bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thonningianin A ameliorated renal interstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy mice by modulating gut microbiota dysbiosis and repressing inflammation
Authors: Zhang Shujiao , Zhang Shuaixing , Bai Xuehui , Wang Yaoxian , Liu Yuning , Liu Weijing
Published: August 2024

Objectives

This study was conducted to examine the potential health benefits of thonningianin A (TA) on renal injury and interstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy (DN) mice.

Methods

In this study, a DN mice model was established using male C57BL/6 mice injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg) intraperitoneally and treated with TA for 12 weeks. Firstly, the therapeutic and anti-fibrotic effects of TA on DN were evaluated. Secondly, the effect of TA on renal inflammation was evaluated and Western blot was used to detect the changes of NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 pathway-related protein expressions in kidney. Furthermore, the effect of TA on impairments in the intestinal mucosa barrier was evaluated and the changes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels in feces and serum were detected by ELISA. Finally, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to detect alteration of gut microbiota diversity and abundance in mice after TA treatment.

Results

The results showed that TA markedly mitigated blood glucose (Glu), decreased 24-h urinary total protein (24hUTP), improved renal dysfunction and kidney index (KI) in DN mice. Furthermore, TA significantly alleviated renal injury and interstitial fibrosis, repressing renal inflammation. Western blot results showed that the NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 signaling pathway-related proteins decreased after TA treatment. In addition, TA also ameliorated impairments in the intestinal mucosa barrier and restored the expressions of intestinal tight junction proteins (Claudin-1, Occludin and ZO-1). Subsequently, it reduced LPS levels of DN mice in fecal and serum. Furthermore, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing showed that TA modulated gut microbiota dysbiosis and decreased the abundance of Gram-negative bacteria (Proteobacteria and Escherichia-Shigella).

Conclusion

This study suggested that TA might exert a beneficial effect on renal interstitial fibrosis in DN mice by modulating gut microbiota dysbiosis, ameliorating impairments in the intestinal mucosa barrier, reducing the production and release of LPS, inhibiting the activation of NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 signaling pathway, and repressing renal inflammatory.
Willingness-to-use and preferences for model-informed antenatal doses: a cross-sectional study among European healthcare practitioners and pregnant women
Authors: Koldeweij C. J. M. , Dibbets A. C. , Ceulemans M. , de Vries L. C. , Franklin B. D. , Scheepers H. C. J. , de Wildt S. N.
Published: August 2024

Background: Physiological changes in pregnancy may affect drug safety and efficacy, sometimes requiring dose adjustments. Pregnancy-adjusted doses, however, are missing for most medications. Increasingly, pharmacokinetic models can be used for antenatal dose finding. Given the novelty of this technique and questions regarding dose credibility, the acceptability of model-informed antenatal doses should be explored.

Objective: We aimed to assess the willingness-to-use and preferred features for model-informed antenatal doses among healthcare practitioners (HCPs) and pregnant women in European countries.

Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based study drawing on two open surveys was performed between 8 September and 30 November 2022. Each survey comprised statements drawn from prior focus groups, associated with Likert-scales. Themes included respondents’ information needs, search behaviours along with their willingness-to-use and preferred features for model-informed antenatal doses. The surveys were disseminated through professional societies, pregnancy websites and social media. A descriptive analysis was performed.

Results: In total, 608 HCPs from different specialties and 794 pregnant women across 15 countries participated, with 81% of respondents across both groups in the Netherlands or Belgium. Among pregnant women, 31% were medical professionals and 85% used medication during pregnancy. Eighty-three percent of HCPs found current antenatal pharmacotherapy suboptimal and 97% believed that model-informed antenatal doses would enhance the quality of antenatal care. Most HCPs (93%) and pregnant women (75%) would be willing to follow model-informed antenatal doses. Most HCPs desired access to the evidence (88%), including from pharmacokinetic modelling (62%). Most pregnant women (96%) wanted to understand antenatal dosing rationales and to be involved in dosing decisions (97%).

Conclusion: The willingness-to-use model-informed antenatal doses is high among HCPs and pregnant women provided that certain information needs are met.
Efficacy and safety of Cordyceps sinensis (Hirsutella sinensis, Cs-C-Q80) in chronic bronchitis
Authors: Shu Xinyang , Xu Dongfeng , Qu Yumin , Shang Xiaofeng , Qiao Kehong , Feng Cuiling , Cui Hongsheng , Zhao Xianping , Li Yuxin , Peng Yu , Li Demin , Zhang Hongchun
Published: August 2024

Background:Cordyceps sinensis is a traditional Chinese medicine that has shown promise for the management of chronic bronchitis (CB). We aim to assess the efficacy and safety of a preparation of C sinensis named Bailing capsule (Hirsutella sinensis, Cs-C-Q80) compared with a placebo in patients with CB.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; registration number: ChiCTR1900025707) recruited patients with CB from eight hospitals in China between May 2019 and December 2020. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive Bailing capsule or a placebo orally for 48 weeks (2.0 g, three times a day).

