bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Different Stratification and Scarification Treatments on Breaking the Dormancy of Saskatoon Berry Seeds
Authors: Górnik Krzysztof , Sas-Paszt Lidia , Seliga Łukasz , Pluta Stanisław , Derkowska Edyta , Głuszek Sławomir , Sumorok Beata , Mosa Walid F. A.
Published: February 2023

Saskatoon berry has become as important as a commercial fruit crop. One main goal is to release new plant cultivars well adapted to different climatic and soil conditions. Dormant seeds obtained from breeding are serious problems delaying the program. The seeds were directly extracted from fruits after harvest (unstored) or after storage at −18 °C for 6 months (stored) and subjected to modified stratification (3 °C) with KNO3, H2O2, NO, smoke-water (SW) or scarification using sandpaper or H2SO4 for 10, 20, 30, 40 min or treatments with pulsed radio frequency (PRF) or red light. The seeds were also subjected to warm–cool stratification (20/3 °C). Unstored seeds germinated in a higher percentage and with better uniformity (T75–T25) than stored seeds. Stored seeds positively affected the onset of seed germination (T1) and mean germination time (MGT). Dormancy breakage was promoted by stratification with KNO3, SW or scarification with sandpaper, H2SO4 or treatments with PRF. The recommended method for the breeding program of breaking seeds dormancy is when unstored seeds are subjected to stratification in KNO3 (0.2%) or SW (1:100). Depending on the applied methods, the percentage of seeds’ germination increased to 87% compared to untreated (64%) control seeds. The positive effects of the selected methods persisted during seedling development by stimulating their growth and enhancing the chlorophyll content index (SPAD) and effective quantum yield of PSII of chlorophyll in leaves (ΦPSII).
Views of Farmers and Other Agri-Food Stakeholders on Generic Skills for Transitioning toward Sustainable Food Systems
Authors: Rastorgueva Natalia , Lindner Line Friis , Hansen Stine Rosenlund , Migliorini Paola , Knöbl Christoph F. , Flynn Katherine M.
Published: February 2023

Sustainable agricultural education is a fundamental base for the sustainable development of the agri-food systems. Sustainable education should provide the necessary skills to the practical world. This paper is focused on skills and competences required by the agri-food stakeholders for their current work and for future sustainable development around the world. An online survey was disseminated for data collection, and quantitative and qualitative analyses were employed to understand the impact of the demographic factors on the variety of skills mentioned by the different stakeholders. As a result, according to all of the stakeholders, the skills of navigating in a changing world, networking and strategic development are relevant for their current work, and technical skills were mentioned as relevant for future sustainable development. The age factor, rather than geography and gender, was found to have a stronger impact on defining the aforementioned skills.
Effect of Greenhouse Film Cover on the Development of Fungal Diseases on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in a Mediterranean Protected Crop
Authors: Ávalos-Sánchez Eugenio , Moreno-Teruel María , López-Martínez Alejandro , Molina-Aiz Francisco , Baptista Fátima , Marín-Membrive Patricia , Valera-Martínez Diego
Published: February 2023

Greenhouses on the Mediterranean coast mainly use plastic materials as their cover. The influence of light exerted by these materials directly affects the crops by modifying the environment in which they develop. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the use of two plastic films in an experimental greenhouse on the development of fungal diseases in two spring–summer crop cycles: tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) from February to July 2021 and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) from February to July 2022. The study was carried out in Almeria (Spain) in a multispan greenhouse divided transversely into two sectors by a polyethylene sheet. A commercial film was installed in the east sector (90% of transmissivity and 55% diffusivity) and an experimental film was installed in the west sector (85% of transmissivity and 60% diffusivity). In addition, the effect of the yield and quality of the harvested fruit was determined. In this study, two diseases were established naturally on the crop: (i) powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) in both the tomato and the pepper crop cycles and (ii) early blight (Alternaria solani) in the tomato. The analyses of both diseases showed that the areas of the greenhouse that used the plastic cover, which presented a lower sunlight transmissivity, showed higher levels of disease than the areas that used the plastic cover that allowed greater transmissivity of light within the greenhouse, differing statistically in some phases of the crop. The marketable yield was 4.2% (for tomato) and 3.1% (for pepper) higher in the sector with the experimental film with high transmissivity. For both crops, the quality of the fruits did not show statistically significant differences.
Effect of Dynamic PET Scaling with LAI and Aspect on the Spatial Performance of a Distributed Hydrologic Model
Authors: Demirci Utku , Demirel Mehmet Cüneyd
Published: February 2023

