Body Scales Research Articles

Effects of Dohsa-hou on Posture and Perception of Body Scale: Child With Physical Disabilities

本研究の目的は、肢体不自由のある児童の姿勢と身体スケールの知覚に及ぼす動作法の効果を検討することであった。被験者は小学校4年生の女児であり、遺伝性運動感覚性ニューロパチーのために膝立ち位や立位を一人で保持することができなかった。この被験者に対して1年3か月にわたって動作法を実施した結果、被験者は身体の動揺は増えたものの、21秒間膝立ち位を保持できるようになり、膝立ち位や立位をよりまっすぐに保持でき身体の気づきが明確になった。被験者の身体スケールの変化については、バーを知覚する際にまたぐかくぐるかによる判断を用いて評価した。その結果、またぐかくぐるかの境界点が、最初に23cmだったものが最後には54cmとなり、標準偏差もより少なくなった。これらの結果から、動作法による身体の操作性の変化が身体スケールの知覚の改善と積木模様の得点の増加を引き起こしたと考察された。

Three‐spined stickleback armour predicted by body size, minimum winter temperature and pH

AbstractSimilar phenotypes evolve under equivalent environmental conditions through parallel evolution. Because they have repeatedly invaded and adapted to new freshwater environments, the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) offers a powerful system for understanding the agents of selection in nature that drive parallel evolution. Here, we examine the ecological and environmental variables responsible for morphological variation in three‐spined stickleback populations across its European range. We collected fish from 85 populations, encompassing much of the European latitudinal range of the species and including lowland rivers and lakes, coastal lagoons and moorland ponds. We measured biotic and environmental variables at all sites along with morphological traits for 2,358 individuals. Using an information theory approach, we identified body size, minimum average winter temperature and pH as primary predictors of stickleback armour evolution, challenging current hypotheses for stickleback morphological diversification and demonstrating the fundamental role played by body size and scaling in mediating responses to selection. Stickleback lateral plate phenotype represents a potentially powerful tool for monitoring change in climate variables across the northern temperate region.

Baltic Sea Operational Oceanography—A Stimulant for Regional Earth System Research

Two important communities related to oceanography in the Baltic Sea are those working on operational oceanography and Earth system science, with focusing on the same water body but different temporal scales. They have been coordinated through two organizations/programs: the Baltic Sea Operational Oceanographic System (BOOS) and the Baltic Sea Experiment (BALTEX) and its successor, the Baltic Earth Program (Earth system science for the Baltic Sea region), respectively. Although the two communities have archived significant progresses in their own fields since early 1990s, there were few interactions between the communities. Rapid advancements of operational oceanography on ocean monitoring, data sharing, modelling and historical ocean state reconstruction in the last decade have provided a wide range of data, products and modelling tools which may be used in Earth system and climate change research. This is especially true when operational oceanography in the Baltic Sea is in a transition to a seamless service, i.e., from basin to local scales, from synoptic to climate scales and from physical to biogeochemical and biological systems. On the other hand, the Baltic Sea Earth system research can help to improve operational oceanography by contributing research observations and transferring their research achievements to the operational system. Based on a review of state-of-the-art of BOOS monitoring and modelling capabilities and on-going BOOS research, this paper will highlight topics and areas which are related to the Baltic Earth Grand Challenges, i.e., salinity dynamics, land-sea biogeochemical linkages, natural hazards and extreme events, sea level dynamics, coastal morphology and erosion, regional variability of water and energy exchanges, and multi-drivers of regional Earth system changes. Potential win-win cooperation and interaction between the BOOS and the Baltic Earth communities are also proposed and discussed.

