bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urge intolerance predicts tic severity and impairment among adults with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders
Authors: Ramsey Kesley A. , De Nadai Alessandro S. , Espil Flint M. , Ricketts Emily , Stiede Jordan T. , Schild Jennifer , Specht Matthew W. , Woods Douglas W. , Bennet Shannon , Walkup John T. , Chang Susanna , Piacentini John , McGuire Joseph F.
Published: August 2022

Background

Individuals with Tourette Syndrome and Persistent Tic Disorders (collectively TS) often experience premonitory urges—aversive physical sensations that precede tics and are temporarily relieved by tic expression. The relationship between tics and premonitory urges plays a key role in the neurobehavioral treatment model of TS, which underlies first-line treatments such as the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT). Despite the efficacy of CBIT and related behavioral therapies, less than 40% of adults with TS respond to these treatments. Further examination of the relationship between premonitory urges, tic severity, and tic impairment can provide new insights into therapeutic targets to optimize behavioral treatment outcomes. This study examined whether urge intolerance—difficulty tolerating premonitory urges—predicted tic severity and tic-related impairment among adults with TS.

Methods

Participants were 80 adults with TS. Assessments characterized premonitory urge, distress tolerance, tic severity, and tic impairment. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the construct of urge intolerance—comprised of premonitory urge ratings and distress tolerance ratings. We first evaluated a measurement model of urge intolerance through bifactor modeling, including tests of the incremental value of subfactors that reflect premonitory urge severity and distress tolerance within the model. We then evaluated a structural model where we predicted clinician-rated tic severity and tic impairment by the latent variable of urge intolerance established in our measurement model.

Results

Analyses supported a bifactor measurement model of urge intolerance among adults with TS. Consistent with theoretical models, higher levels of urge intolerance predicted greater levels of clinician-rated tic severity and tic impairment.

Conclusion

This investigation supports the construct of urge intolerance among adults with TS and distinguishes it from subcomponents of urge severity and distress tolerance. Given its predictive relationship with tic severity and tic impairment, urge intolerance represents a promising treatment target to improve therapeutic outcomes in adults with TS.
The therapeutic effect of Taijiquan combined with acupoint pressing on the treatment of anxiety insomnia in college students: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Deng Jianya , Liu Xinyan , Wang Yiming , Fan Jieyang , Yang Li , Duan Jiamin , Yuan Yongfang , Lan Peishu , Shan Zhuoxuan , Xiong Junfeng , Peng Wenyu , He Qingfeng , Chen Yajie , Fu Xiaoxu
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Sleep health is an important part of health and has become a common concern of society. For anxiety insomnia, the commonly used clinical therapies have limitations. Alternative and complementary therapy is gradually rising and showing remarkable effect in clinical practice. This is the first study to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Taijiquan combined with acupoint pressing in the treatment of anxiety insomnia in college students and to compare the difference in intervention before and after sleep, to choose the best treatment time.

Methods and analysis

This is a multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. A total of 126 eligible subjects who have passed the psychological evaluation and met inclusion criteria by completing a psychometric scale will be randomly divided into treatment group A (treat before sleep), treatment group B (treat after sleep) and control group C (waiting list group) in a ratio of 1:1:1. All the three groups will receive regular psychological counseling during the trial, and the treatment groups will practice 24-style Taijiquan and do meridian acupuncture at Baihui (DU20), Shenting (DU24), Yintang (EX-HN3), Shenmen (HT7) and Sanyinjiao (SP6). This RCT includes a 2-week baseline period, a 12-week intervention period, and a 12-week follow-up period. The main results will be measured by changes in the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA). The secondary results will be measured by the generalized anxiety scale (GAD-7) and insomnia severity index (ISI). The safety of the intervention will be evaluated at each assessment. The statistical analysis of data will be carried out by SPSSV.26.0 software.

Discussion

We expect this trial to explore the effectiveness of Taijiquan combined with acupoint pressing in the treatment of anxiety insomnia in college students and choose the best treatment time by comparison.

Clinical trial registration

[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [ChiCTR2200057003].
The relevancy of massive health education in the Brazilian prison system: The course “health care for people deprived of freedom” and its impacts
Authors: Valentim Janaína L. R. S. , Dias-Trindade Sara , Oliveira Eloiza S. G. , Moreira José A. M. , Fernandes Felipe , Romão Manoel H. , Morais Philippi S. G. , Caitano Alexandre R. , Dias Aline P. , Oliveira Carlos A. P. , Coutinho Karilany D. , Ceccim Ricardo B. , Valentim Ricardo A. M.
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Brazil has one of the largest prison populations globally, with over 682,000 imprisoned people. Prison health is a public health emergency as it presents increasingly aggravating disease rates, mainly sexually transmitted infections (STI). And this problem already affects both developed and developing nations. Therefore, when thinking about intervention strategies to improve this scenario in Brazil, the course “Health Care for People Deprived of Freedom” (ASPPL), aimed at prison health, was developed. This course was implemented in the Virtual Learning Environment of the Brazilian Health System (AVASUS). Given this context, this study analyzed the aspects associated with massive training through technological mediation and its impacts on prison health.

