bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prescribing tailored home exercise program to older adults in the community using a tailored self-modeled video: A pre-post study
Authors: Vaz Sharmila , Hang Jo-Aine , Codde Jim , Bruce David , Spilsbury Katrina , Hill Anne-Marie
Published: December 2022

Background

Community rehabilitation for older people after hospital discharge is necessary to regain functional ability and independence. However, poor adherence to exercise programs continues to hinder achieving positive health outcomes in older people. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of prescribing a tailored video self-modeled DVD-HEP for 6 weeks, on functional mobility, physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life, in a sample of frail older adults.

Materials and methods

A pre- and post-test intervention study design was conducted, with each participant acting as their own control. A convergent, parallel, mixed-methods approach involving quantitative, and qualitative data collection was used. Participants received an individualized assessment at baseline and subsequently were provided with a 30-min tailored 6-week self-modeled DVD-HEP that showed the physiotherapist instructing the participant. The physiotherapist phoned participants fortnightly to encourage engagement in the program and explore responses to it. Outcomes evaluated included functional mobility, balance, gait speed, and exercise self-efficacy.

Results

Participants (n = 15) showed clinically meaningful improvements at follow-up compared to baseline in functional mobility (TUGMCID = 3.4–3.5 s, 3-MWTMCID = 0.1–0.2 m/s) and gait speed (3-MWTMCID = 0.1–0.2 m/s). There were also significant improvements in balance and self-efficacy for exercise and a 2.5- and a 1.3-fold increase in moderate and light physical activity participation at follow-up compared to baseline. The deductive themes were: (i) Enjoyment, self-efficacy, and wellbeing; (ii) Achieving life goals; (iii) Background music as a motivator to adherence; and (iv) Enhanced motor performance and learning: Task goal mastery, multimodal feedback, autonomy to self-regulate learning. The new inductive theme was (v) Preference for in-person support for exercise.

Conclusion

Future studies are warranted to compare a tailored self-modeled video HEP to face-to-face programs and other digital health modalities to evaluate older adults' adherence levels and functional improvement.
Psychological distress facing the COVID-19 pandemic in dental interns from the Peruvian capital: A cross-sectional study under a multivariable regression model
Authors: Cayo-Rojas César , Córdova-Limaylla Nancy , Ladera-Castañeda Marysela , Briceño-Vergel Gissela , López-Gurreonero Carlos , Castro-Mena Manuel , Cornejo-Pinto Alberto , Agramonte-Rosell Regina , Cervantes-Ganoza Luis
Published: December 2022

Aim

Psychological distress can be considered a maladaptive response to a stressful situation that occurs when external events or stressors impose demands that cannot be coped with. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the sociodemographic factors associated with psychological distress in dental interns from the Peruvian capital facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

This analytical, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 392 Stomatology interns from the Peruvian capital from June to July 2022. The validated COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) scale to detect the levels of psychological distress consisted of four dimensions: negative mood, changes in behavior and cognitive skills, fatigue and hyperreactivity, and somatization. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact test were used for bivariable analysis. In addition, a logit model was used to assess the influence of variables: sex (X1), age group (X2), marital status (X3), monthly economic income (X4), working area in the capital city (X5), and living with people vulnerable to COVID-19 (X6), with the psychological distress levels, considering a significance p < 0.05.

Results

The prevalence of psychological distress in dental interns was severe in 6.4% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.9–8.8%] and mild in 37.8% (95% CI: 33.0–42.6%). According to bivariable analysis, the levels of psychological distress by COVID-19 were not significantly associated with sex (p = 0.190), age group (p = 0.418), marital status (p = 0.554), monthly economic income (p = 0.327), working area in the capital city (p = 0.993), and living with people vulnerable to COVID-19 (p = 0.134). In addition, according to the logistic regression analysis, none of the variables studied was considered an influential factor (p > 0.05) in psychological distress presented by dental interns.

Conclusion

The 44.2% of dental interns from the Peruvian capital presented psychological distress facing the COVID-19 pandemic, without any of the possible associated variables of this study significantly affecting this behavioral disorder.
Relevance maps: A weakly supervised segmentation method for 3D brain tumours in MRIs
Authors: Rajapaksa Sajith , Khalvati Farzad
Published: December 2022

With the increased reliance on medical imaging, Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have become an essential tool in the medical imaging-based computer-aided diagnostic pipelines. However, training accurate and reliable classification models often require large fine-grained annotated datasets. To alleviate this, weakly-supervised methods can be used to obtain local information such as region of interest from global labels. This work proposes a weakly-supervised pipeline to extract Relevance Maps of medical images from pre-trained 3D classification models using localized perturbations. The extracted Relevance Map describes a given region’s importance to the classification model and produces the segmentation for the region. Furthermore, we propose a novel optimal perturbation generation method that exploits 3D superpixels to find the most relevant area for a given classification using U-net architecture. This model is trained with perturbation loss, which maximizes the difference between unperturbed and perturbed predictions. We validated the effectiveness of our methodology by applying it to the segmentation of Glioma brain tumours in MRI scans using only classification labels for glioma type. The proposed method outperforms existing methods in both Dice Similarity Coefficient for segmentation and resolution for visualizations.
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli outbreaks in California’s leafy greens production continuum
Authors: Lacombe Alison , Quintela Irwin A. , Liao Yen-Te , Wu Vivian C.H.
Published: December 2022

