bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Illness representation of COVID-19 affected public’s support and anticipated panic regarding the living with the virus policy: a cross-sectional study in a Chinese general population
Authors: Yu Yanqiu , Ling Rachel Hau Yin , Ng Joyce Hoi-Yuk , Lau Mason M. C. , Ip Tsun Kwan Mary , Lau Joseph T. F.
Published: September 2023

Background

There is a global trend for countries to adopt the Living with the Virus (LWV) policy regarding COVID-19. Little is known about the public’s supportiveness and emotional responses (e.g., anticipated panic) related to this policy. Such responses may be associated with illness representations of COVID-19 (i.e., how people think and feel about COVID-19). This novel topic was investigated in this study to facilitate policy-making and health communication.

Methods

A random, population-based telephone survey interviewed 500 adults aged ≥18 of the Hong Kong general adult population from March to April 2022.

Results

The prevalence of the public’s support and anticipated panic regarding the LWV policy, which were negatively correlated with each other, was 39.6 and 24.2%, respectively. The illness representation constructs of consequences, timeline, identity, illness concern, and emotional representations were negatively associated with supportiveness and positively associated with anticipated panic regarding the LWV policy. Illness coherence was significantly associated with policy support but not with anticipated panic. The associations between personal control/treatment control and supportiveness/anticipated panic were statistically non-significant. Moderation analyses showed that the above significant associations were invariant between those with and without previous COVID-19 infection.

Conclusion

Policymakers need to be sensitized about the public’s supportive/unsupportive attitude and potential worry (panic) when adopting the LWV policy. Such attitudes/emotional responses may be affected by people’s illness representations of COVID-19. In general, those who found COVID-19 involving a milder nature and less negative emotions would be more supportive and anticipated less panic under the LWV policy.
Excessive whole-body exposure to 28 GHz quasi-millimeter wave induces thermoregulation accompanied by a change in skin blood flow proportion in rats
Authors: Ijima Etsuko , Kodera Sachiko , Hirata Akimasa , Hikage Takashi , Matsumoto Akiko , Ishitake Tatsuya , Masuda Hiroshi
Published: September 2023

Introduction

Limited information is available on the biological effects of whole-body exposure to quasi-millimeter waves (qMMW). The aim of the present study was to determine the intensity of exposure to increase body temperature and investigate whether thermoregulation, including changes in skin blood flow, is induced in rats under whole-body exposure to qMMW.

Methods

The backs of conscious rats were extensively exposed to 28 GHz qMMW at absorbed power densities of 0, 122, and 237 W/m2 for 40 minutes. Temperature changes in three regions (dorsal and tail skin, and rectum) and blood flow in the dorsal and tail skin were measured simultaneously using fiber-optic probes.

Results

Intensity-dependent temperature increases were observed in the dorsal skin and the rectum. In addition, skin blood flow was altered in the tail but not in the dorsum, accompanied by an increase in rectal temperature and resulting in an increase in tail skin temperature.

Discussion

These findings suggest that whole-body exposure to qMMW drives thermoregulation to transport and dissipate heat generated on the exposed body surface. Despite the large differences in size and physiology between humans and rats, our findings may be helpful for discussing the operational health-effect thresholds in the standardization of international exposure guidelines.
Exposure and risk assessment of urinary trans, trans-Muconic acid in school-age children in the vicinity of a petrochemical complex in Central Taiwan
Authors: Cheng Po-Keng , Ponnusamy Vinoth Kumar , Prakasham Karthikeyan , Huang Hsin-I , Chang Wan-Ting , Huang Po-Chin
Published: September 2023

School-age children living near large petrochemical factories may be at high risk of exposure to benzene released during manufacturing processes. We aimed to investigate the urinary concentrations of trans, trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) in school-age children living near a petrochemical complex and to estimate their cumulative risk of benzene exposure. We examined an established cohort (Taiwan Petrochemical Complex Cohort for Children, TPE3C) of school-age children (aged 6–13 years) who lived near large petrochemical factories in central Taiwan between October 2013 and September 2014. The cohort comprised 297 children from five elementary schools, namely S.-C. Branch (n = 63, school A, ~0.9 km), F.-A. (n = 51, school B, ~2.7 km), C.-T. (n = 63, school C, ~5.5 km), M.-L. (n = 54, school D, ~6.9 km), and L.-F. (n = 66, school E, ~8.6 km). We analyzed the urinary t,t-MA levels of each participant and estimated their daily intake of benzene. We also performed multiple regression analysis to investigate potential risk factors for a high urinary t,t-MA level in the study cohort. The median urinary t,t-MA levels and median estimated benzene daily intake of the children from each school were as follows: school A, 64.07 ng/mL, 11.13 μg/kg/day; school B, 61.01 ng/mL, 15.32 μg/kg/day; school C, 59.38 ng/mL, 14.81 μg/kg/day; school D, 42.35 ng/mL, 11.67 μg/kg/day; school E, undetected, 0.14 μg/kg/day. The distance between a school and a petrochemical complex (greater distance: β = −0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.52 to 0.00, p = 0.053), and the age of the children (older age: β = −3.44, 95% CI = −5.90 to −1.46, p < 0.001) were identified as potential risk factors. After confounders were adjusted for, the creatinine adjusted urinary t,t-MA levels of the school-age children tended to be lower when the distance between their school and a petrochemical complex was greater.
When ChatGPT goes rogue: exploring the potential cybersecurity threats of AI-powered conversational chatbots
Authors: Iqbal Farkhund , Samsom Faniel , Kamoun Faouzi , MacDermott Áine
Published: September 2023

