bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of prezygotic post-pollination reproductive barriers in plants
Authors: Wang Ludi , Filatov Dmitry A.
Published: July 2023

Hybridisation between individuals of different species can lead to maladapted or inviable progeny due to genetic incompatibilities between diverging species. On the other hand, mating with close relatives, or self-fertilisation may lead to inbreeding depression. Thus, both too much or too little divergence may lead to problems and the organisms have to carefully choose mating partners to avoid both of these pitfalls. In plants this choice occurs at many stages during reproduction, but pollen-pistil interactions play a particularly important role in avoiding inbreeding and hybridisation with other species. Interestingly, the mechanisms involved in avoidance of selfing and interspecific hybridisation may work via shared molecular pathways, as self-incompatible species tend to be more ‘choosy’ with heterospecific pollen compared to self-compatible ones. This review discusses various prezygotic post-pollination barriers to interspecific hybridisation, with a focus on the mechanisms of pollen-pistil interactions and their role in the maintenance of species integrity.
Is playing violent video games a risk factor for aggressive behaviour? Adding narcissism, self-esteem and PEGI ratings to the debate
Authors: Olejarnik Szymon Zbigniew , Romano Daniela
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Aggressive behaviour is a challenge for society. There continues to be considerable debate over whether the consumption of violent video games affects aggression, as violent video game content has become more accessible in recent years due to the growing use of online distribution platforms. Personality traits often linked to aggression, such as narcissism and self-esteem, have been considered in the context of violent video game play and their relationship with aggression.

Methods

We surveyed an international population of 166 game players on their personality traits and their three favourite video game choices, which were classified as violent or non-violent, using Pan European Game Information (PEGI) 16 and 18 ratings.

Results

We found that violent video game choice is a predictor of verbal aggression alongside narcissism, and hostility alongside self-esteem. A categorical regression highlighted the desire to impersonate society’s undesirable role models (e.g., ‘be a thief or a killer’) as one of the motivations for aggression and violent video game choice.

Discussion

These findings show that video game violence should be considered a risk factor for aggression, as in other violent media, as it provides a social reinforcement of aggressive behaviour and observational learning of aggressive models, calling for the introduction of stricter online age verification procedures on online game platforms to safeguard children from violent video game content; and increased use of parental controls on content fruition. More granularity should be considered in the PEGI classifications.
The effect of physical and psychological stress on the oral microbiome
Authors: Stoy Savanna , McMillan Alexandra , Ericsson Aaron C. , Brooks Amanda E.
Published: July 2023

Background

The oral microbiome is incredibly complex, containing a diverse complement of microbiota that has previously been categorized into 6 broad phyla. While techniques such as next-generation sequencing have contributed to a better understanding of the composition of the oral microbiome, the role it plays in human health and disease is still under investigation. Previous studies have identified that a more diverse microbiome is advantageous for health. Therefore, alterations to the physical or mental health that are of interest in this study, such as stress, are the factors that decrease microbial diversity, leading to the potential for dysbiosis and disease disposition. Intensive Surgical Skills Week (ISSW) is a hyper-realistic simulation training week for military medical students that takes place at the Strategic Operations (STOPS) facility in San Diego, CA. This training week puts students through mass causality simulations and requires them to work through distinct roles within the healthcare team, providing an almost ideal environment to assess the impact of acute stress on oral microbiome diversity. Based on the literature on stress and microbiota, we hypothesized that the high stress simulation events at ISSW will impact the composition and diversity of the oral microbiome.

Methods

To investigate this hypothesis, thirty-seven (n = 37) second-or third-year medical students who are enlisted in a branch of the military and who attended ISSW in July of 2021 were included in the study. Student participants were divided into 7 teams to complete the hyper-realistic simulations (SIMs) at ISSW. A pilot of sixty-four buccal samples (n = 64) from three of the seven teams were sent for analysis at the University of Missouri Metagenomic Center.

Results

We saw an overall increase in species richness at the end of ISSW when looking at all samples (n = 64). Fourteen significantly different bacteria were identified from the beginning to the end of data collection. Additionally, third year medical students appear to have a greater species richness compared to second year medical students. Further, third year medical students had a statically significant difference in their oral microbiome richness from beginning to end of data collection (p = 0.008).

Conclusion

Our preliminary data indicates that physical and psychological stress can impact the composition of the oral microbiome. The analyses in this study show that using the oral microbiome as an indicator of stress is promising and may provide evidence to support stress management practices.
Associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and allergic diseases: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zhang Xiangyu , Zhang Runlong , Zhang Yuanfeng , Lu Tao
Published: July 2023

Background

In some observational studies, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder has been linked to allergic diseases, but the findings are debatable. This study aimed to determine whether attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is causally related to allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, pollen allergy, allergic urticaria, and allergic conjunctivitis using the two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach.

