bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lisianthus enation leaf curl virus, a newly invaded begomovirus into Japan, is more virulent than the prevalent tomato yellow leaf curl virus in Ty-gene-mediated resistant tomato cultivars
Authors: Taniguchi Marina , Sekine Ken-Taro , Koeda Sota
Published: September 2022

In 2020, tomato plants showing yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) were tested for begomovirus infection in Okinawa prefecture, Japan. Amplification and sequence analysis of circular DNA in the diseased samples showed that, some of the tomato plants carrying a Ty-3a resistance gene to tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) were co-infected with TYLCV and lisianthus enation leaf curl virus (LELCV). LELCV infection was also detected in pepper plants in Okinawa by PCR-based diagnosis, suggesting that the virus is widespread in the region. To characterize the interactions of LELCV, TYLCV-IL and TYLCV-Mld with tomato cultivars that carry different Ty resistance genes, we conducted agroinoculation of the viruses. The resistance conferred by Ty-2 was effective against TYLCV-IL but not effective against TYLCV-Mld and LELCV. In contrast, Ty-3a conferred resistance was effective against TYLCV strains but not fully effective against LELCV. Furthermore, mixed infection of TYLCV-IL and LELCV in tomato plants bearing Ty-3a induced even more significant TYLCD symptoms and growth inhibition than did LELCV singly infected plants. Our study demonstrated that the newly invaded LELCV is a more virulent begomovirus species than the prevalent TYLCV isolates in resistant tomato cultivars.
The interaction between coping styles with relationship breakdowns, loss, and conflict and the frequency of self-harm thoughts and behaviours: a longitudinal analysis of 21,581 UK adults
Authors: Paul Elise , Fancourt Daisy
Published: September 2022

Background
Relationship breakdowns or conflict are frequent precipitants for self-harm thoughts and behaviours, but the majority who experience these stressful life events do not think about or engage in self-harm. Understanding factors that attenuate or exacerbate this risk is therefore needed. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether relationship breakdowns, loss, and conflict lead to more frequent self-harm thoughts and behaviours. We also examine whether coping styles and neuroticism, posited by diathesis-stress models of suicide risk to interact with these events, attenuate or exacerbate the risk for self-harm thoughts and behaviours from these events.
Methods
This study utilised data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which acted as a natural experiment by leading to a greater prevalence of relationship breakdowns than usual. Data from 21,581 adults who participated in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study between 28 February 2021 and 4 April 2022 were utilised. Poisson regression models which controlled for socio-demographics and a diagnosed mental health condition were used to examine the impact of four predictor variables (separation or divorce, family problem, an ‘other’ relationship breakdown [e.g., friend or colleague], and the death of a close relative or friend) with the number of times self-harm thoughts and behaviours were reported over the study period. Interactions between these events and coping styles (problem-focused, emotion-focused, socially supported, and avoidant coping) were also examined.
Results
Variables representing relationship breakdowns, loss, and conflict were associated with an increased frequency of self-harm thoughts (incidence rate ratio [RRR] range: 1.04 to 1.77) and behaviours (RRR range: 1.48 to 1.96). The use of more avoidant coping strategies (e.g., substance use, denial) increased the risk for both outcomes but unexpectedly attenuated associations between predictor variables and self-harm thoughts. Socially supported coping increased the likelihood of both outcomes, but not in sensitivity analyses which excluding ‘venting’ from the scale. Problem-focused coping strategies (e.g., active planning) attenuated the impact of separation or divorce and having had a family problem on the frequency of self-harm behaviours.
Conclusions
Findings underscore the importance of interpersonal loss and conflict for the frequency of thinking about and engaging in self-harm and suggest that the magnitude of these associations may depend on different coping styles.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Zimbabwean large scale dairy stockpeople towards animal welfare
Authors: matore zivanayi
Published: September 2022

Stockpeople involved in day to day handling of animals in Zimbabwe are rarely assessed for their animal welfare knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). However, given the growing demand for milk and dairy products in Zimbabwe and the increasing global demand for animal products that are produced in an animal welfare friendly environment there is potential benefit of studying the KAP of stockpeople towards the welfare of dairy animals. This cross sectional study was carried out among 75 stockpeople from 31 large-scale dairy farms in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. Results of this study revealed that, animal welfare KAP among stockpeople from Zimbabwe large-scale dairy farms are low. The KAP study showed low levels of knowledge, negative attitudes and practices that support poor animal welfare. These findings were attributed to the low levels of education among stockpeople and limited training received by stockpeople on animal welfare from agriculture extension service providers in Zimbabwe. It is recommended that further studies be done to find out better and more effective ways of teaching animal welfare concepts and practices. These approaches of teaching animal welfare to stockpeople should take into account the stockpeople’s cultural and education backgrounds.
Patterns and contexts of anti-COVID-19 vaccination in Romanian local communities
Authors: Sandu Dumitru
Published: September 2022

