‘A civilizing mission’? Austrian medicine and the reform of medical structures in the Ottoman Empire, 1838–1850

During the 1840s, physicians from the Habsburg Empire played a decisive role in the reform of medical structures in the Ottoman Empire. This paper discusses different aspects of this scientific and cultural encounter. It emphasizes the importance of Austrian health care structures as a model for the work of these physicians in the Ottoman Empire and studies the role of the medical school ran by the Austrians as a means of representing, on the one hand, the reformatory efforts of the Ottoman Empire and, on the other hand, the motivations of the Habsburg monarchy for an involvement in Ottoman health care affairs, strongly bound up with its own quarantine politics towards the Ottoman Empire.     

Fringes of the empire: Diet and cultural change at the Roman to post‐Roman transition in NW Iberia

A growing number of paleodiet investigations over recent years have begun to reveal the stark dietary differences that existed between regions of the Roman Empire, as well as significant changes in subsistence strategies after its fall. The present study explores the dietary changes at the Roman to post‐Roman (Germanic) transition in the Northwest Iberian Peninsula, in order to improve our understanding of the changes that occurred at end of the Roman Empire in different regions across Europe and to also consider the influence of climate had on them. The carbon and nitrogen stable isotope investigation in bone collagen from A Lanzada, NW Spain (100–700 AD), which was an important commercial, coastal settlement has been presented. A human sample of 59 individuals, 6 of them subadults, is compared with 31 faunal specimens, which include a number of marine fish. Isotope data for the terrestrial fauna reveal the influence of the sea on the local isotope baseline. Analysis of the human samples indicates a mixed marine‐terrestrial diet. A shift in mean human δ¹³C values from ?16.7‰ to ?14.3‰ provides clear evidence for a significant change in diet in the post‐Roman period, probably through the intensification of both marine resources exploitation and C₄‐plant consumption (presumably millet). A deterioration of paleoenvironmental conditions, together with a poor socioeconomic situation and the arrival of new people, the Sueves, who brought a new political and socioeconomic system have been discussed as the main causes for the dietary modification in post‐Roman times.     

Awash National Park,Ethiopia: use policy,ethnic conflict and sustainable resources conservation in the context of decentralization

In response to recent decentralization in Ethiopia, we investigated pressure exerted on Awash National Park (ANP), vis‐a‐vis park resources; causes of park‐related conflicts and the impact of policy on sustainable resources conservation before decentralization (pre‐1995) and after decentralization (post‐1995). The study's aim was to assess the implementation of sustainable resources conservation in terms of use policy and conflicts in protected areas. We sampled a total of 210 respondents by stratified random sampling and group discussion participants and key informants using purposive sampling technique. Our results show that while policy problems were perceived to be the main threats to the park pre‐1995, demand for pasture land and water, resource‐caused conflicts, expansion of private and state farms were identified as main threats to the park post‐1995. Before decentralization (pre‐1995), inequitable resource sharing and poor organizational structures were the main causes of ethnic conflicts, whereas after decentralization, increasing demand for various resources were the main causes of conflict. We recommend experiences from the Simen National Park be tested to the benefit of improving the state of ANP.     

Affirmative reaction: new formations of white masculinity

Within the politics of nationalism and nation-building, the emigration of ethnic and religious minorities, whether voluntary or involuntary, appears to be a commonly occurring practice. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century, modern Turkey still carried the legacy of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious diversity in which its Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities had official minority status based upon the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. However, throughout the twentieth century, Turkey's non-Muslim minority populations have undergone a mass emigration experience in which thousands of their numbers have migrated to various countries around the globe. While in the 1920s the population of non-Muslims in the country was close to 3 per cent of the total, today it has dropped to less than two per thousand. This article analyses the emigration of non-Muslim people from Turkey and relates this movement to the wider context of nation-building in the country.     

Tracing morphogenetic movements by means of labelled cells

Summary A technique involving the use of labelled grafts, detectable by autoradiographs, is proposed for mapping embryonic presumptive areas and cell migrations. It permits identification of isolated graft cells. It has been applied to reinvestigate the localization of presumptive endoderm in early gastrulae ofXenopus, originally described byNieuwkoop andFlorschutz.This work was performed under a grant from the British Empire Cancer Campaign.     

