A Hypothesis for the Composition of the Tardigrade Brain and its Implications for Panarthropod Brain Evolution

Incredibly disparate brain types are found in Metazoa, which raises the question of how this disparity evolved. Ecdysozoa includes representatives that exhibit ring-like brains-the Cycloneuralia-and representatives that exhibit ganglionic brains-the Panarthropoda (Euarthropoda, Onychophora, and Tardigrada). The evolutionary steps leading to these distinct brain types are unclear. Phylogenomic analyses suggest that the enigmatic Tardigrada is a closely related outgroup of a Euarthropoda + Onychophora clade; as such, the brains of tardigrades may provide insight into the evolution of ecdysozoan brains. Recently, evolutionarily salient questions have arisen regarding the composition of the tardigrade brain. To address these questions, we investigated brain anatomy in four tardigrade species-Hypsibius dujardini, Milnesium n. sp., Echiniscus n. sp., and Batillipes n. sp.-that together span Tardigrada. Our results suggest that general brain morphology is conserved across Tardigrada. Based on our results we present a hypothesis that proposes direct parallels between the tardigrade brain and the segmental trunk ganglia of the tardigrade ventral nervous system. In this hypothesis, brain neuropil nearly circumscribes the tardigrade foregut. We suggest that the tardigrade brain retains aspects of an ancestral cycloneuralian brain, while exhibiting ganglionic structure characteristic of euarthropods and onychophorans

Extralegal Punishment Factors: A Study of Forgiveness, Hardship, Good-Deeds, Apology, Remorse, and Other Such Discretionary Factors in Assessing Criminal Punishment

The criminal law\u27s formal criteria for assessing punishment are typically contained in criminal codes, the rules of which fix an offender\u27s liability and the grade of the offense. A look at how the punishment decision-making process actually works, however, suggests that courts and other decisionmakers frequently go beyond the formal legal factors and take account of what might be called extralegal punishment factors (XPFs). XPFs, the subject of this Article, include matters as diverse as an offender\u27s apology, remorse, history of good or bad deeds, public acknowledgment of guilt, special talents, old age, extralegal suffering from the offense, as well as forgiveness or outrage by the victim, and special hardship of the punishment for the offender or his family. Such XPFs can make a difference at any point in the criminal justice process at which decisionmakers exercise discretion, such as when prosecutors decide what charge to press, when judges decide which sentence to impose, when parole boards decide when to release a prisoner, and when executive officials decide whether to grant clemency, as well as in less-visible exercises of discretion, such as in decisions by police officers and trial jurors. After a review of the current use and rationales behind eighteen common XPFs, in Part I, the Article reports in Part II the results of an empirical study of lay intuitions regarding the propriety of taking such factors into account in adjusting the punishment that otherwise would be imposed, the extent of any adjustment to be made, as well as an assessment of how the views might change with different kinds of offenses and how they might vary with demographic factors. Part III examines the implications of the study findings for current law and practice, with special attention to the problem of disparity in application that is invited by the high levels of disagreement on the proper role of some XPFs and the problem of conflicts between lay intuitions and current law and practice. It is not uncommon that there is strong support for reliance upon XPFs that current practice ignores and little support for reliance upon XPFs the current practice commonly relied upon

Competing Theories of Blackmail: An Empirical Research Critique of Criminal Law Theory

Blackmail, a wonderfully curious offense, is the favorite of clever criminal law theorists. It criminalizes the threat to do something that would not be criminal if one did it. There exists a rich literature on the issue, with many prominent legal scholars offering their accounts. Each theorist has his own explanation as to why the blackmail offense exists. Most theories seek to justify the position that blackmail is a moral wrong and claim to offer an account that reflects widely shared moral intuitions. But the theories make widely varying assertions about what those shared intuitions are, while also lacking any evidence to support the assertions. This Article summarizes the results of an empirical study designed to test the competing theories of blackmail to see which best accords with prevailing sentiment. Using a variety of scenarios designed to isolate and test the various criteria different theorists have put forth as “the” key to blackmail, this study reveals which (if any) of the various theories of blackmail proposed to date truly reflects laypeople’s moral judgment. Blackmail is not only a common subject of scholarly theorizing, but also a common object of criminal prohibition. Every American jurisdiction criminalizes blackmail, although there is considerable variation in its formulation. The Article reviews the American statutes and describes the three general approaches these provisions reflect. The empirical study of lay intuitions also allows an assessment of which of these statutory approaches (if any) captures the community’s views, thereby illuminating the extent to which existing law generates results that resonate with, or deviate from, popular moral sentiment. The analyses provide an opportunity to critique the existing theories of blackmail and to suggest a refined theory that best expresses lay intuitions. The present project also reveals the substantial conflict between community views and much existing legislation, indicating recommendations for legislative reform. Finally, the Article suggests lessons that such studies and their analyses offer for criminal law and theory

Marine tardigrades from South Carolina, USA

Until now, there have been only three studies of marine tardigrades from South Carolina, USA. The Fall 2015 invertebrate zoology class from Warren Wilson College collected four sediment samples from Huntington Beach State Park: shallow beach sand, deep beach sand, shallow salt marsh sediment, and deep salt marsh sediment. No tardigrades were found in the salt marsh, but two species were found in the beach samples. Batillipes pennaki Marcus, 1946 was found in shallow and deep beach sand, and three specimens of a potentially new species of Stygarctus Schulz, 1951 were found in the deep beach sand at groundwater level. Subsequent collections to find more specimens of Stygarctus have been unsuccessful so far, but a third species record, Orzeliscus belopus du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1952, sensu lato was verified. Three eutardigrade species were also found in the beach sand, but we presume these were “accidentals” from terrestrial environments. A summary of known marine tardigrades from SC is presented

Multi-frequency bioimpedance in human muscle assessment

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a well-known and tested method for body mass and muscular health assessment. Multi-frequency BIA (mfBIA) equipment now makes it possible to assess a particular muscle as a whole, as well as looking at a muscle at the fiber level. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that mfBIA can be used to assess the anatomical, physiological, and metabolic state of skeletal muscles. mfBIA measurements focusing on impedance, resistance, reactance, phase angle, center frequency, membrane capacitance, and both extracellular and intracellular resistance were carried out. Eight healthy human control subjects and three selected cases were examined to demonstrate the extent to which this method may be used clinically, and in relation to training in sport. The electrode setup is shown to affect the mfBIA parameters recorded. Our recommendation is the use of noble metal electrodes in connection with a conductance paste to accommodate the typical BIA frequencies, and to facilitate accurate impedance and resistance measurements. The use of mfBIA parameters, often in conjunction with each other, can be used to reveal indications of contralateral muscle loss, extracellular fluid differences, contracted state, and cell transport/metabolic activity, which relate to muscle performance. Our findings indicate that mfBIA provides a noninvasive, easily measurable and very precise momentary assessment of skeletal muscles

Clinical and neuroimaging findings in MOGAD–MRI and OCT

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorders (MOGAD) are rare in both children and adults, and have been recently suggested to be an autoimmune neuroinflammatory group of disorders that are different from aquaporin-4 autoantibody-associated neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and from classic multiple sclerosis. In-vivo imaging of the MOGAD patient central nervous system has shown some distinguishing features when evaluating magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, as well as retinal imaging using optical coherence tomography. In this review, we discuss key clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of paediatric and adult MOGAD. We describe how these imaging techniques may be used to study this group of disorders and discuss how image analysis methods have led to recent insights for consideration in future studies