bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microvascular Adaptations to Muscle Stretch: Findings From Animals and the Elderly
Authors: Hotta Kazuki , Muller-Delp Judy
Published: July 2022

Microcirculation in skeletal muscle is disturbed with advancing aging, causing limited capillary blood flow and exercise incapacity. Muscle stretch has been widely performed in physical therapy, sports medicine, and health promotion. However, the effect of stretch on microvascular reactivity and muscle blood flow remains unknown. This review focuses on stretch-induced microvascular adaptations based on evidence from cultured cells, small animals, and human studies. Vascular endothelium senses and responds to mechanical stimuli including stretch. This endothelial mechanotransduction potentially plays a vital role in the stretch-induced microvascular adaptation alongside hypoxia. Aging impairs microvascular endothelial function, but muscle stretch has the potential to restore it. Muscle stretch may be an alternative to improve vascular function and enhance exercising blood flow, especially for those who have difficulties in participating in exercise due to medical, functional, or psychological reasons.
Technological Advancements and Economics in Plant Production Systems: How to Retrofit?
Authors: Uyeh Daniel Dooyum , Mallipeddi Rammohan , Park Tusan , Woo Seungmin , Ha Yushin
Published: July 2022

Plant production systems such as plant factories and greenhouses can help promote resilience in food production. These systems could be used for plant protection and aid in controlling the micro- and macro- environments needed for optimal plant growth irrespective of natural disasters and changing climate conditions. However, to ensure optimal environmental controls and efficient production, several technologies such as sensors and robots have been developed and are at different stages of implementation. New and improved systems are continuously being investigated and developed with technological advances such as robotics, sensing, and artificial intelligence to mitigate hazards to humans working in these systems from poor ventilation and harsh weather while improving productivity. These technological advances necessitate frequent retrofits considering local contexts such as present and projected labor costs. The type of agricultural products also affects measures to be implemented to maximize returns on investment. Consequently, we formulated the retrofitting problem for plant production systems considering two objectives; minimizing the total cost for retrofitting and maximizing the yearly net profit. Additionally, we considered the following: (a) cost of new technologies; (b) present and projected cost for human labor and robotics; (c) size and service life of the plant production system; (d) productivity before and after retrofit, (e) interest on loans for retrofitting, (f) energy consumption before and after retrofit and, (g) replacement and maintenance cost of systems. We solved this problem using a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm that results in a set of compromised solutions and performed several simulations to demonstrate the applicability and robustness of the method. Results showed up to a 250% increase in annual net profits in an investigated case, indicating that the availability of all the possible retrofitting combinations would improve decision making. A user-friendly system was developed to provide all the feasible retrofitting combinations and total costs with the yearly return on investment in agricultural production systems in a single run.
Engineering Curcumin Biosynthesis in Poplar Affects Lignification and Biomass Yield
Authors: De Meester Barbara , Oyarce Paula , Vanholme Ruben , Van Acker Rebecca , Tsuji Yukiko , Vangeel Thijs , Van den Bosch Sander , Van Doorsselaere Jan , Sels Bert , Ralph John , Boerjan Wout
Published: July 2022

Lignocellulosic biomass is recalcitrant toward deconstruction into simple sugars mainly due to the presence of lignin. By engineering plants to partially replace traditional lignin monomers with alternative ones, lignin degradability and extractability can be enhanced. Previously, the alternative monomer curcumin has been successfully produced and incorporated into lignified cell walls of Arabidopsis by the heterologous expression of DIKETIDE-CoA SYNTHASE (DCS) and CURCUMIN SYNTHASE2 (CURS2). The resulting transgenic plants did not suffer from yield penalties and had an increased saccharification yield after alkaline pretreatment. Here, we translated this strategy into the bio-energy crop poplar. Via the heterologous expression of DCS and CURS2 under the control of the secondary cell wall CELLULOSE SYNTHASE A8-B promoter (ProCesA8-B), curcumin was also produced and incorporated into the lignified cell walls of poplar. ProCesA8-B:DCS_CURS2 transgenic poplars, however, suffered from shoot-tip necrosis and yield penalties. Compared to that of the wild-type (WT), the wood of transgenic poplars had 21% less cellulose, 28% more matrix polysaccharides, 23% more lignin and a significantly altered lignin composition. More specifically, ProCesA8-B:DCS_CURS2 lignin had a reduced syringyl/guaiacyl unit (S/G) ratio, an increased frequency of p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units, a decreased frequency of p-hydroxybenzoates and a higher fraction of phenylcoumaran units. Without, or with alkaline or hot water pretreatment, the saccharification efficiency of the transgenic lines was equal to that of the WT. These differences in (growth) phenotype illustrate that translational research in crops is essential to assess the value of an engineering strategy for applications. Further fine-tuning of this research strategy (e.g., by using more specific promoters or by translating this strategy to other crops such as maize) might lead to transgenic bio-energy crops with cell walls more amenable to deconstruction without settling in yield.
Fostering ICT Competencies in Blended Learning: Role of Curriculum Content, Material, and Teaching Strategies
Authors: Ashraf Muhammad Azeem , Iqbal Javed , Arif Muhammad Irfan , Asghar Muhammad Zaheer
Published: July 2022

