bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Test of a Grain Cleaning Loss Monitoring Device for Wheat Combine Harvester
Authors: Qu Zhe , Lu Qi , Shao Haihao , Le Jintao , Wang Xilong , Zhao Huihui , Wang Wanzhang
Published: April 2024

As the world’s first large grain crop, wheat in its mechanized harvesting process faces a serious problem, namely, when the combine harvester operating parameters are not set reasonably, it leads to increased losses of wheat kernels to an extent exceeding the prescribed standard, of which the loss of scavenging accounts for a large proportion. Excessive grain harvest loss will not only reduce the quality of the wheat harvest but also adversely affect its yield. Real-time monitoring of losses in the harvesting process is key to the dynamic adjustment of operating parameters to decrease machine harvesting losses. This article proposes a grain cleaning loss monitoring device for combine harvesters suitable for wheat crops. It aims to measure the loss of grain cleaning in the process of wheat harvesting in real time and adjust the operating parameters of the harvester timeously by feeding back the data to the driver in real time, so as to decrease the loss of wheat grains in the process of harvesting and achieve the purpose of reducing the loss of harvest. When the device was tested in the field, the wheat variety was Bainong 4199, the yield per mu was 625.83 kg (one mu is 1/15 of a hectare, or approximately 666.67 m2), the mass of grain was 43.21 g, and the water content was 14.2%. After the test, the monitoring error of the loss monitoring device was within 8%, and the average error rate was 6.69%. The test proves that the monitoring device achieves the expected design effect and meets design requirements. The results of this paper are of significance to the intelligent control system of wheat combine harvesters and provide a reference for research into grain cleaning loss monitoring devices for wheat combine harvesters.
How Social Networks Affect Farmers’ Willingness to Withdraw from Homesteads: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
Authors: Guo Youlin , Zhang Rongtian
Published: April 2024

The orderly withdrawal from rural homesteads is an important path for the smooth promotion of rural revitalization and new urbanization. This study aims to explore the influence and mechanism of social networks on the willingness of farm households to withdraw from homesteads. The study is based on a sample of 1971 farmer households in Jiangsu Province and analyzes the data using the logit model and mediation effect model. The results show that the social network has a significant positive effect on farmers’ willingness to withdraw from homesteads. As the social network expands, the probability for forming the willingness to withdraw from the homestead is higher for farmers with weaker social networks. In addition, the effect of social networks is different according to the level of regional economic development. The mechanism analysis suggests that social networks can indirectly increase the willingness to withdraw from homesteads by improving farmers’ risk resilience. Based on these findings, this study puts forward targeted policy recommendations: focusing on the cultivation and enhancement of farmers’ social networks, strengthening farmers’ risk resilience, and designing differentiated homestead exit policies.
Challenges of Including Wet Grasslands with Variable Groundwater Tables in Large-Area Crop Production Simulations
Authors: Khaledi Valeh , Kamali Bahareh , Lischeid Gunnar , Dietrich Ottfried , Davies Mariel F. , Nendel Claas
Published: April 2024

Large-scale assessments of agricultural productivity necessitate integrated simulations of cropland and grassland ecosystems within their spatiotemporal context. However, simultaneous simulations face limitations due to assumptions of uniform species distribution. Grasslands, particularly those with shallow groundwater tables, are highly sensitive to water availability, undergoing rapid species composition changes. We hypothesised that predicting above-ground biomass (AGB) remains challenging due to these dynamic responses. Ten years of data from four lysimeters at a German wet grassland site, with varying water table treatments, was utilised to test this hypothesis. Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive indirect effect of the water regime on AGB, with a one-year time lag (r = 0.97). The MONICA model initially exhibited fair agreement (d = 0.69) in simulating Leaf-Area-Index (LAI) but performed poorly in replicating AGB (d = 0.3). After removing the species composition change effect from the LAI and AGB datasets, the simulation notably improved, with the overall relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of AGB decreasing from 1.55 to 0.90 between the first and second simulations. This demonstrates MONICA’s ability to predict grass growth patterns amidst changing water supply levels for constant species composition. However, it needs a competition model to capture biomass growth changes with varying water supply.
Parameter Optimization of a Conveying and Separating Device Based on a Five-Stage Screw and Vibrating Screen for Tiger Nut Harvesters
Authors: Qi Jiangtao , Gao Jianping , Chen Shan , Chen Wenhui , Yang Luoyi , Meng Hewei , Kan Za
Published: April 2024