Despite efforts to control pathogenic hazards in agriculture, leafy greens grown in California were the source of several high-profile outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analysis of the outbreaks found three reoccurring patterns with leafy greens contaminated with STEC, specifically E. coli O 157:H7, in 2018–2020: the presence of pathogenic E. coli, common geographical regions, and issues with activities on adjacent lands, such as cattle production and migratory birds. The FDA’s response to the recurring outbreaks associated with leafy greens is the Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan (LGAP). In partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a regulatory pathway was created for the approval of commercial sanitizers that can be applied to agricultural irrigation water to combat STEC, specifically E. coli O 157:H7. However, the protocol has several real-world limitations and economic consequences, such as the potential to overuse sanitizing products, thus adding disinfection by-products classified as pollutants. In addition, there have been several initiatives due to systems research on the local, state, and federal levels to provide technical assistance for the further improvement of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). This review considers the factors involved in leafy green production, such as agricultural water, climate change, and adjacent land use, contributing to increased susceptibility to pathogens contamination and how the implementation of sanitizers impacts food safety. The review discusses potential future improvements to agricultural water safety and quality in the context of improving food safety.
Space Weather: From solar origins to risks and hazards evolving in time
Authors: Buzulukova Natalia , Tsurutani Bruce
Published: December 2022

Space Weather is the portion of space physics that has a direct effect on humankind. Space Weather is an old branch of space physics that originates back to 1808 with the publication of a paper by the great naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (Von Humboldt, Ann. Phys. 1808, 29, 425–429), first defining a “Magnetische Ungewitter” or magnetic storm from auroral observations from his home in Berlin, Germany. Space Weather is currently experiencing explosive growth, because its effects on human technologies have become more and more diverse. Space Weather is due to the variability of solar processes that cause interplanetary, magnetospheric, ionospheric, atmospheric and ground level effects. Space Weather can at times have strong impacts on technological systems and human health. The threats and risks are not hypothetical, and in the event of extreme Space Weather events the consequences could be quite severe for humankind. The purpose of the review is to give a brief overall view of the full chain of physical processes responsible for Space Weather risks and hazards, tracing them from solar origins to effects and impacts in interplanetary space, in the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere and at the ground. In addition, the paper shows that the risks associated with Space Weather have not been constant over time; they have evolved as our society becomes more and more technologically advanced. The paper begins with a brief introduction to the Carrington event, arguably the greatest geomagnetic storm in recorded history. Next, the descriptions of the strongest known Space Weather processes are reviewed, tracing them from their solar origins. The concepts of geomagnetic storms and substorms are briefly introduced. The main effects/impacts of Space Weather are also considered, including geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) which are thought to cause power outages. The effects of radiation on avionics and human health, ionospheric effects and impacts, and thermosphere effects and satellite drag will also be discussed. Finally, we will discuss the current challenges of Space Weather forecasting and examine some of the worst-case scenarios.
Minimally invasive surgery in older children with Hirschsprung’s disease in a North African Country
Authors: Arafa Ahmed , Ragab Moutaz , Abdelazim Osama , Khedr Sayed , Mohamed Wesam
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Hirschsprung's disease (HSD) is a bowel congenital anomaly affecting mainly the enteric nervous system of the rectosigmoid region. Surgical resection of the aganglionic segment and restoration of bowel continuity via coloanal anastomosis is the main stay of treatment. In 1999, Georgeson et al. introduced a new minimally invasive approach as a standard for the pull-through mechanism. This study aims to evaluate the safety and possibility of the use of a laparoscope in older children with HSD with various techniques for HSD surgery.

Methods

This study was performed based on 20 patients diagnosed with HSD. The patients are older children, whose mean age is 3 years. The cases showing enterocolitis or obstruction were excluded from the study. We divided these cases into two groups: Group A, consisting of 10 cases where laparoscopic-aided transanal pull-through was done, and group B, in which the laparoscopic Duhamel procedure was done.

Results

We compared between two groups for the first year follow-up period. In Group A, there were two cases of stenosis that respond to regular dilation: one case of enterocolitis and one case of fecal incontinence. In Group B, we had two cases of constipation and three cases of enterocolitis. There was no anastomotic leak in both groups.

Conclusion

Minimally invasive surgery is safe in management of HSD in older children in one stage, either by using the Duhamel or transanal Swenson procedure.
Autologous blood resuscitation for large animals in a research setting using the Hemafuse device: Preliminary data of device use for controlled and real-world hemorrhage
Authors: Treffalls Rebecca N. , Lubas Matthew , Morrison Jonathan J. , Stonko David P.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

New low-cost technologies are needed to salvage lost blood in low-resource settings and large animal laboratories. The Hemafuse device is a simple mechanical device that can recover lost blood during surgery. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of this device for resuscitating large animals with controlled and unintended hemorrhage and to provide device considerations for use in this context.

