Single Individual Research Articles

(218) The Intimometer: A Brief Psychometric Self-Report Questionnaire

Abstract Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) or premature ejaculation (PE) can severely affect the quality of life and wellbeing of both couple members. Sexual health care providers, including andrologists and sexologists, should perceive ED/PE as a collaborative health issue for men and their sexual partners. Thus, this study was designed to better understand the contribution of sexual partners in the treatment of men with ED/PE. Objective We aimed to evaluate the advisability of female (or male, in the case of homosexual patient) partner involvement in the prescription of specific pharmacological therapies in ED/PE patients. Methods We developed a brief psychometric self-report questionnaire tool, Intimometer. This tool consists of two modules (patient and partner versions) for each sexual dysfunction (ED and PE). Each module has 6 items that evaluate the degree of comfort/discomfort about communication, sharing, and partner involvement during the process of drug prescription and intake. The tool can be administered during the first andrological visit to either a single individual (only patient version) or to both members of the couple. The single module can be administered in less than 3 minutes. Each item scores from 0 (extremely unlikely) to 4 (extremely likely), and the total score is computed by the sum of the modules’ items. The total score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores endorsing the partner's comfort during treatment of ED/PE. Also, color codes were assigned for responses, low scores (red light) and high scores (green light) or combination of single results (couple administration). Results We hypothesize one cut-off score to identify two categories of responses. A low score signifies that the patient feels uncomfortable sharing drug information, choice, and intake and the involvement of the partner could potentially be harmful during medical treatment. On the contrary, a high score shows the involvement of the partner could improve the treatment’s efficacy and/or compliance, with a high chance of success. The combination of the single results (red, yellow and green) helps to identify the best treatment choice. The red light indicates that prior to medical prescription, the couple undergoes a psycho-sexological assessment to unveil conditions to continue with medical treatment. Yellow light indicates contemporary to medical prescription, psycho-sexological assessment might manage relational issues that could worsen pharmacological treatment. And green light denotes that the instrument could be re-administered after 4 weeks since the first administration, to verify any changes in patient/partner’s perception of medical treatment. Moreover, a re-test is highly recommended in patients whose scores are low or medium. Nevertheless, patients and couples who are classified as “red” or “yellow” light could present any other psychological complications (performance anxiety, fear of rejection, anger towards partner) which can be evaluated by psycho-sexologists. Conclusions This instrument could be beneficial to physicians while prescribing medical therapy and prevent any possible patient dropout and resultant therapy failure, especially in PE and ED patients. The involvement of sexual partners in the diagnostic process, education, counseling, and treatment choice is pivotal in improving the overall quality of life and sexual experiences for couples. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: 2Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Large durophagous fish from the Spathian (late Early Triassic) of Romania hints at earlier onset of the Triassic actinopterygian revolution

AbstractFossil evidence suggests that ray‐finned fishes (Actinopterygii) diversified greatly after the largest mass extinction event at the Permian–Triassic boundary. This radiation resulted in a diversity peak in the Middle Triassic, which is manifested in diverse feeding specializations, especially among small‐bodied Neopterygii. We present new material from an early Spathian (Early Triassic) outcrop in northern Dobrogea, southeast Romania. The material includes isolated jaw and palatal bones that evidently belong to a single individual, a durophagous actinopterygian, and isolated scales referred to the same taxon. A systematic evaluation of this material indicates affinities with †Polzbergiidae, and provides a first glimpse of internal aspects of the feeding apparatus of that group. A pair of ectopterygoids with crushing dentition show a well‐developed lateral process, a feature that was previously proposed to be a synapomorphy uniting Cladistia (bichirs) with the Triassic †Scanilepiformes. The recognition of this structure in various Triassic ray‐fins (summarized herein) indicates that it was probably widespread among stem neopterygians. The new material belongs to a large individual with a heterodont dentition, therefore representing the earliest large, specialized, durophagous neopterygian. It increases the group's morphological diversity in the Spathian, and hints at an earlier trophic diversification after the mass extinction. Based on new data, we analyse changes in body size of bony fishes through the Early and Middle Triassic. Current evidence suggests that body size distribution remained skewed towards larger sizes in the late Early Triassic, and that the diversification of small‐bodied stem neopterygians had not yet been in full swing.

