Asymmetry of the male internal reproductive organs in Mantophasmatodea

Background Asymmetries are a widespread phenomenon in otherwise bilaterally symmetric organisms, and investigation of asymmetric structures can help us gather insights into fundamental evolutionary processes such as the selection for morphological novelties caused by behavioural changes. In insects, asymmetric genitalia have evolved in almost every order, and usually it’s the sclerotized parts and most conspicuous male phallic organs that are known to exhibit asymmetries. While external copulatory organs in insects have often been subject to investigations concerning asymmetries and the evolution thereof, internal reproductive structures have received far less attention. Here we describe the internal and external male genitalia in three species of Austrophasmatidae, Mantophasmatodea, using μ-CT imaging and light microscopy. Mantophasmatodea is the most recently discovered insect order, and with 21 species described to date, it is among the smallest insect orders currently known. Results We confirm that male heelwalkers exhibit asymmetries in the external genitalia and associated structures, represented by asymmetric phallic lobes and cerci. Moreover, we found an extreme asymmetry within the internal male genitalia: in all adult males investigated (N = 5), the seminal vesicle, a dilatation of the vas deferens, was only developed on the right side of the male while missing on the left side. Conclusion The false-male-above mating position exhibited by Mantophasmatodea and especially the long copulation duration of ca. 3 days might select for this unusual absence asymmetry of the left seminal vesicle. If this holds true for all heelwalker species, this absence asymmetry constitutes another autapomorphy for Austrophasmatidae or even the insect order Mantophasmatodea.

Improving Take-Up by Reaching Out to Potential Beneficiaries. Insights from a Large-Scale Field Experiment in Belgium

Non-take-up of means-tested benefits is a widespread phenomenon which undermines the effectiveness and fairness of social policies. The digitalisation of the welfare state creates new opportunities for proactively contacting people who are potentially entitled to benefits, but do not take up their social rights. In this study, we report on how new data flows were used to reach out to potential beneficiaries of the Increased Reimbursement of health care, a programme targeted at low-income households in Belgium. By randomizing the period in which potential beneficiaries were contacted, we were able to identify a three- to four-fold increase in take-up among those contacted as a result of the outreaching activities. Households that did not respond to the intervention, the never takers, have lower pre-intervention healthcare expenditures. This suggests that non-take-up was reduced primarily among those who would expect to benefit most from receiving the Increased Reimbursement. Exploiting the combination of rich administrative data with experimental evidence, we also find that early responders are mostly older and have higher historic health expenditures than late responders. Furthermore, results point to the need for balancing well the inclusiveness of the intervention with an increased number of applications by ineligible people.

Identification of SUHI in Urban Areas by Remote Sensing Data and Mitigation Hypothesis through Solar Reflective Materials

The urban heat island (UHI) is an increasingly widespread phenomenon of concern to the wellbeing and the health of populations living in urban environments. The SUHI (Surface UHI) is directly related to UHI and influences its extension and intensity. Satellite images in the thermal infrared spectral region can be used to identify and study the SUHI. In this work, Landsat 8 TIR images were acquired to study the SUHI of a medium-sized municipality of the Po valley in the northern part of Italy. An additional Worldview 3 satellite image was used to classify the study area and retrieve the surface albedo of building roofs. Using the Local Climate Zone approach, existing roof materials were virtually replaced by solar reflective materials, and the mitigation potential of the SUHI and the UHI was quantified. This virtual scenario shows a decrease in the overheating of building roofs with respect to the ambient temperature of up to 33% compared to the current situation in the industrial areas. Focusing on UHI intensity, the air temperature decrease could be up to 0.5 °C.

Platform Contracts: Legal Framework and User Protection

Digital platforms are a very important economic reality, also in consideration of the epidemiological emergency which has increased online daily transactions. When we talk about digital markets, we refer to the transformation of the markets, induced by the exploitation and use of new technologies, in which digital contracts are an increasingly widespread phenomenon. This paper aims to give some hints about such issue and its legal framework. There are different elements to be considered: contract requirements, weaker party protection, sharing economy and some issue about the so-called “zero price economy”. In short, the paper summarises some profiles of legal relevance of such topical and wide subject. Keywords: Digital single market; Platform contracts; Sharing economy; Weaker party protection; Zero price economy.

