bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complex Neurochemical Microstructure of the Stria Terminalis in Infant and Adult Macaque Monkey
Authors: Sakharkar Mitali , Rockland Kathleen S. , Duque Alvaro
Published: May 2022

The stria terminalis (ST) is a major bidirectional fiber tract anchored in the amygdala and bed nucleus (BNST). Extensive investigations in rodents report a complex arrangement of neurochemically diverse neurons within the ST, but fewer data are available for non-human primates. Given the functional importance of the ST, we investigated its microarchitecture in one newborn, four infant, and two adult macaque brains, by parallel immunocytochemical series for cells or fibers. Main results are as follows: (1) The pan-neuronal marker NeuN shows scattered neurons and small neuronal clusters in both the dorsal and ventral ST, but more numerous dorsally; (2) smaller neuronal subpopulations are labeled by calretinin (CR), neuropeptide Y (NPY), calbindin (CB), and somatostatin (SOM), of which the CR + neurons are the most numerous; (3) the infant brains on average have more neurons in the ST than the adult brains, but across our sample, there is notable individual variability; and (4) fiber architectonics have a complex organization, which can be referenced to myelin-poor or myelin-dense zones. Myelin-poor zones coincide with concentrations of fibers positive for CB, CR, or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Neurons have been reported in other white matter domains (e.g., anterior commissure, corpus callosum, cingulum bundle, and subcortical white matter). Like these, at least some neurons within the ST may give rise to long-distance connections, and/or participate in more local functions, such as vascular regulation or axon guidance/maintenance.
The Association Between Total Percent Fat and Serum Uric Acid in Adults
Authors: Sun Juan , Yue Chenyang , Liu Zhen , Li Jie , Kang Weiming
Published: May 2022

Background

Serum uric acid (SUA) has been proven to be closely associated with metabolic abnormalities, including obesity. This study aimed to investigate the detailed relationship between total percent fat (TPF) and SUA among adults.

Methods

Briefly, 23,715 adults aged 18–59 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018 were included in this study. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between TPF and SUA. Subgroup analyses stratified by sex and obesity status were also performed by multivariable linear regression. Then, fitted smoothing curves and generalized additive models were also applied to address the non-linear relationship between TPF and SUA. Finally, a recursive algorithm was used to calculate the inflection point in the non-linear relationship and a two-segment piecewise linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between TPF and SUA on both sides of the inflection point.

Results

There were 15,808 (66.7%) obese individuals in all 23,715 participants. In the fully adjusted model, there was a positive association between TPF and SUA (β = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.73–1.26). Besides, this positive association remained statistically significant in subgroup analyses stratified by sex and obesity status. Interestingly, in males, the association of TPF and SUA was an inverted U-shaped curve (inflection point: 34.3%).

Conclusion

Our study revealed a significant positive relationship between TPF and SUA among adults and this association remained statistically significant when stratified by sex and obesity status, but the shape of the smoothing curve in males differed from that in females.
Kappa Opioid Receptor Blockade in the Amygdala Mitigates Pain Like-Behaviors by Inhibiting Corticotropin Releasing Factor Neurons in a Rat Model of Functional Pain
Authors: Yakhnitsa Vadim , Ji Guangchen , Hein Matthew , Presto Peyton , Griffin Zack , Ponomareva Olga , Navratilova Edita , Porreca Frank , Neugebauer Volker
Published: May 2022

Functional pain syndromes (FPS) occur in the absence of identifiable tissue injury or noxious events and include conditions such as migraine, fibromyalgia, and others. Stressors are very common triggers of pain attacks in various FPS conditions. It has been recently demonstrated that kappa opioid receptors (KOR) in the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) contribute to FPS conditions, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The CeA is rich in KOR and encompasses major output pathways involving extra-amygdalar projections of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) expressing neurons. Here we tested the hypothesis that KOR blockade in the CeA in a rat model of FPS reduces pain-like and nocifensive behaviors by restoring inhibition of CeA-CRF neurons. Intra-CeA administration of a KOR antagonist (nor-BNI) decreased mechanical hypersensitivity and affective and anxiety-like behaviors in a stress-induced FPS model. In systems electrophysiology experiments in anesthetized rats, intra-CeA application of nor-BNI reduced spontaneous firing and responsiveness of CeA neurons to peripheral stimulation. In brain slice whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, nor-BNI increased feedforward inhibitory transmission evoked by optogenetic and electrical stimulation of parabrachial afferents, but had no effect on monosynaptic excitatory transmission. Nor-BNI decreased frequency, but not amplitude, of spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents, suggesting a presynaptic action. Blocking KOR receptors in stress-induced FPS conditions may therefore represent a novel therapeutic strategy.
Targeting Stress Erythropoiesis Pathways in Cancer
Authors: Vignjević Petrinović Sanja , Jauković Aleksandra , Milošević Maja , Bugarski Diana , Budeč Mirela
Published: May 2022

