bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel elicitor protein phosphopentomutase from Bacillus velezensis LJ02 enhances tomato resistance to Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Li Zhuoran , Hu Jianan , Sun Qi , Zhang Xi , Chang Ruokui , Wang Yuanhong
Published: November 2022

The loss of tomatoes caused by Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) is one of the crucial issues restricting the tomato yield. This study screened the elicitor protein phosphopentomutase from Bacillus velezensis LJ02 (BvEP) which improves the tomato resistance to B. cinerea. Phosphatemutase was reported to play a crucial role in the nucleoside synthesis of various microorganisms. However, there is no report on improving plant resistance by phosphopentomutase, and the related signaling pathway in the immune response has not been elucidated. High purity recombinant BvEP protein have no direct inhibitory effect on B. cinerea in vitro,and but induce the hypersensitivity response (HR) in Nicotiana tabacum. Tomato leaves overexpressing BvEP were found to be significantly more resistant to B. cinerea by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Several defense genes, including WRKY28 and PTI5 of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI), UDP and UDP1 of effector-triggered immunity (ETI), Hin1 and HSR203J of HR, PR1a of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and the SAR related gene NPR1 were all up-regulated in transgenic tomato leaves overexpressing BvEP. In addition, it was found that transient overexpression of BvEP reduced the rotting rate and lesion diameter of tomato fruits caused by B. cinerea, and increased the expression of PTI, ETI, SAR-related genes, ROS content, SOD and POD activities in tomato fruits, while there was no significant effect on the weight loss and TSS, TA and Vc contents of tomato fruits. This study provides new insights into innovative breeding of tomato disease resistance and has great significance for loss reduction and income enhancement in the tomato industry.
TIR1/AFB proteins: Active players in abiotic and biotic stress signaling
Authors: Du Wenchao , Lu Yang , Li Qiang , Luo Shuangxia , Shen Shuxing , Li Na , Chen Xueping
Published: November 2022

The TIR1/AFB family of proteins is a group of functionally diverse auxin receptors that are only found in plants. TIR1/AFB family members are characterized by a conserved N-terminal F-box domain followed by 18 leucine-rich repeats. In the past few decades, extensive research has been conducted on the role of these proteins in regulating plant development, metabolism, and responses to abiotic and biotic stress. In this review, we focus on TIR1/AFB proteins that play crucial roles in plant responses to diverse abiotic and biotic stress. We highlight studies that have shed light on the mechanisms by which TIR1/AFB proteins are regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional as well as the downstream in abiotic or biotic stress pathways regulated by the TIR1/AFB family.
Interactive responses of root and shoot of camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora L.) to asymmetric disturbance treatments
Authors: Wang Hongbing , Hu Yonghong , Qin Jun , Guo Chenbing , Wu Duorun , Xing Qiang , Pan Lianlian , Xia Kangsheng , Shen Yajun , Guo Jingjing , Jiang Ran
Published: November 2022

Plant root and shoot growth are closely interrelated, though the connotation of root–shoot balance should not be limited to their connectivity in biomass and physiological indicators. Their directional distribution of mass in architecture and the resulting root–shoot interactions are the keys to understanding the dynamic balance of the below- and above-ground organs related to tree anchorage. This study focuses on the 4-year-old camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphoraL.) as a system to observe the biomass distribution in response to the asymmetric disturbance treatments of biased root (BRT), inclined trunk (ITT), and half-crown (HCT) in a controlled cultivation experiment using the minirhizotron technique. We found an inverse relationship of biomass distribution of crowns to roots in BRT and opposite asymmetries of roots with crowns in response to the ITT and HCT treatments. We also observed higher net photosynthesis rate (Pn), water use efficiency, and chlorophyll content in the leaves on the side opposite the lean in ITT, and higherPn, transpiration rate, and chlorophyll content on the root-bias side in BRT, which is consistent with the nutrient allocation strategies of allocating nutrients across plant organs in an optimal way to obtain ‘functional equilibrium’ and adapt to the stressed environment. Furthermore, the asymmetrical growth transformation of first-level branch length from the root-bias side to the opposite side in BRT, and a similar transformation of root length from the crown-bias side to the opposite side in HCT, imbues further theoretical support of the nutrient allocation strategy and the biomechanical stability principle, respectively. In summary, this study is the first to identify opposite interaction between below- and above-ground biomass distributions of the camphor tree. The findings enrich the connotation of root–shoot interactions and help to realize root design for the silviculture management of urban forests.
CEOs’ leadership behaviors and new venture team stability: The effects of knowledge hiding and team collectivism
Authors: Ma Hongjia , Tang Sisi , Zhao Changyi
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The reasons for new venture team instability gradually have become a vital issue in the entrepreneurship literature. While chief executive officers’ (CEOs) leadership behaviors is regarded as a critical element of governance within new venture teams, few studies explored the role played by CEOs’ leadership behaviors in new venture team stability. Drawing on the transactional-transformational leadership model, this study divides CEOs’ leadership behaviors in new ventures into two categories, namely, transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. Based on the social exchange theory and the social information processing theory, this study constructs a moderating mediation model to understand how transformational and transactional leadership affects new venture team stability. In this model, knowledge hiding is used as mediating role and team collectivism is used as moderating role.

