Patagonian wines: implantation of an indigenous strain of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> in fermentations conducted in traditional and modern cellars

In this work we evaluate the implantation capacity of the selected S. cerevisiae indigenous strain MMf9 and the quality of the produced wines in a traditional (T) and a modern (M) cellar with different ecological and technological characteristics in North Patagonia (Argentina). Red musts were fermented in 10,000 l vats using the indigenous strain MMf9 as well as the respective controls: a fermentation conducted with a foreign starter culture (BC strain) in M cellar and a natural fermentation in T cellar. Since commercial S. cerevisiae starters are always used for winemaking in M cellar and in order to compare the results, natural fermentations and fermentations conducted by the indigenous strain MMf9 were performed at pilot (200 l) scale in this cellar, concomitantly. Thirty indigenous yeasts were isolated at three stages of fermentation: initial, middle and end. The identification of the yeast biota associated to vinifications was carried out using ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 PCR-RFLP. The intra-specific variability of the S. cerevisiae populations was evaluated using mtDNA-RFLP analysis. Wines obtained from all fermentations were evaluated for their chemical and volatile composition and for their sensory characteristics. A higher capacity of implantation of the indigenous MMf9 strain was evidenced in the fermentation carried out in M cellar (80% at end stage) than the one carried out in T cellar (40%). This behaviour could indicate that each cellar differs in the diversity of S. cerevisiae strains associated to wine fermentations. Moreover a higher capacity of implantation of the native starter MMf9 with regard to the foreign (BC) one was also found in M cellar. The selected indigenous strain MMf9 was able to compete with the yeast biota naturally present in the must. Additionally, a higher rate of sugar consumption and a lower fermentation temperature were observed in vinifications conducted by MMf9 strain with regard to control fermentations, producing wines with favourable characteristics. Even when its implantation in T fermentation was lower than that observed in M one, we can conclude that the wine features from MMf9 fermentations were better than those from their respective controls. Therefore, MMf9 selected indigenous strain could be an interesting yeast starter culture in North Patagonian wines.     

Recreated practices by Mapuche women that strengthen place identity in new urban spaces of residence in Santiago,Chile

The phenomenon of migration to cities by indigenous Mapuche people of Chile is associated with various consequences, such as the loss of ethnic identity and cultural practices. This study aims to describe how ethnic identity is maintained through the recreation of ancestral cultural practices that Mapuche women promote in their families, generating identification to new spaces of residence. This qualitative research draws on analyses of forty-eight interviews conducted with twelve families from four neighbourhoods in Santiago. The study reveals ways in which key traditional Mapuche practices are translated and recreated through the processes of place-referent continuity and place-congruent continuity in new urban areas of residence which in turn express variant forms of ethnic identity and everyday politics of care that extend beyond folkloric notions of rural indigeneity and more static political ideologies of ethno-national autonomy.     

Shamans versus Pirates in the Amazonian Treasure Chest

This article explores how the recent rise of shamans as political representatives in Brazil addresses tensions and contradictions associated with the internationalization of indigenous rights movements. Identity politics and transnational organizational alliances concerning issues of environmentalism and human rights have greatly expanded the political leverage and influence of indigenous activism. However, some transnational environmentalist discourses collide with Brazilian discourses of national sovereignty, and the 1990s witnessed a nationalist backlash against Indians, whom politicians, military leaders, and media commentators have frequently portrayed as pawns of foreign imperialists. Opponents of indigenous rights also seized on apparent contradictions between rhetoric and action to discredit indigenous claims to environmental resources. The analysis examines how the shift to redefine knowledge as the core of indigenous identity circumvents some of these liabilities by shifting the basis for indigenous rights claims from environmental practices to environmental knowledge. As shamans mobilize and speak out against the threat of biopiracy, they blunt the nationalist backlash, repositioning indigenous peoples as defenders of the national patrimony and solid citizens of the Brazilian nationstate. [Keywords: Brazil, indigenous peoples, identity politics, shamans, biopiracy]     

Postmortem transport and resedimentation of foraminiferal tests: relations to cyclical changes of foraminiferal assemblages

