Vallabhbhai Patel: His Role and Style in Indian Politics 1928-1947.

This study of Vallabhbhai Patel's role and style in Indian politics attempts to show how mobilisation of men and materials was achieved by exclusively political means for the attainment of conservative goals and for the prevention of any radical changes. This was done primarily at Patel's instance in the face of much opposition from many forces, particularly the socialists who sought a more comprehensive programme for a wider section of society. Patel's qualifications for this job lay in his background, his personality and his affinity with certain regions (Chapter I). Several experiments in controlled mobilisation culminating in the Bardoli Satyagraha showed the political effectiveness of Patel's version of Gandhi's nationalist scheme (Chapter II). The plan of nourishing the roots rather than spreading the branches greatly strengthened the Congress organisation and helped Patel in steering Congress party policy in the direction of conservative goals (Chapter III). Patel and Gandhi's mutual reliance on each other, and Gandhi's granting Patel a free hand in political tactics, gave much political strength to the Gandhiites in Congress. The quest for political supremacy was accompanied by efforts to exclude other political groups, and particularly the left, from political limelight (Chapter IV). There were problems in running an intense political race. Threats posed by ambitious leaders, factional infighting and conflicting goals were put down with a heavy hand and political opposition was not tolerated (Chapter V). Negative steps in some areas were accompanied by positive steps in others, such as acceptance of office in the provinces and a gradual change of Congress's policy towards the States (Chapter VI). Factors beyond Patel's control such as British imperialist policy and the accompanying political readjustments in India brought some setbacks for Congress. But, Patel was quick to recover lost ground and rivals were soon outmanoeuvred (Chapter VII). The thesis argues that Patel typifies the Indian politician par excellence, capable of taking control over all the diverse and unevenly developed aspects of Indian society by giving them a political direction, thus circumventing certain social and economic requirements which leaders with either a Marxian or a traditionally reformist vision would consider essential for development

The cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activators p35 and p39 interact with the alpha-subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and alpha-actinin-1 in a calcium-dependent manner

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a critical regulator of neuronal migration in the developing CNS, and recent studies have revealed a role for Cdk5 in synaptogenesis and regulation of synaptic transmission. Deregulation of Cdk5 has been linked to the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer\u27s disease. Activation of Cdk5 requires its association with a regulatory subunit, and two Cdk5 activators, p35 and p39, have been identified. To gain further insight into the functions of Cdk5, we identified proteins that interact with p39 in a yeast two-hybrid screen. In this study we report that alpha-actinin-1 and the alpha-subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKIIalpha), two proteins localized at the postsynaptic density, interact with Cdk5 via their association with p35 and p39. CaMKIIalpha and alpha-actinin-1 bind to distinct regions of p35 and p39 and also can interact with each other. The association of CaMKIIalpha and alpha-actinin-1 to the Cdk5 activators, as well as to each other, is stimulated by calcium. Further, the activation of glutamate receptors increases the association of p35 and p39 with CaMKIIalpha, and the inhibition of CaMKII activation diminishes this effect. The glutamate-mediated increase in association of p35 and CaMKIIalpha is mediated in large part by NMDA receptors, suggesting that cross talk between the Cdk5 and CaMKII signal transduction pathways may be a component of the complex molecular mechanisms contributing to synaptic plasticity, memory, and learning