Why the aristocrats were ‘heavy’ or how ethnopsychology legitimized inequality among the Tlingit

Conclusion Even a cursory look at the ethnographic literature on other Northwest Coast societies reveals some striking similarities with the Tlingit way of conceptualizing aristocrats as special persons. Thus the Kwakiutl referred to their chiefs as real or complete people, who were heavier than commoners. The Coast Tsimshian called their highest aristocrats real or ripe persons, in contrast to the low-ranking ones, who were described as unhealed or green. The Coast Tshimshian also referred to their chiefs as strong, heavy, and solid like a rock. The neighboring Gitksan contrasted the chiefs, described as people who were good and clean and stayed put, with the commoners, who were said to be dirty, ignorant, and always moving around. Because spirits of the dead liked to return to persons who were clean and showed respect by giving away wealth and feasts, there was considerable moral and practical pressure on the aristocrats to remain pure, train knowledgeable and clean heirs, and continue potlatching. Finally, among the Haida, rank was tied to a wider system of symbolic classification, associating aspects of food, space, clothing, ritual pollution and the ethic of industry with attributes of seniority.While some of the symbolic associations of aristocratic status are culture specific, others are present in several, if not all, of the NWC cultures. What we need is a comparative symbology of aristocratic status, which would combine the reanalysis of the existing ethnographic data with the introduction of some new materials that can still be obtained in the field. Such work would be the best tribute to Irving Goldman himself and to our common illustrious ancestors—Franz Boas and Marcel Mauss.Sergei Kan is Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth College.     

An elongated segment of DNA observed between two human α globin genes

Summary Detailed restriction enzyme analysis of the DNA from a Chinese female showed that one of her chromosomes had a >17.5 kb deletion of DNA, including the , 2, and 1 globin genes, which is present in many Southeast Asians with an -thalassemia-1 chromosome. Her normal chromosome had the expected cluster of -like globin genes (5----2-1-3), but the segment of DNA between the two globin genes was elongated by some 0.5–0.7 kb. Analyses of various restriction sites suggested that this normal variant of the human globin gene complex is due to a crossover between a normal chromosome with () and a chromosome with an -thalassemia-2 (–^3.7) and an -21-hybrid gene.     

The α and γ subunits of 7S nerve growth factor are present in excess concentrations in the mouse submandibular gland

Summary The 7S nerve growth factor molecule, found in the mouse submandibular gland, is comprised of three distinct protein subunits named , and -NGF. In this paper, radioimmunoassays specific for each subunit were used to measure the concentrations of these subunits in homogenates of mouse submandibular gland. It was determined that there were excess concentrations of both the and subunits, more than enough to bind all of the -NGF in the gland to form 7S-NGF. The radioimmunoassay data was confirmed by gel filtration experiments. In the gel filtration experiments, the excess and subunits eluted at positions which would indicate that these excess subunits were free and not bound in the 7S-NGF complex. The identity of the excess and subunits was substantiated by ion exchange chromatography, isoelectric focusing polyacrylamide gels and immunoblotting experiments. In conclusion, there are considerable quantities of and subunits present in the submandibular gland which are not bound to -NGE The functional significance of these excess concentrations of the and subunits is not known.     

Use of15N/14N rations to evaluate the food source of the mysid,Neomysis intermedia Czerniawsky,in a eutrophic lake in Japan

The stable isotope ratios of nitrogen were measured in the mysid,Neomysis intermedia, together with various biogenic materials in a eutrophic lake, Lake Kasumigaura, in Japan throughout a year of 1984/85. The mysid, particulate organic matter (POM, mostly phytoplankton), and zooplankton showed a clear seasonal change in ¹⁵N with high values in spring and fall, but the surface bottom mud did not. A year to year variation as well as seasonal change in ¹⁵N was found in the mysid. The annual averages of ¹⁵N of each material collected in 1984/85 are as follows: surface bottom mud, 6.3 (range: 5.7–6.9); POM, 7.9 (5.8–11.8); large sized mysid, 11.6 (7.7–14.3); zooplankton, 12.5 (10.0–16.4); prawn, 13.2 (9.9–15.4); goby, 15.1 (13.8–16.7). The degree of¹⁵N enrichment by the mysid was determined as 3.2 by the laboratory rearing experiments. The apparent parallel relationship between the POM and the mysid in the temporal patterns of ¹⁵N with about 3 difference suggests the POM (mostly phytoplankton) as a possible food source ofN. intermedia in this lake through the year.     

Photoreversion und Photoprotektion bei UV-induzierten Mutationen des nichtphotoreaktivierbaren Bacteriums E.coli phr?

