bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Muscle Belly Gearing Positively Affects the Force–Velocity and Power–Velocity Relationships During Explosive Dynamic Contractions
Authors: Monte Andrea , Bertucco Matteo , Magris Riccardo , Zamparo Paola
Published: August 2021

Changes in muscle shape could play an important role during contraction allowing to circumvent some limits imposed by the fascicle force–velocity (F–V) and power–velocity (P–V) relationships. Indeed, during low-force high-velocity contractions, muscle belly shortening velocity could exceed muscle fascicles shortening velocity, allowing the muscles to operate at higher F–V and P–V potentials (i.e., at a higher fraction of maximal force/power in accordance to the F–V and P–V relationships). By using an ultrafast ultrasound, we investigated the role of muscle shape changes (vastus lateralis) in determining belly gearing (muscle belly velocity/fascicle velocity) and the explosive torque during explosive dynamic contractions (EDC) at angular accelerations ranging from 1000 to 4000°.s–2. By means of ultrasound and dynamometric data, the F–V and P–V relationships both for fascicles and for the muscle belly were assessed. During EDC, fascicle velocity, belly velocity, belly gearing, and knee extensors torque data were analysed from 0 to 150 ms after torque onset; the fascicles and belly F–V and P–V potentials were thus calculated for each EDC. Absolute torque decreased as a function of angular acceleration (from 80 to 71 Nm, for EDC at 1000 and 4000°.s–1, respectively), whereas fascicle velocity and belly velocity increased with angular acceleration (P < 0.001). Belly gearing increased from 1.11 to 1.23 (or EDC at 1000 and 4000°.s–1, respectively) and was positively corelated with the changes in muscle thickness and pennation angle (the changes in latter two equally contributing to belly gearing changes). For the same amount of muscle’s mechanical output (force or power), the fascicles operated at higher F–V and P–V potential than the muscle belly (e.g., P–V potential from 0.70 to 0.56 for fascicles and from 0.65 to 0.41 for the muscle belly, respectively). The present results experimentally demonstrate that belly gearing could play an important role during explosive contractions, accommodating the largest part of changes in contraction velocity and allowing the fascicle to operate at higher F–V and P–V potentials.
A Comparison of Two Monoterpenoid Synthases Reveals Molecular Mechanisms Associated With the Difference of Bioactive Monoterpenoids Between Amomum villosum and Amomum longiligulare
Authors: Zhao Haiying , Li Meng , Zhao Yuanyuan , Lin Xiaojing , Liang Huilin , Wei Jieshu , Wei Wuke , Ma Dongming , Zhou Zhongyu , Yang Jinfen
Published: August 2021

The fruits of Amomum villosum and Amomum longiligulare are both used medicinally as Fructus Amomi the famous traditional Chinese medicine, however, the medicinal quality of A. villosum is better than that of A. longiligulare. Volatile terpenoids in the seeds, especially bornyl acetate and borneol, are the medicinal components of Fructus Amomi. The volatile terpenoids and transcriptome of developing seeds of A. villosum and A. longiligulare were compared in this study. The result revealed that the bornyl acetate and borneol contents were higher in A. villosum than in A. longiligulare. Additionally, six terpenoid synthase genes (AlTPS1–AlTPS6) were screened from the transcriptome of A. longiligulare, and AlTPS2 and AlTPS3 were found to share 98 and 83% identity with AvTPS2 and AvBPPS (bornyl diphosphate synthase) from A. villosum, respectively. BPPS is the key enzyme for the biosynthesis of borneol and bornyl acetate. Biochemical assays improved that AlTPS2 had an identical function to AvTPS2 as linalool synthase; however, AlTPS3 produced camphene as the major product and bornyl diphosphate (BPP) as the secondary product, whereas AvBPPS produced BPP as its major product. There was only one different amino acid between AlTPS3 (A496) and AvBPPS (G495) in their conserved motifs, and the site-directed mutation of A496G in DTE motif of AlTPS3 changed the major product from camphene to BPP. Molecular docking suggests that A496G mutation narrows the camphene-binding pocket and decreases the BPP-binding energy, thus increases the product BPP selectivity of enzyme. In addition, the expression level of AvBPPS was significantly higher than that of AlTPS3 in seeds, which was consistent with the related-metabolites contents. This study provides insight into the TPS-related molecular bases for the biosynthesis and accumulation differences of the bioactive terpenoids between A. villosum and A. longiligulare. BPPS, the key gene involved in the biosynthesis of the active compound, was identified as a target gene that could be applied for the quality-related identification and breeding of Fructus Amomi.
Potato Response to Drought Stress: Physiological and Growth Basis
Authors: Gervais Taylor , Creelman Alexa , Li Xiu-Qing , Bizimungu Benoit , De Koeyer David , Dahal Keshav
Published: August 2021

