Polyphyly of Asian Tree Toads,Genus Pedostibes Günther, 1876 (Anura: Bufonidae), and the Description of a New Genus from Southeast Asia

The Asian Tree Toad genus Pedostibes, as currently understood, exhibits a conspicuously disjunct distribution, posing several immediate questions relating to the biogeography and taxonomy of this poorly known group. The type species, P. tuberculosus and P. kempi, are known only from India, whereas P. hosii, P. rugosus, and P. everetti are restricted to Southeast Asia. Several studies have shown that these allopatric groups are polyphyletic, with the Indian Pedostibes embedded within a primarily South Asian clade of toads, containing the genera Adenomus, Xanthophryne, and Duttaphrynus. Southeast Asian Pedostibes on the other hand, are nested within a Southeast Asian clade, which is the sister lineage to the Southeast Asian river toad genus Phrynoidis. We demonstrate that Indian and Southeast Asian Pedostibes are not only allopatric and polyphyletic, but also exhibit significant differences in morphology and reproductive mode, indicating that the Southeast Asian species’ are not congeneric with the true Pedostibes of India. As a taxonomic solution, we describe a new genus, Rentapia gen. nov. to accommodate the Southeast Asian species.     

No More Foreigners? The Remaking of German Naturalization and Citizenship Law, 1990–2000

Since the beginning of the 1990s, Germany has been taking controversial policy measures that had been quite unimaginable, even in the 1980s. On the one hand, regulations for asylum seekers and ethnic Germans have gradually become restrictive in nature. On the other hand, changes to the Citizenship and Nationality Law of 1913 (Reichs und Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz) and the Alien Act of 1965 (Ausländergesetz) have dramatically altered the naturalization process. Before the passage of the new German citizenship law in 1999, the acquisition of citizenship in Germany was solely based on the principle of descent (jus sanguinis). This paper attempts to explain why German government altered its citizenship policy and introduced birthright citizenship. It reviews the post-war contextual factors that have shaped the debate on citizenship and asks whether it is external or internal factors, that is international-level norms and institutions or domestic politics, that led to the change. If domestic politics can fully explain the adoption of the new citizenship law, what domestic forces played an important role? Was state action taken in the name of protecting “the national interest” or was it party politics? What role did societal forces play in the making of new citizenship policy? Did the act seek to mitigate anti-foreigner sentiment growing in Germany since the 1990s? Using archival and documentary research and secondary data on socio-economic and demographic trends in Germany, this paper concludes that domestic politics explain the changes in the citizenship law. I argue that granting and withholding national citizenship, including birthright citizenship, is exclusively in the hands of a nation state. Considering a purely ethnocultural understanding of nation-hood now includes legal and territorial components, the new German citizenship law is a major reform at the both theoretical and conceptual level. However, the practical consequences of the new naturalization process remain to be seen. The main question for the future research agenda is whether the new naturalization and citizenship laws will bring full integration of foreigners living in German society.     

Observing the Temperature Dependent Transition of the GP2 Peptide Using Terahertz Spectroscopy

The GP2 peptide is derived from the Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2/nue), a marker protein for breast cancer present in saliva. In this paper we study the temperature dependent behavior of hydrated GP2 at terahertz frequencies and find that the peptide undergoes a dynamic transition between 200 and 220 K. By fitting suitable molecular models to the frequency response we determine the molecular processes involved above and below the transition temperature (T _D). In particular, we show that below T _D the dynamic transition is dominated by a simple harmonic vibration with a slow and temperature dependent relaxation time constant and that above T _D, the dynamic behavior is governed by two oscillators, one of which has a fast and temperature independent relaxation time constant and the other of which is a heavily damped oscillator with a slow and temperature dependent time constant. Furthermore a red shifting of the characteristic frequency of the damped oscillator was observed, confirming the presence of a non-harmonic vibration potential. Our measurements and modeling of GP2 highlight the unique capabilities of THz spectroscopy for protein characterization.     

Neuronal gene expression in aluminum myelopathy

1. Aluminum administration to susceptible animal species results in neurofilament accumulation in neuronal perikarya and proximal axons. Pathogenetic studies in vivo have shown that aluminum rapidly associates with neuronal chromatin. Whether the effect of aluminum on DNA components plays a role in the production of the neurofibrillary lesion remains unclear. 2. In this study we used Northern analysis and in situ hybridization to evaluate mRNA levels of specific neuronal and glial components in the rabbit spinal cord at various times following aluminum administration. 3. Our results show that (a) all neuronal mRNAs evaluated (neurofilament triplet components, neuronal-specific enolase, and amyloid precursor protein) are markedly decreased, with no decrease in glial fibrillary acidic protein; (b) the effect on neuronal gene expression occurs early and concurrently with the development of the neurofibrillary lesion and reverses rapidly after a single dose of aluminum; and (c) there is a direct correlation between the severity of the neurofibrillary lesion and the decrease in neuronal mRNA levels. 4. We interpret our results to mean that the accumulation of neurofilaments in this model is not due to a selective effect on neurofilament gene expression but may be due to an inhibition of genes coding for components involved in processing of neurofilament proteins.     

