bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agronomic evaluation of shade tolerance of 16 spring Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz genotypes under different artificial shade levels using a modified membership function
Authors: Wang Yawen , Yu Jialin , Gao Yang , Li Zhiwei , Kim Do-Soon , Chen Min , Fan Yi , Zhang Haixi , Yan Xuebing , Zhang Chuan-Jie
Published: August 2022

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is currently gaining considerable attention as a potential oilseed feedstock for biofuel, oil and feed source, and bioproducts. Studies have shown the potential of using camelina in an intercropping system. However, there are no camelina genotypes evaluated or bred for shade tolerance. The objective of this study was to evaluate and determine the shade tolerance of sixteen spring camelina genotypes (growth stage: BBCH 103; the plants with 4–5 leaves) for intercropping systems. In this study, we simulated three different shade levels, including low (LST), medium (MST), and high shade treatments (HST; 15, 25, and 50% reduction of natural light intensity, respectively), and evaluated the photosynthetic and physiological parameters, seed production, and seed quality. The mean chlorophyll pigments, including the total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a and b across the 16 genotypes increased as shade level increased, while the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Fv/Fm, chlorophyll a/b, leaf area, the number of silicles and branches plant−1 decreased as shade level increased. The first day of anthesis and days of flowering duration of camelina treated with shade were significantly delayed and shortened, respectively, as shade increased. The shortened lifecycle and altered flowering phenology decreased camelina seed yield. Additionally, the shade under MST and HST reduced the seed oil content and unsaturated fatty acids, but not saturated fatty acids. The dendrograms constructed using the comprehensive tolerance membership values revealed that CamK9, CamC4, and ‘SO-40’ were the relatively shade-tolerant genotypes among the 16 camelina genotypes. These camelina genotypes can grow under the shade level up to a 25% reduction in natural light intensity producing a similar seed yield and seed oil quality, indicating the potential to intercrop with maize or other small grain crops. The present study provided the baseline information on the response of camelina genotypes to different shade levels, which would help in selecting or breeding shade-tolerant genotypes.
Prevalence and correlates of suicide attempts in Chinese individuals with borderline personality disorder
Authors: Yang Fan , Tong Jun , Zhang Shu-Fang , Zhang Juan , Zhong Bao-Liang
Published: August 2022

Background

To date, few empirical studies have examined the clinical characteristics of suicide attempts (SA) in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in China.

Aims

To examine the prevalence and factors associated with SA in Chinese individuals with BPD.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 84 patients with BPD were recruited from a large public psychiatric hospital in Wuhan, China, between 2013 and 2015. Trained experienced psychiatrists interviewed participants to collect clinical data, including demographics, axis I and axis II diagnoses of mental disorders according to the DSM-IV-TR, number of hospitalizations, and history of SA. An interview outline was used to identify the existence of lifetime SA. In addition, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Buss & Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Child Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and Beck Hopelessness Scale were administered to assess respondents’ depressive symptoms, aggression, childhood traumatic experiences, and hopelessness.

Results

Fifty-two (61.9%) patients reported attempting suicide during their lifetime. Univariate logistic regression analysis screened 7 factors associated with SA in individuals with BPD into Multiple logistic regression analysis: female sex, unemployment, major depressive disorder (MDD), hostility, self-aggression, depressive symptoms, and emotional neglect. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified 3 significant and independent correlates of SA: MDD [odds ratio (OR) = 26.773, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.914–183.132, P = 0.001], hostility (OR = 1.073, CI = 1.019–1.130, P = 0.007), and self-aggression (OR = 1.056, CI = 0.998–1.119, P = 0.060).

Conclusion

Chinese individuals with BPD have a high risk of suicide. Correlates of SA in this population differ to some extent from those in Western populations as reported in the literature. Paying attention to MDD and some types of aggression in Chinese individuals with BPD may help identify their risk of suicide. Future large-sample cohort study may improve the limitations of this study and further confirm the point of view above.
A bibliometric analysis of research trends of artificial intelligence in the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders
Authors: Zhang Shouyao , Wang Shuang , Liu Ruilu , Dong Hang , Zhang Xinghe , Tai Xiantao
Published: August 2022

Objective

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that has become the leading cause of disability in children. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a potential solution to this issue. This study objectively analyzes the global research situation of AI in the treatment of ASD from 1995 to 2022, aiming to explore the global research status and frontier trends in this field.

Methods

Web of Science (WoS) and PubMed databese were searched for Literature related to AI on ASD from 1995 to April 2022. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Pajek and Scimago Graphica were used to analyze the collaboration between countries/institutions/authors, clusters and bursts of keywords, as well as analyses on references.

Results

A total of 448 literature were included, the total number of literature has shown an increasing trend. The most productive country and institution were the USA, and Vanderbilt University. The authors with the greatest contributions were Warren, Zachary, Sakar, Nilanjan and Swanson, Amy. the most prolific and cited journal is Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the highest cited and co-cited articles were Dautenhahn (Socially intelligent robots: dimensions of human-robot interaction 2007) and Scassellati B (Robots for Use in Autism Research 2012). “Artificial Intelligence”, “Brain Computer Interface” and “Humanoid Robot” were the hotspots and frontier trends of AI on ASD.