Methods

This study had two experimental components: (1) the Hemafuse device was kept on-shelf and used as needed to assess real-world use for unintended hemorrhage during experiments, and (2) animals underwent a controlled hemorrhage protocol, where four anesthetized swine underwent aortic and external jugular vein catheterization for pressure monitoring. Animals were hemorrhaged into the pelvis, and the Hemafuse device was used to suction the blood through a filter and pushed into a heparinized bag for subsequent retransfusion. Blood samples were collected at baseline, hemorrhage, within the device, and post-retransfusion and laboratory tests were performed.

Results

Animals that underwent controlled hemorrhage had a baseline mean arterial pressure of 83.6 ± 7.8 mmHg, and central venous pressure of 12.8 ± 1.9 mmHg, with expected changes throughout hemorrhage and resuscitation. Following resuscitation, pH was similar to baseline (7.39 ± 0.05 vs. 7.31 ± 0.03,p= 0.24). Lactate increased throughout the experiment with no significant differences after autotransfusion compared to baseline (2.7 ± 0.7 vs. 4.1 ± 1.4 mmol/L,p= 0.37). There were no significant changes in metabolic physiology. Compared to baseline, the hemoglobin (7.8 ± 2.4 vs. 7.3 ± 1.8 g/dL,p= 0.74), hematocrit (23% ± 6.9 vs. 21.3% ± 5.6,p= 0.71), and activated clotting time (268.5 ± 44.5 vs. 193 ± 24.6 s,p= 0.35) were similar after retransfusion. When used for unintended hemorrhage, the animals were resuscitated using the device with a mean time to retransfusion time of 128.7 ± 13.3 s and 100% survival throughout the experiment.

Conclusion

The Hemafuse device is feasible and efficacious for supporting large animal resuscitation. This is preliminary evidence that the device is a low-risk and low-cost off-the-shelf option for resuscitation using autologous blood with no significant effect on physiology post-retransfusion. We recommend that research laboratories consider the Hemafuse device for emergency use, particularly for highly invasive surgical laboratories where banked blood is not readily available.
Detection of rabies virus via exciton energy transfer between CdTe quantum dots and Au nanoparticles
Authors: Liao Yan-Juan , Li Duo-Duo , Cai Zong-Ling , Cao Ying , Yu Dong-Ling , Zhang Hong-Yun , Kiflu Abraha Bahlbi , Huang Zai Yin , Li Xiao-Ning , Luo Ting Rong
Published: December 2022

Rabies is a fatal encephalitis caused by the rabies virus. The diagnosis of the disease depends in large part on the exposure history of the victim and clinical manifestations of the disease. Rapid rabies diagnosis is an important step in its prevention and control. Therefore, for accurate and timely diagnosis and prevention of rabies, we developed nanomaterials for a novel photoelectrochemical biosensing approach (PBA) for the rapid and reliable diagnosis of rabies virus. This approach uses high-efficiency exciton energy transfer between cadmium telluride quantum dots and Au nanoparticles and is low cost, and easy to miniaturize. By constructing PBA, rabies virus can be detected quickly and with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity; the minimum detection concentration limit for rabies virus is approximately 2.16 ffu/mL of rabies virus particles, or 2.53 × 101 fg/mL of rabies virus RNA. PBA could also detect rabies virus in the brain and lung tissue from rabid dogs and mice with better sensitivity than RT-PCR.
Diverse roles of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins in viral life cycle
Authors: Bhattarai Krishna , Holcik Martin
Published: December 2022

Understanding the host-virus interactions helps to decipher the viral replication strategies and pathogenesis. Viruses have limited genetic content and rely significantly on their host cell to establish a successful infection. Viruses depend on the host for a broad spectrum of cellular RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) throughout their life cycle. One of the major RBP families is the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) family. hnRNPs are typically localized in the nucleus, where they are forming complexes with pre-mRNAs and contribute to many aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. hnRNPs contain RNA binding motifs and frequently function as RNA chaperones involved in pre-mRNA processing, RNA splicing, and export. Many hnRNPs shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and influence cytoplasmic processes such as mRNA stability, localization, and translation. The interactions between the hnRNPs and viral components are well-known. They are critical for processing viral nucleic acids and proteins and, therefore, impact the success of the viral infection. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms by which hnRNPs interact with and regulate each stage of the viral life cycle, such as replication, splicing, translation, and assembly of virus progeny. In addition, we expand on the role of hnRNPs in the antiviral response and as potential targets for antiviral drug research and development.
Climate Stress Test: The Impact of Carbon Price Shock on the Probability of Default in the Hungarian Banking System
Authors: Várgedő Bálint
Published: December 2022

