bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opportunities and challenges of food policy councils in pursuit of food system sustainability and food democracy–a comparative case study from the Upper-Rhine region
Authors: Michel Sophie , Wiek Arnim , Bloemertz Lena , Bornemann Basil , Granchamp Laurence , Villet Cyril , Gascón Lucía , Sipple David , Blanke Nadine , Lindenmeier Jörg , Gay-Para Magali
Published: October 2022

Conventional food systems continue to jeopardize the health and well-being of people and the environment, with a number of related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) still far from being reached. Food Policy Councils (FPCs)—since several decades in North America, and more recently in Europe—have begun to facilitate sustainable food system governance activities among various stakeholders as an explicit alternative to the shaping of food systems by multinational food corporations and their governmental allies. In contrast to the former, FPCs pursue the goals of food system sustainability through broad democratic processes. Yet, at least in Europe, the agenda of FPCs is more an open promise than a firm reality (yet); and thus, it is widely unknown to what extent FPCs actually contribute to food system sustainability and do so with democratic processes. At this early stage, we offer a comparative case study across four FPCs from the Upper-Rhine Region (Freiburg, Basel, Mulhouse, Strasbourg)—all formed and founded within the past 5 years—to explore how successful different types of FPCs are in terms of contributing to food system sustainability and adhering to democratic and good governance principles. Our findings indicate mixed results, with the FPCs mostly preparing the ground for more significant efforts at later stages and struggling with a number of challenges in adhering to principles of democracy and good governance. Our study contributes to the theory of sustainable food systems and food democracy with the focus on the role of FPCs, and offers procedural insights on how to evaluate them regarding sustainable outcomes and democratic processes. The study also offers practical insights relevant to these four and other FPCs in Europe, supporting their efforts to achieve food system sustainability with democratic processes.
Percutaneous vertebral-disc plasty for thoracolumbar very severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: A randomized controlled study
Authors: Jiang Jiawei , Zhang Jinlong , Bao Guofeng , Chen Jiajia , Wu Chunshuai , Hong Hongxiang , Xue Pengfei , Xu Guanhua , Cui Zhiming
Published: October 2022

Purpose

To compare the clinical outcomes and radiological parameters of patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) versus those undergoing percutaneous vertebral-disc plasty (PVDP) for back pain, segmental instability, and kyphosis due to thoracolumbar very severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (vsOVCFs).

Methods

This prospective randomized controlled study included elderly patients with thoracolumbar vsOVCFs. All the patients were randomly allocated into the PVP group (who underwent conventional PVP) and the PVDP group (who underwent PVP combined percutaneous cement discoplasty). The visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), local kyphosis angle, and disc height were recorded preoperatively and postoperatively.

Results

Significant postoperative improvements in the VAS, ODI, and the local kyphosis angle (LKA) were shown, compared with the preoperative values in both groups (p < 0.05). The average VAS, ODI, and LKA for patients in the PVP group were increased compared to those in the PVDP group observed at the last follow-up (p < 0.05). The DHA, DHP, and LKA were seen to be maintained in the PVDP group at the last follow-up (p > 0.05). The change was significantly lower in the PVDP group at the last follow-up in those parameters (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

PVDP may be a feasible and effective technique for the treatment of very severe OVCFs, that can restore intervertebral height, provide segmental stabilizing and relieve back pain in the short term.
Modeling Different Deployment Variants of a Composite Application in a Single Declarative Deployment Model
Authors: Stötzner Miles , Becker Steffen , Breitenbücher Uwe , Képes Kálmán , Leymann Frank
Published: October 2022

For automating the deployment of composite applications, typically, declarative deployment models are used. Depending on the context, the deployment of an application has to fulfill different requirements, such as costs and elasticity. As a consequence, one and the same application, i.e., its components, and their dependencies, often need to be deployed in different variants. If each different variant of a deployment is described using an individual deployment model, it quickly results in a large number of models, which are error prone to maintain. Deployment technologies, such as Terraform or Ansible, support conditional components and dependencies which allow modeling different deployment variants of a composite application in a single deployment model. However, there are deployment technologies, such as TOSCA and Docker Compose, which do not support such conditional elements. To address this, we extend the Essential Deployment Metamodel (EDMM) by conditional components and dependencies. EDMM is a declarative deployment model which can be mapped to several deployment technologies including Terraform, Ansible, TOSCA, and Docker Compose. Preprocessing such an extended model, i.e., conditional elements are evaluated and either preserved or removed, generates an EDMM conform model. As a result, conditional elements can be integrated on top of existing deployment technologies that are unaware of such concepts. We evaluate this by implementing a preprocessor for TOSCA, called OpenTOSCA Vintner, which employs the open-source TOSCA orchestrators xOpera and Unfurl to execute the generated TOSCA conform models.
The Internationalization of Nongovernmental Organizations: Characteristics and Challenges
Authors: Gaspar Beatriz , Moreira António Carrizo , Cercas Carolina , Queirós Rafaela , Campos Salomé
Published: October 2022

