bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Faktor-Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Kejadian Anemia Pada Ibu Hamil
Authors: Elvira Elvira , Nurvinanda Reska , Sagita Atin
Published: January 2023

Anemia adalah keadaan dengan kadar hemoglobin, hermatokrit dan sel darah merah yang lebih rendah dari nilai normal < 11 gr/dl pada ibu hamil. Anemia dalam kehamilan memberikan pengaruh yang kurang baik bagi ibu, baik dalam kehamilan, persalinan maupun dalam nifas. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan antara umur, jarak kehamilan, paritas, status gizi, konsumsi tablet Fe, kunjungan ANC, dan pengetahuan terhadap kejadian anemia pada ibu hamil di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Gerunggang Kota PangkalPinang. Penelitian ini menggunakan survey analitik dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Jumlah responden sebanyak 90 orang di Puskesmas Gerunggang, dengan teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan simpel random sampling. Instrumen penelitian ini menggunakan kuesioner. Menggunakan analisa statistik dengan uji chi square pada tingkat kepercayaan 95% (α = 0,05). Hasil penelitian yang didapat bahwa jarak kehamilan (p value = 0,027), paritas (p value = 0,02), status gizi (p value = 0,001), kepatuhan konsumsi tablet Fe (p value = 0,04) dan pengetahuan (p value = 0,003) secara signifikan ada hubungan dengan anemia pada ibu hamil.
Из истории этнологического изучения старообрядцев Беларуси
THE HISTORY OF ETHNOLOGICAL STUDY OF OLD BELIEVERS IN BELARUS
Authors: Auseichyk V. E.
Published: January 2023

В статье представлен историографический анализ работ, посвященных истории формирования и этнокультурным особенностям старообрядцев, проживающих на территории Беларуси. Выделены основные этапы этнологического изучения данной этноконфессиональной группы, дана характеристика методам исследований, раскрыто значение самих работ. В статье предпринята попытка обобщения публикаций по изучаемой теме с расположением их в хронологическом порядке. В научный оборот вводится ряд малоизвестных изданий. Автор приходит к выводу, что несмотря на довольно значительный объем проведенных исследований, к нашему времени не разработанными остались многие важные вопросы. В частности, довольно фрагментарно изучены процессы расселения старообрядцев на территории Беларуси, не прослежены связанные с этим демографические процессы. Лишь поверхностно проанализированы особенности традиционной культуры старообрядческого населения. Не исследованы этнические и этнокультурные процессы у староверов на белорусских землях в ХХ — начале ХХІ вв. В научных публикациях по данной проблематике заметен существенный перекос в сторону исследований староверов юго‑восточной части страны. В то же время старообрядческое население северной Беларуси изучено гораздо хуже.
The article presents a historiographic analysis of the works, devoted to the formation and ethnocultural specificity of the Old Believers living in Belarus. The author identifies the main stages in the history of ethnological study of this ethno‑confessional group, characterizes the research methods and reveals the significance of the works. The article attempts to generalize the published research on the topic, arranged in chronological order. A number of little‑known publications are introduced into scientific use. It is concluded that despite the rather large body of research carried out to date, a number of important issues have not been covered yet. The history Old Believers’ settlement in Belarus and the related demographic processes have been studied rather fragmentarily. The traditional culture of the Old Believers has been studied only superficially. The ethnic and ethnocultural processes of Old Believers in Belarus in the 20th — early 21st centuries have received little attention. There is a notable bias towards studies of Old Believers in the south‑eastern part of the country, while in northern Belarus they are rather poorly studied.
Конструирование новой практики «Адвент-календаря» немцами-мусульманами в современной Германии
A NEW RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF THE MUSLIM “ADVENT CALENDAR” AMONG THE GERMAN MUSLIMS IN MODERN GERMANY
Authors: Riazanova E. F.
Published: January 2023

Данное исследование посвящено так называемым «новым» мусульманам, немцам, принявшим ислам. Предметом рассмотрения в статье является конструирование новой религиозной практики мусульманского «Адвент‑календаря» немцами‑конвертитами после религиозной конверсии. Автором использовались такие методы как полевое этнографическое наблюдение и неформализованное интервью с информантами. Их совокупность формировалась методом снежного кома. Научная новизна исследования заключается в том, что вопрос о новообращённых немцах впервые в отечественной историографии рассматривается на полевом материале, собранном автором на территории Германии. Автор приходит к следующим выводам: при религиозной альтернации конвертиты могут изменять религиозные практики, то есть они могут их трансформировать или конструировать в совершенно новые. В нашем исследовании — это мусульманский «Адвент‑календарь». На создание новой религиозной практики могут влиять личностные переживания, мода на какие‑то события в мире и собственная фантазия конвертита. Использование мусульманского «Адвент‑календаря» не только конвертитами, но и этническими мусульманами формирует новую современную умму Германии.
This study describes the so‑called “new” Muslims, Germans who have converted to Islam. The subject of the article is the new religious practice of the Muslim “Advent calendar” created by Germans who have undergone religious conversion. The author applied field ethnographic observation and unformalized interviews with informants. The “snowball” sampling method was used to select respondents. The present study is the first attempt in Russian historiography to address the issue of newly converted Germans based on field materials. The author comes to the following conclusions: in case of religious alternation, converts can change religious practices, that is, they can transform them or construct completely new ones. In our study, this is the Muslim “Advent calendar”. The construction of a new religious practice can be influenced by personal experiences, fashion or the personal creativity of the convert. The use of the Muslim “Advent calendar” not only by converts, but also by other German Muslims forms a new ummah in Germany.
Twórcze użycie języka w tekście literackim (analiza wiersza Urszuli
Kozioł Jest mi miałko… w ramach założeń poetyki lingwistycznej) .
Authors: Dobrzyńska Teresa
Published: January 2023

