An Ethnographic Filmflam: Giving Gifts, Doing Research, and Videotaping the Native Subject/Object

Using the discussion of self-reflexivity as an organizing principle, this article examines how mobilizing digital video technology during fieldwork opens up empirical and theoretical space for reconceptualizing the relationship between anthropologists and informants. Placing the field of visual anthropology into critical conversation with long-standing theoretical arguments about the objectivist limitations of native anthropologists, I argue that the slipperiness of nativity as an anthropological designation helps to provide analytical tools for examining filmmaking as a kind of gift-giving process between native ethnographic filmmakers and the subjects of their films. This article highlights some of the ways in which my own filmic and videographic exploits in Harlem, New York, mark integral connections between seeing and being the proverbial other, probing social exchanges predicated on the usefulness of low-budget digital technology as a means of fostering politically and epistemologically valuable ethnographic collaborations.     

Malarial Parasites of the "Jesu Cristo" Lizard Basiliscus basiliscus (Iguanidae) in Panama

SYNOPSIS. The iguanid lizard Basiliscus basiliscus in Panama is parasitized by Plasmodium basilisci and P. achiotense sp. nov. P. basilisci in this host is characterized by schizonts containing 4–14 merozoites, with schizonts parasitizing proerythrocytes containing more merozoites than those in erythrocytes. Asexual parasites lack cytoplasmic projections, while mature gametocytes are round or oval with regular margins.
P. achiotense is characterized by the combination of prominently pigmented, large schizonts containing 36–56 merozoites and oval or round gametocytes which are about 1/3 larger than those of P. basilisci.
EE-schizonts of P. basilisci were observed commonly in thrombocytes and occasionally in lymphocytes, and appeared early in experimental infections induced by blood inoculation.     

The sucrose fuel cell: Efficient biomass conversion using a microbial catalyst

Sucrose was used as a fuel in a thionine-mediated microbial fuel cell containingProteus vulgaris serving as the biocatalyst in the anode compartment. The measured yields show that under suitable conditions the substrate may be oxidised quantitatively to electricity and carbon dioxide.     

Larval development and metamorphosis in the marine pulmonate Amphibola crenata (Mollusca: Pulmonata)

The development of the free-swimming veliger of Amphibola is followed from hatching to settlement, and the larval structures compared with those of post-metamorphic juveniles and adult snails. Observations of living specimens and light-microscope sections were combined with scanning electron microscopy to build up a composite picture of veliger structure.
Four stages in the development of veligers are recognized, each being characterized by the appearance of organ systems such as the mantle cavity, larval heart, adult heart and kidney, and larval pallial gland. At or after metamorphosis, the larval systems (heart, kidney and pallial gland) disappear, and the developing adult organs move to the positions characteristic of adult snails.
Organogenesis in Amphibola veligers is compared with that of prosobranch and opisthobranch larvae, and with that of pulmonate larvae with direct development. The closest similarity is seen to be with opisthobranch veligers.     

On the Trail of Atmospheric Mutagens and Carcinogens: A Combined Chemical/Microbiological Approach

Major ecological problems of our polluted troposphere includeairborne toxic chemicals, acid rain and photochemical smog,all three of which are now recognized as being closely relatedchemical phenomena. We also recognize that inorder to developcost-effective strategies for their control, which protect publichealth and the environment, there must be close scientific interactionsbetween chemists and biological scientists. For example, ofrapidly emerging importance is the development of risk assessmentevaluations for specific aspects of each of these problem areas.In preparing such assessments, chemists must define the "exposure,"and biological scientists the "effects." In this paper, I discuss an example of how such close interactionsproved indispensible in our search for atmospheric mutagensand carcinogens. Thus, an integrated chemical/ microbiologicalprocedure for the isolation and identificationof particulatechemical mutagens in respirable diesel soot and ambient particlesis described. Emphasis is placed on our use of the short-term,Ames Salmonella typhimurium bacterial mutagenicity test as arapid, and relatively inexpensive, means of following the biologicalactivities of these environmental mutagens through the chemicalsteps of their separation, isolation and identification fromhighly complex environmental samples. Possible mechanisms offormation of these particulate mutagens are discussed. Theyinclude the reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons presenton the surfaces of combustion-generated particles with gaseousco-pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide plus nitric acid, andozone. In discussing this research on a societally "relevant" problem,we illustrate the importance of "Science as a Way of Knowing."We further suggest that this integrated approach to scientificproblem solving by chemical and biological scientists mightserve as an example of a discussion topic on human ecology forundergraduate courses in the natural sciences.     

