Search

Context: Maize is a major crop in Italy and is constantly affected by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides , producing ear rot and grain contamination by fumonisins. Finding new genotypes resistant to Fusarium infection is an important goal for the improvement of maize cultivation. Aims: The objective of this work was to test a collection of 33 traditional landraces from the Emilia-Romagna (Italy) region for Fusarium ear rot (FER) severity, fumonisin content, and their agronomic performance. Methods: Primary ears were artificially inoculated with a toxigenic strain of F. verticillioides in a 2-year experimental trial. The landrace 'Nostrano di Storo' and a commercial hybrid of FAO maturity class 300 were also included and used as comparisons representing a well-known and highly valued landrace and a modern flint hybrid, respectively. Key results: The collection showed great phenotypic variability for all the agronomic traits assessed and responded differently to the Fusarium infection with percentages of FER ranging from 6.6% to 49.3%, and fumonisins from 4.3 mg/kg to 34.5 mg/kg. Thirteen and six landraces displayed FER percentages and fumonisin content very similar to the hybrid, respectively. Moreover, eight landraces exhibited grain yield values comparable to the hybrid. Interestingly, Va221, Va227 and EMR03 showed the best combination among these three traits. Conclusions: This local material can be considered suitable for breeding purposes targeting the development of FER and fumonisin resistant germplasm. Implications: The collection may represent a resource for future research aimed at evaluating the response to multiple pathogens and their associated mycotoxins. Finding new genotypes resistant to Fusarium infection represents an important goal for the improvement of maize cultivation. In this regard, a collection of maize landraces deriving from Emilia-Romagna (Italy) region was studied. These landraces represent starting resources crucial for broadening the genetic bases of maize and introducing new resistant alleles useful in breeding programs targeting multiple pathogens and their associated mycotoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the value of ear morphological inspection in identifying the nine constitutions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by analyzing the correlation between these two research objects. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed. The participants' ear morphology was determined using the Ear Morphology Inspection Information Evaluation Form, while constitution was assessed using the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed, and one-way and multi-factor logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Among 888 participants, 270 (30.41%) had a balanced constitution, and 618 (69.59%) had different biased constitution types. The analysis revealed that thick auricles (P

Abstract Background The human face can reveal a great deal about a person’s identity. Age, sex, and ethnicity differences can be recognized, classified, and analyzed using facial features, which give a scientific basis for personal identification and recognition. Sex, like age and ethnicity, has a significant influence on outer ear morphology. The shape and size of the auricle, which is one of the defining features of the face, are affected by age, sex, and ethnicity. Variations in the outer ear are known to be sufficient for identification in a forensic case and can help in determining whether the suspect is guilty or not. The aim of this research is to determine whether such metric and morphological features of the ear can be used to estimate sex and how dimorphic they are. After ear measurements with ImageJ 1.52a program, statistical data was recorded and analyzed in SPSS. Results This study, which analyzed 350 people’s facial images, provides significant information for forensic applications. Among the analyzed ear morphology data, the helix and ear lobe form showed sex differences. Except for the T-PCC distance, all measurements differed significantly between sexes. Conclusions Model 1 has the greatest accuracy rate (88%) among the models created for sex estimation. Sex estimation can be performed as an effective method when the morphological and metric parameters of the ear are analyzed together.

