bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Short Video-Based Educational Program for Improving Mental Health Literacy Among Schoolteachers
Authors: Ueda Junya , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Matsuda Yasuhiro , Okazaki Kosuke , Morimoto Tsubasa , Matsukuma Seiya , Sasaki Tsukasa , Kishimoto Toshifumi
Published: February 2021

Background: Mental illness-related stigma represents a barrier to seeking and receiving appropriate mental health care. Mental health literacy (MHL) can improve mental health knowledge, decrease stigmatizing attitudes, and enhance help-seeking behavior. Starting from 2022, mental illness-related education is due to be introduced in high schools in Japan. For this current situation, we conducted a parallel group, randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of MHL educational program for teachers.

Methods: The educational program described in this study comprised a 50-min video lesson designed to improve teachers' MHL. All participants were schoolteachers and were assigned either to an educational group or a waitlist control group. The assessment was conducted for both groups twice: first at baseline and then at 1-h post-intervention. The outcome measures for this trial were changes in knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviors.

Results: The educational group showed a greater improvement in knowledge regarding mental health than did the control group. The program was not effective for decreasing stigma toward mental illness. However, the educational group showed an increased intention to assist students with depression.

Limitations: No long-term follow-up was implemented, which means the persistence of the educational program's effect could not be determined. Further, we could not report whether the program induced a change in teachers' behaviors regarding providing support for their students.

Conclusions: The short video-based MHL educational program could improve schoolteachers' MHL and increase their intention to assist students. These findings can help in the development of similar educational programs in countries/regions experiencing similar issues regarding mental health.
Depression in Alzheimer's Disease: A Delphi Consensus on Etiology, Risk Factors, and Clinical Management
Authors: Agüera-Ortiz Luis , García-Ramos Rocío , Grandas Pérez Francisco J. , López-Álvarez Jorge , Montes Rodríguez José Manuel , Olazarán Rodríguez F. Javier , Olivera Pueyo Javier , Pelegrin Valero Carmelo , Porta-Etessam Jesús
Published: February 2021

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other forms of dementia are among the most common causes of disability in the elderly. Dementia is often accompanied by depression, but specific diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches are still lacking. This study aimed to gather expert opinions on dementia and depressed patient management to reduce heterogeneity in everyday practice.

Methods: Prospective, multicenter, 2-round Modified Delphi survey with 53 questions regarding risk factors (11), signs and symptoms (7), diagnosis (8), and treatment (27) of depression in dementia, with a particular focus on AD. The questionnaire was completed by a panel of 37 expert physicians in neurodegenerative diseases (19 neurologists, 17 psychiatrists, and 1 geriatrician).

Results: Consensus was achieved in 40 (75.5%) of the items: agreement in 33 (62.3%) and disagreement in 7 (13.2%) of them. Among the most relevant findings, depression in the elderly was considered an early sign (prodromal) and/or a dementia risk factor, so routine cognitive check-ups in depressed patients should be adopted, aided by clinical scales and information from relatives. Careful interpretation of neuropsychological assessment must be carried out in patients with depression as it can undermine cognitive outcomes. As agreed, depression in early AD is characterized by somatic symptoms and can be differentiated from apathy by the presence of sadness, depressive thoughts and early-morning awakening. In later-phases, symptoms of depression would include sleep-wake cycle reversal, aggressive behavior, and agitation. Regardless of the stage of dementia, depression would accelerate its course, whereas antidepressants would have the opposite effect. Those that improve cognitive function and/or have a dual or multimodal mode of action were preferred: Duloxetine, venlafaxine/desvenlafaxine, vortioxetine, tianeptine, and mirtazapine. Although antidepressants may be less effective than in cognitively healthy patients, neither dosage nor treatment duration should differ. Anti-dementia cholinesterase inhibitors may have a synergistic effect with antidepressants. Exercise and psychological interventions should not be applied alone before any pharmacological treatment, yet they do play a part in improving depressive symptoms in demented patients.

Conclusions: This study sheds light on several unresolved clinical challenges regarding depression in dementia patients. Further studies and specific recommendations for this comorbid patient population are still needed.
Wearable Technology May Assist in Retraining Foot Strike Patterns in Previously Injured Military Service Members: A Prospective Case Series
Authors: Goss Donald L. , Watson Daniel J. , Miller Erin M. , Weart Amy N. , Szymanek Eliza B. , Freisinger Gregory M.
Published: February 2021

