bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Media Exposure and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in the Wake of the November 2015 Paris Terrorist Attacks: A Population-Based Study in France
Authors: Robert Maëlle , Stene Lise Eilin , Garfin Dana Rose , Vandentorren Stéphanie , Motreff Yvon , du Roscoat Enguerrand , Pirard Philippe
Published: May 2021

The intense mass media coverage of the Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015 exposed a majority of the French population to the attacks. Prior research has documented the association between media exposure to terrorism and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The present study replicated and extended these findings in a French sample. A population-based sample (N = 1,760) was drawn from a national web-enabled panel in June 2016. Hours of attack-related media exposure (i.e., TV-watching, viewing internet images, engaging in social media exchanges) in the 3 days following the attacks were assessed. Multivariate regression models, adjusting for gender, age, direct exposure (i.e., witnessing in person or knowing someone injured or killed), residential area, social support, pre-attack mental health service utilization, and other adverse life events, examined the association between media exposure and PTSS (assessed using the self-report PCL-5). Compared to those reporting less than 2 hours of daily attack-related television exposure, those reporting 2–4 hours (β = 3.1, 95% CI = 0.8–5.3) or >4 hours (β = 4.7, 95% CI = 2.0–7.4) of media exposure reported higher attack-related PTSS. This finding was replicated with social media use: those with moderate (β = 3.2, 95% CI = 0.9–5.5) or high (β = 6.8, 95% CI = 1.9–11.7) use reported higher PTSS than those reporting no use. Subanalyses demonstrated that media exposure and PTSS were not associated in those directly exposed to the attacks. Results highlight the potential public health risk of extensive mass media exposure to traumatic events.
Getting to Know the Inner Self. Exploratory Study of Identity Oriented Psychotrauma Therapy—Experiences and Value From Multiple Perspectives
Authors: Stjernswärd Sigrid
Published: May 2021

Early trauma and failures in attachment attunement can affect future relational patterns, health and well-being. The processing of trauma, especially complex trauma, through adequate interventions may help integrate traumatic experiences, enhance health and quality of life. Despite years of clinical practice with Identity oriented psychotrauma therapy (IoPT), there is a lack of scientific research on the subject.

Objective: The study's aim was to explore the experiences and value of IoPT for persons with experiences of IoPT, whether as a therapist, client, representative and/or observer.

Methods: The study has an explorative, qualitative design. Data collection through individual in-depth interviews and focus groups with 20 participants and data analysis were inspired by grounded theory.

Results: The results showed an exploratory process of self-discovery and self-development, Getting to know the inner self, to which all categories were interrelated through their contribution to the process. The findings shed light on the experiences and tangible value of IoPT for the participants from the perspectives of client, therapist, representative and observer. These perspectives were intertwined and illuminated in terms of their contribution to the process.

Conclusion: IoPT seems to have transformative potential in terms of a self-exploratory journey from multiple perspectives. The need for effective treatments to enhance health and prevent further ill health in persons affected by complex trauma motivates the exploration of novel treatment approaches and formats to support clients toward health enhancing strategies. Further quantitative and qualitative research is motivated to enhance our understanding of the workings and value of IoPT for self-development, health and quality of life.
Urine Nitric Oxide Is Lower in Parents of Autistic Children
Authors: Yao Lulu , Cai Kun , Mei Fanghua , Wang Xiaohua , Fan Chuangang , Jiang Hong , Xie Fang , Li Ying , Bai Lu , Peng Kang , Deng Wenwen , Lai Shenghan , Wang Jun
Published: May 2021

Parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) usually carry on their daily life under tremendous stress, but limited empirical research has been devoted to this population. It is known that parents' health status directly impacts therapeutic outcome of ASD children. As an important regulator in cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems, nitric oxide (NO) levels haven't been reported in parents of ASD children yet. In this study, we measured urine nitrite and nitrate from 43 ASD parents (ASD-P), and 43 healthy adults in the same range of age (Control) who didn't have any ASD descendants. Comparison between the ASD-P and Control groups showed that NO2-, NO3-, and NO2-/NO3- were all significantly lower in the ASD-P group. Analysis on the interaction effect of sex and group indicated that urine NO3- of mothers in ASD-P was lower than that in females of the Control group, but no significant difference was observed between males in both groups. It is for the first time that urine nitric oxide metabolites (nitrite, nitrate) levels were precisely reported to differentiate parents of autistic children from other adults without ASD descendants. This phenomenon suggests that parents (especially mothers) of autistic children might have experienced more mental and physical stressors, which led to decreased NO levels during metabolism. Further investigations are necessary to uncover the etiology of low urine NO among parents of autistic children.
Clinical Ecopsychology: The Mental Health Impacts and Underlying Pathways of the Climate and Environmental Crisis
Authors: Thoma Myriam V. , Rohleder Nicolas , Rohner Shauna L.
Published: May 2021

