Close Kinship Research Articles

The evolution of happiness.

An evolutionary perspective offers novel insights into some major obstacles to achieving happiness. Impediments include large discrepancies between modern and ancestral environments, the existence of evolved mechanisms "designed" to produce subjective distress, and the fact that evolution by selection has produced competitive mechanisms that function to benefit one person at the expense of others. On the positive side, people also possess evolved mechanisms that produce deep sources of happiness: those for mating bonds, deep friendship, close kinship, and cooperative coalitions. Understanding these psychological mechanisms--the selective processes that designed them, their evolved functions, and the contexts governing their activation--offers the best hope for holding some evolved mechanisms in check and selectively activating others to produce an overall increment in human happiness.

Characterization of the Gene Encoding Serine Acetyltransferase, a Regulated Enzyme of Cysteine Biosynthesis from the Protist ParasitesEntamoeba histolyticaand Entamoeba dispar: REGULATION AND POSSIBLE FUNCTION OF THE CYSTEINE BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY IN ENTAMOEBA

The enteric protist parasites Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar possess a cysteine biosynthetic pathway, unlike their mammalian host, and are capable of de novo production of L-cysteine. We cloned and characterized cDNAs that encode the regulated enzyme serine acetyltransferase (SAT) in this pathway from these amoebae by genetic complementation of a cysteine-auxotrophic Escherichia coli strain with the amoebic cDNA libraries. The deduced amino acid sequences of the amoebic SATs exhibited, within the most conserved region, 36-52% identities with the bacterial and plant SATs. The amoebic SATs contain a unique insertion of eight amino acids, also found in the corresponding region of a plasmid-encoded SAT from Synechococcus sp., which showed the highest overall identities to the amoebic SATs. Phylogenetic reconstruction also revealed a close kinship of the amoebic SATs with cyanobacterial SATs. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant E. histolytica SAT revealed several enzymatic features that distinguished the amoebic enzyme from the bacterial and plant enzymes: 1) inhibition by L-cysteine in a competitive manner with L-serine; 2) inhibition by L-cystine; and 3) no association with cysteine synthase. Genetically engineered amoeba strains that overproduced cysteine synthase and SAT were created. The cysteine synthase-overproducing amoebae had a higher level of cysteine synthase activity and total thiol content and revealed increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide. These results indicate that the cysteine biosynthetic pathway plays an important role in antioxidative defense of these enteric parasites.

Observations on cercarial chaetotaxy as a means for the identification of European species of Trichobilharzia Skrjabin & Zakharow, 1920 (Digenea: Schistosomatidae).

In order to evaluate the importance of cercarial chaetotaxy in the identification of European avian schistosomatids of the genus Trichobilharzia Skrjabin & Zakharow, 1920, papillary patterns of T. franki Müller & Kimmig, 1994 and T. ocellata (La Valette, 1855) Brumpt, 1931 were examined and compared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also employed to confirm the number and distribution of the sensory papillae. The chaetotaxy of T. franki and T. ocellata were identical, which suggests a close kinship between the two species. Some sensory papillae stained insufficiently with silver nitrate or were difficult to examine using light microscopy. Thus, the use of SEM in future examinations of Trichobilharzia chaetotaxy will ensure the collection of data that are comparable between studies, even though some argentophilic structures are not visible using SEM.

Late paraphrenia: a variant of schizophrenia manifest in late life or an organic clinical syndrome? A review of recent evidence.

A large amount of research has been devoted during the past 15 years to the clinical and neurobiological aspects of the disorder named as 'late paraphrenia' (LP) in 1955. The symptomatology and diagnosis of the disorder, its prognosis, the cognitive functioning of those affected, the structural changes in the brain as revealed by modern techniques of brain imaging and its postmortem neuropathology have all been submitted to investigation. The results have been widely regarded as consistent with the concept of LP as an organic disease of the brain, but increased knowledge of the neurobiology of schizophrenia and of the age-related changes that occur in the brains of elderly people casts doubt on the validity of this interpretation. The findings are consistent with the view that LP is the form in which schizophrenia is manifest in old age. The proposal that LP has a closer kinship with affective disorder than with schizophrenia is part of a general theory of the sex differences in schizophrenia. In LP it becomes entangled with the organicity hypothesis, suggesting that neither of these explanations is adequate, and most of the evidence points to a unitary concept which views LP as a variant of a single disorder, namely schizophrenia, which, however, requires a broad definition. This concept has implications for fresh paths of enquiry.