Cancer-related anemia (CRA) is a common multifactorial disorder that adversely affects the quality of life and overall prognosis in patients with cancer. Safety concerns associated with the most common CRA treatment options, including intravenous iron therapy and erythropoietic-stimulating agents, have often resulted in no or suboptimal anemia management for many cancer patients. Chronic anemia creates a vital need to restore normal erythropoietic output and therefore activates the mechanisms of stress erythropoiesis (SE). A growing body of evidence demonstrates that bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) signaling, along with glucocorticoids, erythropoietin, stem cell factor, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) and hypoxia-inducible factors, plays a pivotal role in SE. Nevertheless, a chronic state of SE may lead to ineffective erythropoiesis, characterized by the expansion of erythroid progenitor pool, that largely fails to differentiate and give rise to mature red blood cells, further aggravating CRA. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on the emerging roles for stress erythroid progenitors and activated SE pathways in tumor progression, highlighting the urgent need to suppress ineffective erythropoiesis in cancer patients and develop an optimal treatment strategy as well as a personalized approach to CRA management.
The Role of Ubiquitin in Regulating Stress Granule Dynamics
Authors: Krause Laura J. , Herrera Maria G. , Winklhofer Konstanze F.
Published: May 2022

Stress granules (SGs) are dynamic, reversible biomolecular condensates, which assemble in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells under various stress conditions. Formation of SGs typically occurs upon stress-induced translational arrest and polysome disassembly. The increase in cytoplasmic mRNAs triggers the formation of a protein-RNA network that undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation when a critical interaction threshold has been reached. This adaptive stress response allows a transient shutdown of several cellular processes until the stress is removed. During the recovery from stress, SGs disassemble to re-establish cellular activities. Persistent stress and disease-related mutations in SG components favor the formation of aberrant SGs that are impaired in disassembly and prone to aggregation. Recently, posttranslational modifications of SG components have been identified as major regulators of SG dynamics. Here, we summarize new insights into the role of ubiquitination in affecting SG dynamics and clearance and discuss implications for neurodegenerative diseases linked to aberrant SG formation.
Knowledge of Regulation of Photosynthesis in Outdoor Microalgae Cultures Is Essential for the Optimization of Biomass Productivity
Authors: Perin Giorgio , Gambaro Francesca , Morosinotto Tomas
Published: May 2022

Graphical Abstract

How does microalgae photosynthesis respond to outdoor cultivation at industrial-scale?
Molybdenum Foliar Fertilization Improves Photosynthetic Metabolism and Grain Yields of Field-Grown Soybean and Maize
Authors: Oliveira Sirlene Lopes , Crusciol Carlos Alexandre Costa , Rodrigues Vitor Alves , Galeriani Tatiani Mayara , Portugal José Roberto , Bossolani João William , Moretti Luiz Gustavo , Calonego Juliano Carlos , Cantarella Heitor
Published: May 2022

Foliar fertilization has been used as a supplemental strategy to plant nutrition especially in crops with high yield potential. Applying nutrients in small doses stimulates photosynthesis and increases yield performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of foliar application of molybdenum (Mo) to soybean and maize. The treatments consisted of the presence (+Mo) and absence (-Mo) of supplementation. Plant nutritional status, nitrate reductase (NR) activity, gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic enzyme activity (Rubisco in soybean and maize and PEPcase in maize), total soluble sugar concentration, leaf protein content, shoot dry matter, shoot nitrogen accumulated, number of grains per plant, mass of 100 grains, and grain yield were evaluated. For soybean and maize, application of Mo increased leaf NR activity, nitrogen and protein content, Rubisco activity, net photosynthesis, and grain yield. These results indicate that foliar fertilization with Mo can efficiently enhance nitrogen metabolism and the plant’s response to carbon fixation, resulting in improved crop yields.
Integrated Metabolomic-Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Diverse Resource of Functional Ingredients From Persimmon Leaves of Different Varieties
Authors: Yu Xian-Mei , Wang Jie , Gao Rui , Gong Bang-Chu , Ai Cheng-Xiang
Published: May 2022