Methods

This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 8,118 ASPPL course participants. The data analyzed were collected from six sources, namely: (i) AVASUS, (ii) National Registry of Health Care Facilities (CNES), (iii) Brazilian Occupational Classification (CBO), (iv) National Prison Department (DEPEN); (v) Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE); and the (iv) Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH), through the Outpatient Information System of the Brazilian National Health System (SIA/SUS). A data processing pipeline was conducted using Python 3.8.9.

Results

The ASPPL course had 8,118 participants distributed across the five Brazilian regions. The analysis of course evaluation by participants who completed it shows that 5,190 (63.93%) reported a significant level of satisfaction (arithmetic mean = 4.9, median = 5, and standard deviation = 0.35). The analysis revealed that 3,272 participants (40.31%) are health workers operating in distinct levels of care. The prison system epidemiological data shows an increase in syphilis diagnosis in correctional facilities.

Conclusions

The course enabled the development of a massive training model for various health professionals at all care levels and regions of Brazil. This is particularly important in a country with a continental size and a large health workforce like Brazil. As a result, social and prison health impacts were observed.
Expert consensus statement on therapeutic drug monitoring and individualization of linezolid
Authors: Lin Bin , Hu Yangmin , Xu Ping , Xu Tao , Chen Chunyan , He Le , Zhou Mi , Chen Zhangzhang , Zhang Chunhong , Yu Xuben , Fang Luo , Zhu Junfeng , Ji Yanlan , Lin Qun , Cao Hengbin , Dai Youqin , Lu Xiaoyan , Shi Changcheng , Li Li , Wang Changjiang , Li Xumei , Fang Qiongyan , Miao Jing , Zhu Zhengyi , Lin Guangyong , Zhan Haichao , Lv Shiwen , Zhu Yalan , Cai Xinjun , Ying Yin , Chen Meng , Xu Qiong , Zhang Yiwen , Xu Yubin , Federico Pea , Jiang Saiping , Dai Haibin
Published: August 2022

Linezolid is an oxazolidinone antibacterial drug, and its therapeutic drug monitoring and individualized treatment have been challenged since its approval. With the in-depth clinical research of linezolid, we have changed our attitude toward its therapeutic drug monitoring and our view of individualized treatment. On the basis of summarizing the existing clinical studies, and based on the practical experience of each expert in their respective professional fields, we have formed this expert consensus. Our team of specialists is a multidisciplinary team that includes pharmacotherapists, clinical pharmacology specialists, critical care medicine specialists, respiratory specialists, infectious disease specialists, emergency medicine specialists and more. We are committed to the safe and effective use of linezolid in patients in need, and the promotion of its therapeutic drug monitoring.
Moving goals. Goal-work in Parkinson's disease rehabilitation
Authors: Tonnesen Merete , Nielsen Claus Vinther , Andersen Rikke Sand
Published: August 2022

Chronic diseases often demand considerable work by patients: they must adhere to medical regimes and engage with social and embodied discontinuities. In Denmark, rehabilitees in Parkinson's disease rehabilitation talk about Parkinson's as their new job. In this article, we introduce goal-work as an optical lens to enlarge and explore the micro-social practices that concern a core practice in rehabilitation where professionals and rehabilitees set goals for the future and work toward the goals. To work with goals adds a new task to living with Parkinson's. Rehabilitation research tends to focus on the actual goal-setting meeting. Drawing on data from long-term ethnographic fieldwork on goals and their setting in Parkinson's disease rehabilitation, we show how participants in rehabilitation imagine, set, enact, review or share their rehabilitation goals, and how goals are worked with before and after the goal-setting meeting, across settings. We conceptualize these micro-social practices as goal-work, which we argue is a spatio-temporal process. The concept of goal-work emphasizes the fact that goal-setting is one event in a string of goal-related activities, and it turns our attention to the intersubjective dimensions inherent in goal-work, such as the role of relatives and how acts of imagination and acts of sharing form part of goal-work.
Innovation and efficiency in financial institutions
Authors: Sena Vania , Kenjegaliev Amangeldi , Kenjegalieva Aliya
Published: August 2022

This paper proposes a new methodology that combines standard production theory with Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods to rank banks based on their capability of using investment in new technologies to reduce the other inputs' usage, for a given level of output. Banks are first ranked based on their investment in innovation (innovation rank); afterwards, we calculate the overall rank by combining two factors of production, viz. labor and assets, using the PROMETHEE II approach that belongs to the family of the outranking methods. We then use directional efficiency measures to measure the banks' efficiency by means of relation between two ranks, for a given level of the outputs. We apply the methodology to a sample of US and EU banks sourced from Orbis BankFocus. The key findings suggest there are four types of banks in our sample: (a) banks whose innovation rank is positively correlated with the overall rank; (b) banks exhibiting a negative correlation between two ranks: their overall ranks are low while still exhibiting high innovation ranks; (c) banks with high overall rank but low innovation rank and (d) banks with the worst ranks both for the innovation rank and the overall rank. The least efficient banks belong to this group.
3D printing of liquid crystal elastomers-based actuator for an inchworm-inspired crawling soft robot
Authors: Song Xiaowen , Zhang Weitian , Liu Haoran , Zhao Limeng , Chen Qi , Tian Hongmiao
Published: August 2022

