Exploring factors that influence the cardiovascular health of bus drivers for the improvement of transit safety.

The causes of traffic accidents include sudden cardiovascular disease events of drivers that go undetected in routine physical examinations of their health. While increased attention has been paid to proactive driver management by the frequent monitoring of drivers' mental and physical condition to avoid such events, very few studies have examined the deeper risk factors that influence the cardiovascular health of bus drivers represented by workload and scheduling. To fill this knowledge gap, this study adopts a data mining approach to exploring the factors influencing the cardiovascular health of intercity bus drivers using their daily cardiovascular measurement data along with their schedules and routine physical examination results. Ten influencing factors were identified, including medical history, late-night habits and afternoon and evening driving schedules. The present findings will be useful for preventing accidents where cardiovascular disease is involved, which in turn will help improve transit safety.

Morphology of reproductive accessory glands in female Sepia pharaonis (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae) sheds light on egg encapsulation.

The pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis, is an important cephalopod fishery species in southeastern Asia, with understudied reproductive physiology. The present study aimed to investigate the cellular characteristics of epithelial cells found in the nidamental glands (NGs) and accessory NGs (ANGs), as well as the structural connections between these two glands in mature female S. pharaonis. A histological analysis revealed two types of epithelial cells in NGs: Alcian blue-positive, PAS-negative mucosubstance-secreting cells and eosinophilic, PAS-positive granule-secreting cells. Using transmission electron microscopy, three types of epithelial cells were identified: cells with electron-dense granules, cells with electron-lucent granules, and cells with both cilia and microvilli in the apex. Mature ANGs contain an abundance of tubular units composed of epithelial cells resting on a thin layer of basal lamina. Innervated muscle cells are tightly adhered to the basal lamina. In addition, we observed epithelial canalization of ANG tubules penetrating through the connective tissue linking NGs and the walls of the tubules in ANGs, which allows the contents of the ANG tubules to be transported to the NGs. Our results suggest that ANGs participate in the encapsulation of the ova via the same pathway as NGs, which provides an important basis for future studies on the mechanism of protection provided by NGs and ANGs during embryonic development in S. pharaonis.

Reproductive Behavior and Embryonic Development of the Pharaoh Cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae).

Mong-Fong Lee, Chun-Yen Lin, Chuan-Chin Chiao, and Chung-Cheng Lu (2016) The pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis, is one of the most important cephalopod fishery species in southeastern Asia. In the present study, we described their reproductive behavior and characterized their embryonic development. Sperm competition during mating was high in S. pharaonis; therefore, consort males always escorted their mates after pairing, although sneaker males were frequently observed. Their egg-laying behavior can be divided into three phases. Females first retracted and bent their arms into a fist-like posture to spawn eggs. They then extended their arms forward and used funnels to blow the spawning ground. Finally, they extended their arms again to deposit eggs onto appropriate substrata. Based on the characteristics of the embryos, a set of easily distinguished criteria was developed to define 30 stages of embryonic development. This classification scheme was consistent with that of S. officinalis. The present study provided an important basis for future investigations of the reproductive biology and aquaculture in the pharaoh cuttlefish, S. pharaonis.

Nutrient enrichment coupled with sedimentation favors sea anemones over corals.

Fine sediments, which account for the majority of total fluvial sediment flux, have been suggested to degrade coral reefs on a global scale. Furthermore, sediment impacts can be exacerbated by extreme rainfall events associated with global climate change and anthropogenic nutrient enrichment. We report the findings from a series of mesocosm experiments exploring the effects of short-term sedimentation and nutrient enrichment on the interactions between the hard coral Acropora muricata, the sea anemone Mesactinia ganesis, and the green macroalga Codium edule. Mesocosms were manipulated to simulate either unimpacted reefs or reefs exposed to elevated levels of fine sediments for 10 or 14 days to simulate the effects of heavy rainfall. The first and second experiments were aimed to examine the effects of inorganic and organic sediments, respectively. The third experiment was designed to examine the interactive effects of nutrient enrichment and elevated sediment loads. Neither inorganic nor organic sediment loadings significantly affected the physiological performance of the coral, but, importantly, did reduce its ability to compete with other organisms. Photosynthetic efficiencies of both the green macroalga and the sea anemone increased in response to both sediment loadings when they were simultaneously exposed to nutrient enrichment. While organic sediment loading increased the nitrogen content of the green macroalga in the first experiment, inorganic sediment loading increased its phosphorus content in the second experiment. The coral mortality due to sea anemones attack was significantly greater upon exposure to enriched levels of organic sediments and nutrients. Our findings suggest that the combined effects of short-term sedimentation and nutrient enrichment could cause replacement of corals by sea anemones on certain coral reefs.