bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pathways from self-disclosure to medical coping strategy among adolescents with moderate and major depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mediation of self-efficacy
Authors: Wu Yan , Shao Jing , Zhang Dawei , Wang Yongna , Wang Shufen , Wang Zhiren , Qu Yanhua , Gu Jianing
Published: September 2022

Background

The prevalence of adolescent depression in China during the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing. Self-disclosing depressive emotions could help release stress. Self-disclosure, which is a prerequisite for self-efficacy, can directly contribute to people’s psychological health, and depression and the choice of coping strategy are determined by the level of self-efficacy perceived.

Purpose

We aimed to discuss the relationship between self-efficacy, self-disclosure, and medical coping strategy. Further, we explore the mediation effect of self-efficacy on the influence of self-disclosure on medical coping strategies in adolescents with depression.

Methods

A total of 585 patients aged 11–24 years with moderate and major depression were recruited. All the assessments were completed on the second day after admission, including the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), Distress Disclosure Index (DDI), and Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ). Pearson correlation was performed to explore the relationships of these variables. The bootstrap analysis was used to conduct to assess the mediation effects.

Results

Both direct and indirect effects of self-disclosure on medical coping strategy were found. As predicted, self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between self-disclosure and medical coping strategy (b = 0.0385, 95% CI: 0.0244–0.0538 for Confrontation; b = –0.0466, 95%CI: –0.0651 to –0.0296 for Resignation), respectively. The effect size for Confrontation and Resignation was 0.2659 and 0.2485, respectively.

Conclusion

Self-efficacy played a partial mediating role in the effect of self-disclosure on medical coping strategies for adolescent depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the use of a positive self-disclosure mechanism may be anticipated to promote improved self-efficacy and the use of active coping strategies.
Effect of M-Learning on promoting the awareness of faculty members of the universities of medical sciences of Iran about their employment regulations in 2020
Authors: Gilavand Abdolreza
Published: September 2022

Introduction

New technologies enable universities to incorporate innovative teaching-learning strategies into their curricula. Therefore, this research investigates the effect of mobile learning on promoting the awareness of faculty members of the universities of medical sciences of Iran about their employment regulations.

Materials and methods

The statistical population of this research included all faculty members of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in southwestern Iran. One hundred and fourteen people entered the quasi-experimental study through convenience sampling. First, we sent the designed mobile app to them through social networks to install on their phone. We measured their awareness about the app and M-Learning through a researcher-constructed questionnaire.

Results

M-Learning and App was able to increase the awareness of faculty members, which was significant according to their academic rank and work experience. Faculty members who were professor and instructor, as well as those who had e under 5 years or 11–20 years of experience gained more awareness (P = 0.00). It was not significant in other variables. Ninety eight percent of the faculty members considered the technical capabilities of the designed app appropriate. Ninety seven percentage of the faculty members suggested M-Learning for teaching similar subjects in their profession.

Discussion and conclusion

The faculty members had a positive attitude toward this designed educational app and M-Learning. Designing similar mobile training apps can improve their professional performance.
Emerging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic about the decisive competencies needed for the public health workforce: A qualitative study
Authors: Bashkin Osnat , Otok Robert , Leighton Lore , Czabanowska Kasia , Barach Paul , Davidovitch Nadav , Dopelt Keren , Duplaga Mariusz , Okenwa Emegwa Leah , MacLeod Fiona , Neumark Yehuda , Raz Maya Peled , Tulchinsky Theodore , Mor Zohar
Published: September 2022

The global COVID-19 crisis exposed the critical need for a highly qualified public health workforce. This qualitative research aimed to examine public health workforce competencies needed to face COVID-19 challenges and identify the gaps between training programs and the competency demands of real-world disasters and pandemics. Through a sample of thirty-one participant qualitative interviews, we examined the perspectives of diverse stakeholders from lead public health organizations in Israel. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. Six themes emerged from the content analysis: public health workforce's low professional status and the uncertain future of the public health workforce; links between the community and Higher Education institutions; the centrality of communication competencies; need to improve health promotion; the role of leadership, management, and partnership, and innovation in public health coherence. Increasing the attractiveness of the profession, professional and financial support, and improving the working conditions to ensure a sustainable and resilient PH system were deemed necessary. This paper describes and cultivates new knowledge and leadership skills among public health professionals, and lays the groundwork for future public health leadership preparedness programs.
In vitro activity of anti-rheumatic drugs on release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from oral cells in interaction with microorganisms
Authors: Stähli Alexandra , Scherler Carina , Zappalà Graziano , Sculean Anton , Eick Sigrun
Published: September 2022