Although the internationalization of business firms has been intensively studied, the internationalization of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) is still in a growing-up stage as NGOs are focused on serving specific social interests. They may not only be influenced by social, political, and economic goals, but also cater to social or humanitarian services dealing with health, environmental protection, and human rights. Based on the importance of NGOs and the lack of previous studies on their internationalization process, this paper analyzes the results of a systematic literature review (SLR) on the internationalization of NGOs. It is possible to conclude that this topic is under-researched and fragmented and has been dealt with by following qualitative studies. Moreover, the internationalization of NGOs is far from similar to the models that explain the internationalization of for-profit businesses. NGOs are clearly tuned to the services they provide and seek complementary resources from governmental sources and state agencies so that they are capable of providing a variety of human and financial resources. The main limitation of this study is that it is based solely on two academic databases: SCOPUS and WoS.
Do the Project Manager’s Soft Skills Matter? Impacts of the Project Manager’s Emotional Intelligence, Trustworthiness, and Job Satisfaction on Project Success
Authors: Castro Marcela , Barcaui André , Bahli Bouchaib , Figueiredo Ronnie
Published: October 2022

Recent warnings have been raised about the project success rate in organizations. Among many reasons of disappointing results, research on project management reveals a gap in examining project success. Traditionally, project success has been widely studied from the rational view but rarely from the behavioral view. Today’s businesses are facing multiple challenges and opportunities in a volatile market environment that require constant changes within organizations and leaders’ behavior. The role of project managers is no longer the same. This study attempts to update the discussion of project managers soft skills by examining two major behavioral factors: project manager’s emotional intelligence and trustworthiness and their impact on job satisfaction and project success. This research compiles a quantitative survey. Data were collected from 101 project team professionals. The results reveal that project managers’ emotional intelligence and their team members’ trust in them impact project success significantly. The findings provide organizations with a necessary complementary behavioral view of project management. Organizations can take project manager trustworthiness and emotional intelligence into account when recruiting and training project managers and throughout the project planning and execution life span.
From Single Aircraft to Communities: A Neutral Interpretation of Air Traffic Complexity Dynamics
Authors: Isufaj Ralvi , Omeri Marsel , Piera Miquel Angel , Saez Valls Jaume , Verdonk Gallego Christian Eduardo
Published: October 2022

At present, decision-making in ATM is fragmented between different stakeholders who have different objectives. This fragmentation, in unison with competing KPAs, leads to complex interdependencies between performance indicators, which results in an imbalance, with some of these indicators being penalized to the apparent benefit of others. Therefore, it is necessary to support ATM stakeholders in systematically uncovering hidden trade-offs between KPAs. Existing literature confirms this claim, but how to solve it has not been fully addressed. In this paper, we envision air traffic complexity to be the framework through which a common understanding among stakeholders is enhanced. We introduce the concept of single aircraft complexity to determine the contribution of each aircraft to the overall complexity of air traffic. Furthermore, we describe a methodology extending this concept to define complex communities, which are groups of interdependent aircraft that contribute the majority of the complexity in a certain airspace. Through use-cases based on synthetic and real historical traffic, we first show that the algorithm can serve to formalize and improve decision-making. Further, we illustrates how the provided information can be used to increase transparency of the decision makers towards different airspace users. In order to showcase the methodology, we develop a tool that visualizes different outputs of the algorithm. Lastly, we conduct sensitivity analysis in order to systematically analyse how each input affects the methodology.
Fractional-Order Sliding Mode Control Method for a Class of Integer-Order Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Qing Wenjie , Pan Binfeng , Hou Yueyang , Lu Shan , Zhang Wenjing
Published: October 2022

In this study, the problem of the stabilisation of a class of nonautonomous nonlinear systems was studied. First, a fractional stability theorem based on a fractional-order Lyapunov inequality was formulated. Then, a novel fractional-order sliding surface, which was a generalisation of integral, first-order, and second-order sliding surfaces with varying fractional orders, was proposed. Finally, a fractional-order sliding mode-based control for a class of nonlinear systems was designed. The stability property of the system with the proposed method was easily proven as a fractional Lyapunov direct method by the fractional stability theorem. As an illustration, the method was used as a fractional guidance law with an impact angle constraint for a manoeuvring target. Simulation results demonstrated the applicability and efficiency of the proposed method.
Reducing Macronutrients and Increasing Micronutrient Fertilizers Are Key to Improving the Quality of Pomelo Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck Cv. “Guanxi”
Authors: Liu Xiaodong , Hu Chengxiao , Riaz Muhammad , Liu Xiaoman , Sun Xuecheng , Zhuang Mulai , Tan Qiling
Published: October 2022