Design/methodology/approach

Three-wave and two-source data was collected from 66 new ventures in China and an ordinary least squares hierarchical regression model and Hayes’ moderated-mediation approach were applied to test the hypotheses.Findings-The results show transformational leadership and transactional leadership are positively related to new venture team stability. Knowledge hiding mediates the association between transformational leadership and new venture team stability and that between transactional leadership and new venture team stability. Moreover, a high level of team collectivism corresponds to a stronger relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge hiding and a greater indirect effect of transformational leadership on new venture team stability through knowledge hiding.

Originality/value

This study explores the mechanisms and boundary conditions of the effect of transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and new venture team stability, which is an enrichment to the study of governance within new venture teams. It enlightens managers to take effective measures to reduce knowledge hiding and maintain team stability in new venture teams.
Standing in customers’ shoes: How responsible leadership inhibits unethical pro-organizational behavior
Authors: Cheng Ken , Guo Limin , Lin Yinghui , Hu Panpan , Hou Changchang , He Jiaying
Published: November 2022

Although the negative impact of responsible leadership on employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior has been documented in the literature, little is known about its underlying processes and boundaries. Drawing on social information processing theory and social learning theory, we built a moderated mediation model to explain why and when unethical pro-organizational behavior could be inhibited by responsible leadership. We conducted a two-phase questionnaire survey to collect data. The empirical results based on the sample of 557 Chinese salespeople showed that customer-oriented perspective taking partially mediated the negative link between responsible leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior and that leader competence strengthened the direct effects of responsible leadership on customer-oriented perspective taking and unethical pro-organizational behavior as well as the indirect effect of responsible leadership on unethical pro-organizational behavior via customer-oriented perspective taking. These findings enrich the current understanding of how responsible leadership relates to unethical pro-organizational behavior, extend the limited literature on customer-oriented perspective taking, and offer some suggestions that managers can follow to inhibit unethical pro-organizational behavior. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.
Validation of the Chinese version of the physical education teacher job satisfaction scale
Authors: Yuan Junfeng , Zhang Liping , Weng Shaojing , Yin Yujia , Li Chen , Luo Lin
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to test the factor structure as well as the reliability of the Physical Education Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale (PETJSS).

Method

The scale’s structural validity, internal consistency and reliability were examined using CFA and Cronbach alpha. The predictive validity of the PETJSS was examined using Teacher Self-Efficacy (TSES-11) and the personal characteristics of the subjects.

Result

The three-factor structure of the PETJSS was confirmed. The PETJSS three-dimensional model had good internal consistency/reliability. The three dimensions of the PETJSS (colleague satisfaction, parent satisfaction and student behaviour satisfaction) explained 81.206% of the overall job satisfaction. Also, the PETJSS demonstrated the expected correlation with teachers’ self-efficacy, whilst the PETJSS test results were related to physical education teachers’ job titles.

Conclusion

The PETJSS (Chinese version) can be considered as a valid and reliable method.
Emotion regulation, academic buoyancy, and academic adjustment of university students within a self-determination theory framework: A systematic review
Authors: Kritikou Marina , Giovazolias Theodoros
Published: November 2022

Introduction

The transition from secondary to tertiary education seems to be a stressful period for many students since they need to adjust to the new academic environment.

Method

This article is a systematic review of 4,285 articles. The aim of this review was to investigate the factors in the university environment associated with emotion regulation, academic buoyancy, and academic adjustment of tertiary students within a self-determination theory framework in combination with the nascent third wave of Positive Psychology. Forty-one articles met the inclusion criteria, all of which were rated as either good or moderate quality.

Results

The bulk of the studies included in the systematic review reported individual factors, i.e., self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, academic factors, i.e., intention to drop out, learning climate, and family and social factors i.e., faculty, peer, and parental autonomy support.

Discussion

In accordance with the third wave of Positive Psychology that focuses on how interpersonal and ecological factors create nurturing environments and positive institutions, the systematic review highlighted the factors that institutes should consider in order to help students adjust better to the academic environment.
Improving motor skills and psychosocial behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder through an adapted judo program
Authors: Morales Jose , Pierantozzi Emanuela , Fukuda David H. , Garcia Vanessa , Guerra-Balic Miriam , Sevilla-Sánchez Marta , Carballeira Eduardo
Published: November 2022

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of an adapted judo program on the motor skills and psychosocial abilities of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Methods

All participants had been diagnosed with ASD and were assessed twice, one time at the start of the intervention and again 6 months later, with the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Third Edition (GARS-3). A one-way repeated measures MANOVA was carried out in order to evaluate these assessments, and a mediation analysis was done to determine the relationship between them.

