bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep Learning Classification of Unipolar Electrograms in Human Atrial Fibrillation: Application in Focal Source Mapping
Authors: Liao Shun , Ragot Don , Nayyar Sachin , Suszko Adrian , Zhang Zhaolei , Wang Bo , Chauhan Vijay S.
Published: July 2021

Focal sources are potential targets for atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation, but they can be time-consuming and challenging to identify when unipolar electrograms (EGM) are numerous and complex. Our aim was to apply deep learning (DL) to raw unipolar EGMs in order to automate putative focal sources detection. We included 78 patients from the Focal Source and Trigger (FaST) randomized controlled trial that evaluated the efficacy of adjunctive FaST ablation compared to pulmonary vein isolation alone in reducing AF recurrence. FaST sites were identified based on manual classification of sustained periodic unipolar QS EGMs over 5-s. All periodic unipolar EGMs were divided into training (n = 10,004) and testing cohorts (n = 3,180). DL was developed using residual convolutional neural network to discriminate between FaST and non-FaST. A gradient-based method was applied to interpret the DL model. DL classified FaST with a receiver operator characteristic area under curve of 0.904 ± 0.010 (cross-validation) and 0.923 ± 0.003 (testing). At a prespecified sensitivity of 90%, the specificity and accuracy were 81.9 and 82.5%, respectively, in detecting FaST. DL had similar performance (sensitivity 78%, specificity 89%) to that of FaST re-classification by cardiologists (sensitivity 78%, specificity 79%). The gradient-based interpretation demonstrated accurate tracking of unipolar QS complexes by select DL convolutional layers. In conclusion, our novel DL model trained on raw unipolar EGMs allowed automated and accurate classification of FaST sites. Performance was similar to FaST re-classification by cardiologists. Future application of DL to classify FaST may improve the efficiency of real-time focal source detection for targeted AF ablation therapy.
Does the Employability Paradox Exist or Not? An Inverted U-Shaped Model
Authors: Yu Haibo , Yan Changli , Zhang Lu , Dong Zhenhua , Cheng Long , Zheng Xiaoming , Zhao Ziqian
Published: July 2021

This paper’s purpose is to test the employability paradox by adopting a combined linear and non-linear approach based on the conservation of resource (COR) theory and the prospect theory and further to discuss it in two groups of employees with different seniority following the career timetable perspective. A total of 623 pairs of matched employee and manager surveys was collected from 27 Chinese enterprises in two waves. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results show no paradox that perceived employability promotes both an employee’s turnover intention and performance. Specifically, perceived employability has a significant inverted U-shaped effect on turnover intention but no direct influence on job performance. Seniority is a moderator, showing the curvilinear relationship only exhibits for employees with shorter work seniority (≤3 years), and a positive linear relationship between perceived employability and job performance only exists for employees with longer seniority (>3 years). This study emphasizes the value of employability for employers and proposes who is more suitable and what timetable should be followed for employability enhancement in practice. In addition, the study provides an enlightening finding of the inverted U-shaped relationship between perceived employability and turnover intention, applies the COR theory and the prospect theory to explain the non-linear relationship, validates the effect of too much of a good thing (TMGT), and negates the paradox from the perspective of the perceived general employability and career timetable.
Emotions Toward Sustainable Innovations: A Matter of Value Congruence
Authors: Contzen Nadja , Perlaviciute Goda , Sadat-Razavi Pantea , Steg Linda
Published: July 2021

Public resistance to sustainable innovations is oftentimes accompanied by strong negative emotions. Therefore, it is essential to better understand the underlying factors of emotions toward sustainable innovations to facilitate their successful implementation. Based on the Value-Innovation-Congruence model of Emotional responses (VICE model), we argue that positive and negative emotions toward innovations reflect whether innovations are congruent or incongruent with (i.e., support or threaten) people's core values. We tested our reasoning in two experimental studies (N= 114 andN= 246), by asking participants to evaluate innovations whose characteristics were either congruent or incongruent with egoistic values (study 1) or with biospheric values (study 1 and study 2). In line with the VICE model, we found overall that the more an innovation was perceived to have characteristics congruent with these values, and biospheric values in particular, the stronger positive and the weaker negative emotions they experienced toward the innovation, especially the more strongly people endorsed these values. Emotions, in turn, were related with acceptability of innovations. Our findings highlight that emotions toward innovations can have a systematic basis in people's values that can be addressed to ensure responsible decision-making on sustainable innovations.
Action-Depicting Gestures and Morphosyntax: The Function of Gesture-Speech Alignment in the Conversational Turn
Authors: Urbanik Paweł , Svennevig Jan
Published: July 2021