This paper presents the assumptions of linguistic poetics, a direction that combines – in
a curricular manner – the research on poetry and interpretation of poetic works with an analysis of language uses in a statement. It presents the role played by M.R. Mayenowa in shaping this stream in the Polish literary studies seeking support in linguistics and enumerates the most significant curricular studies and linguitic concepts employed in analyses of the represented world of poetry as “the world behind words”. The enclosed analysis of the lyric by Urszula Kozioł Jest mi miałko… (I’m feeling bland...) is an illustration of the methodology presented here. It shows the sense-creative capabilities of language activated in a description of an unusual state of the lyrical I of the poem–confession, who is experiencing elusive feelings that are hard to express.
The whole complex organisation of the poetic statement serves the purpose of outlining these unique experiences and the evoked senses can be reached only through an in-depth analysis of the language uses in the text.
Keywords: creative use of language – poetry – linguistic poetics – Urszula Kozioł – description – confession
Stochastic Local Community Detection in Networks
Authors: Papei Hadi , Li Yang
Published: January 2023

We propose a stochastic agglomerative algorithm to detect the local community of some given seed vertex/vertices in a network. Instead of giving a deterministic binary local community in the output, our method assigns every vertex a value that is the probability that this particular vertex would be in the local community of the seed. The proposed procedure has several advantages over the existing deterministic algorithms, including avoiding random tie-breaking, evaluating uncertainties, detecting hierarchical community structure, etc. Synthetic and real data examples are included for illustration.
Spiral Spring-Supported Force Plate with an External Eddy Current Displacement Sensor
Authors: Kawasaki Yuta , Takahashi Hidetoshi
Published: January 2023

This study proposes a force plate with a planar spring and an eddy current displacement sensor to measure the ground reaction force (GRF) of a small insect and reveal its motion characteristics. The proposed force plate comprises a circular aluminum plate, four aluminum springs symmetrically connected to the plate, and an eddy current displacement sensor under the plate. The diameter and thickness of the fabricated plate were 8 and 0.1 mm, respectively. The spring width was 0.4 mm. When a force is applied to the plate, the plate moves vertically downward. Then, an eddy current displacement sensor detects the plate displacement without contact. The applied force can be measured using Hooke’s law. The proposed force plate has the advantages of ease of fabrication and cost-effectiveness. The central displacement variation and resonant frequency of the designed springs were evaluated by simulation. Then, we calibrated the fabricated force plate to obtain the sensitivity variation and resonant frequency. The experimental results suggest that the proposed force plate can effectively measure the GRF of a small insect.
Minimum Cable Tensions and Tension Sensitivity for Long-Span Cable-Driven Camera Robots with Applications to Stability Analysis
Authors: Liu Peng , Tian Haibo , Qiao Xinzhou
Published: January 2023

Employing cables with strong flexibility and unidirectional restraints to operate a camera platform leads to stability issues for a camera robot with long-span cables considering the cable mass. Cable tensions, which are the constraints for the camera platform, have a critical influence on the stability of the robot. Consequently, this paper focuses on two special problems of minimum cable tension distributions (MCTDs) within the workspace and the cable tension sensitivity analysis (CTSA) for a camera robot by taking the cable mass into account, which can be used to investigate the stability of the robot. Firstly, three minimum cable tension distribution indices (MCTDIs) were proposed for the camera robot. An important matter is that the three proposed MCTDIs, which represent the weakest constraints for the camera platform, can be employed for investigating the stability of the robot. In addition, a specified minimum cable tension workspace (SMCTW) is introduced, where the minimum cable tension when the camera platform is located at arbitrary position meets the given requirement. Secondly, the CTSA model and cable tension sensitivity analysis index (CTSAI) for the camera robot were proposed with grey relational analysis method, in which the influence mechanism and influence degree of the positions of the camera platform relative to cable tensions was investigated in detail. Lastly, the reasonableness of the presented MCTDIs and the method for the CTSA with applications in the stability analysis of the camera robot were supported by performing some simulation studies.
Design of a Movable Tensegrity Arm with Springs Modeling an Upper and Lower Arm
Authors: Kawahara Kihiro , Shin Duk , Ogai Yuta
Published: January 2023