Persimmon leaves are used for making persimmon leaf tea or as functional ingredients due to their enrichment in flavonoids, the beneficial mineral contents, and favorable flavors contributed by volatile aroma compounds. The varieties/cultivars had a significant influence on the quality and flavor of persimmon leaf tea. In this study, the integrated metabolomic-transcriptomic analysis was conducted to investigate the potential in flavonoid biosynthesis, mineral absorption, and degradation of aromatic compounds from tender leaves of “Diospyros kaki. Heishi” (HS), “Diospyros kaki Thunb. Nishimurawase” (NM), and “Diospyros kaki Thunb. Taifu” (TF), using rootstock “Diospyros Lotus Linn” (DL) as the control. The metabolomic analysis showed that 382, 391, and 368 metabolites were differentially accumulated in the comparison of DL vs. HS, DL vs. NM, and DL vs. TF, respectively, and 229 common metabolites were obtained by comparative analysis. By RNA sequencing, 182,008 unigenes with 652 bp of mean length were annotated and 2,598, 3,503, and 3,333 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected from the comparison of DL vs. HS, DL vs. NM, and DL vs. TF, respectively. After the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment, 6, 6, and 3 DEGs [with | log2(fold change)| ≥ 1 simultaneously in the three comparisons] involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, mineral absorption, and degradation of aromatic compounds, respectively, were selected for quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation and the consistent trends of the relative expression level of each DEG with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data were observed. Based on the transcriptomic analysis and qRT-PCR validation, it was observed that the leaves of HS, NM, and TF had the greatest level of mineral absorption, flavonoid biosynthesis, and degradation of aromatic compounds, respectively. In addition, a positive correlation between the 15 DEGs and their metabolites was observed by the conjoint analysis. Thus, the tender leaves of HS, NM, and TF could be recommended for the production of persimmon leaf tea rich in mineral elements, flavonoid, and aroma compounds, respectively.
Lexical Bundles in Chemistry Research Articles
Authors: Zare Javad , Valipouri Leila
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this corpus-based study was to investigate whether different sections in chemistry research articles, i.e., abstract, introduction, and results and discussion, rely on different sets of lexical bundles. Lexical bundles, associated with the above sections, were extracted from a corpus of 4 million words, comprising 1,185 chemistry research articles, using WordSmith Tools 5.0, and were categorized according to their functions. Altogether, 197 key bundles were identified in the three sections of chemistry research articles, 15 in the abstract, 99 in the introduction, and 83 in the results and discussion section. Two functions also emerged for lexical bundles in chemistry research articles, including purpose-oriented bundles, which refer to the aim/aims of the study; and literature-oriented bundles, which are used to refer to the literature. Altogether, the results showed that various sections in chemistry RAs are associated with specific sets of lexical bundles and, as such, deal with different rhetorical functions.
Modeling for the Stringency of Lock-Down Policies: Effects of Macroeconomic and Healthcare Variables in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Santini Giunio , Fordellone Mario , Boffo Silvia , Signoriello Simona , De Vito Danila , Chiodini Paolo
Published: May 2022

Background

The spread of COVID-19 has been characterized by unprecedented global lock-downs. Although, the extent of containment policies cannot be explained only through epidemic data. Previous studies already focused on the relationship between the economy and healthcare, focusing on the impact of diseases in countries with a precarious economic situation. However, the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 drew most countries of the world into a precarious economic situation mostly caused by the global and local lock-downs policies.

Methods

A discriminant analysis performed via partial least squares procedure was applied to evaluate the impact of economic and healthcare variables on the containment measures adopted by 39 countries. To collect the input variables (macroeconomic, healthcare, and medical services), we relied on official databases of international organizations, such as The World Bank and WHO.

Results

The stringency lock-down policies could not only be influenced by the epidemical data, but also by previous features of the selected countries, such as economic and healthcare conditions.

Conclusions

Indeed, economic and healthcare variables also contributed to shaping the implemented lock-down policies.
PIMA-CT: Physical Model-Aware Cyclic Simulation and Denoising for Ultra-Low-Dose CT Restoration
Authors: Liu Peng , Xu Linsong , Fullerton Garrett , Xiao Yao , Nguyen James-Bond , Li Zhongyu , Barreto Izabella , Olguin Catherine , Fang Ruogu
Published: May 2022

A body of studies has proposed to obtain high-quality images from low-dose and noisy Computed Tomography (CT) scans for radiation reduction. However, these studies are designed for population-level data without considering the variation in CT devices and individuals, limiting the current approaches' performance, especially for ultra-low-dose CT imaging. Here, we proposed PIMA-CT, a physical anthropomorphic phantom model integrating an unsupervised learning framework, using a novel deep learning technique called Cyclic Simulation and Denoising (CSD), to address these limitations. We first acquired paired low-dose and standard-dose CT scans of the phantom and then developed two generative neural networks: noise simulator and denoiser. The simulator extracts real low-dose noise and tissue features from two separate image spaces (e.g., low-dose phantom model scans and standard-dose patient scans) into a unified feature space. Meanwhile, the denoiser provides feedback to the simulator on the quality of the generated noise. In this way, the simulator and denoiser cyclically interact to optimize network learning and ease the denoiser to simultaneously remove noise and restore tissue features. We thoroughly evaluate our method for removing both real low-dose noise and Gaussian simulated low-dose noise. The results show that CSD outperforms one of the state-of-the-art denoising algorithms without using any labeled data (actual patients' low-dose CT scans) nor simulated low-dose CT scans. This study may shed light on incorporating physical models in medical imaging, especially for ultra-low level dose CT scans restoration.
A Review on Transport Phenomena Near the Critical Point of Fluids Under Weightlessness
Authors: Beysens D.
Published: May 2022

Fluids near their liquid-vapor critical point, liquid mixtures near their miscibility critical point, exhibit universal behavior in their transport properties. Weightlessness is most often mandatory to properly evidence these properties. This review is concerned with some of the most important results obtained thanks to space experiments concerning thermal, mass, and momentum transport. Thermal aspects in pure fluids are mainly concerned with the discovery of a new thermalization process, the Piston Effect, leading to paradoxical effects such as a “critical speeding up” instead of the classical “critical slowing down”, heat seemingly flowing backwards and cooling resulting from heating. Mass transport deals with the process of boiling in the liquid phase, and phase transition when the fluid or the liquid mixture is thermally quenched from the homogeneous, supercritical region, to the two-phase region where it phase separates. Weightlessness makes universal the dynamics of phase separation. Momentum transport is concerned with the scaled behavior of viscosity and the effects of vibrations. Vibrations lead to effects (interface position, instabilities) that resemble buoyancy effects seemingly caused by an artificial gravity. Although weightlessness has led to solve important problems, many questions are still opened.
Can We Help Teeth to Repair Themselves?
Authors: Silva Caroline Amaro da , Almeida-Júnior Luciano Aparecido de , Paula-Silva Francisco Wanderley Garcia
Published: May 2022

