The growth of growth

Over a 40-year period, 1940 through the present, human growth research has increased from a minimal to a major part of physical anthropology. Such research, originally conducted at the major American growth centers, has become more diverse and more specialized, extending to National Probability Samplings, nutritional surveys, studies of twins, investigations restricted to the craniofacial complex, and studies of the growth and development of various primate species. Besides extending knowledge of growth and development in general and control mechanisms in particular, there has been major feedback into physical anthropology affording far greater understanding of human variability, of taxonomic differences, and of changes previously believed to be phylogenetic in nature. To the larger extent, all physical anthropologists have some degree of growth awareness.     

Publish and Perish?

The publishing of research has implications for the evaluation of research careers, research departments, and funding for research projects. Researchers' academic evaluation relies heavily on the status of the journals in which they publish. The inclusion of one's work in the Science Citation Index (SCI) and the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) is often used as an indicator of academic quality. This is unfortunate for many environmental researchers, as their journals are not represented in the SCI and SSCI. Two investigations were carried out to determine the reasons for this. The first investigation identified 352 existing environmental academic journals, classified into seven categories (and several subcategories). Of these, two categories were not represented in the SCI or SSCI: environmental systems analysis journals and corporate environmental management journals. The second survey investigated the publishing patterns of interdisciplinary research groups and the characteristics of the journals in which they publish. In spite of acceptable citation levels, interdisciplinary environmental journals are excluded from the SCI and SSCI. A major reason seems to be that citations of their articles are uncounted by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), the organization producing the SCI and SSCI, because citations mostly take place in a group of journals completely unrepresented in ISI's database.     

The effect of exposure to microgravity on the development and structural organisation of plant protoplasts flown on Biokosmos 9

Preparatory experiments for the IML-1 (International Microgravity Laboratory) mission to be flown on the Space Shuttle in January, 1992, were performed on a 14 day flight on Biokosmos 9 (Kosmos 2044) in September 1989. The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of weightlessness on protoplast regeneration. Problems with late access to the space vehicle meant that the newly isolated protoplasts from hypocotyl cells of rapeseed (Brassica napus L. cv Niklas) and suspension cultures of carrot (Daucus carota L, cv Nobo) had to be stored at 4 degrees C for 36 h prior to the launch of the biosatellite, in order to delay cell wall regeneration until the samples were in orbit. In the flight samples and the ground controls, a portion of the total number of protoplasts regenerated cell walls. The growth of flight rapeseed cells was only 56% compared to the ground control; the respective growth of carrot cells in orbit was 82% of the ground control. Analysis demonstrated that the peroxidase activity and the amount of protein was lower in the flight samples than in the ground controls. The number of different isoenzymes was also decreased in the flight samples. A 54% decrease in the production of cellulose was found in rapeseed, and a 71% decrease in carrot. Hemicellulose production was also decreased in the flight samples compared to the ground controls. Ultrastructural analysis of the cell aggregates from the protoplasts cultured in orbit, demonstrated that hydrolysis and disappearance of reserve starch occurred in the flight cell plastids. The mitochondria were more varied in appearance in the flight samples than in the ground control cells. An increased frequency of the occurrence of folds formed by the plasmalemma together with an increase in the degree of complexity of these folds was also observed. Fluorescence analysis showed a decrease of the calcium content in cell cultures under space flight compared to the ground controls. One general effect of the stay onboard the space vehicle was a retardation of the regeneration processes. Callus cultures obtained from the flight samples grew very slowly compared to callus regenerated from the ground controls, and two years after the Biokosmos 9 flight there appears to be no further growth in the samples exposed to microgravity. Callus cultures from the ground controls, however, continue to grow well. A simulation experiment for IML-l performed in January 1990 at ESTEC (European Space Technology Center), The Netherlands, has resulted in regenerated plants. These observations are discussed and compared to the results obtained on Biokosmos 9.     

Undergraduate animal behavior program: Teaching and research

The purpose of this paper is to present strategies for teaching animal behavior within a mixed traditional and nontraditional format. Based on our experience, it is very useful to use zoological parks as convenient locales for observational studies. Students gain many valuable experiences in a nontraditional course such as this. Various suggestions are made for animal behavior courses and student projects. Some of the potential pitfalls and problems associated with an animal behavior course are also discussed. Finally, future directions are suggested.     

Binding of steroids to P.testosteroniΔ5-3-ketosteroid isomerase: Measurement of the number of binding sites by equilibrium dialysis

The binding of progesterone, 17β-estradiol and 19-nortestosterone acetate to the Δ⁵-3-ketosteroid isomerase from $\text{Pseudomonas}$$\text{testosteroni}$ has been investigated by the technique of equilibrium dialysis. Under the conditions used, all three steroids formed 2:1 complexes with each molecule of enzyme dimer (M.W. = 26,788). No evidence of any cooperative binding phenomena was obtained. The dissociation constants of the enzyme steroid complexes at 25°C were: progesterone, 2.2 μ$\text{M}$; estradiol, 2.5 μ$\text{M}$; 19-nortestosterone acetate, 9.2 μ$\text{M}$.     

