Physiological Responses and Partisan Bias: Beyond Self-Reported Measures of Party Identification

People are biased partisans: they tend to agree with policies from political parties they identify with, independent of policy content. Here, we investigate how physiological reactions to political parties shape bias. Using changes in galvanic skin conductance responses to the visual presentation of party logos, we obtained an implicit and physiological measure of the affective arousal associated with political parties. Subsequently, we exposed subjects to classical party cue experiments where the party sponsors of specific policies were experimentally varied. We found that partisan bias only obtains among those exhibiting a strong physiological reaction to the party source; being a self-reported party identifier is not sufficient on its own. This suggests that partisan bias is rooted in implicit, affective reactions.     

The three-dimensional macronutrient niche of an invasive generalist predator

1. Harvestmen are predators, although they suspected of being partly omnivorous by including fruits in their diet. 2. In the present study, the right-angled mixture triangle (RMT) was used to analyse the macronutritional niche of the harvestman Opilio canestrinii, an invasive species in northern Europe. The study design followed a double-test procedure in which the animals were subjected to two self-selection tests: the first one immediately after being caught in the field and the second after 1 week of ad libitum feeding during which the animals became satiated and nutritionally balanced. A comparison of results from the two tests indicates whether the animals were food limited in the field, and whether they were limited by a particular macronutrient. 3. Females were found to be food limited in the field, whereas males were not. Opilio canestrinii had a target intake of 28% lipid : 52% protein : 20% carbohydrate [i.e. with a considerable proportion of carbohydrate (sugar) in the diet]. Both sexes were non-protein limited in the field, with sugar being more limiting than lipid. 4. The results indicate considerable inclusion of plant-derived sugar in the natural diet. This conclusion was supported by a separate experiment showing enhanced performance (survival, gain in mass) in animals whose only energy supply was fresh fruit. 5. It is concluded that the harvestman is best characterized as an omnivorous predator.     

Genome‐wide scans to detect positive selection in Large White and Tongcheng pigs

Due to the direction, intensity, duration and consistency of genetic selection, especially recent artificial selection, the production performance of domestic pigs has been greatly changed. Therefore, we reasoned that there must be footprints or selection signatures that had been left during domestication. In this study, with porcine 60K BeadChip genotyping data from both commercial Large White and local Chinese Tongcheng pigs, we calculated the extended haplotype homozygosity values of the two breeds using the long‐range haplotype method to detect selection signatures. We found 34 candidate regions, including 61 known genes, from Large White pigs and 25 regions comprising 57 known genes from Tongcheng pigs. Many selection signatures were found on SSC1, SSC4, SSC7 and SSC14 regions in both populations. According to quantitative trait loci and network pathway analyses, most of the regions and genes were linked to growth, reproduction and immune responses. In addition, the average genetic differentiation coefficient F_ST was 0.254, which means that there had already been a significant differentiation between the breeds. The findings from this study can contribute to further research on molecular mechanisms of pig evolution and domestication and also provide valuable references for improvement of their breeding and cultivation.     

African origin and global distribution patterns: Evidence inferred from phylogenetic and biogeographical analyses of ectomycorrhizal fungal genus Strobilomyces

Aim

The ectomycorrhizal genus Strobilomyces is widely distributed throughout many parts of the world, but its origin, divergence and distribution patterns remain largely unresolved. In this study, we aim to explore the species diversity, distribution and evolutionary patterns of Strobilomyces on a global scale by establishing a general phylogenetic framework with extensive sampling.

Location

Africa, Australasia, East Asia, Europe, North America, Central America and Southeast Asia.

Methods

The genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition method was used to delimit phylogenetic species. Divergence times were estimated using a Bayesian uncorrelated lognormal relaxed molecular clock. The ancestral area and host of Strobilomyces were inferred via the programs rasp and mesquite . The change of diversification rate over time was estimated using Ape, Laser and Bammtools software packages.

Results

We recognize a novel African clade and 49 phylogenetic species with morphological evidence, including 18 new phylogenetic species and 23 previously described ones. Strobilomyces probably originated in Africa, in association with Detarioideae/Phyllanthaceae/Monotoideae during the early Eocene. The dispersal to Southeast Asia can be explained by Wolfe's “Boreotropical migration” hypothesis. East Asia, Australasia, Europe and North/Central America are primarily the recipients of immigrant taxa during the Oligocene or later. A rapid radiation implied by one diversification shift was inferred within Strobilomyces during the Miocene.