Results: Among 240 patients who were randomized, 238 (Bailing capsule: 159, placebo: 79) were included in the primary analysis. Bailing capsule significantly reduced the frequency of acute exacerbation of CB (AECB) compared with the placebo during treatment (0.43 ± 0.82 vs. 1.56 ± 1.34; P < 0.001) and follow-up (0.21 ± 0.64 vs. 0.45 ± 0.93; P = 0.026). Bailing capsule improved the severity of expectoration (P = 0.046) and wheezing (P = 0.010) in AECB during follow-up. The severity of CB after treatment was significantly improved in the Bailing capsule group compared with the placebo group (P = 0.035), particularly in terms of expectoration (P = 0.012) and wheezing (P = 0.003). The risk of adverse events, mainly including infectious and invasive diseases and gastrointestinal symptoms, did not significantly differ between the two groups (29.6% vs. 30.4%).

Conclusion: In patients with CB, Bailing capsule significantly reduces the frequency of AECB and ameliorates the severity of AECB and CB symptoms.

Clinical Trail Registration:https://www.chictr.org.cn, identifer ChiCTR1900025707.
Chemico-pharmacological evaluations of the dwarf elephant ear (Colocasia affinis Schott) plant metabolites and extracts: health benefits from vegetable source
Authors: Alam Safaet , Richi Fahmida Tasnim , Hasnat Hasin , Ahmed Firoj , Emon Nazim Uddin , Uddin Md. Jasim , Rana G. M. Masud , Wang Shuanghu , Yeasmin Mst. Sarmina , Ahmed Nazim Uddin , Khan Md. Salim , Al Mamun Abdullah
Published: August 2024

Introduction:Colocasia affinis Schott (Family: Araceae), found in the Asian region, is a traditional root vegetable consumed by the locals and well-known as Dwarf Elephant Ear.

Methods: For the pharmacological exploration of this root vegetable, four kupchan fractions (i.e. HSF, DCMSF, EASF, and AQSF) from ethanolic extract of C. affinis were employed to in vitro i.e. antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial and in vivo i.e. antidiarrheal and analgesic assays, followed by phytochemical screening and GC-MS protocol.

Result and Discussion: In the antioxidant assay, the AQSF showed promising potential with an IC50 value of 29.4 μg/mL and additionally, it exhibited the greatest overall phenolic content, measuring 57.23 mg GAE/gm. of extract among other fractions. The AQSF also revealed promising cytotoxic activity in brine shrimp lethality assay with an LC50 value of 1.36 μg/mL. Both AQSF and EASF exhibited substantial antimicrobial efficacy against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as various fungus species with a remarkable zone of inhibitions compared to standards. Whereas, during both the castor oil-induced antidiarrheal and acetic acid-induced writhing assay, the DCMSF at 400 mg/kg dose exhibited the highest 51.16% reduction of diarrhea and 52.33% reduction of writhing. Phytochemical screening revealed several chemical groups while GC-MS study of different fractions of dwarf elephant ear ethanolic extract revealed 48 different bioactive phytochemicals in total. Several targets such as KAS, DHFR for anti-microbial activities, GLR, URO for antioxidant activities, EGFR, BCL-2 for cytotoxicity, KOR, DOR for antidiarrheal activities and COX-2, TNF-α for analgesic activities are considered for molecular docking against identified phytocompounds and standards along with ADME/T studies to ascertain their safety, efficacy and drug likeliness profiles.

Conclusion: To recapitulate, our study revealed that vegetables such as dwarf elephant ear can be considered as a prospective source of therapeutics and drug development besides their nutritive food values.
Assessing the real-world safety of tralokinumab for atopic dermatitis: insights from a comprehensive analysis of FAERS data
Authors: Zhao Kaidi , Zhao Yang , Xiao Shengxiang , Tu Chen
Published: August 2024

Background

Tralokinumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-13, has been primarily used for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Given its extensive use in clinical practice, understanding its safety profile in the real-world setting is crucial.

Methods

This study utilized disproportionality analysis to evaluate the safety of tralokinumab in clinical practice by analyzing all adverse event reports since 2021 in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database that identified tralokinumab as the primary suspected drug. Reporting odds ratio, proportional reporting ratio, multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker, and Bayesian confidence propagation neural network were used for disproportionality analyses of adverse events related to tralokinumab. Additionally, the Weibull distribution was employed to model the risk of adverse events over time.

Results

Adverse reactions documented on the drug label, such as injection site reactions, conjunctivitis, and upper respiratory infections, displayed positive signals. Additionally, potential adverse reactions not mentioned on the label were also identified, including dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and acne. The importance of adverse event monitoring, particularly in the first month after treatment initiation, was emphasized.