Methods

We did a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study, which chose single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are highly associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) levels from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) on 20,183 cases and 35,191 controls as our instruments. Outcomes datasets included genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis (n = 1,415,804). The summary statistics of outcome data were obtained from the FinnGen datasets including allergic asthma (10,877 cases and 180,942 controls), allergic rhinitis (8,430 cases and 298,829 controls), pollen allergy (4555cases and 301,734 controls), allergic urticaria (1792 cases and 299,491 controls) and allergic conjunctivitis (15,567 cases and 293,587 controls). Inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger, weighted median, were used to estimate the causal association between ADHD and allergic diseases. Cochran’s Q test was used to quantify the heterogeneity of instrumental variables. MR-Egger intercept test, leave-one-out analysis, and the funnel plot were all used in sensitivity analyses.

Results

The Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis indicated that ADHD in inverse variance weighted [odds ratio (OR) = 1.0612; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.0192–1.1049; p = 0.0039] lightly increased the risk of allergic asthma. In MR sensitivity analyses of the weighted median, a similar association was found. But no evidence for an effect of ADHD on allergic asthma risk was found in additional methods: MR-Egger (OR = 0.9592, 95% CI: 0.8384–1.0974, p = 0.5457), and weighted median (OR: =1.0341, 95% CI: 0.9785–1.0929, p = 0.2330). Also, no strong evidence for an effect of ADHD on other allergic diseases (allergic rhinitis, pollen allergy, allergic urticaria, and allergic conjunctivitis) incidence was found using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, weighted median method, and MR-Egger regression.

Conclusion

Although several studies have found a link between ADHD and allergic diseases, our findings do not support that ADHD could increase allergic diseases incidence. Randomized controlled trials or Mendelian randomization studies with larger samples are still needed to draw more precise conclusions.
Can the evaluation of marker placement confidence be used as an indicator of gait kinematic variability?
Authors: Fonseca Mickael , Gasparutto Xavier , Lena Carcreff , Grouvel Gautier , Bonnefoy-Mazure Alice , Dumas Raphaël , Armand Stéphane
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Three-dimensional gait analysis is widely used for the clinical assessment of movement disorders. However, measurement error reduces the reliability of kinematic data and consequently assessment of gait deviations. The identification of high variability is associated with low reliability and those parameters should be ignored or excluded from gait data interpretation. Moreover, marker placement error has been demonstrated to be the biggest source of variability in gait analysis and may be affected by factors intrinsic to the evaluators such as the evaluator's expertise which could be appraised through his/her experience and confidence in marker placement.

Objectives

In the present study, we hypothesized that confidence in marker placement is correlated with kinematic variability and could potentially be used as part of a score of reliability. Therefore, we have proposed a questionnaire to evaluate qualitatively the confidence of evaluators in lower-limb marker placement. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the presented questionnaire. The secondary objective was to test a possible relationship between marker placement confidence and kinematics variability.

Methods

To do so, test-retest gait data were acquired from two different experimental protocols. One protocol included data from a cohort of 32 pathological and 24 asymptomatic subjects where gait analysis was repeated three times, involving two evaluators. A second protocol included data from a cohort of 8 asymptomatic adults with gait analysis repeated 12 times, per participant, and involving four evaluators with a wider range of experience.

Results

Results demonstrated that the questionnaire proposed is valid and reliable to evaluate qualitatively the confidence of evaluators in placing markers. Indeed, confidence scores were correlated with the actual variability of marker placement and revealed the evaluator's experience and the subjects' characteristics. However, no correlation was observed between confidence scores and kinematic variability and the formulated hypothesis was not supported.
Portrayal of oral hygiene and risk behaviours in animated movies
Authors: Kitsaras George , Goodwin Michaela
Published: July 2023

Background

Behaviours depicted in movies and TV shows can significantly affect one's behaviour. Children are particularly susceptible to these effects as their habits are still forming. Oral hygiene behaviours play a crucial role in preventing or slowing down the progression of dental diseases, which are among the most common yet preventable diseases in the world. Therefore, it is important to understand if popular movies include oral hygiene behaviours or risk-related behaviours, which can in effect influence children's behaviour.

Aim

The aim of this study is to review the top grossing animated movies of all time to record and collect on screen portrayals of oral hygiene practices and risk behaviours related to oral health.

Methodology

Top 30 highest grossing animated feature films (over 40 min duration) were coded using a structured coding instrument to capture oral hygiene and risk-related behaviours related to oral health. Two coders performed coding using the standardised instrument.

Results

Overall, 93% of behaviours were coded as a risk behaviour, with 7% coded as positive oral hygiene behaviour. Within the risk behaviour category, the majority (74%) were based around the consumption of sugar with risk behaviour occurring in 23 out of 30 movies (76%), while oral hygiene practices occurred in 6 out of 30 movies (20%); one movie depicted neither oral hygiene nor oral health risk behaviours. About 53% of behaviours were purely visual, 10% verbal, and 37% a combination of verbal and visual. Anthropomorphic characters and movie settings resulted in more behaviours related to oral health, either hygiene or mainly risk behaviours, depicted.

