bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma-Derived microRNAs Are Influenced by Acute and Chronic Exercise in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction
Authors: Witvrouwen Isabel , Gevaert Andreas B. , Possemiers Nadine , Ectors Bert , Stoop Tibor , Goovaerts Inge , Boeren Evi , Hens Wendy , Beckers Paul J. , Vorlat Anne , Heidbuchel Hein , Van Craenenbroeck Amaryllis H. , Van Craenenbroeck Emeline M.
Published: September 2021

Background: Exercise training improves VO2peak in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but the effect is highly variable as it is dependent on peripheral adaptations. We evaluated changes in plasma-derived miRNAs by acute and chronic exercise to investigate whether these can mechanistically be involved in the variability of exercise-induced adaptations.

Methods: Twenty-five male HFrEF patients (left ventricular ejection fraction < 40%, New York Heart Association class ≥ II) participated in a 15-week combined strength and aerobic training program. The effect of training on plasma miRNA levels was compared to 21 male age-matched sedentary HFrEF controls. Additionally, the effect of a single acute exercise bout on plasma miRNA levels was assessed. Levels of 5 miRNAs involved in pathways relevant for exercise adaptation (miR-23a, miR-140, miR-146a, miR-191, and miR-210) were quantified using RT-qPCR and correlated with cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), echocardiographic, vascular function, and muscle strength variables.

Results: Expression levels of miR-146a decreased with training compared to controls. Acute exercise resulted in a decrease in miR-191 before, but not after training. Baseline miR-23a predicted change in VO2peak independent of age and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Baseline miR-140 was independently correlated with change in load at the respiratory compensation point and change in body mass index, and baseline miR-146a with change in left ventricular mass index.

Conclusion: Plasma-derived miRNAs may reflect the underlying mechanisms of exercise-induced adaptation. In HFrEF patients, baseline miR-23a predicted VO2peak response to training. Several miRNAs were influenced by acute or repeated exercise. These findings warrant exploration in larger patient populations and further mechanistic in vitro studies on their molecular involvement.
Acute Kidney Injury Increase Risk of Left Ventricular Remodeling: A Cohort of 1,573 Patients
Authors: Li Qiang , Chen Weihua , Shi Shanshan , Huang Haozhang , Lai Wenguang , Liu Liwei , Ying Ming , Wang Bo , Li Huanqiang , Huang Zhidong , Chen Liling , Chen Jiyan , Chen Shiqun , Liu Jin , Liu Yong
Published: September 2021

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after coronary angiography (CAG) and associated with heart failure (HF). Left ventricular (LV) remodeling is a vital process in the progression of HF. However, few studies investigate the relationship between AKI and LV remodeling.

Methods: We included consecutive patients undergoing CAG from January 2007 to December 2018 at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (NCT04407936). AKI was defined as an absolute increase in serum creatinine (Scr) of ≥ 0.3mg/dl or a ≥ 50% increase in Scr from baseline within the first 48–72 h after the procedure. LV remodeling was defined as: (1) an absolute decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of ≥ 10% compared to baseline, or (2) a follow-up LVEF < 40%. Univariate and multivariate logistical regressions were used to assess the association between AKI and LV remodeling.

Results: Of the 1,573 patients (62.2 ± 9.7 years, female 36.7%) included in the study, 231 (14.7%) had AKI. The incidence of LV remodeling was higher in patients with AKI than in those without AKI (24.7% vs. 14.5%). After adjusting for confounding, multivariate logistic regression showed that AKI was associated with a significantly higher risk of LV remodeling [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.87; 95% CI, 1.30–2.66; p < 0.001]. In addition, LV remodeling patients had higher all-cause mortality compared to non-LV remodeling patients (9.7% vs. 19.1%).

Conclusion: Our data suggested that AKI is present in up to 15% of patients after CAG and that nearly a quarter of AKI patients suffered LV remodeling and AKI patients have a two-fold risk of developing LV remodeling than non-AKI patients. Our findings suggest that more active measures be taken not only to prevent AKI patient developing into LV remodeling, but to prevent patients undergoing CAG from developing AKI.
Phototropin 1 Mediates High-Intensity Blue Light-Induced Chloroplast Accumulation Response in a Root Phototropism 2-Dependent Manner in Arabidopsis phot2 Mutant Plants
Authors: Wang Jing , Liang Yu-ping , Zhu Jin-dong , Wang Yu-xi , Yang Meng-ya , Yan Hong-ru , Lv Qian-yi , Cheng Kai , Zhao Xiang , Zhang Xiao
Published: September 2021