Conclusion

The application of AI in the treatment of ASD has attracted the attention of researchers all over the world. The education, social function and joint attention of children with ASD are the most concerned issues for global researchers. Robots shows gratifying advantages in these issues and have become the most commonly used technology. Wearable devices and brain-computer interface (BCI) were emerging AI technologies in recent years, which is the direction of further exploration. Restoring social function in individuals with ASD is the ultimate aim and driving force of research in the future.
The C. elegans Observatory: High-throughput exploration of behavioral aging
Authors: Kerr Rex A. , Roux Antoine E. , Goudeau Jérôme , Kenyon Cynthia
Published: August 2022

Organisms undergo a variety of characteristic changes as they age, suggesting a substantial commonality in the mechanistic basis of aging. Experiments in model organisms have revealed a variety of cellular systems that impact lifespan, but technical challenges have prevented a comprehensive evaluation of how these components impact the trajectory of aging, and many components likely remain undiscovered. To facilitate the deeper exploration of aging trajectories at a sufficient scale to enable primary screening, we have created the Caenorhabditis elegans Observatory, an automated system for monitoring the behavior of group-housed C. elegans throughout their lifespans. One Observatory consists of a set of computers running custom software to control an incubator containing custom imaging and motion-control hardware. In its standard configuration, the Observatory cycles through trays of standard 6 cm plates, running four assays per day on up to 576 plates per incubator. High-speed image processing captures a range of behavioral metrics, including movement speed and stimulus-induced turning, and a data processing pipeline continuously computes summary statistics. The Observatory software includes a web interface that allows the user to input metadata and view graphs of the trajectory of behavioral aging as the experiment unfolds. Compared to the manual use of a plate-based C. elegans tracker, the Observatory reduces the effort required by close to two orders of magnitude. Within the Observatory, reducing the function of known lifespan genes with RNA interference (RNAi) gives the expected phenotypic changes, including extended motility in daf-2(RNAi) and progeria in hsf-1(RNAi). Lifespans scored manually from worms raised in conventional conditions match those scored from images captured by the Observatory. We have used the Observatory for a small candidate-gene screen and identified an extended youthful vigor phenotype for tank-1(RNAi) and a progeric phenotype for cdc-42(RNAi). By utilizing the Observatory, it is now feasible to conduct whole-genome screens for an aging-trajectory phenotype, thus greatly increasing our ability to discover and analyze new components of the aging program.
Making Bipedal Robot Experiments Reproducible and Comparable: The Eurobench Software Approach
Authors: Remazeilles Anthony , Dominguez Alfonso , Barralon Pierre , Torres-Pardo Adriana , Pinto David , Aller Felix , Mombaur Katja , Conti Roberto , Saccares Lorenzo , Thorsteinsson Freygardur , Prinsen Erik , Cantón Alberto , Castilla Javier , Sanz-Morère Clara B. , Tornero Jesús , Torricelli Diego
Published: August 2022

This study describes the software methodology designed for systematic benchmarking of bipedal systems through the computation of performance indicators from data collected during an experimentation stage. Under the umbrella of the European project Eurobench, we collected approximately 30 protocols with related testbeds and scoring algorithms, aiming at characterizing the performances of humanoids, exoskeletons, and/or prosthesis under different conditions. The main challenge addressed in this study concerns the standardization of the scoring process to permit a systematic benchmark of the experiments. The complexity of this process is mainly due to the lack of consistency in how to store and organize experimental data, how to define the input and output of benchmarking algorithms, and how to implement these algorithms. We propose a simple but efficient methodology for preparing scoring algorithms, to ensure reproducibility and replicability of results. This methodology mainly constrains the interface of the software and enables the engineer to develop his/her metric in his/her favorite language. Continuous integration and deployment tools are then used to verify the replicability of the software and to generate an executable instance independent of the language through dockerization. This article presents this methodology and points at all the metrics and documentation repositories designed with this policy in Eurobench. Applying this approach to other protocols and metrics would ease the reproduction, replication, and comparison of experiments.
Journey Into Darkness: Microbes Living in Caves and Mines
Authors: Saiz-Jimenez Cesareo
Published: August 2022

Microbes live just about everywhere on Earth—on and inside animals, on plants, in soils, and in water. They also thrive in underground environments. Caves and mines are underground ecosystems often visited by humans. Many interesting microbes have evolved to survive in these harsh ecosystems where there often are not many nutrients available. To compete with other microbes for nutrients, some microbes produce antibiotics, which are substances that can kill certain types of bacteria. Antibiotics are commonly used to cure infections and keep people and animals healthy, but we are in need of new antibiotics because some bacteria are becoming resistant to the usual ones. Keeping caves and mines healthy and protecting them from human damage is important so that we can continue to study the microbes that live in these fascinating ecosystems—some of these microbes might make yet-undiscovered antibiotics that can cure human diseases!
How Your Sense of Touch Can Change Your Brain
Authors: Stealey Hannah M. , Zhao Yi , Chang Yin-Jui , Santacruz Samantha R.
Published: August 2022

