bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Different Long-Term Fertilizer Management Systems on Soil Microbial Biomass Turnover in a Double-Cropping Rice Field in Southern China
Authors: Tang Haiming , Xu Yilan , Li Chao , Shi Lihong , Wen Li , Li Weiyan , Cheng Kaikai , Xiao Xiaoping
Published: October 2022

Soil microbial biomass content is usually regarded as an early indicator of changes in soil quality and soil fertility in paddy fields. Soil microbial biomass turnover is mainly influenced by the application of different fertilizer management systems. However, there is still a need to further investigate the effects of different long-term fertilizer management systems on soil microbial biomass turnover in paddy fields under the double-cropping rice (Oryza sativa L.) system. Therefore, the effects of different long-term (36 years) fertilizer practices on soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) contents, and the flux turnover rates of SMBC and SMBN at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in a double-cropping rice field in southern China were investigated in the present paper. The field experiment included four different fertilizer treatments: MF, RF, OM, and CK. The results showed that SMBC and SMBN contents at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers with RF and OM treatments were increased compared with the MF and CK treatments. Compared with the CK treatment, SMBC contents at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers with RF and OM treatments increased by 35.72% and 50.28%, and 32.29% and 42.77%, respectively. SMBN contents at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers with RF and OM treatments increased by 15.52% and 22.70%, and 16.32% and 21.49%, respectively. The fluxes of SMBC and SMBN at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers with RF and OM treatments were significantly higher than those of the CK treatment. This result indicated that the flux turnover rates of SMBC and SMBN at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers with the MF, RF, and OM treatments were significantly higher than those of the CK treatment. Compared with the CK treatment, the flux turnover rates of SMBC and SMBN at the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers with OM treatment increased by 46.10% and 48.59%, and 73.39% and 116.67%, respectively. SMBC and SMBN contents, and the flux turnover rates of SMBC and SMBN at the 0–10 cm layer were higher than those of the 10–20 cm layer under the same fertilizer treatment condition. Early rice and later rice yields with RF and OM treatments were significantly higher than those of the MF and CK treatments. As a result, the combined application of crop residue and organic manure with inorganic fertilizer management is a beneficial practice for increasing soil nutrients and rice yield under the double-cropping rice system in southern Chin.
Complementary Strategies for Biological Control of Aphids and Related Virus Transmission in Sugar Beet to Replace Neonicotinoids
Authors: Francis Frédéric , Then Christiane , Francis Adrien , Gbangbo Yao Aime Constant , Iannello Lisa , Ben Fekih Ibtissem
Published: October 2022

Neonicotinoid-based real control of aphids in sugar beet permitted the effective management of associated phytoviruses. However, the prohibition on their usage has prompted an urgent search for viable replacements. The development of sugar beet varieties with aphid and/or virus resistance and/or tolerance has a huge potential to reduce aphids and the harm caused by transmitted viruses. Semiochemicals also play a significant part in determining intra- and inter-specific interactions, which directly affect aphid fitness, feeding activity, and ultimately their capacity to spread viruses. Another method of aphid management involves the use of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in conjunction with an attract and kill strategy. Entomopathogenic fungi could also be used to manage aphids without endangering helpful entomofauna. Finally, soil bacteria are particularly effective biocontrol agents because they induce systemic resistance (ISR) as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). The sugar beet-aphid virus model would be a perfect place to test these microbial players. The adoption of complementing eco-compatible techniques in the sugar beet crop will be ensured by the application of a variety of biocontrol opportunities connected to creative aphid control strategies. This should make it possible to create technical itineraries for a comprehensive approach to controlling aphids and related viruses depending on the situation.
Research on Dynamic Monitoring of Grain Filling Process of Winter Wheat from Time-Series Planet Imageries
Authors: Zhou Xinxing , Li Yangyang , Sun Yawei , Su Yijun , Li Yimeng , Yi Yuan , Liu Yaju
Published: October 2022

Remote sensing has been used as an important means of monitoring crop growth, especially for the monitoring of the formation of crop yield in the middle and late growth period. The information acquisition on the yield formation period of winter wheat is of great significance for winter wheat growth monitoring, yield estimation and scientific management. Hence, the main goal of this study was to verify the possibility of monitoring the grain-filling process of winter wheat and its in-field variability using an alternative non-destructive method based on orbital remote sensing. High-resolution satellite imageries (3 m) were obtained from the PlanetScope platform for three commercial winter wheat fields in Jiangsu Province, China during the reproductive stage of the winter wheat (185–215/193–223/194–224 days after sowing (DAS)). Based on the quantitative analysis of vegetation indices (VIs) obtained from high-resolution satellite imageries and three indicators of the winter wheat grain-filling process, linear, polynomial and logistic growth models were used to establish the relationship between VIs and the three indicators. The research showed a high Pearson correlation (p < 0.001) between winter wheat maturity and most VIs. In the overall model, the remote sensing inversion of the dry thousand-grain weight has the highest accuracy and its R2 reaches more than 0.8, which is followed by fresh thousand-grain weight and water content, the accuracies of which are also considerable. The results indicated a great potential to use high-resolution satellite imageries to monitor winter wheat maturity variability in fields and subfields. In addition, the proposed method contributes to monitoring the dynamic spatio-temporality of the grain-filling progression, allowing for more accurate management strategies in regard to winter wheat.
Wood Vinegar Impact on the Growth and Low-Temperature Tolerance of Rapeseed Seedlings
Authors: Zhu Kunmiao , Liu Jiahuan , Luo Tao , Zhang Kangkang , Khan Zaid , Zhou Yu , Cheng Tai , Yuan Baozhong , Peng Xitian , Hu Liyong
Published: October 2022

