bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The association between energy‐adjusted dietary inflammatory index and 10‐year cardiovascular risk: Fasa adult cohort study
Authors: Sepehrinia Matin , Pourmontaseri Hossein , Naghizadeh Mohammad Mehdi , Vahid Farhad , Hebert James R. , Homayounfar Reza , Alkamel Abdulhakim
Published: May 2024

A healthy diet is dominant in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. Inflammation is pivotal for CVD development. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the pro‐inflammatory diet and the CVD risk. This cross‐sectional study involved 10,138 Fasa adult cohort study participants. After excluding participants with missing data, the Energy‐Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E‐DII) was calculated to assess the inflammatory potential of diet using the recorded Food Frequency Questionnaire. Framingham risk score (FRS) was used to predict the 10‐year risk of CVD. The association between E‐DII and high risk for CVD was investigated using multinominal regression. After exclusion, the mean age of studied individuals (n = 10,030) was 48.6 ± 9.6 years, including 4522 men. Most participants were low risk (FRS <10%) for CVD (87.6%), while 2.7% of them were high risk (FRS ≥20%). The median FRS was 2.80 (1.70, 6.30). The E‐DII ranged from −4.22 to 4.49 (mean E‐DII = 0.880 ± 1.127). E‐DII was significantly associated with FRS. This result persisted after adjusting for confounding factors and in both genders. This study revealed that the pro‐inflammatory diet significantly increases the CVD risk. Consequently, reducing the inflammatory potential of diet should be considered an effective dietary intervention in CVD prevention.
The effect of synbiotic coating of flaxseed mucilage‐defatted rice bran carbohydrate on quality of dried mango, viability of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. LactisBB12 on storage and simulating gastrointestinal condition
Authors: Didar Zohreh , Soltan‐Dallal Mohammad Mehdi , Goharjoo Behzad
Published: May 2024

In the present study, a synbiotic coating of flaxseed mucilage, defatted rice bran carbohydrate, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB12 was fabricated for coating dried mango slices (M‐P‐C). The control samples contained only probiotic bacteria without coating (M‐P). Several quality parameters (moisture, weight loss, shrinkage percentage, pH, firmness, and color) were assessed on specific storage circumstances (25°C, relative humidity (RH) = 22%.). In addition, the survival of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB12 was evaluated on storage and under simulated gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. According to the results, the log number of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB12 reached 8.1 and 6.2 for coated and uncoated samples, respectively, during the 45 days storage at 25°C (>6 log CFU (log colony‐forming units)/g) and at finished stage of in vitro gastrointestinal circumstances, the log number of probiotic bacterial count reached 6.8 and 4 for coated and uncoated samples, respectively. The coating resulted in significantly less weight loss, moisture loss, and shrinkage of the mango slices than uncoated ones (p < .05). The growth of yeasts and molds was undetectable in both samples. The results of acceptance experiments for M‐P and M‐P‐C dried mango samples showedthat there were no significant differences between M‐P and M‐P‐C samples (p  >.05), indeed in the case of purchase intention and overall acceptability. After reading the text highlighting, there was no significant difference in all attributes of M‐P‐C samples pre and post of reading text highlighting. It could be concluded that the synbiotic coating of mango slices improved the quality characteristics of the dried mango as well as viability of the probiotic bacteria at storage time and under simulated gastrointestinal conditions.
Characterizing the antioxidant and antifungal properties of nano‐encapsulated pistachio hull extract in fenugreek seed gum to maintain the quality and safety of fresh pistachio
Authors: Fatemi Ali , Najafi Ali , Razavi Razie , Jafarzadeh Shima
Published: May 2024

The quality of pistachio, one of the export products of Iran, will be decreased during storage as a result of mold spoilage, toxins production, and oil oxidation. This study aimed to investigate the capability of pistachio hull extract (PHE) loaded in fenugreek seed gum (FSG):whey protein isolate (WPI) nanoemulsion to control oil oxidation, and fungi growth in fresh pistachio nut during storage at 4°C. The total anthocyanin and total phenolic content of the PHE were 125.44 μg/g and 675.18 mg/g, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of PHE at 100 ppm was higher than that of tert‐butylhydroquinon (TBHQ). In comparison with other concentrations, 50 ppm showed the strongest antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Aspergillus nomius. All nanoemulsions have a mean size lower than 265 nm. The polydispersity index (PDI) of different nanoemulsions was lower than 0.3, and a negative zeta potential was observed. The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 67.0% and all nanoemulsions had spherical morphology. The pistachio nuts were coated with different coating solutions containing 0 and 100 ppm of PHE and stored at 4°C for 8 weeks. The results showed that the pistachio sample coated with a composite coating of WPI and FSG containing 100 ppm of PHE has a higher moisture content and lower changes in L*, a*, and b* indexes, oil oxidation, fungi development, and total mold and yeast count. This treatment exhibited higher overall acceptance than other samples at the end of storage time. The results of this study suggest the use of biodegradable coatings enriched with natural extracts that have high antioxidant and antifungal activities.
Factors for predicting 28‐day mortality in older patients with suspected of having sepsis in the emergency department
Authors: Sanguanwit Pitsucha , Yuksen Chaiyaporn , Khorana Jiraporn , Phootothum Yuranun , Damdin Siriporn , Sutham Krongkarn
Published: May 2024

Background

Older patients face increased sepsis risk, requiring precise prognostic tools in the emergency department (ED). This study aimed to explore factors predicting 28‐day mortality among older (≥60 years) patients with suspicion of sepsis in the ED.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study. Data for all older patients with clinical suspected sepsis presenting to the ED from 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018, were collected. Prognostic factors, characteristics, comorbidities, vital signs at triage, the emergency severity score, initial laboratory results, and sepsis bundle treatment were analyzed using univariable and multivariable Cox regression. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using these analytical methodologies to prognosticate 28‐day mortality.