Your brain can be divided into various areas, one of which is responsible for your sense of touch. This part of your brain can be divided into even smaller areas that communicate with each body part. We can use a special map of the human body, called a sensory homunculus, to help us understand the various sizes of these parts of the brain. We will explain how this map was created and tell you about research showing how these brain areas can change. One study showed that brain areas can be recycled, meaning that the brain areas that no longer receive messages from the body can be used by other functioning brain areas. Another study showed that these changes can even occur within a single day! These studies can help scientists to better understand the brain and to help people who have problems with the sense of touch.
Weak equivalence principle in quantum space
Authors: Gnatenko Kh. P. , Tkachuk V. M.
Published: August 2022

Owing to the development of String Theory and Quantum Gravity, studies of quantized spaces described by deformed commutation relations for operators of coordinates and operators of momenta have received much attention. In this paper, the implementation of the weak equivalence principle is examined in the quantized spaces described by different types of deformed algebras, among them the noncommutative algebra of canonical type, Lie type, and the nonlinear deformed algebra with an arbitrary function of deformation depending on momenta. It is shown that the deformation of commutation relations leads to the mass-dependence of motion of a particle (a composite system) in a gravitational field, and, hence, to violation of the weak equivalence principle. We conclude that this principle is recovered in quantized spaces if one considers the parameters of the deformed algebras to be different for different particles (bodies) and to be determined by their masses.
Daring to think of the impossible: The story of Vlasiator
Authors: Palmroth Minna
Published: August 2022

Vlasiator is the world’s first global Eulerian hybrid-Vlasov simulation code, going beyond magnetohydrodynamics in the solar wind—magnetosphere—ionosphere system. This paper gives the story of Vlasiator. An important enabler of Vlasiator is the rapid increase of computational resources over the last decade, but also the open-minded, courageous forerunners, who have embraced this new opportunity, both as developers but also as co-authors of our papers. Typically, when starting a new coding project, people think about the presently available resources. But when the development continues for multiple years, the resources change. If instead, one targets to upcoming resources, one is always in possession of a code which does not contain large legacy parts that are not able to utilize latest resources. It will be interesting to see how many modelling groups will take the opportunity to benefit from the current high-performance computing trends, and where are we in the next 10 years. In the following, a simulation that directly handles and manipulates the phase space density f(r,v,t) is referred to as a Vlasov approach, whereas a simulation system that traces phase space samples by their kinetic characteristics of motion is a Particle-in-Cell approach. This terminology is consistent with its use in the magnetospheric simulation community.
A rare hepatic artery variant reporting and a new classification
Authors: Wu Xiaojing , Kang Jianxiong , Liu Yuwei , Sun Guodong , Shi Ying , Niu Junqi
Published: August 2022

Variations of the hepatic artery are very common, but they greatly increase the difficulty of surgery and the risk of complications in perihepatic surgeries such as liver transplantation, liver segmentectomy, and gastroduodenal surgery. Thus, it is important to precisely define the type of hepatic artery variant before surgery. However, there are often rare variants that cannot be defined with existing classifications. For example, the type of hepatic artery variant in the current case could not be classified with conventional classifications, and no such variation has been reported to date, involving two accessory left hepatic arteries from the common hepatic and left inferior phrenic arteries, respectively. Based on the existing 3DCT technology and the CRL classification method, which is applicable to the most common hepatic artery variants, we reviewed many rare variant types and proposed a new classification method (ex-CRL classification) for hepatic artery variations that do not fit the classic scope. The ex-CRL classification can accurately classify the vast majority of rare cases in the literature, greatly compensates for the limitations of current hepatic artery classifications, improves the generalization and understanding of rare cases, and reduces surgical complications.
Trends in the Incidence of Vulvar and Vaginal Cancers With Different Histology by Race, Age, and Region in the United States (2001–2018)
Authors: Zhou Wei-Li , Yue Yang-Yang
Published: August 2022

Objectives: The race, age, and region-stratified incidence of vulvar (VUC) and vaginal (VAC) cancers with different histology were unclear.

Methods: Data was retrieved from the United States Cancer Statistics database. Average annual percent change (AAPC) and incidence rate ratio (IRR) were calculated.

Results: Overall, VUC incidence increased from 18.3 (per 1,000,000 woman-years) to 19.6, but VAC incidence decreased from 5.6 to 4.4. VUC squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) incidence increased (AAPC, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.66–1.25), VUC adenocarcinoma (ADE) incidence stabilized (AAPC, −0.24; 95% CI, −1.44 to 0.98), and VUC other malignancies (OM) incidence decreased (AAPC, −1.31; 95% CI, −2.58 to −0.02). While VAC incidence decreased for any histology (AAPC, -0.63; 95% CI, −1.03 to −0.22; AAPC, −1.60; 95% CI, −2.80 to −0.39; and AAPC, −1.57; 95% CI, −2.24 to −0.89 for SCC, ADE, and OM). Similar trends were observed in most of the stratifications.