This study presents the methodology and results of a transition risk climate stress test carried out for credit institutions, focusing on the methodology of a sectoral module developed for the analysis. Using a sectoral network derived from an inputoutput table, the sectoral module distributes a price shock between activities with higher greenhouse gas emission intensity and the related sectors. Results suggest that the sectors with the largest exposure to transition are electricity and gas supply. The probability of default for these two sectors may increase by 1.5 to 2.3 percentage points compared to the baseline. The transition risks for various sectors are highly heterogeneous. Based on Monte Carlo simulations, the extent of the transition risks for Hungarian banks also varies significantly. The advantage of this methodology lies in its ability to estimate the magnitude of macroeconomic shocks and the transition differences across sectors, and its ease of integration into stress testing processes.
MIRROR: Methodological Innovation to Remodel the Electric Loads to Reduce Economic OR Environmental Impact of User
Authors: Chimienti Michela , Danzi Ivan , Impedovo Donato , Pirlo Giuseppe , Semeraro Gianfranco , Veneto Davide
Published: December 2022

Demand for electricity is constantly increasing, and production is facing new constraints due to the current world situation. An alternative to standard energy production methodologies is based on the use of renewable sources; however, these methodologies do not produce energy consistently due to weather factors. This results in a significant commitment of the user who must appropriately distribute loads in the most productive time slots. In this paper, a comparison is made between two methods of predicting solar energy production, one statistical and the other meteorological. For this work, a system capable of presenting the scheduling of household appliances is tested. The system is able to predict the energy consumption of the users and the energy production of the solar system. The system is tested using data from three different users, and the mean percentage of consumption reduction is about 77.73%. This is achieved through optimized programming of appliance use that also considers user comfort.
On the Semi-Local Convergence of Two Competing Sixth Order Methods for Equations in Banach Space
Authors: Argyros Ioannis K. , Shakhno Stepan , Regmi Samundra , Yarmola Halyna
Published: December 2022

A plethora of methods are used for solving equations in the finite-dimensional Euclidean space. Higher-order derivatives, on the other hand, are utilized in the calculation of the local convergence order. However, these derivatives are not on the methods. Moreover, no bounds on the error and uniqueness information for the solution are given either. Thus, the advantages of these methods are restricted in their application to equations with operators that are sufficiently many times differentiable. These limitations motivate us to write this paper. In particular, we present the more interesting semi-local convergence analysis not given previously for two sixth-order methods that are run under the same set of conditions. The technique is based on the first derivative that only appears in the methods. This way, these methods are more applicable for addressing equations and in the more general setting of Banach space-valued operators. Hence, the applicability is extended for these methods. This is the novelty of the paper. The same technique can be used in other methods. Finally, examples are used to test the convergence of the methods.
Decentralized Identity Authentication with Auditability and Privacy
Authors: Alangot Bithin , Szalachowski Pawel , Dinh Tien Tuan Anh , Meftah Souhail , Gana Jeff Ivanos , Aung Khin Mi Mi , Li Zengpeng
Published: December 2022

Decentralized identity (DID) systems aim to give users full control over their identities by using completely decentralized technologies, such as blockchain or distributed ledgers, as identity providers. However, when user credentials are compromised, it is impossible in existing DID systems for the users to detect credential misuse. In this paper, we propose new DID authentication protocols with two properties: auditability and privacy. The former enables the detection of malicious authentication events, while the latter prevents an adversary from linking an authentication event to the corresponding user and service provider. We present two protocols that achieve auditability with varying privacy and performance guarantees. The first protocol has high performance, but it reveals information about the user. The second protocol achieves full privacy, but it incurs a higher performance overhead. We present a formal security analysis of our privacy-preserving protocols by using the Tamarin prover. We implemented them and evaluated their performance with a permissioned blockchain deployed over the Amazon AWS and a local cloud infrastructure. The results demonstrate that the first protocol is able to support realistic authentication workloads, while the second is nearly practical.
Algorithmic Design of Geometric Data for Molecular Potential Energy Surfaces
Authors: Cruz Ahyssa R. , Ermler Walter C.
Published: December 2022

A code MolecGeom, based on algorithms for stepwise distortions of bond lengths, bond angles and dihedral angles of polyatomic molecules, is presented. Potential energy surfaces (PESs) are curated in terms of the energy for each molecular geometry. PESs based on the Born–Oppenheimer approximation, by which the atomic nuclei within a molecule are assumed stationary with respect to the motion of its electrons, are calculated. Applications requiring PESs involve the effects of nuclear motion on molecular properties. These include determining equilibrium geometries corresponding to stationary and saddle point energies, calculating reaction rates and predicting vibrational spectra. This multi-objective study focuses on the development of a new method for the calculation of PESs and the analysis of the molecular geometry components in terms of incremental changes that provide comprehensive sampling while preserving the precision of PES points. MolecGeom is applied to generate geometric data to calculate PESs for theoretical calculations of vibrational-rotational spectra of water and formaldehyde. An ab initio PES comprising 525 and 2160 intramolecular nuclear configurations results in vibrational frequencies in agreement with experiment, having errors less than 0.08% and 0.8%, respectively. Vinyl alcohol, with a total of 14 internal coordinates, generates a PES of 1458 unique geometries. Ascorbic acid, with 54 internal coordinates, generates a 1,899,776 point PES.
Predicting Dissolution Kinetics of Tricalcium Silicate Using Deep Learning and Analytical Models
Authors: Han Taihao , Ponduru Sai Akshay , Reka Arianit , Huang Jie , Sant Gaurav , Kumar Aditya
Published: December 2022