The study examined the direct and indirect influence of information communication technology (ICT)-integrated curriculum content, material, and teaching strategies on ICT competencies of students in blended learning. The ICT-integrated teaching strategies were used as a mediator in between the relationships of curriculum content, material, and ICT competencies. We used a survey questionnaire containing 26 items on the variables of research in this study. The data were collected from six universities in the Hunan Province of China. The target population consisted of undergraduate students of blended learning. In total, 486 participants participated in the study. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to measure the relationships among variables. The results revealed that there were significant and positive relationships among ICT-integrated curriculum content, material, teaching strategies, and ICT competencies of students. Furthermore, it was also revealed that ICT-integrated teaching strategies in blended learning mediated the relationships in between ICT integrated curriculum content, material, and ICT competencies. It was concluded that the effective curriculum content, curriculum material, and teaching strategies are the critical predictors of ICT competencies. Moreover, teaching strategies worked as an intervening factor between the curriculum content, curriculum material, and ICT competencies. The practical implications and directions for future research are also presented in this study.
Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Adult Subjective Wellbeing: The Role of Hope and Sense of Control
Authors: Wang Li , Li Fenglan , Meng Keqiang , Dunning Kelly Heber
Published: July 2022

The study investigates the unexplored link between childhood socioeconomic status and adult subjective wellbeing using data from a field survey of 568 rural residents from poor areas in China. This study focuses on exploring the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status, hope, sense of control, and adult subjective wellbeing using a structural equation model. Results indicated that hope and sense of control mediated the links between childhood socioeconomic status and adult subjective wellbeing, revealing that hope and sense of control may buffer the negative impacts of childhood poverty experiences on subjective wellbeing. The findings provide new insights into the impacts of childhood socioeconomic status on adult subjective wellbeing and expand the literature on key factors in adult subjective wellbeing.
Factors That Influence Actual Playing Time: Evidence From the Chinese Super League and English Premier League
Authors: Zhao Yuangang , Liu Tianbiao
Published: July 2022

This study explored factors that influence actual playing time by comparing the Chinese Super League (CSL) and English Premier League (EPL). Eighteen factors were classified into anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors. Fifty CSL matches (season 2019) and 50 EPL matches (season 2019–2020) were analyzed. An independent sample t-test with effect size (Cohen’s d) at a 95% confidence interval was used to evaluate differences in the influencing factors between the CSL and EPL. Two multiple linear regression models regarding the CSL and EPL were conducted to compare the influencing factors’ impact on actual playing time. The results showed that the average actual playing time (p < 0.05, 0.6 < ES = 0.610 < 1.2) and average game density (p < 0.05, 0.2 < ES = 0.513 < 0.6) in the EPL were significantly higher than in the CSL. The average time per game for general fouls (p < 0.05, 1.2 < ES = 1.245 < 2.0) and minor injuries (p < 0.05, 0.2 < ES = 0.272 < 0.6) in the CSL was significantly higher than in the EPL. The average time allocated to off-field interferences in the CSL was significantly higher than in the EPL, while the average time allocated to throw-ins (out-of-bounds) in the CSL was significantly lower than in the EPL (p < 0.05, 0.2 < ES = 0.556 < 0.6). The study showed that actual playing time in CSL games was more affected by anthropogenic factors than in the case of EPL games, while both leagues were equally affected by non-anthropogenic factors. This study provides a reference for coaches to design effective training and formulate game strategies for elite soccer leagues.
Educational Psychology-Empowered Creative Practice Strategy and Educational Countermeasures for Cinematography Major
Authors: Di Hanwei
Published: July 2022

This work aims to improve Cinematography Majors’ creative orientation and practical skills and improve related teaching quality. Firstly, this work analyzes the theoretical knowledge and main working principles of Educational Psychology (EPSY). Then, it reviews the current situation and characteristics of the Cinematography teaching through a Questionnaire Survey (QS). Consequently, an EPSY-based teaching effect evaluation model is proposed for Cinematography Majors. The results show that genders have great differences in Cinematography Majors’ theoretical knowledge and creative orientation. Girls’ theoretical knowledge learning effect is better than boys, with about 84% qualification rate at best. Boys’ creative orientation learning effect is better than girls, with the highest qualification rate of about 84%. Meanwhile, students’ theoretical knowledge differs greatly from grade to grade and the learning effect increase with the grade. Nevertheless, students’ overall creative orientation is not satisfactory. Lastly, students’ theoretical knowledge differs greatly given different artistic backgrounds, but the difference in creative orientations is small. Thus, the school can carry out targeted teaching for students according to different genders, grades, and artistic backgrounds, to comprehensively improve the teaching effect of Cinematography. The finding provides technical support and educational countermeasures for improving the teaching effect of Cinematography and the reform of Cinematography teaching.
Impact of Mobile Game Addiction Tendency on Chinese University Students: A Hierarchical Linear Modeling Study
Authors: Gan Yongtao , Zhang Tian , Zhang Jiahao , Wu Xia , Shao Mengjun
Published: July 2022

