bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neural Correlates and Reinstatement of Recent and Remote Memory: A Comparison Between Children and Young Adults
Authors: Schommartz Iryna , Lembcke Philip F , Ortiz-Tudela Javier , Bauer Martin , Kaindl Angela M , Buss Claudia , Shing Yee Lee
Published: August 2023

Children showed less robust memory consolidation across short and long delay compared to young adults.From short to long delay, children show differential neural upregulation for remote versus recent memory compared to young adults.Over time, both children and young adults showed reduced scene-specific reinstatement of neural patterns.Children relied more on gist-like neural reinstatement in anterior hippocampal and medial prefrontal brain regions.Memory consolidation tends to be less robust in childhood than adulthood. However, little is known about the corresponding functional differences in the developing brain that may underlie age-related differences in retention of memories over time. This study examined system-level memory consolidation of object-scene associations after learning (immediate delay), one night of sleep (short delay), as well as two weeks (long delay) in 5-to-7-year-old children (n = 49) and in young adults (n = 39), as a reference group with mature consolidation systems. Particularly, we characterized how functional neural activation and reinstatement of neural patterns change over time, assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging combined with representational similarity analysis (RSA). Our results showed that memory consolidation in children was less robust and strong (i.e., more forgetting) compared to young adults. Contrasting correctly retained remote versus recent memories across time delay, children showed less upregulation in posterior parahippocampal gyrus, lateral occipital cortex, and cerebellum than adults. In addition, both children and adults showed decrease in scene-specific neural reinstatement over time, indicating time-related decay of detailed differentiated memories. At the same time, we observed more generic gist-like neural reinstatement in medial-temporal and prefrontal brain regions uniquely in children, indicating qualitative difference in memory trace in children. Taken together, 5-to-7-year-old children, compared to young adults, show less robust memory consolidation, possibly due to difficulties in engaging in differentiated neural reinstatement in neocortical mnemonic regions during retrieval of remote memories, coupled with relying more on gist-like generic neural reinstatement.
A BERT-Span model for Chinese named entity recognition in rehabilitation medicine
Authors: Zhong Jinhong , Xuan Zhanxiang , Wang Kang , Cheng Zhou
Published: August 2023

Background

Due to various factors such as the increasing aging of the population and the upgrading of people’s health consumption needs, the demand group for rehabilitation medical care is expanding. Currently, China’s rehabilitation medical care encounters several challenges, such as inadequate awareness and a scarcity of skilled professionals. Enhancing public awareness about rehabilitation and improving the quality of rehabilitation services are particularly crucial. Named entity recognition is an essential first step in information processing as it enables the automated extraction of rehabilitation medical entities. These entities play a crucial role in subsequent tasks, including information decision systems and the construction of medical knowledge graphs.

Methods

In order to accomplish this objective, we construct the BERT-Span model to complete the Chinese rehabilitation medicine named entity recognition task. First, we collect rehabilitation information from multiple sources to build a corpus in the field of rehabilitation medicine, and fine-tune Bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers (BERT) with the rehabilitation medicine corpus. For the rehabilitation medicine corpus, we use BERT to extract the feature vectors of rehabilitation medicine entities in the text, and use the span model to complete the annotation of rehabilitation medicine entities.

Result

Compared to existing baseline models, our model achieved the highest F1 value for the named entity recognition task in the rehabilitation medicine corpus. The experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms in recognizing both long medical entities and nested medical entities in rehabilitation medical texts.

Conclusion

The BERT-Span model can effectively identify and extract entity knowledge in the field of rehabilitation medicine in China, which supports the construction of the knowledge graph of rehabilitation medicine and the development of the decision-making system of rehabilitation medicine.
Crown-of-thorns starfish spines secrete defence proteins
Authors: Hillberg Adam K. , Smith Meaghan K. , Lausen Blake S. , Suwansa-ard Saowaros , Johnston Ryan , Mitu Shahida A. , MacDonald Leah E. , Zhao Min , Motti Cherie A. , Wang Tianfang , Elizur Abigail , Nakashima Keisuke , Satoh Noriyuki , Cummins Scott F.
Published: August 2023

Background

The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS; Acanthaster species) is a slow-moving corallivore protected by an extensive array of long, sharp toxic spines. Envenomation can result in nausea, numbness, vomiting, joint aches and sometimes paralysis. Small molecule saponins and the plancitoxin proteins have been implicated in COTS toxicity.

Methods

Brine shrimp lethality assays were used to confirm the secretion of spine toxin biomolecules. Histological analysis, followed by spine-derived proteomics helped to explain the source and identity of proteins, while quantitative RNA-sequencing and phylogeny confirmed target gene expression and relative conservation, respectively.