Low temperature seriously affects the growth of crops and poses a huge threat to food production. The application of wood vinegar can be used as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategy to promote crop growth and enhance stress resistance, and the physiological resistance to low-temperature stress of rapeseed still needs further research. The present study investigated the effects of spraying wood vinegar on the growth, photosynthesis, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant enzymes of rapeseed seedlings under low-temperature stress. The results showed that spraying wood vinegar at normal temperature reduced the stomatal conductance but increased the leaf area and total biomass of rapeseed and enhanced stomatal density and water use efficiency. The leaf area and total biomass of rapeseed sprayed with wood vinegar at low temperature improved by 22% and 31%, respectively, and stomatal density and water use efficiency increased by 14% and 83%, respectively, and intercellular CO2 concentration and stomatal conductance were reduced by 9% and 41%, compared to the low-temperature, respectively. Besides, the application of wood vinegar liquid improved the proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugar content of leaves by 208%, 38%, and 115%, respectively, and the activity of superoxide dismutase increased by 27%, the content of malondialdehyde decreased by 46%, compared to the low-temperature. Spraying wood vinegar could alleviate low-temperature stress by improving the anti-oxidant enzyme content and osmoprotectants, reducing the stomatal conductance, and enhancing water use efficiency. These results provide new insights for wood vinegar to relieve the low-temperature stress of rapeseed, and this strategy can be used for low-temperature rapeseed cultivation and management, and benefit farmers’ plant profit.
Progress of Research on Phytohormone Interaction in Germination of Direct-Seeded Rice under Submergence
Authors: Wu Hui , Huang Hua , Wang Xuhui , Dai Haifang , Zhang Yikai , Wang Yaliang , Zhang Yuping , Zhu Defeng , Chen Huizhe , Xiang Jing
Published: October 2022

Due to rainfall, closed weeding of paddy fields and other reasons, submergence stress often occurs during the germination and emergence stages of direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.), which leads to intensified anaerobic respiration, accelerated consumption of stored nutrients, difficulty in germination of rice seeds, uneven emergence of seedlings and varying yields. Recent advances in the understanding of phytohormone interaction and the regulation of signaling pathways in crops have increased the feasibility of modulating responses to phytohormones in crop plants to enhance adaptation to environmental changes. In this review, we summarize recent advances and progress in the understanding of the regulation of phytohormone signaling pathways and their interactions with diverse internal and external signaling cues under submergence. We also discuss how these physiological modulations of phytohormones and their abundant signaling crosstalk can be applied to enhance the submergence tolerance of direct-seeded rice during germination through the manipulation of seedling morphogenesis and the fine-tuning of stress responses. Finally, we discuss how complex phytohormone signaling pathways could regulate the metabolism of stored nutrients, anaerobic respiration and energy supply in submerged direct-seeded rice seeds, thereby improving their submergence tolerance. This review hopes to provide a basis for studies of the tolerance mechanisms of submerged direct-seeded rice and the promotion of the simplified direct-seeded rice cultivation model.
Diversity of Chemical Composition and Morphological Traits of Eight Iranian Wild Salvia Species during the First Step of Domestication
Authors: Esmaeili Ghasem , Fatemi Hamideh , Baghani avval Mahnaz , Azizi Majid , Arouiee Hossein , Vaezi Jamil , Fujii Yoshiharu
Published: October 2022

