bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Features and Outcomes in Pediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis Associated With CASPR2 Antibody
Authors: Tan Chengbing , Jiang Yan , Zhong Min , Hu Yue , Hong Siqi , Li Xiujuan , Jiang Li
Published: October 2021

Background: Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) neurological autoimmunity has been associated with various clinical syndromes involving central and peripheral nervous system. CASPR2 antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis is mostly reported in adults. Analysis of the clinical presentation and prognostic data of CASPR2 antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis in children remains important.

Methods: A single-center retrospective review of children diagnosed with CASPR2 antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis from June 1st, 2018 to October 31st, 2020.

Results: Six patients were identified. The median age was 12 years (range 1.8–14), with an overall male predominance of 83% (5/6). Commonest clinical features were psychiatric symptoms (6/6), movement disorders (4/6), altered consciousness (3/6), sleep disorders (3/6), and headache (3/6). Four patients (4/6) received first-line therapy alone (steroids combined with intravenous immunoglobulins), and two patients (2/6) received second-line therapy (rituximab, mycophenolate mofetil, or cyclophosphamide). All patients showed no peripheral nervous system involvement. One patient had comorbidities with systemic lupus erythematosus. No evidence of neoplastic disease was found in the whole cohort. All patients had favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Score 0–2) with recurrence rate at 0%, respectively.

Conclusion: CASPR2 antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis is rare in children. Our findings suggest that this type of encephalitis seems to occur more frequently in older children. Patients respond well to immunotherapy and usually demonstrate a favorable clinical outcome. Associated tumors are extremely rare.
Bruceae Fructus Oil Inhibits Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Restraining Autophagy: Dependence on the Gut Microbiota-Mediated Amino Acid Regulation
Authors: Su Jiyan , Chen Xiaohong , Xiao Yuanjie , Li Dan , Li Muxia , Li Hongfu , Huang Jiangjian , Lai Zhengquan , Su Ziren , Xie Yizhen , Zhu Dajiang , Chen Qianjun , Lu Hai , He Jingjin , Xia Chenglai
Published: October 2021

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has been acknowledged as an aggressive disease with worst prognosis, which requires endeavor to develop novel therapeutic agents. Bruceae fructus oil (BO), a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr., is an approved marketable drug for the treatment of cancer in China for several decades. Despite that the anti–breast cancer activity of several quassinoids derived from B. javanica has been found, it was the first time that the potential of BO against TNBC was revealed. Although BO had no cytotoxicity on TNBC cell lines in vitro, the oral administration of BO exhibited a gut microbiota–dependent tumor suppression without toxicity on the non-targeted organs in vivo. By metagenomics and untargeted metabolomics, it was found that BO not only altered the composition and amino acid metabolism function of gut microbiota but also regulated the host’s amino acid profile, which was in accordance with the metabolism alternation in gut microbiota. Moreover, the activity of mTOR in tumor was promoted by BO treatment as indicated by the phosphorylation of 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and ribosomal protein S6, and hyper-autophagy was consequently restrained. By contrast, the failure of tumor suppression by BO under pseudo germ-free (PGF) condition came with indistinctive changes in autophagy and mTOR activity, implying the critical role of the gut microbiota in BO’s anticancer activity. The present study highlighted a promising application of BO against breast cancer with novel efficacy and safety.
A Phase Defect Framework for the Analysis of Cardiac Arrhythmia Patterns
Authors: Arno Louise , Quan Jan , Nguyen Nhan T. , Vanmarcke Maarten , Tolkacheva Elena G. , Dierckx Hans
Published: October 2021

