A study of the nature of the immediate precursor of the extracellular α-amylase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. A reappraisal

1. A defined medium was devised for use in washed-cell experiments with post-exponential-phase cultures of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The medium allowed alpha-amylase to be secreted, bacterial concentration to increase and l-[U-(14)C]valine to be incorporated into protein at a linear rate, which was the same as in a post-exponential-phase culture, for up to 6h. 2. Determination of the specific radioactivity of l-[U-(14)C]valine in the medium, the intracellular amino acid pool, the cellular protein and the isolated alpha-amylase, after a 3h incubation of washed cells in the defined medium, showed that at least 76% of the alpha-amylase secreted was synthesized de novo. 3. By isolating the alpha-amylase formed during a 6h incubation in the presence of l-[U-(14)C]valine it was shown that the specific radioactivity of the N-terminal valine, within the limits of experimental error, was the same as that of the total valine residues from the complete alpha-amylase molecule. 4. A consideration of these results in relation to the whole literature on the subject strongly supports the idea that there is no reason to suppose that extracellular alpha-amylase is formed from a high-molecular-weight precursor in B. amyloliquefaciens and closely related organisms with identical characteristics of exoenzyme secretion.     

Innatism in the Anthropology of A. L. Kroeber: A Critique of ‘the Boasian Paradigm’

Basing his analysis on Kroeber's ‘The superorganic’ (1917 Kroeber, A. L. 1917. The superorganic.. American Anthropologist, 19: 163–213. [Crossref] [Google Scholar]) and ‘Eighteen professions’ (1915 Kroeber, A. L. 1915. Eighteen professions.. American Anthropologist, 17: 283–88. [Crossref] [Google Scholar]), Derek Freeman has put forward the notion of a ‘Boasian paradigm’, whereby Kroeber is alleged to have perpetuated the biology/culture split suggested by Boas. I argue, instead, that there is a strong innatist element in Kroeber's writings throughout his long career; and that the articles noted above need to be placed in the social and intellectual contexts of their time, particularly the encroachment of the eugenics movement on social theory and its application to immigration restriction.     

A further correction to the misidentifications of the Chinese Delphinium made by P.A.Munz in his“A synopsis of the Asian species of Delphinium，sensu stricto

Based on examination of the specimens of the genus Delphinium L.deposited in K,BM and GH,this paper is to further correct the misidentifications of the Chinese Delphinium made by P.A.Munz in his paper entitled“A synopsis of the Asian species of Delphiniu     

A Comparison of the Performance of the I-gel? vs. the LMA-S?during Anesthesia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background and Objective

Conflicting results were found between the I-gel™ and the LMA-Supreme™ during anesthesia, so we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the effectiveness and safety of the I-gel™ vs. the LMA-Supreme™during anesthesia.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted using Pubmed, EMbase, ISI Web of Knowledge, the Cochrane Library, China Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Biomedical Database, Chinese Scientific Journals Full-text Database, CMA Digital Periodicals, and Google scholar to find RCTs that compare the LMA-S™ with the i-gel™during anesthesia. Two reviewers independently selected trials, extracted data, and assessed the methodological qualities and evidence levels. Data were analyzed by RevMan 5.0 and comprehensive meta-analysis software.

Results

Ten RCTs were included. There were no significant differences in oropharyngeal leak pressures (mean difference [MD] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] –1.10 2.53), device placement time (MD –1.3, 95%CI –4.07 1.44), first attempt insertion success (risk ratio [RR] 1.01, 95% CI 0.9 1.14), grade 3 and 4 fiberoptic view (RR 0.89, 95%CI 0.65 1.21), and blood on removal (RR 0.62, 95%CI 0.32 1.22) between the i-gel™ and the LMA-Supreme™, respectively. However, the LMA-Supreme™was associated with easier gastric tube insertion (RR 1.17, 95%CI 1.07 1.29), and more sore throat (RR 2.56, 95%CI 1.60 4.12) than the i-gel™ group.

Conclusions

The LMA-Supreme™ and i-gel™ were similarly successful and rapidly inserted. However, the LMA-Supreme™ was shown to be easier for gastric tube insertion and associated with more sore throat compared with the i-gel™.     

Studies on the Constituents of Typha L.—IV. A Preliminary Study of Chemosystematics of Typha L.

