Neurotransmitter and Neuromodulator Activity in the Gustatory Zone of the Nucleus Tractus Solitarius

The rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST) is the firstcentral relay in the gustatory pathway. While previous investigationshave provided a wealth of information on the pattern of centralterminations of gustatory afferent fibers, the morphology ofsynaptic connections of rNST neurons and responses of secondorder neurons to taste stimuli applied to the tongue, littleis known regarding the neurophysiological characteristics ofsynaptic transmission in rNST. We have used an in vitro brainslice preparation of the rNST to study the intrinsic biophysicalproperties, neuropharmacology and synaptic responses of rNSTneurons. These experiments have revealed that rNST neurons respondto the excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter glutamate, aswell as the inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter     

Fructose oligosaccharides: Possible markers of phylogenetic relationships among dicotyledonous plant families

Stems from more than 555 species representing 440 genera of approximately 210 dicotyledonous families were surveyed for the presence of fructose oligosaccharides. The tissues from 372 species representing 312 genera and 187 families did not contain such oligosaccharides. The sugars occurred sporadically or in small amounts in members of the following families: Crossosomataceae, Lauraceae, Malpighiaceae, Cornaceae, Myrisinaceae, Melianthaceae, Greyiaceae, and Simaroubaceae. The fructosyl sucrose trisaccharide, isokestose, aswell as its fructose tetrasaccharide homolog (but not higher inulin oligosaccharides) were present in members of the families Hippocastanaceae and Limnathaceae. Stems from members of the families Clethraceae and Monotropaceae, and some members of the Polemoniaceae, contained two series of fructose oligosaccharides: one based on isokestose (the inulin series) and the other one based on kestose (the levan series). The inulin or isokestose-based series of fructose oligosaccharides, alone, was present in members of the following families: Menyanthaceae, Boraginaceae, Campanulaceae, Goodeniaceae, Stylidiaceae, Brunoniaceae, Calyceraceae and Compositae. The primary metabolites occur ubiquitously and consistently in tissues of plants of these families. We hypothesize that this conservative character represents several phylogenetic alliances among them.     

DESCRIPTION OF EUBRANCHUS LINENSIS NEW SPECIES (NUDIBRANCHIA), WITH REMARKS ON DIAULY IN NUDIBRANCHS

A new species of nudibranch, Eurbranchus liensis, is described,from specimens collected from the southern Iberian Peninsula.The coloration of this species is characterized by the presenceof blood-red patches over the whole body and opaque white pigmentationon the tips of the cerata, rhinophores and oral tentacles, aswell as along the side of the foot. The jaws are denticulateand the triseriate radula has lateral teeth with a small secondarycusp. The rachidian tooth usually has four denticles on eachside. The reproductive system has a prostate and there is astylet at the end of the penis. The diaulic condition in theEubranchidae and in other families of nudibranchs is discussed. (Received 15 August 1989; accepted 24 February 1989)     

江苏蕨类植物区系

对江苏蕨类植物区系组成和地理成分进行了分析, 并与相邻地区的浙江、安徽和山东等地进行了比较。江苏共有蕨类植物35 科67 属140 种( 含变种和亚种); 世界分布类型有18 科、19 属、5 种; 热带分布类型有16 科、34 属、16 种; 温带分布类型有1 科、14 属、102 种; 中国特有分布17 种。江苏蕨类植物区系组成比较简单, 本区不是近代种系分化中心; 地理成分具有明显的从热带向温带的过渡性。通过与邻接地区的比较发现, 江苏蕨类植物区系与安徽有较大的亲缘关系, 它南承浙江, 北接山东, 同样具有明显的过渡性, 在中国蕨类植物分区中, 华东- 华中地区含江苏、安徽、浙江, 而不含山东的分区方案较合理; 水热条件是决定一个地区蕨类植物区系种类丰富程度的重要因素, 复杂的地形变化是引起一个地区种系分化的原因之一。     

Latina Mothers and Small-Town Racisms:Creating Narratives of Dignity and Moral Education in North Carolina

Within the context of relatively new immigration and settlement in North Carolina, this ethnographic study highlights Latina mothers' narratives and conversations about a moral family education. Their narratives involved the claiming of el hogar (the home space) in the midst of the English-speaking community's attempts to define their families and childrearing practices as "problem." With a race-based feminist perspective, this article examines the role of the mothers' counternarratives in contesting their deficit framing, producing "educated" identities, and creating community in the rural South.     

