bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge of the Tribal Farmers Towards Organic Turmeric Cultivation in Kandhamal District of Odisha
Authors:   Department of Agricultural Extension, Palli Siksha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, Sahoo Biswajit , Saha Anindita , Sahoo Subha Laxmi
Published: January 2022

Kandhamal is the major turmeric growing district of Odisha. It is the primary cash crop for the financial improvement of the district. Kandhamal Turmeric is an important product and growing in popularity in the organic food market. It has gained an excellent marketplace share in international and local markets and has also received the GI tag on 1st April 2019. The current study was carried out in two blocks of the district to understand the knowledge level of the farmers about organic turmeric cultivation practices. A total of 100 respondents were selected randomly from 4 villages, two villages from each block. Data analysis was done by following proper statistical methods. The result showed that the knowledge index of the farmers towards land preparation, cultural management, harvesting and post-harvesting management was more than 90 per cent. The majority (71%) of the farmers had a medium level of knowledge towards organic turmeric cultivation and extension agent contact, annual income, land under turmeric cultivation and total landholding showed a significant relationship with the knowledge of the turmeric grow
THE NEED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT IN FINANCE: SUSTAINABLE CORPORATE FINANCE
Authors:   Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, AGÂRBICEANU Simona Marcela , PĂUN Tatiana ,   University of Craiova, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Published: January 2022

Under current global conditions, finance may play a critical role in allocating investment to sustainable enterprises and projects, thereby hastening the transition to a low-carbon circular economy. Finance promotes risk assessment and, as a result, can aid in addressing the inherent ambiguity surrounding environmental concerns such as the impact of carbon emissions on climate change. In recent decades, thinking about sustainable finance has progressed through several stages, with the emphasis steadily changing from short-term profit to long-term value creation. This study seeks to conduct an examination of the concept and premises of sustainable corporate finance based on literature research, with the goal of bringing arguments to the need to shift the financial paradigm. This emerging perspective emphasizes that, while profit creation and maximization are important, firms must also seek other goals that have an impact on society, such as those connected to sustainable development. The integration of environmental, social, and governance components into financial decision-making processes is referred to as sustainable finance. Recent developments highlight the importance of businesses' commitment to responsible behavior in transforming the company into a truly sustainable enterprise that adds value to the business, society, and the environment.
THE WINE SECTOR MANAGEMENT IN PORTUGAL: AN OVERVIEW ON ITS THREE-DIMENSIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
Authors:   Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal – Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal, Portugal, SWIATKIEWICZ Olgierd
Published: January 2022

The paper scrutinizes wine sector sustainability management in Portugal, which is a traditional wine producer. In Portugal, wine is strategic to its agri-food industry. As the wine market faced changes in consumption and an increase in the quality of the wine offered, new green products (organic, biodynamic) appeared for market niches concerned with environmental and health issues, as well as new ways of communication through the Internet and social media. First, we discuss a global wine market that affects wine market in Portugal, and then we present the internal situation and tendencies, including some examples of sustainable management of this sector in the economic, societal, and ecological dimensions. In the present work, the perspective is essentially of an entire economic sector, since in the Portuguese wine market the Old-World model prevails. This situation comprises high market fragmentation, and strong power exercised by distribution and consumers; it also means that wine production is subject to strict national and common market regulations. However, we do not abandon the micro analysis at the level of the company’s relations with its stakeholders. The methodology adopted in this review is qualitative and it consists of critical analysis of the literature from diverse disciplines, but it also uses secondary sources, such as institutional and technical reports, databases, statistics, notes and media news.
SOME ASPECTS ABOUT MATHEMATICAL MODELING FOR EPIDEMIC MANAGEMENT
Authors:   Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, BUCUR Amelia
Published: January 2022

The mathematical study of epidemics and their management has been performed for many years, however, in the last few years, new models have been published. Public health is considered very important and has to be monitored, as it is permanently under risk due to the appearance of even more types of microorganisms. Compartmental models, such as exponential models, SI, SIS, SIR, SEIRS, SEIAR, MESIR models, other generalized SIR models were and still are remarkable for studying the spread of an epidemic and for their simulations in software such as MATLAB, Maple, GLEAMviz, etc. The paper has two main objectives: a. to present new simulations in Maple and GLEAMviz for the spread of COVID-19; b. to suggest a generalization of the SIR model for analyzing the spread of COVID-19 and a simulation of it in GLEAMviz. The conclusions are that, generally, mathematical models show a value of a reproduction threshold, which can be used to forecast whether the pandemic is the increasing or decreasing phase, and that mathematical models and simulations in various programs facilitate the improvement of methods of analysis of an epidemic situation and the management of the public health system.
FINANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ALLEVIATING LIVELIHOODS IN THE FOREST SECTOR WITH SIERRA LEONE AS A CASE STUDY
Authors:   University of Birmingham, JACKSON Emerson Abraham
Published: January 2022