Results

A total of 329 older patients with suspected sepsis were included. The overall 28‐day mortality was 10.33%. Independent prognostic factors that were significantly associated with 28‐day mortality were malignancy (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.90, 7.09; p < 0.01), oxygen saturation ≤93% (aHR: 3.37; 95% CI: 1.79, 3.43; p < 0.01), and dependent status (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.14, 4.53; p = 0.02).

Conclusions

This study suggests that “MOD”; M‐Malignancy, O‐Oxygen saturation ≤93%, and D‐Dependent status are significant prognostic indicators for 28‐day mortality among older patients with suspected sepsis in the ED.

Trial registration

The trial was retrospectively registered in the Thai Clinical Trial Registry on 06/05/2022, identification number TCTR20220506006.
Responses of soil moisture at different topographic positions to rainfall events along a steep subtropical forested hillslope
Authors: Lu Shiguo , Liu Muxing , Yi Jun , Zhang Hailin , Wan Jinhong
Published: May 2024

Understanding the dynamic response of soil moisture to rainfall is crucial for describing hydrological processes at the hillslope scale. However, because of sparse monitoring coupled with the complexity of water movement and steep topography, the findings of rainfall‐related soil moisture dynamics have not always been consistent, indicating a need for systematic investigations of soil moisture dynamics and infiltration patterns following rainfall inputs at multiple topographic positions along a hillslope. This study aimed to examine the nature of these responses by characterizing and quantifying the response amplitude, rate and time for 37 large rainfall events at 25 combinations of topographic positions and soil depths along a steep forested hillslope. Our results showed that soil moisture responses under different rainfall patterns could be attributed to one or the other rainfall characteristics, such as rainfall intensity and amount. However, soil moisture dynamics at different hillslope positions after rainfall varied widely due to the controls of soil properties, topography, and non‐equilibrium flow. Preferential flow was more evident under dry initial soil conditions than under wet initial soil conditions. Findings of this study reveal that the dynamic response patterns of soil moisture to rainfall do not always follow topographic controls, which can improve our understanding of water cycling related to the infiltration process at the hillslope scale, and support water resources management in subtropical mountain ecosystems.
High performance of the DNA methylation‐based WID‐qEC test for detecting uterine cancers independent of sampling modalities
Authors: Illah Ojone , Scott Malcolm , Redl Elisa , Barrett James E. , Schreiberhuber Lena , Herzog Chiara , Vavourakis Charlotte D. , Jones Allison , Evans Iona , Reisel Dan , Chandrasekaran Dhivya , Doufekas Kostas , Graham Radha , Kotsopoulos Ioannis C. , MacDonald Nicola , Arora Rupali , Olaitan Adeola , Rosenthal Adam , Widschwendter Martin
Published: May 2024

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent gynaecological cancer in high‐income countries and its incidence is continuing to rise sharply. Simple and objective tools to reliably detect women with EC are urgently needed. We recently developed and validated the DNA methylation (DNAme)‐based women's cancer risk identification—quantitative polymerase chain reaction test for endometrial cancer (WID‐qEC) test that could address this need. Here, we demonstrate that the stability of the WID‐qEC test remains consistent regardless of: (i) the cervicovaginal collection device and sample media used (Cervex brush and PreservCyt or FLOQSwab and eNAT), (ii) the collector of the specimen (gynaecologist‐ or patient‐based), and (iii) the precise sampling site (cervical, cervicovaginal and vaginal). Furthermore, we demonstrate sample stability in eNAT medium for 7 days at room temperature, greatly facilitating the implementation of the test into diagnostic laboratory workflows. When applying FLOQSwabs (Copan) in combination with the eNAT (Copan) sample collection media, the sensitivity and specificity of the WID‐qEC test to detect uterine (i.e., endometrial and cervical) cancers in gynaecologist‐taken samples was 92.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 75.0%–98.8%) and 98.6% (95% CI = 91.7%–99.9%), respectively, whilst the sensitivity and specificity in patient collected self‐samples was 75.0% (95% CI = 47.4%–91.7%) and 100.0% (95% CI = 93.9%–100.0%), respectively. Taken together these data confirm the robustness and clinical potential of the WID‐qEC test.
Impact of body mass index on sonographic measurement of head perineum distance before operative vaginal delivery
Authors: Sanchez Maëva , Berveiller Paul , Behal Hélène , Tursack Anaïs , Plurien Alix , Ghesquière Louise , Garabedian Charles
Published: May 2024

Objective

To evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on sonographic measurement of head perineum distance (HPD) before operative vaginal delivery (OVD).