Periodontitis patients suffering concomitantly from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often present with less inflamed periodontal tissues due to the ongoing anti-rheumatic therapy. This in vitro study was aimed to analyze whether anti-inflammatory drugs used in the therapy of RA can modulate the release of IL-8 and IL-1β by professional and non-professional immune cells stimulated with microorganisms. Periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts, monocytic MONO-MAC-6-cells, and gingival keratinocytes were exposed to ibuprofen, prednisolone, and methotrexate with and without lysates of Fusobacterium nucleatum or Candida albicans. Supernatants were obtained and the levels of interleukin(IL)-8 and IL-1β (only MONO-MAC-6) were quantified. The addition of F. nucleatum lysate resulted in the strongest release of proinflammatory cytokines by PDL fibroblast and MONO-MAC-6 cells, while the modification by the tested anti-rheumatic drugs was only minor. After stimulation of the MONO-MAC-cells with F. nucleatum, prednisolone increased the release of IL-8, whereas methotrexate decreased the level. Anti-inflammatory drugs increased the adherence of C. albicans to epithelial cells. In patients with RA, the reduction of the microbial load in subgingival biofilm (biofilm removal) is of major importance; however, the intake of inflammatory drugs may interfere with the inflammatory response.
Equilibrium configurations in a nematic pi-cell under an electric field
Authors: Allen Aaron C. , Zheng Xiaoyu
Published: September 2022

In this work, we study the equilibrium configurations in a nematic pi-cell under an electric field using the one-dimensional Oseen-Frank director model. The equilibrium orientational configurations that can be attained in a pi-cell are known as splay, bend, and twist. Among those, bend and twist are topologically equivalent and can be transitioned into one another as voltage varies. The transition can be continuous or abrupt depending on the material parameters. On the other hand, the splay configuration becomes asymmetric for sufficiently high voltages if the liquid crystal has a positive dielectric anisotropy. We determine those threshold voltages and characterize the order of transitions in terms of the elastic constants and the pretilt angle at the boundary.
Joint image compression and denoising via latent-space scalability
Authors: Ranjbar Alvar Saeed , Ulhaq Mateen , Choi Hyomin , Bajić Ivan V.
Published: September 2022

When it comes to image compression in digital cameras, denoising is traditionally performed prior to compression. However, there are applications where image noise may be necessary to demonstrate the trustworthiness of the image, such as court evidence and image forensics. This means that noise itself needs to be coded, in addition to the clean image itself. In this paper, we present a learning-based image compression framework where image denoising and compression are performed jointly. The latent space of the image codec is organized in a scalable manner such that the clean image can be decoded from a subset of the latent space (the base layer), while the noisy image is decoded from the full latent space at a higher rate. Using a subset of the latent space for the denoised image allows denoising to be carried out at a lower rate. Besides providing a scalable representation of the noisy input image, performing denoising jointly with compression makes intuitive sense because noise is hard to compress; hence, compressibility is one of the criteria that may help distinguish noise from the signal. The proposed codec is compared against established compression and denoising benchmarks, and the experiments reveal considerable bitrate savings compared to a cascade combination of a state-of-the-art codec and a state-of-the-art denoiser.
Current update on the visual outcome of optic pathway glioma associated with neurofibromatosis type-1
Authors: Zeid Janice Lasky
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Clinical and diagnostic evaluation in the follow-up of optic glioma patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) can be difficult. Determining whether and when to provide treatment is a significant challenge in best managing these patients. Update on current information and future directions in management is included in this review.

Current Practice

NF-associated optic pathway gliomas (OPGs) present a significant management challenge with high stakes for visual outcomes. Monitoring vision and diagnostic tests are challenging in patients of a younger age. Regardless of whether few or many optic gliomas are encountered during clinical practice.

This review of optic gliomas-NF1-associated gliomas includes the current approach and knowledge of OPG-NF1 and future directions in OPG-NF1 management. This includes the ongoing Multicenter Natural History Study and other clinical trials and outcomes in NF-1 patients with OPG.
Clinical outcome and risk factors for subcutaneous emphysema in patients with lung cancer after video-assisted thorascopic surgery
Authors: Wang Lei , Dong Yingxian , Ji Yanli , Song Wenpeng , Cheng Chao , Yang Mei , Che Guowei
Published: September 2022

Background and purpose

With the clinical application of minimally invasive surgery and concept of enhanced recovery after surgery, the incidence of postoperative complications in lung cancer patients has been significantly reduced. However, postoperative subcutaneous emphysema (SE) becomes the main factor affecting the early discharge of patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical outcome and risk factors for postoperative SE in lung cancer patients.

Methods

The clinical data of 414 lung cancer patients who were admitted to the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from September 2021 to December 2021 were prospectively collected. The incidence, severity and treatment of patients who had SE, surgery approach, application of drainage tube and clinical information were analyzed.

