Planet of the Normates

Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature. Rosemarie Garland Thomson. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. 200 pp.
Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body. Rosemarie Garland Thomson. ed. New York: New York University Press, 1996. 400 pp.
Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996.315pp.     

History of Physical Anthropology: An Encyclopedia

History of Physical Anthropology: An Encyclopedia, vols. & 2. Frank Spencer. ed. New York: Garland Publishing, 1997. 1,195 pp.     

Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia

Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia. Guy Gibbon. ed. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1998.941pp.     

Democracy, Multiculturalism, and the Community College: A Critical Perspective

Democracy, Multiculturalism, and the Community College: A Critical Perspective. Robert A. Rhoads and James R. Valadez. New York: Garland Publishing, 1996. 231 pp.     

Learning to Teach in Two Cultures: Japan and the United States

Learning to Teach in Two Cultures: Japan and the United States. Nobuo K. Shimahara and Akira Sakai. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1995. 264 pp.     

The Future of the Past: Archeologists, Native Americans, and Repatriation.

The Future of the Past: Archeologists, Native Americans, and Repatriation. Tamara L. Bray. New York: Garland Publishing. 2001. 252 pp.     

Respiration-driven proton translocation by yeast mitochondria with differing efficiencies of oxidative phosphorylation

Measurements were made of the stoicheiometry of proton translocation coupled to respiration in mitochondria from Candida utilis where the number of functional energy-conservation sites between intramitochondrial NADH and oxygen was one in a mutant with a novel oxidase (Downie & Garland, 1972), two in sulphate-deficient cells (Haddock & Garland, 1971) or three in glycerol-limited cells (Light & Garland, 1971). The stoicheiometries of protons translocated per atom of oxygen utilized (i.e. -->H(+)/2e(-) ratio; Mitchell, 1966) were close to 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 respectively. Thus by using the same substrate (intramitochondrial NADH) and oxygen throughout, the -->H(+)/2e(-) ratio is shown to be 2.0 per energy-conservation site when the number of such sites is varied from one to three.     

Understanding Mathematics

Keith Gregson Nottingham University Press ISBN: 1904761542 £19.50 122pp Reviewed by John Heritage

Working with DNA Stan Metzenberg Garland Science ISBN: 9780415374644 £30.00 414pp Reviewed by Olivier Sparagano

Henderson's Dictionary of Biology 13th Edition Eleanor Lawrence Pearson ISBN: 9780131273849 £14.99 760 pp Reviewed by Sarah Durant     

Polytomies and phylogenetically independent contrasts: examination of the bounded degrees of freedom approach

We examined the effect of soft polytomies on the performance (Type I error rate and bias) of Felsenstein's (1985; Am. Nat. 125:1-15) method of phylogenetically independent contrasts for estimating a bivariate correlation. We specifically tested the adequacy of bounding degrees of freedom, as suggested by Purvis and Garland (1993; Syst. Biol. 42:569-575). We simulated bivariate character evolution under Brownian motion (assumed by independent contrasts) and eight other models on five phylogenetic trees. For non-Brownian motion simulations, the adequacy of branch-length standardization was checked with a simple diagnostic (Garland et al., 1992; Syst. Biol. 41:18-32), and transformations were applied as indicated. Surprisingly, soft polytomies tended to have negligible effects on Type I error rates when models other than Brownian motion were used. Overall, and irrespective of evolutionary model, degrees of freedom were appropriately bounded for hypothesis testing, and unbiased estimates of the correlation coefficient were obtained. Our results, along with those of previous simulation studies, suggest that independent contrasts can reliably be applied to real data, even with phylogenetic uncertainty.     

Molecular cloning and embryonic expression of dFKBP59, a novel Drosophila FK506-binding protein

A Drosophila cDNA encoding a structural homolog of mammalian FKBP59 (also identified as FKBP52), a member of the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) class of immunophilins, was isolated. The gene dFKBP59 corresponding to this cDNA has been characterized and mapped to the 30D3-4 region. The predicted amino acid sequence of this cDNA shows that the dFKBP59 protein contains one highly conserved FKBP12-like domain followed by two others with less conservation. Northern hybridization reveals that the dFKBP59 mRNA is expressed throughout the Drosophila life-cycle. In contrast to its mammalian homologs, in situ hybridization detected dFKBP59 expression in specific tissues: the lymph glands, Garland cells and oenocyte cells, which are all specialized tissues in which intensive exocytic/endocytic cycling takes place. Garland cells and oenocytes (also called Drosophila nephrocytes) function in taking up waste material from the hemolymph. Finally, I have mapped an enhancer trap element within the 5' region of dFKBP59 which may help in future studies to address the question of its function during Drosophila development.     