Methods

This was a single‐center retrospective cohort study (Lille, France) conducted from March 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020 including all singleton and OVD. HPD measurement was systematically performed without and with compression on the perineum soft tissues. The level of station was defined by vaginal examination and three maternal BMI groups were defined (normal BMI [<24.9 kg/m2] vs overweight [25–29.9 kg/m2] vs obese [≥30 kg/m2]). HPD measures were compared between BMI groups and compression, in distinct level of station, using a two‐factor analysis of variance including BMI groups, the compression, and the interaction term BMI group compression.

Results

A total of 775 women were included: 488 with normal BMI, 181 overweight patients and 106 obese patients. The measurement of HPD before OVD without and with compression on the soft tissues was significantly different between the BMI groups only in the lower part, particularly between normal BMI and obese patients (mean difference (95% CI): 6.6 mm (4.0 to 9.2) without compression; 3.8 (1.1 to 6.4) with compression).

Conclusion

The values of HPD without and with compression on the soft tissues on the maternal perineum were different according to the maternal BMI concerning lower part station. Thus, it seems important to define thresholds of HPD measures corresponding to each head station levels according to maternal BMI.
Changes in potential evaporation with the extension of water‐saving irrigation in Xinjiang, north‐western China
Authors: Han Songjun , Ren Mengzhi , Liu Dengfeng , Han Congying , Tian Fuqiang , Zhang Baozhong
Published: May 2024

Since the late 1990s, the irrigation quota in Xinjiang, northwestern China has witnessed a decline, owing to the widespread adoption of highly efficient water‐saving irrigation technologies. This phenomenon prompts the question: has there been a corresponding impact on potential evaporation? To explore changes in potential evaporation resulting from irrigation advances, we conducted a comprehensive analysis spanning the years 1978–2017 in Xinjiang. Our investigation focused on a pairwise examination of agricultural stations with substantial irrigation effects, enveloped by a substantial proportion of cultivated land, and reference stations with negligible irrigation effects, surrounded by a comparatively smaller proportion of cultivated land. The findings unveiled a noteworthy reduction in potential evaporation at agricultural stations during the period 1978–1997. However, a contrasting trend emerged in the subsequent period of 1998–2017, wherein there was a significant increase in potential evaporation. In contrast, reference stations did not exhibit statistically significant reversals in potential evaporation. The observed changes in potential evaporation at agricultural stations were primarily attributed to shifts in aerodynamic components. These changes were closely associated with the reversed changes in irrigation intensity, a consequence of the widespread adoption of water‐saving irrigation practices since 1998.
Towards non‐invasive tissue hydration measurements with optical coherence tomography
Authors: Neubrand Linda B. , van Leeuwen Ton G. , Faber Dirk J.
Published: May 2024

The attenuation coefficient () measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been used to determine tissue hydration. Previous dual‐wavelength OCT systems could not attain the needed precision, which we attribute to the absence of wavelength‐dependent scattering of tissue in the underlying model. Assuming that scattering can be described using two parameters, we propose a triple/quadrupole‐OCT system to achieve clinically relevant precision in water volume fraction. In this study, we conduct a quantitative analysis to determine the necessary precision of measurements and compare it with numerical simulation. Our findings emphasize that achieving a clinically relevant assessment of a 2% water fraction requires determining the attenuation coefficient with a remarkable precision of 0.01 . This precision threshold is influenced by the chosen wavelength for attenuation measurement and can be enhanced through the inclusion of a fourth wavelength range.
Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Intramuscular Injectable Benzathine Penicillin G in Japanese Healthy Participants
Authors: Li Yinhua , Okayama Akifumi , Hagi Toshiaki , Muto Chieko , Raber Susan , Nagashima Masahito
Published: May 2024

An intramuscular (IM) suspension of benzathine penicillin G (BPG) has been used as first‐line therapy for the treatment of syphilis worldwide since its approval in the 1950s. However, there are limited reports about the pharmacokinetics of BPG. A Phase 1 study was conducted on eight Japanese healthy participants to investigate the pharmacokinetics (samples collected predose to 648 h post‐dose) and safety of 2.4 million units of BPG after a single IM injection. Following administration, penicillin G, the active moiety of BPG, was absorbed slowly from the injection site with a median time to Cmax (tmax) of 48 h post‐dose. After the achievement of Cmax, concentrations of penicillin G declined slowly in a monophasic fashion with a mean apparent terminal half‐life of 189 h. Geometric mean AUCinf and Cmax were 50770 ng•h/mL and 259 ng/mL, respectively. Median time (range) above the well‐accepted therapeutic concentration (18 ng/mL) for syphilis treatment was 561 h (439‐608 h [18‐25 days]), which reached and exceeded the necessary duration of 7‐10 days for syphilis treatment. Two participants were underdosed with residual drug left in the syringe due to the high viscosity of the drug product. Only one (12.5%) participant reported a mild adverse event of nasopharyngitis, which was considered not related to the study treatment. The study results supported BPG approval in Japan as an option for syphilis treatment.
Effects of ungulate‐proof fencing on space use by wild pigs
Authors: Koriakin Kelly , Jolley D. Buck , Smith Benjamin , VerCauteren Kurt C. , Snow Nathan P.
Published: May 2024