As one of the largest genera of the Lamiaceae family, Salvia has a wide distribution worldwide. Despite their great importance and medicinal use, most Salvia species are collected from their natural habitats, and some of them are endangered and vulnerable. This study aimed to evaluate the domestication process of eight Iranian native Salvia species. The studied species were cultivated and adapted to the cultivation area after two years, and then some of their important biochemical properties were investigated. According to some significant results, the root architecture was closely correlated with the climatic conditions of the species origins. The distribution of total dry matter varied widely among species; accordingly, S. sclarea and S. officinalis had 65.6% and 55.9% dry weights in their leaves, respectively. Moreover, S. nemorosa had a 24.3% dry weight in its flowers, while S. frigida (Jahrom), S. frigida (Targavar), S. virgata (Eghled), and S. macrosiphon had 44.6%, 43.3%, 46.0%, and 44.3% dry weights in their roots. The most potent antioxidant activity (IC50) was observed in the roots of S. macrosiphon (10.9 μg/mL) and S. sclarea (14.9 μg/mL), the stem of S. nemorosa (14.3 μg/mL), and the leaves of S. atropatana (14.0 μg/mL). Rosmarinic acid, a key phenolic substance in Salvia species, was present in the range of 0.24–0.47 mg/g dry weight. The essential oil content ranged from 0.35% in S. atropatana to 1.45% (w/w) in S. officinalis. β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, and germacrene D were the major ingredients of the essential oils. The cluster analysis based on the essential oil data revealed the most similarities between S. sclarea and S. macrosiphon, and a clear separation of S. virgate, S. syriaca, and S. officinalis from other species. Salvia spp. contain a wide variety of compounds of interest under cultivation, with S. sclarea having the greatest potential to profit from the production of medicinal compounds, such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and essential oils. Furthermore, S. officinalis, S. nemorosa, and S. sclarea are the best species for producing raw medicinal materials.
Techniques Used to Determine Botanical Composition, Intake, and Digestibility of Forages by Ruminants
Authors: Pepeta Bulelani Nangamso , Moyo Mehluli , Adejoro Festus Adeyemi , Hassen Abubeker , Nsahlai Ignatius Verla
Published: October 2022

The botanical and chemical composition of diets consumed by ruminants is different from the composition of plant species available in the rangeland or pastures on which they graze. Exploring alternative and improving existing methods of estimating botanical composition (diet selection) is imperative in advancing sustainable feeding practices in extensive production systems. The ability to predict the intake and digestibility of the diet consumed is important in designing grazing management for different feeding systems as well as supplementation strategies. This facilitates the efficient use of feed resources for optimal animal performance. This review assesses the merits, limitations, and potential advancements in techniques used to estimate botanical composition, forage intake, and digestibility in ruminants. Supplements containing sufficient quantity and identifiable n-alkanes can be used to determine the total forage intake in grazing ruminants without dosing the animals with synthetic even-numbered n-alkanes. When the botanical composition, intake, and digestibility of diet are estimated using internal markers, the results should be validated with those of faecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) or plant cuticular compounds to enhance the prediction accuracy. This should be done to determine the degree of error in the use of internal markers. Conclusively, the use of internal markers with automated solver routine software is a prudent approach to predicting botanical composition due to the analytical ease of the markers involved and the associated model assumptions.
Application of Light-Emitting Diodes with Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi for Tomato Seedling Production
Authors: Songsaeng Apisit , Tittabutr Panlada , Umnajkitikorn Kamolchanok , Boonkerd Nantakorn , Wongdee Jenjira , Songwattana Pongpan , Piromyou Pongdet , Greetatorn Teerana , Girdthai Teerayoot , Teaumroong Neung
Published: October 2022

Various technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and beneficial plant micro-organisms, have been applied to enhance plant growth and development. We aimed to develop appropriate technology by incorporating the benefits of LED light, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) into sweet girl cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedling production. Our results demonstrated that incorporating red (R) and blue (B) LED lights, PGPR, and AMF positively affected tomato seedling growth. The optimal lighting conditions for tomato seedling growth were LEDs at 200 μmol/m2/s with a ratio of R60:B40 and 20 h/d exposure. The optimum LED-illuminated tomato seedlings significantly upregulated photosynthesis-related genes, including psbA, psbB, fdx, atpB, and rbcL. Plants inoculated with PGPR Bradyrhizobium sp. SUTN9-2, Bacillus velezensis SD10 and B. megaterium A20 had a high health index after inoculation. Furthermore, the optimized LED-illuminated tomato seedlings inoculated with SD10 had the highest health index. In addition, the optimum LED-illuminated tomato seedlings inoculated with SD10 and AMF had the highest biomass. Our experiment demonstrated that tomato seedlings produced under optimized LED lights inoculated with SD10 and AMF increased yield by about 16% under field conditions. Therefore, these results provided the optimum conditions for a high-quality tomato seedling production system.
The Effects of Insect Frass Fertilizer and Biochar on the Shoot Growth of Chicory and Plantain, Two Forage Herbs Commonly Used in Multispecies Swards
Authors: Hodge Simon , Conway John
Published: October 2022

Livestock farmers are seeking ways to lower their environmental footprints by reducing inputs, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing carbon sequestration. To meet these objectives, farmers are investigating the value of diverse multispecies grazing swards and various organic by-products as alternative fertilizers and soil amendments. This study investigated the effects of HexaFrass™ [HexaFly, Meath, Ireland], an insect frass based organic fertilizer, and biochar, a form of charcoal, on the shoot dry matter accumulation of two forage plants, chicory and ribwort plantain. Under glasshouse conditions, HexaFrass™ generally increased the shoot growth of both chicory and plantain, although these positive effects were lost if an excessive amount of HexaFrass™ was applied, or the growing medium was already nutrient-rich. Importantly, it was found that HexaFrass™ also increased the re-growth of shoots after cutting, which is vital for plants that are destined to be successfully used in grazing or silage swards. Biochar had a less obvious effect on the shoot dry matter accumulation, although there was some evidence of a synergy between biochar and HexaFrass™, which caused an additional increase in the shoot growth. The results indicate that frass-based fertilizers could play a role in low-input mixed swards, whereas the potential of biochar as a soil amendment in these grazing systems requires further research.
Structural Changes Caused by CO2 or Ethanol Deastringency Treatments in Cold-Stored ‘Giombo’ Persimmon
Authors: Vilhena Nariane Q. , Tessmer Magda Andréia , Hernando Isabel , Kluge Ricardo Alfredo , Quiles Amparo , Salvador Alejandra
Published: October 2022

