bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Silent Trade: Myth and Historical Evidence
Authors: de Moraes Farias P.F. 
Published: April 2006

Since it is related by so many we can accept itCa da MostoThere have been several accounts of the practice known as ‘silent trade’ in west Africa during the last thousand years. The oldest known account, that of Herodotus, is almost twenty-five hundred years old–although it probably refers to northwest rather than west Africa. Such accounts purport to describe exchanges of imported goods for gold from sub-Saharan Africa. These exchanges are said to have been made according to very particularized rules: two (and only two) trading parties would transact business with one another. They would do this not only without the help of middlemen but also without speaking to one another, or coming face to face or even within sight of each other. Elaborate precautions would in fact be taken to prevent any kind of direct visual contact. Despite this mutual avoidance and the resulting impossibility of negotiating rates of exchange, agreement presented no serious difficulties. Bargaining was carried out through gradual adjustment of quantities, arrived at by alternate moves by the two parties. Though each of the two in turn would have to leave his goods unguarded in a place accessible to the other, neither would take advantage of this for dishonest purposes. A shared table of market and moral values, as well as (and in spite of) silence and mutual invisibility, were thus the trademarks of such exchanges.The available accounts may conveniently be grouped into two categories. One category represents the exchanges as taking place between traders coming from what are assumed to be ‘more developed’ cultures (e.g., Carthage or medieval north Africa) and ‘less developed’ barely known cultures outside the sphere of direct influence of the greater sub-Saharan pre-colonial states. The other category refers to contacts between those barely known cultures of the hinterland and black Africans (e.g., Wangara, ‘Accanists’) playing the role of middlemen between the gold producers and the Arabs and Moors or Europeans. It is on the information provided by these middlemen that the second category of accounts depends.
On Ganda Historiography
Authors: Twaddle Michael 
Published: April 2006

“And so,” commented Goody and Watt in their celebrated discussion of the consequences of literacy,
not long after the widespread diffusion of writing throughout the Greek world, and the recording of the previously oral cultural tradition, there arose an attitude to the past very different from that common in non-literate societies. Instead of the unobtrusive adaptation of past traditions to present needs, a great many individuals found in the written records, where much of their traditional cultural repertoire had been given permanent form, so many inconsistencies in the beliefs and categories of understanding handed down to them that they were impelled to a much more conscious, comparative, and critical attitude to the accepted world picture, and notably to the notions of God, the universe and the past.However applicable these remarks may be to classical Greece, they are not applicable to colonial Buganda without considerable emendation. This paper attempts to suggest why this is so, paying particular attention to the development of indigenous historical writing. It is therefore more narrow in analytical focus than Rowe's recent survey of historical writings in Luganda. On the other hand, it is somewhat broader in intent than Kiwanuka's introduction to his translation into English of the early part of Apolo Kagwa's Ekitabo kya Basekabaka be Buganda, the only other substantive study in this field.
Seasonal changes in canopy structure in two mediterranean dune shrubs
Authors: Diaz Barradas M. C. , Garcia Novo F. 
Published: April 2006

Abstract. The annual cycle of canopy structure in two mediterranean shrubs in a pioneer zone of the mobile dune system in the Donana National Park, Scrophularia frutescens and Halimium halimifolium, has been analyzed. Destructive methods were used as well as a new non‐destructive method, based on frequency analysis of organ distribution within the plant canopy.S. frutescens shows strong seasonal changes of photo‐synthetic biomass, but little annual increment in dry weight. In H. halimifolium, seasonal changes are not as strongly differentiated as in S. frutescens, but a higher annual increment is shown.The canopy structure of both species and its temporal changes are compared with existingplant strategy models.
Direct role of NF‐κB activation in Toll‐like receptor‐triggered HLA‐DRA expression
Authors: Lee Keun‐Wook , Lee Younghee , Kim Doo‐Sik , Kwon Hyung‐Joo 
Published: April 2006