Sustainable development concept has been associated with many things, as in this situation with “Payment for Environmental Services [PES]”; a modern invention craving attention across the world, and more so for the benefit of those in developing nations around Asia, Latin America and Africa. Financing of sustainable development schemes require scope for enhancing sustained maintenance of basic livelihoods for everyone [both in the present and future], but more so for those whose lives have been heavily dependent on renewable forest resources. The concept of PES has been exemplified in a simple way to enable readers [of all types, ranging from professionals, academics to non-professionals] to grasp basic concepts that bothers on economics and natural resource concepts, and their application in understanding the varied sources of funding sustainable means of livelihoods, while at the same time ensuring the environment is securely protected for the benefit of both present and future generations. To start with, an introduction to the concept of sustainable development is addressed in line with REDD/REDD+ schemes, followed by detailed background information about Sierra Leone as a nation [including the geography. Pre and Post-colonial management of forests, and political economy dimension]. Secondly, there is a focus on the concept of PES, and backed by ways of financing it, particularly in the context of Sierra Leone. Thirdly, there is discussion surrounding the case for PES, challenges and associated benefits. Lastly, the document concludes with an overview of the study and recommendations to address the situation in the context of Sierra Leone.
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES IN A PUBLIC ORGANIZATION PROVIDING SERVICES TO CITIZENS
Authors:   Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, ȚÎȚU Aurel Mihail , OLTEANU Constantin-Dorin ,   Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics
Published: January 2022

The scientific paper proposes a pragmatic perspective of presenting some theoretical and practical aspects regarding a new approach within the studied organization, a process-based approach. The point of view submitted is a small part of the possibilities to implement the process-based approach. For an overview, I did a presentation of the organization in which I carry out my activity, the Sibiu County Directorate for the Registration of Persons, I showed the place and the role of the organization. Later, I explained the way, was organized and the activities that take place in the organization. An important aspect was the realization, in the organization, of personal analysis to make a new, process-based approach. Based on these processes we have made a current map of processes. A further direction of research is building a new process map following analysis to improve the processes within the studied public organization. Subsequently, we intend to execute the modeling of processes with a method that we will establish later.
DEVELOPMENT WITH CHARACTERISTICS AND INNOVATION – CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE AT LBUS
Authors:   Beijing Language and Culture University, China, WANG Jiong
Published: January 2022

The research is on how to manage language teaching and culture promotion effectively through building explicit characteristics and seeking for innovative development of the program for the purpose of mutual understanding and common prosperity, taking Confucius Institute of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu (LBUS) as an example. A brief introduction of the overall development of Chinese teaching program in the world and specifically in Romania will be conducted in the first part of the thesis. And then, characteristics of C.I. at LBUS in teaching and culture promotion will be discussed with detailed elaboration and progresses especially in the past five years. In the third part, some innovative ideas to accelerate the development of management will be proposed for more practical purpose. The conclusion provokes further research in managing language teaching and culture promotion overseas.
How to put forest and conservation genomics into motion for and with Indigenous communities?
Authors: Touchette Lyne , Beaudoin Jean-Michel , Isabel Nathalie , Gélinas Nancy , Porth Ilga
Published: January 2022

Sustainable management and conservation (SMC) projects for natural resources in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples using a genomics approach are increasing in number. Information and tools/applications derived from genomics can be useful to them, particularly in the context of climate change. However, the challenge of translating these applications into practice and harnessing them to serve Indigenous communities remains. We present an exploratory literature review that addresses: (1) the demonstrated utility of genomics in SMC projects involving Indigenous Peoples, (2) some issues that may limit the adoption of genomics tools, and (3) the collaborative work between researchers and Indigenous communities in the analyzed studies. The demonstrated uses identified were largely of a socioecological nature. The complementary nature of Indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge in genomics was recognized as an opportunity that should be further developed to address current challenges such as climate change. Regarding the adoption into practice of this technology in SMC projects, in addition to similar issues with other end users, the integration of the needs, traditional values and knowledge of Indigenous communities in genomics projects also represents a challenge in the context of the decolonization of genomics research. Finally, community-researcher collaboration was identified as a key element in promoting the successful uptake of genomics in SMC.
Twenty-six years of aspen regeneration under varying light conditions in a boreal mixedwood forest
Authors: Deighton Holly D. , Groot Arthur , Thiffault Nelson , Rice Mya
Published: January 2022

Density, height, and diameter at breast height of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) sucker regeneration were assessed over a 26-year period in openings created by harvesting in a 40-year-old aspen stand in northeastern Ontario (Canada). The opening types were 9- and 18-m diameter circles, 9- and 18- _ 150-m east-west strips, and a 100- _ 150-m clearcut, representing a range of light conditions. Density, height, and diameter at breast height of aspen regeneration were significantly affected by opening type, location relative to opening, and time since harvest. By year 26, aspen densities in circular openings declined to 0, despite high initial recruitment, and trembling aspen heights were significantly lower in the 9-m strips than in the 18-m strips or the clearcut. Year 26 aspen density, volume, and basal area increased with increasing initial light intensity, with the highest rate of increase between 80 and 100% light levels. Understory vegetation cover was largely unaffected by opening size; however, substantial understory aspen regeneration occurred in the smaller openings. Results support the traditional view that aspen is best managed under the clearcut silvicultural system, and >80% full light is recommended for adequate long-term aspen regeneration.
The Stereotype of Australia in the eyes of students at the University of Warsaw (on the basis of surveys)
Authors: Bożek-Zuber Karolina
Published: January 2022

