No more time to stay ‘single’ in the detection of Anisakis pegreffii, A. simplex (s. s.) and hybridization events between them: a multi-marker nuclear genotyping approach

A multi-marker nuclear genotyping approach was performed on larval and adult specimens of Anisakis spp. (N = 689) collected from fish and cetaceans in allopatric and sympatric areas of the two species Anisakis pegreffii and Anisakis simplex (s. s.), in order to: (1) identify specimens belonging to the parental taxa by using nuclear markers (allozymes loci) and sequence analysis of a new diagnostic nuclear DNA locus (i.e. partial sequence of the EF1 α−1 nDNA region) and (2) recognize hybrid categories. According to the Bayesian clustering algorithms, based on those markers, most of the individuals (N = 678) were identified as the parental species [i.e. A. pegreffii or A. simplex (s. s.)], whereas a smaller portion (N = 11) were recognized as F1 hybrids. Discordant results were obtained when using the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR–RFLPs) of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) on the same specimens, which indicated the occurrence of a large number of ‘hybrids’ both in sympatry and allopatry. These findings raise the question of possible misidentification of specimens belonging to the two parental Anisakis and their hybrid categories derived from the application of that single marker (i.e. PCR–RFLPs analysis of the ITS of rDNA). Finally, Bayesian clustering, using allozymes and EF1 α−1 nDNA markers, has demonstrated that hybridization between A. pegreffii and A. simplex (s. s.) is a contemporary phenomenon in sympatric areas, while no introgressive hybridization takes place between the two species

Numerical-experimental investigation into the tensile behavior of a hybrid metallic-CFRP stiffened aeronautical panel

In this work, the tensile behavior of a hybrid metallic-composite stiffened panel is investigated. The analyzed structure consists of an omega-reinforced composite fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) panel joined with a Z-reinforced aluminum plate by fasteners. The introduced numerical model, able to simulate geometrical and material non-linearities, has been preliminary validated by means of comparisons with experimental test results, in terms of strain distributions in both composite and metallic sub-components. Subsequently, the inter-laminar damage behavior of the investigated hybrid structure has been studied numerically by assessing the influence of key structural subcomponents on the damage evolution of an artificial initial debonding between the composite skin and stringers

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Application for a Section of Bologna’s Red Tramway Line

New technologies such as the I-BIM (Infrastructure Building Information Modeling) are radically changing the infrastructure design and construction sector. In this study, the I-BIMapproach has been used for the design of a portion of the future Bologna’s Red Tramway Line. Starting from the topographical survey of the area, a “federated” model was created, aggregating in a single digital environment all the models inherent to the individual disciplines involved. Interference analysis (Clash Detection) between the various disciplines was performed, subject to the preparation of a coordination matrix and the temporal simulation of the worksite phases (BIM4D). The results have shown that the I-BIMapproach represents a powerful tool for optimizing and validating infrastructure design, allowing users to see how the infrastructure integrates and fits into the real 3D environmental context

The Evolution of Social Orienting: Evidence from Chicks (Gallus gallus) and Human Newborns

Converging evidence from different species indicates that some newborn vertebrates, including humans, have visual predispositions to attend to the head region of animate creatures. It has been claimed that newborn preferences for faces are domain-relevant and similar in different species. One of the most common criticisms of the work supporting domain-relevant face biases in human newborns is that in most studies they already have several hours of visual experience when tested. This issue can be addressed by testing newly hatched face-na\uefve chicks (Gallus gallus) whose preferences can be assessed prior to any other visual experience with faces

Flashing in-curb LEDs and beacons at unsignalized crosswalks and driver\u2019s visual attention to pedestrians during nighttime

Driver\u2019s visual attention (eye movements) and driving behaviour (kinematic data) were assessed when approaching an experimental crosswalk that included flashing white in-curb LED strips, flashing orange beacons, backlit \u2018Yield here to pedestrians\u2019 vertical signs, and enhanced lighting when a staged pedestrian attempted to cross. An experimental condition in which all devices were active was compared with a control condition in which only enhanced lighting and backlit vertical signs were active. The results showed a significant increase of motorists\u2019 yielding compliance, distance of first fixation to the pedestrian area, standard deviation for horizontal eye movements in the experimental condition. The introduction of flashing in-curb LED strips and flashing orange beacons proved to be very effective in increasing the night-time safety of the pedestrian crossing

Numerical investigation on the stringer termination debonding in tensile loaded hybrid metallic-CFRP stiffened aeronautical panel

In this work, the stringer termination debonding on a tensile-loaded hybrid metallic-composite stiffened panel is numerically investigated. The analyzed structure consists of an omega-reinforced CFRP panel joined with a Z-reinforced aluminum plate. An initial debonding is considered between the composite skin and the omega stringers, and the delamination propagation is investigated as the applied load increases. Subsequently, additional sub-components are introduced to mitigate the delamination propagation. The numerical results are compared and critically discussed

School-Age Assessment of Attachment: an analysis of non-verbal behavior using Dr. Notes.

Procedures to assess attachment in school-age are mainly based on verbal responses and are carried out in conditions of relative security, implying some reliability and validity problems. In particular, the assessment in these children presents particular difficulties related to the specific characteristics of this stage of development\u2014such as the different use of verbal and non-verbal communication and the particular display of facial expressions and behaviors related to their inner emotional states. The School-age Assessment of Attachment (SAA) (Crittenden, 1997-2005) is a semi-structured clinical interview that assesses self-protective strategies in children from six to thirteen years following the Dynamic-Maturational Model of attachment and adaptation (DMM). The procedure consists of a set of cards regarding increasing levels of threats that school-age children frequently face. The interview is usually audio recorded, and the classification of the transcript is based on the observation of the child\u2019s behavior and a discourse analysis derived from the Adult Attachment Interview. Adding the video to the transcript improves the classification process by benefiting from para-verbal and non-verbal information\u2014 such as the display of false-positive affects in dismissing (Type A) children or the emphasis of negative feelings in preoccupied/coercive (Type C) children, and somatic response. An example of a videotaped SAA of a clinical case will be displayed using Doctor Notes\uae (Telpress International, 2015), an application originally developed for audiovisual analysis and classification of information that can provide specific tags and a set of buttons for SAA coding. SAA represents a bridge between infant observational procedures and verbal interviews with adults, evidencing the utility of integrating a careful behavioral analysis with the coding process. Using Dr. Notes, the process of transcription based on the video analysis allows a more accurate detection of para-verbal and non-verbal behavior offering researchers and clinicians more information for the attachment classification