The current study examines the role of action-depicting gestures in conversational turns by focusing on their semantic characteristics and temporal position in relation to their verbal affiliates (action verbs or more complex verb phrases). The data are video recordings of naturally occurring interactions in multilingual construction sites in Norway. The analysis distinguishes two modes of action depiction: generic depictions, which represent the action as a general type, and contextualized depictions, which in addition include deictic references to the spatio-material environment or iconic representations of the specific manner of action performance. These two modes typically occupy different positions in the turn. Generic depictions are mostly initiated before the verbalization of the action or are synchronized with it, while contextualized depictions mostly start simultaneously with the verbalization and extend beyond the verb phrase or the turn. The pre-positioned and synchronized generic gestures are shown to serve as a practice for facilitating recognition of the verbalized action and may be temporally manipulated in order to pre-empt understanding problems in the face of reduced common linguistic resources. The post-positioned contextualized depictions serve instead to add specifying information about aspects of the action referred to and thereby to complement or supplement the meaning of the verb phrase, securing understanding of action specifics. The study contributes to research on gesture-speech synchrony by demonstrating how variation in the alignment of action depiction and syntax is used to direct the recipient’s attention toward different interactional goals.
The Me-File: An Event-Coding Approach to Self-Representation
Authors: Hommel Bernhard
Published: July 2021

Numerous authors have taken it for granted that people represent themselves or even have something like “a self”, but the underlying mechanisms remain a mystery. How do people represent themselves? Here I propose that they do so not any differently from how they represent other individuals, events, and objects: by binding codes representing the sensory consequences of being oneself into a Me-File, that is, into an event file integrating all the codes resulting from the behaving me. This amounts to a Humean bundle-self theory of selfhood, and I will explain how recent extensions of the Theory of Event Coding, a general theory of human perception and action control, provide all the necessary ingredients for specifying the mechanisms underlying such a theory. The Me-File concept is likely to provide a useful mechanistic basis for more specific and more theoretically productive experimentation, as well as for the construction of artificial agents with human-like selves.
Personal Identity After an Autism Diagnosis: Relationships With Self-Esteem, Mental Wellbeing, and Diagnostic Timing
Authors: Corden Kirsten , Brewer Rebecca , Cage Eilidh
Published: July 2021

Adults are increasingly seeking autism diagnoses, although less is known about their experiences of diagnosis and personal identity (i.e., autism as part of “me”), and how this relates to self-esteem and wellbeing. One-hundred and fifty-one autistic adults completed an online survey including measures of self-esteem, psychological wellbeing, and autistic personal identity, which considered whether participants took pride in or were dissatisfied with being autistic. Fifty-four participants answered a qualitative question about the impact of receiving an autism diagnosis on their sense of self. Regression analyses found that greater time elapsed since diagnosis related to less dissatisfaction with autistic personal identity. We also found that more dissatisfaction with autistic personal identity predicted lower self-esteem, and more autism pride predicted higher self-esteem. Content analysis of participants’ experiences supported the quantitative findings and was suggestive of an emotive post-diagnostic adjustment process. Future research should aim to identify ways to promote the development of a positive autistic personal identity post-diagnosis in adulthood.
Beyond Face and Voice: A Review of Alexithymia and Emotion Perception in Music, Odor, Taste, and Touch
Authors: Suslow Thomas , Kersting Anette
Published: July 2021

Alexithymia is a clinically relevant personality trait characterized by deficits in recognizing and verbalizing one's emotions. It has been shown that alexithymia is related to an impaired perception of external emotional stimuli, but previous research focused on emotion perception from faces and voices. Since sensory modalities represent rather distinct input channels it is important to know whether alexithymia also affects emotion perception in other modalities and expressive domains. The objective of our review was to summarize and systematically assess the literature on the impact of alexithymia on the perception of emotional (or hedonic) stimuli in music, odor, taste, and touch. Eleven relevant studies were identified. On the basis of the reviewed research, it can be preliminary concluded that alexithymia might be associated with deficits in the perception of primarily negative but also positive emotions in music and a reduced perception of aversive taste. The data available on olfaction and touch are inconsistent or ambiguous and do not allow to draw conclusions. Future investigations would benefit from a multimethod assessment of alexithymia and control of negative affect. Multimodal research seems necessary to advance our understanding of emotion perception deficits in alexithymia and clarify the contribution of modality-specific and supramodal processing impairments.
Person-Centered Leadership: The Practical Idea as a Dynamic Principle for Ethical Leadership
Authors: Murcio Ricardo , Scalzo Germán
Published: July 2021

In search of ethical conceptual frameworks that are applicable to the practical reality of companies, ethical leadership has recently gained ground in Business Ethics scholarship as a broad umbrella under which to fit both normative and descriptive approaches to management. This article delves into Carlos Llano's seminal studies in the field, and his rediscovery of the “practical idea” as a dynamic principle for integrating the practice of management and ethical leadership in light of a realistic personalism. Llano was one of the first authors to study the firm from a humanistic, people-centered perspective as a “community or people,” and his view of practical wisdom is an effort to integrate this intellectual virtue with human will by offering a personalist open dynamism that is at the center of all relationships at work, allowing those involved to grow therein. Hence, his notion of the practical idea is his most original contribution to the promotion of managerial action as a catalyst for person-centered leadership.
The Effect of Language Dominance on the Selective Attention of Segments and Tones in Urdu-Cantonese Speakers
Authors: Liu Yi , Ning Jinghong
Published: July 2021