The paper, a contribution to research on stereotypes of Australia, is based on analyzing a database composed of three types of materials: systemic (S), questionnaire (Q) and textual (T). The foundation for the article comes in the form of survey data obtained from a group of one hundred Polish students and subjected to quantity and quality analysis in order to determine which features are most strongly stabilized in the stereotype of this continent.
The Use of a Megaprosthesis in the Management
of Stem Loosening after Revision Hip Arthroplasty
in a Patient with Extensive Femoral Bone Destruction. Case Study
Authors: Mądry Maciej , Kwapisz Bartłomiej , Kotrych Daniel
Published: January 2022

This paper presents the case of a female patient who underwent eleven revision surgeries after primary hip arthroplasty due to infection and loosening of the stem and acetabulum. We decided that in order to save the limb, it was necessary to use a total femur prosthesis. Three years’ follow-up showed that the patient was satis­fied with the outcome of the surgery.
CLASSIFICATION AND MODELLING OF SOUND EMISSION SIGNALS IN SELECTED TRIBOSYSTEMS
Authors: Kekez Michał , Jurczak Wojciech , Ozimina Dariusz
Published: January 2022

The paper presents an analysis of the sound level recorded during dry sliding friction conditions. Balls with a diameter of 6 mm placed on pins were made of 100Cr6 steel, silicon carbide (SiC), and corundum (Al2O3), while rotating discs with a height of 6 mm and a diameter of 42 mm were made of 100Cr6 steel. Each pin and disc system was tested for two values of the relative humidity of the air (50 ± 5% and 90 ± 5%). Models of the A-sound level were developed using regression trees and random forest. The paper presents an analysis of the accuracy of the models obtained. Classifications of the six tests performed on the basis of sound level descriptors were also carried out.
ON RANDOM EXPECTED VALUES VARIATIONS OF TRIBOLOGY
PARAMETERS IN HUMAN HIP JOINT SURFACES
Authors: Wierzcholski Krzysztof , Gospodarczyk Jacek
Published: January 2022

This paper presents recent progress in the knowledge concerning the stochastic theory of bio- hydrodynamic
lubrication with a phospholipids bilayer. On the basis of experimental measurements and analytical solutions,
the research concerns the determination of the random expectancy values of load carrying capacity, the
friction coefficient, and synovial fluid dynamic variations. After numerous measurements, it directly follows
that the random density function of the gap height in the human joint usually indicates a disorderly increases
and decreases in the height. Such irregular gap height variations have an important influence on the random
synovial bio-fluid dynamic viscosity. This finally leads to the friction coefficient and cartilage wear changes
of cooperating bio- surfaces. The main topic of this paper relates to the expectancy values of the tribology
parameters localized inside the variable stochastic standard deviation intervals of the human joint gap height.
The results obtained finally indicate the influence of the random roughness and growth of living biological
cartilage surfaces on the expectancy values of the synovial fluid dynamic viscosity, load carrying capacity
and friction forces in human hip joints.
New Perspectives on Ethics in Islam [whole issue]
Authors: Bouhafa Feriel
Published: January 2022

Complete volume, containing all articles
CONTENTS
Introduction: Feriel Bouhafa, Towards New Perspectives on Ethics in Islam: Casuistry, Contingency, and Ambiguity
I. Islamic Philosophy and Theology
Feriel Bouhafa, The Dialectics of Ethics: Moral Ontology and Epistemology in Islamic Philosophy
Frank Griffel, The Place of Virtue Ethics within the Post-Classical Discourse on ḥikma: Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā
Ayman Shihadeh, Psychology and Ethical Epistemology: An Ashʿarī Debate with Muʿtazilī Ethical Realism, 11th-12th C.
Hannah C. Erlwein, The Moral Obligation to Worship God Alone: Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s Analysis in the Tafsīr
Anna Ayse Akasoy, Philosophy in the Narrative Mode: Alexander the Great as an Ethical Character from Roman to Medieval Islamicate Literature
II. Islamic Jurisprudence
Ziad Bou Akl, From Norm Evaluation to Norm Construction: The Metaethical Origin of al-Ghazālī’s Radical Infallibilism
Felicitas Opwis, The Ethical Turn in Legal Analogy: Imbuing the Ratio Legis with Maṣlaḥa
Robert Gleave, Moral Assessments and Legal Categories: The Relationship between Rational Ethics and Revealed Law in Post-Classical Imāmī Shīʿī Legal Theory
Omar Farahat, Moral Value and Commercial Gain: Three Classical Islamic Approaches
III Hadith, Quran, and Adab
Mutaz al-Khatib, Consult Your Heart: The Self as a Source of Moral Judgment
Tareq Moqbel, “As Time Grows Older, the Qurʾān Grows Younger”: The Ethical Function of Ambiguity in Qurʾānic Narratives
Enass Khansa, Can Reading Animate Justice? A Conversation from Alf Layla wa-Layla (The Thousand and One Nights)
Nuha AlShaar, The Interplay of Religion and Philosophy in al-Tawḥīdī’s Political Thought and Practical Ethics
William Ryle Hodges, Muḥammad ʿAbduh’s Notion of Political Adab: Ethics as a Virtue of Modern Citizenship in Late 19th Century Khedival Egypt
New Perspectives on Ethics in Islam [Introduction]
Authors: Bouhafa Feriel
Published: January 2022