Divergent roles for NK-2 class homeobox genes in cardiogenesis in flies and mice.

Recent evidence suggests that cardiogenesis in organisms as diverse as insects and vertebrates is controlled by an ancient and evolutionarily conserved transcriptional pathway. In Drosophila, the NK-2 class homeobox gene tinman (tin) is expressed in cardiac and visceral mesodermal progenitors and is essential for their specification. In vertebrates, the tin homologue Nkx2-5/Csx and related genes are expressed in early cardiac and visceral mesodermal progenitors. To test for an early cardiogenic function for Nkx2-5 and to examine whether cardiogenic mechanisms are conserved, we introduced the mouse Nkx2-5 gene and various mutant and chimeric derivatives into the Drosophila germline, and tested for their ability to rescue the tin mutant phenotype. While tin itself strongly rescued both heart and visceral mesoderm, Nkx2-5 rescued only visceral mesoderm. Other vertebrate 'non-cardiac' NK-2 genes rescued neither. We mapped the cardiogenic domain of tin to a unique region at its N terminus and, when transferred to Nkx2-5, this region conferred a strong ability to rescue heart. Thus, the cardiac and visceral mesodermal functions of NK-2 homeogenes are separable in the Drosophila assay. The results suggest that, while tin and Nkx2-5 show close functional kinship, their mode of deployment in cardiogenesis has diverged possibly because of differences in their interactions with accessory factors. The distinct cardiogenic programs in vertebrates and flies may be built upon a common and perhaps more ancient program for specification of visceral muscle.

Genetic relatedness and home-range overlap among female black bears (Ursus americanus) in northern Ontario, Canada

The degree of philopatry exhibited by females in an unhunted black bear (Ursus americanus) population occupying the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve in northern Ontario was examined. A truncated kernel estimator was used to identify home-range use. Pairs of adult females were categorized as having home ranges that had moderate overlap or low overlap or were adjacent and non-overlapping or non-adjacent and non-overlapping. Females had low overlap with 6.4 other females, on average, and moderate overlap with 1.5 females. The degree of philopatry was assessed using two methods, each of which was used in an attempt to examine home-range overlap and average genetic relatedness. Relatedness among bears was determined from DNA fingerprints, using an alkaline phosphatase labelled multilocus probe and chemiluminescence detection. The first method involved choosing the 3 oldest females in the region to represent potential matriarchs, and all neighbouring females were identified (n = 8, 8, and 11). DNA fingerprints from each matriarch were compared with those of her neighbours. Average band-sharing coefficients and relatedness estimates within the groups did not reveal patterns of close kinship. The second method involved band-sharing comparisons among pairs of females from each of the 4 home-range categories (n = 12, 57, 80, and 21). Again, no relationship between spatial proximity and average genetic relatedness (range 0.032-0.120) was suggested. The extensive home-range overlap exhibited by this population is not a consequence of natal philopatric tendencies.

Farcical Process, Fictional Product: Thackeray's Theatrics inLovel the Widower

Although long slighted by critics,Lovel the Widowershould be recognized as the most overtly theatrical work we have from one of the nineteenth century's most theatrical writers. Adapted for the Cornhill Magazine from Thackeray's failed drama,The Wolves and the Lamb, Lovelis narrated by a character who calls himself the “Chorus of the Play” and tells the story of a governess who must hide the fact that she was once an actress. Thackeray published the story to keep theCornhill's readers entertained while he began work on his last completed novel,The Adventures of Philip. As a piece of occasional journalism,Loveltherefore shares a closer kinship with Thackeray's other periodical writings and Christmas books than it does with his mature novels. Not destined to be the newly-launchedCornhill's chief fictional attraction (that honor went to Trollope'sFramley Parsonage),Lovelactually functioned in the magazine as the literary equivalent of a theatrical comic afterpiece.

« Cher Cousin »: Les Usages Matrimoniaux de la Parenté Proche dans la France du 18e Siècle

Faut-il épouser son proche ou son prochain ? Nous aimerions nous interroger sur le sens particulier que pouvait avoir ce dilemme pour la société française du 18e siècle, sans oublier, comme les anthropologues aiment à nous le rappeler, qu'il a aussi une portée universelle : l'universalité de l'interdit de l'inceste répondrait, selon eux, à une précaution d'exogamie sans laquelle les groupes familiaux n'auraient jamais pu établir entre eux des rapports pacifiés.