Conclusion: VUC and VAC incidences varied by histology overall and within stratifications by race, age, and region. The incidence decreased for VUC and VAC with all histologies, except for the increasing VUC SCC incidence.
Boosting the Performance of CDCL-Based SAT Solvers by Exploiting Backbones and Backdoors
Authors: Al-Yahya Tasniem , Menai Mohamed El Bachir Abdelkrim , Mathkour Hassan
Published: August 2022

Boolean structural measures were introduced to explain the high performance of conflict-driven clause-learning (CDCL) SAT solvers on industrial SAT instances. Those considered in this study include measures related to backbones and backdoors: backbone size, backbone frequency, and backdoor size. A key area of research is to improve the performance of CDCL SAT solvers by exploiting these measures. For the purpose of guiding the CDCL SAT solver for branching on backbone and backdoor variables, this study proposes low-overhead heuristics for computing these variables. Through these heuristics, a set of modifications to the Variable State Independent Decaying Sum (VSIDS) decision heuristic is suggested to exploit backbones and backdoors and potentially improve the performance of CDCL SAT solvers. In total, fifteen variants of two competitive base solvers, MapleLCMDistChronoBT-DL-v3 and LSTech, were developed. Empirical evaluation was conducted on 32 industrial families from 2002–2021 SAT competitions. According to the results, modifying the VSIDS heuristic in the base solvers to exploit backbones and backdoors improves its performance. In particular, our new CDCL SAT solver, LSTech_BBsfcr_v1, solved more industrial SAT instances than the winning CDCL SAT solvers in 2020 and 2021 SAT competitions.
Traffic Demand Estimations Considering Route Trajectory Reconstruction in Congested Networks
Authors: Tang Wenyun , Chen Jiahui , Sun Chao , Wang Hanbing , Li Gen
Published: August 2022

Traffic parameter characteristics in congested road networks are explored based on traffic flow theory, and observed variables are transformed to a uniform format. The Gaussian mixture model is used to reconstruct route trajectories based on data regarding travel routes containing only the origin and destination information. Using a bi-level optimization framework, a Bayesian traffic demand estimation model was built using route trajectory reconstruction in congested networks. Numerical examples demonstrate that traffic demand estimation errors, without considering a congested network, are within ±12; whereas estimation demands considering traffic congestion are close to the real values. Using the Gaussian mixture model’s technology of trajectory reconstruction, the mean of the traffic demand root mean square error can be stabilized to approximately 1.3. Traffic demand estimation accuracy decreases with an increase in observed data usage, and the designed iterative algorithm can predict convergence with 0.06 accuracy. The evolution rules of urban traffic demands and road flows in congested networks are uncovered, and a theoretical basis for alleviating urban traffic congestion is provided to determine traffic management and control strategies.
Early Prediction of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Comprehensive Performance Analysis of Deep Learning Models
Authors: Mondol Chaity , Shamrat F. M. Javed Mehedi , Hasan Md. Robiul , Alam Saidul , Ghosh Pronab , Tasnim Zarrin , Ahmed Kawsar , Bui Francis M. , Ibrahim Sobhy M.
Published: August 2022

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most life-threatening disorders. To improve survivability, early discovery and good management are encouraged. In this paper, CKD was diagnosed using multiple optimized neural networks against traditional neural networks on the UCI machine learning dataset, to identify the most efficient model for the task. The study works on the binary classification of CKD from 24 attributes. For classification, optimized CNN (OCNN), ANN (OANN), and LSTM (OLSTM) models were used as well as traditional CNN, ANN, and LSTM models. With various performance matrixes, error measures, loss values, AUC values, and compilation time, the implemented models are compared to identify the most competent model for the classification of CKD. It is observed that, overall, the optimized models have better performance compared to the traditional models. The highest validation accuracy among the tradition models were achieved from CNN with 92.71%, whereas OCNN, OANN, and OLSTM have higher accuracies of 98.75%, 96.25%, and 98.5%, respectively. Additionally, OCNN has the highest AUC score of 0.99 and the lowest compilation time for classification with 0.00447 s, making it the most efficient model for the diagnosis of CKD.
Effectiveness of MP3 Coding Depends on the Music Genre: Evaluation Using Semantic Differential Scales
Authors: Papadakis Nikolaos M. , Aroni Ioanna , Stavroulakis Georgios E.
Published: August 2022

MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) is one of the most popular compression formats used for sound and especially for music. However, during the coding process, the MP3 algorithm negatively affects the spectral and dynamic characteristics of the audio file being compressed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect the MP3 coding format for different music genres and different bitrates via listening tests in which the original uncompressed files and the compressed files are compared. For this purpose, five different music genres were selected (rock, jazz, electronic, classical and solo instrument), and the files were compressed in three different bitrates (96 kbps, 160 kbps and 320 kbps). The semantic differential method was used, and ten bipolar scales were selected for the listening tests (e.g., better–worse, more distortion–less distortion, etc.). The following are the most important findings of this study: classical music was negatively affected the most among the genres due to the MP3 compression (lowest ratings in 8 out of 10 bipolar scales), the solo instrument was least affected among the genres (highest rating in 7 out of 10 bipolar scales), and for higher bit rates, the differences in ratings were small for all music genres. The findings of this study could be used to optimize and adapt the standard, depending on the music genre and the musical piece that needs to be encoded.
Numerical Modeling of the Walls Perforation Influence on the Accuracy of Wind Tunnel Experiments Using Two-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Model
Authors: Buntov Mikhail Y. , Makeev Pavel V. , Ignatkin Yuri M. , Glazkov Vitaly S.
Published: August 2022

The presented work is dedicated to the development of the mathematical model of a closed-type wind tunnel (WT) in a two-dimensional (2D) formulation based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Strokes Equations (URANS) method. The influence of the WT walls perforation percentage on the aerodynamic characteristics of the SC1095 (SC is an abbreviation for “supercritical”) airfoil in a wide range of pitch angles from 0 to 28 degrees has been studied. The obtained data are compared with the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil in free flow conditions. It is shown that the use of perforation makes it possible to significantly reduce the influence of the wind tunnel walls on the obtained aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil bringing them closer to the airfoil characteristics under free flow conditions. The developed low resource-intensive 2D CFD WT model can be used to determine the optimal ratio between the walls perforation percentage, the WT test section dimensions, and the experimental model dimensions for various test modes. Support of WT experiments with the help of preliminary parametric studies based on the 2D CFD model could significantly reduce material costs and increase the accuracy of the obtained results.
The Capability Approach to Adolescent Poverty in China: Application of a Latent Class Model
Authors: Gao Jiachang , Huo Zenghui , Zhang Mei , Liang Baoqiang
Published: August 2022

After 2020, poverty alleviation in China will shift from eliminating absolute poverty to alleviating unbalanced and insufficient relative poverty. Based on Amartya Sen’s capability approach, this article aimed to realize the freedom of “capability” of children and ensure the well-being and development of Chinese adolescents, who are often ignored in child poverty research. The study sought to estimate the 10–15-year-olds in a multidimensional capabilities poverty group. Our analysis was based on the adolescent capability methodology framework, using data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the types and influencing factors of adolescent capability poverty in China. The result of latent class analysis showed that there are four types of capability poverty among the Chinese adolescents, namely, Extreme Capability Poverty Class, Goal Capability Poverty Class, Opportunity Capability Poverty Class, and Capability Non-Poverty Class. Multinomial logistic regression showed that the personal factors of gender, ethnic minority, hukou, and pocket money; the family factors of parents’ marital status, parents’ education level, and region of residence; and the family economic factor of per capita family income had a significant impact on the types of China’s adolescent capability poverty. The article provides empirical and quantitative evidence for the adolescent (ages 10–15) class of capability poverty. The findings provide a reference for policy makers to target poverty-alleviation efforts according to different types of poverty and to interrupt the intergenerational transmission of poverty.
Measurement of Overlapping Leaf Area of Ice Plants Using Digital Image Processing Technique
Authors: Kaushalya Madhavi Bolappa Gamage , Bhujel Anil , Kim Na Eun , Kim Hyeon Tae
Published: August 2022

Non-destructive and destructive leaf area estimation are critical in plant physiological and ecological experiments. In modern agriculture, ubiquitous digital cameras and scanners are primarily replacing traditional leaf area measurements. Thus, measuring the leaflet’s dimension is integral in analysing plant photosynthesis and growth. Leaf dimension assessment with image processing is widely used nowadays. In this investigation employed an image segmentation algorithm to classify the ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) canopy image with a threshold segmentation technique by grey colour model and calculating the degree of green colour in the HSV (hue, saturation, value) model. Notably, the segmentation technique is used to separate suitable surfaces from a defective noisy background. In this work, the canopy area was measured by pixel number statistics relevant to the known reference area. Furthermore, this paper proposed total leaf area estimation in a destructive method by a computer coordinating area curvimeter and lastly evaluated the overlapping percentage using the total leaf area and canopy area measurements. To assess the overlapping percentage using the proposed algorithm, the curvimeter method experiment was performed on 24 images of ice plants. The obtained results reveal that the overlapping percentage is less than 10%, as evidenced by a difference in the curvimeter and the proposed algorithm’s results with the canopy leaf area approach. Furthermore, the results show a strong correlation between the canopy and total leaf area (R2: 0.99) calculated by our proposed method. This overlapping leaf area finding offers a significant contribution to crop evolution by using computational techniques to make monitoring easier.
Nodule Formation and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Are Important for Soybean to Adapt to Water and P Deficit Conditions
Authors: Jin Yi , He Jin , Zhu Yonghe , Siddique Kadambot H. M.
Published: August 2022