Introduction to the themed issue
Dialectics of Ethics
Authors: Bouhafa Feriel
Published: January 2022

Philosophical and theological ethics in the Islamic tradition tend to be appraised on the basis of a unilateral perspective, which circumvents a moral rational approach to intuition. On this account, moral knowledge is expected to rest on intuitive judgments, which are universally accessible to human beings. Looking at moral ontology and epistemology in Arabic philosophy, I demonstrate that taking intuitionism as the only valid rational discourse to ethics needs to be challenged. In fact, Arabic philosophers do not subscribe to a realist view of the good and evil in relation to human actions, and rather admit a division between cosmic values in metaphysics and moral values in ethics. In so doing, they show how metaphysics ascribes a substantial view to good in existence and a negative theory to evil, while the science of ethics admits a teleological and relative view of the good. Overall, the falāsifa remain committed to Aristotle’s premise that ethics does not rely on abstraction and emphasized the role of experience too. But, they seem to be also attentive to the dialectical nature of Islamic jurisprudence in producing norms considering both principles of the law and its particular application. This is also clear in their epistemology of ethical judgments such as the maxim justice is good. While they ascribe a universal status to ethical maxims, they preclude from granting them an absolute status over the authority of norms construction. Instead, philosophers attribute a dialectical role to ethical maxims to guarantee both consensus over norms and the possibility to produce truthful opinions.
Keywords: Moral ontology and epistemology, The problem of evil, The nature of the good, Moral values, al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, Ibn Rushd, Legal epistemology, Written and unwritten laws, Ethical maxims, Widely-accepted premises (mashhūrāt), Reputable premises (maḥmūdāt).
From Norm Evaluation to Norm Construction
Authors: Bou Akl Ziad
Published: January 2022

This study examines the issue of norm construction in al-Ghazālī’s thought focusing on the grounds advanced to support his radical infallibilist position. To fulfill such end, al-Ghazālī, I explain, relies on two types of arguments, the first one relates to the presumptive nature of legal texts in order to highlight their fundamental indeterminacy and the second links to the interpreter to show the impossibility to fall into error. To buttress these arguments, al-Ghazālī both draws on epistemological principles and metaethical ones. As it will be shown in the study, al-Ghazālī ultimately explains the divergence in interpretation of norms using the concept of ṭabʿ (nature, disposition or appetitive self) drawing on his well-known relativist ethical theory concerning norm evaluation and therefore brings in a unique way this typical feature of Ashʿarism within his own radical infallibilist theory of norm construction. The concept of ṭabʿ allows to bridge the gap between the ambiguity in the revealed text and the mujtahid’s interpretation in the norm construction process, and ultimately serves to justify ex post the choices made by the mujtahid. In doing so, al-Ghazālī assigns to theology a critical role in revealing the origin of the illusion of the jurists who naively think that licit and illicit are qualities of things themselves.
Moral Value and Commercial Gain
Authors: Farahat Omar
Published: January 2022

This paper presents three theoretical accounts developed to assess the moral value and legal status of acts designed to promote commercial gain in the thought of major classical Muslim scholars. There has been an increased interest in Islamic commercial law and ethics in recent years. Much of the recent scholarship consists of practically inclined studies that tend to lump the Islamic tradition of evaluation of commerce under the principles of social justice and avoidance of harm. Our study of three selected scholars will reveal distinct approaches that are characteristic of classical Islamic ethical discussions: anchoring moral value in this world, attributing moral goodness to salvation in the next world, and finding a balance between these two approaches. Counterintuitively, we will see that the naturalistic view that ascribes moral values to things and actions was the most restrictive, whereas the dualistic model that focuses on salvation in the next world was markedly more permissive of commercial transactions.
Can Reading Animate Justice?
Authors: Khansa Enass
Published: January 2022

In this study, I make audible a conversation in Alf Layla wa-Layla (The Thousand and One Nights) on the meaning and application of justice. Without assuming that Alf Layla constituted an organized whole, the study identifies, in the frame narrative and the first two chains of stories—all three understood to belong to the earliest bundle—a debate on the coincidence of successful interpretation and just rulership. By the end of these tales, i.e., by the twenty-seventh night, a complete tale is told. In these stories, I propose, Alf Layla adopts an attitude that privileges multiplicity over singular interpretation, in a fashion that affirms thecontingency of ethical questions.  The popularity of Alf Layla and the afterlives it enjoyed up to our present times—in the Arab world and the West—need not eclipse or substitute the Arabo-Islamic character the work came to exhibit, and the ethical questions it set out to address. In what has been read as fate, arbitrary logic, enchantment, magic, irrational thinking, and nocturnal dreamlike narratives, I suggest we can equally speak of a concern for justice. The study looks at Alf Layla’s affinity with advice literature, but stresses the need to read it as a work of (semipopular) literature that pays witness to societal debates on justice.  Alf Layla, I suggest, belongs to Islamic culture in that the act of reading has been construed within hermeneutics that are largely informed by the ethical implication knowledge sharing entails. In how the stories find resolution to the crisis of the king, Alf Layla understands justice as an artificial and communal enterprise. The stories, more urgently, seem to suggest reading gears us towards a concern for the greater good.

