Growth Lines Research Articles

Evaluation of genetic parameters of growth traits in G2 selected generation of Penaeus monodon

Fifteen whole sib families of the second-generation Penaeus monodon were constructed using artificial mating design in 2020. After labeling the families with fluorescent markers, the growth traits and genetic parameters were evaluated in a cement pond for 56 days. The results showed that the coefficient of variation of growth traits was 11.52-47.53%, indicating a high genetic variation. The heritability range of growth traits of the G2 population of P. monodon was 0.25±0.03-0.41±0.13, which belonged to medium and high heritability, and the statistical test results were significant (P<0.01). The heritability of body length and body weight were 0.38±0.11 and 0.41±0.13, respectively. The evaluation results of genetic correlation among growth traits were highly positive, and the statistical test results were significant (P<0.01). The genetic correlation between body weight and body length was the highest (0.99), and the genetic correlation between the width of the first carapace and the height of the first abdominal segment was the lowest (0.71). The phenotypic correlation between body weight and body length was the highest (0.93), and the lowest was head breastplate width and first abdominal segment height (0.53). These results showed that the G2 generation population of P. monodon has high genetic improvement potential, and the combination of family selection and individual selection achieved better genetic gain. The growth traits were highly positively correlated. Body length and body weight could be selected as the key traits for fast growth line selection, while the other growth traits could be indirectly selected through positive genetic correlation.

Artificial neural networks reconstruct missing perikymata in worn teeth.

Dental evolutionary studies in hominins are key to understanding how our ancestors and close fossil relatives grew from the early stages of embryogenesis into adults. In a sense, teeth are like an airplane's 'black box' as they record important variables for assessing developmental timing, enabling comparisons within and between populations, species, and genera. The ability to discern this type of nuanced information is embedded in the nature of how tooth enamel and dentin form: incrementally and over years. This incremental growth leaves chronological indicators in the histological structure of enamel, visible on the crown surface as perikymata. These structures are used in the process of reconstructing the rate and timing of tooth formation. Unfortunately, the developmentally earliest growth lines in lateral enamel are quickly lost to wear once the tooth crown erupts. We developed a method to reconstruct these earliest, missing perilymata from worn teeth through knowledge of the later-developed, visible perikymata for all tooth types (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars) using a modern human dataset. Building on our previous research using polynomial regressions, here we describe an artificial neural networks (ANN) method. This new ANN method mostly predicts within 2 counts the number of perikymata present in each of the first three deciles of the crown height for all tooth types. Our ANN method for estimating perikymata lost through wear has two immediate benefits: more accurate values can be produced and worn teeth can be included in dental research. This tool is available on the open-source platform R within the package teethR released under GPL v3.0 license, enabling other researchers the opportunity to expand their datasets for studies of periodicity in histological growth, dental development, and evolution.

Dynamic compressive properties and self-similarity characteristics of deep coral reef limestone subjected to high loading rates

Coral reef limestone is a kind of porous anisotropic geo-material. Understanding its dynamic mechanical properties subjected to high loading rates is of great significance to the blasting excavation and military attack defense of the reef underground space. In this paper, the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar tests were carried out on the specimens of deep coral reef limestone in the South China Sea, and the difference of dynamic response between deep reef limestone and shallow calcified coral skeleton was revealed. The results show that the pore structure affects the dynamic deformation response of coral reef limestone, which makes the strain rate of the specimen independent of other mechanical parameters. However, the high loading rate overcomes the influence of the primary pore structure on the strength, so that the dynamic compressive strength and the degree of breakage are linearly related to the stress rate. In addition, under high loading rate, the coral framework limestone is mainly damaged by tension, which is significantly different from the calcified coral skeleton along the coral growth line. At the same strain rate, the fractal dimension of the dry specimen is greater than that of the saturated one, and the self-similarity characteristics of the specimen fragments that reach the crushing level at higher strain rate are poor. The viscous effect of water hinders the propagation of cracks in the coral framework limestone, but free water reduces the surface energy of the crystal boundary. These two kinds of mechanisms compete with each other, and the key factors controlling the competition mechanism are water content and loading rate.