During cardiac arrhythmias, dynamical patterns of electrical activation form and evolve, which are of interest to understand and cure heart rhythm disorders. The analysis of these patterns is commonly performed by calculating the local activation phase and searching for phase singularities (PSs), i.e., points around which all phases are present. Here we propose an alternative framework, which focuses on phase defect lines (PDLs) and surfaces (PDSs) as more general mechanisms, which include PSs as a specific case. The proposed framework enables two conceptual unifications: between the local activation time and phase description, and between conduction block lines and the central regions of linear-core rotors. A simple PDL detection method is proposed and applied to data from simulations and optical mapping experiments. Our analysis of ventricular tachycardia in rabbit hearts (n = 6) shows that nearly all detected PSs were found on PDLs, but the PDLs had a significantly longer lifespan than the detected PSs. Since the proposed framework revisits basic building blocks of cardiac activation patterns, it can become a useful tool for further theory development and experimental analysis.
Functional Interaction Between Caveolin 1 and LRRC8-Mediated Volume-Regulated Anion Channel
Authors: Rezola Mikel , Castellanos Aida , Gasull Xavier , Comes Núria
Published: October 2021

Volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC), constituted by leucine-rich repeat-containing 8 (LRRC8) heteromers, is crucial for volume homeostasis in vertebrate cells. This widely expressed channel has been associated with membrane potential modulation, proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and glutamate release. VRAC is activated by cell swelling and by low cytoplasmic ionic strength or intracellular guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP-γS) in isotonic conditions. Despite the substantial number of studies that characterized the biophysical properties of VRAC, its mechanism of activation remains a mystery. Different evidence suggests a possible effect of caveolins in modulating VRAC activity: (1) Caveolin 1 (Cav1)-deficient cells display insignificant swelling-induced Cl– currents mediated by VRAC, which can be restored by Cav1 expression; (2) Caveolin 3 (Cav3) knockout mice display reduced VRAC currents; and (3) Interaction between LRRC8A, the essential subunit for VRAC, and Cav3 has been found in transfected human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells. In this study, we demonstrate a physical interaction between endogenous LRRC8A and Cav1 proteins, that is enhanced by hypotonic stimulation, suggesting that this will increase the availability of the channel to Cav1. In addition, LRRC8A targets plasma membrane regions outside caveolae of HEK 293 cells where it associates with non-caveolar Cav1. We propose that a rise in cell membrane tension by hypotonicity would flatten caveolae, as described previously, increasing the amount of Cav1 outside of caveolar structures interacting with VRAC. Besides, the expression of Cav1 in HEK Cav1- cells increases VRAC current density without changing the main biophysical properties of the channel. The present study provides further evidence on the relevance of Cav1 on the activation of endothelial VRAC through a functional molecular interaction.
Sex-Differences in the Oxygenation Levels of Intercostal and Vastus Lateralis Muscles During Incremental Exercise
Authors: Espinosa-Ramírez Maximiliano , Moya-Gallardo Eduardo , Araya-Román Felipe , Riquelme-Sánchez Santiago , Rodriguez-García Guido , Reid W. Darlene , Viscor Ginés , Araneda Oscar F. , Gabrielli Luigi , Contreras-Briceño Felipe
Published: October 2021

This study aimed to examine sex differences in oxygen saturation in respiratory (SmO2-m.intercostales) and locomotor muscles (SmO2-m.vastus lateralis) while performing physical exercise. Twenty-five (12 women) healthy and physically active participants were evaluated during an incremental test with a cycle ergometer, while ventilatory variables [lung ventilation (V.E), tidal volume (Vt), and respiratory rate (RR)] were acquired through the breath-by-breath method. SmO2was acquired using the MOXY®devices on them.intercostalesandm.vastus lateralis. A two-way ANOVA (sex × time) indicated that women showed a greater significant decrease of SmO2-m.intercostales, and men showed a greater significant decrease of SmO2-m.vastus lateralis. Additionally, women reached a higher level of ΔSmO2-m.intercostalesnormalized toV.E (L⋅min–1) (p< 0.001), whereas men had a higher level of ΔSmO2-m.vastus lateralisnormalized to peak workload-to-weight (watts⋅kg–1, PtW) (p= 0.049), as confirmed by Student’st-test. During an incremental physical exercise, women experienced a greater cost of breathing, reflected by greater deoxygenation of the respiratory muscles, whereas men had a higher peripheral load, indicated by greater deoxygenation of the locomotor muscles.
Integrated Microbiome–Metabolome Analysis Reveals Stage-Dependent Alterations in Bacterial Degradation of Aromatics in Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Authors: Kang Wei-Nan , Jin Lin , Ma Hong-Yu , Li Guo-Qing
Published: October 2021