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a highly adaptable species that have invaded many regions and cause significant damage throughout the world. Ungulate‐proof fencing is increasingly used in conjunction with other control techniques to manage wild pig populations. However, little is known about how fencing affects wild pig space use behaviors and whether any changes may be exploited to increase efficacy of control activities. Our goal was to understand how wild pigs altered their space use behaviors in response to newly constructed fencing. Specifically, we examined for changes in space use area (home range and core area), increases in overlap with conspecifics, and shifts in space use as ungulate exclusion fencing was constructed on northern Guam from February 2021 to March 2022. Wild pigs closer to the fence had decreased space use. For every 200 m nearer newly constructed fence, home ranges and core areas decreased approximately 15% and 16%, respectively. When individual wild pigs were enclosed by the fence, those animals increased their home range overlap with conspecifics by approximately 76% compared to wild pigs outside the fence. Wild pigs shifted their home ranges 3 to 9 times more during the first part of fence construction when 68% of the fence was completed compared to all other time periods, with male wild pigs shifting greater distances than females by 1.15 times. The construction of ungulate fencing led to smaller space use areas of wild pigs on both sides of the fence and intensified use of the area inside the fence by wild pigs contained within (i.e., more overlap). Management activities nearer the fence should account for decreases in home range and core area size to maximize population control efforts (i.e., more densely spaced trap sites). Enclosed wild pigs should be eradicated quickly to minimize damages to sensitive flora and fauna and decrease disease risk from intensified movement behaviors inside the fence.
“Dissolve‐on‐Demand” 3D Printed Materials: Polymerizable Eutectics for Generating High Modulus, Thermoresponsive and Photoswitchable Eutectogels
Authors: Mutch Alexandra L. , Nahar Yeasmin , Bissember Alex C. , Corrigan Nathaniel , Boyer Cyrille , Oh Xin Yi , Truong Vinh Xuan , Thickett Stuart C.
Published: May 2024

Solvent‐free photopolymerization of vinyl monomers to produce high modulus materials with applications in 3D printing and photoswitchable materials is demonstrated. Polymerizable eutectic (PE) mixtures are prepared by simply heating and stirring various molar ratios of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), acrylamide (AAm) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The structural and thermal properties of the resulting mixtures are evaluated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). UV photocuring kinetics of the PE mixtures is evaluated via in situ photo‐DSC and photorheology measurements. The PE mixtures cure rapidly and display storage moduli that are orders of magnitude greater than equivalent copolymers cured in an aqueous medium. The versatility of these PE systems is demonstrated through the addition of a photoswitchable spiropyran acrylate monomer, as well as applying the PE formulation as a stereolithography (SLA)‐based 3D printing resin. Due to the hydrogen‐bonding network in PE systems, 3D printing of the eutectic resin is possible in the absence of crosslinkers. The addition of a RAFT agent to reduce average polymer chain length enables 3D printing of materials which retain their shape and can be dissolved on demand in appropriate solvents.
Manufacturing studies of a polymeric/composite heart valve prosthesis
Authors: Chen Mary Jialu , Pappas Georgios A. , Smid Caroline C. , Cesarovic Nikola , Falk Volkmar , Ermanni Paolo
Published: May 2024

Current transcathether heart valves rely on metal mesh stents, resulting in discontinuous stent‐leaflet interfaces that introduce stress concentrations, reducing valve lifetime. This work aims to investigate non‐conventional methods to create a fully polymeric transcatheter heart valve, exhibiting a quasi‐continuous interface with hemocompatible leaflets with high durability potential. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is of particular interest as a cardiovascular material due to hemocompatibility and mechanical resilience, highly relevant for catheter delivered valves. For increased reproducibility and design freedom, an autoclave process was used to manufacture thin‐ply PEEK composite stents. We demonstrated that a suitable membrane material during manufacturing is essential to evenly distribute pressure around the stent. Meanwhile, a modified vacuum forming process was used to simultaneously form and attach PEEK leaflets to the stent using a heated mold. This simple and robust method enables rapid manufacturing of an integral PEEK‐based valve design, resulting in improved stent‐leaflet bonding, demonstrating an alternative to conventional dip‐coating. The customized vacuum forming causes a controlled annealing effect in semicrystalline materials such as PEEK. Processing PEEK leaflets at higher mold temperatures results in higher crystallinity, elastic modulus, and bond strength. These processes enable greater design flexibility and promote composite materials for use in heart valve devices.

Highlights

Developed manufacturing processes for PEEK‐based heart valve implants.

Proof of concept for thermoforming of semi‐crystalline PEEK leaflets.

Demonstrated effect of processing temperature on valve mechanical properties.