A rearfoot strike (RFS) pattern with increased average vertical loading rates (AVLR) while running has been associated with injury. This study evaluated the ability of an instrumented sock, which provides real-time foot strike and cadence audio biofeedback, to transition previously injured military service members from a RFS to a non-rearfoot strike (NRFS) running pattern. Nineteen RFS runners (10 males, 9 females) were instructed to wear the instrumented socks to facilitate a change in foot strike while completing an independent walk-to-run progression and lower extremity exercise program. Kinetic data were collected during treadmill running while foot strike was determined using video analysis at initial (T1), post-intervention (T2), and follow-up (T3) data collections. Nearly all runners (18/19) transitioned to a NRFS pattern following intervention (8 ± 2.4 weeks after the initial visit). Most participants (16/18) maintained the transition at follow-up (5 ± 0.8 weeks after the post-intervention visit). AVLR of the involved and uninvolved limb decreased 29% from initial [54.7 ± 13.2 bodyweights per sec (BW/s) and 55.1 ± 12.7 BW/s] to post-intervention (38.7 ± 10.1 BW/s and 38.9 ± 10.0 BW/s), respectively. This effect persisted 5-weeks later at follow-up, representing an overall 30% reduction on the involved limb and 24% reduction on the uninvolved limb. Cadence increased from the initial to the post-intervention time-point (p = 0.045); however, this effect did not persist at follow-up (p = 0.08). With technology provided feedback from instrumented socks, approximately 90% of participants transitioned to a NRFS pattern, decreased AVLR, reduced stance time and maintained these running adaptations 5-weeks later.
Competition Rather Than Observation and Cooperation Facilitates Optimal Motor Planning
Authors: Tanae Mamoru , Ota Keiji , Takiyama Ken
Published: February 2021

Humans tend to select motor planning with a high reward and low success compared with motor planning, which has a small reward and high success rate. Previous studies have shown such a risk-seeking property in motor decision tasks. However, it is unclear how to facilitate a shift from risk-seeking to optimal motor planning that maximizes the expected reward. Here, we investigate the effect of interacting with virtual partners/opponents on motor plans since interpersonal interaction has a powerful influence on human perception, action, and cognition. This study compared three types of interactions (competition, cooperation, and observation) and two types of virtual partners/opponents (those engaged in optimal motor planning and those engaged in risk-averse motor planning). As reported in previous studies, the participants took a risky aim point when they performed a motor decision task alone. However, we found that the participant's aim point was significantly modulated when they performed the same task while competing with a risk-averse opponent (p = 0.018) and that there was no significant difference from the optimal aim point (p = 0.63). No significant modulation in the aim points was observed during the cooperation and observation tasks. These results highlight the importance of competition for modulating suboptimal decision-making and optimizing motor performance.
Policies, Multi-Stakeholder Approaches and Home-Grown School Feeding Programs for Improving Quality, Equity and Sustainability of School Meals in Northern Tanzania
Authors: Roothaert Ralph , Mpogole Hosea , Hunter Danny , Ochieng Justus , Kejo Dyness
Published: February 2021

Malnutrition among children of school-going age is a challenge of serious concern in developing countries especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Many programs focus on mothers and under-5-year-old children, leaving the school going age unattended. It has been shown that school meals can reduce school absenteeism, improve concentration in class and reduce early dropouts. In Tanzania, successful home-grown school feeding programs are localized in few areas but have not been scaled-out. The objective of this study was to analyze the policy and organizational environment which enables or promotes home-grown school feeding approaches. The study consisted of a systematic review, key informant interviews and focus group discussions in Arumeru and Babati Districts, Tanzania. In total, 21 key informant interviews with 27 participants and 27 focus group discussions with 217 participants were conducted. The results show that Tanzania lacks a clear policy on school feeding; there are no guidelines for school meal quality, participation in school feeding programs is not mandatory, leading to many students being left out and going hungry. Students in private schools tend to be better off than those in public schools in terms of provision and quality of school meals. We recommend that policies and practices are developed based on positive experiences of home-grown school feeding programs implemented in Tanzania by the World Food Programme and Project Concern International and emphasize that these policies need to be developed in a multi-sectoral manner. A conceptual framework for improving home-grown school feeding in public schools in Tanzania highlights four critical components: leadership and public awareness; operational modalities; contributions from parents; and meal diversity and nutrition. The home-grown school feeding model provides mechanisms to improve diversity of meals and their nutritional value, increase participation of communities and inclusion of students. Parents will still be responsible for the largest part of food supplies, but the model also requires participation of multiple stakeholders, and provision of natural resources such as land and water by the local government for production of nutritious food for young students. Minimum levels of social protection are recommended to ensure that no student is denied school meals.
Micro and Nanoplastics Identification: Classic Methods and Innovative Detection Techniques
Authors: Mariano Stefania , Tacconi Stefano , Fidaleo Marco , Rossi Marco , Dini Luciana
Published: February 2021