Main conclusions

An unexpected phylogenetic species diversity within Strobilomyces was uncovered. The highest diversity, resulting probably from a rapid radiation, was found in East Asia. Dispersal played an important role in the current distribution pattern of Strobilomyces. The Palaeotropical disjunction is explained by species dispersal from Africa to Southeast Asia through boreotropical forests during the early Eocene. Species from the Northern Hemisphere and Australasia are largely derived from immigrant ancestors from Southeast Asia.     

Differential effects of circadian typology on sleep-related symptoms,physical fatigue and psychological well-being in relation to resilience

Various physiological and psychological functions are influenced by circadian typology (CT), which was reported to be related to resilience. However, few studies have assessed the effects of CT in relation to resilience. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of CT on sleep-related symptoms, physical fatigue and psychological well-being in relation to resilience. The present study included a total of 1794 healthy hospital employees, and they completed the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Abbreviated Version. Subjects with evening type showed lower sleep quality, more daytime sleepiness and physical fatigue than neither types and morning types. Additionally, evening types were more depressed and anxious and reported a poorer quality of life. CT was found to be a significant predictor of sleep quality, but CT was minimally associated with physical fatigue and psychological well-being in the regression analysis. Instead, resilience was substantially related to all of the variables measured. In conclusion, CT independently predicts sleep quality, but the effects of CT on physical fatigue and psychological well-being are negligible compared to those of resilience.     

Establishment and application of the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H)-based plant interactome for investigation of gene functions

A large amount of genomic information is currently being generated in the biological sciences; however, the postgenome era needs biological connectors to bridge between genome data and gene functions. Interactomes are proteinprotein interaction maps used to study gene function through the demonstration of predicted functions based on known roles of interaction partners to understand biological processes as a systemic approach. Diverse experimental approaches for interactomes have been developed, each of which has its own merits and pitfalls. In this review, the status and application of the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H)-based plant interactome is introduced to investigate gene functions as a biological network.     

中国部分地方鸡种MHC B-G基因第二外显子的遗传多态性

根据鸡主要组织相容性复合体BG基因序列设计特异性引物,在9个中国地方鸡种和1个国外引进鸡种基因组中扩增了包括其第一内含子和第二外显子在内、长度为401bp的DNA片段。经PCRSSCP分型筛选后,对该片段的核苷酸序列进行克隆测序和直接PCR测序及比对分析,发现了31个MHCBG新等位基因;各等位基因主型所含有的亚型数及其在不同品种间的分布极不均衡。第二外显子核苷酸序列和其所编码的MHCBG抗原类IgV结构域氨基酸序列比较表明,在中国地方鸡种BG基因第二外显子的207bp序列中有37个多态性变异位点,其中简约性信息位点29个,单个位点的变异8个;等位基因间的遗传变异范围0.0013-0.1433;各变异位点的核苷酸变异指数0.206-1.462。该编码区核苷酸的异义替换率为9.26%±1.92%,高于同义替换率2.34%±0.90%。所估计的核苷酸转换数和颠换数随着遗传距离的增加而逐渐增加,当核苷酸转换数和颠换数达到平衡后,该片段核苷酸转换数的增加幅度逐渐高于颠换数。在其所编码的类IgV结构域氨基酸序列中,多态变异位点有22个,其中简约性信息位点6个,单变异位点16个;所估测的等电点为8.45,疏水性氨基酸占40.3%,亲水性氨基酸占29.9%;该序列具有明显的疏水性特点。等位基因间的系统发生分析表明,31个BG等位基因分为两个群,相同主型的等位基因首先聚类。本研究为鸡BG基因的免疫功能和遗传进化研究提供了分子依据     

A Matter of Balance: Role of Neurexin and Neuroligin at the Synapse

Neurexins and neuroligins are synaptic cell adhesion molecules. Neurexins are primary located on the presynaptic membrane, whereas neuroligins are strictly postsynaptic proteins. Since their discovery, the knowledge of neurexins and neuroligins has expanded, implicating them in various neuronal processes, including the differentiation, maturation, stabilization, and plasticity of both inhibitory and excitatory synapses. Here, we review the most recent results regarding the structure and function of these cell adhesion molecules.