Results

The experimental group significantly improved (p < 0.05) from the pre-test to the post-test for several subtests of the TGMD-3 and the GARS-3.

Conclusion

The study shows that participation in an adapted judo program clearly helps to improve the motor skills and psychosocial behaviors of children with ASD.
The moderating role of authenticity between experience economy and memory? The evidence from Qiong Opera
Authors: Chai Yong , Na Junli , Ma TianCheng , Tang Ying
Published: November 2022

Scholars have used the experience economy to analyze the behavior of tourists. However, in the field of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) tourism, the relationship between the experience economy and the behavior intention of tourists has not been studied. Scholars also point out that the relationship between the four dimensions of the experience economy is not static, and that aesthetic experience may be predictive of other dimensions. This study uses aesthetic experience as the starting point and constructs a theoretical model that includes the experience economy, the memories of ICH tourists, the perception of authenticity, and behavioral intentions. Qiong Opera, part of China’s national intangible cultural heritage, is used as a scenario in which to conduct empirical research. The results show that education, entertainment, and escape play a mediator role in the relationship between aesthetics and memory; memory plays a complete mediator role in the relationship between education, entertainment, escape, and behavioral intention; and authenticity plays a moderator role in the relationship between education, entertainment, escape, and memory. This study introduces the experience economy into ICH tourism. While expanding the application field of experience economy theory, it also provides theoretical and management inspiration for ICH tourism development.
Suffering doubly: Effect of cyberbullying on interpersonal deviance and dual mediating effects of emotional exhaustion and anger
Authors: Syed Nausheen , Hamid Abu Bakar Abdul , Su Xin , Bhatti Misbah Hayat
Published: November 2022

Research on employee harassment, in the form of workplace bullying, has increased over the past decade. However, there is little research on the prevalence and impact of cyberbullying, a type of cyber-related violence in the workplace. Thus, it would be interesting to examine the impact of cyberbullying on interpersonal deviance through the serial mediating effect of emotional exhaustion and anger. Drawing from the conservation of the resource theory and the affective event theory, this proposed study clarifies the mediating effects of emotional exhaustion and anger. The time lag approach was used to collect the data from the sample of 385 employees in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. By employing SPSS and PLS, bootstrapping was performed to conduct the mediation analysis. Findings indicated that workplace cyberbullying increased interpersonal deviance by enhancing emotional exhaustion and anger. The current research contributes to the literature by considering the behavioral outcomes of workplace cyberbullying with the practical implications for human resource practitioners.
From contact coverage to effective coverage of community care for patients with severe mental disorders: A real-world investigation from Italy
Authors: Corrao Giovanni , Monzio Compagnoni Matteo , Barbato Angelo , D’Avanzo Barbara , Di Fiandra Teresa , Ferrara Lucia , Gaddini Andrea , Saponaro Alessio , Scondotto Salvatore , Tozzi Valeria D. , Carle Flavia , Carbone Simona , Chisholm Daniel H. , Lora Antonio
Published: November 2022

Objectives

To measure the gap between contact and effective coverage of mental healthcare (MHC).

Materials and methods

45,761 newly referred cases of depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and personality disorder from four Italian regions were included. A variant of the self-controlled case series method was adopted to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for the relationship between exposure (i.e., use of different types of MHC such as pharmacotherapy, generic contact with the outpatient services, psychosocial intervention, and psychotherapy) and relapse (emergency hospital admissions for mental illness).

Results

11,500 relapses occurred. Relapse risk was reduced during periods covered by (i) psychotherapy for patients with depression (IRR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.91) and bipolar disorder (0.64; 0.29 to 0.99); (ii) psychosocial interventions for those with depression (0.74; 0.56 to 0.98), schizophrenia (0.83; 0.68 to 0.99), and bipolar disorder (0.55; 0.36 to 0.84), (iii) pharmacotherapy for patients with schizophrenia (0.58; 0.49 to 0.69), and bipolar disorder (0.59; 0.44 to 0.78). Coverage with generic care, in absence of psychosocial/psychotherapeutic interventions, did not affect risk of relapse.

Conclusion

This study ascertained the gap between contact and effective coverage of MHC and showed that administrative data can usefully contribute to assess the effectiveness of a mental health system.
Mental health and life satisfaction in East and West Germany: Effects of generation and migration of citizens
Authors: Beutel Manfred E. , Braunheim Lisa , Heller Ayline , Schmutzer Gabriele , Decker Oliver , Brähler Elmar
Published: November 2022

Objective

The reunification of Germany after the separation between 1949 and 1990 has offered a unique chance of studying the impact of socialization, political transformation, and migration on mental health. The purpose of this article was to compare mental distress, resources, and life satisfaction (1) between residents of East and West Germany and migrants who have fled from East to West Germany before reunification and (2) between three generations.