Conclusion

Despite their importance in shaping habits and attitudes, animated movies portrayed a significant number of risk behaviours related to oral health with depiction of beneficial behaviours remaining limited. Consideration should be given on how to best portray behaviours that promote and enhance optimal oral hygiene behaviours to achieve and sustain better oral health for children.
Metabolomics of ethnic fermented foods and beverages: understanding new aspects through Omic techniques
Authors: Sarkar Sagnik , Sha Shankar Prasad , Ghatani Kriti
Published: July 2023

In the era of Omics, metabolomics and metaproteomics have emerged as powerful tools for the deep analysis of the fermentation of various foods. These two are relatively new in the field of science. However, they are already proven to be crucial for a more proper understanding of microbes, their interactions with hosts and surrounding environments, metabolic activity, and intracellular biochemical reactions. Metabolomics is a quantitative and qualitative determination study of metabolites of participated microbes in the process of fermentation that helps to analyze several biochemical pathways concerning chemical changes that occur during different stages of fermentation. Hence, it provides a deep insight into the microscopic world as well as helps to significantly enhance the available nutraceuticals and probiotic characterizations in fermented foods. Evaluating the possible pathways of microbes in generating particular compounds of interest is proven to be beneficial for increasing the bioavailability of nutraceuticals and nutrients. It can be utilized to reshape the general process of fermentation in a more improved and optimized way for better yielding of nutritive components while decreasing the antinutrient components in the specific product. Metabolomics studies can be used to modify strains based on specific needs, for example, different stress-tolerant microbial strains for the optimal production of desired metabolites in stressed conditions, modulation in metabolic pathways to naturally increase the bioavailability of beneficial compounds, etc. These “Omics” methods are paving the way for a more thorough understanding of microbial life, metabolism systems, and genetic characteristics regarding protein synthesis and are undoubtedly becoming a potent weapon or a universal key in modulating fermented food products in a more advanced and sustainable approach possible. This present review aims to constitute a relevant approach for understanding the metabolic processes that can occur or are currently occurring in a given system and for implementing novel strategies focused on solving production problems or improving sustainability.
Underutilised food crops for improving food security and nutrition health in Nigeria and Uganda—a review
Authors: Nkwonta Chikere G. , Auma Carolyn I. , Gong Yunyun
Published: July 2023

Food and nutrition insecurity are pressing global issues, pertinent to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger). About 1 in 10 people globally are food insecure, with both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia crisis exacerbating the problem, partly due to unprecedented shortages in major food commodities, such as wheat, rice, and sunflower oil. Food and nutrition security have been negatively impacted in sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria and Uganda where, prior to both crises, 25% of the population were already food insecure and children under five and women of reproductive age faced severe undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and their associated health challenges. The recent crises have highlighted the need for a paradigm shift from relying on a few crops to a diversified, sustainable food system that harnesses the potential of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) for food and nutrition insecurity solution, especially in low and middle-income countries. Despite their abundance (>100 edible species) and high nutritional value, various political, socio-cultural, and infrastructural factors have deterred commercialization and utilization of NUS in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, there are limited sophisticated studies on many of NUS local to the region. This review aimed to discuss selected NUS, peculiar to Nigeria, namely, African walnut (Tetracarpidium conophorium), African breadfruit (Treculia africana), and Uganda, namely, sesame (Sesamus indicum L.) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.), and their potential to sustainably contribute towards improved food and nutrition security. The crops are briefly described, and their indigenous uses, nutritional value and medicinal properties highlighted. Issues relating to their production, processing, consumption, and exportation are reviewed considering their contribution towards sustainable food systems.
The effects of Moringa peregrina seed meal, autoclaving, and/or exogenous enzyme cocktail on performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood lipids of broilers
Authors: Al-Harthi Mohammed A. , Attia Youssef A. , Elgandy Mohamed F. , Bovera Fulvia
Published: July 2023