Background. Are local communities relevant units for the analysis of anti-COVID 19 vaccination? This is the question we are addressing here for the case of Romania as an Eastern European society.
Methods. To answer the question we used multiple regression models to predict cumulative rates of vaccination in rural communes and cities or towns of the country. The same relations among vaccination rates and several predictors were analysed not only in all the localities of the country but also in historical regions and urban versus rural areas. The national context of vaccination is reconstructed by survey data.
Results. Infection rates, the average age of the local population, population density and local human development proved to be rather stable predictors. Communities with higher vaccination rates are mostly urban, higher developed, with an older population, and also with higher rates of COVID-19 infections. Once local communities are placed in their regional context, significant differences emerge. Cultural areas of the country differentiate not only the intensity but also the sense of causal/prediction relations. A high number of emigrants abroad from the community, for example, reduces the intensity of vaccination against COVID-19 if one considers all the localities. The picture changes if one considers the same relation by historical regions. Some regional patterns of favouring or disfavouring the intensity of vaccination could not be interpreted with the available data.
Conclusions and discussion. Some variables are efficient discriminators of the vaccination behaviour irrespective of individual or aggregated level of the data. This is the case of age. If one considers only aggregated data at the community level in Romania, one can add infection rates and local development levels as invariant predictors acting beyond context: higher infection rates with COVID-19 and higher levels of development bring, statistically speaking, higher levels of vaccination in local communities.
Evaluation of oxidative stress, compositional and biochemical changes in milk and serum of cows with subclinical mastitis
Authors: Yehia Shimaa Ghanem , Ramadan Eman Shawky , Saad Mena , mosallam tarek , Abdel-Mobdy Ahmed , Eissa Ashraf Megahed , Aly Hanaa , Salem Noha Youssef
Published: September 2022

Twenty-five apparent healthy multiparous Holstein cows were examined for subclinical mastitis (SCM). The objectives of the study were to investigate the consequences of SCM on milk composition & blood biochemistry, oxidative stress biomarkers, and the correlation between different milk and serum parameters in SCM-affected cows. The cows were grouped as 16 subclinical infected and 9 healthy according to MSCC and California Mastitis Test (CMT) scores. The blood and milk samples were gathered from each animal and evaluated for compositional, biochemical, and oxidative stress markers alterations. SCM-affected milk samples showed a significant decrease in fat %, protein %, lactose %, TS %, SNF %, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and a significant increase in ash %, catalase, and malondialdehyde (MDA) compared with SCM-free milk samples. Milk somatic cell count showed a positive correlation with MDA and catalase. Catalase correlated positively with MDA and TAC. Milk fat showed a positive correlation with lactose, total protein, and albumin and a negative correlation with MSCC, MDA, TAC, and catalase. Significant increase in catalase and total protein associated with a significant decrease in Ca level was recorded in SCM blood samples compared with healthy counterparts. The total protein showed a positive relation with somatic cell count and albumin. Albumin correlated positively with TAC & catalase and negatively with Mg. The results indicate that a significant correlation between different parameters in blood and milk can be useful as a proper clinical indicator for the early detection of SCM in cows.
Modelling the Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture Production in East Africa: Evidence from Heterogeneous Panel Cointegration Analysis
Authors: Abdi Abdikafi Hassan , Warsame Abdimalik Ali , Sheik-Ali Ibrahim Abdukadir
Published: September 2022

This study investigates the effects of climate change on cereal crop production in nine East African nations between 1990 and 2018. The study implemented pooled mean group (PMG) approach to examine the long-run and short-run dynamic impacts of the varying climatic circumstances on the output of cereal crops. Besides, the study utilized the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test to determine the causal path of the climate indicators, control variables, and cereal crop production. The results of the PMG estimator revealed that rainfall and carbon emissions have favourable and significant long-run effects on cereal crop output, even though their short-run impacts are negligible. Additionally, cultivated land area and rural population have a constructive role in enhancing agricultural output both in the long-run and short-run. However, average temperatures have negative repercussions on cereal crop production in the long-run and short-run, even though the magnitude of sensitivity is greater in the short-run. Dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) validated the robustness of the long-run findings of the PMG technique. The causality results revealed that cereal crop output has a bidirectional causality with temperature, carbon emissions and cropped area. The study further demonstrated unidirectional causation from rural population to cereal crop yield. Therefore, the study recommends the adoption of climate-resilient agricultural practices that diminish the magnitude of adverse climatic events. The governments should also develop water retention facilities to irrigate the rainfall-reliant farms in arid land during dry seasons.
Genetic influence on choroidal vascularity index: the healthy twin study
Authors: Yoon Je Moon , Gil Yong Jin , Sung Joohon , Ham Don-Il , Kong Mingui
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to investigate the heritability of genetic influence on macular choroidal vascularity index (CVI). This was a cross-sectional healthy twin study. We included 373 Korean adults with healthy eyes from 79 families. CVI, Total choroidal area (TCA) and luminal area (LA) were measured using horizontal scan of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging. Characteristics of the participants were investigated (age, gender, drinking habits, smoking status, axial length, hypertension, and diabetes). The correlations of these characteristics with CVI were assessed using univariate and subsequently multivariate regression models. Participants who were older and had a higher intraocular pressure, higher diastolic blood pressure, and lower pulse pressure showed associations with lower CVI (p < 0.001, p = 0.014, p = 0.005, and p = 0.015, respectively). The covariate-adjusted heritability (±standard error) of the CVI was 0.716 ± 0.091, and the heritabilities of the TCA and LA were 0.691 ± 0.089 and 0.634 ± 0.100, respectively. The CVI, TCA, and LA are highly heritable.
The (Electro)Chemistry of Ethylene Carbonate, Water and HF at the Negative Electrode in Li-ion Batteries
Authors: Zorko Milena , Haering Dominik , Connell Justin , Wan Hao , Svane Katrine , Genorio Bostjan , Martins Pedro Farinazzo Bergamo Dias , Lopes Pietro , Gould Brian , Maglia Filippo , Jung Roland , Stamenkovic Vojislav , Castelli Ivano , Markovic Nenad , Rossmeisl Jan , Strmcnik Dusan
Published: September 2022