The dissolution kinetics of Portland cement is a critical factor in controlling the hydration reaction and improving the performance of concrete. Tricalcium silicate (C3S), the primary phase in Portland cement, is known to have complex dissolution mechanisms that involve multiple reactions and changes to particle surfaces. As a result, current analytical models are unable to accurately predict the dissolution kinetics of C3S in various solvents when it is undersaturated with respect to the solvent. This paper employs the deep forest (DF) model to predict the dissolution rate of C3S in the undersaturated solvent. The DF model takes into account several variables, including the measurement method (i.e., reactor connected to inductive coupled plasma spectrometer and flow chamber with vertical scanning interferometry), temperature, and physicochemical properties of solvents. Next, the DF model evaluates the influence of each variable on the dissolution rate of C3S, and this information is used to develop a closed-form analytical model that can predict the dissolution rate of C3S. The coefficients and constant of the analytical model are optimized in two scenarios: generic and alkaline solvents. The results show that both the DF and analytical models are able to produce reliable predictions of the dissolution rate of C3S when it is undersaturated and far from equilibrium.
Natural Characteristics Analysis for the Spacecraft Equipped with Constructed Cantilever Solar Panels
Authors: Cao Yuteng , Zhang Xudong , Cao Dengqing , Hao Yuxin
Published: December 2022

The power series polynomial constraining method is proposed in this paper. The dynamical model of the cantilever plate can be established by applying the constraint, which is different from the traditional polynomial. Firstly, the characteristic orthogonal polynomial was used to describe the displacement field of the rectangular plate of which all edges are free. Then the four-sided free plate was equivalent to cantilever plate by power series multiplier constraint method. The characteristic equation of the constructed cantilever plate was obtained by the Rayleigh–Ritz method. Natural frequencies and modal shapes of the plate were obtained by solving the characteristic equation. Next, the proposed method was adopted to establish dynamical model of a pair of solar panels clamped on the central platform symmetrically. The convergence of the proposed method was verified by comparing the calculated results of the cantilever plate with that of the finite element software ANSYS 15.0. The optimum order the power series polynomial was obtained by comparing different results. The analysis of the dynamical characteristics of the cantilever plate and the spacecraft demonstrates the validation of the proposed method. This method can provide a new idea for the plate with local edge constrained.
Response of Field Pea and Common Vetch, Grown as a Catch Crop, on the Sowing Method
Authors: Wilczewski Edward , Sokół Beata , Nowicki Radosław , Jug Irena , Pietrzykowski Krzysztof , Gałęzewski Lech
Published: December 2022

In temperate climate zones, long periods without rainfall or with excessive rainfall are common during sowing and the initial vegetation of a catch crop. These periods can result in poor emergence and/or low yields. The study aimed to determine the influence of the depth of furrow sowing of catch crops on the soil moisture in the immediate vicinity of the seeds sown (1), dynamics of germination and plant emergence (2), and the biomass yield (3). Three furrow sowing depths (4–5 cm FS-S, 6–7 cm FS-M, and 8–9 cm FS-D) were tested and compared with traditional sowing (TS) in the cultivation of field pea and spring vetch catch crops. High amounts of precipitation were stated in the study period, especially in years 2016 and 2017. Furrow sowing enabled placing seeds in soil layers characterized by higher moisture content than traditional sowing. The sowing method did not significantly affect the plant density in any of the three years of the study. Field pea turned out to be a more valuable species for cultivation in catch crops in conditions with excessive precipitation. This plant produced a significantly greater yield of above-ground dry matter and total biomass than spring vetch. The sowing method did not affect the yield of catch crop biomass in study conditions.
New, Low-Cost, Hand-Held Multispectral Device for In-Field Fruit-Ripening Assessment
Authors: Noguera Miguel , Millan Borja , Andújar José Manuel
Published: December 2022

