bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Asteroid Photometric Phase Functions From Bayesian Lightcurve Inversion
Authors: Muinonen Karri , Uvarova Elizaveta , Martikainen Julia , Penttilä Antti , Cellino Alberto , Wang Xiaobin
Published: June 2022

Photometry is an important tool for characterizing the physical properties of asteroids. An asteroid’s photometric lightcurve and phase curve refer to the variation of the asteroid’s disk-integrated brightness in time and in phase angle (the Sun-asteroid-observer angle), respectively. They depend on the asteroid’s shape, rotation, and surface scattering properties, and the geometry of illumination and observation. We present Bayesian lightcurve inversion methods for the retrieval of the asteroid’s phase function, the unambiguous phase curve of a spherical object with surface scattering properties equal to those of the asteroid. A collection of such phase functions can give rise to a photometric taxonomy for asteroids. In the inverse problem, first, there are four classes of lightcurves that require individual error models. The photometric observations can be absolute or relative and they can have dense or sparse cadence in comparison to the rotation period of the asteroid. Second, the observations extend over varying phase angle ranges, requiring different phase function models. Asteroid photometry from the European Space Agency Gaia space mission extends, typically, over a range of phase angles, where the phase curve tends to be linear on the magnitude scale. Photometry from ground-based observing programs can reach small phase angles, where the asteroids show an opposition effect, a nonlinear increase of brightness on the magnitude scale towards zero phase angle. We provide error models for all four classes of lightcurves and make use of linear or linear-exponential phase functions for phase angles below 50°. We apply the inverse methods to sparse absolute Gaia and dense relative ground-based lightcurves and obtain absolute magnitudes and phase functions, with uncertainties, for ∼500 asteroids. Finally, we assess the lightcurve inversion problem for dense absolute photometry with the help of a numerical simulation for a Gaussian-random-sphere asteroid.
Utterances as Signals for Sharing Tacit Images in Collective Interaction
Authors: Shoji Naoto , Hochi Yasuyuki , Ohshiro Takuya , Ono Yoshihisa , Inoue Motoki , Mizuno Motoki
Published: June 2022

In ball games, individuals collaborate to enhance their team's performance by sharing images and ideas that have not been verbalized. One of a coach's roles is to ascertain whether players share a common understanding of their team's images so as to devise tactics. Accordingly, this study aimed to verify the hypothesis that sharing images such as tacit knowledge that has not been verbalized occurs in collective interaction when utterances increase substantially during problem-solving. The participants were 13 male university handball players whose teams were championship contenders in Japan. A mixed methods research design was employed. Scenes in which two groups engaged in problem-solving were recorded and data of each participant's utterances were obtained. The utterances were analyzed quantitatively by employing Smirnoff-Grubbs and the time periods including those with a substantial number of utterances were identified. What happened during the identified time periods verified as outliers including the high frequency utterances were analyzed qualitatively by employing consensual qualitative analysis. Finally, the results of the consensual qualitative analysis were used to examine statistically to determine whether specific events occurred during times of extreme high frequency utterances. The exact binomial test was used to determine the 95% confidence interval of the population ratio and the effect size (g) of the mother ratio (0.05) to determine whether non-verbalized images such as tacit knowledge were being shared among members. Of the 26 time periods, 22 were supported the hypothesis. Of the time periods with extremely high utterances, the population ratio of the time periods supporting the hypothesis was 0.846 (CI = 0.681–1.00, g = 0.80). The results revealed that tacit image sharing occurred when there were a substantial number of utterances. This study demonstrated the possibility that sharing images that have not been verbalized occurs in collective interaction when there is a hotspot of utterances.
Oxidized Palm Oil Diet Affects Fatty Acid Profiles, Apparent Digestibility Coefficients and Liver of Hybrid Grouper Juvenile (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × Epinephelus lanceolatus)
Authors: Yong Annita Seok Kian , Syed Mubarak Nur Suhailah , Zhuo Li-Chao , Lin Yu-Hung , Shapawi Rossita
Published: June 2022

Vegetable oil is progressively replacing fish oil (FO) in aquafeed production. However, the effect of oxidized vegetable oil is less reported. This study was done to investigate the effects of oxidized refined palm oil (RPO) on the growth performance, feed utilization, proximate and fatty acid profiles, apparent digestibility coefficients and oxidative stress of hybrid grouper juvenile (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × E. lanceolatus). RPO was force-oxidized and introduced into diets at three oxidative levels to replace 50% of FO. Diets with FO and fresh RPO were served as controls. The peroxide value of the oxidized diets was measured as 14.73, 24.50, and 36.10 meq/kg for diets OxL, OxM, and OxH, respectively. These diets were fed to triplicate groups of hybrid grouper (initial body weight 9.91 ± 0.01 g) for 8 weeks. There was no significant difference in terms of growth performance, survival, feed utilization, and whole-body protein proximate composition in all treatments (p > 0.05). However, different dietary treatments affected the body fatty acids profile and fish-fed OxM diet achieved the highest body weight gain without significant difference (p > 0.05). In terms of hepaticsomatic index (HSI), fish-fed OxH showed a significantly lower value compared to other treatments. Similarly, the lowest apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of nutrients were observed in fish fed OxH diet. The oxidized diets caused significant lower blood cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (p < 0.05). The oxidative stress in the liver as indicated by the significantly higher thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) value in fish fed all the oxidized diets while no significant changes on the muscle TBARS values. In conclusion, the oxidized RPO diets significantly affected the liver, the nutrient digestibility, and the blood total cholesterol and HDL. Furthermore, hybrid grouper can tolerate up to 20 meq/kg of oxidized RPO in the diet without compromising the growth.
“Connecting With Good People and Good Plants”: Community Gardener Experiences in New York State During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Falkowski Tomasz B. , Jorgensen Bethany , Rakow Donald A. , Das Ashmita , Diemont Stewart A. W. , Selfa Theresa , Arrington Austin B.
Published: June 2022