Cribriform-morular Thyroid Carcinoma Arising in a Medulloblastoma Survivor: Two Metachronous Tumors Shared with the Activation of the Wnt Signaling Pathway.

Wnt signaling pathway activation is involved in the pathogenesis of a series of malignant tumors and is characterized by the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin protein. The occurrence of two or more Wnt pathway-associated tumors in a single individual is uncommon and generally attributed to inherited cancer syndrome, especially familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Herein, we presented a rare case of a child who suffered from the occurrence of Wnt-activated medulloblastoma and cribriform-morular thyroid carcinoma (CMTC) within a 9-year interval. She had no history of FAP and harbored an unexpected somatic mutation of the APC gene in the CMTC tumor. The potential agents involved in the pathogenesis of the two molecular-linked tumors other than FAP were discussed in this report.

Nondestructive geochemical characterization of fossil hominin taphonomy and burial history

To date, only three Homo habilis specimens have been discovered that have associated craniodental and postcranial elements, providing a limited fossil record of the ontogeny and morphology of early members of the genus Homo. Recently, a nearly complete dentition, likely attributable to H. habilis, was discovered and excavated from early Pleistocene-age fluvial-lacustrine sediments of the upper Burgi Member of the Koobi Fora Formation at site F25787 in Area 13, near Ileret, Kenya. On the surface less than 15 m away, at site F25966, postcranial elements were found, which, if from the same individual as the nearby dentition, would represent the fourth associated craniodental and postcranial assemblage of this species. We developed a geochemical taphonomic history of these ca. 2 Ma hominin fossils using nondestructive X-ray based microanalytical tools (synchrotron and benchtop X-ray fluorescence chemical imaging and micro- and nano-computed tomography volumetric reconstruction), bulk analyses of sediments and paleosols at the excavation sites, and sedimentologic and stratigraphic observations. We integrate the chemical and physical taphonomic histories to test whether teeth (excavated in situ) and postcranial bones (eroded onto the outcrop surface) derive from a single individual. Minor differences in taphonomic history are attributable to the different biomineral properties of the dental and osseous components and to differences in physical damage during early post-mortem scavenging, dispersal, and burial in adjacent depositional settings. Microscale geochemical mapping enabled the temporal ordination of chemical and physical events in the specimens’ chemical taphonomic histories. Specifically, authigenic Fe- and K-bearing clays and Y, U, and Sr uptake occurred in post-burial fractures in bones and were also incorporated pervasively throughout dentin in teeth. Barite mineralization occurred along the latest fractures in both materials, and as a coating on tooth roots. The stratigraphic, taphonomic, and geochemical evidence supports the interpretation that the hominin fossils represent a single individual. Successful application of these nondestructive sample characterization methods demonstrates capabilities for thorough interrogation of the taphonomic histories of other potential hominin fossil associations, enabling more robust and accurate palaeontologic constraints using those relationships.

Detailed parallel social modeling for the analysis of COVID-19 spread

Agent-based epidemiological simulators have been proven to be one of the most successful tools for the analysis of COVID-19 propagation. The ability of these tools to reproduce the behavior and interactions of each single individual leads to accurate and detailed results, which can be used to model fine-grained health-related policies like selective vaccination campaigns or immunity waning. One characteristic of these tools is the large amount of input data and computational resources that they require. This relies on the development of parallel algorithms and methodologies for generating, accessing, and processing large volumes of data from multiple data sources. This work presents a parallel workflow for extending the social modeling of EpiGraph, an agent-based simulator. We have included two novel parallel social generation stages that generate a detailed and realistic social model and one new visualization stage. This work also presents a description of the algorithms used in each stage, different optimization techniques that permit to reduce the application convergence time, and a practical evaluation of large workloads on HPC systems. Results show that this contribution can be efficiently executed in parallel architectures and the results allow to increase the simulation detail level, representing a significant advance in the simulator scenario modeling. As a summary of results, the first contribution of this paper is the development of two models (a spatial and a social one) that assign geographical and socioeconomic indicators to each simulated individual (i.e., agents), reproducing the real social distribution of the city of Madrid. The second contribution presents an improved parallel and distributed algorithm that executes the two aforementioned models using different parallelization strategies and preserving the load balance.

