bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forms of Toxic and Trace Metals in Grassland Soils of Galicia, Spain
Authors: López-Mateo Cristina , Marcos-Rodríguez Raúl , Díaz-Rodríguez Florentino , Fernandez-Marcos Maria Luisa
Published: March 2023

The application of cattle slurry to agricultural soils contributes to the circular economy, while enriching the soil in macro and micronutrients and organic matter. However, this practice can have deleterious environmental effects, by adding toxic metals and other contaminants. The pseudo-total concentrations of nine potentially toxic and trace metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd and Pb) as well as metals extracted by DTPA, Mehlich 3 and 0.01 M CaCl2 were determined in Galician (NW Spain) grassland soils regularly receiving cattle slurry. Four soil depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm) were sampled and analysed. The pollution condition was assessed by comparing the pseudo-total concentrations with generic reference levels for Galician soils and by using pollution indices. The results indicated the absence of soil pollution by Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Pb and a situation of no pollution to moderate pollution by Mn, Zn and Cu. Cd was the element most frequently enriched in the studied soils according to the pseudo-total, DTPA and Mehlich-3 concentrations, while the extraction by CaCl2 pointed to no environmental risk. The study supports the lithogenic character of Fe, Ni, Co and Cr, the mixed lithogenic and anthropogenic nature of Mn, Zn and Cu and the anthropogenic origin of Cd in these soils. The latter element can be added by both the application of cattle slurry and inorganic phosphate fertilisers.
YOLO-Based Light-Weight Deep Learning Models for Insect Detection System with Field Adaption
Authors: Kumar Nithin , Nagarathna  , Flammini Francesco
Published: March 2023

The most incredible diversity, abundance, spread, and adaptability in biology are found in insects. The foundation of insect study and pest management is insect recognition. However, most of the current insect recognition research depends on a small number of insect taxonomic experts. We can use computers to differentiate insects accurately instead of professionals because of the quick advancement of computer technology. The “YOLOv5” model, with five different state of the art object detection techniques, has been used in this insect recognition and classification investigation to identify insects with the subtle differences between subcategories. To enhance the critical information in the feature map and weaken the supporting information, both channel and spatial attention modules are introduced, improving the network’s capacity for recognition. The experimental findings show that the F1 score approaches 0.90, and the mAP value reaches 93% through learning on the self-made pest dataset. The F1 score increased by 0.02, and the map increased by 1% as compared to other YOLOv5 models, demonstrating the success of the upgraded YOLOv5-based insect detection system.
Transformation of Soil Accumulated Phosphorus and Its Driving Factors across Chinese Cropping Systems
Authors: Chen Yanhua , Guo Ning , He Wentian , Abbasi Naeem A. , Ren Yi , Qu Xiaolin , Zhang Shuxiang
Published: March 2023

Understanding the transformation of accumulated phosphorus (P) is vital for P management. However, previous studies are limited to a few sites in Chinese agroecosystems. In this study, to investigate the temporal-spatial differences of transformation from accumulated P to available P (determined by the Olsen method), a dataset was assembled based on 91 national long-term experimental sites across China in the recent 31 years (1988–2018). A boosted regression tree (BRT) and a structural equation model (SEM) were used to analyze the factors influencing the transformation. The results showed that the transformation from accumulated P to available P in South China (1.97 mg kg−1) was significantly higher than that in other regions (0.69–1.22 mg kg−1). Soil properties were the main driving factors with a relative contribution of 81.8%, while climate and management practices explained 7.8% and 10.4% of the variations, respectively. Furthermore, SEM analysis revealed that the soil organic matter (SOM) could positively and directly affect the transformation, whereas the soil pH, soil silt content, and P fertilizer had negative and direct effects on it. For the first time, this study analyzed the transformation from soil accumulated P to available P at a national scale and at multiple sites and quantified the contribution of the main influencing factors. These results help to predict the soil available P content across different agroecosystems based on the input amount of P fertilizer, contributing to the regional precise management of P fertilizer application.
Sustainable Management of Anaerobic Digestate: From Biogas Plant to Full-Scale Cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus
Authors: Zuffi Veronica , Puliga Federico , Zambonelli Alessandra , Trincone Lorenzo , Sanchez-Cortes Santiago , Francioso Ornella
Published: March 2023