Humankind is confronted with progressing climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, and/or destruction of the air, soil, water, and ecosystems. The climate and environmental crisis is probably one of the greatest challenges in the history of humankind. It not only poses a serious current and continuing threat to physical health, but is also an existing and growing hazard to the mental health of millions of people worldwide. This synergy of literature provides a current summary of the adverse mental health impacts of the climate and environmental crisis from the perspective of Clinical Psychology. Furthermore, it presents potential underlying processes, including biological, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and social pathways. The existing data suggest that the climate and environmental crisis not only acts as a direct stressor, but can also exert a detrimental impact on the various pathways, with the potential to amplify an individual's biopsychosocial vulnerability to develop mental ill-health. This is a call for an increased investigation into this emerging research field of Clinical Ecopsychology by clinical psychologists and other researchers.
Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Training for Chinese Construction Workers Based on the CHAID Decision Tree
Authors: Cao Zhonghong , Chen Tao , Cao Yuqing
Published: May 2021

Background: Occupational health and safety (OHS) training is an important way to prevent construction safety risks. However, the effectiveness of OHS training in China is questionable. In this study, the CHAID (chi-squared automatic interaction detection) decision tree, chi-square analysis, and correlation analysis were used to explore the main, secondary, weak, unrelated, and expectation factors affecting the effectiveness of training. It is the first to put forward the “five-factor method” of training effectiveness. It is found that training effectiveness is positively correlated with job responsibilities, OHS training, and job satisfaction. It is also significantly related to job certificate, training time, training method, and working time. However, the effectiveness of training has nothing to do with personal age, marital status, educational level, job type, and whether or not they have experienced industrial accidents. And the workers on site expect the enterprise to provide security and opportunities such as physical safety, training and learning, and future career development. The results show that OHS system training should be strengthened in the construction industry, and classified training should be carried out according to post responsibility, training methods, job satisfaction, and working hours.
Increasing Number of Individuals Receiving Hepatitis B nucleos(t)ide Analogs Therapy in Germany, 2008–2019
Authors: Maisa Anna , Kollan Christian , an der Heiden Matthias , van Bömmel Florian , Cornberg Markus , Mauss Stefan , Wedemeyer Heiner , Schmidt Daniel , Dudareva Sandra
Published: May 2021

Background: Germany is a low prevalence country for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with higher prevalence in vulnerable groups. The number of treated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients is unknown. We aimed to determine the number of CHB patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs), the treatment costs within the statutory health insurance (SHI) in Germany and per patient per month.

Methods: Data on pharmacy bills of NUCs to patients with SHI between 2008 and 2019 were purchased from Insight Health™ and described. Negative binomial regression was used for trend analysis.

Results: Number of patients increased between 2008 and 2019 (4.9% per year) with little changes in treatment options. Overall prescription costs were increasing (6.7% per year on average) until the introduction of tenofovir and entecavir generics in 2017 after which costs decreased by 31% in 2019. Average therapy costs peaked at 498 Euro per patient per month in 2016 and decreased to 214 Euro in 2019. Prescriptions changed from 30 to 90 pills per pack over time. HBV therapy was prescribed to 97% by three medical specialist groups, mainly specialists in internal medicine (63%), followed by hospital-based outpatient clinics (20%) and general practitioners (15%). Contrary to guideline recommendation, adefovir was still prescribed after 2011 for 1–5% of patients albeit with decreasing tendency. Prescriptions per 100,000 inhabitants were highest in Berlin and Hamburg.

Conclusion: Our data shows, that the number of treated CHB patients increased steadily, while NUC therapy costs decreased. We recommend continued testing and treatment for those eligible to prevent advanced liver disease and possibly decrease further transmission of HBV.
Work Resumption Rate and Migrant Workers' Income During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Li Jiaxiang , Chu Baoju , Chai Nana , Wu Bi , Shi Baofeng , Ou Feiya
Published: May 2021

The COVID-19 public health crisis has quickly led to an economic crisis, impacting many people and businesses in the world. This study examines how the pandemic affects workforces and workers' income. We quantify the impact of staggered resumption of work, after the coronavirus lockdowns, on the migrant workers' income. Using data on population movements of 366 Chinese cities at the daily level from the Baidu Maps-Migration Big Data Platform and historical data on the average monthly income of migrant workers, we find that the average work resumption rate (WRR) during the period of the Chinese Lantern Festival was 25.25%, which was only 30.67% of that in the same matched lunar calendar period in 2019. We then apply Gray Model First Order One Variable [GM (1, 1)] to predict the monthly income of migrant workers during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We show that, if without the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average monthly income of migrant workers in 2020 will be expected to increase by 12% compared with 2019. We further conduct scenario analysis and show that the average monthly income of migrant workers in 2020 under the conservative scenario (COS), medium scenario (MES), and worse scenario (WOS) will be predicted to decrease by 2, 21, and 44%, respectively. Through testing, our prediction error is <5%. Our findings will help policymakers to decide when and how they implement a plan to ease the coronavirus lockdown and related financial support policies.
Monitoring Gait Complexity as an Indicator for Running-Related Injury Risk in Collegiate Cross-Country Runners: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Authors: Gruber Allison H. , McDonnell James , Davis John J. , Vollmar Jacob E. , Harezlak Jaroslaw , Paquette Max R.
Published: May 2021