Dental caries can cause cavities in teeth and can lead to severe pain. Decay is caused by bacteria that thrive on sweets and foods rich in carbohydrates, so they can be seen as the villains that lead to the formation of cavities. To protect themselves against decay, the teeth create a type of hard barrier inside themselves to keep decay out. The formation of this barrier is called tooth repair because the tooth cells rebuild, from within, the walls that were destroyed by decay. Scientists have tried to imitate the creation of this barrier in their laboratories, by using the tooth cells that can form various parts of the tooth. But achieving the entire process of tooth repair in the laboratory is not an easy task. Scientist and dentists still need to learn a great deal!
The Development of the Slovak Agricultural Landscape in a Changing World
Authors: Izakovičová Zita , Špulerová Jana , Raniak Andrej
Published: May 2022

The agricultural landscape, which serves as a space for food production and a habitat for all kinds of living organisms, is under constant pressure to use the land in various different ways, causing constant changes in the environment. Various socio-economic, technical or political drivers have caused land use changes, which are linked to a number of socio-economic and environmental problems, e.g., different possible land uses competing with each other, changes of landscape character, increasing anthropisation of the territory and disruption of spatial ecological stability, threatening the environmental quality and causing overexploitation of natural resources. The aim of this paper is to evaluate land use changes in Slovakia since the 18th century, to identify key periods of land-management practices and prevailing drivers, and to specify the socio-economic and environmental impacts of land-use change. We organized a workshop with guided brainstorming to identify individual eras of agricultural development and their impacts. In total, we identified five main periods of agricultural landscape development and specified the characteristic landscape structure. Knowledge of the basic drivers of land use change as well as of its effects on the land is important for development of effective policies and for ensuring effective protection of the values of traditional agricultural landscape.
Case Report: Extensive Temporal Bone Invasion in a Giant Vestibular Schwannoma
Authors: Lyu Fang , Gan Jinlu , Wang Haijun , Zhao Hongyang , Wang Lei , Zhang Fangcheng
Published: May 2022

Background

Rare giant vestibular schwannomas (GVSs) invade the temporal bone extensively, which carries unique risks for surgery owing to their complicated relationship with adjacent structures, difficult dissection of the temporal bone, and high risk of complications. The underlying mechanism of this invasive behavior remains unknown.

Case description

We report on a 28-year-old woman who presented with typical hearing loss and facial paralysis (House-Brackmann II). Magnetic resonance imaging exhibited a giant mass (∼5.0 cm) in the right cerebellopontine angle (CPA), petrous apex, and middle cranial fossa. Her primary diagnosis was GVS with petrous apex invasion. With the aid of presurgical imaging reconstruction and intraoperative facial nerve monitoring, we adopted a sequential therapeutic strategy, which included microsurgery for the CPA lesion followed by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for the petrous mass. During follow-up, stable tumor control was achieved with functional preservation of the facial nerve and no other complications. The postoperative immunohistochemical examination demonstrated dramatic intratumoral inflammation, which suggested its potential role in bony erosion. We reviewed the literature of large vestibular schwannoma with a petrous invasion and further discussed its treatment.

Conclusion

Microsurgery remains the top therapeutic strategy for GVS. However, gross total resection with functional preservation of cranial nerves is challenging to achieve once the temporal bone is involved. In this case, we applied a planned and sequential approach of microsurgery and GKRS with a promising outcome, which highlighted this combinational strategy in this rare situation. In addition, pathological examination suggested that intratumoral inflammation might play a role in the bony erosion of GVS. Longer observation and more cases are needed to further investigate its molecular mechanism and treatment plan.
Status Quo and Influencing Factors of Discharge Readiness of Patients with Bilateral Ureteral Stoma After Radical Cystectomy
Authors: Huang Li , Peng Shuang
Published: May 2022