To tackle problems such as the difficult separation from sand and the high power consumption of tiger nut harvesting in the sandy areas of Xinjiang, a conveying and separating device for tiger nut harvesters was designed. The axial and radial migrations of materials under screw action and the separation process of materials under vibratory action were analyzed dynamically. A simulation analysis was carried out on the conveying and separating process based on EDEM software. The migration trajectories of tiger nuts and sand particles were extracted, the displacement variations of sand particles on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis were analyzed in the action area of the screen-cleaning spike teeth and the screw action area, respectively, and the conveying and separation law of the tiger nut harvest mixture was clarified. With key parameters such as the screw velocity ratio, amplitude, vibration frequency, and machine operation velocity as test factors, and with the sand removal rate, crushing rate, and power consumption as test evaluation indicators, a four-factor, five-level orthogonal central composite test design was implemented. The test results were analyzed via the regression variance analysis method, and relation models between variable factors and evaluation indicators were constructed. The test results show that under the combined conditions of a screw velocity ratio of 0.88, an amplitude of 4.7 mm, a vibration frequency of 7.5 Hz, and a machine operation velocity of 0.92 km/h, the sand removal rate is 90.40%, the crushing rate is 1.66%, and the power consumption is 2.24 kW in theory. The optimized results were verified by tests. The sand removal rate was 88.92%, the crushing rate was 1.71%, the total power consumption was 2.29 kW, and the errors from the predicted values were 1.6%, 3.0%, and 2.2%, respectively, meeting the requirements for tiger nut harvesting conveyance and separation. This research can provide support for the development of technology and equipment for mechanized harvesting of tiger nuts in the sandy areas of Xinjiang.
Evaluation of Quality Traits in Relation to Mechanical Harvesting for Screening Excellent Materials in Gossypium barbadense L. Germplasm Resources
Authors: Lin Feng , Wang Meng , Zhao Nan , Zhang Yubo , Wang Weiran , Yang Jing , Wan Sumei , Li Jianping , Aierxi Alifu , Chen Guodong , Kong Jie
Published: April 2024

Sea Island cotton is renowned for its superior fiber quality. Although mechanical harvesting has the potential to significantly increase efficiency and reduce the production cost of Sea Island cotton, there is still little research in this area. In this study, we analyzed 240 Sea Island cotton germplasm resources and evaluated 19 traits related to mechanical harvesting. The coefficient of variation ranged from 5.42% to 66.96%, and the genetic diversity index spanned from 1.57 to 2.07. In most traits studied, there was a strong correlation between the height of the first fruiting branch and the defoliation rate. The 19 traits were categorized into 6 factorial groups by principal component analysis, in which the defoliation factor contributed the most (30.89%). The cluster analysis divided the 240 cotton accessions into four main groups, with the second group exhibiting favorable mechanical harvesting characteristics such as higher defoliation rate and first fruit branch height. Using stepwise regression, a model was constructed with the joint evaluation score F-value as the response variable and eight traits (X1: PH, X2: SNB, X3: SBN, X4: MBL, X5: AFBM, X7: MLIA, X8: NB, and X13: 15 d DR) as predictors: Y = −7.2 + 0.01X1 + 0.23X2 + 0.192X3 + 0.038X4 + 0.007X5 + 0.014X7 + 0.025X8 + 2.952X13. Selected materials suitable for machine harvesting, such as MoShi729, were identified. This study provides valuable theoretical insights into the mechanical harvesting of Sea Island cotton germplasm resources and identifies promising materials for targeted breeding and improvement programs.
A Study of Kale Recognition Based on Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Wu Huarui , Guo Wang , Liu Chang , Sun Xiang
Published: April 2024

The kale crop is an important bulk vegetable, and automatic segmentation to recognize kale is fundamental for effective field management. However, complex backgrounds and texture-rich edge details make fine segmentation of kale difficult. To this end, we constructed a kale dataset in a real field scenario and proposed an UperNet semantic segmentation model with a Swin transformer as the backbone network and improved the model according to the growth characteristics of kale. Firstly, a channel attention module (CAM) is introduced into the Swin transformer module to improve the representation ability of the network and enhance the extraction of kale outer leaf and leaf bulb information; secondly, the extraction accuracy of kale target edges is improved in the decoding part by designing an attention refinement module (ARM); lastly, the uneven distribution of classes is solved by modifying the optimizer and loss function to solve the class distribution problem. The experimental results show that the improved model in this paper has excellent performance in feature extraction, and the average intersection and merger ratio (mIOU) of the improved kale segmentation can be up to 91.2%, and the average pixel accuracy (mPA) can be up to 95.2%, which is 2.1 percentage points and 4.7 percentage points higher than the original UperNet model, respectively, and it effectively improves the segmentation recognition of kale.
Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Exposure to Human-Relevant Mixtures of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Zebrafish
Authors: Birgersson Lina , Odenlund Sanne , Sturve Joachim
Published: April 2024

Fish models used for chemical exposure in toxicological studies are normally kept in barren tanks without any structural environmental enrichment. Here, we tested the combined effects of environmental enrichment and exposure to two mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in zebrafish. Firstly, we assessed whether developmental exposure to an EDC mixture (MIX G1) combined with rearing the fish in an enriched environment influenced behaviour later in life. This was evaluated using locomotion tracking one month after exposure, showing a significant interaction effect between enrichment and the MIX G1 exposure on the measured locomotion parameters. After three months, we assessed behaviour using custom-made behaviour tanks, and found that enrichment influenced swimming activity. Control fish from the enriched environment were more active than control fish from the barren environment. Secondly, we exposed adult zebrafish to a separate EDC mixture (MIX G0) after rearing them in a barren or enriched environment. Behaviour and hepatic mRNA expression for thyroid-related genes were assessed. There was a significant interaction effect between exposure and enrichment on swimming activity and an effect of environment on latency to approach the group of conspecifics, where enriched fish took more time to approach the group, possibly indicating that they were less anxious. Hepatic gene expression of a thyroid-related gene (thrb) was significantly affected by EDC exposure, while enrichment had no discernible impact on the expression of the measured genes. In conclusion, environmental enrichment is important to consider when studying the effects of EDCs in fish.
Dissecting the Effects of Cephenemyia stimulator on the Olfactory Turbinates and Nasopharynx of Roe Deers (Capreolus capreolus)
Authors: Ortiz-Leal Irene , Torres Mateo V. , López-Beceiro Ana , Sanchez-Quinteiro Pablo , Fidalgo Luis
Published: April 2024