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have shown great potential as soft actuating materials in soft robots, with large actuation strain and fast response speed. However, to achieve the unique features of actuation, the liquid crystal mesogens should be well aligned and permanently fixed by polymer networks, limiting their practical applications. The recent progress in the 3D printing technologies of LCEs overcame the shortcomings in conventional processing techniques. In this study, the relationship between the 3D printing parameters and the actuation performance of LCEs is studied in detail. Furthermore, a type of inchworm-inspired crawling soft robot based on a liquid crystal elastomeric actuator is demonstrated, coupled with tilted fish-scale-like microstructures with anisotropic friction as the foot for moving forwards. In addition, the anisotropic friction of inclined scales with different angles is measured to demonstrate the performance of anisotropic friction. Lastly, the kinematic performance of the inchworm-inspired robot is tested on different surfaces.
Where are pedestrians injured and killed on Kampala city's road network?
Authors: Zziwa Esther Bayiga , Kobusingye Olive , Guwatudde David
Published: August 2022

Road traffic crashes are a threat to walkers in cities in the global south. It is important for us to know where these crashes frequently occur as well as gain an in-depth understanding of the traffic generators around these sites. Kampala city has experienced many changes over time, and as a result, the crash sites could have changed over time. Pedestrian crashes in cities cluster in specific places than others on a road network known as black spots. It is important to know and update the current black spots as well as reassess the circumstances surrounding these crash sites. This study utilized 5-year traffic crash data (2015–2019) to map and categorize pedestrian black spots in Kampala city, Uganda, by road location type, as well as the nature of activity happening around. A total of 1,095 unique crash locations emerged from the data. Based on the criteria of locations with at least 10 serious or fatal crashes in 5 years, 46 locations were identified as black spots. The bulk (48%) of serious and fatal pedestrian black spots were junctions, especially those with traffic lights, while 74% of these black spots were around places with commercial land use. Whereas implementation of appropriate interventions at black spots is a general well-proven method for reducing the number and severity of crashes at these sites on the road network, the measures taken to treat accident black spots vary from place to place dependent on the unique local circumstances and risk factors. The draft black spot list serves as a basis for further investigation and analysis of the local risk factors surrounding serious and fatal pedestrian crashes in low-income settings as a key step in generating appropriate interventions.
Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop improves soil physico-chemical properties with no influence on soybean (Glycine max L.) root growth parameters
Authors: Pinnamaneni Srinivasa R. , Mubvumba Partson , Anapalli Saseendran S. , Reddy Krishna N.
Published: August 2022

Planting winter cover crops (CC) in soybean cropping systems is expected to offer various environmental benefits including soil health and fertility besides enhanced cash crop productivity. In a three-year study (2018–2021) conducted on a Dundee silt loam, we assessed the impact of introducing rye (Secale cereale L.) CC during the winter fallow period on soil organic carbon (SOC), soil organic matter (SOM), soil total nitrogen (STN), bulk density (BD), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs), soil penetration resistance (SPR), and water-stable aggregates (WSA). Three treatments evaluated were: i) no cover crop (NC), ii) winter rye as CC rolled when green and desiccated after soybean planting (GR), and iii) winter rye CC desiccated and rolled before planting soybean (BR) in a randomized complete block design with six replications. The depth of the soil sampling in 2019 was 0-15 and 15-30 cm while 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm depth soil sampling was done in 2020 and 2021. Effects of BR and GR on soybean root growth characteristics (number of roots, root length and root angle) were measured using a CID 600 root scanner. The results showed that CC (both BR and GR) improved SOC by 7 to 12.5%, soil organic matter by 9 to 15%, STN by 13 to 29%, WSA by 26 to 68%, Kfs by 5 to 9% and reduced BD by 8% and SPR by 14 to 18% compared to NC (P<0.05). However, there were no differences between BR and GR treatments. Root characteristics of soybean in the NC, BR and GR treatments were similar. Rye CC fits into the existing soybean production system in the Lower Mississippi Delta with a potential to augment soil-physico chemical properties, thus offering agro-ecosystem services which may not necessarily lead to an impact on soybean root growth traits.
Methanol in the RNA world: An astrochemical perspective
Authors: Mathew Thomas , Esteves Pierre Mothé , Prakash G. K. Surya
Published: August 2022

The role and relevance of methanol in the origin and structure of the RNA world is discussed. Methanol is a pivotal, renewable, and regenerable source from which almost all chemical materials, simple or complex, can be accessed. Olefins and carbonyl compounds, amines and amino acids, peptides and polypeptides, and the molecular building blocks in the initial stages of the biological evolution to life’s origin are obtained through methanol as a source material by its chemical transformation. The formation of methanol, whether in stellar and interstellar media, in deep sea-bottom hot hydrothermal vents or from geothermal sources, results from CO2 hydrogenation. It is the basic reaction, setting the stage for the formation of fundamental “organic” building blocks for the formation of simple prebiotic cells to subsequent biological evolution to cells. The important observation of many organics– hydrocarbons and ions including the large expanse of methane and methanol in the interstellar medium and stellar peripheries is a clear indication of “stellar reductive processes” and ensuing reactions shedding light on the probable significant role of extraterrestrial methanol as the basic source material toward a multi-step transformation into complex life molecules such as RNA.
Techno-economic and financial index analysis for the improvement of entrepreneurship and competitiveness strategies of Greek goat enterprises
Authors: Maria Tsiouni , Dimitrios Gourdouvelis , Christos Konstantinidis , Stamatis Aggelopoulos
Published: August 2022