Micro and nanoplastics are fragments with dimensions less than a millimeter invading all terrestrial and marine environments. They have become a major global environmental issue in recent decades and, indeed, recent scientific studies have highlighted the presence of these fragments all over the world even in environments that were thought to be unspoiled. Analysis of micro/nanoplastics in isolated samples from abiotic and biotic environmental matrices has become increasingly common. Hence, the need to find valid techniques to identify these micro and nano-sized particles. In this review, we discuss the current and potential identification methods used in microplastic analyses along with their advantages and limitations. We discuss the most suitable techniques currently available, from physical to chemical ones, as well as the challenges to enhance the existing methods and develop new ones. Microscopical techniques (i.e., dissect, polarized, fluorescence, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopy) are one of the most used identification methods for micro/nanoplastics, but they have the limitation to produce incomplete results in analyses of small particles. At present, the combination with chemical analysis (i.e., spectroscopy) overcome this limit together with recently introduced alternative approaches. For example, holographic imaging in microscope configuration images microplastics directly in unfiltered water, thus discriminating microplastics from diatoms and differentiates different sizes, shapes, and plastic types. The development of new analytical instruments coupled with each other or with conventional and innovative microscopy could solve the current problems in the identification of micro/nanoplastics.
Congenital Splay Leg Syndrome in Piglets—Current Knowledge and a New Approach to Etiology
Authors: Schumacher Toni , Röntgen Monika , Maak Steffen
Published: February 2021

The porcine congenital splay leg syndrome (PCS), even though being of transient nature, is still one of the most important causes for piglet losses due to its high incidence and mortality. Although, described decades ago, the pathogenetic mechanism is still elusive. Numerous, mostly descriptive studies characterized the syndrome at clinical, histological and cellular levels but resulted in a highly diverse picture of the syndrome. Broad variability in phenotypical expression and, in case of proper care, the rapid recovery of affected animals complicated a systematical analysis of the underlying pathogenesis. Although, several environmental factors were discussed as potential causes of PCS, most of the evidence points to a hereditary basis of PCS. Nevertheless, only few of the suggested candidate genes from transcriptome and mapping analyses, like F-box protein 32 (FBXO32), could be confirmed so far. Only recently, a genome wide association study revealed genomic regions on five porcine chromosomes and named a number of potential candidate genes, among them homer scaffold protein 1 (HOMER1). This new candidate—a cellular scaffold protein—plays a role in a plethora of cellular signaling cascades, and is not only involved in skeletal muscle differentiation but also critical for muscular function. In this review, we critically elucidate the current state of knowledge in the field and evaluate current achievements in the identification of the pathogenetic mechanism for the syndrome.
SCG3 Protein Expression in Glioma Associates With less Malignancy and Favorable Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Wang Yi , Ji Nan , Wang Junmei , Cao Jingli , Li Deling , Zhang Yang , Zhang Liwei
Published: February 2021

Introduction: Secretogranin III (SCG3) physiologically participates in neurotransmitter storage/transport and is widely expressed in neuroendocrine tumors. However, there is no report on SCG3 protein expression in gliomas.

Methods: The method of immunohistochemical staining on a glioma tissue microarray was utilized to detect SCG3 protein expression and investigate the correlations of its expression with clinicopathological and genetic features in gliomas. The RNA-seq data of SCG3 in The Cancer Genome Atlas database was exploited to explore these correlations at the transcriptional level.

Results: There were 57.5% (130/226) glioma cases having SCG3 cytoplasmic staining in the tissue microarray. SCG3 expression inversely correlated with malignancy grade at both transcriptional and protein levels. The highest level was observed in oligodendroglial tumors, especially in oligodendrogliomas (ODs) with IDH-mutation/1p19q-codeletion. The lowest SCG3 expression was observed in glioblastomas (GBMs), especially in the mesenchymal subtype. Nearly a half of GBM cases (44.4%, 64/144) had any discernible SCG3 staining, and were defined as SCG3-positive by the microarray study. SCG3-positive GBM cases exhibited improved overall survival as compared with the SCG3-negative cases (29.3 vs. 14.5 months; Hazard ratio, 0.364; 95% CI, 0.216–0.612; p < 0.001). A multivariate Cox regression analysis also revealed SCG3 positivity as an independent favorable prognosticator in GBM patients.

Conclusion: SCG3 protein expression inversely correlates with glioma malignancy and predicts favorable outcomes in GBM patients.
Fast Overlap Detection between Hard-Core Colloidal Cuboids and Spheres. The OCSI Algorithm
Authors: Tonti Luca , Patti Alessandro
Published: February 2021

Collision between rigid three-dimensional objects is a very common modelling problem in a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines, including Computer Science and Physics. It spans from realistic animation of polyhedral shapes for computer vision to the description of thermodynamic and dynamic properties in simple and complex fluids. For instance, colloidal particles of especially exotic shapes are commonly modelled as hard-core objects, whose collision test is key to correctly determine their phase and aggregation behaviour. In this work, we propose the Oriented Cuboid Sphere Intersection (OCSI) algorithm to detect collisions between prolate or oblate cuboids and spheres. We investigate OCSI’s performance by bench-marking it against a number of algorithms commonly employed in computer graphics and colloidal science: Quick Rejection First (QRI), Quick Rejection Intertwined (QRF) and a vectorized version of the OBB-sphere collision detection algorithm that explicitly uses SIMD Streaming Extension (SSE) intrinsics, here referred to as SSE-intr. We observed that QRI and QRF significantly depend on the specific cuboid anisotropy and sphere radius, while SSE-intr and OCSI maintain their speed independently of the objects’ geometry. While OCSI and SSE-intr, both based on SIMD parallelization, show excellent and very similar performance, the former provides a more accessible coding and user-friendly implementation as it exploits OpenMP directives for automatic vectorization.
Adaptive Behaviour for a Self-Organising Video Surveillance System Using a Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Saffre Fabrice , Hildmann Hanno
Published: February 2021

