Morphological Uniqueness: The Concept and Its Relationship to Indicators of Biological Quality of Human Faces from Equatorial Africa

Facial symmetry, averageness, and the level of sex-typical development of dimorphic traits are traditionally associated with various biological quality indicators and should be, therefore, preferred in mate choice. The aim of this study is to propose a concept of morphological uniqueness and uncover its possible associations to putative phenotypic cues of biological quality. In contrast to typicality expressed by averageness, morphological uniqueness quantifies the degree of possessing characteristics unique to particular groups. I employed a combination of geometric morphometric and Bayesian multiple regression to analyze 300 Cameroonian faces, while an additional 1153 faces from eight distinct populations from across four continents were used as a reference sample of the global population to calculate the morphological uniqueness of Cameroonians. I found that morphological uniqueness is positively associated with a feminine facial shape in women and negatively with morphological masculinity in men. Facial symmetry was positively associated with female faces with greater levels of uniqueness; the result for male faces was inconclusive. The faces of both sexes perceived as more attractive had lower levels of morphological uniqueness. Facial distinctiveness showed no relationship to morphological uniqueness in either sex, which indicates that morphological uniqueness and distinctiveness are two complementary approaches to studying facial typicality. In the conclusion, the evolutionary significance of the proposed concept and its potential applicability is discussed.

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Characteristics of the Frequency-Following Response to Speech in Neonates and Potential Applicability in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00322 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. 1618-1635

Author(s):

Céline Richard ◽

Mary Lauren Neel ◽

Arnaud Jeanvoine ◽

Sharon Mc Connell ◽

Alison Gehred ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽

Frequency Following Response ◽

Ovid Medline ◽

Published Evidence ◽

Mesh Terms ◽

Potential Applicability ◽

Clinical Potential

Purpose We sought to critically analyze and evaluate published evidence regarding feasibility and clinical potential for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes of the frequency-following responses (FFRs) to speech recordings in neonates (birth to 28 days). Method A systematic search of MeSH terms in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied HealthLiterature, Embase, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline (R) and E-Pub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily, Web of Science, SCOPUS, COCHRANE Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov was performed. Manual review of all items identified in the search was performed by two independent reviewers. Articles were evaluated based on the level of methodological quality and evidence according to the RTI item bank. Results Seven articles met inclusion criteria. None of the included studies reported neurodevelopmental outcomes past 3 months of age. Quality of the evidence ranged from moderate to high. Protocol variations were frequent. Conclusions Based on this systematic review, the FFR to speech can capture both temporal and spectral acoustic features in neonates. It can accurately be recorded in a fast and easy manner at the infant's bedside. However, at this time, further studies are needed to identify and validate which FFR features could be incorporated as an addition to standard evaluation of infant sound processing evaluation in subcortico-cortical networks. This review identifies the need for further research focused on identifying specific features of the neonatal FFRs, those with predictive value for early childhood outcomes to help guide targeted early speech and hearing interventions.

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EVALUATION OF TRIBOTECHNICAL PROPERTIES OF THE COATING OBTAINED BY ELECTRIC SPARK HARDENING

Tekhnicheskiy servis mashin ◽

10.22314/2618-8287-2020-58-1-157-163 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (141) ◽

pp. 157-163

Author(s):

IL’YA ROMANOV ◽

◽

ROMAN ZADOROZHNIY

Keyword(s):

Wear Resistance ◽

Reference Sample ◽

Optical Microscope ◽

Research Purpose ◽

Tribotechnical Properties ◽

Uncoated Surface ◽

Before And After ◽

Materials Used ◽

Friction Track

When applying coatings using various methods on the surfaces of moving parts that work in joints, it is important to make sure that the coatings are strong and wear-resistant in order to return them to their original resource. All existing hardening technologies and materials used to perform coatings have their own characteristics, therefore, the quality of the resulting coatings can be judged only after specific tests. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in evaluating the properties of the coating obtained by the method of electric spark hardening, and its ability to resist friction and mechanical wear. (Materials and methods) Authors conducted tests on the basis of the "Nano-Center" center for collective use. A coating was applied on the BIG-4M unit with a VK-8 hard alloy electrode, tribological properties were evaluated on a CSM Instruments TRB-S-DE-0000 tribometer, the width of the friction track was measured after the test using an inverted OLYMPUS gx51 optical microscope, and samples were weighed before and after the test on a VLR-200 analytical balance. Conducted research in accordance with GOST 23.224-86 and RD 50-662-88 guidelines. (Results and discussion) The article presents performed tests on the run-in and wear resistance of the coating. The samples were worked on with a step-by-step increase in the load. During the tests, the friction force was drawed on the diagram. Authors compared the results with the reference sample, an uncoated surface. (Conclusions) The resulting coating has better run-in and wear resistance compared to the standard, and the increase in wear resistance in dry friction conditions is very significant.