The spatial heterogeneity in hydrologic simulations is a key difference between lumped and distributed models. Not all distributed models benefit from pedo-transfer functions based on the soil properties and crop-vegetation dynamics. Mostly coarse-scale meteorological forcing is used to estimate only the water balance at the catchment outlet. The mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM) is one of the rare models that incorporate remote sensing data, i.e., leaf area index (LAI) and aspect, to improve the actual evapotranspiration (AET) simulations and water balance together. The user can select either LAI or aspect to scale PET. However, herein we introduce a new weight parameter, “alphax”, that allows the user to incorporate both LAI and aspect together for potential evapotranspiration (PET) scaling. With the mHM code enhancement, the modeler also has the option of using raw PET with no scaling. In this study, streamflow and AET are simulated using the mHM in The Main Basin (Germany) for the period of 2002–2014. The additional value of PET scaling with LAI and aspect for model performance is investigated using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) AET and LAI products. From 69 mHM parameters, 26 parameters are selected for calibration using the Optimization Software Toolkit (OSTRICH). For calibration and evaluation, the KGE metric is used for water balance, and the SPAEF metric is used for evaluating spatial patterns of AET. Our results show that the AET performance of the mHM is highest when using both LAI and aspect indicating that LAI and aspect contain valuable spatial heterogeneity information from topography and canopy (e.g., forests, grasslands, and croplands) that should be preserved during modeling. This is key for agronomic studies like crop yield estimations and irrigation water use. The additional “alphax” parameter makes the model physically more flexible and robust as the model can decide the weights according to the study domain.
Laterality in the Damaraland Mole-Rat: Insights from a Eusocial Mammal
Authors: Jacobs Paul J. , Oosthuizen Maria K.
Published: February 2023

Lateralization is the functional control of certain behaviors in the brain being processed by either the left or right hemisphere. Behavioral asymmetries can occur at an individual and population level, although population-level lateralization is less common amongst solitary species, whereas social species can benefit more from aligning and coordinating their activities. We assessed laterality (individual and population) through turning biases in the eusocial Damaraland mole rat, Fukomys damarensis. We considered factors such as breeding status (queen or subordinate), environment (wild-caught or captive), sex (male or female), colony and body mass. All individuals together demonstrated significant left-turning biases, which was also significant at the population level. Wild-caught animals were more strongly lateralized, had a wider spread over a laterality index and lacked the population-level left-turning bias as compared to captive mole rats. Subordinate animals were more lateralized than queens, demonstrating social status differences in turning biases for social mole rats. This emphasizes the importance of animal handling and context when measuring and interpreting behavioral asymmetries.
Parasites and Wildlife
Authors: Calero-Bernal Rafael , García-Bocanegra Ignacio
Published: February 2023

Macro and micro-parasites are integrated into ecosystems worldwide and are considered important elements of biodiversity [...]
Pup Recruitment in a Eusocial Mammal—Which Factors Influence Early Pup Survival in Naked Mole-Rats?
Authors: Wetzel Michaela , Courtiol Alexandre , Hofer Heribert , Holtze Susanne , Hildebrandt Thomas B.
Published: February 2023

In eusocial insects, offspring survival strongly depends on the quality and quantity of non-breeders. In contrast, the influence of social factors on offspring survival is more variable in cooperatively breeding mammals since maternal traits also play an important role. This difference between cooperative insects and mammals is generally attributed to the difference in the level of sociality. Examining offspring survival in eusocial mammals should, therefore, clarify to what extent social organization and taxonomic differences determine the relative contribution of non-breeders and maternal effects to offspring survival. Here, we present the first in-depth and long-term study on the influence of individual, maternal, social and environmental characteristics on early offspring survival in a eusocial breeding mammal, the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber). Similarly to other mammals, pup birth mass and maternal characteristics such as body mass and the number of mammae significantly affected early pup survival. In this eusocial species, the number of non-breeders had a significant influence on early pup survival, but this influence was negative—potentially an artifact of captivity. By contrasting our findings with known determinants of survival in eusocial insects we contribute to a better understanding of the origin and maintenance of eusociality in mammals.
Factors Influencing the Potential Distribution of Globally Endangered Egyptian Vulture Nesting Habitat in Nepal
Authors: Sharma Hari Prasad , Dhakal Santosh , Bhusal Krishna Prasad , Dhakal Hemanta , Gautam Ramji , Joshi Ankit Bilash , Rana Deu Bahadur , Ghimire Manshanta , Ghimire Suman , Belant Jerrold L.
Published: February 2023

Habitat suitability is crucial to ensure the long-term persistence of species and can be identified based on relationships between species occurrences and underlying abiotic and biotic factors. We identified potential nesting habitat for the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Nepal using ecological niche modeling with climatic variables. We estimated the currently suitable nesting habitat for Egyptian vulture in Nepal at 38,204 km2. We found a high probability of suitable nesting habitat on east-facing aspects, and the probability of a suitable nesting habitat was greater in more mountainous areas, particularly in central and western regions of Nepal. Precipitation was a major factor for predicting probability of the presence of nest sites for Egyptian vultures. After identifying potentially suitable habitat, we identified environmental factors affecting landscape-level suitable nesting habitat for Egyptian vultures using generalized linear models. For Egyptian vultures, sites near forests and human settlements were most suitable for nesting, roosting, and foraging, especially in central and western Nepal. Based on potentially suitable nesting habitat and previous work on Egyptian vulture foraging and roosting habitat, we recommend protecting forests near water sources and open areas for their long-term conservation.
Effect of Magnetized Freezing Extender on Membrane Damages, Motility, and Fertility of Boar Sperm Following Cryopreservation
Authors: Lee Seunghyung , Kim Yong-Min , Cheong Hee-Tae , Park Choon-Keun , Lee Sang-Hee
Published: February 2023

