Canonical Discriminant Function Research Articles

МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКОЕ МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ В ДИФФЕРЕНЦИАЛЬНОЙ ДИАГНОСТИКЕ АНЕМИИ ХРОНИЧЕСКИХ ЗАБОЛЕВАНИЙ И ЖЕЛЕЗОДЕФИЦИТНОЙ АНЕМИИ У ПАЦИЕНТОВ С ВОСПАЛИТЕЛЬНЫМИ ЗАБОЛЕВАНИЯМИ СУСТАВОВ

Aim. To develop based on the indicators of clinical blood tests, some biochemical markers, iron metabolism and cytokines a mathematical model that allows with high sensitivity and specificity to conduct differential diagnosis of anemia of chronic diseases (AHD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in patients with inflammatory joint diseases (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PSA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS)). Material and methods. The study included 104 patients with inflammatory joint diseases and anemic syndrome (37 males/67 females, age 48.4±5.42 years old), of which 54 patients with RA, 27 patients with PSA and 23 patients with AS. The control group consisted of 22 patients with inflammatory diseases of the joints without anemia (13 males/9 females, age 47.8±3.55 years old), of which 7 patients with RA, 10 with PSA, 5 with AS. For all patients, in addition to hemogram parameters, the concentrations of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, interleukin-1β, interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, ferritin, C-reactive protein, hepcidin, transferrin, soluble transferrin receptor were determined. For quantitative indicators, the median, standard error of the mean, and interquartile range was calculated. The significance of differences between several unrelated groups was determined using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The calculation of a mathematical model for the differential diagnosis of ACD and IDA was carried out using discriminant analysis. Results. As a result of the study, a canonical linear discriminant function (CLDF) was obtained: CLDF = 1.612171-0.002725× Hepcidin -0.005429× Ferritin The coordinates of the centroids are calculated, for ACD it is -1.44222008, and for IDA it is 1.52705656. A patient whose CLDF value is determined based on ferritin and hepcidin concentrations should be classified into the ACD or IDA group based on the minimum distance to the corresponding centroid. The resulting mathematical model has 100% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Conclusions. The equation based on hepcidin and ferritin (obtained from the results of discriminant analysis) allows, with high sensitivity, specificity and information ability, to carry out differential diagnosis of ACD and IDA in patients with inflammatory joints diseases instantly at the stage of initial contact with the doctor. Using of the equation will make it possible to more effectively diagnose and correct these types of anemia in this pathology, including for the purpose of more effective treatment.

CREATION OF AN ALGORITHM FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF ANALOGOUS OBJECTS IN CARBONATE RESERVOIRS OF THE VOLGA-URAL OIL AND GAS PROVINCE

For the conditions of deposits confined to the carbonate reservoirs of the Volga-Ural oil and gas province, an algorithm for searching for analogous objects based on the identification procedure is proposed. The principal boundaries of the search for analogous objects confined to various stratigraphic systems have been established through a comprehensive analysis of geological and commercial data. The significant influence of tectonic confinement on the formation of the features of the geological structure of deposits and their distribution in the axes of canonical discriminant functions is shown. The presence of uncertainty in the separation of objects using the tectonic factor is explained by the similarity of objects in the marginal zones of adjacent tectonic elements in both terrigenous and carbonate reservoirs, which in turn must be taken into account when implementing key aspects of field development design. During the simulation, a certain similarity of individual deposits in the carbonate reservoirs of the carboniferous system was established, confined not only to various tectonic elements, but also to various stratigraphic complexes, which makes it possible to expand the search for analogous objects and the possibility of solving various development management tasks in conditions of deterioration of the structure of oil reserves and low technical and technological indicators of well operation. When using pattern recognition methods, in particular, discriminant analysis, dependencies were obtained that make it possible to successfully adapt the accumulated experience of developing an object to other objects while maintaining a high level of compliance with the logical aspects of hydrodynamics and physics of reservoir systems. Further development of the algorithm presented in the work lies in the plane of using a minimum number of parameters for analysis, ensuring a high percentage of separation of objects, taking into account the heterogeneity of their values.

Geometric morphometric evaluation of mandibles of four sheep breeds: Bardoka, İvesi, Polish Mountain sheep and Turcana.