This study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to investigate the differences in mobile game addiction tendencies among universities (i.e., double first-class universities, ordinary colleges and universities, and higher vocational colleges), and to examine the influencing factors of mobile game addiction tendency at the individual and university levels. The participants of this study were 4,024 college students who completed the Chinese Mobile Phone Game Addiction Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect Scale. Loneliness (β = 0.052), positive emotions (β = −0.126), negative emotions (β = 0.232), and double first-class universities (γ = 0.368) significantly predicted mobile game addiction tendencies. A significant cross-level interaction between double first-class universities and other factors (i.e., positive emotions, negative emotions, and mobile game addiction) was observed. The novelty of this study is that it distinguishes the various effects of mobile phone addiction tendency at the individual and university levels.
Educational Intervention for Management of Acute Trauma Pain: A Proof-of-Concept Study in Post-surgical Trauma Patients
Authors: Colloca Luana , Taj Ariana , Massalee Rachel , Haycock Nathaniel R. , Murray Robert Scott , Wang Yang , McDaniel Eric , Scalea Thomas M. , Fouche-Weber Yvette , Murthi Sarah
Published: July 2022

Objective

Despite years of research and the development of countless awareness campaigns, the number of deaths related to prescription opioid overdose is steadily rising. Often, naive patients undergoing trauma-related surgery are dispensed opioids while in the hospital, resulting in an escalation to long-term opioid misuses. We explored the impact of an educational intervention to modify perceptions of opioid needs at the bedside of trauma inpatients in post-surgery pain management.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-eight inpatients with acute post-surgical pain completed this proof-of-concept study adopting an educational intervention related to opioids and non-pharmacological strategies in the context of acute post-surgical pain. An education assessment survey was developed to measure pre- and post-education perceptions of opioid needs to manage pain. The survey statements encompassed the patient’s perceived needs for opioids and other pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutics to manage acute pain. The primary outcome was the change in the patient’s perceived need for opioids. The secondary (explorative) outcome was the change in Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) used on the day of the educational intervention while inpatients and prescribed at the time of the hospital discharge.

Results

After the educational intervention, patients reported less agreement with the statement, “I think a short course of opioids (less than 5 days) is safe.” Moreover, less agreement on using opioids to manage trauma-related pain was positively associated with a significant reduction in opioids prescribed at discharge after the educational intervention. The educational intervention might have effectively helped to cope with acute trauma-related pain while adjusting potential unrealistic expectancies about pain management and, more in general, opioid-related needs.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that trauma patients’ expectations and understanding of the risks associated with the long-term use of opioids can be modified by a short educational intervention delivered by health providers during the hospitalization. Establishing realistic expectations in managing acute traumatic pain may empower patients with the necessary knowledge to minimize the potential of continuous long-term opioid use, opioid misuse, and the development of post-trauma opioid abuse and/or addiction.
Spike Mutation Profiles Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections in Delta Emerging and Predominant Time Periods in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Fibke Chad D. , Joffres Yayuk , Tyson John R. , Colijn Caroline , Janjua Naveed Z. , Fjell Chris , Prystajecky Natalie , Jassem Agatha , Sbihi Hind
Published: July 2022

Background

COVID-19 vaccination is a key public health measure in the pandemic response. The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants introduce new groups of spike protein mutations. These new mutations are thought to aid in the evasion of vaccine-induced immunity and render vaccines less effective. However, not all spike mutations contribute equally to vaccine escape. Previous studies associate mutations with vaccine breakthrough infections (BTI), but information at the population level remains scarce. We aimed to identify spike mutations associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BTI in a community setting during the emergence and predominance of the Delta-variant.

Methods

This case-control study used both genomic, and epidemiological data from a provincial COVID-19 surveillance program. Analyses were stratified into two periods approximating the emergence and predominance of the Delta-variant, and restricted to primary SARS-CoV-2 infections from either unvaccinated individuals, or those infected ≥14 days after their second vaccination dose in a community setting. Each sample's spike mutations were concatenated into a unique spike mutation profile (SMP). Penalized logistic regression was used to identify spike mutations and SMPs associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BTI in both time periods.