The effects of Moringa peregrina seed meal (MPSM), autoclaving, and/or enzyme cocktail addition on performance, profitability, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood lipids of broilers between 1 and 35 d of age were investigated. Seven experimental diets were employed: the control 0% MPSM, 10% raw MPSM, 10% autoclaved MPSM (at a temperature of 120°C and 1 kg/cm2 pressure for 30 min), 10% raw MPSM supplemented with enzymes at 0.1 or 0.2 g/kg feed, and 10% autoclaved MPSM supplemented with the same previous enzymes and doses. Each diet was fed to 8 replicates with 5 broilers in each. At the end of the experiment, 3 broilers from each replicate were randomLy chosen to determine carcass traits, meat quality, and blood lipids. Findings at 35 d of age indicated that all 10% raw MPSM treatments with or without enzymes addition impaired growth, feed conversion (FCR), and profitability (p < 0.05), but increased feed intake (p < 0.05) and did not affect mortality when compared with the control group. The 10% autoclaved MPSM treatments with or without enzymes addition increased feed intake (p < 0.05) when compared with the control group, inducing growth equal to the control group (p > 0.05), and improving FCR and profitability. Enzymes addition to raw MPSM did not produce positive effects (p < 0.05), and no additive effect was observed when autoclaving and enzymes addition were combined (p > 0.05) as compared to the autoclaving group. Carcass traits, meat quality, and blood lipids were not significantly affected by MPSM, autoclaving, and enzymes addition. However, intestine, cecum, and gizzard percentages increased (p < 0.05) with all 10% raw MPSM treatments, while all 10% autoclaved MPSM treatments could return these values (p > 0.05) to the control group, except with gizzard, which exhibited less improvement. Additionally, all autoclaved groups had lower meat pH measured 24 h postmortem (p <0.05) compared to the control group. In conclusion, autoclaved MPSM can be included in broilers’ diets at a 10% level without negative effects on performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood lipids. This indicates that autoclaving alone is adequate.
Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals the clinical implications of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Jiang Wenru , Hu Kangyao , Liu Xiaofei , Gao Jili , Zhu Liping
Published: July 2023

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is the most common malignant tumor that arises in the epithelium of the head and neck regions. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are one of the tumor-infiltrating immune cell populations, which play a powerful role in inhibiting anti-tumor immune response. Herein, we employed a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset to dissect the heterogeneity of myeloid cells. We found that SPP1+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and MDSCs were the most abundant myeloid cells in the microenvironment. By cell cluster deconvolution from bulk RNA-seq datasets of larger patient groups, we observed that highly-infiltrated MDSC was a poor prognostic marker for patients’ overall survival (OS) probabilities. To better apply the MDSC OS prediction values, we identified a set of six MDSC-related genes (ALDOA, CD52, FTH1, RTN4, SLC2A3, and TNFAIP6) as the prognostic signature. In both training and test cohorts, MDSC-related prognostic signature showed a promising value for predicting patients’ prognosis outcomes. Further parsing the ligand-receptor pairs of intercellular communications by CellChat, we found that MDSCs could frequently interact with cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, SPP1+ TAMs, and endothelial cells. These interactions likely contributed to the establishment of an immunosuppressive microenvironment and the promotion of tumor angiogenesis. Our findings suggest that targeting MDSCs may serve as an alternative and promising target for the immunotherapy of HNSC.
Old Age and Frailty in Deceased Organ Transplantation and Allocation–A Plea for Geriatric Assessment and Prehabilitation
Authors: Weimann Arved , Ahlert Marlies , Seehofer Daniel , Zieschang Tania , Schweda Mark
Published: July 2023

Due to demographic ageing and medical progress, the number and proportion of older organ donors and recipients is increasing. At the same time, the medical and ethical significance of ageing and old age for organ transplantation needs clarification. Advanced age is associated with the frailty syndrome that has a negative impact on the success of organ transplantation. However, there is emerging evidence that frailty can be modified by suitable prehabilitation measures. Against this backdrop, we argue that decision making about access to the transplant waiting list and the allocation of donor organs should integrate geriatric expertise in order to assess and manage frailty and impairments in functional capacity. Prehabilitation should be implemented as a new strategy for pre-operative conditioning of older risk patients’ functional capacity. From an ethical point of view, advanced chronological age per se should not preclude the indication for organ transplantation and the allocation of donor organs.
Method of Peanut Pod Quality Detection Based on Improved ResNet
Authors: Yang Lili , Wang Changlong , Yu Jianfeng , Xu Nan , Wang Dongwei
Published: July 2023

Peanuts are prone to insect damage, breakage, germination, mildew, and other defects, which makes the quality of peanuts uneven. The difference in peanut pod quality makes the price and economic benefit also have a big difference. The classification of peanut pods according to quality is an important part of improving the product grade and market competitiveness. Real-time, accurate, and non-destructive quality detection of peanut pods can effectively improve the utilization and commercial value of peanuts. The strong subjectivity of manual detection and the low efficiency and low accuracy of mechanical detection have caused considerable wastage. Therefore, the present study proposed a new convolutional neural network for the peanut pod quality detection algorithm (PQDA) based on an improved ResNet. Compared to previous models, this model is more practical with high accuracy, lightweight, and easy nesting. Firstly, the detection and classification effects of ResNet18, AlexNet, and VGG16 are compared, and ResNet18 was determined to be the best backbone feature extraction network for model training. Secondly, three models were designed to optimize and improve the algorithm. The KRSNet module was added to the algorithm to make the model lightweight. The CSPNet module was added to the algorithm to improve the learning efficiency of each feature layer. The Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) was added to the algorithm to improve its ability to capture more feature information about peanut pods. The experimental ablation results show that the precision of the improved model PQDA reaches 98.1%, and the size of parameters is only 32.63 M. Finally, the optimized model was applied to other peanut pod varieties for generalization experiments, and the accuracy reached 89.6% and 90.0%, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed peanut pod quality detection model. Furthermore, the model is suitable for deployment on embedded resource-limited devices, such as mobile terminals, to achieve the real-time and accurate detection of peanut pod quality.
Expression Profile and Regulatory Properties of m6A-Modified circRNAs in the Longissimus Dorsi of Queshan Black and Large White Pigs
Authors: Qi Kunlong , Dou Yaqing , Zhang Zhe , Wei Yilin , Song Chenglei , Qiao Ruimin , Li Xiuling , Yang Feng , Wang Kejun , Li Xinjian , Han Xuelei
Published: July 2023

