bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A group randomised trial of two methods for disseminating a smoking cessation programme to public antenatal clinics: effects on patient outcomes
Authors: Campbell E , Walsh R A , Sanson-Fisher R , Burrows S , Stojanovski E 
Published: March 2006

Objective:To assess the differential effectiveness of two methods of disseminating a smoking cessation programme to public hospital antenatal clinics.Design:Group randomised trial.Setting:22 antenatal clinics in New South Wales, Australia.Intervention:Clinics were allocated to a simple dissemination (SD) condition (11 clinics) which received a mail-out of programme resources or to an intensive dissemination (ID) condition (11 clinics) which included the mail-out plus feedback, training, and ongoing support with midwife facilitator.Main outcome measures:Independent cross sectional surveys of women on a second or subsequent visit undertaken pre-dissemination and 18 months after dissemination. Outcomes were: (1) levels of smoking status assessment by clinic staff; (2) proportion of women identifying as having been smokers at their first visit who reported receiving cessation advice; (3) proportion of these women who had quit (self report and expired air carbon monoxide (CO)); and (4) smoking prevalence among all women (self report and CO).Subjects:5849 women pre-dissemination (2374 SD, 3475 ID) and weighted sample of 5145 women post-dissemination (2302 SD, 2843 ID).Results:There were no significant differences between the groups on change on any outcome. Change in either group was minimal. In the post-dissemination survey, the cessation proportions were 6.4% (SD) and 10.5% (ID).Conclusions:Relatively modest strategies for encouraging incorporation of smoking cessation activities into antenatal care were not effective in the long term. Alternative strategies should be implemented and evaluated. The findings reinforce the importance of a whole population approach to tobacco control.
Price and cigarette consumption in Europe
Authors: Gallus S , Schiaffino A , La Vecchia C , Townsend J , Fernandez E 
Published: March 2006

Objective:To analyse the variation in demand for tobacco according to price of cigarettes across the European region.Design:Cross-sectional study.Setting:All the 52 countries of the European region.Participants:For each European country, data were collected on annual per adult cigarette consumption (2000), smoking prevalence (most recent), retail price of a pack of local and foreign brand cigarettes (around 2000), the gross domestic product adjusted by purchasing power parities, and the adult population (2000).Main outcome measure:Price elasticity of demand for cigarettes (that is, the change in cigarette consumption according to a change in tobacco price) across all the European countries, estimated by double-log multiple linear regression.Results:Controlling for male to female prevalence ratio, price elasticities for consumption were −0.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.74 to −0.17) and −0.74 (95% CI −1.13 to −0.35) for local and foreign brand, respectively. The inverse relation between cigarette price and consumption was stronger in countries not in the European Union (price elasticity for foreign brand cigarettes of −0.8) as compared to European Union countries (price elasticity of −0.4).Conclusions:The result that, on average, in Europe smoking consumption decreases 5–7% for a 10% increase in the real price of cigarettes strongly supports an inverse association between price and cigarette smoking.
"A Feather in the Wind": An Interview with Sir Keith Thomas
Authors: Heyd Michael , Horowitz Elliott 
Published: March 2006

AbstractSir Keith Thomas, fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and former president of Corpus Christi College and The British Academy, discusses his academic background and influences, trends in early modern history, and changes in the history profession. This interview with Prof. Thomas was conducted by the Historical Society of Israel during his visit in late 2003 to deliver the Jerusalem Lectures in History in memory of Menahem Stern.
Moshko the Jew and His Gay Friends: Same-Sex Sexual Relations in Ottoman Jewish Society
Authors: Ben-Naeh Yaron 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article investigates homosexual relations and the discourse about them among Ottoman Jews. Jewish sources reveal a substantial gap between ethical and moral demands and the life of the general public. They also attest to the visibility and prevalence of sexual relations between males, despite the explicit biblical prohibition and later interdictions. In Ottoman urban society, gender and sexual preference were not naturally given but were determined by status and a complex of social behaviors. The Jewish and general public had no interest in the individual's sexual practices and showed a certain degree of tolerance to the point of de-facto legitimization, as long as social order and norms were kept.
Bone Augmentation with Bioactive Glass in Three Cases of Dental Implant Placement
Authors: Gatti Antonietta M. , Simonetti Leopoldo A. , Monari Emanuela , Guidi Stefano , Greenspan David 
Published: March 2006