Methods

We assessed anxiety, depression, resilience, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, comparing groups based on their residency and migration, as well as three different birth cohorts. Using a representative survey of 2006, analyses of variance show the differences between these groups. Based on a representative survey (N = 4,530), the effects of gender (53.6% women), residency/migration (74.4% grown up in the West, 20.4% in the East, 5.3% migrants from the East to the West) from three generations (32% born until 1945, 39% until 1967, and 29% to 1989), and positive and negative mental health indicators were analyzed.

Results

Women reported higher distress and lower resilience. Residents of the Western states reported the lowest burden of distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and the highest overall life satisfaction, exceeding residents from the Eastern states and migrants from the Eastern to the Western states. Migrants from the Eastern to the Western states, however, reported the lowest resilience and self-esteem. They reported lower satisfaction with income, living conditions (compared to the Western residents), and the lowest levels of satisfaction with family (compared to East and West).

Conclusion

Overall, our data point to inequalities between the Eastern and Western states regarding mental health 16 years after reunification favoring the residents of the Western states by lower distress and life satisfaction. Our data attest to the stresses and adjustments associated with migration from the Eastern to the Western states before reunification. A lower level of mental health and life satisfaction in the oldest generation may be related to the sequelae of World War II and also to aging.
Intolerance of uncertainty and future career anxiety among Chinese undergraduate students during COVID-19 period: Fear of COVID-19 and depression as mediators
Authors: Zhou Tianshu , Bao Yuchang , Guo Danfeng , Bai Yunpeng , Wang Ruizhe , Cao Xinyue , Li Hebin , Hua Yidi
Published: November 2022

Uncertainty is mushrooming throughout COVID-19, and intolerance of uncertainty (IoU) nudges people into mental health difficulties involving fear, depression, and anxiety. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of depression and fear of COVID-19 (FoC) in the association between IoU and future career anxiety (FCA) among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study involved 1,919 Chinese undergraduate students from 11 universities in eight Chinese cities with an online self-administered survey that included demographic information, IoU, FoC, depression, and FCA completed by all participants. Our study demonstrated a positive relationship between IoU and FCA and the chain mediation effect of FoC and depression. Thus, understanding how FoC affects FCA not only informs university career professionals and assists students in preparing for employment, but also motivates schools to offer career opportunities workshops and, most importantly, provides mental health support to help students effectively cope with uncertainty and overcome COVID-19-related stress.
A capillary flow-driven microfluidic device for point-of-care blood plasma separation
Authors: Brakewood William , Lee Kiara , Schneider Lindsay , Lawandy Nabil , Tripathi Anubhav
Published: November 2022

Plasma has significant utility as an input for diagnostics and screening for conditions such as viral infections, cancer, and more. However, plasma is difficult to obtain at the point-of-care, as separation from whole blood is typically carried out via centrifugation. We have designed and optimized a low-cost, simple-to-operate microfluidic device which carries out the separation of plasma from whole blood. The device utilizes depth filtration as its separation mechanism and collects plasma via capillary action, allowing for operation without components that drive flow externally. We first optimized device dimensions and operating parameters and demonstrated consistent separation efficiencies for the samples with hematocrits ranging from 25–65%. The impact of input sample hematocrit percentage on flow rate through the device was also examined, with samples with hematocrits greater than 45% decreasing plasma flow rate. Lastly, we evaluated the ability of this device to produce plasma with a high protein concentration and found no significant difference between protein levels in samples from the device compared to samples produced via centrifugation. This system produced plasma with a maximum separation efficiency of 88.5% and achieved a maximum plasma volume of ∼14 μl from a 50 μl whole blood input. The low cost, simplicity of operation, and high plasma quality associated with this device give it many advantages in a point-of-care setting. This device could be integrated into plasma-based diagnostic workflows to increase access to various types of disease testing and monitoring.
Temporal evaluation and projections of meteorological droughts in the Greater Lake Malawi Basin, Southeast Africa
Authors: Mtilatila Lucy , Bronstert Axel , Vormoor Klaus
Published: November 2022