ChatGPT has garnered significant interest since its release in November 2022 and it has showcased a strong versatility in terms of potential applications across various industries and domains. Defensive cybersecurity is a particular area where ChatGPT has demonstrated considerable potential thanks to its ability to provide customized cybersecurity awareness training and its capability to assess security vulnerabilities and provide concrete recommendations to remediate them. However, the offensive use of ChatGPT (and AI-powered conversational agents, in general) remains an underexplored research topic. This preliminary study aims to shed light on the potential weaponization of ChatGPT to facilitate and initiate cyberattacks. We briefly review the defensive usage of ChatGPT in cybersecurity, then, through practical examples and use-case scenarios, we illustrate the potential misuse of ChatGPT to launch hacking and cybercrime activities. We discuss the practical implications of our study and provide some recommendations for future research.
Interpreting match performance in elite futsal: considerations for normalizing variables using effective time
Authors: Spyrou Konstantinos , Ribeiro João Nuno , Ferraz António , Alcaraz Pedro E. , Freitas Tomás T. , Travassos Bruno
Published: September 2023

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the physical and individual technical-tactical performance of elite futsal players.

Methods

Thirteen National Team futsal players (27.4 ± 4.7 years, 70.3 ± 7.6 kg, 176.3 ± 5.5 cm) competed in 15 official matches in three distinct competitions. Session rate of perceived exertion (sRPE) and player load (PL) were measured for assessing physical internal and external load, respectively. Individual tactical actions were analyzed using Instat Scout®, considering variables such as fouls, shots, shots on target, goals, successful dribbles, passes, successful passes, ball losses, ball recoveries, and challenges won.

Results

The cluster analysis classified the players into two groups: “high-involvement” (HIGH) and “low-involvement” (LOW), based on their average effective playing time, sRPE, and PL. A linear mixed model was used to examine the differences in external and internal load and technical-tactical variables between the two groups, accounting for individual repeated measures. Considering absolute values, HIGH players presented higher sRPE, RPE, total PL, shots, goals, passes, successful passes, ball losses and recoveries, and challenges won (p = 0.001–0.039; ES = 0.43–2.48), when compared to their LOW counterparts. However, when analyzed relative to effective time, LOW players reached higher total PL and shots per minute (p = 0.001–0.012; ES = 0.39–0.93) when compared to HIGH players. Non-significant differences were found for the rest of the variables.

Discussion

In summary, these results emphasize the importance of normalizing internal and external load variables and technical-tactical performance variables per effective playing time in futsal. The current findings indicate that players with lower involvement can present the same or even higher physical and technical-tactical performance compared to teammates with more playing time.
Challenging structures: gender transformative interventions by livestock CRP in Ethiopia
Authors: Kinati Wole , Temple Elizabeth C. , Baker Derek , Najjar Dina
Published: September 2023

Introduction

This study is a review of secondary literature that has been synthesized to extract information and demonstrate the implementation and impact of community conversations (CCs) on gender aspects of social norms in livestock-based systems in Ethiopia.

Methods

The study used the phenomenological method of qualitative literature review to sketch the gender transformative approach to the delivery of knowledge products in a program on transforming the small ruminant value chain. The CC aimed at addressing gender-related norms in the division of labor, resource ownership, and handling practices of animals and their products previously identified, and those that emerged during the CC events across the study sites. A total of 1,517 community members (out of which 574 are women) took part in various CC events.

Results and discussion

The review shows that the gender-related norms addressed were in line with the identified constraining norms faced by women livestock keepers in the mixed and livestock-based systems. The CC approach adopted complied with the stages laid out in literature: identification of existing knowledge; imparting new knowledge; knowledge integration and application; and review, reflection, and re-planning. The process was inclusive and community-engaging, which possibly cultivated intrinsic motivation and ownership of the process. Changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices at household, community, and institutional levels were identified. The conclusions include institutionalizing the gender transformative approach in the public agricultural extension system. This could be facilitated by the generation of robust objective evidence of impacts and guidance for subsequent scaling at local, regional, and national levels.
Accuracy of the Personal Economic Distress Index Among Arabic Unemployed
Authors: Razki Khouloud , Zgueb Yosra , Aissa Amina , Ouali Emna Sofia , Wahabi Anis , Ouali Uta
Published: September 2023

Objectives: Studies about The Index of Personal Economic Distress (IPED) in Arab countries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have been alarming. This study aimed to explore the reliability, factor structure, and criterion validity of the Arabic IPED in a sample of unemployed Tunisians during the past 6 months.

