Mandible histology in Metoposaurus krasiejowensis (Temnospondyli, Stereospondyli) from the Upper Triassic of Poland

Recent studies that have systematically augmented our knowledge of dermal bones of the Late Triassic temnospondyl amphibian Metoposaurus krasiejowensis have mostly focused on shoulder girdle elements and the skull. So far, histological data on the mandible are still scant. For the present study, two mandibles have been examined, using 50 standard thin sections. Dermal bones of the mandible reveal a uniform diploë structure, with the external cortex consisting of moderately vascularised, parallel-fibred bone, as well as a distinct alternation of thick zones and thinner annuli. Dense bundles of well-mineralised Sharpey’s fibres are seen in the external cortex over the entire length of the mandible. The trabecular middle region is highly porous and well vascularised, showing small primary vascular canals and more numerous secondary osteons; irregular erosion spaces occur in large numbers as well. The thin and poorly vascular internal cortex consists of parallel-fibred bone. The articular is not a dermal bone in origin, having been formed of a thin layer of avascular cortex and a very extensive, trabecular middle region. In contrast to the dermal bones of the mandible, the articular developed from a cartilaginous precursor, as evidenced by numerous remains of calcified cartilage in the central parts of the bone. Histological variability is extremely high along the mandible, its anterior part being characterised by high compactness and biomechanically good resistance in contrast to the highly porous posterior parts. Distinct variations of bone thickness and degree of bone porosity in specific areas of the mandible, may be due to local differences in biomechanics during feeding. The microstructure of the mandible corroborates a previous study of the active and ambush predation strategy in metoposaurids.

The expansion and diversity of the CYP75 gene family in Vitaceae

The CYP75 gene family plays an important role in flavonoid biosynthesis in plants. Little is known about the evolution of the gene family within the grape family. Here, we extracted the CYP75 genes from transcriptome data of 15 grape species and 36 representative genomes from other plants to explore the evolutionary history of the CYP75 gene family in Vitaceae. The structure of the CYP75 protein sequences is highly conserved with the variation mainly occurring in the N terminal and the middle region. The evolutionary analyses suggested classifying the CYP75 gene family into three groups in Vitaceae, namely Vitaceae A1, Vitaceae A2 and Vitaceae B. The Vitaceae A1 and A2 belong to the CYP75A subfamily and the Vitaceae B belongs to the CYP75B subfamily. Within the Vitaceae A1, most Vitaceae taxa present only one copy of the CYP75A protein sequence except for Vitis vinifera with a high number of sequences, which might have originated through recent gene duplications after its split from the other species. Vitaceae A2 contain only CYP75A sequences from Vitaceae sister to one from Camellia sinensis, probably representing a relict lineage. The CYP75B proteins were found to be dominated in Vitaceae and other angiosperms. Our results provide important insights into understanding the evolutionary history of the CYP75 gene family in Vitaceae and other angiosperms.

Structure of the midgut epithelium in four diplopod species: histology, histochemistry and ultrastructure

The middle region of the digestive system of millipedes, the midgut, is responsible for all processes connected with digestion, but also takes part in homeostasis maintenance thanks to the ability to activate many mechanisms which neutralize changes occurring at different levels of the animal’s body. Numerous millipede species are treated as bioindicators of the natural environment and they are exposed to different stressors which originate from external environment. To obtain all data on the functioning of midgut of millipedes as the barrier against stressors, it is necessary to have a precise and general description of the midgut epithelium. Members from four millipede orders were selected for the studies: Polydesmus angustus (Polydesmida), Epibolus pulchripes (Spirobolida), Unciger transsilvanicus (Julida) and Glomeris tetrasticha (Glomerida). The structure and ultrastructure of their midgut epithelial cells (the digestive, secretory and regenerative cells) were documented using transmission electron microscopy and histochemical methods. The obtained results have been compared and discussed to previous ones, to present the general and structural organization of the midgut in Diplopoda. Our studies revealed that the ultrastructure of all cells which form the midgut epithelium in millipedes is general for all the species studied up to now and it resembles the cell ultrastructure observed in Chilopoda and Hexapoda, including the digestive, secretory and stem cells.