Conclusion

This study has provided preliminary safety data on the real-world application of tralokinumab, confirming some known adverse reactions and revealing additional potential risks. The findings offer critical safety information for clinicians prescribing tralokinumab to treat atopic dermatitis.
Fine-tuning and remodeling of pectins play a key role in the maintenance of cell adhesion
Authors: Grandjean Cyril , Voxeur Aline , Chabout Salem , Jobert François , Gutierrez Laurent , Pelloux Jérôme , Mouille Gregory , Bouton Sophie
Published: August 2024

Plant cell adhesion is essential for development and stress response and is mediated by the deposition of pectin-rich middle lamella between cell walls. However, the precise control mechanism of cell adhesion remains unclear. The qua2-1 and esmd1-1 mutants provide a better understanding of this process and suggest a signaling pathway triggering the loss and restoration of adhesion via cell wall modifications. This study aims at a better characterization of the production of endogenous oligogalacturonides(OGs) and cell wall structural modifications in the control of cell adhesion in Arabidopsis. From dark-grown hypocotyls of wild type, qua2-1, esmd1-1, and qua2-1/esmd1-1 mutants, we identified seven distinct endogenous OGs, that varied in their degree of polymerization and extent of substitution and in their abundance. The structure of homogalacturonans were further analyzed by enzymatic fingerprint, indicating a change in esterification patterns. Expression analysis of genes encoding pectin-modifying enzymes, including PME, PMEI, and PAE showed significant variations depending on genotypes. Gene expression levels correlated with changes in the structure of homogalacturonans and cell adhesion phenotypes. This study suggests the involvement of a feedback loop between endogenous OGs, the fine-tuning of homogalacturonans structure, and the gene expression of pectin remodeling enzymes in controlling cell adhesion.
Event-related pupillary response-based authentication system using eye-tracker add-on augmented reality glasses for individual identification
Authors: Park Sangin , Ha Jihyeon , Kim Laehyun
Published: August 2024

This study aimed at developing a noncontact authentication system using event-related pupillary response (ErPR) epochs in an augmented reality (AR) environment. Thirty participants were shown in a rapid serial visual presentation consisting of familiar and unknown human photographs. ErPR was compared with event-related potential (ERP). ERP and ErPR amplitudes for familiar faces were significantly larger compared with those for stranger faces. The ERP-based authentication system exhibited perfect accuracy using a linear support vector machine classifier. A quadratic discriminant analysis classifier trained using ErPR features achieved high accuracy (97%) and low false acceptance (0.03) and false rejection (0.03) rates. The correlation coefficients between ERP and ErPR amplitudes were 0.452–0.829, and the corresponding Bland–Altman plots showed a fairly good agreement between them. The ErPR-based authentication system allows noncontact authentication of persons without the burden of sensor attachment via low-cost, noninvasive, and easily implemented technology in an AR environment.
Immune signaling pathways in Rhodnius prolixus in the context of Trypanosoma rangeli infection: cellular and humoral immune responses and microbiota modulation
Authors: Pereira Suelen Bastos , Mattos Débora Passos de , Gonzalez Marcelo Salabert , Mello Cicero Brasileiro , Azambuja Patrícia , Castro Daniele Pereira de , Vieira Cecília Stahl
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Rhodnius prolixus is a hematophagous insect and one of the main vectors for Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli parasites in Latin America. Gut microbiota and insect immune responses affect T. cruzi and T. rangeli infection within triatomines. Particularly the Toll and IMD signaling pathways activations and how they orchestrate the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) expressions in R. prolixus, especially when infected by T. rangeli.

Objectives

Examine how T. rangeli infection modulates R. prolixus cellular and humoral immunity and its impacts on insect microbiota.

Methods

R. prolixus was fed on blood containing epimastigotes of T. rangeli, and infection was quantified in insect tissues. The gene expression of dorsal, cactus, relish, PGRP, and AMPs was examined in the midgut, fat body, and salivary glands by quantitative real-time PCR. Microbiota composition was analyzed using RT-q PCR targeting specific bacterial species. Hemocyte numbers and phenoloxidase activity were quantified to assess cellular immune responses.

Results

T. rangeli infection modulated triatomine immunity in midgut and hemocoel, activating the expression of the NF-kB gene dorsal, associated with the Toll pathway; increasing expression of the gene encoding PGRP receptor, a component involved in the IMD pathway, both in the intestine and fat body; repressing the expression of the relish transcription factor, mainly in salivary glands. Among the R. prolixus AMPs studied, T. rangeli infection repressed all AMP gene expression, other than defensin C which increased mRNA levels. The PO activity was enhanced in the hemolymph of infected insects. T. rangeli infection did not induce hemocyte number alterations compared to control insects. However, an increase in hemocyte microaggregation was detected in infected insects.

Discussion

R. prolixus recognizes T. rangeli infection and triggers humoral and cellular immune responses involving Toll pathway activation, defensin C synthesis, increased phenoloxidase activity, and enhanced hemocyte aggregation. On the other hand, T. rangeli infection suppressed some IMD pathway components, suggesting that, in R. prolixus, this pathway is involved in defensins A and B gene regulation. Importantly, these immune responses altered the bacterial microbiota composition, potentially favoring T. rangeli establishment in the insect vector.
TP-Transfiner: high-quality segmentation network for tea pest
Authors: Wu Ruizhao , He Feng , Rong Ziyang , Liang Zhixue , Xu Wenxing , Ni Fuchuan , Dong Wenyong
Published: August 2024