Endogenous feline leukemia virus long terminal repeat integration site diversity is highly variable in related and unrelated domestic cats

Endogenous retroviruses (ERV) are indicators of vertebrate evolutionary history and play important roles as homeostatic regulators. ERV long terminal repeat (LTR) elements may act as cis-activating promoters or trans-activating enhancer elements modifying gene transcription distant from LTR insertion sites. We previously documented that endogenous feline leukemia virus (FeLV)-LTR copy number variation in individual cats tracks inversely with susceptibility to virulent FeLV disease. To evaluate FeLV-LTR insertion characteristics, we assessed enFeLV-LTR integration site diversity in 20 cats from three genetically distinct populations using a baited linker-mediated PCR approach. We documented 765 individual integration sites unequally represented among individuals. Only three LTR integration sites were shared among all individuals, while 412 sites were unique to a single individual. When primary fibroblast cultures were challenged with exogenous FeLV, we found significantly increased expression of both exogenous and endogenous FeLV orthologs, supporting previous findings of potential exFeLV-enFeLV interactions; however, viral challenge did not elicit transcriptional changes in genes associated with the vast majority of integration sites. This study assesses FeLV-LTR integration sites in individual animals, providing unique transposome genotypes. Further, we document substantial individual variation in LTR integration site locations, even in a highly inbred population, and provide a framework for understanding potential endogenous retroviral element position influence on host gene transcription.

Mixed-sex clusters on grass blades: breeding strategy of the ornate dog tick, Dermacentor reticulatus

BackgroundThe ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus is second only to the hard tick Ixodes ricinus in terms of importance as a vector of infectious organisms, especially of Babesia canis, the agent of canine babesiosis. Both the geographical range and local densities of D. reticulatus are steadily increasing in many regions of Europe. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that D. reticulatus possesses an efficient breeding strategy that allows for a rapid increase in tick numbers and densities through the formation of mixed-sex clusters/aggregations while questing in the environment.MethodsAn observational study was carried out in the spring of 2023, at three sites in two regions in Central and North-Eastern Poland, both characterised by high tick densities. At each site, a 400-m-long transect was inspected for questing ticks. All noted ticks were collected, and tick numbers and sexes per stem were recorded. Differences in tick distribution by site and sex were analysed statistically.ResultsA total of 371 D. reticulatus (219 females, 152 males) ticks were collected from 270 grass stems over a combined 1200 m of transect. The majority of grass stems (74.4%) were occupied by just a single individual, with two-tick clusters the second most common category. The maximum number of D. reticulatus individuals observed on a single grass stem was six.Mixed-sex clusters were significantly more common than single-sex clusters at all three sites. With study sites combined, mixed-sex clusters accounted for 17.4% (95% confidence limit [95% CL] 13.9–21.6%) of observations, while for multiple males and multiple females, the values were 2.6% (95% CL: 1.4–4.7%) and 5.6% (95% CL: 3.7–8.3%), respectively.ConclusionsMixed-sex clusters of D. reticulatus ticks were significantly more common than single-sex clusters, which we hypothesise reflects an efficient, likely pheromone-mediated breeding strategy of this expansive tick species.Graphical

One independent or many independent? The relationship among self-construal, number of brand endorsers, and brand attitudes.