Encyclopedia of human evolution and prehistory

Review of Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory, Second Edition edited by Eric Delson, Ian Tattersall, John A. Van Couvering, and Alison S. Brooks. New York, Garland Publishing, 2000, xiv + 753 pp, maps, charts, tables, drawings, photos, $175.     

Reviews of publications

Book reviewed in this article:
The Flora of Aldabra and Neighbouring Islands, by F. R. Fosberg & S. A. Renvoize
Developments in Deep-Sea Biology, by N. B. Marshall
Epidemiology and Plant Disease Management, by Jan C. Zadoks & Richard D. Schein.
Vanishing Birds: their Natural History and Conservation, by Tim Halliday; with a foreword by Bruce Campbell
Advances in Ephemeroptera Biology, edited by John F. Flanagan & K. Eric Marshall
The Origin of Major Invertebrate Groups, edited by M. R. House
Mammals, their Latin Names Explained, by A. E. Gotch
The Illustrated Herbal, by Wilfrid Blunt & Sandra Raphael
The Herb and Spice Book, by Sarah Garland. Weidenfeld & Nicolson     

Hsc70 is required for endocytosis and clathrin function in Drosophila

By screening for Drosophila mutants exhibiting aberrant bride of sevenless (Boss) staining patterns on eye imaginal disc epithelia, we have recovered a point mutation in Hsc70-4, the closest homologue to bovine clathrin uncoating ATPase. Although the mutant allele was lethal, analysis of mutant clones generated by FLP/FRT recombination demonstrated that the Sevenless-mediated internalization of Boss was blocked in mutant Hsc70-4 eye disc epithelial cells. Endocytosis of other probes was also greatly inhibited in larval Garland cells. Immunostaining and EM analysis of the mutant cells revealed disruptions in the organization of endosomal/lysosomal compartments, including a substantial reduction in the number of clathrin-coated structures in Garland cells. The Hsc70-4 mutation also interacted genetically with a dominant-negative mutant of dynamin, a gene required for the budding of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). Consistent with these phenotypes, recombinant mutant Hsc70 proteins exhibited diminished clathrin uncoating activity in vitro. Together, these data provide genetic support for the long-suspected role of Hsc70 in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, at least in part by inhibiting the uncoating of CCVs.     

Development of a viologen-based microtiter plate assay for the analysis of oxyanion reductase activity: application to the membrane-bound selenate reductase from Enterobacter cloacae SLD1a-1

The membrane-bound selenate reductase of Enterobacter cloacae SLD1a-1 is purified in low yield and has relatively low activity in the pure form compared to that of other oxyanion reductases, such as the membrane-bound and periplasmic nitrate reductases. A microtiter plate assay based on the original quartz cuvette viologen assay of Jones and Garland (R.W. Jones, P.B. Garland, Biochem. J 164 (1977) 199-211) was developed specifically for analysis of such low-abundant, labile oxyanion reductases. The plate assay detects the enzyme-dependent reoxidation of reduced methyl viologen spectrophotometrically at 600 nm. The assay is quick, uses a minimal sample volume (<5 microl), can simultaneously test a range of alternative substrates, and permits activity measurements on multiple samples. We demonstrate the accuracy and versatility of the microtiter plate assay by application to the kinetic analysis, inhibition, and pH optimization of the membrane-bound selenate reductase from E. cloacae SLD1a-1. Results show that the membrane-bound selenate reductase has optimum activity at pH approximately 8 and its active site is able to accommodate larger inhibitory complexes resulting in mixed-type inhibition, in the presence of selenate and potassium thiocyanate.     

Dobzhansky and Montagu’s Debate on Race: The Aftermath

Dobzhansky and Montagu debated the use and validity of the term “race” over a period of decades. They failed to reach an agreement, and the “debate” has continued to the present. The ms contains an account of the debate to the present. This essay is part of a Special Issue, Revisiting Garland Allen’s Views on the History of the Life Sciences in the Twentieth Century.     

Creating a community resource for protein science

Helen Berman is the recipient of the Protein Society 2012 Carl Branden Award In addition to being one of the early pioneers in protein crystallography, Carl Brändén made significant contributions to science education with his elegant and beautifully illustrated book Introduction to Protein Structure (Brändén and Tooze, New York: Garland, 1991). It is truly an honor to receive this award in their names. This award and the 40th anniversary of the Protein Data Bank (PDB; Berman et al., Structure 2012;20:391–396) have given me an opportunity to reflect on the various components that have contributed to building a resource for protein science and to try to quantify the impact of having PDB data openly available.     