Results and Discussion

This study reports population level relative risk estimates, between 2 and 4-folds, of spike mutation profiles associated with BTI during the emergence and predominance of the Delta-variant, which comprised 19,624 and 17,331 observations, respectively. The identified mutations cover multiple spike domains including the N-terminal domain (NTD), receptor binding domain (RBD), S1/S2 cleavage region, fusion peptide and heptad regions. Mutations in these different regions imply various mechanisms contribute to vaccine escape. Our profiling method identifies naturally occurring spike mutations associated with BTI, and can be applied to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with novel groups of spike mutations.
Radiation of meningioma dural tail may not improve tumor control rates
Authors: Piper Keenan , Yu Siyuan , Taghvaei Mohammad , Fernandez Christian , Mouchtouris Nikolaos , Smit Rupert D. , Yudkoff Clifford , Collopy Sarah , Reyes Maikerly , Lavergne Pascal , Karsy Michael , Prashant Giyarpuram N. , Shi Wenyin , Evans James
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Dural tails are thickened contrast-enhancing portions of dura associated with some meningiomas. Prior studies have demonstrated the presence of tumor cells within the dural tail, however their inclusion in radiation treatment fields remains controversial. We evaluated the role of including the dural tail when treating a meningioma with stereotactic radiation and the impact on tumor recurrence.

Methods

This is a retrospective, single-institution, cohort study of patients with intracranial World Health Organization (WHO) grade 1 meningioma and identified dural tail who were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) from January 2012 to December 2018. SRS and FSRT subgroups were categorized based on coverage or non-coverage of the dural tail by the radiation fields, as determined independently by a radiation oncologist and a neurosurgeon. Demographics, tumor characteristics, radiation plans, and outcomes were evaluated. High grade tumors were analyzed separately.

Results

A total of 187 WHO grade 1 tumors from 177 patients were included in the study (median age: 62 years, median follow-up: 40 months, 78.1% female) with 104 receiving SRS and 83 receiving FSRT. The dural tail was covered in 141 (75.4%) of treatment plans. There was no difference in recurrence rates (RR) or time to recurrence (TTR) between non-coverage or coverage of dural tails (RR: 2.2% vs 3.5%, P = 1.0; TTR: 34 vs 36 months, P = 1.00). There was no difference in the rate of radiation side effects between dural tail coverage or non-coverage groups. These associations remained stable when SRS and FSRT subgroups were considered separately, as well as in a high grade cohort of 16 tumors.

Conclusion

Inclusion of the dural tail in the SRS or FSRT volumes for meningioma treatment does not seem to reduce recurrence rate. Improved understanding of dural tail pathophysiology, tumor grade, tumor spread, and radiation response is needed to better predict the response of meningiomas to radiotherapy.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Postbiotics: Alternative of Antibiotic Growth Promoter to Ameliorate Gut Health in Broiler Chickens
Authors: Chang Hui Mei , Loh Teck Chwen , Foo Hooi Ling , Lim Eric Teik Chung
Published: July 2022

The postbiotic produced from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum has been revealed as a potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoters (AGP). It helps to stimulate growth performance, improve nutrient digestibility, intestinal histomorphology, immune response, and improve meat quality in livestock. However, there is a paucity of information on the effects of L. plantarum postbiotic produced by formulated media on the gut health and immune response. Therefore, this study was conducted by using three strains of dietary L. plantarum postbiotics to determine the growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, intestinal mucin production, and immune status in broiler chickens. A 245 male Cobb 500-day-old birds were assigned randomly to five treatments, namely, NC: basal diet only (negative control), OTC: basal diet + 0.01% (w/w) oxytetracycline (positive control), RG11: basal diet + 0.1% (v/w) Postbiotic RG11, RI11: basal diet + 0.1% (v/w) Postbiotic RI11, and RS5: basal diet + 0.1% (v/w) Postbiotic RS5. The body weight and feed intake were taken weekly. The small intestine and its mucus, ceca digesta were collected on days 21 and 42. Fresh excreta for crude mucin production were collected 3 days before slaughter on day 42. From the findings, RS5 recorded a significant highest (p < 0.05) final body weight, body weight gain, and significant lowest (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio. The concentrations of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), acidic mucin, sulfated mucin, and intestinal trefoil factor were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the birds fed with RI11 and RS5. Postbiotics RI11 and RS5 had up-regulated expression of intestinal Mucin 2, occludin, and secretory immunoglobulin A. The antibiotic-fed chickens also showed a reduced (p < 0.05) total bacteria and Bifidobacterium population but a significantly increased (p < 0.05) the population of Escherichia coli in the jejunum. In conclusion, the supplementation of L. plantarum postbiotic can be used to substitute AGP as it promoted growth performance, mucin production, ameliorated tight junction permeability, and immune status in broiler chickens due to improved gut health and beneficial bacteria colonization.
Surgical Treatment and Outcome of Acquired Midline Palate Defects in Cats
Authors: Castejón-González Ana C. , Stefanovski Darko , Reiter Alexander M.
Published: July 2022