AbstractMicrobial components, such as DNA containing immunostimulatory CpG motifs (CpG‐DNA) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS), elicit the cell surface expression of MHC class II (MHC‐II) through Toll‐like receptor (TLR)/IL‐1R. Here, we show that CpG‐DNA and LPS induce expression of the HLA‐DRA in the human B cell line, RPMI 8226. Ectopic expression of the dominant negative mutant of CIITA and RNA interference targeting the CIITA gene indicate that CIITA activation is not enough for the maximal MHC‐II expression induced by CpG‐DNA and LPS. Additionally, nuclear factor (NF)‐κB activation is required for the CpG‐DNA‐activated and LPS‐activated HLA‐DRA expression, whereas IFN‐γ‐induced MHC‐II expression depends on CIITA rather than on NF‐κB. Comprehensive mutant analyses, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, reveal that the functional interaction of NF‐κB with the promoter element is necessary for the TLR‐mediated HLA‐DRA induction by CpG‐DNA and LPS. This novel mechanism provides the regulation of MHC‐II gene expression with complexity and functional diversity.
195Pt NMR Spectra of Head‐to‐Head and Head‐to‐Tail Amidato‐Bridged Platinum(III) Dinuclear Complexes
Authors: Iwatsuki Satoshi , Isomura Eigo , Wada Atsushi , Ishihara Koji , Matsumoto Kazuko 
Published: April 2006

Abstract195Pt chemical shifts and 1JPt–Pt coupling constants were measured for a series of head‐to‐head (HH) and head‐to‐tail (HT) amidato‐bridged cis‐diammineplatinum(III) dinuclear complexes involved in the axial water substitution reactions with halide ions (X– = Cl–, Br–): HH‐[Pt2(NH3)4(μ‐amidato)2L1L2]n+ ≡ [L1–Pt(N2O2)–Pt(N4)–L2]n+ (amidato = α‐pyridonato, α‐pyrrolidonato, and pivalamidato) and HT‐[Pt2(NH3)4(μ‐α‐pyridonato)2L1L2]n+ ≡ [L1–Pt(N3O)–Pt(N3O)–L2]n+; the diaqua (L1, L2 = H2O, n = 4), the aquahalo (L1 = X–, L2 = H2O, n = 3), and the dihalo complexes (L1, L2 = X–, n = 2). The 195Pt NMR spectroscopic data were considered in relation to the lability in the axial ligand substitution reaction and the electron distribution along the Pt–Pt bond. The NMR spectroscopic data suggested different electron distributions along the Pt–Pt bonds in all the HH dimers and in the HT aquahalo dimers, such as [L1–PtIV(N2O2)–PtII(N4)–L2]n+ and [X–PtIV(N3O)–PtII(N3O)–OH2]3+, respectively. Relative shifts of the 195Pt NMR signals for each substitution step indicate that the replacement of the axial water ligand by X– affects more effectively the electron density of the opposite Pt atom than that of the substituted one. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Organ preservation for advanced laryngeal carcinoma
Authors: Foote Robert L. , Foote R. Tyler , Brown Paul D. , Garces Yolanda I. , Okuno Scott H. , Strome Scott E. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractBackground.Inclusion of patients with mobile vocal cords on larynx preservation trials may lead to overstatement of larynx preservation (LPR) and survival (OS) rates.Methods.This is a retrospective review of patients at our institution who would have been eligible for the Department of Veterans Affairs Laryngeal Cancer Study Group (VA) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/Head and Neck Intergroup (RTOG 91‐11) clinical trials. No laryngeal conservation procedure could be performed in patients with mobile vocal cords.Results.One hundred one patients at our institution would have been eligible for the VA trial. The 2‐year OS was 76% for total laryngectomy and 90% for radiotherapy patients (p = .28) compared with 68% reported for the VA trial. Seventy‐three patients at our institution would have been eligible for the RTOG 91‐11 trial. The 5‐year OS was 52% for total laryngectomy and 63% for radiotherapy patients (p = .18) compared with 55% reported for the RTOG 91‐11 trial. Radiotherapy patients had an LPR of 80% (VA trial) and 86% (RTOG 91‐11 trial).Conclusion.It is unlikely that inclusion of patients with mobile vocal cords had a significant impact on OS or LPR for the VA and RTOG 91‐11 larynx preservation trials. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2006
Dissociation Mechanism of HNIW Ions Investigated by Chemical Ionization and Electron Impact Mass Spectroscopy
Authors: Yang Rongjie , Xiao Hemiao 
Published: April 2006