Dynamical systems theory suggests that studying the complexity of biological signals could lead to a single gait metric that reliably predicts risk of running-related injury (RRI). The purposes of this pilot study were to examine center of mass (COM) acceleration complexity at baseline, prior to RRI, and the change between timepoints between collegiate runners who developed RRI during a competitive season and those who remained uninjured, and to determine if complexity at these timepoints was associated with increased odds of RRI. Twenty-two collegiate runners from the same cross-country team wore a waist-mounted triaxial accelerometer (100 Hz) during easy-intensity runs throughout the competitive season. RRIs requiring medical attention were reported via an online survey. Control entropy was used to estimate the complexity of the resultant COM acceleration recorded during each run. Associations between complexity and RRI were assessed using a frequency-matching strategy where uninjured participants were paired with injured participants using complexity from the most time-proximal run prior to RRI. Seven runners sustained an RRI. No significant differences were observed between injured and uninjured groups for baseline complexity (p = 0.364, d = 0.405), pre-injury complexity (p = 0.258, d = 0.581), or change from baseline to pre-injury (p = 0.101, d = 0.963). There were no statistically significant associations found between complexity and RRI risk. Although no significant associations were found, the median effect from the models indicated that an increase in baseline complexity, pre-injury complexity, and change in complexity from baseline each corresponded to an increased odds of sustaining an RRI [baseline: odds ratio (OR) = 1.560, 95% CI = 0.587–4.143, p = 0.372; pre-injury: OR = 1.926, 95% CI: 0.689–5.382, p = 0.211; change from baseline: OR = 1.119; 95% CI: 0.839–1.491, p = 0.445). Despite non-significance and wide confidence intervals that included both positive and negative associations, the point estimates for >98% of the 10,000 frequency-case–control-matched model fits indicated that matching strategy did not influence the directionality of the association estimates between complexity and RRI risk (i.e., odds ratio >1.0). This pilot study demonstrates initial feasibility that additional research may support COM acceleration complexity as a useful single-metric monitoring system for RRI risk during real-world training. Follow-up work should assess longitudinal associations between gait complexity and running-related injury in larger cohorts.
Prognostic Impact of Preoperative Naples Prognostic Score in Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery
Authors: Xiong Jianping , Hu Haitao , Kang Wenzhe , Liu Hao , Ma Fuhai , Ma Shuai , Li Yang , Jin Peng , Tian Yantao
Published: May 2021

Background: The Naples prognostic score (NPS) is established according to nutritional or inflammatory state, which has been identified as a new prognostic score for various malignant tumors. However, its prognosis prediction effect on gastric cancer (GC) patients is still unknown so far. The present work aimed to examine the NPS function in the prediction of GC prognosis.

Methods: In this study, patients undergoing surgery with no preoperative therapy were retrospectively examined from June 2011 to August 2019. Typically, the total cholesterol level, serum albumin content, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio were determined to calculate the NPS. Besides, the prognostic value of NPS was evaluated by survival analyses. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (t-ROC) curve analysis was also carried out to compare the prognostic value of the scoring systems.

Results: Altogether 1,283 cases were enrolled into the present work. NPS was markedly related to age, gender, tumor size, body mass index, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, and pTNM stage. Upon multivariate analysis, NPS was identified as an independent prognostic factor for the prediction of overall survival (OS) (P < 0.001). In subgroup analyses stratified by adjuvant chemotherapy or surgery alone, NPS was still the independent prognostic factor for OS in both groups (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, NPS exhibited higher accuracy in the prediction of OS than additional prognostic factors, as revealed by the results of t-ROC curve analysis.

Conclusions: NPS is a simple and useful scoring system that can be used to independently predict the survival of GC cases undergoing surgery.
Analysis of Risk Factors for Hypoparathyroidism After Total Thyroidectomy
Authors: Ru Zhou , Mingliang Wang , Maofei Wang , Qiaofeng Chen , Jianming Yuan
Published: May 2021

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy.

Methods: Clinical data of patients who undergo total thyroidectomy in the Luwan Branch of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Medical College of Shanghai Jiaotong University was collected from January 2015 to December 2018, retrospectively. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors associated with transient and long-term hypoparathyroidism.