Impacts of Landscapes on Water Quality in A Typical Headwater Catchment, Southeastern China

The relationship between land landscape and water quality has been a hot topic, especially for researchers in headwater catchment, because of drinking water safety and ecological protection. In this study, Lita Watershed, a typical headwater catchment of Southeast China, was selected as the study area. During 2015 and 2016, water samples were collected from 18 sampling points every month, and 19 water quality parameters were tested such as nutrients and heavy metals. Through multistatistics analysis, the results show that the most sensitive water quality parameters are Cr, NO3, NO2, and COD. The type and scale of water body have direct effects on water quality, while the land-use patterns in the surrounding areas have an indirect impact on the concentration and migration of pollutants. This effect is sensitive to seasonal change because heavy metals are mainly from atmospheric deposition, but nutrients are mainly from agricultural nonpoint source pollution. According to the results, increasing the proportion of forest land and paddy field is effective to the reduction of water nutrients. Besides, balancing the configuration of water bodies, especially increasing the capacity of the pond, can significantly alleviate the water pollution in the dry season. This study is useful to provide policy suggestion for refined watershed management and water source planning basing on seasons and pollution sources.

Book Review: Scale and the Incas, by Andrew Hamilton

Scale and the Incas , by Andrew Hamilton. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018. 304 pages, 105 color and 55 b/w illus. Hardcover $65.00, e-book, $52.00. Reviewed by Terence N. D'Altroy. Every so often, a researcher proposes a novel way to approach a subject that has been plumbed for

Protocols for recording morphometric measurement of Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)

Accurate morphological description of species has essential implications in field identification and cladistics. Pangolins (Mammalia: Pholidota) are considered the world's most trafficked mammals. The Indian pangolin has a wide geographical distribution in the Indian subcontinent. However, morphoanatomical variations of M. crassicaudata across its range are poorly understood. The published morphoanatomical descriptions have disparities, partly due to the lack of standard protocols and procedures in morphometric data collection and reporting, thus making comparisons among different records less meaningful. This Method Article presents protocols and procedures to follow in morphometric data collection and reporting for M. Crassicaudata. Morphometric parameters can be measured and reported under three age classes; juvenile, sub-adult, and adult, as well as the sex to describe the species' sexual dimorphism. The proposed protocol includes 13 morphometric measurements of a pangolin body. Procedures to count and report the number of body scales with special reference to the body region of a pangolin and scale morph-type are described. Morphometry of the claws of forelimbs is described using the Curvature Linear Index [1].

Highlighting growth regulation processes in fish populations by a simplex simulation approach: application to Merluccius hubbsi stocks in the Southwestern Atlantic

Abstract A new simplex-based simulation approach (Spx) was developed to highlight multidirectional and multi-scale relationships between morphometric variables helping to functionally differentiate biological (fish) groups for better stocks definition and monitoring. Application concerned Merluccius hubbsi sampled in 1968–1972 and 2004 in six Southwestern Atlantic areas. Simulation results highlighted negative trends opposing front to back compartments indicating competition for body biomass distribution. However, top and bottom parts within these compartments were positively correlated indicating cooperative processes in favour of target local growth regulation. Positive and negative trends of growth regulation were also highlighted at lower body scale, notably between smaller components constituting body front compartment. On a geographical scale, average regulation levels of same morphometric variables showed monotonic or alternated variations between successive fish groups. This highlighted target and modulated growth regulations governing biomass distribution in different body parts by geographical-dependent ways. Under dynamical aspect (1968–1972 vs. 2004), growth regulation of mouth tended to increase with time leading to conclude on morphometric responses of M. hubbsi to overfishing pressure. Spx results were confirmed by several traditional approaches which showed less integrative aspect.

When a small thin two-dimensional body enters a viscous wall layer

If a body enters a viscous-inviscid fluid layer near a wall, then significant effects can be felt from the presence of incident vorticity, viscous forces and nonlinear forces. The focus here is on the response in the outer edge of such a wall layer. Nonlinear two-dimensional unsteady behaviour is examined through modelling, computation and analysis applied for a thin body travelling streamwise upstream or downstream or staying still relative to the wall. The wall layer with its balance between inviscid and viscous effects interacts freely with the body movement, causing relatively high magnitudes of pressure on top of the body and nonlinear responses in the gap between the body and the wall. The study finds explicit solutions for the motion of the body, separation of the flow arising near the wall and possible instabilities occurring over the length scale of any short body.

