Anti-pandemic restrictions, uncertainty and sentiment in seven countries

We investigate how the stringency of government anti-pandemic policy measures might affect economic policy uncertainty in countries with different degrees of press freedom, various press reporting styles and writing conventions. We apply a text-based measure of uncertainty using data from over 400,000 press articles from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, the UK and the USA published before the wide-scale vaccination programmes were introduced. The measure accounts for pandemic-related words and negative sentiment scores weight the selected articles. We then tested the dynamic panel data model where the relative changes in these measures were explained by levels and changes in the stringency measures. We have found that introducing and then maintaining unchanged for a relatively long time a constant level of anti-pandemic stringency measures reduce uncertainty. In contrast, a change in such a level has the opposite effect. This result is robust across the countries, despite their differences in political systems, press control and freedom of speech

Antioxidant Activity of Faba Bean Extracts

Phenolic compounds were extracted from seeds of 22 cultivars of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) by using 80% (v/v) aqueous acetone. The total phenolic compound and condensed tannins contents of the extracts and their antioxidant activity were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu’s phenol reagent, vanillin/HCl method, and ABTS and FRAP assays, respectively. The content of total phenolic compounds ranged from 40.7 to 66.1 mg/g extract and from 326 to 574 mg/100 g seeds. Contents of condensed tannins ranged from 2.40 to 49.9 mg/g extract and from 22.2 (FAB) to 365 mg/100 seeds. The extracts and seeds were characterized by Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) values ranging from 0.550 (FAB 443) to 1.030 mmol Trolox/g extract (FAB 187) and from 4.85 (FAB 318) to 9.81 mmol Trolox/100 g seeds (FAB 187). Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values varied from 0.595 (FAB 443) to 0.908 mmol Fe2+/g extract (FAB 5023) and from 4.61 (FAB 297) to 7.90 mmol Fe2+/100 g seeds (FAB 187). The total phenolic content of faba bean extract was correlated with the results of the ABTS (r = 0.864) and FRAP (r = 0.862) assays. The coefficients of correlations between the contents of condensed tannins and ABTS and FRAP results were 0.543 and 0.862. We also noted a correlation between results of ABTS and FRAP assays (r = 0.795)

Antioxidant Potential of Grass Pea Seeds from European Countries

Phenolic compounds were extracted from seeds of 30 varieties of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) into 80% (v/v) methanol. The total phenolics compounds content of the extracts and their antioxidant activity were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu’s phenol reagent and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods, respectively. Total phenolic contents ranged from 1.88 to 7.12 mg/g extract and 20.3 to 70.3 mg/100 g seeds. The extracts and seeds were characterized using Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity values of 0.015–0.037 mmol Trolox/g extract and 0.158–0.372 mmol Trolox/100 g seeds, and FRAP values of 0.045–0.120 mmol Fe2+/g extract and 0.487–1.189 Fe2+/100 g seeds. The total phenolics content of grass pea extract was correlated with the results of the ABTS (r = 0.881) and FRAP (r = 0.781) assays. The same correlation was observed between the results of both assays (r = 0.842). Two derivatives of p-coumaric acid were the dominant phenolic compounds of the Derek cultivar of grass pea

Estimation of variability on phenotypic and molecular level of spherical-seeded form of grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.)

Obiekty badawcze stanowiły: mutant o okrągłych nasionach, odmiany Derek i Krab, jako potencjalny materiał z którego wywodzi się wyselekcjonowana okrągłonasienna forma oraz o obiekt kolekcyjny z Włoch (typowy przedstawiciel lędźwianów Południowej Europy). Zmienność cech na poziomie fenotypowym oceniano w oparciu o wyniki dwuletnich doświadczeń polowych w latach 2008 i 2009 założonych w czterech zróżnicowanych glebowo miejscowościach wykorzystując w tym celu wielocechową analizę statystyczną. Zmienność genetyczną wyrażoną stopniem podobieństwa genetycznego oceniano za pomocą markerów ISSR. Ponadto, oceniano skład chemiczny nasion w odniesieniu do zawartości białka, tłuszczu, profilu kwasów tłuszczowych oraz neurotoksyny — β-ODAP. Wykazano, że kulista forma lędźwianu pod względem takich cech jak: liczba rozgałęzień i strąków z rośliny, długość strąka, masa nasion ze strąka, liczba nasion z rośliny, a zwłaszcza masa 1000 nasion różni się istotnie od odmian Derek i Krab, a wszystkie trzy formy reprezentują inny morfotyp i poziom cech plonotwórczych w porównaniu z obiektem z Włoch. Ponadto, kulista forma charakteryzowała się wyższą niż u pozostałych form zawartością białka i tłuszczu, z dominującą zawartością kwasu oleinowego w profilu kwasów tłuszczowych. Wszystkie rodzime formy lędźwianu charakteryzowały się zbliżoną zawartością w nasionach neurotoksyny — β-ODAP z wyraźnie wyższą jej zawartością u formy z Włoch. Wykreślony dendrogram na podstawie wyników analizy ISSR wskazuje, że krajowe formy charakteryzują się znacznym podobieństwem genetycznym i wyraźną odrębnością od włoskiej formy. Wyniki na poziomie fenotypowym uzyskane z doświadczeń polowych wskazują ponadto, że spontaniczna mutacja kształtu nasion powstała z dużym prawdopodobieństwem w obrębie materiału populacyjnego z którego pochodzi odmiana Derek, aczkolwiek na poziomie molekularnym mutant wykazywał bliższe podobieństwo do odmiany Krab.A mutant with spherical seeds was investigated together with two Polish cultivars: Derek and Krab (most probable ancestors of the mutant) as well as an Italian grasspee line, typical for South-Western Europe (Mediterranean Basin region). Variation of traits on phenotypic level was estimated basing on results obtained from field trials conducted in four locations in 2008 and 2009. The multivariate analysis method was used. Genetic variation, expressed by degree of genetic similarity, was established with the use of ISSR markers. Moreover, content of protein, fat, fatty acid composition and neurotoxin content (β-ODAP) in seeds was estimated. The obtained results indicated, that the spherical-seeded mutant, as compared to the cultivars Derek and Krab, was significantly different in the following traits: number of branches and pods per plant, pod length, weight of seeds per pod, seeds number per plant, as well as weight of 1000 seeds. Moreover, all three Polish forms represented different morphotype and yield structure parameters than the Italian line. The seeds of spherical-seeded mutant showed higher content of protein and fat as compared to another analyzed forms, with domination of oleic acid in fatty acids composition. All Polish accessions were similar in neurotoxin content in seeds, markedly lower in comparison to the Italian line. Results of hierarchical grouping (after use of the ISSR method) were presented on the dendrogram which indicated that the cultivars and spherical-seeded mutant showed high level of genetic similarity and markedly differed from the Italian line. The results obtained on the phenotypic level from field trials, estimated with use of multivariate statistics, indicated the population from which the cultivar Derek was derived as the most probable ancestor of the spherical seed mutant, however on the molecular level the mutant showed closer genetic similarity to the cultivar Krab