To perceive a second language (L2), non-native speakers not only have to focus on phonological, lexical, and grammatical knowledge, but also need to develop a good mastery of L2 strategic knowledge, including selective attention and language planning. Previous research has found that non-tonal speakers are overtly attentive to segments, while tonal language speakers give more attention to tones. However, it is unclear how different dominant language speakers distribute their attention while processing segments or tones and segments and tones stimuli in non-native speeches. The present study also aims to examine the roles of language dominance play in the designed perceptual tasks. In the current study 20 Cantonese native speakers, 18 Cantonese-dominants, and 18 Urdu-dominants participated in an attention distribution experiment in Cantonese. The results show that the Urdu-dominants retain their L1 attentional strategy in the processing of Cantonese stimuli, classifying the stimuli along segments, while the Cantonese native speakers are more attentive to tones. Moreover, the Cantonese-dominants show a perceptual flexibility as highly proficient and experienced listeners. The results reveal that language dominance plays a vital role in listeners' attention distribution. The research also supports PAM-L2 theory on bilingual. The findings of the current study can be applied to Chinese language learning and teaching and language acquisition studies.
A Participatory Curricula for Community Health Workers and Supervisors to Increase HIV Health Outcomes
Authors: Rajabiun Serena , Baughman Allyson , Sullivan Marena , Poteet Beth , Downes Alicia , Davich Jo Ann Whitlock , Phillips Simone , Jackson Precious , Miles LaTrischa , Drainoni Mari-Lynn , Evans Emmitt Maurice , Bachman Sara S. , Sprague Martinez Linda
Published: July 2021

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are becoming essential members of the HIV workforce as emerging evidence demonstrates their effectiveness in engaging people with HIV into care and treatment. In 2018, among the estimated 37,000 persons who received an HIV diagnosis, the majority were from racial ethnic minority communities. CHWs serve as a bridge between the community and health care system and have the potential to address structural inequities and reduce the stigma, discrimination and other barriers that prevent people with HIV from seeking and staying in care and treatment. Effective CHW integration into the HIV primary care team requires a training and supervision system that is culturally responsive to the complex social and medical needs of people with HIV. This article describes a comprehensive training approach and curricula for CHWs and supervisors and its impact on the health care team. Grounded in a Popular Education model and using the CHW core consensus competency (C3) framework, a team of experts in HIV, training and supervision, including CHWs working in HIV care and treatment developed an 80-h CHW and 20-h supervisor curricula. The trainings were delivered via in-person and virtual sessions over the course of 2 years. Using a mixed method evaluation, 23 CHWs and 22 supervisors across 10 clinic sites in eight states participated in the training sessions. Measures included knowledge and confidence related to HIV-specific content, supporting clients with managing stigma and discrimination, ability to communicate with other team members and helping clients navigate the services system. CHWs reported improved skills with documentation in the electronic health record, helping clients with treatment adherence challenges and educating on lab results. Supervisors reported learning strategies for assigning clients to CHWs, self-care techniques, providing strengths-based feedback, and mentoring and coaching. The participatory practice-based curricula allowed supervisors and CHWs to share experiences and solicit input from peers for problem resolution and implementation of new policies and practices. This training approach focused on HIV specific content with core competency training could serve as a model for CHWs working in primary care settings and with populations experiencing multiple chronic health conditions and social needs.
Physicians' Acceptance of Triage Guidelines in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Merlo Federica , Lepori Mattia , Malacrida Roberto , Albanese Emiliano , Fadda Marta
Published: July 2021

Aims: One of the major ethical challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic comes in the form of fair triage decisions for critically ill patients in situations where life-saving resources are limited. In Spring 2020, the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) issued specific guidelines on triage for intensive-care treatment in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. While evidence has shown that the capacities of intensive care medicine throughout Switzerland were sufficient to take care of all critically ill patients during the first wave of the outbreak, no evidence is available regarding the acceptance of these guidelines by ICU staff. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the acceptance and perceived implementation of the SAMS guidelines among a sample of senior physicians involved in the care of Covid-19 patients in the Canton of Ticino. Specific objectives included capturing and describing physicians' attitudes toward the guidelines, any challenges experienced in their application, and any perceived factors that facilitated or would facilitate their application.

Methods: We conducted face-to-face and telephone interviews with a purposive sample of nine senior physicians employed as either head of unity, deputy-head of unit, or medical director in either one of the two Covid-19 hospitals in the Canton of Ticino during the peak of the outbreak. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using an inductive approach.

Results: We found that participants held different views regarding the nature of the guidelines, saw decisions on admission as a matter of collective responsibility, argued that decisions should be based on a medical futility principle rather than an age criterion, and found that difficulties to address end-of-life issues led to a comeback of paternalism.