Sardinella alcyone n. sp., a new sardine (Teleostei: Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) from the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

The new sardine Sardinella alcyone n. sp. is described on the basis of 19 specimens collected from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan and southwestern Taiwan. The new species closely resembles Sardinella pacifica Hata Motomura 2019, both species having lateral scales with centrally discontinuous striae, a dark spot on the dorsal-fin origin, the pelvic fin with 8 rays, deciduous body scales, and very similar numbers of prepelvic and postpelvic scutes, scale rows in the longitudinal series, and pseudobranchial filaments. However, the new species is distinguished from S. pacifica by having lower total gill-raker counts on the first, second, third and fourth gill arches, and on the posterior face of the third gill arch (99-112, 97-115, 79-98, 62-77, and 25-31, respectively, vs. 112-137, 112-148, 95-127, 78-106, and 30-43), and greater pectoral fin (20.7-23.4% SL vs. 18.2-20.8%), pelvic fin (11.9-13.1% SL vs. 10.3-11.9%), maxilla (10.8-12.4% SL vs. 9.3-10.9%), lower jaw (11.8-13.4% SL vs. 10.4-11.6%), and pre-anal-fin length (77.4-82.3% SL vs. 72.9-79.3%) proportions.

Study on the Variogram Analysis Methods of 3D Geological Modeling for Sandstone Reservoirs

Variogram analysis is a necessary step for 3D stochastic modeling. Different variogram settings will directly affect the final distribution characteristics of model attributes. Setting the variogram parameters on the optimization results of sedimentary types of sub-units has become a key step in geological modeling. In this paper, the influence of variogram parameters on the simulation results of reservoir properties is studied to improve the analysis method of the variogram. This paper is for typical river-delta sedimentary reservoirs, specifically taking the SII7+8 layers as the research object. Multiple sedimentary microfacies types, including river, abandoned river, floodplain, natural dyke, coexist and show highly heterogeneous in the SII7+8 layers. On this basis, the reservoir is divided into 3 types of sand bodies and 11 kinds of sedimentary microfacies according to the effective thickness, sedimentary conditions, scale and shape of main sand bodies to study the distribution characteristics and extension scale of different sedimentary types in plane, so as to determine the variogram parameters of different sand body types, and accurately simulate the reservoir property distributions. The process in variogram analysis methods can further improving the accuracy of 3D geological modeling.

Water body effect on microclimate in summertime: A case study from Pécs

The relationship between water body (fountains) scale and climate parameters like wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, as well as thermal comfort index was modeled and analyzed via Envi-met code. Taking the water impact and factors analysis as a research object, the factors mainly discussed in this research are square area to water-body area ratio and the location of the water element. However, the computational fluid dynamics simulations were conducted on the following scenarios: 3% (original base case), 6%, and 9% of the total square’s area, then the outputs of the two simulation results were compared to the original base case. The results revealed that water scale has a slight effect on the micro-climate of the built environment in the summertime in moderately warm-wet climate zone. However, it is beneficial to adjust temperature and humidity in public spaces of central European cities. Nonetheless, the main aim of this paper is to quantitatively investigate the impact of the water bodies on the urban weather parameters and human thermal comfort under the influence of different scale ratios in Pecs-Hungary.

Deriving an overall appearance domain score by applying bifactor IRT analysis to the BODY-Q appearance scales