The enduring relationship between humans and domestic sheep has evolved over millennia, showcasing diverse uses such as meat, milk, wool, leather and fur, shaped by geographical, historical, cultural and social factors. The sheep breeds discussed include the Ivesi from Southeastern Anatolia, known for its varied animal products; the resilient Turcana breed of Romania; Kosovo's Bardoka, valued for its triple-purpose characteristics; and Poland's Polish Mountain Sheep, uniquely utilized for milk production in cheese making. Sheep, with their enduring relationship with humans and significant economic importance, have attracted scientific interest in morphometric studies of their mandibles, yielding valuable data applicable across various fields including basic anatomy, veterinary clinical anatomy, zooarchaeology and veterinary forensic medicine. Traditional morphometric studies rely on statistical methods to compare length, depth and angular ratios between anatomical formations, often highlighting differences between specific points but not fully revealing shape variations between distinct groups. Geometric morphometric analysis has emerged as a preferred method in recent years, enabling shape analyses using coordinate data from various imaging techniques, facilitating a comprehensive examination of mandibular morphometrics among sheep breeds across different countries. This study involved four sheep breeds from different countries, namely İvesi from Turkey, Bardoka from Kosovo, Polish Mountain Sheep from Poland and Turcana from Romania, with a total of 70 mandibles sourced from various veterinary faculties. Mandibular photographs were meticulously captured, focusing on the right side of mandible pairs and placing landmarks and semi-landmarks along the entire edge, enabling geometric morphometric analysis using tpsUtil, tpsDig2 and MorphoJ software. The analysis included principal component analysis, canonical variate analysis and discriminant function analysis for pairwise comparisons, facilitating a comprehensive examination of mandibular shape variations among the different sheep breeds. Using geometric morphometric methods, this study analysed mandibles from four distinct sheep breeds sourced from different countries, revealing notable variations in regions such as the ramus mandibula, angulus mandibula and incisive areas, attributed to genetic, geographical and dietary influences, highlighting the importance of continued research to better comprehend these shape differences.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) cultivated in three agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh: Unveiling the variability of methylxanthine, bioactive phenolic compound, and antioxidant activity

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a widely consumed beverage known for its numerous health benefits, largely attributed to its rich content of quality determining secondary metabolites such as methylxanthine compounds and bioactive phenolic compounds. The goal of this study was to find out variations of the levels of methylxanthines, bioactive phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity in methanolic and hot water extracts of 129 tea samples grown in three different ecological regions of Bangladesh named Panchagar, Sylhet, and Chattogram. Methylxanthine and bioactive phenolic compounds were determined by using HPLC-DAD, and the antioxidant profile was analysed by UV–vis spectrophotometric methods for methanol and hot water extracts of tea leaves. The IC50 values showed the trend as Panchagar > Sylhet > Chattogram and Sylhet > Chattogram > Panchagar for water and methanol extract, respectively. The results revealed significant (p < 0.05) variations in the levels of methylxanthines content: Panchagar > Chattogram > Sylhet. Caffeine was significantly higher (103.02 ± 5.55 mg/g of dry extract) in the methanolic extract of tea leaves of Panchagar district and lower (53.33 ± 4.30 mg/g of dry extract) in the hot water extract of Sylhet district. Panchagar and Chattogram possessed significantly (p < 0.05) higher catechin content for methanol (57.01 ± 5.50 mg/g dry extract) and hot water (55.23 ± 4.11 mg/g dry extract) extracts, respectively. The utilization of canonical discriminant functions yielded highly favorable outcomes in the classification of tea from three distinct cultivation origins in Bangladesh, relying on their inherent features. This study demonstrated the potential effects of geographical variations on the bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties of tea, emphasizing the importance of regional differences in tea cultivation for optimizing its health benefits as well as dispersing tea cultivation across the country.

Creation of a shortened version of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SDQ).

The 176-item Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SDQ) was initially developed using canonical discriminant function analysis on 4 groups of sleep disorder patients, but it was never studied by factor analysis in its entirety. Several authors have criticized 2 of its subscales as being confounded with each other, and its narcolepsy scale as substantially over-diagnosing narcolepsy. This study describes its first exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the intent of which was to reassess item membership on the 4 existing subscales and to derive new scales to improve differential diagnosis between patient groups. It was also hoped that EFA could reduce the total number of questions, to increase speed of completion. The EFA was performed on the anonymized SDQ results from a retrospective review of the charts of 2131 persons from 7 sleep disorders clinics and research centers. Factors were assessed via scree plots and eigenvalues. The EFA identified four main factors: insomnia, daytime sleepiness, substance use, and sleep-disordered breathing. The insomnia factor had 3 subfactors: psychological symptoms of insomnia, subjective description of insomnia, and insomnia due to periodic limb movements. The sleepiness factor had two subfactors: daytime sleepiness and neurological symptoms of narcolepsy. The novel substance use factor was homogeneous, as was the sleep-disordered breathing factor. Importantly, the EFA reassigned items from the original SDQ's NAR, PSY, and PLM subscales to five of the new subscales. The Sleep Apnea (SA) subscale emerged mostly unchanged. The 7 resulting factors comprised only 66 items of the original 176-item SDQ. These results have allowed the creation of a new shorter questionnaire, to be called the SDQ-2. External validation of the SDQ-2 is currently underway. It will likely prove to be a superior differential diagnostic instrument for sleep disorders clinics, compared to the original SDQ.