Phototropins, namely, phototropin 1 (phot1) and phototropin 2 (phot2), mediate chloroplast movement to maximize photosynthetic efficiency and prevent photodamage in plants. Phot1 primarily functions in chloroplast accumulation process, whereas phot2 mediates both chloroplast avoidance and accumulation responses. The avoidance response of phot2-mediated chloroplasts under high-intensity blue light (HBL) limited the understanding of the function of phot1 in the chloroplast accumulation process at the HBL condition. In this study, we showed that the phot2 mutant exhibits a chloroplast accumulation response under HBL, which is defective when the root phototropism 2 (RPT2) gene is mutated in the phot2 background, mimicking the phenotype of the phot1 phot2 double mutant. A further analysis revealed that the expression of RPT2 was induced by HBL and the overexpression of RPT2 could partially enhance the chloroplast accumulation response under HBL. These results confirmed that RPT2 also participates in regulating the phot1-mediated chloroplast accumulation response under HBL. In contrast, RPT2 functions redundantly with neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) protein for chloroplast movement 1 (NCH1) under low-light irradiation. In addition, no chloroplast accumulation response was detected in the phot2 jac1 double mutant under HBL, which has been previously observed in phot2 rpt2 and phot1 phot2 double mutants. Taken together, our results indicated that phot1 mediates the HBL-induced chloroplast accumulation response in an RPT2-dependent manner and is also regulated by j-domain protein required for chloroplast accumulation response 1 (JAC1).
Influence of the Environment on the Distribution and Quality of Gentiana dahurica Fisch.
Authors: Zhang Mingxu , Jiang Dong , Yang Min , Ma Tian , Ding Fangyu , Hao Mengmeng , Chen Yuan , Zhang Chunhong , Zhang Xiaobo , Li Minhui
Published: September 2021

Gentiana dahurica Fisch. is a characteristic medicinal plant found in Inner Mongolia, China. To meet the increase in market demand and promote the development of medicinal plant science, we explored the influence of the environment on its distribution and the quantity of its active compounds (loganic acid and 6’-O-β-D-glucosylgentiopicroside) to find suitable cultivation areas for G. dahurica. Based on the geographical distribution of G. dahurica in Inner Mongolia and the ecological factors that affect its growth, identified from the literature and field visits, a boosted regression tree (BRT) was used to model ecologically suitable areas in the region. The relationship between the content of each of active compound in the plant and ecological factors was also established for Inner Mongolia using linear regression. The results showed that elevation and soil type had the most significant influence on the distribution of G. dahurica—their relative contribution was 30.188% and 28.947%, respectively. The factors that had the greatest impact on the distribution of high-quality G. dahurica were annual precipitation, annual mean temperature, and temperature seasonality. The results of BRT and linear regression modeling showed that suitable areas for high-quality G. dahurica included eastern Ordos, southern Baotou, Hohhot, southern Wulanchabu, southern Xilin Gol, and central Chifeng. However, there were no significant correlations between the contents of loganic acid and 6’-O-β-D-glucosylgentiopicroside and the ecological factors. This study explored the influence of the environment on the growth and quantity of active compounds in G. dahurica to provide guidance for coordinating the development of medicinal plant science.
Genomic Selection in Sugarcane: Current Status and Future Prospects
Authors: Mahadevaiah Channappa , Appunu Chinnaswamy , Aitken Karen , Suresha Giriyapura Shivalingamurthy , Vignesh Palanisamy , Mahadeva Swamy Huskur Kumaraswamy , Valarmathi Ramanathan , Hemaprabha Govind , Alagarasan Ganesh , Ram Bakshi
Published: September 2021

Sugarcane is a C4 and agro-industry-based crop with a high potential for biomass production. It serves as raw material for the production of sugar, ethanol, and electricity. Modern sugarcane varieties are derived from the interspecific and intergeneric hybridization between Saccharum officinarum, Saccharum spontaneum, and other wild relatives. Sugarcane breeding programmes are broadly categorized into germplasm collection and characterization, pre-breeding and genetic base-broadening, and varietal development programmes. The varietal identification through the classic breeding programme requires a minimum of 12–14 years. The precise phenotyping in sugarcane is extremely tedious due to the high propensity of lodging and suckering owing to the influence of environmental factors and crop management practices. This kind of phenotyping requires data from both plant crop and ratoon experiments conducted over locations and seasons. In this review, we explored the feasibility of genomic selection schemes for various breeding programmes in sugarcane. The genetic diversity analysis using genome-wide markers helps in the formation of core set germplasm representing the total genomic diversity present in the Saccharum gene bank. The genome-wide association studies and genomic prediction in the Saccharum gene bank are helpful to identify the complete genomic resources for cane yield, commercial cane sugar, tolerances to biotic and abiotic stresses, and other agronomic traits. The implementation of genomic selection in pre-breeding, genetic base-broadening programmes assist in precise introgression of specific genes and recurrent selection schemes enhance the higher frequency of favorable alleles in the population with a considerable reduction in breeding cycles and population size. The integration of environmental covariates and genomic prediction in multi-environment trials assists in the prediction of varietal performance for different agro-climatic zones. This review also directed its focus on enhancing the genetic gain over time, cost, and resource allocation at various stages of breeding programmes.
Growth, Physiological, and Photosynthetic Responses of Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge Seedlings Under Various Degrees of Salinity
Authors: Zong Jian-Wei , Zhang Zhi-Long , Huang Pei-Lu , Chen Nai-Yu , Xue Ke-Xin , Tian Zhi-Yong , Yang Yu-Hua
Published: September 2021

Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge is priced for its medical and energetic values. The species also plays a key role in stabilizing ecologically fragile areas exposed to excess soil salinity. In this study, the effects of salinity on the growth, physiological, and photosynthetic parameters of X. sorbifolium Bunge were investigated. The X. sorbifolium seedlings were subjected to five salt treatments: 0 (control, CK), 70, 140, 210, and 280 mM of sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions. NaCl caused a decrease in plant height, specific leaf area, biomass, and root parameters. Leaf wilting and shedding and changes in root morphology, such as root length, root surface area, and root tips were observed. This study found that X. sorbifolium is tolerant to high salinity. Compared with the CK group, even if the concentration of NaCl was higher than 210 mM, the increase of the relative conductivity was also slow, while intercellular CO2 concentration had a similar trend. Moreover, NaCl stress caused an increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble proteins, and proline. Among the enzymes in the plant, the catalase (CAT) activity increases first and decreased with the increase in the intensity of NaCl stress, but the salt treatment had no significant effect on superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The peroxidase (POD) showed an increasing trend under salt stress. It was found that the photosynthesis of X. sorbifolium was notably impacted by saline stress. NaCl toxicity induced a noticeable influence on leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), transpiration rate (E), and water use efficiency (Wue). As salt concentration increased, the content of chlorophyll decreased. It can be found that a low concentration of NaCl induced the increase of photosynthetic capacity but a high-intensity exposure to stress resulted in the reduction of photosynthetic efficiency and SOD activity, which had a positive correlation. In summary, salt-induced ionic stress primarily controlled root morphology, osmotic adjustment, and enzyme activities of salt-treated X. sorbifolium leaves, whereas the low salt load could, in fact, promote the growth of roots.
Face Management and Negative Strengthening: The Role of Power Relations, Social Distance, and Gender
Authors: Gotzner Nicole , Mazzarella Diana
Published: September 2021

Negated gradable adjectives often convey an interpretation that is stronger than their literal meaning, which is referred to as ‘negative strengthening.’ For example, a sentence like ‘John is not kind’ may give rise to the inference thatJohn is rather mean. Crucially, negation is more likely to be pragmatically strengthened in the case of positive adjectives (‘not kind’ to meanrather mean) than negative adjectives (‘not mean’ to meanrather kind). A classical explanation of this polarity asymmetry is based on politeness, specifically on the potential face threat of bare negative adjectives (Horn, 1989;Brown and Levinson, 1987). This paper presents the results of two experiments investigating the role of face management in negative strengthening. We show that negative strengthening of positive and negative adjectives interacts differently with the social variables of power, social distance, and gender.
An ERP Study on Attraction Effects in Advanced L2 Learners
Authors: Bian Jing , Zhang Hui , Sun Chongfei
Published: September 2021

In English, the rule of agreement is quite simple: verbs must agree with their subject head nouns in terms of number features. Despite this simplicity, agreement processing is always interrupted when the subject phrase of the sentence “The key to the cabinets is on the table,” contains two nouns with a mismatch in number features commonly known as attraction effects. This study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether late advanced second language (L2) learners can acquire native-like sensitivity of attraction effects. The results revealed that L2 learners showed ERP patterns qualitatively similar to native English speakers: ungrammatical verbs following singular attractors elicited a P600 effect relative to their grammatical counterparts, whereas this positivity was replaced by an N400 effect when plural attractors intervened between the subject head nouns and the verbs. Of particular interest, given that, compared to native speakers, the amplitude of the P600 effect elicited by L2 learners was smaller, there was a quantitative difference between native speakers and L2 learners. We proposed that these two ERP components represented the two processing routes of agreement: the P600 effect indexed a full, combinatorial process, which parsed morphosyntactic features between agreement controllers and targets, whereas the N400 effect indexed a shallow, heuristic process, which evaluated lexical associations between agreeing elements. Moreover, similar to native speakers, advanced L2 learners showed an asymmetrical pattern of attraction effects, in that plural attractors were interfered with ungrammaticality at disagreeing verbs, but they did not cause any difficulties in processing grammatical sentences at agreeing verbs. The overall results suggested that compared to native processing, L2 processing of complex agreement with attractor interference was shallower and therefore late advanced L2 learners could not achieve native-like attraction effects.
Freedom to Stay-at-Home? Countries Higher in Relational Mobility Showed Decreased Geographic Mobility at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Freeman Jason D. , Schug Joanna
Published: September 2021

