars and the Cold War. The public commemoration of war and war heroes designed to legitimize a German state, however, dates at least to the nineteenth century, when the Wars of Liberation, fought against Napoleon between 1813 and 1815, provided the newKaiserreichwith opportunities to foster specific visions of the past that highlighted national unity and dynastic loyalty. As recent studies have demonstrated, building national unity in a new state created from former independent polities required a patient process of reconciling the region to the nation. A careful examination of nineteenth-century commemorations illustrates that they actually advanced national allegiance as well as affirmed regional solidarity. Public commemorations of the Wars of Liberation in the former republican north German city-state of Hamburg reveals both growing appeals to national unity and a celebration of traditional civic culture and authority. By the end of the nineteenth century, these public festivities enabled Hamburg's growing population to practice national and local politics simultaneously.
'The Proof is on My Palm': Debating Ethnicity, Islam and Ritual in a New African Diaspora
Authors: Johnson Michelle
Published: February 2006

For Mandinga in Guinea-Bissau and Portugal, life-course rituals are currently provoking transnational debates on ethnic and religious identity. In Guinea-Bissau, these two identities are thought to be one and the same—to be Mandinga is to 'naturally' be Muslim. For Mandinga immigrants in Portugal, however, the experience of transnationalism and the allure of 'global Islam' have thrust this long-held notion into debate. In this article, I explore the contours and consequences of this debate by focusing on the 'writing-on-the-hand' ritual, which initiates Mandinga children into Qur'anic study. Whereas some Mandinga immigrants in Portugal view the writing-on-the-hand ritual as essential for conferring both Muslim identity and 'Mandinga-ness', others feel that this Mandinga 'custom' should be abandoned for a more orthodox version of Islam. Case studies reveal an internal debate about Mandinga ethnicity, Islam and ritual, one that transcends the common 'traditionalist'/'modernist' distinction. I suggest that the internal debate, although intensified by migration, is not itself a consequence of 'modernity' but has long been central to how Mandinga imagine themselves as both members of a distinct ethnic group and as practitioners of the world religion of Islam.
'Unhappily Torn by Dissensions and Litigations': Durban's 'Memon' Mosque, 1880–1930
Authors: Vahed Goolam
Published: February 2006

This study focuses on Durban's Grey Street mosque, built by Indian Memon migrants in 1880. This review of the first half-century of the mosque's existence underlines the important social role of mosques, and also questions the notion of homogeneous Muslim community. While the mosque was the most visible symbol of Muslim identity in Natal, it was also a site of contestation, reflecting the class, language, caste and ethnic divisions among Muslims in a diasporic situation. Mosques were built along class and ethnic lines and dominated by traders. As Muslim society matured, there were challenges to the leadership of non-clerical traders who did not tolerate challenges to their authority. Opposition sometimes centred on Imams who commanded the allegiance of the congregation. Mosques did not have an independent life but reflected the prevailing power structures in Muslim society. While outsiders believed that ethnic diversity was subsumed by a unitary Muslim mass, Muslims comprised a community of communities, and the building and management of mosques underlined this fact.
A High-Resolution Modeling Study of the 24 May 2002 Dryline Case during IHOP. Part II: Horizontal Convective Rolls and Convective Initiation
Authors: Xue Ming , Martin William J.
Published: February 2006

In Part I of this paper, the timing and location of convective initiation along a dryline on 24 May 2002 were accurately predicted, using a large 1-km-resolution nested grid. A detailed analysis of the convective initiation processes, which involve the interaction of the dryline with horizontal convective rolls, is presented here.