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy of the urinary system, which occurs mostly in elderly men, and the incidence is increasing year by year. To analyze the status quo and related factors of discharge readiness of patients with bilateral ureteral stoma after radical cystectomy, a retrospective, noncomparative was performed. 544 patients with bilateral ureteral stoma after radical cystectomy in our hospital from December 2018 to December 2020 were selected. The self-designed questionnaire, discharge readiness scale (RHDS) and discharge guidance quality scale (QDTS) were used to investigate the general data, and multiple linear regression was used to analyze the related influencing factors. The total score of RHDS was (72.57 ± 18.56) and the total score of QDTS was (105.63 ± 24.18); the total score of RHDS was positively correlated with the total score of QDTS (r = 0.882, p = 0.000); the results of multiple linear regression showed that age, discharge direction and care mode were the main factors influencing the discharge readiness of patients (p < 0.05). In conclusions, the discharge readiness of patients with bilateral ureteral stoma after radical cystectomy is in the medium level, and there is a large space for improvement. Nurses should strengthen the guidance and nursing of patients’ discharge preparation to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and readmission rate.
Tourist Attractiveness of Rural Areas as a Determinant of the Implementation of Social Tourism of Disadvantaged Groups: Evidence from Poland and the Czech Republic
Authors: Roman Michał , Abrham Josef , Niedziółka Arkadiusz , Szczucka Ewa , Smutka Lubos , Prus Piotr
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this article is to present the tourist attractiveness of rural areas as a factor of social tourism in Poland and the Czech Republic. The systematic literature review (SLR) research method was used to verify the aim. An extensive review of the literature has been made which has made it possible to present the importance of tourist attractiveness in the implementation of social tourism on the examples of Poland and the Czech Republic. This article presents a literature review and systematizes the terminology of social tourism. In addition, it shows the expectations and behavior of different groups of customers in the types and forms of social tourism. In the final part of the article the authors presented the opportunities and barriers to the development of social tourism in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Pricing Strategy of the Agricultural Product Supply Chain with Farmer Cooperatives as the Core Enterprise
Authors: Wang Jiali , Huo Yujia , Guo Xiangyu , Xu Yang
Published: May 2022

The pricing strategy of agricultural products not only affects the product demand and purchasing behavior of consumers, but also the income distribution of node enterprises and the overall profit of the agricultural supply chain. This paper studies the pricing strategy of the agricultural product supply chain with farmer cooperatives as the core enterprise. Considering the heterogeneous demand of consumers, this paper introduces the degree of agricultural product characteristics and establishes a dynamic pricing model for agricultural products under decentralized decision-making and centralized decision-making and designs a revenue sharing coordination contract. The results indicate that the overall profit of the supply chain obtained by pricing agricultural products through a decentralized decision-making model is lower than that created under centralized decision-making. Improving the degree of agricultural product’s characteristics and adopting the revenue sharing contract is conducive to the Pareto improvement of supply members. The relevant recommendations provide a reference for the product pricing strategy of this type of agricultural product supply chain.
Deep Learning Based Disease, Pest Pattern and Nutritional Deficiency Detection System for “Zingiberaceae” Crop
Authors: Waheed Hamna , Zafar Noureen , Akram Waseem , Manzoor Awais , Gani Abdullah , Islam Saif ul
Published: May 2022

Plants’ diseases cannot be avoided because of unpredictable climate patterns and environmental changes. The plants like ginger get affected by various pests, conditions, and nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is essential to identify such causes early and perform the cure to get the desired production rate. Deep learning-based methods are helpful for the identification and classification of problems in this domain. This paper presents deep artificial neural network and deep learning-based methods for the early detection of diseases, pest patterns, and nutritional deficiencies. We have used a real-field dataset consisting of healthy and affected ginger plant leaves. The results show that the convolutional neural network (CNN) has achieved the highest accuracy of 99% for disease rhizomes detection. For pest pattern leaves, VGG-16 models showed the highest accuracy of 96%. For nutritional deficiency-affected leaves, ANN has achieved the highest accuracy (96%). The experimental results achieved are comparable with other existing techniques in the literature. In addition, the results demonstrated the potential in improving the yield of ginger using the proposed disease detection methods and an essential consideration for the design of real-time disease detection applications. However, the results are specific to the dataset used in this work and may yield different results for the other datasets.
Recognition for Stems of Tomato Plants at Night Based on a Hybrid Joint Neural Network
Authors: Xiang Rong , Zhang Maochen , Zhang Jielan
Published: May 2022

Recognition of plant stems is vital to automating multiple processes in fruit and vegetable production. The colour similarity between stems and leaves of tomato plants presents a considerable challenge for recognising stems in colour images. With duality relation in edge pairs as a basis, we designed a recognition algorithm for stems of tomato plants based on a hybrid joint neural network, which was composed of the duality edge method and deep learning models. Pixel-level metrics were designed to evaluate the performance of the neural network. Tests showed that the proposed algorithm has performs well at detecting thin and long objects even if the objects have similar colour to backgrounds. Compared with other methods based on colour images, the hybrid joint neural network can recognise the main and lateral stems and has less false negatives and positives. The proposed method has low hardware cost and can be used in the automation of fruit and vegetable production, such as in automatic targeted fertilisation and spraying, deleafing, branch pruning, clustered fruit harvesting and harvesting with trunk shake, obstacle avoidance, and navigation.
Working Performance of the Low-Adhesion and Anti-Slip Bionic Press Roller in the Rice–Wheat Rotation Area
Authors: Liu Hongjun , Yan Wei , Ji Yao , Zhang Wenyi
Published: May 2022