Drought stress and phosphorus (P) deficit decrease soybean P and nitrogen (N) accumulation, which limits soybean productivity. Therefore, soybean traits related to N and P uptake and/or their efficient utilization are important for soybean adaptation to P- and water-deficit conditions. We hypothesize that increasing soybean nodulation to enhance N and P uptake, and/or improving N and P use efficiency (PUE and NUE) are important for the adaptation of soybean to drought and low P conditions. To test this hypothesis, we selected four genotypes with different nodule dry weight (DW) and yield performance for a pot experiment under two water treatments [well-watered (WW) and cycle water stress (WS)] and three P levels [0 (P0, low), 60 (P60, mid), and 120 (P120, high) mg P kg−1 dry soil on top 40 cm]. Our study showed that P deficit and water stress significantly decreased soybean P and N accumulation, which limited seed yield under both WS and WW conditions. P addition increased soybean nodule dry weight (DW), thus increasing N and P uptake. Increasing nodule DW required high water use, and while there was no relationship found between nodule DW and yield under WS, a positive relationship under WW was shown. Partitioning more dry matter to seed could improve NUE and PUE. P addition did not change soybean NUE, which is important to yield determination under WS and P0 but has no effect on yield under WW. We conclude that increasing nodule formation improved soybean N and P uptake, which diminished the yield loss under WS and improved yield performance under WW. While high NUE reflects efficient utilization of N, which can improve yield under drought stress and low P availability, and does not impair the yield under WW. We propose that NUE and nodules are important traits for breeders to improve the tolerance to water- and P-deficit conditions.
Metabolome Analysis Reveals Potential Mechanisms of Mannan Oligosaccharides to Improve Health, Growth Performance, and Fatty Acid Deposition in Hu Lambs
Authors: Liu Ting , Li Fadi , Xu Jianfeng , Wang Jing , Shen Zhenfeng , Zhang Fan , Wang Jiaqi , Zheng Chen
Published: August 2022

The effect of mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) on health, growth performance, fatty acids deposition, serum, and urine metabolites, as well as the correlation between differential metabolites and other indexes, were investigated in Hu lambs. In total, 30 seven-day-old Hu male lambs were fed a milk replacer with or without 0.2% MOS (15 lambs in each). The lambs were placed on this diet until they were 28 days old. MOS significantly increased the apparent digestibility of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P), and unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) proportion, and decreased the diarrhea rate and saturated fatty acid (SFA) proportion in lambs (p < 0.05). MOS upregulated 20 metabolites in serum and 1 in urine and downregulated 11 metabolites in serum and 2 in urine (p < 0.05). Most of these metabolites comprised glycerophosphoethanolamines and glycerophosphocholines, which are significantly correlated with nutrient digestibility and fatty acid composition (p < 0.05). Overall, our results suggest that MOS benefited the health, nutrient utilization, and fatty acid profiles in Hu lambs via glycerolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.
Survey on the Applications of Blockchain in Agriculture
Authors: L.B. Krithika
Published: August 2022

Dating back many millennia, agriculture is an ancient practice in the evolution of civilization. It was developed when humans thought about it and concluded that not everyone in the community was required to produce food. Instead, specialized labor, tools, and techniques could help people achieve surplus food for their community. Since then, agriculture has continuously evolved across the ages and has occupied a vital, synergistic position in the existence of humanity. The evolution of agriculture was based on a compulsion to feed the growing population, and, importantly, maintain the quality and traceability of food, prevent counterfeit products, and modernize and optimize yield. Recent trends and advancements in blockchain technology have some significant attributes that are ideal for agriculture. The invention and implementation of blockchain have caused a fair share of positive disruptions and evolutionary adoption in agriculture to modernize the domain. Blockchain has been adopted at various stages of the agriculture lifecycle for improved evolution. This work presents an intense survey of the literature on how blockchain has positively impacted and continues to influence various market verticals in agriculture, the challenges and the future.
Two Allelopathic Substances from Plumbago rosea Stem Extracts and Their Allelopathic Effects
Authors: Lun Thang Lam , Iwasaki Arihiro , Suenaga Kiyotake , Kato-Noguchi Hisashi
Published: August 2022