In the last decades, the number of studies about the valorization of agricultural by-products has strongly increased due to the growing focus on the circular economy. In this context, mushroom cultivation is raising attention for its nutritional properties and adaptability to different growing conditions. The goal of this project is, therefore, to create a link between two production chains, valorizing the solid anaerobic digestate fraction from the biogas plant as a potential substrate for Pleurotus ostreatus full-scale cultivation. A preliminary in vitro trial shows that the mycelia can colonize at the same rate in both the conventional substrate, which was wheat straw added with sunflower cake and the experimental ones supplemented with corn digestate. The most important and innovative part of the work was full-scale cultivation. Quantitative analyses demonstrate that P. ostreatus is capable of growing on the conventional substrate as well as on the substrate containing 15% of digestate without reducing the mushroom harvest. Even better, digestate seems to stimulate a precocious and more homogeneous production. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses on the fruiting bodies confirm the results; in fact, mushrooms show a comparable structural composition, highlighted with FTIR and SERS spectroscopic evaluations. Moreover, the nutrient content did not change due to the addition of digestate. These promising results demonstrate that anaerobic digestate can become a resource for P. ostreatus cultivation without production losses and maintaining the same qualitative characteristics.
Analysis of the Potato Vegetation Stages Based on the Dynamics of Water Consumption in the Closed Urban Vertical Farm with Automated Microclimate Control
Authors: Rumiantsev Boris , Dzhatdoeva Sofya , Zotov Vasily , Kochkarov Azret
Published: March 2023

One of the promising trends in modern agronomy is the development of automated closed urban vertical farms with controlled environmental conditions, which can improve dynamics of the crop vegetation process. In the frame of this work, the analysis of the vegetative stages of potato seed material (minitubers and microplants) grown in the conditions of the automated vertical farm was conducted. The study was performed at the vertical farm of the Federal Research Center “Fundamentals of Biotechnology” of the Russian Academy of Sciences by the analysis of water consumption dynamics. It was established that the 20-day reduction in the vegetative period of the vertical-farm-grown potatoes in comparison with the field-grown ones occurred due to the reduction in the final stage of vegetation (mass gain of newly formed tubers) under the minitubers planting. The same reduction occurred due to both final and initial vegetative stage (absence of tubers germination) under the planting of microplants. The obtained result shed new light on the vegetation dynamics of potato grown under controlled conditions of the urban vertical farms and demonstrated a possibility to perform the study of plant development process using automated diagnostics systems of vertical farms.
Bioclimatic Zoning for Sheep Farming through Geostatistical Modeling in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil
Authors: Marinho Gabriel Thales Barboza , Pandorfi Héliton , da Silva Marcos Vinícius , Montenegro Abelardo Antônio de Assunção , de Sousa Lizandra de Barros , Desenzi Raquel , da Silva Jhon Lennon Bezerra , de Oliveira-Júnior José Francisco , Mesquita Márcio , de Almeida Gledson Luiz Pontes , Guiselini Cristiane , da Rosa Ferraz Jardim Alexandre Maniçoba , Silva Thieres George Freire da
Published: March 2023

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed out the high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change, which is expected to impact food and income security. Sheep farming is one of the main animal productions among the families located in the most vulnerable regions of the semiarid region of Pernambuco state, a Brazilian territory known for its high temperatures, low relative humidity, and high net solar radiation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify different regions of Pernambuco that may be more suitable for different breeds of sheep, based on non-parametric statistics and kriging maps of the temperature and humidity index (THI). THI values were determined based on mean annual temperature and wind speed extracted from the TerraClimate remote sensing database. Pernambuco state presented THI values ranging from 66 to 79, with the hair breeds having a high potential for exploitation in almost all territories, including the main meat-producing breeds. The East Friesian breed, a high milk producer, would be well suited to the Agreste mesoregion, a territory that, like the Pajeú and Moxotó microregions, also proved favorable for the introduction of three wool breeds (Suffolk, Poll Dorset, and Texel) known as major meat producers. The kriging maps of the THI values successfully allowed the identification of strategic development regions of Pernambuco state with high potential for sheep breeding.
Evaluation of Dynamics, Demography and Estimation of Free-Roaming Dog Population in Herat City, Afghanistan
Authors: Nasiry Zabihullah , Mazlan Mazlina , Noordin Mustapha M. , Mohd Lila Mohd Azmi
Published: March 2023

FRDs pose a serious challenge in countries where dog-bite-related rabies is endemic. Understanding the size and core demographic characteristics of FRD populations is essential for the planning and implementation of effective dog-population and canine-rabies-control programmes. The photographic sight–resight method was used to estimate the FRD population and evaluate its demographic characteristics in Herat city. A total of 928 free-roaming dogs (FRD) were identified through 3172 sightings, and the total free-roaming population was estimated to amount to 1821 (95% CI: 1565–2077), which led to the estimation of 10 dogs/km2 and the human-to-FRD ratio of 315:1. The male-to-female ratio was 2.85:1. The majority of them were healthy, with an ideal body score. Although the FRD density is considered low, it is still a concern and significant, since the majority of the people are unaware of the importance of canine populations in the transmission of zoonotic diseases such as rabies, and there were no specific measures for managing and controlling FRD populations. The information gained can be useful in animal health planning to design effective dog-population-control programmes, and for the planning of national rabies-prevention programmes.
Temporal Activity Patterns of Sympatric Species in the Temperate Coniferous Forests of the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Authors: Jia Jia , Fang Yun , Li Xinhai , Song Kai , Xie Wendong , Bu Changli , Sun Yuehua
Published: March 2023