Nasopharyngeal myiasis in European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a pathological condition caused by the larval stages of Cephenemyia stimulator, a fly from the Oestridae family. These larvae reside in the host’s upper respiratory tract for months, inducing significant tissue damage and clinical symptoms. The lifecycle of Cephenemyia stimulator is complex, involving three larval stages before maturation into adult flies, with each stage contributing to the progressive pathology observed in the host. Despite their prevalence, the histopathological effects of these larvae in the nasal and nasopharyngeal cavities have been understudied. Our study fills this knowledge gap by providing a detailed histopathological analysis of the affected tissues, using various staining techniques to reveal the extent and nature of the damage caused by these parasitic larvae. This histopathological examination reveals significant alterations within the nasopharyngeal mucosa and nasal cavity, including erythematous changes, mucosal metaplasia, fibrosis, and tissue necrosis. Parasitic cysts and eosinophilic infiltration further characterize the impact of the infestation, compromising not only the mucosal integrity but also potentially the olfactory function of the affected animals. This research is crucial for understanding the impact of myiasis on both the health and olfactory capabilities of roe deer populations and could have significant implications for wildlife management and conservation.
Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Bile Acids on Growth, Glucose Metabolism, and Intestinal Health of Spotted Seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus)
Authors: Liu Yongping , Li Xiao , Lin Jibin , Song Kai , Li Xueshan , Wang Ling , Zhang Chunxiao , Lu Kangle
Published: April 2024

An 8-week feeding trial was performed to investigate the effects of dietary bile acids on growth, glucose metabolism, and intestinal health in spotted seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus) reared at high temperatures (33 °C). The fish (20.09 ± 1.12 g) were fed diets supplemented with bile acids: 0 (Con), 400 (BA400), 800 (BA800), and 1200 (BA1200) mg/kg, respectively. The results showed that the growth was promoted in fish at the BA800 treatment compared with the control (p < 0.05). Increased enzyme activities and transcripts of gluconeogenesis in the liver were observed, whereas decreased enzyme activities and transcripts of glycolysis, as well as glycogen content, were shown in the BA800 treatment (p < 0.05). The transcripts of bile acid receptors fxr in the liver were up-regulated in the BA800 treatment (p < 0.05). A bile acid supplementation of 800 mg/kg improved the morphological structure in the intestine. Meanwhile, intestinal antioxidant physiology and activities of lipase and trypsin were enhanced in the BA800 treatment. The transcripts of genes and immunofluorescence intensity related to pro-inflammation cytokines (il-1β, il-8, and tnf-α) were inhibited, while those of genes related to anti-inflammation (il-10 and tgf-β) were induced in the BA800 treatment. Furthermore, transcripts of genes related to the NF-κB pathway in the intestine (nfκb, ikkα, ikkβ, and ikbα1) were down-regulated in the BA800 treatment. This study demonstrates that a dietary bile acid supplementation of 800 mg/kg could promote growth, improve glucose metabolism in the liver, and enhance intestinal health by increasing digestive enzyme activity and antioxidant capacity and inhibiting inflammatory response in L. maculatus.
Ovarian Fibrothecoma in a Mare—Case Report
Authors: Tamulionytė-Skėrė Raimonda , Juodžiukynienė Nomeda , Gruodytė Renata , Rimkutė Paulina , Duliebaitė Iveta , Savickytė Akvilė
Published: April 2024

Ovarian tumors in mares are uncommon in comparison to other neoplasms and are classified into three categories: gonadal stromal tumors, coelomic epithelium surface tumors, and germinal cell tumors. Some ovarian neoplasms histologically show a mixture of multiple cell types in the same tumor, such as fibrothecoma; therefore, the differentiation between fibroma and thecoma is often difficult. According to the World Health Organization, fibrothecomas are classified as sex-cord stromal tumors (pure stromal tumors). Neoplasms such as fibrothecoma present with limited morphological, clinical, ultrasonographic, and endocrine profile characteristics. To diagnose this type of tumor, a broad clinical examination is needed, but histopathology remains the most accurate. Herein, we report a case of incidentally found ovarian fibrothecoma during a diagnostic laparotomy in a 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood (KWPN) mare who presented to the clinic with colic symptoms. After a unilateral ovariectomy, the altered right ovary was diagnosed as fibrothecoma based on histopathological features.
The Role of Gut Microbiota in the Etiopathogenesis of Multiple Chronic Diseases
Authors: Pires Lara , González-Paramás Ana M. , Heleno Sandrina A. , Calhelha Ricardo C.
Published: April 2024