In this paper, we examine whether relational mobility (RM) (the ability for individuals to voluntarily form and terminate relationships within a given social environment) on a country level related to individuals’ tendencies to restrict their movement following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic and following the issuance of stay-at-home orders in their country. We use data on geographic mobility, composed of records of geolocation information provided via mobile phones, to examine changes in geographic mobility at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We show that individuals in countries with higher RM tended to decrease their geographic mobility more than those in countries with lower RM following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar results were found for wealth gross domestic product (GDP), but were independent of RM. These results suggest that individuals in countries with higher RM were more responsive to calls to reduce geographic mobility.
The Relationship Between Defense Mechanisms and Attachment as Measured by Observer-Rated Methods in a Sample of Depressed Patients: A Pilot Study
Authors: Békés Vera , Aafjes-van Doorn Katie , Spina Daniel , Talia Alessandro , Starrs Claire J. , Perry J. Christopher
Published: September 2021

Despite many theoretical and clinical writings, the theorized connection between defense mechanisms and adult attachment in depressed patients has received little empirical attention. This is the first study to examine patients’ defense mechanisms in relation to their attachment in a clinical sample of depressed patients and also the first to use observer-rated measures for assessing both defense mechanisms and attachment. In this pilot study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between patients’ attachment and their use of defense mechanisms in psychotherapy sessions, as well as patterns of change over treatment. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of 30 patients receiving psychotherapy for major depression. Session transcripts were previously coded for defense mechanisms using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales, and depression severity data were collected by the clinician-rated HRSD-17 and the self-report BDI-II. Patients’ attachment was assessed in two transcripts, one in an early session and a second in a late session, using the novel observer-rated Patient Attachment Coding System. In contrast with expectations, in the early phase of therapy, preoccupied attachment-related characteristics were significantly positively related to overall defensive functioning and negatively related to Depressive immature defenses. In the late phase of treatment, preoccupied attachment-related characteristics were negatively correlated with Non-depressive immature defenses. Moreover, as expected, early-phase defense use was related to late phase attachment; specifically, early neurotic and immature Depressive and Non-depressive defenses predicted an increase in avoidant, whereas immature Non-depressive defenses predicted a decrease in preoccupied attachment-related characteristics over the course of treatment, after controlling for early attachment effects. The results imply a longitudinal relationship between defenses and change in attachment-related characteristics over the course of treatment in a depressed sample and warrant further research about the relationship between defenses and attachment during psychotherapy.
Reminiscing and the Passage of Years: Investigating the Role of Affective Autobiographical Memories in Passage of Time Judgments
Authors: Kosak Ferdinand , Kuhbandner Christof
Published: September 2021

Previous research has shown that judgments of the experienced velocity of recent years passing by vary depending on the number of autobiographical memories being activated in the moment of judging. While a body of evidence shows affect to have an impact on both prospective and retrospective judgments on the experience of time for short periods, the effect of valence of memories on the experience of the passage of long intervals has not been examined yet. Thus, we asked 282 people to retrieve five either emotionally positive or negative memories from the last 5years before judging the subjectively experienced passage of time of these years. However, positive and negative events differ in some ways beyond valence, e.g., the ascribed impact on the participants’ subsequent lives as well as the stability of ascribed affective intensity: The latter decreased over time for negative but not for positive memories while ascribed impact was markedly higher for positive memories. Results indicate no significant differences between the two conditions, even after controlling for the aforementioned differences. However, exploratory analyses show that participants rate time to have passed faster, the longer the activated memories dated back on average, a result that seems in line with contextual-change hypothesis.
Is It Because You Don’t Want to? A Content Analysis of Police Executive Leaders’ Perceptions of Policewomen’s Careers in Europe
Authors: Antón Rubio Concha , Grueso Hinestroza Merlin Patricia , Marín López Montserrat
Published: September 2021

The impediments and barriers that women face in entering and developing a police career have received relatively little attention from researchers. As of today in Europe, despite the slow progress, the 25% barrier to female representation has already been overcome in several countries. However, many areas remain closed to women within police organizations. In this context, research was conducted based on a content analysis of the perceptions of 56 police officers, 28 men and 28 women with considerable police experience, occupying executive leadership positions from a total of 26 European countries. Data was collected through a questionnaire composed of 23 open questions. The results show a considerable gap between the perceptions of male and female police executive leaders with regard to access, career development and workplace conditions faced by policepersons. According to the results, the mirage of equality, dominant in the view of male police officers, is a major barrier to achieving real equality, both horizontally and vertically. What implications these results have on the strategies that police organizations should follow to achieve the challenge of inclusion are discussed, and new ways of analysis are proposed.
Hitting Close to Home: The Effect of COVID-19 Illness in the Social Environment on Psychological Burden in Older Adults
Authors: Richter Lukas , Heidinger Theresa
Published: September 2021