Tensegrity is a structure consisting of rigid bodies and internal tensile members, with no contact between the rigid bodies. The model of an arm with a tensegrity structure is not movable as it is, but we believe that it can be made movable and flexible by incorporating springs. We developed an arm that incorporates springs in the arm’s tensile members by extending the model of an arm with a tensegrity structure. Then, as an evaluation of the developed arm, we measured the ranges of motions and the forces required for that motion. We also developed a mechanism that allows the arm to bend and extend. We believe that this method of making the tensegrity arm controllable by incorporating springs will be useful in the development of flexible robotic arms for caregiving using robots and other applications.
The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Eastern Cone of Lima as a Predictor of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development
Authors: Bejarano Auqui Jesús Fernando , Berrio Adriana Ruiz , Antonio Raúl Rodríguez , Aguado Beatriz Estefany
Published: January 2023

Great changes and contradictions have occurred in the economy in recent years, forcing entrepreneurs to seek solutions to increase competitiveness, maintain growth and implement mechanisms that can create permanent solutions in the future, thus promoting development. In this context, the aim of this study is to investigate whether the perception of the entrepreneurial ecosystem is a significant predictor of the perception of competitiveness and sustainable development in the Peruvian case. For this, a structural equation model was tested using data obtained from a convenience sampling method (n = 240) along with a 32-item scale, which was adapted and validated using an exploratory factor analysis. Participants of this study were actors from the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the eastern cone of Lima, 79.1% of whom were entrepreneurs and businessmen (6.2% from the industrial sector, 50.5% from the commercial sector and 22.4% from the service sector); the remaining 20.9% of the sample corresponds to university professors, students, directors and advisors of incubators and accelerators. Findings of this study suggest that the perception of these actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem has a significant effect on its perception of competitiveness and sustainable development.
Multi-Level Protective and Risk Factors Longitudinally Associated with Dating Violence Perpetration among Non-Urban Mexican-American Adolescents
Authors: Boyce Sabrina C. , Deardorff Julianna , McGlone Linda , Minnis Alexandra M.
Published: January 2023

To assess the longitudinal relationship between individual and interpersonal risk and protective factors and dating violence perpetration among non-urban Mexican-American youth. With data from a 24-month prospective cohort study (2015–2019; baseline recruitment spanned from 2015–2017; four follow-up interviews every 6 months) of Mexican-American youth (8th grade at baseline) living in an agricultural region (Salinas, California), we utilized multivariable modified Poisson general estimating equations stratified by gender (n = 489) to assess the relationships of religiosity, non-violent problem-solving skills, school connectedness, family cohesion, and bullying victimization with dating violence perpetration. Among girls, but not boys, non-violent problem-solving skills [adjusted relative risk (ARR): 0.7; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.56–0.99] and family cohesion (ARR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.48–0.97) were negatively associated with dating violence perpetration, and frequency of bullying victimization was positively associated (ARR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.37–2.59). Non-urban Mexican-American female youth may benefit from multi-level dating violence prevention that strengthens family cohesion by building upon the Mexican-American cultural value of familismo and addresses common risk factors for bullying and dating violence perpetration. Additionally, results affirm etiological differences between girls’ and boys’ dating violence perpetration and the need for improved measurement.
Inversion of Space Debris Material by Synthetic Light Curves
Authors: Jiang Yuchen , Hu Shaoming , Du Junju , Chen Xu , Cao Hai , Liu Shuqi , Feng Shuai
Published: January 2023

Ground-based optical observation of GEO space debris plays an essential role in tracking, identifying, cataloging, and classifying space debris. The factors that affect the brightness of space debris include size, surface material, illumination geometry, attitude, shape, position, and so on. In order to better understand the influence of the above factors on the brightness of space debris, the synthetic light curves are analyzed. The Ashikhmin–Shirley model is chosen to simulate the light curves of space debris. The effects of orbit, attitude, model parameters, and the location of the observation station on the synthetic light curves are analyzed by the control variable method. Based on the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method (MCMC), the optimal model parameters that characterize the surface material of space debris can be obtained by comparing the synthetic light curves with the observed light curves under certain shape, orbit, and attitude characteristics. The results are roughly in good agreement with those measured in the laboratory.
Monitoring of Soybean Maturity Using UAV Remote Sensing and Deep Learning
Authors: Zhang Shanxin , Feng Hao , Han Shaoyu , Shi Zhengkai , Xu Haoran , Liu Yang , Feng Haikuan , Zhou Chengquan , Yue Jibo
Published: January 2023