Cyclical changes in microfossil (mainly foraminiferal) assemblages were analysed for sixteen boreholes from three stratigraphical levels in the Lower and Middle Miocene of the Central Paratethys. The following characteristics of assemblages were quantified and used for interpretation of cyclical changes in assemblages: (1) abundance of foraminifers, calcareous nannoplankton, sponge spicules and diatoms; (2) similarity, diversity and epifauna/infauna ratio of benthonic foraminiferal assemblages; (3) planktic/benthic ratio of foraminiferal assemblages. The palaeoecology (mainly palaeobathymetry) fluctuations were interpreted from the species composition of assemblages. Values of the mentioned quantitative characteristics as well as palaeoecological interpretations may be influenced by postmortem transport and resedimentation of foraminiferal tests. Therefore, prior to the interpretation of cyclical changes of quantitative characteristics, the studied sections were classified on the basis of the intensity of taphonomical changes in foraminiferal assemblages. Three different categories of sections were obtained. For every category, those quantitative characteristics of foraminiferal assemblages were chosen which reflect cyclical changes most efficiently: (1) cyclical changes of abundance of foraminifers, calcareous nannoplankton and sponge spicules, as well as the fluctuations in palaeobathymetry for sections dominated by indigenous foraminifers; (2) percentage of indigenous, suspension-transported, bedload-transported and reworked foraminiferal tests and changes in the abundance of indigenous tests for sections dominated by transported tests; (3) different modes of test preservation used for the identification of a cycle boundary for sections with only transported or reworked tests. The distinguished cycles were interpreted predominantly as manifestations of relative sea-level changes. If comparable data exist from other Paratethys regions, the determined cycles can be correlated with the other basins.     

Managing alterity from within: the ontological turn in anthropology and indigenous efforts to shape shamanism

The ontological turn is gaining momentum among many anthropologists today, evidenced by multiple debates and symposia in recent years addressing the role of ontological approaches within the discipline. Equal to the force of the ontological turn are the growing number of passionate critiques that question everything from the ethnographic and historical integrity of this body of work to its intellectual motivations and political effects. This article commends ontologists for bringing greater attention to the crucial role of spirits in many people's lives and for their efforts to gain deeper understandings of different realities. Yet we also agree with critics in their identification of various troubling tendencies in prominent ontologists’ analyses. We highlight how many of these disturbing inclinations emerge through ontologists’ attempts to connect their ethnographic analyses to Eduardo Viveiros de Castro's theory of multinaturalist perspectivism. Finally, we analyse one of the favourite research topics of those associated with the ontological turn – shamanism – in one of the regions most often heralded as an oasis of radical alterity – the Amazon – in a way that specifically aims to avoid the problematic orientations we identify. Specifically, we describe a series of historical changes in the relationships between shamans and indigenous leaders to draw attention to how relationships to shamanic power/knowledge are unevenly distributed, actively debated, and co‐constructed through changing historical and political contexts.     

Advanced methods of isolation and identification of porcine primordial follicles

An effective isolation and identification method of primordial follicles would greatly benefit the animal production practice, transgenic animal production and endangered species conservation in the future. This study has not only advanced the isolation method but also developed an identification marker of primordial follicles. After enzymatic digestion, Percoll gradient centrifugation and mesh filtrations, the obtained follicular separations were then subjected to a cell sorter in order to collect primordial follicles. The study greatly improved the yield of primordial follicles (from about 1.85 x 10(5) to 7.79 x 10(5) per prepubertal ovary) by means of increasing cell layer number from 1 ml to 2.5 ml after Percoll gradient centrifugation. Based on traditional morphological criteria, the purity of recovered primordial follicles was averagely about 82.43+/-9.41% (n=5) because of their similar size and appearance with somatic cells. To further exactly appreciate the purity of sorted primordial follicles, a germ cell-specific protein, MSY2, was used to recognize the oocytes of primordial follicles. The results of repeat experiments showed that about 98.31+/-0.73% (n=4) of the primordial follicles cluster was MSY2-positive, which indicated the identification method of primordial follicles was more effective and high-yielded than the previous methods because of its higher purity.     

Negotiating optimum distinctiveness: cognitive tendencies toward primordialism among Mapuche youth

In recent years primordialism, as a model for understanding people's essentialist perceptions of ethnic similarity and difference, has returned to social scientific debates with a new degree of respectability and theoretical rigour. This article provides further evidence for why primordialism is prioritized by ethnic minorities as a cognitive mechanism for maintaining group distinctiveness, drawing on data gathered among indigenous youth in Chile. In the absence of traditional cultural tenets such as indigenous language and knowledge among the majority of the sample, criteria for membership are premised on perceived essentialisms of blood and surname. The result of categorizing others under primordial terms, however, is that it facilitates a space in which individual preferences of ethnic expression and distinctiveness can be negotiated. This brings the dichotomization of primordialism and constructionism under further scrutiny, suggesting that they may be compatible in the everyday practices of social life.     