Due to long-term excessive fertilization, the fruit quality of the Guanxi pomelo (Citrus grandis) has been declining. The classification of fruit quality and its relationship with nutrients in soils and trees were studied to declaim the characteristics of nutrients in Guanxi pomelo orchards, ultimately guiding the fertilization for high-quality fruit production. By cluster analysis, 281 samples were grouped into four clusters. High-quality fruit (HF) showed a gourd shape with moderate weight size, high sweetness, edible rate (ER) up to 73%, and vitamin C content over 40 mg/100 g. Compared to sub-quality fruit (SF), common fruit (CF), and inferior fruit (IF), the content of magnesium (Mg) in the leaves of HF was 11.76, 11.76, and 18.75% higher, while the content of iron (Fe) was 6.45, 5.76 and 10.97% higher, respectively. Meanwhile, the contents of Zinc (Zn, 8.51, 6.44, and 11.22% higher than SF, CF, and IF, respectively) and Boron (B, 13.47, 13.83, and 25.40% higher than SF, CF, and IF, respectively) were also found to increase. However, the contents of Mn (35.34, 27.51, and 25.53% higher) and Cu (31.90, 31.99, and 5.64% higher) in IF were significantly higher than in HF, SF, and CF. Acid soils (4.24–4.40) with low OM content (23.00–26.71 g kg−1) led to an imbalance uptake of nutrients of citrus, ultimately resulting in poor quality. These results indicated that farmers should reduce the application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and K fertilizer and pesticides and increase micronutrient and organic fertilizer, which provides a theoretical basis for scientific fertilization to improve the fruit quality of Guanxi pomelo (Citrus grandis) of Pinghe County.
Dietary Supplementation with Different ω-6 to ω-3 Fatty Acid Ratios Affects the Sustainability of Performance, Egg Quality, Fatty Acid Profile, Immunity and Egg Health Indices of Laying Hens
Authors: Attia Youssef A. , Al-Harthi Mohammed A. , Al-Sagan Ahmed A. , Alqurashi Adel D. , Korish Mohamed A. , Abdulsalam Nisreen M. , Olal Marai J. , Bovera Fulvia
Published: October 2022

The supplementation of different ω-6/ω-3 ratio to the diets of the laying hens has been studied to evaluate the effects on performance, egg quality, egg health indices, egg fatty acid profiles, and immune response. One-hundred and twenty, 50-weeks-old hens were divided into three groups fed diets with different ω-6/ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) at ratio: 16.7:1, 9.3:1, and 5.5:1, respectively. Each group contained eight replicates of five hens. Hens fed the diet with the highest ω-6/ω-3 ratio had significantly increased weight gain compared to those fed the 5.5:1 and 9.3:1 ω-6/ω-3 ratios. In contrast, hens fed the 9.3:1 ω-6/ω-3 ratios laid significantly more eggs, had increased egg mass, greater livability, and a better FCR than the control group. However, hens fed a ratio of 5.5:1 ω-6/ω-3 PUFA showed improved thrombogenic, atherogenic, hypocholesteremia, and hypocholesteremia/hypercholesteremia indices. In conclusion, laying hens of the 9.3:1 ω-6/ω-3 PUFA group showed improved laying performance, while a ratio of 5.5:1 enriched the ω-3 PUFA in eggs and boosted the immune response of hens.
LED Lighting Effects on Plant Growth and Quality of Pyrus communis L. Propagated In Vitro
Authors: Lupo Michela , Bashir Muhammad Ajmal , Silvestri Cristian , Brunori Elena , Pica Aniello Luca , Cristofori Valerio
Published: October 2022

Fluorescent lights are typically used as light source in indoor horticultural production, including micropropagation. However, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been recently used for plant growth under controlled environment. Major advantage of LEDs is wavelength specificity, that allows to adequately adjust the spectra according to plant needs. The possibility of using LED as primary light source for the micropropagation of Pyrus communis L. has been investigated in this work. It was proceeded to the optimization of a protocol of micropropagation using a LED lamp as the primary light source inside of the growth chamber with specific wavelengths, to reduce energy consumption and increase the quality of the micro propagated plants. Explants were maintained in a growth chamber and exposed to three different continuous spectrum LED lamps (AP67, NS1, G2) as a primary light source and fluorescent lamps (control) for 4 weeks. At the end of four weeks period, it was proceeded to the morphometric and biochemical analysis. Shoot and leaf growths were more influenced by LED lamps as compared to fluorescent lamps (control) in both cultivars. The results showed that the shoots of William and San Giovanni cultivars showed significant differences in morphological and physiological traits, as well as in chlorophyll, carotenoid, and MDA contents. Highest number of neo-formed shoots and nodes were observed in the plantlets of cv William under AP67 LED followed by NS1 and G2 LED lights respectively as compared to the white light (control), whereas same trend was observed in cv San Giovanni under AP67 LED, but it showed higher shoots and node numbers under control LED lamps as compared to both NS1 and G2. The photosynthetic pigments were significantly decreased in leaves of both cultivars when grown under LEDs as compared to the control fluorescent lamps. Moreover, the AP67 LED light had also significant effects on the protein and MDA contents in the leaves of both cultivars in comparison to all other treatments. This work underlines the importance of the modulation of light sources in relation with different species and varieties, allowing optimizing the proliferation phase and the efficiency of Pyrus communis L. micropropagation protocol. Moreover, this protocol can be improved with further studies to examine the response of the plantlets to the ex-vitro acclimatization because the possibility of using LED light for the micropropagation of pear can be considered as a valuable alternative for its ecologically sustainable production.
Development and Application of SNP-KASP Markers Based on Genes Related to Nitrogen Uptake, Assimilation and Allocation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.)
Authors: Fan Kai , Zhang Jie , Wang Min , Qian Wenjun , Sun Litao , Shen Jiazhi , Ding Zhaotang , Wang Yu
Published: October 2022