The plant Plumbago rosea Linn., belonging to the Plumbaginaceae family, is an important medicinal herb distributed in part of Southeast Asia, and there are many reports of its pharmacological properties. However, the allelopathic activities of P. rosea have not been examined. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess the allelopathic activity of P. rosea and to identify its allelopathic substances. The aqueous methanol stem extract of P. rosea significantly suppressed the seedling growth of barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli L. P. Beauv.), Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), timothy (Phleum pretense L.), cress (Lepidium sativum L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The extract of P. rosea was then purified through chromatographic steps, and two active substances were isolated and determined as 7,4′,5′-tri-O-methyl dihydroquercetin and 7,4′,5′-tri-O-methylampelopsin. The two compounds significantly inhibited the seedling growth of cress, with 7,4′,5′-tri-O-methylampelopsin showing a greater inhibitory effect than 7,4′,5′-tri-O-methyl dihydroquercetin. This result may be due to the 3′-OH group in 7,4′,5′-tri-O-methylampelopsin. The effective concentrations of both compounds required for 50% growth inhibition (EC50 values) of cress seedlings were 0.24 mM and 0.59 mM for root and shoot, and 0.07 mM and 0.21 mM, respectively. These findings suggest that the two compounds may contribute to the allelopathic effect of P. rosea and could be used as a natural source of allelopathic substances.
Proteomic Analysis of Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) Fluid Proteins under Salt Stress
Authors: Jung Ju-Young , Min Cheol Woo , Kim So Wun , Gupta Ravi , Jang Woojong , Bang Kyong-Hwan , Kim Yu-Jin , Jo Ick-Hyun , Kim Sun Tae
Published: August 2022

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer), due to its relatively longer cultivation time, is often exposed to environmental stresses such as heat, salt, and drought. Particularly, salt-stress-derived oxidative damages greatly affect photosynthetic efficiency and consequently cause reduction of growth, development, and yield of ginseng. Thus, efforts have been made to understand the salt-stress-induced changes at proteome levels; however, the overall understanding of possible salt-responsive proteins in ginseng is still limited because of their low-abundance. A growing body of evidence suggests that plants secrete various low-abundant proteins localized in the intra- and extracellular spaces during stress conditions, and those proteins may have a key role for salt tolerance. Therefore, here, we report the ginseng fluids proteome to identify the potential salt-responsive proteins. This approach led to the identification of 261 secreted fluid proteins, and functional categorization revealed that identified proteins were majorly associated with photosynthesis, protein synthesis, cell binding, and various metabolisms. Further validation using qRT-PCR analysis showed similar expression profiles of heat-shock protein 70, glycosyl hydrolase 17, and fructose-bisphosphate aldolase class-I with proteome results. Overall, ginseng fluid proteomic analysis successfully identified the potential salt-responsive proteins, which might be helpful for understanding of salt-tolerance mechanisms in ginseng.
Phylogenetic Affinity in the Potential Antagonism of Trichoderma spp. against Moniliophthora roreri
Authors: Leiva Santos , Rubio Karol , Díaz-Valderrama Jorge R. , Granda-Santos Milagros , Mattos Leonor
Published: August 2022

Frosty pod rot, caused by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri, is one of the most important diseases of cacao in Peru. Sustainable alternatives to control it include timely cultural practices such as pruning, and the application of biological control agents such as Trichoderma spp. We isolated 234 Trichoderma strains native to the department of Amazonas in Northern Peru from soil samples in cacao farms. These strains belong to at least eighteen species within four phylogenetic clades in the genus (Harzianum, Longibrachiatum, Hamatum, and Brevicompactum clades). We aimed to assess the in vitro biocontrol potential of these strains against M. roreri. We evaluated their mycoparasitism, antibiosis, and potential antagonism to select candidate strains for efficient biocontrol of M. roreri. We found evidence (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.005) that strains belonging to the Harzianum clade tend to have higher mycoparasitism, antibiosis, and potential antagonism levels than strains in the Longibrachiatum and Hamatum clades. Additionally, this study constitutes the first report for antagonistic behavior against M. roreri for T. parareesei, T. lentiforme, T. orientale, T. asperelloides, T. inhamatum, T. zelobreve, T. afarasin, T. ghanense, T. rifaii, and T. breve. These results will be foundational for further M. roreri biocontrol studies.
Short-Term Partial Replacement of Corn and Soybean Meal with High-Fiber or High-Protein Feedstuffs during Metabolizable Energy Assay Influenced Intestinal Histomorphology, Cecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids, and Selected Nutrient Transporters in 21-Day-Old Broiler Chickens
Authors: Olukosi Oluyinka A. , Oluseyifunmi Iyabo W. , Lin Yang , Zedonek Siara S.
Published: August 2022