Chronic diseases (CD) may result from a combination of genetic factors, lifestyle and social behaviours, healthcare system influences, community factors, and environmental determinants of health. These risk factors frequently coexist and interact with one another. Ongoing research and a focus on personalized interventions are pivotal strategies for preventing and managing chronic disease outcomes. A wealth of literature suggests the potential involvement of gut microbiota in influencing host metabolism, thereby impacting various risk factors associated with chronic diseases. Dysbiosis, the perturbation of the composition and activity of the gut microbiota, is crucial in the etiopathogenesis of multiple CD. Recent studies indicate that specific microorganism-derived metabolites, including trimethylamine N-oxide, lipopolysaccharide and uremic toxins, contribute to subclinical inflammatory processes implicated in CD. Various factors, including diet, lifestyle, and medications, can alter the taxonomic species or abundance of gut microbiota. Researchers are currently dedicating efforts to understanding how the natural progression of microbiome development in humans affects health outcomes. Simultaneously, there is a focus on enhancing the understanding of microbiome–host molecular interactions. These endeavours ultimately aim to devise practical approaches for rehabilitating dysregulated human microbial ecosystems, intending to restore health and prevent diseases. This review investigates how the gut microbiome contributes to CD and explains ways to modulate it for managing or preventing chronic conditions.
Low Oxygen Concentration Reduces Neisseria gonorrhoeae Susceptibility to Resazurin
Authors: Rice Justin , Gibson Jordan , Young Emily , Souder Kendall , Cunningham Kailee , Schmitt Deanna M.
Published: April 2024

Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to every antibiotic currently approved for the treatment of gonorrhea, prompting the development of new therapies. The phenoxazine dye resazurin exhibits robust antimicrobial activity against N. gonorrhoeae in vitro but fails to limit vaginal colonization by N. gonorrhoeae in a mouse model. The lack of in vivo efficacy may be due to oxygen limitation as in vitro susceptibility assays with resazurin are conducted under atmospheric oxygen while a microaerophilic environment is present in the vagina. Here, we utilized broth microdilution assays to determine the susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae to resazurin under low and atmospheric oxygen conditions. The minimal inhibitory concentration of resazurin for multiple N. gonorrhoeae clinical isolates was significantly higher under low oxygen. This effect was specific to resazurin as N. gonorrhoeae was equally susceptible to other antibiotics under low and atmospheric oxygen conditions. The reduced susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae to resazurin under low oxygen was largely attributed to reduced oxidative stress, as the addition of antioxidants under atmospheric oxygen mimicked the reduced susceptibility to resazurin observed under low oxygen. Together, these data suggest oxygen concentration is an important factor to consider when evaluating the efficacy of new antibiotics against N. gonorrhoeae in vitro.
Lipid Oxidation Products and the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: Role of Lipoprotein Transport
Authors: Ahotupa Markku
Published: April 2024

Cholesterol has for decades ruled the history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and the present view of the etiology of the disease is based on the transport of cholesterol by plasma lipoproteins. The new knowledge of the lipoprotein-specific transport of lipid oxidation products (LOPs) has introduced another direction to the research of CVD, revealing strong associations between lipoprotein transport functions, atherogenic LOP, and CVD. The aim of this review is to present the evidence of the lipoprotein-specific transport of LOP and to evaluate the potential consequences of the proposed role of the LOP transport as a risk factor. The associations of cholesterol and lipoprotein LOP with the known risk factors of CVD are mostly parallel, and because of the common transport and cellular intake mechanisms it is difficult to ascertain the independent effects of either cholesterol or LOP. While cholesterol is known to have important physiological functions, LOPs are merely regarded as metabolic residues and able to initiate and boost atherogenic processes. It is therefore likely that with the increased knowledge of the lipoprotein-specific transport of LOP, the role of cholesterol as a risk factor of CVD will be challenged.
Chitosan Oligosaccharides Mitigate Flooding Stress Damage in Rice by Affecting Antioxidants, Osmoregulation, and Hormones
Authors: Lu Haoyu , Wang Mei , Zhou Shangfeng , Chen Ke , Wang Lifeng , Yi Zhenxie , Bai Lianyang , Zhang Yuzhu
Published: April 2024

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important food crops worldwide. However, during direct seeding, rice is extremely vulnerable to flooding stress, which impairs rice’s emergence and seedling growth and results in a significant yield loss. According to our research, chitosan oligosaccharides have the potential to be a chemical seed-soaking agent that greatly increases rice’s resistance to flooding. Chitosan oligosaccharides were able to enhance seed energy supply, osmoregulation, and antioxidant capacity, according to physiological index assessments. Using transcriptome and metabolomic analysis, we discovered that important differential metabolites and genes were involved in the signaling pathway for hormone synthesis and antioxidant capacity. Exogenous chitosan oligosaccharides specifically and significantly inhibit genes linked to auxin, jasmonic acid, and abscisic acid. This suggested that applying chitosan oligosaccharides could stabilize seedling growth and development by controlling associated hormones and reducing flooding stress by enhancing membrane stability and antioxidant capacity. Finally, we verified the effectiveness of exogenous chitosan oligosaccharides imbibed in seeds by field validation, demonstrating that they can enhance rice seedling emergence and growth under flooding stress.
Dietary Astaxanthin Can Promote the Growth and Motivate Lipid Metabolism by Improving Antioxidant Properties for Swimming Crab, Portunus trituberculatus
Authors: Deng Yao , Xie Shichao , Zhan Wenhao , Peng Hongyu , Cao Haiqing , Tang Zheng , Tian Yinqiu , Zhu Tingting , Jin Min , Zhou Qicun
Published: April 2024