Results

The incidence rate of postoperative SE in patients with lung cancer was 33.09% (137/414) and mild cases accounted for the vast majority (30.19%, 125/414). Multivariate analysis indicated that male [odds ratio (OR) = 2.247, P = .014] and advanced age (OR = 1.021, P = .043) were main risk factors for postoperative SE in patients with lung cancer. Conservative treatment was the main treatment option for SE (98.5%, 135/137). The average hospital stay in the subcutaneous emphysema group (5.49 ± 4.41 days) was significantly longer than that in the non-subcutaneous emphysema group (4.44 ± 3.32 days) (P = .014) and no significant statistical difference in the average total hospital cost between the two groups (7,798.31 ± 1,414.85$ vs. 7,501.14 ± 1,605.18$, P = .072).

Conclusion

Postoperative SE in patients with minimally invasive lung cancer is mainly mild, and conservative treatment is appropriate for most cases.
Clinical application of digital technology in the reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the lower extremity with free superficial circumflex iliac artery flap
Authors: Li Jiayu , Luo Xuchao , Liu Anming , Zou Yonggen
Published: September 2022

Objective

This paper aims to investigate the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of digital technology in the clinical application of free superficial circumflex iliac artery flap (SCIP) for repairing soft-tissue defects in the lower extremities.

Methods

From January 2020 to December 2021, 16 patients with lower extremity soft tissue defects requiring flap repair were selected, and preoperative 3D digital reconstruction of the abdominal donor area and lower extremity recipient area were performed using digital technology combined with highly selective abdominal computed tomography angiography, and virtual design and flap cutting were performed using the software self-contained tool. During the actual surgery, the intraoperative design and excision of the superficial iliac circumflex artery were guided by the preoperative digital design, and the donor sites of the flap were closed directly.

Results

In all cases, digital models of the donor area of the abdominal SCIP were successfully established, which could clearly showed the distribution, course, and diameter of the main trunk and the perforators and other relevant anatomical information and successfully guided the design and excision of the flap during surgery. All flaps successfully survived after surgery, and both the flap recipient and donor sites healed in one stage. All patients were followed up for 2–12 months on average (mean 8.6 months), and the flaps were not bulky and had a satisfactory appearance, with no significant difference in color compared with the surrounding skin and a little pigmentation around the flap. Only linear scarring was left in the donor areas, and there was no restriction of hip movement.

Conclusion

This study used digital technology combined with a SCIP to repair lower extremity soft-tissue defects. The preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction of the digital model of the flap optimally designed the surgical plan, reduced the surgical risk and difficulty, shortened the surgical time, and had some significance for clinical precision, safety, and personalized design of the abdominal flap.
Participatory appraisal for healthcare and welfare management strategies of donkeys (Equus ascinus) in Balochistan, Pakistan
Authors: Kamran Kashif , Akbar Ali , Naseem Mahrukh , Samad Abdul , Samiullah  , Achakzai Jahangir Khan , Rehman Zia Ur , Sohail Sajid Muhammad , Ali Abid
Published: September 2022

In spite of the significant importance of the donkeys (Equus ascinus) as draft animal in resource-poor countries like Pakistan, they are equines not receiving the appropriate care. They face challenges including injuries, diseases, lack of basic environment and mismanagement by their owners. The present study aims to provide a brief update on the current status of management of healthcare and the welfare of domestic donkeys using participatory epidemiological tools. These tools can help to provide better strategies for improving their productivity and inclusion in human society. This study was mainly focused only on donkeys and horses, mules and ponies were excluded from the study. We carried out a systematic review of the relevant available published literature and shortlisted 50 articles reporting on the different health related characteristics of donkeys. A comprehensive questionnaire was completed by 191 donkey owners, including nine farriers (all men, average age = 38.24 ± 12.43) over a time span from October 2021 to March 2022. Multivariate Odds Ratios (MORs) and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the predictions of health management and welfare measures for the surveyed donkeys. The most common observed medical problems in donkey health were hyperlipaemia (28.06%), lameness (16.33%) and dental (20.41%) problems. One-third (34.31%) of the donkeys were underweight. The dull donkey with poor appetite needs a clinical emergency owing to a high risk of developing hyperlipemia, which may be life-threatening. These findings are quite useful for the improvement of healthcare management and the welfare of donkeys.
Case report: Uncommon immune-mediated skin disease involving systemic disorders in dogs
Authors: Kim Soomin , Kim Yoonji , Kim Ha-Jung
Published: September 2022

