The Pan-African Brotherhood of Langston Hughes and Nnamdi Azikiwe

The African American Langston Hughes (1902–1967) and the Nigerian Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904–1996) were alumni of Lincoln University, transatlantic culture warriors, and literary collaborators. In their friendship of thirty years, the two leaders of twentieth century black discourse shared more in common than there had ever been in relationships between African and African American elites. Surprisingly, very little attention has been paid to the meeting of two great minds who individually and collectively stirred the imagination of their successors across Africa and the black Diaspora. By excavating the influences and unusual similarities in their childhood and adult experiences and by a close reading of their poetry, this paper examines the cultural kinship as well as the shared vision of social justice between Hughes and Zik. Obiwu is a writer, literary historian, and comparative theorist. His publications include Rituals of the Sun (poetry collection), Igbos of Northern Nigeria (Diasporaic studies), and the seminal essay “The History of Nigerian literature, 1772–2006.” He is director of the writing center at Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio.     

Myosatellite cells of Cyprinus carpio (Teleostei) in vitro: isolation,recognition and differentiation

Summary We have developed a method for the dissociation and purification of myosatellite cells from white epaxial muscle of carp. The dissociated myosatellite cells were identified by their morphology, their ultrastructure, the formation of multinucleated myotubes containing myofibrils and the immunocytochemical demonstration of desmin. Desmin and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) were used to identify terminally differentiated and proliferating myosatellite cells, respectively. The in vitro behavior of myosatellite cells dissociated from carp of 5 cm standard length differed from that described for myosatellite cells of mammals and birds. No substantial proliferation of the myosatellite cells could be observed. Most cells were differentiated (desmin-positive, BrdU-negative) 17 h after plating, regardless of the medium used. This indicates that the investigated white epaxial muscle of carp of 5 cm standard length contains subpopulations of myosatellite cells, arrested at various stages of differentiation.     

Binding of azide and thiocyanate ligands to copper(II) model complexes

Summary Binding of azide to a series of copper(II) complexes has been investigated by absorption, CD and EPR spectroscopy. Axial binding of azide to Cu(II) can be differentiated from equatorial binding through the lower intensity and lack of optical activity of the LMCT band. The affinity of azide for Cu(II) increases with the overall positive charge of the complex. The preliminary data on thiocyanate binding to Cu(II) seem to agree with the trends observed for the corresponding azide adducts.     

泡状饶氏藻营养细胞的超微结构研究

本文报道我国特有的一种绿藻门植物－泡状饶氏藻营养细胞的超微结构特征,植物体由3层细胞组成,外层细胞最小,细胞质比较丰富,含有较多的各种细胞器,液泡体积较小,中层细胞具有很大的中央液泡,细胞质成为贴壁的薄层,各种细胞器结构仍清晰可见,内层细胞极度液泡化,细胞质呈现退化状态,周生的片状叶绿体上有许多大小不等的穿孔,使叶绿体呈网孔状外貌,叶绿体主要由许多成对的类囊体组成,叶绿体上往往有几个蛋白核,蛋白核经常被1或2条类囊体穿过,呈现分隔状,本文也报道了泡状饶氏藻的线粒体,质体,内质网,高尔基体和核内微管的结构特征,根据泡状饶氏藻的类囊体形态与Ulva mutabilis非常相似以及蛋白核的超微结构特征,它与石莼科植物可能有较密切的亲缘关系,属于绿藻门中进化的类群。     

Isolation and identification of the principal siderophore of the plant pathogenic fungusBotrytis cinerea

Summary The plant pathogenic hyphomyceteBotrytis cinerea has been shown to produce several trihydroxamate siderophores under conditions of low-iron stress. The total siderophores amounted to approximately 30 mg/l culture filtrate after 5 days of incubation in an asparagine/salt/glucose medium. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a reversed phase indicated that ferrirhodin is the predominant siderophore of this fungus. Chemical characterization of the principal siderophore by fast-atom-bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR,¹³C-NMR) and comparison with a reference revealed the identity with ferrirhodin. NMR studies performed on desferrirhodin (desferrirhodin) in dimethylsulfoxide and water revealed the existence of two conformers in D₂O resulting from acis-trans isomerization of the hydroxamic acid groups. Comparative iron-uptake studies showed the following order of uptake inB. cinerea: ferrichrysin (100%), ferrirubin (57%), ferrirhodin (45%), hexahydroferrirhodin (45%), coprogen 6%. Concentration-dependent uptake of ferrirhodin resulted in saturation kinetics only in the low concentration range of 0–30 M (K _m = 2.5 M,V _max = 80 pmol min^–1 mg(^–1). A non-saturable, linear uptake was observed in the high concentration range of 30–80 M. The low concentration range appears to be the physiologically significant range, where siderophore-mediated iron transport inB. cinerea occurs.     