The state of ripeness at harvest is a key piece of information for growers as it determines the market price of the yield. This has been traditionally assessed by destructive chemical methods, which lead to low-spatiotemporal resolution in the monitorization of crop development and poor responsiveness for growers. These limitations have shifted the focus to remote-sensing, spectroscopy-based approaches. However, most of the research focusing on these approaches has been accomplished with expensive equipment, which is exorbitant for most users. To combat this issue, this work presents a low-cost, hand-held, multispectral device with original hardware specially designed to face the complexity related to in-field use. The proposed device is based on a development board (AS7265x, AMS AG) that has three sensor chips with a spectral response of eighteen channels in a range from 410 to 940 nm. The proposed device was evaluated in a red-grape field experiment. Briefly, it was used to acquire the spectral signature of eighty red-grape samples in the vineyard. Subsequently, the grape samples were analysed using standard chemical methods to generate ground-truth values of ripening status indicators (soluble solid content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA)). The eighteen pre-process reflectance measurements were used as input for training artificial neural network models to estimate the two target parameters (SSC and TA). The developed estimation models were evaluated through a leave-one-out cross-validation approach obtaining promising results (R2 = 0.70, RMSE = 1.21 for SSC; and R2 = 0.67, RMSE = 0.91 for TA).
The Macroalgal Biostimulant Improves the Functional Quality of Tomato Fruits Produced from Plants Grown under Salt Stress
Authors: Chanthini Kanagaraj Muthu-Pandian , Senthil-Nathan Sengottayan , Pavithra Ganesh-Subbaraja , Asahel Arul-Selvaraj , Malarvizhi Pauldurai , Murugan Ponnusamy , Deva--Andrews Arulsoosairaj , Sivanesh Haridoss , Stanley-Raja Vethamonickam , Ramasubramanian Ramakrishnan , Ghaith Aml , Abdel-Megeed Ahmed , Krutmuang Patcharin
Published: December 2022

Among the most perilous factors affecting tomato plant functioning and yield is salinity. The efficacy of halotolerant marine macroalgal extract of Chaetomorpha antennina (Seaweed Extract—SWE) in mitigating the toxic effects of salt stress (150 mM) in tomato plants to promote and enhance both plant functionality and yield was tested. It was evident that salt stress undesirably affected germination and plant growth in terms of quality and quantity. Treatment with SWE improved the functionality of salt-strained tomato plants by enhancing their germination indexes, growth and morphological traits, and photosynthetic pigments, as well as protein and phenol concentrations. SWE also exerted a positive influence on protecting the plant against salt stress by increasing the synthesis and accumulation of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and lipoxygenase enzymes, along with the contents of lycopene and vitamin C. SWE also increased the nutraceutical quality, flavour and organolepty of emerged tomato fruits. GCMS analysis of fruit pericarp showed increased siloxane, phenol, antioxidant and indole acetic acid compounds, along with aromatic benzene compounds. These results indicate the potentiality of SWE in protecting plants against salt stress induced toxicities by prompting the synthesis of protective compounds such as siloxane and antioxidant enzymes. It was also noted that SWE plays a crucial role in promoting plant growth and survivability by improving plant functionality, yield and nutrition, by promoting cultivation in saline soils in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner.
Assessing the Relative Importance of Climatic and Hydrological Factors in Controlling Sap Flow Rates for a Riparian Mixed Stand
Authors: Reading Lucy , Corbett Nelson , Holloway-Brown Jacinta , Bellis Laura
Published: December 2022

Evapotranspiration by phreatophytes in riparian zones makes up a large component of the water balance. However, our understanding of the relative importance of controlling factors such as climatic conditions, species type, depth to groundwater and distance to surface water in riparian zones remains a significant knowledge gap. A field experiment was conducted in an irrigated catchment in North Queensland, Australia, to investigate the factors controlling evapotranspiration by groundwater dependent trees. The sap flow of four tree species was measured, along with soil moisture, groundwater levels and local climatic conditions. The relative influence of species, hydrologic and climate factors, and measured variables were investigated with two non-parametric methods: random forest and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Field monitoring data revealed differences in sap flow rates and diurnal sap flow trends between species. Distance from surface water explained the most variance in sap flow rates, followed by depth to groundwater and species, based on random forest modeling. The sap flow rates for some of the Eucalyptus tessellaris trees at this site reduced as groundwater levels declined. Overall, results demonstrate the value that can be gained from applying non-parametric methods, such as random forest and PCA, to investigate the relative importance of the factors influencing evapotranspiration.
Effects of Dietary Protein Restriction on Colonic Microbiota of Finishing Pigs
Authors: Liu Shanghang , Fan Zhiyong
Published: December 2022

This study is aimed at the effects of low-protein diets with four amino acids balanced on serum biochemical parameters and colonic microflora of finishing pigs. Fifty-four healthy (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) hybrid barrows with an average body weight of 70.12 ± 4.03 kg were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments with three barrows per pen and six pens per treatment. The barrows were fed a normal protein diet (NP), a low-protein diet (LP), and a very low-protein diet (VLP). Compared with the NP diet, reduced dietary protein did not influence serum biochemical parameters (p > 0.05). The valeric acid was significantly increased with the VLP diet (p < 0.05). Compared with the NP diets, the abundance of Terrisporobacter (13.37%) Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 (23.37%) and Turicibacter (2.57%) increased to 21.04, 33.42 and 13.68% in LP diets and 16.72, 43.71 and 14.61% in VLP diets, while the abundance of Lactobacillus (9.30%) and Streptococcus (25.26%) decreased to 3.57 and 14.50% in LP diets and 1.86 and 4.07% in VLP diets. Turicibacter and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_6 had a powerful negative correlation with the content of valeric acid (p < 0.01), while Peptococcus and Clostridia_UCG-014 had a very solid positive correlation (p < 0.01). In conclusion, reducing dietary protein level can improve colon microbiota composition, especially reducing the abundance of bacteria related to nitrogen metabolism, but has no significant effect on SCFA except valeric acid. In addition, reduction in the dietary protein level by 5.48% had more different flora than that of 2.74% reduction in dietary CP level.
Effect of Cultivar, Plant Spacing and Harvesting Age on Yield, Characteristics, Chemical Composition, and Anthocyanin Composition of Purple Napier Grass
Authors: Onjai-uea Narawich , Paengkoum Siwaporn , Taethaisong Nittaya , Thongpea Sorasak , Sinpru Boontum , Surakhunthod Jariya , Meethip Weerada , Purba Rayudika Aprilia Patindra , Paengkoum Pramote
Published: December 2022