Drought poses a major challenge to the production of potatoes worldwide. Climate change is predicted to further aggravate this challenge by intensifying potato crop exposure to increased drought severity and frequency. There is an ongoing effort to adapt our production systems of potatoes through the development of drought-tolerant cultivars that are appropriately engineered for the changing environment. The breeding of drought-tolerant cultivars can be approached through the identification of drought-related physiological and biochemical traits and their deployment in new potato cultivars. Thus, the main objective of this study was to develop a method to identify and characterize the drought-tolerant potato genotypes and the related key traits. To achieve this objective, first we studied 56 potato genotypes including 54 cultivars and 2 advanced breeding lines to assess drought tolerance in terms of tuber yield in the greenhouse experiment. Drought differentially reduced tuber yield in all genotypes. Based on their capacity to maintain percent tuber yield under drought relative to their well-watered controls, potato genotypes differed in their ability to tolerate drought. We then selected six genotypes, Bannock Russet, Nipigon, Onaway, Denali, Fundy, and Russet Norkotah, with distinct yield responses to drought to further examine the physiological and biochemical traits governing drought tolerance. The drought-induced reduction in tuber yield was only 15–20% for Bannock Russet and Nipigon, 44–47% for Onaway and Denali, and 83–91% for Fundy and Russet Norkotah. The tolerant genotypes, Bannock Russet and Nipigon, exhibited about a 2–3-fold increase in instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUE) under drought as compared with their well-watered controls. This stimulation was about 1.8–2-fold for moderately tolerant genotypes, Onaway and Denali, and only 1.5-fold for sensitive genotypes, Fundy, and Russet Norkotah. The differential stimulation of instantaneous WUE of tolerant and moderately tolerant genotypes vs. sensitive genotypes was accounted for by the differential suppression of the rates of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rates across genotypes. Potato genotypes varied in their response to leaf protein content under drought. We suggest that the rates of photosynthesis, instantaneous WUE, and leaf protein content can be used as the selection criteria for the drought-tolerant potato genotypes.
Job Assessment Through Bioelectrical Measures: A Neuromanagement Perspective
Authors: Zito Margherita , Bilucaglia Marco , Fici Alessandro , Gabrielli Giorgio , Russo Vincenzo
Published: August 2021

During recruitment, human resource departments face two challenges: finding the right people for the job and attracting talent. Therefore, the hiring process requires both the ability to communicate a good company brand image and to understand the characteristics and potential of candidates. In this study, we used a neuroscientific approach to measure the experience of candidates during a job interview. The experiment involved 30 participants that individually took part in a job interview lasting 40 min. During the experiment, their engagement and stress levels were measured in real-time with skin conductance and electroencephalographic (EEG) data. From the results, we identified both the most stressful phases (the second and the fourth parts, relating to the explanation of the job and remuneration) and the most engaging phases (the first and the third phases, relating to the presentation of the company and the explanation of the career process) of the interview, suggesting implications for the assessment process. This study is a contribution to the field of neuromanagement, as a neuroscientific approach was applied to management issues in light of work and organizational psychology.
Enhancing Organizational Memory Through Virtual Memoryscapes: Does It Work?
Authors: Mastrogiorgio Antonio , Zaninotto Francesca , Maggi Francesca , Ricciardi Emiliano , Lattanzi Nicola , Malizia Andrea P.
Published: August 2021

Enhancing cognitive memory through virtual reality represents an issue, that has never been investigated in organizational settings. Here, we compared a virtual memoryscape (treatment) – an immersive virtual environment used by subjects as a shared memory tool based on spatial navigation – with respect to the traditional individual-specific mnemonic tool based on the “method of loci” (control). A memory task characterized by high ecological validity was administered to 82 subjects employed by large banking group. Memory recall was measured, for both groups, immediately after the task (Phase 1) and one week later (Phase 2). Results show that (i) in Phase 1, the method of loci was more efficient in terms of recalling information than the to the virtual memoryscape; (ii) in Phase 2, there was no difference. Compared to the method of loci, the virtual memoryscape presents the advantages – relevant for organizations – of being collective, controllable, dynamic, and non-manipulable.
EFL/ESL Teacher’s Resilience, Academic Buoyancy, Care, and Their Impact on Students’ Engagement: A Theoretical Review
Authors: Zhang Mo
Published: August 2021

Teachers’ emotions and inner states play a crucial role in academia as they affect almost all aspects of their job. Language teaching as a stressful and tense profession is full of adversities and traumatic experiences, mandating teachers to be psychologically tough aside from their pedagogical readiness. In tune with this, the current study provides an overview of this area of research drawing on positive psychology and four fresh constructs, namely, resilience, buoyancy, care, and students’ engagement. More particularly, this review article presents the definitions, conceptualizations, dimensions, cognate terms, and influential factors related to each construct. Next, related empirical studies are reviewed to justify the results and position the current article in the body of knowledge in this domain. Finally, implications, gaps, and recommendations for future research are presented.
Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy, and Perfectionistic Automatic Thoughts as Predictors of Aesthetic-Musical Awareness in Late Adolescence
Authors: Esteve-Faubel Rosa Pilar , Aparicio-Flores María Pilar , Cavia-Naya Victoria , Esteve-Faubel José María
Published: August 2021