Background: The human face can reveal a great deal about a person's identity. Age, sex, and ethnicity differences can be recognized, classified, and analyzed using facial features, which give a scientific basis for personal identification and recognition. Sex, like age and ethnicity, has a significant influence on outer ear morphology. The shape and size of the auricle, which is one of the defining features of the face, are affected by age, sex, and ethnicity. Variations in the outer ear are known to be sufficient for identification in a forensic case and can help in determining whether the suspect is guilty or not. The aim of this research is to determine whether such metric and morphological features of the ear can be used to estimate sex and how dimorphic they are. After ear measurements with ImageJ 1.52a program, statistical data was recorded and analyzed in SPSS. Results: This study, which analyzed 350 people's facial images, provides significant information for forensic applications. Among the analyzed ear morphology data, the helix and ear lobe form showed sex differences. Except for the T-PCC distance, all measurements differed significantly between sexes. Conclusions: Model 1 has the greatest accuracy rate (88%) among the models created for sex estimation. Sex estimation can be performed as an effective method when the morphological and metric parameters of the ear are analyzed together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auricular reconstruction is a technically challenging and aesthetically demanding procedure as the ear has a complex anatomy. Anthropometry aids in achieving aesthetic ear reconstruction. We considered that implication of stereophotogrammetric technology will lead to a better understanding of human ear morphology. A cross-sectional study was conducted in our institutional OPD in a tertiary health care centre in the Northern part of India.400 people were chosen based on selection criteria. facial scans were done for 3D pictures using Canfield VECTRA® H2 3D imaging device. Study variables were assessed after marking landmarks on the 3D-generated auricular image of an individual. This study consisted of 55.5% males and 44.5% females belonging to the age group of 5–25 years (30.3%), 26–40 years (38.8%) and>40 yr (31.0%). Out of 400 cases, the majority had; oval shaped auricle, normally rolled helix, square earlobe; knob shaped tragus. The attached type of earlobe attachment was more in the right auricle (37%) and the partial attachment ear lobe was more in the left side auricle (35.5%). Darwin's tubercle showed more proportion in the case of males. The mean length and width of the auricle & attachment length are higher in males compared to females. Ear Angulation is highest among females. Assessment of ear morphology using technologically sound methods like stereophotogrammetry paves the way for a more quick, reliable and easy-to-use method for understanding ear morphology. Precise assessment of ear morphology using stereophotogrammetry helps in providing more cosmetic and acceptable ear restoration. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Argentine Patagonia, three species of long-eared brown bats coexist, Histiotus macrotus, H. magellanicus, and H. montanus, which differ by ear length and other characters. Considering that pinna and tragus size and morphology may affect the perception of incoming echoes, we expected that differences in ear morphometry across species would match with interspecific variation in echolocation call structure. We studied echolocation calls of these species, recording calls of free-ranging Histiotus in eight localities from Chubut province (Argentina). We measured morphometric variables (mass, length of ear and tragus, forearm) in captured specimens. We analyzed eight acoustic parameters in 4020 recorded pulses (H. macrotus n = 2020, H. magellanicus n = 1409, and H. montanus n = 591). Principal components (PCA) and discriminant analyses (DFA) revealed that these species clearly segregate in acoustic space, consistent with interspecific differences in ear morphology. Comparatively, H. magellanicus with shorter ears (< 25 mm) emitted higher-frequency calls at short time intervals; by contrast, H. macrotus and H. montanus with longer ears (> 27 mm) emitted lower-frequency calls, in turn differentiating from each other by inter-pulse intervals. MANOVA indicated that these differences were highly significant. Redundancy analysis showed a strong correlation between ear and tragus length and acoustic structure. Our results suggest that these Histiotus species are distinguishable in terms of their bioacoustics, which likely have a functional basis linked to morphological variation of sensory organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine from ancient times and adapted to modern medicine. One typical practice of acupuncture is putting pressure on specific sites (acupuncture points, or acupoints) in the body, called acupressure. Self-acupressure refers to people applying pressure on acupoints using fingers, palms, or special devices to themselves. It has been widely applied because of its convenience and effectiveness. However, localizing the acupoints in any acupuncture practice requires expert knowledge. Novices without any medical background typically find it difficult because of the lack of visual cues. Our previous prototype, FaceAtlasAR, stresses this issue by localizing