Methods: The Arabic version of the IPED and the validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were administered to a total of 2011 unemployed people originating from all Tunisian regions. Principal component analysis (PCA) with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to establish the spontaneous distribution of the 8 items and possible factors of the IPED. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the ability of the IPED to distinguish between unemployed individuals with no economic distress and those in distress. The correlation between the IPED and the HADS were explored.

Results: The reliability of the Arabic version of the IPED was adequate. The PCA suggested two main components of the Arabic version of the IPED: the first component including five items focused on financial responsibilities towards state structures and the second dimension containing three items focused on well-being. A statistically significant association (p = 0.01; r = 0.05) was found between the well-being dimension of the IPED and the Anxiety subscale of HADS.

Conclusion: This validated version of the IPED is an important tool to study the impact of economic crises on the mental health of unemployed people, as demonstrated in the link found in this study between economic distress and anxiety.
The Effect of Continuous Liver Normothermic Machine Perfusion on the Severity of Histological Bile Duct Injury
Authors: Gilbo Nicholas , Neil Desley , Brais Rebecca , Fieuws Steffen , Lo Faro Letizia , Friend Peter , Ploeg Rutger , Monbaliu Diethard
Published: September 2023

Static Cold Storage (SCS) injures the bile duct, while the effect of Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) is unknown. In a sub-study of the COPE trial on liver NMP, we investigated the impact of preservation type on histological bile duct injury score (BDIS). Transplants with at least one bile duct biopsy, either at end of preservation or 1 h post-reperfusion, were considered. BDIS was determined by assessing peribiliary glands injury, stromal and mural loss, haemorrhage, and thrombosis. A bivariate linear model compared BDIS (estimate, CI) between groups. Sixty-five transplants and 85 biopsies were analysed. Twenty-three grafts were preserved with SCS and 42 with NMP, with comparable baseline characteristics except for a shorter cold ischemic time in NMP. The BDIS increased over time regardless of preservation type (p = 0.04). The BDIS estimate was higher in NMP [8.02 (7.40–8.65)] than in SCS [5.39 (4.52–6.26), p < 0.0001] regardless of time. One patient in each group developed ischemic cholangiopathy, with a BDIS of 6 for the NMP-preserved liver. In six other NMP grafts, BDIS ranged 7–12 without development of ischemic cholangiopathy. In conclusion, BDIS increases over time, and the higher BDIS in NMP did not increase ischemic cholangiopathy. Thus, BDIS may overestimate this risk after liver NMP.
Z historii komunikacji społecznej. Funkcje sygnalizacyjne dzwonu,
trąby i bębna w świetle leksyki dawnej polszczyzny
Authors: Janowska Aleksandra
Published: September 2023

This ar ticle is dedicated to sound signalling in the history as one of the ways of non-verbal communication of a community. Due to the extensiveness of the subject matter, the author significantly narrowed down the analysis. She based her description on word formation issues rather than phraseological units, metaphorisations. She endeavoured to demonstrate that the point of view is also important in descriptions of phenomena bordering on language and culture. Her interests include word-formation nests of three instrument names: a bell, a trumpet, and a drum. The analysis concentrated on three fundamental functions of the enumerated instruments, functions displayed by word-formation devices: announcing, publicising information; summoning, gathering, calling people; excluding from the community.
The material was collected from old and historical dictionaries, their corpora and fi les.
Keywords: word-formation – social communication – sound signalling – history of language
– historical lexis.
: #SzczepimySię przeciw #SARS-CoV-2 – wykorzystanie hasztagów
w postach polskich lekarzy w okresie pandemii COVID-19
Authors: Brylska Karolina
Published: September 2023

This article concerns the use of hashtags in doctors’ posts in social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most important theoretical issues related to the notion and communicative meaning of hashtags are discussed and the results of the author’s own research are presented here. During the research, the total number of 516 hashtags used in 86 posts were recorded. This article demonstrates a catalogue of the most common hashtags and discusses the hashtag typology developed based on the aggregated collection: impressives, persuasive nominations, self-identification hashtags, proper names, thematic hashtags. It proposes also several conclusions on the manner of using social networking services by doctors.
Keywords: hashtag – social media – doctor – COVID-19 – vaccination – coronavirus – post.
Analiza narracji o ekonomii i przywileju w dyskursach „antyukraińskich” na polskojęzycznym Twitterze. Aspekty ilościowe i jakościowe
Authors: Tymińska Ada
Published: September 2023

A part of anti-Ukrainian discourses on the Polish-language Internet is related to the perception of migration through the prism of an economic profit and loss account. Before February 24, 2022, threads related to the labor market were popular. Currently, there has been a shift towards narratives focusing on the alleged privilege of migrants from Ukraine – as well as on the “weakness” of the Polish state. In the text, I look at these discourses in detail – both in quantitative and qualitative terms. The publication is based on the results of the Counterhate project carried out jointly by the Centrum im. B. Geremek, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and Securelex.
Obraz migrantów w trakcie kryzysu na granicy polsko-białoruskiej w 2021 i 2022 roku w „Wiadomościach” TVP
Authors: Jas-Koziarkiewicz Marta
Published: September 2023