Temporal niche partitioning is an important strategy for sympatric species or populations when utilizing limited resources while minimizing competition. Different resource availability across seasons may also influence the intensity of competition, resulting in a varied temporal niche partitioning pattern between species. These competitive interactions are important drivers for the formation of biodiversity patterns and species coexistence on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To clarify these interspecies relationships among sympatric species, we carried out a camera trap survey from 2017 to 2020. We deployed 60 camera traps in the temperate coniferous forests of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We analyzed the daily activity patterns of birds and mammals to reveal the temporal niches and seasonal relationships among the species-specific activity rhythms. The results are summarized as follows: (1) Eight major species, including mammals and birds, have different temporal peak activity rhythms to reduce intense competition for resources. (2) The activity rhythm of a species varies seasonally, and the competition among species is more intense in the warm season than in the cold season. (3) Among 15 pairs of competitor species, seven pairs had significantly different coefficients, with higher winter values than summer values, perhaps due to the abundance of resources in summer and the scarcity of resources in winter causing intensified competition. Among the predators and prey, the summertime coefficients were higher than those in winter, perhaps due to the need to replenish energy during the summer breeding season. The main purpose of animals in winter is to survive the harsh environment. Our results provide important information on temporal and interspecies relationships and contribute to a better understanding of species-coexistence mechanisms.
Heat Stress Effects on Physiological and Blood Parameters, and Behavior in Early Fattening Stage of Beef Steers
Authors: Kim Won-Seob , Nejad Jalil Ghassemi , Park Keun-Kyu , Lee Hong-Gu
Published: March 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress (HS) on physiological, blood, and behavioral parameters, according to the temperature–humidity index (THI), in beef steers. Twelve Korean native beef steers (342.7 ± 13.81 days old, body weight (BW) of 333.0 ± 18.53 kg) were used in this experiment. Beef steers were randomly distributed into three homogenized groups (four beef steers each) for 14 days, namely, threshold (THI = 64–71), mild–moderate (THI = 72–79), and severe (THI = 80–87). Feed and water intake were recorded daily. Physiological parameters, including heart rate and rectal temperature, and behavioral patterns (standing and lying down) were measured weekly. Blood was sampled every week to analyze hormones, heat shock protein (HSP) levels, metabolites, and hematological parameters. All data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis. Beef steers exposed to severe THI had significantly increased (p < 0.001) water intake, heart rate, and rectal temperature compared to the threshold and mild–moderate THI beef steers. Additionally, increased blood cortisol (p < 0.001), HSP70 (p < 0.001), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (p = 0.014), and time spent standing (p < 0.001) were observed in beef steers after exposure to severe THI compared to beef steers in the threshold and mild–moderate THI groups. However, dry matter intake, blood glucose, and non-esterified fatty acids were not different among the THI groups. In conclusion, heart rate, rectal temperature, blood cortisol, HSP70, BUN, and time spent standing were closely associated with severe HS conditions in beef steers. These phenomena indicated that beef steers exposed to HS modulated their behavior and blood parameters, as well as their physiological response, to maintain homeostasis.
Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Livestock Health: An Emerging Risk for Reproductive Efficiency
Authors: Urli Susy , Corte Pause Francesca , Crociati Martina , Baufeld Anja , Monaci Maurizio , Stradaioli Giuseppe
Published: March 2023