Results

We demonstrate the lethality of COTS spine secreted biomolecules on brine shrimp, including significant toxicity using aboral spine semi-purifications of >10 kDa (p > 0.05, 9.82 µg/ml), supporting the presence of secreted proteins as toxins. Ultrastructure observations of the COTS aboral spine showed the presence of pores that could facilitate the distribution of secreted proteins. Subsequent purification and mass spectrometry analysis of spine-derived proteins identified numerous secretory proteins, including plancitoxins, as well as those with relatively high gene expression in spines, including phospholipase A2, protease inhibitor 16-like protein, ependymin-related proteins and those uncharacterized. Some secretory proteins (e.g., vitellogenin and deleted in malignant brain tumor protein 1) were not highly expressed in spine tissue, yet the spine may serve as a storage or release site. This study contributes to our understanding of the COTS through functional, ultrastructural and proteomic analysis of aboral spines.
Prediction of soil moisture using BiGRU-LSTM model with STL decomposition in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Authors: Zhao Lufei , Luo Tonglin , Jiang Xuchu , Zhang Biao
Published: August 2023

Ali Network data based on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) can provide representative coverage of the climate and surface hydrometeorological conditions in the cold and arid region of the QTP. Among them, the plateau soil moisture can effectively quantify the uncertainty of coarse resolution satellite and soil moisture models. With the objective of constructing an “end-to-end” soil moisture prediction model for the Tibetan Plateau, a combined prediction model based on time series decomposition and a deep neural network is proposed in this article. The model first performs data preprocessing and seasonal-trend decomposition using loess (STL) to obtain the trend component, seasonal component and random residual component of the original time series in an additive way. Subsequently, the bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) is used for the trend component, and the long short-term memory (LSTM) is used for the seasonal and residual components to extract the time series information. The experiments based on the measured data demonstrate that the use of STL decomposition and the combination model can effectively extract the information in soil moisture series using its concise and clear structure. The proposed model in this article has a stable performance improvement of 5–30% over a single model and existing prediction models in different prediction time domains. In long-range prediction, the proposed model also achieves the best accuracy in the shape and temporal domains described by using dynamic time warping (DTW) index and temporal distortion index (TDI). In addition, the generalization performance experiments show that the combined method proposed in this article has strong reference value for time series prediction of natural complex systems.
Early haemodynamic predictors of poor functional outcomes in patients with acute ischaemic stroke receiving endovascular therapy: a single-centre retrospective study in China
Authors: Hu Yanyan , Zhang Shizhong , Zhang Jiajun , Wang Xin , Zhang Feng , Cui Hong , Yuan Hui , Zheng Wei
Published: August 2023

Background

Changes in cerebral haemodynamics following endovascular therapy (EVT) for large-vessel occlusion stroke may affect the outcomes of patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS); however, evidence supporting this belief is limited. This study aims to identify the early haemodynamic predictors of poor outcomes in patients with AIS caused by anterior circulation large-artery occlusion after undergoing EVT and to evaluate the usefulness of these indicators in predicting functional outcomes at 90 days.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted at a single academic hospital, using prospectively collected data. We enrolled adult patients with acute anterior circulation stroke who underwent EVT. Transcranial colour-coded sonography (TCCS) examinations of the recanalised and contralateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) were performed within 12 h after undergoing EVT. Haemodynamic indicators were analysed to determine their association with poor functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale: 3–6) 90 days after stroke. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the usefulness of haemodynamic indicators in predicting functional outcomes.

Results

In total, 108 patients (median age: 66 years; 69.4% males) were enrolled in this study. Complete recanalization was achieved in 93 patients (86.1%); however, 60 patients (55.6%) had a poor 90-day outcome. The peak systolic velocity (PSV) ratio, adjusted PSV ratio, mean flow velocity (MFV) ratio, and adjusted MFV ratio of the MCA were significantly higher in patients with poor prognosis than in patients with good prognosis (p < 0.02). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher PSV ratio, adjusted PSV ratio, MFV ratio, and adjusted MFV ratio were independently associated with a poor 90-day outcomes (adjusted odds ratio: 1.11–1.48 for every 0.1 increase; p < 0.03). Furthermore, adding the adjusted MFV ratio significantly improved the prediction ability of the basic model for the 90-day poor functional outcome using the ROC analysis, the areas under ROC curves increased from 0.75 to 0.85 (p = 0.013).

Conclusions

Early TCCS examination may help in predicting poor functional outcomes at 90 days in patients with AIS who underwent EVT. Moreover, combining novel TCCS indicators (adjusted MFV ratio) with conventional parameters improved the prediction ability of the base model.
Clinical dosage of lidocaine does not impact the biomedical outcome of sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in a porcine model
Authors: Rissel René , Moellmann Christian , Albertsmeier Victoria , Renz Miriam , Ruemmler Robert , Kamuf Jens , Hartmann Erik K. , Ziebart Alexander
Published: August 2023

Background

Sepsis is a common disease in intensive care units worldwide, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This process is often associated with multiple organ failure including acute lung injury. Although massive research efforts have been made for decades, there is no specific therapy for sepsis to date. Early and best treatment is crucial. Lidocaine is a common local anesthetic and used worldwide. It blocks the fast voltage-gated sodium (Na+) channels in the neuronal cell membrane responsible for signal propagation. Recent studies show that lidocaine administered intravenously improves pulmonary function and protects pulmonary tissue in pigs under hemorrhagic shock, sepsis and under pulmonary surgery. The aim of this study is to show that lidocaine inhalative induces equivalent effects as lidocaine intravenously in pigs in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis with acute lung injury.