This study reports the clinical use of a bioactive bone graft material, PerioGlas®, in the treatment of dental extraction sites before dental implant placement, to effect bone regeneration and to give early fixation to the implant. PerioGlas®, granules, ranging from 90 to 710 mm, are implanted after tooth extraction in three patients; after 6 months bone biopsies were performed in the site of the glass implantation and observed under Electron Scanning Microscopy. All the granules showed a biodegradation involving precipitation of calcium phosphate that worked as a scaffold for osteoblasts colonization. All cases examined showed the bioactivity of PerioGlas® granules resulting in new bone formation and biodegradation of the glass. After a two-year clinical follow-up all the implants were successfully loaded and appeared stable.
The Wick-concept for Thermal Insulation of Cold Piping
Authors: Koverdynsky Vit , Korsgaard Vagn , Rode Carsten 
Published: March 2006

The wick-concept for thermal insulation of cold piping is based on capillary suction of a fiber fabric to remove excess water from the pipe surface by transporting it to the outer surface of the insulation. From the surface of the insulation jacket, the water will evaporate to the ambient air. This will prevent long-term accumulation of moisture in the insulation material. The wick keeps the hydrophobic insulation dry, allowing it to maintain its thermal performance. The liquid moisture is kept only in the wick fabric. This article presents the principle of operation of cold pipe insulation using the wick-concept in either of two variations: the self-drying or the self-sealing system. Experiments have been carried out using different variations of the two systems to investigate the conditions for exploiting the drying capabilities of the systems, and the results are presented. The results show that the variations of these types of insulation systems work for pipes with a temperature above 0 C and for ambient conditions within common ranges for industrial applications.
Can Moisture Buffer Performance be Estimated from Sorption Kinetics?
Authors: Delgado J. M. P. Q. , Ramos N. M. M. , De Freitas V. P. 
Published: March 2006

This article describes the research on the moisture buffering effect of building materials. A set of experiments on samples of current building materials are conducted under transient conditions of relative humidity (RH). The results obtained are then analyzed using kinetics models. The experimental settings are based on the moisture buffer value (MBV) test method currently under study by Nordic researchers. The main result from these tests is the MBV number that can be used to characterize the moisture buffer performance of a material or a system. The application of kinetics models to the experimental results is explored and several parameters are retrieved. A proposal for the use of these parameters is presented and its practical use is discussed.
Emerging roles for ectodomain shedding in the regulation of inflammatory responses
Authors: Garton Kyle J , Gough Peter J , Raines Elaine W 
Published: March 2006

Abstract
The multistep model of leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation has helped elucidate specific molecular cues for each of the individual steps. However, it is less clear how cells transition between the different steps and how the complex interactions are coordinately regulated. Once a leukocyte sticks to the endothelium, it only takes a few minutes to reach the subendothelial basement membrane, so the transitions and regulatory mechanisms must be rapid. We put forward the hypothesis that proteolytic shedding of cell surface proteins provides a mechanism to aid in the rapid transition of cells and coordinate the complex, multistep process of leukocyte recruitment in response to inflammatory stimuli. Support for this hypothesis is provided from analyses of disease states and from studies with protease inhibitors and genetically engineered mutations that prevent “ectodomain shedding” of cell surface proteins and consequently perturb the inflammatory response.
The effects of ginkgo biloba extract on tissue adenosine deaminase, xanthine oxidase, myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, and nitric oxide in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity
Authors: Gulec Mukaddes , Iraz Mustafa , Yilmaz H Ramazan , Ozyurt Huseyin , Temel Ismail 
Published: March 2006