Magnetized water is defined as the amount of water that has passed through a magnet. The magnetic field weakens the hydrogen bonds between the water molecules, leading to the magnetized liquid acquiring special characteristics such as easy supercooling and forming smaller ice crystals. We researched the influences of a magnetized freezing extender on cell membrane damage and in vitro fertilization of boar sperm during cryopreservation. The freezing extenders were passed through 0, 2000, 4000, and 6000 gausses (G) of magnetic devices using a liquid cycling pump system and then used for the sperm freezing process. The damage to plasma, acrosomal, and mitochondrial membranes in frozen-thawed spermatozoa was investigated by flow cytometry, and motility was assessed using the CASA system. The fertility of frozen-thawed sperm was estimated using in vitro fertilization. The damage to the membranes was significantly decreased in the magnetized freezing extender by the 6000 G magnetic field compared to that of the control in frozen-thawed sperm, and motility was increased in the 6000 G group. Although there were no significant differences in the cleavage rates of in vitro fertilized oocytes among the treatment groups, the ratio of blastocyst formation increased in the magnetized freezing extender groups compared with that in the control group. The number of blastocysts was significantly higher in the 4000 G group than in the 0 G group. In conclusion, these results suggest that a magnetized freezing extender could improve the freezability of sperm and the development of oocytes fertilized in vitro with frozen-thawed sperm.
Histology and Ultrastructure of the Esophagus in European Beaver (Castor fiber) Displays Features Adapted to Seasonal Changes in Diet
Authors: Martyniuk Kamila , Ziółkowska Natalia , Hanuszewska-Dominiak Maria , Szyryńska Natalia , Lewczuk Bogdan
Published: February 2023

The European beaver is a herbivorous rodent whose diet changes seasonally, and in winter consists of large quantities of woody plants. It is distinguished among other mammals by a unique organization of the stomach that comprises the cardiogastric gland and by the unusual process of mucus formation in the gastric mucosa. The aim of study was to (i) characterize the structure of the beaver esophagus with particular attention to the mucosal epithelium; (ii) compare the histological structure of the esophagi collected in spring, summer, and winter; (iii) provide preliminary data on the structure of the esophagus in beaver fetuses. The study was conducted on esophagi of 18 adult beavers captured in Poland in April, August, and December, and on 3 fetal organs. The results obtained in adults show that the mucosa is lined with thick stratified squamous keratinized epithelium with a structure similar to that of the skin epidermis. Ultrastructural studies reveal the presence of multiple lamellar and non-lamellar bodies in granular cells, whose morphology and location gradually change while reaching the upper epithelial layers. The muscularis mucosa comprises a layer of longitudinally oriented bundles of smooth muscle cells. Both mucosa and submucosa do not comprise any glands. The thick muscularis externa consists mainly of internal circular and external longitudinal layers of striated muscle fibers. The keratinized layer of mucosa epithelium was 2-3-fold thicker in esophagi collected in winter than in those collected in spring and summer, while the epithelial cell layer thickness remained unchanged regardless of the season. Immunolabeling for proliferating cell nuclear antigen shows a higher index of epithelium proliferation in esophagi collected in winter than in spring and summer. No seasonal differences were noted in other layers of the esophagus. Fetal organs have epithelium covered with a keratinized layer, thinner than in adults, and the muscularis externa comprises both striated and smooth muscle cells.
Yeast Cell Wall Compounds on The Formation of Fermentation Products and Fecal Microbiota in Cats: An In Vivo and In Vitro Approach
Authors: González Fernando , Carelli Amanda , Komarcheuski Alina , Uana Mayara , do Prado Rodolpho Martin , Rossoni Diogo , Gomes Márcia , Vasconcellos Ricardo
Published: February 2023