Methods

After approval of the local State and Institutional Animal Care Committee, to induce the septic inflammatory response a continuous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was administered to the pigs in deep anesthesia. Following induction and stabilisation of sepsis, the study medication was randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) lidocaine intravenously, (2) lidocaine per inhalation and (3) sham group. All animals were monitored for 8 h using advanced and extended cardiorespiratory monitoring. Postmortem assessment included pulmonary mRNA expression of mediators of early inflammatory response (IL-6 & TNF-alpha), wet-to-dry ratio and lung histology.

Results

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was successfully induced after sepsis-induction with LPS in all three groups measured by a significant decrease in the PaO2/FiO2 ratio. Further, septic hemodynamic alterations were seen in all three groups. Leucocytes and platelets dropped statistically over time due to septic alterations in all groups. The wet-to-dry ratio and the lung histology showed no differences between the groups. Additionally, the pulmonary mRNA expression of the inflammatory mediators IL-6 and TNF-alpha showed no significant changes between the groups. The proposed anti-inflammatory and lung protective effects of lidocaine in sepsis-induced acute lung injury could not be proven in this study.
Variations in bacterial diversity and community structure in the sediments of an alkaline lake in Inner Mongolia plateau, China
Authors: Liu Jumei , Yu Jingli , Si Wantong , Ding Ge , Zhang Shaohua , Gong Donghui , Bi Jie
Published: August 2023

Alkaline lakes are a special aquatic ecosystem that act as important water and alkali resource in the arid-semiarid regions. The primary aim of the study is to explore how environmental factors affect community diversity and structure, and to find whether there are key microbes that can indicate changes in environmental factors in alkaline lakes. Therefore, four sediment samples (S1, S2, S3, and S4) were collected from Hamatai Lake which is an important alkali resource in Ordos’ desert plateau of Inner Mongolia. Samples were collected along the salinity and alkalinity gradients and bacterial community compositions were investigated by Illumina Miseq sequencing. The results revealed that the diversity and richness of bacterial community decreased with increasing alkalinity (pH) and salinity, and bacterial community structure was obviously different for the relatively light alkaline and hyposaline samples (LAHO; pH < 8.5; salinity < 20‰) and high alkaline and hypersaline samples (HAHR; pH > 8.5; salinity > 20‰). Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteriodetes were observed to be the dominant phyla. Furthermore, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and low salt-tolerant alkaliphilic nitrifying taxa were mainly distributed in S1 with LAHO characteristic. Firmicutes, Clostridia, Gammaproteobacteria, salt-tolerant alkaliphilic denitrifying taxa, haloalkaliphilic sulfur cycling taxa were mainly distributed in S2, S3 and S4, and were well adapted to haloalkaline conditions. Correlation analysis revealed that the community diversity (operational taxonomic unit numbers and/or Shannon index) and richness (Chao1) were significantly positively correlated with ammonium nitrogen (r = 0.654, p < 0.05; r = 0.680, p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with pH (r = −0.924, p < 0.01; r = −0.800, p < 0.01; r = −0.933, p < 0.01) and salinity (r = −0.615, p < 0.05; r = −0.647, p < 0.05). A redundancy analysis and variation partitioning analysis revealed that pH (explanation degrees of 53.5%, pseudo-F = 11.5, p < 0.01), TOC/TN (24.8%, pseudo-F = 10.3, p < 0.05) and salinity (9.2%, pseudo-F = 9.5, p < 0.05) were the most significant factors that caused the variations in bacterial community structure. The results suggested that alkalinity, nutrient salt and salinity jointly affect bacterial diversity and community structure, in which one taxon (Acidobacteria), six taxa (Cyanobacteria, Nitrosomonadaceae, Nitrospira, Bacillus, Lactococcus and Halomonas) and five taxa (Desulfonatronobacter, Dethiobacter, Desulfurivibrio, Thioalkalivibrio and Halorhodospira) are related to carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycles, respectively. Classes Clostridia and Gammaproteobacteria might indicate changes of saline-alkali conditions in the sediments of alkaline lakes in desert plateau.
Development and validation of web-based dynamic nomograms predictive of disease-free and overall survival in patients who underwent pneumonectomy for primary lung cancer
Authors: Yu Xiangyang , Wang Feng , Yang Longjun , Ma Kai , Guo Xiaotong , Wang Lixu , Du Longde , Yu Xin , Lin Shengcheng , Xiao Hua , Sui Zhilin , Zhang Lanjun , Yu Zhentao
Published: August 2023

Background

The tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system is insufficient to precisely distinguish the long-term survival of patients who underwent pneumonectomy for primary lung cancer. Therefore, this study sought to identify determinants of disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for incorporation into web-based dynamic nomograms.

Methods

The clinicopathological variables, surgical methods and follow-up information of 1,261 consecutive patients who underwent pneumonectomy for primary lung cancer between January 2008 and December 2018 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were collected. Nomograms for predicting DFS and OS were built based on the significantly independent predictors identified in the training cohort (n = 1,009) and then were tested on the validation cohort (n = 252). The concordance index (C-index) and time-independent area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC) assessed the nomogram’s discrimination accuracy. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was applied to evaluate the clinical utility.