and overlaying facial acupoints in the augmented reality (AR) context in real-time. This paper will present E-FaceAtlasAR, which extends FaceAtlasAR to show auricular zone maps in the meantime. The system first localizes facial acupoints and auricular zone map in an anatomical yet feasible way. Then, it overlays the requested acupoints and auricular zone maps on the ears in AR. We adopt Mediapipe, a cross-platform machine learning framework, to build the real-time pipeline that runs on desktop and Android phones. Also, we conducted extensive experiments to show its effectiveness and robustness. With this system, users, even not professionals, can position the acupoints quickly for their self-acupressure treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objectives: The human external ear has intricate anatomy due to the presence of elevated and depressed structures which form the morphological characteristics of the external ear. It has been observed that they have some form of interdependence. Therefore, the present study is aimed to investigate the association amongst the morphological characteristics of the external ear and its feasibility for forensic identification. Material and methods: A cross-sectional sample of 497 participants (233 males and 264 females) aged 18–35 years (24.42 ± 5.17) was taken for the study. The data was collected from the district Solan of Himachal Pradesh, North India. Both the ears of the participants were examined for various morphological characteristics. The shape of the external ear, the contour shape of the supero-anterior, superior and supero-posterior helix, and other morphological characteristics were analyzed and classified based on the shape, rolling, contour shape, the strength of the elevated structures, and other factors. The associations between the morphological characteristics were investigated using chi-square and correspondence analysis, while Cramer’s V test was used to determine the strength of the association. Results: A total number of 33 morphological characteristics were considered for the present study. Each morphological characteristic was compared with the other 32 parameters. Therefore, a total number of 1056 (33 ×32) pairs were examined, with only 587 pairs showing a statistically significant association. The shape of the external ear, for example, has a significant association with 25 out of 32 morphological characteristics, including rolling of the superior and posterior helix, the contour shape of the supero-anterior, superior, supero-posterior helix, etc. Moreover, all the statistically significant pairs were subjected to correspondence analysis to evaluate the measure of their association. Wide rolled superior helix, for example, is closely associated with a round-shaped external ear, implying that if a person has a wide rolled superior helix, he or she is more likely to have a round-shaped external ear. Conclusion: The present study has explored and developed the database of the association of the morphological characteristics of the external ear. The database may be useful in predicting the shape and size of the external ear from some of these characteristics. The findings could be utilized during facial reconstruction in forensic examinations and the reconstruction of deformed ears. This study, therefore, finds that the morphological features of the ear are an important addition to the arsenal of the forensic investigator.

A priority of agricultural production for the Northwest of Russia is to develop and introduce winter-hardy and productive cultivars of small grain forage crops, such as winter triticale, capable of producing high yields of grain and green biomass.‘Bilinda’, a new promising tetraploid winter triticale cultivar grown for grain forage, was studied from 2004 through 2019 at Leningrad Research Institute for Agriculture “Belogorka”. The data of the State Variety Trials (2017–2019) were also taken into account. Conventional techniques were used in the experiments, phenological observations, field and laboratory evaluation tests, and statistical data processing. Electrophoresis of gliadin in the grain of cv. ‘Bilinda’ and its registration as a “protein formula” were performed using the technique developed and approbated by the Molecular Biology Dept. of VIR. The hexaploid winter triticale cultivar ‘Kornet’ (k-3636) served as the reference. Cv. ‘Bilinda’ was developed using individual and mass selection of genotypes with recessive control of the ear’s morphological characters, which resulted in producing a homogeneous population with high yield potential and large plump grains. On average across the testing period, cv. ‘Bilinda’ significantly exceeded the reference ‘Kornet’ in grain yield (+1.04 t/ha), number of grains per ear (+32.3 pcs), and 1000 grain weight (+7.7 g), and in addition demonstrated higher winter hardiness than the reference (up to 98%). Under epiphytotic incidence of Septoria leaf blotch, the tested cultivar manifested a high level of resistance (scoring 7–9 points). ‘Bilinda’ is among high-yielding cultivars resistant to most leaf diseases. In 2020, this cultivar was approved for cultivation in the Northwestern Region (2) of Russia. Applying the method of variety identification based on the electrophoretic spectra of gliadin, a storage protein in grain, a protein “passport” was produced to ensure monitoring of the cultivar’s integrity and authenticity.

