bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An adjunction hypothesis between qualia and reports
Authors: Tsuchiya Naotsugu , Saigo Hayato , Phillips Steven
Published: January 2023

What are the nature of the relationship among qualia, contents of consciousness, and behavioral reports? Traditionally, this type of question has been only addressed via a qualitative and philosophical approach. Some theorists emphasize an incomplete and inaccurate nature of reports of one's own qualia to discourage formal research programs on qualia. Other empirical researchers, however, have made substantial progress in understanding the structure of qualia from such limited reports. What is the precise relationship between the two? To answer this question, we introduce the concept of “adjoint” or “adjunction” from the category theory in mathematics. We claim that the adjunction captures some aspects of the nuanced relationships between qualia and reports. The concept of adjunction allows us to clarify the conceptual issues with a precise mathematical formulation. In particular, adjunction establishes coherence between two categories that cannot be considered equivalent, yet has an important relationship. This rises in empirical experimental situations between qualia and reports. More importantly, an idea of adjunction naturally leads to various proposals of new empirical experiments to test the predictions about the nature of their relationship as well as other issues in consciousness research.
Parental perceptions of bilingualism and home language vocabulary: Young bilingual children from low-income immigrant Mexican American and Chinese American families
Authors: Mak Emily , Nichiporuk Vanni Natasha , Yang Xintong , Lara Maria , Zhou Qing , Uchikoshi Yuuko
Published: January 2023

Dual language learners (DLLs), especially those from immigrant families in the United States, risk losing their home language as they gradually shift to speaking English as they grow up. Given the potential benefits of bilingualism on children’s cognitive, linguistic, and social–emotional development, it is crucial to maintain children’s home language to foster bilingual development. The current literature suggests that parental beliefs toward bilingualism and the language and literacy environment are linked to children’s language development. With the growing number of DLLs living in the United States, little is known about what parental beliefs about bilingualism of their children are integrated into these bilingual households and parents’ role in home language maintenance. The present study addresses the gap in the literature by investigating low-income immigrant families, specifically Chinese American and Mexican American families, and exploring the parental perceptions of children’s bilingual language learning. Further, the present study examines the relations among parental perceptions of bilingualism, home language and literacy practices, and home language oral proficiency. Data were collected from a total of 41 Mexican American and 91 Chinese American low-income immigrant families with DLLs ages 50–88 months who had been recruited from Head Start programs and state-funded preschools in Northern California when the children were 3–4 years old. Information about shared reading frequency, home language exposure and usage, and parental perceptions of bilingualism was collected through parental interviews, and DLLs’ home language oral proficiency was individually assessed. No significant difference in home language oral proficiency was observed between the two groups. Principal Components Analysis on the parental perceptions of bilingualism measure revealed two components, “Importance of Being Bilingual” and “English over Bilingualism.” Stepwise regression analysis results show that “Importance of Being Bilingual” was associated with children’s home language oral proficiency after controlling for culture, child age, the frequency of home language shared book reading, and child home language exposure and use. The results show that parents’ positive beliefs toward bilingualism are related to the children’s use of that language and their children’s language outcomes. Implications and suggestions for home language and literacy support for DLLs are discussed.
Does cultural resource endowment backfire? Evidence from China’s cultural resource curse
Authors: Zhou Jianxin , Xia Zhen , Lao Yongshi
Published: January 2023

Resource curse theory suggests that regions rich in natural resource endowments accumulate adverse economic competitive, but few studies have focused on causes and mechanisms of cultural resource curses. Since the development of the cultural industries is relatively backward in some regions with rich cultural resources in central and western China. Combined with the theory of cultural resources and the resource curse, we build cultural resource endowment and cultural resource curse coefficients and measure the distribution of cultural resource curses based on the dataset of 29 provinces in China covering 2000−2019. The results show that there is a serious cultural resource curse in western China. The causes of the cultural resource curse are multiple, place attachment and cultural field can influence cultural behaviors, and the environmental impact of industrial ecosystems causes path dependence in cultural resource exploration and cultural industry development. We further empirically tested the influence of cultural resources on cultural industries in different sub-regions of China and the transmission mechanism of the curse of cultural resources in western China. The results show that the influence of cultural resources on the cultural industries is not significant in the overall of China, but it is significantly negative in western China. The resource-dependent model of cultural industries development in western China has attracted more primary labor and crowded out government spending on education. Moreover, it hinders the upgrading of human resources and inhibits the modern innovative development of the cultural industries. This is an important reason for the curse of cultural resources in the development of cultural industries in western China.
Roles, relationships, and motor aggressions: Keys to unveiling the emotions of a traditional sporting game
Authors: Lavega-Burgués Pere , Alcaraz-Muñoz Verónica , Mallén-Lacambra Carlos , Pic Miguel
Published: January 2023