Autoclave processing and vacuum forming enable new heart valve designs.
Clinical implementation of first trimester screening for congenital heart defects
Authors: Helmbæk Marie Elisabeth , Sundberg Karin , Jørgensen Ditte Staub , Petersen Olav Bjørn , Tolsgaard Martin , Vejlstrup Niels Grove , Harmsen Lotte , Kruse Charlotte , Steensberg Jesper , Vedel Cathrine , Ekelund Charlotte Kvist
Published: May 2024

Objective

To examine the feasibility and performance of implementing a standardized fetal cardiac scan at the time of a routine first‐trimester ultrasound scan.

Method

A retrospective, single‐center study in an unselected population between March 2021 and July 2022. A standardized cardiac scan protocol consisting of a four‐chamber and 3‐vessel trachea view with color Doppler was implemented as part of the routine first‐trimester scan. Sonographers were asked to categorize the fetal heart anatomy. Data were stratified into two groups based on the possibility of evaluating the fetal heart. The influence of maternal and fetal characteristics and the detection of major congenital heart disease were investigated.

Results

A total of 5083 fetuses were included. The fetal heart evaluation was completed in 84.9%. The proportion of successful scans increased throughout the study period from 76% in the first month to 92% in the last month. High maternal body mass index and early gestational age at scan significantly decreased the feasibility. The first‐trimester detection of major congenital heart defects was 7/16, of which four cases were identified by the cardiac scan protocol with no false‐positive cases.

Conclusion

First‐trimester evaluation of the fetal heart by a standardized scan protocol is feasible to implement in daily practice. It can contribute to the earlier detection of congenital heart defects at a very low false positive rate.
Disruption of microRNA pathway core genes inhibits molting and reproduction of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne
Authors: Yan Yi , Liu De‐Qian , Li Can , Yang Wen‐Jia , Xu Kang‐Kang
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

MicroRNA (miRNA) pathway genes have been widely reported to participate in several physiological events in insect lifecycles. The cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne is an economically important storage pest worldwide. However, the functions of miRNA pathway genes in L. serricorne remain to be clarified. Herein, we investigated the function of molting and reproduction of the miRNA pathway in L. serricorne.

RESULTS

LsDicer‐1, LsArgonaute‐1, LsLoquacious and LsExportin‐5 were universally expressed in adults, whereas LsPasha and LsDrosha were mainly expressed in the pupae. The genes presented different patterns in various tissues. Silencing of LsDicer‐1, LsArgonaute‐1, LsDrosha and LsExportin‐5 resulted in a high proportion of wing deformities and molting defects. Silencing of LsDicer‐1, LsArgonaute‐1, LsPasha and LsLoquacious affected the development of the ovary and the maturation of oocytes, resulting in a significant decrease in fecundity. Further investigation revealed that the decreases in LsDicer‐1 and LsArgonaute‐1 expression destroyed follicular epithelia and delayed vitellogenesis and oocyte development. In addition, the expression levels of several miRNAs (let‐7, let‐7‐5p, miR‐8‐3p, miR‐8‐5p, miR‐9c‐5p, miR‐71, miR‐252‐5p, miR‐277‐3p, miR‐263b and Novel‐miR‐50) were decreased significantly after knockdown of these miRNA pathway core genes, indicating that they played important roles in regulating miRNA‐mediated gene expression.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that miRNA pathway genes play important roles in the molting, ovarian development and female fecundity of L. serricorne, and thus are potentially suitable target genes for developing an RNAi strategy against a major pest of stored products. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Tripartite interactions of an endophytic entomopathogenic fungus, Asian corn borer, and host maize under elevated carbon dioxide
Authors: Sui Li , Zhu Hui , Wang Deli , Zhang Zhengkun , Bidochka Michael J. , Barelli Larissa , Lu Yang , Li Qiyun
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

Biological control of insect pests is encountering an unprecedented challenge in agricultural systems due to the ongoing rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) level. The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in these systems is gaining increased attention, and EPF as crop endophytes hold the potential for combining insect pest control and yield enhancement of crops, but the effects of increased CO2 concentration on this interaction are poorly understood. Here, the introduction of endophytic EPF was explored as an alternative sustainable management strategy benefiting crops under elevated CO2, using maize (Zea mays), Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), and EPF (Beauveria bassiana) to test changes in damage to maize plants from O. furnacalis, and the nutritional status (content of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), biomass, and yield of maize.

RESULTS

The results showed that endophytic B. bassiana could alleviate the damage caused by O. furnacalis larvae for maize plants under ambient CO2 concentration, and this effect was enhanced under higher CO2 concentration. Inoculation with B. bassiana effectively counteracted the adverse impact of elevated CO2 on maize plants by preserving the nitrogen content at its baseline level (comparable with ambient CO2 conditions without B. bassiana). Both simultaneous effects could explain the improvement of biomass and yield of maize under B. bassiana inoculation and elevated CO2.