Genetic algorithms (GA’s) are mostly used as an offline optimisation method to discover a suitable solution to a complex problem prior to implementation. In this paper, we present a different application in which a GA is used to progressively adapt the collective performance of an ad hoc collection of devices that are being integrated post-deployment. Adaptive behaviour in the context of this article refers to two dynamic aspects of the problem: (a) the availability of individual devices as well as the objective functions for the performance of the entire population. We illustrate this concept in a video surveillance scenario in which already installed cameras are being retrofitted with networking capabilities to form a coherent closed-circuit television (CCTV) system. We show that this can be conceived as a multi-objective optimisation problem which can be solved at run-time, with the added benefit that solutions can be refined or modified in response to changing priorities or even unpredictable events such as faults. We present results of a detailed simulation study, the implications of which are being discussed from both a theoretical and practical viewpoint (trade-off between saving computational resources and surveillance coverage).
A Deep Learning Model for Data-Driven Discovery of Functional Connectivity
Authors: Mahmood Usman , Fu Zening , Calhoun Vince D. , Plis Sergey
Published: February 2021

Functional connectivity (FC) studies have demonstrated the overarching value of studying the brain and its disorders through the undirected weighted graph of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) correlation matrix. However, most of the work with the FC depends on the way the connectivity is computed, and it further depends on the manual post-hoc analysis of the FC matrices. In this work, we propose a deep learning architecture BrainGNN that learns the connectivity structure as part of learning to classify subjects. It simultaneously applies a graphical neural network to this learned graph and learns to select a sparse subset of brain regions important to the prediction task. We demonstrate that the model’s state-of-the-art classification performance on a schizophrenia fMRI dataset and demonstrate how introspection leads to disorder relevant findings. The graphs that are learned by the model exhibit strong class discrimination and the sparse subset of relevant regions are consistent with the schizophrenia literature.
Feature and Language Selection in Temporal Symbolic Regression for Interpretable Air Quality Modelling
Authors: Lucena-Sánchez Estrella , Sciavicco Guido , Stan Ionel Eduard
Published: February 2021

Air quality modelling that relates meteorological, car traffic, and pollution data is a fundamental problem, approached in several different ways in the recent literature. In particular, a set of such data sampled at a specific location and during a specific period of time can be seen as a multivariate time series, and modelling the values of the pollutant concentrations can be seen as a multivariate temporal regression problem. In this paper, we propose a new method for symbolic multivariate temporal regression, and we apply it to several data sets that contain real air quality data from the city of Wrocław (Poland). Our experiments show that our approach is superior to classical, especially symbolic, ones, both in statistical performances and the interpretability of the results.
The Potential for Innovative and Smart Rural Development in the Peripheral Regions of Eastern Poland
Authors: Adamowicz Mieczysław
Published: February 2021

Peripheral regions exist in most European countries, and in the countries of the European Union they have been supported for many years by the Community’s Cohesion Policy, which aims at reducing development disparities between the Member States and regions within individual countries. In Poland, five out of sixteen voivodeships in the country are considered to be peripheral regions. They are located on Poland’s eastern border, which is also the eastern border of the European Union. Support programmes for these regions have attained the status of separate operational programmes, focusing on generating convergence effects, which can be achieved by increasing the level of innovation and implementing intelligent ways of operating the economy. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the essence of peripherality and the innovative-development potential of peripheral regions in Poland, as well as the potential of smart rural development. The paper is based on an analysis of research results drawn from the literature on the subject, as well as from official information and statistics. Own research on the smart village concept in three regions of Eastern Poland was also used. This research showed a reduction in disproportions in the development of regions in Poland, and a link between the level of innovation and the economic growth of the regions, which occurred with a certain lag in relation to the transfer of innovation.
Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations
Authors: Baraibar Barbara , White Charles M. , Hunter Mitchell C. , Finney Denise M. , Barbercheck Mary E. , Kaye Jason P. , Curran William S. , Bunchek Jess , Mortensen David A.
Published: February 2021

Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supplement ecosystem service provisioning, we were interested in assessing the impacts of weeds on such provisioning. To our knowledge, no research has examined how weeds in cover crops may impact the provision of ecosystem services and disservices. Here, we review services and disservices associated with weeds in annual agroecosystems and present two case studies from the United States to illustrate how weeds growing in fall-planted cover crops can provide ground cover, decrease potential soil losses, and effectively manage nitrogen. We argue that in certain circumstances, weeds in cover crops can enhance ecosystem service provisioning. In other circumstances, such as in the case of herbicide-resistant weeds, cover crops should be managed to limit weed biomass and fecundity. Based on our case studies and review of the current literature, we conclude that the extent to which weeds should be allowed to grow in a cover crop is largely context-dependent.
Conversion and Validation of Uniplex SNP Markers for Selection of Resistance to Cassava Mosaic Disease in Cassava Breeding Programs
Authors: Ige Adenike D. , Olasanmi Bunmi , Mbanjo Edwige Gaby Nkouaya , Kayondo Ismail S. , Parkes Elizabeth Y. , Kulakow Peter , Egesi Chiedozie , Bauchet Guillaume J. , Ng Enghwa , Lopez-Lavalle Luis Augusto Becerra , Ceballos Hernan , Rabbi Ismail Y.
Published: February 2021

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is a major viral disease adversely affecting cassava production in Africa and Asia. Genomic regions conferring resistance to the disease have been mapped in African cassava germplasm through biparental quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association studies. To facilitate the utilization of these markers in breeding pipelines to support selections, proof-of-concept technical and biological validation research was carried out using independent pre-breeding and breeding populations. Kompetitive Allele-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (KASP) assays were designed from three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers linked to a major resistance locus on chromosome 12 (S12_7926132, S12_7926163) and a minor locus on chromosome 14 (S14_4626854). The designed assays were robust and easy to score with >99% genotype call rate. The overall predictive accuracy (proportion of true positives and true negatives) of the markers (S12_7926132 and S14_4626854) was 0.80 and 0.78 in the pre-breeding and breeding population, respectively. On average, genotypes that carried at least one copy of the resistant allele at the major CMD2 locus had a significantly higher yield advantage. Nevertheless, variation was observed in prediction accuracies for the major locus (S12_7926132) among sub-families from the two populations, suggesting the need for context-specific utilization, for example, by screening for co-segregation of favorable SNP alleles with resistance in the parents being used for crosses. Availability of these validated SNP markers on the uniplex KASP genotyping platform represents an important step in translational genetics toward marker-assisted selection to accelerate introgression of favorable resistant alleles in breeding populations.
Winter Wheat and Spring Barley Canopies under Strip-Till One-Pass Technology
Authors: Jaskulska Iwona , Jaskulski Dariusz
Published: February 2021

Modern agriculture promotes non-inversion, ploughless tillage systems, and simplified plant cultivation methods. Environmentally friendly plant production technologies must nevertheless guarantee high yields of good quality. In the years 2017/18–2019/20, studies were carried out in which it was assumed that these conditions could be met by strip soil tillage with simultaneous application of fertilisers and paired-row sowing (strip-till one-pass (ST-OP). Two field experiments were conducted to compare two cereal cultivation technologies: ploughless, non-inversion tillage, seedbed preparation, entire-surface fertilisation, and narrowly spaced row sowing (PL-ES); and ST-OP, with two narrow spaced rows (12 cm apart) in a strip of tilled (paired-row sowing), fertilised soil, and a 24.4-cm-wide inter-row of untilled soil. Fields of winter wheat and spring barley were investigated, assessing plant density and spatial variation, plant height, yield components, and yield. The morphological and physiological indices of the plants and canopies determined were leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), leaf stomatal conductance, and relative chlorophyll content in leaves. The ST-OP technology provides uniform planting in the canopy, especially under conditions of insufficient rainfall. Fields of winter wheat and spring barley cultivated by this method featured shorter plants with more stalks with spikes, and spikes with greater weight and number of grains, than in the fields of cereals grown under PL-ES. The LAI and PAR indices in the narrow inter-rows were similar to the PL-ES technology and higher than in the wide, untilled inter-rows. Leaves of cereals grown under ST-OP contained more chlorophyll and had a higher leaf stomatal conductance. This technology, which provides higher winter wheat and spring barley yields, is an alternative to ploughless tillage with row sowing.
Pollen Flow of Winter Triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) Investigated with Transgenic Line Expressing β-Glucuronidase Gene
Authors: Zimny Janusz , Sowa Sławomir , Otręba Piotr , Kozdój Janusz , Zimny Aleksandra , Kaczmarek Joanna , Oleszczuk Sylwia , Czaplicki Andrzej , Jędryczka Małgorzata
Published: February 2021

A transgenic winter triticale line expressing the uidA gene, encoding β-glucuronidase, was used to assess the pollen flow in field experiments over two consecutive vegetation seasons in central Poland. The experimental design included two variants of mixed transgenic and non-transgenic lines. Pollen grains were collected using passive traps located at 0, 10, 30, 60 and 85 m from the transgenic line. GM pollen grains were detected histochemically by staining with x-Gluc. A positive effect of temperature increase, as well as the strength and direction of the wind on the number and spread of pollen grains was observed. Regardless of the experiment year and variant, only few pollen grains were observed at a distance of 85 m. In the first year of the study the amount of pollen grains at 85 m was 300-fold lower than at the source and 140-fold lower in the second year. The number of transgenic pollen grains was two times lower when the field with the transgenic triticale was surrounded by a non-transgenic line, compared to an empty field. On the basis of the obtained results, we suggest 100 m as the distance for triticale pollen migration, although longer flight incidents are possible in extreme atmospheric conditions.
COMMD1 Exemplifies the Power of Inbred Dogs to Dissect Genetic Causes of Rare Copper-Related Disorders
Authors: Corbee Ronald Jan , Penning Louis C.
Published: February 2021