From pollen grains of Typha davidiana, T. latifolia, T. angustata the same eight flavonoids have been isolated. They are identified as naringenin I, isorhamnetin II, quercetin III, isorhamnetin-3-O-(2^G-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-rutioside IV, quercetin-3-O-(2^G-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-rutinosida, V, isorhamnetio-3-O-rutinoside VI, isorhamnetino-3-O-neohesperidoside VII, kampferol-3-O-neohesperidoside VIII. Flavonoids of pollen grains of five species of Typha, including the above three species, were analysed by TLC with the result showing that the constituents in the pollen grains of the five species are very similar. The chemical comparison among Typha and Sparganium and 16 possibly related families shows that Typha is different from Pandanaceae or Pandanales and is similar to Restionaceae, Flagellariaceae, Juncaceae and Cyperaceae in some respects. Typha and Sparganium are very similar in many respects, and they could be treated in the same family, Typhaceae, which merit the rank of order, Typhales.     

Method of fixing the heterotic effect—implementation on plants (on the hundredth anniversary of the birth of V.A. Strunnikov)

The article is devoted to the 100th anniversary of the outstanding world-renown Russian scientist Vladimir Alexandrovich Strunnikov, Academician, Professor, Head of Group of Developmental Cytology and Sex Regulation at Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology and Head of genetic studies on silkworms in a number of sericulture institutes in CIS. Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR (1981), Hero of Socialist Labor (1990), awarded the I.I. Mechnikov Gold Medal, Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1981), founder of the theory explaining the origin of heterosis. One of his most significant achievements is the “Methods of Fixing the Heterosis Effect,” which makes it possible to abandon the production of hybrid seed and increase the yield of many crops by 20–50%. Fixing the gene complexes that determine the heterosis effect will become the “springboard” that will allow obtaining even more productive heterotic hybrids on the basis of new-generation varieties. The efficiency of this method in plant objects at the organismal and molecular levels was shown in the All-Russia Research Institute of Rice. A modification of this method reducing its laboriousness and increasing its efficiency was developed.     

Transfer of seabed mining technology: A stumbling block to U.S. ratification of the law of the sea convention?

Abstract

The Law of the Sea Convention's provisionson the transfer of seabed technology are designed to translate into specific terms the general notions (adopted in the U. N.’s Declaration of Principles of 1970) that the resources of the seabed are the “common heritage”; of humankind and that the developing nations are to gain special benefits from the exploitation of these resources. Some developed nations—in particular, the United States—have argued that these provisions are unfair, because they deprive the multinational enterprises of the developed world of the competitive advantage they have gained from their substantial investment in research and development and their innovative capabilities.

The transfer of technology is not a new concept. It is a mechanism that has been used systematically by many developing countries to ensure that foreign investments will produce a lasting infrastructure for continued national development. Multinational enterprises have learned to accommodate national needs in this area, and technology‐transfer requirements for land‐based investments have not deterred investments in the developing world.

The technology‐transfer provisions in the Law of the Sea Convention are ambiguous in certain respects, but the Preparatory Conference should provide ample opportunity to clarify these ambiguities and thus to accommodate the needs of both the investors and the developing nations. If this issue is examined from a common‐sense perspective, it should not continue to be a stumbling block that would prevent the United States from ratifying this important Convention.     