PurposeWith the BODY-Q, one can assess outcomes, such as satisfaction with appearance, in weight loss and body contouring patients using multiple scales. All scales can be used independently in any given combination or order. Currently, the BODY-Q cannot provide overall appearance scores across scales that measure a similar super-ordinate construct (i.e., overall appearance), which could improve the scales’ usefulness as a benchmarking tool and improve the comprehensibility of patient feedback. We explored the possibility of establishing overall appearance scores, by applying a bifactor model to the BODY-Q appearance scales.MethodsIn a bifactor model, questionnaire items load onto both a primary specific factors and a general factor, such as satisfaction with appearance. The international BODY-Q validation patient sample (n = 734) was used to fit a bifactor model to the appearance domain. Factor loadings, fit indices, and correlation between bifactor appearance domain and satisfaction with body scale were assessed.ResultsAll items loaded on the general factor of their corresponding domain. In the appearance domain, all items demonstrated adequate item fit to the model. All scales had satisfactory fit to the bifactor model (RMSEA 0.045, CFI 0.969, and TLI 0.964). The correlation between the appearance domain summary scores and satisfaction with body scale scores was found to be 0.77.DiscussionWe successfully applied a bifactor model to BODY-Q data with good item and model fit indices. With this method, we were able to produce reliable overall appearance scores which may improve the interpretability of the BODY-Q while increasing flexibility.

Catchment Characterisation Tool: Prioritising Critical Source Areas for managing diffuse nitrate pollution

Where diffuse losses of nutrients from agriculture is a major challenge for integrated catchment management and the achievement of Water Framework Directive objectives, modelling tools can be used to target the high-risk areas and focus the limited resources available for mitigation measures. The Catchment Characterisation Tool (CCT) is a GIS-based model developed to assess the potential risk posed by nitrate and phosphate from diffuse agricultural sources to surface water and groundwater by delineating critical source areas in Irish sub-catchments. The CCT model results have been generated to support pressure-impact assessments following the source-pathway-receptor concept to target local catchment stream walks in areas where the potential impact may be higher. These risk maps can be used at a maximum scale of 1:25,000 (e.g. water body scale) to target areas for Local Catchment Assessments and are not designed or suitable to be used on their own as a basis for decisions at local or field scale. Consequently, these maps act as signposts for where further characterisation and engagement actions should be prioritised. This paper details the model structure and data requirements for the CCT for nitrate followed by validation of the results by comparing a national dataset of measured nitrate concentrations in Irish water bodies with values predicted by the CCT. The model performed well at predicting the annual average nitrate concentrations, with surface waters showing better correlation with CCT predictions than for groundwater. More detailed comparisons with intensively monitored test catchments showed satisfactory correlation between the predictions and measured concentrations. The outputs are displayed in pollution impact potential (PIP) maps that rank the modelled values so that prioritisation can be given to the higher ranked areas or critical source areas.

Body and appearance self-conscious emotions in Canada and Poland.

Due to the growing interest in studies on health-related variables from an international perspective, the current study addresses the issue of body-related emotions in two countries from two continents, namely, North America and Europe. Using data from Canadian and Polish samples, we investigated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Body and Appearance Self-Conscious Emotions Scale across countries and examined differences in these emotions between Canada and Poland. Partial scalar invariance indicated that the scale functions equivalently in Canadian and Polish samples, with only one invariant item in the Guilt subscale. Compared to the Polish, Canadians reported lower body and appearance authentic and hubristic pride. Participants from the two countries did not differ significantly in shame.

Leveraging brain-body scaling relationships for comparative studies.

In Horschleret al. (Anim Cognit 22(2):187-198, 2019), we found that two components of executive function (short-term memory and self-control) were strongly associated with estimated absolute brain weight across dog breeds, and argued that dogs present a powerful model for studying evolutionary links between cognition and neuroanatomy due to their extraordinary degree of intraspecific morphological variation. In a commentary on this work, Montgomery (Anim Cognit, 2019) raises concerns about the practice of estimating brain weights from brain-body scaling relationships. Montgomery explores the practical significance of this approach, ultimately concluding that such estimations should be avoided. In this response, we point out some limitations of the analyses presented by Montgomery and consider his conclusions in light of these issues. We then explore the extent to which body weight serves as a valid proxy for brain weight under varying conditions. Through simulations, we show that the consequences of using body weight as a proxy for brain weight depend on parameters including effect size, the correlation between brain and body weight, and the variance in brain and body weight within a sample. Under conditions approximating those in Horschleret al. (Anim Cognit 22(2):187-198, 2019), we find that body weight is a reliable proxy for brain weight, and that statistical results from models using either brain weight or body weight as predictor variables are highly convergent. Nonetheless, we wholeheartedly agree with Montgomery that empirical data on brain weight, structure, and cellular composition will be critical for creating new opportunities to investigate the relationships between neuroanatomy and cognition in dogs.

