Some connections between physiognomic traits and intelligence

A sample of 84 female subjects (students) was taken and split up on the basis of the IST-ratings (“Intelligence Structure Test” by Amthauer) into two extreme groups of “more intelligent” (N = 14) and “less intelligent” (N = 11) subjects with an aim to testing Kozeny's findings. Using his photographic-statistical method, Kozeny had observed that “more intelligent” people have a more open eye, a smaller and straighter mouth, a stronger chin, and—above all in its side dimensions—a better developed forehead. These physiognomic indicators of differences in intelligence were confirmed to a large extent by the measurements taken from the portraits of the subjects.     

The Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian and the origins of the Mongoloids

The best evidence for identifying the inhabitants of northeast Asia in the terminal Pleistocene or early Holocene periods is provided by the human burials from the Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian, and in particular the “Old Man”. Apart from the Minatogawa finds on Okinawa, all Late Pleistocene human remains from East Asia that are reasonably well published are poorly preserved and often have equivocal dates. Since the time the Upper Cave was excavated it has been supposed that the human remains were the link between “Peking Man” and the modern Mongoloid complex. We have carried out multivariate analyses of the “Old Man” cranium employing new measurements of Weidenreich's cast of the skull and comparative data from Howells' survey of modern human groups. Despite our expectations the analyses have not shown the “Old Man” to be closely linked with the Mongoloids. Considering all the evidence available we conclude that the common belief of a close biological relationship between the people buried in the Upper Cave and the modern Mongoloids is not yet adequately demonstrated. Of crucial importance in interpreting the Upper Cave burials is their antiquity, which is still commonly thought to be in the order of at least 18 000 years. We believe that recent C-14 dates of about 11 000 years, determined from animal bones, indicate the earliest possible date for the burials. The time span between the Upper Cave burials and the earliest known modern Mongoloids in north China is in the order of about 4–5000 years. It is possible that a major population shift has occurred in north China between the terminal Pleistocene and the mid Holocene, when farming first appears. If this is so, the Upper Cave people may not have been closely allied to the Mongoloid groups that now inhabit East Asia and the Americas.     

Rethinking ‘style’ for historians and philosophers of science: converging lessons from sexuality, translation, and East Asian studies

Historians and philosophers of science have furnished a wide array of theoretical-historiographical terms to emphasize the discontinuities among different systems of knowledge. Some of the most famous include Thomas Kuhn’s “paradigm”, Michel Foucault’s “episteme”, and the notion of “styles of reasoning” more recently developed by Ian Hacking and Arnold Davidson. This paper takes up this theoretical-historiographical thread by assessing the values and limitations of the notion of “style” for the historical and philosophical study of science. Specifically, reflecting on various methodological and theoretical concerns prompted by sexuality, translation, and East Asian studies, this paper argues that the heretofore ways in which historians and philosophers of science have used the notion of “style” are severely restricted in terms of its mere applicability to the intellectual history of Western science. The particular example of the translation of “homosexuality” into Chinese during the May Fourth era reveals that the notion of “style” has the potential of carrying a much more dynamic conceptual weight, as when used in “styles of argumentation”. The paper also engages briefly with the historiography of scientific “national styles” and ends with some concluding remarks on the limitations of “social histories from below” and the under appreciated importance of “epistemological histories of possibilities”.     

Tainted Blood and Vengeful Spirits: The Legacy of Japan’s Yakugai Eizu (AIDS) Trial

Medical anthropologists often point to the importance of “illness narratives” as emergent or incipient forms in which patients attempt to make sense of the moral dimensions of illness and suffering (Kleinman 1988; Mattingly 1998). In this article I draw upon published accounts, newspapers, and legal documents, supplemented by ethnographic interviews carried out from 1999 to 2001, to show how plaintiffs in the yakugai AIDS trials brought by HIV-infected hemophiliacs against the Japanese government and the pharmaceutical industries that sold them tainted blood products appropriated powerful cultural themes in producing narrative accounts of their suffering. These narratives resonate with themes of lost trust, filial piety, and the desire for a “good death.” In contrast, I show how the neat and tidy narrative that emerged in the course of the yakugai AIDS trial served to impose meaning upon the plaintiffs’ unruly experiences such that, when it was over, the Japanese public was convinced that the “AIDS problem” had been “solved.”     