Acquired midline palate defects (PDE) affect the hard palate and/or soft palate, and result from trauma, commonly falling from a height or being hit by a motor vehicle. Additional life-threating injuries and costs associated with the treatment may delay the surgical treatment. This retrospective study describes signalment, cause, and extent of the PDE, and treatment in 25 cats. In addition, the outcome of the surgical repair is described in 19 (76%) cats. All defects were repaired within 5 days of the injury. Twenty (80%) cats were 4 years of age or younger. The most common rostral extent of the PDE was to the level of the third premolar tooth (n = 8; 32%), incisor teeth (n = 7; 28%), and fourth premolar tooth (n = 5; 20%). The soft palate laceration was present in all cases. Surgical therapy was successful in all cases with follow-up. The most common techniques used for the closure of the hard palate defect were bilateral pedicle flaps with lateral releasing incisions (n = 8; 32%), direct apposition of the oral mucosa (n = 7; 28%), bilateral pedicle flaps with lateral releasing incisions and interquadrant splinting (n = 5; 20%), and unilateral pedicle flap with one lateral releasing incision (n = 4; 16%). A tension-free closure by direct apposition of the edges was possible for the soft palate laceration. No oronasal fistulae were identified at follow-up. The only complication was malocclusion. The interquadrant splinting was most often used for PDE extending to the rostral portion of the hard palate (p < 0.05). The cats that suffered postoperative malocclusion were significantly more likely to have sustained temporomandibular joint injury, underwent CT scan, or had a feeding tube placed before discharge. The results of this retrospective study indicate that the early treatment (within 5 days) of the acquired longitudinal defects in the midline of the hard and soft palates is highly successful.
Prevalence of Access to Prenatal Care in the First Trimester of Pregnancy Among Black Women Compared to Other Races/Ethnicities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Silva Pedro Henrique Alcântara da , Aiquoc Kezauyn Miranda , Silva Nunes Aryelly Dayane da , Medeiros Wilton Rodrigues , Souza Talita Araujo de , Jerez-Roig Javier , Barbosa Isabelle Ribeiro
Published: July 2022

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of access to prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy among black women compared to other races/ethnicities through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: Searches were carried out at PUBMED, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and in the grey literature. The quality of the studies and the risk of bias were analyzed using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies instrument. The extracted data were tabulatesd and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively through meta-analysis.

Results: Black women had the lowest prevalence of access to prenatal services in the first trimester, with prevalence ranging from 8.1% to 74.81%, while among white women it varied from 44.9 to 94.0%; 60.7% of black women started prenatal care in the first trimester, while 72.9% of white women did so.

Conclusion: Black women compared to other racial groups had lower prevalence of access to prenatal care, with less chance of access in the first trimester, and it can be inferred that the issue of race/skin color is an important determinant in obtaining obstetric care.

Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020159968_, PROSPERO CRD42020159968.
Vector Fitting–Cauchy Method for the Extraction of Complex Natural Resonances in Ground Penetrating Radar Operations
Authors: Gallego Andres , Roman Francisco , Pineda Edwin
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we obtain the Complex Natural Resonances of an object from the backscattered response in the frequency domain with a novel rational function approximation method based on both Vector Fitting and Cauchy methods. We determine the system order and an initial set of poles, which are used as a basis for a rational function approximation. The results from the simulations and experiments show an improvement in the reconstructed signals and the accuracy of the CNRs calculated, with an increased tolerance to the critical Signal-to-Noise Ratio. This is being used in the problem of GPR landmine humanitarian detection in Colombia.
Aircraft Emissions, Their Plume-Scale Effects, and the Spatio-Temporal Sensitivity of the Atmospheric Response: A Review
Authors: Tait Kieran N. , Khan Mohammad Anwar H. , Bullock Steve , Lowenberg Mark H. , Shallcross Dudley E.
Published: July 2022

Non-CO2 aircraft emissions are responsible for the majority of aviation’s climate impact, however their precise effect is largely dependent on the environmental conditions of the ambient air in which they are released. Investigating the principal causes of this spatio-temporal sensitivity can bolster understanding of aviation-induced climate change, as well as offer potential mitigation solutions that can be implemented in the interim to low carbon flight regimes. This review paper covers the generation of emissions and their characteristic dispersion, air traffic distribution, local and global climate impact, and operational mitigation solutions, all aimed at improving scientific awareness of aviation’s non-CO2 climate impact.
Sublethal Effects of Emamectin Benzoate on Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Liu Zhuo-Kun , Li Xue-Lin , Tan Xiao-Feng , Yang Mao-Fa , Idrees Atif , Liu Jian-Feng , Song Sai-Jie , Shen Jian
Published: July 2022

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a highly invasive polyphagous pest that causes great economic losses to agricultural production. Emamectin benzoate (EMB) is one of the most popular biopesticides with high antipest, anti-parasitic and anti-nematode activities and low toxicity. The present study was conducted to determine the lethality of EMB to FAW for 24 h. Sublethal effects of EMB on FAW parental and offspring generations were also assessed. LC10, LC20 and LC50 EMB for 24 h on FAW third instar larvae were 0.0127 mg/L, 0.0589 mg/L, and 0.1062 mg/L, respectively. A low dose of sublethal concentrations of EMB could significantly influence the life cycle of FAW parental and offspring generations. Sublethal concentration (LC20) of EMB significantly prolonged the pupal period of male and increased the pupal weight of male but not of female, and significantly delayed the oviposition period and longevity of adult FAW. In the FAW offspring generation, sublethal concentrations significantly increased the mortality of offspring pupae and pre-adults, and reduced the development time of offspring larvae and pre-adult male and female. Sublethal concentrations (LC10 and LC20) of EMB significantly decreased the FAW oviposition period. However, only LC10 significantly reduced FAW F1 female fecundity. No significant difference was found in the intrinsic rates of natural increase (rm), finite rate of population increase (λ), and net reproductive rate (R0) of FAW offspring exposed to sublethal concentrations. This is the first study to determine the sublethal concentrations of EMB on the life table parameters of two FAW generations. These findings can provide important implications for the rational utilization of FAW insecticides.
Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Addition on Agronomic Characters, Photosynthetic Performance and Anatomical Structure of Alfalfa in Northern Xinjiang, China
Authors: Sun Yanliang , Wang Xuzhe , Ma Chunhui , Zhang Qianbing
Published: July 2022

