Law and ‘race’ in the citizenship spaces of Myanmar: spatial strategies and the political subjectivity of the Burmese Chinese

As Myanmar undergoes political and societal transition, observers are asking questions about citizenship and ethnic identity. How does one think about citizenship and people's negotiations with law in political-legal regimes that do not subscribe to liberal democratic norms? This paper investigates how law marginalizes the Burmese Chinese minority in Myanmar and the nature of their legal participation. Since law asserts cultural power impacting the way people think and behave, we engage with the concept of legal consciousness to understand how perceptions of legal vulnerability shape political subjectivity ambivalently. The paper highlights the spatial strategies and everyday practices that the Burmese Chinese deploy to navigate oppressive laws, but signals that internal social divisions and geopolitical considerations deter collective action towards rights assertion. It argues that studying the multiple sites and scales through which law is engaged contributes towards recovering citizenship aspirations where engagement with power and authority are articulated differently from Western norms.     

The Direct Actions of GABA, 2’-Methoxy-6-Methylflavone and General Anaesthetics at β3γ2L GABAA Receptors: Evidence for Receptors with Different Subunit Stoichiometries

2’-Methoxy-6-methylflavone (2’MeO6MF) is an anxiolytic flavonoid which has been shown to display GABA_A receptor (GABA_AR) β2/3-subunit selectivity, a pharmacological profile similar to that of the general anaesthetic etomidate. Electrophysiological studies suggest that the full agonist action of 2’MeO6MF at α2β3γ2L GABA_ARs may mediate the flavonoid’s in vivo effects. However, we found variations in the relative efficacy of 2’MeO6MF (2’MeO6MF-elicited current responses normalised to the maximal GABA response) at α2β3γ2L GABA_ARs due to the presence of mixed receptor populations. To understand which receptor subpopulation(s) underlie the variations observed, we conducted a systematic investigation of 2’MeO6MF activity at all receptor combinations that could theoretically form (α2, β3, γ2L, α2β3, α2γ2L, β3γ2L and α2β3γ2L) in Xenopus oocytes using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. We found that 2’MeO6MF activated non-α-containing β3γ2L receptors. In an attempt to establish the optimal conditions to express a uniform population of these receptors, we found that varying the relative amounts of β3:γ2L subunit mRNAs resulted in differences in the level of constitutive activity, the GABA concentration-response relationships, and the relative efficacy of 2’MeO6MF activation. Like 2’MeO6MF, general anaesthetics such as etomidate and propofol also showed distinct levels of relative efficacy across different injection ratios. Based on these results, we infer that β3γ2L receptors may form with different subunit stoichiometries, resulting in the complex pharmacology observed across different injection ratios. Moreover, the discovery that GABA and etomidate have direct actions at the α-lacking β3γ2L receptors raises questions about the structural requirements for their respective binding sites at GABA_ARs.     

Prophylactic Application of MA-[d-Leu-4]-OB3, a Small Molecule Synthetic Peptide Leptin Mimetic,Prevents or Slows the Progression of Obesity,Insulin Resistance,and Cognitive Impairment in a Mouse Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Oral delivery of MA-[d-Leu-4]-OB3 has been shown to significantly improve energy balance, glycemic control, dyslipidemia, and episodic...     

Genome-Wide Association Analysis with Gray Matter Volume as a Quantitative Phenotype in First-Episode Treatment-Na?ve Patients with Schizophrenia

Reduced Gray matter (GM) volume is a core feature of schizophrenia. Mapping genes that is associated with the heritable disease-related phenotypes may be conducive to elucidate the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This study aims to identify the common genetic variants that underlie the deficits of GM volume in schizophrenia. High-resolution T1 images and whole genome genotyping data were obtained from 74 first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 51 healthy controls in the Mental Health Centre of the West China Hospital, Sichuan University. All participants were scanned using a 3T MR imaging system and were genotyped using the HumanHap660 Bead Array. Reduced GM volumes in three brain areas including left hOC3v in the collateral sulcus of visual cortex (hOC3vL), left cerebellar vermis lobule 10 (vermisL10) and right cerebellar vermis lobule 10 (vermisR10) were found in patients with schizophrenia. There was a group by genotype interaction when genotypes from genome-wide scan were subsequently considered in the case-control analyses. SNPs from three genes or chromosomal regions (TBXAS1, PIK3C2G and HS3ST5) were identified to predict the changes of GM volume in hOC3vL, vermisL10 and vermisR10. These results also highlighted the usefulness of endophenotype in exploring the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia although further independent replication studies are needed in the future.     