Results: A total of 537 patients were collected. The patients' average age included in the study was 47.3 ± 12.7 years old, including 135 males (25.1%) and 702 females (74.9%). There were 194 patients (36.1%) with transient postoperative hypoparathyroidism, and 21 patients (3.9%) had long-term postoperative hypoparathyroidism. After multivariate analysis, the main risk factors related to postoperative transient hypoparathyroidism were gender (P = 0.038, OR 0.686), combined lymph node dissection (P = 0.008, OR 1.569), and the maximum diameter of the thyroid (P = 0.011, OR 1.192), second operation (P = 0.001, OR 1.974), preoperative blood calcium (P < 0.001, OR 0.028). The main risk factors associated with long-term postoperative hypoparathyroidism are combined with lymph node dissection (P = 0.011, OR 1.594), maximum thyroid diameter (P = 0.032, OR 1.254), and PTH on the first day after surgery (P < 0.001, OR 1.199).

Conclusions: Gender, combined lymph node dissection, maximum thyroid diameter, a second surgery, and preoperative blood calcium are risk factors for transient hypoparathyroidism after thyroid surgery. The combined lymphatic dissection and the thyroid gland's maximum diameter are risk factors for long-term hypoparathyroidism after thyroid surgery. PTH on the first day after surgery has a predictive effect on patients with long-term hypoparathyroidism.
Zoledronic Acid in Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures Treated With Percutaneous Kyphoplasty: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Tian Peng , Liu Yue , Li Zhi-jun , Xu Gui-jun , Ma Xin-long
Published: May 2021

Background: We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid combined with percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).

Methods: Eligible scientific articles published prior to July 2020 were retrieved from the PubMed, Springer, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library databases. The statistical analysis was performed with RevMan 5.1.

Results: Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 2 non-RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The present meta-analysis revealed that zoledronic acid combined with PKP is associated with a higher BMD, a better quality of life, less severe low back pain, and fewer additional vertebral body fractures than is percutaneous vertebral augmentation alone.

Conclusions: Compared with PKP only, zoledronic acid combined with percutaneous vertebral augmentation is beneficial for OVCFs.
Case Report: A Rare Case of Nasal Forehead Mass in Kimura's Disease
Authors: Zhao He , Cao Zhi-wei , Gu Zhao-wei
Published: May 2021

Background:Kimura's disease is a rheumatic immune disease and head and neck lymph nodes are often involved. A mass occurring in the nasal forehead is rare. Good prognosis after surgical resection by glucocorticoid therapy is more rare.

Case Summary:We report the rare case of a nasal forehead mass in a 45-year-old male patient with Kimura's disease. The patient underwent resection of the mass in October 2018 in a local hospital and the postoperative pathology was unclear. He then underwent a second resection in our department in December 2019 mainly because growth of the mass was affecting his appearance. Postoperative pathology confirmed that the patient had Kimura's disease, and he accepted systemic treatment with prednisone. We followed the patient for 10 months after surgery. He is now recovering well and continues to be closely monitored during follow-up.

Conclusion:It is rare that the painless mass in the nasal forehead is diagnosed as a Kimura's disease.After completely resection of the mass and systemic treatment with prednisone, the patient had a good outcome. We provide experience for the treatment of Kimura's disease in nasal forehead.
Case Report: COVID-19 Pneumonia Following Left Pneumonectomy for Lung Cancer Complicated by Empyema and Bronchopleural Fistula
Authors: Testori Alberto , Giudici Veronica M. , Alloisio Marco , Cioffi Ugo
Published: May 2021

Background: Venous and arterial thromboembolism is commonly reported in critically ill COVID-19 patients, although there are still no definitive statistical data regarding its incidence.

Case presentation: we report a case of a patient who fell ill with Covid during hospitalization for a pneumonectomy complicated by empyema and bronchopleural fistula. The patient, despite being cured of COVID, died after 14 days for pulmonary thromboembolism.

Conclusion: Our case strengthens the suggestion of adequate thromboprophylaxis in all hospitalized COVID patients and of increasing prophylaxis in critically ill patients even in the absence of randomized studies
Partial Substitution of Maize for Sorghum With or Without Supplemental Hydrolysable Tannins on Digestibility and Postprandial Glycemia in Adult Dogs
Authors: Teixeira Liege , Pinto Caroline Fredrich Dourado , Machado Geruza Silveira , Kessler Alexandre de Mello , Trevizan Luciano
Published: May 2021

The effect of partial substitution of maize for sorghum, containing condensed tannins (CT), with or without the addition of a purified hydrolysable tannin extract (HT), on dog apparent digestibility and glycemic response were evaluated. The trial was conducted with eight adult dogs distributed in four treatments: (M) 50% maize; (MS) 25% maize + 25% sorghum; (MHT) 50% maize + 0.10% HT; (MSHT) 25% maize + 25% sorghum + 0.10% HT; in a balanced incomplete Latin square design in three periods, with two dogs per diet, per period. Data were analyzed by ANOVA procedure and glycemic response by repeated measures ANOVA over time (P < 0.05). The phenolic compounds analyzed were not detected after extrusion process, with a reduction mainly in diets containing sorghum. There were no differences in the digestibility coefficients of nutrients and energy between the dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Fecal and urinary characteristics were not changed by the addition of sorghum and HT (P > 0.05). The fecal score remained within the ideal classification as hard, dry, firm stools. A moderate increase in fecal pH was observed on dogs fed diets containing sorghum (P = 0.0948). Additionally, the partial replacement of maize for sorghum associated or not with HT do not alter the glycemic aspects evaluated among dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Availability of nutrients from maize and sorghum were similar. Tannins did not interfere in the nutritional capacity of the ingredients.
Język sportu w perspektywie mediolingwistycznej – zarys problematyki.
Authors: Grochala Beata
Published: May 2021