This study was carried out to determine if Ginkgo Biloba Extract (GBE or Egb 761) exerts a beneficial effect against cisplatin-induced renal failure in rats. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups. The first group (control) received orally 1 mL/kg/day of 0.9% saline by an oral carrier vehicle on days 1 to 10. The second group was injected with 7 mg/kg cisplatin intraperitoneally (i.p.) on the fourth day, once only. The third group (vit E=cisplatin) was administered 10 mg/kg/day i.p. vit E on 1 to 10 days with one dose of i.p. cisplatin (7 mg/kg) injection on the fourth day. The fourth group (GBE=cisplatin) was given GBE orally at 100 mg/mL/kg started on the first day up to the tenth day with one dose of cisplatin (7 mg/kg) injection on the fourth day.Cisplatin was found to lead a statistically significant increase in plasma BUN and creatinine levels, as well as urine micro total protein (MTP) levels, leading to acute renal failure (ARF) in rats. Renal xanthine oxidase (XO) activities increased in all groups (statistically significant in cisplatin=GBE-treated rats; P≤0.001). Adenosine deaminase (AD) activities were increased in cisplatin-treated rats, and decreased in cisplatin=GBE-treated (PB≤0.041) and cisplatin=vit E-treated (PB≤0.005) rats, compared to controls. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities were increased in the kidney tissue of cisplatin-treated rats. Vit E improved plasma creatinine and urine MTP levels, together with tissue MDA, NO levels, and MPO activities. But GBE had no statistically significant effect on those parameters.These results indicate that increased XO, AD and MPO activities, as well as MDA and NO levels play a critical role in cisplatin nephrotoxicity. GBE has been shown to protect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2006; 22: 125-130.
Wind generated by an attacking bat: anemometric measurements and detection by the praying mantis cercal system
Authors: Triblehorn Jeffrey D. , Yager David D. 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARYThe wind-sensitive cercal system, well-known for mediating terrestrial escape responses, may also mediate insect aerial bat-avoidance responses triggered by wind generated by the approaching bat. One crucial question is whether enough time exists between detection and capture for the insect to perform a successful evasive maneuver. A previous study estimated this time to be 16 ms, based on cockroach behavioral latencies and a prediction for the detection time derived from a simulated predator moving toward a simulated prey. However, the detection time may be underestimated since both the simulated predator and prey lacked certain characteristics present in the natural situation. In the present study, actual detection times are measured by recording from wind-sensitive interneurons of a tethered praying mantis that serves as the target for a flying, attacking bat. Furthermore, using hot-wire anemometry, we describe and quantify the wind generated by an attacking bat. Anemometer measurements revealed that the velocity of the bat-generated wind consistently peaks early with a high acceleration component(an important parameter for triggering wind-mediated terrestrial responses). The physiological recordings determined that the mantis cercal system detected an approaching bat 74 ms before contact, which would provide the insect with 36 ms to perform a maneuver before capture. This should be sufficient time for the mantis to respond. Although it probably would not have time for a full response that completely evades the bat, even a partial response might alter the mantid's trajectory enough to cause the bat to mishandle the insect,allowing it to escape.
Sperm selection and competition in pigs may be mediated by the differential motility activation and suppression of sperm subpopulations within the oviduct
Authors: Satake Nana , Elliott Roslyn M. A. , Watson Paul F. , Holt William V. 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARYWhen spermatozoa from two or more boars are mixed and females inseminated,the resulting litters are often skewed in favour of one male but there is currently no satisfactory physiological explanation for this effect. However,to reach the oocytes, the spermatozoa must enter the oviduct where they are exposed to factors that modulate their activity. They either become sequestered within the oviductal sperm reservoir or bypass the reservoir and proceed towards the oocytes. The oviduct may therefore hold the key to mammalian sperm selection, thereby explaining why laboratory tests of sperm function, performed on whole ejaculates, are unable to account for the boar-specific skewing effects. We have previously shown that boar sperm motility is highly stimulated by bicarbonate, a naturally abundant component of oviductal