Utilitarianism and the pandemic

There are no egalitarians in a pandemic. The scale of the challenge for health systems and public policy means that there is an ineluctable need to prioritize the needs of the many. It is impossible to treat all citizens equally, and a failure to carefully consider the consequences of actions could lead to massive preventable loss of life. In a pandemic there is a strong ethical need to consider how to do most good overall. Utilitarianism is an influential moral theory that states that the right action is the action that is expected to produce the greatest good. It offers clear operationalizable principles. In this paper we provide a summary of how utilitarianism could inform two challenging questions that have been important in the early phase of the pandemic: (a) Triage: which patients should receive access to a ventilator if there is overwhelming demand outstripping supply? (b) Lockdown: how should countries decide when to implement stringent social restrictions, balancing preventing deaths from COVID-19 with causing deaths and reductions in well-being from other causes? Our aim is not to argue that utilitarianism is the only relevant ethical theory, or in favour of a purely utilitarian approach. However, clearly considering which options will do the most good overall will help societies identify and consider the necessary cost of other values. Societies may choose either to embrace or not to embrace the utilitarian course, but with a clear understanding of the values involved and the price they are willing to pay.     

The distribution of biomedical research resources and international justice

According to some estimates, less than 10% of the world's biomedical research funds are dedicated to addressing problems that are responsible for 90% of the world's burden of disease. This paper explains why this disparity exists and what should be done about it. It argues that the disparity exists because: 1) multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies do not regard research and development investments on the health problems of developing nations to be economically lucrative; and 2) governmental agencies that sponsor biomedical research face little political pressure to allocate funds for the problems of developing nations. This paper argues that developed nations have an obligation to address disparities related to biomedical research funding. To facilitate this effort, developed countries should establish a trust fund dedicated to research on the health problems of developing nations similar to the Global AIDS Fund.     

滇龙胆草野生资源的地理分布与生物气候特征

利用国家标本资源共享平台提供的物种分布数据,结合野外实地调查和MaxEnt模型对滇龙胆草适宜分布区进行模拟和验证,分析滇龙胆草地理分布与气候因子间的关系.结果表明:模型训练集和验证集曲线下面积(area under curve,AUC)值均>0.90,表明模型预测精度高,预测结果较准确.滇龙胆草分布区地理坐标范围:22.2°-28.75°N,98.48°-110.59°E.适宜的海拔范围为1830^1959 m.适生区总面积约63.92×10^4 km^2;其中,高度适生区4.33×10^4 km^2,中度适生区21.42×10^4 km^2.云南、四川、贵州3省适生区面积合计约59.10×10^4 km^2,占全国适生区面积的92.46%.影响滇龙胆草地理分布的主要气候因子有3、6和8月太阳辐射,温度年较差,最暖季均温,10月和11月平均降水量及最干季降水量.偏最小二乘回归(partial least squares regression,PLSR)分析表明,分布区以北和以东的太阳辐射(3月、6月和8月)、温度年较差、10-11月平均降水量、最干季降水量是主要的限制因子;分布区以南主要限制因子是6月太阳辐射、最暖季均温、10月和11月平均降水量.限制滇龙胆草向四川盆地、广西盆地分布的主要气候因子是太阳辐射、温度年较差、最暖季均温、年生物温度和年可能蒸散量.综合分析认为,滇龙胆草的适生区主要位于云贵高原,上述地区的亚热带湿润气候最适宜滇龙胆草生长.     

Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources

The information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, as is evidenced by the so-called “attentional-blink” deficit: When two targets (T1 and T2) embedded in a rapid stream of events are presented in close temporal proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional resources. Here we show, using performance in an attentional-blink task and scalp-recorded brain potentials, that meditation, or mental training, affects the distribution of limited brain resources. Three months of intensive mental training resulted in a smaller attentional blink and reduced brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected by a smaller T1-elicited P3b, a brain-potential index of resource allocation. Furthermore, those individuals that showed the largest decrease in brain-resource allocation to T1 generally showed the greatest reduction in attentional-blink size. These observations provide novel support for the view that the ability to accurately identify T2 depends upon the efficient deployment of resources to T1. The results also demonstrate that mental training can result in increased control over the distribution of limited brain resources. Our study supports the idea that plasticity in brain and mental function exists throughout life and illustrates the usefulness of systematic mental training in the study of the human mind.     