It is supposed that the subterranean lifestyle in mammals is reflected in ear morphology and tuning of hearing to low frequencies. We studied two root-rat species to see if their ear morphology reflects the difference in the amount of their surface activity. Whereas the more subterranean Tachyoryctes splendens possesses shorter pinnae as expected, it has smaller bullae compared to the more epigeic Tachyoryctes macrocephalus. The ratio between the eardrum and the stapedial footplate area and the ratio between the mallear and the incudal lever were lower in T. splendens (19.3 ± 0.3 and 1.9 ± 0.0, respectively) than in T. macrocephalus (21.8 ± 0.6 and 2.1 ± 0.1), probably reflecting the latter's higher surface activity. The cochlea in both species has 3.5 coils, yet the basilar membrane is longer in the smaller T. splendens (13.0 ± 0.5 versus 11.4 ± 0.7 mm), which indicates its wider hearing range and/or higher sensitivity (to some frequencies). In both root-rat species, the highest density of outer hair cells (OHC) was in the apical part of the cochlea, while the highest density of inner hair cells (IHC) was in its middle part. This OHC density pattern corresponds with good low-frequency hearing, whereas the IHC pattern suggests sensitivity to higher frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long use of the methods of direct intraspecies hybridization in the selective breeding of varieties of Triticum aestivum L. has led to narrowing of their gene fund and close similarity of the genetic potential of their selective breeding traits. Using the method of experimental mutagenesis, one can induce systemic mutants with features of other hexaploid Triticum species which can freely cross-breed with other hybridization offspring, contributing to extension of genetic potential of cultivated wheat and creation of varieties with new levels of manifestation of economically beneficial traits. We studied the pattern of inheritance of morphological traits of the ear, length of the stem and the elements of productivity of speltoid chemomutant of T. aestivum. For the genetic analysis we used hybrids F1 and F2 of soft wheat obtained by cross-breeding speltoid macromutant (Smuhlianka speltoid), induced by the impact of aqueous solution of N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) in the concentration of 0.025% on the seeds of Smuhlianka variety, with plants of Smuhlianka variety (Erythrospermum variety) and Podoloanka (Lutescens variety). To determine the pattern of inheritance the spike morphology, length of the stem and the elements of productivity in F1 hybrids, we calculated the extent of phenotype domination. In populations of F2, we examined plants with different combinations of phenotype manifestation of ear morphology. In F1 hybrids, the speltoid shape of the ear, absence of awns and red colour of the glumes indicated the dominant pattern of inheritance. The high level of phenotype domination of length of the stem and ear, number of spikelets in the main ear indicates the inheritance of the features according to intermediate, partly dominant and over-dominant types. Taking into account the segregation according to the features of spike morphology, awnedness and colour of glumes, the plants of F2 population were divided into phenotype classes, that is 12 and 6 in the combinations of respectively Smuhlianka speltoid × Smuhlianka and Smuhlianka speltoid × Podolianka. We determined that the obtained results are the consequences of dihybrid linkage which corresponds to the theoretical proportion of 12 : 3 : 1. Segregation into non-aristate and aristate plants corresponds to the proportion of monogene segregation of 3 : 1. Within separately distinguished phenotype classes, no independent inheritance of the shape of the ear and awnedness was observed. Dihybrid segregation of F2 plants into speltoid, squarehead and varieties Lutescence/Erythrospermum with quantitative superiority of speltoid plants suggests the control of the trait by two non-allele genes with epistatic interaction. The red colour of the glumes indicates the dominant monogenic pattern of inheritance. Absence of independent inheritance of the shape of the ear and awnedness indicates localization of genes which determine these features in one chromosome.

The performance of maize hybrids largely depend on two parental inbred lines. Improving inbred lines using artificial selection is a key task in breeding programs. However, it is important to elucidate the effects of this selection on inbred lines. Altogether, 208 inbred lines from two maize heterosis groups, named Shaan A and Shaan B, were sequenced by the genotype-by-sequencing to detect genomic changes under selection pressures. In addition, we completed genome-wide association analysis in 121 inbred lines to identify candidate genes for ear morphology related traits. In a genome-wide selection scan, the inbred lines from Shaan A and Shaan B groups showed obvious population divergences and different selective signals distributed in 337 regions harboring 772 genes. Meanwhile, functional enrichment analysis showed those selected genes are mainly involved in regulating cell development. Interestingly, some ear morphology related traits showed significant differentiation between the inbred lines from the two heterosis groups. The genome-wide association analysis of ear morphology related traits showed that four associated genes were co-localized in the selected regions with high linkage disequilibrium. Our spatiotemporal pattern and gene interaction network results for the four genes further contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms behind ear and fruit length development. This study provides a novel insight into digging a candidate gene for complex traits using breeding materials. Our findings in relation to ear morphology will help accelerate future maize improvement.