Community gardens are collective projects in which participants collaborate to maintain a garden. They provide many biophysical and cultural ecosystem services, contributing to individual and community resilience and wellbeing. These benefits may be even more appreciated during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, since community gardens require efforts from multiple gardeners in shared spaces, the pandemic also exposed some of their vulnerabilities. This study focuses on the benefits community gardens have offered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges the pandemic posed to sustaining community garden activity, and recommendations to address these issues moving forward. We conducted our study in four cities in New York representing a gradient of socioeconomic and biophysical characteristics: Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, and New York City. We collected data from surveys and semi-structured interviews with community gardeners and analyzed them using mixed models and thematic coding. The primary benefits gardeners derived from their community garden experiences were: a sense of connection with other gardeners, their communities, and nature; mental and physical wellbeing; and a safe space of refuge. In addition to material shortages (e.g., seeds), the biggest challenge gardeners faced due to the pandemic was the limited degree of socializing in the gardens resulting from personal behavioral changes and rules imposed by gardens. Despite the challenges, gardeners reported enjoying the 2020 garden season. The pandemic also created opportunities for gardens to serve their communities, such as organizing programs for composting, food donation and distribution, and home gardening. Our findings suggest that community gardens can be resilient sites of reprieve during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, providing essential benefits for gardeners and local residents. To sustain community garden resilience, we recommend community gardens and gardeners cultivate connections and diversity, within and between the biological and human communities of their gardens.
Correlation of Blood Lipid and Serum Inflammatory Factor Levels With Hypertensive Disorder Complicating Pregnancy
Authors: Chen Wangxiang , Guo Yan , Yao Xia , Zhao Di
Published: June 2022

Purpose

To explore the changes of blood lipid and serum inflammatory factors in pregnant women with hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy (HDP) and the relationship with disease development.

Methods

107 pregnant women with HDP who had regular prenatal examination in our hospital from July 2018 to July 2021 were selected as the research objects. According to the severity of the disease, they were divided into gestational hypertension group, mild preeclampsia group and severe preeclampsia group. 30 healthy pregnant women who underwent prenatal examination in the same period were selected as the healthy group. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), lipoprotein-associated phospholipaseA2 (Lp-PLA2), C- reactive protein (CRP), interleukin -6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value of blood lipid and serum inflammatory factors in pregnant women with HDP.

Results

The levels of serum TC, TG and LDL-C increased with the progression of HDP, the level of serum HDL-C decreased with the progression of HDP (P < 0.05). The levels of serum Lp-PLA2, CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α increased with the progression of HDP (P < 0.05). The AUC of serum TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C levels for predicting HDP were 0.759, 0.854, 0.770 and 0.785, respectively. The AUC of serum Lp-PLA2, CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels for predicting HDP were 0.873, 0.991, 0.966 and 0.999, respectively.

Conclusion

The levels of blood lipid and serum inflammatory factor are closely related to HDP, which has certain value in predicting the occurrence and development of HDP.
The First Report of Polymorphisms and Genetic Characteristics of the Shadow of Prion Protein (SPRN) in Prion Disease-Resistant Animal, Chickens
Authors: Kim Yong-Chan , Kim Hyeon-Ho , Jeong Byung-Hoon
Published: June 2022

