Intrasexual competition among females and the stabilization of a conspicuous colour polymorphism in a Lake Victoria cichlid fish

The maintenance of colour polymorphisms within populations has been a long-standing interest in evolutionary ecology. African cichlid fish contain some of the most striking known cases of this phenomenon. Intrasexual selection can be negative frequency dependent when males bias aggression towards phenotypically similar rivals, stabilizing male colour polymorphisms. We propose that where females are territorial and competitive, aggression biases in females may also promote coexistence of female morphs. We studied a polymorphic population of the cichlid fish Neochromis omnicaeruleus from Lake Victoria, in which three distinct female colour morphs coexist: one plain brown and two blotched morphs. Using simulated intruder choice tests in the laboratory, we show that wild-caught females of each morph bias aggression towards females of their own morph, suggesting that females of all three morphs may have an advantage when their morph is locally the least abundant. This mechanism may contribute to the establishment and stabilization of colour polymorphisms. Next, by crossing the morphs, we generated sisters belonging to different colour morphs. We find no sign of aggression bias in these sisters, making pleiotropy unlikely to explain the association between colour and aggression bias in wild fish, which is maintained in the face of gene flow. We conclude that female-female aggression may be one important force for stabilizing colour polymorphism in cichlid fish.

TAP deficiency syndrome: chronic rhinosinusitis and conductive hearing loss

Nose-ear-throat manifestations of immunodeficiency disorders represent a diagnostic challenge for clinicians as these diseases often constitute the initial sign for connective disorders or autoimmune disease. The history of chronic rhinosinusitis and conductive hearing loss is often non specific. Therefore attention to an HLA class I deficiency must be considered if the disease has not been diagnosed on routine examination. One of the syndromes is due to a defective TAP complex, the peptide transporter complex associated with antigen presentation. Herein, we report two sisters with TAP-deficiency. The treatment of choice for TAP-deficient patients is conservative.

"Brethren upon the same level" : membership and class in Calumet's Masonic Lodge

The Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan was a ethnic conglomerate of cultures and ideas, with people attracted to the area by the mineral wealth found along the Copper Range. The center of copper mining from the mid 1860s to 1968 was in the vicinity of Calumet Township, home to the world-famous Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. The township depended on the mines and the company’s president Agassiz’s strove to make the area a “model community,” that included groups such as the Free and Accepted Masons. Men from myriad backgrounds arrived in Calumet from the British Isles, Germany, Finland, Eastern and Southern Europe and the Eastern United States. As in other communities from the time period these men formed common interest groups like Masonic Lodge 271, which received its charter in 1870. Gentlemen joined with merchants and craftsmen. They became “brethren upon the same level,” and were elevated to the status of Master Mason. This symbolic transformation within the Lodge removed the men from the “profane world” outside the sanctity of Masonry, and in the ritualistic transformation of the meeting they were reborn into Masonry’s sacred mysteries. Masonry acted as a means of moral guidance to men and gave them access to a larger social and economic community through a common connection of brotherhood. As the candidates moved through the three Blue Lodge degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason they saw each other as “brethren upon the same level” – all economic classes equal within the Masonic Lodge. To examine equality within Lodge 271, this study sorted workers into classes to allow a comparison of Lodge 271’s membership. Possibly a comparison between other lodges can be drawn from the membership. The Union Building in Calumet, MI will be examined for its role in the ritualistic transformation of Masonry as it housed Masonic activities and transformations. This transformation brought men into the lodge of brothers. While Masonry professed equality between members however, to what extent did the membership of the lodge reflect this between the brethren? To what extent did economic class determine who was made “brethren upon the same level? 1 Arthur Thurner, Calumet Copper and People: History of a Michigan Mining Community, 1864-1970 (Hancock, MI: Book Concern, 1974), 122.

Mosaic pattern of sucrase isomaltase deficiency in two brothers

The pathophysiology of mucosal changes observed in infants with chronic protracted diarrhea is poorly understood. We report on two brothers suffering from a special form of sucrase isomaltase (SI) deficiency. The children presented with weight loss and dyspepsia after sucrose exposition. We performed an H respiration test, which showed a pathologic result in the younger brother. Analysis of the brush border enzyme activities showed low expression of lactase and SI. Immunoelectron microscopy of duodenal biopsies showed an isolated SI deficiency in a mosaic pattern [e.g., 42% (14%) crypt enterocytes and 64% (59%) villus enterocytes with decreased amounts of SI on microvilli], whereas lactase and aminopeptidase n (ApN) were present at the apical membrane of all cells in a normal range. The SI mosaic pattern of these patients shows that the enterocytes contain low amounts of SI on the apical membrane but express normal quantities of other disaccharidases. These findings suggest the existence of different clonal expressions or specific (posttranslational) mechanisms of postGolgi transportation for individual brush border enzymes. It remains unresolved whether the mosaic distribution is part of a normal maturation process or caused by a lack of an overall control mechanism in the expression of brush border hydrolases.