During the working process of a conventional press roller in the rice–wheat rotation area, the phenomenon of soil adhesion and a large slip rate, which are directly related to the growth and the output of the wheat, occurred widely. It was found that the geometric structure of the back surface was one of the key reasons for Carabus formosus nili exhibiting low adhesion against the soil. In this paper, lessons are drawn from the non-smooth morphology theory and bionics principle. The bionic press rollers with bionically convex hull structures were designed after learning from the geometric structure of Carabus formosus nili, which modifies the geometric structure of the conventional press roller. The three-dimensional simulation model of a bionic press roller and soil was constructed in the ANSYS/LS-DYNA software(ANSYS, Canonsburg, PA, USA) to simulate the dynamic process of the interaction between the bionic roller and soil and to verify the rationality of the design of the bionic press roller. Based on the simulation of the interaction between the bionic press roller and the soil, the main factors affecting the bionic roller were determined: forward speed, load, and structural parameters. The field tests were carried out, and the orthogonal test was used to investigate the effects of forward speed, load, and structural parameters on the operation performance of the bionic press roller. Through the orthogonal test, the primary and secondary order of forward speed, load, and axial spacing were obtained. The optimal combination was: forward speed 7 km/h, load 400 N, and axial spacing 40 mm. This study provides a new idea and reference for the design of a press roller for wheat sowing in the rice–wheat rotation area.
Effects of Organic Fertilizer Application on Strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) Cultivation
Authors: Sayğı Hülya
Published: May 2022

In the agricultural production process, the production and environmental costs of chemical fertilizers used to increase yield and quality and the question of how to evaluate the herbal and animal wastes that arise in the agricultural production process are important issues. The main purpose of using herbal and animal wastes that arise in the agricultural production process as an alternative fertilizer to chemical fertilizers is to reduce production costs and to ensure sustainability in agricultural production by reintroducing these wastes to the economy. In this study, the effects of vermicompost, chicken manure, farm manure, and chemical fertilizers on product yield and quality, plant nutrients, and economic profitability in strawberry cultivation were investigated. In the study, strawberries were used as the plant material and vermicompost, chicken manure, farm (cattle) manure, and chemical fertilizers were used as plant nutrition materials. In the study, statistically significant differences were found in the parameters of yield, quality, plant nutrient content in leaves, and economic profitability compared to chemical fertilizers. In terms of product yield and some quality parameters, organic fertilizers (worm manure and chicken manure in yield, total sugar and nitrate accumulation in fruit, chicken manure in vitamin C) gave better positive results than chemical fertilizers. In the macronutrient content of the leaves, chicken manure in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus; vermicompost, chicken manure, and farm manure in terms of potassium; and vermicompost and chicken manure in terms of calcium all gave better results than chemical fertilizers. In the micronutrient content of the leaves, chicken manure in terms of iron, vermicompost in terms of zinc, and chicken manure and farm manure in terms of copper gave better results than chemical fertilizers. In terms of economic profitability, while more profit was obtained from vermicompost, chicken manure and farm manure applications compared to chemical fertilizer applications, the highest profitability was obtained from vermicompost application. The findings of this study support the idea that vermicompost, chicken manure, and farm manure can be recommended as an alternative plant nutrition input to chemical fertilizers in strawberry cultivation.
Response of Phytic Acid to Nitrogen Application and Its Relation to Protein Content in Rice Grain
Authors: Su Da , Muneer Muhammad Atif , Chen Xiaohui , Rasmussen Søren K. , Wu Liangquan , Cai Yuanyang , Cheng Fangmin
Published: May 2022

Nitrogen (N) fertilization has been recognized as improving the grain beneficial micronutrients, including Zn and Fe, in rice. However, only a few studies have explicitly focused on N-induced variation in anti-nutritional components such as phytic acid (PA), PA synthesis-related gene expression, and variation in grain protein fractions. Therefore, in this study, two culture systems (hydroponic and detached panicle culture systems) were used to elucidate the influence of N application on PA concentration and its relation to the grain protein fractions, such as albumin, globulin, prolamin, and glutelin, and total protein in rice. Results showed that N application generally decreased the grain PA concentration in brown rice and down-regulated the PA synthesis-related genes in the lipid-independent pathway. In contrast, total grain protein and its fractions concentrations increased significantly. For grain positional distribution, PA and protein concentration were generally higher in the aleurone fraction than in the milled rice, regardless of N application. However, higher N application decreased the PA in both aleurone fraction and milled rice, while increased the grain protein fractions mainly in milled rice. These findings imply that N application could substantially improve the rice nutrition by reducing the PA while increasing the protein concentration. Hence, these findings may provide critical bases for rice nutritional improvement through optimal N management.
Cover Crops Enhance Soil Properties in Arid Agroecosystem despite Limited Irrigation
Authors: Agarwal Prashasti , Lehnhoff Erik A. , Steiner Robert L. , Idowu Omololu John
Published: May 2022

