Effect of heavy metals on the pigmentation and photosynthetic capability in Jacobaea maritima (L.) Pelser & Meijden

Photosynthesis is a fundamental process in plants that enables them to produce their own food. However, this process can be influenced by multiple factors including external factors such as sunlight, nutrients availability and gas concentrations. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of heavy metal stress on the plant Jacobaea maritima (L.) Pelser & Meijden. Three different heavy metals, namely cadmium, chromium, and lead, were applied to the plants at five concentrations ranging from 50-250 ppm (50, 100, 150, 200, and 250). The growth of the plants was observed, and several parameters including net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (E), leaf stomatal conductance (C), and the photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) were measured. The results revealed that the chlorophyll content was higher in the Cr150 concentration (5.47±0.4). The chlorophyll values for Pb-100 (9.4±0.35) and Pb-250 (9.8±0.26) were in close proximity to each other. The Cd-100 concentration showed the highest chlorophyll content. The net photosynthetic rate was least affected in Pb-150 (30.98±0.75), while Cr-100 (4.05±0.09) exhibited the greatest impact. Transpiration rate increased slightly in plants treated with Pb, but significantly decreased in Cd-treated plants. The Cr-50 concentration (0.19±0.02) showed the lowest transpiration rate. Leaf stomatal conductance was reduced significantly in all treated plants, with Cr-100 showing the least variation (2298.25±1.85). The photosynthetic active radiation capability was reduced in all treated plants, with Pb-treated plants exhibiting nominal reduction and Cd- and Cr-treated plants experiencing substantial reduction. Statistical analysis confirmed significant variations in the measured parameters following heavy metal treatment

Development of an international standard set of outcome measures for patients with atrial fibrillation: a report of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) atrial fibrillation working group.

AIMS: As health systems around the world increasingly look to measure and improve the value of care that they provide to patients, being able to measure the outcomes that matter most to patients is vital. To support the shift towards value-based health care in atrial fibrillation (AF), the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) assembled an international Working Group (WG) of 30 volunteers, including health professionals and patient representatives to develop a standardized minimum set of outcomes for benchmarking care delivery in clinical settings. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using an online-modified Delphi process, outcomes important to patients and health professionals were selected and categorized into (i) long-term consequences of disease outcomes, (ii) complications of treatment outcomes, and (iii) patient-reported outcomes. The WG identified demographic and clinical variables for use as case-mix risk adjusters. These included baseline demographics, comorbidities, cognitive function, date of diagnosis, disease duration, medications prescribed and AF procedures, as well as smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, and physical activity. Where appropriate, and for ease of implementation, standardization of outcomes and case-mix variables was achieved using ICD codes. The standard set underwent an open review process in which over 80% of patients surveyed agreed with the outcomes captured by the standard set. CONCLUSION: Implementation of these consensus recommendations could help institutions to monitor, compare and improve the quality and delivery of chronic AF care. Their consistent definition and collection, using ICD codes where applicable, could also broaden the implementation of more patient-centric clinical outcomes research in AF

Population Dynamics of the Rubber Plantation Litter Beetle Luprops tristis, in Relation to Annual Cycle of Foliage Phenology of Its Host, the Para Rubber Tree, Hevea brasiliensis

The population dynamics of the rubber plantation litter beetle, Luprops tristis Fabricius 1801 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) was assessed in relation to the phenology of leaf shedding and defoliation pattern of para rubber trees, Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), during a two year study period. The abundance of adults, larvae and pupae per 1m2 of litter sample was recorded. Post dormancy beetles appeared in leaf litter following annual leaf shedding, whereas larvae, pupae and teneral adults were present after leaf flush. No stages were recorded from plantations following the summer rains until the annual litter fall in the next season. Parental adults peaked at the time of leaf sprouting and tender leaf fall. Larvae and teneral adults peaked at the time of premature fall of green leaves and flowers. Teneral adults of six age classes were recorded and all entered dormancy irrespective of the feeding time available to each age class. Females outnumbered males in the parent generation, while the sex ratio of new generation adults was not biased towards either sex. The phenological stages of rubber trees included leaf fall in late December and early January, leaf sprouting and new leaf production in January and flowering in February. All feeding stages of L. tristis peaked in abundance when premature leaves are most abundant in the leaf litter. Prediction of the timing of appearance of various developmental stages of L. tristis in plantations, invasion into buildings and intensity of population build up in rubber belts is possible by tracking the phenology of leaf fall in rubber plantations, time of return of post dormancy adults and the onset of summer rainfall. Perfect synchrony was recorded between the field return of parental adults with annual leaf shedding, the oviposition phase of parental adults with tender leaf fall at the time of leaf sprouting, and larval and teneral adult stages with premature fall of leaves. Premature leaf availability is suggested as contributing to the reproductive efficiency of parental adults, the survival of early developmental stages and of new generation adults during dormancy

Ethical principles in machine learning and artificial intelligence: cases from the field and possible ways forward