Evaluation of morphological traits using multivariate techniques in Kotdhar goat native to Shivalik hill region of Himachal Pradesh.

The objective of this study was to analyze the diverse morphological attributes of Kotdhar goat native to Shivalik hill region of Himachal Pradesh. A total number of 180 goats, comprising 150 females and 30 males aged between 1 and 3years, were randomly selected to estimate15 distinct morphological traits and ten body indices. Mean values of 17.66cm, 11.68cm, 8.73cm, 71.94cm, 69.83cm, 74.48cm, 38.10cm, 73.38cm, 20.55cm, 16.48cm, 14.89cm, 13.57cm, 19.20cm, 7.71cm and 26.12kg were estimated for head length, head width, face length, body length, wither height, heart girth, chest depth, rump height, rump length, rump width, haunch width, bicoastal width, shoulder width, cannon bone and body weight respectively. In addition, morphological indices viz. body index, length index, body ratio, thoracic development, pelvic index, longitudinal pelvic index, transverse pelvic index, proportionality index, dactyl thorax index and relative depth of thorax were estimated from morphological traits. Results of morphological indices indicated that Kotdhar goat are medium bodied, longilinear, tall animals and well-suited for meat production. Phenotypic correlation among most of traits was positive and significant. Among all correlations, correlation between head length and head width was found lowest (- 0.270), while the correlation between heart girth and chest depth was observed highest (0.861). Canonical discriminant function analysis showed that there was no considerable level of intermixing for morphological traits in Kotdhar goat. Employing principal component analysis with varimax rotation, three principal components were observed, accounting for 68.47% of the total variation. First principal component (PC1) encapsulated the highest proportion of variance (44.39), revealing the high loadings on head length (0.777), body length (0.747), wither height (0.782), heart girth (0.785), chest depth (0.706), rump height (0.762), haunch width (0.734) and bicoastal width (0.793). Hence, it is possible to utilize these eight variables out of the 15 morphological traits for the characterization of the Kotdhar goat.

Refining solutions of development problems of the Volga-Ural oil and gas province fields using geological and statistical model ranking methods

The purpose of the present research is to provide a comprehensive analysis of data on the geological and physical properties of formations and the fluids saturating them in the Volga-Ural oil and gas province using the methods of geological and statistical model ranking. The discriminant analysis conducted on the basis of qualitative criteria (reservoir type and stratigraphic confinement) identified in all cases the zones of uncertainty, which affect the effectiveness of managerial decision-making in the conditions of analog objects. On this score, the results for six models were refined and updated according to the principle of rank uniqueness value calculation by three methods, both for each model individually and for model systems while using them within the obtained distributions of objects in the axes of canonical discriminant functions. Theoretical and practical recommendations were given regarding the use of geological and statistical models in the development of Volga-Ural oil and gas province fields. The results obtained can be used to solve a wide range of practical problems of proactive resource management, which enable effective determination of the best strategy for the successful extraction of residual and hard-to-recover oil reserves. The proposed parameter ranking table allows both to determine the most unstable parameters with a high degree of probability and to level the factor of heterogeneity and disequilibrium of field data. The conducted study established that identification of object association with a particular group in the axes of canonical discriminant functions leads to the formation of the zone of uncertainty. The latter increases the risks of making ineffective managerial decisions when developing different categories of subsoil users’ assets. Using the methods of ranking geological and statistical models, an algorithm for constructing a hierarchical system is proposed, which allows to expand the application field of the results of geological and statistical modeling in the oil and gas industry as well as to reduce the risk of nonrepresentative results.

Discriminant analysis reveals differences in breed structure in river buffaloes of Maharashtra (India).

Buffaloes are a major milch species of India, and owning a true-to-breed buffalo herd is a reverie for livestock keepers, as it substantiates their incomes. Multivariate discriminate analysis is an efficient methodology to classify different farm animal populations based on canonical discriminant function. The present study was conducted on 392 adult buffaloes using 18 body biometric traits. Except for body height and body length, all the body characters revealed significant differences amongst the four buffalo populations. Unlike cattle, distance between horns and rump width were more discriminating factors, compared to body height, leg length, chest girth, and body length. We report the most suitable discriminate function which can discriminate with maximum between-group variation in four studied populations. Mahalanobis distances were calculated between populations and they ranged from 0.786 to 1.227. Purnathadi has revealed a distinct phenotypic structure, and these buffaloes have a distinct native breeding region comprising Akola, Amravati, and Buldhana districts of Maharashtra state. On the other hand, Elachpuri animals failed to depict physical and biometric discriminations from Nagpuri, Marathwadi, and Purnathadi buffalo populations, and Elachpuri can be considered as a strain of Nagpuri buffalo.

