bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping forest and site quality of planted Chinese fir forest using sentinel images
Authors: Tang Chongjian , Ye Zilin , Long Jiangping , Liu Zhaohua , Zhang Tingchen , Xu Xiaodong , Lin Hui
Published: October 2022

Normally, forest quality (FQ) and site quality (SQ) play an important role in evaluating actual and potential forest productivity. Traditionally, these assessment indices (FQ and SQ) are mainly based on forest parameters extracted from ground measurement (forest height, age, density, forest stem volume (FSV), and DBH), which is labor-intensive and difficult to access in certain remote forest areas. Recently, remote sensing images combined with a small number of samples were gradually applied to map forest parameters because of the various advantages of remote sensing technology, such as low cost, spatial coverage, and high efficiency. However, FQ and SQ related to forest parameters are rarely estimated using remote sensing images and machine learning models. In this study, the Sentinel images and ground samples of planted Chinese fir forest located in the ecological “green-core” area of Changzhutan urban cluster, were initially employed to explore the feasibility of mapping the FQ and SQ. And then, four types of alternative variables (backscattering coefficients (VV and VH), multi-spectral bands, vegetation indices, and texture characteristics) were extracted from Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-2A images, respectively. After selecting variables using a stepwise regression model, three machine learning models (SVR, RF, and KNN) were employed to estimate various forest parameters. Finally, the FQ of the study region was directly mapped by the weights sum of related factors extracted by the factor analysis method, and the SQ was also extracted using mapped forest height and age. The results illustrated that the accuracy of estimated forest parameters (DBH, H, and Age) was significantly higher than FSV, FCC, and Age and the largest and smallest rRMSEs were observed from FSV (0.38~0.40) and forest height (0.20~0.21), respectively. Using mapped forest parameters, it also resulted that the rRMSEs of estimated FQ and SQ were 0.19 and 0.15, respectively. Furthermore, after normalization and grading, the grades of forest quality were mainly concentrated in grades I, II, and III in the study region. Though the accuracy of mapping FQ and SQ is limited by the saturation phenomenon, it is significantly proved that using machine learning models and Sentinel images has great potential to indirectly map FQ and SQ.
Genetic insights into the crude protein and fiber content of ramie leaves
Authors: Liu Zhiyong , Zeng Zheng , Yang Xiai , Zhu Siyuan , Liu Touming , Wang Yanzhou
Published: October 2022

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) is a perennial plant with vigorously vegetative growth and high nutritive value that is an excellent source of green feed in China. Crude protein and fiber content are the most important traits associated with ramie forage quality; however, their genetic basis remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the genetic architecture of these two traits using an F2 population derived from cultivated Zhongsizhu 1 (ZSZ1) and wild Boehmeria nivea var. tenacissima (tenacissima). Linkage mapping identified eight quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in crude fiber and one QTL in crude protein. Of these, five were further validated by association analysis. Then, two major QTLs for crude fiber content, CF7 and CF13, were further identified using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) sequencing, and their exact physical intervals were determined via genotype analysis of F2 progenies with extremely low crude fiber content. In total, 10 genes in the CF7 and CF13 regions showed differential expression in ZSZ1 and tenacissima leaves, including an MYB gene whole_GLEAN_10016511 from the CF13 region. Wide variation was observed in the promoter regions of whole_GLEAN_10016511, likely responsible for its downregulated expression in tenacissima. Interestingly, more fiber cells were observed in Arabidopsis with overexpression of whole_GLEAN_10016511, indicating that the downregulated expression of this gene could have an association with the relatively low fiber content in wild tenacissima. These results provided evidence that whole_GLEAN_10016511 is a logical candidate for CF13. This study provides important insights into the genetic basis underlying ramie crude protein and fiber content, and it presents genetic loci for improving the forage quality of ramie using marker-assisted selection.
The effect of trait mindfulness on social media rumination: Upward social comparison as a moderated mediator
Authors: Gu Chenyu , Liu Shiyu , Chen Subai
Published: October 2022

Social media rumination means that social media users are inclined to worry about their posts, relevant situational elements, and ramifications of the posts on a regular basis, and it is one of the main reasons why people's use of social media is linked to unfavorable mental health and interpersonal results. Rumination is antagonistic to mindfulness, which entails paying attention on purpose and without judgment, and mindfulness appears to be useful in reducing rumination. However, in the context of social media, the nature of the relationship between rumination and mindfulness has gained less attention. The current research study indicates that trait mindfulness, upward social comparison (USC), and self-esteem are implicated in social media rumination (SMR). However, no research study has synthesized the findings into one model. Therefore, the current research study aims to explore the relationship between trait mindfulness and SMR, the mediating effect of USC, and the moderating effect of self-esteem. The model was tested using AMOS and the PROCESS macro in SPSS with bootstrapping. According to the findings, SC appears to have a moderated mediator effect on the relationship between trait mindfulness and SMR. Specifically, individuals with high mindfulness trait do not necessarily have less USC. Self-esteem moderated the above mediation. The beneficial effect of trait mindfulness on social media rumination is explained in depth in this study.
Meeting the bilingual learning needs of Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province: A multiple perspective investigation into problems and solutions
Authors: Shi Meng , Huang Jinyan , Lu Guo
Published: October 2022