fluid. Using motility-based sperm subpopulation analysis, we show here that the relative sizes of bicarbonate-responsive and unresponsive sperm subpopulations vary between individual boars. Proteins derived from oviduct epithelial plasma membranes suppress the activation response and modify sperm movement trajectories in a subpopulation-specific and dose-dependent manner. The suppression response varies between boars and some spermatozoa remain unsuppressed in the presence of oviductal proteins. When boars are ranked according to their susceptibility to bicarbonate-induced stimulation, rankings differ depending upon the presence or absence of oviductal proteins. The suppression response is not caused by inhibition of bicarbonate uptake; on the contrary this is enhanced by oviductal proteins. We suggest that the boar-specific and sperm subpopulation-specific interactions between sperm motility activation and suppression responses are likely to result in sperm selection before the spermatozoa meet the oocytes.
Source location encoding in the fish lateral line canal
Authors: Ćurčić-Blake Branislava , van Netten Sietse M. 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARY
The position of a hydrodynamic dipole source, as encoded in a linear array of mechano-detecting neuromasts in the fish lateral line canal, was electrophysiologically investigated. Measured excitation patterns along the lateral line were compared to theoretical predictions and were found to be in good agreement. The results demonstrate that information on the position of a vibrating source from a fish is linearly coded in the spatial characteristics of the excitation pattern of pressure gradients distributed along the lateral line canal. Several algorithms are discussed that could potentially be used by a fish to decode lateral line excitation patterns, in order to localise a source and its axis of vibration. Specifically, a wavelet transform of a 1-D excitation pattern is shown to reconstruct a 2-D image of dipole sources located within a distance comparable to the body length of a fish and with a close range spatial accuracy twice the inter-neuromast distance.
The postnatal development of neocortical neurons and glial cells in the Göttingen minipig and the domestic pig brain
Authors: Jelsing Jacob , Nielsen Rune , Olsen Aage Kristian , Grand Nanna , Hemmingsen Ralf , Pakkenberg Bente 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARYThe first mathematically unbiased estimates of neocortical cell numbers are presented from the developing pig brain, including a full description of tissue processing and optimal sampling for application of the stereological optical fractionator method in this species. The postnatal development of neocortical neurons and glial cells from the experimental Göttingen minipig was compared with the postnatal development of neocortical neurons in the domestic pig. A significant postnatal development was observed in the Göttingen minipig brain for both neuronal (28%; P=0.01) and glial cells (87%; P&lt;0.01). A corresponding postnatal development of neurons was not detected in the domestic pig brain. The reason for this strain difference is not known. The mean total number of neocortical neurons is 324 million in the adult Göttingen minipig compared with 432 million in the domestic pig. The glial-to-neuron cell ratio is around 2.2 in the adult Göttingen minipig. Based on these results, the domestic pig seems to be a more suitable model for evaluating the effects of developmental insults on human brain growth and neuronal development than the Göttingen minipig.
Changes in composition of spider orb web sticky droplets with starvation and web removal, and synthesis of sticky droplet compounds
Authors: Townley Mark A. , Tillinghast Edward K. , Neefus Christopher D. 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARYThe sticky spiral of araneoid spider orb webs consists of silk fibers coated with adhesive droplets. The droplets contain a variety of low-molecular-mass compounds (LMM). Within a species, a fairly consistent ratio of LMM is often observed, but substantial variability can exist. To gain insight into factors influencing LMM composition, spiders of three araneid species were starved and LMM from their webs were analyzed for changes in composition. To determine if these changes were consistent with the spider's ability to synthesize the different organic LMM, synthetic capacities were estimated following the feeding of radiolabeled metabolites. Some changes in droplet composition were broadly consistent with differing synthetic capacities: molar percentages of less readily synthesized compounds (e.g. choline, isethionate, N-acetyltaurine) typically declined with starvation, at least during a portion of the imposed fast, while more readily synthesized compounds (e.g. GABamide, glycine) tended to increase. Most striking was the apparent partial substitution of N-acetylputrescine by the more readily synthesized GABamide in fasting Argiope trifasciata. However, departures from expected compositional shifts demonstrated that synthetic capacity alone does not adequately predict sticky droplet compositional shifts with starvation. Moreover, feeding controls exhibited some changes in composition similar to starving spiders. As the webs of both feeding and starving spiders were removed for chemical analysis and could not be recycled, the loss of LMM contained in these webs likely contributed to similarities between treatments. In addition, feeding spiders molted, oviposited and/or built heavier webs. The added metabolic demands of these activities may have contributed to changes in composition similar to those resulting from starvation.
Sweet problems: insect traits defining the limits to dietary sugar utilisation by the pea aphid,Acyrthosiphon pisum
Authors: Douglas A. E. , Price D. R. G. , Minto L. B. , Jones E. , Pescod K. V. , François C. L. M. J. , Pritchard J. , Boonham N. 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARYPlant phloem sap is an extreme diet for animals, partly because of its high and variable sugar content. The physiological and feeding traits of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum that define the upper and lower limits to the range of dietary sucrose concentrations utilised by this insect were determined principally using chemically defined diets containing 0.125–1.5 mol l–1 sucrose. On the diets with 0.125 mol l–1 and 1.5 mol l–1 sucrose, the aphids died as larvae within 8 and 14 days of birth, respectively. On the other diets,60–96% of aphids developed to adulthood, and the 0.5 mol l–1 and 0.75 mol l–1 diets supported the highest fecundity. The diet with 0.125 mol l–1 sucrose was ingested at 36% of the rate of the 0.25 mol l–1 sucrose diet,but &gt;90% of ingested sucrose-carbon was assimilated on both diets. This suggests that the lower limit is dictated by the aphid feeding response,specifically, a requirement for a minimal concentration of sucrose for sustained feeding. The haemolymph osmotic pressure of aphids on diets with 0.125–1.5 mol l–1 sucrose was up to 68% higher than on 0.125–1.0 mol l–1 sucrose diets, but diet consumption and sucrose-carbon assimilation was not reduced on the very high sucrose diets relative to 1.0 mol l–1 sucrose. This suggests that failure of the osmoregulatory capacity of the insects on high sucrose diets may define the upper limit to the range of dietary sucrose utilised by the aphids. The mean haemolymph osmotic pressure of aphids on plants with phloem sap containing 0.37–0.97 mol l–1 sucrose was 1.61±0.063 MPa (mean ± s.e.m.), not significantly different from that (1.47±0.059 MPa) on diets with 0.25–1.0 mol l–1 sucrose. It is concluded that the osmoregulatory response of aphids to diets and plants are comparable, and, more generally, that the feeding and osmoregulatory capabilities of the aphids are compatible with the phloem sugar levels commonly encountered by aphids feeding on plants.
Effects of temperature on maximum acceleration, deceleration and power output during vertical running in geckos
Authors: Bergmann Phillip , Irschick Duncan J. 
Published: March 2006

SUMMARYWe studied performance and kinematics of the diurnal gekkonid lizard Phelsuma dubia while running vertically on a smooth surface at different temperatures. Trials were conducted at 5°C intervals from 15°C to 35°C. High-speed video recordings and digitization were used to obtain measures of instantaneous velocity, acceleration, deceleration and mass-specific power output and maximal values for each were taken as performance measures. Kinematic variables were also obtained from high-speed video recordings and included stride length and duration, step (stance phase)length and duration, and duty factor. Maximal instantaneous velocity,acceleration and deceleration increased by a factor of approximately 1.7 between 15°C and 25°C, and less so (∼1.2×) between 25°C and 35°C. Mass-specific power output was more temperature-sensitive,increasing 2.5× up to 25°C and a further 1.4× above that temperature. Stride length increased 1.5× over the entire temperature interval studied, while stride duration decreased by a factor of 1.9,suggesting that velocity is modulated by changes in both stride length and duration in P. dubia. Duty factor was not significantly influenced by temperature. Stride length was the only kinematic measure to be influenced by stride number, with second steps from a standstill being longer than first steps. We discuss the significance of velocity and acceleration being affected in a similar manner by temperature, and that speed is modulated by both changes in stride length and duration.