Pollution due to microplastics and nanoplastics is one of the major environmental issues of the last decade and represents a growing threat to human and animal health. In aquatic species, there is a large amount of information regarding the perturbation of marine organisms; instead, there are only a few studies focusing on the pathophysiological consequences of an acute and chronic exposure to micro- and nanoplastics in mammalian systems, especially on the reproductive system. There are several studies that have described the damage caused by plastic particles, including oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammatory response, dysregulation of the endocrine system and accumulation in various organs. In addition to this, microplastics have recently been found to influence the evolution of microbial communities and increase the gene exchange, including antibiotic and metal resistance genes. Special attention must be paid to farm animals, because they produce food such as milk, eggs and meat, with the consequent risk of biological amplification along the food chain. The results of several studies indicate that there is an accumulation of microplastics and nanoplastics in human and animal tissues, with several negative effects, but all the effects in the body have not been ascertained, especially considering the long-term consequences. This review provides an overview of the possible adverse effects of the exposure of livestock to micro- and nanoplastics and assesses the potential risks for the disruption of reproductive physiological functions.
Seasonal Effects on Body Condition and Characteristics of the Estrous Cycle in Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Yang Yuqing , Tummaruk Padet , Angkawanish Taweepoke , Langkaphin Warangkhana , Chatdarong Kaywalee
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of season on the body condition score (BCS), the characteristics of the estrous cycle (luteal phase [LPL], follicular phase [FPL], estrous cycle [ECL] lengths, and the start of the luteal phase [SLP] and follicular phase [SFP]), and progesterone levels (baseline and peak) of eight captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand. From 2014 to 2019, blood samples were collected weekly for serum progesterone enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). Estrous cycles (n = 70), including the luteal and follicular phases, and BCS (n = 70) were recorded. Based on the BCS, the LPL, FPL, and ECL were assigned to the following two groups: normal (BCS = 3.0–4.0, n = 38) and overweight (BCS = 4.5–5.0, n = 32). The findings demonstrated that there was no difference in LPL between the groups. However, in the normal group, the ECL was one week longer (14.9 ± 1.7 vs. 13.9 ± 1.7 weeks; p < 0.05), and the FPL also tended to be one week longer (7.2 ± 1.7 vs. 6.4 ± 1.5 weeks; p = 0.06) than in the overweight group. The mean progesterone level during the rainy, hot, and cool seasons was not statistically different. Based on the yearly averaged BCS from three seasons, the baseline and peak levels of progesterone were classified into the normal (n = 16) and overweight (n = 12) groups. Females with a normal BCS tended to exhibit higher progesterone peak levels (p = 0.08). The majority of peaks appeared during the rainy season (53.57%). The BCS was highest during the hot (4.47) and rainy (4.38) seasons, but not during the cool (4.12) season. The LPL, FPL, and ECL were not affected by the season in which the luteal phase occurred. On the other hand, the rainy season had a significant effect on the SFP, resulting in a longer LPL (p < 0.05) and ECL (p = 0.01); both were the longest during the rainy season. In conclusion, the effects of season on BCS may be related to characteristics of the estrous cycle and peak progesterone levels. Ultimately, these findings provide ground knowledge to assist elephant managers and owners in planning breeding activities using seasonal effects and BCS measurements in tropical climates.
Neutralizing Carbapenem Resistance by Co-Administering Meropenem with Novel β-Lactam-Metallo-β-Lactamase Inhibitors
Authors: Reddy Nakita , Girdhari Letisha , Shungube Mbongeni , Gouws Arnoldus C. , Peters Byron K. , Rajbongshi Kamal K. , Baijnath Sooraj , Mdanda Sipho , Ntombela Thandokuhle , Arumugam Thilona , Bester Linda A. , Singh Sanil D. , Chuturgoon Anil , Arvidsson Per I. , Maguire Glenn E. M , Kruger Hendrik G. , Govender Thavendran , Naicker Tricia
Published: March 2023

Virulent Enterobacterale strains expressing serine and metallo-β-lactamases (MBL) genes have emerged responsible for conferring resistance to hard-to-treat infectious diseases. One strategy that exists is to develop β-lactamase inhibitors to counter this resistance. Currently, serine β-lactamase inhibitors (SBLIs) are in therapeutic use. However, an urgent global need for clinical metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors (MBLIs) has become dire. To address this problem, this study evaluated BP2, a novel beta-lactam-derived β-lactamase inhibitor, co-administered with meropenem. According to the antimicrobial susceptibility results, BP2 potentiates the synergistic activity of meropenem to a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ≤1 mg/L. In addition, BP2 is bactericidal over 24 h and safe to administer at the selected concentrations. Enzyme inhibition kinetics showed that BP2 had an apparent inhibitory constant (Kiapp) of 35.3 µM and 30.9 µM against New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) and Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-β-lactamase (VIM-2), respectively. BP2 did not interact with glyoxylase II enzyme up to 500 µM, indicating specific (MBL) binding. In a murine infection model, BP2 co-administered with meropenem was efficacious, observed by the >3 log10 reduction in K. pneumoniae NDM cfu/thigh. Given the promising pre-clinical results, BP2 is a suitable candidate for further research and development as an (MBLI).
Ghost-ResNeXt: An Effective Deep Learning Based on Mature and Immature WBC Classification
Authors: Bairaboina Sai Sambasiva Rao , Battula Srinivasa Rao
Published: March 2023

White blood cells (WBCs) must be evaluated to determine how well the human immune system performs. Abnormal WBC counts may indicate malignancy, tuberculosis, severe anemia, cancer, and other serious diseases. To get an early diagnosis and to check if WBCs are abnormal or normal, one needs to examine the numbers and determine the shape of the WBCs. To address this problem, computer-aided procedures have been developed because hematologists perform this laborious, expensive, and time-consuming process manually. Resultantly, a powerful deep learning model was developed in the present study to categorize WBCs, including immature WBCs, from the images of peripheral blood smears. A network based on W-Net, a CNN-based method for WBC classification, was developed to execute the segmentation of leukocytes. Thereafter, significant feature maps were retrieved using a deep learning framework built on GhostNet. Then, they were categorized using a ResNeXt with a Wildebeest Herd Optimization (WHO)-based method. In addition, Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN)-based data augmentation was implemented to handle the imbalanced data issue. To validate the model performance, the proposed technique was compared with the existing techniques and achieved 99.16%, 99.24%, and 98.61% accuracy levels for Leukocyte Images for Segmentation and Classification (LISC), Blood Cell Count and Detection (BCCD), and the single-cell morphological dataset, respectively. Thus, we can conclude that the proposed approach is valuable and adaptable for blood cell microscopic analysis in clinical settings.
Gaucher Disease in Internal Medicine and Dentistry
Authors: Basilicata Michele , Marrone Giulia , Di Lauro Manuela , Sargentini Eleonora , Paolino Vincenza , Hassan Redan , D’Amato Giuseppe , Bollero Patrizio , Noce Annalisa
Published: March 2023