This study aimed to assess the influence of varying dietary levels of astaxanthin (AST) on the growth, antioxidant capacity and lipid metabolism of juvenile swimming crabs. Six diets were formulated to contain different AST levels, and the analyzed concentration of AST in experimental diets were 0, 24.2, 45.8, 72.4, 94.2 and 195.0 mg kg−1, respectively. Juvenile swimming crabs (initial weight 8.20 ± 0.01 g) were fed these experimental diets for 56 days. The findings indicated that the color of the live crab shells and the cooked crab shells gradually became red with the increase of dietary AST levels. Dietary 24.2 mg kg−1 astaxanthin significantly improved the growth performance of swimming crab. the lowest activities of glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were found in crabs fed without AST supplementation diet. Crabs fed diet without AST supplementation showed lower lipid content and the activity of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) in hepatopancreas than those fed diets with AST supplementation, however, lipid content in muscle and the activity of carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) in hepatopancreas were not significantly affected by dietary AST levels. And it can be found in oil red O staining that dietary 24.2 and 45.8 mg kg−1 astaxanthin significantly promoted the lipid accumulation of hepatopancreas. Crabs fed diet with 195.0 mg kg−1 AST exhibited lower expression of ampk, foxo, pi3k, akt and nadph in hepatopancreas than those fed the other diets, however, the expression of genes related to antioxidant such as cMn-sod, gsh-px, cat, trx and gst in hepatopancreas significantly down-regulated with the increase of dietary AST levels. In conclusion, dietary 24.2 and 45.8 mg kg−1 astaxanthin significantly promoted the lipid accumulation of hepatopancreas and im-proved the antioxidant and immune capacity of hemolymph.
H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress Responses in Eriocheir sinensis: Antioxidant Defense and Immune Gene Expression Dynamics
Authors: He Qinghong , Feng Wenrong , Chen Xue , Xu Yuanfeng , Zhou Jun , Li Jianlin , Xu Pao , Tang Yongkai
Published: April 2024

Eriocheir sinensis, a key species in China’s freshwater aquaculture, is threatened by various diseases, which were verified to be closely associated with oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the response of E. sinensis to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress to understand the biological processes behind these diseases. Crabs were exposed to different concentrations of H2O2 and their antioxidant enzyme activities and gene expressions for defense and immunity were measured. Results showed that activities of antioxidant enzymes—specificallysuperoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)—varied with exposure concentration and duration, initially increasing then decreasing. Notably, SOD, GSH-Px, and T-AOC activities dropped below control levels at 96 h. Concurrently, oxidative damage markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels, increased with exposure duration. The mRNA expression of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px also showed an initial increase followed by a decrease, peaking at 72 h. The upregulation of phenoloxidaseloxidase (proPO) and peroxinectin (PX) was also detected, but proPO was suppressed under high levels of H2O2. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression gradually increased with higher H2O2 concentrations, whereas induced nitrogen monoxide synthase (iNOS) was upregulated but decreased at 96 h. These findings emphasize H2O2’s significant impact on the crab’s oxidative and immune responses, highlighting the importance of understanding cellular stress responses for disease prevention and therapy development.
Unravelling the Role of Candida albicans Prn1 in the Oxidative Stress Response through a Proteomics Approach
Authors: Arribas Victor , Monteoliva Lucia , Hernáez María Luisa , Gil Concha , Molero Gloria
Published: April 2024

Candida albicans Prn1 is a protein with an unknown function similar to mammalian Pirin. It also has orthologues in other pathogenic fungi, but not in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Prn1 highly increases its abundance in response to H2O2 treatment; thus, to study its involvement in the oxidative stress response, a C. albicans prn1∆ mutant and the corresponding wild-type strain SN250 have been studied. Under H2O2 treatment, Prn1 absence led to a higher level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a lower survival rate, with a higher percentage of death by apoptosis, confirming its relevant role in oxidative detoxication. The quantitative differential proteomics studies of both strains in the presence and absence of H2O2 indicated a lower increase in proteins with oxidoreductase activity after the treatment in the prn1∆ strain, as well as an increase in proteasome-activating proteins, corroborated by in vivo measurements of proteasome activity, with respect to the wild type. In addition, remarkable differences in the abundance of some transcription factors were observed between mutant and wild-type strains, e.g., Mnl1 or Nrg1, an Mnl1 antagonist. orf19.4850, a protein orthologue to S. cerevisiae Cub1, has shown its involvement in the response to H2O2 and in proteasome function when Prn1 is highly expressed in the wild type.
Hispidulin Alleviates Mast Cell-Mediated Allergic Airway Inflammation through FcεR1 and Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Jeong Seungwon , Kim Yeon-Yong , Lee Dongwon , Kim Sang-Hyun , Lee Soyoung
Published: April 2024