 

Keywords: The Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights, 1001 Nights, Alf Layla wa-Layla), Adab, Justice, Rulership, Readership, Advice Literature, Interpretation, Multiplicity, Legitimacy
The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus induces the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway in the trachea of two Ri chicken lines
Authors: Vu Thi Hao , Hong Yeojin , Truong Anh Duc , Lee Sooyeon , Heo Jubi , Lillehoj Hyun S. , Hong Yeong Ho
Published: January 2022

Objective: The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is a threat to the poultry industry and economy and remains a potential source of pandemic infection in humans. Antiviral genes are considered a potential factor for studies on HPAIV resistance. Therefore, in this study, we investigated gene expression related to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway by comparing non-infected, HPAI-infected resistant, and susceptible Ri chicken lines.Methods: Resistant (Mx/A; BF2/B21) and susceptible Ri chickens (Mx/G; BF2/B13) were selected by genotyping the Mx and BF2 genes. Then, the tracheal tissues of non-infected and HPAIV H5N1 infected chickens were collected for RNA sequencing.Results: A gene set overlapping test between the analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and functionally categorized genes was performed, including biological processes of the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways. A total of 1,794 DEGs were observed between control and H5N1-infected resistant Ri chickens, 432 DEGs between control and infected susceptible Ri chickens, and 1,202 DEGs between infected susceptible and infected resistant Ri chickens. The expression levels of MAPK signaling pathway-related genes (including MyD88, NF-κB, AP-1, c-fos, Jun, JunD, MAX, c-Myc), cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8), type I interferons (IFN-α, IFN-β), and IFN-stimulated genes (Mx1, CCL19, OASL, and PRK) were higher in H5N1-infected than in non-infected resistant Ri chickens. MyD88, Jun, JunD, MAX, cytokines, chemokines, IFNs, and IFN-stimulated expressed genes were higher in resistant-infected than in susceptible-infected Ri chickens.Conclusion: Resistant Ri chickens showed higher antiviral activity compared to susceptible Ri chickens, and H5N1-infected resistant Ri chickens had immune responses and antiviral activity (cytokines, chemokines, interferons, and IFN-stimulated genes), which may have been induced through the MAPK signaling pathway in response to H5N1 infection.
Lactic acid bacteria strains selected from fermented total mixed rations improve ensiling and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics of corn stover silage
Authors: Huang Kailang , Chen Hongwei , Liu Yalu , Hong Qihua , Yang Bin , Wang Jiakun
Published: January 2022

Objective: This study identified the major lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains from different fermented total mixed rations (FTMRs) via metataxonomic analysis and evaluated the ability of their standard strain as ensiling inoculants for corn stover silage.Methods: The bacterial composition of eight FTMRs were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Corn stover was ensiled without LAB inoculation (control) or with 1×106 cfu/g LAB standard strain (Lactobacillus vaginalis, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus helveticus, or Lactobacillus paralimentarius) selected from the FTMRs or 10 g/t commercial silage inoculant (CSI) around 25°C for 56 days. For each inoculation, a portion of the silage was sampled to analyze ensiling characteristics at time intervals of 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 days, gas production (GP), microbial crude protein and volatile fatty acids as the measurements of rumen fermentation characteristics were evaluated in vitro with the silages of 56 days after 72 h incubation.Results: Lactobacillus covered >85% relative abundance of all FTMRs, in which L. pontis, L. vaginalis, L. reuteri, L. helveticus, and L. paralimentarius showed >4% in specific FTMRs. CSI, L. helveticus, and L. paralimentarius accelerated the decline of silage pH. Silage inoculated with L. paralimentarius and CSI produced more lactic acid the early 14 days. Silage inoculated with L. paralimentarius produced less acetic acid and butyric acid. For the in vitro rumen fermentation, silage inoculated with CSI produced more potential GP, isobutyric acid, and isovaleric acid; silage inoculated with L. helveticus produced more potential GP and isovaleric acid, silage inoculated with L. paralimentarius or L. reuteri produced more potential GP only.Conclusion: The standard strain L. paralimentarius (DSM 13238) is a promising ensiling inoculant for corn stover silage. The findings provide clues on strategies to select LAB to improve the quality of silage.
Exploring effects of different male parent crossings on sheep muscles and related regulatory genes using mRNA-Seq
Authors: Shi Jinping , Zhang Quanwei , Song Yali , Lei Zhaomin , Fu Lingjuan , Cheng Shuru
Published: January 2022