AbstractChemical Ionization (CI) with Collision‐Induced Dissociation (CID) spectroscopy and Electron Impacting (EI) with metastable Mass analyzed Ion Kinetic Energy (MIKE) spectroscopy have been applied to study ionic dissociations of Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW). Similarities and differences between EI/MIKE and CI/CID mass spectra of HNIW were analyzed. In EI mass spectra, the ions [HNIW−n NO2]+ (n=2–5), such as the ion at m/z 347, were less frequent (1–2% relative abundance), but in CI mass spectra, these ions were very abundant. For some ions of large molar mass from HNIW, their dissociations pathways from parent ions to daughter ions were built according to CID and MIKE spectra. Molecular ions of HNIW with a protonated nitro group at five‐member ring seem more stable than at six‐member ring. The HNIW ions losing five of six nitro groups are very stable based on CID spectra, which agrees with some research results for thermal decomposition of HNIW in literature.
Reactive radical scavenging and xanthine oxidase inhibition of proanthocyanidins from Carallia brachiata
Authors: Phuwapraisirisan Preecha , Sowanthip Preecha , Miles D. Howard , Tip‐pyang Santi 
Published: April 2006

AbstractAntioxidant‐guided separation of Carallia brachiata bark led to a new A‐type trimeric proanthocyanidin named carallidin (1), along with mahuannin A (2) and p‐hydroxy benzoic acid (3). The structure of 1 was fully characterized by interpretation of spectroscopic data and chemical means. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited radical scavenging against DPPH (IC50 102 and 182 µm) and superoxide radical (IC50 1.47 and 9.74 µm). In addition, 1 and 2 also inhibited xanthine oxidase with IC50 values of 12.9 and 16.0 µm. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dang‐Gui Buxue Tang produces a more potent cardioprotective effect than its component herb extracts and enhances glutathione status in rat heart mitochondria and erythrocytes
Authors: Mak Duncan H. F. , Chiu P. Y. , Dong Tina T. X. , Tsim Karl W. K. , Ko K. M. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe effects of pretreatment with Dang‐Gui Buxue Tang (DBT, a decoction of Astragali and Angelica roots) and its component herb extracts on myocardial ischaemia‐reperfusion (IR) injury were examined in rats ex vivo. DBT and its component herb extracts could protect against myocardial IR injury in a dose‐dependent manner. The more potent cardioprotection afforded by DBT pretreatment than that of a mixture of Astragali and Angelica root extracts was associated with a much higher extraction yield of active ingredients from Angelica root in the herbal decoction. The high level of active ingredients might increase their bioavailability after oral administration. DBT pretreatment could enhance myocardial mitochondrial as well as red blood cell (RBC) glutathione status, thereby increasing their resistance to oxidative stress‐induced injury in rats. The measurement of RBC glutathione status may serve as a useful index for the antioxidant effect produced by DBT treatment in human subjects. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of an insecticidal coumarin from Boenninghausenia albiflora
Authors: Sharma Rajnikant , Negi Devendra S. , Shiu Winnie K. P. , Gibbons Simon 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe leaves of Boenninghausenia albiflora afforded an insecticidal coumarin which was identified as murraxocin (7‐methoxy‐8‐[1′‐ethoxy‐2′‐hydroxy‐3′‐methyl‐but‐3′enyl]‐coumarin) (1), on the basis of extensive 1‐ and 2‐dimensional NMR experiments. This compound has previously been isolated from Murraya exotica but this is the first report of the full 1H and 13C data for this compound. This natural product was evaluated against important forest insect pests and was active against Plecoptera reflexa, Clostera cupreata and Crypsiptya coclesalis at different concentrations varying from 1.0% to 5% w/v. In the crude extract 70% mortality was observed, and for compound 1 80% mortality was observed at a concentration of 1.0% w/v. The percentage of insect mortality increased in a dose‐dependent manner. Coumarins are poorly studied insecticides and there is potential to exploit this chemically simple group of natural products. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hearing Screening Outcomes in Infants of Pregestational Diabetic Mothers
Authors: Stanton Susan G. , Ryerson Elizabeth , Moore Shana L. , Sullivan-Mahoney Maureen , Couch Sarah C. 
Published: April 2006