Compared to aqueous electrolytes, the fundamental understanding of the chemical and electrochemical processes occurring in non-aqueous electrolytes in general is far less developed. This is no different for Li-ion battery (LiB) electrolytes, where many questions regarding the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the anode side remain unanswered, including its chemical composition, the mechanism of formation and the impact on LiB performance. Here, we present a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the electrochemistry of ethylene carbonate (EC) and its chemical relationship with trace amounts of water and HF across a vast range of electrode materials, from well-ordered single crystals to realistic graphite electrodes. We reveal the electrocatalytic nature of EC, HF and water electroreduction at all interfaces. Moreover, we show that these reactions are connected in a closed cycle by chemical reactions, that take place either at the interface or in the bulk of the electrolyte. For the first time, we unveil the catalytic role of water in EC electroreduction and demonstrate that the composition of the SEI depends predominantly on the balance between the (electro)chemistry of EC, water and HF.
How much does Mexico really pay for regulation in oil products transportation?
Authors: Jiménez-Pérez Alan Israel , Ortiz-Arango Francisco
Published: September 2022

The new oil derivatives transportation scheme proposed by the 2013 Mexican Energy Reform allowed new participants to enter the sector. The new legal framework requires fulfilling many requirements and corresponding duties for the transportation of oil products. Currently, the Mexican government already has an institution dedicated to measuring each federal procedure's regulatory cost. This work aims to quantify the regulatory costs associated with the procedures and their compliance to obtain permits for the transportation of oil products by truck. We use the standard cost method to measure these costs considering all associated costs. The results showed that two government offices did not adequately measure these costs. They do not consider relevant information on frequency and opportunity costs, resulting in undervaluation and leading to wrong expectations. As a result of this research, we provide a more accurate way of estimating these costs, which brings greater certainty in the budgeting of these projects and, therefore, increases the probability of survival and success. JEL classification: H83, K23, O13.
Genetic continuity, isolation, and gene flow in Stone Age Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Mattila Tiina , Svensson Emma , Juras Anna , Günther Torsten , Kashuba Natalija , Ala-Hulkko Terhi , Chyleński Maciej , Pospieszny Łukasz , Constantinescu Mihai , Rotea Mihai , Palincaș Nona , Wilk Stanisław , Czerniak Lech , Kruk Janusz , Łapo Jerzy , Makarowicz Przemysław , Potekhina Inna , Soficaruc Andrei , Szmyt Marzena , Szostek Krzysztof , Götherström Anders , Storå Jan , Netea Mihai , Nikitin Alexey , Persson Per , Malmström Helena , Jakobsson Mattias
Published: September 2022

The genomic landscape of Stone Age Europe was shaped by multiple migratory waves and population replacements, but different regions do not all show the same patterns. To refine our understanding of the population dynamics before and after the dawn of the Neolithic, we generated and analyzed genomic sequence data from human remains of 56 individuals from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic across Central and Eastern Europe. We found that Mesolithic European populations formed a geographically widespread isolation-by-distance zone ranging from Central Europe to Siberia, which was already established 10 000 years ago. We also found contrasting patterns of population continuity during the Neolithic transition: people around the lower Dnipro Valley region, Ukraine, showed continuity over 4 000 years, from the Mesolithic to the end of Neolithic, in contrast to almost all other parts of Europe where population turnover drove this cultural change, including vast areas of Central Europe and around the Danube River.
Crystal Structure and Triboluminescence of Europium(Iii) Tetrakis-thenoyl Trifluoroacetonate With Outer-sphere Organic Cation
Authors: Bukvetskii Boris V. , Petrochenkova Natalya V. , Mirochnik Anatolii G.
Published: September 2022