International organizations such as the UN and UNESCO set priority goals for education in the 21st century. This article shows the educational contribution of the Traditional Sporting Game (TSG) of Bear Guardian and Hunters that involves the three-chained roles. The three roles test players who share a unique social interaction ritual. This study was part of a training experience for university students in physical activity and sports sciences in the theory and practice of motor games subject at INEFC, University of Lleida (Spain). This research investigated the emotional intensity in these three roles, the emotional meaning units, and their correspondence with the emotional triad. This study is a mixed-methods research. After playing the game involved, 131 university students (46 women and 85 men) aged 18–35 years (M = 20.19, SD = 2.42) answered the validated GES-II scale indicating the intensity and causes of five basic emotions. The data were analyzed using different strategies (qualitative data: content analysis; quantitative data: descriptive statistical analysis, inferential and association rules). The methodology employed has revealed part of this game’s secret (intimate and subjective) code: the affectivity invisible to external observation. Among the findings, we highlight: (a) each role originates different intensities and units of emotional meaning; (b) the three roles feedback, need and complement each other in this socio-affective network of interdependent relationships; (c) the Bear is the central role of the game. The emotional meanings concerning the motor aggression of the Bear operate as a magnet that attracts four itineraries of association rules of meanings and emotional triads. In the hands of intelligent, prepared and sustainable teachers, this game can help students learn to live together and educate them to control and respectfully channel motor aggression. In this way, students will be active actors in the process of civilization in favor of sustainable development.
Exploring the effects of COVID-19 on motorcycle riding patterns and its importance
Authors: Wada Yukako , Bizen Yoshifumi , Inaba Mitsuyuki
Published: January 2023

A motorcycle refers to a two-wheeled, personal mobility vehicle used for daily transportation and leisure activities. Leisure enables social interaction, and motorcycle riding could be an activity that facilitates social interactions and distancing. Therefore, grasping the importance of riding motorcycles during the pandemic—which involved social distancing and limited leisure activities—can be valuable. However, researchers have yet to examine its potential importance during the pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the importance of personal space and time spent with others in the context of motorcycle riding during the COVID-19 pandemic. We specifically explored the effects of COVID-19 on riding patterns and importance of riding motorcycle by examining whether these factors differed regarding changes in the frequency of motorcycle riding before and during the pandemic in daily and leisure-oriented transportation. Data were collected from 1,800 motorcycle users in Japan using a web-based survey conducted in November 2021. Respondents replied to questions concerning the importance of personal space and time spent with others attributed to motorcycle riding before and during the pandemic. Following the survey, we conducted a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (two-factor ANOVA) and performed a simple main effect analysis using the SPSS syntax editor in case of interactions. The valid samples for motorcyclists with leisure motive (leisure-oriented users) and daily transportation motive (daily users) numbered n = 890 and n = 870, respectively (total n = 1,760, 95.5%). Each valid sample was divided into three groups based on the differences in motorcycle riding frequency before and during the pandemic: unchanged, increased frequency, and decreased frequency. The two-factor ANOVA results showed significant differences in the interaction effects for leisure-oriented and daily users regarding personal space and time spent with others. The mean value of the “increased frequency” group during the pandemic indicated significantly higher importance of personal space and time spent with others than the other groups. Motorcycle riding could enable daily transportation and leisure-oriented users to practice social distancing while simultaneously spending time with companions and alleviating loneliness and isolation during the pandemic.
Grounding human-object interaction to affordance behavior in multimodal datasets
Authors: Henlein Alexander , Gopinath Anju , Krishnaswamy Nikhil , Mehler Alexander , Pustejovsky James
Published: January 2023

While affordance detection and Human-Object interaction (HOI) detection tasks are related, the theoretical foundation of affordances makes it clear that the two are distinct. In particular, researchers in affordances make distinctions between J. J. Gibson's traditional definition of an affordance, “the action possibilities” of the object within the environment, and the definition of atelicaffordance, or one defined by conventionalized purpose or use. We augment the HICO-DET dataset with annotations for Gibsonian and telic affordances and a subset of the dataset with annotations for the orientation of the humans and objects involved. We then train an adapted Human-Object Interaction (HOI) model and evaluate a pre-trained viewpoint estimation system on this augmented dataset. Our model, AffordanceUPT, is based on a two-stage adaptation of the Unary-Pairwise Transformer (UPT), which we modularize to make affordance detection independent of object detection. Our approach exhibits generalization to new objects and actions, can effectively make the Gibsonian/telic distinction, and shows that this distinction is correlated with features in the data that are not captured by the HOI annotations of the HICO-DET dataset.
Testing the theoretical principles of citizen science in monitoring stream water levels through photo-trap frames
Authors: Spasiano Andrea , Grimaldi Salvatore , Nardi Fernando , Noto Simone , Braccini Alessio M.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Monitoring water levels of ephemeral streams is a difficult yet important task in hydrology, especially when studying minor river flows in remote areas. The installation of flow gauging stations on upstream tributaries is impacted by the lack of economic resources, by accessibility problems and unstable morphological conditions of riverbeds avoiding the implementation of distributed observation networks at large scales. This major challenge in hydrology may be addressed by eventually adopting image-analysis approaches that constitute an effective parsimonious river flow monitoring method, but the demonstration of such techniques is still an open research topic.