Incidence of breast cancer in first-degree female relatives of men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common incident cancer and the second leading cause of death in men in the United States. Although numerous attempts have been made to identify risk factors associated with prostate cancer, the results have been inconsistent and conflicting. The only established risk factors are age and ethnicity. A positive family history of prostate cancer has also been shown to increase the risk two- to three-fold among close relatives.^ There are several similarities between breast and prostate cancer that make the relationship between the two of interest. (1) Histologically, both cancers are predominantly adenocarcinomas, (2) both organs have a sexual and/or reproductive role, (3) both cancers occur in hormone-responsive tissue, (4) therapy often consists of hormonal manipulation, (5) worldwide distribution patterns of prostate and breast cancer are positively correlated.^ A family history study was conducted to evaluate the aggregation of prostate cancer and co-aggregation of breast cancer in 149 patients referred to The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. All patients were white, less than 75 years of age at diagnosis and permanent residents of the United States. Through a personal interview with the proband, family histories were collected on 1,128 first-degree relatives. Cancer diagnoses were verified through medical records or death certificate. Standardized incidence ratios were calculated using a computer program by Monson incorporating data from Connecticut Tumor Registry.^ In this study, familial aggregation of prostate cancer was verified only among the brothers, not among fathers. Although a statistically significant excess of breast cancer was not found, the increased point estimates in mothers, sisters and daughters are consistent with a co-aggregation hypothesis. Rather surprising was the finding of a seven-fold increased risk of prostate cancer and a three-fold increased risk of breast cancer among siblings in the presence of a maternal history of any cancer. Larger family history studies including high risk (African-Americans) and lower-risk groups (Hispanics) and incorporating molecular genetic evaluations should be conducted to determine if genetic differences play a role in the differential incidence rates across ethnic groups. ^

Auxiliary material and basic geochemical and benthic foraminiferal stable isotope data for the interval bracketing Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2) at DSDP Sites 401 and 550 in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean

Ever since its discovery, Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2; ~53.7 Ma) has been considered as one of the "little brothers" of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ~56 Ma) as it displays similar characteristics including abrupt warming, ocean acidification, and biotic shifts. One of the remaining key questions is what effect these lesser climate perturbations had on ocean circulation and ventilation and, ultimately, biotic disruptions. Here we characterize ETM2 sections of the NE Atlantic (Deep Sea Drilling Project Sites 401 and 550) using multispecies benthic foraminiferal stable isotopes, grain size analysis, XRF core scanning, and carbonate content. The magnitude of the carbon isotope excursion (0.85-1.10 per mil) and bottom water warming (2-2.5°C) during ETM2 seems slightly smaller than in South Atlantic records. The comparison of the lateral d13C gradient between the North and South Atlantic reveals that a transient circulation switch took place during ETM2, a similar pattern as observed for the PETM. New grain size and published faunal data support this hypothesis by indicating a reduction in deepwater current velocity. Following ETM2, we record a distinct intensification of bottom water currents influencing Atlantic carbonate accumulation and biotic communities, while a dramatic and persistent clay reduction hints at a weakening of the regional hydrological cycle. Our findings highlight the similarities and differences between the PETM and ETM2. Moreover, the heterogeneity of hyperthermal expression emphasizes the need to specifically characterize each hyperthermal event and its background conditions to minimalize artifacts in global climate and carbonate burial models for the early Paleogene.

Las Islas Malvinas y el empréstito Baring Brothers

Fil: Luzi, Alejandra Noemí. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Hesiod And The Didactic Double

Un rasgo inusual de la estrategia didáctica de Hesíodo en Trabajos y Días es la inclusión de su hermano Perses, como destinatario. Si existe o no una base histórica para la disputa financiera entre hermanos, tal como aparece representada en el poema, resulta menos interesante que la posición que tal situación (posiblemente ficcional) transmite. Por la figura del consejero, Hesíodo sostiene, naturalmente, una actitud diferente hacia un hermano, que la que quisiera si su aconsejado fuera un hijo, un futuro rey, o un estudiante -roles que son más típicos en las tradiciones didácticas de la literatura universal. Este artículo explora las tensiones, resonancias míticas y ambigüedades inherentes a la elección de la figura del hermano como recipiendario del consejo y concluye que esta particular configuración didáctica provee una más abierta-conclusiva y aceptable entrada a través de la cual cualquier audiencia puede interactuar con la tradición de sabiduría atesorada en el verso hesiódico.

Hesiod And The Didactic Double

Un rasgo inusual de la estrategia didáctica de Hesíodo en Trabajos y Días es la inclusión de su hermano Perses, como destinatario. Si existe o no una base histórica para la disputa financiera entre hermanos, tal como aparece representada en el poema, resulta menos interesante que la posición que tal situación (posiblemente ficcional) transmite. Por la figura del consejero, Hesíodo sostiene, naturalmente, una actitud diferente hacia un hermano, que la que quisiera si su aconsejado fuera un hijo, un futuro rey, o un estudiante -roles que son más típicos en las tradiciones didácticas de la literatura universal. Este artículo explora las tensiones, resonancias míticas y ambigüedades inherentes a la elección de la figura del hermano como recipiendario del consejo y concluye que esta particular configuración didáctica provee una más abierta-conclusiva y aceptable entrada a través de la cual cualquier audiencia puede interactuar con la tradición de sabiduría atesorada en el verso hesiódico.