Stepwise canonical discriminant analysis for morphometric characterization of three strains of broiler chicken

Stepwise canonical discriminant analysis of quantitative traits was performed to characterize Arbor Acre (n = 29), Marshall (n = 29) and Ross 308 (n = 30) strains of broiler chicken at two weeks of age. Average body weight of 322.11 ? 51.33 g, 310.70 ? 51.20 g and 310.24 ? 42.37 g were obtained for Arbor Acre, Marshall and Ross 308 strains, respectively. Correlation coefficients between traits was positive (0.13-0.80). Out of the eight traits used, shank length (SL), body length (BL), wing length (WL), breast girth (BG) and thigh circumference (TC) were selected by stepwise procedure as discriminating variables with respective tolerance of 0.75, 0.84, 0.86, 0.57 and 0.66. The Mahalanobis distance indicated that Arbor Acre and Marshall were closely related by SL (2.006), WL (5.704), BG (6.002) and TC (6.314) while Arbor Acre and Ross 308 were related by BL (4.212). Two canonical discriminant functions were generated. Function 1, with smaller Wilk's Lambda (0.15), stronger canonical correlation coefficient (0.88), highly significant Chi-square (p&lt;0.0001), greater eigenvalue (3.14) and percentage variance (87.28%), possessed higher discriminatory power than function 2.72.4%, 82.8% and 90.0% of the cross validated cases were correctly classified as Arbor Acre, Marshall and Ross broilers, respectively. The study revealed that Ross 308 was genetically distinct from Arbor Acre and Marshall, which were more closely related, using shank length, body length, wing length, breast girth and thigh circumference as discriminating traits. Stepwise canonical discriminant analysis is therefore relevant in classification genetics.

Discriminant analysis: motor skills in the structure of motor readiness of 8-year-old boys practicing karate

Purpose of the study. To determine the contribution of motor skills to the structure of motor readiness of 8-year-old boys who practice karate. Materials and methods. The study involved 32 8-year-old boys who practice karate. Children and their parents were informed about all the features of the study and gave consent to participate in the experiment. The following methods were used in the study: study and analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observation, timing of educational tasks, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics, methods of mathematical planning of experiments. Results. The results of discriminant analysis indicate that the obtained canonical functions explain 100% of the variation in results and are informative for classifying the level of motor fitness of 8-year-old boys. The first function explains 91,9% of the variation in results (r1 = 0,996), the second – 5,9% of the variation in results (r2 = 0,948). Verification of canonical functions indicates that the first and second functions are statistically significant (λ1 = 0,001, p = 0,001; λ2 = 0,024, p = 0,043). As a result of the analysis, a significant influence of orthogonal variants of the standard-intermittent exercise on the motor readiness of 8-year-old boys was revealed. Thus, statistically significant differences in test results between groups (A1B1, A2B1, A1B2, A2B2) are observed in the technical level of performing exercises 1-6 series of training tasks (p = 0.001), as well as in the results of running 300 meters (p = 0, 01). The discrepancies in the results of other tests are not statistically significant. Conclusions. The canonical discriminant function can be used to classify the motor readiness of 8-year-old schoolchildren depending on the influence of orthogonal variants of the standard-intermittent exercise. As a result of discriminant analysis, indicators were identified that were of the greatest importance when assessing the motor readiness of boys 8 years old who have been practicing karate. These include the level of training in a series of educational tasks, indicators of physical development and the level of development of motor abilities. The formation of motor skills and the development of motor abilities is considered as a holistic process. The effectiveness of training according to an algorithmic type prescription program depends on the mode of performing a standard-intermittent exercise.