The effects of yeast cell wall compounds (YCWs) being added to cat food on hindgut fermentation metabolites and fecal microbiota were assessed in in vivo Experiment 1 (Exp. 1) and in vitro Experiments 2 and 3 (Exp. 2 and 3). In Exp. 1, the cats’ diets were supplemented with two dietary concentrations (46.2 and 92.4 ppm) of YCWs (YCW-15 and YCW-30, respectively), and a negative control diet with no compound in three groups (six cats per group) was used to assess the fecal score, pH, digestibility, fermentation products, and microbiota. In Exp. 2, feces from the cats that were not supplemented with YCWs (control) were used as an inoculum. A blend of pectin, amino acids, and cellulose was used as a substrate, and the YCW compound was added at two levels (5 and 10 mg). In Exp. 3, feces from cats fed YCWs were used as an inoculum to test three different substrates (pectin, amino acids, and cellulose). In Exp. 2 and 3, the gas production, pH, and fermentation products (ammonia, SCFAs, and BCFAs) were assessed. YCW-30 resulted in a higher digestibility coefficient of the crude protein, organic matter (OM) (p < 0.05), and energy of the diet (p < 0.10). Regarding the fermentation products, YCW-15 showed a trend toward higher concentrations of propionate, acetate, lactate, ammonia, isobutyrate, and valerate, while YCW-30 showed a trend (p < 0.10) toward higher levels of butyrate and pH values. The bacteroidia class and the genus Prevotella were increased by using YCW-30 and the control. At the gender level, decreased (p < 0.01) Megasphaera was observed with YCW inclusion. The microbiota differed (p < 0.01) among the groups in their Shannon indexes. For beta diversity, YCW-30 showed higher indexes (p = 0.008) than the control. The microbiota metabolic profile differed in the pathway CENTFERM-PWY; it was more expressed in YCW-30 compared to the control. In Exp. 2, the YCWs showed a higher ratio (p = 0.006) of the fermentation products in the treatments with additives with a trend towards a high dose of the additive (10 mg). In Exp. 3, the effects of the substrates (p < 0.001), but not of the YCWs, on the fermentation products were observed, perhaps due to the low dietary concentrations we used. However, the marked responses of the fermentation products to the substrates validated the methodology. We could conclude that the YCWs, even at low dietary concentrations, affected fecal SCFA production, reduced the fecal pH, and modulated the fecal microbiota in the cats. These responses were more pronounced under in vitro conditions.
Comparing Methods to Select Candidates for Re-Genotyping to Impute Higher-Density Genotype Data in a Japanese Black Cattle Population: A Case Study
Authors: Ogawa Shinichiro , Zoda Atsushi , Kagawa Rino , Obinata Rui
Published: February 2023

As optimization methods to identify the best animals for dense genotyping to construct a reference population for genotype imputation, the MCA and MCG methods, which use the pedigree-based additive genetic relationship matrix (A matrix) and the genomic relationship matrix (G matrix), respectively, have been proposed. We assessed the performance of MCA and MCG methods using 575 Japanese Black cows. Pedigree data were provided to trace back up to five generations to construct the A matrix with changing the pedigree depth from 1 to 5 (five MCA methods). Genotype information on 36,426 single-nucleotide polymorphisms was used to calculate the G matrix based on VanRaden’s methods 1 and 2 (two MCG methods). The MCG always selected one cow per iteration, while MCA sometimes selected multiple cows. The number of commonly selected cows between the MCA and MCG methods was generally lower than that between different MCA methods or between different MCG methods. For the studied population, MCG appeared to be more reasonable than MCA in selecting cows as a reference population for higher-density genotype imputation to perform genomic prediction and a genome-wide association study.
A Comparative Study on the Distribution Pattern of Endocrine Cells in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Two Small Alpine Mammals, Plateau Zokor (Eospalax baileyi) and Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae)
Authors: Cai Xincheng , Bao Darhan , Hua Rui , Cai Bin , Wang Lei , Dong Rui , Hua Limin
Published: February 2023

Endocrine cells can secrete a variety of gastrointestinal hormones that regulate gastrointestinal digestion and absorption, which, in turn, play an important role in animal growth, metabolism, and acclimation. The small alpine mammals, plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae), live in a unique ecotope with cold, hypoxic environments and short plant-growing seasons, resulting in differential adaptive digestive strategies for foods. Studying the distribution pattern of endocrine cells in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of these two animals can lead to a better understanding of the survival strategies of animals in an alpine environment. In this study, we used histochemical and immunohistochemical methods to compare the distribution pattern of argyrophilic cells and the expression of 5-HT cells, Gas cells, and Glu cells in the GIT of the plateau zokor with those of the plateau pika. The results showed that these endocrine cells we studied were widely distributed in the gastrointestinal organs of both these small mammals, and their morphology and distribution location in the GIT were almost the same. However, there were significant differences in the distribution density of argyrophilic cells between different organs in the GIT. The distribution density of argyrophilic cells in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and rectum of plateau zokor was significantly lower than that of plateau pika (p < 0.05) and, in the cecum of plateau zokor, was significantly higher than that of plateau pika (p < 0.001). The positive expression of 5-HT cells in the corpus I, corpus II, and pylorus of the stomach, duodenum, ileum, and rectum of plateau zokor was significantly higher than that of plateau pika (p < 0.01). In addition, the positive expression of Glu cells in the cecum was significantly higher (p < 0.01) and in the duodenum and colon was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the plateau zokor than in the plateau pika. We conclude that the distribution pattern of endocrine cells in the GIT is consistent with the respective animals’ diets, with the plateau zokor feeding on high-fiber roots and plateau pika preferring to intake the aboveground parts of plants with lower fibers.
Characterization of the Nero Siciliano Pig Fecal Microbiota after a Liquid Whey-Supplemented Diet
Authors: Tardiolo Giuseppe , Romeo Orazio , Zumbo Alessandro , Di Marsico Marco , Sutera Anna Maria , Cigliano Riccardo Aiese , Paytuví Andreu , D’Alessandro Enrico
Published: February 2023