Results

During a median follow-up time of 40.5 months, disease recurrence and death were observed in 446 (35.4%) and 665 (52.7%) patients in the whole cohort, respectively. In the training cohort, a higher C-reactive protein to albumin ratio, intrapericardial pulmonary artery ligation, lymph node metastasis, and adjuvant therapy were significantly correlated with a higher risk for disease recurrence; similarly, the independent predictors for worse OS were intrapericardial pulmonary artery and vein ligation, higher T stage, lymph node metastasis, and no adjuvant therapy. In the validation cohort, the integrated DFS and OS nomograms showed well-fitted calibration curves and yielded good discrimination powers with C-index of 0.667 (95% confidence intervals CIs [0.610–0.724]) and 0.697 (95% CIs [0.649–0.745]), respectively. Moreover, the AUCs for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year DFS were 0.655, 0.726, and 0.735, respectively, and those for 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS were 0.741, 0.765, and 0.709, respectively. DCA demonstrated that our nomograms could bring more net benefit than the TNM staging system.

Conclusions

Although pneumonectomy for primary lung cancer has brought encouraging long-term outcomes, the constructed prediction models could assist in precisely identifying patients at high risk and developing personalized treatment strategies to further improve survival.
Writing Strategy, Influence of Social Media, Motivation for Reading: A Structural Model in Interpersonal Communication Skills
Authors: Hurtada Josevic F. , Oliva Elleine Rose A.
Published: August 2023

Aim: To identify the Model appropriate for evaluating students' interpersonal communication abilities.

Study Design: Quantitative Causal Analysis.

Place and Duration of Study: Region XII - SOCCSKSARGEN, Philippines, during the second semester of 2022

Methodology: The data were collected using survey questionnaires to the 400 public senior high school students selected through stratified random sampling. Mean was used to evaluate the student's academic achievement, self-efficacy in language acquisition, test-taking techniques, and reading motivation. The association between reading motivation, self-efficacy in language learning, test-taking techniques, and students' academic performance was determined using Pearson's Product Moment association. Multiple regression was performed to identify the significant predictors of academic performance. The structural equation model was used to choose the best Model. Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) was used to conduct the Goodness of Fit Statistics for Alternative Models.

Results: The findings showed that students had a high level of writing strategy; a moderate level of social media influence; a high level of motivation to read; and an excellent level of interpersonal skills. Moreover, the writing approach, social media influence, and reading motivation were significantly correlated with students' interpersonal communication skills. The best fit for the data was Model 5, which had consistent indices across all five analyzed models.

Conclusion: The study's findings supported Vygotsky's Social Cultural Theory of Writing, emphasizing the role of motivation and social impact in students' communication skills development, and highlighted the importance of communication in fostering learning processes in the brain.
Growth Rate and Biochemical Traits of Broiler Chicks as Affected by Commercial Diet Density, Seed Supplementation of Lagerstroemia speciosa and Nigella sativa
Authors: Nivetha N. , Pavithran S. , Ganesan G. , Karthik M. , Sujatha P. S.
Published: August 2023

The present investigation aimed to investigate the effects of dietary seed supplementation on broiler chicks' ability to grow and biochemical properties that are impacted by commercial feed density and seed supplementation of Lagerstroemia speciosa. The research was carried out at the Government Arts College in Coimbatore-18, Tamil Nadu, India's Animal House, Department of Zoology, and Postgraduate and Research Department. Secondary metabolites, including steroids, terpenoids, glycosides, and phenolic compounds, are the primary bioactive substances in L. speciosa seeds, including phytochemical compounds and essential oils. The experimental groups consisted of dried seeds of L. speciosa and N. sativa added to the organic feed. The experimental animals show that the growth rate of the control group shows 41±3.21d initial weight and a 124±4bc final weight, while the growth rate of group II shows 135±4.04b. Body weight is a little higher than in the control group. Commercial feed is drastic in weight gain, and it shows 489±10.44a in group III. The experimental groups IV and V are active and healthier than the other groups, but the weight is poor in group IV 78±9.29d and 105±7.62bcd are in group V. The N. sativa seeds consist of thymoquinone, a bio-compound to reduce the body weight 78±9.29d in Group IV. Table 5 shows the haematological parameters of chicks in each group. The control group has the highest concentration of urea (10.7±0.55a), while group IV has the lowest concentration. The amount of uric acid is lowest in group IV and largest in group V. Cholesterol levels are highest in group II (green leafy vegetables) and lowest in group IV. Triglyceride levels are highest in Group V, while they are lowest in the control group. Group V has the least total protein, whereas the control group has the most. The control group has the highest albumin level, while group II has the lowest level.
Globalization, Technological Advancement and the Elderly People: A Systematic Review of Literature
Authors: Simoonga Rockiner Kenneth , Chimfwembe Kingford
Published: August 2023

Old age comes with lots of challenges which become a burden to the able-bodied members of society and may cause physical and economic stress over the short and long term. Technology has catalysed development processes the world over for many decades now. It has affected the senior members of society in their everyday lives either negatively or positively. Existing research focused much on the impact of technology on old people from the perspective of caregivers and family members. This paper examines the impact of technology on old people using the available literature from the old people's perspective. International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) and sociological abstracts (SOCAB) databases were used, and a total of 6 articles from a pool of articles generated were analysed. The study found that there are several assistive devices available to the ageing members which to a great extent gives them a sense of belonging to society in that it helps them keep their identity by being independent. It has also been found that old people are still sceptical about some of the devices as they are perceived to be invading their privacy. Furthermore, the paper proposes a future study on how social interaction can lead to successful ageing.
Effect of Nitrogen Rates and Foliar Spray of Urea Application and Nano Urea on Yield and Economics of rabi Maize (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Srivastava Avantika , Singh Rajesh , Choudhary Dilip , Pradhan Akankhya , Roy Shreya , Pandey Shruti , Anand Shreyash
Published: August 2023