Las Islas Malvinas y el empréstito Baring Brothers

Fil: Luzi, Alejandra Noemí. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Hesiod And The Didactic Double

Un rasgo inusual de la estrategia didáctica de Hesíodo en Trabajos y Días es la inclusión de su hermano Perses, como destinatario. Si existe o no una base histórica para la disputa financiera entre hermanos, tal como aparece representada en el poema, resulta menos interesante que la posición que tal situación (posiblemente ficcional) transmite. Por la figura del consejero, Hesíodo sostiene, naturalmente, una actitud diferente hacia un hermano, que la que quisiera si su aconsejado fuera un hijo, un futuro rey, o un estudiante -roles que son más típicos en las tradiciones didácticas de la literatura universal. Este artículo explora las tensiones, resonancias míticas y ambigüedades inherentes a la elección de la figura del hermano como recipiendario del consejo y concluye que esta particular configuración didáctica provee una más abierta-conclusiva y aceptable entrada a través de la cual cualquier audiencia puede interactuar con la tradición de sabiduría atesorada en el verso hesiódico.

Effects of birth order and sibling sex composition on human capital investment in children in India

The paper explores the effects of birth order and sibling sex composition on human capital investment in children in India using the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS). Endogeneity of fertility is addressed using instruments and controlling for household fixed effects. Family size effect is also distinguished from the sibling sex composition effect. Previous literature has often failed to take endogeneity into account and shows a negative birth order effect for girls in India. Once endogeneity of fertility is addressed, there is no evidence for a negative birth order effect or sibling sex composition effect for girls. Results show that boys are worse off in households that have a higher proportion of boys specifically when they have older brothers.

Search for the pathogenesis of the differing phenotype in two compound heterozygote Hungarian brothers with the same genotypic triosephosphate isomerase deficiency

In a Hungarian family with triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) deficiency, two compound heterozygote brothers were found with the same severe decrease in TPI activity, but only one of them had the classical symptoms. In search for the pathogenesis of the differing phenotype of the same genotypic TPI deficiency, an increase in red cell membrane fluidity was found. There were roughly 100% and 30% more 16:0/20:4 and 18:0/20:4 diacyl-phosphatidylcholine species in erythrocytes from the two TPI-deficient brothers than in the probes from healthy controls. The activities of acethylcholinesterase and calmodulin induced Ca2+ ATPase were significantly enhanced in erythrocytes from the propositus as compared with those of the neurologically symptom-free brother and other members of the TPI-deficient family as well as to those from healthy controls. Both enzymes are crucially involved in the function of nerve cells. The observed differences in membrane fluidity and enzyme activities between the erythrocytes from the phenotypically differing TPI-deficient brothers underline the importance of investigations into the effect of biophysical changes in the lipid environment of the membrane proteins on the development of disseminated focal neurological disorders of unknown pathogenic origin.

A G protein γ subunit-like domain shared between RGS11 and other RGS proteins specifies binding to Gβ5 subunits

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins act as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) toward the α subunits of heterotrimeric, signal-transducing G proteins. RGS11 contains a G protein γ subunit-like (GGL) domain between its Dishevelled/Egl-10/Pleckstrin and RGS domains. GGL domains are also found in RGS6, RGS7, RGS9, and the Caenorhabditis elegans protein EGL-10. Coexpression of RGS11 with different Gβ subunits reveals specific interaction between RGS11 and Gβ5. The expression of mRNA for RGS11 and Gβ5 in human tissues overlaps. The Gβ5/RGS11 heterodimer acts as a GAP on Gαo, apparently selectively. RGS proteins that contain GGL domains appear to act as GAPs for Gα proteins and form complexes with specific Gβ subunits, adding to the combinatorial complexity of G protein-mediated signaling pathways.

The GTPase activating factor for transducin in rod photoreceptors is the complex between RGS9 and type 5 G protein β subunit

Proteins of the regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) family modulate the duration of intracellular signaling by stimulating the GTPase activity of G protein α subunits. It has been established that the ninth member of the RGS family (RGS9) participates in accelerating the GTPase activity of the photoreceptor-specific G protein, transducin. This process is essential for timely inactivation of the phototransduction cascade during the recovery from a photoresponse. Here we report that functionally active RGS9 from vertebrate photoreceptors exists as a tight complex with the long splice variant of the G protein β subunit (Gβ5L). RGS9 and Gβ5L also form a complex when coexpressed in cell culture. Our data are consistent with the recent observation that several RGS proteins, including RGS9, contain G protein γ-subunit like domain that can mediate their association with Gβ5 (Snow, B. E., Krumins, A. M., Brothers, G. M., Lee, S. F., Wall, M. A., Chung, S., Mangion, J., Arya, S., Gilman, A. G. & Siderovski, D. P. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 13307–13312). We report an example of such a complex whose cellular localization and function are clearly defined.