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage pathological condition, characterized by a genetic autosomal recessive transmission. The GD cause is the mutation of GBA1 gene, located on the chromosome 1 (1q21), that induces the deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase with consequent abnormal storage of its substrate (glucosylceramide), in macrophages. The GD incidence in the general population varies from 1:40,000 to 1:60,000 live births, but it is higher in the Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity (1:800 live births). In the literature, five different types of GD are described: type 1, the most common clinical variant in Europe and USA (90%), affects the viscera; type 2, characterized by visceral damage and severe neurological disorders; type 3, in which the neurological manifestations are variable; cardiovascular type; and, finally, perinatal lethal type. The most affected tissues and organs are the hematopoietic system, liver, bone tissue, nervous system, lungs, cardiovascular system and kidneys. Another aspect of GD is represented by oral and dental manifestations. These can be asymptomatic or cause the spontaneous bleeding, the post oral surgery infections and the bone involvement of both arches through the Gaucher cells infiltration into the maxilla and mandibular regions. The pharmacological treatment of choice is the enzyme replacement therapy, but the new pharmacological frontiers are represented by oral substrate reduction therapy, chaperone therapy, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy.
Failure Modelling of CP800 Using Acoustic Emission Analysis
Authors: Stockburger Eugen , Wester Hendrik , Behrens Bernd-Arno
Published: March 2023

Advanced high-strength steels (AHHS) are widely used in many production lines of car components. For efficient design of the forming processes, numerical methods are frequently applied in the automotive industry. To model the forming processes realistically, exact material data and analytical models are required. With respect to failure modelling, the accurate determination of failure onset continues to be a challenge. In this article, the complex phase (CP) steel CP800 is characterised for its failure characteristics using tensile tests with butterfly specimens. The material failure was determined by three evaluation methods: mechanically by a sudden drop in the forming force, optically by a crack appearing on the specimen surface, and acoustically by burst signals. As to be expected, the mechanical evaluation method determined material failure the latest, while the optical and acoustical methods showed similar values. Numerical models of the butterfly tests were created using boundary conditions determined by each evaluation method. A comparison of the experiments, regarding the forming force and the distribution of the equivalent plastic strain, showed sufficient agreement. Based on the numerical models, the characteristic stress states of each test were evaluated, which showed similar values for the mechanical and optical evaluation method. The characteristic stress states derived from the acoustical evaluation method were shifted to higher triaxialities, compared to the other methods. Matching the point in time of material failure, the equivalent plastic strain at failure was highest for the mechanical evaluation method, with lower values for the other two methods. Furter, three Johnson–Cook (JC) failure models were parametrised and subsequently compared. The major difference was in the slope of the failure models, of which the optical evaluation method showed the lowest slope. The reasons for the differences are the different stress states and the different equivalent plastic strains due to different evaluation areas.
Effect of Cooking Methods on Bioactive Pigments in Purple Carrots (Daucus carota L.)
Authors: Sáez-Escudero Laura , Blanch Gracia Patricia , Ruiz del Castillo María Luisa
Published: March 2023

Carotenoids and anthocyanins are plant-based molecules that have shown potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities contributing to human health. Purple carrots contain not only the carotenoids occurring in the typical orange carrots, but also a high content of anthocyanins, which makes them nutritionally more interesting. However, most of these bioactive compounds are partially lost during cooking. This study aimed to determine total carotenoid content (TCC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) in terms of DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity in cooked purple carrots. The identification of the main anthocyanins was also performed by HPLC-DAD. With a view to evaluating the effect of cooking, purple carrots were subjected to freeze-drying, boiling, steaming and roasting. To our knowledge, this is the first extensive study about the effect of various cooking methods on different parameters related to the beneficial health properties of purple carrots. As a result, freeze-drying brought about significant loss of carotenoids (TCCs 554.90 µg·g−1 vs. 1136.66 µg·g−1 in fresh carrots) whereas boiling resulted in a significant decrease of polyphenols (TPCs 15.71 µg·g−1 vs. 66.71 µg·g−1 in fresh carrots) and anthocyanins (TACs 1.41 µg·g−1 vs. 4.83 µg·g−1 in fresh carrots). The results in this paper can be used by the food industry to elaborate more nutritious purple-carrot-based products.
A Review of Road Design for Wind Farms in China
Authors: Wang Yu-dong , Yin Fu-kun , Shen Lu , Wu Cheng-zhi
Published: March 2023