Prion diseases are irreversible neurodegenerative disorders caused by the aggregated form of prion protein (PrPSc) derived from the normal form of prion protein (PrPC). Previous studies have reported that shadow of prion protein (Sho) interacts with prion protein (PrP) and accelerates the conversion of PrPC to PrPSc. In addition, genetic polymorphisms of the shadow of the prion protein gene (SPRN) are related to the vulnerability of prion diseases in various hosts. However, to date, polymorphisms and genetic features of the SPRN gene have not been investigated in chickens, which are prion disease-resistant animals. We investigated genetic polymorphisms of the SPRN gene in 2 breeds of chickens, i.e., Dekalb White and Ross, using amplicon sequencing. We analyzed genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) among the genetic polymorphisms. In addition, we compared the amino acid sequences of Sho among several prion-related species to identify the unique genetic features of chicken Sho using ClustalW. Furthermore, we evaluated the N-terminal signal peptide and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor using SignalP and PredGPI, respectively. Finally, we compared the number of SPRN polymorphisms between prion disease-resistant and prion disease-susceptible animals. We identified 7 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 1 synonymous SNP in the open reading frame (ORF) of the chicken SPRN gene. We also found significantly different genotypes, allele frequencies and haplotypes between the 2 chicken breeds. In addition, we found that the interaction regions between Sho and PrP and the NXT glycosylation motif were conserved among all species. Notably, sequence similarity was extremely low in the N-terminal and C-terminal regions between mammals and chickens. Furthermore, we found that chicken Sho was the longest N-terminal signal peptide, and the amino acids of the cutting site of chicken are different from those of mammals. Last, unlike other species investigated, omega-site and signal sequences of the GPI-anchor were not found in chickens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic polymorphisms of the SPRN gene in chickens.
A Cost-Efficient MCSA-Based Fault Diagnostic Framework for SCIM at Low-Load Conditions
Authors: Okwuosa Chibuzo Nwabufo , Akpudo Ugochukwu Ejike , Hur Jang-Wook
Published: June 2022

In industry, electric motors such as the squirrel cage induction motor (SCIM) generate motive power and are particularly popular due to their low acquisition cost, strength, and robustness. Along with these benefits, they have minimal maintenance costs and can run for extended periods before requiring repair and/or maintenance. Early fault detection in SCIMs, especially at low-load conditions, further helps minimize maintenance costs and mitigate abrupt equipment failure when loading is increased. Recent research on these devices is focused on fault/failure diagnostics with the aim of reducing downtime, minimizing costs, and increasing utility and productivity. Data-driven predictive maintenance offers a reliable avenue for intelligent monitoring whereby signals generated by the equipment are harnessed for fault detection and isolation (FDI). Particularly, motor current signature analysis (MCSA) provides a reliable avenue for extracting and/or exploiting discriminant information from signals for FDI and/or fault diagnosis. This study presents a fault diagnostic framework that exploits underlying spectral characteristics following MCSA and intelligent classification for fault diagnosis based on extracted spectral features. Results show that the extracted features reflect induction motor fault conditions with significant diagnostic performance (minimal false alarm rate) from intelligent models, out of which the random forest (RF) classifier was the most accurate, with an accuracy of 79.25%. Further assessment of the models showed that RF had the highest computational cost of 3.66 s, while NBC had the lowest at 0.003 s. Other significant empirical assessments were conducted, and the results support the validity of the proposed FDI technique.
A New Subject-Sensitive Hashing Algorithm Based on MultiRes-RCF for Blockchains of HRRS Images
Authors: Ding Kaimeng , Chen Shiping , Yu Jiming , Liu Yanan , Zhu Jie
Published: June 2022

Aiming at the deficiency that blockchain technology is too sensitive to the binary-level changes of high resolution remote sensing (HRRS) images, we propose a new subject-sensitive hashing algorithm specially for HRRS image blockchains. To implement this subject-sensitive hashing algorithm, we designed and implemented a deep neural network model MultiRes-RCF (richer convolutional features) for extracting features from HRRS images. A MultiRes-RCF network is an improved RCF network that borrows the MultiRes mechanism of MultiResU-Net. The subject-sensitive hashing algorithm based on MultiRes-RCF can detect the subtle tampering of HRRS images while maintaining robustness to operations that do not change the content of the HRRS images. Experimental results show that our MultiRes-RCF-based subject-sensitive hashing algorithm has better tamper sensitivity than the existing deep learning models such as RCF, AAU-net, and Attention U-net, meeting the needs of HRRS image blockchains.
Causality in Relation to Futures and Cash Prices in the Wheat Market
Authors: Szczepańska-Przekota Anna
Published: June 2022

Mutual interactions between the agricultural commodities futures market and the spot market are some of the most important relationships that can be observed between the financial market and the real economy. The process of the flow of price impulses between these markets has long been of interest to researchers. It is important both for stock market investors and agricultural producers, as well as for decision-makers responsible for food policy. The studies conducted so far do not provide unambiguous answers about the strength and direction of flows of price impulses. This is one example of the need for continuous process monitoring. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the process of the flow of price impulses between the futures market and the wheat spot market. The study was carried out based on the US example. The futures prices from the CBOT exchange and the wheat producer price index were analyzed. The data covers the period between 01.2010 and 01.2022. The Granger causality test and the VAR model were used for the study. The results are in the minority, as a causal relationship was obtained from the spot market to the futures market, which is a less common result.
Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterium from Non-Agricultural Soil Improves Okra Plant Growth
Authors: AlAli Heba Adel , Khalifa Ashraf , Almalki Mohammed
Published: June 2022