A novel complex of Eu(III) tetrakis-thenoyltrifluoroacetonate with the outer-sphere cation 2-(E)-1-(2-thenoyl)ethylidene)-1-hydrazine carboxyimidoamide (Q) of the composition Q[Eu(ТТА)4]·H2O (TTA – thenoyltrifluoroacetonate-ion, Q – outer-sphere cation) characterized with intense luminescence and triboluminescence has been synthesized. The structure of the centrosymmetric crystal is composed of complex anions of the composition [Eu(TTA)4]¯, which are stacked in layers parallel to the plane (100), whereas interlayers of organic cations are located between the layers. A structural model for the formation of triboluminescent properties has been suggested.
Basal glutamate in the hippocampus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia: Relationships to cognitive proficiency investigated with structural equation modeling
Authors: Stanley Jeffrey , Daugherty Ana , Gorey Claire Richter , Thomas Patricia , Khatib Dalal , Chowdury Asadur , Rajan Usha , Haddad Luay , Amirsadri Alireza , Diwadkar Vaibhav A.
Published: September 2022

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is characterized by deficits across multiple cognitive domains presumed to be associated with altered glutamate (Glu) related neuroplasticity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the hippocampus. However, how Glu deficits, are related to cognition in SCZ, and whether the relationship between Glu and cognition is different in patients compared to controls has not been systematically addressed. To address these questions, here we acquired proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) from the dlPFC and hippocampus at 3T in 44 SCZ and 39 age- and sex-matched adult controls. The ¹H MRS data were acquired under behavioral constraint (passive viewing of a visual stimulus) reducing signal heterogeneity that results from processes like mind wandering. In parallel, a comprehensive cognitive assessment battery (working memory, episodic memory, and processing speed) was acquired in all subjects. We investigate inter-group differences in neurochemistry and mediation/moderation effects between glutamate–cognition relationships using structural equation modelling (SEM). SCZ were characterized by lower Glu and myo-Inositol levels from the hippocampus (p=.0044 and p=.023), with non-significant reductions in the dlPFC. Patients showed significantly poorer performance across all three cognitive domains (p<.0032). Finally, while SEM analyses demonstrated no relationship between SCZ-related hippocampal deficits and cognition, a moderation analyses revealed inter-group differences in the degree of association between right dlPFC Glu levels and processing speed. Glu and myo-Inositol deficits from the hippocampus in SCZ are consistent with the evidence of a reduced neuropil density related to the glutamatergic system. More notably, the SEM analyses indicate that hippocampal Glu deficits in SCZ were not driven by poorer cognitive ability. In SCZ, altered neurochemistry of the hippocampus acquired in a passive state does not appear to predict altered cognition. We suggest that task-based ¹H functional MRS is a more meaningful framework for investigation relationships between neurochemistry and cognition in SCZ.
Magnetogenetic closed-loop reduction of seizure activity in a rat model of epilepsy
Authors: Metto Abigael , Gilad Assaf , Pelled Galit
Published: September 2022

On-demand neurostimulation has shown success in epilepsy patients with pharmacoresistant seizures. Seizures produce magnetic fields that can be recorded using magnetoencephalography. We developed a new closed-loop approach to control seizure activity based on magnetogenetics using the electromagnetic perceptive gene (EPG) that encodes a protein that responds to magnetic fields. The EPG transgene was expressed in inhibitory interneurons under hDlx promoter and kainic acid was used to induce acute seizures. In vivo electrophysiological signals were recorded. We found that hDlx EPG rats exhibited a significant delay in the onset of first seizure (1142.72 ± 186.35s) compared to controls (644.03 ± 15.06s) and significantly less seizures (4.11 ± 1.03) compared to controls (8.33 ± 1.58). These preliminary findings suggest that on-demand activation of EPG expressed in inhibitory interneurons suppress seizure activity, and magnetogenetics via EPG may be an effective strategy to alleviate seizure severity in a minimally invasive, closed-loop and cell-specific fashion.
Changes in nutritional characteristics and performance of grazing Nellore cows during the peripartum phase receiving or not protein supplementation
Authors: DAVID GABRIEL SANTOS SOUZA , Matos Éllem Maria de Almeida , Domingos Bianca Rodrigues , Sousa Luiz Carlos Oliveira , Lopes Sidnei Antônio , Paulino Mario Fonseca , Filho Sebastião de Campos Valadares
Published: September 2022