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 experience of infection in the individual’s social environment on psychological burden controlling for a broad range of factors using data on an older population (50+ years). Based on the empirical evidence of preexisting studies, it is hypothesized that psychological burden will increase concurrent to the severity of COVID-19 experience (tested positive, hospitalized, and death) independent of the other stressors resulting from the pandemic, such as a subjective sense of uncertainty or financial burden. Data of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in EUROPE, and a European cross-national panel study were used to examine this hypothesis. Besides Chi2 test and Spearman’s rho, a logistic regression model was constructed to test the hypothesized model. The study confirms that there is significantly higher risk for psychological burden by heightened COVID-19 severity in the social environment independent of multiple also significantly influential variables depicting stressors to everyday life of older people during the pandemic. The results point to the importance of multiple factors (social, financial, health, and sociodemographic) which have significantly affected the psychological condition of the individual during the past year. Conclusively, the results illustrate the dilemma that infection and illness in the social circle, as well as countermeasures (social distancing), have negative consequences for our mental health.
Facial Expression Emotion Recognition Model Integrating Philosophy and Machine Learning Theory
Authors: Song Zhenjie
Published: September 2021

Facial expression emotion recognition is an intuitive reflection of a person’s mental state, which contains rich emotional information, and is one of the most important forms of interpersonal communication. It can be used in various fields, including psychology. As a celebrity in ancient China, Zeng Guofan’s wisdom involves facial emotion recognition techniques. His book Bing Jian summarizes eight methods on how to identify people, especially how to choose the right one, which means “look at the eyes and nose for evil and righteousness, the lips for truth and falsehood; the temperament for success and fame, the spirit for wealth and fortune; the fingers and claws for ideas, the hamstrings for setback; if you want to know his consecution, you can focus on what he has said.” It is said that a person’s personality, mind, goodness, and badness can be showed by his face. However, due to the complexity and variability of human facial expression emotion features, traditional facial expression emotion recognition technology has the disadvantages of insufficient feature extraction and susceptibility to external environmental influences. Therefore, this article proposes a novel feature fusion dual-channel expression recognition algorithm based on machine learning theory and philosophical thinking. Specifically, the feature extracted using convolutional neural network (CNN) ignores the problem of subtle changes in facial expressions. The first path of the proposed algorithm takes the Gabor feature of the ROI area as input. In order to make full use of the detailed features of the active facial expression emotion area, first segment the active facial expression emotion area from the original face image, and use the Gabor transform to extract the emotion features of the area. Focus on the detailed description of the local area. The second path proposes an efficient channel attention network based on depth separable convolution to improve linear bottleneck structure, reduce network complexity, and prevent overfitting by designing an efficient attention module that combines the depth of the feature map with spatial information. It focuses more on extracting important features, improves emotion recognition accuracy, and outperforms the competition on the FER2013 dataset.
An Inconsistent Canadian Provincial and Territorial Response During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Cyr Amelie , Mondal Prosanta , Hansen Gregory
Published: September 2021

Objectives: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an early and consistent international and national response is needed to control a pandemic's spread. In this analysis, we evaluate the coordination of Canada's early response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in terms of public health interventions and policies implemented in each province and territory.

Methods: Retrospective data was obtained from publicly accessible websites maintained by federal, provincial and territorial governmental agencies. Consistent with WHO's spreading of the disease pandemic action, individual and community-based public health interventions and policies were the focus. Time of intervention or policy, and COVID-19 cases per million at time of intervention was recorded for each province and territory.

Results: Most public health interventions and policies demonstrated wide time ranges of implementation across individual provinces and territories. At time of implementation, there were also wide variations in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in these jurisdictions. Cases per million per implemented day were also not similar across interventions or policy, suggesting that other factors may have been preferentially considered.

Conclusions: Whether an earlier and more structured national approach would have lessened the pandemic's burden is uncertain, calls for greater federal coordination and leadership should to examined.
The Negative Impact of COVID-19 on Life Insurers
Authors: Zhang Xun , Liao Pu , Chen Xiaohua
Published: September 2021

Understanding COVID-19 induced mortality risk is significant for life insurers to better analyze their financial sustainability after the outbreak of COVID-19. To capture the mortality effect caused by COVID-19 among all ages, this study proposes a temporary adverse mortality jump model to describe the dynamics of mortality in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world based on the weekly death numbers from 2015 to 2021 in the United States. As a comparative study, the Lee-Carter model is used as the base case to represent the dynamics of mortality without COVID-19. Then we compare the force of mortality, the survival probability and the liability of a life insurer by considering COVID-19 and those without COVID-19. We show that a life insurer's financial sustainability will deteriorate because of the higher mortality rates than expected in the wake of COVID-19. Our results remain unchanged when we also consider the effect of interest rate risk by adopting the Vasicek and CIR models.
Applications of Learning Analytics in High Schools: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Sousa Erverson B. G. de , Alexandre Bruno , Ferreira Mello Rafael , Pontual Falcão Taciana , Vesin Boban , Gašević Dragan
Published: September 2021

