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An Anglican British World: The Church of England and the expansion of the settler empire, c. 1790-1860, by Joseph Hardwick, pp. 304; Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2014, 75.00 [pounds sterling], [...]

Analyses of genetic variation in crop gene pools are a powerful tool for investigating the origin and early evolution of crop lineages. Such analyses also have the potential to identify unique genetic resources for continued crop improvement. The oilseed crop safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is believed to have been domesticated in the Fertile Crescent region, but up to 10 geographic centers of similarity throughout the world have been proposed based on morphology. Nuclear microsatellite analysis of accessions from each of the 10 proposed centers of similarity, as well as individuals of the progenitor species, suggested the presence of five genetic clusters (1, Europe; 2, Turkey--Iran--Iraq--Afghanistan; 3, Israel--Jordan--Syria; 4, Egypt--Ethiopia; and 5, the Far East-India--Pakistan). North American accessions, products of a secondary introduction from the native range, suggest that a subset of the native accessions harbor unique genetic diversity that could be useful in future breeding efforts. Overall, a Near Eastern origin of safflower was confirmed based on the genetic similarity between the progenitor and the Near Eastern safflower accessions, as well as previous archaeological finds. Genetic differentiation between geographical clusters of accessions is evident, although not to the degree proposed based on morphology. Key words: Asteraceae; Carthamus; crop evolution; domestication; genetic variation; population structure; safflower. doi: 10.3732/ajb.0900137

Strait KA, Stricklett PK, Chapman M, Kohan DE. Characterization of vasopressin-responsive collecting duct adenylyl cyclases in the mouse. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 298: F859-F867, 2010. First published December 2, 2009; doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00109.2009.--Little is known about collecting duct adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms or regulation in the mouse. We performed RT-PCR for AC isoforms 1-9 in microdissected cortical (CCD) and outer medullary (OMCD) and acutely isolated inner medullary (IMCD) collecting duct. Ali collecting duct regions contained AC3, AC4, and AC6 mRNA, while CCD and OMCD, but not IMCD, also contained AC5 mRNA. Acutely isolated IMCD expressed AC3, AC4, and AC6 proteins by Western blot analysis. The mIMCD3 cell line expressed AC2, AC3, AC4, AC5, and AC6 mRNA; M-I CCD cells expressed AC2, 3, 4, and 6, while mpkCCD cell lines contained AC3, AC4, and AC6 mRNA. AVP stimulated cAMP accumulation in acutely isolated mouse IMCD; this was reduced by chelation of extracellular calcium (EGTA) and almost completely abolished by blockade of calmodulin (W-7). Blockade of calmodulin kinase with KN-93 or endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (thapsigargin) also reduced the AVP response. A similar inhibitory effect of W-7, KN-93, and thapsigargin was seen on forskolin-stimulated cAMP content in acutely isolated mouse IMCD. These three agents had the same pattern of blockade of AVP- or forskolin-stimulated AC activity in acutely isolated rat IMCD. AVP responsiveness in primary cultures of mouse IMCD was also reduced by W-7, KN-93, and thapsigargin. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) designed to knock down AC3 or AC6 in primary cultured mouse IMCD significantly reduced AVP-stimulated cAMP accumulation. Together, these data are consistent with a role of AC3 and AC6 in the activation of mouse collecting duct by AVP. calcium; cAMP doj: 10.1152/ajprenal.00109.2009.

The domestication and improvement of crop plants have long fascinated evolutionary biologists, geneticists, and anthropologists. In recent years, the development of increasingly powerful molecular and statistical tools has reinvigorated this now fast-paced field of research. In this paper, we provide an overview of how such tools have been applied to the study of crop evolution. We also highlight lessons that have been learned in light of a few long-standing and interrelated hypotheses concerning the origins of crop plants and the nature of the genetic changes underlying their evolution. We conclude by discussing compelling evolutionary genomic approaches that make possible the efficient and unbiased identification of genes controlling crop-related traits and provide further insight into the actual timing of selection on particular genomic regions. Key words: association mapping; crop improvement; crop origins; domestication genes; genetic architecture; genome scans; QTL mapping.

