scholarly journals Allan Charles Wilson. 18 October 1934 — 21 July 1991

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 455-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Cann

Allan Charles Wilson was born on 18 October 1934 at Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. He died in Seattle, Washington, on 21 July 1991 while undergoing treatment for leukaemia. Allan was known as a pioneering and highly innovative biochemist, helping to define the field of molecular evolution and establish the use of a molecular clock to measure evolutionary change between living species. The molecular clock, a method of measuring the timescale of evolutionary change between two organisms on the basis of the number of mutations that they have accumulated since last sharing a common genetic ancestor, was an idea initially championed by Émile Zuckerkandl and Linus Pauling (Zuckerkandl & Pauling 1962), on the basis of their observations that the number of changes in an amino acid sequence was roughly linear with time in the aligned haemoglobin proteins of animals. Although it is now not unusual to see the words ‘molecular evolution’ and ‘molecular phylogeny’ together, when Allan formed his own biochemistry laboratory in 1964 at the University of California, Berkeley, many scientists in the field of evolutionary biology considered these ideas complete heresy. Allan’s death at the relatively young age of 56 years left behind his wife, Leona (deceased in 2009), a daughter, Ruth (b. 1961), and a son, David (b. 1964), as well his as mother, Eunice (deceased in 2002), a younger brother, Gary Wilson, and a sister, Colleen Macmillan, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins in New Zealand, Australia and the USA. In this short span of time, he trained more than 55 doctoral students and helped launch the careers of numerous postdoctoral fellows.

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
John Russell Brown

The classical theatres of southern Asia are variously treated with the reverence thought due to sacrosanct and immutable forms – or as rich sources for plunder by western theatre-makers in search of intra-cultural building-blocks. The rights and wrongs of this latter approach have been much debated, not least in the pages of NTQ; less so the intrinsic desirability of leaving well alone. At the symposium on Classical Sanskrit Theatre, hosted in Dhaka by the Centre for Asian Theatre in December 1999, an unexpected consensus sought ways in which classical theatre forms might best meet contemporary needs, not only by drawing upon their unique qualities – but also by respecting the injunction in the Natyasastra that the actor must combine discipline with a readiness for improvisation. John Russell Brown here supports the conclusions of the symposium that the qualities of Asian theatre which differentiate it from western forms – of a quest for transformation rather than representation, a concern with emotional truth rather than ideological ‘meaning’ – can best be pursued by such an approach, restoring to the theatre ‘its enabling and necessary role in society’. John Russell Brown was the first professor of Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham, and subsequently Associate Director at the National Theatre in London. More recently he has taught and directed in the USA, New Zealand, and Asia, and is now Visiting Professor of Performing Arts at Middlesex University. The most recent of his numerous books is New Sites for Shakespeare: Theatre, the Audience and Asia (Routledge, 1999).


Author(s):  
A. J. O'Leary

The writer attended a short course entitled "Advances in Earthquake Engineering" from 16 to 20 June 1980 at the University of Californis, Berkeley. The course was organised by "Continuing Education in Engineering, University Extension, and the College of Engineering" UC Berkeley. The course is run every few years, and as the title implies is an attempt to bring together in the form of
a series of lectures all recent developments in the fields of engineering seismology, seismic resistant design of civil and building structures, and seismic analysis. Approximately 250 attended this course, the majority being from the USA and in particular California, but with several participants from Canada, Central and South America, a few from Japan, Europe, Australia and two from New Zealand.


Author(s):  
Ronald S. Weinstein ◽  
N. Scott McNutt

The Type I simple cold block device was described by Bullivant and Ames in 1966 and represented the product of the first successful effort to simplify the equipment required to do sophisticated freeze-cleave techniques. Bullivant, Weinstein and Someda described the Type II device which is a modification of the Type I device and was developed as a collaborative effort at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The modifications reduced specimen contamination and provided controlled specimen warming for heat-etching of fracture faces. We have now tested the Mass. General Hospital version of the Type II device (called the “Type II-MGH device”) on a wide variety of biological specimens and have established temperature and pressure curves for routine heat-etching with the device.


Author(s):  
Alistair Fox

By comparing Sam Pillsbury’s cinematic adaptation of Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s The Scarecrow (1963) with the original, this chapter shows how the filmmaker, who was raised in the USA and immigrated to New Zealand in his teens, empties the source novel of the moral ambiguities and transgressive elements that had made the original a genuinely New Zealand work, in so far as it reflected puritan guilt over transgressive impulses in the face of repression, and thus turned the story into a genre film that that is much more anodyne in its vision.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-54
Author(s):  
Silvia Spitta

Sandra Ramos (b. 1969) is one of the few artists to reflect critically on both sides of the Cuban di-lemma, fully embodying the etymological origins of the word in ancient Greek: di-, meaning twice, and lemma, denoting a form of argument involving a choice between equally unfavorable alternatives. Throughout her works she shines a light on the dilemmas faced by Cubans whether in Cuba or the United States, underlining the bad personal and political choices people face in both countries. During the hard 1990s, while still in Havana, the artist focused on the traumatic one-way journey into exile by thousands, as well as the experience of profound abandonment experienced by those who were left behind on the island. Today she lives in Miami and operates a studio there as well as one in Havana. Her initial disorientation in the USA has morphed into an acerbic representation and critique of the current administration and a deep concern with the environmental collapse we face. A buffoonlike Trumpito has joined el Bobo de Abela and Liborio in her gallery of comic characters derived from the rich Cuban graphic arts tradition where she was formed. While Cuba is now represented as a rotten cake with menacing flies hovering over it ready to pounce, a bombastic Trumpito marches across the world stage, trampling everything underfoot, a dollar sign for a face.