The study examined the potential future changes of drought characteristics in the Greater Lake Malawi Basin in Southeast Africa. This region strongly depends on water resources to generate electricity and food. Future projections (considering both moderate and high emission scenarios) of temperature and precipitation from an ensemble of 16 bias-corrected climate model combinations were blended with a scenario-neutral response surface approach to analyses changes in: (i) the meteorological conditions, (ii) the meteorological water balance, and (iii) selected drought characteristics such as drought intensity, drought months, and drought events, which were derived from the Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index. Changes were analyzed for a near-term (2021–2050) and far-term period (2071–2100) with reference to 1976–2005. The effect of bias-correction (i.e., empirical quantile mapping) on the ability of the climate model ensemble to reproduce observed drought characteristics as compared to raw climate projections was also investigated. Results suggest that the bias-correction improves the climate models in terms of reproducing temperature and precipitation statistics but not drought characteristics. Still, despite the differences in the internal structures and uncertainties that exist among the climate models, they all agree on an increase of meteorological droughts in the future in terms of higher drought intensity and longer events. Drought intensity is projected to increase between +25 and +50% during 2021–2050 and between +131 and +388% during 2071–2100. This translates into +3 to +5, and +7 to +8 more drought months per year during both periods, respectively. With longer lasting drought events, the number of drought events decreases. Projected droughts based on the high emission scenario are 1.7 times more severe than droughts based on the moderate scenario. That means that droughts in this region will likely become more severe in the coming decades. Despite the inherent high uncertainties of climate projections, the results provide a basis in planning and (water-)managing activities for climate change adaptation measures in Malawi. This is of particular relevance for water management issues referring hydro power generation and food production, both for rain-fed and irrigated agriculture.
Using deepfakes for experiments in the social sciences - A pilot study
Authors: Eberl Andreas , Kühn Juliane , Wolbring Tobias
Published: November 2022

The advent of deepfakes - the manipulation of audio records, images and videos based on deep learning techniques - has important implications for science and society. Current studies focus primarily on the detection and dangers of deepfakes. In contrast, less attention is paid to the potential of this technology for substantive research - particularly as an approach for controlled experimental manipulations in the social sciences. In this paper, we aim to fill this research gap and argue that deepfakes can be a valuable tool for conducting social science experiments. To demonstrate some of the potentials and pitfalls of deepfakes, we conducted a pilot study on the effects of physical attractiveness on student evaluations of teachers. To this end, we created a deepfake video varying the physical attractiveness of the instructor as compared to the original video and asked students to rate the presentation and instructor. First, our results show that social scientists without special knowledge in computer science can successfully create a credible deepfake within reasonable time. Student ratings of the quality of the two videos were comparable and students did not detect the deepfake. Second, we use deepfakes to examine a substantive research question: whether there are differences in the ratings of a physically more and a physically less attractive instructor. Our suggestive evidence points toward a beauty penalty. Thus, our study supports the idea that deepfakes can be used to introduce systematic variations into experiments while offering a high degree of experimental control. Finally, we discuss the feasibility of deepfakes as an experimental manipulation and the ethical challenges of using deepfakes in experiments.
On the importance of neutral composition and temperature measurements in the 100–200 km altitude region
Authors: Jones McArthur , Emmert John T. , Gan Quan , Yue Jia
Published: November 2022

Currently, thermospheric species densities and temperatures between ∼100 and 200 km are not known to the accuracy needed to fully characterize how the thermosphere transitions from a well-mixed atmosphere to a diffusively separated atmosphere with zero temperature gradient. This greatly inhibits scientific discovery attainable from either models or observations in this region, especially the understanding of mechanisms that drive thermosphere and ionospheric variability from space weather to climatological time scales. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance and critical need for new, global, height-resolved neutral composition (O, O2, N2) and temperature measurements in the new ignorosphere: the 100–200 km region of the thermosphere. We conclude with observation recommendations and requirements for new comprehensive composition and temperature measurements in the 100–200 km altitude region that would lead to significant advances in thermosphere-ionosphere science, space weather, and space climate.
The application, value, and impact of outcomes research in animal health and veterinary medicine
Authors: Dewsbury Diana M. A. , Renter David G. , Bradford Barry J. , DeDonder Keith D. , Mellencamp Marnie , Cernicchiaro Natalia
Published: November 2022

Outcomes research is a relatively recent field of study in animal health and veterinary medicine despite being well-established in human medicine. As the field of animal health is broad-ranging in terms of animal species, objectives, research methodologies, design, analysis, values, and outcomes, there is inherent versatility in the application and impact of the discipline of outcomes research to a variety of stakeholders. The major themes of outcomes relevant to the animal health industry have been distilled down to include, but are not limited to, health, production, economics, and marketing. An outcomes research approach considers an element of value along with an outcome of interest, setting it apart from traditional research approaches. Elements of value are determined by the stakeholders' use of products and/or services that meet or exceed functional, emotional, life-changing, and/or societal needs. Stakeholder perception of value depends on many factors such as the purpose of the animal (e.g., companion vs. food production) and the stakeholder's role (e.g., veterinarian, client, pet-owner, producer, consumer, government official, industry representative, policy holder). Key areas of application of outcomes research principles include comparative medicine, veterinary product development, and post-licensure evaluation of veterinary pharmaceuticals and/or biologics. Topics currently trending in human healthcare outcomes research, such as drug pricing, precision medicine, or the use of real-world evidence, offer novel and interesting perspectives for addressing themes common to the animal health sector. An approach that evaluates the benefits of practices and interventions to veterinary patients and society while maximizing outcomes is paramount to combating many current and future scientific challenges where feeding the world, caring for our aging companion animals, and implementing novel technologies in companion animal medicine and in production animal agriculture are at the forefront of our industry goals.
Do Neural Transformers Learn Human-Defined Concepts? An Extensive Study in Source Code Processing Domain
Authors: Ferretti Claudio , Saletta Martina
Published: November 2022