Using student and teacher open-ended questionnaires, and interviews with teachers and school principals and administrators, this study examined the bilingual learning difficulties faced by the Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province, China, the challenges in meeting their needs, and the suggestions for coping with these challenges. The participants included 200 Tibetan minority students, 20 classroom teachers, and 10 school principals and administrators randomly selected from eight secondary schools located in eight different counties, where there are the most Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province. The results showed that they experienced considerable difficulties in both spoken and written Chinese, which had prevented them from understanding the lectures, answering questions, interacting with peers in the classroom, and communicating with friends and classmates outside of classroom. The challenges in meeting their bilingual learning needs include: (a) a language choice dilemma for parents, (b) insufficient training of bilingual education teachers, (c) lack of bilingual education resources; (d) short of qualified teachers; (e) lack of parent-school communication; and (f) insufficient training of principals and administrators. Suggestions for coping with these challenges and educational implications are discussed.
Combination of physical activity and screen time on life satisfaction in adults: A cross-sectional survey
Authors: Chen Zhenhuai , Sun Jiangang , Zhuang Wei
Published: October 2022

Background

Sufficient physical activity (PA) and limited screen time (ST) have been shown to be positively associated with a variety of mental health outcomes. It has been known that PA and ST are independently associated with life satisfaction. Whereas, little is known about the association between combinations of PA and ST with life satisfaction in adults. This study aimed to explore the associations between PA and ST (in insolation or combination) and life satisfaction in adults.

Methods

Data from the 2014 European Social Survey (ESS) round 7 consisting of 22 countries were analyzed in this study. In total, self-reported data from 40,185 adults were included in the final analysis. The self-administered method was used to collect demographic information, PA, ST, and life satisfaction. The prevalence of meeting PA guidelines (at least 150 min per week) and ST guidelines (no more than 3 h per day) was calculated according to Canadian 24-h Movement Guidelines for Adults.

Results

Adults who were engaged in sufficient PA and limited ST were more likely to report a higher level of life satisfaction. Meeting PA or ST guidelines was more likely to report higher life satisfaction scores [odds ratio (OR) = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.16–1.47]. Compared with not meeting any guidelines, those who met both PA and ST guidelines had a higher OR (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.37–1.76).

Conclusion

This study found that participating PA while limiting ST concurrently was linked with better life satisfaction. Creating an active lifestyle is important to population’s well-being.
Research on the relationship between marital commitment, sacrifice behavior and marital quality of military couples
Authors: Lin Lemin , Guo Hang , Duan Lisa , He Li , Wu Chaoliang , Lin Zhangya , Sun Jiangnan
Published: October 2022

Based on the actor-partner interdependence model, this paper studied the relationship between marital commitment, sacrifice behavior and marital quality of military couples. A convenience sample of 171 Chinese military couples from Guangdong, Jiangsu and Sichuan province was used. All participants completed the self-report questionnaires independently including the Dimension of Commitment Inventory (DCI), the Couples Sacrifice Behavior Scale (CSBS) and the Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH). Results showed that the scores of marital commitment and marital quality of male soldiers were significantly higher than that of their spouses. Compared to their spouses, male soldiers reported higher frequency of sacrifice behaviors and perceiving sacrifice behaviors of spouses. Furthermore, the marital commitment of military couples had significant influence on their own marital quality and frequency of perceiving each other’s sacrifice behavior Military couples’ perception of the frequency of each other’s sacrifice behavior partially mediated the effect of marital commitment on their marital quality. Male soldiers’ perception of spouse’s sacrifice behavior frequency significantly predicted the marital quality of their spouses.
Effects of exercise on mortality rates of individuals with severe mental illness
Authors: Baron David A. , Mishrekar Asmita , Kazmi Shan
Published: October 2022

Persons with severe mental illness have a 10-to-20-year shorter life span than the general public. Excess morbidity and mortality in this patient population has been described as a major public health challenge worldwide. Despite robust extant literature on the role of exercise in reducing morbidity and mortality, especially from cardiovascular disease and diabetes (highly prevalent in this patient population), Very few clinical programs or clinical research projects currently exist to implement and study the effects of exercise on decreasing morbidity and mortality in this highly vulnerable patient population. Given the global lack of trained mental health providers, the need to integrate healthcare providers from different disciplines, such as nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, cannot be overstated. This mini-review will provide an historic perspective and current data supporting the need to establish exercise, and other Lifestyle Psychiatry interventions, as a key component of treatment for all patients with serious mental illness.
The impact of technological innovation on transport carbon emission efficiency in China: Spillover effect or siphon effect?
Authors: Ma Qifei , Jia Peng , Kuang Haibo
Published: October 2022