Using normalised difference vegetation index in classification and agroecological zoning of spring row crops

Remote sensing is an important branch of modern science and technology with various applications in different branches of life sciences. Its application in agriculture is focused mainly on crop monitoring and yield prediction. However, the value of remote sensing in the systems of automated crop mapping and agroecological zoning of plant species is increasing. The main purpose of this study is to establish the possibility of using normalised difference vegetation index in the main spring row crops, namely maize, soybeans, sunflower, to precisely classify the fields with each crop, and to evaluate the best agroecological zones for their cultivation in rainfed conditions in Ukraine. The study was carried out using the data on the normalised difference vegetation index for the period May – November 2018 from 750 fields and experimental plots, randomly scattered over the territory of Ukraine with equal representation by every administrative district of the country. The index values were calculated using combined Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 images, with further generalisation for every crop and region. Multiclass linear discriminant analysis and canonical discriminant analysis were applied to determine whether it is possible to distinguish between the studied crops using the values of the normalised difference vegetation index as the only input. As a result, it was established that the best zone for crop cultivation is the west of the country: NDVI values for the growing season averaged to 0.34 for sunflower, 0.36 for soybeans, and 0.36 for maize, respectively. The worst growing conditions, based on the lowest NDVI values, were observed in the east for sunflower (0.26) and maize (0.25), but the minimum NDVI for soybeans (0.27) was observed in the south. Regarding the classification problem, it was found that the highest importance for the classification of crops is attributed to the values of the normalised difference vegetation index, recorded in August. The supervised learning using canonical discriminant function resulted in mediocre predictive performance of the multiple linear function with general classification accuracy of 56.5%. The best accuracy of classification was achieved for sunflower (70.4%), while it is difficult to distinguish between maize and soybeans because these crops have quite similar intra-seasonal dynamics of the vegetation index (classification accuracy was 46.8% and 52.4%, respectively; the total number of incorrectly predicted samples in the “maize-soybeans” group was 134 or 26.8%). The main limitation of this study is its single year basis, notwithstanding the fact that the year of the study was characterized as a typical one for most territory of Ukraine in terms of meteorological conditions. Therefore, more studies are required to clarify the possibility of a classification between maize and soybeans based on remote sensing data.

Phenotypic variation of protandrous hermaphrodite fish Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804) from Thailand coastal waters

This study was conducted to investigate the intraspecific variation of Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804) using traditional morphometric measurements. In total, 136 samples were collected from four fishing areas across Thailand coastal waters. Raw data were standardized and then evaluated with univariate analysis of variance, canonical discriminant function analysis, and dendrogram of cluster analysis regarding to site, size, and sex. Result from ANOVA test exhibited that all morphological characters were significantly different among sites (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, forty-one morphometric characters were significantly different among size of male and female fish (P < 0.05) except for pre-orbital length, pupil diameter, eye diameter, and depth of maxilla for male fish. Forty-four morphometric characters were significantly different (P < 0.05) except of fork length among sex. From CDFA, E. tetradactylum showed phenotypic heterogeneity and two distinct stocks in the four selected fishing areas. Phenotypic variation on sites was determined by six morphological characters (MnFL, DFAF, DOM, HW, PeBFL and ED) for males, while eight characters for females (PrOL, AFSL, PeBFL, DOM, UJL, PD, AFRL and ED) in decreasing order. Differentiations between fish size classes, relied on PrDFL2, BD and UCFL in males and PrOL, PrePeFL and DFAF in females. Among sexes, PeFAF, PrDFL2, MxFL, MnFL, PrePeFL, HSDF and PrePFL were highly influential. Discriminate functions (DF1) clarified that 83.60% and 94.10% of the total variance were found among the sites of males and females, and 99.20% and 93.20% of the total variance were found among the sizes of males and females, respectively. and 73% of the total variance were found among the sexes. In the confusion matrix of CDFA, the overall assignments of individuals into their correctly classified original population were 98.68% and 100% for males and females based on site and size, and 75.74% of sex groups, respectively. Our study highlighted that the hermaphroditism of E. tetradactylum showed that three distinct stocks of males and two stocks of females inhabited Thai coastal waters.

Unexpected cognitive similarities between older adults and young people: Scores variability and cognitive performances

BackgroundIncreased interindividual variability in cognitive performance during aging has been proposed as an indicator of cognitive reserve. ObjectiveTo determine if interindividual variability performance in episodic memory (PAL), working memory (SWM), reaction time (RTI), and sustained attention (RVP) could differentiate clusters of differential cognitive performance in healthy young and older adults and search for cognitive tests that most contribute to these differential performances. MethodsWe employed hierarchical cluster and canonical discriminant function analyses of cognitive scores using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to identify cognitive variability in older and young adults using the coefficient of variability of cognitive performances between and within groups. We also analyzed potential influences of age, education, and physical activity. ResultsCluster analysis distinguished groups with differential cognitive performance and correlation analysis revealed coefficient of variability and cognitive performance associations. The greater the coefficient of variability the poorer was cognitive performance in RTI but not in PAL and SWM. Older adults showed diverse trajectories of cognitive decline, and better education or higher percentage of physically active individuals exhibited better cognitive performance in both older and young adults. ConclusionPAL and SWM are the most sensitive tests to investigate the wide age range encompassing older and young adults. In older adults’ intragroup analysis PAL showed greater discriminatory capacity, indicating its potential for clinical applications late in life. Our data underscore the importance of studying variability as a tool for early detection of subtle cognitive declines and for interpreting results that deviate from normality.

