Atmospheric extinction related to aerosol mass concentration and meteorological conditions in the atmosphere of Qena (Egypt)

The dependence of the atmospheric extinction on aerosols concentration, temperature and wind speed is demonstrated. The atmospheric extinction was determined by measuring the transmission loss of radiation from alight source across 36 cm path with a photocell detector Conclusion include a general association of high extinction with high aerosols concentration, temperature and wind speed, but there are no one-to-one relationships. A correlation study between the extinction coefficient and each of these parameters was performed.

Of pathogens and party lines: Social conservatism positively associates with COVID-19 precautions among U.S. Democrats but not Republicans

Social liberals tend to be less pathogen-avoidant than social conservatives, a pattern consistent with a model wherein ideological differences stem from differences in threat reactivity. Here we investigate if and how individual responses to a shared threat reflect those patterns of ideological difference. In seeming contradiction to the general association between social conservatism and pathogen avoidance, the more socially conservative political party in the United States has more consistently downplayed the dangers of COVID-19 during the ongoing pandemic. This puzzle offers an opportunity to examine the contributions of multiple factors to disease avoidance. We investigated the relationship between social conservatism and COVID-19 precautionary behavior in light of the partisan landscape of the United States. We explored whether consumption of, and attitudes toward, different sources of information, as well as differential evaluation of various threats caused by the pandemic—such as direct health costs versus indirect harms to the economy and individual liberties—shape partisan differences in responses to the pandemic in ways that overwhelm the contributions of social conservatism. In two pre-registered studies, socially conservative attitudes correlate with self-reported COVID-19 prophylactic behaviors, but only among Democrats. Reflecting larger societal divisions, among Republicans and Independents, the absence of a positive relationship between social conservatism and COVID-19 precautions appears driven by lower trust in scientists, lower trust in liberal and moderate sources, lesser consumption of liberal news media, and greater economic conservatism.

Coping with a Post-Communist World

After a broad overview, this chapter analyzes two specific instances of North Korea’s authoritarian image management, spanning both the Cold War and post–Cold War eras. First, it focuses on North Korea’s Japan-based efforts to craft an appealing image among Koreans there through Chongryon (the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan). Second, it discusses the loose network of North Korea sympathizer organizations around the world. The chapter draws on primary North Korean media sources, online evidence of friendship group activities, and fieldwork conducted about Chongryon in Japan in 2019. The main argument is that North Korea’s image management efforts have been effective in some respects, but they appear outdated and ill-suited to the contemporary world because the country was slow and hesitant to adapt to new realities. The system was designed for a context of party-to-party relations and Third World solidarity initiatives that eventually faded in relevance.

Computational analysis of vertebrate myoglobins reveals aggregation resistance in aquatic birds and higher surface hydrophobicity in fish

Myoglobin is the major oxygen carrying protein in vertebrate muscle. Previous studies identified in secondarily aquatic mammalian lineages high myoglobin net charge, which serves to prevent aggregation at the extremely high intracellular myoglobin concentrations found in these species. However, it is unknown how aquatic birds that dive for extended durations prevent myoglobin aggregation at their high intracellular myoglobin concentrations. It is also unknown whether secondarily aquatic lineages reduced the surface hydrophobicity of their myoglobins to prevent aggregation. Here, we used a deep learning-predicted distance-based protein folding algorithm to model the tertiary structures of 302 vertebrate myoglobin orthologs and performed a comparative analysis of their predicted net charge and surface hydrophobicities. The results suggest that aquatic avian divers, such as penguins and diving ducks, evolved highly charged myoglobins to reduce aggregation propensity and allow greater storage of oxygen for extended underwater foraging. High myoglobin net charge was also identified in golden eagles, a species that routinely suffers high-altitude hypoxia. Although no general association was found between myoglobin surface hydrophobicity and intracellular concentration, comparison of predicted net charge and surface hydrophobicities revealed significant differences between major vertebrate classes; bird myoglobins are the most positively charge, reptile myoglobins are the most negatively charged, and the myoglobins of ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) have higher surface hydrophobicity than those of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii). Our findings indicate the convergent evolution of high myoglobin net charge in aquatic birds and mammals, and offer novel insights into the diversification of myoglobin among vertebrate clades.