Author(s):  
Rosser Johnson

New Zealand television networks introduced infomercials (30 minute advertisements designed to appear as if they are programmes) in late 1993. Although infomercials date from the 1950s in the USA, they were unknown in this country and quickly came to be seen as a peculiarly “intense” form of hyper-commercial broadcasting. This article aims to sketch out the cultural importance of the infomercial by analysing historical published primary sources (from the specialist and general press) as they reflect the views and opinions that resulted from the introduction of the infomercial. Specifically, it outlines the three main areas where that cultural importance was located. It concludes by analysing the significance of the cultural impact of the infomercial, both within broadcasting and within wider society.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fedja Netjasov

"Introduction to Risk and Safety of Air Navigation" is an authorized script compiled on the basis of the curriculum of the course "Introduction to Risk and Safety of Air Navigation" which is taught in undergraduate studies at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering. The scripts are primarily intended for students of undergraduate (bachelor) studies at the Department of Air Transport and Traffic at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering. Scripts can be useful to both master's and doctoral students at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, especially those who have not completed undergraduate studies at the Department of Air Transport and Traffic. They can also be useful to air transport and aeronautical engineers in order to expand and update knowledge in the field of air navigation safety. The material presented in these scripts relates mainly to civil aviation and is largely based on international standards, recommended practices, regulations and documents which deal with issues related to air navigation safety. As these standards, regulations and documents are subject to frequent changes and alterations, users of these scripts are advised to also use the original (updated) documents, which are listed in the references, in order to take into account any changes that have occurred after the release of the scripts.


Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabh2644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno R. Faria ◽  
Thomas A. Mellan ◽  
Charles Whittaker ◽  
Ingra M. Claro ◽  
Darlan da S. Candido ◽  
...  

Cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Manaus, Brazil, resurged in late 2020, despite previously high levels of infection. Genome sequencing of viruses sampled in Manaus between November 2020 and January 2021 revealed the emergence and circulation of a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern. Lineage P.1, acquired 17 mutations, including a trio in the spike protein (K417T, E484K and N501Y) associated with increased binding to the human ACE2 receptor. Molecular clock analysis shows that P.1 emergence occurred around mid-November 2020 and was preceded by a period of faster molecular evolution. Using a two-category dynamical model that integrates genomic and mortality data, we estimate that P.1 may be 1.7–2.4-fold more transmissible, and that previous (non-P.1) infection provides 54–79% of the protection against infection with P.1 that it provides against non-P.1 lineages. Enhanced global genomic surveillance of variants of concern, which may exhibit increased transmissibility and/or immune evasion, is critical to accelerate pandemic responsiveness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2566
Author(s):  
Isabel Marques ◽  
João Leitão ◽  
Alba Carvalho ◽  
Dina Pereira

Values guide actions and judgements, form the basis of attitudinal and behavioral processes, and have an impact on leaders’ decision-making, contributing to more sustainable performance. Through a bibliometric study and content analysis, 2038 articles were selected from Scopus, from the period 1994–2021, presenting global research tendencies on the subject of values, public administration, and sustainability. The results indicate that Sustainability is the most productive journal, the main research category is in social sciences, the most productive institution is the University of Queensland, the location with the most publications and research collaborations is the USA, and the authors with the greatest number of articles are Chung, from Chung-Ang University; García-Sánchez, from the University of Salamanca; and Pérez, from the University of Cantabria. Analysis of keywords shows that the most relevant are “sustainability”, “CSR”, “sustainable development”, “innovation”, and “leadership”. Time analysis of keywords reveals a tendency for lines of research in the social and work area. The results also provide data about the framing of studies in sustainability pillars and the types of values referred to and indicate the main areas of public administration studied. Finally, a future research agenda is proposed.


Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 154 (3) ◽  
pp. 1403-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J Cutler

Abstract Rates of molecular evolution at some protein-encoding loci are more irregular than expected under a simple neutral model of molecular evolution. This pattern of excessive irregularity in protein substitutions is often called the “overdispersed molecular clock” and is characterized by an index of dispersion, R(T) > 1. Assuming infinite sites, no recombination model of the gene R(T) is given for a general stationary model of molecular evolution. R(T) is shown to be affected by only three things: fluctuations that occur on a very slow time scale, advantageous or deleterious mutations, and interactions between mutations. In the absence of interactions, advantageous mutations are shown to lower R(T); deleterious mutations are shown to raise it. Previously described models for the overdispersed molecular clock are analyzed in terms of this work as are a few very simple new models. A model of deleterious mutations is shown to be sufficient to explain the observed values of R(T). Our current best estimates of R(T) suggest that either most mutations are deleterious or some key population parameter changes on a very slow time scale. No other interpretations seem plausible. Finally, a comment is made on how R(T) might be used to distinguish selective sweeps from background selection.


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