Inventing Space: Toward a Taxonomy of On- and Off-Screen Space in Video Games

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of commercial video games, which began with Nolan Bushnell's Computer Space arcade game in 1971. In the past quarter century, the video game market has boomed and has proven to be powerful competition for film and television; and as films like Super Mario Bros. (game, 1985; film, 1993), Street Fighter (game, 1987; film, 1994) and Mortal Kombat (game, 1992; film, 1995) have shown, a source of material as well. In the last ten years, home computers and CD-ROM drives have taken over a large sector of the gaming market, although game systems such as Super Nintendo, Virtual Boy, Atari Jaguar, Sega Genesis, and others continue on in the game-console tradition. Stand-alone arcadestyle video games found in malls are also keeping pace, moving into ever more detailed three-dimensional environments, virtual reality, and simulator games. Despite more than two decades of development, there is relatively little scholarly study of these games. As audiovisual entertainment whose content is largely representational, video games have a lot more in common with film and television than merely characters and plotlines. Video games compete for audiences at the very same sites as film and TV-most multiplex theaters have video games in the lobby, if not a separate room devoted to them, and home video game systems use the television set itself, trading game programs for broadcast ones. Even the video rental industry now rents games and game systems. Theoretically, many of the same issues are present in video games and film: spectator positioning and suture, point of view, sound and image relations, semiotics, and other theories dealing with images or representation. Indeed, video games are themselves becoming more like film and television, embedding video clips within the games, or like Dragon's Lair (1983), Space Ace (1983), Dragon's Lair II (1991), and Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold (1992), relying on video sequences almost entirely. Many games now use recorded sounds rather than just computer-generated ones, and visually they include opening scenes, closing scenes, and credits, attempting to create a more cinematic experience (Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold has over a dozen screens' worth of end credits!). As video game graphics increase in resolution and film and television move into the digital realm, the gap between them continues to close. At present, film and television theory are best equipped for dealing with the medium of video games, which clearly overlaps them in places and extends many of their ideas, such as the active spectator, suture, first-person narrative, and spatial orientation. Video games are certainly deserving of their own branch of theory, and it will likely be one which is in close kinship to film and television theory. The study of the video game as a form of art and entertainment will undoubtedly bring to light certain unacknowledged assumptions in areas of theory including reception, spectatorship, and narrative structure, as well as the nature of the diegetic world and one's experience of it. One of the many phenomena shared by film and video games, for example, is the use of on-screen and off-screen space in the creation of a diegetic world. Most games, like films, contain scenes or

The VRI colours of H II galaxies

We present a high spatial resolution CCD surface photometry study in the optical V, R and I broadband filters of a sample of 15 HII galaxies. The colours of the starburst continuum and of the underlying galaxy are measured. The distribution of colours of the underlying galaxy in HII galaxies is similar to the colours of other late type low surface brightness galaxies which suggests a close kinship of these with the quiescent phases of HII galaxies. However, comparison with recent evolutionary population synthesis models shows that the observational errors and the uncertainties in the models are still too large to put strict constraints on their past star formation history.

Borgu and Its Kingdoms: A Reconstruction of a Western Sudanese Polity

This text documents the history of Borgu (a little-known area now situated in the northern part of the Republic of Benin and the north-western region of Nigeria) from the period when Mande peoples migrated from their homeland to settle in many parts of the Western Sudan including Borgu. By the ninth century, they had established long-distance trade; the art of making brass and copper artifacts by the lost-wax technique was known; and large political entities were being formed. By the 15th century, Borgu consisted of three kingdoms whose rulers claimed close kinship ties, and the king's position was firmly rooted in ancient religious traditions. The historical reconstruction of Borgu society rests on a detailed examination of oral tradition, linguistic and genealogical data, archival records and ethnographic fieldwork.

Variation in Effectiveness Between Private and Public Schools: The Impact of School and Family Networks*

Abstract Building upon the assumption that cohesion between different levels of the school is essential to the schools’ effectiveness, the hypothesis is tested that a close kinship between school and parental community causes a positive effect on student outcomes in primary schools. Recent theories regarding the effects of ‘functional communities’ on academic achievement mainly focus on the characteristics of the parental community that surrounds a school. Recognizing, however, that schools differ regarding their responsiveness to the role of parents and other actors around the school, our expectation is that a definition of functional community which comprises interactions between characteristics of the parental network around the school and the governance structure of the school offers a better explanation of variation in student achievement. Based on a national sample of 90 schools for primary education in the Netherlands, our analysis shows that the differences in math achievement for public and private primary schools are mediated by characteristics at both the family and the institutional level. It also indicates that characteristics at the institutional level are conditional for the effects of parental networks around schools.