It is well known that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant modification in linear RNA molecules, but many circRNA molecules have now been found to have a wide range of m6A modification sites as well. However, there are few relevant studies and information on the expression profile and functional regulatory properties of m6A-modified circRNAs (m6A-circRNAs) in longissimus dorsi. In this study, a total of 12 putative m6A-circRNAs were identified and characterized in the longissimus dorsi of Queshan Black and Large White pigs—8 of them were significantly more expressed in the longissimus dorsi of Queshan Black than in Large White pigs, while the other 4 were the opposite. These 12 putative m6A-circRNAs were also found to act as miRNA sponge molecules to regulate fat deposition by constructing the ceRNA regulatory network. Enrichment analysis also revealed that the 12 m6A-circRNAs parent genes and their adsorbed miRNA target genes were widely involved in fat deposition and cell proliferation and differentiation-related pathways, such as the HIF-1 signaling pathway, the pentose phosphate pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, the glycosphingolipid biosynthesis-lacto and neolacto series, and the TNF signaling pathway, suggesting that the analyzed m6A-circRNAs may be largely involved in the formation of pork quality. These results provide new information to study the regulatory properties of m6A-circRNAs in the formation of pork quality.
The Effect of Microbial Inoculum and Urea Supplements on Nutritive Value, Amino Acids Profile, Aerobic Stability and Digestibility of Wheat and Corn Silages
Authors: Wagali Philip , Pelech Ira , Sabastian Chris , Ben Ari Julius , Tagari Haim , Mabjeesh Sameer J.
Published: July 2023

Wheat and corn silages are widely used as ruminant feed in Israel due to their availability and cost-effectiveness. To ensure long-term preservation without compromising nutritional quality, effective methods must be employed. The inclusion of additives during harvest and ensiling can enhance efficiency and address preservation challenges. In the current study, the effects of microbial inoculum (MI) and urea on the chemical composition, amino acid profiles, aerobic stability, and in vitro digestibility of wheat and corn silages were investigated. Samples of wheat and corn were subjected to four treatments: control, MI, urea and a combination of MI + urea. The treatments were ensiled in anaerobic conditions and opened after 1, 7, 14 or 28 days. The results showed that additives improved the quality parameters of wheat and corn silages. The inclusion of MI produced the most aerobically stable silages. The inclusion of urea in silages decreased aerobic stability. Additives improved in vitro cell wall carbohydrates’ digestibility in both silages and was the best when MI was combined with urea. These results imply that additives could be incorporated in silages to enhance their nutritional value, aerobic stability and digestibility. Nonetheless, increased CP content with additives was not accompanied with a parallel increase in amino acids’ content in corn silage.
Effects of Dried Blueberry Pomace and Pineapple Pomace on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens
Authors: Hu Yaodong , Tang Shi , Zhao Wei , Wang Silu , Sun Caiyun , Chen Binlong , Zhu Yuxing
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dried blueberry pomace (BP) and pineapple pomace (PP) on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 10 replicates per treatment group and 8 birds per replicate (4 males and 4 females). The three groups were the control (CON) group, the 3% BP group, and 3% PP group. The entire trial period lasted 42 days. The results show that the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed-to-gain ratio of the BP group and the PP group were not significantly different from those in the CON group (p > 0.05). Adding BP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver and giblets (p < 0.05). Adding PP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver, while the proportion of gizzard significantly increased (p < 0.05). The pH24h and L* of breast muscles were significantly lower in the PP group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). The water-holding capacity of the leg muscles in the BP group and the PP group was significantly lower than that in the CON group (p < 0.05). The crude protein content of breast muscle and the ether extract content of leg muscle in the BP group were significantly lower than those in the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 3% BP and PP to broiler chickens’ diets had no adverse effects on growth performance or meat quality.
Unraveling the Potential of Orange Pulp for Improving Laying Rate, Egg Quality, Oxidative Stability, Fatty Acids Composition, and Reproductive Tract Morphology of Laying Hens
Authors: Hussein Eman , Alhotan Rashed A. , Ebrahim Alia , Selim Shaimaa
Published: July 2023

