Trusting the Health System and COVID 19 Restriction Compliance

We examine the extent to which exposure to higher relative COVID-19 mortality (RM), influences health system trust (HST), and whether changes in HST explain the perceived ease of compliance with pandemic restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on evidence from two representative surveys covering all regions of 28 European countries before and after the first COVID-19 wave, and using a difference in differences strategy together with Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), we document that living in a region with higher RM during the first wave of the pandemic increased HST. However, the positive effect of RM on HST is driven by individuals over 45 years of age, and the opposite effect is found among younger cohorts. Furthemore, we find that a higher HST reduces the costs of complying with COVID-19 restrictions, but only so long as excess mortality does not exceed the average by more than 20%, at which point the ease of complying with COVID-19 restrictions significantly declines, offsetting the positive effect of trust in the healthcare system. Our interpretation of these estimates is that a higher RM is interpreted as a risk signal among those over 45, and as a signal of health-care system failure among younger age individuals.     

Old,socially housed rhesus monkeys manipulate objects

Recent research has indicated that old, individually housed monkeys show little interest in novel objects. Yet unanswered is whether this effect is caused primarily by age or housing condition. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of social living in promoting responsiveness to objects. We measured the rates of object manipulation in older animals, assessed responsiveness over time to particular objects as a measure of habituation, and examined social influences on object use. Several social groups of rhesus monkeys that contained older adults were studied. These groups were housed in indoor pens or in an outdoor enclosure, and all monkeys had continuous access to a variety of objects in their home environment. In contrast to previous studies of individually housed monkeys, our group-housed monkeys showed sustained interest in objects. Old monkeys manipulated objects extensively, and this response was all the more significant, given that the objects were not novel. Monkeys housed in an outdoor enclosure showed object manipulation patterns that were not different from monkeys housed in indoor pens. However, females exhibited much higher object-related responses than males. Social facilitation played a role in the reactions of some monkeys to objects. Patterns of social facilitation as well as avoidance were present in two of the three indoor groups that were observed. Failure to manipulate objects in rhesus macaques appears to be more a function of individual housing than of old age. Factors such as environmental complexity, social needs, and early experience should be considered in order to understand why individually housed rhesus monkeys are unresponsive to objects. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Genome-wide RAD sequencing data suggest predominant role of vicariance in Sino-Japanese disjunction of the monotypic genus Conandron (Gesneriaceae)

Disjunct distribution is a key issue in biogeography and ecology, but it is often difficult to determine the relative roles of dispersal vs. vicariance in disjunctions. We studied the phylogeographic pattern of the monotypic Conandron ramondioides (Gesneriaceae), which shows Sino-Japanese disjunctions, with ddRAD sequencing based on a comprehensive sampling of 11 populations from mainland China, Taiwan Island, and Japan. We found a very high degree of genetic differentiation among these three regions, with very limited gene flow and a clear Isolation by Distance pattern. Mainland China and Japan clades diverged first from a widespread ancestral population in the middle Miocene, followed by a later divergence between mainland China and Taiwan Island clades in the early Pliocene. Three current groups have survived in various glacial refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum, and experienced contraction and/or bottlenecks since their divergence during Quaternary glacial cycles, with strong niche divergence between mainland China + Japan and Taiwan Island ranges. Thus, we verified a predominant role of vicariance in the current disjunction of the monotypic genus Conandron. The sharp phylogenetic separation, ecological niche divergence among these three groups, and the great number of private alleles in all populations sampled indicated a considerable time of independent evolution, and suggests the need for a taxonomic survey to detect potentially overlooked taxa.     

L-tryptophan binding to hepatic nuclei: Age and species differences

Summary The present experiments report differences in in vitro nuclear binding affinity for L-tryptophan 1) between livers of young (6 1/2 weeks old) and older (30 weeks old) NZBWF₁ mice, but not so in similar aged Swiss mice, and also, 2) in livers of hamsters compared to livers of guinea pigs. In vitro hepatic nuclear specific binding affinity after tube-feeding L-tryptophan (520mg/100g body weight) to mice 1 h before killing revealed less in young than in older NZWBF₁ mice, comparable to the above in vitro assay studies. In vitro nuclear binding affinity for L-tryptophan of livers of hamsters was significantly less than that of livers of guinea pigs or Swiss mice. In general, the degree of stimulatory effect on hepatic protein synthesis, as measured by in vitro [¹⁴C]leucine incorporation into protein using microsomes of animals tube-fed L-tryptophan 1 h before killing compared to that of animals tubefed water, correlated with the basal nuclear specific binding affinity to L-tryptophan of the animals (ages and species) used.This study was supported by U.S. Public Health Service Research Grant DK-45353 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.     