Kinship and genetic divergence among populations of tuatara Sphenodon punctatus as revealed by minisatellite DNA profiling

AbstractTuatara represent the last surviving member of the order Rhynchocephalia, a group of reptiles the members of which first appeared in the fossil record 200 million years ago. We report the existence of extensive minisatellite DNA variation in island populations of tuatara, as revealed by the use of heterologous DNA probes and compare this variation to that found in other vertebrates. Patterns of minisatellite variation within and among populations of tuatara on the Taranga and Marotere Islands off the coast of New Zealand are detailed. Individuals from West Bay and South Cove on Motumuka Island show higher levels of bandsharing than that recorded between randomly sampled individuals from the same island. We suggest that these populations comprise a proportion of closely related individuals and that populations within islands are genetically structured. Moreover, we identified individuals which have high levels of bandsharing with substantial proportions of the sampled population, suggesting close kinship. A pairwise, inter‐island comparison of individuals from Motumuka, Whatupuke and Mauimua Islands, reveals significant differences in distribution of restriction fragments in minisatellite DNA profiles.

Older Persons Who Move: Reasons and Health Consequences

On the basis of data from the Longitudinal Survey of Aging (LSOA), 1984-1990, this article analyzes reasons for, and determinants of, moving among subjects 70 years or older. More than 60% of the mover sample gave their own poor health, their spouse's poor health/death, and/or their desire for close kinship as reasons they moved, and more than 25% cited money problems as a reason. Blacks and women were more likely to cite desire for close kinship than were Whites and men. The comparison between 615 movers and 3,445 nonmovers also showed that moving late in life contributes to the deterioration of health to a small but significant degree. Social services and financial assistance for children and other relatives who take in ailing elderly relatives are recommended. Social services and programs to help alleviate the stress and ease the transition of moving for older persons are also discussed.

Proacrosome and acrosome of the spermatozoon inAcanthobdella peledina(Annelida: Clitellata)

Summary Proacrosome and acrosome of the primitive leech Acanthobdella peledina are described by means of transmission electron microscopy. The proacrosome develops in early spermatids and has the shape of a pot-bellied urn with an opening towards the nucleus. Its wall is formed by a thin vesicle. In its interior, many sections of tubular structures are visible. This urn is seated atop a short, electron-dense tube. The resultant acrosome is unusually elongated, with a helically coiled acrosomal tube forming its base. Above the tube the thin acrosomal vesicle encloses a central space, within which is the acrosomal rod. The acrosomal structures clearly indicate a sister-group relationship to the Euhirudinea, but do not corroborate the notion of close kinship with the Branchiobdellidae.

Vsevolod Ivanov’s Satirical Novel Y and the Rooster Metaphor

It may come as a surprise that the author of the Soviet classic Bronepoezd14-69 (Armored Train 14-69) produced an experimental novel in 1929- 1931, entitled Y, whose satiric spirit, rich texture and philosophical depth suggest a close kinship with such writers as Mikhail Bulgakov and Andrei Platonov. In western criticism, Vsevolod Ivanov has been largely remembered as one of the Serapion Brothers, whose Partizanskie povesti (partisan tales) and short stories (“Dite” [“The Child“] being the best known example) about the civil war in Siberia and central Asia were written in a highly individualistic ornamental style and responded to the call for immediacy and relevance in literature.

The somatic cell-specific low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein of the chicken. Close kinship to mammalian low density lipoprotein receptor gene family members.

Recently, the family of mammalian genes homologous to that for the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor has grown. One of the new family members, termed LDL receptor-related protein/alpha 2-macroglobulin receptor (LRP/alpha 2MR), is one of the largest cell surface proteins characterized to date. Its functions have been hypothesized to include the plasma clearance of chylomicron remnants and activated alpha 2-macroglobulin, as well as the local metabolism of complexes between plasminogen activators and their endogenous inhibitors. Here we describe the molecular characterization of an LRP/alpha 2MR expressed in chickens, which do not metabolize chylomicron remnants. This chicken protein is expressed in somatic tissues and is different from a second LRP/alpha 2MR exclusively expressed in growing ovarian follicles. The sequence of the somatic cell-specific chicken LRP/alpha 2MR, deduced from cloned full-length cDNA, shows 83% overall identity with human LRP/alpha 2MR. Important characteristic features of the modular protein are completely conserved; in particular, all cysteine residues align perfectly. The avian LRP/alpha 2MR is post-translationally cleaved in the same fashion as its human counterpart, and the resulting 515-kDa extracellular subunit binds Ca2+, alpha 2-macroglobulin, and vitellogenin. The results indicate that avian LRP/alpha 2MR genes have emerged from an ancestor designed to ensure a pivotal event in the reproduction of oviparous species, i.e. vitellogenesis, and that mammalian LRP/alpha 2MRs have acquired features required for functioning in plasma clearance of certain non-yolk proteins.