Detecting and controlling tea pests promptly are crucial for safeguarding tea production quality. Due to the insufficient feature extraction ability of traditional CNN-based methods, they face challenges such as inaccuracy and inefficiency of detecting pests in dense and mimicry scenarios. This study proposes an end-to-end tea pest detection and segmentation framework, TeaPest-Transfiner (TP-Transfiner), based on Mask Transfiner to address the challenge of detecting and segmenting pests in mimicry and dense scenarios. In order to improve the feature extraction inability and weak accuracy of traditional convolution modules, this study proposes three strategies. Firstly, a deformable attention block is integrated into the model, which consists of deformable convolution and self-attention using the key content only term. Secondly, the FPN architecture in the backbone network is improved with a more effective feature-aligned pyramid network (FaPN). Lastly, focal loss is employed to balance positive and negative samples during the training period, and parameters are adapted to the dataset distribution. Furthermore, to address the lack of tea pest images, a dataset called TeaPestDataset is constructed, which contains 1,752 images and 29 species of tea pests. Experimental results on the TeaPestDataset show that the proposed TP-Transfiner model achieves state-of-the-art performance compared with other models, attaining a detection precision (AP50) of 87.211% and segmentation performance of 87.381%. Notably, the model shows a significant improvement in segmentation average precision (mAP) by 9.4% and a reduction in model size by 30% compared to the state-of-the-art CNN-based model Mask R-CNN. Simultaneously, TP-Transfiner’s lightweight module fusion maintains fast inference speeds and a compact model size, demonstrating practical potential for pest control in tea gardens, especially in dense and mimicry scenarios.
Shotgun proteomics profiling of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) reveals genotypic differential responses to viability loss
Authors: Rodríguez María Emilia , Poza-Viejo Laura , Maestro-Gaitán Isaac , Schneider-Teixeira Aline , Deladino Lorena , Ixtaina Vanesa , Reguera Maria
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Exposure to elevated temperatures and relative humidity expedites the seed aging process, finally leading to seed viability loss. In this context, certain proteins play a pivotal role in safeguarding the longevity of seeds. However, the seedproteomic response to loss viability in Salvia hispanica L., commonly known as chia, remains incompletely understood.

Methods

This work explores the application of proteomics as a potent tool for uncovering molecular responses to viability loss caused by artificial aging in two chia genotypes, WN and MN.

Results

By using a quantitative label-free proteomics analysis (LC-MS/MS), 1787 proteins wereidentified in chia seeds at a 95% confidence level, including storage proteins, heat shock proteins (HSPs), late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEA),oleosins, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related enzymes, and ribosomal proteins. A relatively low percentage of exclusive proteins were identified in viable and non-viable seeds. However, proteins exhibiting differential abundancebetween samples indicated variations in the genotype and physiological status. Specifically, the WN genotype showed 130 proteins with differential abundancecomparing viable and non-viable seeds, while MN displayed changes in the abundance of 174 proteins. While both showed a significant decrease in keyproteins responsible for maintaining seed functionality, longevity, and vigor withhigh-temperature and humidity conditions, such as LEA proteins or HSPs, ROS, and oleosins, distinct responses between genotypes were noted, particularly in ribosomal proteins that were accumulated in MN and diminished in WN seeds.

Discussion

Overall, the results emphasize the importance of evaluating changes in proteins of viable and non-viable seeds as they offer valuable insights into the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of chia seed integrity throughout high-temperature and humidity exposure.
Multichannel tDCS with advanced targeting for major depressive disorder: a tele-supervised at-home pilot study
Authors: Ruffini Giulio , Salvador Ricardo , Castaldo Francesca , Baleeiro Thais , Camprodon Joan A. , Chopra Mohit , Cappon Davide , Pascual-Leone Alvaro
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Proof-of-principle human studies suggest that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) may improve depression severity. This open-label multicenter study tested remotely supervised multichannel tDCS delivered at home in patients (N=35) with major depressive disorder (MDD). The primary aim was to assess the feasibility and safety of our protocol. As an exploratory aim, we evaluated therapeutic efficacy: the primary efficacy measure was the median percent change from baseline to the end of the 4-week post-treatment follow-up period in the observer-rated Montgomery-Asberg Depression Mood Rating Scale (MADRS).

Methods

Participants received 37 at-home stimulation sessions (30 minutes each) of specifically designed multichannel tDCS targeting the left DLPFC administered over eight weeks (4 weeks of daily treatments plus 4 weeks of taper), with a follow-up period of 4 weeks following the final stimulation session. The stimulation montage (electrode positions and currents) was optimized by employing computational models of the electric field generated by multichannel tDCS using available structural data from a similar population (group optimization). Conducted entirely remotely, the study employed the MADRS for assessment at baseline, at weeks 4 and 8 during treatment, and at 4-week follow-up visits.

Results

34 patients (85.3% women) with a mean age of 59 years, a diagnosis of MDD according to DSM-5 criteria, and a MADRS score ≥20 at the time of study enrolment completed all study visits. At baseline, the mean time since MDD diagnosis was 24.0 (SD 19.1) months. Concerning compliance, 85% of the participants (n=29) completed the complete course of 37 stimulation sessions at home, while 97% completed at least 36 sessions. No detrimental effects were observed, including suicidal ideation and/or behavior. The study observed a median MADRS score reduction of 64.5% (48.6, 72.4) 4 weeks post-treatment (Hedge’s g = -3.1). We observed a response rate (≥ 50% improvement in MADRS scores) of 72.7% (n=24) from baseline to the last visit 4 weeks post-treatment. Secondary measures reflected similar improvements.