Aesthetic-musical awareness demarcates a person's own perception of their ability to connect with music and the emotions it evokes. This may imply a benefit for the affective state of the individual. Therefore, the aim of this study was to observe whether there are statistically significant differences in emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perfectionistic automatic thoughts when there are high and low scores in aesthetic-musical awareness in late adolescence. Likewise, we also aimed to determine whether emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perfectionistic automatic thoughts are predictors of high aesthetic-musical awareness. To this end, a sample of 798 Spanish students between 17 and 23 years of age (Mage = 18.5 years) was used. Statistically significant differences were found for the dimensions of each variable when there were high and low scores in aesthetic-musical awareness (scores between d = −0.31 and −0.40), with higher mean scores for emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perfectionistic automatic thoughts being present in the group with high aesthetic-musical awareness. Likewise, it was observed that the probability of presenting high scores in aesthetic-musical awareness was higher when there was an increase in emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perceived automatic thoughts. In conclusion, the results found demonstrate that both emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and the presence of perfectionistic automatic thoughts influence on whether an individual has greater aesthetic-musical awareness. Taking into account previous studies that show how music influences the well-being of the person, these findings show a favorable link for the design of programs that benefit the emotional state of adolescents.
The Role of Teacher-Student Interpersonal Relations in Flipped Learning on Student Engagement
Authors: Li Ruiguang
Published: August 2021

Education, in essence, is an interactive activity in which teacher and student interactions construct a learning path to raise knowledge. However, it is evident that this learning path is not merely cognitive. Thus, the role of interpersonal relationships should not be taken for granted. Teacher-student relationships are among the salient factors in effective teaching. Factors such as these trigger achievement, motivation, and engagement in students (Martin and Dowson, 2009), with student engagement in particular seeming like the keystone for educational achievement. One relative innovation that promotes student engagement and undertakes more effective learning and deeper knowledge of the materials is flipped learning (Kim, 2017). This theoretical review article was written to enlighten scholars, teachers, and learners with key concepts in interpersonal relations and their roles on student engagement in the context of flipped learning. In this study, some pedagogical implications were presented with the prospect of edifying the practice of teachers, students, and syllabus designers.
Efficacy Evaluation Study for Microburst Insulin Infusion: A Novel Model of Care
Authors: Howard Steven W. , Zhang Zidong , Linomaz Jacob , Lam Wing , Qian Zhengmin , Thurman Jerry , BeLue Rhonda
Published: August 2021

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the impact of Microburst Insulin Infusion (MII) treatment on Type 1 and 2 diabetic patients' HbA1c, lipids, peripheral neuropathy, and patient-reported health status.

Methods: We reviewed clinical charts, including lab results, for more than 80 diabetic and pre-diabetic patients treated at one U.S. outpatient clinic in St. Louis, Missouri between February 2017 and December 2019. Data included patient demographics, treatment data, lab and neuropathy tests, and self-reported patient health status questions.

The explanatory variable was number of months of MII treatment. Treatments are 3–4 h in length, with two intensive infusions the first week and one treatment each week thereafter, usually for 12 weeks total. Lab tests were at 12-week intervals.

Generalized linear modeling and t-tests assessed the significance of differences between patients' baseline lab values, neuropathy measures, and health status before treatment vs. after final treatment.

Results: Number of MII treatments per patient ranged from 1 to 262, over 1–24 months. Time in MII treatment was significantly associated with reductions in HbA1c by nearly 0.04 points per month, and triglycerides declined 3 points per month. Neuropathy measures of large toe vibratory sensation (clanging tuning fork) improved significantly, as did patient-reported health and feelings of improvement since beginning treatment.

Discussion: The MII therapy appears to be efficacious in treating diabetic patients, particularly those with complications like neuropathy. Our findings affirmed several other studies. We uniquely incorporated patient health questionnaires, and empirically studied MII treatment efficacy for diabetes in a population large enough to permit statistically valid inferences. With multiple waves of data for over 80 patients, this is one of the most extensive quantitative studies of microburst insulin infusion therapy conducted to date, with protocols more uniformly implemented and survey instruments more consistently administered by the same clinical team. Given the advances in insulin infusion therapy brought by MII, and early indications of its efficacy, the time is right for more in-depth studies of the outcomes patients can achieve, the physiological mechanisms by which they occur, MII's comparative effectiveness vis-à-vis traditional treatments, and cost-effectiveness.
An Italy-China Collaboration for Promoting Public Mental Health Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Scattoni Maria Luisa , Starace Fabrizio , de Girolamo Giovanni , Xia Jun
Published: August 2021