The current study aimed to demonstrate the effects of dietary dried orange pulp (DOP) on the laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant status, yolk fatty acid composition, serum biochemistry, and reproductive tract morphology of laying hens. A total of 200 Lohman Brown Lite laying hens were randomly allotted into 4 dietary treatments with 10 replicates each. The experimental treatment groups were the control group, a basal diet containing 50 g DOP/kg feed (DOP5%), a basal diet containing 70 g DOP/kg feed (DOP7%), and a basal diet containing 100 g DOP/kg feed (DOP10%). Data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA following a completely randomized design, and the incremental levels of dietary DOP were tested by orthogonal polynomial contrasts. The body weight gain, feed intake, egg production%, egg weight, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio of laying hens fed the DOP7% and DOP10% diets were greater (p < 0.01) than those fed the control diet. Eggs obtained from the DOP7% and DOP10% groups had a heavier shell weight% and shell thickness, as well as a greater yolk color score (p < 0.01; linear, p < 0.01). Dietary DOP improved the egg yolk concentrations of PUFA, n-3 PUFA, and n-6 PUFA (linear, p < 0.001; quadratic, p < 0.05), whereas the content of SFA was reduced (p < 0.001; linear, p < 0.001). The egg yolk cholesterol and triglyceride levels were linearly decreased (p < 0.001) with the inclusion of DOP in the diets of hens. After storage for 40 days, the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the egg yolk were reduced, whereas the glutathione peroxidase content was increased (p < 0.01) due to dietary DOP. The DOP7% and DOP10% hens had an obvious reduction in the levels of serum total lipids, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and MDA, whereas high-density lipoprotein and GPx levels were increased (p < 0.01) compared with those fed the control diet. The relative weights of the ovary, oviduct, uterus, and follicle of hens receiving diets containing 7% and 10% DOP were heavier (p < 0.01) than those of the control hens. Moreover, the number of large yellow follicles was increased (p < 0.001; linear, p < 0.001) in the hens-fed diets containing 7% and 10% DOP. In conclusion, dietary DOP at up to 100 g/kg of feed improves laying performance, health status, antioxidant capacity, egg nutritive value, and egg shelf life in laying hens.
Data-Based Modelling of Chemical Oxygen Demand for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Authors: Pörhö Henri , Tomperi Jani , Sorsa Aki , Juuso Esko , Ruuska Jari , Ruusunen Mika
Published: July 2023

The aim of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is to clean wastewater before it is discharged into the environment. Real-time monitoring and control will become more essential as the regulations for effluent discharges are likely to become stricter in the future. Model-based soft sensors provide a promising solution for estimating important process variables such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and help in predicting the performance of WWTPs. This paper explores the possibility of using interpretable model structures for monitoring the influent and predicting the effluent of paper mill WWTPs by systematically finding the best model parameters using an exhaustive algorithm. Experimentation was conducted with regression models such as multiple linear regression (MLR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR), as well as LASSO regression with a nonlinear scaling function to account for nonlinearities. Some autoregressive time series models were also built. The results showed decent modelling accuracy when tested with test data acquired from a wastewater treatment process. The most notable test results included the autoregressive model with exogenous inputs for influent COD (correlation 0.89, mean absolute percentage error 8.1%) and a PLSR model for effluent COD prediction (correlation 0.77, mean absolute percentage error 7.6%) with 20 h prediction horizon. The results show that these models are accurate enough for real-time monitoring and prediction in an industrial WWTP.
An Optimized Hybrid Transformer for Enhanced Ultra-Fine-Grained Thin Sections Categorization via Integrated Region-to-Region and Token-to-Token Approaches
Authors: Zhang Hongmei , Wang Shuiqing
Published: July 2023

The analysis of thin sections for lithology identification is a staple technique in geology. Although recent strides in deep learning have catalyzed the development of models for thin section recognition leveraging varied deep neural networks, there remains a substantial gap in the identification of ultra-fine-grained thin section types. Visual Transformer models, superior to convolutional neural networks (CNN) in fine-grained classification tasks, are underexploited, especially when dealing with limited, highly similar sample sets. To address this, we incorporated a dynamic sparse attention mechanism and tailored the structure of the Swin Transformer network. We initially applied a region-to-region (R2R) approach to conserving key regions in coarse-grained areas, which minimized the global information loss instigated by the original model’s local window mechanism and bolstered training efficiency with scarce samples. This was then fused with deep convolution, and a token-to-token (T2T) attention mechanism was introduced to extract local features from these regions, facilitating fine-grained classification. In comparison experiments, our approach surpassed various sophisticated models, showcasing superior accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Furthermore, our method demonstrated impressive generalizability in experiments external to the original dataset. Notwithstanding our significant progress, several unresolved issues warrant further exploration. An in-depth investigation of the adaptability of different rock types, along with their distribution under fluctuating sample sizes, is advisable. This line of inquiry is anticipated to yield more potent tools for future geological studies, thereby widening the scope and impact of our research.
A Review of Document Image Enhancement Based on Document Degradation Problem
Authors: Zhou Yanxi , Zuo Shikai , Yang Zhengxian , He Jinlong , Shi Jianwen , Zhang Rui
Published: July 2023