Conclusions

These results suggest that remotely supervised and supported multichannel home-based tDCS is safe and feasible, and antidepressant efficacy motivates further appropriately controlled clinical studies.

Clinical Trial Registration

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05205915?tab=results, identifier NCT05205915.
Dysregulated zinc homeostasis and microadenomas in the anterior pituitary: pathological insights into suicide risk
Authors: Tendilla-Beltrán Hiram , Aguilar-Alonso Patricia , Hernández-González Carlos Alejandro , Baltazar-Gaytán Eduardo , Orduña Ana A. , Nicolini Humberto , García-Dolores Fernando , Flores Gonzalo
Published: August 2024

Background

Suicide is a significant public health problem influenced by various risk factors, including dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Zinc (Zn), essential for pituitary function in hormone synthesis and release, has been linked to suicide, with studies noting reduced serum levels and altered brain transport mechanisms. Despite Zn’s crucial role in pituitary function and its involvement in suicidal behavior, information on pituitary Zn in suicide is scarce. Tumor cells modify Zn dynamics in tissues, and a previous report suggests microadenomas in the anterior pituitary as a risk factor for suicide.

Methods

Histopathological analysis with hematoxylin-eosin stain and histochemical techniques to assess Zn homeostasis were carried out on anterior pituitary postmortem samples from 14 suicide completers and 9 non-suicidal cases.

Results

Pituitary microadenomas were identified in 35% of suicide cases and none in the non-suicidal cases. Furthermore, compartmentalized Zn (detected via dithizone reactivity), but not free Zn levels (detected via zinquin reactivity), was lower in the suicide cases compared to the non-suicidal group.

Conclusion

This is the first report of a potential association between disrupted Zn homeostasis and microadenomas in the anterior pituitary as a feature in suicide and provides critical insights for future neuroendocrine Zn-related research.
Examining media’s coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and social media sentiments on vaccine manufacturers’ stock prices
Authors: Bai Shun Yao , Lee Edmund W. J.
Published: August 2024

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a widespread public health and financial crisis. The rapid vaccine development generated extensive discussions in both mainstream and social media, sparking optimism in the global financial markets. This study aims to explore the key themes from mainstream media’s coverage of COVID-19 vaccines on Facebook and examine how public interactions and responses on Facebook to mainstream media’s posts are associated with daily stock prices and trade volume of major vaccine manufacturers.

Methods

We obtained mainstream media’s coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and major vaccine manufacturers on Facebook from CrowdTangle, a public insights tool owned and operated by Facebook, as well as the corresponding trade volume and daily closing prices from January 2020 to December 2021. Structural topic modelling was used to analyze social media posts while regression analysis was conducted to determine the impact of Facebook reactions on stock prices and trade volume.

Results

10 diverse topics ranging from vaccine trials and their politicization (note: check that we use American spelling throughout), to stock market discussions were found to evolve over the pandemic. Although Facebook reactions were not consistently associated with vaccine manufacturers’ stock prices, ‘Haha’ and ‘Angry’ reactions showed the strongest association with stock price fluctuations. In comparison, social media reactions had little observable impact on trading volume.

Discussion

Topics generated reflect both actual events during vaccine development as well as its political and economic impact. The topics generated in this study reflect both the actual events surrounding vaccine development and its broader political and economic impact. While we anticipated a stronger correlation, our findings suggest a limited relationship between emotional reactions on Facebook and vaccine manufacturers’ stock prices and trading volume. We also discussed potential technical enhancements for future studies, including the integration of large language models.
Unsupervised clustering reveals acoustic diversity and niche differentiation in pulsed calls from a coral reef ecosystem
Authors: Noble Allison E. , Jensen Frants H. , Jarriel Sierra D. , Aoki Nadege , Ferguson Sophie R. , Hyer Matthew D. , Apprill Amy , Mooney T. Aran
Published: August 2024

Coral reefs are biodiverse marine ecosystems that are undergoing rapid changes, making monitoring vital as we seek to manage and mitigate stressors. Healthy reef soundscapes are rich with sounds, enabling passive acoustic recording and soundscape analyses to emerge as cost-effective, long-term methods for monitoring reef communities. Yet most biological reef sounds have not been identified or described, limiting the effectiveness of acoustic monitoring for diversity assessments. Machine learning offers a solution to scale such analyses but has yet to be successfully applied to characterize the diversity of reef fish sounds. Here we sought to characterize and categorize coral reef fish sounds using unsupervised machine learning methods. Pulsed fish and invertebrate sounds from 480 min of data sampled across 10 days over a 2-month period on a US Virgin Islands reef were manually identified and extracted, then grouped into acoustically similar clusters using unsupervised clustering based on acoustic features. The defining characteristics of these clusters were described and compared to determine the extent of acoustic diversity detected on these reefs. Approximately 55 distinct calls were identified, ranging in centroid frequency from 50 Hz to 1,300 Hz. Within this range, two main sub-bands containing multiple signal types were identified from 100 Hz to 400 Hz and 300 Hz–700 Hz, with a variety of signals outside these two main bands. These methods may be used to seek out acoustic diversity across additional marine habitats. The signals described here, though taken from a limited dataset, speak to the diversity of sounds produced on coral reefs and suggest that there might be more acoustic niche differentiation within soniferous fish communities than has been previously recognized.
Linking Psychological Capital to Organizational Commitment: The Moderating Role of Perceived Aversive Leadership of Employees in Angola
Authors: Geremias Rosa Lutete , Lopes Miguel Pereira , Sotomayor Ana Maria
Published: August 2024