New PCR-based methods for yeast identification

AIMS: To characterize reference yeast strains and identify indigenous strains isolated from wine fermentations by PCR methods. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared several PCR techniques for yeast identification. We used oligonucleotide primers that are complementary to (i) intron splice sites, (ii) REP and (iii) ERIC elements to produce PCR fingerprints that display specific patterns between the different yeast species. These three techniques were used to characterize 41 reference yeast strains belonging to 15 different species and to identify 40 indigenous strains isolated from grape must and wine fermentations. Species-specific banding patterns were obtained with the three PCR-techniques with different degrees of intraspecific differentiation depending on the method. By comparing the PCR fingerprints of unknown isolates with those produced by reference strains, we identified yeast strains isolated from an industrial wine fermentation. CONCLUSIONS: All three PCR techniques are rapid, reliable and simple methods of yeast identification. As far as we know, this is the first time that the primers designed for amplifying repetitive elements in bacteria have been successfully used in yeast. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Industry needs rapid, reliable and simple methods of yeast identification. The proposed PCR techniques will allow to achieve this objective.     

Influence of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist and gonadotrophins on morphometric characteristics of the population of small ovarian follicles in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

Small follicles, less than or equal to 100 microns, in monkey ovaries were divided into four types based on the morphological characteristics of the granulosa cells that surrounded the oocyte: primordial, intermediary, primary and secondary follicles. The proportion of primordial follicles positively correlated, whereas those of intermediary, primary and secondary follicles negatively correlated, with the total number of follicles less than or equal to 100 microns. There was no relationship between the population of nongrowing follicles (primordial and intermediary) and that of early-growing follicles (primary and secondary). Administration of exogenous gonadotrophins did not induce significant changes in the population of small follicles, whereas there was a significant increase in the number of intermediary follicles when gonadotrophins were associated with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist, buserelin. Buserelin can therefore partly inhibit the initiation of ovarian follicular growth in monkeys.     

Herbivores,but not other insects,are scarce on alien plants

Abstract Understanding how the landscape‐scale replacement of indigenous plants with alien plants influences ecosystem structure and functioning is critical in a world characterized by increasing biotic homogenization. An important step in this process is to assess the impact on invertebrate communities. Here we analyse insect species richness and abundance in sweep collections from indigenous and alien (Australasian) woody plant species in South Africa's Western Cape. We use phylogenetically relevant comparisons and compare one indigenous with three Australasian alien trees within each of Fabaceae: Mimosoideae, Myrtaceae, and Proteaceae: Grevilleoideae. Although some of the alien species analysed had remarkably high abundances of herbivores, even when intentionally introduced biological control agents are discounted, overall, herbivorous insect assemblages from alien plants were slightly less abundant and less diverse compared with those from indigenous plants – in accordance with predictions from the enemy release hypothesis. However, there were no clear differences in other insect feeding guilds. We conclude that insect assemblages from alien plants are generally quite diverse, and significant differences between these and assemblages from indigenous plants are only evident for herbivorous insects.     

Dancing with a Difference: Reconfiguring the Poetic Politics of Aboriginal Ritual as National Spectacle1

This paper argues that indigenous dance is a poetic politics of cross‐cultural encounter that engages Aboriginal identities with those of the Australian nation. I question the nature of this encounter in terms of a performative dialogue that is both musically and kinesically presented by indigenous communities and ‘translated’ into political discourse by the government. The sentiments of ‘translation’ raise questions as to how local ritual expressions of Aboriginal dance can mediate dialogue when presented as national spectacle. What is being meditated? What is happening in the process of evocation? In this performative nexus, I focus specifically on the poetic politics of Yolngu ritual as spectacle; the nature of performative dialogue in terms of shared dance forms between indigenous communities; the problem of the authentication of dance identities; and how corporeal dispositions of indigenous dance genres influence national sentiment by their symbolic power. I pursue these issues through an analysis of how ancestral dances have been repositioned in national performance venues, such as concerts, cultural centres and ritual arenas, as a means of asserting performative statements about indigenous positioning within the nation‐state. The nature of this dialogue raises questions of authenticity and processes of authentication. It highlights indigenous concerns to control representations of indigeneity as national event, as well as a desire to convey something of the sentiment and sentience embodied in the poetics of their ancestral performances.     