Methodology

This study focuses on the testing of a novel technique that employs a white pole “staff gauge” to be photographed using a phototrap (i.e., named stage-cam which is a high-speed camera trigger system). This technology shows to be particularly efficient for observing flood events that represent the most difficult scenario for streamflow monitoring. Furthermore, the testing of this innovative hydrological data-gathering method is performed by adopting citizen science and participatory image analysis to assess the value and effectiveness of non-expert volunteers to operationalize this novel method. Citizen engagement may be essential for supporting distributed flow monitoring supporting large scale image analysis algorithm calibration associated to a continuous series of phototrap images. The Montecalvello watershed, located near Rome, is selected for this pilot case study.

Results

Results of the conducted tests, involving the University of Tuscia student community, are presented toward the demonstration of the effectiveness of citizen science to collect valid quantitative hydrological observations, which may correlate consistently with expert estimates. To better interpret results, the authors consider mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute relative error (MARE) as synthetic indices to determine the uncertainties associated to voluntary observations. Low margins of error return positive feedback on the adopted methodology.

Discussion

This research promotes the use of participatory approaches for addressing an actual hydrological monitoring challenge. In addition, it fosters increased citizen knowledge and awareness of the importance and value of hydrological monitoring of small ungauged river basins.
Addressing violence against transgender people in Bangladesh: A call for policy intervention
Authors: Barua Arup , Khan Shehreen Ataur
Published: January 2023

Violence, oppression, and cruelty are as old as human civilization itself. Human identity is multi-layered, and deviation from a specific identity may elicit violence, deprivation, and prejudice in various settings. In many countries and societies, the transgender community is one of the most vulnerable groups due to their gender incongruence. Deeply ingrained cultural norms, beliefs, social ignorance, and practices have transferred violence against transgender people over generations, preventing them from enjoying their fundamental human rights. Key objectives of this article are 2-fold: first, this article focuses on violence against transgender people and rights violation in Bangladesh; and second, the report examines the types of violence against the transgender population and the actors who must be involved in providing a solution. Moreover, this article unravels the current organizational and institutional advances in supporting the welfare and rights of the transgender community in Bangladesh. This article concludes that the absence of a dedicated national policy for the protection and welfare of the transgender population impedes the implementation of necessary measures, which should be facilitated by formulation of an appropriate policy, followed by effective implementation.
Case Report: Desmoid fibromatosis in the mediastinum of a 6-month-old toddler, what to do?
Authors: Endara Santiago A. , Dávalos Gerardo A. , Molina Gabriel A. , Armijos Christian A. , Narvaez D. Sebastian , Montalvo Nelson
Published: January 2023

Desmoid fibromatosis is a rare, aggressive borderline lesion arising from soft tissues. Treatment will depend on the structures that the tumor has involved. Surgery with negative margins is the recommended strategy as it can usually achieve disease control; however, the tumor's location sometimes does not allow it. Therefore, a combination of medical therapies along with strict surveillance is crucial. We present the case of a 6-month-old boy with a chest mass. After further evaluation, a rapidly growing mediastinal mass involving the sternum and costal cartilage was detected. Desmoid fibromatosis was the final diagnosis.
Which nutritional prognosis is better? comparison of the three most commonly performed bariatric surgeries: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Cui Yuanyao , Zhang Di , Wang Li , Liu Xuefei , Wang Chunyan , Tian Shuyun , Li Meiqu
Published: January 2023

Background

Obesity is one of the most important public health conditions in the world, and surgical intervention is the only medical treatment recognized by the medical community as a complete and permanent cure for morbid obesity and its complications. The choice of surgical modality is also based more on the experience of the physician or the requirements of people with obesity, rather than on scientific data. In this issue, a thorough comparison of the nutritional deficiencies caused by the three most commonly used surgical modalities is needed.

Objectives

We aimed to use the network meta-analysis to compare the nutritional deficiencies caused by the three most common BS procedures in many subjects who underwent BS to help physicians determine the best BS surgical approach to apply to their clinical people with obesity.

Setting

A systematic review and network meta-analysis of world literature.

Methods

We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, systematically reviewed the literature, and conducted a network meta-analysis using R Studio.

Results

For the four vitamins calcium, vitamin B12, iron and vitamin D, the micronutrient deficiency caused by RYGB is the most serious.