Objective: With improvements in living standards and increase in global population, the demand for meat products has been increasing; improved meat production from livestock could effectively meet this demand. In this study, we examined the differences in the muscle traits of different male crossbred sheep and attempted to identify key genes that regulate these traits.Methods: Dubo sheep×small-tailed Han sheep (DP×STH) and Suffolk×small-tailed Han sheep (SFK×STH) were selected to determine meat quality and production performance by Masson staining. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to meat quality. The presence of DEGs was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results: The production performance of SFK×STH sheep was better than that of DP×STH sheep, but the meat quality of DP×STH sheep was better than that of SFK×STH sheep. The muscle fiber diameter of DP×STH sheep was smaller than that of SFK×STH sheep. Twenty-two DEGs were identified. Among them, four gene ontology terms were related to muscle traits, and three DEGs were related to muscle or muscle fibers. There were no significant differences in the number of single nucleotide mutations and mutation sites in the different male parent cross combinations.Conclusion: This study provides genetic resources for future sheep muscle development and cross-breeding research.
On Thaicypris panhai gen. et sp. nov., a new herpetocypridine ostracod (Crustacea: Ostracoda: Cyprididae) from Thailand
Authors: Savatenalinton Sukonthip
Published: January 2022

A new genus, Thaicypris gen. nov., in the tribe Herpetocypridini Kaufmann, 1900 of the subfamily Herpetocypridinae Kaufmann, 1900 is established to accommodate a new species from Thailand. The present contribution deals with the description of a new genus and species, Thaicypris panhai gen. et sp. nov., which is mainly characterized by the distinctive and raised, inwardly displaced selvage at the postero-ventral part of the right valve (RV) that is not parallel to the valve margin, the absence of an anterior inner list on the RV, the prominent and elevated double inner list on the posterior part of the left valve, the small and three-segmented Rome organ on the first antenna (A1), the spatulated terminal segment of the maxillular (Mx1) palp, the slender caudal ramus (CR) with long and thin Sp seta, the presence of basal triangle on the CR attachment, and the pointed projection at the terminal segment base of the prehensile palps. The hemipenis of the new genus and species is outstanding, especially the medial lateral shield which has a long, beak-shaped protrusion on the distal part. The discovery of this Thai taxon is the first record of the tribe Herpetocypridini in Thailand and the second species of the tribe in Southeast Asia.
Écologie et conservation du Mercure Arethusana arethusa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lépidoptère : Satyrinae) en Hauts-de-France
Authors: MEIRE Guillaume , BRUNEAU Marc
Published: January 2022

Le Mercure Arethusana arethusa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) est un papillon qui, actuellement, n’est pas considéré comme menacé au sein des Listes rouges de France et d’Europe mais dont la distribution apparaît cependant en déclin. Le Conservatoire d’Espaces naturels des Hauts-de-France préserve deux des trois stations restantes en région. Sur la base de captures-marquages-recaptures et d’observations réalisées entre 2013 et 2019 sur les deux dernières populations du département de la Somme, nous avons étudié les paramètres démographiques, la mobilité des individus et leur utilisation des habitats. Les effectifs des populations ont été estimés avec une certaine précision puisque les marges d’erreur des estimations pour un niveau de confiance de 95 % étaient comprises entre 13 et 19 % selon les sites et les années. Des variations importantes d’effectifs, de plus de 50 %, ont été relevées entre certaines années et reflètent les tendances observées au niveau national dans le cadre des suivis des communautés de papillons de jours. Durant les trois années de suivis, la taille des populations est la plus élevée entre le 20 août et le 30 août. Le pic de vol des femelles intervient entre trois et six jours après celui des mâles et dure moins longtemps. Selon les sites et les années, la durée de vie moyenne est comprise entre 5,75 et 12 jours. Le sexe ratio mâles/femelles est de 1,18 en 2018 et de 1,28 en 2019. Si le contexte des sites étudiés (faible superficie, isolement) n’a pas permis d’étudier les capacités de dispersion d’A. arethusa, nous avons constaté que l’espèce se déplace peu dans ce contexte. La distance moyenne de déplacement est de 86,46 ± 6,34 m après au moins trois recaptures (n = 81). La distance maximale relevée entre deux captures est de 333 m. Les pelouses qui présentent une hauteur de végétation rase (6,57 ± 2,39 cm), avec des affleurements crayeux (8,21 ± 7,35 % par m²) et un recouvrement riche en Festuca ovina Gr. (22,6 ± 9,54 % par m²), constituent les habitats larvaires. Si ces milieux constituent également les habitats préférentiels des adultes, les pelouses plus fermées et jeunes ourlets calcicoles apparaissent complémentaires car elles offrent des ressources nectarifères qui sont faibles sur les pelouses les plus rases en période de vol du papillon. Nos résultats conduisent à faire émerger une question de conservation : comment faire coexister sur des petits espaces des dynamiques spatiales et temporelles de la végétation permettant d’assurer une disponibilité en ressources et en habitats nécessaires à l’accomplissement du cycle de vie d’A. arethusa ? Dans des paysages dominés par les grandes cultures, nous soulignons le rôle fonctionnel des prairies, jachères et bandes enherbées pour renforcer les populations en place et reconnecter les espaces fragmentés.
Género, familia y cambio social. Ensayo sobre una entelequia
Authors: MARÍN GÓMEZ ISABEL
Published: January 2022