It was common for brands to use different numbers of endorsers in marketing practice. Nevertheless, research on brand endorsers' quantity has not yielded a uniform consensus. The previous research about brand endorsers mainly focuses on the appeal of endorsement, brand category, and endorser characteristics, paying less attention to the impact of cultural factors, particularly self-construal. This study delves into selecting brand endorsers across diverse cultural regions for the same brand. Drawing on the principles of self-consistency theory and self-construal theory, our research, conducted through three distinct experiments, reveals that consumers tend to hold more favorable opinions about brands endorsed by a single individual. Furthermore, self-consistency emerges as a crucial mediating factor in this phenomenon. Additionally, self-construal is an essential factor among consumers from various cultural backgrounds. Consumers with an independent self-construal exhibit more favorable brand perceptions when it comes to single-endorser brands compared to their counterparts with an interdependent self-construal. Conversely, individuals with an interdependent self-construal demonstrate a more positive disposition towards brands with multiple endorsers than those with an independent self-construal. This research not only enriches and extends our theoretical understanding of the impact of the number of brand endorsers on consumer brand attitudes but also provides valuable practical insights for optimizing the selection of brand endorsers for companies.

Complex MEFV and MVK Variations in a Syrian Child: Implications for Clinical Phenotypes and Treatment Response-A Case Report.

This case report presents a 10-year-old Syrian boy with concurrent mutations in the Mediterranean fever (MEFV) and mevalonate kinase (MVK) genes, resulting in overlapping symptoms of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) and Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS), both classified as Periodic Fever Syndromes (PFSs). The co-occurrence of these mutations within a single individual is highly unusual. He presented with pallor, intermittent fever, and recurrent respiratory infections from an early age, along with anemia, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, cervical lymphadenopathy, and growth failure noted in initial investigations. Still's disease was initially considered as the most likely differential diagnosis, leading to the initiation of treatment with methylprednisolone; however, the parents did not follow-up with the treatment. The child returned at 5 years old with appendicitis, which was surgically removed, and parents reported recurrent episodes of arthralgia and joint swelling accompanied by nearly daily fever. Although the child experienced delayed motor development, his cognitive abilities were normal. Genetic analysis identified a homozygous likely pathogenic variant in the MVK gene and a heterozygous likely pathogenic variant in the MEFV gene. The child remains reliant on corticosteroids, with limited response to colchicine and improvement noted after transitioning from tocilizumab to infliximab. The latest follow-up demonstrated significant improvement with no fever, joint swelling, or lymphadenopathy; however, signs of growth failure persist. The atypical manifestations observed in this case may indicate a synergistic effect between the 2 mutations, contributing to the overall clinical picture. Therefore, although HIDS may dominate the clinical presentation, we cannot entirely dismiss the possibility that the FMF mutation plays a role in modulating these symptoms.

A Retrospective Longitudinal Study of 460 Patients with ABCA4-Associated Retinal Disease

PurposeTo investigate the distribution of genotypes and natural history of ABCA4-associated retinal disease in a large cohort of patients seen at a single institution. DesignRetrospective, single institution, cohort review. SubjectsPatients seen at the University of Iowa between November 1986 and August 2022 clinically suspected to have disease caused by sequence variations in ABCA4. MethodsDNA samples from participants were subjected to a tiered testing strategy progressing from allele-specific screening to whole genome sequencing. Charts were reviewed and clinical data were tabulated. The pathogenic severity of the most common alleles was estimated by studying groups of patients that shared one allele. Groups of patients with shared genotypes were reviewed for evidence of modifying factor effects. Main Outcome MeasuresAge of first uncorrectable vision loss, best corrected visual acuity, and the area of the I2e isopter of the Goldmann visual field. ResultsA total of 460 patients from 390 families had convincing clinical features of ABCA4-associated retinal disease. Complete genotypes were identified in 399 patients and partial genotypes in 61. The median age of first vision loss was 16 years (range 4-76 years). 265 of the families (68%) had a unique genotype and no more than 10 patients shared any single genotype. Review of the patients with shared genotypes revealed evidence of modifying factors that in several cases resulted in a greater than 15-year difference in age of first vision loss. 241 different alleles were identified among the members of this cohort and 161 of these (67%) were found in only a single individual. ConclusionsABCA4-associated retinal disease ranges from a very severe photoreceptor disease with an onset before age 5 years to a late-onset RPE-based condition resembling pattern dystrophy. Modifying factors frequently impact the ABCA4 disease phenotype to a degree that is similar in magnitude to the detectable ABCA4 alleles themselves. It is likely that the majority of patients in any cohort will have a unique genotype. The latter observations taken together suggest that patients’ clinical findings will in most cases be more useful for predicting their clinical course than their genotype.