Case 1, a 6-year-old, spayed female Pug, presented with severe systemic urticaria, edema, and erythema. The dog had received a famotidine injection as a treatment for repeated vomiting in another hospital. On physical examination, hyperthermia was observed. Moderate pancytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, and increased CRP and D-dimer were also observed in blood tests. Hyposthenuric proteinuria, pulmonary interstitial infiltration, and hepatomegaly were found in other tests. In the histology of the skin, dermal edema and infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed. Therefore, she was diagnosed with acute systemic hypersensitivity. Case 2, a 13-month-old, neutered male Pembroke welsh corgi, presented with severe and patchy systemic ulcerative skin lesions. The dog had a history of soft feces and pain around the anus 2 days before. Thrombocytopenia, and increased CRP and D-dimer were observed in blood tests. In histology, epidermal necrolysis, separation of the epidermis and dermis, and infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed. Therefore, he was diagnosed with an immune-mediated disease with necrolysis dermatitis. Case 3, a 12-year-old, spayed female Pomeranian, presented with severe systemic alopecia, pustule, and crust on the skin. The dog had received an infection treatment from a local hospital. Severe regenerative anemia (hematocrit 15.3%, negative saline agglutination test, negative slide agglutination test, negative Coomb's test, prominent spherocytes) elevated liver enzymes, and increased CRP and D-dimer were observed in blood tests. On histopathology of the skin, pustules, acantholytic cells, and inflammatory cells were observed in the keratin layer of the epithelium. Therefore, she was diagnosed with Pemphigus foliaceus concurrent with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. The 3 cases were diagnosed with fatal immune-mediated skin disease concurrently with hematological and systemic abnormalities. All the cases were treated with immune-suppressive drugs, prednisolone, and cyclosporine. In cases 2 and 3, the dogs also received human intravenous immunoglobulin as an immune modulator. The treatment was successful with significant improvements in all the 3 cases.
Implications of partial culling on African swine fever control effectiveness in Vietnam
Authors: Nga Bui Thi To , Padungtod Pawin , Depner Klaus , Chuong Vo Dinh , Duy Do Tien , Anh Nguyen Duc , Dietze Klaas
Published: September 2022

The introduction of the African swine fever (ASF) into previously unaffected countries often overwhelms veterinary authorities with the resource demanding control efforts that need to be undertaken. The approach of implementing total stamping out of affected herds is taken as “default” control measure in many countries, regardless of the transboundary animal disease addressed, leading to a variety of challenges when implemented. Apart from the organizational challenges and high demand for human and financial resources, the total stamping out approach puts a high burden on the livelihoods of the affected farmers. After the spread of ASF throughout the country in 2019, Vietnam changed the culling approach enabling partial culling of only affected animals in the herd, in order to save resources, and reduce the environmental impact because of the carcass disposal and allow farmers to protect valuable assets. Until now, field data comparing these disease control options in their performance during implementation has not been evaluated scientifically. Analyzing the effect of the change in a control policy, the present study concludes that partial culling can on average save over 50% of total stock with an 8-day prolongation of the implementation of control measures. With 58% of farms undergoing partial culling scoring high on a time-livelihoods matrix, while total stamping out fails to score on livelihoods, much-needed clarity on the livelihood-protecting effects of alternative culling strategies is given. In the future, this will allow veterinary authorities to adjust control measures according to differing priorities, targeting peculiarities of ASF and acknowledging resource constraints faced.
Integrated gut microbiota and metabolomic analysis reveals immunomodulatory effects of Echinacea extract and Astragalus polysaccharides
Authors: Li Shaochuan , Lin Renzhao , Chen Jiaxin , Hussain Riaz , Zhang Shiwei , Su Yalin , Chan Yanzi , Ghaffar Abdul , Shi Dayou
Published: September 2022

Immunosuppression in different animals increases the susceptibility of various infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms leading to increase risks posed by antibiotics in different animal farming sectors. Therefore, investigation of the interactions between natural medicines and the intestinal environmental ecosystem is of vital importance and crucial. This study for the first time investigated the effects of Echinacea Extract (EE) and Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) on the gut using 16S rRNA and metabolomic analysis approaches in immunosuppressed broiler chickens. There were four groups divided into control (C), immunosuppression (IS), EE, and APS groups. Sequencing of gut microbes showed that immunosuppression decreased the relative abundance of Anaerofustis, Anaeroplasma, Anaerotroncus, and Lachnospira in the gut while increasing that of c_115 and Holdemania. However, EE and APS diminished the effects on the immunosuppression on the microbiota. The results revealed up-regulation of the relative abundance of Enterococcus in broiler chickens. In addition, EE reduced the relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Blautia. The results on metabolomic analysis revealed that immunosuppression mainly affects cyanuric acid metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism while interconversion of pentose and glucuronide. EE and APS, on the other hand mainly impact butyrate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism while the interconversion of pentose and glucuronide, and D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism. Results regarding correlation analysis revealed significantly metabolic pathways including TCA cycle, butyrate metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, propionate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism associated with Ruminococcus and Blautia. Both EE and APS can antagonize the effects of immunosuppression by modulating the disrupted gut microbiota. Nevertheless, EE might have a bidirectional regulatory functions on the intestinal health and further studies are needed to know the exact and relevant mechanisms of action regarding the effects of EE and APS.
Dietary supplementation ellagic acid on the growth, intestinal immune response, microbiota, and inflammation in weaned piglets
Authors: Lu Yujie , Zhao Mingwei , Mo Jiayuan , Lan Ganqiu , Liang Jing
Published: September 2022