Horizontal convective rolls (HCRs) with aspect ratios (the ratio of roll spacing to depth) between 3 and 7 develop in the model on both sides of the dryline, with those on the west side being more intense and their updrafts reaching several meters per second. The main HCRs that interact with the primary dryline convergence boundary (PDCB) are those from the west side, and they are aligned at an acute angle with the dryline. They intercept the PDCB and create strong moisture convergence bands at the surface and force the PDCB into a wavy pattern. The downdrafts of HCRs and the associated surface divergence play an important role in creating localized maxima of surface convergence that trigger convection. The downward transport of westerly, southwesterly, or northwesterly momentum by the HCR downdrafts creates asymmetric surface divergence patterns that modulate the exact location of maximum convergence. Most of the HCRs have a partially cellular structure at their mature stage. The surface divergence flows help concentrate the background vertical vorticity and the vorticity created by tilting of environmental horizontal vorticity into vortex centers or misocyclones, and such concentration is often further helped by cross-boundary shear instability. The misocyclones, however, do not in general collocate with the maximum updrafts and, therefore, the points of convective initiation, but can help enhance surface convergence to their south and north.

Sequences of convective cells develop at the locations of persistent maximum surface convergence, then move away from the source with the midlevel winds. When the initial clouds propagate along the convergence bands that trigger them, they grow faster and become more intense. While the mesoscale convergence of dryline circulation preconditions the boundary layer by deepening the mixed layer and lifting moist air parcels to their LCL, it is the localized forcing by the HCR circulation that determines the exact locations of convective initiation. A conceptual model summarizing the findings is proposed.
Heraclian countermarks on Byzantine copper coins in seventh-century Syria
Authors: Schulze Wolfgang , Schulze Ingrid , Leimenstoll Wolfgang
Published: February 2006

Countermarks with the monogram of the Emperor Heraclius (610–41) are found in Syria on Byzantine copper coins. After discussing the typology and the reading of the countermarks we reject the older proposals that the countermarks served as a kind of revaluation in connection with the Heraclian monetary reforms. Statistical analyses of 173 specimens and their provenances, as well as comparisons with contemporary finds, have led us to the conclusion that the countermarks were applied between c. 633 and 636 in Palestine 1. They were presumably produced during the struggles with the invading Arabs. Circulating copper coins (old and new — folles, three-quarter and half folles) became revalued by countermarking because of the serious lack of cash at that time in Syria.
Byzantine glass mosaic tesserae: some material considerations
Authors: James Liz
Published: February 2006

Issues about the manufacture of Byzantine mosaics and the implications of these in wider terms relating to social and economic questions about the art form have been little discussed. This paper brings together evidence about Byzantine glass mosaic tesserae gathered from archaeology, glass technology and glass analysis, and synthesizes these into a discussion of three aspects: distribution; manufacture; trade and price. It looks to examine how these different elements can be used to form a more detailed composite picture about the production and distribution of Byzantine mosaics. It also proposes ways in which glass analysis can be used in a more coherent way to extend our understanding of mosaic glass production.
George Horton: the literary diplomat
Authors: Coleman Brian
Published: February 2006

George Horton was a man of letters and United States Consul in Greece and Turkey at a time of social and political change. He writes of the re-taking of Smyrna by the Turkish army in September 1922. His account, however, goes beyond the blame and events to a demonization of Muslims, in general, and of Turks, in particular. In several of his novels, written more than two decades before the events of September 1922, he had already identified the Turk as the stock-in-trade villain of Western civilization. In his account of Smyrna, he writes not as historian, but as publicist.
Halloysite clay minerals — a review
Authors: Joussein E. , Petit S. , Churchman J. , Theng B. , Righi D. , Delvaux B.
Published: February 2006

Halloysite clay minerals are ubiquitous in soils and weathered rocks where they occur in a variety of particle shapes and hydration states. Diversity also characterizes their chemical composition, cation exchange capacity and potassium selectivity. This review summarizes the extensive but scattered literature on halloysite, from its natural occurrence, through its crystal structure, chemical and morphological diversity, to its reactivity toward organic compounds, ions and salts, involving the various methods of differentiating halloysite from kaolinite. No unique test seems to be ideal to distinguish these 1:1 clay minerals, especially in soils. The occurrence of 2:1 phyllosilicate contaminants appears, so far, to provide the best explanation for the high charge and potassium selectivity of halloysite. Yet, hydration properties of the mineral probably play a major role in ion sorption. Clear trends seem to relate particle morphology and structural Fe. However, future work is required to understand the possible mechanisms linking chemical, morphological, hydration and charge properties of halloysite.
Iron mineralogy of mine-drainage precipitates as environmental indicators: review of current concepts and a case study from the Sokolov Basin, Czech Republic
Authors: Murad E. , Rojík P.
Published: February 2006