CONCLUSION

This finding provides key information about the multifaceted benefits of B. bassiana as a maize endophyte. Our results highlight the promising potential of incorporating EPF as endophytes into integrated pest management strategies, particularly under elevated CO2 concentrations. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
A pyramidal residual attention model of short‐term wind power forecasting for wind farm safety
Authors: Wang Hai‐Kun , Du Jiahui , Li Danyang , Chen Feng
Published: May 2024

Wind power fluctuation significantly impacts the safe and stable operation of the wind farm power grid. As the installed capacity of grid‐connected wind power expands to a certain threshold, these fluctuations can detrimentally affect the wind farm's operations. Consequently, wind power prediction emerges as a critical technology for ensuring safe, stable and efficient wind power generation. To optimize power grid dispatching and enhance wind farm operation and maintenance, precise wind power prediction is essential. In this context, we introduce a joint deep learning model that integrates a compact pyramid structure with a residual attention encoder, aiming to bolster wind farm operational safety and reliability. The model employs a compact pyramid architecture to extract multi‐time scale features from the input sequence, facilitating effective information exchange across different scales and enhancing the capture of long‐term sequence dependencies. To mitigate vanishing gradients, the residual transformer encoder is applied, augmenting the original attention mechanism with a global dot product attention pathway. This approach improves the gradient descent process, making it more accessible without introducing additional hyperparameters. The model's efficacy is validated using a dataset from an actual wind farm in China. Experimental outcomes reveal a notable enhancement in wind power prediction accuracy, thereby contributing to the operational safety of wind farms.
Matrix‐free laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging for rapid evaluation of wood biomass conversion
Authors: Nishimura Hiroshi , Watanabe Takashi
Published: May 2024

Rationale

This study overcomes traditional biomass analysis limitations by introducing a pioneering matrix‐free laser desorption/ionization (LDI) approach in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) for efficient lignin evaluation in wood. The innovative acetic acid–peracetic acid (APA) treatment significantly enhances lignin detection, enabling high‐throughput, on‐site analysis.

Methods

Wood slices, softwood from a conifer tree (Japanese cypress) and hardwood from a broadleaf tree (Japanese beech), were analyzed using MSI with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. The developed APA treatment demonstrated effectiveness for MSI analysis of biomass.

Results

Our imaging technique successfully distinguishes between earlywood and latewood and enables the distinct visualization of lignin in these and other wood tissues, such as the radial parenchyma. This approach reveals significant contrasts in MSI. It has identified intense ions from β‐O‐4‐type lignin, specifically in the radial parenchyma of hardwood, highlighting the method's precision and utility in wood tissue analysis.

Conclusions

The benefits of matrix‐free LDI include reduced peak overlap, consistent sample quality, preservation of natural sample properties, enhanced analytical accuracy, and reduced operational costs. This innovative approach is poised to become a standard method for rapid and precise biomass evaluation and has important applications in environmental research and sustainable resource management and is crucial for the effective management of diverse biomass, paving the way towards a sustainable, circular society.
Hedyotis diffusa Willd inhibits inflammation and oxidative stress to protect against chronic prostatitis via the NRF2/ARE signaling pathway
Authors: Mo Junfu , Xia Kang , Wu Chaokui
Published: May 2024

Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a common and serious disease with unclear pathogenesis and recurrent symptoms. Hedyotis diffusa Willd (HDW) has been recognized for its potential in managing various chronic inflammatory diseases. This research aimed to interrogate the mechanism of HDW in treating CP/CPPS. Complete Freund Adjuvant (CFA) and LPS were utilized to establish the rat and cell models of CP/CPPS. Results showed that HDW decreased levels of inflammation‐related factors in CP rat prostate tissue and LPS‐elicited RWPE‐1 cell injury model. Moreover, HDW administration impaired oxidative stress in the prostate and RWPE‐1 cells. In addition, HDW treatment activated the NRF2/ARE signaling in rat prostate tissue and cell models. Interestingly, NRF2/ARE pathway inhibitor ML385 reversed the inhibition effects of cell apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress triggered by HDW. In summary, HDW alleviated inflammation and oxidative stress by activating NRF2/ARE signaling in CP/CPPS rat model and human prostate epithelial cell injury model.
Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium isolated from hen eggs and quail eggs in Karaj, Iran
Authors: Yousefi Amin Asghar , Oshaghi Mojgan , Habibi Sina , Bashashati Mohsen , Fallah Mehrabadi Mohammad Hossein , Safavieh Sedigheh Sadat
Published: May 2024

Background and aim

Different Salmonella serotypes are considered one of the most important food pathogens in the world. Poultry meat and eggs are the primary carriers of Salmonella in human populations. This study aimed to estimate the Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium contamination rates of retail hen and quail eggs in Karaj, Iran. Moreover, the antimicrobial resistance patterns of the strains were evaluated, and the efficiency of the standard culture method and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m‐PCR) were compared.

Materials and methods

In this descriptive cross‐sectional study over 1 year (Jan–Dec 2022), 150 commercial and 150 backyard hen eggs and 300 commercial quail eggs, without cracks and fractures, were collected randomly from best selling groceries in Karaj city. All samples were examined for Salmonella contamination independently by standard culture and m‐PCR approaches. A standard disc diffusion method was employed to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains against 18 antimicrobial agents.