Piglets are susceptible to weaning stress, which weakens the barrier and immune function of the intestinal mucosa, causes inflammation, and ultimately affects animal growth and development. Ellagic acid (EA) is a natural polyphenol dilactone with various biological functions. However, The mechanisms underlying the effects of EA on animal health are still poorly known. Herein, we examined whether dietary supplementation with EA has a positive effect on growth performance, intestinal health, immune response, microbiota, or inflammation in weaned piglets. Sixty weaned piglets (age, 30 days) were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (basic diet) and the test group (basic diet + 500 g/t EA). The pigs were fed for 40 days under the same feeding and management conditions, and the growth performance of each individual was measured. At the end of the feeding period, samples were collected from the small intestinal mucosa for further analysis. Using these tissues, the transcriptome sequences and intestinal microbial diversity were analyzed in both groups. An inflammation model using small intestinal mucosal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) was also constructed. Dietary EA supplementation significantly increased the average daily weight gain (ADG) and reduced diarrhea rate and serum diamine oxidase (DAO) levels of weaned piglets. Transcriptome sequencing results revealed 401 differentially expressed genes in the jejunum mucosal tissue of pigs in the control and test groups. Of these, 163 genes were up-regulated and 238 were down-regulated. The down-regulated genes were significantly enriched in 10 pathways (false discovery rate < 0.05), including seven pathways related to immune response. The results of bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing show that EA affects the composition of the intestinal microbiota in the cecum and rectum, and reveal significant differences in the abundances of Prevotella_9, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Lactobacillus reuteri between the test and control groups (P < 0.05). Experiments using the inflammation model showed that certain doses of EA promote the proliferation of IPEC-J2 cells, increase the relative mRNA expression levels of tight junction-related proteins (ZO-1 and Occludin), improve the compactness of the intestine, reduce the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6, and significantly reduce LPS-induced inflammation in IPEC-J2 cells. In conclusion, we found for the first time that dietary supplementation of EA affects the gut immune response and promotes the beneficial gut microbiota in weaned piglets, reduces the occurrence of inflammatory responses, and thereby promotes the growth and intestinal health of piglets.
Investigating the evolutionary origins of the first three SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Authors: Ghafari Mahan , Liu Qihan , Dhillon Arushi , Katzourakis Aris , Weissman Daniel B.
Published: September 2022

The emergence of Variants of Concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 with increased transmissibility, immune evasion properties, and virulence poses a great challenge to public health. Despite unprecedented efforts to increase genomic surveillance, fundamental facts about the evolutionary origins of VOCs remain largely unknown. One major uncertainty is whether the VOCs evolved during transmission chains of many acute infections or during long-term infections within single individuals. We test the consistency of these two possible paths with the observed dynamics, focusing on the clustered emergence of the first three VOCs, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, in late 2020, following a period of relative evolutionary stasis. We consider a range of possible fitness landscapes, in which the VOC phenotypes could be the result of single mutations, multiple mutations that each contribute additively to increasing viral fitness, or epistatic interactions among multiple mutations that do not individually increase viral fitness—a “fitness plateau”. Our results suggest that the timing and dynamics of the VOC emergence, together with the observed number of mutations in VOC lineages, are in best agreement with the VOC phenotype requiring multiple mutations and VOCs having evolved within single individuals with long-term infections.
Design and Testing of Accurate Dicing Control System for Fruits and Vegetables
Authors: Mei Song , Pei Fengque , Song Zhiyu , Tong Yifei
Published: September 2022

It is hard to control the dicing size of current fresh-cutting devices for fruits and vegetables precisely, and this can be influenced by complex working environments. This paper looks at traditional three-dimensional fresh-cutting machines and, apart from analyzing the force-and-motion equation to determine the minimum rotational speed of the roller, the cross-cutting tool’s independent drive system, the speed detection system of the material before dicing, and shaft-speed monitoring have also been analyzed in order to develop precise control technology for three-dimensional fruit and vegetable dicing by considering dicing input-speed detection and by fine-tuning the cross-cutting tool’s dicing speed. Performance tests are carried out on the prototype before and after improvement. The results show that when the size of carrots and potatoes was 11 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm and 11 mm × 10 mm × 12 mm, the slice thickness and strip thickness error before improvement were 20% and 5%, respectively. Due to the structural limitations, the slice error was large, but the strip error as ideal. The dicing error was greater than 15% due to the different damping coefficients of the materials and the variable speed movement. After the adjustment, the overall dicing error was less than 10%, and the accuracy and stability were higher.
Prevalence of Clostridium perfringens and Detection of Its Toxins in Meat Products in Selected Areas of West Kazakhstan
Authors: Issimov Arman , Baibatyrov Torebek , Tayeva Aigul , Kenenbay Shynar , Abzhanova Sholpan , Shambulova Gulnara , Kuzembayeva Gaukhar , Kozhakhiyeva Madina , Brel-Kisseleva Inna , Safronova Olga , Bauzhanova Lyailya , Yeszhanova Gulzhan , Bukarbayev Kainar , Katasheva Alma , Uzal Francisco A.
Published: September 2022