Inpatient Facility Distribution and Primary Healthcare Centers Demand Based on Location-Quotient in Bali within 2015-2019 Period

The study of access to primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the middle region of Indonesia, including Bali, is scarce. A study on primary healthcare access is worth undertaken in this region because it is usually given less attention regarding its fair distribution of healthcare facilities in relation to their population. This study aimed at determining geographical distribution and concentration of PHCs facility and demand in Bali Province. This study focused on the inpatient facility and demand of PHCs in relation to population. Data of PHCs’ inpatient facility and demand of each regency/city and population data were obtained from Bali Health Profile of 2015 to 2019. Location quotients (LQ) of inpatient facility and inpatient demand for each regency/city were calculated to determine the spatial concentration of the two variables compared to the provincial average. Our study found that there was variation in facility and demand for inpatient care in PHCs in Bali. A low level of inpatient facility and demand was seen in Regency of Buleleng, Denpasar, and Gianyar, while a high level of facility and demand for inpatient facility was observed in Regency of Jembrana, Tabanan, Klungkung, and Karangasem. A unique finding was also noticed in Bangli Regency, where the inpatient facility of PHC was high, while the inpatient demand was low. This might indicate a need for evaluation of the inpatient facility of PHC in this Regency. Keywords: Access to healthcare, Bali, inpatient care, puskesmas, primary healthcare centers.

Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Laser Cladding of Fe-Based Alloy Coatings in Different Areas of Cladding Layer

In this study, laser cladding technology was used to prepare Fe-based alloy coating on a 27SiMn hydraulic support, and a turning treatment was used to obtain samples of the upper and middle regions of the cladding layer. The influence of microstructure, phase composition, hardness, and wear resistance in different areas of the cladding layer was studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), friction and wear tests, and microhardness. The results show that the bcc phase content in the upper region of the cladding layer is less than that in the middle region of the cladding layer, and the upper region of the cladding layer contains more metal compounds. The hardness of the middle region of the cladding layer is higher than that of the upper region of the cladding layer. At the same time, the main wear mechanism of the upper region of the cladding layer is adhesive wear and abrasive wear. The wear mechanism of the middle region of the cladding layer is mainly abrasive wear, with better wear resistance than the upper region of the cladding layer.

Predicted the Cumulative Annual Rainfall in Iraq Using SDSM Modal

Rain is deemed one of the most important climate elements. It must be given special attention for being the basis without which no kind of life in the world can be there. the aim of the study is to use Statistical models Downscaling (SDSM) where it is a universal model used to converting large scale output into a small scale that can be used to study impact at the local scale (Iraq)' to Forecasting cumulative annual rainfall for the next years where there are a few studies used this model in Iraq. Daily rainfall data from the Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology (IMOS) (2007-2016) for the study areas (Baghdad, Karbala, Al-Hay, Mosul, Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Basra, Nasiriya, Diwaniya, and Rutba) is used to estimate the amount of rainfall by using SDSM. The model was used to estimate the rain values and then the results were compared with the actual values, the results were very close to each other. Also, the model used to predict the cumulative annual rainfall from (2017-2021), The result shows that the bigger amount of rainfall in the north region with (3821) mm and the lowest amount in the west region (665) mm, while middle region (1848) mm and south region (1828) mm.

How Discrete Spectrum and Resonances Influence the Asymptotics of the Toda Shock Wave

We rigorously derive the long-time asymptotics of the Toda shock wave in a middle region where the solution is asymptotically finite gap. In particular, we describe the influence of the discrete spectrum in the spectral gap on the shift of the phase in the theta-function representation for this solution. We also study the effect of possible resonances at the endpoints of the gap on this phase. This paper is a continuation of research started in [arXiv:2001.05184].

The Air Lubrication Behavior of a Kingsbury Thrust Bearing Demonstration

In order to understand the air lubrication behavior of Kingsbury thrust bearing demonstration, an experimental and theoretical investigation on a simulated Kingsbury thrust bearing was presented. The motions of the thrust disk and tilting pads were measured by eddy current sensors for three mass load cases. A simplified theoretical model governing the motion of the thrust disk was established. The bearing successfully passed the examination of lamp extinction and maintained the maximum rotation time of 16 s. The effective hydrodynamic film with a thickness of about 5 μm was concentrated on the middle region of the working surface under a flatness of 0.010 mm. The adverse effect of the three surface bumps was minimized by the swing motion of tilting pads. Moreover, about 1/3 air film thickness was shown to be wasted due to the surface irregularity. However, the requirements of surface quality and misalignment were appropriately relaxed through the design of the centrally pivoted tilting pads. This design is conducive to thin-film lubrication and is a potential application for microturbines.