Windows into the past: recent scientific techniques in dental analysis

Teeth are the hardest and most chemically stable tissues in the body, are well-preserved in archaeological remains and, being resistant to decomposition in the soil, survive long after their supporting structures have deteriorated. It has long been recognised that visual and radiographic examination of teeth can provide considerable information relating to the lifestyle of an individual. This paper examines the latest scientific approaches that have become available to investigate recent and ancient teeth. These techniques include DNA analysis, which can be used to determine the sex of an individual, indicate familial relationships, study population movements, provide phylogenetic information and identify the presence of disease pathogens. A stable isotopic approach can shed light on aspects of diet and mobility and even research climate change. Proteomic analysis of ancient dental calculus can reveal specific information about individual diets. Synchrotron microcomputed tomography is a non-invasive technique which can be used to visualise physiological impactful events, such as parturition, menopause and diseases in cementum microstructure - these being displayed as aberrant growth lines.

X-ray phase contrast reveals soft tissue and shell growth lines in mollusks

High-resolution 3D imaging of species with exoskeletons such as shell-bearing mollusks typically involves destructive steps. Nondestructive alternatives are desirable since samples can be rare and valuable, and destructive steps are time-consuming and may distort the tissue. Here, we show for the first time that propagation-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging can significantly increase contrast in mollusks with intact shells. By using the recently upgraded monochromator at the SPring-8 BL20B2 synchrotron beamline, we imaged six species of mollusks, showing that X-ray phase contrast enhances soft-tissue contrast. Features that are almost invisible in conventional attenuation-based micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) are clearly reproduced with phase-contrast imaging under the same scan conditions. Furthermore, this method can reveal features such as growth rings in the shell and differentiate between calcite and aragonite crystal forms. Phase-contrast imaging can thus serve as a compelling alternative when destructive methods are not an option.

Distribution of growth lines in the tube wall of serpulids (Polychaeta, Annelida)

Abstract The frequency of growth increments in the tube wall of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic serpulids is in the range of modern species (i.e. 7–37 growth lines per 50 μm). The growth increments of serpulids do not show correlation with the water temperature and presumably cold water and warm water serpulid species are growing on average with similar speed in terms of number of growth lines per 50 μm. The large serpulid species have usually significantly larger growth increments than smaller species and presumably also grew faster than smaller species. The species with denser skeletons have lower growth rates than species with more porous skeletons. It is possible that serpulids do not have to calcify faster to produce thicker growth increments with lower density.

The Uniqueverse, Natural selection as the unique model of evolutionary development of the Universe

The cosmological theories proposed so far do not postulate a common way of creation that can guide the entire line of growth of the universe, from elementary particles to living beings. But everything consists of the same basic components, combined and regulated differently: elementary particles, atoms and molecules make up celestial bodies, solar systems, single and pluricellular organisms, plants and animals. Common constituents are compatible with a common origin and with an incremental and selective development method. One possible common mode is that the Universe was formed according to an evolutionary method based on natural selection, the same process which then allowed the differentiation of biological species. This unique process may have guided from the beginning the development of the fundamental constituents of matter in the primitive universe and then created the other cosmic structures through the evolution of those elementary particles, up to organic molecules and biological beings. A process of this kind is a slow and gradual process, not based on a sudden event but on the progressive increase in the complexity of the structures present in the Universe, regulated by the selection of the most suitable and stable forms. For the relativistic relationship between energy, mass and velocity, we can think that the Universe was formed at the same time as the formation of elementary structures, slowly in a spacetime that was created in parallel: elementary particles created an initial infinitesimal spacetime system that then grew as more matter formed. The incremental creation of the cosmos would also concern forces and physical laws, which may have undergone the same evolutionary process from the most primordial and simple forms to the present, in proportion to the development of the whole system. This modality could justify the current simultaneous presence of quantum and relativistic laws at different levels (atomic and gravitational), as well as the coexistence of different species in different environments. This evolutionary modality is reflected in the fact that atoms, celestial bodies, chemical compounds, the general structure of the universe, physical laws and biological beings show the presence of stable entities selected among the many theoretically possible or unstable.