Soybean breeders must develop early-maturing, standard, and late-maturing varieties for planting at different latitudes to ensure that soybean plants fully utilize solar radiation. Therefore, timely monitoring of soybean breeding line maturity is crucial for soybean harvesting management and yield measurement. Currently, the widely used deep learning models focus more on extracting deep image features, whereas shallow image feature information is ignored. In this study, we designed a new convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, called DS-SoybeanNet, to improve the performance of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based soybean maturity information monitoring. DS-SoybeanNet can extract and utilize both shallow and deep image features. We used a high-definition digital camera on board a UAV to collect high-definition soybean canopy digital images. A total of 2662 soybean canopy digital images were obtained from two soybean breeding fields (fields F1 and F2). We compared the soybean maturity classification accuracies of (i) conventional machine learning methods (support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF)), (ii) current deep learning methods (InceptionResNetV2, MobileNetV2, and ResNet50), and (iii) our proposed DS-SoybeanNet method. Our results show the following: (1) The conventional machine learning methods (SVM and RF) had faster calculation times than the deep learning methods (InceptionResNetV2, MobileNetV2, and ResNet50) and our proposed DS-SoybeanNet method. For example, the computation speed of RF was 0.03 s per 1000 images. However, the conventional machine learning methods had lower overall accuracies (field F2: 63.37–65.38%) than the proposed DS-SoybeanNet (Field F2: 86.26%). (2) The performances of the current deep learning and conventional machine learning methods notably decreased when tested on a new dataset. For example, the overall accuracies of MobileNetV2 for fields F1 and F2 were 97.52% and 52.75%, respectively. (3) The proposed DS-SoybeanNet model can provide high-performance soybean maturity classification results. It showed a computation speed of 11.770 s per 1000 images and overall accuracies for fields F1 and F2 of 99.19% and 86.26%, respectively.
Post-Cryogenic Viability of Peach (Persica vulgaris Mill.) Dormant Buds from the VIR Genetic Collection
Authors: Verzhuk Vladimir , Eremin Victor , Gasanova Taisya , Eremina Oksana , Novikova Liubov Y. , Filipenko Galina , Sitnikov Maxim , Pavlov Alexander
Published: January 2023

The long-term storage of the genetic resources of fruit crops for breeding needs can be freely developed by cryopreservation cuttings with dormant buds in liquid nitrogen vapor, but so far, this method has not been practically used for peach. Cuttings with dormant buds of five peach varieties growing in the field gene bank at Krymsk Experiment and Breeding Station of VIR were collected for cryopreservation in 2019–2021. The three-factor analysis of variance showed that the viability of peach cuttings was significantly affected by the year (p < 0.001) and variety (p < 0.001). According to the three-year average characteristics of the cultivars, the analysis of variance showed a significant difference in the viability of the cultivars after cryopreservation (p = 0.004). According to the results of the three years of study, cvs. ‘Podarok Kryma’ (43.3%) and ‘Lucky 24 B’ (44.4%) showed the lowest viability after cryopreservation, significantly lower than cvs. ‘Baby Gold’ (54.4%) and ‘Ustojchivy 90′ (55.6%). Cv. ‘Lyubimets Krasnodara’ (48.9%) occupied an intermediate position. These viability values exceeded the minimum requirement for samples subjected to long-term cryogenic storage in a cryobank. Low-temperature storage of peach cuttings at –5 °C can be used for short-term preservation. After low-temperature storage, the viability of peach cutting amounted to an average of 67.1%.
Design and Simulations of a Self-Assembling Autonomous Vertical Farm for Urban Farming
Authors: Watawana Bhanu , Isaksson Mats
Published: January 2023

Vertical farming has been proposed as a solution for diminishing arable land as it significantly reduces the footprint of farming. Most contemporary solutions use a low level of automation; however, automation of vertical farming is currently attracting attention from researchers. This paper introduces a conceptual design for an autonomous vertical farm where the main novelty is the self-assembling feature. The proposed system is designed to be installed and used by a non-specialist. The system is designed for cost minimisation, using one set of resources moved by a robot arm to service the plants. These resources include sensors, a depth camera, and the required farming tools. The farm has the capacity of self-powering, greenhouse conversion, data sharing and learning, and several other features. The paper provides the conceptual design in addition to an analysis of the dimensioning of the robot arm, time studies for operation, and an analysis of the self-powering ability.
Drought Damage Assessment for Crop Insurance Based on Vegetation Index by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Multispectral Images of Paddy Fields in Indonesia
Authors: Iwahashi Yu , Sigit Gunardi , Utoyo Budi , Lubis Iskandar , Junaedi Ahmad , Trisasongko Bambang Hendro , Wijaya I Made Anom Sutrisna , Maki Masayasu , Hongo Chiharu , Homma Koki
Published: January 2023

Drought is increasingly threatening smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia. The crop insurance system is one of the promising countermeasures that was implemented in Indonesia in 2015. Because the damage assessment in the present system is conducted through direct investigations based on appearance, it is not objective and needs a long time to cover large areas. In this study, we investigated a rapid assessment method for paddy fields using a vegetation index (VI) taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a multispectral camera in 2019 and 2021. Then, two ways of assessment for drought damage were tested: linear regression (LR) based on a visually assessed drought level (DL), and k-means clustering without an assessed DL. As a result, EVI2 could represent the damage level, showing the tendency of the decrease in the value along with the increasing DL. The estimated DL by both methods mostly coincided with the assessed DL, but the concordance rates varied depending on the locations and the number of assessed fields. Differences in the growth stage and rice cultivars also affected the results. This study revealed the feasibility of the UAV-based rapid and objective assessment method. Further data collection and analysis would be required for implementation in the future.
Sowing Date and Fertilization Level Are Effective Elements Increasing Soybean Productivity in Rainfall Deficit Conditions in Central Europe
Authors: Kulig Bogdan , Klimek-Kopyra Agnieszka
Published: January 2023