Cover crops (CCs) can enhance the sustainability and resiliency of agroecosystems by providing multiple ecosystem benefits, including soil quality improvement. However, in areas with limited precipitation such as the southwestern USA, cover cropping is challenging. With limited water, it may be difficult to raise cover crops for realizing ecosystem benefits. Research was conducted at two sites in New Mexico over two years to determine if CC under limited irrigation could produce enough biomass to improve soil quality. Treatments included a fallow (control) and monocultures of barley (Hordeum vulgare), Austrian winter peas (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense), mustard (Brassica rapa, var. Caliente 199), and a three-way mixture of these species, grown under three different irrigation regimes. The results indicate that the improvement in soil quality measurements by CCs grown under one supplemental irrigation were comparable to those grown under multiple irrigations. All CC treatments improved the soil dry aggregate size distribution from 2018 to 2020. At the end of the study, the MWD of dry aggregates was higher (3.26 mm) in all CC treatments than in the fallows (2.43 mm) at one site, but at the second site, mustard and mix were comparable to the fallows. Wet aggregate stability increased by 19% in the mix between 2018 and 2020 at one site. Pea plots needed about 23 kg ha−1 less N fertilizer for sweet corn production compared to the fallow treatment at one site. This suggests that CCs can be successfully grown under limited water availability in irrigated arid systems of New Mexico while still improving the soil quality.
A Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Literature on Biostimulants
Authors: Corsi Stefano , Ruggeri Giordano , Zamboni Anita , Bhakti Prinsi , Espen Luca , Ferrante Antonio , Noseda Martina , Varanini Zeno , Scarafoni Alessio
Published: May 2022

A search of the term biostimulants on the most renowned scientific online databases such as Web of Science results in more than one thousand documents. Although some reviews have been previously published, there is no unified and comprehensive bibliometric review of the scientific literature related to biostimulants. This study examines the scientific literature on biostimulants from 2000 to February 2022 by conducting a bibliometric analysis of the literature published on the Web of Science database to deepen its evolution, trends, and macroareas to represent a quick reference guide for interdisciplinary researchers. We identify the most productive countries and journals, detect the major research streams and perspectives, and trace overall research development over the years. Furthermore, the results highlight aspects that have had little consideration in the current scientific literature, such as economic assessments of the use of biostimulants and more comprehensive explanations of the molecular mechanisms responsible for their positive effects.
Potential Nitrogen Mineralization and Its Availability in Response to Long-Term Fertilization in a Chinese Fluvo-Aquic Soil
Authors: Maitlo Ali Akbar , Zhang Shuiqing , Ahmed Waqas , Jangid Kamlesh , Ali Sehrish , Yang Hongbo , Bhatti Saleem Maseeh , Duan Yinghua , Xu Minggang
Published: May 2022

The determination of organic nitrogen (N) mineralization is crucial for estimating N availability, quantifying exogenous inputs, and estimating associated environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of long-term various fertilization on soil organic N mineralization potential (NMP), which influences plant N accessibility. Treatments from a 26-year long-term field experiment with no fertilization (CK), chemical fertilizer N at 165 kg N ha−1 and P at 82.5 kg P2O5 ha−1 (NP), NP with K fertilizer at 165, 82.5, 82.5 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O (NPK), NPK at 165, 82.5, 82.5 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O with manure at 7857.14 kg ha−1 (NPKM), and NPKM at 165, 82.5, 82.5 kg ha−1 N, P2O5 and K2O with manure at 1.5× application rate (11,785.71 kg ha−1) (1.5NPKM) were examined for potentially mineralizable N by aerobic incubation at 35 °C for 30 weeks. Three pools (Pools I, II, and III) of mineralizable N were recognized. Pool I, the mineralization flush on rewetting in the first 2 weeks; Pool II, gross N mineralization between weeks 2 and 30; and Pool III, the potentially mineralizable N, predicted from the fitted curve, that did not mineralize during the incubation period. Soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and N (SMBN) as well as fixed ammonium (NH4+) contents and relationship with N mineralization rate (k) were also studied. Long-term manure application yielded a significantly higher k (0.32 week−1) than other treatments (0.12–0.22 week−1) but not a significantly higher NMP. Nitrogen mineralization during the wheat and maize-growing seasons was predicted to be 8.7–26.3 (mg N kg−1 soil) and 25.9–42.1 (mg N kg−1 soil), respectively. Both labile mineralizable N pools (Pools I and II) followed the same patterns in the treatments: 1.5NPKM > NPKM > NPK > NP > CK, while the reverse was true for stable N (Pool III). The significant positive correlation between k with SMBC and SMBN (R2 = 0.93, p = 0.008 and R2 = 0.94, p = 0.006) suggested that the higher mineralization rate might be contributed by the higher soil microbial biomass in NPKM. The trends of fixed NH4+ and mineralized N were coupled. Long-term manure application significantly improved the N mineralization rate in soil. Manure application is an effective strategy to enhance soil microbial biomass and soil N availability and has the potential to reduce the dependence upon chemical N fertilization.
Growth and Morphological Responses of Kentucky Bluegrass to Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Soil Water Availabilities
Authors: Liu Wei , Xie Fuchun , Chen Yajun , Cui Guowen
Published: May 2022