We objective was to understand the changes in nutritional characteristics and performance of grazing Nellore cows during the peripartum receiving or not supplementation. Forty multiparous cows were used, divided into two treatments: CON - mineral mixture and SUP – protein supplementation. Digestibility trial was performed (-45,-30,-15, + 20, +40; days relative to calving). The average daily gain (ADG) pre and postpartum of the cows were measured and, in gestational and maternal tissues in the prepartum, in addition of body condition score (BCS). The calves were weighed at birth and at 30 days of age. There was an effect of treatment and period (P ≤ 0.10) for dry matter, organic matter and crude protein intake, while forage intake was similar (P ≥ 0.10), but with a period effect (P ≤ 0.10). There was 14.37% decrease in dry matter intake from day − 30 to day − 15 of prepartum. In the postpartum period, at 20 days of lactation, there was increase of 72.66% in relation to the period − 15. There was interaction between period and treatment for all digestibilities (P ≤ 0.10). No differences were observed in postpartum ADG (P ≥ 0.10), BCS at calving and postpartum (P ≥ 0.10). However, higher total ADG and in maternal tissues (P ≤ 0.10) were observed on supplemented animals, but with ADG in gestational tissues similar (P ≥ 0.10). It is concluded that there is a decrease in voluntary intake in grazing pregnant cows close to parturition and greater performance of animals supplemented in prepartum.
Multi-Domain Characterization and Rapid Detection Technology for Cocaine and Methamphetamine Acute Abuse based on EEG
Authors: Xia Jie , Wu Jintao , Pan Jiadong , Zhang Fan , Jin Hao , Dong Shurong , Wang Yueming , Luo Jikui , Si Ke
Published: September 2022

Multi-domain characterization and a new fast detection method for acute illegal psychostimulants abuse detection based on waking-state EEG of mice is proposed in this paper. To get corftical electroencephalogram (EEG), three groups of mice were injected with cocaine (Coca), methamphetamine (Meth), and saline (Sali) respectively following the experimental paradigm of drug abuse. The EEG features were extracted out by multi-domain views, including time, frequency, complexity, dynamics, and independent domains to obtain acute drug abuse effects on the brain. New strategy combing time domain with frequency domain is developed as multi-domain input and by means of dimension transformation approach preserving temporal information, the performance of drug abuse detection is greatly improved with deep learning models of ResNet50. Results show that comparing to support vector machine (SVM), k nearest neighbor (kNN), random forest (RF), and long short-term memory fully convolutional networks (LSTM-FCN), ResNet50 based on our proposed multi-domain features has best F1-score of 95.10%. This promising method provides a low-cost, fast, and widely assisted technology for psychostimulants abuse identification.
Clinical efficacy and safety of sirolimus in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus in real world
Authors: Zhang Lei , Cui jieyuan , Zhang Lin
Published: September 2022

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of sirolimusin childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) in a real world.
Methods: This is a retrospective real world clinical study. All cSLE patients treated with sirolimus in Children's Hospital of Hebei Province China were analyzed. They were treated with sirolimus and followed up regularly. The SLEDAI-2K score, levels of anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody, complement components C3 and C4, and corticosteroid reduction were recorded at baseline and at 6, 12, and 18 months. Adverse events were also collected.
Results: 32 patients were enrolled in the study. SLEDAI-2K were improved on all time-points (p<0.05). Complement levels increased and the levels of anti-dsDNA antibody decreased during treatment. The mean dose of prednisone tapered and achieved significant reduction after 12 months therapy (15.4 ± 5.8 mg/day to 4.8 ± 2.1 mg/day; p<0.05). Sirolimus was well tolerated and only five patients (15.6%) experienced adverse events, all of which were classified as infections (two bacterial infection and three viral infections). No deaths, severe infusion reactions, or hypersensitivity reactions were found.
Conclusions: Sirolimus decreased disease activity and tapered daily glucocorticoid dose with a good safety profile.
Southeast Asian peatland drainage emits 220 Mt of carbon per year, equivalent to 2.2% of global fossil-fuel emissions
Authors: Larson Erik , Dadap Nathan , Longo Marcos , Konings Alexandra , Xu Xiangtao , Ordway Elsa , Saatchi Sassan S , Moorcroft Paul
Published: September 2022

Southeast Asian peatlands are climatically important ecosystems, storing approximately 70 billion tons of carbon. Natural and human-induced droughts are lowering peatland water tables, increasing decomposition and the risk of peat-burning wildfires. The rapid nature of carbon losses arising from peatland drainage and accompanying fire-related losses compared to the slow accumulation of peat means that the effects of peatland drainage are essentially irreversible on human timescales. Here, we use a terrestrial biosphere model incorporating vertically-resolved peatland carbon and water dynamics to predict decomposition and fire in Southeast Asia as a result drainage-induced drying. The model captures observed patterns of interannual and seasonal variation in soil moisture and its soil moisture estimates are a better predictor of observed burned area fraction than either precipitation or remotely-sensed estimates of surface soil moisture (r2=0.63, 0.50, 0.56 respectively). Simulations of a fully-drained 1.4 m peat deposit emit an additional 9 tC ha-1 yr-1 and 13 tC ha-1 yr-1 from decomposition and fire respectively. The emissions from decomposition are linearly related to the depth of drainage and can reach up to 31 tC ha-1 yr-1 when fully drained. At regional scales, these estimates imply that 220 MtC yr-1, or 2.2% of global fossil fuel emissions, are being emitted from Indonesian and Malaysian peatlands due to drainage. The vulnerability of these large, concentrated carbon stocks, combined with their long timescale of accumulation, underscore the importance for preserving tropical peatlands to avoid further exacerbation of human induced climate change.
Genome-wide association study for resistance to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) races from Argentina in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Franco Maria Fiorella , Polacco Ainara Noe , Campos Pablo Eduardo , Pontaroli Ana Clara , Vanzetti Leonardo Sebastian
Published: September 2022

