bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reporting and Investigation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Accidents and Serious Incidents. Regulatory Perspective
Authors: Kasprzyk Piotr Jan , Konert Anna
Published: August 2021

Naturally, the ever-growing number of drone operations conducted worldwide carries with it an increase in the number of safety-related incidents and occurrences. The reporting and subsequent investigation of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) accidents and serious incidents seems like a proven solution towards improving operational safety. Such procedures also stem from the fact that UAS are of recognized as aircraft – and aircraft accidents and serious incidents are subject to obligatory investigation. From a technical perspective, a key issue concerns discrepancies in the investigation process as there are significant differences between manned and unmanned aviation operations. From a regulatory perspective, one key question is to what extent should it be obligatory to conduct independent technical investigation of occurrences involving UAS? Such occurrences are not only accidents and serious incidents that involve both UAS and manned aircraft, where “traditional” rules of conducting a full and independent technical investigation apply – the majority occurrences involve only UAS that were either destroyed, damaged or acted as a hazard to third parties. The method of study comprised of content analysis of existing legislation. Current doctrines were confronted with existing regulations, documents, materials, safety reports and statistics. Results of the study shows that the extension of regulations created for manned aviation accident reporting and investigation may not be enough, and certain improvements are necessary, e.g. to standardize the reporting of occurrences and the criteria to conduct a formal accidents and serious incidents investigation. It is also reasonable to take actions aimed at raising awareness among UAS users of the need to report accidents and serious incidents, as well as engage them in the investigative process. The lack of standardization in this field has resulted in the lack of data that is “good enough” to indicate the main causes and factors that contribute to UAS accidents.
Urban poverty: Measurement theory and evidence from American cities
Authors: Andreoli Francesco , Mussini Mauro , Prete Vincenzo , Zoli Claudio
Published: August 2021

We characterize axiomatically a new index of urban poverty that i) captures aspects of the incidence and distribution of poverty across neighborhoods of a city, ii) is related to the Gini index and iii) is consistent with empirical evidence that living in a high poverty neighborhood is detrimental for many dimensions of residents’ well-being. Widely adopted measures of urban poverty, such as the concentrated poverty index, may violate some of the desirable properties we outline. Furthermore, we show that changes of urban poverty within the same city are additively decomposable into the contribution of demographic, convergence, re-ranking and spatial effects. We collect new evidence of heterogeneous patterns and trends of urban poverty across American metro areas over the last 35 years.
Awareness in the void: a micro-phenomenological exploration of conscious dreamless sleep
Authors: Alcaraz-Sanchez Adriana
Published: August 2021

This paper presents a pilot study that explores instances of objectless awareness during sleep: conscious experiences had during sleep that prima facie lack an object of awareness. This state of objectless awareness during sleep has been widely described by Indian contemplative traditions and has been characterised as a state of consciousness-as-such; while in it, there is nothing to be aware of, one is merely conscious (cf. Evans-Wentz, 1960; Fremantle, 2001; Ponlop, 2006). While this phenomenon has received different names in the literature, such as ‘witnessing-sleep’ and ‘clear light sleep’ among others, the specific phenomenological profile of this state has not yet been rigorously studied. This paper aims at presenting a preliminary investigation of objectless consciousness during sleep using a novel tool in qualitative research that can guide future research. Five participants experiencing objectless consciousness during sleep were interviewed following the Micro-phenomenological Interview technique (MPI; Petitmengin, 2005, 2006). All participants reported an experience they had during sleep in which there was no scenery and no dream. This period labelled as ‘No Scenery/Void’ was either preceded by the dissolution of a lucid dream or by other forms of conscious mentation. The analysis of the results advances four experiential dimensions during this state of void, namely (1) Perception of absence, (2) Self-perception, (3) Perception of emotions, and (4) Perception of awareness. While the results are primarily explorative, they refer to themes found in the literature to describe objectless sleep and point at potential avenues of research. The results from this study are taken as indications to guide future operationalisations of this phenomenon.
Seeking Alpha in the Housing Market
Authors: LaCour-Little Michael , Yang Jing
Published: August 2021

We examine short term trades in the housing market over the period 2000–2013 using nationally representative data across multiple U.S. housing markets. Such trades, often characterized as “house flipping”, have gained currency in recent years with reality television shows depicting success and failure. We find evidence of returns in excess of market house price index growth (which we call alpha) during certain time periods with results that also vary across distressed versus non-distressed acquisition strategies.
Systemic constellations applied in organisations: a systematic review
Authors: Scholtens Salome , Petroll Carla , Rivas Carlos , Fleer Joke , Konkolÿ Thege Barna
Published: August 2021

This article—published in the Journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation.— presents a systematic overview of the current empirical evidence of the effectiveness of the systemic constellation method when applied in organisations.