The rapid evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emergency involved Italy as the first European country. Meanwhile, China was the only other country to experience the emergency scenario, implementing public health recommendations and raising concerns about the mental health of the population. The Italian National Institute of Health [Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS)] reviewed relevant scientific literature in mental health to evaluate the best clinical practices and established the collaboration with the WHO, World Psychiatry Association, and China to support the public health system in a phase of acute emergency. This process permitted the definition of organizational and practical-operational Italian guidelines for the protection of the well-being of healthcare workers. These guidelines have been extensively disseminated within the Italian territory for maximum stakeholder utilization.
Hyperuricemia, Elevated Body Mass Index, Female Sex, and Albuminuria Increase the Probability of Elevated High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015–2018
Authors: Kaspar Cristin D. W. , Lu Juan
Published: August 2021

Importance: High uric acid (UA) is hypothesized to worsen kidney and cardiovascular disease morbidity via activation of systemic inflammation. Clinical trials of UA modification report reduction of the inflammatory marker high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as an outcome measure, but studies have not demonstrated that hyperuricemia independently increases hs-CRP when adjusted for important confounders such as body mass index (BMI), sex, and age.

Objective: To identify clinical risk factors for elevated hs-CRP, including but not limited to hyperuricemia, through a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015–2018.

Results: In the final multivariate logistic regression model, the exposure with the strongest effect on the odds of elevated hs-CRP was BMI in the fourth quartile, OR = 13.1 (95% CI 6.25–27.42), followed by female sex (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 2.92–8.34), hyperuricemia (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.36–3.45), urine albumin creatinine ratio (ACR; OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.09–2.18), poor overall health (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.18–1.58), and interactions between hyperuricemia and sex (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.05–1.83), and between BMI and sex (OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.03–1.47). Notably, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CKD surrogates were not associated with hs-CRP despite urine ACR maintaining a significant independent effect.

Conclusions: In this national population-based study, we demonstrated that hyperuricemia significantly increases the odds of elevated hs-CRP, independent from BMI, female sex, urine ACR, and overall health status. Further study is recommended to better understand the sex difference in this association and the role of albuminuria, but not CKD, in systemic inflammation.
A Proof-of-Concept Study for Hydraulic Model-Based Leakage Detection in Water Pipelines Using Pressure Monitoring Data
Authors: Momeni Ahmad , Piratla Kalyan R.
Published: August 2021

It is estimated that about 20% of treated drinking water is lost through distribution pipeline leakages in the United States. Pipeline leakage detection is a top priority for water utilities across the globe as leaks increase operational energy consumption and could also develop into potentially catastrophic water main breaks, if left unaddressed. Leakage detection is a laborious task often limited by the financial and human resources that utilities can afford. Many conventional leak detection techniques also only offer a snapshot indication of leakage presence. Furthermore, the reliability of many leakage detection techniques on plastic pipelines that are increasingly preferred for drinking water applications is questionable. As part of a smart water utility framework, this paper proposes and validates a hydraulic model-based technique for detecting and assessing the severity of leakages in buried water pipelines through monitoring of pressure from across the water distribution system (WDS). The envisioned smart water utility framework entails the capabilities to collect water consumption data from a limited number of WDS nodes and pressure data from a limited number of pressure monitoring stations placed across the WDS. A popular benchmark WDS is initially modified by inducing leakages through addition of orifice nodes. The leakage severity is controlled using emitter coefficients of the orifice nodes. WDS pressure data for various sets of demands is subsequently gathered from locations where pressure monitoring stations are to be placed in that modified distribution network. An evolutionary optimization algorithm is subsequently used to predict the emitter coefficients so as to determine the leakage severities based on the hydraulic dependency of the monitored pressure data on various sets of nodal demands. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are employed to mimic the popular hydraulic solver EPANET 2.2 for high computational efficiency. The goals of this study are to: (1) validate the proof of concept of the proposed modeling approach for detecting and assessing the severity of leakages and (2) evaluate the sensitivity of the prediction accuracy to number of pressure monitoring stations and number of demand nodes at which consumption data is gathered and used. This study offers new value to prioritize pipes for rehabilitation by predicting leakages through a hydraulic model-based approach.
Vaccines and Antibodies: Weapons in the Fight Against Ebola Virus
Authors: Debré Patrice , Neunez Marie , Goldman Michel
Published: August 2021

Ebola virus disease is one of the deadliest infections in the world today. The microbe to blame is the Ebola virus. It has already caused numerous outbreaks in Africa, in the regions located south of the Sahara. This article describes the main characteristics of this infectious disease as well as the currently available treatments, namely vaccines and antibodies. Antibodies are produced by the human body when it is infected by a microbe. Antibodies can be collected from the blood of infected humans or animals and purified or manufactured in a laboratory to produce drugs. While vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness in preventing infectious diseases, antibodies are effective in stopping the progression of several infectious diseases. In this article, you will discover that the stimulation of the immune system, either by the vaccine or by antibodies, is essential to tackle Ebola virus disease.
Case Report: How an Iliac Vein Lesion During Totally Endoscopic Preperitoneal Repair of an Inguinal Hernia Can Be Safely Managed
Authors: Tabriz Navid , Uslar Verena Nicole , Cetin Timur , Marth Andreas , Weyhe Dirk
Published: August 2021