Garland Allen,Thomas Hunt Morgan,and Development

Garland E. Allen’s 1978 biography of the Nobel Prize winning biologist Thomas Hunt Morgan provides an excellent study of the man and his science. Allen presents Morgan as an opportunistic scientist who follows where his observations take him, leading him to his foundational work in Drosophila genetics. The book was rightfully hailed as an important achievement and it introduced generations of readers to Morgan. Yet, in hindsight, Allen’s book largely misses an equally important part of Morgan’s work – his study of development and regeneration. It is worth returning to this part of Morgan, exploring what Morgan contributed and also why he has been seen by contemporaries and historians such as Allen as having set aside some of the most important developmental problems. A closer look shows how Morgan’s view of cells and development that was different from that of his most noted contemporaries led to interpretation of his important contributions in favor of genetics. This essay is part of a special issue, revisiting Garland Allen's views on the history of life sciences in the twentieth century.     

The MgADP-induced decrease of the SH1-SH2 fluorescence resonance energy transfer distance of myosin subfragment 1 occurs in two kinetic steps

The fluorescence resonance energy transfer distance between 5-[2-[iodoacetyl)amino)ethyl]aminoaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid covalently attached to the SH1 thiol of myosin subfragment 1 as the energy donor and N-(4-dimethylamino-3,5-dinitrophenyl)maleimide attached to SH2 as the energy acceptor has been found to decrease by about 7 A in the presence of MgADP (Dalby, R. E., Weiel, J., and Yount, R. G. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 4696-4706; Cheung, H. C., Gonsoulin, F., and Garland, F. (1985) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 832, 52-62). Fluorescence stopped-flow experiments on the same system have yielded biphasic traces which are resolvable into a fast and slow component, k1 and k2, respectively. Results of experiments in which k1 and k2 were measured as a function of excess ADP concentration showed: 1) a nonlinear dependence of the apparent rate constants on [ADP]; 2) k1 is a factor of 10 faster than k2. These results are consistent with the 3-step mechanism previously proposed for nucleotide binding to myosin S1 (Garland, F., and Cheung, H. C. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 5281-5289). Kinetic experiments in which the anisotropy of the donor was monitored show this quantity to be unchanged over the course of the reaction. The biphasic decrease of donor intensity is assigned to an increase in energy transfer efficiency which, from the above results, is due to a decrease in donor-acceptor distance, occurring in two steps. The fast step is associated with a 4-5-A decrease of the donor-acceptor separation, while the slow step is associated with a further decrease of approximately 2 A.     

Effects of branch length errors on the performance of phylogenetically independent contrasts

We examined Type I error rates of Felsenstein's (1985; Am. Nat. 125:1-15) comparative method of phylogenetically independent contrasts when branch lengths are in error and the model of evolution is not Brownian motion. We used seven evolutionary models, six of which depart strongly from Brownian motion, to simulate the evolution of two continuously valued characters along two different phylogenies (15 and 49 species). First, we examined the performance of independent contrasts when branch lengths are distorted systematically, for example, by taking the square root of each branch segment. These distortions often caused inflated Type I error rates, but performance was almost always restored when branch length transformations were used. Next, we investigated effects of random errors in branch lengths. After the data were simulated, we added errors to the branch lengths and then used the altered phylogenies to estimate character correlations. Errors in the branches could be of two types: fixed, where branch lengths are either shortened or lengthened by a fixed fraction; or variable, where the error is a normal variate with mean zero and the variance is scaled to the length of the branch (so that expected error relative to branch length is constant for the whole tree). Thus, the error added is unrelated to the microevolutionary model. Without branch length checks and transformations, independent contrasts tended to yield extremely inflated and highly variable Type I error rates. Type I error rates were reduced, however, when branch lengths were checked and transformed as proposed by Garland et al. (1992; Syst. Biol. 41:18-32), and almost never exceeded twice the nominal P-value at alpha = 0.05. Our results also indicate that, if branch length transformations are applied, then the appropriate degrees of freedom for testing the significance of a correlation coefficient should, in general, be reduced to account for estimation of the best branch length transformation. These results extend those reported in Díaz-Uriarte and Garland (1996; Syst. Biol. 45:27-47), and show that, even with errors in branch lengths and evolutionary models different from Brownian motion, independent contrasts are a robust method for testing hypotheses of correlated evolution.     

Progress and Development in Biological Education

Software

Transpiration By J. M. Garland and U. Garland. Written for BBC Model B with colour monitor, cassette and disc versions. Produced by Garland Computing, 35 Dean Hill, Plymouth PL9 9AF. Price £10.00. Reviewd by W. G. Rogers

Seed germination By J. M. Garland. Written for BBC Model B with colour monitor. Cassette and disc versions. Produced by Garland Computing, 35 Dean Hill, Plymouth, Devon PL9 9AF. Price £10.00 Reviewd by W. G. Rogers.