The utilization of dairy by-products as animal feed, especially in swine production, is a strategy to provide functional ingredients to improve gut health. This study explored the potential effect of a liquid whey-supplemented diet on the fecal microbiota of eleven pigs belonging to the Nero Siciliano breed. Five pigs were assigned to the control group and fed with a standard formulation feed, whereas six pigs were assigned to the experimental group and fed with the same feed supplemented with liquid whey. Fecal samples were collected from each individual before the experimental diet (T0), and one (T1) and two (T2) months after the beginning of the co-feed supplementation. Taxonomic analysis, based on the V3–V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA, showed that pig feces were populated by a complex microbial community with a remarkable abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetes phyla and Prevotella, Lactobacillus, Clostridium, and Treponema genera. Alpha and beta diversity values suggested that the experimental diet did not significantly affect the overall fecal microbiota diversity. However, analysis of abundance at different time points revealed significant variation in several bacterial genera, suggesting that the experimental diet potentially affected some genera of the microbial community.
Chemical and Biological Studies of Achillea setacea Herba Essential Oil—First Report on Some Antimicrobial and Antipathogenic Features
Authors: Marinas Ioana Cristina , Oprea Eliza , Gaboreanu Diana Madalina , Gradisteanu Pircalabioru Gratiela , Buleandra Mihaela , Nagoda Eugenia , Badea Irinel Adriana , Chifiriuc Mariana Carmen
Published: February 2023

The essential oil of Achillea setacea was isolated by hydrodistillation and characterized by GC-MS. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Achillea setacea essential oil was evaluated, as well as its biocompatibility (LDH and MTT methods). DPPH, FRAP, and CUPRAC methods were applied for antioxidant activity evaluation, while qualitative and quantitative assays (inhibition zone diameter, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration), NO release (by nitrite concentration determination), and microbial adhesion capacity to the inert substrate (the biofilm microtiter method) were used to investigate the antimicrobial potential. A total of 52 compounds were identified by GC-MS in A. setacea essential oil, representing 97.43% of the total area. The major constituents were borneol (32.97%), 1,8-cineole (14.94%), camphor (10.13%), artemisia ketone (4.70%), α-terpineol (3.23%), and γ-eudesmol (3.23%). With MICs ranging from 0.78 to 30 μg/mL, the A. setacea essential oil proved to inhibit the microbial adhesion and induce the NO release. To the best of our knowledge, the present study reports for the first time the antimicrobial activity of A. setacea EO against clinically and biotechnologically important microbial strains, such as Shigella flexneri, Listeria ivanovii, L. innocua, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida glabrata, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus nigricans, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Alternaria alternata, demonstrating its antimicrobial applications beyond the clinical field.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Amikacin in Neutropenic Oncology Patients
Authors: Aquino Maria , Tinoco Maria , Bicker Joana , Falcão Amílcar , Rocha Marília , Fortuna Ana
Published: February 2023

Amikacin is the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of Gram-negative infections, namely, those in neutropenic oncology patients. No populational pharmacokinetic studies are currently available reporting amikacin pharmacokinetics in neutropenic oncology patients despite their specific pathophysiological features and treatments. A large-scale retrospective study was herein conducted to specifically investigate the effects that tumor diseases have on the pharmacokinetic parameters of amikacin and identify whether chemotherapy, the lag time between administration of chemotherapy and amikacin, age and renal function contribute to amikacin pharmacokinetics in neutropenic cancer patients. A total of 1180 pharmacokinetic analysis from 629 neutropenic patients were enrolled. The daily dose administered to oncology patients was higher than that administered to non-oncology patients (p < 0.0001). No statistical differences were found in amikacin concentrations, probably because drug clearance was increased in cancer patients (p < 0.0001). Chemotherapy influenced amikacin pharmacokinetics and drug clearance decreased as the lag time enhanced. The elderly group revealed no statistical differences between the doses administered to both the oncology groups, suggesting that the impact of ageing is stronger than chemotherapy. Our research suggests that cancer patients require higher initial doses of amikacin, as well as when chemotherapy is received less than 30 days before amikacin treatment has started.
The Pork Food Chain as a Route of Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistant Escherichia coli: A Farm-to-Fork Perspective
Authors: Rega Martina , Andriani Laura , Poeta Antonio , Bonardi Silvia , Conter Mauro , Bacci Cristina
Published: February 2023

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health risk that needs to be faced from a One Health perspective that includes humans, animals, and environmental health. The food production chain has been identified as a possible route of transmission of AMR bacteria to humans. The most critical phenomenon is related to Critically Important Antimicrobial (CIA) resistance. β-lactams antibiotics (cephalosporin of 3rd, 4th generation, carbapenem, monobactams, and penicillins), quinolones, aminoglycosides, polymyxin, and glycylcyclines were the CIAs chosen in this study. Samples derived from all the stages of the pork food production chain were collected, including pig feces, carcasses, and pork food products (fresh meat, fermented, and seasoned). Escherichia coli were isolated, and AMR and MDR profiles were evaluated. Enterobacterial Repetitive Intragenic Consensus (ERIC-PCR) was used to evaluate phylogenetic similarities. Data showed that 50% of phenotypical AMR observed in the entire pork food chain were related phylogenetically. The contamination of fresh meat, in half of the cases, was not directly related to contamination from feces or carcasses. Despite this, some similarities were found between feces and carcasses. In group analysis, phylogenetic similarities were detected in a 3/36 cluster (8.3%). Nevertheless, further studies are needed to improve consumer risk communication and access to clear and reliable information and health concerns on food labels.
Mitochondrial-Targeted Antioxidant MitoQ-Mediated Autophagy: A Novel Strategy for Precise Radiation Protection
Authors: Bao Xingting , Liu Xiongxiong , Wu Qingfeng , Ye Fei , Shi Zheng , Xu Dan , Zhang Jinhua , Dou Zhihui , Huang Guomin , Zhang Hong , Sun Chao
Published: February 2023