Conclusions

RYGB causes slightly higher nutritional deficiencies in Bariatric surgery, but RYGB remains the most commonly used modality for Bariatric surgery.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022351956, identifier: CRD42022351956.
Multiple myeloma presenting as a cervical intraforaminal tumor: A case report and review of literature
Authors: Jankovic Dragan , Kalasauskas Darius , Keric Naureen , Ottenhausen Malte , Ringel Florian
Published: January 2023

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy with characteristic clonal plasma cell proliferation and production of monoclonal immunoglobulins. Although it can often metastasize to the bony spine, completely extravertebral and extra-/intradural manifestations are exceedingly rare. In this case report, we describe a 51-year-old male patient with cervical extradural and intraforaminal MM who was surgically treated in our department. Clinical findings and radiological images were retrieved from medical records and an imaging system. This unusual localization of MM and similar cases in the literature are reviewed in detail. The patient underwent tumor resection via a ventral approach, and postoperative MRI demonstrated a sufficient decompression of neural structures. No new neurological deficits were observed at subsequent follow-ups. Although 7 cases of extramedullary extradural manifestations of multiple myeloma have been described in the literature so far, this is the first case of intraforaminal extramedullary multiple myeloma located in the cervical spine and treated by surgery.
Non-invasive methods to assess muscle function in dogs: A scoping review
Authors: Dahl Kathrine Højte , Zebis Mette Kreutzfeldt , Vitger Anne Désiré , Miles James Edward , Alkjær Tine
Published: January 2023

Skeletal muscle function can be affected by multiple disorders in dogs of which cranial cruciate ligament rupture or disease (CCLD) is one of the most common. Despite the significance of this condition only sparse research exists regarding assessment of muscle function in dogs. This scoping review aimed to identify the non-invasive methods for canine muscle function assessments that have been reported in the literature in the past 10 years. A systematic literature search was conducted 1st March 2022 across six databases. After screening, 139 studies were considered eligible for inclusion. Among the included studies, 18 different muscle function assessment categories were identified, and the most frequently reported disease state was CCLD. We included an attempt to elucidate the clinical applicability of the 18 reported methods, as experts were asked to subjectively assess the methods for their clinical relevance as well as their practical applicability in dogs with CCLD.
Economic Impact of European Liver and Intestine Transplantation Association (ELITA) Recommendations for Hepatitis B Prophylaxis After Liver Transplantation
Authors: Cortesi Paolo Angelo , Viganò Raffaella , Conti Sara , Lenci Ilaria , Volpes Riccardo , Martini Silvia , Angelico Mario , Fung James , Buti Maria , Coilly Audrey , Durand Francois , Fondevila Constantino , Lebray Pascal , Nevens Frederik , Polak Wojciech G. , Rizzetto Mario , Zoulim Fabien , Perricone Giovanni , Berenguer Marina , Mantovani Lorenzo Giovanni , Duvoux Christophe , Belli Luca Saverio
Published: January 2023

The European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association, ELITA, promoted a Consensus Conference involving 20 experts across the world which generated updated guidelines on HBV prophylaxis in liver transplant candidates and recipients. This study explores the economic impact associated with the implementation of the new ELITA guidelines. To this aim, a condition-specific cohort simulation model has been developed to compare new and historical prophylaxis, including only pharmaceutical cost and using the European perspective. The target population simulated in the model included both prevalent and incident cases, and consisted of 6,133 patients after the first year, that increased to 7,442 and 8,743 patents after 5 and 10 years from its implementation. The ELITA protocols allowed a cost saving of around € 235.65 million after 5 years and € 540.73 million after 10 years; which was mainly due to early HIBG withdrawal either after the first 4 weeks or after the first year post Liver Transplantation (LT) depending on the virological risk at transplantation. Results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses. The money saved by the implementation of the ELITA guidelines would allow healthcare decision makers and budget holders to understand where costs could be reduced and resources re-allocated to different needs.
Low-Order Electrochemical State Estimation for Li-Ion Batteries
Authors: Moreno Higuatzi , Schaum Alexander
Published: January 2023

Batteries are complex systems involving spatially distributed microscopic mechanisms on different time scales whose adequate interplay is essential to ensure a desired functioning. Describing these phenomena yields nonlinearly coupled partial differential equations whose numerical solution requires considerable effort and computation time, making it an infeasible solution for real-time applications. Anyway, having information about the internal electrochemical states of the battery can pave the way for many different advanced monitoring and control strategies with a big potential for improving efficiency and longevity. For such purposes, in the present paper, a combination of a low-order representation of the essential dynamics associated to the internal electrochemical mechanisms based on Dynamic Mode Decomposition for control (DMDc) is proposed to obtain an improved equivalent circuit model (ECM) representation with continuously updated parameters and combined with an extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The model-order reduction step extensively exploits the model structure, yielding a well structured low-order representation without artificial numerical correlations. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated with numerical simulations based on a well-established reference model, showing its potential usefulness in real-time applications requiring knowledge of the internal electrochemical states besides the state-of-charge.
CUDA and OpenMp Implementation of Boolean Matrix Product with Applications in Visual SLAM
Authors: Zarringhalam Amir , Shiry Ghidary Saeed , Mohades Ali , Sadegh-Zadeh Seyed-Ali
Published: January 2023