The hidden code in genomics: a tool for gene discovery.

Among new insights coming from the completion of sequencing of the human genome, reported in Nature and Science, are clues of how evolution has increased the complexity of species, and in particular how the genetic code has enabled this process. It is clear that life has not only evolved by increasing the number of genes, but also by ingeniously evolving an efficient code for expressing diversity in the building blocks (i.e. the amino acids). The rules of nucleic acid base pairing and the classification of amino acids according to hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity relationships define a binary DNA code, which determines the general biophysical characteristics of proteins. Sense and antisense strands can encode protein segments having inverted and complementary hydropathy. The underlying binary code controls association and dissociation of proteins and presumably represents a primordial code that might have emerged in the early stages of self-organizing biochemical cycles. It is the purpose of this communication to provide a perspective of the code in the context of a binary language from its primordial origin to its present day format and to propose to use this code as a genomic mining tool.     

Developmental potential of mouse primordial germ cells

There are distinctive and characteristic genomic modifications in primordial germ cells that distinguish the germ cell lineage from somatic cells. These modifications include, genome-wide demethylation, erasure of allele-specific methylation associated with imprinted genes, and the re-activation of the X chromosome. The allele-specific differential methylation is involved in regulating the monoallelic expression, and thus the gene dosage, of imprinted genes, which underlies functional differences between parental genomes. However, when the imprints are erased in the germ line, the parental genomes acquire an equivalent epigenetic and functional state. Therefore, one of the reasons why primordial germ cells are unique is because this is the only time in mammals when the distinction between parental genomes ceases to exist. To test how the potentially imprint-free primordial germ cell nuclei affect embryonic development, we transplanted them into enucleated oocytes. Here we show that the reconstituted oocyte developed to day 9.5 of gestation, consistently as a small embryo and a characteristic abnormal placenta. The embryo proper also did not progress much further even when the inner cell mass was 'rescued' from the abnormal placenta by transfer into a tetraploid host blastocyst. We found that development of the experimental conceptus was affected, at least in part, by a lack of gametic imprints, as judged by DNA methylation and expression analysis of several imprinted genes. The evidence suggests that gametic imprints are essential for normal development, and that they can neither be initiated nor erased in mature oocytes; these properties are unique to the developing germ line.     

Indigenous Land Use in the Ecuadorian Amazon: A Cross-cultural and Multilevel Analysis

Among the remaining tropical forests of lowland Latin America, many are inhabited by indigenous peoples, and the sustainability of their land uses is a point of heated debate in the conservation community. Numerous small-scale studies have documented changes in indigenous land use in individual communities in the context of expanding frontier settlements and markets, but few studies have included larger populations or multiple ethnic groups. In this paper we use data from a regional-scale survey of five indigenous populations in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon to describe their agricultural land use practices and investigate the factors that affect those practices. We find the areas cultivated by indigenous households to be small compared to those of nearby mestizo colonists, but a large proportion of indigenous cultivated area is in commercial land uses. We also construct multilevel statistical models to investigate the household and community-level factors that affect indigenous land use. The results reveal significant influences on cultivated area from contextual factors such as access to markets, oil company activities, and the land tenure regime, as well as from household characteristics such as demographic composition, participation in alternative livelihood activities, and human, social and physical capitals. Overall the results are most consistent with market integration as an underlying driver of land use change in indigenous territories of the study area.

Diversity of azospirillum strains isolated from rice plants grown in saline and nonsaline sites of coastal agricultural ecosystem

The diversity of indigenous Azospirillum spp. associated with rice cultivated along the coastline of Tamil Nadu was analyzed. Twelve sites with varying soil characteristics such as salinity, texture, and the host variety were chosen. Of the 402 strains isolated using NFB media, 302 were confirmed to be Azospirillum spp. and subjected to DNA polymorphism analysis using PCR-RFLP of 16S rDNA. They were also screened for their salt tolerance and microaerobic N2-fixing-dependent growth. On species identification, all the strains were found to be A. brasilense, A. lipoferum, or unidentified. On comparing the influence of the previously noted variability on the indigenous population, soil salinity was found to play a dominant role. This was revealed by PCR-RFLP studies and salt tolerance studies. A high association between soil salinity and the distribution of Azospirillum genotypes reveals that soil salinity should be taken into consideration while developing biofertilizers specifically for the coastal agricultural ecosystem.     