The research problem addressed in the text is the presentation of migrants during the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border in 2021 and 2022 in the news service “Wiadomosci” broadcast on the public television channel TVP1. The purpose of the article was to reconstruct the image of the migrants. The study of news services was conducted using qualitative content analysis and framing analysis. The study established that the image of migrants was constructed through the use of five frames: “identification”, “terrorist”, “criminal”, “tool in a hybrid war” and “barbarian” (a threat to European values). All the frames used were negative.
Szczyt kryzysu migracyjnego w 2015 r. a szczyt kryzysu uchodźczego w 2022 r. – próba analizy porównawczej wpływu na „obszar bez granic” UE
Authors: Szachoń-Pszenny Anna
Published: September 2023

The European Union has experienced major crises of massive influx of third-country nationals across its external borders in the last decade alone. The first of these, known as “the peak migration crisis”, took place in 2015, while the second, incomparably larger one in 2022 pretends to be “the peak refugee crisis”. Undoubtedly, both have had an unprecedented impact on the crossing of EU borders and, at the same time, have significantly affected the functioning of the “area without borders”. However, such significant crises have caused a great degree of terminological confusion, concerning the terms refugee and migrant. In addition, the scale of the influx of Ukrainian citizens into the European Union has surpassed any previous numbers that were described as a crisis and which the EU has ever tried to deal with. The aim of this article is to provide a trial of comparative analysis of these phenomena in the context of their impact on the functioning of the “area without borders”.
Study on the Effect of pH on Rhizosphere Soil Fertility and the Aroma Quality of Tea Trees and Their Interactions
Authors: Wang Yuhua , Zhang Qi , Li Jianjuan , Lin Shaoxiong , Jia Xiaoli , Zhang Qingxu , Ye Jianghua , Wang Haibin , Wu Zeyan
Published: September 2023

In order to fully comprehend the impact of soil acidification on the quality of tea, further analyses are essential and are of the utmost importance to the cultivation of tea trees and the simultaneous enhancement of tea quality. In May 2022, Tieguanyin tea trees planted in soils with different pH levels were selected as the research object of this study to analyze the effect of soil pH on the soil chemical index, soil fertility and the aroma quality of tea leaves. The results showed that the organic matter content, cation exchange capacity and the available nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium contents in the rhizosphere soil of the tea trees decreased significantly with decreasing soil pH levels (5.32–3.29), while the total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium contents did not change significantly. The results of an aroma quality analysis showed that the aroma of the Tieguanyin tea was mainly floral, and the formation of floral odor characteristics was mainly derived from geraniol. The results of an interaction network analysis showed that the soil chemical indexes were significantly positively correlated with geraniol and floral aromas except for the total phosphorus and total potassium contents. In conclusion, with a decrease in the pH of soil, the soil’s cation exchange capacity, organic matter content and available nutrient content showed decreasing trends which, in turn, hindered the synthesis of geraniol and reduced the floral odor characteristics of tea leaves.
“Orange” Wine—The Resurgence of an Ancient Winemaking Technique: A Review
Authors: Buican Bettina-Cristina , Colibaba Lucia Cintia , Luchian Camelia Elena , Kallithraka Stamatina , Cotea Valeriu V.
Published: September 2023

Over the past few decades, there has been a notable paradigm shift worldwide, affecting people’s preferences and decisions regarding both food and beverage options. These factors have sparked a newfound fascination among winemakers, wine enthusiasts, and consumers alike, as they explore the notion of reconnecting with a bygone era and embracing a lifestyle reminiscent of the past. “Orange” wine, a product derived from white grapes, encapsulates the intriguing allure of ancient winemaking methods that trace their roots back to Georgia. The method enables an elevated presence of phenolic compounds, which can have a favorable influence on the sensory characteristics of the wines or their behavior during oxidative processes. Given the scarcity of widespread knowledge, this overview aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the historical evolution of winemaking and its various transformations over the years. It delves into the intricacies of winemaking technology, particularly focusing on the unique utilization of qvevri vessels. In addition to traditional sources, this review examines the influence of winemaking technology and the utilization of special vessels on the characteristics of “orange” wines. It explores the unique traits that develop in these wines as a result of prolonged maceration. By considering the impact of these factors, the review offers insights into the distinct qualities and attributes that emerge in “orange” wines during the winemaking process.
The Productivity of Crop Rotation Depending on the Included Plants and Soil Tillage
Authors: Darguza Madara , Gaile Zinta
Published: September 2023

Crop diversification in rotations is an important part of sustainable crop production. The aim of this research was to analyse soil tillage and crop rotation influence on the yield (t ha−1) of different field crops, their energy yield (GJ ha−1) and the economical profitability (EUR ha−1) of crop rotation. The field trial was conducted in Latvia during four harvest seasons (2017–2020) in a long-term experiment that started in 2009. Three crop rotations with a different share of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) were studied: 100% wheat (repeated sowings), 67% wheat (three-year rotation with winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera) and two years following wheat) and 25% wheat (four-year rotation: field bean (Vicia faba)–wheat–winter oilseed rape–spring barley (Hordeum vulgare). Conventional and reduced soil tillage systems were used for rotation variants. Crop rotations “67% wheat” and “25% wheat” ensured significantly higher average wheat grain yields in comparison to “100% wheat”. Wheat and oilseed rape were the most valuable crops in terms of accumulated energy and economic value in this trial. Higher energy yields were gained from variants in the rotations “67% wheat” and “25% wheat”. Average gross profit was higher from crop rotations with diverse crops, mainly due to the positive forecrop effect on winter wheat.
Unraveling Drought Tolerance and Sensitivity in Coffee Genotypes: Insights from Seed Traits, Germination, and Growth-Physiological Responses
Authors: Chekol Habtamu , Bezuayehu Yimegnu , Warkineh Bikila , Shimber Tesfaye , Mierek-Adamska Agnieszka , Dąbrowska Grażyna B. , Degu Asfaw
Published: September 2023