Mine-drainage waters and associated precipitates from several active and abandoned lignite mines and mine dumps in the Sokolov Basin, northwestern Czech Republic, were sampled and analysed. The data showed considerable variations of effluent composition and pH that can generally be related to differences in the local microenvironments. Temporal changes such as seasonal fluctuations of precipitation, leading to variations of water infiltration through and runoff over mines and mine dumps, were also observed to noticeably affect effluent composition. These variations have led to a wide range of precipitates, the principal constituents of which are generally one or several of the ferric minerals jarosite, schwertmannite, goethite, ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite.

The present paper consists of two parts: a short review of the genesis and properties of the named minerals, and a study of mine-drainage precipitates formed under different local conditions in various lignite mines and mine dumps of the Sokolov mining district. We show that variations in mine-drainage precipitate mineralogy, such as the presence or absence of specific ‘key’ minerals, can serve as indicators for factors such as the pH and sulphate concentration, and thus — with certain limitations — for the genetic environment during precipitate formation. Such variations in composition are reflected, among other properties, in the precipitate colour, which can therefore be used for a rapid identification and classification — both in the field and by remote sensing — of regions that are potentially prone to acid mine drainage.
How kaolinite plays an essential role in remediating oil-polluted seawater
Authors: Chaerun S. K. , Tazaki K.
Published: February 2006

An investigation was carried out on the bioavailability of kaolinite and the role it plays in remediating oil-polluted seawater, since kaolinite is known to enable hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria to grow well. Experimental results revealed that significant amounts of Al and Si dissolved from kaolinite were not observed ((P > 0.05) in comparison with a control sample which contained no kaolinite) in the aqueous phase during the ~24 day experimental period. Transmission electron microscope observations and energy-dispersive spectroscope data revealed that some altered kaolinite particles appeared, connected to intact kaolinite and bacterial cells. Bacterial cells were associated and encrusted with intact and/or altered kaolinite clay particles, where mixed (C, O, Na and Si)-precipitates of kaolinite clays were formed on the surface of hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial cells. However, the uptake of Si (from kaolinite) by bacterial cells appeared to be more prevalent than Al, and there were no significant changes in basal spacings of kaolinite due to these altered kaolinite particles. Separate studies showed that hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria have a high resistance to Si. Thus, the present data suggest that Si from kaolinite may facilitate hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial growth as shown in our previous study (Chaerun et al., 2005), and the C-O-Na-Si complexes on the surfaces of bacterial cell walls may be the stimulator for hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial growth in seawater contaminated with oil spill.
Immobilization of α-amylase onto K-10 montmorillonite: characterization and comparison of activity in a batch and a fixed-bed reactor
Authors: Sanjay G. , Sugunan S.
Published: February 2006

α-amylase was immobilized on acid-activated montmorillonite K-10 via adsorption and covalent linkage. The immobilized enzymes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface area measurements,27Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surface area measurements indicate pore blockage due to linking of the enzyme in the vicinity of the pore mouth. The XRD demonstrates intercalation of enzyme upon immobilization. The NMR studies indicate that, during adsorption, tetrahedral Al sites are involved, while covalent binding occurs exclusively on the octahedral Al sites. The SEM images depict the changed morphology of the clay surface due to immobilization. The efficiency of immobilized enzymes for starch hydrolysis was tested in a batch and a fixed-bed reactor and the performances were compared. The immobilized α-amylase showed a broad pH profile and improved stability characteristics in both reactor types when compared to the free enzyme. The effectiveness factor increased in the fixed-bed reactor, implying that diffusional restrictions to mass transfer operate in the heterogeneous reaction and the use of a fixed-bed reactor leads to a reduction in these diffusional resistances. In the continuous run, 100% initial activity was maintained for 72 h, and after 96 h, >80% activity was retained.
Structural modifications of smectites mechanically deformed under controlled conditions
Authors: Christidis G. E. , Dellisanti F. , Valdre G. , Makri P.
Published: February 2006