Sublethal heat reduces overall reproductive investment and male allocation in a simultaneously hermaphroditic snail species.

The exposure to sublethally high temperature reduces reproductive performance in diverse organisms. Although this effect has been particularly emphasized for males or male reproductive functioning, it remains largely unknown whether the effect of heat on fertility is sex-specific. Here we examined the impact of sublethally high temperature on male and female functions in a simultaneously hermaphroditic snail species, Lymnaea stagnalis. Examining hermaphrodites is useful to evaluate the sex-specific impacts of heat exposure, since they possess male and female functions within a single individual, sharing genetic and environmental factors. Moreover, previously developed sex allocation theory allows us to compare the differential performance of sex functions. In this study, we exposed snails to 20°C (control), 24°C and 28°C for 14 days and assessed their egg and sperm production, sperm transfer, mating behaviour and growth. Both types of gamete production were significantly reduced by higher temperature, leading to an overall reduction of reproductive investment. By quantifying sex allocation, we furthermore revealed that the heat-stressed snails reduced the relative investment in their male function. This study illustrates that examining simultaneous hermaphrodites can provide significant insights for the impact of heat, and the proximate mechanism, on reproduction in diverse organisms.

Capturing and managing genetic diversity in ex situ collections of threatened tropical trees: A case study in Karomia gigas.

Although ex situ collections of threatened plants are most useful when they contain maximal genetic variation, the conservation and maintenance of genetic diversity in collections are often poorly known. We present a case study using population genomic analyses of an ex situ collection of Karomia gigas, a critically endangered tropical tree from Tanzania. Only ~43 individuals are known in two wild populations, and ex situ collections containing 34 individuals were established in two sites from wild-collected seed. The study aimed to understand how much diversity is represented in the collection, analyze the parentage of ex situ individuals, and identify efficient strategies to capture and maintain genetic diversity. We genotyped all known individuals using a 2b-RADseq approach, compared genetic diversity in wild populations and ex situ collections, and conducted parentage analysis of the collections. Wild populations were found to have greater levels of genetic diversity than ex situ populations as measured by number of private alleles, number of polymorphic sites, observed and expected heterozygosity, nucleotide diversity, and allelic richness. In addition, only 32.6% of wild individuals are represented ex situ and many individuals were found to be the product of selfing by a single wild individual. Population genomic analyses provided important insights into the conservation of genetic diversity in K. gigas, identifying gaps and inefficiencies, but also highlighting strategies to conserve genetic diversity ex situ. Genomic analyses provide essential information to ensure that collections effectively conserve genetic diversity in threatened tropical trees.

The novel alleles, HLA-G*01:04:09 and HLA-DPB1*04:01:01:136, detected in a hematopoietic cell donor.

Two novel alleles, HLA-G*01:04:09 and HLA-DPB1*04:01:01:136, were identified in a single healthy individual.

What makes a change agent in environmental conflict transformation? Evidence from rural France

Transformation of agriculture towards increased sustainability is needed to meet the challenge of declining biodiversity. Nevertheless, stakeholders’ differing perceptions of what sustainability should be, and the multiplicity of possible ways to achieve it can lead to conflictual situations, highlighting the importance of conflict transformation as part of the broader sustainability transformation. If conflict transformation needs to be addressed to prevent the status quo persisting, such processes also reveal the state of social relations and allow us to analyze how collective actions could lead to broader transformations. Using three case studies involving conflicts around pesticide use in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté (France), we investigate the hypothesis that transformation processes require the engagement of change agents who are motivated and able to overcome barriers to change. Results from 55 in-depth interviews with stakeholders highlight that transformational change depends less on the capacities of a single individual, and more on the mobilization of a plurality of heterogeneous actors (especially farmers, local authorities, and the general public). These actors need to carry out a range of activities that occur with and for others and have an influence on others. According to interviewees, the actors need to engage others, encourage new initiatives, create spaces for knowledge exchanges, and go beyond boundaries. The effectiveness of change agents also depends on the existence of participatory and proactive processes to bring individuals together to create or capitalize on windows of opportunity.