The Phylogenetics of Mycotoxin and Sclerotium Production in Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae

Aspergillus flavus is a common filamentous fungus that produces aflatoxins and presents a major threat to agriculture and human health. Previous phylogenetic studies of A. flavus have shown that it consists of two subgroups, called groups I and II, and morphological studies indicated that it consists of two morphological groups based on sclerotium size, called “S” and “L.” The industrially important non-aflatoxin-producing fungus A. oryzae is nested within group I. Three different gene regions, including part of a gene involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis (omt12), were sequenced in 33 S and L strains of A. flavus collected from various regions around the world, along with three isolates of A. oryzae and two isolates of A. parasiticus that were used as outgroups. The production of B and G aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid was analyzed in the A. flavus isolates, and each isolate was identified as “S” or “L” based on sclerotium size. Phylogenetic analysis of all three genes confirmed the inference that group I and group II represent a deep divergence within A. flavus. Most group I strains produced B aflatoxins to some degree, and none produced G aflatoxins. Four of six group II strains produced both B and G aflatoxins. All group II isolates were of the “S” sclerotium phenotype, whereas group I strains consisted of both “S” and “L” isolates. Based on the omt12 gene region, phylogenetic structure in sclerotium phenotype and aflatoxin production was evident within group I. Some non-aflatoxin-producing isolates of group I had an omt12 allele that was identical to that found in isolates of A. oryzae.     

The co-evolution of culturally inherited altruistic helping and cultural transmission under random group formation

Limited migration results in kin selective pressure on helping behaviors under a wide range of ecological, demographic and life-history situations. However, such genetically determined altruistic helping can evolve only when migration is not too strong and group size is not too large. Cultural inheritance of helping behaviors may allow altruistic helping to evolve in groups of larger size because cultural transmission has the potential to markedly decrease the variance within groups and augment the variance between groups. Here, we study the co-evolution of culturally inherited altruistic helping behaviors and two alternative cultural transmission rules for such behaviors. We find that conformist transmission, where individuals within groups tend to copy prevalent cultural variants (e.g., beliefs or values), has a strong adverse effect on the evolution of culturally inherited helping traits. This finding is at variance with the commonly held view that conformist transmission is a crucial factor favoring the evolution of altruistic helping in humans. By contrast, we find that under one-to-many transmission, where individuals within groups tend to copy a “leader” (or teacher), altruistic helping can evolve in groups of any size, although the cultural transmission rule itself hitchhikes rather weakly with a selected helping trait. Our results suggest that culturally determined helping behaviors are more likely to be driven by “leaders” than by popularity, but the emergence and stability of the cultural transmission rules themselves should be driven by some extrinsic factors.     

Spatial and temporal preferences for trans-splicing in Ciona intestinalis revealed by EST-based gene expression analysis

Ciona intestinalis is a useful model organism to analyze chordate development and genetics. However, unlike vertebrates, it shares a unique mechanism called trans-splicing with lower eukaryotes. In the computational analysis of trans-splicing in C. intestinalis we report here, we discovered that although the amount of non-trans-spliced and trans-spliced genes is usually equivalent, the expression ratio between the two groups varies significantly with tissues and developmental stages. Among the seven tissues studied, the observed ratios ranged from 2.53 in “gonad” to 19.53 in “endostyle”, and during development they increased from 1.68 at the “egg” stage to 7.55 at the “juvenile” stage. We further hypothesize that this enrichment in trans-spliced mRNAs in early developmental stages might be related to the abundance of trans-spliced mRNAs in “gonad”. Our analysis indicates that in C. intestinalis, although there may not exist strong fundamental requirements for genes to be trans-spliced, the populations of non-trans-spliced and trans-spliced genes are likely to be spatially and temporally regulated differently.     

Non-verbal behavior as courtship signals: the role of control and choice in selecting partners

In this work, we provide evidence based on direct observation of behavior in encounters of opposite-sexed strangers, that women initiate and “control” the outcome. In the first minute of these videotaped 10-min interactions, neither female “solicitation” behavior nor “negative” behavior is strongly related to professed interest in the man, while female “affirmative” behavior at this stage modulates male verbal output in later stages (4–10 min). Although the rate of female courtship-like behavior is significantly higher in the first minute, it is only in the fourth to tenth minute that the rate of female courtship-like behavior is correlated with professed female interest. We hypothesize that this serves as a strategic dynamic reflecting sexual asymmetry in parental investment and the potential cost of male deception to women. Ambiguous protean behavioral strategies veil individuals' intentions and make their future actions unpredictable. These behavioral strategies may result in men's overestimation of female sexual interest.     

