Sects and violence : development of an inclusive taxonomy to hermeneutically explore the histo-philosophical motivators for the inception and development of the martial art, Wing Chun Kue

Martial arts participation rates exceed those reported for a number of higher-profile physical activities (Sport England, 2002), however little research has been conducted to investigate the purported motivation and benefits participants derive (e.g. Jones, McKay and Peters, 2006; Ko, Kim and Valacich, 2010). A specific area often discussed is the notion of personal growth (Ko et al., 2010), either through a form of psychotherapy (e.g. Monahan, 2007), extenuating what may be deemed positive personality attributes (e.g. Kurian, Caterion and Kulhavy, 1993), lowering depression (e.g. Bodin and Martinsen, 2004), reducing aggression (e.g. Twemlow, Sacco and Fonagy, 2008) or reducing stress (e.g. Yan and Downing, 1998). Such personal growth is deemed to be transformatory in nature (e.g. Lancaster, 2004; Luskin, 2004; Hartelius, Caplan and Rardin, 2007).\ud Due to issues of generalisability within martial arts research (e.g. Jones et al., 2006), one style which has lacked a tradition of academic research has been selected for a case study. Wing Chun is a unique style, developing exponentially over the past forty years: a style which retains its fighting heritage, utilising exclusive training methods (e.g. Rawcliffe, 2003). Given the pragmatic nature of Wing Chun, an hermeneutic approach has been adopted to investigate the histo-philosophical motivation for the inception of the style to provide a context from which to explore current participant motivation.\ud Initially, an inclusive theoretical taxonomy has been developed for subsequent analysis. This hermeneutic analysis has been conducted through the development of a 360 degree mixed-methodological approach (e.g. Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2008) utilising exploratory and explanatory stages (e.g. Creswell and Plano-Clark, 2007) to ascertain the validity of the taxonomy. Findings are subsequently discussed in relation to the mixed-methodological approach.\ud From the taxonomy, a proposal is that an inherent link exists between the development of a better fighter and a better person while implying that the martial arts are a person-centred transformatory practice

Patterns of genomic and phenomic diversity in wine and table grapes.

Grapes are one of the most economically and culturally important crops worldwide, and they have been bred for both winemaking and fresh consumption. Here we evaluate patterns of diversity across 33 phenotypes collected over a 17-year period from 580 table and wine grape accessions that belong to one of the world's largest grape gene banks, the grape germplasm collection of the United States Department of Agriculture. We find that phenological events throughout the growing season are correlated, and quantify the marked difference in size between table and wine grapes. By pairing publicly available historical phenotype data with genome-wide polymorphism data, we identify large effect loci controlling traits that have been targeted during domestication and breeding, including hermaphroditism, lighter skin pigmentation and muscat aroma. Breeding for larger berries in table grapes was traditionally concentrated in geographic regions where Islam predominates and alcohol was prohibited, whereas wine grapes retained the ancestral smaller size that is more desirable for winemaking in predominantly Christian regions. We uncover a novel locus with a suggestive association with berry size that harbors a signature of positive selection for larger berries. Our results suggest that religious rules concerning alcohol consumption have had a marked impact on patterns of phenomic and genomic diversity in grapes

Localization of 102 exons to a 2.5 Mb region involved in Down syndrome

Exon amplification has been applied to a 2.5 Mb region of chromosome 21 that has been associated with some features of Down syndrome (DS). Identification of the majority of genes from this region will facilitate the correlation of the over-expression of particular genes with specific phenotypes of DS. Over 100 gene fragments have been isolated from this 2.5 Mb segment. The exons have been characterized by sequence analysis, comparison with public databases and expansion to cDNA clones. Localization of the exons to chromosome 21 has been determined by hybridization to genomic Southern blots and to YAC and cosmid clones representing the region. This has resulted in a higher resolution physical map with a marker approximately every 25 kb. This integrated physical and transcript map will be valuable for fine mapping of DNA from individuals with partial aneuploidy of chromosome 21 as well as for assessing and ultimately generating a complete gene map of this segment of the genom

Structural predictions for the ligand-binding region of glycoprotein hormone receptors and the nature of hormone–receptor interactions

AbstractBackground: Glycoprotein hormones influence the development and function of the ovary, testis and thyroid by binding to specific high-affinity receptors. The extracellular domains of these receptors are members of the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein superfamily and are responsible for the high-affinity binding. The crystal structure of a glycoprotein hormone, namely human choriogonadotropin (hCG), is known, but neither the receptor structure, mode of hormone binding, nor mechanism for activation, have been established.Results Despite very low sequence similarity between exon-demarcated LRRs in the receptors and the LRRs of porcine ribonuclease inhibitor (RI), the secondary structures for the two repeat sets are found to be alike. Constraints on curvature and β-barrel geometry from the sequence pattern for repeated βα units suggest that the receptors contain three-dimensional structures similar to that of RI. With the RI crystal structure as a template, models were constructed for exons 2–8 of the receptors. The model for this portion of the choriogonadotropin receptor is complementary in shape and electrostatic characteristics to the surface of hCG at an identified focus of hormone–receptor interaction.Conclusion The predicted models for the structures and mode of hormone binding of the glycoprotein hormone receptors are to a large extent consistent with currently available biochemical and mutational data. Repeated sequences in β-barrel proteins are shown to have general implications for constraints on structure. Averaging techniques used here to recognize the structural motif in these receptors should also apply to other proteins with repeated sequences