It is currently unknown whether technological innovation will have spillover or siphon effects on transport carbon emission efficiency (TCEE). Therefore, this paper creates a spatial econometric model to explore the spatial effect of technological innovation on TCEE. Taking 30 provinces in China as examples, we find that the TCEE and the technical innovation index have similar evolution characteristics (numerical value grows, the gap widens), and that both have a spatial distribution that decreases from the eastern coast to the western inland. Further research reveals that TCEE has a considerable siphon effects in China. The siphon effect gets stronger the higher the TCEE. Although technology innovation has the potential to improve TCEE in local province, the siphon effect hinders TCEE improvement in surrounding provinces. Furthermore, heterogeneity research reveals that excessive government intervention will inhibit the promotion of technological innovation on TCEE. Greater levels of government intervention in the middle and western regions than in the eastern region have more obvious inhibitory impacts. The results demonstrate that economic growth and transport structure have played a mediating role in the process of technological innovation promoting TCEE. Regional collaboration and less local protectionism can help the government achieve the dual goals of technological innovation development and TCEE promotion.
The effect of residential environment satisfaction on depression in the elderly: Focusing on the mediating effect of stress
Authors: Park Ji Hwan , Choi Jeong Min
Published: October 2022

This study aimed to determine the mediating effect of stress on the relationship between residential environment satisfaction and feelings of depression in the elderly. To achieve the purpose of the study, the researcher personally conducted interviews with 250 senior citizens residing in Jeollanam-do, South Korea, from October to November 2019. SPSS version 27.0 and Hayes' PROCESS ver. 4.0 were used for data analysis. As a result of testing the research hypothesis, a partial mediating effect of stress on the relationship between residential environment satisfaction and feelings of depression was confirmed. Based on these results, diverse practical and policy suggestions were recommended. First, a connection between barrier-free walking and public transportation linking elderly residences and major living facilities (transportation facilities, medical facilities, cultural facilities, social welfare facilities, parks, etc.) was suggested. Second, the application of a universal design was proposed when remodeling or building elderly residences. Third, policies promoting social participation of the elderly and providing assistance to increase the intimacy of their relationship with family members and neighbors are necessary to enable older adults to maintain their social relationships. Fourth, programs, such as educational schemes that provide older adults with a greater understating of stress, must be developed in parallel to facilitate stress self-management interventions. In future, it is necessary to include additional mediating or moderating variables to generalize these findings to the larger population.
Medical use and costs for native fathers and children from transnational marriage families in Taiwan from 2004 to 2017
Authors: Chen Yi-Lung
Published: October 2022

Objectives

This is the first study to examine health care utilization in terms of medical use and costs in native fathers and children from transnational families.

Methods

Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used to compare the annual medical use and inflation-adjusted medical cost for ambulatory care from 2004 to 2017 between native fathers and children from transnational and native families.

Results

Native fathers from transnational families had lower annual medical use (−0.23 visits) but higher total medical costs (New Taiwan dollars, NT$, 966), especially in dialysis and psychiatry, compared with those from native families. Unlike fathers from transnational families, their children were observed to consistently have lower medical use (−1.35 visits) and costs (NT$ −636), compared with those from native families.

Conclusions

There was different medical use and costs in transnational marriage families, possibly as a result of features in transnational marriage families. These findings provide insight for future health care policies to address the different health care utilization by exploring the unmet needs and barriers relating to children and fathers from transnational families.
Association between close interpersonal contact and vaccine hesitancy: Findings from a population-based survey in Canada
Authors: Adu Prince A. , Iyaniwura Sarafa A. , Mahmood Bushra , Jeong Dahn , Makuza Jean Damascene , Cua Georgine , Binka Mawuena , García Héctor A. Velásquez , Ringa Notice , Wong Stanley , Yu Amanda , Irvine Mike A. , Otterstatter Michael , Janjua Naveed Z.
Published: October 2022

Background

Vaccine hesitancy threatens efforts to bring the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to an end. Given that social or interpersonal contact is an important driver for COVID-19 transmission, understanding the relationship between contact rates and vaccine hesitancy may help identify appropriate targets for strategic intervention. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between interpersonal contact and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among a sample of unvaccinated adults in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC).

Methods

Unvaccinated individuals participating in the BC COVID-19 Population Mixing Patterns Survey (BC-Mix) were asked to indicate their level of agreement to the statement, “I plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine.” Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the association between self-reported interpersonal contact and vaccine hesitancy, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, educational attainment, occupation, household size and region of residence. All analyses incorporated survey sampling weights based on age, sex, geography, and ethnicity.