Conclusions: Results highlight the importance of clarifying the nature of the guidelines, establishing authority, and responsibility during triaging decisions, recognizing and addressing sources of interference with patients' autonomy, and the need of a cultural shift in timely and efficiently addressing end-of-life issues.
Learning Systems versus Future Everyday Domestic Life: A Designer’s Interpretation of Social Practice Imaginaries
Authors: Viaene Emilia , Kuijer Lenneke , Funk Mathias
Published: July 2021

Smart home technologies with the ability to learn over time promise to adjust their actions to inhabitants’ unique preferences and circumstances. For example, by learning to anticipate their routines. However, these promises show frictions with the reality of everyday life, which is characterized by its complexity and unpredictability. These systems and their design can thus benefit from meaningful ways of eliciting reflections on potential challenges for integrating learning systems into everyday domestic contexts, both for the inhabitants of the home as for the technologies and their designers. For example, is there a risk that inhabitants’ everyday lives will reshape to accommodate the learning system’s preference for predictability and measurability? To this end, in this paper we build a designer’s interpretation on the Social Practice Imaginaries method as developed by Strengers et al. to create a set of diverse, plausible imaginaries for the year 2030. As a basis for these imaginaries, we have selected three social practices in a domestic context: waking up, doing groceries, and heating/cooling the home. For each practice, we create one imaginary in which the inhabitants’ routine is flawlessly supported by the learning system and one that features everyday crises of that routine. The resulting social practice imaginaries are then viewed through the perspective of the inhabitant, the learning system, and the designer. In doing so, we aim to enable designers and design researchers to uncover a diverse and dynamic set of implications the integration of these systems in everyday life pose.
PEERNaija: A Gamified mHealth Behavioral Intervention to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Nigeria
Authors: Ahonkhai Aima A. , Pierce Leslie J. , Mbugua Samuel , Wasula Benjamin , Owino Samuel , Nmoh Ashley , Idigbe Ifeoma , Ezechi Oliver , Amaral Sandra , David Agatha , Okonkwo Prosper , Dowshen Nadia , Were Martin C.
Published: July 2021

Background: HIV is the leading cause of death for youth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The rapid proliferation of smart phones in SSA provides an opportunity to leverage novel approaches to promote adherence to life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYA-HIV) that go beyond simple medication reminders.

Methods: Guided by the Integrate, Design, Assess and Share (IDEAS) framework, our multidisciplinary team developed a peer-based mHealth ART adherence intervention—PEERNaija. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, and principles of contingency management and supportive accountability, PEERNaija delivers a multi-faceted behavioral intervention within a smartphone application to address important obstacles to adherence.

Results:PEERNaija was developed as a gamified Android-based mHealth application to support the behavioral change goal of improving ART adherence among AYA-HIV within Nigeria, a low- and middle- income country (LMIC). Identified via foundational interviews with the target population and review of the literature, key individual (forgetfulness and poor executive functioning), environmental (poor social support) and structural (indirect cost of clinic-based interventions) barriers to ART adherence for AYA-HIV informed application features. Further informed by established behavioral theories and principles, the intervention aimed to improve self-efficacy and self-regulation of AYA-HIV, leverage peer relationships among AYA to incentivize medication adherence (via contingency management, social accountability), provide peer social support through an app-based chat group, and allow for outreach of the provider team through the incorporation of a provider application. Gamification mechanics incorporated within PEERNaija include: points, progress bar, leaderboard with levels, achievements, badges, avatars and targeted behavior change messages. PEERNaija was designed as a tethered mobile personal health record application, sharing data to the widely deployed OpenMRS electronic health record application. It also uses the secure opensource Nakama gamification platform, in line with Principles of Digital Development that emphasize use of opensource systems within LMICs.

Conclusions: Theory-based gamified mHealth applications that incorporate social incentives have the potential to improve adherence to AYA-HIV. Ongoing evaluations of PEERNaija will provide important data for the potential role for a gamified, smartphones application to deliver multifaceted adherence interventions for vulnerable AYA-HIV in SSA.
Groundwater, Soil, and Vegetation Interactions at Discrete Riparian Inflow Points (DRIPs) and Implications for Boreal Streams
Authors: Ploum Stefan W. , Leach Jason A. , Laudon Hjalmar , Kuglerová Lenka
Published: July 2021

Hydrological processes at hillslope and catchment scales explain a large part of stream chemistry dynamics through source-transport mechanisms from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems. Riparian zones play a central role, as they exert a strong influence on the chemical signature of groundwater discharge to streams. Especially important are riparian areas where upslope subsurface flow paths converge, because they connect a large part of the catchment to a narrow section of the stream. Recent research shows that both in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, riparian convergence zones fulfill important biogeochemical functions that differ from surrounding riparian zones. Most catchment-scale conceptual frameworks focus on generalized hillslope-riparian-stream transects and do not explicitly consider riparian convergence zones. This study integrates collective work on hydrology, groundwater chemistry, vegetation and soils of discrete riparian inflow points (DRIPs) in a boreal landscape. We show that compared to adjacent riparian forests, DRIPs have groundwater levels that are consistently near the surface, and supply organic-rich water to streams. We suggest that interactions between hydrology, wetland vegetation, and peat soil development that occur in DRIPs leads to their unique groundwater chemistry and runoff dynamics. Stream-based studies show that across flow conditions, groundwater inputs from DRIPs to headwater reaches influence stream temperature, water chemistry and biology. As such, accounting for DRIPs can complement existing hillslope and stream observations, which would allow better representation of chemical and biological interactions associated with convergence of subsurface flow paths in riparian zones.
Análisis del discurso terapéutico
Authors: Villegas Manuel
Published: July 2021