Although the systemic constellation method is increasingly used for team coaching, organisational development and transformation processes, among others, scientific evidence on the effectiveness and quality of this method is still scarce. This may hamper the broader implementation of a potentially useful approach. Altogether, ten electronic databases were searched up to January, 2020. Multiple languages, qualitative and quantitative designs, and academic and grey literature were included. The search resulted in the identification of 79 potentially relevant publications, seven of which were prospective and 13 were retrospective effectiveness studies in terms of organisational outcomes. Only two of the seven prospective studies used a controlled design. This review concludes that the empirical evidence on the systemic organisational constellation method points toward a potentially effective intervention in the organisational context. However, it is too early to make firm conclusions as the number of studies was small and quality of the studies was low in general.

The present systematic review summarises the literature on the systemic constellation method applied in organisations. It offers coaches and consultants insights into the method from a scientific perspective and describes potential mechanisms of action regarding the intervention. The results of the review provide a solid basis for future research and give directions for new studies to support quality improvement and help us better understand the factors influencing effectiveness.
Kollektive Intelligenz und Psychologische Sicherheit: Haben wir Intelligenz im Gefühl?
Authors: Feldhusen Birgit
Published: August 2021

Psychologische Sicherheit und Kollektive Intelligenz sind zwei Konzepte, die sich bislang in der Erforschung von Gruppenlernen und Kollaboration als förderlich erwiesen haben. Ersteres steht für ein gutes Teamklima, in dem sich jeder einzubringen vermag, Letzteres steht für die Fähigkeit einer Gruppe, in immer wieder neuen Umfeldern Lösungen und Lernen hervorzubringen. Überraschenderweise besitzen beide keinen förderlichen Einfluss aufeinander. Sie wirken auf die Arbeits- und Lernfähigkeit von Gruppen über zwei unterschiedliche Pfade, die einander kompensieren, aber nicht stärken können. Beide verlangen einen Reifeprozess in der menschlichen Interaktion, jedoch aus zwei unterschiedlichen Perspektiven: einer ich-zentrierten und einer situations-zentrierten bzw. selbst-transzendierenden Perspektive.
Correlation between Taylor Model Prediction and Transmission Electron Microscopy-Based Microstructural Investigations of Quasi-In Situ Tensile Deformation of Additively Manufactured FeCo Alloy
Authors: Pramanik Sudipta , Tasche Lennart , Hoyer Kay-Peter , Schaper Mirko
Published: August 2021

Within this research, the multiscale microstructural evolution before and after the tensile test of a FeCo alloy is addressed. X-ray µ-computer tomography (CT), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are employed to determine the microstructure on different length scales. Microstructural evolution is studied by performing EBSD of the same area before and after the tensile test. As a result, $$\langle$$
⟨
001$$\rangle$$
⟩
||TD, $$\langle$$
⟨
011$$\rangle$$
⟩
||TD are hard orientations and $$\langle$$
⟨
111$$\rangle$$
⟩
||TD is soft orientations for deformation accommodation. It is not possible to predict the deformation of a single grain with the Taylor model. However, the Taylor model accurately predicts the orientation of all grains after deformation. {123}$$\langle$$
⟨
111$$\rangle$$
⟩
is the most active slip system, and {112}$$\langle$$
⟨
111$$\rangle$$
⟩
is the least active slip system. Both EBSD micrographs show grain subdivision after tensile testing. TEM images show the formation of dislocation cells. Correlative HRTEM images show unresolved lattice fringes at dislocation cell boundaries, whereas resolved lattice fringes are observed at dislocation cell interior. Since Schmid’s law is unable to predict the deformation behavior of grains, the boundary slip transmission accurately predicts the grain deformation behavior.
Evaluation of Resting Energy Expenditure in Subjects with Severe Obesity and Its Evolution After Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Fidilio Enzamaria , Comas Marta , Giribés Miguel , Cárdenas Guillermo , Vilallonga Ramón , Palma Fiorella , Peláez Rosa Burgos , Simó Rafael , Ciudin Andreea
Published: August 2021

Purpose

One major determinant of weight loss is resting energy expenditure (REE). However, data regarding REE is scarce in patients with severe obesity (SO)—BMI>50kg/m2. Most studies used equation in order to estimate REE and not indirect calorimetry (IC) (gold standard). Additionally, there is no reliable data on the impact of bariatric surgery (BS) on REE.

Objectives

(a) To evaluate the REE in patients with SO; (b) to compare REE measured by IC (mREE) to that calculated by Mifflin St-Jeor equation (eREE); (c) to evaluate the impact of BS on REE and the relationship with evolution post-BS.

Material and Methods

Single-center observational study including consecutive patients with SO between January 2010 and December 2015, candidates for BS. mREE was determined at baseline, and 1 and 12 months post-BS by IC, using a Vmax metabolic monitor.

Results

Thirty-nine patients were included: mean age 46.5±11.77 years, 64.1%women. Preoperative mREE was 2320.38±750.81 kcal/day. One month post-BS, the mREE significantly decreased (1537.6 ± 117.46 kcal/day, p = 0.023) and remained unchanged at 12 months (1526.00 ± 123.35 kcal/day; p =0.682). Reduction in mREE after the BS was a predictor of reaching successful weight loss (nadir) and weight regain (5 years follow-up) (AUCROC of 0.841 (95%CI [0.655–0.909], p=0.032) and AUCROC of 0.855 (95% CI [0.639–0.901]), p= 0.027, respectively). eREE was not valid to identify these changes.