Results

Results were based on survey responses collected between March 8, 2021 and December 6, 2021, by a total of 4,515 adults aged 18 years and older. Overall, 56.7% of respondents reported that they were willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, 27.0% were unwilling and 16.3% were undecided. We found a dose-response association between interpersonal contact and vaccine hesitancy. Compared to individuals in the lowest quartile (least contact), those in the fourth quartile (highest contact), third quartile and second quartile groups were more likely to be vaccine hesitant, with adjusted odd ratios (aORs) of 2.85 (95% CI: 2.02, 4.00), 1.91(95% CI: 1.38, 2.64), 1.78 (95% CI: 1.13, 2.82), respectively.

Conclusion

Study findings show that among unvaccinated people in BC, vaccine hesitancy is greater among those who have high contact rates, and hence potentially at higher risk of acquiring and transmitting infection. This may also impact future uptake of booster doses.
Estimating distribution shifts for predicting cross-subject generalization in electroencephalography-based mental workload assessment
Authors: Albuquerque Isabela , Monteiro João , Rosanne Olivier , Falk Tiago H.
Published: October 2022

Assessment of mental workload in real-world conditions is key to ensuring the performance of workers executing tasks that demand sustained attention. Previous literature has employed electroencephalography (EEG) to this end despite having observed that EEG correlates of mental workload vary across subjects and physical strain, thus making it difficult to devise models capable of simultaneously presenting reliable performance across users. Domain adaptation consists of a set of strategies that aim at allowing for improving machine learning systems performance on unseen data at training time. Such methods, however, might rely on assumptions over the considered data distributions, which typically do not hold for applications of EEG data. Motivated by this observation, in this work we propose a strategy to estimate two types of discrepancies between multiple data distributions, namely marginal and conditional shifts, observed on data collected from different subjects. Besides shedding light on the assumptions that hold for a particular dataset, the estimates of statistical shifts obtained with the proposed approach can be used for investigating other aspects of a machine learning pipeline, such as quantitatively assessing the effectiveness of domain adaptation strategies. In particular, we consider EEG data collected from individuals performing mental tasks while running on a treadmill and pedaling on a stationary bike and explore the effects of different normalization strategies commonly used to mitigate cross-subject variability. We show the effects that different normalization schemes have on statistical shifts and their relationship with the accuracy of mental workload prediction as assessed on unseen participants at training time.
Utilization of rapid antigen tests for screening SARS-CoV-2 prior to dental treatment
Authors: Pittayapat Pisha , Trachoo Vorapat , Jirachoksopon Chongpean , Udom Kalaya , Champakerdsap Chunya , Rungrojwittayakul Oraphan , Kamolratanakul Paksinee , Linsuwanont Pairoj , Boonprakong Lawan , Koottathape Natthavoot , Pungpapong Vitara , Osathanon Thanaphum , Jansisyanont Pornchai
Published: October 2022

Potential aerosols containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral particles can be generated during dental treatment. Hence, patient triage is essential to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in dental clinical settings. The present study described the use of rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 screening prior to dental treatment in an academic dental clinical setting in Thailand during the pandemic. The opinions of dental personnel toward the use of rapid antigen test screening prior to dental treatment were also assessed. From August 25 to October 3, 2021, dental patients who were expected to receive aerosols generating dental procedures were requested to screen for SARS-CoV-2 using a rapid antigen test before their treatment. A total of 7,618 cases completed the screening process. The average was 212 cases per day. Only five patients (0.07%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the rapid antigen screening tests. All positive cases exhibited mild symptoms. For the questionnaire study, experienced dental personnel frequently and consistently agreed with the use of the rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 screening, which made them feel safer during their patient treatment. However, implementing rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 may increase the total time spent on a dental appointment. In conclusion, a rapid antigen test could detect the infected individual prior to dental treatment. However, the specificity of rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 must be taken into account for consideration as a screening process before dental treatment. The enhanced infection control protocols in dental treatment must be consistently implemented.
Counterfactual Thinking: The Science of Wondering “What If?”
Authors: Veall Emily , Nyhout Angela
Published: October 2022

Are you a daydreamer? Where do your daydreams take you? Sometimes you might picture silly things, like your teacher riding on a teeny-tiny tractor (my apologies if you just did). However, some of your daydreams may seem more realistic. Both adults and kids get swept up imagining how things could have turned out differently in their lives. With a little brain power, we invent and investigate new possibilities for what could have been. This type of imagining, called counterfactual thinking, is common and it usually strikes when we are thinking back on our past experiences. Interestingly, applying counterfactual thinking might spur our scientific reasoning skills and help us make smarter decisions. Let us take a look at what we know about counterfactual thinking and why it may be a unique mental superpower!
Development of polyclonal antibodies-based serological methods for detection of the rehmannia mosaic virus in field plants
Authors: Chen Jiahuan , Feng Chenwei , Guo Xiao , Zhou Yuchen , Gu Tianxiao , Zhuang Xinjian , Cheng Lei , Zhang Kun
Published: October 2022