The language of sport has not been a widely researched area in Polish
studies. The communication-related change, the development of social media,
the commercialisation of sports are the most important factors contributing
to transformations noticeable in the discussed language variety. This paper
adopts the medialinguistic perspective and attempts to describe the primary
directions of changes in the language of sport, with a particular focus on the
fading boundaries between the individual subtypes which have been discussed
in taxonomies to date.
Keywords: language of sport – media linguistics – media – sports commentary.
Circle-U-Net: An Efficient Architecture for Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Sun Feng , V Ajith Kumar , Yang Guanci , Zhang Ansi , Zhang Yiyun
Published: May 2021

State-of-the-art semantic segmentation methods rely too much on complicated deep networks and thus cannot train efficiently. This paper introduces a novel Circle-U-Net architecture that exceeds the original U-Net on several standards. The proposed model includes circle connect layers, which is the backbone of ResUNet-a architecture. The model possesses a contracting part with residual bottleneck and circle connect layers that capture context and expanding paths, with sampling layers and merging layers for a pixel-wise localization. The results of the experiment show that the proposed Circle-U-Net achieves an improved accuracy of 5.6676%, 2.1587% IoU (Intersection of union, IoU) and can detect 67% classes greater than U-Net, which is better than current results.
Validation of Automated Chromosome Recovery in the Reconstruction of Ancestral Gene Order
Authors: Xu Qiaoji , Jin Lingling , Leebens-Mack James H. , Sankoff David
Published: May 2021

The RACCROCHE pipeline reconstructs ancestral gene orders and chromosomal contents of the ancestral genomes at all internal vertices of a phylogenetic tree. The strategy is to accumulate a very large number of generalized adjacencies, phylogenetically justified for each ancestor, to produce long ancestral contigs through maximum weight matching. It constructs chromosomes by counting the frequencies of ancestral contig co-occurrences on the extant genomes, clustering these for each ancestor and ordering them. The main objective of this paper is to closely simulate the evolutionary process giving rise to the gene content and order of a set of extant genomes (six distantly related monocots), and to assess to what extent an updated version of RACCROCHE can recover the artificial ancestral genome at the root of the phylogenetic tree relating to the simulated genomes.
Assessment of the Effect of Application of the Herbicide S-Metolachlor on the Activity of Some Enzymes Found in Soil
Authors: Filimon Marioara Nicoleta , Roman Diana Larisa , Caraba Ion Valeriu , Isvoran Adriana
Published: May 2021

Herbicides are being used more and more to increase productivity in agriculture, but their excessive has been shown to lead to adverse effects on the environment, especially on the soil. Within this study the effect of the herbicide S-metolachlor on the activity of several enzymes (dehydrogenase, protease, phosphatase and urease) found in the loamy-clayey soil has been analyzed. There were seven experimental variants corresponding to the untreated soil and to the application of six distinct doses of S-metolachlor on soil samples maintained in laboratory conditions. Biochemical analyzes have been performed to assess the activities of the investigated enzymes at 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively, and several physiochemical parameters of the soil have been also monitored during these experiments. The data obtained in the experimental determinations were subjected to statistical analysis such as to evaluate if the changes in the activities of enzymes are significant and to establish if there are correlations between the evolution of analyzed enzymatic activities and the physicochemical parameters of the soil. Molecular docking approach has been also used to assess the interactions between the herbicide and investigated enzymes. The activities of studied enzymes decreased in a dose-dependent manner when the herbicide was applied. More than 21 days were necessary to recover the activities of dehydrogenase and protease in the soil treated with S-metolachlor, the activity of protease was recovered after 14 days and the activity of urease was recuperated after 7 days of incubation. This study also emphasized significant correlations between the enzymatic activities and some physicochemical parameters of the soil: pH, moisture, organic matter, nitrogen level and available phosphorus.
Modelling Fertilizer Use in Relation to Farmers’ Household Characteristics in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China
Authors: Ma Lihua , Ni Jiupai , Fleskens Luuk , Wang Han , Xuan Yunqing
Published: May 2021