Photosynthesis By J. M. Garland.Written for BBC Model B with colour monitor, cassette and disc versions. Produced by Garland Computing, 35 Dean Hill, Plymouth PL9 9AF. Price £10.00 Reviewed by W. G. Rogers.

Slides/Strides

Vertebrate reproduction Twenty-two.35 mm colour slides (including two title slides) with a study guide by David W. Macdonald. Ref. AV 218, price £16.80. Available from: Oxford Educational Resources Ltd, 197 Botley Road, Oxford 0X2 OHE Reviewed by Katrina Fuery

Reproduction in mammals Twenty-two.35 mm colour slides (with two title slides) with teaching notes by David W. Macdonald, produced in association with Oxford Scientific Films Ltd and J. Dellar of Wildlife Consultants Ltd. Ref. AV 220, price £16.80. Available from Oxford Educational Resources Ltd, 197 Botley Road, Oxford OX2 OHE Reviewed by Claire Carpenter

Mitosis and meiosis Two sets of 12 slides, each accompanied by a booklet containing background information and questions with answers. By Dr Judith Kinnear and Dr Marjory Martin. Refs M39825/8, M39820/9, price £9.95 each. Available from Philip Harris Biological Ltd, Oldmixon, Weston-super-Mare, Avon BS24 9BJ Cathy Maclean Marjorie Tindal

Farm animal breeds Set of 24, colour, plastic-mounted slides supplied in a wallet with teaching notes by Dr Alan Beaumont. Available from Audio-Visual Productions Ltd, Hocker Hill House, Chepstow, Gwent NP6 5ER Ref. 977. Price £8.90 Adam Cade

Basic techniques of plant tissue culture Twenty-six 35 mm colour slides in a plastic wallet with teaching notes. Ref M25080/2, price £16.25. Also available as a filmstrip, ref. M25084/9, price £11.00. Obtainable from Philip Harris Biological Ltd, Oldmixon, Westonsuper-Mare, Avon BS24 9BJ V. E. Stein

Focus on bats Forty 35 mm plastic mounted colour slides and a 20 minute cassette soundtrack narrated by Dr R. Stebbings. Ref. A VP 080. Price £11 (or filmstrip £7) and tape £4 (inclusive of VAT and postage). Available from International Centre for Conservation Education, Greenfield House, Gutting Power, Cheltenham, Glos GL54 5TZ Kevin Walsh

Introducing British reptiles Forty 35 mm colour slides, commentary booklet, and a leaflet on ‘Being kind to snakes‘ are supplied in a handy plastic wallet. Ref. AVP 075. Price £10.06 (includes VAT and postage). The commentary is also available on cassette. Also available as a film strip, price £5.00. Available from International Centre for Conservation Education, Greenfield House, Guiting Power, Cheltenham, Glos GL54 5TZ Iain Armstrong

Introducing British amphibia Forty 35 mm colour slides, commentary booklet and a leaftlet on ‘Garden ponds as amphibian sanctuaries’. Ref AVP 074. Price £10.06 (includes VA T and postage). Also available as a film strip, price £5.00. An audio-cassette of the commentary will soon be available price £3.80. From International Centre for Conservation Education, Greenfield House, Guiting Power, Cheltenham, Glos GL54 5TZ Alison Muspratt

Videotapes

Investigating the nervous system A 20-minute video-cassette, ref. 84/031/ I, price £29.50. Also available as a 16 mm film price £395. Produced by Educational Media Australia, in association with the Australian Academy of Science, Schools Biology Project. Available from Educational Media International, 25 Boileau Road, London W5 3AL Jane O'Leary

Reproduction in organisms A 16-minute video-cassette released in 1981, ref. 84J062JR, price £29.50. Also available as a 16 mm film price £205, ref. EM A AUS UP-S. Produced by Educational Media Australia. Available from Educational Media International, 25 Boileau Road, London W5 3AL Carol Burton Jenny Johnson

Eat your heart out A videotape in two parts, lasting about an hour produced by Scope Films Ltd, and available from Concorde Films Council Ltd, 201 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich IP3 9BJ. Price: hire £10; sale £60 C. Thorpe P. Burdett

Tapes

Biorhythms: 1. Human biology; 2. General biology Each consists of a cassette tape and a 65+ page booklet. Words by Harold Baum, music by Peter Shade, sung by the ‘Metabolites’. Published by Learn Through Music Ltd. Distributed by: (UK) Taylor and Francis Ltd, 4 John Street, London WC1N 2ET; (USA) Taylor and Francis Inc., 242 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1906. Each part £8.95 (1984). ISBNs 0 85066 291 5 and 0 85066 292 3 John A. Barker