Cassava haplotype map highlights fixation of deleterious mutations during clonal propagation

Article purchased; Published online: 17 April 2017Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important staple food crop in Africa and South America; however, ubiquitous deleterious mutations may severely decrease its fitness. To evaluate these deleterious mutations, we constructed a cassava haplotype map through deep sequencing 241 diverse accessions and identified >28 million segregating variants. We found that (i) although domestication has modified starch and ketone metabolism pathways to allow for human consumption, the concomitant bottleneck and clonal propagation have resulted in a large proportion of fixed deleterious amino acid changes, increased the number of deleterious alleles by 26%, and shifted the mutational burden toward common variants; (ii) deleterious mutations have been ineffectively purged, owing to limited recombination in the cassava genome; (iii) recent breeding efforts have maintained yield by masking the most damaging recessive mutations in the heterozygous state but have been unable to purge the mutation burden; such purging should be a key target in future cassava breeding

Association of Progressive CD4+ T Cell Decline in SIV Infection with the Induction of Autoreactive Antibodies

The progressive decline of CD4+ T cells is a hallmark of disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection. Whereas the acute phase of the infection is dominated by virus-mediated depletion of memory CD4+ T cells, chronic infection is often associated with a progressive decline of total CD4+ T cells, including the naïve subset. The mechanism of this second phase of CD4+ T cell loss is unclear and may include immune activation–induced cell death, immune-mediated destruction, and regenerative or homeostatic failure. We studied patterns of CD4+ T cell subset depletion in blood and tissues in a group of 20 rhesus macaques inoculated with derivatives of the pathogenic SIVsmE543-3 or SIVmac239. Phenotypic analysis of CD4+ T cells demonstrated two patterns of CD4+ T cell depletion, primarily affecting either naïve or memory CD4+ T cells. Progressive decline of total CD4+ T cells was observed only in macaques with naïve CD4+ T cell depletion (ND), though the depletion of memory CD4+ T cells was profound in macaques with memory CD4+ T cell depletion (MD). ND macaques exhibited lower viral load and higher SIV-specific antibody responses and greater B cell activation than MD macaques. Depletion of naïve CD4+ T cells was associated with plasma antibodies autoreactive with CD4+ T cells, increasing numbers of IgG-coated CD4+ T cells, and increased incidence of autoreactive antibodies to platelets (GPIIIa), dsDNA, and phospholipid (aPL). Consistent with a biological role of these antibodies, these latter antibodies were accompanied by clinical features associated with autoimmune disorders, thrombocytopenia, and catastrophic thrombotic events. More importantly for AIDS pathogenesis, the level of autoreactive antibodies significantly correlated with the extent of naïve CD4+ T cell depletion. These results suggest an important role of autoreactive antibodies in the CD4+ T cell decline observed during progression to AIDS

Genetic structure and domestication history of the grape

The grape is one of the earliest domesticated fruit crops and, since antiquity, it has been widely cultivated and prized for its fruit and wine. Here, we characterize genome-wide patterns of genetic variation in over 1,000 samples of the domesticated grape, Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera, and its wild relative, V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris from the US Department of Agriculture grape germ-plasm collection. We find support for a Near East origin of vinifera and present evidence of introgression from local sylvestris as the grape moved into Europe. High levels of genetic diversity and rapid linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay have been maintained in vinifera, which is consistent with a weak domestication bottleneck followed by thousands of years of widespread vegetative propagation. The considerable genetic diversity within vinifera, however, is contained within a complex network of close pedigree relationships that has been generated by crosses among elite cultivars. We show that first-degree relationships are rare between wine and table grapes and among grapes from geographically distant regions. Our results suggest that although substantial genetic diversity has been maintained in the grape subsequent to domestication, there has been a limited exploration of this diversity. We propose that the adoption of vegetative propagation was a double-edged sword: Although it provided a benefit by ensuring true breeding cultivars, it also discouraged the generation of unique cultivars through crosses. The grape currently faces severe pathogen pressures, and the long-term sustainability of the grape and wine industries will rely on the exploitation of the grape's tremendous natural genetic diversity

The selectivity, voltage-dependence and acid sensitivity of the tandem pore potassium channel TASK-1 : contributions of the pore domains

We have investigated the contribution to ionic selectivity of residues in the selectivity filter and pore helices of the P1 and P2 domains in the acid sensitive potassium channel TASK-1. We used site directed mutagenesis and electrophysiological studies, assisted by structural models built through computational methods. We have measured selectivity in channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes, using voltage clamp to measure shifts in reversal potential and current amplitudes when Rb+ or Na+ replaced extracellular K+. Both P1 and P2 contribute to selectivity, and most mutations, including mutation of residues in the triplets GYG and GFG in P1 and P2, made channels nonselective. We interpret the effects of these—and of other mutations—in terms of the way the pore is likely to be stabilised structurally. We show also that residues in the outer pore mouth contribute to selectivity in TASK-1. Mutations resulting in loss of selectivity (e.g. I94S, G95A) were associated with slowing of the response of channels to depolarisation. More important physiologically, pH sensitivity is also lost or altered by such mutations. Mutations that retained selectivity (e.g. I94L, I94V) also retained their response to acidification. It is likely that responses both to voltage and pH changes involve gating at the selectivity filter