Complex terrain conditions of wind farms, the large weight and the long size of wind turbine equipment, the high economic requirements of transportation on roads, and a shortage of relevant standards and codes lead to difficulty in road design and route selection of wind farms. In addition, frequent excavations and landfills in wind farm construction have seriously destroyed vegetation cover and soil structure on the primary surface, resulting in a large amount of water and soil loss and ecological damage to the wind farm. In view of the above problems, this paper reviews the relevant research status of the wind farm road route selection method, circular curve, longitudinal section design index, and water and soil loss problems, and summarizes them. Several calculation models for circular curve widening, the recommendation of a minimum radius under different restrictions, calculation models for longitudinal slope and vertical curve, and recommended values are listed. The causes of water and soil losses in wind farms are discussed and the characteristics of the diversity of erosion and the uneven distribution of time and space are put forward. Prediction models of wind farm water and soil loss and comprehensive prevention measures are given. The existing problems in the road design field of wind farms are put forward and the future development direction in this field is forecasted.
Novel Incremental Conductance Feedback Method with Integral Compensator for Maximum Power Point Tracking: A Comparison Using Hardware in the Loop
Authors: André Sérgio , Silva Fernando , Pinto Sónia , Miguens Pedro
Published: March 2023

Research on renewable energy sources and power electronic converters has been increasing due to environmental concerns. Many countries have established targets to decrease CO2 emissions and boost the proportion of renewable energy, with solar power being a prominent area of investigation in the recent literature. Techniques are being developed to optimize the energy recovered from PV cells and increase system efficiency, including modeling PV cells, the use of converter topologies to connect PV systems to high-power inverters, and the use of MPPT methods. Certain MPPT algorithms are intricate and demand high processing power. The literature describes several MPPT methods; however, the number of hardware resources required by MPPT algorithms is typically not disclosed. This work proposes a novel MPPT technique based on integral feedback conductance and incremental conductance error, considering the current dynamics of the boost converter. This MPPT algorithm is compared to the most widely used techniques in the literature and evaluates each method’s efficiency, performance, and computational needs using an HIL system. Comparisons are made with well-known MPPT algorithms, such as perturb and observe, incremental conductance, and newer techniques based on fuzzy logic and neural networks (NNs). As the NN that is most widely used in the literature depends on irradiation and temperature, an additional NN that is trained using the proposed method is also investigated.
Salivary Volatile Organic Compound Analysis: An Optimised Methodology and Longitudinal Assessment Using Direct Injection Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Vadhwana Bhamini , James Jack , Pelling Melina , Belluomo Ilaria , Boshier Piers R. , Hanna George B.
Published: March 2023

Analysis of salivary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may offer a novel noninvasive modality for disease detection. This study aims to optimise saliva headspace VOC analysis and assess longitudinal variation of salivary VOCs. Whole saliva from healthy participants was acquired in order to assess four methodological parameters: saliva collection, volume, dilution, and acidification. Saliva VOCs were analysed using untargeted proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Using the optimised method, five saliva samples collected over 3 weeks assessed the longitudinal VOC variability and reproducibility with targeted selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry analysis. The method of saliva collection influenced VOC detection and was a source of contamination. An amount of 500 µL of whole saliva by passive drool yielded optimal VOCs. Longitudinal variation was negligible with target short chain fatty acids and aldehydes. However, certain compounds showed variability suggesting the influence of potential exogenous factors. Overall, there was an acceptable range of inter- and intraindividual VOC variability. Standardisation with morning sampling after a 6 h fast is recommended demonstrating minimal intersubject variability. Future studies should seek to establish salivary VOC levels in healthy and diseased populations.
Impact of Intracavity Power Variations toward Ultrashort Pulse Generation
Authors: Abas Ahmad Fauzi , Lau Kuen Yao , Al-Moliki Yahya Mohammed , Aladadi Yosef Taher , Alresheedi Mohammed Thamer , Mahdi Mohd Adzir
Published: March 2023

This study demonstrates a passive mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser with a graphene nanoplatelet-saturable absorber (GNP-SA) that generates ultrashort pulses within femtosecond pulse duration. The GNP-SA is fabricated via a direct transfer approach by mechanically exfoliated graphene on a fiber ferrule. Its characteristics include 0.8% modulation depth, 8.7 MW/cm2 saturation fluence, and 36.8% absorbance. The quality of ultrashort pulses is studied with a variation of intracavity circulating powers that is controlled through an optical coupler. By changing the light intensity in the cavity, the optical amplification property in the erbium-doped fiber is also impacted. The increment of the output coupling ratio increases the population inversion in the active gain medium, which leads to the change of lasing wavelength from 1558 to 1532 nm. Using a 50% output coupling ratio, the fiber laser generates 960 fs pulse duration, 11.08 MHz repetition rate, and 6.05 mW output power. This study contributes to the understanding of oscillating light behavior while changing its intracavity power that affects the optical amplification properties.
Dual-Tracer PET Image Separation by Deep Learning: A Simulation Study
Authors: Pan Bolin , Marsden Paul K. , Reader Andrew J.
Published: March 2023