Decision-making on numerous aspects of our daily lives is being outsourced to machine-learning algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), motivated by speed and efficiency in the decision process. Machine learning (ML) approaches - one of the typologies of algorithms underpinning artificial intelligence - are typically developed as black boxes. The implication is that ML code scripts are rarely scrutinised; interpretability is usually sacrificed in favour of usability and effectiveness. Room for improvement in practices associated with programme development have also been flagged along other dimensions, including inter alia fairness, accuracy, accountability, and transparency. In this contribution, the production of guidelines and dedicated documents around these themes is discussed. The following applications of AI-driven decision making are outlined: a) Risk assessment in the criminal justice system, and b) autonomous vehicles, highlighting points of friction across ethical principles. Possible ways forward towards the implementation of governance on AI are finally examined

FIGURES 3a–3c in Fecenia travancoria Pocock is recognised as a junior synonym of Fecenia protensa Thorell (Araneae: Psechridae): A case of intraspecific variation

FIGURES 3a–3c: Fecenia protensa Thorell. Left male palp. 3a ventral view; 3b prolateral view; 3c retrolateral view. C = Conductor; E = Embolus; MA = Median apophysis; MP = Membranous process of tegulum; RPA = Retrolateral patellar apophysis; RTA = Retrolateral tibial apophysis; T = Tegulum; VPA = Ventral patellar apophysis. Scale bars: 3a–3c, 0.5 mm

A Review of Literature on Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy in Condition Monitoring

This paper presents a review of literature on condition monitoring systems based on the Mahalanobis-Taguchi strategy (MTS). MTS is based on the Mahalanobis distance (MD), a distance measure which takes into account the correlation between variables in a data set. MD enables pattern recognition in multidimensional systems, which is one of the approaches used in the design of condition monitoring systems. MTS provides a means of extracting information in a multidimensional system, which has led to the use of the methodology in the development of fault detection, prediction, diagnosis, and prognosis systems. There are usually numerous parameters evaluated in condition monitoring. MTS significantly reduces the need to measure all parameters by identifying the variables that are strongly associated with a fault occurrence. This paper focuses on the applications of MTS to condition monitoring and other closely related problems

Predicting Faults in Heavy Duty Vehicles using the Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy

This paper presents a Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy (MTS) based system for predicting faults in heavy duty vehicles. Costs associated with heavy duty vehicle breakdown in a large fleet while in operation can be significantly reduced if faults leading to these breakdowns are predicted and prevented. Fifty-one attributes on the vehicles are monitored in real-time and the data fed into the system. MTS is used to develop a scale to measure the degree of abnormality of these measurements from the vehicles compared to normal measurements. The Mahalanobis distances (MD) for the attributes are calculated, orthogonal arrays (OA) and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio are used to identify attributes of importance. By reducing the dimensionality, less attributes are tracked which reduces the cost of the system. Criteria for classifying fault measurements are defined based on these variables of importance and the MD scale. The result is a real-time monitoring system that predicts faults in the vehicles thereby preventing breakdowns during operation. The information obtained can also assist in creating an effective preventive maintenance schedule for the vehicles in the fleet

Fecenia travancoria Pocock is recognised as a junior synonym of Fecenia protensa Thorell (Araneae: Psechridae): A case of intraspecific variation

Malamel, Jobi J., Pradeep, Moothedathu S., Sebastian, Pothalil A. (2013): Fecenia travancoria Pocock is recognised as a junior synonym of Fecenia protensa Thorell (Araneae: Psechridae): A case of intraspecific variation. Zootaxa 3741 (3): 359-368, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3741.3.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation reveals dissociable mechanisms for global versus selective corticomotor suppression underlying the stopping of action

Stopping an initiated response is an essential function, investigated in many studies with go/no-go and stop-signal paradigms. These standard tests require rapid action cancellation. This appears to be achieved by a suppression mechanism that has "global" effects on corticomotor excitability (i.e., affecting task-irrelevant muscles). By contrast, stopping action in everyday life may require selectivity (i.e., targeting a specific response tendency without affecting concurrent action). We hypothesized that while standard stopping engages global suppression, behaviorally selective stopping engages a selective suppression mechanism. Accordingly, we measured corticomotor excitability of the task-irrelevant leg using transcranial magnetic stimulation while subjects stopped the hand. Experiment 1 showed that for standard (i.e., nonselective) stopping, the task-irrelevant leg was suppressed. Experiment 2 showed that for behaviorally selective stopping, there was no mean leg suppression. Experiment 3 directly compared behaviorally nonselective and selective stopping. Leg suppression occurred only in the behaviorally nonselective condition. These results argue that global and selective suppression mechanisms are dissociable. Participants may use a global suppression mechanism when speed is stressed; however, they may recruit a more selective suppression mechanism when selective stopping is behaviorally necessary and preparatory information is available. We predict that different fronto-basal-ganglia pathways underpin these different suppression mechanisms

FIGURE 1 A – J. Meotipa picturata. A in First description of the male of the type species Meotipa picturata Simon, 1895 and description of a new Meotipa species (Araneae, Theridiidae) from India

FIGURE 1 A – J. Meotipa picturata. A Male habitus, dorsal view, B same prolateral view, C same ventral view; D Female habitus, dorsal view, E same prolateral view, F same ventral view; G Male left palp prolateral view, H same ventral view; I Female Epigyne, ventral view; J same dorsal view; Scale bars: A, B, C, 1 mm; D, E, F, 2 mm; G, H, I, J, 0.02 mm