The current study was conducted to investigate the influence of short-term feeding of test diets during metabolizable energy assays on growth performance, nutrient utilization, jejunal histomorphology, cecal short-chain fatty acids, and nutrient transporters in broilers. One hundred twenty-six broiler chickens were assigned to six treatments, each with seven replicates. Experimental diets were fed between days 14 and 21. Treatments included a corn–soybean meal reference diet and five test diets with low-protein soybean meal (LPSBM), wheat bran, soy hull, corn gluten feed, or rice bran. Birds were weighed on days 14 and 21; excreta, cecal content, and jejunal tissues were collected on day 21. Seven-day weight gain was highest (p < 0.01) for birds receiving the reference diet or LPSBM, whereas FCR was lowest (p < 0.05) for birds receiving the soy hull diet. Cecal acetate and total short-chain fatty acids were higher (p < 0.05) for wheat bran compared with the soy hull test diet. Jejunal villi were longer (p < 0.05) for chickens receiving the reference diet or LPSBM test diet. Glucose transporter (GLUT1) mRNA was greater (p < 0.05) in broilers receiving rice bran compared with soy hull test diets. Therefore, when reporting energy assays, it is important that indicators of animal growth or gut health be included to help contextualize energy utilization.
Effects of Production Systems and Seasons on Retail-Goat-Milk Fatty-Acid Composition and Nutritional Indices in Greece
Authors: Kasapidou Eleni , Karatzia Maria-Anastasia , Mitlianga Paraskevi , Basdagianni Zoitsa
Published: August 2022

An increased consumer interest in goat milk has been registered in recent years due to its health-related benefits. This study aimed to investigate the effects of production systems and seasons on fatty-acid composition and nutritional indices for the healthy fat consumption of retail goat milk. The study lasted one year, and milk samples (n = 160) from 14 brands (10 conventional and 4 organic) were collected on a monthly basis. Organic milk had a marginally lower fat and protein content compared with conventionally produced milk according to the declared chemical composition. The production system did not significantly affect milk fatty-acid composition and its nutritional value, indicating that there were no major differences in the feeding strategies between conventionally and organically raised ewes. Seasonal effects were observed in the fatty-acid profile and the nutritional indices. Lower content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H) and linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid (LA/ALA) ratio values were observed in summer. Retail goat milk had a desirable nutritional value, irrespective of production system and season, due to the following characteristics: low atherogenic index (AI) and LA/ALA ratio values, and high h/H ratio, desirable fatty acid (DFA) values and health-promoting index values. In conclusion, neither production nor season significantly impacted the fatty-acid composition and the fat-consumption nutritional indices of retail goat milk produced in Greece.
Effects of Music Therapy on Neuroplasticity, Welfare, and Performance of Piglets Exposed to Music Therapy in the Intra- and Extra-Uterine Phases
Authors: Lippi Isabella Cristina de Castro , Caldara Fabiana Ribeiro , Almeida-Paz Ibiara Correia de Lima , Morais Henrique Biasotto , Odakura Agnês Markiy , Konkiewitz Elisabete Castelon , Ferreira Welber Sanches , Fraga Thiago Leite , Burbarelli Maria Fernanda de Castro , Felix Gisele Aparecida , Garcia Rodrigo Garófallo , Santos Luan Sousa dos
Published: August 2022

The rearing environment of pigs can cause a high level of stress due to the lack of stimuli and the impossibility of carrying out natural behaviors. Music therapy is a way to enrich the environment and promote stress relief. Few studies in swine using environmental enrichers focus on functional benefits, such as stress resilience, improved biological functions, or mental status. The effect of environmental enrichment on neurobiological processes is particularly poorly understood in farm animals. Thus, our study sought to elucidate the influence of music in piglets exposed to music therapy in the intrauterine and extrauterine phase on neuroplasticity, evaluating the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Behavioural responses were also evaluated using fear tests related to stress resilience. The productive performance of these piglets was analysed to relate the possible reduction in stress levels to greater productivity gains. Forty-eight sows were used at 90 days of gestation until the weaning of their piglets. In the gestation phase, the sows were divided into two treatments: control (without music therapy) and music (with music therapy). In the farrowing/lactation phase, the sows were separated into four treatments: control-control (no music in any phase); control-music (music only in farrowing/lactation); music-control (music only during pregnancy); and music-music (music in both reproductive phases). Music therapy did not cause a difference in the BDNF levels of piglets at birth. However, piglets born from sows of the music-music treatment did not show a reduction in BDNF between birth and weaning, unlike the other treatments. Exposure to music in the last 1/3 of pregnancy and farrowing/lactation improved the weight of piglets at birth and at weaning. Musical enrichment during pregnancy and lactation was able to cause changes in the piglets’ neuroplasticity and improve their productive performances.
Robin Who? Bird Species Knowledge of German Adults
Authors: Enzensberger Pirmin , Schmid Benjamin , Gerl Thomas , Zahner Volker
Published: August 2022

Knowledge of species is the basis for involvement in biodiversity awareness and protection. For the first time, we investigated how bird species knowledge is spread among adults in Germany in a representative study. It was shown that of the 15 species presented, only 6 were recognized on average, and 4.5% of the tested persons did not recognize any species at all. Only 0.5% knew all presented species. Younger participants in particular knew significantly fewer species than the group over 60 years. We also tested if species knowledge has an impact on the motivation to act for nature conservation. In this study, knowledge of species correlated directly with the willingness to take action for species protection, e.g., through donating money for proactive nature conservation. Simply being in nature was meaningless for the test result. However, if one was actively involved with birds, e.g., via bird counts or bird feeding, species knowledge was significantly better.