Thesis (M.A.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, 2005. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-63).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Yale University, 1906. / "Reprint of the First folio [1616] with variants of all other important editions" (cf. p. xiv) with reproduction of t.-p. Also available in digital form on the Internet Archive Web site.

De tout temps et dans toutes les sociétés l’homme dès qu’il accède à un emploi, organise sa vie pour acquérir des biens mobiliers et immobiliers afin d’en jouir de son vivant et de pouvoir les transmettre ensuite à ses héritiers après sa mort. Au CONGO le droit de succéder au de cujus était d’abord réglé selon les coutumes ; dans la partie Nord l’héritage se transmettait en se fondant sur le patriarcat qui reconnaissait la qualité d’héritier aux enfants, tandis que dans le Sud du pays où l’on pratiquait le matriarcat, les enfants considérés comme étrangers à leur père étaient exclus de sa succession. Ces règles ont survécu à l’influence du colonisateur si bien qu’après l’indépendance les congolais avaient une option entre le droit coutumier et le droit moderne français. Mais cette dualité a été une source de difficultés. Dans un souci de cohésion nationale le législateur congolais a unifié le droit successoral dans la Loi n° 073/ du 17 Octobre 1984 portant Code de la Famille. Nous traiterons ce sujet en trois parties : la première partie examinera les dispositions relatives à la dévolution de la succession, la seconde partie analysera les règles qui régissent la transmission et la liquidation de la succession et enfin la troisième partie montrera les problèmes rencontrés dans l’application du Code de la Famille. / All the time and in all societies when man accesses a job, he organizes his life to acquire movable and immovable property. In order to enjoy his life and then to bequeath to his heirs after his death. In CONGO the law to succeed to the deceased is first governed according to the customs. In the northern part, inheritance was passed on the basis of patriarchy recognized children as heirs. Whereas in the south the matriarchy was practiced, children was considered as foreigner to their father, they were excluded from the succession. These rules have survived the influence of the colonizer, after independence Congolese had a choice between the customary law and modern law. But this duality has been a source of difficulties. With a view to social cohesion the Congolese legislator unified the law of succession in the public law 073 of October 17, 1984 concerning family code. We will treat this subject in three parts: the first part will examine the provisions for the devolution of the estate, the second part will analyze the rules that govern the transmission and liquidation of the estate. Finally the third part will show the problems encountered in the implementation of the Code of Family.

Abstract Most models of sexual selection focus on coevolution of male sexual trait and female preference for the trait. However, whether the female preference modifies the male trait depends on the overall receptivity of females, on the importance of the male trait for the females, on female sampling behaviour, and on female control over copulation decision. These aspects are often neglected by theoreticians. Female receptivity, song requirement and preferences were studied in two Drosophila virilis group species, D. montana and D. virilis. The main object of the study was female acceptance/rejection behaviour. Female wing spreading posture was a signal for males to attempt copulation, when the female was ready to mate. I used this signal as an indicator of female acceptance. D. virilis females were generally very receptive, but there were differences between females both in receptivity and in responsiveness of the females to simulated courtship songs. D. virilis female did not require song and had a low acceptance threshold with a heterospecific male. These two traits are explained by a high female receptivity. D. montana females, on the contrary, had a high acceptance threshold. These females accepted the courting male only after hearing his song. They also repelled males, which attempted copulation without female acceptance signal. In this species the strength of species discrimination did not correlate with the overall receptivity of the females. Between species hybrid females (from a cross vir x mo and from backcross to mo) resembled D. montana females in their song requirement, but not in their receptivity. This suggests that these two traits are inherited independently. D. montana and D. littoralis females have previously been found to prefer males with short and dense sound pulses in wild. These song characters were repeatable among overwintered males in a fashion different from other song characters. This shows that song characters involved in sexual selection are more sensitive to environmental factors than other song traits.