Terpenes as taxonomic characters in Salvia section Audibertia

A survey of terpene differences in the 19 species ofSalvia indigenous to California and Baja California suggests that identification of species is possible solely on the characteristic composition of terpenes. Further, differences between two introgressing species (5.apiana and 5.mellifera) are such that terpenes may be treated as characters from which hybrid indices and histograms may be formulated. Statistical comparison of these data with those from morphology shows a highly significant correlation.     

The Phylogenomic Roots of Modern Biochemistry: Origins of Proteins, Cofactors and Protein Biosynthesis

The complexity of modern biochemistry developed gradually on early Earth as new molecules and structures populated the emerging cellular systems. Here, we generate a historical account of the gradual discovery of primordial proteins, cofactors, and molecular functions using phylogenomic information in the sequence of 420 genomes. We focus on structural and functional annotations of the 54 most ancient protein domains. We show how primordial functions are linked to folded structures and how their interaction with cofactors expanded the functional repertoire. We also reveal protocell membranes played a crucial role in early protein evolution and show translation started with RNA and thioester cofactor-mediated aminoacylation. Our findings allow elaboration of an evolutionary model of early biochemistry that is firmly grounded in phylogenomic information and biochemical, biophysical, and structural knowledge. The model describes how primordial α-helical bundles stabilized membranes, how these were decorated by layered arrangements of β-sheets and α-helices, and how these arrangements became globular. Ancient forms of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) catalytic domains and ancient non-ribosomal protein synthetase (NRPS) modules gave rise to primordial protein synthesis and the ability to generate a code for specificity in their active sites. These structures diversified producing cofactor-binding molecular switches and barrel structures. Accretion of domains and molecules gave rise to modern aaRSs, NRPS, and ribosomal ensembles, first organized around novel emerging cofactors (tRNA and carrier proteins) and then more complex cofactor structures (rRNA). The model explains how the generation of protein structures acted as scaffold for nucleic acids and resulted in crystallization of modern translation.     

Dynamics of ethnic and racial self-identification in contemporary Peru

This study has sought to analyse how the social and cultural dynamics of the population are expressed in the recent processes of ethnic self-identification in Peru. Data from 2012 to 2016 Peru National Household survey was used to investigate specifically: (a) on the contribution of the questions about ethnic and racial self-identification included in the National Household Survey to the visibility of indigenous and Afro-Peruvian populations; (b) on the individual and local characteristics related with certain self-identification categories; and (c) if the self-identification patterns have remained stable or have varied during the survey period. Results show that the number of persons who identifies as indigenous varies according to the question used. Likewise, it was found that characteristics such as age, migratory experience, education, and income level influence on the self-identification. Finally, modest but significant changes over time were registered, which could be shedding light on some processes of social transformations.     

Hybrid Dysgenesis in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: The Biology of Female and Male Sterility

High levels of female and male sterility were observed among the hybrids from one of the two reciprocal crosses between a wild strain of D. melanogaster known as pi2 and laboratory strains. The sterility, which is part of a common syndrome called hybrid dysgenesis, was found to be associated with the rudimentary condition of one or both of the ovaries or testes. All other tissues, including those of the reproductive system were normal, as were longevity and mating behavior. The morphological details of the sterility closely mimic the agametic condition occurring when germ cells are destroyed by irradiation or by the maternal-effect mutation, grandchildless. We suggest that sterility in hybrid dysgenesis is also caused by failure in the early development of germ cells. There is a thermo-sensitive period beginning at approximately the time of initiation of mitosis among primordial germ cells a few hours before the egg hatches and ending during the early larval stages. Our results suggest that hybrid dysgenesis, which also includes male recombination, mutation and other traits, may be limited to the germ line, and that each of the primordial germ cells develops, or fails to develop, independently of the others. This hypothesis is consistent with the observed frequencies of unilateral and bilateral sterility, with the shape of the thermosensitivity curves and with the fact that males are less often sterile than females. The features of this intraspecific hybrid sterility are found to resemble those seen in some interspecific Drosophila hybrids, especially those from the cross D. melanogaster X D. simulans.