Objectives. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Clostridium perfringens in meat products at meat fairs in four cities of West Kazakhstan from April to October 2021. Methods. In total, 240 samples were collected and subsequently examined for the presence of Clostridium perfringens and its associated toxins using a standard culture method and multiplex PCR assay. Results. In the 240 samples, 67 (30%) tested positive for Clostridium perfringens. All isolates were classified as biotype A with the ability to produce α toxin. The prevalence of Clostridium perfringens was found in almost all types of meat products tested. Beef samples 20/40 (50%) were found the most contaminated with a pathogen, followed by minced lamb 16/40 (40%), ground beef 11/40 (27.5%), lamb 9/40 (22.5%), beef intestines 7/40 (17.5%) and lamb intestines 4/40 (10%). Conclusions. The outcomes of our study demonstrated the high contamination rate of Clostridium perfringens in local meat products. This study is also the first survey on Clostridium perfringens prevalence in meats in Kazakhstan. The findings in this report will enhance knowledge of epidemiology and help develop coordinated actions to prevent and control possible food poisoning outbreaks.
Classification of Cassava Leaf Disease Based on a Non-Balanced Dataset Using Transformer-Embedded ResNet
Authors: Zhong Yiwei , Huang Baojin , Tang Chaowei
Published: September 2022

Cassava is a typical staple food in the tropics, and cassava leaf disease can cause massive yield reductions in cassava, resulting in substantial economic losses and a lack of staple foods. However, the existing convolutional neural network (CNN) for cassava leaf disease classification is easily affected by environmental background noise, which makes the CNN unable to extract robust features of cassava leaf disease. To solve the above problems, this paper introduces a transformer structure into the cassava leaf disease classification task for the first time and proposes a transformer-embedded ResNet (T-RNet) model, which enhances the focus on the target region by modeling global information and suppressing the interference of background noise. In addition, a novel loss function called focal angular margin penalty softmax loss (FAMP-Softmax) is proposed, which can guide the model to learn strict classification boundaries while fighting the unbalanced nature of the cassava leaf disease dataset. Compared to the Xception, VGG16 Inception-v3, ResNet-50, and DenseNet121 models, the proposed method achieves performance improvements of 3.05%, 2.62%, 3.13%, 2.12%, and 2.62% in recognition accuracy, respectively. Meanwhile, the extracted feature maps are visualized and analyzed by gradient-weighted class activation map (Grad_CAM) and 2D T-SNE, which provides interpretability for the final classification results. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the method proposed in this paper can extract robust features from complex non-balanced disease datasets and effectively carry out the classification of cassava leaf disease.
Biomechanical Characterization of Bionic Mechanical Harvesting of Tea Buds
Authors: Luo Kun , Wu Zhengmin , Cao Chengmao , Qin Kuan , Zhang Xuechen , An Minhui
Published: September 2022

To date, mechanized picking of famous tea (bud, one bud one leaf) causes a lot of damage. Manual picking results in high-quality tea but the process is inefficient. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of mechanically harvested tea buds, the study of bionic picking is beneficial to reduce the damage rate of mechanical picking. In this paper, the manual flexible picking process is studied, and a bionic bladeless mechanical picking mechanics model is developed. The relationship between the mechanical properties and structural deformation of tea stalks is obtained by microstructural observation and mechanical experimental analysis and determination of the bud bionic picking mechanics flow by combined loading tests is carried out. The results show that the key factor for low damage in tea picking is the precise flexible force applied to different parts of the shoot tip during pinching, upward, and picking. The biological force of tea stalks is closely related to the stalk diameter and maturity of stalk tissue development. The larger the xylem of the tea stalk, the stronger its resistance to bending, stretching, and deformation. The stalks at the tender end of the tea are more resilient than the lower stalks and will not break under the action of large angle bending. Additionally, the stalks at the shoot tip have significantly lower pull-off force than the stalks at other places. By simulating the manual picking process, the mechanical picking mechanical parameters were determined to be a clamping pressure of 340 kPa, bending force of 0.134 N, and pull-off force of 5.1 N. These findings help the design of low-damage pickers for famous tea and provide a reference for low-damage bionic picking of tea.
Improving Leaf Photosynthetic Performance of Apple through a Novel Root-Zone Irrigation in the Loess Plateau
Authors: Zheng Lijian , Ma Juanjuan , Sun Xihuan , Guo Xianghong
Published: September 2022