Purpose:Hearing screening results for newborns of diabetic mothers were compared with those of nondiabetic controls.Method:This study was a retrospective chart review of mothers with pregestational diabetes mellitus and their neonates (n=73) who received newborn hearing screening between January 1, 2000, and May 1, 2002. A group of nondiabetic mothers and their infants (n=73), with birth dates that matched the diabetic group, served as controls. A 2-tiered hearing screening protocol, employing distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (A-ABR) screening techniques, was used.Results:The DPOAE screening failure rate was 5.5% (4/73) for babies in the nondiabetic control group and 11.0% (8/73) for infants of diabetic mothers; this difference was not statistically significant. The A-ABR failure rate was 9.1% (1/11) for the diabetic group compared with 0% (0/4) for the controls, but the A-ABR was measured for only a small number of participants in each group. The frequency of premature birth and abnormal birth weight was significantly greater for the infants of diabetic mothers compared with controls.Conclusions:Given the greater frequency of prematurity and abnormal birth weight in the population of neonates born to diabetics, additional research using A-ABR is recommended.
CREB transcription factor modulates Bcl2 transcription in response to C5a in HL‐60‐derived neutrophils
Authors: Perianayagam M. C. , Madias N. E. , Pereira B. J. G. , Jaber B. L. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractBackground  Complement fragment C5a and neutrophils have been implicated in the pathogenesis of renal disease and C5a has also been shown to delay apoptosis of human neutrophils via a transcription‐independent pathway. However, transcription‐dependent pathways have not been well described. The present study examined whether activation of HL‐60‐derived neutrophils by C5a modulates the transcription of two members of the Bcl2 family, Bax (pro‐apoptotic) and Bcl2 (anti‐apoptotic) molecules, and whether the cAMP‐response element‐binding protein (CREB) transcription factor mediates these effects through the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt and extra‐cellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) signalling pathways.Materials and methods  The human promyelocytic leukaemia HL‐60 cell line was differentiated into neutrophils using 1·25% DMSO. Differentiated cells were incubated with recombinant human C5a for 30–120 min with, or without, pretreatment with wortmannin or PD98059. The cells were lysed and quantified for gene‐specific Bax and Bcl2 mRNA. In separate experiments, cells were incubated with C5a for 5–30 min with, or without, pretreatment with wortmannin, PD98059, or alkaline phosphatase. Cells were then lysed and immunoblotted using antihuman phospho‐CREB (Ser133) antibody. Apoptosis was assessed by measuring active caspase‐3 in differentiated HL‐60 cells.Results  C5a inhibited caspase‐3 activation in HL‐60‐derived neutrophils (P = 0·003). C5a significantly increased the expression of Bcl2 mRNA (P = 0·028), which was time‐dependent, peaking at 30 min, and was abrogated in the presence of either wortmannin or PD98059 (both P = 0·028). The C5a had no impact on Bax mRNA expression. The Bax : Bcl2 mRNA ratio markedly decreased at 30 min (P = 0·028). Time‐dependent effect of C5a on CREB phosphorylation was demonstrable and rapid, peaking at 5 min, and was abrogated by either wortmannin or PD98059 (both P = 0·028). Phosphorylation of CREB, but not of Akt and ERK, was inhibited by alkaline phosphatase (P = 0·028). The effect of C5a on Bcl2 mRNA expression was abrogated by alkaline phosphatase (P = 0·028). The Bax : Bcl2 mRNA ratio markedly increased in the presence of alkaline phosphatase (P = 0·046).Conclusions  This study demonstrates that C5a induces Bcl2 mRNA transcription in HL‐60‐derived neutrophils, which is mediated in part by CREB through the convergence of the PI3K/Akt and ERK‐signalling pathways.
Hormone replacement therapy: an example of McKinlay's theory on the seven stages of medical innovation
Authors: Wright Jane 
Published: April 2006