Persimmon cv. Giombo is astringent at harvest and must be subjected to astringency removal treatment. To date, the most widespread treatment for this variety involves applying ethanol instead of high CO2 concentrations, which is the usual treatment with other varieties. This study aims to evaluate the effect of high CO2 or ethanol concentrations as deastringency treatments on the quality and flesh structure of ’Giombo´ persimmon during cold storage. The deastringency process was faster in the fruit treated with CO2 than with ethanol. One day after treatment, the CO2-treated fruit showed lower soluble tannin levels than those detected sensorially for this variety, while with the ethanol-treated fruit, these values were obtained after 25 storage days plus the shelf-life period. The tannin insolubilisation process was observed by light microscopy. Loss of flesh firmness during storage was more pronounced when fruit were previously treated with ethanol than with CO2. This is closely related to greater parenchyma degradation during storage caused by ethanol treatment, which was observed by a microstructural study by cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, as deastringency treatment for ‘Giombo’, applying CO2 instead of ethanol treatment is recommended for better fruit quality, especially when fruit are to be cold-stored.
Anthelmintic Activity, Cytotoxicity, and Phytochemical Screening of Plants Used to Treat Digestive Parasitosis of Small Ruminants in Benin (West Africa)
Authors: Tchetan Esaïe , Olounladé Pascal Abiodoun , Azando Erick Virgile Bertrand , Khaliq Hafiz Abdul , Ortiz Sergio , Houngbeme Alban , Alowanou Géorcelin Goué , Koura Bossima Ivan , Akouedegni Guénolé Coovi , Houinato Marcel Romuald Benjamin , Hounzangbe-Adote Sylvie Mawule , Gbaguidi Fernand Ahokanou , Quetin-Leclercq Joëlle
Published: October 2022

Medicinal plants continue to be used alone or in combination with veterinary drugs to treat animal ailments, especially in developing countries where livestock farmers often lack access to modern veterinary services and drugs. In addition, digestive parasitosis remain a major constraint for small ruminant livestock. The objective of this study was to screen the anthelmintic activity of the main plants used in the treatment of the digestive parasitosis of small ruminants in Benin. A total of 40 extracts were prepared using the successive maceration of 10 plants in four solvents of increasing polarity. The phytochemical screening of the plants was performed, and the anthelmintic activity of the extracts was evaluated on L3 larvae of Haemonchus contortus. The cytotoxicity of the 40 extracts was determined on WI38 noncancerous fibroblast cells using the MTT assay, and the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and condensed tannin content (CTC) were quantified in the most effective extracts using colorimetric methods. The results show that the plants contained tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids which may, in part, justify their anthelmintic activities. All plants gave active extracts at the highest concentration tested (1200 µg/mL). Methanol (MeOH) extracts were, in general, more effective than the hexane (HEX), dichloromethane (DCM), and aqueous (H2O) ones in inhibiting larval migration, with the MeOH extracts of Terminalia leiocarpa, Adansonia digitata, and Momordica charantia being the most effective. Nevertheless, the MeOH extract of M. charantia was highly cytotoxic at the concentration of 100 µg/mL. The anthelmintic activity of M. charantia, Vitex doniana, and Caesalpinia bonduc was studied on H. contortus for the first time. These results provide scientific information that can be used for better valorization of the anthelmintic potential of the studied plants and to initiate the process of the identification of new anthelmintic molecules.
Clostridium butyricum and Its Culture Supernatant Alleviate the Escherichia coli-Induced Endometritis in Mice
Authors: Mun Cholryong , Cai Jiapei , Hu Xiaoyu , Zhang Wenlong , Zhang Naisheng , Cao Yongguo
Published: October 2022

Endometritis is a disease with a high incidence in dairy cows and causes great economic loss to milk production. This study examined the therapeutic effects of Clostridium butyricum and its culture supernatant on Escherichia coli-induced endometritis in mice. The results showed that Clostridium butyricum and its culture supernatant effectively suppressed inflammatory responses of uterine tissues, such as uterine morphological changes, pathological damage, and the production of inflammatory cytokines. Clostridium butyricum and its culture supernatant significantly decreased uterine microbial loads. In addition, Clostridium butyricum and its culture supernatant restored reproduction outcomes in Escherichia coli-induced endometritis mice. Western blot analysis showed that Clostridium butyricum and its culture supernatant suppressed the NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Clostridium butyricum and its culture supernatant may occur through the anti-bacterial activity and regulation of the expression of NF-κB in the uterus. The anti-inflammatory effect of the culture supernatant of C. butyricum was slightly better than that of viable C. butyricum. Therefore, our experimental results showed that Clostridium butyricum culture supernatant may be an effective drug for treating endometritis.
Serological Analysis of IgG and IgM Antibodies against Anaplasma spp. in Various Animal Species of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zhang Jinchao , Ma Hejia , Ai Jingkai , Qi Tongsheng , Kang Ming , Li Jixu , Sun Yali
Published: October 2022