Greece is a country with a long tradition in animal breeding, particularly involving small ruminants and goat farming is an important livestock industry. Despite the high productivity and high quality of products, the goat industry shows low competitiveness due to high production costs compared to other EU countries. For economic sustainability, farms have to be profitable; therefore, it is important to maximize income whilst controlling costs. The aim of this paper is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the goat breeding industry so that it is not only viable but also competitive. The economic performance of goat farms are evaluated in this study, as well as the factors that influence financial results. Capital formation and production costs composition of the holdings are examined. Moreover, the purpose of the analysis is to draw conclusions regarding the gross return achieved, the participation of production factors (land, labor, capital) in the composition of total costs, and the financial results achieved. Results show that the cost of feed, depreciation, and the value of animals contribute most in the formulation of cost.
Neurotrophic factors in the porcine ovary: Their effects on follicular growth, oocyte maturation, and developmental competence
Authors: Kim Mirae , Hyun Sang-Hwan
Published: August 2022

Pigs are cost-effective industrial animals because they produce a large number of offspring and have shorter rebreeding intervals compared with other animals, such as non-human primates. The reproductive physiology of pigs has been studied over the past several decades. However, there is not enough research on the effects of the neurotrophic factors on the ovarian physiology and development in pigs. As the ovary is a highly innervated organ, various neurotrophic factors during ovarian development can promote the growth of nerve fibers and improve the development of ovarian cells. Thus, investigating the role of neurotrophic factors on ovarian development, and the relationship between neurotrophic factors and porcine female reproduction is worth studying. In this review, we focused on the physiological roles of various neurotrophic factors in porcine ovaries and summarized the current status of the studies related to the relationship between neurotrophic factors and porcine ovarian development.
Prevalence and genetic diversity of porcine circovirus type 2 in northern Guangdong Province during 2016–2021
Authors: Nan Wenjin , Wu Jingbo , Hu Honghui , Peng Guoliang , Tan Simin , Deng Zhibang
Published: August 2022

The emergence and widespread of porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVADs), mainly caused by porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), threatens the Chinese swine industry. In this study, to investigate the recent prevalence of PCV2 in northern Guangdong Province of China, 573 tissue samples from 132 pig farms were collected during 2016–2021 and analyzed via PCR. Overall, 51.38% (297/573, 95%CI 47.74–55.92) samples were tested PCV2 positive. The detection rate of PCV2 was significantly lower in samples collected before 2016-2018 than after the outbreak of African Swine Fever (2019-2021), being 59.85% (158/264, 95%CI 53.94–65.76) and 41.47% (141/340, 95%CI 36.43–46.71), respectively. On the other end, the genetic characteristics of 26 PCV2 strains were further analyzed. These PCV2 strains belonged to three genotypes, including PCV2a, PCV2b, and PCV2d. Specifically, the predominant genotype prevalent during two periods (2016–2018 and 2019–2021) wasPCV2b (81.82%, 9/11) and PCV2d (80.0%, 12/15), respectively. The results above illustrated the high prevalence and the genetic evolution feature of PCV2 in Guangdong Province in recent years.
Pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of two cyclosporine oral solution formulations in cats
Authors: Yang Yuxin , Kong Jingyuan , Liu Yu , Wu Qinyao , Cao Yuying , Qiu Jicheng , Zhang Lu , Gong Xiaohui , Zhao Fuhua , Cao Xingyuan , Wang Jianzhong
Published: August 2022

The pharmacokinetic profiles and bioequivalence of two cyclosporine oral solutions were investigated in cats. Twenty-four cats were randomly allocated to two equally sized treatment groups in a randomized four-cycle, and dual-sequence cross-over design. Test and reference articles were orally administered in a single dose of 7 mg/kg Bodyweight. Serial blood samples were collected, and blood cyclosporine concentration was determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). No significant differences were present in the major pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, AUC0−last,) between the two formulations. The blood profiles of cyclosporine following the administration of both formulations were similar. The findings of the study suggested that the two articles were bioequivalent for cyclosporine oral solution.
Control Design and Testing for a Finger Exoskeleton Mechanism
Authors: Damarla Adithya Prakash , Russo Matteo , Ceccarelli Marco
Published: August 2022