Beneficial soil microorganisms influence nutrient recycling, soil fertility, plant growth, and productivity and reduce chemical fertilizer application. This study aimed to isolate bacteria from non-agricultural soils in the Al-Ahsa region and characterize the bacteria with the best biostimulating characteristics at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular level. DPM17, a bacterial isolate, promotes plant growth through phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, and ammonia production. DPM17 also produces the phytohormones, indole acetic acid (IAA; 4.516 μg mL−1) and gibberellin (1.33 µg mL−1), and ammonia (0.06 µg mL−1). Additionally, DPM17 grows in the presence of up to 10% NaCl, indicating its halophilic nature. DPM17 was identified as Bacillus baekryungensis based on comparative sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, and neighbor-joining phylogenetic analyses indicated that DPM17 was 96.51% identified to Bacillus sp. DPM17 inoculation substantially improved Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) root length, lateral root count, and dry weight from 7.03 to 9.41 (p = 0.03), 3.2 to 7.2, and 6 to 13 mg (p = 0.032), respectively. The results suggest that DPM17 enhances plant growth and can be exploited to develop efficient formulations for sustainable agriculture and food security in Saudi Arabia.
Design of and Experiments with an Automatic Cuttage Device for an Arch Shed Pillar with Force Feedback
Authors: Chen Kezhou , Liu Xing , Jin Shiteng , Li Longfei , He Xin , Wang Tao , Mi Guopeng , Shi Yinggang , Li Wei
Published: June 2022

In order to realize the automatic cutting of arch shed pillars, an automatic cuttage device for an arch shed pillar with force feedback was designed in this study. First, the wind resistance of the arch shed was simulated and analyzed using ANSYS, and the cuttage depth of the arch shed pillar was determined. According to the environment for the cuttage operation of the arch shed pillar and the agronomic requirements, such as the arch shed span, arch shed height, and cuttage depth, the function, structure, and basic design parameters of the arch shed automatic cuttage device were determined. Then, to reduce the damage rate of the pillar and achieve equal-depth cuttage, a force feedback system for the actuator of the cuttage device was constructed to estimate the cuttage resistance and depth in real time. To reduce the impact of the starting and stopping of each motor in the actuator, trajectory planning of the execution end in the pillar transfer stage was performed in the Cartesian coordinate system. The motion law of portal trajectory based on the Láme curve was analyzed, and MATLAB simulations were used to solve the relevant motion parameters. In addition, the modality of key components of the cuttage device was simulated and analyzed by using the SOLIDWORKS simulation plug-in. Finally, the experimental prototype was constructed according to the simulation results. The simulation and field cuttage experiments showed that the cuttage device produced equal-depth cuttage for the arch shed pillar, where the depth of the arch shed pillar was 10 cm, the average cuttage time of a single pillar was 6.2 s, and the error of the cuttage depth was ±0.5 cm in wet soil. The operation of the device was stable, as evidenced by the smooth and mutation-free operation trajectory and speed curve of the execution end. The results of the modal experiment suggest that resonance would not occur during the operation for resonance frequencies between 303 Hz and 565 Hz. This arch shed pillar automatic cuttage device has an optimal operation performance and meets the agronomic requirements of arch shed pillar cuttage.
How Perceived Stress Affects Farmers’ Continual Adoption of Farmland Quality Improvement Practices
Authors: Li Na , Xue Caixia
Published: June 2022

Regarding the fact that smallholder farmers form the main part of agriculture, actively guiding smallholder farmers to continually adopt the farmland quality improvement practice in their agricultural production process is considered as the critical path to improve farmland sustainability for the agricultural sector in China especially smallholder farmers planting economic crops, such as tea, that have long relied on heavy inputs of chemical fertilizers that seriously undermine the quality of farmland. However, the state efforts towards the promotion of farmers’ adoption of farmland quality improvement practices for years have not obtained remarkable results. In this context, based on expectation confirmation theory and conservation of resources theory, the study classified farmers’ perceived stress towards continual adoption of farmland quality improvement practice into three categories: stress from uselessness perception, difficulty perception, and in-adaptability perception. A structural equation model was utilized to explore the impact of perceived stress on farmers’ continual adoption of the practice in a sample of 494 tea farmers from Qinba Mountain Area in China. Additionally, the mediating effect of self-efficacy and moderating effect of social support are discussed theoretically and empirically in the paper. The research findings show that the stress from in-adaptability perception has the strongest inhibitory effect of the three on farmers’ continual behavior while the stress from difficulty perception is the weakest. Further, the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between perceived stress and farmers’ continual adoption behaviors was confirmed. Additionally, the study indicated that social support can buffer the negative impact of perceived stress from uselessness perception and difficulty perception on farmers‘ continual adoption behaviors. Therefore, fully considering farmers’ perceived stress, providing farmers with support in a targeted manner, would strengthen the coordination between the government and the household on farmland improvement practices, accelerating the achievement of farmland sustainability.
Nitrogen Reduction with Bio-Organic Fertilizer Altered Soil Microorganisms, Improved Yield and Quality of Non-Heading Chinese Cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis Makino)
Authors: Qi Yingbin , Wu Zhen , Zhou Rong , Hou Xilin , Yu Lu , Cao Yuxin , Jiang Fangling
Published: June 2022