Understanding the effect of water heterogeneity on the growth and water integration of clonal plants is important for scientific water management. In controlled field plots, we conducted a study by creating three different soil water treatments comprising four patches with different soil water supplies using Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) as the materials. The objective was to explore the differences in the growth indices and morphological attributes, and the possible water integration in ‘Arcadia’ Kentucky bluegrass in plots and patches with different soil water availabilities. Soil water deficit resulted in the declined biomass, root/shoot ratio and leaf relative water content of the whole genet, decreased leaf length and height of mother ramet, reduced leaf width and height of daughter ramets, and significant changes in the structures of vascular bundles in rhizomes and leaves. However, the leaf length, leaf width, height and leaf relative water content of daughter ramets in heterogeneous water-poor patches were recovered to the levels in water-rich patches. In addition, the diameter of the vessel in the xylem and percentage of the xylem area in leaf vascular bundles of daughter ramets in the heterogeneous water-poor patch were insignificantly different from those in water-rich patches. These results demonstrated that water integration among interconnected ramets promoted the growth status of daughter ramets in heterogeneous water-poor patches. However, the water translocation in interconnected ramets subjecting to heterogeneous water supplies was not investigated using stable isotope labelling in this study. Thus, the directions and patterns of water translocation among ramets necessitate further research.
Adaptation of the SIMPLE Model to Oilseed Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) for Arid and Semi-Arid Environments
Authors: Li Yue , Hoogenboom Gerrit , Asseng Senthold , Niu Jun-Yi , Wu Ling , Kang Liang-He
Published: May 2022

Oilseed flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important oil crop, and the SIMPLE model is a very effective tool to simulate crop production. In this study, to adapt the SIMPLE model for the overall improvement of flax production and yield, three promising cultivars of North China—Longya Hybrid No. 1, Baxuan No. 3 and Zhangya No. 2—were selected. Experiments were conducted in Dingxi, Wulanchabu, Datong and Zhangjiakou in Northern China from 2016 to 2020. The SIMPLE model was first calibrated and then evaluated for the simulation of flax growth and development and grain yield and biomass. A base temperature of 5 °C was used for phenology, with optimum temperatures from 16 to 20 °C for the third pair of true leaves to unfolded to the budding stage, and from 20 to 25 °C for the flowering stage. In the results, the average simulated value of aboveground biomass in Dingxi was 8772 kg ha−1, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1239 kg ha−1 (d-index = 0.69). The simulations were also good in the other three sites according to a comparison of the predicted and observed biomasses (RMSE 135 kg ha−1 and d-index 0.90 at Zhangjiakou, RMSE 280 kg ha−1 and d-index 0.95 at Wulanchabu, and RMSE 140 kg ha−1 and d-index 0.97 at Datong). Flax grain yield was well simulated compared with the observed values, with a RMSE of 55 kg ha−1 and a d-index of 0.96 for Dingxi, a RMSE of 63 kg ha−1 and a d-index of 0.93 for Wulanchabu, and a RMSE of 5 kg ha−1 and a d-index of 0.97 for Zhangjiakou, whereas the yield was somewhat underestimated for Datong (RMSE of 176 kg ha−1 and d-index of 0.91). Overall, the SIMPLE model provided satisfactory predictions under different environments and management. Care should be taken when transferring the SIMPLE-Flax model to other environments, as vernalization and day-length sensitivity are not included in this model.
Taxifolin Modulates Transcriptomic Response to Heat Stress in Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss
Authors: Sukhovskaya Irina V. , Kantserova Nadezhda P. , Lysenko Liudmila A. , Morozov Alexey A.
Published: May 2022

Taxifolin is a natural flavonoid known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects on animals. In this work, we have studied the effect of this compound on rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, a major object of aquaculture, under slowly increasing ambient temperature and Gyrodactylus flatworm infection. Transcriptomic profiling of liver samples performed by using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing platform shows that a combined taxifolin/heat treatment, unlike heat treatment alone, downregulates the production of isopentenyl diphosphate, likely affecting the production of cholesterol and other sterols. Taxifolin treatment also modulates multiple apoptosis regulators and affects the expression of HSPs in response to increasing temperature. On the other hand, the expression of antioxidant enzymes in response to heat is not significantly affected by taxifolin. As for the Gyrodactylus infection, the parasite load is not affected by taxifolin treatment, although it was lower in the high-temperature group. Parasite load also did not induce a statistically significant transcriptomic response within the no heat/no taxifolin group.
A 20-SNP Panel as a Tool for Genetic Authentication and Traceability of Pig Breeds
Authors: Moretti Riccardo , Criscione Andrea , Turri Federica , Bordonaro Salvatore , Marletta Donata , Castiglioni Bianca , Chessa Stefania
Published: May 2022

Food authentication in local breeds has important implications from both an economic and a qualitative point of view. Meat products from autochthonous breeds are of premium value, but can easily incur fraudulent or accidental substitution or mislabeling. The aim of this study was to identify a small number of SNPs using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip for breed traceability, in particular of the Italian Nero Siciliano pig and its derived products. A panel of 12 SNPs was sufficient to discriminate Nero Siciliano pig from cosmopolitan breeds and wild boars. After adding 8 SNPs, the final panel of 20 SNPs allowed us to discriminate all the breeds involved in the study, to correctly assign each individual to its breed, and, moreover, to discriminate Nero Siciliano from first-generation hybrids. Almost all livestock breeds are being genotyped with medium- or high-density SNP panels, providing a large amount of information for many applications. Here, we proposed a method to select a reduced SNP panel to be used for the traceability of pig breeds.