First occurrence of ophiuroid-parasitic genus Ophieulima (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Eulimidae) in the North Pacific Ocean

Abstract A eulimid gastropod of the genus Ophieulima, parasitic on the disc of the ophiactid brittle star Ophiactis dyscrita, was collected from 256–343 m deep off Kanagawa, central Japan. This represents the first record of the genus from Japanese waters and even from the North Pacific Ocean. Here we describe it as Ophieulima yoshiharai n. sp. The generic assignment is justified by its conchological characters including (1) a small, conical shape with convex teleoconch whorls, (2) many fine growth lines and some strong growth pause scars on the teleoconch, (3) a well-developed, twisted columella, and (4) a multispiral, brownish transparent protoconch. Ophieulima yoshiharai n. sp. is distinguishable from the three (two named and one undescribed) extant, as well as two fossil congeners by its slender shell with the length of 2.1 times larger than width, a small aperture and a protoconch of 3.5 whorls. The new species is also characterized by its bathymetric distribution, which is shallower than the extant species of Ophieulima. On the other hand, the hosts of Ophieulima species are so far restricted to ophiuroids of the genus Ophiactis and the three named species have mostly been found attached to the lateral and/or dorsal sides of the host's disc, suggesting their similar parasitic ecology.

The ontogenetic status of a small hadrosauroid dinosaur from the uppermost Cretaceous of Bulgaria, and implications for the paleobiogeography and assembly of European island faunas

During the latest Cretaceous hadrosauroids were the most numerous and taxonomically diverse herbivorous dinosaurs on the European island archipelago, including diminutive non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroids and lambeosaurine immigrants from Asia and, possibly, from North America. In recent years the existence of small-bodied adult hadrosauroids (or ‘island dwarfs’) in the Maastrichtian of Romania and Spain has been confirmed by histological study of their bones. The first fossils attributable to Hadrosauroidea discovered in Bulgaria (from the upper Maastrichtian Kaylaka Formation) are also of diminutive size, but it has been unclear whether the bones belonged to small adults or simply to juveniles. Here, we subjected a tibia, fibula, indeterminate long bone diaphyseal fragment, and six indeterminate bone fragments, which are associated with the hadrosauroid hind limb elements and assumed to had been broken off from one or more of them during excavation, to a histological analysis. The analysis shows that the specimens belong to a young, actively growing individual(s), as evidenced by the presence of highly vascularized primary tissues in the outer cortex, secondary remodelling mostly restricted to certain areas of the bone sections, and absence of annual growth lines or an external fundamental system that would signify skeletal maturity. The bone matrix of the periosteal tissues exhibits high amounts of parallel-fibered and lamellar bone, similar to the long bones of other European island-living non-avian dinosaurs, a feature probably linked to lower growth rates. In general, the histomorphology and size of the Bulgarian hadrosauroid correspond well with ‘late juveniles’ and young ‘subadults’ in the osteohistologically well-studied hadrosauroid Maiasaura peeblesorum. The presence of a medium-sized hadrosauroid in the south-eastern part of the Late Cretaceous European archipelago suggests a dispersal route that allowed large-bodied terrestrial fauna to populate emergent islands in the region.

Physeal-Sparing, All-Inside Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Quadrupled Semitendinosus Autograft and Suture Tape Augmentation for Skeletally Immature Patients

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the primary soft-tissue structure for anterior stabilization of the knee and is one of the most frequently injured structures. The incidence of ACL injuries in children and adolescents ranges from 92 to 151 per 100,000 person-years. The choice of surgical treatment for this population group is controversial, with a widespread concern that adult reconstruction techniques may damage the epiphyseal plate, compromise growth, or cause deformity. In this article, we describe a physeal-sparing, all-inside ACL reconstruction technique for skeletally immature patients. This technique is supported by retrograde drilling of the femoral tunnel and retrograde drilling of the tibial tunnel, both of which are able to avoid the epiphyseal growth line. Fixation of the quadrupled semitendinosus autograft and suture tape augmentation are achieved by soft-tissue buttons on the femur and tibia. The surgical details of this reproducible reconstruction technique are elaborated.