Conclusion

In patients with SO, a significant reduction of mREE occurs 1 month post-BS, unchanged at 12 months, representing the major conditioning of successful weight loss and maintenance post-BS.

Graphical abstract
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Improving the reconstruction of dental occlusion using a reconstructed-based identical matrix point technique
Authors: Anil Sukumaran , Vellappally Sajith , Al Kheraif Abdulaziz A. , Divakar Darshan Devang , Said Wael , Hassanein Azza S.
Published: August 2021

Digital dental models are widely used compared to dental impressions or plaster-dental models for occlusal analysis as well as fabrication of prosthodontic and orthodontic appliances. The digital dental model has been considered as one of the significant measures for the analysis of dental occlusion. However, the process requires more computation time with less accuracy during the re-establishment of dental occlusion. In this research, a modern method to re-establish dental occlusion has been designed using a Reconstructed-based Identical Matrix Point (RIMP) technique. The curvature of the dental regions has been reconstructed using distance mapping in order to minimize the computation time, and an iterative point matching approach is used for accurate re-establishment. Satisfactory restoration and occlusion tests have been analyzed using a dental experimental setup with high-quality digital camera images. Further, the high-quality camera images are converted to grayscale images for mathematical computation using MATLAB image processing toolbox. Besides, 70 images have been taken into consideration in which 30 planar view images has been utilized for experimental analysis. Indeed, based on the outcomes, the proposed RIMP outperforms overall accuracy of (91.50%) and efficiency of (87.50%) in comparison with conventional methods such as GLCM, PCR, Fuzzy C Means, OPOS, and OGS.
How Sex Workers Understand Their Experiences of Working in the Republic of Ireland
Authors: Berry Adeline , Frazer Patricia
Published: August 2021

Introduction

This study seeks to explore the ways in which sex workers understand their experiences of working under sex work legislation in the Republic of Ireland, including laws that criminalise the purchase of sexual services. Participants reflected on their experiences of working in Ireland both and after the passing of [the] Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. In 2017, the Republic of Ireland criminalised the purchase of sexual services and increased fines and sentences for brothel keeping.

Method

In 2020, semi-structured interviews lasting 60 to 90 min were conducted with 6 sex workers from diverse backgrounds, ages 24–44, actively working in Ireland since 2017. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcriptions were used to conduct an interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results

Seven themes arose from the data: psychological wellbeing, relationships with law enforcement, relationships with friends and family, the effects of client criminalisation laws on clients, benefits of sex work community, stress related to precarious accommodation and experiences of both discrimination and perceived discrimination.

Conclusion

Changes to sex work legislation appear to have failed in their mission to improve life for sex workers in Ireland. Other options such as decriminalisation should be considered.
Attitude Towards Suicide and Help-Seeking Behavior Among Medical Undergraduates in a Malaysian University
Authors: Wahab Suzaily , Shah Nicholas Elam , Sivachandran Sarmeswaran , Shahruddin Izzati , Ismail Nik Nor Shaida , Mohan Loushinnah Devi , Kamaluddin Mohammad Rahim , Nawi Azmawati Mohammed
Published: August 2021

Objective

The attitude of medical personnel towards suicide may influence the outcome of suicidal-patients management. This study aimed to determine the attitudes of medical undergraduates towards suicide and its association with their help-seeking behavior.

Methods

A cross-sectional study involving 290 medical undergraduates was conducted in a Malaysian university. The questionnaires on the attitude towards suicide and general help-seeking behavior were used as research instruments.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 22.4 years. Participants who did psychiatry posting indicated a greater tendency to agree on suicide as a way of communication (p = 0.008) than those who did not. Participants previously diagnosed with a psychiatric illness indicated a greater ability to understand and accept suicide (p < 0.001) as well as a greater tendency to agree on the normality of suicide (p = 0.019) than those without a previous diagnosis. Those who attended a suicide prevention program also indicated a greater tendency to agree that loneliness and avoidance could be triggers to suicide (p = 0.037) than those who did not. No correlation was found between the “attitude towards suicide” and “general help-seeking behavior” variable.

Conclusion

Education programs in suicide prevention and management need to be incorporated early into the undergraduate medical curriculum to cultivate a more positive attitude towards suicide and help-seeking behavior.
Failure modelling of glass plates in biaxial loading: using flaw-size based weakest-link systems
Authors: Kinsella David , Serrano Erik
Published: August 2021