Sociobiology and discrimination: A rejoinder

The history of Malay nationalism traces a path from secular issues before World War II to religious issues in the post‐independence period. Before the War Malay nationalists were concerned with the encroachment upon their freedom by British colonialists and non‐Malay immigrants. The establishment of Malay political power after the War effected important economic changes, creating new class‐divisions in Malay society. These divisions provide a basis for the rise of Malay religious nationalism. The reactions of the non‐Malay population to these changes were expressed as non‐Muslim religious revivalisms. The role of the state in regulating religious movements through a process of ethnic rationalization cannot be understated.     

Community dynamics of nematodes after Larsen ice‐shelf collapse in the eastern Antarctic Peninsula

Free‐living marine nematode communities of the Larsen B embayment at the eastern Antarctic Peninsula were investigated to provide insights on their response and colonization rate after large‐scale ice‐shelf collapse. This study compares published data on the post‐collapse situation from 2007 with new material from 2011, focusing on two locations in the embayment that showed highly divergent communities in 2007 and that are characterized by a difference in timing of ice‐shelf breakup. Data from 2007 exposed a more diverse community at outer station B.South, dominated by the genus Microlaimus. On the contrary, station B.West in the inner part of Larsen B was poor in both numbers of individuals and genera, with dominance of a single Halomonhystera species. Re‐assessment of the situation in 2011 showed that communities at both stations diverged even more, due to a drastic increase in Halomonhystera at B.West compared to relatively little change at B.South. On a broader geographical scale, it seems that B.South gradually starts resembling other Antarctic shelf communities, although the absence of the genus Sabatieria and the high abundance of Microlaimus still set it apart nine years after the main Larsen B collapse. In contrast, thriving of Halomonhystera at B.West further separates its community from other Antarctic shelf areas.     

Identity in minority group relations*

Ethnic affiliations and divisions have come to pose serious challenges to the strengthening of civil society and the quest for nationhood in Africa. While ethnicity was employed by the colonial state to divide the colony and weaken the nationalist movements, post‐colonial regimes and governments have manipulated ethnic differences to consolidate their control over society and promote exploitative relations of power, production and exchange. The limited hegemony of the post‐colonial state, its inability to meet the basic needs of the vast majority, and its heavy reliance on violence and coercion to maintain control, make it very ‘irrelevant’ to the existential conditions of the vast majority. While ethnic identities continue to pose challenges to efforts at growth, development and political stability, largely because the masses have increasingly identified with primordial institutions in the absence of a democratic and strong state, current conditions of debt, drought, poverty, inflation and other pains imposed by the structural adjustment programmes will continue to weaken the state and strengthen the relevance of ethnic associations and identities. The opening up of the political processes, emphasis on the politics of consensus and accommodation, the democratization of society and empowerment of mass‐based organizations remain the only ways to contain the divisive influences of ethnic politics and identities in Africa.     

Crystal structures of the structure‐selective nuclease Mus81‐Eme1 bound to flap DNA substrates

The Mus81‐Eme1 complex is a structure‐selective endonuclease with a critical role in the resolution of recombination intermediates during DNA repair after interstrand cross‐links, replication fork collapse, or double‐strand breaks. To explain the molecular basis of 3′ flap substrate recognition and cleavage mechanism by Mus81‐Eme1, we determined crystal structures of human Mus81‐Eme1 bound to various flap DNA substrates. Mus81‐Eme1 undergoes gross substrate‐induced conformational changes that reveal two key features: (i) a hydrophobic wedge of Mus81 that separates pre‐ and post‐nick duplex DNA and (ii) a “5′ end binding pocket” that hosts the 5′ nicked end of post‐nick DNA. These features are crucial for comprehensive protein‐DNA interaction, sharp bending of the 3′ flap DNA substrate, and incision strand placement at the active site. While Mus81‐Eme1 unexpectedly shares several common features with members of the 5′ flap nuclease family, the combined structural, biochemical, and biophysical analyses explain why Mus81‐Eme1 preferentially cleaves 3′ flap DNA substrates with 5′ nicked ends.     