Document image enhancement methods are often used to improve the accuracy and efficiency of automated document analysis and recognition tasks such as character recognition. These document images could be degraded or damaged for various reasons including aging, fading handwriting, poor lighting conditions, watermarks, etc. In recent years, with the improvement of computer performance and the continuous development of deep learning, many methods have been proposed to enhance the quality of these document images. In this paper, we review six tasks of document degradation, namely, background texture, page smudging, fading, poor lighting conditions, watermarking, and blurring. We summarize the main models for each degradation problem as well as recent work, such as the binarization model that can be used to deal with the degradation of background textures, lettering smudges. When facing the problem of fading, a model for stroke connectivity can be used, while the other three degradation problems are mostly deep learning models. We discuss the current limitations and challenges of each degradation task and introduce the common public datasets and metrics. We identify several promising research directions and opportunities for future research.
An Advanced Strategy for Addressing Heterogeneity in SDN-IoT Networks for Ensuring QoS
Authors: Zafar Abuzar , Samad Fahad , Syed Hassan Jamil , Ibrahim Ashraf Osman , Alohaly Manar , Elsadig Muna
Published: July 2023

The internet of things (IoT) is a complex system that includes multiple technologies and services. However, its heterogeneity can result in quality-of-service (QoS) issues, which may lead to security challenges. Software-defined network (SDN) provides unique solutions to handle heterogeneity issues in large-scale IoT networks. Combining SDN with IoT networks has great potential for addressing extreme heterogeneity issues in IoT networks. Numerous researchers are investigating various techniques to resolve heterogeneity issues in IoT networks by integrating SDN. Our study focuses on the SDN-IoT domain to improve QoS by addressing heterogeneity. Heterogeneity in SDN-IoT networks can increase the response time of controllers. We propose a framework that can alleviate heterogeneity while maintaining QoS in SDN-IoT networks. The framework converts m heterogeneous controllers into n homogeneous groups based on their response time. First, we examine the impact of the controller’s bandwidth and find that the system throughput decreases when the controller’s bandwidth is lowered. Next, we implement a simple strategy that considers both the bandwidth and service time when selecting the peer controller. Our results show some improvement in the framework, indicating its potential to alleviate heterogeneity while maintaining QoS and other metrics.
Investigating the Impact of Fly-Ash Additive on Viscosity Reduction at Different Temperatures: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Bui Tuan-Anh , Bui Ngoc-Tam
Published: July 2023

The viscosity of lubricating oils is influenced by fly-ash additives and temperature, as they play a crucial role in regulating the viscosity of oils. Fly-ash additives are added to lubricating oils to improve oxidation resistance and prevent deposit formation, which may reduce viscosity loss at high temperatures. This study aimed to investigate the impact of fly-ash additives and temperature on the viscosity of oils B, C, and A. The experimental methodology involved comparing the viscosity of these oils with and without the addition of a 0.5% fly-ash additive. Viscosity measurements were taken at different temperatures. The results showed significant changes in viscosity after incorporating the fly-ash additive. At 25 °C, oils B, C, and A exhibited viscosity increases of 6.2%, 8.1%, and 13.8%, respectively, compared to the samples without the additive. Similarly, at 75 °C, the viscosity increments were 10.2%, 11.5%, and 22.8% for oils B, C, and A, respectively. At 85 °C, the corresponding increments were 11.1%, 16.6%, and 32.8%. These findings highlight the effectiveness of fly-ash additives in reducing the impact of temperature on oil viscosity, with oil A demonstrating the highest efficacy. By adjusting the viscosity of the oil at different temperatures, the fly-ash additives contribute to maintaining stable lubricating performance. Understanding the influence of fly-ash additives and temperature on oil viscosity is crucial for optimizing the performance of lubricants across various temperature conditions. Additionally, this knowledge assists in selecting the appropriate additive ratios for specific applications, thereby ensuring optimal lubricant performance.
Surface Defect Detection of Preform Based on Improved YOLOv5
Authors: Hou Jiatong , You Bo , Xu Jiazhong , Wang Tao , Cao Moran
Published: July 2023