Non-point source pollution from excessive use of fertilizers in agriculture is a major cause of the eutrophication problem in China. Understanding farmers’ decision-making concerning fertilization and identifying the influencing factors in this process are key to tackling overfertilization and related pollution issues. This paper reports a study on modelling decisions about fertilizer use based on data collected from 200 farmer households in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China, using a well-fitted artificial neural network (ANN) with incorporated variance-based sensitivity analysis. The rate of fertilizer use estimated from the model is in good agreement with observed data. The model is further validated and tested by comparing the simulated and observed values. Results show that the model is able to identify the influencing factors and their interactions causing the variation in fertilizer use and to help pinpoint the underlying reasons. It is found that the farmers’ fertilization behavior is greatly affected by the area of cultivated land, followed by the interaction among farmers’ education level, annual income, and awareness of the importance of environmental protection. Future land consolidation is one of several ways to achieve more sustainable fertilization strategies.
Influence of Pre-Sowing Operations on Soil-Dwelling Fauna in Soybean Cultivation
Authors: Lemic Darija , Pajač Živković Ivana , Posarić Marija , Bažok Renata
Published: May 2021

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different pre-sowing operations on the abundance and composition of total soil fauna in soybean cultivation, with special attention to carabids as biological indicators of agroecosystem quality. The study was conducted in central Croatia with six different pre-sowing activities (cover crop, mulching, ploughing, glyphosate, fertiliser removal, conventional tillage). Pitfall traps were used to collect soil fauna in April, June and September. After determining the abundance and composition of the fauna, their coenological characteristics were calculated and statistical analysis was performed. During the study, 7836 individuals of soil fauna were collected. The composition consisted of 84% beneficial, 8% harmful and 8% indifferent fauna. Class Insecta was the most numerous with a proportion of 56%, with most members of the family Carabidae (1622 individuals), followed by the class Arachnida (40%). The number of fauna collected was influenced by the interaction between pre-seeding intervention and sampling date. Pre-seeding interventions that did not involve soil activities did not affect the number and composition of soil fauna at the beginning of vegetation. Mechanical interventions in the soil and warmer and drier weather have a negative effect on the number and composition of soil fauna. As the season progresses, the influence of pre-sowing activities on soil fauna in soybean crops decreases. It seems that a reduction in mechanical activities in the shallow seed layer of the soil has a positive effect on species richness or diversity. Of particular note is the large proportion of beneficial insects that currently colonise the study area, characterising soil richness and stable natural equilibrium.
The Effect of Horse Shoeing with Egg Bar Shoes and Shoes with Wedge Pads on the Results of Thermal Imaging of the Equine Distal Limb
Authors: Mieszkowska Marta , Adamiak Zbigniew , Holak Piotr , Głodek Joanna , Jastrzębska Ewa , Wolińska Katarzyna , Mieszkowski Marcin
Published: May 2021

The presented manuscript provides reference for practitioners when measuring normal hoof temperature, as well as controlling the temperature after shoeing with particular shoes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of horse shoeing with egg bar shoes and shoes with wedge pads on hoof temperature measured by thermography. This was a prospective study conducted on 16 horses. The horses were divided into two groups: horses from group 1 were shod with egg bar shoes, while horses from group 2 were shod with shoes with wedge pads. Thermographic examination was performed below the metacarpophalangeal joint before and one month after shoeing. After shoeing with egg bar shoes, there was a decrease in the median of the minimal temperature in the palmar view. After shoeing with wedge pads, thermography revealed decreased hoof temperature in the dorsal and palmar views. Horse shoes may have a negative impact on the blood circulation and metabolism within the distal part of the limb; however, our study found this only to a minor extent.
Abiotic and Biotic Influences on the Movement of Reintroduced Chinese Giant Salamanders (Andrias davidianus) in Two Montane Rivers
Authors: Wang Qijun , Zhang Lu , Zhao Hu , Zhao Qing , Deng Jie , Kong Fei , Jiang Wei , Zhang Hongxing , Liu Hong , Kouba Andrew
Published: May 2021

Understanding animal movement is a key question in ecology and biodiversity conservation, which is particularly important for the success of reintroduction projects. The movement of critically endangered Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) remains poorly understood due to the rareness of wild individuals of this species. We lack movement details about the full annual cycle after reintroduction, especially the abiotic and biotic influences that affect its movement. We utilized pilot reintroduction projects as opportunities to fill in some knowledge gaps on their movement ecology. We released 31 juvenile captive-reared Chinese giant salamanders of two age groups in two rivers in the Qinling Mountains of central China and monitored their daily movements for 16 months using surgically implanted radio transmitters. We examined the impacts of individual traits (body mass, body condition) and environmental conditions (temperature, precipitation, and moon phase) on their daily movement patterns. Data were analyzed using a mixed-effects logistic regression model to understand the drivers of their movement tendency (i.e., whether they move or not) and a linear mixed-effects model was used to understand the drivers of their movement distance. We found that movement tendency of the older salamander cohort was positively affected by the moon phase, increasing near the Full Moon, whereas the younger cohort of animals were not impacted by the moon phase. For daily distance moved, we found temperature had a strong positive effect on both cohorts, whereas precipitation had moderate but opposite effects on the two cohorts Body mass and body condition did not have any significant impacts on either age classes’ movement tendency or distance. This study provides insight into the abiotic factors that impact the temporal and spatial movement ecology of reintroduced giant salamander, which will in turn help with designing best practices for future releases and conservation of this iconic montane aquatic predator.
Pain Management in Farm Animals: Focus on Cattle, Sheep and Pigs
Authors: Steagall Paulo V. , Bustamante Hedie , Johnson Craig B. , Turner Patricia V.
Published: May 2021