SWy-1 and SAz-1 smectites and an Italian bentonite from Sardinia were mechanically deformed via high-energy ball milling for 20 h, in a controlled thermodynamic environment at constant temperature (25°C) under vacuum. The deformed smectites have a lower cation exchange capacity (CEC) and form thicker particles than the original ones, due to agglomeration of smectite crystallites. The 001 diffraction maximum shifted to lower d spacings, the intensity of the 060 reflection decreased and the background at 20-30°2θ increased, suggesting partial amorphization of the smectite. Moreover, the layer charge of the smectites decreased. The intensity of the complex stretching band at 3625 cm-1, and the AlAlOH, and AlFe3+OH bending bands at 916 cm-1 and 886 cm-1, respectively, decreased, while the band at AlMgOH bending at 849 cm-1, disappeared. Deformation mainly disrupted the octahedral sheet and preferentially destroyed those sites occupied by Mg cations, thus explaining the observed decrease in layer charge. Octahedral sites occupied by Fe were least affected. The disruption of the octahedral sheet is substantiated further by the almost total disappearance of the dehydroxylation peak, which is more pronounced in the Mg-rich SAz-1 smectite.
Mineralogical and trace element composition of clay-sized fractions from Albian siliciclastic rocks (Oliete Basin, NE Spain)
Authors: González López J. M. , Bauluz B. , Yuste A. , Mayayo M. J. , Fernández-Nieto C.
Published: February 2006

Mineralogical and geochemical techniques have been used to determine the role of minerals in controlling the trace element composition of a set of clay-sized fractions from Albian siliciclastic rocks in NE Spain. These clay-sized fractions are composed of kaolinite and illite, minor quantities of quartz, and accessory heavy minerals. Kaolinite has a smaller crystal size than illite, accounting for its relative concentration in these fractions. The µm-sized heavy minerals are rutile, Fe-Ti- and Fe-oxides, zircon, pyrite, cassiterite, monazite and xenotime. Geochemical data indicate that most of the trace elements are relatively concentrated in clay-sized fractions, except for Zr, Hf, Y andHREE. Statistical treatment shows three different associations in the clay-sized fractions: (1) Rb, Cs and Ba with clay phyllosilicates, especially illite; (2)REEwith Th, Y and P phases; and (3) Sc, Cr and V with Ti- and Nb oxides. Therefore, these data do not support the dominantREEcontrol by clay mineralogy that other authors have reported.
First Italian occurrence of cumengéite from Vesuvius: crystal-structure refinement and revision of the chemical formula
Authors: Cruciani G. , Orlandi P. , Pasero M. , Russo M.
Published: February 2006

The first Italian occurrence of cumengéite, a rare Pb and Cu hydroxychloride, is described from Vesuvius (Italy). Italian cumengéite has a volcanic origin (it occurs in the fumarole), which is unique for that mineral. The mineralogy of Vesuvius' fumarole is outlined briefly. A powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of cumengéite is presented. The crystal structure of cumengéite has been refined (R= 0.036) using single-crystal XRD data. Cumengéite is tetragonal, space groupI4/mmm,a15.1007(2),c24.4940(4) Å. In the structure of cumengéite there are five independent Pb atoms, which are linked to 6—9 anions in five different ways. The structural study revealed the presence of two independent and previously unobserved water molecules, and led to the revision of the accepted chemical formula for the mineral: the new formula is Cu20Pb21Cl42(OH)40·6H2O. Analytical data taken from the literature for cumengéite from Boléo, Mexico (the type locality), as well as a new structural study carried out on the type material confirmed the new formula.