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most effective cancer treatments. However, successful radiation protection for normal tissue is a clinical challenge. Our previous study observed that MitoQ, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, was adsorbed to the inner mitochondrial membrane and remained the cationic moiety in the intermembrane space. The positive charges in MitoQ restrained the activity of respiratory chain complexes and decreased proton production. Therefore, a pseudo-mitochondrial membrane potential (PMMP) was developed via maintenance of exogenous positive charges. This study identified that PMMP constructed by MitoQ could effectively inhibit mitochondrial respiration within normal cells, disrupt energy metabolism, and activate adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling to induce autophagy. As such, it could not lead to starvation-induced autophagy among tumor cells due to the different energy phenotypes between normal and tumor cells (normal cells depend on mitochondrial respiration for energy supply, while tumor cells rely on aerobic glycolysis). Therefore, we successfully protected the normal cells from radiation-induced damage without affecting the tumor-killing efficacy of radiation by utilizing selective autophagy. MitoQ-constructed PMMP provides a new therapeutic strategy for specific radiation protection.
Comparison of Antioxidant Capacity and Muscle Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Composition of Nervous and Calm Hu Sheep
Authors: Zhang Jinying , Zhang Yifan , Wang Jiasheng , Jin Hengyu , Qian Shuhan , Chen Peigen , Wang Mengzhi , Chen Ning , Ding Luoyang
Published: February 2023

This study determined the effect of temperament on antioxidant capacity and the relationship between antioxidant capacity and the contents of amino acids (AA) and fatty acids (FA) in muscle of Hu sheep. Organ and muscle samples of five calm and five nervous Hu sheep were collected to determine the antioxidant capacity and the contents of AA and FA in muscle tissue. The concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide excretion enzyme (SOD) in muscle and intestinal tissue of calm Hu sheep were lower than those of nervous Hu sheep (p < 0.01), and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in liver of calm Hu sheep was significantly higher than that of nervous Hu sheep (p = 0.050). The content of AA of calm Hu sheep was higher than that of nervous Hu sheep, especially the content of reductive amino acids, which was significantly higher than that of nervous Hu sheep (p = 0.029). Fatty acid content of nervous Hu sheep was higher than that of calm type, and saturated fatty acid content was significantly higher than that of calm type (p = 0.001). The SOD content in muscle tissue was positively correlated with the contents of aspartic acid (Asp), alanine (Ala) and lysine (Lys). Catalase (CAT) activity was positively correlated with Ala content. There was a significant positive correlation between total antioxidants (T-AOC) and glutamate (Glu) (p < 0.05). MDA concentration was positively correlated with lauric acid (C12:0), triseconic acid (C13:0), myristic acid (C14:0) content (p < 0.01), and ginkgo acid (C15:0) content. The total antioxidants (T-AOC) was negatively correlated with stearic acid (C18:0) (p < 0.05). Our conclusion is that the antioxidant capacity of calm Hu sheep is superior to that of nervous Hu sheep, which may be due to the higher AA (especially reductive amino acids (Arg, Lys, Ala and Glu)) content in the muscle and the lower FA (especially SFA) content, which improve the antioxidant capacity of the organism and allow for further exploration of the mechanisms by which animal temperament affects antioxidant performance.
Microbiome Changes in Pregnancy Disorders
Authors: Giannella Luca , Grelloni Camilla , Quintili Dayana , Fiorelli Alessia , Montironi Ramona , Alia Sonila , Delli Carpini Giovanni , Di Giuseppe Jacopo , Vignini Arianna , Ciavattini Andrea
Published: February 2023

The human microbiota comprises all microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, found within a specific environment that live on our bodies and inside us. The last few years have witnessed an explosion of information related to the role of microbiota changes in health and disease. Even though the gut microbiota is considered the most important in maintaining our health, other regions of the human body, such as the oral cavity, lungs, vagina, and skin, possess their own microbiota. Recent work suggests a correlation between the microbiota present during pregnancy and pregnancy complications. The aim of our literature review was to provide a broad overview of this growing and important topic. We focused on the most significant changes in the microbiota in the four more common obstetric diseases affecting women’s health. Thus, our attention will be focused on hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, and recurrent miscarriage. Pregnancy is a unique period in a woman’s life since the body undergoes different adaptations to provide an optimal environment for fetal growth. Such changes also involve all the microorganisms, which vary in composition and quantity during the three trimesters of gestation. In addition, special attention will be devoted to the potential and fundamental advances in developing clinical applications to prevent and treat those disorders by modulating the microbiota to develop personalized therapies for disease prevention and tailored treatments.
Effect of Cocoa Roasting on Chocolate Polyphenols Evolution
Authors: La Mantia Alessandro , Ianni Federica , Schoubben Aurélie , Cespi Marco , Lisjak Klemen , Guarnaccia Davide , Sardella Roccaldo , Blasi Paolo
Published: February 2023