Gymnosperm Phylogeny — A commentary on the views of S. V. Meyen

In his important contribution to the literature on gymnosperm phylogeny, “Basic Features of Gymnosperm Systematics and Phylogeny as Evidenced by the Fossil Record,” Meyen (1984) uses the classical comparative method of the morphologist and the “congregational” method, i.e., grouping by common characters, of the taxonomist. The latter may have led him to categorize some taxa on the basis of superficially similar, non-homologous characters because he used no apparently objective method to distinguish homoplasy. For this and other reasons, Meyen’s hypothesis of evolutionary relationship among gymnosperms cannot, at present, be accepted as any nearer the truth than several competing proposals. The major innovation of Meyen’s proposed phylogeny is the recognition of the clade, Ginkgoopsida, coordinate with Cycadopsida and Pinopsida. Ginkgoopsida encompasses Calamopityaceae, Callistophytales, Glossopteridales, Peltaspermales, Caytoniales, and Ginkgoales, among others. These taxa are considered to be related because, in Meyen’s view, they share the common character of primary platyspermy — i.e., the presumed platyspermic seed-type of the basal group, Calamopityaceae, is considered to have evolved directly from the pteridophytic condition of an ancestral form. This basis for Ginkgoopsida is weakened by the facts that no seeds have been discovered in organic connection with any calamopityacean and, except for the poorly-preserved seed-like structure,Spermolithus, all seeds that occur earlier in the geologic record than fossils of the Calamopityaceae are radiospermic. It is possible, therefore, that even if the platyspermic seed,Lyrasperma, found in association with the calamopityacean,Stenomyelon, were borne by that plant, it is secondarily platyspermic, having evolved from a radiospermic ancestor. The foundation upon which Ginkgoopsida was erected seems, therefore, to be rather tenuous. Other characters used by Meyen, both reproductive and vegetative are discussed. Some which he considers significant, are interpreted to be unimportant in denoting phylogeny, while others are interpreted to support alternative hypotheses. Meyen proposes that the Ginkgoopsida evolved from archaeopterid progymnosperms. This viewpoint seems to be based largely on his erroneous belief thatArchaeopteris was probably a seed plant that bore compound leaves. There is no definitive evidence that supports the view thatArchaeopteris bore seeds. On the other hand, there is strong evidence to support the contention thatArchaeopteris produced simple leaves (Carluccio et al., 1966; Beck, 1971), not compound leaves. Meyen’s phylogenetic proposal is based on data that can be and, in part, have been differently interpreted by others. Consequently, it deserves the careful and critical evaluation of all students of gymnosperm phylogeny.     

Phylogenenetic approach of the section Bulbocodii D.C. of Narcissus based on cpDNA. A case of taxonomic inflation?

In this paper, we analyzed the phylogeny of the section Bulbocodii (genus Narcissus; Amarillydaceae) using the matK and trnL-F fragments of cpDNA in order to review the validity of the recognized taxa. Our results indicate that Narcissus obesus should be considered a valid species, and that N. blancoi is a distinct taxon. In addition, seven previously recognized species, N. juressianus, N. subnivalis, N. graellsii, N. conspicuus, N. citrinus, N. nivalis, and N. quintanilhae, should be assigned to an infraspecific rank under N. bulbocodium, as they are not valid species. In addition, we analyzed the distribution of the three morphological characters widely used in the systematics of this section and found that their variation does not agree with the phylogenetic results, rendering these characters limited taxonomical utility. This result suggests that the section Bulbocodii shows high morphological lability, which can explain the proliferation of nominal species.     

A simplification of the protein assay method of Ramsay et al. for the quantification of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in the presence of ferric precipitates

A variation on Ramsay's method for microbial protein determination has been developed in order to quantify Thiobacillus ferrooxidans attached to ferric precipitates or in aqueous suspensions containing such precipitates. Some modifications have been introduced to provide a method that is more sensitive, simple and rapid. A linear standard curve is presented to permit a direct correlation between the protein concentration (mg/l) and the cell concentration (10⁶ cells/ml). An application of this method has been demonstrated in the quantification of biomass immobilized on the surface of polyurethane foam particles in a packed bed reactor, several experiments having been conducted to establish the best conditions for the quantification studies. Received: 12 August 1999 / Received revision: 21 December 1999 / Accepted: 29 December 1999     

Mechanisms of the Anticancer Action of Ganoderma lucidum （Leyss. ex Fr.） Karst.： A New Understanding

Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst., a medicinal fungus called “Lingzhi” in China, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine in China for the prevention and treatment of various types of diseases, such as cancer, hepatopathy, arthritis, hypertension, neurasthenia, and chronic hepatitis. It is clear that the anticancer activity of G. lucidum is mainly due to polysaccharides and/or triterpenoids of the fungus. However, until now, the mechanism of the anticancer action of G. lucidum has not been well understood and, previously, the activation of the immune response of the host was widely considered to be the only mechanism by which G. lucidum prevented and/or treated cancer. However, recent studies reviewed in the present paper have shown that the potential mechanisms of anticancer action include not only the activation of the immune response of the host, but also the induction of cell differentiation, the induction of Phase Ⅱ-metabolizing enzymes, the inhibition of angiogenesis, and the inhibition of the expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the uPA receptor in cancer cells. To further elucidate the mechanisms of action of G. lucidum, more in vivo tests and randomized controlled clinical trials should be carried out, and the molecular mechanisms should be studied intensively. Additionally, whether the anticancer compounds in G. lucidum act synergistically or independently should be further studied.