The productivity of alfalfa is associated with a large amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P); the addition of exogenous N and P fertilizers can fully exploit the growth potential of alfalfa. However, there is uncertainty about the relationship between changes in alfalfa productivity and photosynthetic physiology and anatomy. We conducted field fertilization experiments on alfalfa in the second and third years under drip irrigation, as well as measurement of the photosynthetic physiology, anatomical structure and agronomic traits of alfalfa at different levels of N (0, 120 kg·ha−1) and different levels of P2O5 (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg·ha−1). The results showed that the dry matter yield (DMY), crude protein (CP), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and specific leaf weight (SLW) were increased by 2.10~11.82%, 4.95~11.93%, 4.71~7.59% and 2.02~7.12% in the N application treatment compared with the non-N application treatment, while the DMY, CP, Pn and SLW were increased by 3.19~17.46%, 1.99~8.42%, 6.15~24.95% and 2.16~11.90% in the P application treatment compared with the non-P application treatment. N and P increase the thickness of the spongy tissue (ST) of alfalfa, which will facilitate the entry and exit of gas and water, and will further affect the photosynthetic indexes, such as stomatal conductance (Gs) and transpiration rate (Tr), of alfalfa leaves. Increased palisade tissue (PT) thickness will also enhance the adaptability of plant leaves to strong sunlight, thereby increasing the maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax) and light saturation point (LSP). Fertilization treatment showed the highest utilization efficiency for low light and better adaptation to strong light, but the Rd decreased. The comprehensive scores of principal component analysis for anatomical structure, photosynthetic performance and agronomic traits were N1P2 > N0P2 > N1P3 > N1P1 > N0P3 > N0P1 > N1P0 > N0P0. Therefore, the application of N and P fertilizers contributed to the adaptive changes in alfalfa leaf anatomy and the improvement of photosynthetic capacity, which were beneficial to the improvement of alfalfa dry matter yield, growth traits and nutritional quality, with the most obvious improvement effect obtained with the application of 120 kg·ha−1 of N and 100 kg·ha−1 of P2O5.
Dietary Glutamine Supplementation Alleviated Inflammation Responses and Improved Intestinal Mucosa Barrier of LPS-Challenged Broilers
Authors: Zhang Bolin , Zhong Qingzhen , Liu Ning , Song Peiyong , Zhu Peng , Zhang Caichao , Sun Zewei
Published: July 2022

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of glutamine (Gln) supplementation on intestinal inflammatory reaction and mucosa barrier of broilers administrated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimuli. A total of 120 1-d-old male broilers were randomly divided into four treatments in a 2 × 2 experimental arrangement, containing immune challenge (injected with LPS in a dose of 0 or 500 μg/kg of body weight) and dietary treatments (supplemented with 1.22% alanine or 1% Gln). The results showed that growth performance of broilers intra-abdominally injected with LPS was impaired, and Gln administration alleviated the adverse effects on growth performance induced by LPS challenge. Furthermore, Gln supplementation reduced the increased concentration of circulating tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β induced by LPS challenge. Meanwhile, D-lactic acid and diamine oxidase concentration in plasma were also decreased by Gln supplementation. In addition, the shorter villus height, deeper crypt depth and the lower ratio of villus height to crypt depth of duodenum, jejunum and ileum induced by LPS stimulation were reversed by Gln supplementation. Gln administration beneficially increased LPS-induced reduction in the expression of intestine tight junction proteins such as zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO-1), claudin-1 and occludin except for the ZO-1 in duodenum and occludin in ileum. Moreover, Gln supplementation downregulated the mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4, focal adhesion kinase, myeloid differentiation factor 88 and IL-1R-associated kinase 4 in TLR4/FAK/MyD88 signaling pathway. Therefore, it can be concluded that Gln administration could attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory responses and improve intestinal barrier damage of LPS-challenged broilers.
Empiric Usage of “Anti-Pseudomonal” Agents for Hospital-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Rahat Ori , Shihab Murad , Etedgi Elhai , Ben-David Debby , Estrin Inna , Goldshtein Lili , Zilberman-Itskovich Shani , Marchaim Dror
Published: July 2022

Hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (HAUTI) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections, and over 80% of HAUTI are catheter-associated (CAUTI). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as other non-glucose fermenting Gram negative organisms (NGFGN, e.g., Acinetobacter baumannii), are frequently covered empirically with “anti-Pseudomonals” being administered for every HAUTI (and CAUTI). However, this common practice was never trialed in controlled settings in order to quantify its efficacy and its potential impacts on hospitalization outcomes. There were 413 patients with HAUTI that were included in this retrospective cohort study (2017–2018), 239 (57.9%) had CAUTI. There were 75 NGFGN infections (18.2% of HAUTI, 22.3% of CAUTI). P. aeruginosa was the most common NGFGN (82%). Despite multiple associations per univariable analysis, recent (3 months) exposure to antibiotics was the only independent predictor for NGFGN HAUTI (OR = 2.4, CI-95% = 1.2–4.8). Patients who received empiric anti-Pseudomonals suffered from worse outcomes, but in multivariable models (one for each outcome), none were independently associated with the empiric administration of anti-Pseudomonals. To conclude, approximately one of every five HAUTI (and CAUTI) are due to NGFGN, which justifies the practice of empiric anti-Pseudomonals for patients with HAUTI (and CAUTI), particularly patients who recently received antibiotics. The practice is not associated with independent deleterious impacts on outcomes.
Chemotherapeutic Strategies with Valnemulin, Tilmicosin, and Tulathromycin to Control Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Infection in Pigs
Authors: Stingelin Giovani Marco , Mechler-Dreibi Marina Lopes , Storino Gabriel Yuri , Sonalio Karina , Almeida Henrique Meiroz de Souza , Petri Fernando Antônio Moreira , de Oliveira Luís Guilherme
Published: July 2022

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the primary agent of Swine Enzootic Pneumonia (SEP). Vaccines reduce the clinical manifestation of the disease but do not prevent infection. The present study aimed to evaluate the use of antimicrobial drugs to minimize the impact of M. hyopneumoniae. For this, 32 pregnant female pigs and their litters were selected and then followed from birth to slaughter. The study involved three experimental groups that received metaphylactic treatment with different protocols involving tilmicosin, valnemulin, tulathromycin, and a control group to compare the effect of treatments against M. hyopneumoniae infection throughout the phases. Performance data were recorded, and the piglets were evaluated for the occurrence of cough. Nasal swab and blood collection was conducted periodically to detect M. hyopneumoniae shedding and anti-M. hyopneumoniae IgG, respectively. At slaughter, the lungs of animals from all groups were evaluated, and samples were collected for histopathological examination and qPCR for M. hyopneumoniae detection. All protocols promoted a reduction in consolidation lung lesions when compared to the control group. Individuals treated with valnemulin showed increased performance results, lower mortality, and low bacterial load in the lung. The results are promising and may indicate an alternative in the strategic control of M. hyopneumoniae infection in pigs.
Hydrogen Sulfide Increases the Analgesic Effects of µ- and δ-Opioid Receptors during Neuropathic Pain: Pathways Implicated
Authors: Bai Xue , Batallé Gerard , Balboni Gianfranco , Pol Olga
Published: July 2022

Recent studies have revealed that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) increases the analgesic actions of the δ-opioid receptor (DOR) in inflammatory pain. However, the possible improvement of the analgesia of μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and DOR agonists during neuropathic pain, through pretreatment with two slow-releasing H2S donors—DADS (diallyl disulfide) and GYY4137 (morpholin-4-ium 4-methoxyphenyl(morpholino) phosphinodithioate dichloromethane complex)—is still unknown. In male C57BL/6J mice with neuropathic pain incited by chronic constriction of the sciatic nerve (CCI), we evaluated: (1) the influence of DADS (3.5 mg/kg) and GYY4137 (0.7 mg/kg) on the inhibition of the allodynia and hyperalgesia produced by the systemic or local administration of morphine (3 mg/kg or 65 µg) and UFP-512 (1 mg/kg or 12.5 µg); (2) the reversion of the antinociceptive actions of high doses of DADS (30 mg/kg) and GYY4137 (24 mg/kg) with MOR and DOR antagonists; and (3) the effects of H2S donors on oxidative stress, apoptotic responses, and MOR and DOR expression in the medial septum (MS) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG). The results revealed that both DADS and GYY4137 improved the antiallodynic effects of morphine and UFP-512, possibly by up-regulating MOR and DOR expression in DRG. The administration of MOR and DOR antagonists blocked the analgesic properties of DADS and GYY4137, revealing the feasible participation of the endogenous opioid system in H2S analgesic effects. Moreover, both H2S donors inhibited oxidative stress and apoptosis generated by CCI in the MS and/or DRG. This study suggests the co-treatment of H2S donors with MOR or DOR agonists as a potential therapy for neuropathic pain.
Situation-Aware Survivable Network Design for Tactical Environments
Authors: Son Sunghwa , Wi Gwangjin , Park Kyung-Joon
Published: July 2022