Nitrogen is essential for the growth and quality formation of tea plants. Excessive and inefficient use of nitrogen fertilizer leads to cost increases and ecosystem pollution. It is important to improve the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for tea plantation. Breeding high-NUE varieties by marker-assisted selection using NUE-associated genes is a viable approach. However, few molecular markers related to nitrogen uptake and utilization have been identified in tea plants. In this study, a total of 2554 SNP loci within NUE-related genes were identified in a database. Of the non-synonymous SNPs, 46 were successfully converted to KASP markers. These markers were deployed on 35 tea germplasms to assess their suitability and accuracy in genetic analysis. The results show that 42 markers exhibited polymorphisms and the PIC values ranged from 0.05 to 0.38. The clustering results of the phylogenetic tree was basically consistent with the phenotype, showing that tea germplasms with high nitrogen accumulation and large biomass were grouped into one cluster. Using these markers, the fingerprints of these germplasms were constructed. The preliminary association analysis showed that there were two SNPs (CsSNP07 and CsSNP11) within CsNRT2.4 (CSS0001304) that were significantly associated with nitrogen accumulation (F = 4.631, P = 0.039 and F = 3.054, p = 0.047) and one SNP (CsSNP40) within CsAAP6 (CSS0035405) that was significantly associated with biomass (F = 3.842, p = 0.032). These functional SNP-KASP markers will be valuable for the early evaluation of tea germplasms and could accelerate the breeding of high-NUE varieties.
Characterization of Leaf Transcriptome of Grafted Tomato Seedlings after Rhizospheric Inoculation with Azospirillum baldaniorum or Paraburkholderia graminis
Authors: Caradonia Federica , Buti Matteo , Flore Alessia , Gatti Roberto , Morcia Caterina , Terzi Valeria , Ronga Domenico , Moulin Lionel , Francia Enrico , Milc Justyna Anna
Published: October 2022

Inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) might be a sustainable practice to increase nutrients use efficiency of crops. In order to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial interaction, an RNA-Seq transcriptional profiling of tomato leaves was performed after roots’ inoculation with Azospirillum baldaniorum (AB) or Paraburkholderia graminis (PG). Overall, 427 and 512 differentially expressed tomato genes were retrieved for AB and PB inoculation, respectively, and in both cases, the number of up-regulated genes exceeded the number of those down-regulated. Expression profiles suggest that the interactions between tomato seedlings and microorganisms are species-specific. The common activated pathways involved genes coding for proteins related to water and nutrients uptake, defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and hormonal regulation of fruit-set and ripening. While AB induced genes coding for MYB transcription factors known to be involved in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, PG upregulated 5 genes coding for putative late blight resistance protein homolog. Auxin responsive molecules and gibberellins involved in the fruit-set and early fruit growth in tomato were mainly induced by AB correlating to higher fruit number obtained in a previous field study. On the other hand, ERF transcription factors involved in ripening were induced mainly by PG treatment.
Application of Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) to the Regional Characterisation of Vineyard Blocks Using Remote Sensing Time Series
Authors: Lopez-Fornieles Eva , Brunel Guilhem , Devaux Nicolas , Roger Jean-Michel , Taylor James , Tisseyre Bruno
Published: October 2022

Monitoring wine-growing regions and maximising the value of production based on their region/local specificities requires accurate spatial and temporal monitoring. The increasing amount and variability of information from remote sensing data is a potential tool to assess this challenge for the grape and wine industry. This article provides a first insight into the capacity of a multiway analysis method applied to Sentinel-2 time series to assess the value of simultaneously considering spectral and temporal information to highlight site-specific canopy evolution in relation to environmental factors and management practices, which present a large diversity at this regional scale. Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) was used as an unsupervised technique to recover pure spectra and temporal signatures from multi-way spectral imagery of vineyards in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France. The model was developed using a time series of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery collected over 4978 vineyard blocks between May 2019 and August 2020. From the Sentinel-2 (spectral and temporal) signal, the PARAFAC analysis allowed the identification of spectral and temporal profiles in the form of pure components, which corresponded to vegetation and soil. The PARAFAC analysis also identified that two of the pure spectra were strongly related to characteristics and dynamics of vineyard cultivation at a regional scale. A conceptual framework was proposed in order to simultaneously consider both vegetation and soil profiles and to summarise the mass of data accordingly. This methodology allowed the computation of a concentration index that characterised how close a field was to a vegetation or a soil profile over the season. The concentration indices were validated for the vegetation and the soil over two growing seasons (2019 and 2020) with geostatistical analysis. A non-random distribution of the concentration index at the regional scale was assumed to highlight a strongly spatially organised phenomenon related to spatially organised environmental factors (soil, climate, training system, etc.). In a second step, spatial patterns of indices were subjected to the expertise of a panel of advisors of the wine industry in order to validate them in relation to vine-growing conditions. Results showed that the introduction of the PARAFAC method opened up the possibility to identify relevant spectro-temporal profiles for vine monitoring purposes.
A Detection Model for Cucumber Root-Knot Nematodes Based on Modified YOLOv5-CMS
Authors: Wang Chunshan , Sun Shedong , Zhao Chunjiang , Mao Zhenchuan , Wu Huarui , Teng Guifa
Published: October 2022