Results

Out of 300 examined eggs, 2 S. enteritidis strains were isolated from the shell of backyard hen eggs. The same serotype was also detected in the contents of one of these two eggs. One S. typhimurium was isolated from the shell of a commercial hen egg. Overall, the Salmonella contamination of the shell and contents was 1% and 0.3%, respectively. Salmonella was not isolated from the eggshells or the contents of the quail eggs. There was complete agreement between the results of m‐PCR and the standard culture methods. Among the 18 tested antibiotics, the highest resistance was recorded for colistin (100%), followed by nalidixic acid (75%).

Conclusion

As most Salmonella spp. are associated with human food poisoning, continuous surveillance is required to effectively reduce the risk posed by contaminated poultry eggs. Furthermore, mandatory monitoring of antimicrobial use on Iranian poultry farms is recommended.
Accumulated Silence When “Passing the Buck”: Organisational Tensions in Child Welfare Investigations
Authors: Ponnert Lina
Published: May 2024

Sweden’s child welfare services are characterised by intra-organisational specialisation and collaboration with Barnahus as a standard procedure in cases of child abuse. This chapter examines what happens with social workers’ risk assessments when they are both filtered internally at different units and in relation to Barnahus and a criminal law-oriented logic. Various organisational tensions are discussed, and how they might affect child welfare investigations and practice related to suspected violence. When children disclose violence, the concept of “accumulated silence” is applied to illustrate the multi-layered juridification process, where cases are often passed on between units and professionals. The analysis is based on interviews with social workers from different municipalities in Sweden.
What Were Rock Art Sites Like in the Past? Reconstructing the Shapes of Sites as Cultural Settings
Authors: Delannoy Jean-Jacques , David Bruno , Genuite Kim
Published: May 2024

Rock art research often focuses on the art, rather than on the site or its landscape. Yet what makes the art meaningful in culture is not just the paintings, stencils or engravings, but the individual and connected places where they are found and of which they are a part. Over time, those places can change, and sometimes dramatically so. To understand the art, attention thus needs to be given on these spatial contexts: the details of what was where in the past matter. In this chapter we argue that in archaeology—a discipline aimed at understanding the cultural past—the form of the landscape of rock art sites at the time the art was produced and engaged needs to be understood. We do so by investigating four dimensions of a site’s past landscapes: its past landforms; its palaeo-entrance; its palaeo-landmarks and pathways; and its past rock surfaces. Each brings new insights on the physical configuration of a rock art place, as context of its cultural significance and engagements.
The UNESCO World Heritage List in a Globalized World: The Case of the Paleolithic Caves of Northern Spain (1985–2008)
Authors: Pérez Eduardo Palacio
Published: May 2024

Northern Spain is home to one of the richest concentrations of Paleolithic cave art found anywhere in the world. The universal value of this heritage was first recognized by UNESCO in 1985, when the cave of Altamira was inscribed in the World Heritage List. In 2008, a further seventeen cave art sites in the region were added to the original list. In this paper I examine this process with reference to two main issues. First, taking the case of Cantabria as a paradigm, I examine the archaeological and heritage narratives that, since the end of the nineteenth century, have made these caves a center of global rock art research. In particular, I discuss the role of these narratives in the nomination process that led to securing UNESCO World Heritage status. Second, I analyze the impact that the World Heritage status has had for Cantabria, a region in which a plurality of stakeholders must be satisfied. I suggest that the economic (tourism), conservation (heritage value), and academic (intellectual value) factors that were the primary drivers in establishing the World Heritage status of the caves constitute a plurality of diverse (and sometimes opposed) interests that have yet to be reconciled. This case study has important implications for the ways in which Paleolithic rock art is globalized by archaeological, heritage, and local communities alike.
Local—National—Global: Defining Indigenous Values of Murujuga’s Cultural Landscape in the Frame of International Patrimony
Authors: Stevens Amy , McDonald Jo
Published: May 2024

Murujuga, as the Dampier Archipelago (including Burrup Peninsula) National Heritage Listed Place is known to its traditional custodians, is on the Pilbara coast of northern Western Australia. Murujuga’s scientific values are endorsed on Australia’s National Heritage List under a range of significance criteria. This chapter describes how an Australian local Aboriginal community’s contemporary connections and significance values have been framed through the lens of Outstanding Universal Value in a world heritage nomination—and the scaffolding required to translate local and national heritage values into the global purview. The World Heritage List (WHL) criteria distinguish between natural and cultural values: an anathema to Aboriginal custodians who see ngurra (country) as both a natural and cultural domain. We describe the disjunct between Aboriginal custodial connections to country and UNESCO’s framing of Outstanding Universal Values (OUV) for a world heritage nomination. The Ngarda-Ngarli are pursuing World Heritage by documenting outstanding universal cultural values under criteria i, iii, and v). For Aboriginal custodians this journey towards international recognition provides an opportunity to assert their local connection and control over this significant place, in the belief that global recognition will increase its protection. This chapter explores whether World Heritage recognition will help its traditional custodians to manage this extraordinary heritage estate, particularly in the face of the national economic value being placed on Industry in this same landscape.
Out of Place: Postcolonial Legacy and Indigenous Heritage in South Africa
Authors: Tomášková Silvia
Published: May 2024