This paper describes a control strategy for a linkage finger exoskeleton mechanism with two degrees of freedom. To characterise the performance of the proposed finger motion assistance device, a replica of a human finger is prototyped to mimic human finger motion and to the testing effect of assistance provided by the novel exoskeleton with results from grasp tests. A feasible control design is developed to achieve a robust grasp of an object using the proposed exoskeleton mechanism, which is validated with simulated and experimental results that show how the proposed control algorithm maintains the force within 3% of the desired value. The aim of the paper is to present a control design for the ExoFinger exoskeleton with low-cost easy operation features that are aligned with the similar characteristics of the mechanical design.
Design, Development, and Control of a Novel Upper-Limb Power-Assist Exoskeleton System Driven by Pneumatic Muscle Actuators
Authors: Chu Hsien-Ru , Chiou Shean-Juinn , Li I-Hsum , Lee Lian-Wang
Published: August 2022

An innovative wearable upper-limb power-assist exoskeleton system (UPES) was designed for laborers to improve work efficiency and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This novel wearable UPES consists of four joints, each comprising a single actuated pneumatic muscle actuator (PMA) and a torsion spring module driven via a steel cable. Unlike most single-joint applications, where dual-PMAs are driven by antagonism, this design aims to combine a torsion spring module with a single-PMA via a steel cable for a 1-degree of freedom (1-DOF) joint controlled by a proportional-pressure regulator. The proposed four driving degrees of freedom wearable UPES is suitable for power assistance in work and characterizes a simple structure, safety, and compliance with the motion of an upper limb. However, due to the hysteresis, time-varying characteristics of the PMA, and non-linear movement between joint flexion and extension, the model parameters are difficult to identify accurately, resulting in unmeasurable uncertainties and disturbances of the wearable UPES. To address this issue, we propose an improved proxy-based sliding mode controller integrated with a linear extended state observer (IPSMC-LESO) to achieve accurate power-assisted control for the upper limb and ensure safe interaction between the UPES and the wearer. This control method can slow the underdamped dynamic recovery motion to tend the target trajectory without overshoots from large tracking errors that result in actuator saturation, and without deteriorating the power assist effect during regular operation. The experimental results show that IPSMC-LESO can effectively control a 4-DOF wearable UPES, observe the unknown states and total disturbance online of the system, and adapt to the external environment and load changes to improve system control performance. The results prove that the joint torsion spring module combining the single-PMA can reduce the number of PMAs and proportional-pressure regulators by half and obtain a control response similar to that of the dual-PMA structure.
Soft Gloves: A Review on Recent Developments in Actuation, Sensing, Control and Applications
Authors: Tiboni Monica , Amici Cinzia
Published: August 2022

Interest in soft gloves, both robotic and haptic, has enormously grown over the past decade, due to their inherent compliance, which makes them particularly suitable for direct interaction with the human hand. Robotic soft gloves have been developed for hand rehabilitation, for ADLs assistance, or sometimes for both. Haptic soft gloves may be applied in virtual reality (VR) applications or to give sensory feedback in combination with prostheses or to control robots. This paper presents an updated review of the state of the art of soft gloves, with a particular focus on actuation, sensing, and control, combined with a detailed analysis of the devices according to their application field. The review is organized on two levels: a prospective review allows the highlighting of the main trends in soft gloves development and applications, and an analytical review performs an in-depth analysis of the technical solutions developed and implemented in the revised scientific research. Additional minor evaluations integrate the analysis, such as a synthetic investigation of the main results in the clinical studies and trials referred in literature which involve soft gloves.
Robust and Explainable Semi-Supervised Deep Learning Model for Anomaly Detection in Aviation
Authors: Memarzadeh Milad , Akbari Asanjan Ata , Matthews Bryan
Published: August 2022

Identifying safety anomalies and vulnerabilities in the aviation domain is a very expensive and time-consuming task. Currently, it is accomplished via manual forensic reviews by subject matter experts (SMEs). However, with the increase in the amount of data produced in airspace operations, relying on such manual reviews is impractical. Automated approaches, such as exceedance detection, have been deployed to flag safety events which surpass a pre-defined safety threshold. These approaches, however, completely rely on domain knowledge and outcome of the SMEs’ reviews and can only identify purely threshold crossings safety vulnerabilities. Unsupervised and supervised machine learning approaches have been developed in the past to automate the process of anomaly detection and vulnerability discovery in the aviation data, with availability of the labeled data being their differentiator. Purely unsupervised approaches can be prone to high false alarm rates, while a completely supervised approach might not reach optimal performance and generalize well when the size of labeled data is small. This is one of the fundamental challenges in the aviation domain, where the process of obtaining safety labels for the data requires significant time and effort from SMEs and cannot be crowd-sourced to citizen scientists. As a result, the size of properly labeled and reviewed data is often very small in aviation safety and supervised approaches fall short of the optimum performance with such data. In this paper, we develop a Robust and Explainable Semi-supervised deep learning model for Anomaly Detection (RESAD) in aviation data. This approach takes advantage of both majority unlabeled and minority labeled data sets. We develop a case study of multi-class anomaly detection in the approach to landing of commercial aircraft in order to benchmark RESAD’s performance to baseline methods. Furthermore, we develop an optimization scheme where the model is optimized to not only reach maximum accuracy, but also a desired interpretability and robustness to adversarial perturbations.
On-Line Detection Method and Device for Moisture Content Measurement of Bales in a Square Baler
Authors: Liu Huaiyu , Meng Zhijun , Zhang Anqi , Cong Yue , An Xiaofei , Fu Weiqiang , Wu Guangwei , Yin Yanxin , Jin Chengqian
Published: August 2022