Variations in Otolith and Scale Shape of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia

Abstract Round goby Neogobius melanostomus is one of the three invasive Ponto-Caspian gobies found in the Sava River basin in Croatia. It has a negative effect on the native ecosystems due to its high invasive potential that enables its rapid spread upstream in inland watercourses. The objective of this study was to determine the differences in sagittal otolith and scale shape of the frontal and established populations of N. melanostomus in two different habitat types. At two sampling sites in the main course of the Sava (Babina Greda, Slavonski Brod) and in a modified habitat (Sava-Odra canal), 20 individuals of N. melanostomus were collected and analysed. The geometric morphometric method was used together with Procrustes analysis of variance, canonical variate analysis and discriminant function analysis to analyse the otolith and scale shape. Significant differences in both otolith and scale shapes were found between settled (Babina Greda) and frontal (Slavonski Brod) populations from the main course of the Sava River. The main differences were the wider anterior part of the scales and a more pronounced open indentation on the otolith of the Babina Greda population. The settled population in the Sava-Odra canal was significantly different in otolith shape from the Babina Greda population but not from the Slavonski Brod population, suggesting that the upstream migration consisted of individuals with specific phenotype and genotype. Otoliths generally expressed greater shape variability than scales and thus may be more useful for differentiating between closely related populations on a finer scale. The results of this study suggest that the shape of otoliths and scales can be used to distinguish between closely related populations of N. melanostomus from different habitats but more comprehensive studies are needed due to the small number of samples.

Determination of Anatolian Honeybee Biodiversity by Wing Characters

In this study, we report that there were five different subspecies and three different ecotypes defined so far in Türkiye, which has a rich biodiversity in terms of honeybee subspecies. However, recently, it has been thought that the current biodiversity is in danger of extinction due to the commercial queen bee supply and the migratory beekeeping activities from a single source. This study uses the morphometric method to reveal the current status of honeybee biodiversity in Türkiye. For this purpose, a total of 3186 worker bees were studied by samplings from 19 different provinces to represent the honeybee races and ecotypes distributed in Türkiye. We made wing preparations and established 19 landmarks on the right forewings using the BAB BsPro200 program. The program automatically obtained the wing’s metrics’ angle, length, and index values via these 19 landmarks. We used Discriminant function analysis to determine intragroup and intergroup variations by taking the colony averages from data obtained from 31 morphological characters. Given the canonical discriminant function analysis and UPGMA dendrogram, Zonguldak, Düzce, Sakarya, Artvin, Ardahan, and Trabzon constituted a group, and Edirne, Kilis, Van, and Isparta formed a separate group. Hakkari, Kahramanmaraş, and Ordu provinces formed a separate line together. On the other hand, the group centers of Kars and Kırklareli, two different ends of Türkiye, overlapped and formed a close line with Isparta. As a result, this study revealed that, although the protection measures taken at the local level effectively protected the honeybee biodiversity, these measures are insufficient.

The combined use of organochlorine contaminant profiles and molecular genetics for stock discrimination of white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) hunted in three communities on southeast Baffin Island

Putative stock differences in white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) landed by hunters between 1992 and 1996 from the southeast Baffin Island communities of Kimmirut (KI), Iqaluit (IQ) and Pangnirtung (PA) were examined using organochlorine contaminant (OC) profiles of 124 whales, the molecular genetics of 270 whales and both types of data from 97 whales. OC concentrations were generally lower in whales hunted in PA than those hunted in KI and IQ, and many OCs were lower in KI than IQ. In canonical discriminant function (CDA) using 13 OC predictor variables (10 OC groups, mirex, octachlorostyrene and endosulfan), the first canonical function accounted for 77% of the variance and separated whales from PA with those from IQ and KI; the second canonical function separated whales from KI with those from IQ. A previous study of the molecular genetics of white whales showed that whales hunted in the three communities were significantly differentiated on the basis of haplotype and/or microsatellite allele frequencies (de March et al., 2002). When the results of two studies were combined, many whales were slightly more strongly associated with a particular source hunting community than they were in the component studies. Using a posteriori crossvalidation probabilities in an analysis with variables from both studies, 72% of white whales were correctly crossvalidated to their source hunting community; 82.5% from PA; 56.5% from IQ; and 58.8% from KI. The highest misclassification rates were KI to IQ (23.5%), IQ to KI and IQ to PA (21.7% in both cases) and the lowest rates were PA to KI (3.5%), PA to IQ (14.0%) and KI to PA (17.6%). This pattern of assignments was not significantly different from those in the genetics or contaminants studies alone. However, the crossvalidation probabilities to the most likely source communities were approximately 20% larger in the combined analysis than in the component studies. Canonical scores in the combined analysis were more strongly correlated with variables from the OC Study than with variables from the genetics study. Whales placed to PA and IQ could be identified primarily by their OC signatures, however many whales from PA also had a strong PA genetics signature. Whales from IQ were identifiable only by their OC signatures. Both a strong KI genetics and OC signature described approximately half of whales from KI. We believe that at least three stocks were sampled from the three communities. Some whales in PA were very distinct, confirming previous beliefs that a separate stock occurs in Cumberland Sound. Whales hunted in IQ and KI differed to a lesser degree, and may be from stocks subject to a gradient or from a mixture of stocks. Some whales from PA are more likely to have genotypes and OC signatures that are also found in IQ and KI than the reverse. It is possible that summering areas of the stocks that were identified in KI and IQ are not consistent from year to year or across generations. The main problems in combining results for individuals used in several studies, particularly when there are many measurements for relatively few individuals, is to find a limited number of relevant predictor variables that can be used in the combined analysis, while avoiding both overparameterisation and results blurred by meaningless variables.