Independientemente del modo cómo se exprese, todas las terapias se centran de una forma más o menos explícita en el discurso del paciente, como lugar de construccción del sujeto y de su mundo de significados. Pero no todas se plantean de modo sistemático el método para analizarlo. El artículo desarrolla las técnicas del análisis textual desde el punto de vista de la semiótica, aplicándolas al análisis del discurso terapéutico en sus diversas modalidades: lógico, analógico y paralógico. Plantea las cuestiones relativas a la hermenéutica textual contraponiéndola a la psicoanalítica, e intenta hacer ver la utilidad de este tipo de abordaje textual para la co-construcción de la experiencia existencial en el marco de la psicoterapia.
Image Representation Using Stacked Colour Histogram
Authors: Martey Ezekiel Mensah , Lei Hang , Li Xiaoyu , Appiah Obed
Published: July 2021

Image representation plays a vital role in the realisation of Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system. The representation is performed because pixel-by-pixel matching for image retrieval is impracticable as a result of the rigid nature of such an approach. In CBIR therefore, colour, shape and texture and other visual features are used to represent images for effective retrieval task. Among these visual features, the colour and texture are pretty remarkable in defining the content of the image. However, combining these features does not necessarily guarantee better retrieval accuracy due to image transformations such rotation, scaling, and translation that an image would have gone through. More so, concerns about feature vector representation taking ample memory space affect the running time of the retrieval task. To address these problems, we propose a new colour scheme called Stack Colour Histogram (SCH) which inherently extracts colour and neighbourhood information into a descriptor for indexing images. SCH performs recurrent mean filtering of the image to be indexed. The recurrent blurring in this proposed method works by repeatedly filtering (transforming) the image. The output of a transformation serves as the input for the next transformation, and in each case a histogram is generated. The histograms are summed up bin-by-bin and the resulted vector used to index the image. The image blurring process uses pixel’s neighbourhood information, making the proposed SCH exhibit the inherent textural information of the image that has been indexed. The SCH was extensively tested on the Coil100, Outext, Batik and Corel10K datasets. The Coil100, Outext, and Batik datasets are generally used to assess image texture descriptors, while Corel10K is used for heterogeneous descriptors. The experimental results show that our proposed descriptor significantly improves retrieval and classification rate when compared with (CMTH, MTH, TCM, CTM and NRFUCTM) which are the start-of-the-art descriptors for images with textural features.
Agrometeorological and Morpho-Physiological Studies of the Response of Red Currant to Abiotic Stresses
Authors: Panfilova Olga , Tsoy Mikhail , Golyaeva Olga , Knyazev Sergey , Karpukhin Mikhail
Published: July 2021

The aim of this work was to study the mechanism of climatic adaptation of red currant genotypes (Ribes rubrum L.) on the basis of physiological, biochemical and agrometeorological measurements and to determine the different phenophases of plant development identify adaptive genotypes for introduction. The studies were carried out in 2014–2017. The indicators of the water status of annual shoots (water content, water retention capacity), the biochemical composition of berries (vitamin C) and phenological observations were evaluated, taking into account meteorological data. The genotypes of R. petraeum Wulf. and R. multiflorum Kit. had the longest production period. Ambiguous data on the influence of temperature on the content of ascorbic acid in berries were revealed. High temperatures (>+26 °C) contributed to a greater accumulation of ascorbic acid in the cultivars of R. vulgare Lam. High accumulations of vitamin C in the range of +25–27 °C were found in R. petraeum Wulf. and R. multiflorum Kit.. High water content and water loss contributed to early recovery from the dormant state and reduced resistance to spring temperature changes in R. vulgare Lam. Genotypes of R. vulgare Lam., and R. multiflorum Kit. are promising for growing in a zone with a temperate continental climate. The genotypes of the species R. petraeum Wulf are suitable for introduction to the areas with a continental climate. The obtained results are important for adaptive gardening.
Crop Nutrition and Yield Response of Bagasse Application on Sugarcane Grown on a Mineral Soil
Authors: Xu Nan , Bhadha Jehangir H. , Rabbany Abul , Swanson Stewart , McCray James M. , Li Yuncong C. , Strauss Sarah L. , Mylavarapu Rao
Published: July 2021