Rehmannia glutinosa is a top-grade traditional Chinese medicine, and also is an important planting medicinal material for Chinese poor farmers shaking off poverty. Rehmannia mosaic virus (ReMV) causes big economic loss of R. glutinosa in planting area. However, there is no effective methods for quick, accurate, and high-throughput detection for ReMV in Chinese production area. The preserved R. glutinosa samples carrying ReMV was taken for research material. The coat protein coding sequences (CPReMV) was cloned and sequenced. The target sequence was further placed into a prokaryotic expression vector to express the N-terminal-tagged recombinant CPReMV protein (His-CPReMV). Purified His-CPReMV was used as an antigen to immunize New Zealand white rabbits, and antiserum was obtained. The titers and sensitivities of the antisera were analyzed and evaluated. Polyclonal antibodies were purified from the antiserum, and the titers and sensitivity to the target His-CPReMV protein were evaluated. The results demonstrate that the obtained polyclonal antibodies against His-CPReMV could be successfully used for rapid, accurate, and high-throughput detection of ReMV from R. glutinosa planted in the wild. Our investigation established serological-based detection methods for ReMV for the first time, and provides a foundation for future exploration of the pathogenic mechanisms of ReMV in R. glutinosa.
C-reactive protein to lymphocyte ratio as a new biomarker in predicting surgical site infection after posterior lumbar interbody fusion and instrumentation
Authors: Wu Xiaofei , Ma Xun , Zhu Jian , Chen Chen
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the potential of C-reactive protein to lymphocyte count ratio (CLR) for the prediction of surgical site infection (SSI) following posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and the instrumentation of lumbar degenerative diseases.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we considered patients with a lumbar degenerative disease diagnosis surgically treated by the instrumented PLIF procedure from 2015 to 2021. Patient data, including postoperative early SSI and other perioperative variables, were collected from their respective hospitalization electronic medical records. The receiver operator characteristic curve was constructed to determine the optimal cut-off value for CLR, and the ability to predict SSI was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC). According to the cut-off value, patients were dichotomized with high- or low-CLR, and between-group differences were compared using univariate analysis. The independent impact of CLR on predicting SSI was investigated by multivariate logistics regression analysis.

Results

A total of 773 patients were included, with 26 (3.4%) developing an early SSI post-operation. The preoperative CLR was 11.1 ± 26.1 (interquartile range, 0.4–7.5), and the optimal cut-off was 2.1, corresponding to a sensitivity of 0.856, a specificity of 0.643, and an AUC of 0.768 (95% CI, 0.737–0.797). CLR demonstrated a significantly improved prediction ability than did lymphocyte count (P = 0.021) and a similar ability to predict an infection as C-response protein (P = 0.444). Patients with a high CLR had a significantly higher SSI incidence than those with a low CLR (7.6% vs. 0.8%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for numerous confounding factors, CLR ≥ 2.1 was associated with an 11.16-fold increased risk of SSI, along with other significant variables, i.e., diabetes, preoperative waiting time, and surgical duration.

Conclusion

A high CLR exhibited an improved ability to predict incident SSI and was associated with a substantially increased risk of SSI following instrumented PLIF. After better-design studies verified this finding, CLR could potentially be a beneficial tool in surgical management.
Colorectal endometriosis: Diagnosis, surgical strategies and post-operative complications
Authors: Alborzi Saeed , Roman Horace , Askary Elham , Poordast Tahereh , Shahraki Mahboobeh Hamedi , Alborzi Soroush , Hesam Abadi Alimohammad Keshtvarz , Najar Kolaii Elnaz Hosseini
Published: October 2022

Objective

The present work aimed to investigate the feasibility, complications, recurrence rate, and infertility outcomes of the radical and conservative surgical methods for colorectal endometriosis in short- and long-term follow-ups.

Methods

In this prospective study, the patients with confirmed diagnosis of colorectal DIE were included from March 2015 to March 2021, who were referred to an Endometriosis Surgery Center affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Information on demographics, surgical approaches, intra-operative, and post-operative findings as well as complications were collected and compared. Six- and 12-month interviews were conducted to evaluate the functional outcomes of all the procedures.

Results

Out of 3,111 patients who underwent endometriosis surgery, 837 (28.19%) with the average age of 34.2 ± 5.9 years and average ASRM score of 102.1 ± 36.8 had rectosigmoid endometriosis. Laparoscopic rectal shaving was performed in 263(30.0%) patients while 326 (37.2%) underwent segmental bowel resection, and 248 (28.30%) were treated with disc excision. Prophylactic ileostomy was performed in six (0.68%) patients and peritonitis was reported in four (0.45%). Five (0.58%) subjects developed rectovaginal fistula and one (0.11%) was diagnosed with bladder atonia. The recurrence rate was 3.8%, 1.2%, and 0.3% in rectal shaving, disc, and segmental bowel resection techniques, respectively. Dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and dyschezia were improved after surgery by 7.3, 9.4, and 12.5 times, respectively. We observed 25.2% of total pregnancy following the operation, the majority of which occurred in the first year after the surgery.