The difficulties presented by the study of the relationship between gender, family and social change, can be presented as an entelechy, in all its senses, from its linguistic meaning of unreality to the Aristotelian philosophical concept, therefore, the problem is studied with the model essayistic that allows to resort to analysis from the perspective of social history, showing its historiographic implication in the emergence of these phenomena, and in the methodological possibility offered by said social perspective of history to integrate cultural, literary and artistic aspects, which allow to explain said phenomena and their contribution to human knowledge of the processes of inequality and equality that historically affect relations between men and women.

La complejidad omnicomprensiva que presenta el estudio de fenómenos históricos como la relación entre género, familia y cambio social, pueden presentarse como una entelequia, en todos sus sentidos, desde su significado lingüístico de irrealidad al concepto filosófico aristotélico, por ello, el problema se ha estudiado con el modelo ensayístico, que permite recurrir al análisis desde la perspectiva de la Historia social, mostrando su implicación historiográfica en la emergencia de dichos fenómenos, y en la posibilidad metodológica que ofrece dicha perspectiva social de la Historia de integrar las fuentes culturales, literarias y artísticas, que permiten explicar dichos fenómenos y su contribución al conocimiento humano de los procesos de desigualdad e igualdad que afectan históricamente a las relaciones entre hombres y mujeres.
La transformación del Ensanche Heredia en Soho. Ciudades creativas, gentrificación y promoción cultural en Málaga
Authors: Vázquez de la Rosa Héctor
Published: January 2022

The Director Plan of Art District - Soho Malaga (2011-2014) is an example of the assisted transformation of the neighborhood of Ensanche Heredia by the public administration of Malaga City Hall. The Ensanche’s conversion into Art District helped as a tool to create a city branding associated with the touristic and cultural consumption, stimulating by doing so themed public spaces and privatization process. With these cultural promotion policies, and by following the logics of creative industries, Malaga intends to put itself globally on the competitive map of touristic cities, fundamentally by urban interventions with a special focus on the productive role of the city’s culture. This way, the borough, advertised as a city of museums, with the production of Soho contributed to promoting the gentrification process that the center suffers, in which culture, understood as a strategic asset commodity, has a key role.

El Plan Director del Barrio de las Artes - Soho Málaga (2011-2014) supuso un ejemplo de transformación asistida del barrio del Ensanche Heredia por parte de la gestión pública del Ayuntamiento de Málaga. Esta conversión del Ensanche en barrio de las artes contribuyó a la creación de una marca de ciudad ligada al consumo turístico y cultural, estimulándose de esta manera procesos de tematización y privatización del espacio público. Con estas políticas de promoción de la cultura, y siguiendo las premisas de la industria creativa, Málaga busca posicionarse globalmente en el mapa competitivo de las ciudades turísticas, principalmente por medio de intervenciones urbanas que priman el rol productivo de la cultura en la ciudad. De esta manera, la administración municipal, publicitándose como ciudad de los museos, terminó contribuyendo con la producción del Soho a los procesos de gentrificación que sufre el centro, en los que la cultura, entendida como un activo estratégico de mercado, toma un rol principal.
Food, Drink and the Other: Producing Satire and Otherness in Portuguese Literature
Authors: Viera de Andrade Constança
Published: January 2022

Portuguese narrative fiction is plentiful of food and drink references, which vary in meaning and function accordingly to the historical context of production. The peripathetic Portuguese brought culinary knowledge from abroad mainly since the 16th century, merging cultural changes of food and drink with practices from their country of origin. This was a turning point in the history of Portuguese narrative fiction, for it made more present the concept of the "other" through consumption habits. An extremely short travel between 16th and 19th narrrative fiction examples intends to highlight some uses of food and drink as topoi in historical and cultural context, asserting the relevance of this resource to articulate identities and alterities.
Topique du cannibalisme et ensauvagement de l’Africain dans les discours européens
Authors: Gallouët Catherine
Published: January 2022

In descriptions of European travel narratives since the 16th century, representations of the African are indistinguishable from those of other "savages" whose newly discovered lives both fascinate and repel. In the 18th century, even as allusions to New World cannibalism tended to dissipate, and the image of the "good savage" developed, the cannibalistic discourse on Africa continued to expand. This work proposes to observe how it emerges and spreads in European texts. In other words, the formation of this discourse on the other will be questionned in order to perhaps understand how it became fixated on the African: imaginary discourse, no doubt, but whose contagion still contaminates today’s perception of Blackness as otherness, and informs the persistent discourse of his perceived wildness.
A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Personal Naming in Jordan
Authors: Tarawneh Majid , Hajjaj Duaa
Published: January 2022