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2022 at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P) to study the ”Effect of Nitrogen Rates and Foliar Spray of Urea Application and Nano Urea on Yield and Economics of rabi Maize (Zea mays L.)”effect of three nitrogen rates (50%, 75% and 100% RDN ) and three foliar spray of urea viz 20000 PPM (2%) and nano urea viz 2000 PPM (2 ml/L) and 4000 PPM (4ml/L) application on yield and economics of rabi maize (Zea mays L.). The soil of experimental plot was sandy loam texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 7.1), low in organic carbon (0.28%), available N (225kg/ha), available P (19.50) kg/ha) and available K (92 kg/ha). The experiment consists of 10 treatment, each being replicated thrice and laid out in Randomized Block Design. The results of present investigation revealed that the highest Grain yield (6.41 t/ha), Stover yield (8.65 t/ha), Harvest Index (42.58), Maximum gross return (INR 1,28266.67), Net return (81,682.75) and B:C ration (1.75) under 100% RDN +4000ppm (4 ml/l) spray of nano urea.
Studies on the Effect of Biostimulants on Quality of Cut Flower of Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora) cv. Denjigar Whitec
Authors: Suchitha N. , Babu K. Kaladhar , Lakshminarayana D. , Kumar S. Praneeth
Published: August 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of biostimulants on quality of cut flower of Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora) cv. Denjigar White”. It was carried out at naturally ventilated polyhouse at Ammapuram, village of Thorrur mandal, Mahabubabad district near JVR Horticulture Research Station, Malyal, Mahabubabad district during 2020- 2021. The treatments used were Ascophyllum nodosum (2.5, 5ml L-1), Rhodophyte extract (0.2, 0.4g L-1), Potassium humate (1.5, 3g L-1), Fulvic acid 10% + Seaweed 8% + Spirulina 6 % (2, 4 g L-1) and control (Water spray) in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with nine treatments and each treatment was replicated thrice. Among the treatments, the treatment T2 (Ascophyllum nodosum @ 5 ml L-1) recorded maximum flower diameter (7.48 cm), individual flower weight (6.55 g), stem length (72.10 cm), vase life (21.60 days) and shelf life (5.84 days), gross returns (₹ 76,93,200), net returns (₹ 59,82,204) and best benefit cost ratio (3.50). However, control recorded minimum in all the parameters.
Response of Sulphur and Molybdenum on Growth and Yield Attributes of Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.)
Authors: Rani Mallela Nikitha , Mehera Biswarup , Reddy Rachamallu Yogitha
Published: August 2023

During Rabi 2022, a field trial was conducted at the SHUATS Agriculture Crop Research Farm in Prayagraj. The soil in the experimental plot was sandy loamy, with a near-neutral soil response (pH 7.1), low organic carbon content (0.36%), available nitrogen (171.48 kg/ha), available phosphorus (15.2 kg/ha), and had an effective soil. K (232.5 kg/ha). The experiment was set up with a randomized block design in which he repeated nine treatments three times, based on a one-year experiment. The treatments are T1: Sulphur 20 kg/ha-1 + Mo 0.5 kg/ha-1, T2: Sulphur 20 kg/ha- 1 + Mo 1.0 kg/ha-1, T3: Sulphur 20 kg/ha-1 + Mo 1.5 kg/ha-1, T4: Sulphur 30 kg/ha-1 + Mo 0.5 kg/ha- 1, T5: Sulphur 30 kg/ha-1 + Mo 1.0 kg/ha-1, T6: Sulphur 30 kg/ha-1 + Mo 1.5 kg/ha-1, T7: Sulphur 40 kg/ha-1 + Mo 0.5 kg/ha-1, T8: Sulphur 40 kg/ha-1 + Mo 1.0 kg/ha-1, T9: Sulphur 40 kg/ha-1 + Mo 1.5 kg/ha-1, T10: Control are used. The application of Sulphur 40 kg/ha-1 + Mo 0.5 kg/ha-1, recorded significant Plant height (56.25 cm), Number of nodules/plant (9.00), Plant dry weight (22.13 g/plant), maximum pods/plant (19.00), Seeds/pod (8.21), Test weight (35.45 g), Seed yield (2.29 t/ha).
Effect of Different Inorganic Fertlizers and Bio Fertilizers on Growth, Yield and Quality of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench )
Authors: Marak Amchi Christbya M. , Deepanshu  , Niharika
Published: August 2023