广东省沙溪自然保护区植被资源与分布

文章通过对沙溪自然保护区的植物资源调查,对保护区的植被类型进行了分类,并对野生植物资源的种类的分布进行了分析.调查发现保护区有7种植被类型,其中以亚热带常绿阔叶林为主要植被类型,主要分布于海拔100~850m左右的丘陵和山地.亚热带常绿针叶与阔叶混交林面积较大,主要分布在长坪一带.亚热带常绿与落叶阔叶混交林、亚热带常绿针叶林、灌丛草坡分布较少.竹林主要在村庄附近的沟谷两旁和山地,处于半自然状态.保护区野生维管植物191科630属1225种,其中野生国家级保护植物7种,珍稀野生保护植物7种.保护区内植物资源丰富,其中野生维管植物资源种类繁多,蕴藏量较大,不少种类具有巨大的经济价值和生态价值,这对保护区及北江流域生态环境的保护和改善提供了基础依据.     

西藏珍稀野生动物资源与分布的研究

西藏珍稀野生动物有125种,隶属于16目29科86属。其中：哺乳类52种,隶属于5目13科34属;鸟类69种,隶属于8目13科49属;其它种类4种。本文择其重要种类介绍了西藏珍稀野生动物的分布。     

The distribution of Ephemerella ignita (Ephemeroptera) in streams: the role of pH and food resources

SUMMARY. 1. The mayfly Ephemerella ignita does not occur in upland streams of the River Duddon catchment which have waters with low pH values of 4.8-5.2, negative alkalinities and low ionic contents. However, it does occur in lowland streams of the catchment which have waters with higher pH values of 6.6 and above, large positive alkalinities and high ionic contents. This study addresses the question of whether the absence of the animal in the acid water streams is due directly to the water chemistry or to the absence of suitable food.
2. In comparative experiments using unfed animals of several species it was shown that E. ignita has a considerable tolerance of low pH, low ion water. In this it is similar to Amphinemura sulcicollis (Plecoptera), a stonefly which occurs in the acid water streams of the River Duddon catchment.
3. Growth rates in laboratory experiments with E. ignita were equally good whether the food supplied was that available in the low pH water streams (bryophyte Nardia compressa plus filamentous alga Hormidium subtile) or typical of that available in high pH water streams (moss Rhynchostegium riparioides with the epiphytic diatom Cocconeis placentula). However, a consideration of the natural habits of the animal suggests that it is the inaccessibility of the H. subtile algal food, rather than its unsuitability, which is relevant to the exclusion of E. ignita from the low pH streams. In addition, the very limited diversity of other algae in the low pH water streams, in the summer season, may well be influential in inhibiting the establishment of E. ignita.
4. The comparative experiments using unfed animals suggested that, contrary to the findings for E. ignita , the mayflies Baetis muticus and Beatis rhodani are probably excluded from the acid water streams of the Upper Duddon because of water chemistry.     

Tutorial videos of bioinformatics resources: online distribution trial in Japan named TogoTV

In recent years, biological web resources such as databases and tools have become more complex because of the enormous amounts of data generated in the field of life sciences. Traditional methods of distributing tutorials include publishing textbooks and posting web documents, but these static contents cannot adequately describe recent dynamic web services. Due to improvements in computer technology, it is now possible to create dynamic content such as video with minimal effort and low cost on most modern computers. The ease of creating and distributing video tutorials instead of static content improves accessibility for researchers, annotators and curators. This article focuses on online video repositories for educational and tutorial videos provided by resource developers and users. It also describes a project in Japan named TogoTV (http://togotv.dbcls.jp/en/) and discusses the production and distribution of high-quality tutorial videos, which would be useful to viewer, with examples. This article intends to stimulate and encourage researchers who develop and use databases and tools to distribute how-to videos as a tool to enhance product usability.     

Worldwide distribution of commercial resources of seaweeds including Gelidium

The commercial exploitation of seaweeds for use as food and for the production of agar, alginate and carrageenan is outlined. The quantities of seaweed harvested for each purpose are tabulated and discussed. Seaweeds for food are derived chiefly from China, Japan and Korea, with almost 94% obtained by cultivation. Alginophytes are collected in 15 countries but six of these account for more than 80% of the total harvest; all are from natural stocks except for a large quantity of Laminaria cultivated in China. Natural carrageenophytes, from 12 countries, now account for only 20% of the total harvest; the remainder is cultivated Eucheuma species, 99% of which is produced in only two countries, the Philippines and Indonesia. Of the four categories of commercial resources of seaweeds considered, agarophytes are spread more evenly over a greater number of countries; they come from 20 countries and only five of these are minor contributors to the total. Gelidium species are particularly important because of the high quality agar they yield; their distribution and location are discussed.