Learning analytics aims to analyze data from students and learning environments to support learning at different levels. Although learning analytics is a recent field, it reached a high level of maturity, especially in its applications for higher education. However, little of the research in learning analytics targets other educational levels, such as high school. This paper reports the results of a systematic literature review (SLR) focused on the adoption of learning analytics in high schools. More specifically, the SLR followed four steps: the search, selection of relevant studies, critical assessment, and the extraction of the relevant field, which included the main goals, approaches, techniques, and challenges of adopting learning analytics in high school. The results show that, in this context, learning analytics applications are focused on small-scale initiatives rather than institutional adoption. Based on the findings of this study, in combination with the literature, this paper proposes future directions of research and development in order to scale up learning analytics applications in high schools.
Axial Motion Characterization of a Helical Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuator and Its Application in 3-DOF Micro-Parallel Platforms
Authors: Wu Yuwei , Yu Min , He Qingsong , Vokoun David , Yin Guoxiao , Xu Xianrui , Lyu Pengfei
Published: September 2021

In this work, a helical ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) was fabricated by thermal treatment in a mold with helix grooves. The axial actuation behaviors of the helical IPMC actuator were observed, and the electromechanical and electrochemical characteristics were evaluated. The experimental results showed that as the voltage increased and the frequency decreased, the axial displacement, axial force, and electric current of the actuator all increased. Compared with square wave and sinusoidal signals, the actuator exhibited the most satisfactory motion under the direct current (DC) signal. For the electrochemical test, as the scanning rate decreased, the gravimetric specific capacitance increased. Within a suitable voltage range, the actuator was chemically stable. In addition, we coupled the Electrostatics module, Transport of Diluted Species module, and Solid Mechanics module in COMSOL Multiphysics software to model and analyze the helical IPMC actuator. The simulation data obtained were in good agreement with the experimental data. Finally, by using three helical IPMC actuators as driving components, an innovative three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) micro-parallel platform was designed, and it could realize a complex coupling movement of pitch, roll, and yaw under the action of an electric field. This platform is expected to be used in micro-assembly, flexible robots, and other fields.
Use of Vermicompost from Sugar Beet Pulp in Cultivation of Peas (Pisum sativum L.)
Authors: Pączka Grzegorz , Mazur-Pączka Anna , Garczyńska Mariola , Hajduk Edmund , Kostecka Joanna , Bartkowska Izabela , Butt Kevin R.
Published: September 2021

A properly conducted vermicomposting process is an environmentally friendly technology used to transform selected organic waste into vermicompost. This organic fertilizer is increasingly used in agriculture and horticulture as an alternative to mineral fertilizers. Research has investigated the use of vermicompost made from the waste mass of sugar beet pulp as a soil additive in the cultivation of peas (Pisum sativum L.). Experimentally, five treatments consisted of: a heavy clay soil as control (SL); the same soil with 10, 25, and 50% substitution of vermicompost, (V10, V25, and V50, respectively); and a standard peat-based horticulture substrate (GS) for comparison. Analyzed pea characteristics and the content of macro and microelements in their biomass were most favorably influenced by 25 and 50% vermicompost addition, and the values obtained were similar to those in the GS treatment. The lowest values of analyzed traits for P. sativum were found in the SL group. Thus, appropriate addition of vermicompost in the construction of plant growing substrates can reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers and be an alternative to peat in the medium, contributing to reduced use of this valuable environmental resource.
The Role of Push and Pull Motivations on Satisfaction and Consumer Loyalty to Agricultural Fairs
Authors: Acharya Ram N. , Lillywhite Jay
Published: September 2021

The primary objective of this study is to examine the role of push and pull factors in determining consumer trip satisfaction and loyalty to agricultural fairs. We use a modified version of Yoon and Uysal’s causal model, initially proposed to evaluate consumers’ leisure behaviors. In particular, we utilize an exploratory factor analysis approach to identify latent constructs and a structural equation model to assess the impact of consumers’ internal desires for leisure activities (push motivation) and fair attributes (pull motivation) on trip satisfaction and loyalty. Consistent with the existing literature, the structural equation model results show that push and pull motivations play a crucial role in determining visitor satisfaction from attending an agricultural fair. Moreover, both push and pull motivations significantly affect visitor’s loyalty directly and indirectly through their impact on trip satisfaction.
Gastric Lesions in Culled Sows: An Underestimated Welfare Issue in Modern Swine Production
Authors: Cybulski Piotr , Woźniak Aleksandra , Urban Joachim , Stadejek Tomasz
Published: September 2021

Specific anatomy of the porcine stomach results in a high risk of ulceration in the pars oesophagea. A fully developed ulcer leads to intermittent gastrointestinal bleeding followed by clinical symptoms of chronic pain; thus, gastric ulceration in pigs causes significant production losses and serious welfare problems. Nowadays, gastric ulceration is common in domestic pigs throughout the world, but a great deal of attention has been directed at finishers. This paper was intended to provide new data on the prevalence of the disease in commercially reared highly prolific sows. The study was carried out on 329 culled sows from four commercial farms located in Northern Poland. The severity of gross pathological lesions of pars oesophagea was assigned to grade 0 (no lesions), 1 (parakeratosis), 2 (erosion), or 3 (gastric ulceration with or without stenosis) by a veterinary practitioner. Abattoir analysis revealed 66.6% of sows’ stomachs with some degree of alterations. Gastric ulceration was detected in 45.5% of examined organs. Parakeratosis and erosion were found in 1.2 and 15.8% of stomachs, respectively. The investigation did not find any oesphageal strictures. Our investigation of the problem in high health status hyper-prolific sows showed the lowest prevalence of gastric lesions (i.e., ulcerative and preulcerative alterations collectively) compared to earlier studies but the highest percentage of gastric ulcers. The results indicate that gastric ulcers may be a highly prevalent and underestimated welfare issue in sows in modern pig production, worth further studies focusing on particular risk factors related to feeding, genetics, management issues, and sows longevity.
Serial Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Genes Associated with Late Blight Resistance in Potato Cultivar Qingshu 9
Authors: He Miaomiao , Zhou Yun , Ye Guangji , Zheng Jie , Meng Yuling , Wang Jian , Shan Weixing
Published: September 2021