Inguinal hernia repair is a common surgical procedure with an acceptably low complication rate. However, complications with potentially life-threating consequences may occur in rare cases. These complications might be very challenging to manage, even more in laparo-endoscopic interventions compared to open repair. One of these challenges can be the treatment of an intraoperative injury to the iliac vein. To the best of our knowledge, a lesion of the iliac vein during TEP (totally endoscopic preperitoneal) for inguinal hernia repair, and a safe technique for its management have not been reported yet. We report the case of a 75-year-old male patient with previous abdominal surgery scheduled for TEP repair of an inguinal hernia. During surgery, the iliac vein was damaged. If we had performed a laparotomy in this situation, the potentially life-threatening condition of the patient could have deteriorated further. Instead, to avoid a potential CO2 associated embolism, the preperitoneal pressure was gradually reduced, and the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) was increased in the manner that a balance between excessive bleeding and potential development of a CO2 embolism was achieved. The injured vein was sutured endoscopically, and in addition a hemostatic patch was applied. We then continued with the planned surgical procedure. Thrombosis of the sutured vein was prevented by prophylactic administration of low molecular weight heparin until the 14th postoperative day. We conclude that in case of major vein injury during TEP, which might happen irrespective of prior abdominal surgery, the preperitoneal pressure and PEEP adjustment can be used to handle the complication.
Multidisciplinary Optimisation of Aircraft Structures with Critical Non-Regular Areas: Current Practice and Challenges
Authors: Sferza Massimo , Ninić Jelena , Chronopoulos Dimitrios , Glock Florian , Daoud Fernass
Published: August 2021

The design optimisation of aerostructures is largely based on Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (MDO), which is a set of tools used by the aircraft industry to size primary structures: wings, large portions of the fuselage or even an entire aircraft. The procedure is computationally expensive, as it must account for several thousands of loadcases, multiple analyses with hundreds of thousands of degrees of freedom, thousands of design variables and millions of constraints. Because of this, the coarse Global Finite Element Model (GFEM), on which the procedure is based, cannot be further refined. The structures represented in the GFEM contain many components and non-regular areas, which require a detailed modelling to capture their complex mechanical behaviour. Instead, in the GFEM, these components are represented by simplified models with approximated stiffness, whose main role is to contribute to the identification of the load paths over the whole structure. Therefore, these parts are kept fixed and are not constrained during the optimisation, as the description of their internal deformation is not sufficiently accurate. In this paper, we show that it would nevertheless be desirable to size the non-regular areas and the overall structures at once. Firstly, we introduce the concept of non-regular areas in the context of a structural airframe MDO. Secondly, we present a literature survey on MDO with a critical review of several architectures and their current applications to aircraft design optimisation. Then, we analyse and demonstrate with examples the possible consequences of neglecting non-regular areas when MDO is applied. In the conclusion, we analyse the requirements for alternative approaches and why the current ones are not viable solutions. Lastly, we discuss which characteristics of the problem could be exploited to contain the computational cost.
The Impact of Livelihood Risk on Farmers of Different Poverty Types: Based on the Study of Typical Areas in Sichuan Province
Authors: Zeng Xuanye , Fu Zhuoying , Deng Xin , Xu Dingde
Published: August 2021

After the completion of China’s poverty alleviation task in 2020, the poverty situation will undergo major changes, and the focus of poverty alleviation work will shift to solving relative poverty. This can provide useful inspiration for the government to formulate and implement relevant policies that explore the differences in livelihood risk impacts of different types of farmers in areas where disasters and poverty are intertwined. This study used survey data of 327 households in four districts and counties in the hardest-hit areas of the Wenchuan Earthquake and Lushan Earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province in 2018. This study measured farmers’ livelihood risks from four aspects: health risks, environmental risks, financial risks, and social risks, and measured farmers’ poverty types from three aspects: absolutely poor farmers, relatively poor farmers, and non-poor farmers. It systematically analyzed the four types of livelihood risks faced by farmers and the three types of poverty they were in, and constructed a multinomial logistic regression to explore the correlation between livelihood risks and poverty types. This study is the first to compare the relatively poor type with other poverty types. The second innovation is that it uses the entropy method and multinomial logistic regression. The results showed that: (1) Among the four livelihood risks faced by farmers, the biggest was the environmental risk, the next was financial risk, the third was health risk, and the last was social risk. (2) Among the three poverty types, farmers in absolute poverty were the most populated, with non-poor farmers next, and relatively poor farmers at the bottom. (3) Farmers of different poverty types were affected by livelihood risks to different degrees. Specifically, when compared with the impacts on farmers in absolute poverty, the impacts social risks could bring to farmers in relative poverty were more severe while the impacts of health risks, environmental risks and financial were not that strong. Impacted by social risks, relatively poor farmers are more seriously impacted by public affairs and social security status. When compared with the impacts on non-poor farmers, the impacts of all these four risks on relatively poor farmers were not notable.
Heading Uniformity: A New Comprehensive Indicator of Rice Population Quality
Authors: Shu Chuanhai , Li Feijie , Liu Dongdong , Qin Jian , Wang Mingtian , Sun Yongjian , Li Na , Ma Jun , Yang Zhiyuan
Published: August 2021