Summary Stationary phase cells of strain phr^–/MC 2 ofE. coli are not photoreactivable but the frequency of UV-induced mutations to low Streptomycine-resistance (S 3, 3/ml) is decreased strongly by illumination with light of fluorescence tubes (310 to 500 nm) after UV-irradiation. Also dark-reversion (DRM) of these mutations due to keeping UV-irradiated cells in saline is observed. Illumination before UV-irradiation decreases the frequency of the mutations (photoprotection against mutation=PPM) to the same extent as the combined action of photoreversion (PRM) and DRM. The lag-phase of cell division is prolonged strongly by illumination from 80 min without light to 150 min by the light-dose of highest activity. The additional lag is nearly the same if the illumination is done before, after or without UV-irradiation; this lag is about additive to the small lag caused by UV. Pre-illumination of the stationary-phase cells does not cause photoprotection against killing (PP), it even decreases the survival after high UV-doses. The observations support the hypothesis that PRM in this strain may be indirect, i.e. caused by the light-induced additional division lag which enhances the dark repair of UV-premutations. Also spontaneous premutations which are apparently present in the stationary-phase cells seem to be influenced by the light in this way.     

Diversity of the mouse T cell receptor Cγ1 gene: structural analysis in C57BL/Ka

We have isolated an unusual T cell receptor chain cDNA clone (7.1) from a library made from RNA derived from adult thymus of C57BL/Ka mice. This cDNA clone corresponds to the appropriately processed C1 constant region exons preceded by 1.5 kb of J-C1 intron. The 7.1 coding region is extremely homologous to the C1 gene of BALB/c mice, differing at the protein level by a single deletion (alanine 139) and a single substitution. This latter change eliminates the sole N-linked sugar attachment site, providing a basis for strain-specific glycosylation patterns. The J-C1 intronic region contains two DNA segments (termed J1 and J2) that are highly reminiscent of joining (J) segments; both have potentially functional recombination and donor splice sequences flanking an open reading frame. Northern analysis suggests that 7.1 may be derived from a large, variable region-containing precursor.     

Characterisation of the cDNA clones of two β-tubulin genes and their expression in the potato plant (Solanum tuberosum L.)

The cDNA clones of two potato -tubulin genes were isolated from a tuberising stolon tip library. Analysis of 20 positive clones showed that they represented one or another of two different but very similar -tubulin genes, designated TUBST1 and TUBST2. The expression pattern of -tubulin genes in the potato plant was investigated by RNA blot analysis and by RT-PCR. Southern analysis of potato genomic DNA with coding and non-coding -tubulin probes revealed that there are multiple -tubulin genes in the potato genome and that there is likely to be considerable divergence in the 3 non-coding sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of plant -tubulin genes is described.     

High D-glucose does not affect binding of α-tocopherol to human erythrocytes

The role of -tocopherol uptake system in human erythrocyte in the uptake of plasma -tocopherol has been suggested. However no information is available on -tocopherol uptake activity of human erythrocytes in the presence of high levels of D-glucose which is known to lead to pathological alterations in different cells including human erythrocytes. Therefore, in order to examine the effect of D-glucose on the binding of -tocopherol to human erythrocytes, the binding characteristics of -tocopherol to these cells were established first. Binding of [3H]-tocopherol to human erythrocytes was both saturable and specific. Scatchard analysis of -tocopherol binding to these cells showed the presence of two independent classes of binding sites with widely different affinities. The high affinity binding sites had a dissociation constant (Kd1) of 90 nM with a binding capacity (n1) of 900 sites per cell, whereas the low affinity binding sites had a dissociation constant (Kd2) of 5.2 M and a binding capacity (n2) of 105,400 sites per cell. Trypsin treatment abolished all the -tocopherol binding activity. Competition for the binding of -tocopherol to human erythrocytes was effective with other homologues of -tocopherol (-tocopherol, -tocopherol and -tocopherol) and their potency was almost equal to -tocopherol itself. The order of preference was -tocopherol > -tocopherol -tocopherol -tocopherol. Incubation of human erythrocytes with various concentrations of D-glucose did not affect -tocopherol uptake activity. Our data demonstrate the presence of an -tocopherol uptake system in human erythrocytes and that the -tocopherol uptake activity is not modulated by the presence of D-glucose.     