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Chemical compounds and sensory characteristics of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) as a novel specialty coffee from Sinjai Regency, Indonesia

Food Research ◽

10.26656/fr.2017.5(s2).001 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (S2) ◽

pp. 107-112

Author(s):

A. Assa ◽

J.E. Loppies ◽

A.N. Amalia ◽

D. Indriana ◽

Mamang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensory Quality ◽

Reference Sample ◽

Chemical Compounds ◽

Brown Sugar ◽

Arabica Coffee ◽

Coffee Plantations ◽

South Sulawesi ◽

Coffee Beans ◽

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee is generally found in areas with an altitude around 1000 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.) and is known to have a different distinctive flavor. One of the coffee plantations in South Sulawesi that has the potential to upgrade its status as a specialty coffee is the Sinjai regency. The sensory quality and chemical characteristics are the most important component of specialty coffee. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the chemical compounds and sensory quality in Manipi coffee beans in South Sulawesi, which has the potential to be classified as specialty coffee. The coffee cherries were collected from two locations based on different altitudes namely MA1 = 1200 m a.s.l. and MA2 = 1400 m a.s.l. The coffee cherries directly processed the wet method referring to Enrekang Arabica as a reference sample EA1 = 1200 m a.s.l. and EA2 = 1400 m a.s.l. The results showed that the chemical content and quality of sensory in Manipi Arabica coffee beans were affected by altitude. MA2 had the highest protein content (13.26%), lipid (7.67%), and caffeine (1.42%), whereas green arabica coffee beans with the highest carbohydrate content was MA1 (23.38%). The Enrekang Arabica were similar in terms of Manipi Arabica coffee beans had the highest protein, lipid, and caffeine content at an altitude of 1400 m a.s.l. respectively (12.41%), (10.73%), and (1.32%). The sensory quality of MA1 is 85.75, relatively similar to MA2 is 85.25. The Manipi Arabica coffee beans showed a specific flavor, namely brown sugar and vanilla notes from both altitudes. It had the potential to be developed into specialty coffee with a cup test score > 80.

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Using neural networks to enhance the quality of ROIs for video based remote heart rate measurement from human faces

2019 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE) ◽

10.1109/icce.2019.8661915 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas Pursche ◽

Roland Claus ◽

Bernd Tibken ◽

Reinhard Moller

Keyword(s):

Neural Networks ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Rate Measurement ◽

Heart Rate Measurement ◽

Human Faces

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Contribution to the study of the biodiversity of benthic invertebrates and the biological quality of some rivers in the watershed boumerzoug (east of Algeria)

Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences ◽

10.4314/jfas.v9i1.16 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 234

Author(s):

N. Bekhouche ◽

F. Marniche ◽

A. Ouldjaoui

Keyword(s):

Benthic Invertebrates ◽

Biological Quality

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Assessment of the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluents on receiving streams using oligochaete communities of the porous matrix

Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

10.1051/kmae/2019011 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 18

Author(s):

Régis Vivien ◽

Michel Lafont ◽

Inge Werner ◽

Mélanie Laluc ◽

Benoit J.D. Ferrari

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Surface Water ◽

Hyporheic Zone ◽

Surface Sediments ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Porous Matrix ◽

Biological Quality ◽

Coarse Surface

Human activities can disturb the natural dynamics of exchanges between surface water and groundwater in rivers. Such exchanges contribute to the self-purification of the environment and an excess of infiltration can lead to contamination of groundwater. In addition, the porous matrix (coarse surface sediments and hyporheic zone), through which water exchanges occur, is a sink for pollutants. For environmental monitoring programs, it is therefore essential to take into account both the dynamics of vertical hydrological exchanges and the biological quality of this matrix. The functional trait (FTR) method, which is based on the study of oligochaete communities in coarse surface sediments and the hyporheic zone, was proposed as a tool to simultaneously assess the dynamics of vertical hydrological exchanges and the effects of pollutants present in the porous matrix. Here, we applied this method during two different periods (in March and September 2016), upstream and downstream of locations affected by discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) located in Switzerland. The biological quality of surface sediments and the hyporheic zone was shown to be better upstream of the WWTP in both campaigns. In addition, results suggested that the capacity for self-purification was lower downstream of the WWTP, and that groundwater at these locations was vulnerable to pollution by surface water. The FTR method proved valuable as a field method for detecting the effects of point source contamination on receiving streams. In the near future, this community-based approach will benefit from advances in the use of DNA barcodes for oligochaete species identification.

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