TV program “Svit navyvorit” as a project in Ukrainian travel-journalism form

Unlike the last century journalism, the modern one greatly simplifies the communication between the author and his recipient by using the ability to travel and to transmit the information the last user, the recipient, very quickly. Besides technologies, the format chosen by the author of the information message contributes to this. The main objective of the study and the subject of the research is the TV program “Svit navyvorit”. It is a sample of media tourism, which represents distant and little-known cultures and the population of different countries for the Ukrainian recipient in reportage issues. This is popular and relevant for the modern recipient type of media product. This thesis is proved according to the information provided in the study for the number of views by the project in the Internet. The scientific problem is to clarify the format of transmission in today conditions of the widespread phenomenon of genre syncretism. The aim of the article is to define the genre characteristics of “Svit navyvorit”, to find a classification niche for the format. Therefore, the article pays attention to the analysis of features and characteristics of the project, which is manifested in the examples of different series by the program. This is the novelty of the study. With the help of reflections caused by these features, the article attempts to find out what the “Svit navyvorit” is: a travel show, a report, a review, a road story, etc. The format of the program, which has no analogues in the Ukrainian media space, can be defined as an original travel show, a syncretic phenomenon in the genre aspect. This is confirmed by the following features and peculiarities: reports from the scene, eyewitness comments, author’s remarks and direct impressions, communication, drama, eventfulness, contrast, the acquisition of signs of news discourse, lifestyle journalism. The array of seasons and issues of the program “Svit navyvorit” considered in the article combines the features of informativeness, journalism, analytics, art and entertainment. The following general scientific methods are used in the article: comparative, descriptive, comparative-typological, historical-functional, and systemic; method of analysis, synthesis. The prospect of further research is to develop ways to study the paradigm of the format of Ukrainian travel journalism with mandatory rating control based on the number of views.

آيات الفرار في القرآن الكريم

لما كانَ الفرارُ إحدى مشكلاتِ العصر الراهن، والتي انتشرت في الآونةِ الأخيرةِ، حيثُ كثرت موجاتُ الهروبِ من البلادِ الإسلاميّةِ إلى الدول الأوربيّة، والتي تعدتْ مفهوم الهجرة في علم الديموغرافيا - والتي تعني انتقال الأفراد والجماعات من المكان الأصلي إلى مكان آخر- إلى مفهوم الفرار، بسبب ما يتعرضون له من الخوف، والقتل، والاضطهاد، وشظف العيش، وأثر ذلك في الأفراد من الناحيةِ النفسيّة، والاجتماعيّة، والدينيّة. وتكمنُ مشكلة البحثِ في الحاجةِ الماسةِ إلى بيان جملة من الأحكام المتعلقة بالفرار، وتسلط الضوء على الفرار، وأنواعه وأسبابه، وعلاجه. ويهدفُ البحثُ إلى: التعريف بالفرار، وأنواعه، وإظهار أسباب الفرار والكشف عن آثاره، وبيان المحمود منه والمذموم، ومقاربة العلاج القرآني لهذه المشكلة. وقد أظهرت الدراسة العلاج القرآني لمشكلة الفرار بمختلف ألوانه، لا سيما مشكلة الفرار من الأوطان التي أصبحت ظاهرة منتشرة، ومتزايدة في النمو، بسبب الاضطهاد والخوف والقتل. وكذا الفرار من مواجهة الأعداء وقتما تتعرضُ البلادُ الإسلاميّة للفتن، والحروب، والصراعات، وبيان التوجيه القرآني لعلاج هذه المشكلة، وبينت متى يكون الفرار محمودًا ومتى يكون مذمومًا؟ واقتضى موضوعُ البحثِ أنْ يُسلك فيه المنهج الاستقرائيّ والتحليليّ، وذلك باستقراء لفظة الفرار في القرآن الكريم، وبيان أقوال المفسرين فيها، وربط الآيات القرآنية بالواقع المعاصرة بمنهجية تحليلة استنباطية. الكلمات المفتاحية: (الفرار، الهروب، اللجوء، الهجرة، التباعد). Abstract: Escape is one of the problems of the present era, which has recently spread. The waves of those fleeing from Muslim countries to Europe, exceed the definition of migration in demography - which means the movement of individuals and groups from the original place to another place. It can be attributed to fear, murder, persecution and severe living conditions, and the impact on individuals psychologically, socially, and religiously. In the attempt to address this phenomenon from the perspective of the Qur'an, this study highlights the concept of escape, its types, causes, and solutions. The problem of the study lies in showing the Qur'anic treatment of the problem of fleeing the homelands, which has become a widespread phenomenon, and is growing, due to persecution, fear and killing. It can be basically found in Muslim countries are that are exposed to sedition, wars, and conflicts. Lack of religious background, especially doing Zakat, can also be seen as one of the reasons. The study, is thus, an attempt to investigate the statement of Qur’anic guidance to remedy this problem. This study is expected to answer the following questions: 1. Definition of escape, its types, and its causes. 2. Limiting the Qur'anic verses that talked about escape. 3. Stating the approved vs. the reprehensible types of escape. Objectives of the Study: 1- Defining escape, and its types. 2- Highlighting causes of escape and revealing its effects. 3- Stating approved vs. the reprehensible escapes. 4- Qur'anic treatment of the problem. Keywords: (Escaping - Fleeing - Asylum - Migration – Distancing).

