Biomedical subjects

Stephen A James

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen A James.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Molecular evidence for the existence of natural hybrids in the genus Zygosaccharomyces.

26S rDNA D1/D2 sequencing was used to characterise a number of food-associated Zygosaccharomyces rouxii strains held at the National Collection of Yeast Cultures. In the course of this study, four strains (NCYC 1682, NCYC 3042, NCYC 3060 and NCYC 3061) were identified which appeared, based on their D1/D2 sequences, to belong to a novel Zygosaccharomyces species. However, subsequent sequence analysis showed that NCYC 1682, NCYC 3060 and NCYC 3061 possess two highly divergent copies of the nuclear-encoded ADE2, HIS3 and SOD2 genes, indicating these three strains are in fact hybrids. NCYC 3042, however, does appear to represent a novel species which may be hypothesized to have crossed with Z. rouxii and given rise to hybrid strains. Additional approaches to define precise taxonomic status and mechanisms of hybrid genome formation amongst yeast species are discussed.

Carboxy-Lyases↗

PubMed2002

Determining a unique defining DNA sequence for yeast species using hashing techniques.

MOTIVATION: Yeasts are often still identified with physiological growth tests, which are both time consuming and unsuitable for detection of a mixture of organisms. Hence, there is a need for molecular methods to identify yeast species. RESULTS: A hashing technique has been developed to search for unique DNA sequences in 702 26S rRNA genes. A unique DNA sequence has been found for almost every yeast species described to date. The locations of the unique defining sequences are in accordance with the variability map of large subunit ribosomal RNA and provide detail of the evolution of the D1/D2 region. This approach will be applicable to the rapid identification of unique sequences in other DNA sequence sets. AVAILABILITY: Freely available upon request from the authors. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Results are available at http://www.sys.uea.ac.uk/~jjw/project/paper

Algorithms↗

PubMed1994

Reconciling international human rights and cultural relativism: the case of female circumcision.

How can we reconcile, in a non-ethnocentric fashion, the enforcement of international, universal human rights standards with the protection of cultural diversity? Examining this question, taking the controversy over female circumcision as a case study, this article will try to bridge the gap between the traditional anthropological view that human rights are non-existent -- or completely relativised to particular cultures -- and the view of Western naturalistic philosophers (including Lockeian philosophers in the natural rights tradition, and Aquinas and neo-Thomists in the natural law tradition) that they are universal -- simply derived from a basic human nature we all share. After briefly defending a universalist conception of human rights, the article will provide a critique of female circumcision as a human rights violation by three principal means: by an internal critique of the practice using the condoning cultures' own functionalist criteria; by identifying supra-national norms the cultures subscribe to which conflict with the practice; and by the identification of traditional and novel values in the cultures, conducive to those norms. Through this analysis, it will be seen that cultural survival, diversity and flourishing need not be incompatible with upholding international, universal human rights standards.

Africa↗