State-of-the-art neural networks build an internal model of the training data, tailored to a given classification task. The study of such a model is of interest, and therefore, research on explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) aims at investigating if, in the internal states of a network, it is possible to identify rules that associate data to their corresponding classification. This work moves toward XAI research on neural networks trained in the classification of source code snippets, in the specific domain of cybersecurity. In this context, typically, textual instances have firstly to be encoded with non-invertible transformation into numerical vectors to feed the models, and this limits the applicability of known XAI methods based on the differentiation of neural signals with respect to real valued instances. In this work, we start from the known TCAV method, designed to study the human understandable concepts that emerge in the internal layers of a neural network, and we adapt it to transformers architectures trained in solving source code classification problems. We first determine domain-specific concepts (e.g., the presence of given patterns in the source code), and for each concept, we train support vector classifiers to separate points in the vector activation spaces that represent input instances with the concept from those without the concept. Then, we study if the presence (or the absence) of such concepts affects the decision process of the neural network. Finally, we discuss about how our approach contributes to general XAI goals and we suggest specific applications in the source code analysis field.
Soil Moisture and Temperature Effects on Granule Dissolution and Urease Activity of Urea with and without Inhibitors—An Incubation Study
Authors: Ni Kang , Pacholski Andreas Siegfried
Published: November 2022

Urea granule dissolution in soil and soil urease activity are essential parameters for the accurate prediction of nitrogen dynamics after urea application, but both are scarcely studied. The response of urease activity to temperature is unclear under the addition of urease or nitrification inhibitors. In this study, we conducted laboratory incubation trials using glass jars with 100 g soil to quantify urea granule dissolution. Urease activity after urease and nitrification inhibitor addition were investigated in plastic bottles (5 g soil) under different temperatures. Inhibitor N-(2-nitrophenyl) phosphoric triamide (2-NPT), and a mixture of dicyandiamide and 1 H-1,2,4-triazol (DCD/HZ) were tested as urease and nitrification inhibitors separately and in combination. The dynamics of urease activity was fitted with Michaelis–Menten kinetics combined with the Van’t Hoff equation. At low soil moisture contents close to air-dry conditions (4–8% w/w water content), soil moisture was the dominant factor, but at higher soil moisture contents (28% and 48% w/w), temperature controlled the dissolution process. Dissolution could take several days or even longer at very dry soil conditions, while it was completed between a few hours and 24 h at high soil moisture levels. Urea with urease inhibitor formulation dissolved significantly slower at a moisture level of 28% (w/w). In the studied soil, urease activity varied between 2.9 and 54.4 mg NH4+-N kg−1 h−1. Across all urea concentrations, the addition of urease inhibitor 2-NPT significantly reduced urease activity. The relationship between urease activity and urea addition rate could be accurately described with Michaelis–Menten kinetics, and urease inhibitor addition reduced the temperature sensitivity of urease activity by 7%, while the nitrification inhibitor increased it by 4%. Parameter estimates and process characterization for urea granule dissolution and urea hydrolysis in this study are meaningful for and helpful in agricultural practice and the model simulation of soil nitrogen dynamics.
The Effect of the Method of Plant Protection on the Quality of Remontant Strawberry Cultivars Grown in a Gutter System under Covers
Authors: Błaszczyk Jan , Nawrocki Jacek , Łysiak Grzegorz P.
Published: November 2022

To maintain a constant supply of fresh fruit from May to November, producers increase the area of strawberry cultivation under shelters and grow strawberries that repeat fruiting. An additional problem is the reduction of available pesticides caused by the recommendations of the European Green Deal. For these reasons, the authors undertook to compare cultivars to determine which had the best quality fruits and whichplant wasmost resistant to the most dangerous pests.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the method of plant protection on the health and quality of the fruit yield of three remontant strawberry cultivars grown in a soilless medium. This study evaluated fruit yield and fruit quality as well as the contribution of pathogens to yield losses. For this purpose, standard phytopathological methods were used to identify the causes of disease symptoms on the fruit. At the same time, laboratory tests were carried out on the quality of the harvested strawberries, i.e., firmness and acidity of the fruit, soluble solids content, and respiration rate. The applied protection methods had little effect on the marketable yield and fruit size but had a significant impact on reducing fruit losses caused by the most common diseases. The effectiveness of individual protection methods inreducing the incidence of the tested pathogens and the effect on fruit quality parameters depended on the cultivar and growing season.
A Real-Time Adaptive Control System for Border Irrigation
Authors: Liu Kaihua , Jiao Xiyun , Li Jiang , Gu Zhe , Guo Weihua
Published: November 2022