Multiplexed positron emission tomography (PET) imaging provides perfectly registered simultaneous functional and molecular imaging of more than one biomarker. However, the separation of the multiplexed PET signals within a single PET scan is challenging due to the fact that all PET tracers emit positrons, which, after annihilating with a nearby electron, give rise to 511 keV photon pairs that are detected in coincidence. Compartment modelling can separate single-tracer PET signals from multiplexed signals based on the differences in bio-distribution kinetics and radioactive decay. However, the compartment-modelling-based method requires staggered injections and assumes that each tracer’s input function is known. In this paper, we propose a deep-learning-based method to simultaneously separate dual-tracer PET signals without explicitly knowing the input functions. We evaluate the proposed deep-learning-based separation method on dual-tracer [18F]FDG and [11C]MET PET simulations and compare its separation performance to that of the compartment-modelling-based method, assessing performance dependence on the time interval between tracer injections as well as on the amount of training data. It is shown that the proposed method implicitly denoises the separated images and offers reduced variance in the separated images compared to compartment modelling.
Simulation and Analysis of the Influence of Sounding Rocket Outgassing on In-Situ Atmospheric Detection
Authors: Zhang Zhiliang , Sun Yueqiang , Li Yongping , Ai Jiangzhao , Zheng Xiaoliang , Wang Wei
Published: March 2023

The Meridian Project’s sounding rocket mission uses a mass spectrometer to conduct in-situ atmospheric detection. In order to assess the influence of surface material outgassing and the attitude control jet on the spectrometer’s detection, a sounding rocket platform was modeled and simulated. Using the physical field simulation software COMSOL and the Monte Carlo method, this study investigated whether the gas molecules from the two cases could enter the in-situ atmospheric mass spectrometer’s sensor sampling port after colliding with the background atmosphere. The simulation results show that the influence of surface material outgassing on the in-situ atmospheric detection is very small, even under the conditions of medium solar activity and medium geomagnetic activity, while the influence of the attitude control jet on the in-situ atmospheric detection is large but can be reduced by reducing the low-altitude attitude control operation and decreasing the transmission probability. Through simulation optimization and according to engineering needs, increasing the nozzle outlet cross-sectional area, increasing the temperature of the gas used for attitude control, increasing the nozzle rotation angle, increasing the nozzle outlet angle, or increasing the nozzle center height can reduce the transmission probability. This model can simulate and analyze the influence of both surface material outgassing and attitude control jets on in-situ atmospheric detection, optimize relevant parameters, and provide new ideas for relevant work.
Effects of Feeding a Commercial Starch Binding Agent during Heat Stress on Enteric Methane Emission, Rumen Volatile Fatty Acid Contents, and Diet Digestibility of Merino Lambs
Authors: Prathap Pragna , Chauhan Surinder S. , Leury Brian J. , Cottrell Jeremy J. , Joy Aleena , Zhang Minghao , Dunshea Frank R.
Published: March 2023

Twenty-four Merino lambs were allocated to three dietary treatment groups to determine the effects of a dietary starch and protein binding agent and heat stress on methane (CH4) emissions and rumen parameters. The diets were a wheat-based diet (WD), a 2% Bioprotect™ (Bioprotect™, RealisticAgri, Rutland, UK) treated wheat-based diet (BD), and a maize-based diet (MD) for 3 periods of 1-week duration. During Period 1 (P1) the lambs were maintained under thermoneutral conditions and at a 1.7 × Maintenance (M) level. During P2 and P3, the lambs were maintained under cyclic heat stress conditions and fed at 1.7 × M and 2.0 × M, respectively. Total CH4 production was lower for the BD diet than the WD diet, which in turn was lower than the MD diet (p < 0.001). Total CH4 production was lower during P2 than P1 with P3 intermediate (p = 0.04). Rumen total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentrations were higher for the WD diet than the MD diet with the BD diet intermediate (p = 0.01). Rumen TVFA concentrations were lower during heat stress than under thermoneutral conditions (p < 0.001). Whole tract starch digestibility was higher for the BD and WD diets than the MD diet (p < 0.001). In conclusion, feeding Merino lambs the BD diet reduces CH4 emissions without reducing starch digestibility.
Tree Traits and Microclimatic Conditions Determine Cooling Benefits of Urban Trees
Authors: Sharmin Mahmuda , Tjoelker Mark G. , Pfautsch Sebastian , Esperón-Rodriguez Manuel , Rymer Paul D. , Power Sally A.
Published: March 2023