Productive tiller percentage (PTP) is the only available comprehensive indicator of rice population quality. However, productive panicle number (PN) has a great effect on its characterization accuracy. Panicle exsertion is an important but difficult to describe morphological index; therefore, it cannot be easily determined. The aims of this study were to develop heading uniformity (HU), which describes the difference in the degree of rice panicle exsertion, as a new comprehensive indicator by designing a representative sampling and calculation method and exploring the relationship between HU and yield components. HU first decreased then increased after initial heading, exhibiting a single-valley curve. Adequate HU was obtained by panicle sampling on day two or three (panicle N fertilizer proportion ≤40 or >40%) after initial heading. The explanatory power of PTP for grain yield variance was markedly insufficient in low- and high-PN rice populations. Compared with the percent contribution of PTP to grain yield variance (12.32–41.26%), that of HU (49.02–61.93%) was greater and more stable across rice populations of different PNs. Moreover, HU showed fewer interannual variations, despite large interannual differences in weather and soil conditions. Hence, HU may have applications as a comprehensive indicator of rice population quality.
The Response of Nutrient Uptake, Photosynthesis and Yield of Tomato to Biochar Addition under Reduced Nitrogen Application
Authors: Guo Lili , Yu Huiwen , Kharbach Mourad , Wang Jingwei
Published: August 2021

Tomato is an important economic crop that is widely consumed worldwide. Tomato production is mainly limited by the use of nitrogen fertilizer, sunlight, soil and water conditions. Biochar is one of the soil amendments, and it is recognized as a promising practice for improving crop production in agriculture. The effect of biochar on the photosynthetic traits and tomato yield under reduced nitrogen fertilizer application is still not well understood. The objective of this research is to investigate the influence of biochar application on the photosynthesis and yield of tomato under reduced nitrogen fertilizer application from the perspectives of the nutrient uptake of plants (nitrogen and phosphorus), leaf photosynthetic pigment and leaf gas exchange parameters. Two-year greenhouse experiments containing six biochar levels (0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 t ha−1) and two nitrogen fertilizer application rates (190 and 250 kg ha−1) were conducted. Compared with C0, C50 significantly improved the nitrogen uptake (74–80%) and phosphorus uptake (76–95%) by tomato plants and further enhanced the photosynthetic traits of tomato leaves (net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (Tr) and chlorophyll (2–60%), which lead to the highest gains in tomato yield (more than 50%) even when the applied nitrogen fertilizer was significantly reduced (from 250 kg ha−1 to 190 kg ha−1). The photosynthesis rate had a linear correlation with the total nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation and tomato yield. The results will enhance our understandings about the effect of biochar on the photosynthesis and yield of tomato and be of importance for practical agricultural management.
Efficacy of Liquid Soap and Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitisers in Eradicating Viable Conidia of the Mushroom Pathogen Lecanicillium fungicola on Contaminated Hands
Authors: McGuinness Brian , Baqué Elodie , Grogan Helen
Published: August 2021

Lecanicillium fungicola causes dry bubble disease of the white button mushroom and produces masses of sticky conidia. Humans are an important vector in the spread of this disease in mushroom farms. Three hand cleaning treatments (tap water, liquid soap and alcohol-based hand sanitisers (ABHSs)) were evaluated for their effectiveness at eliminating conidia of L. fungicola from a contaminated index finger. The hand sanitisers were highly efficacious in reducing the number of viable L. fungicola conidia on contaminated fingertips, although some variability was encountered. The tap water and liquid soap treatments had little effect. An in vitro test confirmed that the log10 reduction in viable conidia after 1 min exposure to the different treatments was ≤1 for tap water and soap and >4 for the ABHSs, which is similar to what is achieved in the medical care field for many bacteria and viruses. Thus, regular use of ABHSs by staff on mushroom farms may help to reduce the incidence of dry bubble disease. Their use could also be beneficial in other areas of intensive horticulture or agriculture where human hands are known to transmit plant pathogens to uninfected plants.
Does Small-Scale Organic Farming Contribute to the Local Environment—A Case Study in Suburban Shanghai, China
Authors: Hietala Reija , Liu Pingyang , Qi Shengxin
Published: August 2021