A tactical sensor network is a representative safety-critical environment that should satisfy strict guarantee of the requirements of tactical traffic. However, because of the lack of infrastructure in a military network environment, resource constraints on wireless channel and nodes can cause problems such as network congestion and packet collision. If critical tactical data is lost or does not arrive on time, it can degrade the efficiency of military operations and even threaten the survival of soldiers. To resolve this critical issue, we propose a situational backoff reset algorithm that utilizes a quality of service (QoS) field information to determine the priority of received tactical packets and control the deferral time of low-priority traffic. From a packet routing path connectivity perspective, we propose a branch node-based routing algorithm in order to provide a resilient path by excluding the isolated single path. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed solution can prioritize tactical traffic from the channel preemption perspective and construct a robust end-to-end path avoiding an isolated single path.
Target Localization and Sensor Movement Trajectory Planning with Bearing-Only Measurements in Three Dimensional Space
Authors: Zou Yiqun , Gao Bilu , Tang Xiafei , Yu Lingli
Published: July 2022

In order to improve the accuracy of bearing-only localization in three dimensional (3D) space, this paper proposes a novel bias compensation method and a new single-sensor maneuvering trajectory algorithm, respectively. Compared with traditional methods, the bias compensation method estimates the unknown variance of bearing noise consistently, which is utilized in pseudo-linear target localization to achieve higher precision. The sensor maneuvering algorithm designs the next moment sensor location in consideration of all the past sensor locations, unlike other approaches that only consider finite past locations. Research shows that the trajectories generated by our algorithm have greater Fisher information matrix (FIM) determinants and better localization accuracy.
Time-Optimal Trajectory Planning of Six-Axis Manipulators Based on the Improved Direct Collocation Method with FMU
Authors: Xiong Ziyao , Ding Jianwan , Chen Liping
Published: July 2022

The trajectory planning method with dynamics is the key to improving the motion performance of manipulators. The optimal control method (OCM) is a key technology to solve optimal problems with dynamics. There are direct and indirect methods in OCM; indirect methods are difficult to apply to engineering applications, and so direct methods are widely applied instead. The direct collocation method (DCM) is a technology in OCM to transform an optimal control problem (OCP) to a nonlinear problem (NLP), so that plenty of solvers can be used directly. However, the general DCM, for which it has been found that the explicit form of the right-hand-side (RHS) functions of state equations of the complex system in the OCP is hard to derive, is limited to solving the OCP of three-axis manipulators. This paper proposes an improved DCM to solve the OCP of six-axis manipulators, which can find the solution of the time-optimal trajectory for the motion of six-axis manipulators based on the improved DCM. The proposed method derives the RHS equations implicitly by introducing a Functional Mock-up Unit (FMU), which simplifies the representation of the RHS equations as a black-box model, so that the DCM can be applied to the OCP of six-axis manipulators. A simulation case of a three-axis manipulator accomplished in a related study works as a reference compared with our improved method to verify the solution consistence between the DCM using the explicit RHS equations or using the implicit RHS equations, and the loss of computational efficiency is acceptable. In the meantime, a simulation solution and an experiment of six-axis manipulators, which is a novel advancement, are presented to validate the proposed method.
A Graph-Based Representation Method for Fashion Color
Authors: Chen Yuyilan , Dai Yuqian , Li Li , Ma Chenqu , Liu Xiaogang
Published: July 2022

Fashion color research takes the color information of fashion apparel as the major focus for further studies, such as style categorization or trend prediction. However, the colors in apparel are treated as isolated elements from each other, disregarding the fact that not only the attributes of each color itself but also the collocation relationship of the colors in apparel are important color factors. To provide a more comprehensive abstraction of the information from the fashion colors as well as emulating the human cognition of fashion colors, in this paper, we are the first to propose a knowledge graph-based representation method that captures not only the individual colors but also abstracts the spatial relation of all the colors that appear in a single piece of fashion apparel. This method provides the fundamental definition of the abstraction of the relation of colors, a detailed method to construct the color graph, as well as the practical matrix-based management and the visualization of the constructed graphs. The case studies for color data extraction and extended usage demonstrate the effectiveness of our method with comprehensive color data representation and effective information extraction.
Radiative Lifetimes for the A and C1Σ+ States of the (SrK)+ Ion Molecular
Authors: Souissi Hanen , Alrebdi Tahani A.
Published: July 2022

We have investigated, in a previous work, the transition dipole moments (TDM) of the 13 1Σ+ states of the (SrK)+ molecular ion by using the ab initio method based on the pseudo-potential approach. The radiative lifetimes for all vibrational levels of A and C1Σ+ have been calculated by using such transition dipole moments curves. We have included the bound-free emissions probabilities further to the bound–bound transitions. The bound-free emissions probabilities have been determined exactly, using the Franck–Condon approach, and then included in the total radiative lifetime. An important change has been observed for the higher excited vibrational levels in these lifetimes when the approximate evaluation breaks down. For the first time, the radiative lifetimes associated with the Aand C1Σ+ excited state have been studied here.