The coffee plant is highly susceptible to drought, and different genotypes exhibit varying degrees of tolerance to low soil moisture. The goal of this work was to explore the interrelation between seed traits and germination events, growth patterns, and physiological responses of coffee genotypes, aiming to identify significant associations that may facilitate the selection of coffee genotypes exhibiting enhanced drought tolerance and yield potential. Two consecutive experiments were conducted to examine the impact of these factors. In the first experiment, germination performance was examined for three groups of coffee genotypes: relatively tolerant (Ca74140, Ca74112, and Ca74110), moderately sensitive (Ca74158, Ca74165, and CaJ-21), and sensitive (Ca754, CaJ-19, and CaGeisha). The subsequent experiment focused on the growth and physiological responses of two relatively tolerant (Ca74110 and Ca74112) and two sensitive (CaJ-19 and Ca754) genotypes under drought stress condition. The relatively tolerant genotypes showed quicker and more complete germination compared to other groups. This was associated with higher moisture content, higher seed surface area to volume ratio, and higher coefficient of velocity of germination, coefficient of variation of germination time, and germination index. Additionally, the relatively tolerant genotypes showed higher seedling vigor. The results of the second experiment demonstrated superior growth performance in relative tolerant genotypes compared to the sensitive groups. Young coffee plants belonging to relatively tolerant genotypes exhibited higher growth performance than the sensitive genotypes, with a net assimilation rate strongly correlated to relative water content, leaf number, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll-a. In addition, a strong correlation was exhibited between the growth of young coffee plants and the surface area to volume ratio of the seeds, as well as the germination percentage. The seedling vigor index showed a strong correlation with net assimilation rate, chlorophyll content, seedling growth, and cell membrane stability. Furthermore, principal component analysis illustrated distinct clustering of genotypes based on their germination and growth-physiological performance. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that seed traits, germination, and post-germination events are integral factors in determining drought tolerance and sensitivity, as well as the growth and physiological responses of adult coffee plants.
Elicitor-Mediated Response of Growth, Yield, and Quality of Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata Wall. ex Nees, Family Acanthaceae)
Authors: Gowda M. Pavan , Sharangi Amit Baran , Upadhyay Tarun Kumar , Alotaibi Nahaa M. , Alotaibi Modhi O. , Alshammari Nawaf , Saeed Mohd
Published: September 2023

With the objective of studying the influence of elicitors on the growth, yield, and quality of kalmegh, we carried out an investigation for two consecutive years. Nine treatments with three replications were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD). Chitosan (CHT), yeast extract (YE), jasmone acid (JA), and salicylic acid (SA)were evaluated at different concentrations. The CHT treatment at 1000 ppm exhibited the tallest plant height (73.91 cm) and the highest number of secondary branches (29.07) at the time of harvest. The primary branches and number of leaves per plant were highest with the CHT treatment at 1000 ppm (26.36; 88.32), and were not significantly different with the SA treatment at 200 ppm (26.28; 81.51). The plant spread was the highest with the SAtreatment at 200 ppm (35.46 cm2) and was not significantly different with the CHT treatment at 1000 ppm (35.11 cm2). The CHT and SA sprays did not result in significant changes in yield parameters, but the highest fresh (42.34 g) and dry (18.30) herbage yields per plant were exhibited with the SA treatment at 200 ppm. The highest total chlorophyll (4.459 mg g−1) and total andrographolide (3.494%) contents were recorded after treatment with the SA spray at 200 ppm. A significant and positive improvement in the growth, yield, and quality of kalmegh was noticed with the salicylic acid spray treatment at 200 ppm 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS), signifying its benefits for the cultivation of kalmegh in terms of high productivity, quality, and better returns for farmers.
Nutritional, Ethnomedicinal, and Agricultural Significance of Neglected and Underutilized Crops from Eastern Uttar Pradesh, North India
Authors: Singh Ajeet , Bundela Amit Kumar , Abhilash Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil
Published: September 2023