Anaplasma genus infects the blood cells of humans and animals by biting, causing zoonotic anaplasmosis. However, limited data are available on carrier animals for Anaplasma spp. antibodies in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area. Therefore, a serological indirect ELISA diagnostic method based on the major surface protein 5 (MSP5), derived from Anaplasma phagocytophilum, was developed in this study to analyze both IgG and IgM antibodies of Anaplasma spp. in a total of 3952 animals from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, including yaks (Bos grunniens), cows (Bos taurus), cattle (Bos taurus domesticus), Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries), horses (Equus ferus caballus), pigs (Sus domesticus), chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), donkeys (Equus asinus), stray dogs (Canis sp.), and stray cats (Felis sp.). The results showed that recombinant MSP5 protein was expressed and was successfully used to establish the indirect ELISA methods. The overall positivity for Anaplasma IgG and IgM antibodies was 14.6% (578/3952) and 7.9% (312/3952), respectively, and a total of 123 animals (3.1%) were both IgG- and IgM-positive. Moreover, the most prevalent Anaplasma IgG positivity was exhibited by donkeys (82.5%), followed by stray dogs, Tibetan sheep, pigs, chickens, horses, yaks, cows, cattle, and stray cats. The analysis for IgM antibody positivity revealed that IgM positivity was the most prevalent in the stray dogs (30.1%), followed by horses, yaks, Tibetan sheep, cows, stray cats, and cattle. Moreover, the results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) at different altitudes in Anaplasma-specific IgG in the yaks, Tibetan sheep, and horses, and in IgM in the yaks and Tibetan sheep. In conclusion, this study is the first to demonstrate that yaks, cows, cattle, Tibetan sheep, horses, donkeys, stray dogs, stray cats, pigs, and chickens living in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau are carrier animals for Anaplasma spp. IgG or IgM antibodies. The current findings provide valuable current data on the seroepidemiology of anaplasmosis in China and for plateau areas of the world.
Acidifiers Attenuate Diquat-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Responses by Regulating NF-κB/MAPK/COX-2 Pathways in IPEC-J2 Cells
Authors: Xu Qinglei , Liu Mingzheng , Chao Xiaohuan , Zhang Chunlei , Yang Huan , Chen Jiahao , Zhao Chengxin , Zhou Bo
Published: October 2022

In this study, we evaluated the protective effects and potential mechanisms of acidifiers on intestinal epithelial cells exposure to oxidative stress (OS). IPEC-J2 cells were first pretreated with 5 × 10−5 acidifiers for 4 h before being exposed to the optimal dose of diquat to induce oxidative stress. The results showed that acidifiers attenuated diquat-induced oxidative stress, which manifests as the improvement of antioxidant capacity and the reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The acidifier treatment decreased cell permeability and enhanced intestinal epithelial barrier function through enhancing the expression of claudin-1 and occludin in diquat-induced cells. Moreover, acidifier treatment attenuated diquat-induced inflammatory responses, which was confirmed by the decreased secretion and gene expression of pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-8) and upregulated anti-inflammatory factors (IL-10). In addition, acidifiers significantly reduced the diquat-induced gene and protein expression levels of COX-2, NF-κB, I-κB-β, ERK1/2, and JNK2, while they increased I-κB-α expression in IPEC-J2 cells. Furthermore, we discovered that acidifiers promoted epithelial cell proliferation (increased expression of PCNA and CCND1) and inhibited apoptosis (decreased expression of BAX, increased expression of BCL-2). Taken together, these results suggest that acidifiers are potent antioxidants that attenuate diquat-induced inflammation, apoptosis, and maintain cellular barrier integrity by regulating the NF-κB/MAPK/COX-2 signaling pathways.
Histone Methyltransferase MLL1 Mediates Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis upon Deoxynivalenol Exposure in the Intestinal Porcine Epithelial Cells
Authors: Shi Dongfeng , Shan Yiyi , Zhu Xiaoyang , Wang Haifei , Wu Shenglong , Wu Zhengchang , Bao Wenbin
Published: October 2022