The addition of agricultural by-products to mineral soils has the potential to improve crop production. This study aimed to determine the effects of the readily available sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) milling by-product bagasse as a soil amendment on yields of sugarcane grown on a sandy Entisol of South Florida. The field trial was conducted on a commercial sugarcane farm for three annual crop cycles (plant cane and two ratoons). Four treatments including 5 cm bagasse (85 ton ha−1); 10 cm bagasse (170 ton ha−1); 10 cm bagasse (170 ton ha−1) plus 336 kg ha−1 ammonium nitrate; and a control (without bagasse and ammonium nitrate) were evaluated. Results indicate that one single application of bagasse increased sugarcane biomass and sugar yield by approximately 23% in the plant cane year. A higher application rate of bagasse (10 cm of bagasse) was recommended since it had a longer effect on increasing sugarcane biomass and sugar yield. Bagasse application enhanced silicon (Si) supply and increased Si plant nutrition. However, the effects of bagasse on the other leaf nutrients were not significant.
Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Coffee Production: From Isolation to Field Application
Authors: Urgiles-Gómez Narcisa , Avila-Salem María Eugenia , Loján Paúl , Encalada Max , Hurtado Leslye , Araujo Salomé , Collahuazo Yadira , Guachanamá José , Poma Nohemy , Granda Klever , Robles Angel , Senés Carolina , Cornejo Pablo
Published: July 2021

Coffee is an important, high-value crop because its roasted beans are used to produce popular beverages that are consumed worldwide. Coffee plantations exist in over 70 countries and constitute the main economic activity of approximately 125 million people. Currently, there is global concern regarding the excessive use of agrochemicals and pesticides in agriculture, including coffee crops. This situation has motivated researchers, administrators, and farmers to seek ecologically friendly alternatives to decrease the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. In the last decades, multiple studies of the rhizosphere, at the chemical, physical and biological levels, have improved our understanding of the importance of beneficial microorganisms to plant health and growth. This review aims to summarize the state of the use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) in coffee production, where the most extensively studied microorganisms are beneficial plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This review also contains information on PGPM, in regard to plantations at different latitudes, isolation techniques, mass multiplication, formulation methods, and the application of PGPM in nurseries, monoculture, and coffee agroforestry systems. Finally, this review focuses on relevant research performed during the last decade that can help us improve sustainable coffee production.
Silicon Modulates Molecular and Physiological Activities in Lsi1 Transgenic and Wild Lemont Rice Seedlings under Arsenic Stress
Authors: Boorboori Mohammad Reza , Lin Wenxiong , Jiao Yanyang , Fang Changxun
Published: July 2021

Arsenic is one of the most dangerous metalloids, and silicon is a helpful element supporting plants to withstand stress. In this study, three factors were considered, including rice accessions with three different lines, including Lsi1-RNAi line (LE-R), Lsi1 overexpression line (LE-OE), and their wild type (LE-WT), and silicon and arsenic treatments with two different levels. Analysis of variance in dry weight biomass, protein content, arsenic, and silicon concentration has shown a significant interaction between three factors. Further analysis showed that the silicon concentration of all rice seedlings under silicon treatments increased significantly. The LE-OE line has shown a higher ability to absorb silicon in hydroponic conditions than the wild type, and when the seedlings were exposed to arsenic, the concentration of arsenic in all lines increased significantly. Adding silicon to over-expressed rice lines with the Lsi1 gene creates better arsenic resistance than their wild type. These findings confirmed antagonism between silicon and arsenic, and seedlings exposed to arsenic showed a reduction in silicon concentration in all rice lines. RNA-seq analysis showed 106 differentially expressed genes in the LE-OE line, including 75 up-regulated genes and 31 down-regulated genes. DEGs in the LE-R line were 449 genes, including 190 up-regulated and 259 down-regulated genes. Adding treatment has changed the expression of Calcium-binding EGF domain-containing, Os10g0530500, Os05g0240200 in both LE-OE and LE-R roots. They showed that transgenic cultivars were more resistant to arsenic than wild-type, especially when silicon was added to the culture medium.
Growth, Physiological, Nutrient-Uptake-Efficiency and Shade-Tolerance Responses of Cacao Genotypes under Different Shades
Authors: Arévalo-Gardini Enrique , Farfán Abel , Barraza Fiorella , Arévalo-Hernández César O. , Zúñiga-Cernades Luis B. , Alegre Julio , Baligar Virupax C.
Published: July 2021

Cacao is an understory plant cultivated in full-sun monocultures, multistrata agroforestry systems, where cacao trees are planted together with fruit, timber, firewood, and leguminous trees, or within thinned native forests. In agroforestry systems of cultivation, cacao is subjected to excess shade due to high density, excess growth, and the unmanaged pruning of shade trees. Cacao is tolerant to shade, and the maximum photosynthetic rate occurs at an irradiance of around 400 μmol m−2 s−1. However, excess shade further reduces the irradiance, which is detrimental to photosynthesis and growth functions. Intra-specific variation is known to exist in cacao for the required saturation irradiance. A greenhouse study was implemented with 58 cacao genotypes selected from four geographically diverse groups: (i) wild cacao from river basins of the Peruvian Amazon (PWC); (ii) Peruvian farmers’ collection (PFC); (iii) Brazilian cacao collection (BCC); and (iv) national and international cacao collections (NIC). All of the cacao genotypes were subjected to 50% and 80% shade where photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was 1000 and 400 μmol m−2 s−1, respectively. Intra-specific variations were observed for growth, physiological and nutritional traits, and tolerance to shade. Cacao genotypes tolerant to shade were: UNG-77 and UGU-130 from PWC; ICT-2173, ICT-2142, ICT-2172, ICT-1506, ICT-1087, and ICT-2171 from PFC; PH-21, CA-14, PH-990, and PH-144 from BCC; and ICS-1, ICS-39, UF-613, and POUND-12 from NIC. Genotypes that tolerate excess shade may be useful plant types for maintaining productivity and sustainability in agroforestry systems of cacao management.
Effects of Replacing Yellow Corn with Olive Cake Meal on Growth Performance, Plasma Lipid Profile, and Muscle Fatty Acid Content in Broilers
Authors: Saleh Ahmed , Alzawqari Mohammed
Published: July 2021