Experimental strength tests are performed on two series of nominally equal plate specimens of annealed soda-lime glass subjected to either ring-on-ring or ball-on-ring bending. The Weibull effective area which represents a fictitious surface area exposed to uniform tension is calculated using closed-form solutions. Finite-size weakest-link systems are implemented numerically in a computationally intensive procedure for random sampling of plates extracted from a virtual jumbo pane whose surface area contains a set of stochastic Griffith flaws. A non-linear finite element analysis is conducted to compute the bending stresses. The glass surface condition is represented in different flaw-size concepts that depend on a truncated exponentially decaying flaw-size distribution. Stress corrosion effects are modelled by implementation of subcritical crack growth. The effective ball contacting radius is determined in a numerical computation. The results show that surface size effects in glass are not only a matter of strength-scaling, as also the shape of the distribution changes. While the lowest strength value, as per the major in-plane principal stress at the recorded fracture origin, in the respective data sets is very similar, the strongest specimen observed in ball-on-ring testing is over 70% stronger than the correspondingly strongest specimen observed in ring-on-ring bending. The Shift function is used to make visual comparisons of the difference in quantiles in the observed data sets. Use of an ordinary Weibull distribution leads to non-conservative strength predictions on smaller effective areas, and to too low strength predictions than are viable for glass design on larger areas. The numerical implementation of finite-size weakest-link systems can produce better predictions for the strength-scaling compared to a Weibull distribution, in particular when the flaw-size concept is modified to include a doubly stochastic flaw-size distribution or a random noise added to each subdivided region of the discretized surface area. The simulated ball-on-ring fracture origins exhibit greater spread from the centre point than otherwise observed in laboratory tests. It is indicated that the chosen representation of surface condition may not be accurate enough for the modelling of all fracture origins in the ball-on-ring setup even though acceptable results are obtained with the ring-on-ring model. There is a need for more insight into the surface condition of glass which can be conducive to the development of flaw-size based weakest-link modelling.
Selection of bacteria and fungi for control of soilborne seedling diseases of maize
Authors: Pfeiffer Tobias , von Galen Astrid , Zink Petra , Hübner Sebastian , Linkies Ada , Felgentreu Dieter , Drechsel Jannika , Birr Tim , Röder Olaf , Kotte Mathias , Dietel Kristin , Junge Helmut , Schwarz Elisa , Koch Eckhard
Published: August 2021

Plant-based screening experiments were conducted with the aim of identifying biocontrol bacteria and fungi for seed treatment of maize. Candidate microorganisms were evaluated for their protective effects against soilborne infections by species of Fusarium, Globisporangium (syn. Pythium) and Rhizoctonia. The microorganisms tested were bacteria and fungi from maize roots or other sources, including some active microbial components of commercial biocontrol products. Due to the method of isolation chosen, the majority of bacteria from maize roots were spore formers, most of them species of the genera Bacillus,Brevibacillus and Paenibacillus. In pot tests with the potting substrate inoculated with F. culmorum, the level of control provided by seed treatment with the most efficacious bacterial and fungal isolates was comparable or close to the chemical reference seed treatment thiram. The most effective bacteria were species of Pseudomonas, Burkholderia and Streptomyces. Among a subset of approx. 100 bacteria studied, the in vivo and in vitro activities against F.culmorum were only weakly correlated, although some strains deviated from this pattern. The most effective fungi were two strains of Clonostachys rosea and isolates of Trichoderma. The latter and a strain of Gliocladium virens provided also protection against R.solani. Activity against Globisporangium ultimum was recorded for one isolate of Trichoderma and the two strains of C. rosea. A reduction in the impact of seedborne F. culmorum was also observed after seed treatment with two strains of F. oxysporum f. sp. strigae. The results are discussed in relation to previous reports on rhizosphere bacteria of maize and their use in biocontrol of plant pathogens or for plant growth promotion.
When catalytic P systems with one catalyst can be computationally complete
Authors: Alhazov Artiom , Freund Rudolf , Ivanov Sergiu
Published: August 2021

Catalytic P systems are among the first variants of membrane systems ever considered in this area. This variant of systems also features some prominent computational complexity questions, and in particular the problem of using only one catalyst in the whole system: is one catalyst enough to allow for generating all recursively enumerable sets of multisets? Several additional ingredients have been shown to be sufficient for obtaining computational completeness even with only one catalyst. In this paper, we show that one catalyst is sufficient for obtaining computational completeness if either catalytic rules have weak priority over non-catalytic rules or else instead of the standard maximally parallel derivation mode, we use the derivation mode maxobjects, i.e., we only take those multisets of rules which affect the maximal number of objects in the underlying configuration.
Phenotypic Traits, Grain Yield and Yield Components of Maize Cultivars Under Combinations of Management Practices in Semi-arid Conditions of Iran
Authors: Rahimi Jahangirlou Maryam , Akbari Gholam Abbas , Alahdadi Iraj , Soufizadeh Saeid , Kumar Uttam , Parsons David
Published: August 2021