Allergic asthma is a type 2 immune-response-mediated chronic respiratory disease. Mast cell activation influences the pathogenesis and exacerbation of allergic asthma. Therefore, the development of mast cell-targeting pharmacotherapy is important for managing allergic airway inflammation. We investigated the efficacy of hispidulin (HPD), natural flavone, in a mast-cell-mediated ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway inflammation model. HPD alleviated symptoms of allergic asthma and decreased the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) E, type 2 inflammation, immune cell infiltration, and mast cell activation in the lung. Furthermore, in vivo analysis confirmed the efficacy of HPD through the evaluation of IgE-mediated allergic responses in a mast cell line. HPD treatment inhibited mast cell degranulation through inhibition of the FcεR1 signaling pathway and suppressed the expression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-13) through suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway. The antioxidant effects of HPD in activated mast cells were identified through modulation of antioxidant enzymes and the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, HPD may be a potential therapeutic candidate for allergic airway inflammation of asthma and acts by suppressing mast cell activation and oxidative stress.
Oral Supplementation of Ozonated Sunflower Oil Augments Plasma Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Abilities with Enhancement of High-Density Lipoproteins Functionality in Rats
Authors: Cho Kyung-Hyun , Kim Ji-Eun , Lee Myeong-Sung , Bahuguna Ashutosh
Published: April 2024

Research on ozonated sunflower oil (OSO) is mostly restricted to its topical application, whereas the functional and toxicological assessment of oral OSO consumption is yet to be solved. Herein, OSO was orally supplemented in rats to assess the impact on plasma antioxidant status, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Also, the functionality of HDL from the OSO-supplemented rats (OSO-HDL) was tested against carboxymethyllysine (CML)- induced hyperinflammation in embryo and adult zebrafish. The results revealed that four weeks of OSO supplementation (3 g/kg BW/day) had no adverse effect on rats’ hematological and blood biochemical profiles. Nonetheless, decreased interleukin (IL)-6, and LDL-C levels, along with enhanced ferric ion reduction ability (FRA) and sulfhydryl content, were observed in the plasma of OSO-supplemented rats compared to the control and sunflower oil (SO) supplemented group. In addition, OSO supplementation stabilized apoA-I/HDL and augmented HDL-allied paraoxonase (PON)-1 activity. The microinjection of OSO-HDL (10 nL, 2 mg/mL) efficiently prevented the CML (500 ng)-induced zebrafish embryo mortality and developmental deformities. Similarly, OSO-HDL thwarted CML-posed neurotoxicity and demonstrated a significant hepatoprotective effect against CML-induced fatty liver changes, hepatic inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, as well as exhibiting a noticeable influence to revert CML-induced dyslipidemia. Conclusively, OSO supplementation demonstrated no toxic effects on rats, ameliorated plasma antioxidant status, and positively influenced HDL stability and functionality, leading to a protective effect against CML-induced toxicity in zebrafish.
Efficacy and Safety of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation in Neonates, Infants and Children: An Overview
Authors: Mantle David , Hargreaves Iain Parry
Published: April 2024

To date, there have been no review articles specifically relating to the general efficacy and safety of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation in younger subjects. In this article, we therefore reviewed the efficacy and safety of CoQ10 supplementation in neonates (less than 1 month of age), infants (up to 1 year of age) and children (up to 12 years of age). As there is no rationale for the supplementation of CoQ10 in normal younger subjects (as there is in otherwise healthy older subjects), all of the articles in the medical literature reviewed in the present article therefore refer to the supplementation of CoQ10 in younger subjects with a variety of clinical disorders; these include primary CoQ10 deficiency, acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, migraine, Down syndrome, ADHD, idiopathic cardiomyopathy and Friedreich’s ataxia.
Study on the Influence of Moisture Content and Void Ratio on the Disintegration of Red Clay
Authors: Wang Hongming , Liu Zhikui , Xie Yongxiong , Li Yuantao
Published: April 2024