Soybean yield is the result of the interaction of environmental factors and agricultural practices. Agricultural practices developed for soybean assume optimal cultivation conditions. Aberrant rainfall distribution during the growing season reduces the productivity of the plants and the efficiency of N uptake, which is reflected in the seed yield and quality. Few studies in the literature focus on this question. Therefore, the purpose of this assessment was to compare yield, yield quality of two soybean cultivars (Augusta and Mavka) with two nitrogen application rate (basic and increased) and two date of sowing (early and late), in two-year field experiments under temperate zone conditions in central Europe. Results show that early sowing in combination with higher nitrogen application substantially improves crop productivity and the efficiency of nitrogen binding, especially in drought years. In contrast, delaying sowing by two weeks reduced the productivity of the plants, which was not compensated for by a higher level of mineral nitrogen application. Early sowing of the Mavka cultivar was more productive and more efficient in nitrogen accumulation in the seed yield in comparison to the Augusta cultivar. Under water deficit conditions a higher level of urea application and earlier sowing are recommended.
DDIT3 Governs Milk Production Traits by Targeting IL-6 to Induce Apoptosis in Dairy Cattle
Authors: Cui Xiaogang , Li Changqing , Wei Zhangqi , Meng Hangting , Zhang Fengfeng , Liu Yue , Wu Changxin , Yang Shaohua
Published: January 2023

The mechanisms of modulating milk production traits remain largely unknown. Based on our previous RNA-seq, DDIT3 was presumed as a novel, promising candidate gene for regulating milk protein and fat traits in dairy cattle. To further detect the genetic effect of DDIT3 and its potential molecular mechanisms in regulating milk production traits in dairy cattle, here, we performed a genotype-phenotype association study. Two SNPs, g.-1194 C>T and g.-128 C>T, were significantly associated with MY (p = 0.0063), FY (p = 0.0001) and PY (p = 0.0216), respectively. A luciferase assay demonstrated that the allele T of g.-128 C>T increased the promoter activity by binding the HSF2, while allele C did not. To further reveal the molecular regulatory mechanisms, the DDIT3-knockdown MAC-T cells were established. It was observed that DDIT3 silencing could induce apoptosis and increase the number of PI-positive cells. Meanwhile, DDIT3 silencing led to increased expression of inflammatory markers, such as IL-6, IL6R, IL1B, IL7R, IL1RL2, IL1A, STAT1-5, MYC, IGFBP4, and IGFBP5, and especially for IL-6 (log2FC = 4.22; p = 3.49 × 10−112). Additionally, compared with the control group, increased lipid accumulation was found in the DDIT3-knockdown MAC-T cells. Thus, our results proved that lower expression of DDIT3 could result in increased lipid accumulation and apoptosis via up-regulating the expression of IL-6. These findings provided clues about the regulatory mechanisms of milk production traits in dairy cattle.
Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals the Genetic Basis of Seed Germination in Japonica Rice
Authors: Yang Bin , Zeng Jiali , Chen Shaona , Li Shengyu , Wu Longmei , Wan Xiaorong
Published: January 2023

Seed germination is a key contributing factor to the yield of direct seeding cultivation in rice. Unraveling the genetic architecture underlying rice seed germination is pivotal for breeding elite direct-seeded rice varieties. However, only a limited number of genes regulating seed germination have been characterized in rice. In this study, we implemented a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to dissect the genetic structure of seed germination by using 131 Japonica rice accessions. We identified six stable loci (qGR1.1, qGR2.1, qGR3.1, qGR7.1, qGR8.1 and qGR9) associated with seed germination in two consecutive years, all of which were co-localized with previously reported quantitative trait loci (QTLs). OsGA2ox5, encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase, was identified as the most plausible candidate gene of the major locus qGR7.1. Knockout of OsGA2ox5 led to delayed seed germination and retarded seedling growth. A non-synonymous variant (Chr7-218,245) within the coding region of OsGA2ox5 might be closely associated with variation in seed germination among Japonica accessions. Low nucleotide diversity at the OsGA2ox5 locus in Japonica could be a result of selection during rice improvement. Taken together, our results provide an important foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying seed germination and genetic improvement of rice seed vigor in the future.
Detection of Wheat Lodging by Binocular Cameras during Harvesting Operation
Authors: Wen Jingqian , Yin Yanxin , Zhang Yawei , Pan Zhenglin , Fan Yindong
Published: January 2023

Wheat lodging provides important reference information for self-adaptive header control of a combine harvester. Aimed at real-time detection of wheat lodging, this paper proposed a detection method of wheat lodging location and area based on binocular vision. In this method, the angle relationship between the stem and vertical direction when wheat is upright, inclined, and lodging was determined by mechanical analysis. The discrimination condition of the wheat lodging degree was proposed based on the height of the visual point cloud on the surface of wheat crops. The binocular camera was used to obtain the image parallax of wheat within the harvesting region. The binocular camera optical axis parallel model was used to calculate the three-dimensional coordinate of wheat. Then, the height of the wheat stem was obtained by further analysis and calculation. According to the wheat stem height detected by vision, the location and area of wheat lodging within the combine harvester’s harvesting region were analyzed. A field experiment showed that the detection error of the wheat stem height was 5.5 cm and the algorithm speed was under 2000 milliseconds, which enabled the analysis and calculation of the wheat lodging location, contour, and area within the combine harvester’s harvesting region. This study provides key information for adaptive header control of combine harvesters.
Research on Flexible End-Effectors with Humanoid Grasp Function for Small Spherical Fruit Picking
Authors: Zhang Fu , Chen Zijun , Wang Yafei , Bao Ruofei , Chen Xingguang , Fu Sanling , Tian Mimi , Zhang Yakun
Published: January 2023