Testing German shepherd puppies to assess their chances of certification

Behavioral activity of 7-week-old German shepherd puppies was tested and the activities analyzed if they could be used for predicting police efficiency of the individual. In total 206 individuals sired by 42 sires and 44 dams were used. The activities were divided into 10 tasks in which reactions and behavior of pups were scored from 0 to 5 points. All pups were tested separately from other conspecifics. Probability that the puppy will pass the certification was tested by a logistic regression. Of the 206 puppies, 148 passed the certification while 58 failed. Some tested behavioral variables were moderately to highly correlated with one another. Therefore we applied a factor analysis. Three factors were retained accounting for 100% of the shared variance. After inspection of the rotated factor pattern matrix and its confidence intervals, it appeared that variables “Independent movement and interactions with the tester”, “Negotiating obstacles”, “Entering a room”, “Behavior toward a person”, and “Behavior in new environments” loaded on Factor 1 (“Factor for movement”), while variables “Response to distracting stimuli caused by a shovel”, “Response to a distracting noise while left alone in a room”, and “Response to loud distracting stimuli” on Factor 2 (“Factor for responding to noise”) and variables “Retrieval” and “Tug of war” on Factor 3 (“Factor for attitude to predation”). In the final logistic regression model, the probability that the puppy will pass the certification depended on the higher weight at the time of testing (, P = 0.0005), on the “Factor for attitude to predation” (, P = 0.0007), on the “Factor for responding to noise”, where the higher the score, the weaker was the response (, P = 0.0232), and on the “Factor for movement” showing an increasing probability with decreasing score (, P = 0.0219). The tests in our study seem to be a good base which might enable selection for suitable dogs as early as 7 weeks of age. The puppies having high probability to pass certification in adulthood were heavy individuals willing to chase, catch, and fetch a tennis ball, and follow a rag drawn away from them, while weakly responding to a distracting noise in various situations and showing low activity while negotiating obstacles and moving and interacting with the tester. To conclude, contrary to skeptical assumptions expressed by various authors, the specific puppy tests for police dogs provide a reliable tool for predicting future service ability of a puppy. Differences in methodology are likely to contribute to a lack of consensus among various studies.     

Comparison of the Antimicrobial Adhesion Potential of Human Body Fluid Glycoconjugates Using Fucose-Binding Lectin (PA-IIL) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Ulex europaeus Lectin (UEA-I)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces a fucose-binding lectin (PA-IIL) which strongly binds to human cells. This lectin was shown to be highly sensitive to inhibition by fucose-bearing human milk glycoproteins. Since the glycans of these glycoproteins mimic human cell receptors, they may function as decoys in blocking lectin-dependent pathogen adhesion to the host cells. Human saliva and seminal fluid also contain such compounds, and body fluids of individuals who are “secretors” express additional fucosylated (alpha 1,2) residues. The latter are selectively detected by Ulex europaeus lectin UEA-I. The aim of the present research was to compare the PA-IIL and UEA-I interactions with human salivas and seminal fluids of “secretors” and “nonsecretors” with those obtained with the respective milks. Using hemagglutination inhibition and Western blot analyses, we showed that PA-IIL interactions with the saliva and seminal fluid glycoproteins were somewhat weaker than those obtained with the milk and that “nonsecretor” body fluids were not less efficient than those of “secretors” in PA-IIL blocking. UEA-I, which interacted only with the “secretors” glycoproteins, was most sensitive to those of the seminal fluids.     

Quantitative characteristic of the catalytic properties and microstructure of cross-linked enzyme aggregates of penicillin acylase

The microstructure and the catalytic properties of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEA) of penicillin acylase (PA) obtained under different conditions were investigated. The period of time left between the enzyme precipitation and the cross-linking step was found to influence the structural organization of the resulting enzyme preparation. Confocal fluorescent microscopy of the so-called “fresh” and “mature” CLEAs PA allowed to estimate the “characteristic” diameter of CLEA PA particles, which appeared to be about 1.6 μm, and revealed that the “mature” type was composed of relatively big particles as compared to the “fresh” type. Complementary kinetic studies showed that the “mature” CLEA PA were more effective in both hydrolytic and synthetic reactions. It was suggested that the aggregate size might regulate the extent of covalent modification of PA and thereby influence the catalytic properties of CLEA.     

On the concept of the effective population size

The concept of the effective population size is discussed. It is shown that the “eigenvalue” and the “inbreeding” effective population sizes are in principle different, even though they have been sometimes identified in the literature. On the other hand the “eigenvalue” and “variance” effective sizes are usually both close when the latter exists. Since, however, there are many models for which a variance effective size cannot in principle exist, it seems useful to introduce the eigenvalue effective size and to examine some of its properties.     