Guilin is a famous karst area, and currently the view that the disintegration of red clay will cause soil cave collapse is increasingly recognized. In order to study the influence of the coupling effect of moisture content and void ratio on the disintegration of red clay, different moisture contents and void ratios of Guilin red clay were placed on a self-made disintegration apparatus to record the real-time disintegration amount and observe the disintegration phenomenon. Images of the structural characteristics of soil were obtained by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Additionally, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was applied to analyze the distribution of water in both natural and saturated states. The results show that the disintegration rate of red clay decreases as the initial moisture content increases, but increases with the increase of void ratio. Both moisture content and void ratio affect the structural characteristics of red clay. When the moisture content remains constant, the soil changes from a three-peak to a two-peak structure as the void ratio increases. The total area and secondary peak area of the T2 spectrum increase, while the starting T2 value of the main peak shifts to the right and the area decreases. Meanwhile, the starting T2 value of the secondary peak shifts to the right and the area increases. When the void ratio remains constant, the starting T2 value of the main peak gradually shifts to the left and the area decreases as the moisture content increases. However, the starting T2 value of the secondary peak shifts to the right and the area decreases or first decreases and then increases. The disintegration rate does not exhibit a significant relationship with either pore volume or macropore volume. The combined water saturation shows a bilinear relationship with both the moisture content and void ratio, where it increases as the initial moisture content increases, but decreases as the void ratio increases, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9929. The disintegration rate has an exponential relationship with the combined water saturation, and it decreases as the combined water saturation increases, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9934.
Automated Assessment of Inferences Using Pre-Trained Language Models
Authors: Yoo Yongseok
Published: April 2024

Inference plays a key role in reading comprehension. However, assessing inference in reading is a complex process that relies on the judgment of trained experts. In this study, we explore objective and automated methods for assessing inference in readers’ responses using natural language processing. Specifically, classifiers were trained to detect inference from a pair of input texts and reader responses by fine-tuning three widely used pre-trained language models. The effects of the model size and pre-training strategy on the accuracy of inference classification were investigated. The highest F1 score of 0.92 was achieved via fine-tuning the robustly optimized 12-layer BERT model (RoBERTa-base). Fine-tuning the larger 24-layer model (RoBERTa-large) did not improve the classification accuracy. Error analysis provides insight into the relative difficulty of classifying inference subtypes. The proposed method demonstrates the feasibility of the automated quantification of inference during reading, and offers potential to facilitate individualized reading instructions.
Measurement of the Impact Loads to Reduce Injuries in Acrobatic Gymnasts: Designing a Dedicated Platform
Authors: Paulino Maria F. , Gomes Beatriz B. , Ramalho Amílcar L. , Amaro Ana M.
Published: April 2024

Background: The main objective of this study was the development of a specific load platform that would meet the needs of gymnasts and acrobatic coaches. This new platform has larger dimensions and is an identical structure to the plywood floor surface normally used; it was designed to make competitions with gymnasts safer and more like a real training situation. During a landing, there is high body stiffness, especially in the knees and ankles, which can cause injuries due to the number of repetitions performed in this gymnastics specialty. Methods: A group of 10 volunteers, with a mean age of 14.7 ± 2.4 years, performed at least 10 valid vertical jumps on each platform. Results: Despite being a preliminary study, this specific platform was shown to be more suitable for gymnastic use, compared to the industrial one, which represents a significant advantage for the modality. In fact, this platform is similar to the surface used for training and competition, allowing athletes to perform the jump in a similar way, and for the results to be replicable during the practice of the sport. The standard deviation values were lower, which shows that the new platform was more suitable for acrobatic gymnastics. Conclusions: As the maximum vertical load induced during landing after a jump has a significant effect on the likelihood of gymnasts suffering injuries, the development of a new load platform specifically for acrobatic gymnastics is clearly an improvement in this discipline. Knowledge of the load transmitted to the body can help coaches and athletes in defining training, and avoiding the possible occurrence of injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to use a platform that can accurately evaluate the load transmitted to the acrobatic gymnasts during real training and competition conditions, which is achieved with this new platform.
A Comprehensive Review and Tutorial on Confounding Adjustment Methods for Estimating Treatment Effects Using Observational Data
Authors: Shi Amy X. , Zivich Paul N. , Chu Haitao
Published: April 2024

Controlling for confounding bias is crucial in causal inference. Causal inference using data from observational studies (e.g., electronic health records) or imperfectly randomized trials (e.g., imperfect randomization or compliance) requires accounting for confounding variables. Many different methods are currently employed to mitigate bias due to confounding. This paper provides a comprehensive review and tutorial of common estimands and confounding adjustment approaches, including outcome regression, g-computation, propensity score, and doubly robust methods. We discuss bias and precision, advantages and disadvantages, and software implementation for each method. Moreover, approaches are illustrated empirically with a reproducible case study. We conclude that different scientific questions are better addressed by certain estimands. No estimand is uniformly more appropriate. Upon selecting an estimand, decisions on which estimator can be driven by performance and available background knowledge.
Trajectory Tracking Control Design for 4WS Vehicle Based on Particle Swarm Optimization and Phase Plane Analysis
Authors: Sun Yang , Ning Haonan , Wang Haiyang , Wang Chao , Zheng Jiushuai
Published: April 2024

With the rapid development of today’s society, the traffic environment has become more and more complex. As an essential part of intelligent vehicles, trajectory tracking has attracted significant attention for its stability and safety. It is prone to poor accuracy and instability in extreme working conditions like high speed. In this paper, a trajectory tracking control strategy to ensure lateral stability at a high speed and low attachment limit conditions is proposed for distributed drive vehicles. The model predictive controller (MPC) was used to control the front wheel angle, and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was designed to optimize the MPC control parameters adaptively. The sliding mode controller controls the rear wheel angle, and the vehicle instability degree is judged by analyzing the β − β˙ phase plane. The controllers of different instability degrees are designed herein. Finally, a torque divider is designed to consider the actuation anti-slip. The designed controller is verified by Carsim and MATLAB-Simulink co-simulation. The results show that the trajectory tracking controller designed in this paper effectively improves the tracking accuracy under the premise of ensuring stability.
Numerical Investigation of Stratified Slope Failure Containing Rough Non-Persistent Joints Based on Distinct Element Method
Authors: Zhang Yishan , Fu Yilin , Qin Ran , Wang Peitao
Published: April 2024