Assessment of the downstream portion of the mitochondrial pathway of caspase activation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Most chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) induce apoptosis by triggering the mitochondrial pathway of caspase activation. To investigate the downstream portion of the mitochondrial pathway of caspase activation in patients with AML, cytosolic lysates were stimulated with cytochrome c and dATP and hydrolysis of Ac-DEVD-AFC by effector caspases was measured. Defects in the distal mitochondrial pathway were more common in samples from patients with AML that relapsed rapidly after induction chemotherapy compared to samples from treatment naïve patients. The incidence of blocked pathways did not differ based on response to induction chemotherapy, as even nonresponders generally had an intact pathway. When the distal mitochondrial pathway was blocked, defects were usually at the level of the effector caspases. Thus, functional defects in the distal portion of the mitochondrial pathway of caspase activation may help explain the nature of response and relapse after treatment.     

Fourth meeting of the European Network of Research Tissue Banks – Future strategy to increase collaborations in the supply of human tissue for biomedical research

This report records the Fourth meeting of the European Network of Research Tissue Bank (Brussels, 18th March 2004) which was attended by Mel Read MEP. The existing membership of this informal group represents European Human Research Tissue Bankers, biomedical researchers seeking access to human tissue and allied groups including animal welfare representatives. This Fourth meeting provided a forum to update members on individual activity in this area. A particular focus of this meeting was to consider the status of this group and future affiliations to increase the profile and activity of this Network. This meeting addressed differences in legislative and ethical requirements governing the use of human tissue in biomedical research in the different countries represented. Future activity of the ENRTB, planned at this meeting, will target harmonisation of current differences which are currently barriers to increased access to human tissue for biomedical research. Through the harmonisation of procurement, processing and distribution of human tissue specimens the ENRTB will provide a mechanism to benefit human health through increased use of human tissue in pharmacotoxicological studies and the associated replacement of animal tests.     

Fragile Castles: The Paradox of Research Politics,Scientific Progress,and the Mutation of Medical Knowledge

This paper is based on fieldwork done from 1996-1999 in different locations among village communities from Central Anatolia afflicted with the deadly malignancy of mesothelioma. Medical research has long established the relationship between mesothelioma and the environment; yet in earlier work correlations deduced through my genealogies provide evidence of a possible genetic cofactor causing these cancer deaths. This paper illustrates how medical research becomes an arena for local and global political interests and how the disruption of the doctor-cancer patient relationship impedes medical research. Methods include illness and clinical narratives, kinship charts and pedigrees, and observation of involved doctors and patients in multiple sites and geographical locations. Under focus are the anthropologist's involvement in global biomedical research and her interconnectedness with its political events.     

Who does all the research in conservation biology?

Much of the worlds biodiversity is located within countries with developing economies. We therefore examine how well developing nations and their scientists are represented in three international conservation biology journals (Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation). We found: (1) that 28% of studies were from lower income countries and only 15% of all papers had primary authors from these nations. Of papers from lower income countries, although 80% had at least one local author, only 47% had primary authors from the country where the study was conducted. (2) Lower income countries had more research with a strong applied focus compared to research from high-income countries. (3) In lower income countries research was often funded by international sources but the primary authors of these studies were from affluent nations. (4) The three journals differed in how well they represented lower income nations and their scientists, reflecting their editorial policies for including research from lower income nations. The main reason for the large discrepancy in a countrys output of conservation research is due to the difference in a nations ability to invest in science. However, a brief survey of authors suggests that there is a large amount of information available in lower income and non-English speaking countries that is not easily accessible to the international conservation community. Journals may therefore need to consider altering their policies if we are to improve the representation of research by scientists in lower income nations.     

Species richness and substrate specificity of lignicolous fungi in the canopy of a temperate,mixed deciduous forest

In the more than twenty years in which long-term canopy research has been conducted, mycology has been largely disregarded. Our studies using a construction crane to gain access to the canopy of a forest in Leipzig, Germany are the first long term investigations assessing the diversity and ecology of wood-decaying fungi in a canopy. Thirty-seven individuals of nine different tree species with a large amount of dead wood were selected. Sampling focussed on the four most prominent tree species Acer pseudoplatanus, Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur and Tilia cordata. In the years 2002 and 2003 dead wood was collected in different canopy strata. Dead branches were removed and stored for two weeks in open boxes with high humidity to allow growth of fructifications in the laboratory. 118 different taxa were identified (108 species, 77 genera). Corticioid fungi (e.g., of Corticiaceae, Stereaceae, Hymenochaetaceae) dominated the fungal composition with 37 species, pyrenomycetes were present with 18 species. Agaric fungi (Agaricales and Cortinariales) were scarce. Species with minute basidiomes dominated the fungal composition of this systematic group. Agarics with larger sporomes were found only once and were restricted to strongly decayed branches in shaded canopy areas. Concerning species richness and fungal composition the four tree species mentioned above differed remarkably. As expected, many fungi that grew on bark or slightly decayed wood showed a distinct host and substratum specifity. It is noteworthy that fungi which are purportedly to be non-specific were found on single tree species only.