The rapid, stable, and undamaged picking of small-sized spherical fruits are one of the key technologies to improve the level of intelligent picking robots and reduce grading operations. Cherry tomatoes were selected as the research object in this work. Picking strategies of two-stage “Holding-Rotating” and finger-end grasping were determined. The end-effector was designed to separate the fruit from the stalk based on the linear motion of the constraint part and the rotating gripper. This work first studied the human hand-grasping of cherry tomatoes and designed the fingers with sinusoidal characteristics. The mathematical model of a single finger of the gripper was established. The structural parameters of the gripper were determined to meet the requirements of the grabbing range from 0 to 61.6 mm. Based on the simulation model, the constraint part was set to 6 speeds, and the fruit sizes were set to 20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm, respectively. When the speed was 0.08m/s, the results showed that the grabbing time was 0.5381 s, 0.387 s, and 0.2761 s, respectively, and the maximum grabbing force was 0.9717 N, 3.5077 N, and 4.0003 N now of clamping, respectively. It met the picking requirements of high speed and low loss. The criterions of two-index stability and undamaged were proposed, including the grasping index of the fixed value and the slip detection of variance to mean ratio. Therefore, the control strategy and algorithm based on two-stage and two-index for rapid, stable, and non-destructive harvesting of small fruit were proposed. The results of the picking experiment for seventy-two cherry tomatoes showed that the picking success rate was 95.82%, the average picking time was 4.86 s, the picking damage rate was 2.90%, the browning rate was 2.90% in 72 h, and the wrinkling rate was 1.49% in 72 h, which can meet the actual small spherical fruit picking requirements. The research will provide an idea for the flexible end-effectors with humanoid grasp function and provides a theoretical reference for small spherical fruit picking.
Apple Grading Method Design and Implementation for Automatic Grader Based on Improved YOLOv5
Authors: Xu Bo , Cui Xiang , Ji Wei , Yuan Hao , Wang Juncheng
Published: January 2023

Apple grading is an essential part of the apple marketing process to achieve high profits. In this paper, an improved YOLOv5 apple grading method is proposed to address the problems of low grading accuracy and slow grading speed in the apple grading process and is experimentally verified by the designed automatic apple grading machine. Firstly, the Mish activation function is used instead of the original YOLOv5 activation function, which allows the apple feature information to flow in the deep network and improves the generalization ability of the model. Secondly, the distance intersection overUnion loss function (DIoU_Loss) is used to speed up the border regression rate and improve the model convergence speed. In order to refine the model to focus on apple feature information, a channel attention module (Squeeze Excitation) was added to the YOLOv5 backbone network to enhance information propagation between features and improve the model’s ability to extract fruit features. The experimental results show that the improved YOLOv5 algorithm achieves an average accuracy of 90.6% for apple grading under the test set, which is 14.8%, 11.1%, and 3.7% better than the SSD, YOLOv4, and YOLOv5s models, respectively, with a real-time grading frame rate of 59.63 FPS. Finally, the improved YOLOv5 apple grading algorithm is experimentally validated on the developed apple auto-grader. The improved YOLOv5 apple grading algorithm was experimentally validated on the developed apple auto grader. The experimental results showed that the grading accuracy of the automatic apple grader reached 93%, and the grading speed was four apples/sec, indicating that this method has a high grading speed and accuracy for apples, which is of practical significance for advancing the development of automatic apple grading.
Management of Root-Knot Nematode with Non-Chemical Methods for Sustainable Production of Cucumber under Protected Cultivation
Authors: Dhillon Narpinderjeet Kaur , Kaur Sukhjeet , Anupam  , Buttar Harwinder Singh , Singh Kuldip , Khapte Pratapsingh S. , Kumar Pardeep
Published: January 2023

The multi-faceted benefits of growing crops under protected cultivation are gradually establishing it as a promising technology for vegetable cultivation in India. However, the adoption of successive cropping patterns in soil-based closed structures is leading to the buildup of soil-borne pathogens and pests, which are becoming a major hindrance to the sustainable production of these crops, particularly in the northern plains. Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are a critical threat to protected cultivation and farmers are required to contribute a significant amount of time and money for their management. To reduce the overdependence of chemicals, the present study explored the potential of plant-based by-products as amendments for the management of RKN in cucumbers grown under a plastic greenhouse. A pot trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of different plant-based amendments against nematodes in cucumber plants. The pot trial results revealed that the application of mustard cake (MC) and neem cake (NC) at 1 t ha−1 either alone or as a combined application with farmyard manure (FYM) of 2.5 t ha−1 was effective against RKN infestation, reflecting the improved plant growth parameters of cucumber. Based on the results of the pot trials, treatments with plant-based amendments and FYM i.e., T1: MC 1 t ha−1; T2: NC 1 t ha−1; T3: FYM 2.5 t ha−1; T4: MC 1 t ha−1 + NC 1 t ha−1 + FYM 2.5 t ha−1, along with the treated check carbofuran 3 G 2 kg (a.i.) ha−1 (T5) and untreated check (T6), were evaluated in multi-locational field trials. The results revealed that the combined application of MC 1 t ha−1 + NC 1 tha−1 + FYM 2.5 t ha−1 exhibited promising results in decreasing RKN infestation (56–58%) in all of the three RKN-infested polyhouses, with significantly enhanced yields at all of the three locations. Soil organic carbon also increased significantly in the amended plots, indicating improved soil health. The results of the present work hold good promise for the management of RKN in the protected cultivation of cucumber with an environment friendly approach, along with the additional incentives of improved soil health.
Target-Size-Dependent Application of Electrostatic Techniques for Pest Management in Greenhouses
Authors: Matsuda Yoshinori , Toyoda Hideyoshi
Published: January 2023