Excessively using fertilizers poses serious problems such as environmental pollution, soil degeneration, and quality and yield reduction of vegetables. This study aimed to illustrate the effect of different organic manure and inorganic fertilizers on the characteristics of soil, and the growth, yield, and quality of non-heading Chinese cabbage. There were 28 treatments in the first experiment: no fertilization (CK), conventional fertilization (100% nitrogen T1), 20% reduction of total nitrogen (T2), 30% reduction of total nitrogen (T3), and 20% or 30% reduction of total nitrogen with four kinds of fertilizers and three kinds of dosages (24 treatments). Six treatments, being selected from the first experiment based on growth of plants, were further applied to the second experiment. The results of the second experiment showed that the pH, nitrate nitrogen, and organic matter content of soil treated by N2 (20% reduction of total nitrogen with 1500 kg·ha−1 No.1: Bacillus-enriched bio-organic fertilizer) were significantly enhanced compared with T1 (100% nitrogen). The N2-treated plants showed an 11.66% increase in root activity, 9.24% enhancement in yield, 5.79% increase in vitamin C (VC), and 47.87% decrease in nitrate content compared with T1. Nitrogen reduction with bio-organic fertilizer significantly increased the dominant phyla of Gemmatimonadetes and Chytridiomycota and significantly decreased Ascomycota, and increased the dominant genera of Gemmatimonas and Bacillus and decreased Fusarium, indicating that this treatment altered the microbial community composition of soil. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that AP (available phosphorus), OM (organic matter), and UREA (urease activity) of the soil were significantly correlated with microbial community structure. Yield was significantly, positively correlated with Rhodanobacter and Olpidium. In conclusion, nitrogen reduction with bio-organic fertilizer benefited growth, yield, and quality of non-heading Chinese cabbage by improving the soil quality.
Mixture Composition Influenced the Biomass Yield and Nutritional Quality of Legume–Grass Pastures
Authors: Tahir Muhammad , Li Changhua , Zeng Tairu , Xin Yafen , Chen Chen , Javed Hafiz Hassan , Yang Wenyu , Yan Yanhong
Published: June 2022

A two-year field experiment was conducted to address the effects of mixture composition and legume-grass seeding ratio on the biomass yield and nutritional quality of legume–grass mixtures. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were selected as plant materials. A total of seven legume–grass mixtures (A1: white clover, orchardgrass, and tall fescue; A2: alfalfa, orchardgrass, and tall fescue; B1: alfalfa, white clover, orchardgrass, and tall fescue; B2: red clover, white clover, orchardgrass, and tall fescue; C1: alfalfa, white clover, orchardgrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass; C2: red clover, white clover, orchardgrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass; and D: alfalfa, red clover, white clover, orchardgrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass) were sown in two legume-grass seeding ratios (L:G) of 4:6 and 5:5. The results showed that A2 produced a higher two-year average biomass yield (14.20 t/ha) in L:G of 4:6 than that of other mixtures. The grasses biomass yield proportion decreased while legume biomass yield proportion increased with prolonged establishment time. A2 showed a higher crude protein yield (2.5 t/ha) in L:G of 4:6. C2 and A1 showed lower neutral detergent fiber (4.6 t/ha) and acid detergent fiber (2.8 t/ha) yields in L:G 5:5, while diverse mixtures showed higher water-soluble carbohydrate yields. Overall, A2 showed a relative feed value of 146.50 in L:G of 4:6, indicating that it has not only produced the higher biomass yield but also had a better nutritional quality.
Changes in Relationships between Humic Substances and Soil Structure following Different Mineral Fertilization of Vitis vinifera L. in Slovakia
Authors: Šimanský Vladimír , Wójcik-Gront Elżbieta , Horváthová Jarmila , Pikuła Dorota , Lošák Tomáš , Parzych Agnieszka , Lukac Martin , Aydın Elena
Published: June 2022

The quantity and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) depending on many edaphic and environmental factors may change in response to agriculture-related practices. The SOM humification process can be supported by the application of mineral fertilizers, but in the production vineyards, such information is lacking. NPK fertilizer alters the soil quality, and therefore, the aim of this study was to: (1) assess the extent and dynamics of different NPK (control—no fertilization; 1st NPK; and 3rd NPK levels) rates to the soil with grass sward cover in a productive vineyard on changes in SOM, humic substances (HS), and soil structure, and (2) identify relationships between SOM, HS, and soil structure. Results showed that the share of humic acids in soil organic carbon decreased only in NPK1 compared to control and NPK3 treatments. The color quotient of humic substance values in NPK1 and NPK3 increased by 4 and 5%, respectively, compared to control. Over a period of 14 years, the content of soil organic carbon increased by 0.71, 0.69, and 0.53 g kg−1 year−1 in the control, NPK1, and NPK3, respectively. The content of HS increased linearly with slight differences due to NPK application. The vulnerability of the soil structure decreased due to fertilization—more at the higher NPK level. The rate of formed soil crust was decreasing in the following order: control > NPK1 > NPK3. In the control treatment, the relations between SOM, HS, and soil structure were most abundant and with the greatest significance, while with the increasing level of NPK, these relations lost their significance.
Heat Stress Alters the Effect of Eimeria maxima Infection on Ileal Amino Acids Digestibility and Transporters Expression in Meat-Type Chickens
Authors: Ghareeb Ahmed F. A. , Schneiders Gustavo H. , Foutz James C. , Milfort Marie C. , Fuller Alberta L. , Yuan Jianmin , Rekaya Romdhane , Aggrey Samuel E.
Published: June 2022