Aiming to address the problems of low detection accuracy and poor stability due to the weak anti-interference ability of the bridge circuit and operational amplifier circuit, and the influence on the capacitance of the bulk density and temperature of the straw bale, an on-line detection device for the moisture content of straw bales in a square baler was developed based on the capacitance method. The device integrates a capacitance sensor, pressure sensor, and temperature sensor. The optimal structure size of the capacitor plate was determined through the simulation test of the capacitor sensor plate structure. A moisture content monitoring system based on the MATLAB language is built, and the moisture content detection model was constructed based on the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) algorithm. Finally, a test bench for a square baling machine was designed, and a performance verification test of the moisture content detection device was carried out. The simulation results of the capacitor plate show that when the length, width, and spacing of the capacitor plate are 148.6, 47.7, and 5.1 mm, respectively, the detection sensitivity of the capacitor plate is the highest. The modeling results show that the R2, RMSE, and RPD of the BPNN model are 0.986, 0.008998, and 5.99, respectively, with solid data fitting ability and high prediction accuracy. The bench test results show that for the samples having moisture content between 13.1 and 28.04%, the coefficient of determination R2 of the fitting curve between the predicted value of moisture content and the actual value is 0.949. The relative error range of the predicted value of moisture content is −6.51–8.66%, and the absolute error range is −1.63–1.72%. The on-line detection device for moisture content of straw bales has good accuracy and stability.
Efficacy of Sweet Potato Transplanting Machine for Different Cultivation Systems in Northern China
Authors: Li Hui , He Tengfei , Liu Hu , Shi Song , Wang Baoqing , Zhou Jilei , Liu Xuechuan , Wei Guojian , Zhang Rongfang
Published: August 2022

China is the world’s biggest producer of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L). Lam.), and approximately 55% of the global supply is from China. Raised beds (RB) and raised beds mulched with plastic film (RBF) are the two main sweet potato cultivation systems now widely used in northern China. Planting placement of multiple nodes buried in shallow soil layers is additionally required for the sweet potato cultivation to achieve higher yields and reduce pests and diseases in this area, which increases the difficulty of transplanting mechanically. Therefore, a 2CGFS-2 compound sweet potato transplanter was developed, and the key parameters of slips transplanting apparatus were designed in this paper. Furthermore, its performance was investigated over two years under four treatments with different sweet potato varieties (Jishu 26 and Pushu 32) and cultivation systems (RBF and RB). The results showed that the missing seedling rate and qualified rate of transplanting population for each treatment by using 2CGFS-2 compound transplanter were <1.2% and >95.0% in both 2020 and 2021, while the mean values of the plant spacing variation coefficient and the qualified rate of transplanting depth during 2020–2021 were 4.53% and 96.28%, respectively. The length of the sweet potato slip inserted into the soil by the 2CGFS-2 compound sweet potato transplanter was almost the same, ca. 195 mm. The accurate placement of the sweet potato slips reduced the differences in tuber weight per plant caused by manual transplanting. These results are of considerable importance for RB and RBF sweet potato cultivation systems.
Convolutional Neural Networks in Detection of Plant Leaf Diseases: A Review
Authors: Tugrul Bulent , Elfatimi Elhoucine , Eryigit Recep
Published: August 2022

Rapid improvements in deep learning (DL) techniques have made it possible to detect and recognize objects from images. DL approaches have recently entered various agricultural and farming applications after being successfully employed in various fields. Automatic identification of plant diseases can help farmers manage their crops more effectively, resulting in higher yields. Detecting plant disease in crops using images is an intrinsically difficult task. In addition to their detection, individual species identification is necessary for applying tailored control methods. A survey of research initiatives that use convolutional neural networks (CNN), a type of DL, to address various plant disease detection concerns was undertaken in the current publication. In this work, we have reviewed 100 of the most relevant CNN articles on detecting various plant leaf diseases over the last five years. In addition, we identified and summarized several problems and solutions corresponding to the CNN used in plant leaf disease detection. Moreover, Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) trained on image data were the most effective method for detecting early disease detection. We expressed the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing CNN in agriculture, and we discussed the direction of future developments in plant disease detection.
The Effect of Harvest Date and Storage Conditions on the Quality of Remontant Strawberry Cultivars Grown in a Gutter System under Covers
Authors: Błaszczyk Jan , Bieniasz Monika , Nawrocki Jacek , Kopeć Michał , Mierzwa-Hersztek Monika , Gondek Krzysztof , Zaleski Tomasz , Knaga Jarosław , Bogdał Stanisław
Published: August 2022