Synthesis of selectively radiolabeled hexasaccharides for the determination of enzymatic regioselectivity

Poly-N-acetyllactosamines provide backbone structures for functional modifications such as sialyl Lewis X. To understand how the biosynthesis of poly-N-acetyllactosamines is regulated, two branched oligosaccharides of the structure Gal1,4GlcNAc1, 6(Gal1,4GlcNAc1,2)-Man1,6Man-octyl 1 and 2 were synthesized in which one of the terminal galactose units was selectively radiolabeled. Hexasaccharides 1 and 2 were assembled from the chemically synthesized pentasaccharide precursors GlcNAc1,6(Gal1,4GlcNAc1,2)-Man1,6Man-octyl3 and Gal1,4GlcNAc1,6(GlcNAc1, 2) - Man1,6 Man-octyl 4 respectively, through treatment with UDP-1-[³H]-Gal and 1,4 galactosyltransferase. Compounds 1 and 2 were subsequently incubated with UDP-GlcNAc and the UDP-GlcNAc: Gal1-4Glc(NAc)1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (i-GlcNAc transferase) resulting in a partial conversion to a mixture of heptasaccharides which were purified by HPLC. The branch selectivity of the addition of N-acetylglucosamine to compounds 1 and 2 was then characterized by endo--galactosidase digestion of the heptasaccharides, followed by isolation of the resultant pentasaccharides on C18 reverse-phase silica cartridges. Comparison of the amount of radiolabel to a control reaction lacking endo--galactosidase indicated the favored site of GlcNAc addition to be the lower 1,2-branch over the 1,6-branch by a 3:1 ratio.     

Structure of the parathyroid glands,as revealed by different methods of fixation

Summary Stereology and semi-automatic image analysis were used with the aim of comparing the structure of parathyroid glands from untreated adult Mongolian gerbils fixed by immersion with those fixed by perfusion. Subclassification of the chief cells based upon the staining affinity or electron density of the cytoplasm was readily performed only in glands fixed by immersion, and so-called atrophic cells were observed only in these glands. The atrophic cells were often surrounded by light chief cells. In glands fixed by perfusion, light chief cells were only rarely encountered. A significant difference between glands fixed by immersion and those fixed by perfusion was found only with regard to the form of cells and nuclei, those fixed by perfusion being more spherical. When comparing individual cells within glands fixed by immersion, light chief cells were more spherical and had a significantly larger nuclear and cellular size, and a lower mitochondrial volume density than the intermediate/dark chief cells. Otherwise there were no significant differences in any of the parameters investigated. These data indicate that occurrence of socalled light chief cells and atrophic cells is a result of improper fixation. The results of this study do not favour the concept of a functional cycle with a simultaneous occurrence of active and inactive cells within parathyroid glands.     

The Units of Selection Revisited: The Modules of Selection

Richard Lewontin's (1970) early work on the units of selection initiated the conceptual and theoretical investigations that have led to the hierarchical perspective on selection that has reached near consensus status today. This paper explores other aspects of his work, work on what he termed continuity and quasi-independence, that connect to contemporary explorations of modularity in development and evolution. I characterize such modules and argue that they are the true units of selection in that they are what evolution by natural selection individuates, selects among, and transforms.     

Bi-antennary oligo-(N-acetyllactosamino)glycans of I-type are galactosylated preferentially at the GlcNAcβ1-6Gal linked arms by α1,3-galactosyltransferase of bovine thymus

1,3-Galactosylation of radiolabelled bi-antennary acceptors Gal1-4GlcNAc1-3(Gal1-4GlcNAc1-6)Gal-R (R=1-OH, 1-4GlcNAc or 1-4Glc) with bovine thymus 1,3-galactosyltransferase was studied. At all stages of the reactions the three acceptors reacted faster at the 1 6 linked arm than at the 1 3 linked branch. Hence, in addition to the doubly 1,3-galactosylated products, practically pure Gal1-4GlcNAc1-3(Gal1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc1-6)Gal-R could be obtained from the three acceptors in reactions that had proceeded to near completion. The isomeric mono-1,3-galactosylated products were identified by using exoglycosidases to remove the branches unprotected by 1,3-galactoses and by subsequently identifying the resulting linear glycans chromatographically.Abbreviations Gal d-galactose - GlcNAc N-acetyl-d-glucosamine - Lac lactose - LacNAc Gal1-4GlcNAc - MH maltoheptaose - MP maltopentaose - MT maltotriose - MTet maltotetraose - WGA wheat germ agglutinin - 3 position 3 of the galactose unit of LacNAc or Lac - 6 position 6 of the galactose unit of LacNAc or Lac     