Telomeric repeat [TTAGGG]n sequences of human chromosomes are conserved in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Using a series of genetic parameters, attempts have been made for more than two decades to establish the close kinship of human (Homo sapiens) with chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Molecular and cytogenetic data presently suggest that the two species are closely related. The recent isolation of a human telomeric probe (P5097-B.5) has prompted us to cross hybridize it to chimpanzee chromosomes in order to explore convergence and/or divergence of the telomeric repeat sequences (TTAGGG)n. On hybridization, the human probe bound to both ends (telomeres) of chimpanzee chromosomes, suggesting a concerted evolution of tandemly repeated short simple sequences (TTAGGG)n. Even the terminal heterochromatin of chimpanzee chromosomes was found to be endowed with telomeric repeats, suggesting that evolution of heterochromatin and capping with tandemly repeated short sequences are highly complex phenomena.

Le village de Sannerville, « Lirose ». Fin de la période gauloise au VIIe s. ap. J.-C

Five excavations have enabled us to bring to light a small necropolis in it's entirety, used during the Vlth and Vllth centuries A.D, elements of the village associated with the necropolis, and also two dwellings dating to the 1st century B.C and the remains of several gallo-roman buildings. The microtoponymy and research of medieval texts emphasize an activity related to the exploitation of salt ; the «Chemin Saulnier » which runs across the communes of Touffréville, Sannerville and Banneville-la-Campagne is mentioned in XHIth, XIYth, and XVth century texts. The name itself of Sannerville, salt merchant's villa, has kept the memory of this activity alive. The study of the Early Middle Age necropolis indicates the presence of a few families (5 or 7), grouped together in a hamlet composed of dispersed dwellings. The frequence, the repetition and the proximity of certain discreet traits (human anthropology) suggest fairly close kinship. We must note a large number of weapon bearers within the community (23 for 121 burials) which makes us think of a militarized group, perhaps in charge of controlling the salt exploitation, and of watching over the coast nearby. Several artefacts (brooches, belt mounts, pottery) of anglo-saxon origin have been found in several tombs. The necropolis is abandoned towards the middle of the Vllth century ; the new cemetery is placed further south, around a church dedicated to Saint Germain.

The ECO family

This paper presents an overview of the ECO (English COnversational System) family formalism of semantic network. In the paper, we describe the components of our semantic network, discussing its suitability as a representation of propositional knowledge. The use of our semantic network as a uniform representation mediating between specialised representations appropriate to particular task domains (e.g., understanding natural languages, etc.) is discussed. We motivate and explain a comprehensive network formalism. Special problems with respect to the use of logical connectives, quantifiers, descriptions, modalities, and certain other constructions that fail in conventional semantic networks, are systematically resolved with extensions to conventional network notations. The representation harmonizes with linear one-dimensional logical notations, illustrating the close kinship of the two notations. This kinship supports the claim that networks have inherited formal interpretability from logical notations. Several issues of network form and content, which are more fundamental than the choice of a network syntax, are addressed. These issues are: (i) primitive versus nonprimitive representations; (ii) the separation of propositional content of text from pragmatic aspects; and (iii) network normal form versus ad hoc systems. The design of computer systems for specific tasks depends in part on early commitments to these issues. The succinctness, clarity, and intuitive nature of semantic networks argues in their favour if only for purely methodological advantages. Semantic networks are readable; they suggest procedures for comprehension and inference, and the computer data structures which they resemble. Examples will demonstrate how associative processing algorithms and complex pattern matching operations are readily identifiable using networks. These examples are given in the context of natural language understanding utilizing networks in a state-based conceptual representation. We discuss how to superimpose organisational strategies into the network representations, beginning with the representation of lexical information and extending to the superimposition of topical organisations in the knowledge base. Several special purpose inference mechanisms extend the topical organisation we superimpose on concepts to aid retrieval of other types of information about concepts. The use of networks is assessed and promising areas for future research are described.