The development of resistant cucumber varieties is of a great importance for reducing the production loss caused by root-knot nematodes. After cucumber plants are infected with root-knot nematodes, their roots will swell into spherical bumps. Rapid and accurate detection of the infected sites and assessment of the disease severity play a key role in selecting resistant cucumber varieties. Because the locations and sizes of the spherical bumps formed after different degrees of infection are random, the currently available detection and counting methods based on manual operation are extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive, and are prone to human error. In response to these problems, this paper proposes a cucumber root-knot nematode detection model based on the modified YOLOv5s model (i.e., YOLOv5-CMS) in order to support the breeding of resistant cucumber varieties. In the proposed model, the dual attention module (CBAM-CA) was adopted to enhance the model’s ability of extracting key features, the K-means++ clustering algorithm was applied to optimize the selection of the initial cluster center, which effectively improved the model’s performance, and a novel bounding box regression loss function (SIoU) was used to fuse the direction information between the ground-truth box and the predicted box so as to improve the detection precision. The experiment results show that the recall (R) and mAP of the YOLOv5s-CMS model were improved by 3% and 3.1%, respectively, compared to the original YOLOv5s model, which means it can achieve a better performance in cucumber root-knot nematode detection. This study provides an effective method for obtaining more intuitive and accurate data sources during the breeding of cucumber varieties resistant to root-knot nematode.
Prevalence of Parasitic Infections with Zoonotic Potential in Tilapia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Acosta-Pérez Víctor Johan , Ángeles-Hernández Juan Carlos , Vega-Sánchez Vicente , Zepeda-Velázquez Andrea Paloma , Añorve-Morga Javier , Ponce-Noguez Jesús Benjamín , Reyes-Rodríguez Nydia Edith , De-La-Rosa-Arana Jorge Luis , Ramírez-Paredes José Gustavo , Gómez-De-Anda Fabián Ricardo
Published: October 2022

Tilapia has a high socioeconomic value in many countries worldwide. However, it has been identified as a zoonotic parasite reservoir. A systematic literature search and meta-analysis were carried out in order to estimate the global prevalence of zoonotic parasites that affect tilapia. The search was performed by three field experts to avoid reviewer bias. Polled prevalence was estimated using a logistic-normal random-effect regression model in the R software. We dealt with the heterogeneity among studies through subgroup analysis, taking into account the continent, country, genus of the host, parasite taxonomic group, sample origin, and type of diagnostic test as moderator variables. Fifty-two eligible articles were identified covering five tilapia genera with a pooled prevalence of 0.14 (95% CI: 0.10–0.20) showed significant heterogeneity (I2 = 98.4; p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis revealed that the most affected host was Sarotherodon, with a prevalence of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22–0.65). Cestode was the taxonomic group with the largest prevalence (0.40; 95% CI:0.32–0.48), followed by amoeba (0.24; 95% CI: 0.16–0.35) and nematode (0.22; 95% CI: 0.11–0.38), among which, Schyzocotyle spp., Opistorchis spp., Gnathostoma spp. and Vermamoeba spp. have an impact on public health. Significant differences (p < 0.004) were found among continents and countries, with the highest value of prevalence detected in the African continent (0.28; 95% CI: 0.20–0.37), specifically in Tanzania (0.56; 95% CI: 0.22–0.87) and Egypt (0.43; 95% CI: 0.20–0.55). The origin of samples had a significant effect (p < 0.0001) on the detected prevalence, especially from those that showed the highest prevalence (0.24; 95% CI: 0.17–0.33). Finally, there were no differences in prevalence according to the diagnostic test (p = 0.97). Our results provide useful information on the development of epidemiological programs for the control of zoonoses associated with parasites in tilapia and in the design, planning, and implementation of future research.
Artificial Intelligence for Lameness Detection in Horses—A Preliminary Study
Authors: Feuser Ann-Kristin , Gesell-May Stefan , Müller Tobias , May Anna
Published: October 2022

Lameness in horses is a long-known issue influencing the welfare, as well as the use, of a horse. Nevertheless, the detection and classification of lameness mainly occurs on a subjective basis by the owner and the veterinarian. The aim of this study was the development of a lameness detection system based on pose estimation, which permits non-invasive and easily applicable gait analysis. The use of 58 reference points on easily detectable anatomical landmarks offers various possibilities for gait evaluation using a simple setup. For this study, three groups of horses were used: one training group, one analysis group of fore and hindlimb lame horses and a control group of sound horses. The first group was used to train the network; afterwards, horses with and without lameness were evaluated. The results show that forelimb lameness can be detected by visualising the trajectories of the reference points on the head and both forelimbs. In hindlimb lameness, the stifle showed promising results as a reference point, whereas the tuber coxae were deemed unsuitable as a reference point. The study presents a feasible application of pose estimation for lameness detection, but further development using a larger dataset is essential.
Comparison of a Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) with the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) for the Detection of Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in a Cohort of Hunting Dogs
Authors: Bellatreche Aicha Yasmine , Bouzid Riad , Blaizot Amandine , Aubert Dominique , Blaga Radu , Ait-Oudhia Khatima , Le Roux Delphine
Published: October 2022