Chelicerae as male grasping organs in scorpions: sexual dimorphism and associated behaviour

Specialised structures that enable males to grasp females during sexual interactions are highly susceptible to selection and thus diverge relatively rapidly over evolutionary time. These structures are often used to test hypotheses regarding sexual selection such as sexually antagonistic co-evolution and sexual selection by female choice. In the present study, we determine whether there is a relationship between a novel record of scorpion sexual dimorphism, the sexual dimorphism of chelicerae (CSD), and the presence of the mating behaviour termed “cheliceral grip” (CG). The presence of both traits in the order Scorpiones is also reviewed from a phylogenetic perspective. The results confirm a strong relationship between CSD and the presence of CG. The morphological and behavioural patterns associated with “CSD–CG” are opposed to the predictions postulated by the hypothesis of sexually antagonistic co-evolution. However, if the female shows resistance after the deposition of the spermatophore, the possibility that the male exerts pressure as a “cryptic form” of coercion to prevent the interruption of mating cannot be ruled out completely. Female choice by “mechanical fit” could be another explanation for some aspects of the CG's contact zone. The possibility that the “CG–CSD” complex has evolved under natural selection in order to ensure sperm transfer is also considered.     

On the interaction between stabilizing social factors and destabilizing trophic factors in small rodent populations

Mathematical models are developed in order to analyze whether or not social factors, such as, for example, the “social fence” (J. B. Hestbeck, 1982, Oikos 39, 157–163) will stabilize population density: the dynamic interaction between social factors and (dynamic) trophic factors is analyzed. It is concluded that social factors such as the “social fence” tend to stabilize population density; hence, if density cycles (as, e.g., seen in many microtine rodents) are observed in nature, it seems reasonable to conclude that density cycles are driven by, for example, trophic interactions and not by social factors. It is suggested that the “social fence” may explain why so many populations including several microtine populations have fairly stable densities despite the ever-existing destabilizing trophic interactions. Contrary to what is implied by J. B. Hestbeck (1983, “A Mathematical Model of Population Regulation in Cyclic Mammals,” Lecture notes in biomathematics, Vol. 52, Springer-Verlag, Berlin/New York), the analysis presented in this paper demonstrates that seasonal environmental changes are not essential for the generation of regular density cycles. Seasonal changes may, however, be necessary for generating a microtine-like density cycle. Empirical information on microtine rodents relating to the “social fence hypothesis” is discussed.     

The contribution of galactomannan detection in the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in bone marrow transplant recipients

Until recently, accurate microbiological diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) was seldom established in HSCT recipients. Blood samples are rarely positive for Aspergillus species, the reliability of the cultures depends of the specimen (if taken from a normally sterile site or not) and biopsy samples require invasive procedures, rarely recommended in patients with severe thrombocytopenia. Implementing the international consensus defining the microbiological criteria for the diagnosis of Aspergillus infection, we retrospectively evaluated the role of serum galactomannan (GM) detection by EIA to diagnose IA among HSCT patients with proven invasive fungal infection (IFI) and the impact of serum storage in GM concentrations. The EIA assay allowed categorizing as “probable” 5 of the 10 cases of “possible” aspergillosis (50%). Considering a lower cut-off level for the reaction (1.0), 80% of the cases could be categorized as “probable” aspergillosis. Positive or undetermined results were detected one to 4 months before the diagnosis of IA in eight of the 11 patients (72.7%) with proven IFI. Retesting the stored samples after a second storage for four years, we could observe lower reactivity in 20% of the samples. The detection of galactomannan by the EIA test represents a major advance in the diagnosis of IA in HSCT recipients at high risk of IA. A better understanding of the kinetics of the GM in different clinical situations is necessary to maximize the benefit of the test in Aspergillus surveillance.     

Imaging of Mitochondrial and Non-Mitochondrial Responses in Cultured Rat Hippocampal Neurons Exposed to Micromolar Concentrations of TMRM

Tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) is a fluorescent dye used to study mitochondrial function in living cells. Previously, we reported that TMRM effectively labeled mitochondria of neurons deep within mouse brain slices. Use of micromolar concentration of dye, which was required to get sufficient staining for two-photon imaging, resulted in typical fluctuations of TMRM. With prolonged exposure, we recorded additional responses in some neurons that included slow oscillations and propagating waves of fluorescence. (Note: We use the terms “fluctuation” to refer to a change in the fluorescent state of an individual mitochondrion, “oscillation” to refer to a localized change in fluorescence in the cytosol, and “wave” to refer to a change in cytosolic fluorescence that propagated within a cell. Use of these terms does not imply any underlying periodicity.) In this report we describe similar results using cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Prolonged exposure of cultures to 2.5 µM TMRM produced a spontaneous increase in fluorescence in some neurons, but not glial cells, after 45–60 minutes that was followed by slow oscillations, waves, and eventually apoptosis. Spontaneous increases in fluorescence were insensitive to high concentrations of FCCP (100 µM) and thapsigargin (10 µM) indicating that they originated, at least in part, from regions outside of mitochondria. The oscillations did not correlate with changes in intracellular Ca²⁺, but did correlate with differences in fluorescence lifetime of the dye. Fluorescence lifetime and one-photon ratiometric imaging of TMRM suggested that the spontaneous increase and subsequent oscillations were due to movement of dye between quenched (hydrophobic) and unquenched (hydrophilic) compartments. We propose that these movements may be correlates of intracellular events involved in early stages of apoptosis.     

Perinatal adaptation in mammals: the impact of metabolic rate

Mammalian birth is accompanied by profound changes in metabolic rate that can be described in terms of body size relationship (Kleiber's rule). Whereas the fetus, probably as an adaptation to the low intrauterine pO₂, exhibits an “inappropriately” low, adult-like specific metabolic rate, the term neonate undergoes a rapid metabolic increase up to the level to be expected from body size. A similar, albeit slowed, “switching-on” of metabolic size allometry is found in human preterm neonates whereas animals that are normally born in a very immature state are able to retard or even suppress the postnatal metabolic increase in favor of weight gain and O₂ supply. Moreover, small immature mammalian neonates exhibit a temporary oxyconforming behavior which enhances their hypoxia tolerance, yet is lost to the extent by which the size-adjusted metabolic rate is “locked” by increasing mitochondrial density. Beyond the perinatal period, there are no other deviations from metabolic size allometry among mammals except in hibernation where the temporary “switching-off” of Kleiber's rule is accompanied by a deep reduction in tissue pO₂. This gives support to the hypothesis that the postnatal metabolic increase represents an “escape from oxygen” similar to the evolutionary roots of mitochondrial respiration, and that the overall increase in specific metabolic rate with decreasing size might contribute to prevent tissues from O₂ toxicity.     

Maturation of the intestinal digestion and of microbial activity in the young rabbit: impact of the dietary fibre:starch ratio

The developmental changes of intestinal digestive potential and caecal microbial activity were described in suckling and weaned rabbits according to two feeding programmes. Two groups of thirteen litters were fed from 18 to 42 days old a “High” or a “Medium” NDF:starch ratio diet (resp. 2.7 vs 2.0, groups HL and ML) with similar protein and lipid levels, and from 42 to 70 days old the two groups were fed a “Low” NDF:starch ratio diet (1.7). From 25 to 32 days (weaning), the milk and solid feed intake were 22% and 41% higher in ML group (P < 0.05), and the mortality by diarrhoea was 4 units lower (P < 0.01). The whole tract digestive efficiency increased by 10% before weaning, and remained steady (organic matter) or decreased (lipids, protein) after weaning. Energy digestibility was 0.623 and 0.686 for High and Medium diets respectively. From 25 to 42 days, total enzymatic activity in intestinal content increased for chymotrypsin (5-fold, P < 0.001), lipase (10-fold, P < 0.001), amylase (17-fold, P < 0.01) and maltase (11-fold, P < 0.001), while trypsin doubled after weaning. The feeding programme only affected the amylase and maltase activities, that were higher in HL group (P < 0.05). The volatile fatty acids concentration in the caecum was not significantly different among the groups, but it increased by 44% 10 days after weaning. The bacterial fibrolytic enzymes, increased by 30% after weaning and were similar among the two groups. The study revealed that the intestinal digestive maturation and the caecal microbial activity of the rabbit evolved markedly between 3 and 5 weeks of age, and was weakly affected when the NDF:starch ratio decreased from 2.7 to 2.0.     

Impact of herbal medicines on physical impairment

The usefulness of recording physical impairment during intervention studies in chronic low back patients has been questioned. A re-analysis of all of our studies investigating aqueous extracts of Harpagophytum procumbens and a proprietary ethanolic Salix extract for chronic non-specific low back pain revealed that the “physical impairment” component of the Arhus low back pain index changed very little during treatment despite appreciable changes in the other two components, “pain” and “disability”, over time. For comparison, we also extracted data from the literature on the topical use of capsaicin, which showed the same thing. There may be little to lose from omitting the time-consuming assessments of “physical impairment” in studies of the (primarily analgesic) effectiveness of herbal preparations.