The shortage of water resources makes it urgent to increase agricultural irrigation efficiency. In response to this need, this study develops a real-time adaptive control irrigation (RACI) system for border irrigation. Avoiding the need for traditional real-time control systems to calculate soil infiltration properties in real-time, RACI adjusts the inflow rate based on the difference between the actual and expected advance time. Simulations of the collected data are used to evaluate and analyze the sensitivity of RACI to input parameters, and field experiments were carried out to further verify the irrigation performance and efficiency. The experimental results indicate that RACI delivers an average application efficiency, distribution uniformity, requirement efficiency, and deep percolation of 0.930, 0.884, 0.954, and 0.070, respectively. A sensitivity analysis of irrigation input parameters (infiltration parameter, roughness coefficient, inflow rate, and slope) shows that the irrigation performance of RACI remains satisfactory even when the parameters are varied. Given the satisfactory irrigation performance and robustness and the more facile operation than traditional real-time control systems, RACI has the potential to become widely used.
Roles of Ghrelin and Leptin in Body Mass Regulation under Food Restriction Based on the AMPK Pathway in the Red-Backed Vole, Eothenomys miletus, from Kunming and Dali Regions
Authors: Liu Yuting , Jia Ting , Ren Yue , Wang Zhengkun , Zhu Wanlong
Published: November 2022

The phenotype plasticity of animals’ physiological characteristics is an important survival strategy to cope with environmental changes, especially the change in climate factors. Small mammals that inhabit seasonally changing environments often face the stress of food shortage in winter. This study measured and compared the thermogenic characteristics and related physiological indicators in the adenosine-5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway in Eothenomys miletus between Kunming (KM, n = 18) and Dali (DL, n = 18) under food restriction and refeeding. The results showed that food restriction and the region have significant effects on body mass, the resting metabolic rate (RMR), hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression, ghrelin levels in the stomach and serum, serum leptin level and the activity of AMPK, and malonyl CoA and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT-1) activity. Food restriction reduced the body mass, the gene expression of neuropeptide proopiomelanocortin (POMC), cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcription peptide (CART), and leptin level. However, the ghrelin concentration and AMPK activity increased. After refeeding, there was no difference in these physiological indexes between the food restriction and control groups. Moreover, the physiological indicators also showed regional differences, such as the body mass, POMC and CART gene expression, ghrelin concentration in the stomach and serum, and AMPK activity in DL changed more significantly. All these results showed that food restriction reduces energy metabolism in E. miletus. After refeeding, most of the relevant physiological indicators can return to the control level, indicating that E. miletus has strong phenotypic plasticity. Ghrelin, leptin, and the AMPK pathway play an important role in the energy metabolism of E. miletus under food restriction. Moreover, regional differences in physiological indicators under food restriction may be related to the different temperatures or food resources in different regions.
The Sulfide-Responsive SqrR/BigR Homologous Regulator YgaV of Escherichia coli Controls Expression of Anaerobic Respiratory Genes and Antibiotic Tolerance
Authors: Balasubramanian Rajalakshmi , Hori Koichi , Shimizu Takayuki , Kasamatsu Shingo , Okamura Kae , Tanaka Kan , Ihara Hideshi , Masuda Shinji
Published: November 2022

Compositions and activities of bacterial flora in the gastrointestinal tract significantly influence the metabolism, health, and disease of host humans and animals. These enteric bacteria can switch between aerobic and anaerobic growth if oxygen tension becomes limited. Interestingly, the switching mechanism is important for preventing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antibiotic tolerance. Studies have also shown that intracellular and extracellular sulfide molecules are involved in this switching control, although the mechanism is not fully clarified. Here, we found that YgaV, a sulfide-responsive transcription factor SqrR/BigR homolog, responded to sulfide compounds in vivo and in vitro to control anaerobic respiratory gene expression. YgaV also responded to H2O2 scavenging in the enteric bacterium Escherichia coli. Although the wild-type (WT) showed increased antibiotic tolerance under H2S-atmospheric conditions, the ygaV mutant did not show such a phenotype. Additionally, antibiotic sensitivity was higher in the mutant than in the WT of both types in the presence and absence of exogenous H2S. These results, therefore, indicated that YgaV-dependent transcriptional regulation was responsible for maintaining redox homeostasis, ROS scavenging, and antibiotic tolerance.
Research on Equipment and Algorithm of a Multimodal Perception Gameplay Virtual and Real Fusion Intelligent Experiment
Authors: Yang Lurong , Yuan Jie , Feng Zhiquan
Published: November 2022