The storage characteristics of three remontant strawberry cultivars San Andreas®, Albion® and Murano® were studied in 2018–2020. The short-term storage conditions (7 days) of strawberries used in the study significantly affected fruit quality indicators. The highest quality of stored strawberries was provided by controlled atmosphere (CA) conditions, as evidenced by the typically highest fruit firmness and the lowest natural loss of strawberry weight. The modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions obtained in the Xtend® bags provided a similar good storage effect for strawberries. Strawberries stored in MAP bags had the lowest respiratory intensity, and their firmness and the percentage of rotten fruit were the same as those stored in a controlled atmosphere. In addition, MAP bags were effective in reducing the weight loss of stored strawberries. The quality of strawberries stored in a conventional air storage (AA) was slightly lower compared to the fruit stored in a controlled and modified atmosphere. This was due to their lower firmness and significantly higher respiration intensity and higher weight loss. In addition, the percentage of rotten fruit, although low, has always been the highest among AA strawberries. The quality of the strawberries also depended on the date of fruit harvest. Strawberries harvested later, compared to those collected earlier, were generally characterized by higher firmness, lower acidity and lower respiration intensity.
Time-Course Transcriptome Landscape of Bursa of Fabricius Development and Degeneration in Chickens
Authors: Huang Lan , Hu Yaodong , Guo Qixin , Chang Guobin , Bai Hao
Published: August 2022

The bursa of Fabricius (BF) is a target organ for various pathogenic microorganisms; however, the genes that regulate BF development and decline have not been fully characterized. Therefore, in this study, histological sections of the BF were obtained from black-boned chickens at 7 (N7), 42 (N42), 90 (N90) and 120 days (N120) of age, and the differential expression and expression trends of the BF at different stages were analyzed by transcriptome analysis. The results showed that the growth of the BF progressively matured with age, followed by gradual shrinkage and disappearance. Transcriptome differential analysis revealed 5914, 5513, 4575, 577, 530 and 66 differentially expressed genes (DEG) in six different comparison groups: N7 vs. N42, N7 vs. N90, N7 vs. N120, N42 vs. N90, N42 vs. N120 and N90 vs. N120, respectively. Moreover, we performed transcriptomic analysis of the time series of BF development and identified the corresponding stages of biological process enrichment. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the expression of the 16 DEGs during bursal growth and development. These results were consistent with the transcriptome results, indicating that they reflect the expression of the BF during growth and development and that these genes reflect the characteristics of the BF at different times of development and decline. These findings reflect the characteristics of the BF at different time intervals.
Effects of Elevated CO2 Levels on the Growth and Yield of Summer-Grown Cucumbers Cultivated under Different Day and Night Temperatures
Authors: Namizaki Hiromi , Iwasaki Yasunaga , Wang Rui
Published: August 2022

The effects of elevated CO2 (eCO2) levels on field-grown cucumbers have been extensively studied. However, the variations in photosynthate accumulation in summer-grown cucumbers simultaneously exposed to eCO2 and varying day-night temperatures (DNF) still remain unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of DNF different CO2 conditions [ambient CO2 (aCO2; 400–600 μmol mol−1) and eCO2 (800–1000 μmol mol−1)] on dry matter production and dry matter distribution in summer-grown cucumbers under two DNF treatments (35/10 °C and 25/20 °C, day/night). We observed that long-term eCO2 exposure increased C assimilation and photosynthate accumulation in leaves, resulting in feedback inhibition of the leaf area. Under both DNF treatments, the total dry matter distribution to fruits under eCO2 conditions was approximately 15% higher than that under aCO2 conditions. Furthermore, soluble sugar content and C:N ratio increased with long-term eCO2 exposure, indicating increased C allocation, photosynthate accumulation, and distribution. However, low night temperatures (LT) inhibited respiration and increased dry matter accumulation by 30% under eCO2 conditions. Additionally, eCO2 increased fruit fresh weight by 8% and 12% under both DNF treatments compared to aCO2. This suggests that long-term eCO2 exposure and varying DNF exhibited different effects through different metabolic mechanisms on cucumber growth at high temperatures. eCO2 conditions probably increased dry matter distribution to improve fruit quality, and LT treatment altered the respiration rate to restore photosynthesis, thereby increasing photosynthate distribution to fruits. Therefore, a combination of CO2 enrichment and DNF can be used to improve fruit quality and yield at high temperatures.
Determining Strawberries’ Varying Maturity Levels by Utilizing Image Segmentation Methods of Improved DeepLabV3+
Authors: Cai Changqing , Tan Jianwen , Zhang Peisen , Ye Yuxin , Zhang Jian
Published: August 2022

Aiming to determine the inaccurate image segmentation of strawberries with varying maturity levels due to fruit adhesion and stacking, this study proposed a strawberry image segmentation method based on the improved DeepLabV3+ model. The technique introduced the attention mechanism into the backbone network and the atrous spatial pyramid pooling module of the DeepLabV3+ network, adjusted the weights of feature channels in the neural network propagation process through the attention mechanism to enhance the feature information of strawberry images, reduced the interference of environmental factors, and improved the accuracy of strawberry image segmentation. The experimental results showed that the proposed method can accurately segment images of strawberries with different maturities; the mean pixel accuracy and mean intersection over union of the model were 90.9% and 83.05%, respectively, and the frames per second (FPS) was 7.67. The method can effectively reduce the influence of environmental factors on strawberry image segmentation and provide an effective approach for accurate operation of strawberry picking robots.
Comparison of Supplemental LED Top- and Interlighting for Year-Round Production of Cherry Tomato
Authors: Maeda Kazuya , Masuda Eriko , Tamashiro Tetsu , Maharjan Gauri , Maruo Toru
Published: August 2022