Deoxynivalenol (DON), as a secondary metabolite of fungi, is continually detected in livestock feed and has a high risk to animals and humans. Moreover, pigs are very sensitive to DON. Recently, the role of histone modification has drawn people’s attention; however, few studies have elucidated how histone modification participates in the cytotoxicity or genotoxicity induced by mycotoxins. In this study, we used intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2 cells) as a model to DON exposure in vitro. Mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) regulates gene expression by exerting the role of methyltransferase. Our studies demonstrated that H3K4me3 enrichment was enhanced and MLL1 was highly upregulated upon 1 μg/mL DON exposure in IPEC-J2 cells. We found that the silencing of MLL1 resulted in increasing the apoptosis rate, arresting the cell cycle, and activating the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway. An RNA-sequencing analysis proved that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in the cell cycle, apoptosis, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway between the knockdown of MLL1 and negative control groups, which were associated with cytotoxicity induced by DON. In summary, these current results might provide new insight into how MLL1 regulates cytotoxic effects induced by DON via an epigenetic mechanism.
Combined Effects of Temperature and Salinity Affect the Surviv-Al of Asian Green Mussel (Perna viridis) through Digestive and Antioxidant Performance
Authors: Ma Zhenhua , Fu Zhengyi , Yang Jingru , Yu Gang
Published: October 2022

Changes in temperature and salinity of the marine environment fluctuate continuously, and the effects of these changes on shellfish survival are significant. In this study, the survival rate of adult Asian green mussels (Perna viridis) was measured after short-term treatments (7 days) for a range of temperature (20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C) and salinity (23‰, 28‰, 33‰). The digestive (amylase, lipase, trypsin and pepsin activities) and antioxidant performance (SOD and GPX gene expression; SOD, GPX and CAT activities; GSH and MDA Concentration) were measured and MANOVA results were obtained using a generalized linear model between certain factors (temperature (T), salinity (S) and temperature × salinity (T × S)) and survival rate. Both T and T × S significantly affected the survival rate of Asian green mussels. The overall relationship between the survival rate of P. viridis and T and S within the experimental range can be summarised by the equation: ln(Survival rate) = 54.9282 − 2.5627 × T − 3.6180 × S + 0.1857 × T × S + 0.0156 × T2 + 0.0520 × S2 − 0.0012 × T2 × S − 0.0023 × T × S2. The optimal temperature–salinity combination was 23.698 °C/30.760‰. T, S and T × S all had a significant impact on amylase and lipase activities of Asian green mussels. In the hepatopancreas, gill, mantle, adductor muscle, gonad and foot tissues of Asian green mussel, the SOD and GPX gene expression were responsive to temperature–salinity changes. The antioxidant performance of the combinations far from the optimal temperature–salinity combination were significantly improved. Our results suggest that combined temperature and salinity effects have a regular impact on the survival of Asian green mussels and that there is a link between survival and digestive and antioxidant performance.
Human Posture Detection Using Image Augmentation and Hyperparameter-Optimized Transfer Learning Algorithms
Authors: Ogundokun Roseline Oluwaseun , Maskeliūnas Rytis , Damaševičius Robertas
Published: October 2022

With the advancement in pose estimation techniques, human posture detection recently received considerable attention in many applications, including ergonomics and healthcare. When using neural network models, overfitting and poor performance are prevalent issues. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were successfully used for human posture recognition from human images due to their superior multiscale high-level visual representations over hand-engineering low-level characteristics. However, calculating millions of parameters in a deep CNN requires a significant number of annotated examples, which prohibits many deep CNNs such as AlexNet and VGG16 from being used on issues with minimal training data. We propose a new three-phase model for decision support that integrates CNN transfer learning, image data augmentation, and hyperparameter optimization (HPO) to address this problem. The model is used as part of a new decision support framework for the optimization of hyperparameters for AlexNet, VGG16, CNN, and multilayer perceptron (MLP) models for accomplishing optimal classification results. The AlexNet and VGG16 transfer learning algorithms with HPO are used for human posture detection, while CNN and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) were used as standard classifiers for contrast. The HPO methods are essential for machine learning and deep learning algorithms because they directly influence the behaviors of training algorithms and have a major impact on the performance of machine learning and deep learning models. We used an image data augmentation technique to increase the number of images to be used for model training to reduce model overfitting and improve classification performance using the AlexNet, VGG16, CNN, and MLP models. The optimal combination of hyperparameters was found for the four models using a random-based search strategy. The MPII human posture datasets were used to test the proposed approach. The proposed models achieved an accuracy of 91.2% using AlexNet, 90.2% using VGG16, 87.5% using CNN, and 89.9% using MLP. The study is the first HPO study executed on the MPII human pose dataset.
Analysis of Road Sign-Related Factors Affecting Driving Safety with Respect to City Size
Authors: Choi Woo Chul , Chong Kyu Soo
Published: October 2022