Integrated Reporting and Group Decision-Making for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Review

The demands of society are constantly evolving, imposing significant pressures on business organizations within the context of sustainable development policy. As a result, organizations have begun to move towards promoting information disclosure through integrated reporting, transitioning from sustainability reports to financial reports. Simultaneously, decisions made to address specific problems are no longer the sole responsibility of a single individual. Challenges now revolve around group decision-making with the aim of achieving a consensus solution. To comprehend the landscape of integrated reporting and group decision-making in the scientific literature concerning sustainable development, a bibliometric review was conducted across major scientific databases from 2008 to 2023. The analysis utilized Bibliometrix, based on the R language, and Biblioshiny for graphic generation. The results indicate a quantitative increase in publications addressing integrated reporting and group decision-making in the context of sustainable development. However, a thematic isolation among existing studies was evident, pointing to an opportunity for future research to bridge the gap and establish more robust connections between the subjects. 
 Keywords: integrated reporting, group decision-making, sustainable development, bibliometric review

Easy to Be Selfish: When and Why Is One Individual as Influential as Multiple Individuals

Abstract Past research on social influence finds that, all else being equal, a group of people engaged in a particular behavior is generally more influential than a single individual in inspiring others to adopt that behavior. The current research challenges this seemingly intuitive idea by showing that its validity depends on whether the focal behavior is selfish. Seven experiments show that while multiple people are indeed more influential than a single individual in encouraging unselfish behavior, a single individual can be just as influential as multiple people in encouraging selfish behavior. We present evidence that this phenomenon occurs because people generally have a preference for the selfish option and seek justification for their actions. Selfish behavior, whether exhibited by a single individual or a group of people, provides a convenient justification consistent with their preference for selfish behavior. When it comes to unselfish behavior, however, a larger group of influencers is required to counteract their self-benefiting tendencies. Supporting this mechanism, the effect is reversed when people have a pre-existing preference for unselfishness or when selfish behavior is difficult to justify.

Spider dung beetles: coordinated cooperative transport without a predefined destination.

Cooperative transport allows for the transportation of items too large for the capacity of a single individual. Beyond humans, it is regularly employed by ants and social spiders where two or more individuals, with more or less coordinated movements, transport food to a known destination. In contrast to this, pairs of male and female dung beetles successfully transport brood balls to a location unknown to either party at the start of their common journey. We found that, when forced to overcome a series of obstacles in their path, transport efficiency of pairs of beetles was higher than of solo males. To climb tall obstacles with their common ball of dung, the female assisted the leading male in lifting the ball by steadying and pushing it upwards in a 'headstand' position during the climb initiation. Finally, we show that pairs were faster than single beetles in climbing obstacles of different heights. Our results suggest that pairs of Sisyphus beetles cooperate in the transportation of brood balls with coordinated movements, where the male steers and the female primarily assists in lifting the ball. Taken together, this is to our knowledge, the first quantitative study of cooperative food transport without a known goal to aim for.

Population trends in human rib cross-sectional shapes.