Genetic Relationships of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China Revealed by Microsatellite Markers

Population migrations in Southwest and South China have played an important role in the formation of East Asian populations and led to a high degree of cultural diversity among ethnic minorities living in these areas. To explore the genetic relationships of these ethnic minorities, we systematically surveyed the variation of 10 autosomal STR markers of 1,538 individuals from 30 populations of 25 ethnic minorities, of which the majority were chosen from Southwest China, especially Yunnan Province. With genotyped data of the markers, we constructed phylogenies of these populations with both D_A and D_C measures and performed a principal component analysis, as well as a clustering analysis by structure. Results showed that we successfully recovered the genetic structure of analyzed populations formed by historical migrations. Aggregation patterns of these populations accord well with their linguistic affiliations, suggesting that deciphering of genetic relationships does in fact offer clues for study of ethnic differentiation.     

Differences and similarities in the regulation of medical practice between early modern Vienna and Osijek

This paper evaluates the regulation of medical practice from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries in two Habsburg cities, Vienna and Osijek, in the light of the spread of medical knowledge and practice from the centre to the periphery of the Habsburg Monarchy. Although both cities were part of the Habsburg Monarchy for much of the early modern period, there were more differences than similarities between them. This may be explained by appealing to a variety of factors, including geographical position, population structure, religion, government type, and professional organisations, all of which contributed to making medical practice very different in the two cities. The divergence occurred in spite of a central agenda for ensuring uniformity of medical practice throughout the Habsburg Monarchy. Although the legislation governing medical practice was the same in both cities, it was more strictly implemented in Vienna than in Osijek. In consequence, Osijek was the setting for some unique patterns of medical practice not to be found in the Habsburg capital.     

Overexpression of long non‐coding RNA ANRIL promotes post‐ischaemic angiogenesis and improves cardiac functions by targeting Akt

Angiogenesis is critical for re‐establishing the blood supply to the surviving myocardium after myocardial infarction (MI). Long non‐coding RNA ANRIL (lncRNA‐ANRIL) has been reported to regulate endothelial functions in cardiovascular diseases. This study was to determine the role of lncRNA‐ANRIL in Akt regulation and cardiac functions after MI. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to oxygen‐glucose deprivation (OGD) to mimic in vivo ischaemia. The MI model in mice was induced by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery. OGD remarkably decreased lncRNA‐ANRIL expression level, reduced the phosphorylated levels of Akt and eNOS proteins, and inhibited NO release and cell viability, which were duplicated by shRNA‐mediated gene knockdown of lncRNA‐ANRIL. Conversely, all these effects induced by OGD were abolished by adenovirus‐mediated overexpression of lncRNA‐ANRIL in HUVECs. Further, OGD impaired cell migrations and tube formations in HUVECs, which were reversed by lncRNA‐ANRIL overexpression or Akt up‐regulation. RNA immunoprecipitation analysis indicated that the affinity of lncRNA‐ANRIL to Akt protein was increased in OGD‐treated cells. In animal studies, adenovirus‐mediated lncRNA‐ANRIL overexpression increased the phosphorylated levels of Akt and eNOS, promoted post‐ischaemic angiogenesis and improved heart functions in mice with MI surgery. LncRNA‐ANRIL regulates Akt phosphorylation to improve endothelial functions, which promotes angiogenesis and improves cardiac functions in mice following MI. In this perspective, targeting lncRNA‐ANRIL/Akt may be considered to develop a drug to treat angiogenesis‐related diseases.     

Two cases of liver lobe torsion in a white‐lipped tamarin (Saguinus labiatus) and an Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)

This paper describes liver lobe torsion in a white‐lipped tamarin (Saguinus labiatus) and an Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis). Both animals had a history of acute collapse, and diagnosis was made post‐mortem. To the authors’ knowledge, these are the first reported cases of this pathology in non‐human primates.     

Colonial Caribbean migrations to France,The Netherlands,Great Britain and the United States

This article compares the migration processes to, and the socio‐economic conditions of colonial Caribbean migrants in, the metropoles. Specifically, it discusses: 1) the formation of modern colonies in the Caribbean after World War II; 2) the differences between colonial Caribbean migrations and migrations from Caribbean nation‐states; 3) the different socio‐economic characteristics among Caribbean colonial migrants in the metropoles; and 4) the labour market incorporation and public policies affecting colonial Caribbean migrants in each metropolitan society. There are interesting differences among these Caribbean colonial migrants regarding the process of incorporation into the host society. This is related to the different development of the welfare state in each metropole and to the presence or absence of specific public policies addressing the peculiar socio‐economic conditions of these migrants.     