Aim and objectives.  The aim of this paper is to explain the history and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) using McKinlay's theory of medical innovation. The paper will examine why a drug, HRT, was prescribed for mainly healthy women. It reflects on the controversies surrounding HRT and examines some of the possible reasons why, despite an almost complete lack of verifiable research, HRT became one of the most widely prescribed drugs of our time.Background.  Twenty‐four years ago McKinlay published From ‘Promising Report’ to ‘Standard Procedure’: Seven Stages in the Career of a Medical Innovation. McKinlay argued that many, if not most, innovations in medicine undergo a process of which assessment of effectiveness is only a late stage placing many patients at risk of receiving treatments which are useless or malign.Conclusion.  This paper argues that HRT was a medical innovation whose ‘career’ followed the seven stages describes by McKinlay. This suggests that the Nursing and Medical professions continue to accept innovation uncritically.Relevance to clinical practice.  This paper underlines the importance of critically assessing the research‐based evidence for altering practice and introducing new treatments. It suggests that Nurse Prescribers and other clinicians question the assumed scientific basis of new innovations in clinical practice.
Endoluminal formalin application for haemorrhagic radiation proctitis
Authors: Vyas F. L. , Mathai V. , Selvamani B. , John S. , Banerjee Jesudason S. R. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractBackground  Radiation proctitis is a common complication following radiation therapy for pelvic malignancies. This is associated with significant morbidity which adversely affects the quality of life. Local application of formalin has been used effectively in the treatment of radiation proctitis.Methodology  Thirty patients with haemorrhagic radiation proctitis who underwent endoluminal application of 4% formalin between January 1998 to October 2002 were followed up prospectively to assess the efficacy of the treatment.Results  The follow up ranged from 5 to 36 months (mean 18.1 months). Nineteen (63.3%) patients had complete response to formalin application while 7 (23.3%) patients had partial response. There were 4 (13.3%) failures. No procedure related complication was observed.Conclusion  Local application of formalin is a simple, safe, inexpensive and fairly effective outpatient treatment modality for chronic radiation proctitis.
The role of odour and visual cues in the pan‐trap catching of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae)
Authors: Laubertie E.A. , Wratten S.D. , Sedcole J.R. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractColoured pan traps are frequently used to attract and catch insects, such as in the monitoring of populations of beneficial insects in classical or conservation biological control. They are also used in the evaluation of the recovery of insect populations after disturbance and in many other situations where an estimate of relative insect numbers is required. However, the fact that traps may be visible to the insects over a considerable distance can influence the interpretation of catch data. This difficulty may arise, for example, if traps along a transect can attract insects from some or all of the other transect positions. This study compared the effect of different coloured traps on attraction and catch of hoverflies. The hypothesis was that completely yellow traps would attract hoverflies from a distance, while traps that were green outside and yellow inside would catch fewer flies because only those from above or near the trap can see the yellow stimulus. A subsidiary hypothesis was that rose water would enhance hoverfly capture rates. For the two main hoverfly species captured, Melanostoma fasciatum (Macquart) and Melangyna novaezelandiae (Macquart), significantly more individuals were caught in completely yellow traps than in yellow and green or in completely green traps. Moreover, the addition of rose water increased the number of hoverflies caught significantly. It is suggested that if a measure of hoverfly numbers relating to a particular distance along a transect is required, consideration should be given to the ability of hoverflies to see yellow traps from a distance. The use of traps that are green outside would more accurately reflect the local abundance of hoverflies. If higher trap catches of hoverflies are needed for statistical purposes, rose water can enhance catches.
A C-Terminal Domain Targets the
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Cytotoxin ExoU to the Plasma Membrane of Host Cells
Authors: Rabin Shira D. P. , Veesenmeyer Jeffrey L. , Bieging Kathryn T. , Hauser Alan R. 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

ExoU, a phospholipase injected into host cells by the type III secretion system of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, leads to rapid cytolytic cell death. Although the importance of ExoU in infection is well established, the mechanism by which this toxin kills host cells is less clear. To gain insight into how ExoU causes cell death, we examined its subcellular localization following transfection or type III secretion/translocation into HeLa cells. Although rapid cell lysis precluded visualization of wild-type ExoU by fluorescence microscopy, catalytically inactive toxin was readily detected at the periphery of HeLa cells. Biochemical analysis confirmed that ExoU was targeted to the membrane fraction of transfected cells. Visualization of ExoU peptides fused with green fluorescent protein indicated that the domain responsible for this targeting was in the C terminus of ExoU, between residues 550 and 687. Localization to the plasma membrane occurred within 1 h of expression, which is consistent with the kinetics of cytotoxicity. Together, these results indicate that a domain between residues 550 and 687 of ExoU targets this toxin to the plasma membrane, a process that may be important in cytotoxicity.