To address the critical issue of slope stability in jointed rock masses with complex and rough structural planes, a rough joint network model using the Fourier transform was proposed and applied to the Shilu open pit mine. The on-site structural plane survey results were combined with MATLAB and PFC2D to establish numerical models for slope stability analysis considering both linear-jointed and rough-jointed rock slopes. By comparing the slip body and fracture distribution, it was found that the rough-jointed slope was stabler than the linear-jointed slope. In addition, the fracture patterns and slip displacement were significantly influenced by the inclination and undulation of the bedding planes. Slip failure patterns occurred when the angle of inclination was set at 60°. The joints played a crucial role in inducing the shear strength of slope rock masses, and the slide area was mainly observed in the shallow slope surface for inclination angles of 0° and 45°, and in the middle deep area for 60° and 90°. These results demonstrated the importance of considering rough non-persistent fractures when developing a new numerical model for slope failure modes.
Experimental Investigation of the Influence of Longitudinal Tilt Angles on the Thermal Performance of a Small-Scale Linear Fresnel Reflector
Authors: López-Smeetz Carmen , Barbón Arsenio , Bayón Luis , Bayón-Cueli Covadonga
Published: April 2024

This paper analyses the influence of the longitudinal tilt angle of the secondary system of a low-concentration photovoltaic system based on a small-scale linear Fresnel reflector. Several evaluation indicators, such as useful heat gain, thermal efficiency, incident solar irradiance gain on the photovoltaic cells, and total useful energy gain, were evaluated for five wind speed conditions and six locations in the Northern Hemisphere. The tests were performed with two small-scale linear Fresnel reflector configurations: the classical large-scale linear Fresnel reflector configuration (base configuration) and the optimal longitudinal tilt angle configuration (longitudinal tilt configuration). An experimental platform based on an open-loop wind tunnel was designed and built for this purpose. As far as useful heat production, the longitudinal tilt configuration performs worse as the longitudinal tilt angle and wind speed increase. A useful heat gain 33.91% lower than the base configuration is obtained with a wind speed of 10.03 (m/s) at the 36.86 (°) latitude location. Thermal efficiency decreases with increasing wind speed and longitudinal tilt angle. The thermal efficiency is between 0.3 and 0.2 with wind speeds of 4.99 (m/s) and 10.03 (m/s). The longitudinal tilt configuration shows the best increase in total useful energy gain in the absence of wind (up to 53% at a latitude of 36.86 (°)). This increase is 25% at this same location with a wind speed of 10.03 (m/s). It can be concluded that the effect of the longitudinal tilt of the secondary system has a positive effect. To highlight the importance of this work, the results obtained in the configuration comparison were used to compare a nonconcentrating photovoltaic system and a low-concentration photovoltaic system. The incident solar irradiance on the photovoltaic cells is much higher with nonconcentrating photovoltaic technology. This solar irradiance gain is over 60% for the base configuration and 45% for the longitudinal tilt configuration. The total useful energy gain is 70% in the absence of wind and at the 36.86 (°) latitude location in favour of the low-concentration photovoltaic system. The nonconcentrating photovoltaic system performs better with a wind speed of 10.03 (m/s).
Optimizing Cattle Behavior Analysis in Precision Livestock Farming: Integrating YOLOv7-E6E with AutoAugment and GridMask to Enhance Detection Accuracy
Authors: Sim Hyeon-seok , Kim Tae-kyeong , Lee Chang-woo , Choi Chang-sik , Kim Jin Soo , Cho Hyun-chong
Published: April 2024

Recently, the growing demand for meat has increased interest in precision livestock farming (PLF), wherein monitoring livestock behavior is crucial for assessing animal health. We introduce a novel cattle behavior detection model that leverages data from 2D RGB cameras. It primarily employs you only look once (YOLO)v7-E6E, which is a real-time object detection framework renowned for its efficiency across various applications. Notably, the proposed model enhances network performance without incurring additional inference costs. We primarily focused on performance enhancement and evaluation of the model by integrating AutoAugment and GridMask to augment the original dataset. AutoAugment, a reinforcement learning algorithm, was employed to determine the most effective data augmentation policy. Concurrently, we applied GridMask, a novel data augmentation technique that systematically eliminates square regions in a grid pattern to improve model robustness. Our results revealed that when trained on the original dataset, the model achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 88.2%, which increased by 2.9% after applying AutoAugment. The performance was further improved by combining AutoAugment and GridMask, resulting in a notable 4.8% increase in the mAP, thereby achieving a final mAP of 93.0%. This demonstrates the efficacy of these augmentation strategies in improving cattle behavior detection for PLF.