Activation of tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channels contributes to action potential electrogenesis in neurons. Antisense oligonucleotide studies directed against [Na.sub.v]1.8 have shown that this channel contributes to experimental inflammatory and neuropathic pain. We report here the discovery of A-803467, a sodium channel blocker that potently blocks tetrodotoxin-resistant currents ([IC.sub.50] = 140 nM) and the generation of spontaneous and electrically evoked action potentials in vitro in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. In recombinant cell lines, A-803467 potently blocked human [Na.sub.v]1.8 ([IC.sub.50] = 8 nM) and was >100-fold selective vs. human [Na.sub.v]1.2, [Na.sub.v]1.3, [Na.sub.v]1.5, and [Na.sub.v]1.7 ([IC.sub.50] values [greater than or equal to]1 [micro]M). A-803467 (20 mg/kg, i.v.) blocked mechanically evoked firing of wide dynamic range neurons in the rat spinal dorsal horn. A-803467 also dose-dependently reduced mechanical allodynia in a variety of rat pain models including: spinal nerve ligation ([ED.sub.50] = 47 mg/kg, i.p.), sciatic nerve injury ([ED.sub.50] = 85 mg/kg, i.p.), capsaicin-induced secondary mechanical allodynia ([ED.sub.50] [approximately equal to] 100 mg/kg, i.p.), and thermal hyperalgesia after intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant injection ([ED.sub.50] = 41 mg/kg, i.p.). A-803467 was inactive against formalin-induced nociception and acute thermal and postoperative pain. These data demonstrate that acute and selective pharmacological blockade of [Na.sub.v]1.8 sodium channels in vivo produces significant antinociception in animal models of neuropathic and inflammatory pain. allodynia | electrophysiology | hyperalgesia | sensory neurons

Voltage-gated K channels assemble from four identical subunits symmetrically arranged around a central permeation pathway. Each subunit harbors a voltage-sensing domain. The sigmoidal nature of the activation kinetics suggests that multiple sensors need to undergo a conformational change before the channel can open. Following activation, individual K channels alternate stochastically between two main permeation states, open and closed. This binary character of single channel behavior suggests the presence of a structure in the permeation pathway that can exist in only two conformations. However, single channel analysis of drkl ([K.sub.v]2.1) K channels demonstrated the existence of four additional, intermediate conductance levels. These short-lived subconductance levels are visited when the channel gate moves between the closed and fully open state. We have proposed that these sublevels arise from transient heteromeric pore conformations, in which some, but not all, subunits are in the 'open' state. A minimal model based on this hypothesis relates specific subconductance states with the number of activated subunits (Chapman et al., 1997). To stringently test this hypothesis, we constructed a tandem dimer that links two K channel subunits with different activation thresholds. Activation of this dimer by strong depolarizations resulted in the characteristic binary open-close behavior. However, depolarizations to membrane potentials in between the activation thresholds of the two parents elicited highly unusual single channel gating, displaying frequent visits to two subconductance levels. The voltage dependence and kinetics of the small and large sublevels associate them with the activation of one and two subunits, respectively. The data therefore support the hypothesis that subconductance levels result from heteromeric pore conformations. In this model, both sensor movement and channel opening have a subunit basis and these processes are allosterically coupled.

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-regulated transcription factors important in human physiology and disease. In certain NRs, including the androgen receptor (AR), ligand binding to the carboxy-terminal domain (LBD) regulates transcriptional activation functions in the LBD and amino-terminal domain (NTD). The basis for NTD--LBD communication is unknown but may involve NTD--LBD interactions either within a single receptor or between different members of an AR dimer. Here, measurement of FRET between fluorophores attached to the NTD and LBD of the AR established that agonist binding initiated an intramolecular NTD--LBD interaction in the nucleus and cytoplasm. This intramolecular folding was followed by AR self-association, which occurred preferentially in the nucleus. Rapid, ligand-induced intramolecular folding and delayed association also were observed for estrogen receptor-[alpha] but not for peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-[gamma]2. An antagonist ligand, hydroxyflutamide, blocked the NTD-LBD association within AR. NTD-LBD association also closely correlated with the transcriptional activation by heterologous ligands of AR mutants isolated from hormone-refractory prostate tumors. Intramolecular folding, but not AR--AR affinity, was disrupted by mutation of an u-helical ([sup.23][FQNLF.sup.27]) motif in the AR NTD previously described to interact with the AR LBD in vitro. This work establishes an intramolecular NTD-LBD conformational change as an initial component of ligand-regulated NR function. conformation change | FQNLF | FRET | nuclear receptor | estrogen receptor

Hybridization between interfertile, sympatric or parapatric, plant species can be reduced significantly by conspecific pollen advantage (CPA), whereby conspecific pollen has an advantage over heterospecific pollen in terms of ovule fertilization. We examined CPA in two interfertile species of Senecio, S. aethnensis, and S. chrysanthemifolius (Asteraceae), which form a hybrid zone on Mt. Etna, Sicily. Individuals of both species were pollinated with pollen mixtures containing 0, 25, 50, 75, or 100% heterospecific pollen, and offspring were genotyped to determine if they were products of conspecific or heterospecific pollen fertilizing the ovules. The mean proportion of hybrid offspring produced on S. aethnensis plants was not significantly different to that expected based on the proportion of heterospecific pollen applied to the flower head. However, S. chrysanthemifolius mother plants showed moderate CPA, with the proportion of hybrid offspring significantly less than expected. Seed set or seed germination was not reduced, hence the CPA found for S. chrysanthemifolius acts before ovule fertilization. The consequences of asymmetry in CPA on the reproductive isolation of S. aethnensis are briefly discussed, along with other mechanisms that may play a role in the maintenance of the hybrid zone on Mt. Etna. Key words: Asteraceae; hybrid zone; introgression; Mt. Etna; pollen competition; reproductive isolation; Senecio.