Multi-scale development of a stratiform chromite ore body at the base of the dunitic mantle-crust transition zone (Maqsad diapir, Oman ophiolite): The role of repeated melt and fluid influxes

A stratiform chromite ore body crops out in the lower part of the dunitic mantle-crust transition zone (DTZ) that developed at the top of a mantle diapir in the Maqsad area in the Oman ophiolite. It is made of layers ranging in thickness from a few mm to a maximum of 3 m, and in modal composition from massive to antinodular and disseminated ore. The ore body is about 50 m thick and its lateral extent does not exceed several hundred meters. The layering dips gently to the southeast, parallel to that of the overlying gabbroic cumulates. The chromite composition is typical of a MORB kindred - moderate XCr (100 × Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio), ranging from 48 to 60, and relatively high TiO2 content, ranging from about 0.3 to 0.5 wt% -, a characteristic shared by most lithologies issued from the igneous activity of the Maqsad diapir. The silicate matrix is essentially made of slightly serpentinized olivine with minor clinopyroxene and rare pargasitic amphibole, orthopyroxene and garnet. This strongly contrasts with the nature of the mineral inclusions mostly made of the assemblage amphibole-orthopyroxene-mica, enclosed in the chromite grains and represented in abundance all along the ore body whatever the ore grade. The inclusions demonstrate the involvement of a silica- and water-rich melt and/or fluid, in addition to MORB, in the early stages of chromite crystallization. The chemical composition of chromite, silicate matrix, together with the one of silicate inclusions display well-defined evolutions vertically along the stratiform chromitite. At the scale of the ore body, the compositional trends are independent of the ore concentration but the major kinks in these trends are well-correlated with levels of magmatic breccias. This shows that abrupt chemical changes can be attributed to sudden melt ± fluids injection events followed mainly by melt-fluid-rock interaction and in a lesser extent by quieter evolution by fractional crystallization. At the thin section scale, second order chemical variations, essentially in the Mg# (100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) atomic ratio) of chromite and Fo of olivine, are clearly attributable to re-equilibration between these two solid phases, possibly in the presence of an interstitial melt/fluid.

The golden age of arthropods: ancient mechanisms of colour production in body scales.

Insect colour is extremely diverse and produced by a large number of pigmentary and nanostructural mechanisms. Considerable research has been dedicated to these optical mechanisms, with most of it focused on chromatic colours, such as blues and greens, and less on achromatic colours like white and gold. Moreover, studies on the evolution of these colours are less common and largely limited to inferences from extant organisms, in part because of the limited amount and types of available fossil material. Here, we directly compare nanostructure and colour of extant and amber-preserved (approx. 15 and 99 Myr old, respectively) gold-coloured representatives of micromoths (Lepidoptera: Micropterigidae) and springtails (Collembola: Tomoceridae). Using electron microscopy, microspectrophotometry and finite domain time difference optical modelling, we show that golden coloration in the extant micromoth is produced by nanometre-scale crossribs that function as zero-order diffraction gratings and in the springtail by a diffraction grating without crossribs. Surprisingly, nanostructure and thus predicted colour of the amber-preserved specimens were nearly identical to those of their extant counterparts. Removal of amber enabled direct colour measurement of the fossil micromoth and further revealed that its colour matched both that of the extant specimen and the predicted colour, providing further support for our optical models. Our data thus clearly show an early origin and striking conservation of scale nanostructures and golden coloration, suggesting strong selection pressure either on the colour itself or on the mechanisms that produce the colour. Furthermore, we show the thus-far untapped potential for the use of amber-preserved specimens in studies on the evolution of organismal coloration.