Rib fractures remain the most frequent thoracic injury in motor vehicle crashes. Computational human body models (HBMs) can be used to simulate these injuries and design mitigation strategies, but they require adequately detailed geometry to replicate such fractures. Due to a lack of rib cross-sectional shape data availability, most commercial HBMs use highly simplified rib sections extracted from a single individual during original HBM development. This study provides human rib shape data collected from chest CT scans of 240 females and males across the full adult age range. A cortical bone mapping algorithm extracted cross-sectional geometry from scans in terms of local periosteal position with respect to the central rib axis and local cortex thickness. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of these cross-sectional shape data. Linear regression found significant associations between principal component scores and subject demographics (sex, age, height, and weight) at all rib levels, and predicted scores were used to explore the expected rib cross-sectional shapes across a wide range of subject demographics. The resulting detailed rib cross-sectional shapes were quantified in terms of their total cross-sectional area and their cortical bone cross-sectional area. Average-sized female ribs were smaller in total cross-sectional area than average-sized male ribs by between 20% and 36% across the rib cage, with the greatest differences seen in the central portions of rib 6. This trend persisted although to smaller differences of 14%-29% when comparing females and males of equal intermediate weight and stature. Cortical bone cross-sectional areas were up to 18% smaller in females than males of equivalent height and weight but also reached parity in certain regions of the rib cage. Increased age from 25 to 80 years was associated with reductions in cortical bone cross-sectional area (up to 37% in females and 26% in males at mid-rib levels). Total cross-sectional area was also seen to reduce with age in females but to a lesser degree (of up to 17% in mid-rib regions). Similar regions saw marginal increases in total cross-sectional area for male ribs, indicating age affects rib cortex thickness moreso than overall rib cross-sectional size. Increased subject height was associated with increased rib total and cortical bone cross-sectional areas by approximately 25% and 15% increases, respectively, in mid-rib sections for a given 30 cm increase in height, although the magnitudes of these associations varied by sex and rib location. Increased weight was associated with approximately equal changes in both cortical bone and total cross-sectional areas in males. These effects were most prominent (around 25% increases for an addition of 50 kg) toward lower ribs in the rib cage and had only modest effects (less than 12% change) in ribs 2-4. Females saw greater increases with weight in total rib area compared to cortical bone area, of up to 21% at the eighth rib level. Results from this study show the expected shapes of rib cross-sections across the adult rib cage and across a broad range of demographics. This detailed geometry can be used to produce accurate rib models representing widely varying populations.

Estimating the basic reproduction number and final epidemic size of white spot syndrome virus outbreak in Penaeus japonicus in aquaculture ponds

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) triggers white spot disease and high mortality in farmed shrimp. To control the WSSV epidemic, understanding its dynamics through epidemiological analysis is essential. However, measuring the mortality by WSSV infection is difficult due to the rapid increase in mortality and the availability of epidemiological data on WSSV epidemics in aquaculture ponds is limited. In this study, we conducted an epidemiological analysis using field data collected during the early phase of the outbreak to estimate the complete picture of the outbreak. Thereafter, we constructed a mathematical model describing the WSSV epidemic in aquaculture ponds and fitted our model with data on WSSV outbreaks among kuruma shrimp (Penaeus japonicus) farmed in 40,000 m2 aquaculture ponds in Japan. We estimated the basic reproduction number (R0), which measures the average number of secondary infections by a single infected individual, i.e. the transmissibility of a pathogen. The estimated R0 per pond was large (3.21–4.56), suggesting that with no intervention WSSV outbreaks will likely result in large final epidemic size, with 98.0–99.7% of entire population infected by the virus. Once WSSV infection is detected in a pond, urgent intervention, such as enhanced removal of dead shrimp and harvesting all farmed shrimps immediately, is required.

A foreign settler: the anthropogenic displacement of sea cucumbers through fisheries discards

Abstract This study describes the presence of the royal cucumber Parastichopus regalis (Cuvier, 1817) in The Natural Park of Ria Formosa (NPRF), Portugal. A single individual was observed during a monitoring scuba dive at a depth of 3 m inside this shallow mesotidal lagoon. The most plausible explanation for this occurrence is attributed to the rejection by trawlers when returning to their home port from their fishing grounds. This marine species has a deeper distribution outside the lagoon and is commonly captured as by-catch and subsequently discarded. This study also alerts us to the growing presence of non-indigenous species and the emergent threat of new invasions, highlighting the need to adopt biosecurity measures, like good practices for fishers when dealing with discards to avoid new species introductions in this fragile coastal marine habitat.