The performance of maize hybrids largely depend on two parental inbred lines. Improving inbred lines using artificial selection is a key task in breeding programs. However, it is important to elucidate the effects of this selection on inbred lines. Altogether, 208 inbred lines from two maize heterosis groups, named Shaan A and Shaan B, were sequenced by the genotype-by-sequencing to detect genomic changes under selection pressures. In addition, we completed genome-wide association analysis in 121 inbred lines to identify candidate genes for ear morphology related traits. In a genome-wide selection scan, the inbred lines from Shaan A and Shaan B groups showed obvious population divergences and different selective signals distributed in 337 regions harboring 772 genes. Meanwhile, functional enrichment analysis showed those selected genes are mainly involved in regulating cell development. Interestingly, some ear morphology related traits showed significant differentiation between the inbred lines from the two heterosis groups. The genome-wide association analysis of ear morphology related traits showed that four associated genes were co-localized in the selected regions with high linkage disequilibrium. Our spatiotemporal pattern and gene interaction network results for the four genes further contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms behind ear and fruit length development. This study provides a novel insight into digging a candidate gene for complex traits using breeding materials. Our findings in relation to ear morphology will help accelerate future maize improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Chinese Society of Animal Science is the property of Chinese Society of Animal Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: For surgical treatment of the face, detailed surgical planning is necessary to avoid later unaesthetic results. Most of the studies in the literature concentrate on the ears’ anatomy during childhood and adolescence. Nearly no study evaluates the anatomy of ears of people aged 50 or older. It was our aim to measure and evaluate the ear’s anatomy in Caucasians between the ages of 21 and 65.Methods: Three-dimensional scans of 240 volunteers were taken. The subjects were divided into groups of males and females and each of them into three groups by age (21-35, 36-50, 51-65). Landmarks were placed in these scans. Distances, relations and angles between them were recorded.Results: The distance between the subaurale and superaurale significantly increases (p < 0.001) during the aging process in males and females. Also, the width of the ear, measured between the preaurale and postaurale, significantly increased (p = 0.007) with advancing age. When the length of the ear is divided into four parts by anatomical landmarks, it extended the most in the lower quadrant with increasing subject age.Conclusion: The ear of Caucasians does not stop changing its shape during adulthood. Even after the body has stopped growing, the ear still does. With the measured values in this study, it should be possible for the surgeon to plan the operation in advance and achieve satisfactory aesthetic outcomes.Level of Evidence V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wheat, flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns contribute to grain filling through photosynthesis and/or re-mobilization. Environmental and genetic effects on the relative contribution of each organ were examined by analyzing the consequences of sink-source manipulations (shading and excision) and by comparing carbon isotope discrimination (D) values in dry matter (at maturity) and sap (two weeks after anthesis) in six durum wheat genotypes grown in two contrasting seasons. The contribution of flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns to grain filling, estimated by sink-source manipulations, highly varied with the season. The contribution of ear photosynthesis and re-mobilization from the stem increased with post-anthesis water stress. They showed a large genetic variation that was, however, not clearly associated to morphological characteristics of ear and stem. Isotopic imprints of chaff on grain D were identified as a possible surrogate of the destructive and cumbersome sink-source manipulations to evaluate the contribution of carbon assimilated in ears or re-mobilized from stem. This might facilitate screening of genetic resources and allow the combining of favourable drought tolerance mechanisms in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a microwave scattering model is fundamental to rice monitoring by synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and an ear scattering model is necessary to improve the accuracy of the microwave scattering model of the rice field. A novel rice ear scattering model, the multisphere ear scattering model, was developed by incorporating the microstructure of rice ear panicles, including the ear grain parameters in particular. A virtual ear model was used to simulate the ear morphology, and a multisphere scattering model was used to simulate the ear scattering. The multisphere ear scattering model has the potential to retrieve grain parameters from SAR imagery. The new model was also compared with a traditional two-cylinder ear model; the large discrepancy in the simulation results shows the necessity of carrying out a verification experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In wheat, flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns contribute to grain filling through photosynthesis and/or re-mobilization. Environmental and genetic effects on the relative contribution of each organ were examined by analyzing the consequences of sink-source manipulations (shading and excision) and by comparing carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) values in dry matter (at maturity) and sap (two weeks after anthesis) in six durum wheat genotypes grown in two contrasting seasons. The contribution of flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns to grain filling, estimated by sink-source manipulations, highly varied with the season. The contribution of ear photosynthesis and re-mobilization from the stem increased with post-anthesis water stress. They showed a large genetic variation that was, however, not clearly associated to morphological characteristics of ear and stem. Isotopic imprints of chaff on grain Δ were identified as a possible surrogate of the destructive and cumbersome sink-source manipulations to evaluate the contribution of carbon assimilated in ears or re-mobilized from stem. This might facilitate screening of genetic resources and allow the combining of favourable drought tolerance mechanisms in wheat.