Absent epiglottic inversion as seen on flexible endoscopic evaluations of swallowing (FEES) is associated with a gestalt reduction in swallowing mechanics

PurposeEpiglottic inversion, which provides one layer of the requisite protection of the airway during swallowing, is dependent on a number of biomechanical forces. The aim of this study was to examine the association between swallowing mechanics, as visualized during a Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) exam, and the rating of epiglottic inversion as seen on Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). MethodsThis study analyzed twenty-five adult outpatients referred for a simultaneous FEES/MBS exams. Each participant swallowed a 5 mL thin liquid bolus, which was the bolus size analyzed for this study's question. Epiglottic inversion, as seen on FEES, was rated by three independent raters. Additionally, twelve swallowing landmarks tracked the shape change of each participant's swallow on the MBS video using a MatLab-specific tracking tool. Analyses were run to determine mean differences in swallowing shape change between the swallows across 3 groups: complete, reduced, and absent epiglottic inversion, as seen on FEES. Using a Computerized Analysis of Swallowing Mechanics (CASM), canonical variate analyses and discriminant function testing were carried out. Other swallowing mechanics were also analyzed for kinematic movements to isolate the function of the hyoid and larynx. A two-sample t-test was conducted to compare mean hyolaryngeal movement between complete and incomplete epiglottic inversion groups. ResultsOverall swallowing shape changes were statistically significantly different between the absent, reduced, and complete epiglottic inversion groups on FEES. Canonical variate analyses revealed a significant overall effect of shape change between the groups (eigenvalue = 2.46, p < 0.0001). However, no statistically significant differences were found on hyoid excursion (p = 0.37) and laryngeal elevation (p = 0.06) kinematic measurements between patients with complete and incomplete epiglottic inversion on FEES. ConclusionEpiglottic inversion on FEES is a valuable rating that infers reduced range of motion of structures that cannot be seen on FEES. This small sample of patients suggests that FEES ratings of absent epiglottic inversion may represent gestalt reduction in swallowing mechanics.

Selection Procedures for Improving Some Economic Characters and Correlated Responses in Cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) Cross

A study was done at Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt during 2019-2021 growing seasons. The study aimed at assessing the efficacy and usability of various selection procedures, determining the effectiveness of selection for superior families and estimating the response to selection. The materials utilized for selection of promising families in early segregating generations included F2, F3 and F4 generations of Giza 94 × S106 cotton cross.. Findings revealed better F4 means than the F3 and F2 means for all studied characters due to the selection procedures used. High heritability values were recorded for most studied characters. Significant desirable correlations were noticed between seed cotton yield with lint yield, bolls/plant, lint/seed, seeds/boll and boll weight. Canonical discriminant analysis among F3 families showed that the first five canonical functions accounted for 100% of total variances. While first canonical discriminant function represented 46% of the total variance among genotypes with the greatest Eigen value and prevailed by great loading from most yield characters and micronaire reading. Ten of the selection indices surpassed direct selection in improving lint yield. The highest actual advance in lint yield for F3 obtained from selection index comprising lint yield/plant in addition to bolls/plant, seeds per boll and lint per seed. In F4 generation, the maximum actual gains were obtained for most yield traits with indices involved lint yield/plant and seeds/boll with lint/seed. Most of the selected families in F4 scored high values for almost all the studied characters and surpassed the corresponding means of selected families in F3 and F2 generations; these selected families might be used to improve cotton yield and fiber quality in breeding programs.