Conservation of the Native Orchids Through Seedling Culture and Reintroduction—A Singapore Experience

Singapore is located near the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The whole country consists mostly of lowland. It has many interesting types of natural habitats such as primary rain forest, freshwater swamp forest, mangroves, secondary forests, shrub, grasslands, and urban parks and fields. The climate is equatorial with relatively uniform temperature and high humidity. Unfortunately, many of the natural habitats and the native orchids which thrive there have disappeared due to habitat destruction. Some 226 species of native orchids have been recorded in Singapore. However, of these 178 are considered to be extinct, and only five are common. The orchid conservation programme aims to monitor existing species, explore ways to conserve their germplasm, and increase their numbers in natural, semi-natural, and urban environments through ex-situ seedling culture and subsequent re-introduction into appropriate habitats, including roadside trees, parks and natural areas. In the first phase of the programme, we have successfully propagated and carried out experiments of re-introduction on five species of native orchids, namely, Grammatophyllum speciosum, Bulbophyllum vaginatum, Bulbophyllum membranaceum, Cymbidium finlaysonianum and Cymbidium bicolor. Survival percentages 8-yr after the reintroduction events ranged from 10 to 95 for G. speciosum, the target species of the earliest re-introduction experiments. Size of the seedlings at reintroduction, host trees, and relative humidity seemed to play significant roles in the success rate of the reintroductions.     

Genomic instability and aging-like phenotype in the absence of mammalian SIRT6

The Sir2 histone deacetylase functions as a chromatin silencer to regulate recombination, genomic stability, and aging in budding yeast. Seven mammalian Sir2 homologs have been identified (SIRT1-SIRT7), and it has been speculated that some may have similar functions to Sir2. Here, we demonstrate that SIRT6 is a nuclear, chromatin-associated protein that promotes resistance to DNA damage and suppresses genomic instability in mouse cells, in association with a role in base excision repair (BER). SIRT6-deficient mice are small and at 2-3 weeks of age develop abnormalities that include profound lymphopenia, loss of subcutaneous fat, lordokyphosis, and severe metabolic defects, eventually dying at about 4 weeks. We conclude that one function of SIRT6 is to promote normal DNA repair, and that SIRT6 loss leads to abnormalities in mice that overlap with aging-associated degenerative processes.     

Dance education in Singapore: Policy,discourse, and practice

This article provides an overview of dance education in schools in Singapore with regard to physical education, co-curricular activity, initiatives by the National Arts Council's Arts Education unit, and pre-tertiary and tertiary dance programs. In an effort to gain a better understanding of how well the official discourse and the reality of schooling in dance interconnect, a meta-analysis of published articles, conference papers, committee reports, and curricula was conducted. Situated within the larger sociocultural, political, and historical contexts, Singapore presents a curious case for probing the merits and limitations of research, policy initiatives, and policy implementation. In the conclusion, the author argues that the development of a coherent dance education in Singapore requires “fixing” three dilemmas—meritocratic schooling in dance, the ill-defined and exhaustive use of the term “talent,” and the uneven research that has not kept pace with the policy initiatives.     

Cell-specific expression of pyruvate, pi dikinase : in situ mRNA hybridization and immunolocalization labeling of protein in wheat seed

Pyruvate, Pi dikinase (PPDK) is a key enzyme in the C4 photosynthetic pathway. However, its metabolic role in C3 plants remains uncertain. Northern blot analyses of PPDK mRNAs from wheat leaves and seeds probed with maize PPDK cDNA indicates the presence of organ-specific mRNAs. Immunofluorescent labeling of protein in wheat seed demonstrate that the PPDK polypeptide and the ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit polypeptide are localized predominantly in the aleurone layer and the chlorophyllous pericarp tissue, respectively. This differential distribution of the two polypeptides in wheat seed is paralleled by the differential localization of the their mRNAs as revealed by in situ hybridization. These results suggest a distinct role of cytoplasmic PPDK in seeds, which is different from the well established role in C4 photosynthesis.     

Limited dispersal and geographic barriers cause population differentiation and structuring in Begonia maxwelliana at both large and small scales

Background: Genetic divergence is one of the key processes in speciation. In the Begoniaceae, genetic divergence caused by limited gene flow may explain its high species diversity and endemicity. This hypothesis has been supported by past genetic work but there is a lack of empirical studies on the causes of limited gene flow.

Aim: To identify the causes of limited gene flow in Begonia.

Methods: We examined the genetic structure among the populations of Begonia maxwelliana at the macro- and micro-spatial scales using microsatellites, measured seed dispersal range and observed flowering phenology.

Results: Population differentiation and structuring were detected at both the macro- and micro-scales. Dispersal range was short, and all populations showed similar reproductive behaviour.

Conclusions: The strong population differentiation and structuring among the populations studied imply that they are evolutionarily significant units and possible candidates for speciation. Geographical barriers and limited seed dispersal restrict gene flow in the populations, and these factors may be responsible for the rapid speciation and large diversity in the family.     

Synthesis of poly-hydroxyalkanoates from activated sludge under various oxidation-reduction potentials

The production of poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from the activated sludge subjected to conditions with various oxidationreduction potentials (ORPs) was investigated. By controlling the dissolved oxygen concentration in the cultural media, the ORP were kept at preset levels of ?20, ?10, 0, and +10 mV. With glucose as the dedicated carbon source, we have demonstrated a correlating relationship with the ORP’s in the culture media to the PHA accumulation rate, the PHA production-yield, cell growth rate, glucose uptakes and 3-hydroxybutyrate to 3-hydroxyvalerate (HB/HV) mole ratios in the PHA copolymers. The highest PHA production yield of 0.26 g/g with HB/HV mole ratio of 8.03 was achieved at +10 mV ORP. We concluded that oxygen plays an important role in PHA accumulation and HB/HV mole ratio activated sludge-to-copolymer PHA conversion process.