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, affecting most warm-blooded animals. Assessing the seroprevalence of T. gondii in different animal species gives a good estimate of the global circulation of the parasite and the risk for human infections. However, the seroprevalence of T. gondii in dogs is not studied as much as other species, despite their close contact with wildlife and humans in rural or urban environments and evidence that dogs can also be a potential source for human contaminations. A commercial enzyme-inked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit to detect anti-T. gondii antibodies in sera of hunting dogs potentially naturally infected, was compared to the modified agglutination test (MAT), used as the reference method. The ELISA presented a sensitivity of 76.5% (CI 95%: 60.0–87.6) and a specificity of 87.7% (CI 95%: 76.7–93.9) and a substantial agreement with the MAT for the detection of canine anti-T. gondii antibodies. Both tests can therefore be used widely for epidemiology studies on T. gondii infections in dogs. With a mean seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in hunting dogs from northern Algeria of 36.8% (CI 95%: 34.9–38.7), this study also highlights the importance of T. gondii seroprevalence studies in companion animals to assess infectious risk for human populations.
The Importance of Nest Box Placement for Barn Owls (Tyto alba)
Authors: Charter Motti , Rozman Gabe
Published: October 2022

Nest boxes have been used for years to increase breeding bird numbers for conservation and also in biological pest control projects. Barn owls (Tyto alba) have been used as biological pest control agents for rodents for years, and since nest boxes are costly for growers there is a need to determine whether nest box placement can increase the occupation of nest boxes and breeding success. We studied whether barn owl breeding in agricultural areas varied in nest boxes located on trees, poles located in the shade, and poles in the sun. The occupation of nest boxes was highest in nest boxes located on trees, followed by poles in the shade, and finally poles in the sun. In comparison, the number of fledglings was highest for nest boxes on poles in the sun followed by poles in the shade in the first half of the breeding season, whereas more nestlings were fledged in nest boxes on trees in the second part of the breeding season, which is most likely due to the higher internal temperatures in the nest boxes located in the sun. Interestingly, all the nest boxes’ internal temperatures were lower than the ambient temperatures but were much lower on trees than those on poles, most likely due to the trees providing better protection from the heat. It is therefore important to not only consider the placement of nest boxes, but how occupation and breeding success may vary seasonally.
Effect of Dietary Blue-Green Microalgae Inclusion as a Replacement to Soybean Meal on Laying Hens’ Performance, Egg Quality, Plasma Metabolites, and Hematology
Authors: Abbas Ahmed O. , Alaqil Abdulaziz A. , Mehaisen Gamal M. K. , Kamel Nancy N.
Published: October 2022

Spirulina platensisis (SP) is a blue-green microalgae with a high value for animal and poultry nutrition. The study employed 250 40-week-old, HY-Line W-36 commercial laying hens. The layers received one of five experimental diet substitutes in five groups for 10 consecutive weeks (five replicates of 10 hens each group); a soybean-corn basal diet formulation without SP (Control group) or the soybean partially substituted with 3% SP, 6% SP, 9% SP, and 12% SP (for the remaining four groups). The results showed that dietary SP treatment significantly (p < 0.05) improved the productive performance, egg quality, blood metabolites, and hematological parameters of laying hens. In addition, there were linear and quadratic effects for increasing the levels of SP inclusion into the layer diets; however, the highest values of most parameters were observed when using 9% SP (90 g/kg of the layer diets). Furthermore, the results showed that 4.7% of the soybean meal ingredient in the layer diet could be replaced by 1% of SP. In conclusion, the partial replacement of soybean meal by SP into layer diets could be used as a promising nutritional approach to optimize the performance of laying hens.
Habit Formation and the Effect of Repeated Stress Exposures on Cognitive Flexibility Learning in Horses
Authors: Henshall Cathrynne , Randle Hayley , Francis Nidhish , Freire Rafael
Published: October 2022

Horse training exposes horses to an array of cognitive and ethological challenges. Horses are routinely required to perform behaviours that are not aligned to aspects of their ethology, which may delay learning. While horses readily form habits during training, not all of these responses are considered desirable, resulting in the horse being subject to retraining. This is a form of cognitive flexibility and is critical to the extinction of habits and the learning of new responses. It is underpinned by complex neural processes which can be impaired by chronic or repeated stress. Domestic horses may be repeatedly exposed to multiples stressors. The potential contribution of stress impairments of cognitive flexibility to apparent training failures is not well understood, however research from neuroscience can be used to understand horses’ responses to training. We trained horses to acquire habit-like responses in one of two industry-style aversive instrumental learning scenarios (moving away from the stimulus-instinctual or moving towards the stimulus-non-instinctual) and evaluated the effect of repeated stress exposures on their cognitive flexibility in a reversal task. We measured heart rate as a proxy for noradrenaline release, salivary cortisol and serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) to infer possible neural correlates of the learning outcomes. The instinctual task which aligned with innate equine escape responses to aversive stimuli was acquired significantly faster than the non-instinctual task during both learning phases, however contrary to expectations, the repeated stress exposure did not impair the reversal learning. We report a preliminary finding that serum BDNF and salivary cortisol concentrations in horses are positively correlated. The ethological salience of training tasks and cognitive flexibility learning can significantly affect learning in horses and trainers should adapt their practices where such tasks challenge innate equine behaviour.
Oviduct Transcriptomic Reveals the Regulation of mRNAs and lncRNAs Related to Goat Prolificacy in the Luteal Phase
Authors: Sun Zhipeng , Hong Qionghua , Liu Yufang , Ren Chunhuan , He Xiaoyun , Jiang Yanting , Ouyang Yina , Chu Mingxing , Zhang Zijun
Published: October 2022