In this paper, the concept of ultrametric structure is intertwined with the SLAM procedure. A set of pre-existing transformations has been used to create a new simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm. We have developed two new parallel algorithms that implement the time-consuming Boolean transformations of the space dissimilarity matrix. The resulting matrix is an important input to the vector quantization (VQ) step in SLAM processes. These algorithms, written in Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) and Open Multi-Processing (OpenMP) pseudo-codes, make the Boolean transformation computationally feasible on a real-world-size dataset. We expect our newly introduced SLAM algorithm, ultrametric Fast Appearance Based Mapping (FABMAP), to outperform regular FABMAP2 since ultrametric spaces are more clusterable than regular Euclidean spaces. Another scope of the presented research is the development of a novel measure of ultrametricity, along with creation of Ultrametric-PAM clustering algorithm. Since current measures have computational time complexity order, O(n3) a new measure with lower time complexity, O(n2), has a potential significance.
Simulating Soil–Disc Plough Interaction Using Discrete Element Method–Multi-Body Dynamic Coupling
Authors: Ucgul Mustafa
Published: January 2023

Due to their (a) lower draught force requirements and (b) ability to work at deeper operation depths and faster operation speeds, disc ploughs have gained interest in Australia. A modified version of the disc plough that involves removing every second disc and fitting larger and often more concave discs has become popular. However, the development of the one-way modified disc plough is in its infancy, and a detailed analysis is required, particularly on soil movement. Historically, the soil movement analysis of the soil–tool interactions is conducted using empirical methods. However, the experimental tests are resource and labour intensive. When the soil and tool interaction can be accurately modelled, more efficient tools can be designed without performing expensive field tests, which may only be undertaken at certain times of the year. This study modelled the interaction between soil and a one-way modified disc plough using the discrete element method (DEM). As the disc plough is a passive-driven tool, the rotational speed of the disc plough was modelled using DEM-MBD (multi-body dynamic) coupling. The results of the study show that DEM-MBD coupling can predict the rotational speed of the disc plough with a maximum relative error of 6.9%, and a good correlation was obtained between the DEM-predicted and actual soil movement (R2 = 0.68).
Prospects of Codling Moth Management on Apples with Botanical Antifeedants and Repellents
Authors: Pszczolkowski Maciej A.
Published: January 2023

The codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. (Tortricidae), is a major pest of apples, potentially causing annual losses exceeding USD62 billion globally. Growers have limited options for combatting the codling moth. Sprays with azinphos-methyl have been banned in the European Union, Turkey, and the USA. To be effective, Bacillus thuringiensis or Carpocapsa pomonella must be ingested in large quantities, and the fruit is damaged before the larvae die. Mating disruption or an attract-and-kill strategy does not resolve problems caused by the migration of moths from adjacent areas or insecticide resistance. Discouraging neonates from burrowing into the fruit with feeding deterrents or repellents of plant origin may become a new strategy. This paper presents a list of twenty-three plants and six secondary metabolites preventing apple infestation by codling moth neonates. Some of these plant extracts or oils (Alium sativum, Tanacetum vulgare, Atremisia arborescens, Ginkgo biloba) showed deterrence exceeding 95% in comparison to controls. The prospects of codling moth control with botanicals are discussed, and further studies on these substances are suggested. In conclusion, the author states that twenty-nine plant-originated materials have great potential in organic apple protection. Future studies should concentrate on formulating these botanicals and identifying their molecular targets.
Potential Biochemical Markers Affecting Aging and “the Compensatory Effects” of Canola (Brassica napus L.) Seeds Stored in Deep Underground
Authors: Wang Jingchen , Tan Bo , He Yuxin , Liu Chao , Li Naiwen , Tan Xiao , Lu Heng
Published: January 2023

Understanding the impact of deep underground environment on seed storage is an essential prerequisite for realizing the idea of “deep underground agriculture”. To explain the changes in seed germination performance after deep underground storage, we examined the biochemical properties of envelope-packed canola seeds stored for three different durations (66, 90, and 227 days) in four different depths (0, 240, 690, and 1410 m) of a gold mine. Results showed that deep underground storage duration was the leading cause of biochemical properties changes of canola seed, while storage depth exacerbated such changes. Deep underground environment significantly suppressed seed superoxide dismutase (SOD) and soluble sugar (SS), which could be the main reason for the accelerated loss of seed vigor. The appearance of the “compensatory effect” was mainly attributed to the increase in seed growth hormone and the decrease in abscisic acid (ABA) content. The most significant enhancement in growth hormone content was observed in seeds stored at a depth of 1410 m for 66 days, where indoleacetic acid (IAA), gibberellin (GA), and cytokinin (CTK) increased by 63.37%, 21.77%, and 79.36%, respectively. In this study, short-term deep underground storage could enhance seedling growth, but the recommended storage duration for canola seeds should not be longer than 90 days.
Prairie Agroecosystems: Interconnected Microbiomes of Livestock, Soil and Insects
Authors: Liu Xiaoji (Christine) , Floate Kevin D. , Gorzelak Monika A. , Holman Devin B. , Hrycauk Scott , Kubota Hiroshi , Lupwayi Newton , Neilson Jonathan A. D. , Ortega Polo Rodrigo , Petri Renée M. , Tran Lan , Wang Hui , Wilches Diana , Yang Xianqin , Zorz Jacqueline , Guarna M. Marta
Published: January 2023