Conclusion

There were very few short-term or long-term complications in the three different techniques when the choice was correct.
Simplified Roux-en-Y reconstruction after laparoscopic radical distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer
Authors: Qian Yawei , Zhou Guang , Chang Feifei , Ping Xiaochun , Wang Guoliang
Published: October 2022

Background

Although there were a variety of strategies for the alimentary tract reconstruction of patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical distal gastrectomy, it remains controversial regarding which procedure is optimal. We developed a simple technique for Roux-en-Y reconstruction during laparoscopic surgery and evaluated its technical feasibility and safety.

Methods

Seventy-one cases of modified Roux-en-Y reconstructions after laparoscopic radical distal gastrectomy were consecutively performed in our hospital, from November 2020 to March 2022. A retrospective review of medical data was conducted. Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, including operation time and incidence of postoperative complications, were collected and analyzed.

Results

All procedures of laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection were successfully completed without any intraoperative complication. The mean number of retrieved lymph node was 38.8 ± 10.6. Mean operative time was 223.5 ± 42.4 min, whereas intraoperative blood loss was 102.2 ± 96.3 ml. No postoperative mortality was recorded. Six patients (8.5%) experienced postoperative complications and were managed conservatively. In addition, only two patients (2.8%) required rehospitalization during a median short-term follow-up period of 6 months.

Conclusions

The modified method is a simple and safe approach for laparoscopic radical distal gastrectomy.
Comparison of posterior decompression techniques and conventional laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis
Authors: Zhang Yong , Wei Fei-Long , Liu Zhi-Xin , Zhou Cheng-Pei , Du Ming-Rui , Quan Jian , Wang Yan-Peng
Published: October 2022

Objectives

To compare the efficacy of posterior decompression techniques with conventional laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis.

Methods

The Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases were searched with no language limitations from inception to January 13, 2022. The main outcomes were functional disability, perceived recovery, leg and back pain, complications. A random effects model was used to pooled data. Risk ratio (RR), mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to report results. The study protocol was published in PROSPERO (CRD42022302218).

Results

14 trials including 1,106 participants were included in the final analysis. Bilateral laminotomy was significantly more efficacious in improve functionality than laminectomy [MD: −2.94; (95% CI, −4.12 to −1.76)]. Low incidence of iatrogenic instability due to bilateral laminectomy compared with laminectomy [RR: 0.11; (95% CI, 0.02 to 0.59)]. In addition, between those who received bilateral laminotomy and those undergoing laminectomy, the result showed significant difference regarding recovery [RR: 1.31; (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.67)].

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that bilateral laminotomy has advantages in functional recovery, postoperative stability, and postoperative rehabilitation outcomes. Further research is needed to determine whether posterior techniques provide a safe and effective option for conventional laminectomy.
Genome-wide association analysis of milk production, somatic cell score, and body conformation traits in Holstein cows
Authors: Wang Peng , Li Xue , Zhu Yihao , Wei Jiani , Zhang Chaoxin , Kong Qingfang , Nie Xu , Zhang Qi , Wang Zhipeng
Published: October 2022

Milk production and body conformation traits are critical economic traits for dairy cows. To understand the basic genetic structure for those traits, a genome wide association study was performed on milk yield, milk fat yield, milk fat percentage, milk protein yield, milk protein percentage, somatic cell score, body form composite index, daily capacity composite index, feed, and leg conformation traits, based on the Illumina Bovine HD100k BeadChip. A total of 57, 12 and 26 SNPs were found to be related to the milk production, somatic cell score and body conformation traits in the Holstein cattle. Genes with pleiotropic effect were also found in this study. Seven significant SNPs were associated with multi-traits and were located on the PLEC, PLEKHA5, TONSL, PTGER4, and LCORL genes. In addition, some important candidate genes, like GPAT3, CEBPB, AGO2, SLC37A1, and FNDC3B, were found to participate in fat metabolism or mammary gland development. These results can be used as candidate genes for milk production, somatic cell score, and body conformation traits of Holstein cows, and are helpful for further gene function analysis to improve milk production and quality.
Prepartum maternal supplementation of Capsicum oleoresin improves colostrum quality and buffalo calves' performance
Authors: An Zhigao , Abdelrahman Mohamed , Zhou Jiayan , Riaz Umair , Gao Shanshan , Gao Shan , Luo Gan , Yang Liguo
Published: October 2022