With the increasing popularity of digital navigation systems and smartphones, the role of road signs during driving is gradually diminishing. However, owing to the inaccessibility of the technology to certain portions of the population, e.g., the elderly, and the risk of failure of communication networks, road signs continue to be an essential public tool to ensure driving safety. Although some research has been conducted on road sign-related topics, e.g., road sign recognition and image analysis, the comprehensive safety of road sign functions has not yet been researched. Accordingly, this study analyzed the factors of road signs affecting driving safety based on ordinal logistic regression analysis and derived their implications through a public survey. To improve driving safety, it is necessary to improve the intuitiveness of guide information (Daytime recognition (odds ratio): 1.547, Understanding of guide information: 1.222), select user’s necessary information (Sufficiency of guide information: 1.449) and provide variable information (Real-time guidance according to situation), establish a road guide system for various future mobility modes (Customized guidance for various forms of mobility: 1.112), and link and integrate with surrounding road facilities (Location/frequency adequacy: 1.128, Integrated installation of road facilities: 1.116).
Application of Deep Learning Techniques and Bayesian Optimization with Tree Parzen Estimator in the Classification of Supply Chain Pricing Datasets of Health Medications
Authors: Oyewola David Opeoluwa , Dada Emmanuel Gbenga , Omotehinwa Temidayo Oluwatosin , Emebo Onyeka , Oluwagbemi Olugbenga Oluseun
Published: October 2022

From the development and sale of a product through its delivery to the end customer, the supply chain encompasses a network of suppliers, transporters, warehouses, distribution centers, shipping lines, and logistics service providers all working together. Lead times, bottlenecks, cash flow, data management, risk exposure, traceability, conformity, quality assurance, flaws, and language barriers are some of the difficulties that supply chain management faces. In this paper, deep learning techniques such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and One Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D-CNN) were adopted and applied to classify supply chain pricing datasets of health medications. Then, Bayesian optimization using the tree parzen estimator and All K Nearest Neighbor (AllkNN) was used to establish the suitable model hyper-parameters of both LSTM and 1D-CNN to enhance the classification model. Repeated five-fold cross-validation is applied to the developed models to predict the accuracy of the models. The study showed that the combination of 1D-CNN, AllkNN, and Bayesian optimization (1D-CNN+AllKNN+BO) outperforms other approaches employed in this study. The accuracy of the combination of 1D-CNN, AllkNN, and Bayesian optimization (1D-CNN+AllKNN+BO) from one-fold to 10-fold, produced the highest range between 61.2836% and 63.3267%, among other models.
Deep Learning Based Detector YOLOv5 for Identifying Insect Pests
Authors: Ahmad Iftikhar , Yang Yayun , Yue Yi , Ye Chen , Hassan Muhammad , Cheng Xi , Wu Yunzhi , Zhang Youhua
Published: October 2022

Insect pests are a major element influencing agricultural production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an estimated 20–40% of pest damage occurs each year, which reduces global production and becomes a major challenge to crop production. These insect pests cause sooty mold disease by sucking the sap from the crop’s organs, especially leaves, fruits, stems, and roots. To control these pests, pesticides are frequently used because they are fast-acting and scalable. Due to environmental pollution and health awareness, less use of pesticides is recommended. One of the salient approaches could be to reduce the wide use of pesticides by spraying on demand. To perform spot spraying, the location of the pest must first be determined. Therefore, the growing population and increasing food demand emphasize the development of novel methods and systems for agricultural production to address environmental concerns and ensure efficiency and sustainability. To accurately identify these insect pests at an early stage, insect pest detection and classification have recently become in high demand. Thus, this study aims to develop an object recognition system for the detection of crops damaging insect pests and their classification. The current work proposes an automatic system in the form of a smartphone IP- camera to detect insect pests from digital images/videos to reduce farmers’ reliance on pesticides. The proposed approach is based on YOLO object detection architectures including YOLOv5 (n, s, m, l, and x), YOLOv3, YOLO-Lite, and YOLOR. For this purpose, we collected 7046 images in the wild under different illumination and background conditions to train the underlying object detection approaches. We trained and test the object recognition system with different parameters from scratch. The eight models are compared and analyzed. The experimental results show that the average precision (AP@0.5) of the eight models including YOLO-Lite, YOLOv3, YOLOR, and YOLOv5 with five different scales (n, s, m, l, and x) reach 51.7%, 97.6%, 96.80%, 83.85%, 94.61%, 97.18%, 97.04%, and 98.3% respectively. The larger the model, the higher the average accuracy of the detection validation results. We observed that the YOLOv5x model is fully functional and can correctly identify the twenty-three species of insect pests at 40.5 milliseconds (ms). The developed model YOLOv5x performs the state-of-the-art model with an average precision value of (mAP@0.5) 98.3%, (mAP@0.5:0.95) value of 79.8%, precision of 94.5% and a recall of 97.8%, and F1-score with 96% on our IP-23 dataset. The results show that the system works efficiently and was able to correctly detect and identify insect pests, which can be employed for realistic application while farming.
Effectiveness of the Overtaking Ban for Heavy Vehicles on the Four-Lane Divided Highway in Different Weather Conditions
Authors: Rijavec Robert , Marsetič Rok , Strnad Irena
Published: October 2022