Background: Wheat stripe rust, by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the most devastating diseases of the wheat crop, causing significant reductions in both grain yield and grain quality. In recent years, new and more virulent races have overcome many of the known resistance genes in Argentinian germplasm. In order to identify loci conferring resistance to the local races of Pst for effective utilization in future breeding programs, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using a collection of 245 bread wheat lines genotyped with 90K SNPs.
Results: The panel was evaluated for disease severity (DS) and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) in field trials during two years to search for adult plant resistance (APR) under natural infection conditions, and under greenhouse conditions against two prevalent races in Argentina to determine infection type (IT) and look for seedling or all-stage resistance (ASR). The phenotypic data showed that the panel possessed enough genetic variability for searching for sources of resistance to Pst. Significant correlations between years were observed for Pst response in the field and high heritability values were found for DS (H2 = 0.89) and AUDPC (H2 = 0.93). Based on GWAS, eight markers associated with Pst resistance (FDR < 0.01) were identified: five associated with ASR (on chromosomes 1B, 2A, 3A and 5B) and three with APR (on chromosomes 3B and 7A). These markers explained between 2% and 32.62% of the phenotypic variation. Five of the markers corresponded with previously reported Yrgenes/QTL, while the other three (QYr.Bce.1B.seedling.1, QYr.Bce.3A.seedling and QYr.Bce.3B.APR.2) are probably novel resistance loci.
Conclusion: The detection of high genetic variation for resistance to Argentinian stripe rust races in the germplasm used here constitutes a very promising step towards the improvement of Pst resistance of bread wheat in Argentina. Also, the identification of new resistance loci represents a substantial advance for diversifying the current set of resistance genes and to advance in the improvement of the durable resistance to the disease.
Pharmacy driven medication reconciliation productivity and error reduction: results from a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Blum Rachel , Fredette Erica , Hyde Linda , Young Kristopher , Zhuang Yan L , Banas Colin A , Blakeslee Weston
Published: September 2022

Background:
Prior studies show that having a robust pharmacy-driven medication history program in a hospital setting, improves the quality of admission medication history interviews and reduces medication errors and adverse drug events. Yet, medication history data is tenuous and not always accurate or workable. There is a paucity of studies that compare how different data sources impact clinical workflow.
Methods:
We ran a retrospective, observational analysis following the implementation of a new medication history data source, in a busy urban hospital setting. The medication history workflow was optimized over a period of 8 years prior to this intervention, and there was little change in process between the two study periods.
Results:
Utilizing a data source that had 9.0% more prescription data, a user interface that displayed medication history in a simpler and more accurate manner, and a worksheet with all of the updated data, at the beginning of the medication history interview: staff productivity increased by 14.0%, total medication errors decreased by 23.0%, and medication errors that reached the patient decreased by 26.0%.
Conclusions
Having more complete data in the admission medication history interview can greatly improve productivity and reduce downstream medication errors that may cause adverse drug events.
Global ocean CO2 uptake dominated by the ENSO in the last thirty years
Authors: Zhong Guorong , Li Xuegang , Song JinMing , Qu Baoxiao , Wang Fan , Wang Yanjun , Zhang Bin , Ma Jun , Yuan Huamao , Duan Liqin
Published: September 2022

Previous estimation suggested a steadily strengthening global ocean carbon sink since 2001, after a weakening in the 1990s. However, the increases of carbon sink were asynchronous in different research. Here we reestimated the global ocean carbon sink during 1992-2020 using a new stepwise FFNN pCO2 product. Although the ocean is the sink of atmospheric CO2 in general, the global ocean carbon sink repeatedly strengthened and weakened in the last thirty years, which dominantly caused by the variability of Pacific Ocean carbon sink driven by the ENSO events. The Eastern equatorial Pacific may release more CO2 to the atmosphere because of the strengthened upwelling during the La Nina in the last thirty years. In addition, the reestimated carbon sink of the Southern Ocean has not been increasing as previous research. The SOCAT data used to construct Southern Ocean pCO2 are far more observed in summer than in winter, which underestimates the carbon source intensity of the Southern Ocean in winter in previous research. Although the ocean carbon sink is not always strengthening with the increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration, but the global ocean carbon sinks have been increasing since 2008, reaching 2.14±0.33 Pg C yr-1 in 2020.
Protein secretion zones within the Gram-positive cell wall
Authors: Strach Manuel , Koch Felicitas , Fiedler Svenja , Liebeton Klaus , Graumann Peter
Published: September 2022