Wilson’s Disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder in humans, often presenting with hepatic copper overload. Finding the genetic cause of a rare disease, especially if it is related to food constituents like the trace element copper, is a Herculean task. This review describes examples of how the unique population structure of in-bred dog strains led to the discovery of a novel gene and two modifier genes involved in inherited copper toxicosis. COMMD1, after the discovery in 2002, was shown to be a highly promiscuous protein involved in copper transport, protein trafficking/degradation, regulation of virus replication, and inflammation. Mutations in the ATP7A and ATP7B proteins in Labrador retrievers and Dobermann dogs resulted in a wide variation in hepatic copper levels in these breeds. To our knowledge, numerous dog breeds with inherited copper toxicosis of unknown genetic origin exist. Therefore, the possibility that men’s best friend will provide new leads in rare copper storage diseases seems realistic.
Carcass Composition, Meat Quality and Sensory Quality of Gentile di Puglia Light Lambs: Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Oregano and Linseed
Authors: Scarpa Giuseppe , Tarricone Simona , Ragni Marco
Published: February 2021

There is a growing demand by the modern consumer for meat containing less fat and lower levels of saturated fatty acids, which are considered to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. In southern Italy, the Gentile di Puglia breed is one of the most common on farms, and the light lambs are often consumed. The study evaluates the effect of a diet containing extruded linseed (Linum usitatissimum) on growth performances, carcass traits, and meat quality in Gentile di Puglia light lambs. Thirty-six male lambs are weaned at about 20 days of age, and divided into three groups—each group is either fed a control diet (C), a diet containing 3% extruded linseed (L), or a diet containing 3% extruded linseed and 0.6% oregano (Origanum vulgare) (L + O). The lambs’ growth performances and the slaughtering and dissection data did not differ between groups. Dietary treatments have no significant effect on the quality and chemical composition of Longissimus lumborum (Ll). The mount of linoleic acid in Ll meat is significantly higher in the L group, and this positively affected the total content of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid, as well as the n-6/n-3 ratio. The good results obtained concerning the sensory traits meet the requirements of the market’s consumer.
Hormonal Carcinogenesis in Canine Mammary Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms of Estradiol Involved in Malignant Progression
Authors: Torres Cristian G. , Iturriaga María P. , Cruz Pamela
Published: February 2021

Mammary cancer is a frequent neoplasia in female dogs, in which most important risk factors are hormonal. Sexual hormones as estradiol play an important role in mammary carcinogenesis, being able to induce carcinogenic initiation, promotion and progression. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. Estradiol is synthesized mainly in the ovaries, nevertheless, high concentrations of estradiol and some of its hormonal precursors have also been described in malignant mammary tumor tissue. The mechanisms of action of estradiol include the classic genomic effects that modulate gene transcription, and non-genomic effects, which trigger quick effects after estradiol binds to its specific receptors. These responses modulate various intracellular signaling pathways, triggering post-translational modification of several proteins. This review will discuss the well-known underlying mechanisms associated with the action of estradiol in the malignant progression of canine mammary tumors.
The Health and Behavioural Effects of Individual versus Pair Housing of Calves at Different Ages on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm
Authors: Mahendran Sophie A. , Wathes D. Claire , Booth Richard E. , Blackie Nicola
Published: February 2021

Housing management of dairy calves is one of the factors that contributes to a successful rearing outcome. Individual housing of pre-weaned calves is thought to provide enhanced biosecurity and easier monitoring of the individual, and so remains prevalent in the UK. Behavioural studies have, however, found that pair housing is important for social learning, with positive impacts on health and welfare. This study utilised a single UK commercial dairy farm to establish if individual housing, pair housing from birth, or pair housing from three weeks of age affected health and behavioural parameters. Calves were housed in these allocated groups from birth to eight weeks of age, when they were moved into group pens of five calves for weaning at 10 weeks of age. All management routines other than the housing group were the same for enrolled calves. One hundred Holstein calves were recruited over a six-month period, and systematically allocated to a housing group. Weekly visits were conducted up to 10 weeks of age (weaning) for each calf, with weight, solid feed intake, and presence of clinical disease measured. In addition, a novel object approach test was carried out at six weeks, and a thoracic ultrasound was performed at seven weeks. Housing group had no effect on the average daily liveweight gain (ADLG) (p = 0.74), with an average of 0.66 kg/day over the pre-weaning period. However, on group housing at 8–10 weeks of age, there was a numerical increase in ADLG in the pair housed calves compared to the individually housed calves over the weaning period. Housing group had no significant effect on disease prevalence (p = 0.98) or the time taken to approach the novel object (p = 0.29). However, pair housed calves had increased mean total solid feed intakes from weeks 2–8 (p = 0.011), with 6.2 ± 0.67 kg (standard error of the mean—SEM), 12.7 ± 0.73 kg and 13.6 ± 0.70 kg ingested by individually housed, pair housed from birth and pair housed from three weeks of age, respectively. The overall findings of this study indicate that within a UK commercial dairy management system, there is no detrimental effect of housing calves within pairs (either from birth or three weeks of age) compared to individual housing.
Frame Analysis: An Inclusive Stakeholder Analysis Tool for Companion Animal Management in Remote Aboriginal Communities
Authors: Kennedy Brooke P. A. , Brown Wendy Y. , Butler James R. A.
Published: February 2021