A New Species of Plateau Pit Viper (Reptilia: Serpentes: Gloydius) from the Upper Lancang (=Mekong) Valley in the Hengduan Mountain Region, Tibet, China

The Plateau Pit Viper, Gloydius strauchi, from southwest and central China has long been considered a single, widespread species despite suspicion that it represents a potential complex of distinct evolutionary lineages. Although series of works were published on the G. strauchi species complex over the last 10 yr, species boundaries and diagnostic features of different members of the complex have remained poorly understood. Combining both morphological and genetic data, we re-evaluate taxonomic statuses of populations of G. strauchi in southwest China and describe the eastern Tibetan populations as a new species. The new species is most closely related to G. monticola phylogenetically, and it differs from all congeners by having a matte dorsal body scale texture, oval and robust head shape, distinct body ornamentation and coloration, and unique hemipene morphology. In addition, we provide the first updated diagnostic key to all recognized members of the G. strauchi species complex, and discuss ongoing taxonomic problems associated with cryptic diversity within the genus in China.

Microscopy and phylogeny of Pyramimonas tatianae sp. nov. (Pyramimonadales, Chlorophyta), a scaly quadriflagellate from Golden Horn Bay (eastern Russia) and formal description of Pyramimonadophyceae classis nova

ABSTRACT Nearly two decades ago a scaly quadriflagellate culture was established from a sample collected in Golden Horn Bay, eastern Russia. Here we present a comparative analysis of pheno- and genotypic characters and show that the isolate did not match any existing species of Pyramimonas and is therefore described as P. tatianae sp. nov. The species was probably identified as P. aff. cordata in previous studies on material from the same area. Based on an ultrastructural account of the cell and its external body scales it was found to belong to the subgenus Vestigifera. This was supported by a phylogenetic analysis using the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene. The cell dimensions of P. tatianae were 6–7 µm long and 5–6 µm wide and it thus represented one of the smaller species of the genus. The cup-shaped chloroplast was divided into four lobes reaching from the middle to the anterior part of the cell. A single posterior eyespot was observed adjacent to an excentric pyrenoid. The ultrastructure of the body and flagellar scales were illustrated from material prepared for whole mounts and thin sections. The new species was compared with P. cordata and P. mitra, two other vestigiferans with which it shares some morphological features. The sequence divergence between P. tatianae and the most closely related species, P. mitra, was 2.5%. The phylogeny of Vestigifera revealed two lineages, one comprising cold-water species and the cosmopolitan P. orientalis, and the other species from temperate-subtropical waters. The tree topology suggested a southbound dispersal route. This was further supported by all antarctic Pyramimonas species having encystment stages as part of their life cycle. It was therefore probable that their ancestors also were capable of producing cysts allowing transportation over great distances. A formal description of the class Pyramimonadophyceae comprising both extant and extinct species was also provided.

How reliable is the charred body scale? An interobserver reliability study on scoring burned remains

The error rates of forensic techniques need to be evaluated. The charred body scale is a method for quantifying the level of decomposition in burned remains. 51 files containing photographs of burned pigs at different stages of decomposition were scored by nine participants. Each pig in the photographs was uniformly burned to a different level (Crow Glassman Scale levels 1 to 3). The Crow Glassman Scale describes five levels of burns that include singing of hair and epidermal blistering (CGS level 1) up to complete cremation of the body reducing it to ash (CGS level 5). The three CGS levels were selected to isolate potential scoring errors that may be caused by different burn levels (not accounted for in the development of the charred body scale). Each of the 51 photograph files was scored by participants using the charred body scale as if it were a unique forensic case at an unknown initial burn level and decomposition stage. Interobserver error, hence reliability, of the scores was tested using individual and average absolute agreement interclass correlations. The charred body scale is reliable for remains burned to a Crow Glassman Scale level 1 but not in higher burn levels. It is suggested that a universal scoring method be developed that accounts for multiple burn levels in a single case.