Supplemental lighting is common in northern countries or during winter greenhouse tomato production. We investigated the effect of supplemental lighting treatments on cherry tomato (‘Jun-Ama’) yield, productivity (light-use efficiency (LUE) and energy-use efficiency (EUE)), and fruit quality under high irradiance (average greenhouse daily light integral (DLI) = 14.5 mol m−2 d−1). Supplemental lighting treatments contained average DLIs of 2.7, 4.9, and 7.6 mol m−2 d−1 for interlighting, toplighting, and inter- + toplighting, respectively. Supplemental LED lighting increased fruit yield by 18, 41, and 40% with inter-, top-, and inter- + toplighting, respectively, compared with the control. Interlighting increased fruit number (+11%), and top- and inter- + toplighting also increased the fruit number (+26%, +27%) and weight (+10%, +10%), respectively. LUE and EUE were comparable between inter- and toplighting, while inter- + toplighting decreased LUE by 21 and 38%, and EUE by 38 and 31% compared with inter- and toplighting, respectively. All LED supplemental treatments significantly increased total soluble solids compared with the control. Total acidity and lycopene content were unchanged in all treatments. In conclusion, LED supplemental lighting with inter- or toplighting improved cherry tomato yield and quality, but inter- + toplighting was inefficient under high irradiation.
The Physiological Role of Abscisic Acid in Regulating Root System Architecture of Alfalfa in Its Adaptation to Water Deficit
Authors: Li Shuo , Nie Zhongnan , Sun Juan , Li Xianglin , Yang Guofeng
Published: August 2022

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial leguminous plant, with a strong tap root system that plays an important role in alfalfa’s adaptation to drought stress. However, a better understanding of root functional traits and how these root traits are related to whole plant responses in order to improve pasture productivity under water deficit. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted: Experiment 1 used three alfalfa cultivars and four levels of soil water content treatments to investigate herbage productivity, growth point density, residual shoot weight, and root weight. Experiment 2 assessed relationships among root-sourced abscisic acid (ABA), root system architecture and plant biomass in response to water deficit. The results demonstrated that root system was used as a useful tool to improve tolerant and adaptation when alfalfa copied with lower levels of soil water content. On average, maintaining 60–65% soil water-holding capacity alfalfa had the highest herbage accumulation (6.7 g DM pot-1), growing point density (46.5 pot-1), and residual shoot biomass (1.8 g DM pot-1). At the level of water stress, Medicago sativa L. cv Zhaodong (ZD) and cv Aohan (AH) tended to exhibit a herringbone branching pattern with less root tips, root forks, altitude, and magnitude than cv Golden empress (GE). Principal component analysis and structural equation modeling revealed that root-sourced ABA positively regulated the altitude and magnitude of root system architecture, root tips and root forks, and was closely associated with plant root biomass and herbage biomass. It was concluded that these findings can contribute to developing optimum irrigation strategies and help alfalfa breeders in the development of new cultivars with improved drought tolerance based on root system architecture, plant hormone, and plant growth.
Host Species Affects Bacterial Evenness, but Not Diversity: Comparison of Fecal Bacteria of Cows and Goats Offered the Same Diet
Authors: Mahayri Tiziana Maria , Fliegerová Kateřina Olša , Mattiello Silvana , Celozzi Stefania , Mrázek Jakub , Mekadim Chahrazed , Sechovcová Hana , Kvasnová Simona , Atallah Elie , Moniello Giuseppe
Published: August 2022

The aim of this study was to compare the diversity and composition of fecal bacteria in goats and cows offered the same diet and to evaluate the influence of animal species on the gut microbiome. A total of 17 female goats (Blond Adamellan) and 16 female cows (Brown Swiss) kept on an organic farm were fed pasture and hay. Bacterial structure in feces was examined by high-throughput sequencing using the V4–V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The Alpha diversity measurements of the bacterial community showed no statistical differences in species richness and diversity between the two groups of ruminants. However, the Pielou evenness index revealed a significant difference and showed higher species evenness in cows compared to goats. Beta diversity measurements showed statistical dissimilarities and significant clustering of bacterial composition between goats and cows. Firmicutes were the dominant phylum in both goats and cows, followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes. Linear discriminant analysis with effect size (LEfSe) showed a total of 36 significantly different taxa between goats and cows. Notably, the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG-005, Christensenellaceae R-7 group, Ruminococcaceae UCG-010, Ruminococcaceae UCG-009, Ruminococcaceae UCG-013, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Ruminococcus 1, Ruminococcaceae UCG-002, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, Treponema 2, Lachnospiraceae AC2044 group, and Bacillus was higher in goats compared to cows. In contrast, the relative abundance of Turicibacter, Solibacillus, Alloprevotella, Prevotellaceae UCG-001, Negativibacillus, Lachnospiraceae UCG-006, and Eubacterium hallii group was higher in cows compared with goats. Our results suggest that diet shapes the bacterial community in feces, but the host species has a significant impact on community structure, as reflected primarily in the relative abundance of certain taxa.