The late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (P. infestans) has been a major constraint for worldwide sustainable potato production. Chinese potato cultivar Qingshu 9 has shown excellent field performance against late blight. To understand the mechanism underlying its resistance, the transcriptomic dynamics of Qingshu 9 infected with P. infestans was systematically investigated to identify the resistance-related genes. In total, 2027 shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified when infected with P. infestans at 24, 48 and 72 h post-inoculation. Based on k-mean cluster analysis, the DEGs showed four types of expression patterns, suggesting their divergent functions in response to P. infestans infection. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the significantly enriched DEGs were involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant–pathogen interaction, and photosynthesis. Furthermore, 980 transcription factor genes belonging to 68 families were found in the DEGs, of which AP2-EREBP and MYB genes were the most abundant. Moreover, many genes related to disease resistance showed differential expression during infection. Finally, the expression of nine DEGs was validated by quantitative real-time PCR. These results provide valuable information for understanding late resistance in potato cultivar Qingshu 9.
Robotic Cultivation of Pome Fruit: A Benchmark Study of Manipulation Tools—From Research to Industrial Standards
Authors: Schouterden Gert , Verbiest Rafaël , Demeester Eric , Kellens Karel
Published: September 2021

In pome fruit cultivation, apples and pears need to be handled in various processes such as harvesting and sorting. Currently, most processes require a vast amount of manual labor. Combined with a structural shortage of seasonal workers, innovation in this field is crucial. Automated processes could provide a solution wherein the search for an appropriate manipulation tool is essential. Aside from several grippers, customized for harvesting by various researchers, the industry also provides a wide variety of standardized manipulation tools. This paper benchmarks a wide set of the most relevant gripping principles, primarily based on their ability to successfully handle fruit, without causing damage. In addition, energy consumption and general feasibility are evaluated as well. The performed study showed that the customized foam gripper scores the overall best for all test scenarios at the cost of being the least energy efficient. Furthermore, most other gripping tools excelled at certain specific tasks rather than being generally deployable. Impactive grippers are better suited for harvesting at low energy consumption, while astrictive grippers are more suited for sorting tasks constricted by the available space. The results also showed that commercially available soft grippers are not always capable of handling sensitive fruits such as pears without causing damage.
Changes of Soil Organic Carbon after Wildfire in a Boreal Forest, Northeast CHINA
Authors: Han Chun-Lan , Sun Zhong-Xiu , Shao Shuai , Wang Qiu-Bing , Libohova Zamir , Owens Phillip Ray
Published: September 2021

Boreal forests with high carbon sequestration capacity play a crucial role in mitigating global climate change. Addressing dynamic changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) after wildfire helps in understanding carbon cycling. The objective of this study is to investigate changes in soil organic carbon after wildfires in a boreal forest. The post-fire soil chronosequence after 3 months, 17 years, and 25 years within a boreal forest was used to examine dynamic and stable SOC after wildfire at the decadal scale. Soils in genetic horizons were sampled and analyzed for dynamic and stable SOC, including water stable aggregates (WSA), WSA associated organic carbon (WSA-SOC), soil heavy fractions (HF) associated organic carbon (HF-SOC), and soil total organic carbon (TOC). The TOC and WSA-SOC content of the A horizon was the greatest in the control site. There was no significant difference for TOC between burned and unburned deep BC horizons. The TOC for the A and B horizons at the 17-year-old site was significantly lower compared to the other sites. TOC did not recover to the pre-fire levels (control site) in any of the burned areas. The lowest WSA was found in the A and B horizons of the 3-month-old site. The WSA at the 25-year-old site was higher compared to the 17-year-old site. WSA increased with time following fire, but the recovery rate differed among different sites. The lowest concentration of WSA-SOC for the A horizon occurred at the 17-year-old site, and no significant difference was observed between B and BC horizons. The HF content for the A horizon was the greatest at the 3-month-old site. There was no significant difference in HF-SOC between B and BC horizons in all sites. TOC and stable SOC (HF and WSA) increased over time in species-dominance relay stand areas, while self-replacement stands areas showed the opposite. The results indicate that overall, the ability of soil to sequester carbon decreased after wildfire disturbances. Stable SOC accumulated more in areas where species-dominance relay succession occurred compared to the self-replacement stands. These disturbances were more pronounced for surface soil horizons. This study provides a quantitative assessment of SOC changes after wildfires that are useful for forest management and modeling forecasts of SOC stocks, especially in boreal forests.
Ectopic Expression of Os-miR408 Improves Thermo-Tolerance of Perennial Ryegrass
Authors: Taier Geli , Hang Nan , Shi Tianran , Liu Yanrong , Ye Wenxin , Zhang Wanjun , Wang Kehua
Published: September 2021