Two new electrostatic devices were developed to manage greenhouse insect pests. One was an electrostatic insect catcher (EIC) to trap small flying pests, and the other was an arc-discharge zapper (ADZ) to kill larger insects emerging from soil beds. The EIC consisted of negatively charged insulated conductor plates (NIPs) and grounded conductor plates (GCPs), which were alternately arrayed in parallel at defined intervals. The ADZ had the same framework as the EIC, except that the NIPs were replaced with negatively charged non-insulated iron plates (NNPs). The EIC formed a non-discharging electric field between the NIP and GCP to create an attractive force to capture insects. By contrast, the ADZ formed a discharge-generating electric field between the NNP and GCP that killed insects. The EIC was effectively applied to small pests, such as whiteflies, thrips, leaf miners, winged aphids, and shore flies, that can pass through the conventional insect-proof nets installed on greenhouse windows. The ADZ was effective for adult houseflies emerging from pupae in soil beds. Our electrostatic devices are useful for controlling insect pests of different sizes.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Wild Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Based on Its Complete Chloroplast Genome from Tibet, China
Authors: Chen Lide , Ren Yuan , Zhao Jun , Wang Yuting , Liu Xueqing , Zhao Xueqing , Yuan Zhaohe
Published: January 2023

Pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) are one of the most fashionable fruits and can be cultivated in both tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a shiny and attractive pome due to its cultivation. It belongs to the Lythraceae family. In this study, we analyzed the chloroplast genome of wild pomegranate based on whole genome shotgun sequences. In wild pomegranate, we found 158,645 bp in size, 132 genes containing 84 protein genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 36.92% of GC content, one infA and two duplicated ycf15 pseudogenes. Moreover, 21 chloroplast genes contained intros that are detected in a large single copy (LSC), small single copy (SSC), and two inverted repeats (IRA and IRB) regions, 17 of which were involved in single introns, while four genes (ycf3, rps12, clpP and rsp12) located in LSC, IRA, and IRB region. In total, 26,272 codons are found in protein-coding genes (PCGs); relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis revealed that the most abundant amino acid is leucine containing 2773 codons (10.55%), less abundant is methionine amino acid containing 1 codon (0.0032) in the PCGs. Furthermore, a total of 233 cpSSRs were identified in the wild pomegranate cp genome, and their distribution was analyzed in three regions, namely IR, LSC, and SSC. However, 155 cpSSR were found in the LSC (66.5%), followed by 40 cpSSR in the SSC (17.2%) and 38 cpSSR in the IR (16.3%) regions. Phylogenetic validation revealed that wild pomegranate is close to the pemphis acidula species. We believe that the cp genome allocates significant information promising for breeding research of wild pomegranate to Lythraceae.
Screening of Haustorium Induction Factors of Phelipanche aegyptiaca Pers. Based on Metabolome Analysis of Cucumis melo L. Root Exudates
Authors: Bian Pengxuan , Sun Chang , Cao Xiaolei , Yao Zhaoqun , Zhang Xuekun , Zhao Sifeng
Published: January 2023

Phelipanche aegyptiaca Pers. is a holoparasitic plant that causes tremendous losses of agricultural crops worldwide. The initiation and development of the haustoria (special intrusive organs) is a key step in the growth of parasitic plants. The initiation of haustorium is largely dependent on haustorium-inducing factors (HIFs) secreted from host roots. Although HIFs of many semi-parasitic plants have been identified and reported, HIFs of the obligate parasitic plant P. aegyptiaca are largely unknown. This work demonstrated that the root exudates of the host plant Cucumis melo L. contain allelochemicals displaying haustorium-inducing activity on P. aegyptiaca germinating seeds, and there are significant differences in the induction effects of the resistant and susceptible C. melo cultivars of P. aegyptiaca (KR1326 and K1076). Ultra-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) technology was used to identify and analyze the metabolites in root exudates of KR1326 and K1076. Cluster and PCA analyses showed significant differences between the metabolites in the KR1326 and K1076 root exudates. The determination of the haustorium induction effects of some metabolites screened from the differential metabolites indicated that scopoletin, quercetin, IAA, and DMBQ had relatively high haustorium induction activity. The results provide clues for finding HIFs of obligate parasitic plants and shed new light on the control of P. aegyptiaca by regulating haustorium development.
The Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Two Physalis Species, Physalis macrophysa and P. ixocarpa: Comparative Genomics, Evolutionary Dynamics and Phylogenetic Relationships
Authors: Zhang Zhenhao , Jin Yanyun , Gao Yadi , Zhang Yong , Ying Qicai , Shen Chenjia , Lu Jiangjie , Zhan Xiaori , Wang Huizhong , Feng Shangguo
Published: January 2023