As freshwater becomes an increasingly scarce and expensive natural resource, novel water-saving irrigation methods for dwarfing apple orchards are needed in the Loess Plateau. However, studies are lacking on the effects of novel root-zone irrigation technology on leaf-level photosynthesis, which directly determines the yield and survival ability of trees. In this study, the leaf gas characteristics and water status of five-year-old dwarfing apple trees in the Loess Plateau of China were monitored during the 2016–2017 growing seasons under water storage pit irrigation (WSPI) and surface irrigation (SI) treatments. Under WSPI, the leaf water potential (Ψm), net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), and chlorophyll content (Chl) were significantly higher than those under SI (by 12.21–28.36%), while non-photochemical quenching, superoxide dismutase, and sucrose were lower. Compared with SI, WSPI improved dwarfing apple yield by 25.4% and 26.7% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. WSPI increased the photosystem II (PSII) activity by increasing the chlorophyll fluorescence features (the potential quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), actual quantum yield (ΦII), photochemical quenching (qP), and electron transport rate (ETR)). Principal component analysis showed that Ψm, Chl, the chlorophyll fluorescence features (qP, ΦII, and ETR), Pn, and gs could represent the leaf photosynthetic difference between WSPI and SI treatments. Results indicated that apple under WSPI could improve its yield through enhancing leaf photosynthetic performance, and water storage pit irrigation is an effective root-zone irrigation method for apple orchards on the Loess Plateau.
Potato Visual Navigation Line Detection Based on Deep Learning and Feature Midpoint Adaptation
Authors: Yang Ranbing , Zhai Yuming , Zhang Jian , Zhang Huan , Tian Guangbo , Zhang Jian , Huang Peichen , Li Lin
Published: September 2022

Potato machinery has become more intelligent thanks to advancements in autonomous navigation technology. The effect of crop row segmentation directly affects the subsequent extraction work, which is an important part of navigation line detection. However, the shape differences of crops in different growth periods often lead to poor image segmentation. In addition, noise such as field weeds and light also affect it, and these problems are difficult to address using traditional threshold segmentation methods. To this end, this paper proposes an end-to-end potato crop row detection method. The first step is to replace the original U-Net’s backbone feature extraction structure with VGG16 to segment the potato crop rows. Secondly, a fitting method of feature midpoint adaptation is proposed, which can realize the adaptive adjustment of the vision navigation line position according to the growth shape of a potato. The results show that the method used in this paper has strong robustness and can accurately detect navigation lines in different potato growth periods. Furthermore, compared with the original U-Net model, the crop row segmentation accuracy is improved by 3%, and the average deviation of the fitted navigation lines is 2.16°, which is superior to the traditional visual guidance method.
Working Performance of Bidirectional Profiling Press Device in Hilly Areas of Northeast China
Authors: Liu Hongjun , Zhang Wenyi
Published: September 2022

According to the conditions of seeding operations in hilly areas of Northeast China, a bidirectional profiling press device (BPPD) was designed. The BPPD mainly consists of a press roller and strength adjusting mechanism which could grant the BPPD horizontal and vertical profile ability. The orthogonal tests L9 (34) in the field were conducted to investigate the press roller types and operating parameters effects of the BPPD working performance. In the field tests, three kinds of press rollers—rubber press roller (RPR), planar press roller (PPR) and squirrel cage-type press roller (SPR)—were tested under the condition of three spring deformations (10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm) and three forward speeds (3 km/h, 5 km/h and 7 km/h). The soil moisture content, average emergence time, emergence ratio, and plant height uniformity were tested as test indexes. Using statistical analysis software, the results of the orthogonal test are press roller type, spring deformation and forward speed have significant influence on the test indexes of soil moisture content, average emergence time, emergence ratio, and plant height uniformity which press roller type have highly significant influence on the average emergence time and emergence ratio index. Using a comprehensive weighted algorithm, the sequence of factors affecting the BPPD performance was determined: spring deformation, forward speed, and press roller type; optimal combination: press roller type PPR, a spring deformation of 20 mm, and a forward speed of 5 km/h.
Identification Model of Soil Physical State Using the Takagi–Sugeno Fuzzy Neural Network
Authors: Zhao Jianlei , Zhou Jun , Sun Chenyang , Wang Xu , Liang Zian , Qi Zezhong
Published: September 2022

Adjusting tillage parameters according to soil conditions can reduce energy consumption. In this study, the working parameters and soil physical parameters of plowing were determined using a designed electric suspension platform and soil instrument. The soil conditions were classified into three physical states, namely ‘hard’, ‘zero’, and ‘soft’ using a fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm, taking the soil moisture content and cone penetration resistance as the grading indexes. The Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy neural network classifier was constructed using traction resistance, operating velocity, and plowing depth as inputs to indirectly identify the soil’s physical state. The results show that when 280 groups of test data were used to verify the model, 264 groups were correctly identified, indicating a soil physical state identification accuracy of 94.29%. The T–S fuzzy neural network prediction model can achieve the real-time and accurate physical state identification of paddy soil during plowing.
Humic Acid Improves Plant Yield, Antimicrobial Activity and Essential Oil Composition of Oregano (Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link.) Ietswaart)
Authors: Aytaç Zehra , Gülbandılar Aysel , Kürkçüoğlu Mine
Published: September 2022