Eimeria (E.) maxima invades the midgut of chickens and destroys the intestinal mucosa, impacting nutrient digestibility and absorption. Heat stress (HS) commonly affects the broiler chicken and contributes to inflammation and oxidative stress. We examined the independent and combined effects of HS and E. maxima infection on apparent amino acid ileal digestibility (AID) and mRNA expression of amino acid transporters in broiler chickens (Ross 708). There were four treatment groups: thermoneutral-control (TNc) and infected (TNi), heat-stress control (HSc) and infected (HSi), six replicates of 10 birds/treatment. Ileal content and tissue were sampled at 6 d post infection to determine AID and transporters expression. Surprisingly, the HSi chickens exposed to two critical stressors exhibited normal AID. Only the TNi group displayed reduction in AID. Using TNc as control, the HSc group showed upregulated CAT1, LAT4, TAT1, SNAT1, and SNAT7. The HSi group showed upregulated CAT1 and LAT1, and downregulated b0,+AT, rBAT, SNAT1, and SNAT2. The TNi group showed upregulated CAT1, LAT1, and SNAT1 and downregulated B0AT1, b0,+AT, rBAT, LAT4, and TAT1. The expression of all enterocytic-apical and about half of the basolateral transporters was higher in the HSi group than in the TNi group, indicating that HS can putatively alleviate the E. maxima adverse effect on ileal digestion and absorption.
Upper and Lower Airways Evaluation and Its Relationship with Dynamic Upper Airway Obstruction in Racehorses
Authors: Lo Feudo Chiara Maria , Stancari Giovanni , Collavo Federica , Stucchi Luca , Conturba Bianca , Zucca Enrica , Ferrucci Francesco
Published: June 2022

Dynamic upper airway obstructions (DUAO) are common in racehorses, but their pathogenetic mechanisms have not been completely clarified yet. Multiple studies suggest that alterations of the pharyngo-laryngeal region visible at resting endoscopy may be predictive of the onset of DUAO, and the development of DUAO may be associated with pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH), lower airway inflammation (LAI) and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). The present study aims to investigate the possible relationship between the findings of a complete resting evaluation of the upper and lower airways and DUAO. In this retrospective study, 360 racehorses (Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds) referred for poor performance or abnormal respiratory noises were enrolled and underwent a diagnostic protocol including resting and high-speed treadmill endoscopy, cytological examination of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and radiographic assessment of the epiglottis length. In this population, epiglottis flaccidity was associated with dorsal displacement of the soft palate, while no relationship was detected between DUAO and epiglottis length. No associations were detected between DUAO and PLH, LAI or EIPH. In conclusion, it is likely that epiglottis plays a role in upper airway stability, while airways inflammation does not seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of DUAO.
Molecular Characterization of Anaplasma spp. among Dairy, Cashmere, and Meat Goats in Shaanxi Province, Northwestern China
Authors: Yang Xin , Fu Mingzhe , Yu Zhengqing , Wang Junwei , Song Junke , Zhao Guanghui
Published: June 2022

Anaplasma spp. are important tick-borne pathogens endangering the health of humans and various animals. Although several studies have reported Anaplasma infection in livestock in China, little is known about the impact of production categories on the occurrence of Anaplasma species. In the present study, PCR tools targeting the 16S rRNA and msp4 genes were applied to investigate the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. in 509 blood samples of dairy (n = 249), cashmere (n = 139), and meat (n = 121) goats from Shaanxi province. The prevalence of Anaplasma spp. was 58.5% (298/509) in goats, and significant differences (p < 0.001) were identified in the prevalence among production categories, with the highest in meat goats (84.3%, 102/121), followed by cashmere goats (58.3%, 81/139) and dairy goats (46.2%, 115/249). Significant differences (p < 0.001) in prevalence were also found among sampling sites and age groups. Meanwhile, the prevalence was 36.9% (188/509) for A. phagocytophilum, 36.1% (184/509) for A. bovis, and 11.0% (56/509) for A. ovis, and significant differences (p < 0.001) in prevalence of A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis and A. ovis were recognized among production categories and sampling sites. A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis and A. ovis were dominant species in meat, dairy, and cashmere goats, respectively, and A. ovis was absent in meat goats. Co-infections were found in 124 (24.4%) investigated samples. Goats aged < 2, 3–6, and 7–12 months, and goats from Qingjian and Zhenba were risk factors associated with the occurrence of Anaplasma. Phylogenetic analysis indicated separate clades for the distribution of A. phagocytophilum from different ruminant, reflecting potential host adaption within this species. This study reported the colonization occurrence of Anaplasma spp. among production categories in goats in Shaanxi province and enriched our knowledge on the transmission of Anaplasma spp. in goats in China. Considering the existence of zoonotic A. phagocytophilum in goats in this study and previous reports, interventions based on One Health are needed to be developed to control the transmission of Anaplasma spp. between humans and animals.
Pattern of Antibiotic Use among Hospitalized Patients according to WHO Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) Classification: Findings from a Point Prevalence Survey in Bangladesh
Authors: Rashid Md. Mahbubur , Akhtar Zubair , Chowdhury Sukanta , Islam Md. Ariful , Parveen Shahana , Ghosh Probir Kumar , Rahman Aninda , Khan Zobaidul Haque , Islam Khaleda , Debnath Nitish , Rahman Mahmudur , Chowdhury Fahmida
Published: June 2022