Characterization of universal features of partially methylated domains across tissues and species

Background Partially methylated domains (PMDs) are a hallmark of epigenomes in reproducible and specific biological contexts, including cancer cells, the placenta, and cultured cell lines. Existing methods for deciding whether PMDs exist in a sample, as well as their identification, are few, often tailored to specific biological questions, and require high coverage samples for accurate identification. Results In this study, we outline a set of axioms that take a step towards a functional definition for PMDs, describe an improved method for comparable PMD detection across samples with substantially differing sequencing depths, and refine the decision criteria for whether a sample contains PMDs using a data-driven approach. Applying our method to 267 methylomes from 7 species, we corroborated recent results regarding the general association between replication timing and PMD state, and report identification of several reproducibly “escapee” genes within late-replicating domains that escape the reduced expression and hypomethylation of their immediate genomic neighborhood. We also explored the discordant PMD state of orthologous genes between human and mouse, and observed a directional association of PMD state with gene expression and local gene density. Conclusions Our improved method makes low sequencing depth, population-level studies of PMD variation possible and our results further refine the model of PMD formation as one where sequence context and regional epigenomic features both play a role in gradual genome-wide hypomethylation.

A Well-Orchestrated Strategy Taking Politics and Cross-Strait Relations Into Account

The Yiguandao has ambitions to re-establish itself firmly in Mainland China. The process is ongoing but, so far, it has primarily taken place in an underground way. However, the ultimate target for the group is to manage to be legalized in China in the same way as it was legalized in Taiwan at the end of the martial law period. In order to put things into context, this chapter introduces both the Yiguandao’s relationship to politics and the way Chinese authorities think about religion. For them, the expansionary dynamics of the Yiguandao is closely intertwined with the Taiwanese question. This explains why a new era started in the middle of the 2000s, marked by renewed contacts between Chinese authorities and the Yiguandao’s General Association located in Taiwan. Based on a number of very concrete examples, the chapter underlines both the progress and the limits of these exchanges, showing that the Yiguandao’s ability to navigate the troubled water of cross-straits politics certainly contributes to its overall expansionary dynamics.

Mating Type and Aggressiveness of Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary in Potato-Growing Areas of Punjab, Pakistan, 2017–2018 and Identification of Genotype 13_A2 in 2019–2020

Samples of blighted potato leaves were collected from fields in six potato-growing districts of the Punjab Province of Pakistan in 2017–2018. A total of 149 isolates of Phytophthora infestans were obtained from six potato cultivars (Asterix, Barsenna, Burana, Caroda, Mazika, Sante). Of these isolates, 73% were A1 mating type, 23% were A2 mating type and 4% were self-fertile. Both mating types of P. infestans occurred in all six districts sampled, but in every case, the A1 mating type predominated. The foliar aggressiveness of 104 of these isolates (weakly pathogenic isolates were excluded) was tested on detached leaflets of potato cv. Caroda, and a composite aggressiveness index (CAI) calculated from lesion area (measured after 10 days), latent period and infection frequency was used to compare isolates. There was no difference in CAI between isolates obtained from different districts or cultivars. The A2 mating type isolates had significantly greater CAIs than A1 isolates but this does not imply a genetic linkage nor a general association between mating type and aggressiveness. It may be that the A2 isolates belonged to an aggressive clonal lineage such as 13_A2 that has been reported in other countries in the region. While it was not possible to test the isolates collected in 2017–2018, genotyping of samples collected in 2019–2020 showed the widespread occurrence of the EU_13_A2 clonal lineage in the same districts of Pakistan and supported this hypothesis. This is the first report of EU_13_A2 from Pakistan. The implications for potato late blight management in the Punjab are discussed.

Drought, Resilience, and Support for Violence: Household Survey Evidence from DR Congo

The effects of climate variability and change on security are debated. While this topic has received considerable attention in both policy circles and academia, the microlevel pathways and conditions under which climatic shocks increase conflict risks are poorly understood. We suggest that household resilience provides one key to understanding these relationships. Using novel household survey data from two conflict-affected regions in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, we study variation in the support for violence related to reported exposure to drought and resilience metrics. Using comprehensive multifaceted objective and subjective indicators of resilience, we find that less resilient respondents who report having experienced drought and associated losses are more likely to be supportive of the use of political violence. In contrast, our findings suggest that there is no general association between reporting drought exposure and support for violence.

Contrasting shared- and specific-mechanism accounts of developmental prosopagnosia: A new approach

The understanding of developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is dominated by two opposing views: (i) that DP reflects malfunction of a mechanism shared by face and object recognition, but which is more critical for face than for object recognition, or (ii) that DP is due to malfunction of a mechanism specific to faces, but where object recognition deficits may co-occur due to collateral damage. Here we address some of the limitations in DP studies on this point by examining face and car recognition in a large cohort of healthy subjects selected in an unbiased manner. At the group level we find evidence of a general association between face and car recognition performance but at the individual level we also find occasional dissociations. We discuss the methodological implications of these findings for cognitive neuropsychology in general (association vs. dissociation) but also the theoretical implications for the current understanding of DP more specifically.