Physalis macrophysa (PMA) and Physalis ixocarpa (PIX) have significant economic, medicinal, and ornamental value and are often used in the fields of edible fruits, medicinal herbs, and ornamental plants. In the present study, we obtained the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequences of PMA and PIX, compared to the cp genome sequences of 10 Physalis species, and constructed the phylogenetic tree among the tribe Physaleae. The results showed that the cp genomes of PMA and PIX consisted of a large single copy (LSC) region (87,115 bp and 87,103 bp, respectively), a small single copy (SSC) region (18,412 bp and 18,420 bp, respectively), and a pair of same-length inverted-repeat (IRa and IRb) regions (25,604 bp and 25,674 bp, respectively). The two species contained 132 genes, including 87 encoding proteins, eight encoding ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and 37 encoding transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which indicated that the two species have strong similarities with respect to genome structure and gene content. PMA and PIX contained repeat sequences (35 and 40, respectively) and simple-sequence repeats (SSRs) (61 and 60, respectively). Nine regions with considerable nucleotide divergence were found, most of which were located in the LSC and SSC regions. The gene selective pressure analysis indicated that eight genes were affected by positive selection, the Ka/Ks values of which were greater than one. Our phylogenetic results indicated that PMA and PIX had the closest genetic relationship and are closely adjacent to Physalis philadelphica (PPH) in the subtribe Physalinae. Our analysis of the cp genomes in both Physalis species will be beneficial for further research into species identification, phylogeny, evolution, and the potential for germplasm resource exploitation in Physalis.
Evaluation of Copper-Free Alternatives to Control Grey Mould in Organic Mediterranean Greenhouse Tomato Production
Authors: Marín-Guirao Jose Ignacio , Páez-Cano Francisco César , García-García María del Carmen , Katsoulas Nikolaos , de Cara-García Miguel
Published: January 2023

Grey mould caused by Botrytis cinerea is an endemic disease in greenhouse tomato crops in the Mediterranean Basin, where the scarcity of heating systems together with the winter weather conditions makes the use of fungicides necessary. The availability of fungicides for organic tomato production is limited, and traditionally, farmers have used copper-based formulations. In the present work, in vitro tests with twelve commercial formulations resulted in cinnamon extract and potassium hydrogen carbonate (PHC) showing high efficacy in the inhibition of B. cinerea growth. Both formulations were evaluated in on-farm greenhouse trials conducted for two seasons (2019/2020 and 2020/2021) in three greenhouses located in Almería, Spain. In terms of controlling Botrytis, PHC showed efficacy results comparable to or even better than those that have been obtained for copper oxychloride. Weather conditions outside and inside the greenhouse were conducive to the onset and development of the disease. Tomato variety selection and pruning practices (flush cuttings) were the main factors that reduced the use of copper-based formulations or any other fungicide to prevent grey mould infection. Smart and integrated management of the mentioned factors could lead to the substitution of copper to control Botrytis in the crop system studied here.
Assessment of the Agronomic Value of Manure-Based Fertilizers
Authors: Prado Joana , Fangueiro David , Alvarenga Paula , Ribeiro Henrique
Published: January 2023

Producing manure-based fertilizers (MBFs) with specific nutrient ratios is a solution to overpassing the imbalance of nitrogen and phosphorus in manures, and a way to recycle manure’s nutrients, promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Several MBFs with different tailored N:P ratios (0.5:1, 1:1 and 2:1) were produced to determine their agronomic value in a pot experiment with oat (0.5:1 ratio: cattle manure with pig slurry (CaM+PiS), cattle manure with poultry manure (CaM+PoM) and poultry manure with superphosphate (PoM+SP); 1:1 ratio: poultry manure with cattle slurry (PoM+CaS) and poultry manure with pig slurry (PoM+PiS); 2:1 ratio: cattle slurry with the liquid fraction of cattle slurry (CaS+CaS-LIQ), pig slurry with the liquid fraction of pig slurry (PiS+PiS-LIQ) and poultry manure with urea (PoM+U)). The performance of these MBFs was compared with conventional mineral fertilizers (MFs) in sandy soils (Haplic Arenosols) with different nutrient requirements. Oat fertilized with PoM+SP (0.5:1) and PoM+PiS (1:1) led to yields similar to those obtained with the use of MFs (6.3 and 7.2 mg DM, respectively). The MBFs PoM+SP and PoM+PiS, as well as PiS+PiS-LIQ (2:1), were agronomically equivalent to the MFs. N uptake with those MBFs was equivalent to that obtained with the MFs. Replacing MFs with MBFs in the basal fertilization of oat was demonstrated to be a solution to turn agriculture more sustainable by recycling nutrients efficiently.