Changing Patterns of Microhabitat Utilization by the Threespot Damselfish, Stegastes planifrons, on Caribbean Reefs

Background: The threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier), is important in mediating interactions among corals, algae, and herbivores on Caribbean coral reefs. The preferred microhabitat of S. planifrons is thickets of the branching staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis. Within the past few decades, mass mortality of A. cervicornis from white-band disease and other factors has rendered this coral a minor ecological component throughout most of its range. Methodology/Principal Findings: Survey data from Jamaica (heavily fished), Florida and the Bahamas (moderately fished), the Cayman Islands (lightly to moderately fished), and Belize (lightly fished) indicate that distributional patterns of S. planifrons are positively correlated with live coral cover and topographic complexity. Our results suggest that speciesspecific microhabitat preferences and the availability of topographically complex microhabitats are more important than the abundance of predatory fish as proximal controls on S. planifrons distribution and abundance. Conclusions/Significance: The loss of the primary microhabitat of S. planifrons—A. cervicornis—has forced a shift in the distribution and recruitment of these damselfish onto remaining high-structured corals, especially the Montastraea annulari

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.Fil: Dorison, Charles A.. Northwestern University; Estados UnidosFil: Lerner, Jennifer S.. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Heller, Blake H.. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Rothman, Alexander J.. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Kawachi, Ichiro I.. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Ke. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Rees, Vaughan W.. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Gill, Brian P.. Mathematica, Cambridge; Estados UnidosFil: Gibbs, Nancy. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Ebersole, Charles R.. University of Virginia; Estados UnidosFil: Vally, Zahir. United Arab Emirates University; Emiratos Arabes Unidos. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Tajchman, Zuzanna. University of Minnesota; Estados UnidosFil: Zsido, Andras N.. University of Pécs; HungríaFil: Zrimsek, Mija. University of Ljubljana; EsloveniaFil: Chen, Zhang. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Ziano, Ignazio. Grenoble Ecole de Management; FranciaFil: Gialitaki, Zoi. Culemborg, Gelderland; Países BajosFil: Ceary, Chris D.. Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Estados UnidosFil: Lin, Yijun. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Kunisato, Yoshihiko. Senshu University; JapónFil: Yamada, Yuki. Kyushu University; JapónFil: Xiao, Qinyu. University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Jiang, Xiaoming. Shanghai International Studies University; ChinaFil: Du, Xinkai. University of Amsterdam; Países BajosFil: Yao, Elvin. Claremont Graduate University; Estados UnidosFil: Wilson, John Paul. Montclair State University.; Estados UnidosFil: Cyrus-Lai, Wilson. Institut Européen D'administration Des Affaires; SingapurFil: Jimenez-Leal, William. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Law, Wilbert. The Education University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Reyna, Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; Argentin

Co-localization of centromere activity, proteins and topoisomerase II within a subdomain of the major human X α-satellite array

Dissection of human centromeres is difficult because of the lack of landmarks within highly repeated DNA. We have systematically manipulated a single human X centromere generating a large series of deletion derivatives, which have been examined at four levels: linear DNA structure; the distribution of constitutive centromere proteins; topoisomerase IIα cleavage activity; and mitotic stability. We have determined that the human X major α-satellite locus, DXZ1, is asymmetrically organized with an active subdomain anchored ∼150 kb in from the Xp-edge. We demonstrate a major site of topoisomerase II cleavage within this domain that can shift if juxtaposed with a telomere, suggesting that this enzyme recognizes an epigenetic determinant within the DXZ1 chromatin. The observation that the only part of the DXZ1 locus shared by all deletion derivatives is a highly restricted region of <50 kb, which coincides with the topo isomerase II cleavage site, together with the high levels of cleavage detected, identify topoisomerase II as a major player in centromere biology