Harris Lines as Indicators of Physiological Stress in the Middle Holocene Cis-Baikal

This article is a plain language summary of a master’s thesis completed in 2022 through the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan. The goal of this research was to study Harris lines (HL; transverse lines in human and animal long bones that are only visible through X-rays) in the skeletal remains of hunter-gatherers from the Middle Holocene (~9000–3000 years BP) Baikal region of the Russian Federation. HL have often been associated with stress events such as malnutrition or disease in early life. Thus, this thesis expected to highlight differences in the lived stress experiences of two distinct cultural periods from the region which had already been shown in previous studies on stress. Individuals 25 years and younger at time of death from two cemetery populations dating to the Early Neolithic (EN; 7560–6660 years BP) and one from the Late Neolithic (LN; 6060–4970 years BP) were examined for HL. The data was then compared between EN and LN individuals to determine if one population experienced greater stress than the other based on higher HL counts. This thesis demonstrated that HL are not irrefutably tied to stress in EN and LN populations from the Cis-Baikal and HL are not reliable determinants of how often or how many periods of stress they experienced during development. This thesis also challenged ongoing critiques in the study of HL, including image capture methods, to facilitate future research and discussion relating to HL.

Signs of childhood physiological stresses in a South African human skeletal collection

Background: HarrisLines(HL)andLinearEnamelHypoplasia(LEH) are non-specific skeletal markers of health status. The aetiology of these markers has not yet been confirmed due to a lack of contem- porary clinical studies but is assumed to occur due to health insults associated with low socio-economic status (SES). Most studies re- garding HL and LEH have been conducted on the archaeological re- mains of historic populations. This provides a problem when trying to determine the aetiology of the afore-mentioned defects as medical histories of those individuals being tested are unknown. Objectives: This study aims to determine if there is an association be- tween LEH and HL in a contemporary South African skeletal popu- lation with mainly low social background individuals.Sample and Methods The skull and x-rays of long bones of individuals (n=592) aged between 20–90 years who lived between 1900 – 1995 sampled from the Stellenbosch University Skeletal Repository, were assessed for presence of HL and LEH. Results: The study found no significant association between LEH and HL, with 7.64% of those with HL also having LEH (p=0.512). There was also no significant association between HL and LEH in females (p=0.331), but a significant association in males (p=0.027). A significant association between LEH, HL and different age-at- death groups was found in the middle group (40–59 years-of-age-at- death; p=0.006), with the least significant association in the oldest age-at-death group (>60 years-of-age-at-death; p=0.418). Conclusion: In this South African cohort, no clear association between LEH and HL could be established, indicating that the aetiology of these disease markings should still be investigated.

Shell microstructures (disturbance lines) of Arctica islandica (Bivalvia): a potential proxy for severe oxygen depletion

The spread of oxygen deficiency in nearshore coastal habitats endangers benthic communities. To better understand the mechanisms leading to oxygen depletion and eventually hypoxia, predict the future development of affected ecosystems, and define suitable mitigation strategies requires detailed knowledge of the dissolved oxygen (DO) history. Suitable high-resolution DO archives covering coherent time intervals of decades to centuries include bivalve shells. Here, we explored if the microstructure, specifically disturbance lines, in shells of Arctica islandica from the Baltic Sea can be used as an alternative or complementary proxy to Mn/Cashell to track the frequency and severity of past low-DO events. Disturbance lines differ from periodic annual growth lines by the presence of fine complex crossed lamellae instead of irregular simple prisms. Aside from a qualitative assessment of microstructural changes, the morphology of individual biomineral units (BMUs) was quantitatively determined by artificial intelligence-assisted image analysis to derive models for DO reconstruction. As demonstrated, Mn-rich disturbance lines can provide a proxy for past deoxygenation events (i.e., DO < 45 µmol/L), but it currently remains unresolved if low DO leads to microstructurally distinct features that differ from those caused by other environmental stressors. At least in studied specimens from the Baltic Sea and Iceland, low temperature, salinity near the lower physiological tolerance, or food scarcity did not result in disturbance lines. With decreasing DO supply, disturbance lines seem to become more prominent, contain more Mn, and consist of increasingly smaller and more elongated BMUs with a larger perimeter-to-area ratio. Although the relationship between DO and BMU size or elongation was statistically significant, the explained variability (<1.5%) was too small and the error too large to reconstruct DO values. BMU parameters may reveal a closer relationship with DO if studied in three dimensions and if the DO content was determined at high resolution, directly at the position where the bivalves lived, something that future work should address.