In semi-arid regions, selecting cultivars and planning management practices are critical issues for improving yields and reducing risks of maize cultivation in the short summer cropping season. This study aimed to assess the responses of grain yield (GY) and important phenotypic characteristics of maize cultivars from different maturity groups under various irrigation regimes, planting dates, and nitrogen rates, in a 2-year experiment. According to the clusters identified in the loading plot, stover yield, radiation use efficiency (RUE), height, leaf greenness index, stem weight, and ear size during flowering (VT/R1) were strongly correlated with GY, yield components and harvest index. Based on analysis of variance, more irrigation or N, or their interaction often increased GY, rows ear−1, grains row−1 and hundred-grain weight. Late planting decreased GY of KSC704 (late maturity cultivar). KSC260 (early maturity cultivar) had greater flexibility in planting time, required less days for maturity, and had less water consumption. The findings highlight the physiological basis of the relationship between the different phenotypic characteristics and how they affect GY and its components. They were in line with the established theories that higher RUE, biomass and sink activity (e.g. grain weight and numbers, and larger ear size) are associated with better genetic gains to produce high GY. Although the results were not consistent between years, findings suggested the good performance of recently released early maturity cultivars for use during the summer growing season.
Positive intercropping effects on biomass production are species-specific and involve rhizosphere enzyme activities: Evidence from a field study
Authors: Kumar Amit , Blagodaskaya Evgenia , Dippold Michaela A. , Temperton Vicky M.
Published: August 2021

Less attention has been given to soil enzymes that contribute to beneficial rhizosphere interactions in intercropping systems. Therefore, we performed a field experiment by growing faba bean, lupine, and maize in mono and mixed cultures in a moderately fertile soil. We measured shoot biomass and the kinetic parameters (maximal velocity (Vmax) and Michaelis-constant (Km)) of three key enzymes in the rhizosphere: Leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP), β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG), and phosphomonoesterase (PHO). Faba bean benefitted in mixed cultures by greater shoot biomass production with both maize and lupine compared to its expected biomass in monoculture. Next, LAP and NAG kinetic parameters were less responsive to mono and mixed cultures across the crop species. In contrast, both the Vmax and Km values of PHO increased in the faba bean rhizosphere when grown in mixed cultures with maize and lupine. A positive relative interaction index for shoot P and N uptake for faba bean showed its net facilitative interactions in the mixed cultures. Overall, these results suggest that over-productivity in intercropping is crop-specific and the positive intercropping effects could be modulated by P availability. We argue that the enzyme activities involved in nutrient cycling should be incorporated in further research.
Sir John Stuffgut's soup and a taste for desert
Authors: Oliver Adam
Published: August 2021

A concern that people ought to be given what they deserve, in both positive and negative senses, lies deep within the human psyche. Views on the level of reward or punishment that a person deserves for their actions will differ across persons, places, and time, but, I argue in this article, depend substantively upon some combination of intentions and outcomes. Using these characteristics, I propose a taxonomy of actions, ordered from most to least blameworthy, with, for example, it being suggested that for any particular level of harm an intentional yet unrealized harm is more blameworthy than an unintentional yet realized harm (a similar taxonomy can be developed for the positive domain of praiseworthy actions). The taxonomy is focused upon people's actions toward others, but I finish the article with a discussion of desert in relation to people's intentions toward themselves. Ultimately, I contend that the strength and sustainability of public sector services and welfare systems, not to mention our private relationships, rely upon the recognition that desert underpins our notion of justice.
Gaps of saddle connection directions for some branched covers of tori
Authors: SANCHEZ ANTHONY
Published: August 2021

We compute the gap distribution of directions of saddle connections for two classes of translation surfaces. One class will be the translation surfaces arising from gluing two identical tori along a slit. These yield the first explicit computations of gap distributions for non-lattice translation surfaces. We show that this distribution has support at zero and quadratic tail decay. We also construct examples of translation surfaces in any genus$d>1$that have the same gap distribution as the gap distribution of two identical tori glued along a slit. The second class we consider are twice-marked tori and saddle connections between distinct marked points with a specific orientation. These results can be interpreted as the gap distribution of slopes of affine lattices. We obtain our results by translating the question of gap distributions to a dynamical question of return times to a transversal under the horocycle flow on an appropriate moduli space.
Histological and cytological studies on the developing thymus
of sharpsnout seabream, Diplodus puntazzo
Authors: ROMANO NICLA , FANELLI MONICA , DEL PAPA GIOVANNI MARIA , SCAPIGLIATI GIUSEPPE , MASTROLIA LUCIA
Published: August 2021

The structure of the developing thymus of the marine teleost, Diplodus
puntazzo, was studied by light and
transmission electron microscopy. The first anlage of the thymus developed
by d 20 postfertilisation (p.f.) as
a group of undifferentiated cells dorsal to the epithelium of the branchial
chamber. The organ increased
significantly in size around d 51–66 p.f. and differentiation of
cortex and medulla occurred concomitantly.
On the basis of their localisation, 4 main types of epithelial cell were
distinguished: (1) limiting, adjacent to
the connective capsule; (2) medullary and cortical reticular cells; (3)
nurse cells, located in the
corticomedullary boundary; (4) Hassall-like corpuscles. The majority of
medium to large blast-like lymphoid
cells were localised in the medulla, while small lymphocytes were housed
in the cortical region. These
morphological features were maintained at later stages. However, in juveniles
in the medulla we observed
reticular epithelial cells with cysts and rare Hassall-like corpuscles.
The study was designed to obtain more
information concerning the histology of the developing thymus of sharpsnout
seabream and give a concise
description of the differentiation of epithelial cells and lymphoid cells
in the thymic parenchyma.
Bilateral superficial median arteries
Authors: NAKATANI TOSHIO , IZUMI ATSUSHI , TANAKA SHIGENORI
Published: August 2021