33-kDa C-terminal heparin binding fragment of fibronectin promotes attachment and spreading of hepatocytes

The possibility of interaction of hepatocytes with the heparin binding domain of Fibronectin was examined. Rat hepatocytes adhered to coverslips coated with the 33-kDa heparin binding fragment of the C-terminal region of plasma fibronectin. When different concentrations of the heparin binding fragment were used to coat coverslips and used as substratum, cell attachment showed saturation kinetics. Half the maximum attachment was observed at 30–40 min after seeding of cells. The cells became flat after 2–3 h indicating that they spread on the heparin binding domain as they do on intact fibronectin. Among the different glycosaminoglycans tested, maximum inhibition of attachment was observed for heparin. However it was not possible to completely inhibit attachment even at high concentrations. These results indicate that hepatocytes interact with fibronectin not only through the Arg-Gly-Asp-containing cell binding fragment, but also through the heparin binding domain of fibronectin and, further, that there exist heparin-dependent and heparin-independent mechanisms of interaction of cells with the 33-kDa heparin binding fragment of fibronectin     

Design of liposome to improve encapsulation efficiency of gelonin and its effect on immunoreactivity and ribosome inactivating property

Gelonin, purified from the seeds of Gelonium multiflorum, using cation-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography was characterised for its purity, homogeneity and molecular weight by reverse-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) and SDS-PAGE analysis. The HPLC purified gelonin was used for entrapment studies in the liposomes. Liposomes were prepared by reverse phase evaporation (REV) technique using three different types of lipid composition in the same molar ratio. The method resulted in 75–80% entrapment efficiency of gelonin in the liposomes. Entrapped and unentrapped gelonin was characterized for physico-chemical, immunochemical and biological properties. The immunoreactivity of entrapped gelonin was fully preserved but the ribosome-inactivating property was slightly inhibited. The method involved mild conditions, highly reproducible and the liposomes produced appeared to be stable for several months. It has important implications in the development of cell type specific cytotoxic agents where a chemical cross-linking is involved which significantly inhibits both immunoreactivity and ribosome-inactivating ability of the toxin.     

The appearance of an enzyme activity catalysing the conversion of norsolorinic acid to averantin in Aspergillus parasiticus cultures

The activity of the enzyme responsible for the conversion of norsolorinic acid to averantin was studied in two strains of Aspergillus parasiticus. Cell-free extracts of the enzyme were purified from different aged mycelia and little activity was found prior to 24 hours after inoculation but this quickly reached a maximum at 48 hours and declined thereafter. Both strains of A. parasiticus, one in aflatoxin producing strain, the other a versicolorin A accumulating mutant, showed this trend. It was concluded that the enzyme responsible for this conversion was a secondary metabolic enzyme and was distinct from alcohol and mannitol dehydrogenases.     

Retinopetal neuronal system in the brain of an air-breathing teleost fish,Channa punctata

Summary Retinopetal neurons were visualised in the telencephalon and diencephalon of an air-breathing teleost fish, Channa punctata, following administration of cobaltous lysine to the optic nerve. The labelled perikarya (n=45–50) were always located on the side contralateral to the optic nerve that had received the neuronal tracer. The rostral-most back-filled cell bodies were located in the nucleus olfactoretinalis at the junction between the olfactory bulb and the telencephalon. In the area ventralis telencephali, two groups of telencephaloretinopetal neurons were identified near the ventral margin of the telencephalon. The rostral hypothalamus exhibited retrogradely labelled cells in three discrete areas of the lateral preoptic area, which was bordered medially by the nucleus praeopticus periventricularis and nucleus praeopticus, and laterally by the lateral forebrain bundle. In addition to a dorsal and a ventral group, a third population of neurons was located ventral to the lateral forebrain bundle adjacent to the optic tract. The dorsal group of neurons exhibited extensive collaterals; a few extended laterally towards the lateral forebrain bundle, whereas others ran into the dorsocentral area of the area dorsalis telencephali. A few processes extended via the anterior commissure into the telencephalon ipsilateral to the optic nerve that had been exposed to cobaltous lysine. However, the ventral cell group did not possess collaterals. In the diencephalon, retinopetal cells were visualised in the nucleus opticus dorsolateralis located in the pretectal area; these were the largest retinopetal perikarya of the brain. The caudal-most nucleus that possessed labelled somata was the retinothalamic nucleus; it contained the largest number of retinopetal cells. The limited number of widely distributed neurons in the forebrain, some with extensive collaterals, might participate in functional integration of different brain areas involved in feeding, which in this species is influenced largely by taste, not solely by vision.