Variable Deposition of Amyloid β-Protein (Aβ) with the Carboxy-Terminus that Ends at Residue Valine40 (Aβ40) in the Cerebral Cortex of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Double-Labeling Immunohistochemical Study with Antibodies Specific for Aβ40 and the Aβ that Ends at Residues Alanine42/Threonine43 (Aβ42)

Amyloid -protein (A) deposits in the cerebral cortices of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were investigated immunohistochemically to determine their carboxy terminal sequences. Antibodies specific for A terminating at residue valine₄₀ (A40) and at residues alanine₄₂/threonine₄₃ (A42) were used. Virtually all parenchymal A deposits were positive for A42. Many of these deposits were also partially or completely labeled for A40. The degree of A40 labeling varied from area to area within a given brain and from AD case to AD case. In contrast to parenchymal deposits, A40 labeled essentially all the vascular deposits which constitute amyloid angiopathy (AA), with A42 occurring variably in some of these deposits. Occasional AA was found, however, in which A42 predominated or was exclusively deposited. Such a diversity of A species, both in brain parenchyma and in AA, suggests that multiple C-terminal processing mechanisms occur in the cell types responsible for these deposits.     

Silver nitrate and aminoethoxyvinylglycine affect <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated apple transformation

In Fuji, the production of ethylene was increased with the addition of AgNO₃ and inhibited with the addition of 10 M aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG). The addition of 80 M AgNO₃ to transformed explants of Fuji cultured on selection medium resulted in increased ethylene production (20 l l^–1) at 3 weeks. Under examining the effect of AgNO₃ in Fuji, the 40 M AgNO₃ showed with higher 33.8% and 6.5% in the efficiency of regeneration and transformation. However, ethylene production in Gala explants treated with 10M AgNO₃ (3 l l^–1) decreased after 2 weeks compared with the control (5 l l^–1). Although the regeneration efficiency of Gala with 10 M AgNO₃ was higher (41.1%) than the control (20.1%), there was no significant difference in the transformation efficiency at the same concentration. Shoot regeneration of Fuji and Gala was completely inhibited with 10 M AVG. These results suggest that the addition of AgNO₃ affects the efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer in Fuji.Eun Soo Seong, Ill Min Chung- These two Authors Contributed equally to this work     

“It Ain’t Over ‘til it’s Over”: Rethinking the Darwinian Revolution

This paper attempts a critical examination of scholarly understanding of the historical event referred to as the Darwinian Revolution. In particular, it concentrates on some of the major scholarly works that have appeared since the publication in 1979 of Michael Ruses The Darwinian Revolution: Nature Red in Tooth and Claw. The paper closes by arguing that fruitful critical perspectives on what counts as this event can be gained by locating it in a range of historiographic and disciplinary contexts that include the emergence of the discipline of evolutionary biology (following the evolutionary synthesis), the 1959 Darwin centenary, and the maturation of the discipline of the history of science. Broader perspectives on something called the Darwinian Revolution are called for that include recognizing that it does not map a one-to-one correspondence with the history of evolution, broadly construed.     

A study of degeneration and regeneration in the divided rat sciatic nerve based on electron microscopy

Summary Changes in the proximal stump of axons of divided rat sciatic nerves in the first 6 weeks after nerve section were studied, particularly in terms of alterations in the organelle content, axoplasmic ultrastructure and the diameter of the axons. A variety of organelle types were observed; quasi-membranous structures, multivesicular bodies, dense bodies, vesicles and tubules, dense cored vesicles and alveolate vesicles: their identification and the functional implications of their presence are discussed. Alterations in the ultrastructure of the stained elements of the axoplasm are described. Axons containing excess organelles were divided into classes, comprising myelinated axons; and supergiant, giant and conventional non-myelinated axons. Temporal changes in these axons are described. The characteristics of the various classes of apparently non-myelinated axon are considered in terms of their identification as regenerating terminal sprouts of myelinated axons, segmentally demyelinated axons, sections through abnormal nodes of Ranvier or merely non-myelinated axons. The structure of axons in regenerating units is described. Changes in the neurofilament microtubule ratio of small axons without excess organelles are demonstrated, and spiralling of neurofilaments in some myelinated and non-myelinated axons with normal axoplasmic ultrastructure is illustrated and discussed.Medical Research Council Scholar.McLoughlin Fellow.The authors have great pleasure in acknowledging the expert technical assistance of Mrs. Frances Burton. G. W. would also like to thank the British Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and LEPRA (British Leprosy relief association) for financial assistance without which this work could not have been completed.     