This paper proposes a lightweight detection model based on machine vision, YOLOv5-GC, to improve the efficiency and accuracy of detecting and classifying surface defects in preforming materials. During this process, clear images of the entire surface are difficult to obtain due to the stickiness, high reflectivity, and black resin of the thermosetting plain woven prepreg. To address this challenge, we built a machine vision platform equipped with a linescan camera and high-intensity linear light source that captures surface images of the material during the preforming process. To solve the problem of defect detection in the case of extremely small and imbalanced samples, we adopt a transfer learning approach based on the YOLOv5 neural network for defect recognition and introduce a coordinate attention and Ghost Bottleneck module to improve recognition accuracy and speed. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves rapid and high-precision identification of surface defects in preforming materials, outperforming other state-of-the-art methods. This work provides a promising solution for surface defect detection in preforming materials, contributing to the improvement of composite material quality.
Impact of Preceded Tumor Therapeutic Irradiation on the Microtensile Bond Strength of Universal Adhesives Applied in Self-Etch Mode to Human Dentin In Vitro
Authors: Broscheit Sina , Vordermark Dirk , Gerlach Reinhard , Gernhardt Christian Ralf
Published: July 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of preceded tumor therapeutic irradiation on the tensile bond strength of three modern universal adhesives applied in self-etch mode on dentin. Specimens prepared from 135 extracted human third molars were divided into three superior groups. These received either no radiation, 5 Gy, or a total dose of 60 Gy in vitro irradiation, fractionally applied. The samples of each group were further randomly assigned to six subgroups to test three adhesives (Futurabond® U, Voco; AdheSE® Universal Ivoclar Vivadent; Xeno® Select, Dentsply Sirona) in the self-etch application mode (n = 15). Tensile bond strength was determined using a universal testing machine (1.0 mm/min). Data were analyzed with ANOVA (p < 0.01) and Tukey’s test (p < 0.05). The influence of irradiation on the microtensile bond strength of the used dentin adhesives proved to be significant. For each material, a decrease in adhesion value was registered after irradiation. However, only for the material Xeno® Select were significantly reduced adhesion values determined after irradiation with 60 Gy compared to 0 Gy. Within the limitations of an in vitro study, some effects of tumor therapeutic irradiation of human dentin on the tensile bond strength of universal adhesives used in self-etch mode could be observed. Those decreases were only partly significant, depending on the material and the radiation dose. Whether the tensile bond strength on irradiated dentin depends on the particular application mode (etch-and-rinse vs. self-etch) of the universal adhesives remains to be investigated.
Improving Steerability Detection via an Aggregate Class Distribution Neural Network
Authors: Hao Yuyang , He Kan , Zhang Ying
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we establish an aggregate class distribution neural network (AGGNN) structure to determine whether an arbitrary two-qubit quantum state is steerable. Compared to the classification results obtained using a support vector machine (SVM) and a backpropagation neural network (BPNN), we obtain higher-accuracy quantum-steering classification models via the AGGNN, as well as steerability bounds of generalized Werner states, which are more similar to the theoretical bounds. In particular, when we only know partial information about the quantum states, higher-performance quantum-steering classifiers are obtained compared to those via SVM and BPNN.
Post-Byzantine Cretan Icon Painting: Demand and Supply Revisited
Authors: Lymberopoulou Angeliki
Published: July 2023

Since Manolis Chatzidakis’s pivotal publications on post-Byzantine Cretan icon painting in the 1970s, research in the field is, by now, very well established. In turn, these studies have demonstrated the contribution of Venetian Crete’s artistic production to European culture. Despite Giorgio Vasari’s condemnations of the ‘Greek style’, Byzantine icons remained popular in Renaissance Europe among Western patrons. Research on Venetian Crete has greatly benefitted from the survival of its archives, presently housed in Venice (Archivio di Stato di Venezia), an incredibly rich and invaluable source of information. One of the best-known published and referenced documents from these archives, supporting the wider popularity and dissemination of Cretan icons, is a contract offered to three Cretan painters dated 4 July 1499 concerning the production and delivery of 700 icons of the Virgin in just 42 days, by 15 August 1499, the day of the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin. This paper revisits the information the famous contract provides with the aim to scrutinise it further.
Bibliometric Trends in Industry 5.0 Research: An Updated Overview
Authors: Madsen Dag Øivind , Berg Terje , Di Nardo Mario
Published: July 2023

The emergence of Industry 5.0 took place in the mid-2010s, presenting a novel vision for the future of an industry that places emphasis on human involvement in the production process. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a substantial surge in the popularity of this concept, gaining traction not only in the business realm but also within academic circles. This increased attention can be attributed to a heightened focus on crucial aspects such as sustainability and resilience. The objective of this study is to present an updated overview of key bibliometric trends in Industry 5.0 research. The findings indicate a remarkable expansion of research activities in the field of Industry 5.0, as evidenced by a substantial increase in the number of publications and citations. Concurrently, the growth of Industry 5.0 research has led to the emergence of diverse perspectives and the exploration of related research themes such as artificial intelligence, big data, and human factors. In summary, this study enhances our understanding of the Industry 5.0 concept by providing an updated overview of the current state of research in this area and suggesting potential avenues for future investigations.