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of prepartum maternal supplementation of Capsicum oleoresin (CAP) on colostrum quality and growth performance in newborn buffalo calves. Twelve multiparous buffaloes were randomly assigned to two groups starting from 4 weeks prepartum: the control group with a basal diet (CON) and the treatment group with a basal diet supplemented with 20 mg CAP/kg dry matter (CAP20). After birth, all calves were weighed and received colostrum from their respective dam directly within 2 h. After that, calves received pasteurized milk and starter feed till 56 days of age. The results showed that CAP increased lactose (P < 0.05) in colostrum, and it tended to increase monounsaturated fatty acids; however, it decreased colostrum urea nitrogen (P < 0.10). CAP did not affect colostrum yield and immunoglobulin G and M concentrations. The weekly starter intake was not affected by maternal CAP supplementation during the first 6 weeks of life. There was an increasing tendency in weekly starter intake from weeks 7 and 8 (P < 0.10) in CAP20 compared with CON. At 7 days of age, calves in CAP20 had higher immunoglobulin G (P < 0.05) and a decreased tendency in calves' serum glucose compared with CON. Additionally, maternal CAP supplementation increased calves' serum β-hydroxybutyric acid (P < 0.05) and tended to increase total protein (P < 0.10), while decreased non-esterified fatty acids (P < 0.05) at 56 days of age. Calves in CAP20 had higher final withers height, final heart girth, average withers height, and average heart girth than the CON (P < 0.05). These results suggest that maternal CAP supplementation could improve colostrum quality and positively affect the performance of buffalo calves.
Analysis of dairy cattle movements in the northern region of Thailand
Authors: Boonyayatra Sukolrat , Wang Yuanyuan , Singhla Tawatchai , Kongsila Apisek , VanderWaal Kimberly , Wells Scott J.
Published: October 2022

Dairy farming in northern Thailand is expanding, with dairy cattle populations increasing up to 8% per year. In addition, disease outbreaks frequently occur in this region, especially foot-and-mouth disease and bovine tuberculosis. Our goal was to quantify the underlying pattern of dairy cattle movements in the context of infectious disease surveillance and control as movements have been identified as risk factors for several infectious diseases. Movements at district levels within the northern region and between the northern and other regions from 2010 to 2017 were recorded by the Department of Livestock Development. Analyzed data included origin, destination, date and purpose of the movement, type of premise of origin and destination, and type and number of moved cattle. Social network analysis was performed to demonstrate patterns of dairy cattle movement within and between regions. The total numbers of movements and moved animals were 3,906 and 180,305, respectively. Decreasing trends in both the number of cattle moved and the number of movements were observed from 2010 to 2016, with increases in 2017. The majority (98%) of the animals moved were male dairy calves, followed by dairy cows (1.7%). The main purpose of the movements was for slaughter (96.3%). Most movements (67.4%) were shipments from central to northern regions, involving 87.1% of cattle moved. By contrast, 56% of the movements for growing and selling purposes occurred within the northern region, commonly involving dairy cows. Constructed movement networks showed heterogeneity of connections among districts. Of 110 districts, 28 were found to be influential to the movement networks, among which 11 districts showed high centrality measures in multiple networks stratified for movement purposes and regions, including eight districts in the northern and one district in each of the central, eastern, and lower northeastern regions of Thailand. These districts were more highly connected than others in the movement network, which may be important for disease transmission, surveillance, and control.
Comparative Study on Amylase Activity in Three Freshwater Fish Larvae during Early Development
Authors:   Biometry Research Unit Indian Statistical Institute 203, Barrackpore Trunk Road Calcutta · 700 035, INDIA, SARKAR S. K.
Published: October 2022

An experiment was conducted to quantitatively compare amylase activity during post embryonic developmental period of three bundh-bred Indian major carps, Labeo rohita (Ham), Catla catla (Ham) and Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham). For this purpose, amylase activ­ity in fed and starved fish larvae was measured. In all three species and in larvae starved for 24 h, amylase activity was depressed although significant changes in activity in starved and fed larvae were observed after day 17. The result showed a rhythmic pattern of amy­lase activity during the study period (5-68 days) starting from low activity (5-26 days) accel­erating to a peak (29-56 days) and very low activity thereafter. Changes of enzymatic pat­terns were found to be more prominent m L. rohita followed by C.catla and C. mrigala. The activity of this enzyme was found to be low in C.mrigala compared to L. rohita and C.catla. These changes may be related to different digestive systems and of carps' species specific food habits. The results are discussed in the text.
Effect of Feeding Artemia Enriched with Stresstol and Cod Liver Oil on Growth and Stress Resistance in the Indian White Shrimp Penaeus indicus Postlarvae
Authors:   Marine Biotechnology Division Institute for Coastal Area Studies M.S.University, Scott. Christian College Campus Nagercoil Tamil Nadu, India, CITARASU T.
Published: October 2022