Giving an Account of One’s Pain in the Anthropological Interview

In this paper, I analyze the illness stories narrated by a mother and her 13-year-old son as part of an ethnographic study of child chronic pain sufferers and their families. In examining some of the moral, relational and communicative challenges of giving an account of one’s pain, I focus on what is left out of some accounts of illness and suffering and explore some possible reasons for these elisions. Drawing on recent work by Judith Butler (Giving an Account of Oneself, 2005), I investigate how the pragmatic context of interviews can introduce a form of symbolic violence to narrative accounts. Specifically, I use the term “genre of complaint” to highlight how anthropological research interviews in biomedical settings invoke certain typified forms of suffering that call for the rectification of perceived injustices. Interview narratives articulated in the genre of complaint privilege specific types of pain and suffering and cast others into the background. Giving an account of one’s pain is thus a strategic and selective process, creating interruptions and silences as much as moments of clarity. Therefore, I argue that medical anthropologists ought to attend more closely to the institutional structures and relations that shape the production of illness narratives in interview encounters.     

Nostalgia and Degeneration: The Moral Economy of Drinking in Navajo Society

This article focuses on how some members of Navajo society use narratives regarding alcohol and drinking to comment on cultural degeneration and the decay of the traditional Navajo moral economy. These narratives drinking are seldom solely about alcohol but refer to a host of distinct yet interrelated concerns involving moral values, individual and collective identities, underdevelopment, imagined histories, psychic conflict, and social contention. This article sheds light on how evaluations of alcohol and drinking problems, as encapsulated in narratives of degeneration, fit into the overall context of contemporary Navajo society. Narratives of degeneration juxtapose a degenerate present to a nostalgic past and in the process direct moral censure toward two primary groups in Navajo society, namely, young people and others who drink to excess, [drinking, Native Americans, Navajo, narrative, alcohol]     

Postmodernist theory and the physician-patient relationship

The author discusses the postmodernist claim that the "grand theories" have lost credibility, even in the field of medical science and practice. Rather than representing a shared reality among physician and patient, illness represents two quite distinct realities - the meaning of one being significantly and distinctively different from the meaning of the other. However, existential clinical narratives can function as important bridges between the world of the patient and the world of the physician. Such narratives provide important information regarding the patient's biographical situation and, particularly, the personal and cultural meanings which are a function of the biographical situation. At the same time, these narratives provide physicians with useful information for the practice of medicine.     

Studies on the Role of Photosynthesis in the Photoperiodic Induction of Flowering in the Short-Day Plants Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poellniz and Xanthium pensylvanicum Wallr: II. THE EFFECT OF CHEMICAL INHIBITORS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

The role of photosynthesis in flower induction in the short-dayplants Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and Xanthium pensylvanicum wasinvestigated by chemical suppression of photosynthesis and preventionof chlorophyll formation in the induced leaf. ‘Bleaching’leaves with streptomycin completely prevented flowering in X.pensylvanicum at concentrations shown to reduce the chlorophylland carotenoid content of the leaf significantly. Such leaveswere unable to induce flowering even when supplied with sugarsand other photosynthetic products. Photosystem II inhibitors,DCMU and cadmium ion, inhibited induction in both species aswell as suppressing photosynthesis (as tested by O₂ evolutionand starch production) whereas the photosystem I inhibitor,metronidazole, had no effect. Antimycin A inhibited floweringin K. blossfeldiana and may have a similar site of action toDCMU. Neither ammonium ion nor DBMIB, which acts upon plastoquinone(i.e. between PS I and PS II in the ‘Z scheme’),had any effect on floral induction and it is argued that theinductive process is independent of photosynthetic phosphorylationbut a step in the electron transport pathway between the sitesof action of DCMU and DBMIB may be crucial. DSPD and its hydrolysisproduct, salicylaldehyde, suppressed flowering in K. blossfeldianabut the uncertainty regarding their chemistry precludes anyfirm conclusions regarding the nature of their action.     

Whose Tangle is it Anyway? The African‐American Family,Poverty and United States Kinship

The comparison between United States immigrant and African‐American families presented by Daniel Patrick Moynihan in his 1965 report to President Lyndon Johnson remains the most popular folk model for explaining success, failure and mutual aid in poverty. Despite being savaged by social science in its first two decades and largely ignored in the last two, the Moynihan model is an enduring part of popular discourses on race, intensified by contemporary immigrant success narratives. Based on over three years of participant observation research among homeless African‐American and Latino men and their families and Latin‐American immigrants engaging in small business creation in New York City, I argue that Moynihan's empirically valid claim that certain immigrant family forms are more suited to mutual aid in crisis is misused to present the African‐American family as dysfunctional when its kinship norms are actually typically American.     