Pain causes behavioral, autonomic, and neuroendocrine changes and is a common cause of animal welfare compromise in farm animals. Current societal and ethical concerns demand better agricultural practices and improved welfare for food animals. These guidelines focus on cattle, sheep, and pigs, and present the implications of pain in terms of animal welfare and ethical perspectives, and its challenges and misconceptions. We provide an overview of pain management including assessment and treatment applied to the most common husbandry procedures, and recommendations to improve animal welfare in these species. A cost-benefit analysis of pain mitigation is discussed for food animals as well as the use of pain scoring systems for pain assessment in these species. Several recommendations are provided related to husbandry practices that could mitigate pain and improve farm animal welfare. This includes pain assessment as one of the indicators of animal welfare, the use of artificial intelligence for automated methods and research, and the need for better/appropriate legislation, regulations, and recommendations for pain relief during routine and husbandry procedures.
Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 Prevalence and First Confirmed Case of Sea Turtle Fibropapillomatosis in Grenada, West Indies
Authors: James Amanda , Page-Karjian Annie , Charles Kate E. , Edwards Jonnel , Gregory Christopher R. , Cheetham Sonia , Buter Brian P. , Marancik David P.
Published: May 2021

Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is strongly associated with fibropapillomatosis, a neoplastic disease of sea turtles that can result in debilitation and mortality. The objectives of this study were to examine green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles in Grenada, West Indies, for fibropapillomatosis and to utilize ChHV5-specific PCR, degenerate herpesvirus PCR, and serology to non-invasively evaluate the prevalence of ChHV5 infection and exposure. One-hundred and sixty-seven turtles examined from 2017 to 2019 demonstrated no external fibropapilloma-like lesions and no amplification of ChHV5 DNA from whole blood or skin biopsies. An ELISA performed on serum detected ChHV5-specific IgY in 18/52 (34.6%) of green turtles tested. In 2020, an adult, female green turtle presented for necropsy from the inshore waters of Grenada with severe emaciation and cutaneous fibropapillomas. Multiple tumors tested positive for ChHV5 by qPCR, providing the first confirmed case of ChHV5-associated fibropapillomatosis in Grenada. These results indicate that active ChHV5 infection is rare, although viral exposure in green sea turtles is relatively high. The impact of fibropapillomatosis in Grenada is suggested to be low at the present time and further studies comparing host genetics and immunologic factors, as well as examination into extrinsic factors that may influence disease, are warranted.
Honokiol Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity of Mice by Inhibiting Adipogenesis and Promoting White Adipose Tissue Browning
Authors: Ding Yanan , Zhang Longlin , Yao Xiaofeng , Zhang Haihan , He Xi , Fan Zhiyong , Song Zehe
Published: May 2021

Honokiol (HON) is one of the main biological active components of the traditional Chinese medicine Magnolia officinalis and has many health benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate whether HON could alleviate obesity in mice by inhibiting adipogenesis and promoting the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). C57BL/6 mice were divided into five groups and fed with a normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD supplemented with 200 (H200), 400 (H400), or 800 (H800) mg/kg BW HON for 8 weeks. The results showed that the mice fed HFD plus HON had lower body fat ratios (BFRs) and smaller adipocyte diameters in the epididymal WAT compared with those of the HFD group. With a proteomics analysis, the HON group upregulated 30 proteins and downregulated 98 proteins in the epididymal WAT of mice, and the steroid O-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1) was screened as a key protein. The HON supplement prevented HFD-induced adipogenesis by reduced the mRNA and protein expression of SOAT1 and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα), suggesting that SOAT1 might play an important role in regulating adipogenesis. Moreover, HON treatment increased the expression of proteins related to the classical pathways of energy and lipid metabolism, such as AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and promoted the browning of epididymal WAT by upregulation of the protein expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in the HFD mice. In conclusion, these results suggest that HON supplements could prevent increases in body fat for HFD mice by suppressing adipogenesis and promoting WAT browning.
Exploring the Cognitive Capacities of Japanese Macaques in a Cooperation Game
Authors: Sigmundson Ryan , Stribos Mathieu S. , Hammer Roy , Herzele Julia , Pflüger Lena S. , Massen Jorg J. M.
Published: May 2021