For supporting antibiotic stewardship interventions, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified antibiotics through the AWaRe (Access, Watch, and Reserve) classification. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials among hospital-admitted patients exposes them to the vulnerability of developing resistant organisms which are difficult to treat. We aimed to describe the proportion of antibiotic use based on the WHO AWaRe classification in tertiary and secondary level hospitals in Bangladesh. A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted adapting the WHO PPS design in inpatients departments in 2021. Among the 1417 enrolled patients, 52% were female and 63% were from the 15–64 years age group. Nearly 78% of patients received at least one antibiotic during the survey period. Third-generation cephalosporins (44.6%), penicillins (12.3%), imidazoles (11.8%), aminoglycosides (7.2%), and macrolides (5.8%) were documented as highly used antibiotics. Overall, 64.0% of Watch, 35.6% of Access, and 0.1% of Reserve group antibiotics were used for treatment. The use of Watch group antibiotics was high in medicine wards (78.7%) and overall high use of Watch antibiotics was observed at secondary hospitals (71.5%) compared to tertiary hospitals (60.2%) (p-value of 0.000). Our PPS findings underscore the need for an urgent nationwide antibiotic stewardship program for physicians including the development and implementation of local guidelines and in-service training on antibiotic use.
Predicting In-Hospital Antibiotic Use in the Medical Department: Derivation and Validation Study
Authors: Poran Itamar , Elbaz Michal , Turjeman Adi , Huberman Samuel Maayan , Eliakim-Raz Noa , Nashashibi Jeries , Paul Mical , Leibovici Leonard
Published: June 2022

Background: The rise of multi-drug-resistant pathogens and nosocomial infections among hospitalized patients is partially attributed to the increased use of antibiotic therapy. A prediction model for in-hospital antibiotic treatment could be valuable to target preventive strategies. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study, including patients admitted in 2018 to medical departments and not treated with antibiotics during the first 48 h. Data available at hospital admission were used to develop a logistic model to predict the probability of antibiotic treatment during hospitalization. The performance of the model was evaluated in two independent validation cohorts. Results: In the derivation cohort, antibiotic treatment was initiated in 454 (8.1%) out of 5592 included patients. Male gender, lower functional capacity, prophylactic antibiotic treatment, medical history of atrial fibrillation, peripheral vascular disease, solid organ transplantation, chronic use of a central venous catheter, urinary catheter and nasogastric tube, albumin level, mental status and vital signs at presentation were identified as predictors for antibiotic use during hospitalization and were included in the prediction model. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) was 0.72 (95% CI 0.70–0.75). In the highest probability group, the percentage of antibiotic treatment was 18.2% (238/1,307). In the validation cohorts, the AUROC was 0.73 (95% CI 0.68–0.77) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.72–0.78). In the highest probability group, the percentage of antibiotic treatment was 12.5% (66/526) and 20.7% (244/1179) of patients. Conclusions: Our prediction model performed well in the validation cohorts and was able to identify a subgroup of patients at high risk for antibiotic treatment.
Nosocomial Outbreak of Extensively Drug-Resistant (Polymyxin B and Carbapenem) Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Collapsed University Hospital Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Gaspar Gilberto G. , Tamasco Gustavo , Abichabki Nathália , Scaranello Ana Flavia T. , Auxiliadora-Martins Maria , Pocente Renata , Andrade Leonardo N. , Guazzaroni María-Eugenia , Silva-Rocha Rafael , Bollela Valdes R.
Published: June 2022

We correlated clinical, epidemiological, microbiological, and genomic data of an outbreak with polymyxin B (PB)- and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-six PB- and carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae were isolated from patients in the COVID-19 ICU (Intensive Care Unit), non-COVID-19 ICU (Intensive Care Unit), clinical, or surgical ward. Bacterial identification, drug susceptibility tests, and DNA sequencing were performed, followed by in silico resistance genes identification. All isolates showed extensively drug-resistant (XDR) phenotypes. Four different sequence types (ST) were detected: ST16, ST11, ST258, and ST437. Nineteen isolates were responsible for an outbreak in the ICU in September 2020. They belong to ST258 and harbored the 42Kb IncX3plasmid (pKP98M3N42) with the same genomic pattern of two K. pneumoniae identified in 2018. Twenty-four isolates carried bla-KPC-2 gene. No plasmid-mediated colistin (mcr) resistance genes were found. Eight isolates presented mgrB gene mutation. The clonal isolates responsible for the outbreak came from patients submitted to pronation, with high mortality rates in one month. XDR-K. pneumoniae detected during the outbreak presented chromosomal resistance to PB and plasmid-acquired carbapenem resistance due to KPC production in most isolates and 42Kb IncX3(pKP98M3N42) plasmid carrying blaKPC-2 was associated with ST258 isolates. The outbreak followed the collapse of the local healthcare system with high mortality rates.
Energy Dissipation and Stress Equilibrium Behavior of Granite under Dynamic Impact
Authors: Xu Zhenyang , Wu Yixuan , Liu Xin , Guo Lianjun , Hu Zhihang
Published: June 2022