This study was carried out during March – June 2022 on vegetable research farm Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, SHUATS, Prayagraj. The objective of the experiment was to screen out the best combination of biofertilizer and inorganic manures for growth, yield, and quality of okra and to work out the economics. The design of the experiment was randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. The result shows that T8  75%N + 100%PK + Azotobacter + Azospirillum + PSB was found superior in terms of plant height (9.30cm in 20 days, 30.23cm in 40 days, 43.58cm in 60 days),  plant spread (19.94cm2 in 20 days, 34.64 cm2  in 40 days, 60.74 cm2  in 60 days), days to first flowering (33.98 days), days to 50% flowering (42.43days), days to fruit setting (46.95 days), days to first fruit picking (48.68 days), fruit weight (9.83g), length of fruit at marketable stage (13.10cm), girth of fruit (2.02cm), no. of fruit per plant (23.98/plant), no. of seeds per fruit (48.39), fruit yield per plant(g) 235.65g, fruit yield per plot (kg) 7.78kg, fruit yield (t/ha) 19.44, TSS (14.61oBrix), ascorbic acid (21.31 mg/100g). Net economic returns of treatment were highest in T8 (75%N + 100%PK + Azotobacter + Azospirillum + PSB) Rs.472592.83 with highest cost benefit ratio of (4.27).
Influence of Different Potting Media on Growth and Quality of Aglaonema (Aglaonema commutatum) var. Red Lipstick under Prayagraj Agro Climatic Conditions
Authors: Nandini Chinthamani , Fatmi Urfi , Kumar Gaurav
Published: August 2023

The present investigation entitled, Influence of different potting media on growth and quality of aglaonema (Aglaonema commutatum) var. Red Lipstick under Prayagraj agro climatic conditions was under taken in the Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology And Sciences, Prayagraj. During kharif season (2022). The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 12 treatments and each treatment replicated thrice. The potting mixture T5 (soil : sand : FYM : vermicompost : perlite 1:1:1:1:1 v/v) reported significantly better performance compared to other potting mixtures, in terms of growth parameters like plant height (36.17 cm), leaf length (17.35 cm), leaf width (6.08 cm), number of leaves (11.50), chlorophyll content (SPAD estimation) (32.87), plant growth index based on plant height (0.148), plant growth index based on number of leaves per plant (0.048), number of suckers/plant (2.67) and survival rate of aglaonema in different potting media (100%).
Analysis and Identification of Chemical Content of Rice of Several Strains Local Upland Rice
Authors: Suwitra I. Ketut , Fathurrahman  , Mahfudz  , Samudin Sakka , Mustakim
Published: August 2023

So far, Rice production has yet to meet domestic demand due to population growth, which continues to increase yearly. Lowland rice provides the most significant contribution to national rice production; for this reason, upland rice development is urgently needed to help increase national rice production. Central Sulawesi's upland rice germplasm is very abundant; it's just that there are still many that still need to be identified. For this reason, this study aims to identify the chemical levels of rice in several local upland rice lines. This research was conducted at the Research and Development Site of Gogo Rice, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University is located at 230 meters above sea level in Kalama Hamlet III, Tamarenja Village, Sindue Tobata District, Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi Province, with coordinates LS 00o26'51.4 BT 119o49'50,5. This research started from January to June 2023. This research was compiled using the Randomized Block Design (RAK) method with 14 local upland rice lines (Pae bohe, Menso, Maraki, Uva buya, Kalendeng, Pulau tau leru, Pulu Konta, Jahara, Buncaili, Delima, Pae dupa, Puyu tas, Tako, Dongan) and one variety of check (Situ bagendit) which was repeated three times to obtain 45 experimental units. The variables observed included moisture content, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre and amylose. The results showed that the Pae dupa strain yielded a water content of 7.44%, protein content of 8.91%, fibre content of 3.90% and amylose content of 12.58%, while the Situ bagendit strain had a moisture content of 11.61%, ash content of 0.57%, protein content of 7.72%, fat content 0.66%.
Effect of Different Growing Media on Growth and Flower Production of Oriental Lily (Lilium orientalis)
Authors: Meenakshi  , Fatmi Urfi
Published: August 2023

Oriental lily (Lilium orientalis L.) is a popular and beautiful flowering plant known for its large, colorful, and fragrant blooms. Oriental lilies are perennial plants that grow from bulbs and can reach impressive heights, producing tall and sturdy stems. Their flowers come in various striking colors, including shades of pink, white, red, and bi-color combinations. Growing media, also known as potting mix or substrate, refers to the material used to grow plants in containers, pots, or raised beds. It is a crucial component in container gardening and hydroponics, as it provides physical support, nutrients, and aeration for plant roots to grow and thrive. Therefore, present investigation was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh during Winter-2022-23 with a view to determine the effect of different growing media and different varieties of oriental lily for its growth, flowering, yield and to work out the economics of various treatments. Under this experiment, two factors viz., 3 different varieties (factor A) and 6 treatments comprising of different growing media (factor B) were used. The study was examined using factorial randomized block design. From the present investigation it is concluded that the media V2M3 (Trocadero variety was grown in Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (1:1:1:1) was found to be the best in terms of vegetative growth, flowering, and bulb production. In case of bulblets of lilium, was to all best with media V3M3 (Robina variety was grown in Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (1:1:1:1) was found best. The highest benefit cost ratio was recorded 2.57 with a M3 (Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (1:1:1:1).
Long-term Influence of Crop Residue Management and Tillage Practices on Distribution of C and N within Aggregate Size Fractions in Alluvial Soils
Authors: Roy Nandini , Sinha Abhas Kumar , Padbhushan Rajeev , Mukhopadhyay Prabir , Sow Prodipto
Published: August 2023

Aims: The goal of this experiment is to observe the variations in soil aggregate fractions and the change in percentage of carbon and nitrogen stored in the fractions due to the effect of crop residue management and tillage practices in Rice-Wheat cropping system.