Agroecosystems are comprised of environmental compartments where associated microbial communities interact with one another. These microbial communities, called microbiomes, inhabit livestock, insects, and plants. Microbiomes are also present in the soil and watersheds. Clarifying the nature and extent of microbial interactions between compartments both at intra-farm and global scales can promote sustainable production systems, healthier animals, increased crop yields, and safer meat products. Early research on microbiomes was hindered by a lack of expertise and the high cost of molecular sequencing. However, these limitations have been largely resolved with advances in and reduced costs of sequencing technologies. In this paper, we summarize sequencing and bioinformatics approaches, and review the crucial roles of diverse microbiomes in livestock, plants and soil, as well as pollinators and pest insects. These crucial roles include nutrient cycling, nutrient acquisition, metabolism of toxins and enhanced host immune function. Additionally, we examine potentially undesirable effects of microbiomes associated with climate change and agri-food production such as their role in the release of greenhouse gases from cattle and their impact on meat safety and spoilage. By increasing the awareness of microbiomes and the growing ease with which they can be studied, we hope to foster a greater adoption of microbiome research. Further understanding of the diverse effects and interactions of microbiomes will advance our efforts to increase agricultural production while reducing its negative environmental footprint, thus making the agroecosystems more sustainable.
Effects of Biodegradable Film and Polyethylene Film Residues on Soil Moisture and Maize Productivity in Dryland
Authors: Zhang Guixin , Zhang Shibo , Xia Zhenqing , Wu Mengke , Bai Jingxuan , Lu Haidong
Published: January 2023

With the dramatic increased use of agricultural film, the potential environmental risks associated with it have been receiving widespread attention. Biodegradable film (BF) is considered an alternative to conventional polyethylene film (PF), but its feasibility to replace PF needs to be verified. Thus, we conducted a two-year field experiment in the Loess Plateau region of China, exploring the effects of residual biodegradable film and polyethylene film (RBF and RPF) on soil moisture, maize root, and productivity at different residual levels (75 kg ha−1, 150 kg ha−1 and 300 kg ha−1). Regardless of the residual film type, soil water content (SWC), root length density (RLD), and root surface area density (RSD) all decreased with increasing residual level; this phenomenon observed significant differences when the residual level exceeded 150 kg ha−1. Different organs (root and shoot) of maize differed in their sensitivity and sensitivity period to residual film. The two-year degradation rate of RBF was 59.24%, which was higher than that of RPF. Compared to the RPF treatments, the SWC, RLD, RSD, biomass, and root–shoot ratio of the RBF treatments were closer to the no residual film treatment in the second maize growing season. After the two-year experiment, compared to the grain yield, water use efficiency, and precipitation use efficiency of the RPF treatments, that of the RBF treatments increased 0.41–6.24%, 0.12–4.44%, and 0.41–06.24%. The application of BF to replace PF is beneficial to sustainable maize production in dryland, but finding efficient methods to recycle the residual film remains a priority.
Developing and Testing the Air Cooling System of a Combined Climate Control Unit Used in Pig Farming
Authors: Ignatkin Ivan , Kazantsev Sergey , Shevkun Nikolay , Skorokhodov Dmitry , Serov Nikita , Alipichev Aleksei , Panchenko Vladimir
Published: January 2023

This article presents the results of developing and testing the air-cooling system of a combined climate control unit used in pig farming. The authors have found a water-evaporative system to be the most efficient for cooling the air supply. Cooling systems of this type consume 0.003 kW/kW of electric power to produce 1 kW of cold. Based on the developed mathematical model for water-evaporative cooling in the combined climate control unit, the authors have determined that an air supply with a temperature of 31.2 °C and a relative humidity of 30.4% can be cooled by 8.3 °C when saturated with moisture to a relative humidity of 90.0% (by 11.7 °C at 100%). Experimental studies of the cooling system confirmed the theoretically obtained data.
The Effect of Using Augmented Reality Technology in Takeaway Food Packaging to Improve Young Consumers’ Negative Evaluations
Authors: Gu Chao , Huang Tingting , Wei Wei , Yang Chun , Chen Jiangjie , Miao Wei , Lin Shuyuan , Sun Hanchu , Sun Jie
Published: January 2023