The population structure of rural settlements of Sakha Republic (Yakutia): migration

Migration and gametic structure have been analyzed in rural population of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The populations studied differ from one another in the migration rate and direction, which are determined by the socioeconomic development of the regions and ethnic composition of settlements. A high rate of long-distance migrations and a low rate of migrations within uluses (districts) are characteristic of regions with well-developed industry and transportation and are more characteristic of immigrant than indigenous populations. In rural regions, migrations within uluses are more prevalent. The gametic structure of the youngest age group does not always correspond to the migration activity of previous generations. The migration effectiveness values (the correspondence of migration flows to the gametic structure depending on the geographic origin of the gametes) are different for men and women.     

The Roma in Macedonia: Ethnic politics and the marginal condition in a Balkan state

Most of Eastern Europe's five‐to‐seven‐million Roma (Gypsies) welcomed the revolutions of 1989 only to realize that the post‐communist era brought mixed blessing to them. Although since then their political and cultural marginalization had diminished, their social and economic circumstances had clearly deteriorated in East Central Europe and the Balkans alike. The only exception to this rule appears to be the newly independent Republic of Macedonia, where the Roma's conditions in many respects are far superior to those of their counterparts elsewhere in the region. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. In the economic realm the Macedonian Roma's situation has also worsened (although still much better than that of the Roma in other Balkan states) but not as a result of ethnic discrimination but owing to the economic hardships accompanying the post‐communist transitions. In the political sphere, the Roma in Macedonia have benefited from a state whose representatives are willing to rise above sympathetic rhetoric and take concrete steps to alleviate their problems as well as from relatively well organized Romani political parties. Most important, however, are the differences between societal attitudes towards the Roma in Macedonia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. In Macedonia the Roma's relations with the dominant ethnic group (Macedonians) are primarily characterized by ‘peaceful coexistence’ rather than tension and animosity. Moreover, Romani communities in Macedonia are less isolated from non‐Roma both culturally and socio‐economically. This state of affairs is the result of a number of related factors, most important of which are that the Romani community does not represent a threat to Macedonians given their numerical weakness and lack of political clout in contradistinction to the very real threat posed by the ethnic Albanian community in the country. In turn, the Roma's relations to ethnic Albanians and Turks remain relatively agreeable as well.     

The population structure of rural settlements of Sakha Republic (Yakutia): Migration

Migration and gametic structure have been analyzed in rural population of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The populations studied differ from one another in the migration rate and direction, which are determined by the socioeconomic development of the regions and ethnic composition of settlements. A high rate of long-distance migrations and a low rate of migrations within uluses (districts) are characteristic of regions with well-developed industry and transportation and are more characteristic of immigrant than indigenous populations. In rural regions, migrations within uluses are more prevalent. The gametic structure of the youngest age group does not always correspond to the migration activity of previous generations. The migration effectiveness values (the correspondence of migration flows to the gametic structure depending on the geographic origin of the gametes) are different for men and women.     

Ethnicity and the British Army in Ireland during the American Revolution

People of German‐speaking background have been permanent residents in Australia and Canada for an extensive period of time and are perceived favourably in these multicultural contexts. This has not always been the case. The event of war has the potential to influence the formation of self‐images and stereotypes of ‘others’ and hence to affect the cohesion of ethnic communities. It follows that altered perceptions of ethnicity are likely to alter the ways governments behave towards ethnic minorities. This, in turn, brings a modification in ethnic relations policy. The focus of this article is to examine official attitudes to Germans resident in these countries and external to them during the second world war and in the immediate post‐war period. A particular concern is that of internment. To look comparatively should develop a deeper understanding of its use in two similar (but also different) commonwealth countries.     

Population structure of rural settlements of Sakha Republic (Yakutia): surname structure

The distributions of surnames have been studied in 12 rural ethnic territorial groups of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The populations studied are characterized by considerable accumulation of individual surnames, the surname spectra of representative of different ethnic groups living in the same area substantially overlapping. The random isonymy, migration index, surname diversity, and the surname distribution redundancy index display geographic and ethnic differences. The isonymy relationship coefficients calculated for representatives of individual ethnic groups (Yakuts, Evens, and Russians) and for total populations of the settlements studied are determined by the geographic distances between the compared populations and the intensity of migrations.