Whereas the translocation of proteins across the cell membrane has been thoroughly investigated, it is still unclear how proteins cross the cell wall in Gram positive bacteria, which are widely used for industrial applications. We have studied secretion of α-amylase AmyE within two different Bacillus strains. We show that a C-terminal fusion of AmyE with the fluorescent reporter mCherry is secreted via discrete patches with very low dynamics that are visible at many places within the lateral cell wall, for many minutes. Expression from a high copy number plasmid was required to be able to see these structures we term “secretion zones”. Zones corresponded to visualized AmyE activity on the surface of cells, and frequently overlapped with SecA signals, but did not necessarily co-localize with the secretion ATPase. Single particle tracking showed much higher dynamics of SecA and of SecDF, involved in AmyE secretion, at the cell membrane than AmyE. These experiments suggest that SecA initially translocates AmyE molecules through the cell membrane, and then diffuses to a different translocon. Single molecule tracking of SecA show changes in distinct diffusion states of SecA, but suggest that AmyE overexpression does not overwhelm the system. Because secretion zones were only found during the transition to and within stationary phase, diffusion rather than passive transport based on cell wall growth from inside to outside, releases AmyE and thus probably secreted proteins in general. Our findings suggest active transport through the cell membrane and slow, passive transition through the cell wall in Gram positive bacteria.
Systematical Ingredient Investigations of Ficus tikoua Bur. Fruit and Immunoregulatory and Antioxidant Effects of Different Fractions
Authors: Gong Yu , Luo Wei , Chen Hulan , Ren Bo , Hu Weicheng , Li Limei
Published: September 2022

Although the fruit of Ficus tikoua Bur. has been consumed by montanic people in China over centuries, its chemical and biological composition was still unclear. A series of comprehensive investigations on its chemical constituents and bioactivities were carried out for the first time. As a result, six compounds were isolated and identified as the main components in this fruit. GC-MS analysis of the lipid components demonstrated that Ficus tikoua Bur. fruit contains some wholesome constituents such as fatty acids, vitamins, triterpenoids, and phytosterols. The fatty acids are mainly composed of linolenic acid (61.27%) and linoleic acid (22.79%). Furthermore this fruit contains a relative high content of crude protein (9.41 ± 0.03%), total amino acids (9.28%), and total polyphenols (0.86 ± 0.01 g/100g). The analysis of monosaccharide composition showed that the total polysaccharide mainly consists of glucose, glucuronic acid, xylose, arabinose, mannose, galactose, galacturonic acid, and rhamnose. The polysaccharide, polyphenol, water, ethanol, and flavonoid extracts exhibited prominent antioxidant activity determined by ABTS, DPPH, and FRAPS methods. Meanwhile, the total polysaccharide exhibited significant immunomodulatory effect by enhancing the release of cytokines and expression of iNOS and COX-2 in RAW264.7 cells, significantly decreasing the expression of c-Jun and p65 proteins in the cytoplasm and increasing the translocation of c-Jun and p65 to the nucleus, and regulating the phosphorylation level of Akt, PI3K, and PDK1 in PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The study proved that the fruit of F. tikoua is a reliable source of functional food.
Lagrangian relaxation and ADMM based decomposition approaches for the road network design problem considering travel time variability
Authors: Song Maocan , Cheng Lin
Published: September 2022

We study an uncapacitated, multi-commodity network design problem with a construction budget constraint and a concave objective function. Instead of minimizing the expected travel time across all edges, the objective minimizes jointly the travel times that are standard deviation above the expected travel time of each commodity. The idea is that the decision-maker wants to minimize the travel times not only on average, but also to keep their variability as small as possible. Thus, another way to view the objective is as a linear combination of the mean and standard deviation of travel times. The proposed mean-standard deviation network design model is actually a nonlinear and concave integer program. At any rate, this problem is significantly harder to solve and cannot be tackled with off-the-shelf mixed-integer linear programming solvers. This study proposes two novel methods which are Lagrangian relaxation (LR) and augmented Lagrangian relaxation (ALR) to tackle this problem. The constraints that link the design with the flow variables are dualized in the objective function, resulting in a series of single-commodity reliable shortest path problems and a knapsack problem. The quadratic penalty terms are extended to the LR, and the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is introduced to decompose the ALR into routing and design optimizations. The routing optimization can be naturally decomposed into many single-commodity reliable shortest path subproblems solved by the Lagrangian substitution method. The primal heuristic uses the solution of knapsack problems that are solved in LR or ALR to generate upper bounds. The dual problems of LR and ALR are solved with the subgradient optimization method. Some computational results on three networks are present, showing that these methods achieve good integrality gaps.
Understanding the Mode Choice Behavior for Short Distance and Regular Travel in a Developing Country
Authors: Siraj Md Sifat Bin , Hasan Mahadi , Ahmed Md Tawkir
Published: September 2022