Purple Napier grass is a semi-dwarf, purple-leaved Napier grass. The purple color is anthocyanins. Anthocyanin is classified as a group of flavonoids. It has antioxidant properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plant spacing and harvesting age on the forage yield, morphological characteristics, chemical composition, and anthocyanin composition of purple Napier grass. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of plant spacing and harvesting age on the forage yield, morphological characteristics, chemical composition, and anthocyanin composition of purple Napier grass when grown on a sandy soil. The cultivars were Napier Pakchong 1 (Pennisetum purpureum × Pennisetum americanum cv. Pakchong 1) and purple Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum “Prince”), with plant spacings of 50 × 50, 50 × 75, and 75 × 75 cm, and the harvesting ages were 45, 60, and 75 days. The experiment was a 2 × 3 × 3 factorial layout in a randomized complete block design with four replications, for a total of 72 plots, each 5 × 5 m. The purple Napier grass had a higher number of tillers per plant than the Napier Pakchong 1 grass. The LSR value (leaf/stem ratio) was influenced by the interaction of cultivar × plant spacing × harvesting age. The purple Napier grass planted at 75 × 75 cm for 45 days had the highest LSR value. The crude protein of the purple Napier grass, the grass planted at 75 × 75 cm, and the grass for 45 days were significantly higher than the other treatments. The purple Napier grass planted at 75 × 75 cm for 45 days had the highest (p < 0.05) anthocyanin content. It was concluded that purple Napier grass planted at 75 × 75 cm for 45 days would contain the proper number of tillers per plant, LSR value, chemical composition for ruminants, and the highest anthocyanin composition.
Effects of Breed, Exercise, and a Two-Month Training Period on NT-proBNP-Levels in Athletic Dogs
Authors: Ivasovic Frane , Matos J. Novo , Wyler Michele , Glaus Tony M.
Published: December 2022

N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) is a cardiac biomarker used to detect myocardial wall stress. Physical activity and cardiac disease can affect serum NTproBNP concentrations. In people, different types of physical activity have different effects on NTproBNP. Our hypothesis was that physical activity and training have an effect on NTproBNP concentrations depending on the type of exercise and the intensity. Seven German Shepherd dogs (GSD) under military training performing short bursts of fast-paced interval exercise and seven Eurohounds (EHs) training for racing competition with endurance exercise were included in the study. Blood samples were taken at enrollment (T0) and after a two-month (T2mth) training period; on both occasions, the samples were acquired before and after physical exercise. An echocardiographic evaluation was performed at T0. Echocardiographic heart size was larger in the EHs compared to the GSDs. The NTproBNP concentration was higher in the EHs than in the GSDs before and after exercise at T0 and T2mth. Echocardiographic parameters of heart size and wall thickness correlated with NTproBNP at T0 before and after exercise. Exercise induced an elevation of NTproBNP in the EHs at T0 and T2mth, while in the GSDs this was observed only at T0. In the EHs, post exercise was associated with higher NTproBNP at T2mth compared to T0, while in the GSDs the opposite pattern was noticed. From our study, the serum NTproBNP concentration differs between breeds. Intense physical activity causes an increase in NTproBNP. A two-month training period does not affect the NTproBNP concentration at rest. Intense physical activity may increase NTproBNP above the reference range in individual dogs.
A Brief Review of Meiotic Chromosomes in Early Spermatogenesis and Oogenesis and Mitotic Chromosomes in the Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara (Squamata: Lacertidae) with Multiple Sex Chromosomes
Authors: Kupriyanova Larissa , Safronova Larissa
Published: December 2022

This brief review is focused on the viviparous lizard Zootoca vivipara (Lichtenstein, 1823), of the family Lacertidae, which possesses female heterogamety and multiple sex chromosomes (male 2n = 36, Z1Z1Z2Z2/Z1Z2W, female 2n = 35, with variable W sex chromosome). Multiple sex chromosomes and their changes may influence meiosis and the female meiotic drive, and they may play a role in reproductive isolation. In two cryptic taxa of Z. vivipara with different W sex chromosomes, meiosis during early spermatogenesis and oogenesis proceeds normally, without any disturbances, with the formation of haploid spermatocytes, and in female meiosis with the formation of synaptonemal complexes (SCs) and the lampbrush chromosomes. In females, the SC number was constantly equal to 19 (according to the SC length, 16 SC autosomal bivalents plus three presumed SC sex chromosome elements). No variability in the chromosomes at the early stages of meiotic prophase I, and no significant disturbances in the chromosome segregation at the anaphase–telophase I stage, have been discovered, and haploid oocytes (n = 17) at the metaphase II stage have been revealed. There should be a factor/factors that maintain the multiple sex chromosomes, their equal transmission, and the course of meiosis in these cryptic forms of Z. vivipara.
Optimal Levels of Fish Meal and Methionine in Diets for Juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei to Support Maximum Growth Performance with Economic Efficiency
Authors: Nunes Alberto J. P. , Masagounder Karthik
Published: December 2022