Cocoa and chocolate antioxidants might contribute to human health through, for instance, blood flow improvement or blood pressure and glycemia reduction, as well as cognitive function improvement. Unfortunately, polyphenol content is reduced during cocoa fermentation, drying, roasting and all the other phases involved in the chocolate production. Here, we investigated the evolution of the polyphenol content during all the different steps of chocolate production, with a special emphasis on roasting (3 different roasting cycles with 80, 100, and 130 °C as maximum temperature). Samples were followed throughout all processes by evaluating the total polyphenols content, the antioxidant power, the epicatechin content, and epicatechin mean degree of polymerization (phloroglucinol adducts method). Results showed a similar trend for total polyphenol content and antioxidant power with an unexpected bell-shaped curve: an increase followed by a decrease for the three different roasting temperatures. At the intermediate temperature (100 °C), the higher polyphenol content was found just after roasting. The epicatechin content had a trend similar to that of total polyphenol content but, interestingly, the mean degree of polymerization data had the opposite behavior with some deviation in the case of the highest temperature, probably due to epicatechin degradation. It seems likely that roasting can free epicatechin from oligomers, as a consequence of oligomers remodeling.
Current Status of Obesity: Protective Role of Catechins
Authors: Basu Tanisha , Selman Ashley , Reddy Arubala P. , Reddy P. Hemachandra
Published: February 2023

Obesity is a growing health concern in today’s society. Current estimates indicate that obesity occurs in both adults and young people. Recent research also found that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is 1.9 times more likely to be overweight as compared to their non-Hispanic population. Obesity is a multifactorial disease that has a variety of causes. All current treatment options incorporate dietary changes aimed at establishing a negative energy balance. According to current scientific research, multiple factors are involved with the development of obesity, including genetic, biochemical, psychological, environmental, behavioral, and socio-demographic factors. The people who suffer from obesity are far more likely to suffer serious health problems, such as stroke, diabetes, lung disease, bone and joint disease, cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and poor mental health. Studies indicate that multiple cellular changes are implicated in the progression of obesity, mitochondrial dysfunction, deregulated microRNAs, inflammatory changes, hormonal deregulation, and others. This article highlights the role that oxidative stress plays in obesity and current obesity-prevention techniques with an emphasis on the impact of catechins to prevent and treat obesity.
An Effective Algorithm for the Stability and Bifurcation in a DDE Model of Gene Expression
Authors: Fu Chao , Zhang Lei , Yu Hong
Published: February 2023

The stability and Hopf bifurcation of gene expression models with a mechanism of delayed state feedback are considered. An effective algorithm for the calculations on the delay stable interval of the equilibrium point, the direction, and stability of the bifurcating periodic solution is also proposed. The τ-decomposition strategy is applied to tackle the issue of local stability, and the explicit formula for the delay stable interval is provided. In addition, the asymptotical behaviors of the bifurcation solutions are investigated by the center manifold theorem and normal form theory. The direction and stability of the Hopf bifurcation are determined naturally. In addition, a subtle bilinear form of the adjoint system is proposed to calculate the bifurcation parameters directly. Finally, the correctness and effectiveness of our results and algorithm are verified by typical numerical examples.
Density Peaks Clustering Algorithm Based on a Divergence Distance and Tissue—Like P System
Authors: Ge Fuhua , Liu Xiyu
Published: February 2023

Density Peaks Clustering (DPC) has recently received much attention in many fields by reason of its simplicity and efficiency. Nevertheless, empirical studies have shown that DPC has some shortfalls: (i) similarity measurement based on Euclidean distance is prone to misclassification. When dealing with clusters of non-uniform density, it is very difficult to identify true clustering centers in the decision graph; (ii) the clustering centers need to be manually selected; (iii) the chain reaction; an incorrectly assigned point will affect the clustering outcome. To settle the above limitations, we propose an improved density peaks clustering algorithm based on a divergence distance and tissue—like P system (TP-DSDPC in short). In the proposed algorithm, a novel distance measure is introduced to accurately estimate the local density and relative distance of each point. Then, clustering centers are automatically selected by the score value. A tissue—like P system carries out the entire algorithm process. In terms of the three evaluation metrics, the improved algorithm outperforms the other comparison algorithms using multiple synthetic and real-world datasets.
Type Hierarchy Enhanced Event Detection without Triggers
Authors: Yan Youcheng , Liu Zhao , Gao Feng , Gu Jinguang
Published: February 2023