Mode choice behavior study get less attention in developing countrylike Bangladesh. Hence, this paper analyzes the factors affecting for short distanceand regular travel mode choice in Chittagong city. Data were collected from 17different busiest wards in Chittagong city corporation (CCC) from 514 citizens.Multinomial Probit (MNP) model have been used to determine significant factors formode choice. 16 and 10 contributing factors have been found significant for shortdistance and regular travel mode choice using MNP model. Result suggests that,Private vehicles (Car, Motorcycle) have been used for both sort distance and regulartravel mode choice those who have capacity to afford. Paratransit and Bus have beenused especially for low and medium income people and walking has been used foronly short distance regular travel. This study will help to city planner and engineersto make correct decision accordingly.
The Effect of Flipped Classroom Model on Knowledge, Practice, Attitude and Satisfaction of Dentistry Students; A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Karandish Maryam , Karimian Zahra , Parastar Mina
Published: September 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the students' attitudes before and after the flipped classroom, the quality of the course, and the effectiveness of this method to promote the students' lateral cephalograms tracing abilities.
Methods: This is a single-group quasi-experimental research conducted on dental students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences(SUMS), Iran in 2019. The intervention was carried out in a blended learning approach with the flipped classroom model.35 fourth-year dental students participated in a flipped classroom held during a semester for lateral cephalograms tracing course. The students were provided with the educational materials before the class time through multimedia learning tools and the class time was devoted to discussions. At the end of the session, the students were asked to fill questionnaires regarding their demographic information, their computer capabilities, their attitudes before and after the course, the quality of the course, the students' self-assessments of their theoretical knowledge and their practical skills in cephalograms tracing, and the effectiveness of different tools in their learning.
Results: Students' attitudes of this method were improved after taking the course and the quality of this method was acceptable to the students (p<0.001). Their self-assessment of theoretical knowledge and practical skills were promoted (p<0.001). All blended learning tools averaged more than the cutoff point, however short lecture (5.11±0.98) and live feedback (4.98±1.07) were considered to be the most efficient interactive tools.
Conclusion: It seems that the flipped classroom might have a positive effect on increasing students' knowledge, attitude and satisfaction. In general, this method of learning seems favor dental students with combination of attractiveness of electronic learning and the live teacher-student interactions in face-to-face environment.
Detection of Abnormal Extraocular Muscles in Small Datasets of Computed Tomography Images Using a Three–dimensional Variational Autoencoder: A Pilot Study
Authors: Chung Yeon Woong , Choi In Young
Published: September 2022

We sought to establish a deep learning-based unsupervised algorithm with a three–dimensional (3D) variational autoencoder model (VAE) for the detection of abnormal extraocular muscles that are difficult to annotate in small datasets of orbital computed tomography (CT) images. 276 CT images of normal orbits were used for model training; 58 CT images of normal orbits and 96 of abnormal orbits (with extraocular muscle enlargement caused by thyroid eye disease) were used for validation. A VAE with a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) was developed and trained for anomaly detection. All images were preprocessed to emphasize extraocular muscles and to suppress background noise (e.g., high signal intensity from bones) during model training. Model validation was conducted with normal and abnormal validation CT datasets not used for model training. The optimal cut-off value was identified through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The ability of the model to detect muscles of abnormal size was assessed by visualization of differences between input and output images. During the training epochs, the 3D VAE model did not exhibit overfitting. During validation with normal and abnormal datasets, the model achieved an area under the ROC curve of 0.804, sensitivity of 87.9%, specificity of 72.9%, accuracy of 78.6%, and F1-score of 0.809. Abnormal CT images correctly identified by the model showed differences in extraocular muscle size between input and output images. The proposed 3D VAE model showed potential to detect abnormalities in small extraocular muscles using a small dataset, similar to the diagnostic approach used by physicians. Unsupervised learning can serve as an alternative detection method for medical imaging studies in which annotation is difficult or impossible to perform.
Dragonfly-Inspired Wing Design Enabled by Machine Learning and Graphic Statics
Authors: Akbarzadeh Masoud , Zheng Hao , Mofatteh Hossein , Hablicsek Marton , Shafaroudi Abdolhamid Akbarzadeh
Published: September 2022

This research relates the morphology of the structural network of a dragonfly wing to the static equilibrium of forces using a geometry-based equilibrium method known as graphic statics. It then develops machine learning algorithms to generate similar structural networks for designing airplane wings using the in-plane equilibrium information of the dragonfly wing. This approach can generate a structural network in equilibrium with no prior information related to the topology or geometry of the network just by receiving the boundary geometry of the wing. This research shows that the internal network of the dragonfly wing can be assumed to be compression or tension-only system on a 2D plane. Consequently, another diagram is constructed to represent the geometric equilibrium of the forces in the initial network. This diagram is called the force diagram in the context of graphic statics. A new wing geometry is reconstructed from the force diagram, with its members sized according to the force magnitude. Both form of the network and its force diagram are used to train machine learning models for the generation of the structural network of the wing. The developed methodology is also capitalized to generate microstructural patterns inspired by other species with networks of convex polygons. We numerically and experimentally examine one application of this method in designing the cellular core, 3D printed by fused deposition modeling, of the airfoil wing, which suggests up to 25% improvement in the out-of-plane stiffness. Our findings suggest this ML-assisted approach enables leveraging million years of evolution in nature to develop the next generation of high-performance, lightweight structures.