Dream narratives of Muslims' martyrdom: Constant and changing roles past and present.

Dreams of martyrdom experienced by alleged Muslim martyrs, their families, and friends are considered highly significant within Muslim societies. They are frequently understood as God-given veridical dreams that can show the true status of the martyr and predict the future. The author examined the narratives of these dreams in both early Islamic and contemporary sources and explored the roles that they have played, whether ongoing and constant or changing in response to new conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applying Aristotle's Doctrine of Causation to Aboriginal and Biomedical Understandings of Diabetes

Aristotle's doctrine on causationidentifies four distinct types of cause: formal, efficient,material, and final. Science is said to have differentiateditself from philosophy by concentrating solely on efficientcauses. Nonetheless, when applied to narratives of causation,Aristotle's doctrine provides a useful heuristic to explore theissues such as Aboriginal and biomedical perceptions of causalfactors for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) onManitoulin Island, Ontario. This paper also outlines twodivergent causal stories for NIDDM and the associated moralpositions regarding the righteous pursuit of health. Biomedical narratives emphasize the role of lifestyle factors,particularly the impact of obesity, in causation. In the case ofdiabetes, the moral course of action is pursued through lifestylechoices. In contrast, Aboriginal narratives emphasize the roleof genetics in causation. These narratives describe diabetes ascollectively affecting Aboriginal people – thus identifyingAboriginal people as different. Aboriginal frameworks for healthventure beyond the efficient cause of biomedicine and thus themoral pursuit of health within this framework involves returningto an initial state of health and purity through traditionalknowledge.     

The ‘successful’ return: Caribbean narratives of migration,family, and gender

Research on female migrant caregivers has tended to focus upon the emotional and social problems they encounter working abroad, given women's traditional role as caregivers for their own families. This article analyses how Caribbean women who have returned after a period abroad as domestic workers inscribe their migration experiences within the gendered narrative of the good relative who migrates to help the family left behind and therefore deserves social recognition in the community of origin. It argues that this narrative allows the women to both affirm and reinterpret local family and gender roles within the context of migration. This analysis points to the close connection between narrative structures, accounts of migration experiences, and self‐presentations and suggests that narratives about family and gender roles not only reflect people's lives, but are also a malleable resource that can be (re)shaped to validate a variety of life‐courses.     

Pluralism and pragmatism: knowledge and practice of birth in Morocco

This article examines knowledge and practice surrounding birth in Morocco, using women's narratives of their recent birth experiences, observations of medical encounters, and statements about prescribed behaviors during pregnancy and birth, as well as the vocabulary used to refer to physiological processes, disease conditions, and social relationships. The analysis shows that the three major themes that define the traditional Moroccan ethnophysiology of birth--conceptions of hot and cold, the symbolism of blood, and the metaphors of openness and obstruction--are not inconsistent with the precepts of biomedicine and public health and do not in themselves constitute obstacles either to safe home births or the use of formal health services. Women integrate biomedical and local knowledge and practices and simultaneously seek care from "traditional" and "modern" practitioners, creatively combining elements in accordance with their situations and the means at their disposal. Birth narratives show the eclecticism and flexibility that characterize women's attitudes and behaviors regarding pregnancy and birth. Women's decisions are shaped by two overriding considerations: incertitude about what can happen during the last phase of a pregnancy and ambivalence toward the available alternatives for care, both of which reflect a realistic assessment of their situations. By showing how women make decisions in response to these considerations, this article seeks to clarify some of the links between beliefs and practices and to contribute to ongoing discussions regarding the relevance of local knowledge for patterns of health care.     

Light and Electrical Current Stimulate the Same Feed-back System in Nitella

Slow damped oscillations (period about 1 hr) of membrane potentialin Nitella can be initiated by a change in light intensity aswell as by an injection of electrical current. This observationsupports a model of the involvement of feed-back controlledtransport in pH-regulation. (Received July 16, 1981; Accepted November 30, 1981)     

Prenatal Diagnosis and Genetic Counseling

Since the early 1960''s knowledge regarding human genetics has increased at an exponential rate. Because genetics was not commonly taught in medical schools before the late 1960''s, this review article is intended to acquaint physicians or refresh their knowledge regarding chromosomal, mendelian and multifactorial inheritance and the indications for prenatal diagnosis. Establishing an accurate diagnosis and mode of inheritance is essential in identifying and selecting those families at risk for genetic disease in their offspring. Medical genetics is evolving as a specialty in order to provide consultation and, if needed, management of those families who would benefit by genetic services. Families who would benefit from genetic counseling include, for example, those in whom any of the following conditions is present: known chromosomal disorders, known disorders due to mendelian inheritance, mental retardation of unknown origin, failure of sexual maturation or failure of sexual development, congenital malformations, floppy infant syndrome or leukemia.A list of more than 70 disorders now detectable in a fetus by means of amniocentesis provides a beginning in the prevention of genetic disease. Knowledge regarding these diseases allows a physician to provide families with accurate risk figures so that they may make informed decisions about having children. Also, a compassionate and nonjudgmental approach to counseling is essential. Decisions, in the final analysis, must be made by the family but aided and supported by the physician.     