A superficial artery may be present in the forearm, arising
from the axillary, brachial or superficial brachial arteries
and crossing over the origin of the flexor muscles of the
forearm to reach the palm (Adachi, 1928; Bergman et al.
1988). When this superficial artery continues as the normal
ulnar artery accompanying the ulnar nerve at the wrist, it is
referred to as the superficial ulnar artery, with an incidence
of ∼4%. When the artery passes below or superficial to the
flexor retinaculum in the middle of the forearm, sometimes
continuing to join the superficial palmar arch, it is called the
superficial median artery, with an incidence of ∼1%. We
have observed a relatively rare variation involving the
presence of a superficial median artery in both upper limbs.
We discuss the clinical importance and the developmental
aspects of this arterial variation.
Autogenous artery grafts in hypertensive (SHR) rats do not
have increased smooth muscle cell hyperplasia in the graft
neointima, compared with grafts in normotensive rats
Authors: REDWOOD ALEC JAMES , MOORE STEPHEN , SAYADELMI LIDA , TENNANT MARC
Published: August 2021

Vein-to-artery graft surgery is used widely to by-pass arterial stenoses, but such grafts can fail over a
prolonged period as a result of excessive neointimal hyperplasia causing thrombosis and graft occlusion. It
has been suggested that neointimal hyperplasia, in vein grafts, is a result of the vessel wall adapting to the
higher intraluminal pressure of the arterial circulation, compared with the venous circulation. Autologous
artery grafts have been used to bypass arterial stenoses. Initially it was assumed that donor artery segments
would not develop neointimal hyperplasia as they are already adapted to the arterial circulation but this is
not so. In this study we postulated that surgical or postsurgical trauma was the cause of neointimal
hyperplasia in autologous artery-to-artery grafts. In addition, as artery grafts are pre-adapted to the arterial
circulation, autologous artery-to-artery grafts in hypertensive rats should develop similar levels of neointimal
hyperplasia as seen in normotensive rats. Artery-to-artery grafts were placed in a series of 20 spontaneously
hypertensive rats (SHR). In a separate series of sham grafting experiments the effects of anoxia and clamp
trauma were assessed in SHR and WKy normotensive control rats. Finally, clamping, anoxia and
anastomosis trauma were assessed in a similar series of rats. In the artery-to-artery graft series there was no
difference in neointimal thickness between the SHR and that previously reported for normotensive rats.
Minimal neointimal hyperplasia was demonstrated in the sham grafted series of rats and only slightly more
in the single anastomosis series. It was only in the full grafting procedure that considerable neointimal
hyperplasia developed. These data demonstrate that neointimal hyperplasia in artery-to-artery grafts is not
exacerbated by the hypertension. In addition, trauma appears to be the initiator of neointimal hyperplasia
and the extent of trauma correlates with the degree of neointimal hyperplasia.
Postnatal development of intestinal endocrine cell populations
in the water buffalo
Authors: LUCINI CARLA , DE GIROLAMO PAOLO , COPPOLA LUIGI , PAINO GIUSEPPE , CASTALDO LUCIANA
Published: August 2021

The frequency and distribution of 11 endocrine cell populations were studied in the intestine of differently
aged buffalo, grouped on the basis of diet: 2-d-olds (suckling), 5-mo-olds (weaning) and 5-y-olds (ruminant
adult diet). The endocrine cell populations were identified immunocytochemically using antisera against
5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), somatostatin, gastrin, cholecystokinin (CCK), COOH-terminal octapeptide
of gastrin/CCK, neurotensin, motilin, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), secretin, glucagon/glicentin
(GLU/GLI) and polypeptide YY (PYY). In adult buffalos the regional distribution of endocrine cells is
similar to that of other adult ruminants. During postnatal development, these cell types showed the
following changes in their frequency and distribution: (1) 5-HT, neurotensin and gastrin/CCK
immunoreactive cells (i.c.) showed a decrease in frequency with age; (2) somatostatin i.c. frequency remained
stable with age; (3) motilin, GIP, secretin and CCK i.c. showed a slight increase in frequency with age;
(4) GLU/GLI and PYY i.c. decreased in frequency with age in the small intestine, caecum and proximal
colon and an increase in frequency in the rectum. It was hypothesised that the endocrine cell types, whose
presence and localisation is substantially stable in all examined ages, probably contain substances that are
strictly necessary for intestinal function. In contrast the hormones contained in the cell populations that
decreased with age, are probably involved in physiological needs during the milk and weaning diet or play a
role in intestinal growth.
Morphometric and ultrastructural changes with ageing in mouse peripheral nerve
Authors: CEBALLOS DOLORES , CUADRAS JORDI , VERDÚ ENRIQUE , NAVARRO XAVIER
Published: August 2021