Trees play a key role in mitigating urban heat by cooling the local environment. This study evaluated the extent to which street trees can reduce sub-canopy air temperature relative to ambient conditions (ΔT), and how ΔT relates to tree traits and microclimatic variables. Air temperature under the canopies of 10 species was recorded within residential areas in Western Sydney, Australia, during summer 2019–2020. Tree and canopy traits, namely tree height, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf area index, crown width and the Huber value (the ratio of sapwood area to leaf area) were then measured for all species. Species differed significantly in their ΔT values, with peak cooling (maximum ΔT −3.9 °C) observed between 9–10 am and sub-canopy warming (i.e., positive ΔT values) typically occurring during afternoon and overnight. Trees with high LAI and wider canopies were associated with the greatest daytime cooling benefits and lower levels of nighttime warming. ΔT was also negatively related to windspeed and vapor pressure deficit, and positively to solar irradiance. This study provides valuable information on how tree characteristics and microclimate influence potential cooling benefits that may aid planning decisions on the use of trees to mitigate heat in urban landscapes.
Teleconnection between the Surface Wind of Western Patagonia and the SAM, ENSO, and PDO Modes of Variability
Authors: Gómez-Fontealba Carolina , Flores-Aqueveque Valentina , Alfaro Stephane Christophe
Published: March 2023

The Southern Westerly Wind (SWW) belt is one of the most important atmospheric features of the Southern Hemisphere (SH). In Patagonia, these winds control the precipitation rates at the windward side of the southern Andes, and rainfall is very sensitive to any change (strength and/or latitudinal position) in the wind belt. The present-day behavior of the SWW, also known as westerlies, is characterized by remarkable seasonality. This wind belt also varies at interannual-to-decadal time scales, associated with the influence of atmospheric phenomena such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), respectively. Moreover, during the past few decades, the westerlies have shown an increase in their core strength influenced by changes in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). However, what controls the long-term variability of the SWW at the high latitudes of the SH is still a matter of debate. This work statistically analyzes the influence of large-scale modes of variability, such as ENSO and PDO on the SAM and the frequency of the strong SWW from ERA5 reanalysis data of southwestern Patagonia (~51°S), where the current core of this belt is located. Our results confirm the relation between strong wind anomalies and the SAM. In addition, the temporal variations of strong winds are also significantly affected by the PDO, but there is no detectable influence of the ENSO on their frequency. This shows that future studies focused on reconstructing wind history from aeolian particles of lake sediments from southwestern Patagonia could also provide information about the modes of variability that influence strong wind frequency.
Machine-Learning-Based Downscaling of Hourly ERA5-Land Air Temperature over Mountainous Regions
Authors: Sebbar Badr-eddine , Khabba Saïd , Merlin Olivier , Simonneaux Vincent , Hachimi Chouaib El , Kharrou Mohamed Hakim , Chehbouni Abdelghani
Published: March 2023

In mountainous regions, the scarcity of air temperature (Ta) measurements is a major limitation for hydrological and crop monitoring. An alternative to in situ measurements could be to downscale the reanalysis Ta data provided at high-temporal resolution. However, the relatively coarse spatial resolution of these products (i.e., 9 km for ERA5-Land) is unlikely to be directly representative of actual local Ta patterns. To address this issue, this study presents a new spatial downscaling strategy of hourly ERA5-Land Ta data with a three-step procedure. First, the 9 km resolution ERA5 Ta is corrected at its original resolution by using a reference Ta derived from the elevation of the 9 km resolution grid and an in situ estimate over the area of the hourly Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR). Such a correction of 9 km resolution ERA5 Ta is trained using several machine learning techniques, including Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (Xgboost), as well as ancillary ERA5 data (daily mean, standard deviation, hourly ELR, and grid elevation). Next, the trained correction algorithms are run to correct 9 km resolution ERA5 Ta, and the corrected ERA5 Ta data are used to derive an updated ELR over the area (without using in situ Ta measurements). Third, the updated hourly ELR is used to disaggregate 9 km resolution corrected ERA5 Ta data at the 30-meter resolution of SRTM’s Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The effectiveness of this method is assessed across the northern part of the High Atlas Mountains in central Morocco through (1) k-fold cross-validation against five years (2016 to 2020) of in situ hourly temperature readings and (2) comparison with classical downscaling methods based on a constant ELR. Our results indicate a significant enhancement in the spatial distribution of hourly local Ta. By comparing our model, which included Xgboost, SVR, and MLR, with the constant ELR-based downscaling approach, we were able to decrease the regional root mean square error from approximately 3 ∘C to 1.61 ∘C, 1.75 ∘C, and 1.8 ∘C, reduce the mean bias error from −0.5 ∘C to null, and increase the coefficient of determination from 0.88 to 0.97, 0.96, and 0.96 for Xgboost, SVR, and MLR, respectively.
An Asymmetric Model Position Dependent Mass: Quantum Mechanical Study
Authors: Rath Biswanath , Mallick Pravanjan , Asad Jihad , Wannan Rania , Jarrar Rabab , Shanak Hussein
Published: March 2023

We propose an asymmetric model position dependent mass and study its quantum mechanical behaviour on different potentials such as harmonic oscillator potential, double well potential, Gaussian single well potential and triangular single well model potential. It is observed from our study that the model asymmetric mass works well for weak coupling preserving the symmetric phase portrait. However, the dominance of asymmetric feature of the mass in the system clearly visible for higher values of the constant associated with the mass. Though, both position dependent mass and potential have significant role in controlling the spectral feature of the system, one may dominate over other for certain cases.