Background: The domestic dog is a rich resource for mapping the genetic components of phenotypic variation due to its unique population history involving strong artificial selection. Genome-wide association studies have revealed a number of chromosomal regions where genetic variation associates with morphological characters that typify dog breeds. A region on chromosome 10 is among those with the highest levels of genetic differentiation between dog breeds and is associated with body mass and ear morphology, a common motif of animal domestication. We characterised variation in this region to uncover haplotype structure and identify candidate functional variants. Results: We first identified SNPs that strongly associate with body mass and ear type by comparing sequence variation in a 3 Mb region between 19 breeds with a variety of phenotypes. We next genotyped a subset of 123 candidate SNPs in 288 samples from 46 breeds to identify the variants most highly associated with phenotype and infer haplotype structure. A cluster of SNPs that associate strongly with the drop ear phenotype is located within a narrow interval downstream of the gene MSRB3, which is involved in human hearing. These SNPs are in strong genetic linkage with another set of variants that correlate with body mass within the gene HMGA2, which affects human height. In addition we find evidence that this region has been under selection during dog domestication, and identify a cluster of SNPs within MSRB3 that are highly differentiated between dogs and wolves. Conclusions: We characterise genetically linked variants that potentially influence ear type and body mass in dog breeds, both key traits that have been modified by selective breeding that may also be important for domestication. The finding that variants on long haplotypes have effects on more than one trait suggests that genetic linkage can be an important determinant of the phenotypic response to selection in domestic animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical presentation of microtia varies widely from minimal morphological abnormalities to complete absence of the ear. In this study we sought to identify and characterize sub-groups of microtia using a statistical and a clinical approach. Photographs of 86 ears were classified in relation to all the external ear components. We used cluster analysis and rater's clinical opinion to identify groups with similar phenotypes in two separate analyses. We used Cramer's Phi coefficient of association to assess the similarity among the clinician's groupings as well as among the statistical sub-phenotypic groups and each of the clinician's groupings. The cluster analysis initially divided the 86 ears into a more and a less severe group. The less severe group included two sub-groups that included ears classified as normal and a group that had very few anomalous components. The group of 48 more affected ears all had abnormalities of the helix crus; antihelix-stem, -superior crus and -inferior crus; and antitragus. These were further divided into 4 sub-phenotypes. There was a moderate degree of association among the raters' groupings (Cramer's Phi: 0.64 to 0.73). The statistical and clinical groupings had a lower degree of association (Cramer's Phi: 0.49 to 0.58). Using standardized characterization of structural abnormalities of the ear we identified six distinct phenotypic groups; correlations with clinicians' groupings were moderate. These clusters may represent groups of ear malformations associated with the same etiology, similar time of insult or target cell population during embryonic development. The results will help inform investigations on etiology. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Elements of Morphology Standard Terminology working group published standardized definitions for external ear morphology. The primary objective of our study was to use these descriptions to evaluate the interrater reliability for specific features associated with microtia. We invited six raters from three different subspecialities to rate 100 ear photographs on 32 features. We calculated overall and within specialty and professional experience intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% confidence intervals. A total of 600 possible observations were recorded for each feature. The overall interrater reliability ranged from 0.04 (95% CI: 0.00-0.14) for the width of the antihelix inferior crus to 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91-0.95) for the presence of the inferior crux of the antihelix. The reliability for quantitative characteristics such as length or width of an ear structure was generally lower than the reliability for qualitative characteristics (e.g., presence or absence of an ear structure). Categories with very poor interrater reliability included anti-helix inferior crux width (0.04, 95% CI: 0.00-0.14), crux helix extension (0.17, 95% CI 0.00-0.37), and shape of the incisura (0.14, 95% CI: 0.01-0.27). There were no significant differences in reliability estimates by specialty or professional experience for most variables. Our study showed that it is feasible to systematically characterize many of structures of the ear that are affected in microtia. We incorporated these descriptions into a standardized phenotypic assessment tool (PAT-Microtia) that might be used in multicenter research studies to identify sub-phenotypes for future studies of microtia. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have attributed deterioration of sound localization in the horizontal (azimuth) and vertical (elevation) planes to an age-related decline in binaural processing and high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL). The latter might underlie decreased elevation performance of older adults. However, as the pinnae keep growing throughout life, we hypothesized that larger ears might enable older adults to localize sounds in elevation on the basis of lower frequencies, thus (partially) compensating their HFHL. In addition, it is not clear whether sound localization has already matured at a very young age, when the body is still growing, and the binaural and monaural sound-localization cues change accordingly. The present study investigated sound-localization performance of children (7-11 years), young adults (20-34 years), and older adults (63-80 years) under open-loop conditions in the two-dimensional frontal hemifield. We studied the effect of age-related hearing loss and ear size on localization responses to brief broadband sound bursts with different bandwidths. We found similar localization abilities in azimuth for all listeners, including the older adults with HFHL. Sound localization in elevation for the children and young adult listeners with smaller ears improved when stimuli contained frequencies above 7 kHz. Subjects with larger ears could also judge the elevation of sound sources restricted to lower frequency content. Despite increasing ear size, sound localization in elevation deteriorated in older adults with HFHL. We conclude that the binaural localization cues are successfully used well into later stages of life, but that pinna growth cannot compensate the more profound HFHL with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier studies have shown that the epitensoric position of the chorda tympani is a systematically useful apomorphic character in some mammalian orders (primates, carnivores, rodents). Newly made histological serial sections of a fetal stage now reveal that Laonastes aenigmamus (Diatomyidae), a rodent species first described in 2005, is epitensoric as well. Because Ctenodactylus gundi is the only other taxon within the Ctenohystrica having this derived character state, we conclude that this is an additional synapomorphy substantiating a sister group relationship between Diatomyidae and Ctenodactylidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wheat, flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns contribute to grain filling through photosynthesis and/or re-mobilization. Environmental and genetic effects on the relative contribution of each organ were examined by analyzing the consequences of sink-source manipulations (shading and excision) and by comparing carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) values in dry matter (at maturity) and sap (two weeks after anthesis) in six durum wheat genotypes grown in two contrasting seasons. The contribution of flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns to grain filling, estimated by sink-source manipulations, highly varied with the season. The contribution of ear photosynthesis and re-mobilization from the stem increased with post-anthesis water stress. They showed a large genetic variation that was, however, not clearly associated to morphological characteristics of ear and stem. Isotopic imprints of chaff on grain Δ were identified as a possible surrogate of the destructive and cumbersome sink-source manipulations to evaluate the contribution of carbon assimilated in ears or re-mobilized from stem. This might facilitate screening of genetic resources and allow the combining of favourable drought tolerance mechanisms in wheat., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

In spite of the growing interest in rodents with subterranean activity in general and the spalacids (Spalacidae) in particular, little is known about the biology of most members of this clade, such as the Chinese bamboo rat (Rhizomys sinensis). Here, we analyzed the ear morphology of R. sinensis with respect to hearing specialization for subterranean or aboveground modes of communication. It is well-known that ecology and style of life of a particular species can be reflected in morphology of its ear, its hearing and vocalization, so we expect that such information could provide us insight into its style of life and its sensory environment. The ratio between the eardrum and stapedial footplate areas, which influences the efficiency of middle ear sound transmission, suggests low hearing sensitivity, as is typical for subterranean species. The cochlea had 3.25 coils and resembled species with good low frequency hearing typical for subterranean mammals. The length of the basilar membrane was 18.9 ± 0.8 mm and its width slowly increased towards the cochlear apex from 60 to 85 μm. The mean density of outer hair cells was 344 ± 22 and of inner hair cells 114 ± 7.3 per 1 mm length of the organ of Corti, and increased apically. These values (except for relatively low hair cell density) usually characterize ears specialized for low frequency hearing. There was no evidence for an acoustic fovea. Apart of low hair cell density which is common in aboveground animals, this species has also relatively large auricles, suggesting the importance of sound localization during surface activity. The ear of the Chinese bamboo rat thus contains features typical for both aboveground and subterranean mammals and suggests that this spalacid has fossorial habits combined with regular aboveground activity., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)