The relation between the study of history and theology in the work of Mandell Creighton (1843-1901) is discussed. Topics include J.N. Figgis in relation to church history and historical theology, Figgis's approach in relation to Creighton's, Anglican historiography in the 19th century, Creighton and the history of the papacy, Creighton's views on progress and history, critics of Creighton, and Creighton's theological historicism.

Sea-surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS) records obtained from two deep-sea cores have been used to reconstruct meridional gradients in the mid-latitude North Atlantic over the past 40 k.y. During the buildup of ice sheets toward the last glacial maximum, SST and SSS gradients between 40 degrees and 50 degrees N increased by 6-8 degrees C and approximately 2%, respectively. This trend represents a two-fold increase in surface-water gradients between 40 and 20 ka and strongly over-prints the signal of high-frequency climatic oscillations. We attribute the gradual intensification of meridional SST and SSS gradients to a precession-driven increase in advection within the glacial North Atlantic Current resulting from changes in low-latitude insolation and seasonality. A strongly zonal ocean circulation pattern, maintained by greater advection and enhanced heat storage within the subtropical ocean at the last glacial maximum, persisted until ca.20 ka, when a decrease in glacial SST gradients, coincident with a reduction in low-latitude climate forcing, marked the initiation of the last deglaciation.

Multiproxy data from North Atlantic deep-sea sediment core NEAP18K provide a detailed record of climate through oxygen isotope stage (OLS) 5. Seven distinct, large-scale episodes of ice rafting (C25-C19) were identified between 126 and 70 ka. Global ice-volume reconstructions, based on high.resolution benthic [[Delta].sup.18]O records, indicate that major ice-rafting events were not confined to ice-volume maxima at OIS 5d and 5b, but also occurred during periods of ice-sheet growth and disintegration. However, iceberg discharges were restricted to times when sea levels were 40-65 m below present values. Ice-rafting episode C25, the first large-scale cooling of mid-Atlantic surface waters after the last interglacial, occurred during the gradual buildup of continental ice sheets at the OIS 5e-5d transition. Major ice-sheet collapses allied to ice-rafting events C24 and C21 were associated with rapid sea-level increases of 20 and 40 m, respectively. Suborbital climatic fluctuations in the NEAP18K sedimentary record, denoted by prominent 7.5, 4.5, and 3 k.y. cyclicities, appear to correlate with both Greenland atmospheric temperatures and changes in thermohaline circulation patterns, inferred from benthic [[Delta].sup.13]C values, and hence provide clear evidence of a highly interconnected North Atlantic climatic regime during OIS 5.

In his highly original and important book, Hubinger traces the relationship between Protestantism and political liberalism in Germany, concentrating on the years from 1890 (when liberalism had to compete in [...]

In his highly original and important book, Hubinger traces the relationship between Protestantism and political liberalism in Germany, concentrating on the years from 1890 (when liberalism had to compete in [...]

Covering the period from roughly the second half of the eighteenth century to the beginnings of the Weimar Republic, these profiles of twenty-three German Protestant theologians, mainly by the younger [...]

William Sanday,(1) Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford in the first years of the present century, was universally admired as a figure of extreme moderation and of unsurpassed modesty [...]

Members of the History of Religion School hoped to avoid a relativization of Christianity, and retreated into a personal religion based on mysticism. Wilhelm Bousset and Ernst Troeltsch recognized that this removed the religion from the historical world and made it incapable of effecting ethical change; such an act made it simply a theology for theologians. Only Troeltsch developed a historical basis for a modern, relevant construction of religion.

This long-awaited work is the first full-length account of the uniquely varied career of Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923)- Its appearance is a symptom of Troeltsch's widespread re-emergence as a serious and [...]

German theologians of the early 20th century, in response to the challenge of naturalism, found in Kant's notion of the religious a-priori a valuable resource for apologetics. The religious a-priori offered a method for reconciling freedom with determinism while also establishing religion as a distinct logical form of judgment. However, in the work of Rudolf Otto, Ernst Troeltsch and Wilhelm Bousset, apologetics became confused with dogmatics as the three became engaged in a dispute over the nature of Christianity, with Bousset criticizing Troeltsch's teleological concept of religion.

Lewis V. Baldwin and Amiri YaSin Al-Hadid, Between Cross and Crescent: Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Malcolm and Martin. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2002. Pp. 488. Cloth $34.95. Lewis [...]

Ohnmachtige Freiheit. Studien zum Verhaltnis von Subjektivitat und Sunde bei August Tholuck, Julius Muller, Soren Kierkegaard und Friedrich Schleiemacher. By Christine Axt-Piscalar. Pp. viii + 318. (Beitrage zur Historischen Theologie, [...]

By Kurt Nowak. Pp. 389. Munich: C.H. Beck, 1995. ISBN 3 406 38991 0. DM 58. In his comprehensive account of Christianity in Germany from around the end of the [...]