The oviduct is associated with embryo development and transportation and regulates the pregnancy success of mammals. Previous studies have indicated a molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in gene regulation and reproduction. However, little is known about the function of lncRNAs in the oviduct in modulating goat kidding numbers. Therefore, we combined RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to map the expression profiles of the oviduct at the luteal phase from high- and low-fecundity goats. The results showed that 2023 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) and 377 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) transcripts were screened, and 2109 regulated lncRNA-mRNA pairs were identified. Subsequently, the genes related to reproduction (IGF1, FGFRL1, and CREB1) and those associated with embryonic development and maturation (DHX34, LHX6) were identified. KEGG analysis of the DEGs revealed that the GnRH- and prolactin-signaling pathways, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, and oocyte meiosis were related to reproduction. GSEA and KEGG analyses of the target genes of DELs demonstrated that several biological processes and pathways might interact with oviduct functions and the prolificacy of goats. Furthermore, the co-expression network analysis showed that XLOC_029185, XLOC_040647, and XLOC_090025 were the cis-regulatory elements of the DEGs MUC1, PPP1R9A, and ALDOB, respectively; these factors might be associated with the success of pregnancy and glucolipid metabolism. In addition, the GATA4, LAMA2, SLC39A5, and S100G were trans-regulated by lncRNAs, predominantly mediating oviductal transport to the embryo and energy metabolism. Our findings could pave the way for a better understanding of the roles of mRNAs and lncRNAs in fecundity-related oviduct function in goats.
Socioeconomic Appraisal of an Early Prevention System against Toxic Conditions in Mussel Aquaculture
Authors: Ragkos Athanasios , Skordos Dimitrios , Koutouzidou Georgia , Giantsis Ioannis A. , Delis Georgios , Theodoridis Alexandros
Published: October 2022

This paper examines the financial viability and potential socioeconomic effects of introducing and operating an automated, remote-controlled management system for mussel farms which uses probes of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity associated with prediction software to demonstrate the potential need for mussel movement between marine areas. This system provides an early warning to farmers regarding the presence of toxins in aquatic ecosystems, thus contributing to saving mussel production and avoidikng significant economic losses. The analysis combines two established methodological tools in agricultural economics (linear programming and cost-benefit analysis) and provides estimates of the Net Present Value of the investment under two scenarios—one reflecting the existing situation and one a possible future situation where the mussel production system is expanded. The results of the analysis reveal the mid- and long-term effects of using the automated system, both of which demonstrate that the system is economically viable even if it contributes to saving mussel production from toxicity occurrence for only one year during its period of operation. The annual gross margin in the first scenario was €386,069 but almost tripled in the second scenario (€1,154,649). In addition, the future development and expansion of the mussel sector will likely be based on larger farms with an entrepreneurial and exporting orientation where risk mitigation systems, such as the one appraised in this paper, can play an important role.
Antibiotic Resistance of Selected Bacteria after Treatment of the Supragingival Biofilm with Subinhibitory Chlorhexidine Concentrations
Authors: Früh Robin , Anderson Annette , Cieplik Fabian , Hellwig Elmar , Wittmer Annette , Vach Kirstin , Al-Ahmad Ali
Published: October 2022

Due to increasing rates of antibiotic resistance and very few novel developments of antibiotics, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of resistance development. The aim of the present study was to investigate the adaptation of oral bacteria to the frequently used oral antiseptic chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) and potential cross-adaptation to antibiotics after repeated exposure of supragingival plaque samples to subinhibitory concentrations of CHX. Plaque samples from six healthy donors were passaged for 10 days in subinhibitory concentrations of CHX, while passaging of plaque samples without CHX served as control. The surviving bacteria were cultured on agar plates and identified with Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight-Mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Subsequently, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of these isolates toward CHX were determined using a broth-microdilution method, and phenotypic antibiotic resistance was evaluated using the epsilometertest. Furthermore, biofilm-forming capacities were determined. Repeated exposure of supragingival plaque samples to subinhibitory concentrations of CHX led to the selection of oral bacteria with 2-fold up to 4-fold increased MICs toward CHX. Furthermore, these isolates showed up to 12-fold increased MICs towards some antibiotics such as erythromycin and clindamycin. Conversely, biofilm-forming capacity was decreased. In summary, this study shows that oral bacteria are able to adapt to CHX, while also decreasing their susceptibility to antibiotics.
Occurrence and Characterization of NDM-1-Producing Shewanella spp. and Acinetobacter portensis Co-Harboring tet(X3) in a Chinese Dairy Farm
Authors: Li Ruichao , Zhang Lifei , Lu Xiaoyu , Peng Kai , Liu Yuan , Xiao Xia , Song Hongqin , Wang Zhiqiang
Published: October 2022