Genomic Evidence for Island Population Conversion Resolves Conflicting Theories of Polar Bear Evolution

Despite extensive genetic analysis, the evolutionary relationship between polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos) remains unclear. The two most recent comprehensive reports indicate a recent divergence with little subsequent admixture or a much more ancient divergence followed by extensive admixture. At the center of this controversy are the Alaskan ABC Islands brown bears that show evidence of shared ancestry with polar bears. We present an analysis of genome-wide sequence data for seven polar bears, one ABC Islands brown bear, one mainland Alaskan brown bear, and a black bear (U. americanus), plus recently published datasets from other bears. Surprisingly, we find clear evidence for gene flow from polar bears into ABC Islands brown bears but no evidence of gene flow from brown bears into polar bears. Importantly, while polar bears contributed <1% of the autosomal genome of the ABC Islands brown bear, they contributed 6.5% of the X chromosome. The magnitude of sex-biased polar bear ancestry and the clear direction of gene flow suggest a model wherein the enigmatic ABC Island brown bears are the descendants of a polar bear population that was gradually converted into brown bears via male-dominated brown bear admixture. We present a model that reconciles heretofore conflicting genetic observations. We posit that the enigmatic ABC Islands brown bears derive from a population of polar bears likely stranded by the receding ice at the end of the last glacial period. Since then, male brown bear migration onto the island has gradually converted these bears into an admixed population whose phenotype and genotype are principally brown bear, except at mtDNA and X-linked loci. This process of genome erosion and conversion may be a common outcome when climate change or other forces cause a population to become isolated and then overrun by species with which it can hybridize.     

THE JUST-ABOUT-RIGHT INTENSITY SCALE: FUNCTIONAL ANALYSES AND RELATION TO HEDONICS

This study assessed the meaning of just‐about‐right (JAR) categories when used with a 5‐point intensity scale. The panelists comprised both consumer and in‐house respondents. The JAR categories have various meanings as perceived by the respondents: “prefer product,”“very good,”“I like the product,”“like it very much,”“highly favorable,”“high acceptability,”“desirable like the product,”“best for the situation” and “correct.” Thus, the JAR meanings invoke preference and acceptability. This article presents two additional analyses to help the product tested. One method of analysis divides below‐JAR deviation from the above‐JAR deviation, with standard statistical procedures applied in each data set. The second method introduces the signal‐to‐noise ratio statistic for analyzing the relation of JAR to overall liking. Both analytic methods provide new ways to look at the JAR data, especially with respect to hedonics and product improvement.     

Human health risks of metals and metalloids in muscle tissue of Synodontis zambezensis Peters, 1852 from Flag Boshielo Dam,South Africa

Muscle tissue from 63 Synodontis zambezensis collected bimonthly in 2013 at Flag Boshielo Dam were analysed for metals and metalloids in a desktop human health risk assessment. The Hazard Quotient, based on a weekly meal of 67 g of fish muscle, exceeded the maximum acceptable level of one for lead, cobalt, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and selenium. The concentrations of these elements were higher in 2013 than those recorded in 2009 and 2012 in other fish species from Flag Boshielo Dam and these may pose a long-term health risk if consumed regularly by impoverished rural communities reliant on fish as a source of protein.     

Source of an egg kairomone for Trissolcus basalis, a parasitoid of Nezara viridula

Abstract. The eggs of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), are successfully attacked by Trissolcus basalis (Woll.) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and are recognized as hosts by a secretion applied to the egg chorion. This secretion is produced by the follicular cells in the proximal region of the ovariole of the female pentatomid and functions as an adhesive for attaching the eggs to the oviposition substrate. The adhesive and kairomone activity could be partially removed with water. This water extract elicited host recognition behaviour in T. basalis when applied to glass beads which stuck together as the extract dried. The adhesive and kairomonal activity was removed completely with acetone since acetone-washed host eggs were not recognized by T. basalis. Application of the acetone extract to glass beads stimulated ovipositional probes by T. basalis. The adhesive appeared to be composed of a mucopolysaccharide–protein complex.     

Elevated levels of fibrinogen-derived endogenous citrullinated peptides in synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the joints and the presence of autoantibodies directed against proteins containing the non-standard arginine-derived amino acid citrulline. The protein fibrinogen, which has an essential role in blood clotting, is one of the most prominent citrullinated autoantigens in RA, particularly because it can be found in the inflamed tissue of affected joints. Here, we set out to analyze the presence of citrullinated endogenous peptides in the synovial fluid of RA and arthritic control patients.

Methods

Endogenous peptides were isolated from the synovial fluid of RA patients and controls by filtration and solid phase extraction. The peptides were identified and quantified using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results

Our data reveal that the synovial fluid of RA patients contains soluble endogenous peptides, derived from fibrinogen, containing significant amounts of citrulline residues and, in some cases, also phosphorylated serine. Several citrullinated peptides are found to be more abundantly present in the synovial fluid of RA patients compared to patients suffering from other inflammatory diseases affecting the joints.

Conclusions

The increased presence of citrullinated peptides in RA patients points toward a possible specific role of these peptides in the immune response at the basis of the recognition of citrullinated peptides and proteins by RA patient autoantibodies.