Event detection (ED) aims to detect events from a given text and categorize them into event types. Most of the current approaches to ED rely heavily on the human annotations of triggers, which are often costly and affect the application of ED in other fields. However, triggers are not necessary for the event detection task. We propose a novel framework called Type Hierarchy Enhanced Event Detection Without Triggers (THEED) to avoid this problem. More specifically, We construct a type hierarchy concept module using the external knowledge graph Probase to enhance the semantic representation of event types. In addition, we divide input instances into word-level and context-level representations, which can make the model use different level features. The experimental result indicates that our proposed approach achieves better improvement. Additionally, it is significantly competitive with mainstream trigger-based models.
Recommendation System for a Delivery Food Application Based on Number of Orders
Authors: Sánchez Claudia N. , Domínguez-Soberanes Julieta , Arreola Alejandra , Graff Mario
Published: February 2023

With the recent growth in food-delivery applications, creating new recommendation systems tailored to this platform is essential. State-of-the-art restaurant recommendation systems are based on users’ ratings or reviews, with data that are obtained from questionnaires or online platforms such as TripAdvisor, Zomato, Foursquare, or Yield. However, not all users give ratings or reviews after their purchase. This document proposes a recommendation system whose input is the number of orders stored by a real food-delivery application. These data are always available for all food-delivery applications and are stored all the time. Our proposal is based on the nearest-neighbor technique that calculates the client’s preferred restaurants and analyzes other clients with similar buying patterns. In addition, we propose a performance metric that can be used for this specific recommendation system that is based on real restaurant sales. We use a real dataset (available online) to validate our proposal. Based on our experiments, the recommendation system successfully gives only an average of 7.7 options from 187 that are available. We compared our proposal with other state-of-the-art recommendation techniques and obtained a better performance. Our results indicate that it is possible to generate recommendations based on the number of orders, making the use of a restaurant-recommendation system feasible in a real food-delivery application.
Multi-Layer QoE Learning System Implemented by Fiberhost
Authors: Andruloniw Paweł , Kowalik Karol , Partyka Bartosz , Zwierzykowski Piotr
Published: February 2023

Modern telecommunications networks, despite their ever increasing capacity, mostly attributed to optical fiber technologies, still fail to provide ideal channels for transmitting information. Disruptions in ensuring data throughput or the continuous flow of data required by applications remain as major unresolved problems. Most network mechanisms, protocols and applications feature adaptations that allow them to change the parameters of the transmission channel and try to minimize the negative impact of the network on the perceived quality, for example by temporarily changing the modulation scheme, or coding scheme, or by re-transmitting lost packets, or buffering to compensate for the interruptions in transmission. To respond appropriately, network operators are interested in knowing how well these adaptations are performing in order to assess the ultimate quality of their networks from the user perspective, i.e., Quality of Experience (QoE). Due to the huge amount of data associated with the collection of various parameters of the telecommunications network, machine learning methods are often needed to discover the relationships between various parameters and to identify the root cause of the observed network quality. In this paper, we present a Multi-layer QoE learning system implemented by Fiberhost for QoE analysis with a multi-layer approach based on machine learning tools.
Inflammation: What’s There and What’s New?
Authors: Calhelha Ricardo C. , Haddad Hala , Ribeiro Lúcia , Heleno Sandrina A. , Carocho Márcio , Barros Lillian
Published: February 2023

Since the dawn of man, inflammation has been known to humanity, as it is marked by pain. Inflammation processes are related to serious chronic diseases with irreversible damage to the organism, being crucial for the development of anti-inflammatory agents. Among the existing anti-inflammatory drugs, non-steroidal and glucocorticoids are commonly used; however, these compounds have been described as responsible for the increased risk of upper gastrointestinal complications and many other side effects. Therefore, it is not shocking that ethnobotany leads most modern studies on the discovery of anti-inflammatory agents obtained from natural matrices. Extracts from plants and isolated substances have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in a set of in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory models. This review describes inflammation processes with an emphasis on the most common related diseases, while also describing the most promising natural anti-inflammatory agents, by reporting on their obtention processes, mechanisms of action, and applications.
Deep Learning-Powered System for Real-Time Digital Meter Reading on Edge Devices
Authors: Carvalho Rafaela , Melo Jorge , Graça Ricardo , Santos Gonçalo , Vasconcelos Maria João M.
Published: February 2023

The ongoing reading process of digital meters is time-consuming and prone to errors, as operators capture images and manually update the system with the new readings. This work proposes to automate this operation through a deep learning-powered solution for universal controllers and flow meters that can be seamlessly incorporated into operators’ existing workflow. Firstly, the digital display area of the equipment is extracted with a screen detection module, and a perspective correction step is performed. Subsequently, the text regions are identified with a fine-tuned EAST text detector, and the important readings are selected through template matching based on the expected graphical structure. Finally, a fine-tuned convolutional recurrent neural network model recognizes the text and registers it. Evaluation experiments confirm the robustness and potential for workload reduction of the proposed system, which correctly extracts 55.47% and 63.70% of the values for reading in universal controllers, and 73.08% of the values from flow meters. Furthermore, this pipeline performs in real time in a low-end mobile device, with an average execution time in preview of under 250 ms for screen detection and on an acquired photo of 1500 ms for the entire pipeline.