Organizational commitment is an indicator of organizational performance, regarding the attainment of competitive advantages. Knowing the factors that promote or inhibit organizational commitment fills a gap in the literature in the area of aversive leadership in Angola and reinforces the role of managers in promoting employees’ organizational commitment. This study aimed to analyze the moderating role of perceived aversive leadership in the relationship between psychological capital and organizational commitment. Although recent studies have indicated the negative effects of aversive leadership on organizational outcomes, the role of perceived aversive leadership on employees’ organizational commitment has not been tested. To this end, we applied a self-report questionnaire from 335 employees from different sectors of activity in Angola to examine this relationship. To analyze the results of the study, we used structural equation modeling. The results showed that the relevance of psychological capital in organizational commitment is highlighted when perceived aversive leadership is low. On the other hand, when perceived aversive leadership is high, employees will exhibit lower levels of organizational commitment. This study may influence the adoption of more sophisticated leadership selection techniques, based on behavioral and situational interviews, to ensure that professionals with aversive behaviors cannot hold positions of responsibility.
The Importance of International Volunteering for the Tourist Destination Image: Case Study in Barcelos (Portugal)
Authors: Coutinho Ricardo Pacheco , Sousa Bruno Barbosa , Santos Vasco Ribeiro
Published: August 2024

This research investigates the significant role of international volunteering, particularly through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), in shaping the image of Barcelos as a tourist destination. The study specifically examines various volunteer programs in Barcelos, such as construction projects, teaching, and agricultural assistance. It focuses on the volunteers’ perceptions and motivations and on the impact of their experiences on the city’s touristic recognition. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research analyzes responses from electronic surveys with 92 former ESC volunteers and interviews with four local organizations that host these participants. The findings reveal that international volunteering through specific programs enhances Barcelos’ image as a welcoming, culturally rich, and civically engaged tourist destination. This research highlights the importance of integrating such initiatives into the city’s tourism management strategy, suggesting that such efforts can significantly enrich the tourist experience and the overall image of the destination. Furthermore, the study identifies areas for future research, including the need for a more in-depth analysis of the long-term impact of these volunteering activities on the local economy and cultural sustainability. The limitations of the study, such as the use of a convenience sample and the reliance on self-reported data, which may influence the results and their generalizability, are also discussed. In conclusion, this work provides valuable insights for tourism managers and policymakers, demonstrating how international volunteering can be a strategic component in enhancing the image of tourist destinations. Through careful and strategic management, Barcelos can continue to develop and promote its identity as a destination for solidarity tourism and cultural vibrancy.
Effects of Establishment on Growth, Yield, and Silage Qualities of Amaranth in Typhoon-Prone Southern Kyushu, Japan
Authors: Zhong Zixuan , Niimi Mitsuhiro , Tobisa Manabu , Idota Sachiko , Ishii Yasuyuki
Published: August 2024

Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is a potential forage crop with a high yield and crude protein (CP) content; however, establishment methods need to improve for the crop to be less sensitive to typhoons. Optimal establishment, cultivation, and utilization in amaranth were examined in a variety of seasons and methods of establishment in 2021–2023. Four methods were examined: (1) direct seeding in rows, (2) direct seeding in spots, (3) soil seed balls, and (4) transplant pretreatment methods under a randomized blocked design (n = 3). Sowings every month from April to August were applied only in 2021, while establishments in April, May, and August with both pretreatment methods were applied in 2022 and 2023. The establishment in August successfully escaped damage from typhoons. The direct seeding of either rows or spots showed marginal success in establishment compared to stable establishment in pretreatment methods. In 2022 and 2023, the highest yield and CP content were achieved in soil seed balls plots in April and in both pretreated plots sown in August, respectively. The quality of silage fermentation showed a high pH, ranging from 4.52 to 6.39, due to the high CP content in 7.59–18.36% dry matter (DM). Sowing in April or August established with soil seed balls can avoid typhoon damage to have stable forage yields and can be processed with a favorable quality of amaranth silage in the region.
Effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 on Mineral Nutrient Utilization of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) under Drought Stress
Authors: Han Lingjuan , Hu Lele , Lv Yuanyuan , Li Yixuan , Ma Zheng , Li Bin , Gao Peng , Liang Yinping , Zhao Xiang
Published: August 2024