Morphology and morphometry of two hybridizing buntings at their hybrid zone in northern Iran reveal intermediate and transgressive morphotypes

The closely related Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala, a western Palearctic lineage) and Red-headed Bunting (Emberiza bruniceps, an eastern Palearctic lineage) hybridize and replace each other south of the Caspian Sea. The parental species have distinct phenotypes and therefore morphology is useful for assessing hybridization in the contact zone. In the years of 1940 and 1977, quite a few hybrids were collected and studied morphologically. Since then, the hybrid zone appears to have expanded westwards, but there has been a time gap in the collection of morphological data. Here we reanalyze bunting specimens morphologically and compare the historical data with recent data. Morphometric and phenotypic traits from three time periods (1940, 1977 and recent) were studied to assess phenotypic variation of hybrids, pattern of hybridization, and transgressive traits in the hybrid zone. Our results show that most of the birds in the hybrid zone exhibit intermediate phenotypes (both colors and morphometric characters), ranging from the pure phenotype of either of the parental species. However, hybridization has also produced novel phenotypes not seen in any of the parents. Using a canonical discriminant function analysis, the morphometric characters separated each parental species and the hybrids quite well. Our results showed morphometric intermediacy of hybrids in accordance with phenotypes. We observe a time trend in which recent hybrids are more similar to Red-headed Buntings phenotypically compared to historical samples. This pattern is likely a signature of a westward expansion of the Red-headed Bunting into the breeding range of the Black-headed Bunting.

Eucalyptus clones respond differentially for heavy-metals phytoextraction and carbon sequestration in tree biomass and soil with distillery effluents irrigation in north-western India

Forest ecology has significant potential for carbon (C) and heavy-metals’ accumulation, and is considered important for mitigating environmental impacts within the ecosystem. Heavy-metals enter the soil–plant system via different anthropogenic activities per se industrialization, which has huge contribution through the discharge of heavy-metals enriched effluents. Although, irrigation with effluents to large biomass producing forestry plantation e.g. Eucalyptus sp. with high net primary production (NPP) are considered ecologically and environmentally safe, yet the information on differential response of diverse clones towards applied effluents is scares. We therefore, performed field evaluation of nine Eucalyptus clones originated from diverse agro-ecological environments irrigated with distillery effluents to investigate their growth attributes, heavy-metals (e.g. As, Cr, Cd and Ni) and micro-nutrients (e.g. Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn) uptake potential, and C storage in above-and below-ground biomass and sequestration in soil C pool. The diameter at breast height (DBH), tree volume, fresh and dry biomass of stems, leaves, branches and roots of C-316 clone was significantly (p < 0.05) higher, lowest for PE-6, whilst the C-411, C-2045, PE-5, PE-7, PE-8, PE-11 and C-413 were in-between. The Cr uptake was significantly higher for PE-8 and C-413, Ni uptake in PE-6 and C-413 and Pb uptake in clone C-2045. Among micro-nutrients, Zn, Mn and Fe uptake was significantly higher for C-316, compared with other clones. However, the metal content in surface (0–15 cm) soil layer was well below the threshold level. The partitioning of NPP among different above-and below-ground biomass components revealed that dry stem biomass comprised ~ 54.8–56.7%, branches ~ 15.8–17.1%, while leaves ~ 5.6–7.5% of total dry tree biomass. Root biomass comprised ~ 21.3% of total tree biomass. Carbon stocks in dry above-ground biomass (stems + branches + leaves) varied between 33.9 and 59.5 kg C tree−1, and were significantly higher for C-316, and lowest for PE-6 clones. The total C sequestration in tree biomass varied between 229.7 and 450.9 Mg C ha−1 in different clones; with significantly higher in C-316 and lowest in PE-6. Carbon sequestration rate varied between 57.4 and 112.7 Mg C ha−1 year−1 for different Eucalyptus clones. Total organic C (TOC) stocks in surface soil layer under C-413, C-411 and C-316 clones were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than others. The discriminant function analysis (DFA) showed that two significant canonical discriminant functions (DFs) viz. DF-1 and DF-2 involving total tree biomass, total uptake of As, Pb, Zn, Mn and Fe in above-ground biomass of Eucalyptus clones distinguished different cones, appropriately grouping 97.5% of the tested clones. These results underpin overwhelming significance of C-316 plantation for increased heavy-metals’ uptake with co-benefits of C sequestration in tree biomass as well as in soils. Therefore, a stringent policy framework for large scale C-316 clone plantation in regions with availability of distillery effluents is required for restoring the forest ecosystem on sustainability basis.