Small-scale organic farming is developing rapidly in China, especially in suburbs of megacities, and enriches the connotation of urban agriculture–. Much attention has been paid to the socio-economic aspects of small-scale organic farming and takes for granted that it contributes to the local environment and the sustainable agriculture while little has been explored regarding its actual environmental contributions and associated influencing factors, especially in those rapid developing suburb areas. Based on the case study of three small-scale organic farms in the suburbs of Shanghai, we examined uncertificated organic farming practices, focusing on the farm diversity, fertilization and pest control without chemical inputs, and the restoration of biosystems. Potential of environmental contributions were evaluated from the production perspective of input reductions. It was found that such uncertificated small-scale organic farming does contribute to the local water environment, helping improve soil quality, and gradual recovery of farm biodiversity. However, all the environmental benefits are fragile and highly dependent on the profit availability and professional knowledge of the farm as well as the availability of policy supports.
Fruit Set in Avocado: Pollen Limitation, Pollen Load Size, and Selective Fruit Abortion
Authors: Alcaraz María L. , Hormaza José I.
Published: August 2021

Avocado is a woody perennial fruit crop originating in Central America and Mexico domesticated and cultivated in the Americas since pre-Columbian times, currently cultivated in subtropical, tropical, and Mediterranean climates worldwide, with increasing importance in international trade. Avocado shows an exuberant flower production that, however, results in a very low fruit set reflected in a massive abscission of flowers and fruitlets. Several factors are involved in this behavior, and, in this work, we have focused on pollination limitation. The results obtained show that pollen deposition takes place at the female and male stages during the avocado flowering season and that the percentage of flowers with pollen on the stigma varies along the flowering season, probably due to changes in temperature that affect not only the floral behavior but also pollinator activity. However, no embryo or endosperm development took place when pollination occurred during the male flowering phase. Thus, the low number of pollen grains landing on the stigmas of female stage flowers observed under natural pollination conditions might not be enough to ensure a good yield. The production of an excess of flowers and subsequent flower drop of most of the flowers provides the opportunity of a selective fruitlet drop depending on the genotype of the embryo since fruits derived from outcrossing showed higher chances of reaching maturity. Moreover, an important competition for resources occurs among developing fruits and new vegetative growth, conferring importance to the time of flower fertilization for effective fruit set.
Broth Microdilution and Gradient Diffusion Strips vs. Reference Agar Dilution Method: First Evaluation for Clostridiales Species Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
Authors: Baquer Florian , Ali Sawan Asma , Auzou Michel , Grillon Antoine , Jaulhac Benoît , Join-Lambert Olivier , Boyer Pierre H.
Published: August 2021

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of anaerobes is challenging. Because MIC determination is recommended by both CLSI and EUCAST, commercial broth microdilution and diffusion strip tests have been developed. The reliability of broth microdilution methods has not been assessed yet using the agar dilution reference method. In this work, we evaluated two broth microdilution kits (MICRONAUT-S Anaerobes® MIC and Sensititre Anaerobe MIC®) and one gradient diffusion strip method (Liofilchem®) for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 47 Clostridiales isolates (Clostridium, Clostridioides and Hungatella species) using the agar dilution method as a reference. The evaluation focused on comparing six antimicrobial molecules available in both microdilution kits. Analytical performances were evaluated according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations. Essential agreements (EA) and categorical agreements (CA) varied greatly according to the molecule and the evaluated method. Vancomycin had values of essential and categorical agreements above 90% for the three methods. The CA fulfilled the FDA criteria for three major molecules in the treatment of Gram-positive anaerobic infections (metronidazole, piperacillin/tazobactam and vancomycin). The highest rate of error was observed for clindamycin. Multicenter studies are needed to further validate these results.
Comment on the Determination of the Polar Anchoring Energy by Capacitance Measurements in Nematic Liquid Crystals
Authors: Oswald Patrick
Published: August 2021

Capacitance measurements have been extensively used to measure the anchoring extrapolation length L at a nematic–substrate interface. These measurements are extremely delicate because the value found for L often critically depends on the sample thickness and the voltage range chosen to perform the measurements. Several reasons have been proposed to explain this observation, such as the presence of inhomogeneities in the director distribution on the bounding plates or the variation with the electric field of the dielectric constants. In this paper, I propose a new method to measure L that takes into account this second effect. This method is more general than the one proposed in Murauski et al. Phys. Rev. E 71, 061707 (2005) because it does not assume that the anchoring angle is small and that the anchoring energy is of the Rapini–Papoular form. This method is applied to a cell of 8CB that is treated for planar unidirectional anchoring by photoalignment with the azobenzene dye Brilliant Yellow. The role of flexoelectric effects and the shape of the anchoring potential are discussed.
Advanced Trajectory Control for Piezoelectric Actuators Based on Robust Control Combined with Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Napole Cristian , Barambones Oscar , Derbeli Mohamed , Calvo Isidro
Published: August 2021

