Institutional quality,financial development and sustainable economic growth among lower income countries

This article postulates strong endogenous relationships in lower income countries between institutional quality, financial development and sustained economic growth. These associations were investigated using the vector-error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality method for a sample of 79 countries from 2005 to 2022. The findings show that (1) these variables reinforce each other in the short run. (2) In the long run, both institutional quality and financial development can fuel economic growth. (3) The positive effect of institutional quality on economic growth is greater than that of financial development. Policy implications of these findings are that careful attention should be paid to co-development policies to enhance the institutional quality and the financial system in these economies. Policies should also consider economic growth strategies to enable sustainable economic growth rates.     

Combined influence of food level and inoculation density on competition between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anuraeopsis fissa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachionus patulus</Emphasis> or <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachionus macracanthus</Emphasis> (Rotifera: Brachionidae)

We tested separately the effect of two taxonomically related rotifers (B. patulus and B. macracanthus) on the population dynamics of another species (A. fissa) at low (0.5 ×10 ⁶) and high food levels (1.5 × 10⁶ cells/ml of Chlorella vulgaris) using different inoculation densities (0–100%). We also quantified the impact of A. fissa on the two brachionid species. Regardless of the presence of the competing species, an increase in the availability of food led to increase in the abundances of the three rotifers. The population growth of B. patulus, B. macracanthus, or A. fissa was affected negatively when cultured together with another species. An increase in the initial density of any one of the competing species became advantageous to maintain a certain population size. At a low algal food level, B. patulus was able to suppress A. fissa more strongly than B. macracanthus. On the other hand, at a high food level, B. macracanthus suppressed the population of A. fissa more strongly than B. patulus. Peak population densities for A. fissa varied from about 150 to 1000 ind./ml, depending on food density and the presence of competitors. The rate of population increase (r) of A. fissa, B. patulus, and B. macracanthus increased with an increase in food availability but decreased with increasing initial density of the competitor. Both Brachionus spp. experienced negative growth rates in the presence of A. fissa, especially at a high initial density of the latter. Published in Russian in Ekologiya, 2007, Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 381–390. The article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Dynamics of growth and seed production in the Siberian stone pine: The level and pattern of variation in characters

A statistical analysis of interannual variation in a set of vegetative and generative characters over 13 years has been performed to characterize the growth and seed production dynamics of the Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) in the southeast of the forest zone in western Siberia. The results have shown that the range of fluctuations in most of vegetative characters is ordinary and their distribution is close to normal. The range of fluctuations in many generative characters is enormous (from 0 to +∞), and the distribution of their values is usually skewed, with low values being recorded several times more frequently than high values. Most variable are the proportion of abortive cones and other characters that are determined mainly in the spring of the pollination year. These characters account for a very high level of variation in the total seed production.     

Prenatal diagnosis of Apert syndrome: report of two cases

Two de novo cases with Apert Syndrome detected prenatally are presented herein. In the first, fetal ultrasound findings of syndactyly of the hands, craniosynostosis and proptosis resulted in a prenatal diagnosis in the nineteenth week of gestation. This is the earliest prenatal diagnosis of this syndrome in a not-at-risk case. Following counseling, this pregnancy was terminated and subsequent pathological examination and DNA analysis confirmed the diagnosis of Apert Syndrome and coarctation of the aorta. In the second case, fetal ultrasound at 21 weeks' gestation revealed a hypoplastic left heart and clover-leaf skull. Following counseling, this pregnancy was also terminated. Further examination of the fetus and DNA analysis led to a diagnosis of Apert Syndrome. These cases emphasize the need to complete a thorough fetal ultrasound in cases with potentially lethal cardiac abnormality and the importance of incorporating a fetal pathologist, as well as a medical geneticist, in the investigations performed after delivery or pregnancy termination when a fetal abnormality is detected on ultrasound. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exoautometabolic regulation of transgenes in microorganisms

Data on the existence of a specific system regulating the growth, size, and structure of enterobacterial populations are first summarized in terms of the chemical ecology concept formulated by S.S. Shvarts. The role of this system in transgene functioning is described using the example of the lux operon integrated into Escherichia coli. A relatively simple test for estimating such interactions is proposed.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 91–96.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Pshenichnov, Maslennikova, Nikitina.     

Increased fetal nuchal fold leading to prenatal diagnosis of ring chromosome 15

We report on the prenatal diagnosis of ring chromosome 15 in a fetus with increased nuchal fold and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). A 27-year-old woman gravida 2, para 1 had normal maternal serum screen tests in the early second trimester of the index pregnancy. Fetal nuchal fold thickening up to 8 mm was incidentally found during the routine obstetric ultrasound scan at 20 weeks' gestation. Amniocentesis was undertaken and the fetal karyotype was found to be 46,XY,r(15) on cytogenetic study. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a telomeric probe of chromosome 15 demonstrated a terminal deletion on the q arm of the ring-shaped chromosome 15. This is the first report of a prenatally diagnosed case of ring chromosome 15. Moreover, nuchal fold thickness in the second trimester may have a role in its prenatal diagnosis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Climatic Factors on the Growth of Representatives of the Genus Pinus (Pinaceae) under Conditions of Introduction

Four introduced and one aboriginal species of the genus Pinus L. have been studied in the middle taiga subzone of southern Karelia. Significant interspecific differences in the dates of onset, cessation, and peak of the growth of shoots and needles have been revealed. It has been shown that their annual increment depends on the rate of growth, rather than on its duration. The dynamics of shoot and needle growth in introduced and aboriginal species, though largely similar, differ in some respects. These differences reflect species-specific responses to hydrothermal conditions in a certain growing season.     

神农架主峰南坡猕猴桃种质资源调查及保护策略

巴东县北部神农架主峰南坡的送子园原始森林保护区内具有种类繁多的猕猴桃种质资源，经调查发现共分布有中华猕猴桃（A.chiensis)、美味猕猴桃（A.deliciosa)、革叶猕猴桃(A．rubricalis var.coriacea)、葛枣猴桃(A．ploygama)、京梨猕猴桃(A．callosa var．henryi)、软枣猕猴桃(A．arguta)、巴东猕猴桃(A．tetramera var.badongenisis)、紫果猕猴桃(A．arguta var.purpurea)及紫果新变型、绵毛藤山柳(Clematoclthra lanosa)10种(包括变种、变型)。简述了各种类的植物学性状和果实经济性状，种质资源分布的主要特点以及生态环境，指出由于砍伐森林和环境条件的恶化使猕猴桃资源已受到威胁和破坏，提出保护策略的重点是提高全民的生态保护意识；可持续开发利用资源；加大科技对猕猴桃资源保护支撑的力度。其主要保育措施：一是在保护区内就地进一步加强物种全面保护；二是省级以上科研单位分区建立猕猴桃后种质资源圃，对濒危物种或持有物种进行迁地保护；三是开展超低温保存技术的研究，建立种子和花粉基因库。并建立完善与国际接轨的信息数据库平台，便于国际合作与交流。