This study aims to better understand the sociolingustic factors that affect personal naming in Jordan by looking at five specific factors that affect it: religious, cultural, political, naming after someone, and musicality. It examines how these five factors affect the personal naming in respect to gender, generation, and geographical distribution in Jordan. The study also seeks to determine which of the five factors are the most and which are the least influential for naming practices in Jordan. To this end, 300 names were collected and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, with the results showing that these factors affect gender, generation, and geographical distribution in different ways. It also showed that the religious factor is the most frequent, whereas, the political factor is the least.
A forensic-driven data model for automatic vehicles events analysis
Authors: Akremi Aymen
Published: January 2022

Digital vision technologies emerged exponentially in all living areas to watch, play, control, or track events. Security checkpoints have benefited also from those technologies by integrating dedicated cameras in studied locations. The aim is to manage the vehicles accessing the inspection security point and fetching for any suspected ones. However, the gathered data volume continuously increases each day, making their analysis very hard and time-consuming. This paper uses semantic-based techniques to model the data flow between the cameras, checkpoints, and administrators. It uses ontologies to deal with the increased data size and its automatic analysis. It considers forensics requirements throughout the creation of the ontology modules to ensure the records’ admissibility for any possible investigation purposes. Ontology-based data modeling will help in the automatic events search and correlation to track suspicious vehicles efficiently.
A critical review on modulators of Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 in cancer cells
Authors: Poku Vivian Osei , Iram Surtaj Hussain
Published: January 2022

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1) is an ATP-dependent efflux transporter, and responsible for the transport of a broad spectrum of xenobiotics, toxins, and physiological substrates across the plasma membrane. As an efflux pump, it plays a significant role in the absorption and disposition of drugs including anticancer drugs, antivirals, antimalarials, and antibiotics and their metabolites across physiological barriers in cells. MRP1 is also known to aid in the regulation of several physiological processes such as redox homeostasis, steroid metabolism, and tissue defense. However, its overexpression has been reported to be a key clinical marker associated with multidrug resistance (MDR) of several types of cancers including lung cancer, childhood neuroblastoma, breast and prostate carcinomas, often resulting in a higher risk of treatment failure and shortened survival rates in cancer patients. Aside MDR, overexpression of MRP1 is also implicated in the development of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Due to the cellular importance of MRP1, the identification and biochemical/molecular characterization of modulators of MRP1 activity and expression levels are of key interest to cancer research and beyond. This review primarily aims at highlighting the physiological and pharmacological importance of MRP1, known MRP1 modulators, current challenges encountered, and the potential benefits of conducting further research on the MRP1 transporter.
Increased mutation efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in banana by optimized construct
Authors: Zhang Sen , Wu Shaoping , Hu Chunhua , Yang Qiaosong , Dong Tao , Sheng Ou , Deng Guiming , He Weidi , Dou Tongxin , Li Chunyu , Sun Chenkang , Yi Ganjun , Bi Fangcheng
Published: January 2022

The CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing system has been used extensively to engineer targeted mutations in a wide variety of species. Its application in banana, however, has been hindered because of the species’ triploid nature and low genome editing efficiency. This has delayed the development of a DNA-free genome editing approach. In this study, we reported that the endogenous U6 promoter and banana codon-optimized Cas9 apparently increased mutation frequency in banana, and we generated a method to validate the mutation efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing system based on transient expression in protoplasts. The activity of the MaU6c promoter was approximately four times higher than that of the OsU6a promoter in banana protoplasts. The application of this promoter and banana codon-optimized Cas9 in CRISPR/Cas9 cassette resulted in a fourfold increase in mutation efficiency compared with the previous CRISPR/Cas9 cassette for banana. Our results indicated that the optimized CRISPR/Cas9 system was effective for mutating targeted genes in banana and thus will improve the applications for basic functional genomics. These findings are relevant to future germplasm improvement and provide a foundation for developing DNA-free genome editing technology in banana.
Beyond the prey: male spiders highly invest in silk when producing worthless gifts
Authors: Pavón-Peláez Camila , Franco-Trecu Valentina , Pandulli-Alonso Irene , Jones Therésa M. , Albo Maria J.
Published: January 2022

In the spider Paratrechalea ornata, males have two gift-giving mating tactics, offering either a nutritive (prey) or a worthless (prey leftovers) silk wrapped gift to females. Both gift types confer similar mating success and duration and afford males a higher success rate than when they offer no gift. If this lack of difference in the reproductive benefits is true, we would expect all males to offer a gift but some males to offer a worthless gift even if prey are available. To test this, we allowed 18 males to court multiple females over five consecutive trials. In each trial, a male was able to produce a nutritive gift (a live housefly) or a worthless gift (mealworm exuviae). We found that, in line with our predictions, 20% of the males produced worthless gifts even when they had the opportunity to produce a nutritive one. However, rather than worthless gifts being a cheap tactic, they were related to a higher investment in silk wrapping. This latter result was replicated for worthless gifts produced in both the presence and absence of a live prey item. We propose that variation in gift-giving tactics likely evolved initially as a conditional strategy related to prey availability and male condition in P. ornata. Selection may then have favoured silk wrapping as a trait involved in female attraction, leading worthless gift-giving to invade.