Taurodontism: A biometric study

This study has been carried out in order to clarify various aspects of the phenomenon known as taurodontism. Samples of both taurodont and non-taurodont teeth were measured and statistical analyses were performed on the resultant data from which various conclusions may be drawn. The most important conclusion is that this phenomenon may be defined metrically. The distributions have shown that the taurodont trait grades into the normal and it is quite difficult to make a subjective judgment at the low end of the taurodont range. It is for this reason that an accurate mathematical means for performing this task is so invaluable. The question of the nature of cuneiform single rooted molars was also investigated, and they were found not to be true taurodonts although the statistical procedure classed them as such. It was demonstrated that through the construction of simple plots these teeth could be eliminated from any group classed by analysis as taurodonts. Various metrical attributes were evaluated with respect to their ability to distinguish taurodonts, and two were found to be satisfactory for this purpose in most cases. Certain changes in molar morphology regarding caries and age were also investigated.     

Morphology of defense glands of the opilionids (daddy longlegs) Leiobunum vittatum and L. flavum (Arachnida: Opiliones: Palpatores: Phalangiidae)

Opilionid defense glands consist of 0.5 × 0.9-mm sacs attached to the underside of low tubercles located on the dorsal side of the cephalothorax, posterior to the first pair of legs. Each gland opens via an elongated slit, located in the posterior floor of a crater that is situated at the summit of the tubercle. The center of the sac, called the reservoir, is lined by a cuticle consisting of epicuticle and endocuticle which is continuous through the slit with the exoskeleton. The layers of cuticle vary in thickness with different locations in the gland. A hemocoelomic (basement) membrane, 0.5–1, μ thick, forms the boundary between glandular cells and hemocoel. The gland has a nonsecretory portion consisting only of cuticle-supporting cells and a secretory portion consisting of secretory and cuticle-supporting cells. The cuticle lining the reservoir in the secretory area is broached by many cuticle-lined ductules, each of which drains an isolated intercellular space called the intercalated cistern. This in turn drains microvilli-lined canaliculi located between and extending into secretory cells. The cisterns are devoid of microvilli. Secretory cell cytoplasm contains a Golgi apparatus, many free ribosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), two types of granules (speckled and dense), and mitochondria. Speckled granules are partially filled with fairly large particles and are found in association with the Golgi apparatus. They also surround canaliculi into which they empty. Dense granules are packed with very small particles, have a gray homogeneous appearance, and are scattered throughout the cytoplasm. Mitochondria containing matrix granules tend to scatter throughout the cytoplasm but are concentrated around canaliculi.     

Traditional treatment for mental illness in Africa: A review

The publication of The Quest for Therapy in Lower Zaire (University of California Press) by John M. Janzen (with the collaboration of William Arkinstall), and African Therapeutic Systems (Crossroads Press), edited by Z. A. Ademuwagun, John A. A. Ayoade, Ira E. Harrison and Dennis M. Warren, calls attention to recent research findings which indicate that mentally ill persons, particularly schizophrenics, may recover more rapidly and fully in non-industrialized societies than they do in industrialized ones. The books by Janzen and Ademuwagen et al. will be examined as contributions to a growing body of information on native African therapeutic practices. Evidence relating to the apparently benign course of psychosis in Africa will be examined, and various explanations for this pattern will be evaluated. Finally, some guidelines for future research will be suggested.     

Effects of glycerol on microtubule polymerization kinetics

Steady state and kinetic studies of polymerization of purified microtubule protein show little effect of glycerol on the steady state level of polymerization, as demonstrated by measurements of critical concentration. The rates of polymerization and depolymerization are slowed in the presence of glycerol. This data indicates that the stabilization of microtubules by high glycerol is largely a kinetic effect rather than a shift in equilibrium. However, the apparent critical concentration for microtubule polymerization from crude brain homogenate is substantially higher in the absence of glycerol, and glycerol appears to protect microtubule polymerization against the action of endogenous inhibitors.     

Human lymphocyte tubulin: Purification and characterization in normal and leukemic cells

Tubulin has been purified from human blood and tonsil lymphocytes. Using gel filtration, the molecular weight of human lymphocyte tubulin was estimated to be 119 000. The proteins was shown to consist of two subunits, with molecular weights of 61 000 and 58 000 comparable to the α and β polypeptides of human brain tubulin. A partial identity reaction was observed between lymphocyte tubulin and human tubulin when tested by double immunodiffusion against a rabbit anti-human brain tubulin antibody. In the presence of GTP, the purified protein polymerized to form microtubules. Tubulin was localized to the cell's juxtacentriolar region by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. When assayed by a colchicine-binding assay corrected for time decay, the binding affinity was 1.50 ± 0.86 · 10⁶M^?1 and a level in normal lymphocytes of 1.21 · 10^?2 ± 0.79 g/g of soluble protein was determined. Since chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphocytes have an anomalous capping behavior as well as an unusual susceptibility to colchicine toxicity, the properties and levels of tubulin were determined in these cells. Similar values were obtained for the level, decay rate, molecular weight, and K_a for colchicine as for normal lymphocytes. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphocyte tubulin polymerized in a normal fashion. It thus appears that a decrease in the quantity or function of tubulin does not account for these anomalies in the chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphocyte.     

A physiological analogy of the niche for projecting the potential distribution of plants

Aim  To develop a physiologically based model of the plant niche for use in species distribution modelling. Location  Europe. Methods  We link the Thornley transport resistance (TTR) model with functions which describe how the TTR’s model parameters are influenced by abiotic environmental factors. The TTR model considers how carbon and nutrient uptake, and the allocation of these assimilates, influence growth. We use indirect statistical methods to estimate the model parameters from a high resolution data set on tree distribution for 22 European tree species. Results  We infer, from distribution data and abiotic forcing data, the physiological niche dimensions of 22 European tree species. We found that the model fits were reasonable (AUC: 0.79–0.964). The projected distributions were characterized by a false positive rate of 0.19 and a false negative rate 0.12. The fitted models are used to generate projections of the environmental factors that limit the range boundaries of the study species. Main conclusions  We show that physiological models can be used to derive physiological niche dimensions from species distribution data. Future work should focus on including prior information on physiological rates into the parameter estimation process. Application of the TTR model to species distribution modelling suggests new avenues for establishing explicit links between distribution and physiology, and for generating hypotheses about how ecophysiological processes influence the distribution of plants.