Magister Scientiae (Medical Bioscience) - MSc(MBS) / The present study describes molecular aspects of inherited congenital cataract in captive-bred Vervet monkeys. Congenital cataracts are lens opacities that are present at birth or soon after birth and include hereditary cataracts or cataracts caused by infectious agents. The MRC Primate Unit is housing a colony of captive-bred Vervet monkeys in which 7.5% is suffering from congenital cataract. However, the parents of the affected individuals were asymptomatic. Six families within the colony have been identified to be affected by two types of morphologies (Y-sutural and total cataract). Based on the evidence provided above, it was speculated that the colony was affected with autosomal recessive cataract. The main aim of this study was to facilitate a strategy for managing breeding programs by minimizing cataract occurrences in captive-bred Vervet monkeys. Integrated combination of clinical, molecular and bioinformatic strategies were used to identify and assess reciprocal candidate susceptibility genes for cataracts. The genes that are known to be responsible for most human congenital cataract cases were prioritized. The genes include Heat shock transcription factor 4 (HSF4), Crystalline Alpha A (CRYAA), glucosaminyl (N-acetyl) transferase 2 (GCNT2) and Lens intrinsic membrane protein 2 (LIM2). Twenty two subjects were selected based on their morphology (5 carriers, 5 controls and 12 cataracts). 2ml of blood was collected for Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction. Coding exons and flanking regions were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequenced. The CLC DNA workbench was used for results analysis. The screening of four genes revealed 20 sequence variants which were not present in the control individuals. Sequencing of HSF4 revealed three mutations: R116R, L245>L and P421>L in exon 5, 10 and 14, respectively. The coding exons for CRYAA showed two sequence variants: S134W and K166N in exon 3. Twelve mutations were identified in exon one of all three GCNT2 transcripts (A, B and C). These mutations include: G212G, H256>H, M258>V, N275>N, V16>I, Y122>F, S15>S, S24>N, S38>S, I118>I, D194>D and Y373>Y which was found in exon three of all transcripts. There were no mutations in LIM2, however, three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in exon 2 (P66>P) and 3 (I118>T and A127>T). The above mutations were conserved when aligned with other species. The sequence variations vary among the families and those individuals with the same or different cataract phenotype. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the four candidate genes harbour mutations that are responsible for both phenotypes. The effect of these mutations in Vervet monkeys is not yet understood, however, their impact will be further investigated. For future studies, it will be of absolute importance to screen the entire family to verify that indeed cataract formation in this colony is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.

In C. elegans, the germline is a tightly regulated tissue where silencing pathways regulate genes, allowing expression of “self” while silencing “non-self.” Doublestranded RNAs (dsRNAs), short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and piwi-associated RNAs (piRNAs) can transmit this regulation across generations via transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) mechanisms (Bošković and Rando, 2018). Analogously, some pathways can counteract gene silencing to allow sustained expression in the germline. One such example is a non-coding DNA structure called Periodic An/Tn clusters that can prevent the silencing of transgenes in the germline (Frøkjær-Jensen et al., 2016). In this thesis, I developed a novel piRNA-based tool called piRNA interference (piRNAi), where target-specific short “guide” piRNAs (sg-piRNAs) can robustly silence endogenous genes and transgenes. I have used piRNAi to understand the rules for licensing gene expression and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in the C. elegans germline. Initially, I describe design rules for generating transgenes with PATC-rich introns that resist germline silencing and are robustly expressed from extrachromosomal arrays. PATC-rich transgenes showed more accurate gene expression patterns and did not prevent germline regulation by 3’ untranslated regions (3’ UTRs). Next, I developed the piRNAi technique to understand the role of PATCs in licensing transgene expression and the rules for how endogenous genes can be targeted for piRNA-mediated silencing and TEI. I demonstrate that a PATC-rich gfp transgene and endogenous genes are not resistant to piRNA-mediated silencing. Finally, I used piRNAi to define rules for TEI: 1. I identified two new endogenous targets for TEI (him-5 and him-8) that can inherit silencing for four and six generations respectively, after transient exposure to sg-piRNAs. 2. I demonstrate that an endogenous gene (him-5) can be semi-permanently silenced in the absence of the piRNA/PRG-1 pathway. 3. The duration of TEI was significantly shortened in a transgene that contained PATC-rich introns. Altogether, my thesis shows that an endogenous small RNA pathway can be reprogrammed to silence endogenous genes and transgenes in the germline, which enables novel experimental paradigms for studying inherited and semipermanent silencing.

'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes'. If one agreed with this statement, made by Benjamin Franklin one year prior to his death, one could come to the ultimate conclusion that there has to be a special certainty about capital transfer taxes, estate duties, inheritance taxes or other death duties levied on deceased estates. There seems to be no reason whatsoever to doubt the final truth of the first part of Franklin's statement. But is it also right to assume that there is a certainty about taxes or, what is more, to draw the conclusion that there could be a special certainty about the different types of taxes connected with the death of an individual? On the one hand it seems to be true. There are only a few countries throughout the world levying very limited or no taxes at all, and if one forgets about a few tax havens, like the Caymen Islands for example, one is also inclined to agree with the latter part of Franklin's statement - there seems to be certainty about the levying of taxes. But, on the other hand, is the amount of taxes, especially the amount of capital transfer taxes, estate duties, inheritance taxes or other death duties levied on a persons death, always that certain? The avoidance of double taxation has been an objective of most of the world's nations since the negotiation of the first Income Tax Convention in the middle of the nineteenth century. The development of most of the world's countries into modern industrial nations, with trade links all over the world, gradually demonstrated the problems which can arise if one country levies taxes without considering the levying of an equal or similar tax in another country. Today the negative consequences of double taxation on the movement of goods, services and capital are widely understood by modern states enacting tax systems for their citizens.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / 2022-08-31

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