Cooperation occurs amongst individuals embedded in a social environment. Consequently, cooperative interactions involve a variety of persistent social influences such as the dynamics of partner choice and reward division. To test for the effects of such dynamics, we conducted cooperation experiments in a captive population of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata, N = 164) using a modified version of the loose-string paradigm in an open-experiment design. We show that in addition to becoming more proficient cooperators over the course of the experiments, some of the macaques showed sensitivity to the presence of potential partners and adjusted their behavior accordingly. Furthermore, following an unequal reward division, individuals receiving a lesser reward were more likely to display aggressive and stress-related behaviors. Our experiments demonstrate that Japanese macaques have some understanding of the contingencies involved in cooperation as well as a sensitivity to the subsequent reward division suggestive of an aversion to inequity.
Modeling of Heat Stress in Sows Part 2: Comparison of Various Thermal Comfort Indices
Authors: Cao Mengbing , Zong Chao , Zhuang Yanrong , Teng Guanghui , Zhou Shengnan , Yang Ting
Published: May 2021

Heat stress has an adverse effect on the production performance of sows, and causes a large economic loss every year. The thermal environment index is an important indicator for evaluating the level of heat stress in animals. Many thermal indices have been used to analyze the environment of the pig house, including temperature and humidity index (THI), effective temperature (ET), equivalent temperature index of sows (ETIS), and enthalpy (H), among others. Different heat indices have different characteristics, and it is necessary to analyze and compare the characteristics of heat indices to select a relatively suitable heat index for specific application. This article reviews the thermal environment indices used in the process of sow breeding, and compares various heat indices in four ways: (1) Holding the value of the thermal index constant and analyzing the equivalent temperature changes caused by the relative humidity. (2) Analyzing the variations of ET and ETIS caused by changes in air velocity. (3) Conducting a comparative analysis of a variety of isothermal lines fitted to the psychrometric chart. (4) Analyzing the distributions of various heat index values inside the sow barn and the correlation between various heat indices and sow heat dissipation with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. The results show that the ETIS performs better than other thermal indices in the analysis of sows’ thermal environment, followed by THI2, THI4, and THI7. Different pigs have different heat transfer characteristics and different adaptability to the environment. Therefore, based on the above results, the following suggestions have been given: The thermal index thresholds need to be divided based on the adaptability of pigs to the environment at different growth stages and the different climates in different regions. An appropriate threshold for a thermal index can provide a theoretical basis for the environmental control of the pig house.
Lysine Depletion during Different Feeding Phases: Effects on Growth Performances and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens
Authors: Soglia Francesca , Zampiga Marco , Baldi Giulia , Malila Yuwares , Thanatsang Krittaporn V. , Srimarut Yanee , Tatiyaborworntham Nantawat , Unger Onuma , Klamchuen Annop , Laghi Luca , Petracci Massimiliano , Sirri Federico
Published: May 2021

The present study aimed at assessing the impact of lysine restriction performed during different feeding phases on growth performances, meat quality traits and technological properties as well as on the incidence and severity of breast muscle abnormalities. For this purpose, a total of 945 one-day-old Ross 308 male chicks was randomly divided into three experimental groups: CONT, fed a four feeding phases commercial diet, GRW I, and GRW I + II fed CONT diet with the depletion of synthetic lysine during grower I and grower I and II feeding phases, respectively. Productive performances were recorded throughout the whole rearing cycle and the incidence of breast muscle growth-related abnormalities assessed at slaughter (49 d) on 280 breasts/group. Quality traits and technological properties of breast meat were measured on a total of 54 Pectoralis major muscles. Lysine restriction only marginally affected the productive performances and the quality parameters of breast meat. The increased (p < 0.05) solubility of the protein fraction along with the remarkably higher (p < 0.05) anserine content found in GRW I + II suggests an increased energy requirement in the pectoral muscles belonging to lysine-restricted birds and supports the hypothesis of a reduced protein synthesis taking place within these muscles.
The Use of an Organo-Selenium Peptide to Develop New Antimicrobials That Target a Specific Bacteria
Authors: Tran Phat , Kopel Jonathan , Fralick Joe A. , Reid Ted W.
Published: May 2021

This study examines the use of a covalently selenium-bonded peptide and phage that binds to the Yersinia pestis F1 antigen for the targeting and killing of E. coli expressing this surface antigen. Using a Ph.D.-12 phage-display library for affinity selection of the phage which would bind the F1 antigen of Y. pestis, a phage displaying a peptide that binds the F1 antigen with high affinity and specificity was identified. Selenium was then covalently attached to the display phage and the corresponding F1-antigen-binding peptide. Both the phage and peptides with selenium covalently attached retained their binding specificity for the Y. pestis F1 antigen. The phage or peptide not labeled with selenium did not kill the targeted bacteria, while the phage or peptide labeled with selenium did. In addition, the seleno-peptide, expressing the F1 targeting sequence only, killed cells expressing the F1 antigen but not the parent strain that did not express the F1 antigen. Specifically, the seleno-peptide could kill eight logs of bacteria in less than two hours at a 10-µM concentration. These results demonstrate a novel approach for the development of an antibacterial agent that can target a specific bacterial pathogen for destruction through the use of covalently attached selenium and will not affect other bacteria.