离体培养下大豆体细胞胚胎发生的组织学研究

大豆胚状体可以直接从未成熟的子叶表皮及表皮下面1—3层细胞发生。这些细胞经过脱分化后,首先形成细胞质浓厚、核大的胚的发生细胞,胚发生细胞再分裂形成胚性细胞团,胚性细胞团再继续分裂形成胚状体。胚状体的发育过程和合子胚一样,经过球形、心形,鱼雷期和子叶期等诸阶段发育成小植株。此外,在诱导胚状体发生过程中,还观察到另一值得注意的现象:在未成熟胚的子叶表皮下面1至较深处的数层细胞,也转变成分生状细胞团,这些分生状细胞团呈不规则状,从其起源看,可称它们为内生“胚状体”,这些内生“胚状体”培养至20天,即停止生长发育。     

In vivo pH measurement in the xylem of broad-leaved trees using ion-sensitive field-effect transistors

Summary A new method of in vivo pH determination in the xylem of broad-leaved trees using ion-sensitive field effect transistors is developed and its suitability for use is studied. In the first few hours after the sensor had been implanted in the xylem signals could be detected which were generated in response to mechanical damage; particularly strong signal changes are detectable in Populus balsamifera L., Tilia cordata Mill, and Aesculus hippocastanum L. The pH values of the xylem sap extracted from branches corresponded to the values measured by the in vivo method only at certain times. Due to sensor drift the measuring accuracy of long-term experiments lasting up to 3 weeks is restricted. The in vivo measurement of pH in the xylem of poplar branches revealed the ability of the living xylem to buffer the pH of the sap to its own characteristic value.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. O. L. Lange to his 65th birthday     

Time-resolved fluorescence studies of tryptophan mutants of Escherichia coli glutamine synthetase: conformational analysis of intermediates and transition-state complexes.

Single tryptophan-containing mutants of low adenylylation state Escherichia coli glutamine synthetase have been studied by frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy in the presence of various substrates and inhibitors. At pH 6.5, the Mn-bound wild-type enzyme (wild type has two tryptophans/subunit) and the mutant enzymes exhibit heterogeneous fluorescence decay kinetics; the individual tryptophans are adequately described by a triple exponential decay scheme. The recovered lifetime values are 5.9 ns, 2.6 ns, and 0.4 ns for Trp-57 and 5.8 ns, 2.3 ns, and 0.4 ns for Trp-158. These values are nearly identical to the previously reported results at pH 7.5 (Atkins, W.M., Stayton, P.S., & Villafranca, J.J., 1991, Biochemistry 30, 3406-3416). In addition, Trp-57 and Trp-158 both exhibit an ATP-induced increase in the relative fraction of the long lifetime component, whereas only Trp-57 is affected by this ligand at pH 7.5. The transition-state analogue L-methionine-(R,S)-sulfoximine (MSOX) causes a dramatic increase in the fractional intensity of the long lifetime component of Trp-158. This ligand has no effect on the W158S mutant protein and causes a small increase in the fractional intensity of the long lifetime component of the W158F mutant protein. Addition of glutamate to the ATP complex, which affords the gamma-glutamylphosphate-ADP complex, results in the presence of new lifetime components at 7, 3.2, and 0.5 ns for Trp-158, but has no effect on Trp-57. Similar results were obtained when ATP was added to the MSOX complex; Trp-57 exhibits heterogeneous fluorescence decay with lifetimes of 7, 3.5, and 0.8 ns. Decay kinetics of Trp-158 are best fit to a nearly homogeneous decay with a lifetime of 5.5 ns in the MSOX-ATP inactivated complex. These results provide a model for the sequence of structural and dynamic changes that take place at the Trp-57 loop and the central loop (Trp-158) during several intermediate stages of catalysis.