This paper examines the use of augmented reality technology in the design of packaging for takeaway food to assist in marketing. The research is divided into three studies for progressive investigation and analysis. Study 1 collected 375,859 negative evaluations of food delivery from the Internet and explored the main reasons that may have impacted the user’s evaluation by Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modeling. Study 2 evaluated the effectiveness of augmented reality packaging by surveying 165 subjects and comparing it with traditional packaging. We conducted a survey of 1603 subjects in Study 3 and used the technology incentive model (TIM) to analyze how augmented reality technology positively impacts food delivery marketing. It has been established that packaging will influence the negative perception of consumers about buying and eating takeout food. Specifically, augmented reality technology can improve negative evaluations by providing a more conducive user experience than traditional packaging. According to our findings, augmented reality technology has improved the consumers’ perception of interaction, perceived vividness, and novelty experience, and achieved the aim of promoting takeaway food retail by improving negative evaluations posted by users.
The Effect of Nitrogen Supply on Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency by Wheat–Chickpea Intercropping System under Rain-Fed Mediterranean Conditions
Authors: Bouras Fatma-Zohra , Hadjout Salah , Haddad Benalia , Malek Asma , Aitmoumene Sonia , Gueboub Feriel , Metrah Luiza , Zemmouri Bahia , Kherif Omar , Rebouh Nazih-Yacer , Latati Mourad
Published: January 2023

It is well known that legume–cereal intercropping systems are more efficient in terms of resources use, in particular nitrogen (N) and water. However, the response of this cropping system to water and N co-limitation was poorly studied in most of the recent field researches. The present study aims to assess the relationship between N and water use efficiency (NUE and WUE) by chickpea–durum wheat intercropping under contrasted climate and N supply conditions. Field experiments were carried out during the 2021/2022 growing season, in three sites located at both sub-humid and semi-arid regions. WUE, NUE, aboveground biomass, grain yield and crop physiological parameters for either intercropped chickpea or durum wheat were assessed and compared to the respective measurements in monocultures among all N-fertilizer level × site treatments. The results showed that WUE relative to grain yield (WUEGY) and biomass (WUEYB) were significantly higher in sole cropped wheat under the conditions of the three studied sites, except for WUEYB in S2, in which intercropping increased WUEYB by +0.46 and +1.03 kg m−3, as compared respectively, to monoculture under low application of N fertilizer. As compared to chickpea monoculture, intercropping increased WUEGY by more than 0.30 and 0.57 kg m−3 under semi-arid conditions (S1 and S3) over three N-application doses, and by more than 0.18 kg m−3 under sub-humid conditions (S2). Simultaneously, NUE was significantly increased by intercropping, where in the mixed crop the highest values were noted as compared to sole-cropped durum wheat and chickpea. However, reducing the N-application dose leads to a gradual increase in NUE by more than 4.44 kg kg−1. As a consequence, intercropping enhanced protein accumulation in the grain yield of mixed crops by more than 30 kg ha−1 as compared to sole-cropped durum wheat, in particular under moderate N-application and sub-humid climate. Indeed, average chlorophyll content was increased (7.8%) in intercropped durum wheat under all applied N-doses in sub-humid conditions. Rain-fed chickpea–wheat intercropping promotes an improvement in growth and yield quality thanks to simultaneous optimization of water and N use under low and moderate N-application in both semi-arid and sub-humid climates.
Restoring the Importance of Cereal-Grain Legume Mixtures in Low-Input Farming Systems
Authors: Księżak Jerzy , Staniak Mariola , Stalenga Jarosław
Published: January 2023

In the paper, we overview the benefits of cereal-grain legume mixtures in low-input farming systems and identify the key factors affecting their agricultural performance. The review was based on the data collected from databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. The gathered literature covered the original research articles, reviews, book chapters, and, in a few cases, conference proceedings. The focus was on literature coming from Mediterranean countries and Central-Eastern Europe, especially from Poland. Originating from two different plant families, legumes and cereals complement each other. The legumes provide biologically fixed nitrogen for the cereals in the mixture, but also increase its pool available to the following crops. Additional benefits include, but are not limited to more efficient pathogen and weed control, supply of high-quality fodder, and improved economic efficiency. Cultivation of crops after such mixtures usually results in higher and more stable yields. The productivity of cereal-grain legume mixtures largely depends on the soil factors (soil type, pH, water availability, etc.), crop species, crop variety, and crop management. Cereal-grain legume mixtures are particularly relevant to the poor (sandy) soils which are often unsuitable for the production of the components grown as a sole crop and are often linked with low-input farming systems.
Control of Spodoptera frugiperda on Fresh Corn via Pesticide Application before Transplanting
Authors: Han Hailiang , Chen Bin , Xu Hongxing , Qin Yan , Wang Guiyue , Lv Zhongxian , Wang Xingliang , Zhao Fucheng
Published: January 2023