Companion animal management in Australian remote Aboriginal communities (rAcs) is a complex problem, with multiple stakeholders involved with differing needs, knowledge, power and resources. We present our CoMM4Unity approach, a participatory systemic action research process designed to address such problems. In the first step, frame analysis is used to analyse stakeholders’ perspectives, knowledge types and power dynamics to determine their relative roles in animal management. Twenty individuals were interviewed from stakeholder groups involved in animal management in the remote, island rAc of Wurrumiyanga, Tiwi Islands. Frame analysis indicated that stakeholders aligned into four groups with distinct identity frames, knowledge types and power frames: Indigenous Locals, Indigenous Rangers, Non-Indigenous Locals and Animal Managers. All four groups shared overlapping perceptions about companion animals in Wurrumiyanga, and agreed that dog overpopulation was the primary issue. However, the groups differed in their strength of opinions about how dogs should be managed. Therefore, the situation is not one of diametrically opposing frames but more a misalignment of goals and values. Our application showed that frame analysis can reveal subtle variations in stakeholder groups’ identities, goals and values, and hence how they prioritise management measures.
Impact of Housing Condition on Welfare and Behavior of Immunocastrated Fattening Pigs (Sus scrofa domestica)
Authors: Steybe Linda , Kress Kevin , Schmucker Sonja , Stefanski Volker
Published: February 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the well-known positive effects of immunocastration on the behavior and welfare of pigs persist under varying environments. One hundred forty-four male pigs were studied with regard to their sex category (EM: entire males, IC: immunocastrates, BA: barrows) and housing environment (ENR: enriched, STD: standard, MIX: repeated social mixing). The vaccination of immunocastrates included two injections at the age of 12 and 22 weeks. Regardless of the housing conditions, frequencies of sexual and fighting behavior expressed by immunocastrates shifted from boar-like to barrow-like behavior after the second immunocastration vaccination (Mixed model analysis, p < 0.05). Penis biting decreased in IC after the second vaccination (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, p = 0.036) and penile injuries were lower in IC animals compared to EM (Mixed model analysis, p < 0.001). Housing-dependent effects on behavior could also be observed in the animals at a relatively young age. Enriched housing showed a beneficial effect on play behavior (Chi-square test, p < 0.001) and the social mixing environment reduced the number of social nosing events (Mixed model analysis, p < 0.05). The positive effects of immunocastration thus are robust to all housing conditions assessed in this study.
Skeletal Development and Deformities in Tench (Tinca tinca): From Basic knowledge to Regular Monitoring Procedure
Authors: Fernández Ignacio , Toledo-Solís Francisco Javier , Tomás-Almenar Cristina , Larrán Ana M. , Cárdaba Pedro , Laguna Luis Miguel , Sanz Galán María , Mateo José Antonio
Published: February 2021

Skeletal deformities reduce fish viability, growth, wellbeing, and feed efficiency but also degrade the consumer’s perception of aquaculture products. Herein, the skeletal development and the incidence of skeletal deformities in tench (Tinca tinca) reared in semi-extensive conditions has been described in detail for the first time. Larval skeletons were assessed through an acid-free double-staining procedure in 157 individuals, while 274 specimens at the juvenile stage were evaluated through X-ray analysis. The first skeletal structures to be formed were those related with breathing and feeding activities (e.g., Meckel’s cartilage and opercula) and were visible in larvae of 4 mm of standard length (SL). The axial skeleton was fully ossified in larvae of 12–17 mm of SL, and the caudal fin complex in larvae with 17–26 mm of SL. At the larval stage, no upper-jaw or opercula deformities were observed, while a low incidence (1–9%) of other severe deformities in the heads of the fish (e.g., lower-jaw deformities) were reported. The incidence of vertebral deformities in tench reared in natural ponds was considerable in larvae (54%) and juveniles (52%). Vertebral deformities (fusion and compression) were the most common deformities found in tench larvae (approximately 30%) and vertebral shape deformity in juveniles (around 10%), being mainly located in the caudal region. Thus, a regular monitoring of the skeletal deformities in tench might help to identify better rearing protocols and improve product quality sold at markets. Characterizing the skeletal development not only in semi-extensive systems such as artificial and natural ponds but also under intensive rearing conditions, seems vital for a sustainable and profitable European tench aquaculture.
Seismic Performance of LRS-FRP–Concrete–Steel Tubular Double Coupling Beam
Authors: Sui Lili , Liu Yanlei , Zhu Zhongfeng , Hu Biao , Chen Cheng , Zhou Yingwu
Published: February 2021