The effects of humic acid on plant yield, essential oil content, the composition of essential oil and the antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link.) (cv. Tinmaz) cultivated in 2017 and 2018 under Eskisehir ecological conditions were evaluated. Three humic acid (HA) doses in response to 50.0 L ha−1 (HA 50), 30.0 L ha−1 (HA 30) and 0.0 L ha−1 (HA 0, as control) were applied to soil at the vegetative stage and beginning of the blooming stage of the plant throughout each harvest in both years. Essential oil composition was determined using GC-FID/GC-MS. The antibacterial and antifungal activity were determined by the well-diffusion method. Fresh herb yield, dry herb yield and dry leaf yield were highest at HA 50 both years, although essential oil content increased in 2017 at both HA 50 and HA 30, but was greatest at HA 50 in the second year. The essential oil content differences between the control dose and 50.0 L HA ha−1 were 0.46% and 0.42% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil samples against two bacteria species (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) and two yeast species (Candida albicans and Candida parapisilosis) was generally higher than that of the control drugs, and the activity increased with increasing HA doses. Analysis of the essential oil components showed that the carvacrol and γ-Terpinene ratios generally increased as the HA doses increased to 50.0 L HA ha−1. Soil HA applications could be recommended for higher quality, plant yield and antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum.
Water Availability Affects the Capability of Reflectance Indices to Estimate Berry Yield and Quality Attributes in Rain-Fed Vineyards
Authors: Serrano Lydia , Gorchs Gil
Published: September 2022

Remote sensing methods are known to provide estimates of berry quality. However, previous studies have shown that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) failed to predict berry quality attributes in rain-fed vineyards. This study explores the association of several reflectance indices with vine biophysical characteristics and berry yield and quality attributes and their temporal stability. The study was conducted in rain-fed Chardonnay vineyards located around Masquefa (Penedès region, Catalonia, Spain) over four years. Canopy reflectance, fractional Intercepted Photosynthetic Active Radiation, predawn water potential and canopy temperature at midday were measured at veraison whereas berry yield and quality attributes were determined at harvest. Water availability and vine biophysical attributes showed large temporal stability whereas berry quality attributes were not temporally stable. The capability of reflectance indices to estimate berry quality attributes was subject to the timing and extent of water deficits. The Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), the NDVI and the Water Index (WI) provided estimates of berry quality attributes under mild, moderate and severe water deficits, respectively. These results might have potential applications in precision viticulture activities such as selective harvesting according to grape quality attributes and the assessment of ripening.
Delaying Application and Reducing the N Rate Enhances Grain Yield and N Use Efficiency in No-Tillage, Direct-Seeded Hybrid Rice
Authors: Jiang Peng , Zhou Xingbing , Zhang Lin , Liu Mao , Xiong Hong , Guo Xiaoyi , Zhu Yongchuan , Chen Lin , Liu Jie , Xu Fuxian
Published: September 2022

The no-tillage, direct-seeded (NTDS) rice cropping system has attracted considerable attention because of its social, economic, and environmental benefits. However, very limited research has been conducted on optimizing nitrogen (N) management practices to enhance grain yield and N use efficiency (NUE) of rice grown in NTDS. An N fertilization field experiment with two rice hybrids was conducted in 2020 and 2021; the experiment consisted of three N rates (180, 153, and 0 kg N ha−1; N180, N153, and N0, respectively) and two N-application ratios split among the basal, seedling (three-leaf stage), mid-tillering, and panicle initiation stages (50%, 0%, 30%, and 20% and 0%, 30%, 40%, and 30%; R1 and R2, respectively). Although the N rate was 15% lower in the N153 treatment than in the N180 treatment, grain yield for N153 was equal to or slightly higher than that for N180. N153 had a higher agronomic efficiency of applied N (AEN), partial factor productivity of applied N (PFPN), and recovery efficiency of applied N (REN) compared to N180 by 10.1–24.7%, 15.0–20.1%, and 1.8–12.6%, respectively. Grain yield, AEN, PFPN, and REN in R2 were higher than those in R1 by 0.8–4.6%, 2.4–19.7%, 0.7–4.6%, and 3.5–30.0%, respectively. The increase in grain yield was due to improvement in the sink size that resulted from larger panicles, higher biomass production at maturity, which was partially attributable to increased biomass accumulation after heading, and a higher harvest index. Our results suggest that it is feasible to simultaneously improve grain yield and NUE in hybrid rice under NTDS through delayed and reduced N application rate, and current breeding programs need to target large panicle size as a primary objective for NTDS rice.