Mutation Pattern Variation Among Regions of the Primate Genome

We sequenced three argininosuccinate-synthetase-processed pseudogenes (ΨAS-A1, ΨAS-A3, ΨAS-3) and their noncoding flanking sequences in human, orangutan, baboon, and colobus. Our data showed that these pseudogenes were incorporated into the genome of the Old World monkeys after the divergence of the Old World and New World monkey lineages. These pseudogene flanking regions show variable mutation rates and patterns. The variation in the G/C to A/T mutation rate (u) can account for the unequal GC contents at equilibrium: 34.9, 36.9, and 41.7% in the pseudogene ΨAS-A1, ΨAS-A3, and ΨAS-3 flanking regions, respectively. The A/T to G/C mutation rate (v) seems stable and the u/v ratios equal 1.9, 1.7, and 1.4 in the flanking regions of ΨAS-A1, ΨAS-A3, and ΨAS-3, respectively. These ``regional' variations of the mutation rate affect the evolution of the pseudogenes, too. The ratio u/v being greater than 1.0 in each case, the overall mutation rate in the GC-rich pseudogenes is, as expected, higher than in their GC-poor flanking regions. Moreover, a ``sequence effect' has been found. In the three cases examined u and v are higher (at least 20%) in the pseudogene than in its flanking region—i.e., the pseudogene appears as mutation ``hot' spots embedded in ``cold' regions. This observation could be partly linked to the fact that the pseudogene flanking regions are long-standing unconstrained DNA sequences, whereas the pseudogenes were relieved of selection on their coding functions only around 30–40 million years ago. We suspect that relatively more mutable sites maintained unchanged during the evolution of the argininosuccinate gene are able to change in the pseudogenes, such sites being eliminated or rare in the flanking regions which have been void of strong selective constraints over a much longer period. Our results shed light on (1) the multiplicity of factors that tune the spontaneous mutation rate and (2) the impact of the genomic position of a sequence on its evolution. Received: 10 February 1997 / Accepted: 21 April 1997     

Genotypic variability for protoplast regeneration in Saintpaulia ionantha (H. Wendl.)

Summary The behaviour of eleven Saintpaulia ionantha (H. Wendl.) genotypes in protoplast culture was compared. Isolation of protoplasts from young shootlets regenerated in vitro on leaf explants, yielded 0.7 to 1.8 × 10⁶ protoplasts per gram fresh weight. In all cultivars and breeding lines tested, cell divisions were observed. The mean division frequencies varied between 1.0 and 5.0% after 14 days, and between 6.4 and 13.8% after 24 days of culture. In ten genotypes callussing and shoot regeneration were achieved. The difference between the genotypes in shoot regeneration rate, between 2 and 68%, was more pronounced. The comparison of four cytokinins indicated hat thidiazuron was most effective for shoot regeneration, but often resulted in poorer shoot quality than benzylaminopurine.Abbreviations BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) - IAA (In-dole-3-acetic acid) - NAA (-Naphthaleneacetic acid) - TDZ (Thidiazuron = 1-Phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)-urea) - 2iP (6-(,-dimethylallylamino)-purine)     