To improve the ductility and seismic performance of a double coupling beam, the authors applied a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet and steel tube to form fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)–concrete–steel double-skin tubular (DST) composite coupling beams. A low-cyclic reversed experimental program was carried out which factored in the member form, steel tube diameter, and construction methods. The results indicate that the ductility and energy dissipation performance of double coupling beams—whether wrapped with a PET-FRP sheet or surrounded by an FRP–concrete–steel DST composite system—is a substantial improvement over the traditional reinforced-concrete double coupling beam (RC-DCB). The ductility coefficient and accumulated energy dissipation of the DST-DCB members improved above 170% and 2300%, respectively. These percentages compare to the RC-DCB and are based on the rupture of a PET-FRP sheet. The results are similar to those of the large rupture strain double coupling beam (LRS-DCB). Meanwhile, the external wrapped PET-FRP sheet does not affect the initial stiffness and peak strength of the RC-DCB. Relatively, the inner steel tube will improve the initial stiffness, yielding strength, and peak strength. DST-DCB members still have considerable deformability after 85% of peak strength since the external PET-FRP sheet provided an effective constraint effect on the core concrete and the inner steel tube could bear excellent shear deformation.
A Dynamic Context-Aware Workflow Management Scheme for Cyber-Physical Systems Based on Multi-Agent System Architecture
Authors: Hsieh Fu-Shiung
Published: February 2021

Although Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) provides a paradigm to accommodate frequent changes in manufacturing sector, modeling and managing operations of CPS are challenging issues due to the complex interactions between entities in the system. Development of an effective context-aware workflow management system to guide the entities in the system is a critical factor to attain the potential benefits of CPS. In this paper, we will address the issue on the design of context-aware workflow management systems for CPS in IoT-enabled manufacturing environment. A CPS consists two parts, the Physical World and the Cyber World. To achieve the goal to design a context-aware information system for CPS, the Cyber World models of the entities in the system are constructed based on discrete timed Petri nets (DTPN) and a multi-agent system architecture in which each entity in the system is modeled as an agent to capture the interactions of entities in CPS. To develop context-aware workflow management systems for CPS, a Configuration/Scheduling Feasibility Problem and a Context Generation Problem in CPS are formulated. A condition for configuration/scheduling feasibility based on transformation of the Cyber World Models is established to develop an algorithm to generate contextual information to guide the operation of CPS. The proposed method is illustrated by examples. A series of experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed method in terms of computation time and response time. The results indicate that the computation time and total response time increase polynomially with respect to problem size parameters and show that the proposed method is effective in solving real problems.
Feature-Weighted Sampling for Proper Evaluation of Classification Models
Authors: Shin Hyunseok , Oh Sejong
Published: February 2021

In machine learning applications, classification schemes have been widely used for prediction tasks. Typically, to develop a prediction model, the given dataset is divided into training and test sets; the training set is used to build the model and the test set is used to evaluate the model. Furthermore, random sampling is traditionally used to divide datasets. The problem, however, is that the performance of the model is evaluated differently depending on how we divide the training and test sets. Therefore, in this study, we proposed an improved sampling method for the accurate evaluation of a classification model. We first generated numerous candidate cases of train/test sets using the R-value-based sampling method. We evaluated the similarity of distributions of the candidate cases with the whole dataset, and the case with the smallest distribution–difference was selected as the final train/test set. Histograms and feature importance were used to evaluate the similarity of distributions. The proposed method produces more proper training and test sets than previous sampling methods, including random and non-random sampling.
Research on Freight Transportation Carbon Emission Reduction Based on System Dynamics
Authors: Huang Da , Han Mei , Jiang Yuanting
Published: February 2021

In order to solve the environmental protection problem of carbon emissions in the field of freight transportation, this article proposes to promote the transfer of road freight transportation to railway transportation within a reasonable range by levying carbon emission taxes. To propose an applicable solution, this paper establishes a comprehensive carbon emission system model in the field of road transportation and railway transportation to simulate a closed-loop system as comprehensively as a real transportation system, determines the system elements according to the actual situation, reasonably develops the model hypothesis scheme, and draws out the causal network. On this basis, the system flow diagram and corresponding structural equations are constructed, and the model parameters are estimated. Finally, the paper uses actual data to verify and simulate the system model. A reasonable carbon levy interval has been obtained, and the carbon levy within this interval can promote the transfer of road freight transportation to railway transportation, so as to achieve the purpose of decreasing total carbon emissions of road–rail transportation systems in an orderly way. The innovation of this paper is to construct the carbon emissions of the road–rail system systematically for the first time, and to conduct research and exploration of carbon levies on this basis.