Bacteria with carbapenem or tigecycline resistance have been spreading widely among humans, animals and the environment globally, being great threats to public health. However, bacteria co-carrying drug resistance genes of carbapenem and tigecycline in Shewanella and Acinetobacter species remain to be investigated. Here, we detected nine blaNDM-1-carrying Shewanella spp. isolates as well as three A. portensis isolates co-harboring tet(X3) and blaNDM-1 from seventy-two samples collected from a dairy farm in China. To explore their genomic characteristic and transmission mechanism, we utilized various methods, including PCR, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, conjugation experiment, whole-genome sequencing, circular intermediate identification and bioinformatics analysis. Clonal dissemination was found among three A. portensis, of which tet(X3) and blaNDM-1 were located on a novel non-conjugative plasmid pJNE5-X3_NDM-1 (333,311 bp), and the circular intermediate ΔISCR2-tet(X3)-blaNDM-1 was identified. Moreover, there was another copy of tet(X3) on the chromosome of A. portensis. It was verified that blaNDM-1 could be transferred to Escherichia coli C600 from Shewanella spp. by conjugation, and self-transmissible IncA/C2 plasmids mediated the transmission of blaNDM-1 in Shewanella spp. strains. Stringent surveillance was warranted to curb the transmission of such vital resistance genes.
A Meta-Analysis to Estimate Prevalence of Resistance to Tetracyclines and Third Generation Cephalosporins in Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Food Crops
Authors: Brunn Ariel A. , Roustit Manon , Kadri-Alabi Zaharat , Guardabassi Luca , Waage Jeff
Published: October 2022

Application of human and animal waste to fields and water sources and on-farm antimicrobial usage are documented contributors to the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in agricultural domains. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of resistance to tetracycline (TET) and third generation cephalosporins (3GC) in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from food crops. TET was selected in view of its wide use in agriculture, whereas 3GC were selected because of the public health concerns of reported resistance to these critically important antibiotics in the environment. Forty-two studies from all six world regions published between 2010 and 2022 met the eligibility criteria. A random effects model estimated that 4.63% (95% CI: 2.57%, 7.18%; p-value: <0.0001) and 3.75% (95%CI: 2.13%, 5.74%; p-value: <0.0001) of surveyed food crops harboured Enterobacteriaceae resistant to TET and 3GC, respectively. No significant differences were observed between pre- and post-harvest stages of the value chain. 3GC resistance prevalence estimates in food crops were highest for the African region (6.59%; 95% CI: 2.41%, 12.40%; p-value: <0.0001) and lowest for Europe (1.84%; 95% CI: 0.00%, 6.02%; p-value: <0.0001). Considering the rare use of 3GC in agriculture, these results support its inclusion for AMR surveillance in food crops. Integrating food crops into One Health AMR surveillance using harmonized sampling methods could confirm trends highlighted here.
Thermoplastic Starch Composites Reinforced with Functionalized POSS: Fabrication, Characterization, and Evolution of Mechanical, Thermal and Biological Activities
Authors: Venkatesan Raja , Vanaraj Ramkumar , Alagumalai Krishnapandi , Asrafali Shakila Parveen , Raorane Chaitany Jayprakash , Raj Vinit , Kim Seong-Cheol
Published: October 2022

Rapid advancements in materials that offer the appropriate mechanical strength, barrier, and antimicrobial activity for food packaging are still confronted with significant challenges. In this study, a modest, environmentally friendly method was used to synthesize functionalized octakis(3-chloropropyl)octasilsesquioxane [fn-POSS] nanofiller. Composite films compared to the neat thermoplastic starch (TS) film, show improved thermal and mechanical properties. Tensile strength results improved from 7.8 MPa to 28.1 MPa (TS + 5.0 wt.% fn-POSS) with fn-POSS loading (neat TS). The barrier characteristics of TS/fn-POSS composites were increased by fn-POSS by offering penetrant molecules with a twisting pathway. Also, the rates of O2 and H2O transmission were decreased by 50.0 cc/m2/day and 48.1 g/m2/day in TS/fn-POSS composites. Based on an examination of its antimicrobial activity, the fn-POSS blended TS (TSP-5.0) film exhibits a favorable zone of inhibition against the bacterial pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The TS/fn-POSS (TSP-5.0) film lost 78.4% of its weight after 28 days in natural soil. New plastic materials used for packaging, especially food packaging, are typically not biodegradable, so the TS composite with 5.0 wt.% fn-POSS is therefore of definite interest. The incorporation of fn-POSS with TS composites can improve their characteristics, boost the use of nanoparticles in food packaging, and promote studies on biodegradable composites.