Gemological, Spectral and Chemical Features of Canary Yellow Chrysoberyl

In this study, seventeen faceted gem-quality chrysoberyls exhibiting an attractive canary yellow color were investigated using a variety of gemological, spectral, and chemical methods. Microscopic observation revealed the presence of distinct growth lines and inclusions, including CO2 fluids, carbon, and crystals of mineral such as calcite, quartz, sillimanite, and mica, identified by the Raman spectrum. The FTIR spectra showed the characteristic peaks of 2405 and 2160 cm−1 and a 3223 cm−1 peak in all samples, which can be accompanied by the 3112 cm−1 shoulder, 3301, and 3412 and 3432 cm−1 peaks. The UV-Vis spectra showed an Fe-related peak at 440 nm, along with the 650–660 nm band and the absorption band in the blue zone of visible light. Chemical analyses via EDXRF showed a composition poor in V and Cr and rich in Fe. The spectral and chemical results could help explain the origin of the canary yellow color, which originates from the abundant amount of Fe with very little influence from Cr and V.

Incongruent ontogenetic maturity indicators in a Late Triassic archosaur (Aetosauria: Typothorax coccinarum).

Maximum individual body size in pseudosuchian archosaurs is not well constrained in the fossil record, but it may be influenced by a variety of factors including basal metabolic rate, evolutionary relationships, and environmental conditions. Body size varies among the Aetosauria in which estimated total length ranges between 1 m (e.g., Coahomasuchus kahleorum) and 5 m (e.g., Desmatosuchus spurensis). A new, very large specimen of the aetosaurian Typothorax coccinarum from Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona is nearly twice the size of all other known specimens of Typothorax and is the largest aetosaur specimen currently known worldwide. The specimen lacks co-ossified neurocentral sutures in the trunk vertebrae which may suggest that the individual had not yet reached skeletal maturity, yet smaller specimens of T. coccinarum exhibit partially or fully co-ossified neurocentral sutures in the same region. If body size correlates with skeletal maturity in aetosaurs, this discrepancy warns that timing of neurocentral suture co-ossification in aetosaurs may not be a reliable indicator of ontogenetic stage. Osteohistological observations of a trunk rib demonstrate that although PEFO 42506 showsa large body size, the specimen did not deposit an external fundamental system despite depositing as many as 19 growth lines, further indicating that it had not yet reached skeletal maturity. Thus, at least within Aetosauria, neurocentral suture co-ossification and skeletal maturity may correlate, whereas body size can be incongruent in comparison. Furthermore, this specimen indicates that non-desmatosuchin aetosaurs could exhibit large body sizes and suggests that some aetosaurs may have experienced indeterminate growth.

Developmental models shed light on the earliest dental tissues, using Astraspis as an example

AbstractFossils of extinct jawless vertebrates are pivotal to deciphering the evolutionary paths that led to the various forms of the vertebrate skeleton. For example, Pteraspidomorphs (stem‐gnathostomes), such as the Ordovician Astraspis, display some of the oldest remains of bony and ‘dental’ (dentine and enameloid) tissues. However, the identification of the very nature of these early mineralized tissues has been hampered by a lack of unambiguous diagnostic characters. As development is key to identifying the derivation of these tissues, we developed an integrative and generic histogenetic model, testing several ontogenetic scenarios. We illustrate our approach on the basis of the well‐preserved Astraspis samples and show how this can be used to infer key developmental features from extinct species. This study suggests that in the odontodes of Astraspis: (1) the initial curvature of the epithelium was close to the shape of the final external surface; (2) the mesenchymal cells differentiate synchronously in the whole inner periphery; and (3) the capping tissue was produced by both mesenchymal and epithelial cells (enameloid rather than enamel). Astraspis specimens also provide evidence of a dual growth periodicity, possibly homologous to Andresen and von Ebner growth lines observed in amniotes, suggesting this type of dual periodicity may be shared by most vertebrates. We estimated that an Astraspis odontode grew up in around 60–70 days at a rate of 0.5–5 μm/day. The new developmental approach proposed in this study could be a robust framework for critically evaluating the tissues of extinct taxa in the future.