Stress equilibrium time is an important index to judge the homogeneity of rocks. In order to study the relationship between stress equilibrium time and crushing energy consumption before rock destruction, Hopkinson tests were conducted on granite specimens with different length-to-diameter ratios. In this paper, by studying the size and strain rate effects of rocks, five different sizes of granite specimens with different aspect ratios were prepared and Hopkinson impact tests were conducted under four strain rate conditions. Data analysis and processing using the three-wave method to investigate the stress uniformity of granite specimens under impact loading. The energy balance factor was introduced to compare and analyze the stress equilibrium time of five kinds of long-diameter granite specimens, and it was found that the stress equilibrium time of rocks with the same length–diameter ratio decreased with the increase of loading strain rate, while the granite specimens with length–diameter ratio of 0.8 showed a better stress equilibrium time. In order to better find the aspect ratio and loading strain rate that can crush better and maintain a long equilibrium time, the energy consumption of rock crushing is further analyzed. The energy dissipation of granite specimens with loading strain rate of 156.8 s−1 and 253.2 s−1 was found to be more concentrated, and the energy dissipation rate was stable at about 48%. Subsequently, the relationship between stress equilibrium time and energy dissipation was established, and it was proved that the fastest growing time period of the energy dissipation curve was approximately equal to the rock stress equilibrium time, while the length-to-diameter ratio of the granite specimen that could better maintain the stress uniformity before rock crushing was 0.8 and the loading strain rate was 156.8 s−1.
Non-Uniform Input-Based Adaptive Growing Neural Gas for Unstructured Environment Map Construction
Authors: Wang Suyu , Ren Ze , Wu Miao
Published: June 2022

The research and development of special robots such as excavation robots is an important way to achieve safe and efficient production in coal mines. Affected by the unstructured environment such as complex working conditions and unsteady factor disturbances, the real-time construction of section environment maps that can accurately describe the environment and facilitate trajectory planning and decision making has become a key scientific problem to be solved as soon as possible. Therefore, non-uniform input based adaptive growing neural gas for unstructured environment map construction has been proposed. Considering complex load identification, real-time location identification, and the types of unsteady disturbance factors and working conditions, a set of environment identification models has been established based on a large amount of underground measured data training. These models can express whether the section environment has changed, as well as the type and magnitude of the change, to realize the overall knowledge extraction and parametric representation of the unstructured environment. Then, in order to solve the problems of inaccurate topology, excessive aging of connecting edges, and excessive deletion of nodes in non-uniform input environment, an adaptive growing neural gas algorithm based on non-uniform input environment (AGNG-NU) is proposed. Featured by a dynamic response deletion mechanism and adaptive adjustment mechanism of neuron parameters, the generated nodes and their topology can be dynamically adjusted according to the density of regional sample points. Several sets of non-uniform input environments are set to test the algorithm. The experimental results show that the topological maps established by AGNG-NU express clearer environmental information and, at the same time, the accuracy and distribution are improved by 8% and 15%, respectively, compared with the basic GNG algorithm. The accuracy and the distribution have also been significantly improved compared with other common SOM and GCS algorithms.
Influence of Cutter Head on Cavitation of Non-Jammed Submerged Grinder Pump
Authors: Zhu Rongsheng , Qiang Zhuang , Wang Zhenwei , Fu Qiang , Long Yun
Published: June 2022

For the investigation of the cavitation of non-jammed submersible grinder pumps, a GSP-22 model pump was numerically simulated based on CFX. ICEM-CFD was applied to a structured mesh for the flow components. Pump performance and the influence of the cutter head on cavitation with different cutter head numbers and shapes were investigated. The results were as follows: with increases in the number of cutter heads, the effects of the cutter heads on the water increased, and the flow rate near the cutter head increased correspondingly—which eventually led to aggravated cavitation near the cutter head of the non-jammed submersible grinder pump. The head of the submersible grinder pump with a streamlined cutter changed little compared to the pump with a non-streamlined cutter; the overall power declined by 13.2% and the highest efficiency increased by 6%. For all pumps with different numbers of cutter heads, the vapor volume fraction of the streamlined cutter head was lower than that of the non-streamlined cutter head, and the vapor distribution area size of the streamlined cutter head was smaller than that of the non-streamlined cutter head. This means that changing the cutter head shape to streamlined can effectively control the cavitation intensity near the cutter head.