The current study focused exclusively on evaluating the effects of replacing corn with olive cake meal (OCM) in the diet of broilers on their growth performance, abdominal fat, selected plasma parameters, and muscle fatty acid (FA) content. A total of 480 one-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were divided into four treatment groups with 12 replicates/treatment. The control group was fed the base diet, whereas the second to fourth groups were fed diets of corn with 5%, 10%, and 20% contents of OCM, respectively. Broilers fed with the 5% and 10% OCM diets showed better body weight (p = 0.04) and feed conversion ratio than the 20% OCM group (p < 0.048). Both nitrogen retention and ether extract digestibility were not improved by replaced corn with OCM. Replacing corn with OCM led to a decreased abdominal fat percentage (p = 0.023) compared with the control group. Birds in the OCM groups showed the lowest total cholesterol values (p = 0.038). The breast muscle (musculus pectoralis superficialis) content of oleic and linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids was significantly high in birds fed with OCM diets. However, their palmitic acid level was significantly decreased. Vitamin E was increased by increasing the OCM level. Thus, we concluded that replacing corn with OCM, especially at a 10% level, is more effective than other replacement levels in improving growth performance, plasma lipid profile, and muscle FA content, as well as in causing a reduction in abdominal fat in broilers.
Minimum Effects of Sampling Time on the Apparent Digestibility of Nutrients and Blood Protein Catabolites in Light Lambs
Authors: Pelegrin-Valls Jonathan , Serrano-Pérez Beatriz , Villalba Daniel , Molina Ester , Álvarez-Rodríguez Javier
Published: July 2021

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of sampling time on organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and phosphorous (P) apparent digestibility and plasma urea and creatinine concentration in growing and finishing male Ripollesa lambs fed different CP concentrations in the diet. Twenty-four male Ripollesa lambs with 14.5 kg body weight (BW) were randomly assigned to two groups differing in CP content in the growing (14 to 19 kg of BW) and finishing (19 to 25 kg of BW) phases (20% vs. 18% CP and 19% vs. 17% CP, respectively). Faeces collected from the rectum and blood samples collected from the jugular vein were taken at 8:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. During the growing period, the OM, CP and P apparent digestibility were higher in the lower CP diet (p < 0.05), but only P was affected by the sampling time, being highest at 8:00 a.m. (p < 0.05) compared to other sampling hours. During the finishing period, there were no differences in these digestibility coefficients between diets or sampling times (p > 0.05). Sampling time did not affect (p > 0.05) plasma urea concentrations either in the growing or finishing period. Plasma creatinine concentrations did not differ (p > 0.05) between lambs receiving 18% or 20% CP diets, but during the finishing period, it was lower at 4:00 p.m. in lambs fed 17% CP (p < 0.05) than those offered 19% CP. Overall, the results suggest that the collection schedule to evaluate the protein nutritional status can be shortened through one spot sample of faeces or blood in the morning.
Evaluation of the Effect of the Inspired Oxygen Fraction on Blood Oxygenation during Inhalant Anaesthesia in Horses: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
Authors: Savvas Ioannis , Pavlidou Kiriaki , Braun Christina , Schauvliege Stijn , Staffieri Francesco , Moens Yves
Published: July 2021

In anaesthetized horses, pronounced ventilation/perfusion mismatching often occurs. Several authors have investigated the effect of lower inspired oxygen fractions (FiO2) to reduce formation of absorption atelectasis. This systematic review compared the effects of low (<0.6) and high (>0.8) FiO2 on the arterial oxygen tension (PaO2), the alveolar-to-arterial oxygen tension difference (P(A-a)O2), and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio in horses during inhalation anaesthesia. Using the Systematic Review Protocol for Animal Intervention Studies, four experimental and one clinical investigations were deemed suitable for inclusion. A meta-analysis was performed on the four experimental studies. The PaO2 was significantly lower (p = 0.0007, mean difference −23.54 kPa, 95% CI −37.18, −9.90) with a lower FiO2. However, the P(A-a)O2 was also significantly lower (p < 0.00001, mean difference −20.80 kPa, 95% CI −26.28, −15.32) when using a low FiO2. For the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, only one study fitted the inclusion criteria, so no meta-analysis was performed. It is concluded that, while only a limited number of studies are available, the use of a higher FiO2 in horses during inhalation anaesthesia will result in higher levels of PaO2, but also a larger P(A-a)O2 difference. Further studies are needed to increase the level of evidence on this subject.
Overweight in Domestic Cats Living in Urban Areas of Italy: Risk Factors for an Emerging Welfare Issue
Authors: Arena Laura , Menchetti Laura , Diverio Silvana , Guardini Giovanna , Gazzano Angelo , Mariti Chiara
Published: July 2021