Study Design: An experiment was set up in Randomized Block Design with five treatments, i.e, T0-control, T1- zero-tillage+ no residue application, T2- zero-tillage+ residue application, T3- conventional tillage + no residue application, T4- conventional tillage+ residue application.

Place and Duration of Study: It was conducted in a long-term experimental plot situated in University Research Farm at Pundibari in Coochbehar district of West Bengal. The data was taken in the 9th and 10th year of the experiment, i.e, 2018 and 2019.

Methodology: Samples were collected from three different depths, i.e., 0-5 cm, 5-15 cm and 15-30 cm from four cropping seasons, i.e., wheat 2018, rice 2018, wheat 2019 and rice 2019 and were prepared and analyzed for physico-chemical factors. Dry stable aggregates were obtained by the method of sieving and change of carbon, nitrogen and C/N ratios in various fractions were observed.

Results: Mostly for all the soil depths the total organic carbon content was highest for the treatment with zero-tillage and application of residues (T2). Total nitrogen content also followed the similar trend. Whereas in most of the crop seasons, the C/N ratio was observed to be higher in the treatment where conventional tillage was followed along with residue incorporation (T4). Within the short span of two years positive changes in total organic carbon and total nitrogen content was observed for almost all the treatments, across the depths.

Conclusion: The optimum percentage of decrease in C/N ratio of the control as well as the treatment with zero-tillage and residue application (T2) in the large aggregate fractions (<2mm) indicates the suitability of the soil for higher productivity.
Development of Soil Test based Fertilizer Prescription Equation Using Integrated Nutrient Management Approach for Targeted Yield of Maize Crop in a Vertisol of Chhattisgarh Plain, India
Authors: Choudhari Biplab , Jatav Gourav , Bajpai R. K. , Srivastava L. K. , Banwasi Rakesh , Pattanaik Ipsita , Kusum Alpana
Published: August 2023

Field experiments were conducted at the research farm of Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.) during kharif  2021, and kharif 2022. To study the fertilizer requirement and. Yield performance a regression model was performed to evaluate the variation between yield and fertilizer and found that fertilizer N contribute 87% and 88% (R2 value 0.87,0.88). When applied through NPK variation found about 91 % and 90% (R2 value 0.91, 0.90), for recommendation of fertilizer prescription a ready reckoner was prepared based on these equations for a range of soil test values and for yield targets of 50,60 and 70 q ha-1 for maize, it was found that for a soil test value of 200 kg ha-1 of KMnO4 -N the fertilizer N doses required 91 kg ha-1, 133 kg ha-1 and 175 kg ha-1. For a soil test value of 12 kg ha-1 of Olsen-P, the dose of fertilizer P2O5 required for the yield target was 33 kg ha-1,48 kg ha-1 , 63 kg ha-1 respectively. Similarly for a soil test value of 250 kg ha-1 of NH4OAc-K the fertilizer K doses required 54 kg ha-1, 72 kg ha-1, 91 kg ha-1.
Extraction, Antibiofilm Activity and Characterization of Biosurfactant Produced by Limosilactobacillus reuteri IDCC 3701
Authors: Rafael Levandowski
Published: August 2023

Aims: This study aimed to extract and characterize a biosurfactant produced by Limosilactobacillus reuteri IDCC 3701, assess its emulsifying activity against crude oil, and investigate its antibiofilm properties against major foodborne pathogens.

Methodology: The biosurfactant, named I-BS, was extracted from the cell-free supernatant of Limosilactobacillus reuteri IDCC 3701 using acid precipitation. The emulsification index, emulsifying activity, oil spreading test, drop collapse test, and microplate distortion assay were performed to evaluate the surfactant properties of I-BS. The antibiofilm activity of I-BS against foodborne pathogens was assessed using the Calgary Biofilm Device. Finally, the cell-free supernatant of Limosilactobacillus reuteri IDCC 3701 was subjected to GC-MS analysis.

Results: I-BS demonstrated an emulsification index of 49.4% and emulsifying activity of 400.67, indicating its potential as an effective emulsifier for oils. Positive results were observed in the oil spreading test and microplate distortion assay, confirming its surfactant properties. Additionally, I-BS exhibited significant antibiofilm activity against foodborne pathogens. GC-MS analysis of the I-BS structure revealed the presence of octanoic acid, a surfactant compound.