Indigenous peoples the world over are speaking out for their rights in former colonial societies. The term Indigenous, derived from Latin, means within, originating where it is found, or belonging to a particular place by birth or origin, a temporal claim to a place. In an archaeological sense, the San can claim to be the true Indigenous people in all of southern Africa, having lived in the region for thousands of years, before any migrations, and well before any colonial onslaught. Yet in the Northern Cape, South Africa, well-known for a significant concentration of rock engravings and archaeological sites, the current San inhabitants are the most recent arrivals, with no record of an Indigenous population since at least the mid-nineteenth century. In 1999 the South African government resettled some 400 formerly military !Xu and Khwe families of different origins, language backgrounds, and histories in Platfontein without any deliberations about their relation to local boundaries, history or heritage. Indigeneity here is far more complicated and vexing. In this chapter I probe the quest for an authentic Indigenous past of ancient images, to show that the complex history of postcolonial locales demands that archaeologists attend to the dislocations and violence of global forces of the past hundreds of years. The insistence on ancient roots of Indigenous people in a place can effectively deprive them of a role in global history, and of agency in political events. Contested spaces, centuries of conflict, truce, and temporary agreements that fester and erupt with unsurprising regularity are all a part of the context that frames ancient images. We should account for this context when studying them, in order to avoid one-dimensional, simplistic notions of Indigenous heritage.
Translation and Transformation: The Materiality of Rock Art in a World of Bytes
Authors: Robb John
Published: May 2024

Rock art is fundamentally material and local in several ways: its substrate’s material qualities affect how humans made it and interact with it (for instance, how visible it is), it is fixed in a specific landscape location, and it participates in local systems of knowledge ranging from what it is ontologically to what specific motifs represent. This article, working from a material culture perspective and using European rock art as an example, explores what happens when we translate rock art into other media, particularly digitised forms. The process of translation liberates rock art from its location and medium, heightens its visibility and representational clarity, passes it through filters prioritising some imagery (particularly narrative pictures) over others, and reinscribes it into new frames of reference. Thus, it often results in losing the fundamental material qualities that made it rock art, in the process refashioning it into an entirely new product that meets the needs of different people living in a different world.
Some Implications of Pleistocene Figurative Rock Art in Indonesia and Australia
Authors: Brumm Adam , Oktaviana Adhi Agus , Aubert Maxime
Published: May 2024

Until recent years, most western scholars had overlooked the existence of rock art in Indonesia or viewed it as being of limited antiquity and of largely regional-interest only. In 2014, however, an Indonesian-Australian team announced the results of a program of Uranium-series (U-series) dating of rock art in Maros-Pangkep, Sulawesi, including a surprisingly early antiquity of at least 39.9 ka for a hand stencil and 35.4 ka for a figurative animal painting. U-series dating more recently has yielded minimum ages for figurative animal painting of 40 ka in Kalimantan and 45.5 ka in Maros-Pangkep, with the latter presently constituting the world’s oldest dated example of representational art. Indonesia’s previously little-known rock art has been propelled to the global stage. Here, we examine how scholars are grappling with the implications of ‘ice age art’ in Indonesia and its integration, for the first time, into models of early human artistic culture in other parts of the world. In particular, we discuss the seemingly close stylistic parallels between Late Pleistocene figurative animal art in Indonesia and early representational depictions of animals in the Arnhem Land and Kimberley regions of northern Australia. We consider scenarios that could explain these similarities, including the idea that a single figurative rock art style spread into Australia from Wallacea during the early movements of our species in the region.
The Framework for Ochre Experiences (Foes): Towards a Transdisciplinary Perspective on the Earth Material Heritage of Ochre
Authors: Velliky Elizabeth C. , Hodgskiss Tammy , Straffon Larissa Mendoza , Gustafson Heidi , Gollifer Ann , Haaland Magnus M.
Published: May 2024

Ochre is a mineral pigment that has been used by humans for more than 300,000 years. It appears in archaeological, historical, and contemporary settings across vast distances of time and space, and increasing evidence shows ochre use by ancestral hominins as well as by certain animal species. Because of its unique behavioral, functional, contextual, and temporal breadth, it is a topic of study from a range of disciplines. There has been considerable debate amongst them; in particular, on which concepts and empirical methods are the most useful in deciphering ancient ochre practices on an individual, societal, or evolutionary level. However, if we want to understand the significance of ochre from a range of perspectives, we first must acknowledge that ochre formation and use involves different processes operating across all these domains simultaneously. The diversity of ways in which humans interact with ochre relies largely on individual backgrounds and experiences, which is often reviewed at an operational level. Here, we offer an ambitious framework to describe and explore the exceptionally broad role of ochre throughout geological, biological, and cultural evolution, titled the Framework for Ochre Experiences (FOES). We use this framework to realize the complex histories, properties, and uses of ochre; not within a specific domain – but of the entire earth-human system, operating from deep time and into the future. To do this, we bring together several voices to promote a reflective and insightful interaction between different types of ochre actors. We believe this experiential and transdisciplinary approach is not only important for improving our understanding of ochre use in the deep past, but also necessary if we are to appreciate, preserve and actively engage with this unique earth-material heritage now and in the future.