Qualitative and quantitative information is reported on the morphological changes that occur in nerve fibres
and nonneuronal cells of peripheral nerve during the lifetime of the mouse. Tibial nerves of mice aged
6–33 mo were studied. With ageing, collagen accumulates in the perineurium and lipid droplets in the
perineurial cells. Macrophages and mast cells increase in number, and onion bulbs and collagen pockets are
frequently present. Schwann cells associated with myelinated fibres (MF) slightly decrease in number in
parallel with an increase of the internodal length from 6 to 12 mo, but increase in older nerves when
demyelination and remyelination are common. The unmyelinated axon to myelinated fibre (UA/MF) ratio
was about 2 until 12 mo, decreasing to 1.6 by 27 mo. In older mice, the loss of nerve fibres involves UA
(50% loss of 27–33 mo cf. 6 mo) more markedly than MF (35%). In aged nerves wide incisures and
infolded or outfolded myelin loops are frequent, resulting in an increased irregularity in the morphology of
fibres along the internodes. In the mouse there is an adult time period, 12–20 mo, during which several
features of degeneration progressively appear, and an ageing period from 20 mo upwards when the nerve
suffers a general disorganisation and marked fibre loss.
Effect of food availability on the growth and age determination of European sardine (Sardina pilchardus Walbaum, 1792) larvae
Authors: Garrido Susana , Ferreira Susana , Soares Claudia , Meneses Isabel , Baylina Nuria , Batista Hugo , Teodósio Maria Alexandra , Piecho-Santos António Miguel , Ré Pedro
Published: August 2021

Accurate assessment of age and growth of fish is essential to understand population dynamics, namely for age-structured stock assessment and for determining vital rates of fish (e.g. age at sexual maturity) and their relationship with environmental variability. To validate the daily deposition in the otoliths of European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) larvae, these were reared with a range of food densities translating into feeding rates extending from less than required for maintenance to saturated feeding levels. When exogenous feeding began, a high variability in the relationship between number of growth increments (GI) and elapsed days after hatching (dph) was observed, irrespective of the feeding treatment. GI counts using a light microscope were less than one per day for larvae <15 dph (ranging from 0.17–0.43 GI day−1) and similar for larvae reared with different food concentrations. The rate of GI count vs age was significantly higher for larvae older than 15 dph. GI count from 3–30 dph was lower than one per day (0.45–0.75 GI day−1 95% CI) for fed larvae 3–30 dph. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the daily deposition of GI and revealed some increment widths around 0.2 μm, particularly during the first week post-hatch. Otoliths of wild sardine larvae exhibited narrow GI (<0.5 μm) comparable with reared larvae. This study demonstrates that during the first weeks after hatch the daily increment deposition is underestimated using traditional light microscopy, which must be taken into account in future works determining wild sardine larval growth.
Species composition and distribution of Alcyonacea (Octocorallia) in the northern Persian Gulf
Authors: Shahbazi Shemshad , Sakhaei Nasrin , Zolgharnein Hossein , McFadden Catherine S.
Published: August 2021

Studies concerning octocoral species from the Persian Gulf coral reefs are few. This study documents the diversity and abundance of octocoral communities from three islands in the north Persian Gulf, namely, Larak Island, Hengam Island and Qeshm Island. Belt transects were used to survey the octocoral communities at these islands. We used a rapid ecological assessment technique (REA) to assess the status and abundance of octocorals. Also, K Independent sample analysis was conducted on abundance and Shannon Diversity index data to determine if octocoral abundance and species diversity varied between islands. A total of 22 morphospecies, belonging to seven alcyonacean families, including Plexauridae, Ellisellidae, Alcyoniidae, Nephtheidae, Briareidae, Acanthogorgiidae and Subergorgiidae, were identified in this study. Statistical analysis indicated octocoral abundance and diversity at Larak Island reefs were higher than those around Hengam and Qeshm islands. The primary data presented in this study could serve as the baseline data for long-term biomonitoring programmes to estimate the status of octocorals in the Persian Gulf.
‘Green’ managerial delegation theory
Authors: Buccella Domenico , Fanti Luciano , Gori Luca
Published: August 2021

This article develops a non-cooperative game with managerial quantity-setting firms in which owners choose whether to delegate output and abatement decisions to managers through a contract based on emissions (conventionally denoted as ‘green’ delegation, GD) instead of sales (sales delegation, SD), and the government levies an emissions tax to incentivise firms’ emissions-reduction actions. First, it compares the Nash equilibrium outcomes between GD and SD and then contrasts them also with profit maximisation (PM). A plethora of Nash equilibria emerges, especially in the case GD versus PM (the ‘green delegation game’), depending on the public awareness toward environmental quality, ranging from the coordination game to the ‘green’ prisoner's dilemma. Second, though the contract under GD incentivises managers for emissions, the environmental damage is lower than under SD. This is because the optimal tax more than compensates the incentive for emissions. These findings suggest that designing GD contracts paradoxically favours environmental quality.
Time trends of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in Kuwait over a 13-year period (2007–2019): repeated cross-sectional study
Authors: Al-Taiar Abdullah , Alqaoud Nawal , Ziyab Ali H , Alanezi Faheema , Subhakaran Monica , Sharaf Alddin Reem , Anna Jeng Hueiwang , Akpinar-Elci Muge
Published: August 2021

Objectives:

This study aimed to examine age-specific trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren in Kuwait over a 13-year period (2007 to 2019) using the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) definitions.