Fantasmorphoses and Hybrid Becomings of Identities

Deleuze and Guattari crafted the concept of “becoming” as a way of theorizing the rampant chimerization and polymorphism of identities in today's world. They used Kafka's work to show how the frequent use of metamorphosis in his stories prefigures this widespread phenomenon of hybridization of identities. The frequency of such hybrid becomings raises questions about the very foundations of modernity's subjective construct. Does this proliferation reflect new configurations of desiring activities, or is it the result of early interference in what Melanie Klein conceptualized as “primary confusion”? The author will use Klein's notion to show how, early in life, envy of the breast and primary confusion can blur the organization of binary logic essential to establishing the ability to judge and the activity of primal symbolization.

Does Money Matter? Characteristics Associated With Joint Pain Medication Access Among Older Adults

The experience of pain is a widespread phenomenon among adults, especially older adults, and entails high costs to both individuals and society. The objective of the current research is to determine if the ability to pay and supplementary insurance are factors associated with pain medication among individuals over 50. Data came from Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The sample included 64,281 individuals 50+ from nineteen European countries and Israel. Joint pain was common with one out of three reporting joint pain. Prevalence of pain was similar among different age groups, and more women reported joint pain. Among those in pain, about 21.5% of the individuals reported mild pain, 52.9% moderate and 26% severe pain. In the multivariate logistic regression, we found that men and those older than 60 suffered more from joint pain, while controlling for education and subjective assessment of the ability to cope economically (Able to make ends meet). A large percentage of those with pain were not taking medication to manage their pain, and there were significant demographic differences between those that did and did not take medication. Those that took medication were younger, male, had more education, were able to cope economically and had supplementary insurance. Our study showed that about half of the individuals with pain were not taking medication to manage their pain. Our results demonstrate that among individuals over 50 in Europe income is strongly associated with taking pain medication and that there is economic inequity in medication access.

Translation-dependent mRNA localization to Caenorhabditis elegans adherens junctions

mRNA localization is an evolutionarily widespread phenomenon that can facilitate subcellular protein targeting. Extensive work has focused on mRNA targeting through “zip-codes” within untranslated regions (UTRs), while much less is known about translation-dependent cues. Here, we examine mRNA localization in Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic epithelia. From an smFISH-based survey, we identified mRNAs associated with the cell membrane or cortex, and with apical junctions in a stage- and cell type-specific manner. Mutational analyses for one of these transcripts, dlg-1/discs large, revealed that it relied on a translation-dependent process and did not require its 5’ or 3'UTRs. We suggest a model in which dlg-1 transcripts are co-translationally localized with the nascent protein: first the translating complex goes to the cell membrane using sequences located at the carboxy-terminus/3’ end, and then apically using amino-terminal/5’ sequences. These studies identify a translation-based process for mRNA localization within developing epithelia and determine the necessary cis-acting sequences for dlg-1 mRNA targeting.

Physical-mechanical behavior of fresh and completely altered rocks as an important factor of slope instability in the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Michoacán, Mexico

Slope instability in the Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (RBMM) Michoacán, Mexico, is a widespread phenomenon that results from the complex interaction among different factors such as climate, slope, and the spatial distribution of different rock units. The climate is temperate subhumid, with rains in summer and an annual average rainfall of 700 to 1250 mm. The main physiographic units of the area are volcanic mountains, with slopes greater than 30 degrees. The main scope of this study is to characterize the physical-mechanical properties of fresh and completely altered lower Miocene andesitic lavas of the Sierra de Angangueo (Cerro El Campanario, province of El Rosario, Michoacán) by implementing laboratory tests (bulk density, permeability, porosity, uniaxial compressive strength). The fresh rock sample presents total porosity, permeability, and UCS values of 0.262 mD, 17.1 %, and 63.5 MPa, respectively. Instead, the altered rock display values of 393.71 mD, 60.9 %, and 0.26 MPa. Our results suggest that the slope and the degradation of the rock properties induced by alteration are the conditioning factors of instability in the region. Atypical rainfalls may act as triggering mechanism for slope failure.