Meeting food and nutritional security needs for a growing population is a global sustainability challenge due to the heavy reliance on a few cultivated crops for dietary requirements across the world. To ensure local food security, it is imperative to diversify dietary options with locally available, neglected, and underutilized crops (NUCs) with nutritional and biocultural significance. In this context, the present study aims to explore the role of NUCs for nutritional, ethnomedicinal, and agricultural relevance in two districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, i.e., Mirzapur and Sonebhadra. Extensive field surveys were conducted in the study sites, and a total of 445 local respondents were interviewed based on structured questionnaires for calculating ethnobotanical indices, i.e., relative frequency of citation (RFC), frequency of citation (FC), use report (UR), and cultural importance index (CI) of NUCs. The study identified 116 NUCs belonging to 55 families and 103 genera. All reported NUCs had medicinal value; 55 were edible and used as food; and 41 had agricultural significance. Leaves were the most commonly used plant parts for medicinal purposes, followed by roots and stems, whereas flowers were the least commonly used parts. NUCs were used by the locals for their medicinal properties to treat various ailments, such as skin and eye problems, headaches, and liver problems. They were administered as decoction, paste, vapor inhalation, fruit juice, and poultice. The RFC, FC, UR, and CI values of the NUCs were in the range of 12 to 365, 0.03 to 0.82, 12 to 394, and 0.03 to 0.89, respectively. Fruits were the most commonly consumed part, followed by leaves, tubers, pods, and aerial bulbs, whereas the mode of consumption was stir-fry, soup, vegetables, salad, or in raw form. NUCs were bestowed with essential macro- and micronutrients and were found in the range of Ca (3.79–1147.3), K (2.6–1600.3), Mg (0.8–468.0), Na (0.4–270.8), P (1.15–305), Fe (0.1–327.6), Zn (0.1–84.6), Cu (0.047–33.3), Mn (0.1–62.3) mg/100 g, and vitamins like ascorbic acid (0.04–1561.1), thiamine (0.041–2.4), and β-Carotene (0.2–93.6) mg/100 g. These NUCs were cultivated in different settings, such as kitchen gardens, backyard gardens, border crops, and sometimes agricultural fields. The current study reveals the rich diversity and varied use of these NUCs with respect to their ethnomedicinal, nutritional, and agricultural relevance. Sustainable utilization with large-scale cultivation of promising NUCs can lead to local food security and the subsequent attainment of the associated UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Partial Replacement of Fishmeal with Poultry By-Product Meal in Diets for Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Post-Smolts
Authors: Yu Hairui , Li Min , Yu Leyong , Ma Xuejun , Wang Shuliang , Yuan Ziyi , Li Lingyao
Published: September 2023

The present study evaluated the effects of partially substituting fish meal (FM) with poultry by-product meal (PBPM) on the growth, muscle composition, and tissue biochemical parameters of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) post-smolts. Five isonitrogenous (7.45% nitrogen) and isoenergetic (18.61 MJ/kg gross energy) experimental diets were made by substituting 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60% FM protein with PBPM protein, which were designated accordingly as PBPM0 (the control), PBPM10, PBPM20, PBPM40, and PBPM60, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicates of ten post-smolts (initial individual body weight, 180.13 ± 1.32 g) in three floating cages three times daily (6:50, 11:50, and 16:50) to apparent satiation for 84 days. Both specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) among the control, PBPM10, and PBPM20 groups, which were remarkably (p < 0.05) higher than those of the PBPM40 and PBPM60 groups. Feed conversion ratio varied inversely with SGR. The PBPM replacement had no remarkable effects on the morphological indices and proximal muscle components. The control and PBPM10 groups led to significantly higher muscle contents of leucine, lysine, and methionine than groups of higher PBPM inclusion. The groups of PBPM40 and PBPM60 obtained significantly (p < 0.05) higher serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities than the control and low PBPM inclusion groups. The control group had significantly higher albumin and total cholesterol contents than the groups with PBPM inclusion. The control group had significantly higher triglycerides content than the PBPM60 group. The PBPM60 group had significantly lower contents of high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and total protein than the control and PBPM10 groups. The high PBPM replacement level up to 40% and 60% had adverse effects on hepatic malondialdehyde levels. The catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were not affected by low PBPM inclusion, but significantly decreased in high-PBPM-inclusion groups. Based on broken-line regression analysis of SGR and PER, the optimum dietary PBPM replacing level was evaluated to be 16.63–17.50% of FM protein for coho salmon post-smolts.
Clinical Evaluation of Medical Ozone Use in Domestic Feline Cutaneous Wounds—A Short Case Series
Authors: Oros Nicuşor-Valentin , Repciuc Călin , Ober Ciprian , Peștean Cosmin , Mircean Mircea Valerian , Oana Liviu-Ioan
Published: September 2023

Support and management of second-intention wound healing involves frequent dressing changes having different properties. Dressings can range from simple ones, such as nonadherent dressings, to more complex options, such as foam, hydrocolloid, alginate or negative pressure dressings. Seven cats were enrolled in the study with a total of nine wounds of various sizes with different etiology sizes and localizations. Three methods of local ozone administration were used to cover more of the ozone properties in the treatment of wounds: bagging, perilesional subcutaneous infiltrations and lavages with ozonated saline. Evaluation of the healing process was performed by clinical observation and wound area measurements every seven days until the complete recovery of the patients. The results of this study should encourage clinicians to consider medical ozone as a new therapeutic approach with regenerative properties in the second-intention healing of cats presenting cutaneous wounds.
Serum and Fecal 3-Bromotyrosine Concentrations in Dogs with Chronic Inflammatory Enteropathy: Clinical Parameters and Histopathological Changes
Authors: Sattasathuchana Panpicha , Thengchaisri Naris , Minamoto Yasushi , Minamoto Tomomi , Lidbury Jonathan A. , Suchodolski Jan S. , Steiner Jörg M.
Published: September 2023