Overweight is common in cats and has health and welfare implications. This study aimed to assess potential predictive/protective factors for feline overweight associated with owner management and their relationship with cat behavior and welfare. A questionnaire was administered to 197 owners to collect information about cat demographics, management, environment, dietary habits and behavior. The feline Body Mass Index was recorded for each cat. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of parameters with overweight cats. Variables with a p-value < 0.10 at univariable analyses were selected for the multivariable model. Most cats were mixed- breed, 1–7 years old and neutered; 51.3% were overweight. Age higher than 7 years, neutering, being alone all day and being stressed were predictive for overweight (p < 0.05). Conversely, the presence of other animals had a protective effect (p < 0.05). A general disagreement between owners’ perception and clinical evaluation of cats’ body condition was a common and significant risk factor for overweight (OR = 8.532, 95% CI = 4.073–17.875; p < 0.001). According to the owners, many veterinarians did not inform them about their cat being overweight nor about the risks (p < 0.001). This study provides helpful information on the influence of management and environment on cats’ body condition and its relationship with cat welfare.
Unlicensed GS-441524-Like Antiviral Therapy Can Be Effective for at-Home Treatment of Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Authors: Jones Sarah , Novicoff Wendy , Nadeau Julie , Evans Samantha
Published: July 2021

The goal of this study was to formally evaluate the administration of unlicensed, crowd-sourced antiviral GS-441524-like therapy for cats suspected to have feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a previously fatal disease. Members of a large social media support and GS-441524-like drug distribution group were surveyed via the Internet. The survey was targeted toward owners who had treated their cats for at least 12 weeks with unlicensed GS-441524-like drugs. Of the 393 analyzed surveys which met inclusion criteria, 73.7% of owners utilizing this therapy were from the United States. Only 8.7% of owners reported receiving help from their veterinarian in administering the treatment to their cat. The mean cost of treatment was USD 4920. A majority of owners (88.2%) reported noticeable improvement in clinical signs within one week of initiating therapy. At the time of the survey, 96.7% (380 cats) were alive, with 54.0% of them considered cured and another 43.3% being monitored in the 12-week observation period. A total of 12.7% of the cats suffered a relapse of clinical signs of FIP, and 3.3% of the cats died despite GS-441524-like therapy. Reported complications were mostly related to owner administration of subcutaneous injections of the acidic GS-441525-like therapy, such as vocalization, pain, struggling, and injection-site wounds. Limitations of this study include a retrospective design, bias in case selection, reliance on owner-reported data, and inability to confirm the contents of unlicensed pharmaceuticals; however, important lessons can be learned from the experiences of these owners. While unconventional, and certainly not free from medical and legal risks, unlicensed, at-home GS-441524-like therapy, according to owner reports, can apparently offer benefits in the treatment of cats suspected of FIP.
Cinnamaldehyde Induces Release of Cholecystokinin and Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 by Interacting with Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 in a Porcine Ex-Vivo Intestinal Segment Model
Authors: Van Liefferinge Elout , Müller Maximiliano , Van Noten Noémie , Degroote Jeroen , Niknafs Shahram , Roura Eugeni , Michiels Joris
Published: July 2021

Cinnamaldehyde and capsaicin have been reported to exert effects on the gastric function, mediated by the interaction with transient receptor potential ankyrin channel 1 (TRPA1) and transient receptor potential vanilloid channel 1 (TRPV1), respectively. This study examined whether these compounds could trigger the release of cholecystokinin (CCK) and/or glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in the pig’s gut in a porcine ex-vivo intestinal segment model. Furthermore, it was verified whether this response was mediated by TRPA1 or TRPV1 by using the channel’s antagonist. These gut peptides play a key role in the “intestinal brake”, a feedback mechanism that influences the function of proximal parts of the gut. Structural analogues of cinnamaldehyde were screened as well, to explore structure-dependent activation. Results showed a significant effect of capsaicin on GLP-1 release in the proximal small intestine, TRPV1 independent. TRPA1 showed to be strongly activated by cinnamaldehyde, both in proximal and distal small intestine, evidenced by the release of CCK and GLP-1, respectively. Out of all structural derivates, cinnamaldehyde showed the highest affinity for TRPA1, which elucidates the importance of the α,β-unsaturated aldehyde moiety. In conclusion, cinnamaldehyde as a TRPA1 agonist, is a promising candidate to modulate gastric function, by activating intestinal brake mechanisms.