Skeletal Growth Arrest Lines in Fetal Remains: Histopathology and Correlative Placental Pathology.

Skeletal growth arrest lines (GAL) are transverse lines of metaphyseal radiodensity accompanying episodic severe physiological stress. They are poorly described in fetal remains. We searched our autopsy practice for instances of fetal GAL in post mortem radiology, and correlated them with long bone histology and placental pathology. We describe the appearance, distribution, and pathology of GAL in a cohort of fetal autopsies, and compare the placental pathology accompanying GAL to the placental pathology of asymmetrical growth restriction (AGR) in the same time period. In 2108 consecutive fetal post mortems, we found 20 cases with GAL. About 16 were in singletons with AGR. In these 16, the distribution of placental pathologies was similar to a contemporaneous cohort of 113 cases with AGR. Of the remaining 4, two twins out of 9 sets of monochorionic twins with AGR demonstrated GAL. One case of GAL had symmetrical growth restriction with cytomegalovirus infection, and one case had no AGR and an old, unexplained retroplacental hemorrhage. On histology, GAL are characterized by a region of mineralized chondroid, which is variably incorporated into irregular trabecular bone. GALs accompany a variety of placental pathologies and twin-twin transfusion, suggesting episodic disease progression.

Comparative study on deep-learning-based leather surface defect identification

Detecting leather surface defects has become an important subject in industrial inspections and attracted significant attention as a challenging task. Traditional image processing techniques struggle with the detection of leather surface defects with a variety of shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and noise. Deep learning is a promising solution to this problem. This work focuses on the comparative study of 26 classical deep learning models in the field of leather surface defect type recognition. That aims to lay a foundation for the design and development of new schemes for leather defect inspection. Based on tanned leather from an enterprise, eight types of leather surface defects (cavities, pinholes, scratches, rotten surfaces, growth lines, healing wounds, folds, and bacterial wounds) were collected using an ultra-high definition whole leather imaging device. Two challenging datasets with various shapes, sizes, and colours were constructed. Extensive experimental evaluations were conducted. The deep learning model can achieve more than 95% accuracy when the defect imaging is ideal and limited. In case that the shapes, sizes, and colour of the above eight defects keep diverse, Densenet169 performed the best with a recognition accuracy of 72.5%, and ShuffleNet model with the worst performance reached 64.3%. Systematic in-depth experimental evaluation shows that deep learning models are promising in the field of leather surface defect detection, however, challenges remain.

Line configuration and farming depth markedly affect survival and growth in the kelp Ecklonia radiata

ABSTRACT The native kelp Ecklonia radiata is a target species for the emerging seaweed aquaculture industry in New Zealand, however, the effect of line configuration on survival and growth of farmed seaweed is unknown. In this study, we outplanted nine seaweed growth lines (with 20 individuals each) in three line configurations (vertical, horizontal 2 m depth, and horizontal 4 m depth) in northern New Zealand for grow-out between August 2021 and April 2022. Initial survival rates were similar between line configurations, but only individuals growing on vertical lines survived after four months (38% ± 12 SD). Similarly, on vertical lines, average juvenile growth by elongation was 85% higher (0.11 cm day−1 ± 0.03 SD) and maximum average weight of individuals was 77% higher (106 g WW ± 73 SD), compared to horizontal lines. Unusually warm water temperatures were likely a central driver for the overall high mortality of E. radiata observed from January to April, while a combination of temperature and light stress was likely a central driver for higher mortality observed on vertical lines at shallow depths compared to deeper depths. In conclusion, this study supports farming E. radiata on vertical dropper lines rather than horizontal lines.

Late paleozoic climate revealed by coral fossil patterns.

The study of coral fossils with clear growth lines inShiqiantan Formation (310 Ma) in China showed the growth line increments of a single coral growing in this area is related to the sunlight illumination time. Moreover, the daily increment of the growth line caused by calcium carbonate depositions has an unusual bimodal curve. The study of this bimodal curve indicated Shiqiantan had evident four-season changes in the Late Carboniferous period, and the climate at that time was similar to that of modern North China. The present paper updates the oldest existing record of climate analysis materials and provides important information for the study of Late Paleozoic climate, as well as the ancient obliquity of ecliptic.