In applications where high precision in micro- and nanopositioning is required, piezoelectric actuators (PEA) are an optimal micromechatronic choice. However, the accuracy of these devices is affected by a natural phenomenon called “hysteresis” that even increases the instability of the system. This anomaly can be counteracted through a material re-shape or by the design of a control strategy. Through this research, a novel control design has been developed; the structure contemplates an artificial neural network (ANN) feedforward to contract the non-linearities and a robust close-loop compensator to reduce the unmodelled dynamics, uncertainties and perturbations. The proposed scheme was embedded in a dSpace control platform with a Thorlabs PEA; the parameters were tuned online through specific metrics. The outcomes were compared with a conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller in terms of control signal and tracking performance. The experimental gathered results showed that the advanced proposed strategy had a superior accuracy and chattering reduction.
A Screw-Axis Approach to the Stability of Two-Wheeled Vehicles
Authors: Bova Matteo , Massaro Matteo
Published: August 2021

The stability of two-wheeled vehicles is predominantly characterized by the well-known weave and wobble vibration modes, which have been extensively investigated in the literature, mainly in terms of their frequencies and damping ratios. In this work the focus is towards their mode shapes, which are investigated using the screw-axis (also called Mozzi-axis), instead of the classic compass diagrams, for a better understanding of their three-dimensional patterns. The analysis is then carried out using the velocity centres for a characterization from the top, rear and side view of the vehicle. The multibody vehicle model employed for the numerical analysis is built in Adams. The dataset resembles that of a 250cc sport motorcycle, and has been derived from laboratory tests. The stability analysis is carried out in the frequency domain. It is found that, depending on the selected plane for the projection of the three-dimensional vibration motion, the trajectories of the velocity centres of the weave and wobble can cross either aft or fore the centre of mass, which has been associated to the under- and over-steering behaviour in the literature.
Conceptual Design Evaluation Considering Confidence Based on Z-AHP-TOPSIS Method
Authors: Liu Qinghua , Chen Jiadui , Wang Weixing , Qin Qing
Published: August 2021

In concept design, effective decision making and management of schemes can shorten the design cycle and improve product quality. The decision maker (DM)’s confidence is one of the critical factors affecting the conceptual design evaluation. Although many studies use quantitative linguistic evaluation for design scheme decision-making, which improves product conceptual design decision-making efficiency and effectiveness, few studies consider the confidence level of a decision. A conceptual design evaluation method based on Z-numbers is proposed to solve this problem, considering the customer requirements and the DM’s confidence. Firstly, the evaluation criteria are determined by analyzing customer requirements; then, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process in the Z-numbers environment (Z-AHP) is used to determine the criteria weight; Finally, the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution method in the Z-numbers environment (Z-TOPSIS) is used to evaluate the design schemes to obtain the optimal scheme. The proposed method is applied to the selection of the design scheme of the waste containers in the kitchen. The results show that considering the DM’s self-confidence can achieve a more reasonable and practical evaluation of the conceptual design scheme, and it is easier to obtain the best scheme.
Topic-Oriented Text Features Can Match Visual Deep Models of Video Memorability
Authors: Kleinlein Ricardo , Luna-Jiménez Cristina , Arias-Cuadrado David , Ferreiros Javier , Fernández-Martínez Fernando
Published: August 2021

Not every visual media production is equally retained in memory. Recent studies have shown that the elements of an image, as well as their mutual semantic dependencies, provide a strong clue as to whether a video clip will be recalled on a second viewing or not. We believe that short textual descriptions encapsulate most of these relationships among the elements of a video, and thus they represent a rich yet concise source of information to tackle the problem of media memorability prediction. In this paper, we deepen the study of short captions as a means to convey in natural language the visual semantics of a video. We propose to use vector embeddings from a pretrained SBERT topic detection model with no adaptation as input features to a linear regression model, showing that, from such a representation, simpler algorithms can outperform deep visual models. Our results suggest that text descriptions expressed in natural language might be effective in embodying the visual semantics required to model video memorability.
Modulation Linearization Technique for FM/CW SAR Image Processing Using Range Migration
Authors: Grosch Theodore , Okhio Cyril
Published: August 2021

Linear FMCW radar suffers from impairments in range and range rate if there are errors in the modulation rate or phase discontinuities. Often, this is a result of a nonlinearity of the voltage-controlled oscillator that is in the source of the transmit and receive local oscillator. The nonlinearity can be corrected at the source by using a nonlinear control voltage or by processing the received beat frequency. Any signal processing using the later method leads to computation time and energy costs, which can be considerable in some applications. When the range migration algorithm using the Stolt Transform is used for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image processing, the autofocus linearization technique described here costs nothing in additional hardware or computation time.