African Linguistics in Central and Eastern Europe, and in the Nordic Countries

Non peer reviewe

Applications of Single-Molecule Methods to Membrane Protein Folding Studies

Protein folding is a fundamental life process with many implications throughout biology and medicine. Consequently, there have been enormous efforts to understand how proteins fold. Almost all of this effort has focused on water-soluble proteins, however, leaving membrane proteins largely wandering in the wilderness. The neglect has occurred not because membrane proteins are unimportant but rather because they present many theoretical and technical complications. Indeed, quantitative membrane protein folding studies are generally restricted to a handful of well-behaved proteins. Single-molecule methods may greatly alter this picture, however, because the ability to work at or near infinite dilution removes aggregation problems, one of the main technical challenges of membrane protein folding studies

Neither amateurs nor professionals: The status of Greek Athletes

The aim of this chapter is to question whether it is reasonable to apply the labels "amateurs" or "professionals" to Ancient Olympics, whether they fit the specific features of ancient athletics, and whether they are useful tools or mere obstacles for an understanding of the ancient phenomena. This article argues that neither of the two terms helps in understanding the social reality of ancient athletes

African Linguistics in Asia and Australia

Asian and Australian institutions with a research focus on African languages are of fairly recent vintage. Japan has a strong academic infrastructure devoted to African linguistics, based in several universities and research centres. China looks back more than 50 years of interest in teaching Swahili and other major African languages, recently broadening the scope to encompass other issues of linguistic interest. In South Korea, teaching Swahili was also the precursor of more general African linguistics, allowing for regional specializations of researchers. In Australia, academic interest emerges with the increasing presence of experts on African languages and linguistics in the country

Echinodermata: The Complex Immune System in Echinoderms

View references (418) The Echinodermata are an ancient phylum of benthic marine invertebrates with a dispersal-stage planktonic larva. These animals have innate immune systems characterized initially by clearance of foreign particles, including microbes, from the body cavity of both larvae and adults, and allograft tissue rejection in adults. Immune responsiveness is mediated by a variety of adult coelomocytes and larval mesenchyme cells. Echinoderm diseases from a range of pathogens can lead to mass die-offs and impact aquaculture, but some individuals can recover. Genome sequences of several echinoderms have identified genes with immune function, including expanded families of Toll-like receptors, NOD-like receptors, and scavenger receptors with cysteine-rich domains, plus signaling pathways and cytokines. The set of transcription factors that regulate proliferation and differentiation of the cellular immune system are conserved and indicate the ancestral origins of hematopoiesis. Both larval and adult echinoderms are in constant contact with potential pathogens in seawater, and they respond to infection by phagocytosis and encapsulation, and employ proteins that function in immune detection and response. Antipathogen responses include activation of the SpTransformer genes, a complement system, and the production of many types of antimicrobial peptides. Echinoderms have homologues of the recombinase activating genes plus all associated genes that function in vertebrates for immunoglobulin gene family rearrangement, although their gene targets are unknown. The echinoderm immune system has been characterized as unexpectedly complex, robust, and flexible. Many echinoderms have very long life-spans that correlate with an excellent capacity for cell damage repair. In many marine ecosystems, echinoderms are keystone predators and herbivores, and therefore are species that can serve as optimal sentinels of environmental health. Coelomocytes can be employed in sensor systems to test for the presence of marine pollutants. When Elie Metchnikoff inserted a rose prickle into a larval sea star and observed chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and encapsulation by the mesenchyme cells, he initiated not only the field of immunology but also that of comparative immunology, of which the echinoderms have been an important part