Conclusion: The biosurfactant I-BS, derived from Limosilactobacillus reuteri IDCC 3701, displayed promising emulsifying activity and demonstrated notable antibiofilm properties against foodborne pathogens. These findings suggest that I-BS holds potential as a lead compound for the development of novel anti-biofilm agents and additives in the food industry.
Understanding Expenditure Behavior of Farm Families of Punjab, India
Authors: Kaur Rupinder , Mittal Ritu
Published: August 2023

The present study was planned to understand the expenditure behavior of farm families of Punjab. Data was collected from 500 farm women selected by using simple random sampling technique. Data was analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean score and one way ANOVA. Expenditure behavior of farm families was measured in terms of expenditure on different household components such as personal, health, clothing, children’s education, food, relative’s functions, transport, entertainment and household utility bills.  It was found that farm families spent comparatively more on food, household utility bills, children’s education and transport while expenditure on clothing, on relatives’ function and personal expenses of farm women were found to be least. Overall average annual expenditure on different household component was Rs. 275,668 of an average farm family. It means farm families spent Rs. 22,972 monthly on different household components. Comparison of average annual expenditure of different income groups on different household components showed that high income group had high expenditure on various household components. Expenditure on relative’s functions, household utility bills and overall expenditure was significantly high for high income groups.
esteira do terreiro
Authors: Santos Edmar Ferreira
Published: August 2023

Este artigo reúne notas e explora novos dados sobre um tema ainda pouco visitado nos estudos sobre a religiosidade afro-brasileira, embora seja um fenômeno bastante difundido: o associativismo vinculado às religiões de terreiro. Através de jornais publicados em Salvador, especialmente nos anos 1970, bem como por meio de dados etnográficos e historiográficos, apresentam-se sujeitos, interpretações, propostas e associações vinculadas à religiosidade afro-brasileira, que permitem compreender melhor as relações entre a experiência dos povos de terreiro e as lutas por direitos do negro no Brasil, sobretudo os esforços pelo reconhecimento de sua cidadania plena e pela superação do racismo na sociedade brasileira. A pauta do reconhecimento dos rituais ancestrais como religião, que incluía noções de valorização e respeito, evidencia que os terreiros não estavam distantes da agenda do movimento social negro, que procurava se articular nacionalmente a partir dos anos 1930.
Neoliberalismo, Estado e território
Authors: Souza Luiz Enrique Vieira de
Published: August 2023

O presente trabalho discute criticamente a implementação de Zonas Econômicas Especiais (ZEE) e a construção do Corredor Industrial Delhi-Mumbai (CIDM) como projetos que resultaram numa redistribuição regressiva da propriedade agrária na Índia após as reformas liberalizantes de 1991. Com base na análise de documentos oficiais, da legislação agrária e na discussão de protestos contra a desterritorialização, proponho uma releitura das estratégias do Governo da Índia para promover a disponibilização de terras para grandes empreendimentos. Contra a vertente que se apoia na noção de “regimes domésticos de despossessão”, argumento que as ZEE, o CIDM e o mais recente Make in India foram concebidos para atrair investimentos estrangeiros, transformar o país num “manufacturing hub” e aumentar o volume de exportações. Trata-se, portanto, de uma rearticulação da “dialética interior-exterior”, na qual as medidas coercitivas internas não são analiticamente separadas das estratégias para promover a maior inserção e competitividade da Índia no cenário global.
Postacute Care Services Use and Outcomes Among Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries
Authors: Achola Emma M. , Stevenson David G. , Keohane Laura M.
Published: August 2023

Importance

Better evidence is needed on whether Medicare Advantage (MA) plans can control the use of postacute care services while achieving excellent outcomes.

Objective

To compare self-reported use of postacute care services and outcomes among traditional Medicare (TM) beneficiaries and MA enrollees.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) with linked Medicare enrollment data from 2015 to 2017. Participants were community-dwelling MA or TM beneficiaries 70 years and older; those with dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility were also identified. Analyses were conducted from May 2022 to February 2023 and were weighted to account for the complex survey design.

Exposures

Enrollment in MA and dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Postacute care service use including site of use, duration, primary indication, and whether participants met their goals or experienced improved functional status during or after services.

Results

Included in the analysis were 2357 Medicare beneficiaries who used postacute care. Of these beneficiaries, 815 (32.6%; 62.0% were females [weighted percentages]) had MA and 1542 (67.4%; 59.5% were females [weighted percentages]) had TM. Enrollees in MA reported using postacute care services across all NHATS survey rounds: between 16.2% (95% CI, 14.3%-18.4%) and 17.7% (95% CI, 15.4%-20.4%) of MA enrollees reported using postacute care services each round, vs 22.4% (95% CI, 20.9%-24.1%) to 24.1% (95% CI, 21.8%-26.6%) of TM beneficiaries (P for all rounds <.002). Enrollees in MA reported less functional improvement during postacute care use (63.1% [95% CI, 59.2%-66.8%] vs 71.7% [95% CI, 68.9%-74.3%], P < .001). Among beneficiaries who ended postacute service use, fewer MA enrollees than TM enrollees reported that they met their goals (70.5% [95% CI, 65.1%-75.3%] vs 76.2% [95% CI, 73.1%-79.1%]; P = .053) or had improved functional status (43.9% [95% CI, 38.9%-49.1%] vs 46.0% [95% CI, 42.5%-49.5%]; P = .42), but differences were not statistically significant. Differences in postacute care use and functional improvement were not statistically significant between MA and TM enrollees with dual eligibility.

Conclusions and relevance

In this cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries, we found that MA enrollees overall used less postacute care services than their TM counterparts. Among users of postacute care services, MA enrollees reported less favorable outcomes compared with TM enrollees. These findings highlight the importance of assessing patient-reported outcomes, especially as MA and other payment models seek to reduce inefficient use of postacute care services.