Artemia franciscana preadults were enriched with emulsified codliver oil and stresstol, a medicinal plant product having the properties of giving tonic to resist stress and improve growth and vigor. Both enrichment and evacuation time in the Artemia were studied. A maximum of 127 and 72 min were required to enrich and evacuate 100% of gut of Artemia, respectively. Penaeus indicus postlarvae (PL-20) fed with preadult Artemia and Artemia enriched with emulsified fish oil, stresstol as well as oil mixed with stresstol consumed Artemia more or less at the same rate. However, the absorption efficiency of P.indicus postlarvae fed with enriched Artemia differed from those fed with the non-enriched Artemia. The nonenriched Artemia fed postlarvae grew at an average rate of 19.3 mg/g/day, whereas the postlarvae fed with the stresstol-enriched Artemia had an average growth rate of 31.3 mg/g/ day. Postlarvae fed with the fish oil-enriched Artemia exhibited the highest growth rate at 42.2 mg/g/day. In the stress test, where the postlarvae (fed with enriched and non-enriched Artemia for 8 days ), were exposed to 0 and 50 ppt salinities, it was revealed that the stresstol-fed postlarvae had increased resistance to stress. Hence, the use of stresstol in the larviculture of P.indicus shrimp is recommended.
The Effect of Artemia Sources on Growth, Survival and Salinity Stress of Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) Larvae
Authors:   Salt Research lnstitnte China Council of Light Industry 831 Ying Kou Road Tanggu, Tianjin China 300450, NAIHONG X.
Published: October 2022

This experiment was conducted to investigate the n-3 HUFA requirements of the larvae of freshwater crab Eriocheir sinensis. Three strains of Artemia cysts which contain different levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were selected. The zoea-3 :stage crab larvae were divided into 3 groups and fed with one of the three strains of Artemia. After nine days of culture, the crab larvae had reached the megalopa stage. A significant higher sur­vival rate and dry weight (P<0.05) were found in the group fed with Artemia nauplii with a high level of EPA. Crab larvae fed with a high-EPA Artemia nauplii displayed the highest tolerance in a salinity stress test.
Separation of Shrimp Haemocytes (Penaeus monodon) and the Opsonic Effect of Serum on Phagocytic Activity
Authors: EKPANITHANPONG U.
Published: October 2022

Two cell types of shrimp haemocytes (Penaeus monodon) were separated by continuous gradient centrifugation. Granular haemocytes and hyaline cells were demonstrated in vitro for their phagocytic activity using glutaraldehyde-fixed sheep red blood cells (SRBCf). The phagocytic activity of granular haemocytes was two times greater than that of hyaline cells. Haemocytes opsonized by shrimp serum increased phagocytic activity compared to the normal one, suggesting that opsonin in serum is one of the factors that play a role in the enhancement of shrimp phagocytosis.
Meditação Vipassana: Estados de Consciência Corpo e Mente
Authors: Melo Silva Elisa Maria , Nogueira Maria Inês
Published: October 2022

Introdução. Os seres humanos têm a capacidade de explorar e compreender subjetivamente os estados de consciência corporal e mental. As neurociências, graças ao desenvolvimento tecnológico, têm ampliado o estudo dos níveis de consciência de monges e pessoas que praticam meditação por muitos anos e divulgam amplamente os benefícios dessa prática. Ao participar de cursos imersivos de meditação Vipassana, técnica praticada em centros ao redor do mundo, surgiu a questão de como os praticantes experimentam a técnica e compreendem os mecanismos práticos e teóricos dessa experiência. Objetivos. Explorar os níveis de consciência corpo-mente em praticantes de meditação Vipassana e correlacionar a estruturas e funções do sistema nervoso segundo teoria de Neurociências da Subjetividade em paralelo a princípios essenciais de Vipassana. Método. Pesquisa de caráter qualitativo e quantitativo na avaliação do nível de concordância de afirmações de questionário de 85 praticantes (59% mulheres e 41% homens) de ao menos um curso de 10 dias de meditação Vipassana. Instrumentos utilizados: questionário de Escala de estado de consciência mente e corpo, Análise de itens do software Minitab, escala de Likert e alfa de Cronbach para validação. Resultados. Criação de tabelas que apresentam: a porcentagem de concordância com as afirmações do questionário utilizado; relação com estruturas e funções cerebrais que inferem uma Neurociência da subjetividade; e princípios essenciais de Vipassana. Os níveis de concordância positiva das afirmações apresentaram valores entre 77 e 99%. Conclusão. Os praticantes de meditação Vipassana conseguiram perceber e diferenciar os estados de consciência experimentados e reconhecer as correspondências teóricas.
Context Aware Mobile Application Pre-Launching Model using KNN Classifier
Authors: Alagarsamy Malini , Sahubar Sathik Ameena
Published: October 2022

Mobile applications are the application software which can be executed in mobile devices. The Performance of the mobile application is major factor to be considered while developing the application software. Usually, the user uses a sequence of applications continuously. So, pre-launching of the mobile application is the best methodology used to increase the launch time of the mobile application. In Android Operating System (OS) they use cache policies to increase the launch time. But whenever a new application enters into the cache it removes the existing application from the cache even it is repeatedly used by the user. So the removed application needs to be re-launched again. To rectify it, we suggest K number of applications for pre-launching by calculating the affinity between the applications. Because, the user may uses the set of applications together for more than one time. We discover those applications from the usage pattern based on Launch Delay (LD), Power Consumption (PC), App Affinity, Spatial and Temporal relations and also, a K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) classifier machine learning algorithm is used to increase the accuracy of prediction.