Drought stress is one of the major impediments to plant growth. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can mitigate moisture stress in plants by increasing the ability of plant nutrient uptake and transport. In this study, we investigated the root phenotype, mineral nutrients (in leaves, roots, and soil), soil pH, water saturation deficit (WSD), free water content (FWC), and bound water content (BWC) of leaves of two alfalfa varieties, ‘Galalxie Max’ (drought-tolerant) and ‘Saidi 7’ (drought-sensitive), in the presence or absence of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 under drought stress conditions. The results showed that water stress negatively affected both cultivar root morphology (total root length, average diameter, total surface area, and volume) and the contents of K and Fe in leaves, roots, and soil. It also reduced the Mn and Zn contents in the soil while increasing the content of Na in the leaves and soil. Additionally, alfalfa plants under drought stress exhibited higher levels of soil pH, WSD, and BWC but lower contents of FWC and ratios of BWC/FWC in the leaves of both cultivars. However, QST713 application significantly enhanced the total root length, average root diameter, and the contents of K and Fe in alfalfa leaves, roots, and soil, as well as the BWC/FWC ratio in leaves under drought stress conditions. A significant reduction in the Na content was detected in QST713-treated alfalfa leaves and soil under drought stress. Furthermore, QST713 application noticeably decreased soil pH and WSD. The current findings showed that QST713 enhanced the water stress tolerance of alfalfa plants by ameliorating root morphology, reducing soil pH, and improving the BWC/FWC ratio, consequently promoting the accumulation of mineral nutrients (mainly K and Fe). Overall, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 can serve as a potential green fertilizer in sustainable agriculture to improve soil nutrients and enhance plant production under increasing drought conditions.
Stress Response of Citrus Leaves under Mechanical Damage and Huanglongbing Disease Infection Using Plasmonic TiO2 Nanotube Substrate-Based Imprinting Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Authors: Sun Yaming , Chen Dong , Chen Xiran , Wu Xinzhou
Published: August 2024

Mapping the molecular signatures and metabolic regulation of plant tissues under biotic/abiotic stresses and defensive responses has become a subject of increasing interest in plant biology and systems biology, but determining when and where specialized metabolites are produced and accumulated currently remains a somewhat elusive goal. Herein, we demonstrated the use of a TiO2 nanotube-based composite substrate modified with plasmonic gold nanoparticles and hydrophobic polydopamine (AuNP-hPDA-TDNT) for surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) analysis of a wide range of pesticides and for visualizing the stress-responsive metabolites of citrus leaves during various plant defense processes. This method enabled the visualization of non-uniform and tissue-specific distribution patterns of functional metabolites of citrus leaves that were mechanically damaged, fed to larvae, and infected by Huanglongbing disease. Interestingly, some specialized metabolites exhibited different accumulation and regulation patterns for mechanical damage and larval feeding, suggesting that plant-derived secondary metabolites exercise specific defensive functions with respect to various damage processes. Moreover, the early diagnosis and detection of HLB disease-associated biomarkers can facilitate the prevention of citrus HLB diseases. Overall, this imprinting MS imaging strategy will expand the scope of MS techniques in plant biology, providing more biologically relevant insights into the biosynthesis, accumulation, and defensive role of bioactive metabolites in economically important plants.
YOLO Recognition Method for Tea Shoots Based on Polariser Filtering and LFAnet
Authors: Peng Jinyi , Zhang Yongnian , Xian Jieyu , Wang Xiaochan , Shi Yinyan
Published: August 2024

This study proposes a YOLOv5 inspection model based on polariser filtering (PF) to improve the recognition accuracy of the machine vision inspection model for tea leaf shoots when operating under intense outdoor light. To study the influence of the polariser parameters on the quality of the tea shoot image datasets, we improved the YOLOv5 algorithm module, inputted the results obtained from the spatial pyramid pooling structure in the backbone module into the neck module, set the up-sampling link of the neck module as a low-level feature alignment (LFA) structure, and used a bounding box similarity comparison metric based on the minimum point distance (mpdiou) to improve the accuracy of the YOLOv5 detection model. The mpdiou loss function is used to replace the original loss function. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively address the impact of intense outdoor light on tea identification, effectively solving the problem of poor detection accuracy of tea buds in the top view state. In the same identification environment, the model mAP50 value increased by 3.3% compared to that of the existing best mainstream detection model, and the mAP50-90 increased by 3.1%. Under an environment of light intensity greater than 5×104 Lux, the proposed YOLOv5s+LFA+mpdiou+PF model reduced the leakage detection rate by 35% and false detection rate by 10% compared to that with YOLOv5s alone.
The Promotion of Dark Septate Endophytes on the Performance and Active Ingredients Accumulation of Astragalus mongholicus under Cadmium Stress
Authors: Li Min , Han Li , He Chao , Li Xia , He Xueli
Published: August 2024