Background: Pesticide application before transplanting crops has been widely used in rice as an economical and effective method for reducing the use of chemical pesticides. This study focused on the feasibility of the application of pesticides before transplanting in a fresh corn nursery to control Spodoptera frugiperda. Methods: Three pesticides, including 35% Chlorantraniliprole WDG, 6% Spinetoram SC, and 3% Emamectin Benzoate WDG, combined with Polyorganosilicon (HTY-A8) or special flight additives (MF) as synergists were used and their toxicity was determined in the larvae of S. frugiperda feeding on sweet corn in the third leaf stage treated with 5 and 25 times the conventional field application concentration. The best combinations were tested in the field. The results showed that S. frugiperda exhibited high sensitivity to the three pesticides. The period of pest control validity of 35% Chlorantraniliprole WDG and 6% Spinetoram SC in the larvae was about 20 days, while that of 3% Emamectin Benzoate WDG was much shorter. The active component content of Chlorantraniliprole in the corn leaves was significantly higher than that of Emamectin Benzoate and Spinetoram. The pest control effects of Chlorantraniliprole were significantly promoted by HTY-A8 and MF. The field experiment showed that the control effect on S. frugiperda could last for 17 days by spraying Chlorantraniliprole or Spinetoram at 25 times the conventional concentration before transplanting, Furthermore, this method could reduce the amount of active ingredient to 4/5 or 3/4 of that found in a single field spray or seed coating treatment, respectively. Conclusions: This study puts forward a new method to effectively control S. frugiperda in the seedling stage of fresh corn.
IOT-Enabled Model for Weed Seedling Classification: An Application for Smart Agriculture
Authors: Tiwari Shamik , Sharma Akhilesh Kumar , Jain Ashish , Gupta Deepak , Gono Miroslava , Gono Radomir , Leonowicz Zbigniew , Jasiński Michał
Published: January 2023

Smart agriculture is a concept that refers to a revolution in the agriculture industry that promotes the monitoring of activities necessary to transform agricultural methods to ensure food security in an ever-changing environment. These days, the role of technology is increasing rapidly in every sector. Smart agriculture is one of these sectors, where technology is playing a significant role. The key aim of smart farming is to use the technologies to increase the quality and quantity of agricultural products. IOT and digital image processing are two commonly utilized technologies, which have a wide range of applications in agriculture. IOT is an abbreviation for the Internet of things, i.e., devices to execute different functions. Image processing offers various types of imaging sensors and processing that could lead to numerous kinds of IOT-ready applications. In this work, an integrated application of IOT and digital image processing for weed plant detection is explored using the Weed-ConvNet model to provide a detailed architecture of these technologies in the agriculture domain. Additionally, the regularized Weed-ConvNet is designed for classification with grayscale and color segmented weed images. The accuracy of the Weed-ConvNet model with color segmented weed images is 0.978, which is better than 0.942 of the Weed-ConvNet model with grayscale segmented weed images.
Green Manure Amendment Increases Soil Phosphorus Bioavailability and Peanut Absorption of Phosphorus in Red Soil of South China
Authors: Gu Chiming , Lv Weisheng , Liao Xing , Brooks Margot , Li Yinshui , Yu Changbin , Yang Lu , Li Xiaoyong , Hu Wenshi , Dai Jing , Zheng Wei , Qin Lu
Published: January 2023

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important crops produced worldwide. Peanut is the dominant crop in the typical upland red soil areas of China; however, phosphorus bioavailability in red soil is very low, which severely affects peanut production. To improve the phosphorus bioavailability, which substantially promotes the green development of peanut production, a peanut–green manure rotation field experiment was conducted with six treatments (milkvetch; radish; brassica rape; mustard rape; winter fallow and no-tillage), commencing in September 2017 in the red soil area of Jiangxi province, China. The results show that compared with no-tillage (NT) treatments, different green manure returning treatments had significant effects on soil pH, soil phosphorus components and available potassium content. The particulate phosphorus and soil available phosphorus contents in the green manure treatments were significantly higher than those in the winter fallow (WF) treatment. Compared with the WF treatment, the content of particulate phosphorous in brassica rape (BR), radish (R) and milkvetch (MV) treatments was significantly increased by 6.55%, 3.66% and 2.50%, respectively; the available phosphorus content in mustard rape (MR), BR, R and MV was significantly increased by 20.93%, 25.60%, 23.76% and 18.10%, respectively. In addition, the total phosphorus content of peanut shell in the MV and R treatment was significantly higher than that in the WF treatment, increasing by 33.47% and 60.66%, respectively. Compared with the WF treatment, the peanut biomass of MR, BR and R treatments increased significantly by 19.51%, 29.83% and 19.77%, respectively. The total phosphorus accumulation in all green manure treatments was higher than that in the WF treatment, and the MV treatment reached a significant level at 18.83%. Based on these results, the particulate phosphorus (PP) and available phosphorus were significantly affected by different green manure treatments; green manure amendment improves peanut phosphorus uptake. The use of green manure (especially milkvetch and brassica rape) can be recommended to improve phosphorus bioavailability and yield of peanut in red soil areas.