This work investigated the optimal levels of fish meal (FML) and dietary methionine (Met) required for maximum growth performance of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei with economic efficiency. Four sets of diets were prepared to contain 0.00, 6.00, 12.00 and 18.00% FML. Each set was supplemented with DL-methionyl-DL-methionine (DL-Met-Met) to result in a total dietary Met (Met + Cys) content of 0.58 (1.05), 0.69 (1.16), and 0.82% (1.29%), on a fed basis. Shrimp of 1.00 ± 0.08 g were stocked in 60 outdoor tanks of 1 m3 with 100 shrimp/m2, allowing five replications per dietary group. Shrimp in all the groups were fed 10 times daily for 70 days. In a subsequent trial, dietary protein and amino acid digestibility of four FML groups, but only at high dietary Met levels (~0.82%), were evaluated in 40 60 L indoor tanks (11 replicates per diet) for 93 days with 70 shrimp/m2. Final shrimp survival (92.85 ± 4.82%, mean ± standard deviation), weekly weight gain (1.17 ± 0.08 g), apparent feed intake (13.3 ± 0.5 g of feed per stocked shrimp), and feed conversion ratio (1.18 ± 0.06) were unaffected by dietary FML level and Met content. Gained yield was adversely affected when FML was reduced from 18 and 12% (1156 and 1167 g/m2, respectively) to 0 (1090 g/m2), but no change was observed at 6% (1121 g/m2). A significant interaction was detected between FML level and dietary Met. Under 0 and 6% FML conditions, higher levels of total dietary Met, 0.69 and 0.82%, respectively, were required to maximize shrimp BW. In comparison, at 12 and 18% FML, a dietary Met content of only 0.58% was sufficient. Overall, results indicated the use of FML can be minimized or completely eliminated without major detrimental effects on feed digestibility or shrimp growth performance, as long as proper supplementation of Met is carried out. Diets with 0 FML or with only 6% delivered the highest profit and return on investment compared to diets with higher levels.
An Epidemiological Investigation and Drug-Resistant Strain Isolation of Nematodirus oiratianus in Sheep in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Liu Yang , Wang Penglong , Wang Rui , Li Junyan , Zhai Bintao , Luo Xiaoping , Yang Xiaoye
Published: December 2022

Nematodirus causes major economic losses in the development of the livestock industry, as they are common gastrointestinal parasites of cattle, sheep, and other ruminants. The present study investigated Nematodirus infections in sheep in the Hulunbuir and Xilingol Grasslands, two well-known natural pastures in Inner Mongolia, China. The results indicated that the average infection rate was more than 50%. Furthermore, a naturally occurring strain of Nematodirus was obtained using numerous isolation methods in the survey region. Conventional morphology and molecular biology were used to identify the strain. The larval migration inhibition test was used to determine the ivermectin level in the isolated strain. The results indicated that the larvae belonged to the species Nematodirus oiratianus. The strain was found to be ivermectin-resistant. Thus, these results recorded the detailed development processes of Nematodirus eggs, providing novel insights regarding the prevention and control of nematodes by using conventional anthelmintic regimens and by offering valuable species resources for studying anthelmintic resistance in nematodes.
Companion Cats Show No Effect of Trial-and-Error Learning Compared to Dogs in a Transparent-Obstacle Detour Task
Authors: Shajid Pyari Muhzina , Vékony Kata , Uccheddu Stefania , Pongrácz Péter
Published: December 2022

We tested companion cats and dogs in similar indoor conditions using identical procedures in the classic detour task around a V-shaped transparent wire-mesh fence. Besides the control group, we used two types of laser light-pointing demonstration (moving around the fence, or pointing straight at the reward). We found that dogs reached the food reward faster than cats; across consecutive trials, only the dogs showed improvement in their speed and dogs continued to use the same side for detouring after a preceding successful attempt, while cats chose the side for detouring irrespective of their previous successful trials. In addition, ‘demonstrating’ a detour with the laser did not influence the speed or direction of the detour of the subjects; and dogs looked back to their owner more frequently than the cats did. We discuss the possibility that for dogs, detouring along a transparent obstacle represents a more problematic task than for cats; therefore, dogs strongly rely on their previous experiences. This is the first time that cats were successfully tested in this detour paradigm in direct comparison with dogs. The results are relevant from the aspect of testing cognitive performance in companion cats, which are known to be notoriously reluctant to engage with novel experimental situations.