In many European countries and also in Slovenia, the highway network was rapidly built in order to reduce congestion and to increase the level of traffic safety on congested sections of the road network, thus enabling a higher level of service and accelerating polycentric development. Unfortunately, traffic demand is growing over all limits, be it tourist car traffic or transit-heavy vehicle traffic. Thus, countries are forced to actively manage road freight traffic, which is present all year round. Accordingly, in Slovenia, permanent and timed restrictions were introduced for trucks regarding overtaking on highways. Overtaking is prohibited during the day but trucks are allowed to change lanes at night. It should be noted, however, that there may be circumstances that can restrict the normal travel of heavy vehicles in all lanes in one way or another, whether at night or during the day. We would like to convince highway traffic managers that weather-responsive adaptive traffic control could be more efficient when weather conditions are considered. This article presents an approach to simulate traffic flow on a short section of a two-lane unidirectional carriageway under various weather conditions. Using two scenarios for lane traffic control, i.e., with and without a truck overtaking ban, as examples, we show that knowledge of the traffic characteristics of each lane in different weather conditions is important for decision-making and for the timeliness of traffic management. We found that under certain traffic and weather conditions, prohibiting vehicles from overtaking with limited speed limits on four-lane divided highways or proper traffic lane control has a positive effect on the traffic fluency or available conditional capacity of the highway. To some extent, this confirms that the decision of the operator of the Slovenian highway system regarding the driving regime for heavy vehicles was correct. Through our research, we found that dynamic bans can be more effective when we include the dynamics of traffic demand, and environmental and weather conditions.
Differential Analysis of a Cryptographic Hashing Algorithm HBC-256
Authors: Algazy Kunbolat , Sakan Kairat , Kapalova Nursulu , Nyssanbayeva Saule , Dyusenbayev Dilmukhanbet
Published: October 2022

The article observes the new hashing algorithm HBC-256. The HBC-256 algorithm is based on the block cipher of the compression function CF (Compression Function) and produces a 256-bits hash value. Like any new cryptographic structure, the HBC-256 algorithm requires careful research process in order to confirm its cryptographic properties, namely: pre-image resistance and resistance to collisions of the first and second order. As a result of the research, for the HBC-256 hashing algorithm differential properties of nonlinear elements (S-boxes) and various options for constructing round characteristics are considered. A hypothesis has been advanced about the existence of paired differences, which will make it possible to construct round characteristics for hashing and for the function of round keys generating. It is shown that even for the most optimal way of constructing chains of differences, the probability of finding correct pairs of texts is less than the probability of a complete enumeration of one 128-bit block of input data, which makes the method of differential cryptanalysis unsuitable for finding collisions.
Fast Sparse Bayesian Learning-Based Channel Estimation for Underwater Acoustic OFDM Systems
Authors: Cho Yong-Ho
Published: October 2022

Harsh underwater channels and energy constraints are the two critical issues of underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. To achieve a high channel estimation performance under a severe underwater channel, sparse Bayesian learning (SBL)-based channel estimation was adopted for UWA orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Accurate channel estimation can guarantee the successful reception of transmitted data and reduce retransmission occurrences, thereby, leading to energy-efficient communications. However, SBL-based algorithms have improved performances in iterative ways, which require high power consumption. In this paper, a fast SBL algorithm based on a weighted learning rule for hyperparameters is proposed for channel estimation in a UWA-OFDM system. It was shown via numerical analysis that the proposed weighted learning rule enables fast convergence and more accurate channel estimation simultaneously. Simulation results confirm that the proposed algorithm achieves higher accuracy in channel estimation with much fewer iteration numbers in comparison to conventional SBL-based methods for a time-varying UWA channel.
Pore Space Connectivity in Different Rock-Physics Methods—Similarity and Differences
Authors: Berezina Irina , Bayuk Irina
Published: October 2022

This study is focused on the analysis of pore space connectivity in reservoir rocks. This parameter is of vital importance for the oil and gas industry since it controls hydraulic permeability. Five methods of rock physics are used for this goal. Three of these methods (self-consistent version of generalized singular approximation, Berryman self-consistent method, and differential scheme) take into account the pore space connectivity implicitly. The other two methods, the f-model of the generalized singular approximation and a similar modification of the Berryman method suggested in this work, allow for quantifying the connectivity via a special parameter (f-parameter). In order to reveal a physical meaning of this parameter, two simple models of carbonate rock (porous-cracked limestone) are considered. The first model is a double porosity model containing spherical pores and cracks. The second model contains only spherical pores, and their connectivity is expressed via the f-parameter. The pores and cracks are filled with brine and gas. Application of the two groups of methods for modeling the effective elastic properties of the carbonate rock gives a possibility of relating the f-parameter to the characteristics of the cracks and pores. The f-parameter is shown to be controlled by the relative crack volume in the total pore space. An increase in crack porosity and crack density leads to an increase in the f-parameter. A good correlation of the f-parameter with crack density is demonstrated. It is shown that for the porosity range 2–20%, a relationship between the f-parameter and crack density ε, in general, has the form f=alog10(ε)2+blog10(ε)+c for ε≤εmin. For the crack density less than εmin the f-parameter can be approximated by a constant value fmin. The values of εmin and fmin and coefficients a, b, and c depend on the porosity of spherical pores, saturation type, and pair of methods used for finding the link. These results give f-models an advantage in searching zones of the enhanced permeability and quantifying the ability of these zones to filtrate fluids.