Reproductive ecology of five pipefish species in one eelgrass meadow

Synopsis Synopsis Pipefishes have rarely been watched in the wild and have never before been followed in their common seagrass habitats. This study explores the reproductive ecology of five species of pipefishes living in a Swedish eelgrass meadow during parts of four breeding seasons, tagging four of the species. Pipefish are remarkable for their specialised paternal care: only males aerate, osmoregulate and nourish the developing embryos. Two of the species (Entelurus aequoreus andNerophis ophidion) have simple ventral gluing of eggs on the trunk while three species (Syngnathus acus, S. rostellatus andS. typhle) have fully enclosed brood pouches on their tails. Males of the former species receive eggs from one female while males of the genusSyngnathus receive partial clutches from several females. Sex ratios of adults on the site differed from equal to male-biased to female-biased, according to species.S. typhle were most numerous and were resighted most often. They were present throughout the breeding season whereas there were temporal shifts in the presence of the other species on the meadow and in some sex ratios. Most species occurred in the deeper, denser part of the meadow but there was some habitat separation by species and sex. All species tended to stay low in the eelgrass, primarily coming up above the eelgrass to display and mate. No species showed site fidelity either to a home range or to the meadow, withE. aequoreus adults spending least time on the meadow. Sexual size dimorphism differed: males were larger inS. rostellatus, the same size inS acus and smaller in the other species. Although the species overlap in habitat requirements and breeding season, the only observed interspecific interactions were abortive courtships betweenSyngnathus species.     

喀喇昆仑、昆仑山地区植物元素含量的区域分异和数量分析

对喀喇昆仑、昆仑山地区87种植物21个元素含量及区域分异的研究表明,Ca、Cr、Cd、Fe、V含量比高等植物含量偏高,Ph、P的含量偏低。同种植物在不同地点元素含量有差异。盐柴荒漠植物中Na、K、Mg、P含量较高;高山草甸、冰缘植被植物Ba、Ca、Fe、V、Ti含量较高。各植被类型植物元素含量Na/K差异最大,Ca/Mg较小,Fe/Al差异最小。其变异系数分别为153.5、20.5和15.9.%     

N-demethylation of p-chloro-N-methylaniline catalyzed by subcellular fractions from the avocado pear (Persea americana)

Subcellular fractions from the avocado pear ( Persea americana) catalyzed formation of p-chloroaniline from p-chloro-N-methylaniline. Fractions prepared by centrifugation of avocado homogenates at 20, 000g for 20 min formed p-chloroaniline (2900 +/- 500 pmol min-1 mg protein-1) with an NADPH-generating system. p-Chloroaniline formation required reduced pyridine nucleotide (NADPH was 6-7 times more effective than NADH) and O2. N-Demethylation was inhibited by CO (55% inhibition at CO:O2 = 1) and was not inhibited by CN. Cytochrome P-450 was detected in the 20, 000g pellet at levels of 300-380 pmol/mg protein. This particulate preparation was also active in catalyzing the NADPH-dependent epoxidation of the chlorinated cyclodiene aldrin. Improvements to a colorimetric procedure for measuring p-chloroaniline increased the sensitivity of the procedure fourfold, and allowed use of samples containing high amounts of lipid. Avocado pear is suitable tissue for further studies on the oxidation of foreign compounds by higher plants.     

Aquo-pentamine Co(III) complexes as models for carbonic anhydrase

The hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate by metal complexes Co(en)2(imH)H2O3+, Co(en)2(bzmH)H2O3+, and Co(en)2(imCH3)H2O3+ (imH = imidazole, bzmH = benzimodazole, imCH3 = methyl imidazole) has been investigated in the pH range 5.4-8.9. The small difference in nucleophilic reactivity in the pH range 5.4-6.7 is assumed to be due to hydrogen bonding abilities of the imidazole and substituted imidazole ligands and small pKa differences (k2(imH) = 2.2 X 10(-2) M-1 sec-1, k2(bzmH) = 5.68 X 10(-2) M-1 sec-1, k2(imCH3) = 1.35 X 10(-2) M-1 sec-1, 40 degrees C, 1 = 0.3 NaClO4, pKa(imH) = 6.2, pKa(imCH3) = 6.2 and pKa(bzmH) = 5.9). In the pH range 7.8-8.9, the differences in nucleophilic reactivity (k3(imH) = 85.5 X 10(-2) M-1 sec-1, k3(bzmH) = 33.4 X 10(-2) M-1 sec-1, 40 degrees C, I = 0.3 NaClO4) are reconciled with a significant steric factor outweighing the acidity of the benzimidazole complex. In the pH region 6.7-7.7, the deviation from linearity is presumably due to both hydroxo and imido ligands functioning as nucleophiles, the latter being about 40 times stronger than the former.