Enrichment and efficient screening of ES cells containing a targeted mutation: the use of DT‐A gene with the polyadenylation signal as a negative selection maker

Gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells via homologous recombination can occur at very low frequency. In order to enrich homologous recombinants before screening, a negative selection marker, such as thymidine kinase (TK) and diphtheria toxin A fragment (DTA), has been commonly used. In this study, we developed a negative selection marker using DTA gene with polyadenylation signal and it was designated DTApA. To determine the difference in targeting efficiency of the negative selections, we constructed three different targeting vectors for each negative selection (first, TK at the 3 end, second, TK at both the 5 and 3 ends <2 X TK>, and third, DTApA at the 5 end of the homologous sequences). Gene targeting experiments using these constructs clearly showed that negative selection using DTApA was more efficient than that using TK for homologous recombination and that negative selection using DTApA was as efficient as that using 2 X TK. Considering the fact that the use of DTApA is more convenient for construction of targeting vectors than that of 2 X TK, DTApA is an efficient negative selection marker.In addition, we examined long and accurate PCR (LAPCR) for screening gene targeted clones. The use of LAPCR with genomic DNAs from ES cell clones facilitated simple detection of homologous recombinants, suggesting that the screening with LAPCR is compatible with the use of longer homologous sequences of both arms in vector design. Our results indicate that the use of DTApA for negative selection together with the application of LAPCR for screening ensures efficient and timesaving screening for homologous recombinants.     

Binding of the galactose-specificPseudomonas aeruginosa lectin,PA-I,to glycosphingolipids and other glycoconjugates

The carbohydrate-binding specificity ofPseudomonas aeruginosa lectin I (PA-I) in iodinated or biotinylated form was studied. A large number of glycosphingolipids, as well as some glycoproteins and neoglycoproteins were used as ligands. Also, inhibition by free saccharides of PA-I binding to glycosphingolipids was tested. It was found that the lectin binds most strongly to terminal and nonsubstituted Gal3Gal- or Gal4Gal-structures.Abbreviations PA-I Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectin I - Cer ceramide - lactosylceramide Gal4GlcCer - iso globotriaosylcerami Gal3Gal4GlcCer - globotriaosylceramide Gal4Gal4GlcCer - globoside or globotetraosylceramide GalNAc3Gal4Gal4GlcCer - Forssman glycolipid GalNAc3GalNAc3Gal4Gal4GlcCer - P1 glycolipid Gal4Gal4GlcNAc3Gal4GlcCer - lactoneotetraosylceramide Gal4GlcNAc3Gal4GlcCer - B5 glycolipid Gal3Gal4GlcNAc3Gal4GlcCer - gangliotetraosylceramide Gal3GalNAc4Gal4GlcCer - GM1 Gal3GalNAc4(NeuAc3)Gal4GlcCer - RBC red blood cells - BSA bovine serum albumin - PBS phosphate-buffered saline - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate - TLC thin-layer chromatography - HPLC high pressure liquid chromatography - MS mass spectrometry - FAB fast-atom bombardment - EI electron impact     

Ganglioside-cholera toxin interactions: a binding and lipid monolayer study

Summary On t.l.c. plates ¹²⁵I-cholera toxin binds to a disialoganglioside tentatively identified as GD_lb with about 10 times less capacity than to ganglioside GM₁. Binding of labeled toxin to both gangliosides was abolished in presence of excess amounts of unlabeled B subunit. Ganglioside extracts from human or pig intestinal mucosa showed toxin binding to gangliosides GM₁ and GD_1b. In ganglioside-containing lipid monolayers the penetration of the toxin was independent of the ganglioside binding capacity.Abbreviations GM₂ Gal-NAc14Gal(3-2NeuAc)14G1c1Cer - GM₁ Gal3Ga1-NAc14Gal(32NeuAc)14G1c11Cer - GD_1a NeuAc23Ga113Gal-NAc14Gal(32NeuAc)14G1c11Cer - GD1b Gall3Gal-NAcl4Gal(32NeuAc82NeuAc)14Glc11Cer - GT_1b NeuAc23Ga113Ga1-NAcal4Gal(3-2NeuAc82NeuAc)14G1c11Cer - dpPC 1,2-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine - dpPE 1,2-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine     

Polygonal inequalities as a key to neuronic equations

Neuronic or decision equations, first proposed as a mathematical model of neural activity, have shown, after their exact, compact solution was found, typical behaviours that make them natural tools for General Systems studies. It is shown here that their mathematical investigation is remarkably furthered by generalizing the triangular inequality to polygonal ones. These permit the immediate computation of the tensorial expansion of linearly separable boolean functions, and exhibit clearly the connection between their continuous and discontinuous aspects.