Dark septate endophytes (DSE) commonly inhabit the root systems of plants that flourish in heavy metal-contaminated soils. Nevertheless, there is limited understanding regarding the overall response of medicinal plants to DSE under heavy metal stress. The present study utilized a non-sterile pot experiment to evaluate the beneficial impacts of DSE (Paraphoma chlamydocopiosa, Paraboeremia selaginellae, and Paraphoma radicina) inoculation on Astragalus mongholicus under cadmium (Cd) stress. At 0 mg Cd/kg soil, inoculation with DSE led to a significant increase in the total biomass of the host plant by up to 34.0%. Although plant biomass decreased at 5 mg Cd/kg soil and 10 mg Cd/kg soil, the total biomass of the host plant increased by up to 72.3% after DSE inoculation. The plant height, branch number, soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) value, and biomass were not affected by Cd concentration after inoculation with P. chlamydocopiosa and P. selaginellae. DSE emerged as the most prominent explanatory variable (44.2%) for plant growth at 10 mg Cd/kg soil. Inoculation with P. chlamydocopiosa increased root length by 47.9% and root biomass by 74.1%, and inoculation with P. chlamydocopiosa and P. selaginellae increased the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content by 103.6% and 105.8%, respectively, at 10 mg Cd/kg soil. Additionally, P. radicina inoculation was preferred to increase the content of calycosin-7-O-glucoside, while P. chlamydocopiosa increased the content of formononetin. DSE enhanced the accumulation of Cd in the shoot, whereas P. radicina exhibited an inhibitory effect on Cd accumulation in the root system. P. chlamydocopiosa decreased the Cd translocation factor, while P. radicina increased the Cd translocation factor, which exceeded one. The interaction between DSE and soil factors significantly contributed to the host plant growth. DSE inoculation improved soil organic carbon content and inoculation with P. chlamydocopiosa, and P. selaginellae reduced available nitrogen content, regardless of the Cd stress. DSE inoculation reduced available phosphorus content at 10 mg Cd/kg soil. Importantly, P. radicina promote the performance and calycosin-7-O-glucoside accumulation of the host plant, and reduced Cd content in the roots at 5 mg Cd/kg soil. These data enhanced comprehension of the ecological function of DSE in heavy metal-contaminated soils and demonstrated the potential utility of DSE strains for cultivating medicinal plants.
Assessing the Peripheral Levels of the Neurotransmitters Noradrenaline, Dopamine and Serotonin and the Oxidant/Antioxidant Equilibrium in Circus Horses
Authors: Cocco Raffaella , Sechi Sara , Rizzo Maria , Arrigo Federica , Giannetto Claudia , Piccione Giuseppe , Arfuso Francesca
Published: August 2024

Due to the paucity of information on circus management effects on the welfare of horses, this study investigated the plasma concentrations of noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin, known to be indices of mental status, as well as the reactive oxygen metabolites (d-Roms) and the biological antioxidant potential (BAP), likely to denote the oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium of organisms, in horses managed in different Italian circuses. For the study, 56 circus horses of different breeds and ages were enrolled and divided into six groups according to the horses’ management (circus management, groups G1–G5; classic riding management representing the control group, CG). From each horse, blood samples were collected in order to assess the concentration of selected parameters. One-way ANOVA showed no differences (p > 0.05) in serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, d-Roms and BAP values between circus and control horses. No differences related to the breed of the horses enrolled in the study were found in the values of all investigated parameters (p > 0.05). Furthermore, neurotransmitters showed overlapping levels between the different age classes of investigated horses (p > 0.05); contrariwise, the age of the horse displayed a significant effect on BAP values, with the oldest horses (16–21 age class) exhibiting lower BAP values compared to 4–5, 6–10 and 11–15 age classes (p < 0.05), whereas the d-Roms showed similar values in horses of different age classes (p > 0.05). The results gathered in the present study suggest that the mental status of horses under circus management was not compromised; however, better attention and care in the management of older horses is advocated, as they showed a lower biological antioxidant potential than younger horses; thus, they could be more susceptible to oxidative stress.
Why Were Zebras Not Domesticated? A Review of Domesticability Traits and Tests of Their Role in Ungulate Domestications with Macroevolutionary Models
Authors: Steklis Netzin G. , Peñaherrera-Aguirre Mateo , Steklis Horst Dieter , Herrera Isabel
Published: August 2024

Since Darwin, many evolutionary and behavioral researchers have considered the role of phenotypic traits that favor the domestication of nonhuman animals. Among such proposed traits are a species’ social structure, level of intra- and interspecific agonistic interactions, sociosexual behaviors, parental strategies, reaction to humans, habitat preference, dietary habits, developmental trajectories, and utility to humans. However, little to no comparative phylogenetic evidence exists concerning the importance of these attributes for the domestication of animals. Moreover, rather than considering domestication as a dichotomous event (non-domesticated vs. domesticated), humans and their potential domesticates encountered numerous socioecological challenges/obstacles during the domestication process before reaching the stage of full domestication. The present study explored the influence of adult body mass, gregariousness, dietary breadth, and reaction to humans on the domestication process of ungulates. The phylogenetic comparative model revealed that capture myopathy (CM), as a proxy for reaction to humans, negatively and significantly influenced the domestication process. The present paper also explored the evolution of CM in equine species in response to the presence of large carnivoran predators during the Pleistocene. Ecologies that preserved most of the large carnivoran predators of equine species also featured more equine taxa with CM (e.g., zebras), which were thus less suitable for domestication.