With global warming, high temperature stress has become a main threat to the growth of cool-season turfgrasses, including perennial ryegrass. As one of the conserved plant microRNA families, miR408s are known to play roles in various abiotic stresses, including cold, drought, salinity, and oxidative stress, but no report, thus far, was found for heat. Here, perennial ryegrass plants overexpressing rice Os-miR408 were used to investigate the role of miR408 in plant heat tolerance. Both wild type (WT) and miR408 transgenic perennial ryegrass plants (TG) were subjected to short-term heat stress at 38 °C for 72 h (experiment 1) or at 42 °C for 48 h (experiment 2), and then let recover for 7 days at optimum temperature. Morphological changes and physiological parameters, including antioxidative responses of TG and WT plants, were compared. The results showed that miR408 downregulated the expression of two putative target genes, PLASTOCYANIN and LAC3. Additionally, overexpression of Os-miR408 improved thermo-tolerance of perennial ryegrass, demonstrated by lower leaf lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage, and higher relative water content after both 38 and 42 °C heat stresses. In addition, the enhanced thermotolerance of TG plants could be associated with its morphological changes (e.g., narrower leaves, smaller tiller angles) and elevated antioxidative capacity. This study is the first that experimentally reported a positive role of miR408 in plant tolerance to heat stress, which provided useful information for further understanding the mechanism by which miR408 improved plant high-temperature tolerance, and offered a potential genetic resource for breeding heat-resistant cool-season turfgrass in the future.
Nitrous Oxide Emission from Forage Plantain and Perennial Ryegrass Swards Is Affected by Belowground Resource Allocation Dynamics
Authors: Nyameasem John Kormla , Ben Halima Enis , Malisch Carsten Stefan , Razavi Bahar S. , Taube Friedhelm , Reinsch Thorsten
Published: September 2021

Soil–plant interactions affecting nitrous oxide (N2O) are not well-understood, and experimental data are scarce. Therefore, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in a 3 × 3 full factorial design, comprising three mineral N fertilizer rates (0, 150 and 300 kg N ha−1) applied to monoculture swards and a binary mixture of Plantago lanceolata and Lolium perenne. The parameters measured included daily N2O emissions, aboveground (AG) and belowground biomass (BG), N and C yields, as well as leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activity in the soil as an indicator for soil microbial activity. Nitrous oxide emission and LAP were measured using the static chamber method and fluorimetric microplate assays, respectively. Cumulative N2O emissions were about two times higher for P. lanceolata than L. perenne monoculture swards or the mixture (p < 0.05). The binary mixtures also showed the highest N use efficiency and LAP activity, which significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the C concentration in the belowground biomass. Plantago lanceolata was generally ineffective at reducing N2O emissions, probably due to the young age of the swards. Among the biological factors, N2O emission was significantly associated with biomass productivity, belowground C yield, belowground N use efficiency and soil microbial activity. Thus, the results suggested belowground resource allocation dynamics as a possible means by which swards impacted N2O emission from the soils. However, a high N deposition might reduce the N2O mitigation potential of grasslands.
Application of Genomics Approaches for the Improvement in Ascochyta Blight Resistance in Chickpea
Authors: Sudheesh Shimna , Kahrood Hossein V. , Braich Shivraj , Dron Nicole , Hobson Kristy , Cogan Noel O. I. , Kaur Sukhjiwan
Published: September 2021

Advancements in high-throughput genotyping and sequencing technologies are enabling the development of a vast range of genomic tools and resources for a new revolution in plant breeding. Several genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) methods including capture-based, genome complexity reduction and sequencing of cDNA (GBS-t) are available for application in trait dissection, association mapping, and genomic selection (GS) in crop plants. The aims of this study were to identify genomic regions conferring resistance to Ascochyta blight (AB) introgressed from the wild Cicer echinospernum into the domesticated C. arietinum, through a conventional recombinant inbred population genotyped using a variety of GBS methods. Evaluation of GBS methods revealed that capture-based approaches are robust and reproducible while GBS-t is rapid and flexible. A genetic linkage map consisting of 5886 polymorphic loci spanning 717.26 cM was generated. Using field phenotyping data from two years, a single genomic region on LG4 was identified with quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. Both GBS methods reported in this study are well suited for applications in genomics assisted plant breeding. Linked markers for AB resistance, identified in the current study, provide an important resource for the deployment into chickpea breeding programs for marker-assisted selection (MAS).