Folk conceptualizations of racism and antiracism in Brazil and South Africa

Abstract

Folk conceptualizations of racism can be defined as ordinary people's understandings of the sources and persistence of racism. They function as equalization strategies – by denying the legitimacy of racism – and guide beliefs regarding antiracism strategies. I explore folk explanations of racism among black professionals in Brazil and South Africa by drawing on sixty interviews with members of these groups. In Brazil, racism is understood as an historical lingering, a product of ignorance, which will disappear with time and education. In South Africa, racism is viewed as more resilient, as a part of human nature and as a consequence of the competition for resources. These explanations of racism are closely related to the antiracism narratives that are salient in these two contexts: while Brazilian respondents affirm their belief in racial mixture and moral education, South African respondents are more uncertain about the possibilities of weaker racial boundaries in their country, relying on institutional constraints as their main antiracism strategy.     

Narrative Length and Speech Rate in Battered Women

Narrative length and speech rate of traumatic recollections have been previously associated with different emotions and adjustment trajectories after trauma. However, the evidence is limited and the results are mixed. The present study aimed to evaluate length (i.e., word count) and speech rate (i.e., words per minute) in narratives of events with different valence (i.e., neutral, positive, and negative/traumatic) by 50 battered women (trauma group) and 50 non-traumatized women (controls). The results showed that traumatic narratives by the trauma group were longer than those by the control group. Moreover, they were inversely related to time since the event and anxiety during disclosure, whereas the speech rate was also inversely associated with anxiety, as well as with peritraumatic dissociation and avoidance. The shorter narratives for positive events and a decelerated speech pattern for traumatic experiences predicted psychological symptoms. Additionally, the individual’s emotional state predicted narrative aspects, with bidirectional effects. Our findings showed that linguistic characteristics of traumatic narratives (but also of narratives of positive events) revealed information about how the victims elaborated autobiographical memories and coped with the trauma.     

Exposing Diversity: A Methodological Approach to the Use of Video Narratives in Interdisciplinary Practices

This article explores the potential of ethnographic video narratives for collaborative learning in an interdisciplinary context. Previous research describes the area between tacit knowing and explicit knowledge as an area of “muddy water” that creates a space for constructing new understandings and knowledge. In this regard, video narratives can be seen as a pathway to feelings and other sensations, and therefore to tacit commonsense notions about the nature of practices. The question is how the methodical use of video narratives contributes to new understandings of practice. The article outlines a study in which two video narratives were presented in interdisciplinary focus groups in a nursing-home setting. The multilayered complexity of the video narratives, combined with different professional approaches to elderly care, opens up for diverse, opposing and detailed understandings of practice in the dialogue about the narratives. This diversity raises new questions about the nature of practice and seems to fuel a collaborative learning process. In conclusion, the article suggests that future interventions using video narratives would benefit from firmer facilitation and categorization of this diversity in order to enhance the potential for collaborative learning.     

Pleasure and disgust: memories and associations of pleasant and unpleasant odours in Germany and Japan

The question of whether odour experiences have a function inthe cultures of the technically industrialized world was investigatedby interviews with German (166) and Japanese (88) subjects.They were asked to name pleasant and unpleasant odours frommemory and to give associations regarding them. The participantsenumerated 2040 odours and 3520 associations. Although Japanesesubjects in general gave less information than the Germans,the results for both cultures were very similar in quality aswell as quantity. The odour memories included the whole physicaland social environment and the associations showed the far-reachingeffect of odour experiences. Both pleasant and unpleasant odourswere remembered to an equal extent. Most of the odours recalledwere assessed similarly by the subjects, as either pleasantor unpleasant. Obviously, individual likings or aversions aredominated by underlying evaluations common to all subjects ofboth cultures. Uniformly judged odours were, for example, odoursof plants (pleasant) and odours of rotten and decomposed things(unpleasant). It is discussed whether this finding reflectspreprogrammed survival strategies. The few cultural differenceswhich were found seemed to reflect different life habits, normsand values in the two countries.