Chemistry experiments are an important part of chemistry learning, and the development and application of virtual experiments have greatly enriched experimental teaching. However, in the existing virtual experiments, there are problems such as low human–computer interaction efficiency, poor user sense of reality and operation, and a boring experimental process. Therefore, this paper designs a multimodal perception gameplay virtual and real fusion intelligence laboratory (GVRFL). GVRFL uses virtual and real fusion methods to interactively complete chemical experiments, which greatly improves the user’s sense of reality and operation. This method proposes a multimodal intention active understanding algorithm to improve the efficiency of human–computer interaction and user experience and proposes a novel game-based virtual–real fusion intelligent experimental mode that adds gameplay to the process of virtual–real fusion experiments. The experimental results show that this method improves the efficiency of human–computer interaction and reduces the user’s operating load. At the same time, the interaction between the real experimental equipment and the virtual experimental scene greatly improves the user’s sense of reality and operation. The introduction of game elements into the process of virtual and real fusion experiments stimulates students’ interest in and enthusiasm for learning.
Tire Bubble Defect Detection Using Incremental Learning
Authors: Chang Chuan-Yu , Su You-Da , Li Wei-Yi
Published: November 2022

Digital shearography is a technique that has recently been applied to material inspections that cannot be performed by the naked eyes, including the detection of air bubble defects in tires. Although digital shearography detects bubbles that are not visible to the naked eyes, the process of determining tire defects still relies on field operators, with inconsistent results depending on the experiences of the field operator personnel. New or different types of bubble defects that AI models have not previously recognized are often missed, resulting in an inadequate quality detection model. In this paper, we propose a bubble defect detection method based on an incremental YOLO architecture. The data for this research was provided by the largest tire manufacturer in Taiwan. In our research, we classify the defects into six distinct categories, pre-process the images to allow better detections of less-noticeable defects, increase the amount of training data used, and generate an initial training model with the YOLO framework. We also propose an incremental YOLO method using small-model training for previously unobserved defects to improve the model detection rate. We have observed detection accuracy and sensitivity of 98% and 90% in the experimental results, respectively. The methods proposed in this paper can assist tire manufacturers in achieving semi-automatic quality inspections and labor cost reductions.
Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) as a Tool for Environmental Characterisation and Management of Mining Wastes: Benefits and Limits
Authors: Barago Nicolò , Pavoni Elena , Floreani Federico , Crosera Matteo , Adami Gianpiero , Lenaz Davide , Larese Filon Francesca , Covelli Stefano
Published: November 2022

Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is one of the main geochemical techniques employed in multi-elemental analysis screening for contaminated sites management. As the confidence of pXRF analyses are matrix-specific, efforts are made to provide studies of pXRF quality on different geochemical datasets, focusing on less investigated elements such as mercury (Hg) and antimony (Sb), to help both new and experienced users. The analysis of environmental solid samples from two decommissioned mining sites in NE Italy, characterised by Pb-Zn and (Hg-rich) Cu-Sb ore deposits, were prepared with two different protocols and compared with traditional destructive analyses. Sample composition was found strictly dependent to the occurrence of false positives and overestimation at low concentrations. In contrast, milling the sample did not produce major variations in the overall quality. Lead (Pb), Sb, and Zn reached the definitive data quality in at least one of the two datasets. Consequently, as far as a thorough QA/QC protocol is followed, pXRF can rapidly produce chemical data that is as accurate as that produced by destructive standard laboratory techniques, thus allowing to identify potential sources of contamination that could be reprocessed for the extraction of valuable elements and mitigating the dispersion of contaminants and ecological or health risks.
Effects of Voice and Lighting Color on the Social Perception of Home Healthcare Robots
Authors: Dou Xiao , Yan Li , Wu Kai , Niu Jin
Published: November 2022

The influence of matching between robots’ social cues on users’ social perceptions should be investigated systematically to better fit robots to their occupational roles. In this study, an experiment with 69 older and middle-aged participants was conducted to explore the effects of the voice and lighting color of a home healthcare robot on users’ social perception, which was measured by the Robotic Social Attributes Scale (RoSAS). The results indicated that voice and lighting color significantly affected social perceptions of the healthcare robot. Specifically, the adopted robot received high warmth ratings when it had an adult female voice or a child voice, whereas it received high competence ratings when it had an adult male voice. The robot received a high warmth rating and a high competence rating when warm and cool lighting were used, respectively, as visual feedback. Furthermore, a mismatch in the robot’s voice and lighting color was discovered to evoke feelings of discomfort. The findings of this study can be used as a reference to design robots with acceptable social perception and to expand the roles of social robots in the future.