Design:

Using cross-sectional approach, Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance System (KNSS) objectively measured weight and height of schoolchildren over a 13-year period. Log-binomial regression models were used to examine age-specific trends of obesity and overweight over the study period.

Setting:

Public primary, middle and high schools in all provinces of Kuwait.

Participants:

Schoolchildren aged 5–19 years (n172 603).

Results:

According to the WHO definition, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren, respectively, increased from 17·73 % and 21·37 % in 2007 to 20·19 % and 28·39 % in 2019 (Pfor trend< 0·001). There is evidence that the obesity in females (but not males) has levelled off in the period 2014–2019 according to the three definitions of obesity, which is corroborated by a similar trend in the mean of BMI-for-ageZ-score.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of obesity and overweight in schoolchildren in Kuwait has risen over the last 13 years and trends are similar across all definitions. Obesity is no longer increasing at the same pace and there is evidence that the prevalence of obesity in females has plateaued. The current level of childhood overweight and obesity is too high and requires community-based and school-based interventions.
Reasoning on with Defeasibility in ASP
Authors: BOZZATO LORIS , EITER THOMAS , SERAFINI LUCIANO
Published: August 2021

Reasoning on defeasible knowledge is a topic of interest in the area of description logics, as it is related to the need of representing exceptional instances in knowledge bases. In this direction, in our previous works we presented a framework for representing (contextualized) OWL RL knowledge bases with a notion of justified exceptions on defeasible axioms: reasoning in such framework is realized by a translation into ASP programs. The resulting reasoning process for OWL RL, however, introduces a complex encoding in order to capture reasoning on the negative information needed for reasoning on exceptions. In this paper, we apply the justified exception approach to knowledge bases in , that is, the language underlying OWL QL. We provide a definition for knowledge bases with defeasible axioms and study their semantic and computational properties. In particular, we study the effects of exceptions over unnamed individuals. The limited form of axioms allows us to formulate a simpler ASP encoding, where reasoning on negative information is managed by direct rules. The resulting materialization method gives rise to a complete reasoning procedure for instance checking in with defeasible axioms.1
Impact of Lagrangian Sea Surface Temperature Variability on Southern Ocean Phytoplankton Community Growth Rates
Authors: Zaiss Jessica , Boyd Philip W. , Doney Scott C. , Havenhand Jon N. , Levine Naomi M.
Published: August 2021

Ocean phytoplankton play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, contributing ∼50% of global photosynthesis. As planktonic organisms, phytoplankton encounter significant environmental variability as they are advected throughout the ocean. How this variability impacts phytoplankton growth rates and population dynamics remains unclear. Here, we systematically investigated the impact of different rates and magnitudes of sea surface temperature (SST) variability on phytoplankton community growth rates using surface drifter observations from the Southern Ocean (>30°S) and a phenotype‐based ecosystem model. Short‐term SST variability (<7 days) had a minimal impact on phytoplankton community growth rates. Moderate SST changes of 3–4°C over 7–45 days produced a large time lag between the temperature change and the biological response. The impact of SST variability on community growth rates was nonlinear and a function of the rate and magnitude of change. Additionally, the nature of variability generated in a Lagrangian reference frame (following trajectories of surface water parcels) was larger than that within an Eulerian reference frame (fixed point), which initiated different phytoplankton responses between the two reference frames. Finally, we found that these dynamics were not captured by the Eppley growth model commonly used in global biogeochemical models and resulted in an overestimation of community growth rates, particularly in dynamic, strong frontal regions of the Southern Ocean. This work demonstrates that the timescale for environmental selection (community replacement) is a critical factor in determining community composition and takes a first step towards including the impact of variability and biological response times into biogeochemical models.
Volcanic Tremor and Deformation at Kīlauea
Authors: Wheeling Kate
Published: August 2021

Two new studies investigate activity at Hawaii’s Kīlauea leading up to and following the 2018 eruption to better understand the volcano’s plumbing and behavior.
Automated Large‐Scale Extraction of Whistlers Using Mask‐Scoring Regional Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Harid Vijay , Liu Chao , Pang Yan , Alvina Akimun Jannat , Golkowski Mark , Hosseini Poorya , Cohen Morris
Published: August 2021

Extremely and very low frequency (ELF/VLF) radio waves are generated from a variety of natural geophysical sources. Ground‐based observations often contain signals of interest; however, the signals are typically immersed in a noisy environment due to lightning‐generated sferics and additional anthropogenic sources. Although automated detection algorithms have been employed successfully in the past, extraction of arbitrary and broadband signal classes has been a challenge. In this work, we employ a mask‐scoring regional convolutional neural network (MSRCNN) for automated extraction of whistlers from ground measurements at Palmer station, Antarctica. Statistics of several hundred thousand whistler receptions are evaluated to determine seasonal and diurnal variations at Palmer station along with strong correlations to lightning activity in the conjugate hemisphere. Although MSRCNN has been employed for whistler extraction in this work, the method has can be easily extended to other signal classes including chorus, hiss, and VLF triggered emissions.