Chronic inflammatory enteropathies (CIEs) in dogs involve the infiltration of gastrointestinal tissue with inflammatory cells. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity of serum and fecal 3-bromotyrosine (3-BrY) concentrations in dogs with CIE. The difference in 3-BrY concentrations in dogs with different gastrointestinal (GI) pathological changes was also assessed. In total, 68 dogs with CIE were enrolled in the study. The median serum 3-BrY concentration was 3.3 µmol/L, while the median 3-day mean and maximum fecal 3-BrY concentrations were 38.9 and 63.2 mmol/g of feces, respectively. The median serum C-reactive protein concentration was 45.0 mg/L. The median 3-day mean and maximum fecal α1-proteinase inhibitor concentrations were 6.1 and 9 µg/g of feces, respectively. Increased 3-BrY concentrations were observed in 90.9% of CIE dogs based on serum concentrations, 75.8% based on mean fecal concentrations, and 69.4% based on maximum fecal concentrations. A weak correlation (ρ = 0.31, p < 0.0118) was found between serum CRP and serum 3-BrY concentrations. There was no correlation between the canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index and serum or fecal 3-BrY concentrations (p > 0.05). Additionally, no significant difference in serum or fecal 3-BrY concentrations was found among CIE dogs with different GI pathological changes (p > 0.05). In conclusion, dogs with CIE have increased 3-BrY concentrations in serum and fecal samples. However, 3-BrY concentrations may not accurately indicate the severity of gastrointestinal inflammation.
The Chemical Composition of Soyhulls and Their Effect on Amino Acid and Nutrient Digestibility in Laying Hens during the Peak of Production
Authors: Shuaib Muhammad , Paneru Deependra , Hafeez Abdul , Tahir Muhammad , Kim Woo Kyun
Published: September 2023

This study investigates the chemical composition of soyhulls (SHs) as an alternative feed ingredient and their effect on nutrient and amino acid (AA) digestibility in laying hens during peak production. A total of 200 golden brown hens (28 weeks old) were subjected to random allocation across 5 dietary treatments: a corn–soybean meal (SBM) reference diet and 4 test diets with 25% SHs from different mills (SH1, SH2, SH3, and SH4). Each treatment was replicated four times with ten birds per replicate. Digesta samples were collected during three phases (28–32, 32–36, and 36–40 weeks of age) to measure apparent metabolizable energy (AME), the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients, and the standard ileal digestibility (SID) of AAs. The SBM diet had 30.0% crude protein (CP) and 3.78% crude fiber (CF), while the SH diets had 21.0 to 21.5% CP and 11.6% CF. The findings revealed that the AME was lower (p < 0.05) with SH diets (2404 kcal/kg) compared to the SBM diet (2627 kcal/kg) in all three phases. The SH diets had a lower AID of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ash, ether extract (EE), and crude fiber (CF) than the SBM diet by an average of 2.88, 2.25, 4.93, 4.99, and 3.36%, respectively. The AID of nitrogen-free extract (NFE) was higher in the SH diets than the SBM diet by 3.42% in all three phases (p < 0.05). The SH diets had lower uric acid excretion (about 66.93 mg/100 mL) than the SBM diet (about 76.43 mg/100 mL) on average in all three phases. The SH diets had a lower SID of arginine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, cysteine, valine, and tyrosine than the SBM diet by 2 to 10%, while the SID of methionine was higher in the SH diets than the SBM diet by 2.2% on average in all three phases (p < 0.05). The SH from Sadiq Brother Feed (SH1) had the highest AME and AID of DM, ash, CP, EE, CF, and the SID of AA among the SH diets. These results indicate that SH can partially replace SBM in laying hen diets, but the source and quality of SH should be considered.
Iterative Pilot-Based Reference Frame Estimation for Improved Data Rate in Two-Dimensional Display Field Communications
Authors: Kim Byung Wook , Singh Pankaj , Jung Sung-Yoon
Published: September 2023

Recently, display-to-camera (D2C) communication, including display field communication (DFC), has gained attention due to advancements in display technology and the widespread availability of cameras in handheld devices. In this study, we proposed an iterative pilot-based reference-frame estimation scheme to increase the data rate of a 2D-DFC system. To estimate the reference frame, pilot symbols are inserted between the data symbols of the transmitted image frames. Using pilot symbols, we can compensate for the distortion in the received frame and estimate the data pixels of the reference frames. After the first iteration, we use some of the data symbols as virtual pilot symbols for the next iteration. This process is repeated using both the original and virtual pilots; furthermore, by conducting several iterations, all the data pixels of the reference frame are estimated to reconstruct the reference frame. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme significantly boosts the achievable data rate of the 2D-DFC communication system by almost twofold, while maintaining the unobtrusiveness of the display.
Accurate Estimation of Air Pollution in Outdoor Routes for Citizens and Decision Making
Authors: Felici-Castell Santiago , Fernandez-Vargas Emilio , Segura-Garcia Jaume , Perez-Solano Juan J. , Fayos-Jordan Rafael , Lopez-Ballester Jesus
Published: September 2023

There is clear evidence of the effects of air pollution on health. In this paper, we present an innovative application designed to assess Air Quality (AQ) exposure based on the World Health Organization’s AQ Guidelines, analysing pollutants and their concentrations independently. Our aim is to provide this information to citizens based on their health profile (medical history or requirements) before and during outdoor trips of their choice, both walking and cycling, empowering them to proactively make informed personal decisions about their route choices and identifying potentially unhealthy travel environments. For this purpose, we have access to official data from AQ monitoring stations that are updated periodically every 10 min. Then, by using spatial interpolation techniques (with Ordinary Kriging), we estimate each pollutant over a grid superimposed on the city map. Once the pollutants have been mapped on each route, they are analysed in order to consider the different alternatives for deciding and planning changes in speed or trajectory. We evaluated the application in the city of Valencia (Spain) as a use case under different scenarios, and showed the results to assess exposure to pollution on the routes of citizens.
A Local Information Perception Enhancement–Based Method for Chinese NER
Authors: Zhang Miao , Lu Ling
Published: September 2023

Integrating lexical information into Chinese character embedding is a valid method to figure out the Chinese named entity recognition (NER) issue. However, most existing methods focus only on the discovery of named entity boundaries, considering only the words matched by the Chinese characters. They ignore the association between Chinese characters and their left and right matching words. They ignore the local semantic information of the character’s neighborhood, which is crucial for Chinese NER. The Chinese language incorporates a significant number of polysemous words, meaning that a single word can possess multiple meanings. Consequently, in the absence of sufficient contextual information, individuals may encounter difficulties in comprehending the intended meaning of a text, leading to the emergence of ambiguity. We consider how to handle the issue of entity ambiguity because of polysemous words in Chinese texts in different contexts more simply and effectively. We propose in this paper the use of graph attention networks to construct relatives among matching words and neighboring characters as well as matching words and adding left- and right-matching words directly using semantic information provided by the local lexicon. Moreover, this paper proposes a short-sequence convolutional neural network (SSCNN). It utilizes the generated shorter subsequence encoded with the sliding window module to enhance the perception of local information about the character. Compared with the widely used Chinese NER models, our approach achieves 1.18%, 0.29%, 0.18%, and 1.1% improvement on the four benchmark datasets Weibo, Resume, OntoNotes, and E-commerce, respectively, and proves the effectiveness of the model.
Spontaneous Directional Transportation Surface of Water Droplet and Gas Bubble: A Review
Authors: Lu Yi , Yan Defeng , Lin Junyi , Zhang Song , Song Jinlong
Published: September 2023

The spontaneous directional transportation (SDT) of water and gas has functions such as efficient water collection, enhanced heat transfer, underwater drag reduction, and so on, having great application prospects in aerospace and navigation fields. Therefore, it is important to efficiently prepare spontaneous directional water droplet transportation (SDWT) surfaces and spontaneous directional gas bubble transportation (SDBT) surfaces and apply them in different fields. In recent years, researchers have used biological structures as the basis for their studies and have continued to analyze the SDT transport mechanism in depth, aiming to find more efficient transportation methods. In this review, we first summarize the important basic theories related to fluid transportation. Then, the related methods and the limitations corresponding to SDWT and SDBT are introduced and discussed. In addition, we review the applications of SDWT and SDBT. Finally, we highlight the challenges and future perspectives of SDWT and SDBT.
Transimpedance Amplifier for Noise Measurements in Low-Resistance IR Photodetectors
Authors: Achtenberg Krzysztof , Scandurra Graziella , Mikołajczyk Janusz , Ciofi Carmine , Bielecki Zbigniew
Published: September 2023

This paper presents the design and testing of an ultra-low-noise transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for low-frequency noise measurements on low-impedance (below 1 kΩ) devices, such as advanced IR photodetectors. When dealing with low-impedance devices, the main source of background noise in transimpedance amplifiers comes from the equivalent input voltage noise of the operational amplifier, which is used in a shunt–shunt configuration to obtain a transimpedance stage. In our design, we employ a hybrid operational amplifier in which an input front end based on ultra-low-noise discrete JFET devices is used to minimize this noise contribution. When using IF3602 JFETs for the input stage, the equivalent voltage noise of the hybrid operational amplifier can be as low as 4 nV/√Hz, 2 nV/√Hz, and 0.9 nV/√Hz at 1 Hz, 10 Hz, and 1 kHz, respectively. When testing the current noise of an ideal 1 kΩ resistor, these values correspond to a current noise contribution of the same order as or below that of the thermal noise of the resistor. Therefore, in cases in which the current flicker noise is dominant, i.e., much higher than the thermal noise, the noise contribution from the transimpedance amplifier can be neglected in most cases of interest. Test measurements on advanced low-impedance photodetectors are also reported to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach for directly measuring low-frequency current noise in biased low-impedance electronic devices.