To avoid potential harm during pupation, the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata lives in two different habitats throughout its developmental excursion, with the larva and adult settling on potato plants and the pupa in soil. Potato plants and agricultural soil contain a specific subset of aromatics. In the present study, we intended to determine whether the stage-specific bacterial flora plays a role in the catabolism of aromatics in L. decemlineata. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) obtained by sequencing of culture-independent 16S rRNA region enriched a group of bacterial genes involved in the elimination of mono- and polycyclic aromatics at the pupal stage compared with those at the larval and adult periods. Consistently, metabolome analysis revealed that dozens of monoaromatics such as styrene, benzoates, and phenols, polycyclic aromatics, for instance, naphthalene and steroids, were more abundant in the pupal sample. Moreover, a total of seven active pathways were uncovered in the pupal specimen. These ways were associated with the biodegradation of benzoate, 4-methoxybenzoate, fluorobenzoates, styrene, vanillin, benzamide, and naphthalene. In addition, the metabolomic profiles and the catabolism abilities were significantly different in the pupae where their bacteria were removed by a mixture of three antibiotics. Therefore, our data suggested the stage-dependent alterations in bacterial breakdown of aromatics in L. decemlineata.
Adaptive Reprogramming During Early Seed Germination Requires Temporarily Enhanced Fermentation-A Critical Role for Alternative Oxidase Regulation That Concerns Also Microbiota Effectiveness
Authors: Bharadwaj Revuru , Noceda Carlos , Mohanapriya Gunasekharan , Kumar Sarma Rajeev , Thiers Karine Leitão Lima , Costa José Hélio , Macedo Elisete Santos , Kumari Aprajita , Gupta Kapuganti Jagadis , Srivastava Shivani , Adholeya Alok , Oliveira Manuela , Velada Isabel , Sircar Debabrata , Sathishkumar Ramalingam , Arnholdt-Schmitt Birgit
Published: October 2021

Plants respond to environmental cues via adaptive cell reprogramming that can affect whole plant and ecosystem functionality. Microbiota constitutes part of the inner and outer environment of the plant. This Umwelt underlies steady dynamics, due to complex local and global biotic and abiotic changes. Hence, adaptive plant holobiont responses are crucial for continuous metabolic adjustment at the systems level. Plants require oxygen-dependent respiration for energy-dependent adaptive morphology, such as germination, root and shoot growth, and formation of adventitious, clonal, and reproductive organs, fruits, and seeds. Fermentative paths can help in acclimation and, to our view, the role of alternative oxidase (AOX) in coordinating complex metabolic and physiological adjustments is underestimated. Cellular levels of sucrose are an important sensor of environmental stress. We explored the role of exogenous sucrose and its interplay with AOX during early seed germination. We found that sucrose-dependent initiation of fermentation during the first 12 h after imbibition (HAI) was beneficial to germination. However, parallel upregulated AOX expression was essential to control negative effects by prolonged sucrose treatment. Early downregulated AOX activity until 12 HAI improved germination efficiency in the absence of sucrose but suppressed early germination in its presence. The results also suggest that seeds inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can buffer sucrose stress during germination to restore normal respiration more efficiently. Following this approach, we propose a simple method to identify organic seeds and low-cost on-farm perspectives for early identifying disease tolerance, predicting plant holobiont behavior, and improving germination. Furthermore, the research strengthens the view that AOX can serve as a powerful functional marker source for seed hologenomes.
Metabolomic Profiling of Dongxiang Wild Rice Under Salinity Demonstrates the Significant Role of Amino Acids in Rice Salt Stress
Authors: Chen Yaling , Huang Wenxue , Zhang Fantao , Luo Xiangdong , Hu Biaolin , Xie Jiankun
Published: October 2021

Dongxiang common wild rice is a precious rice germplasm resource for the study and improvement of salt tolerance in rice.The metabolism profile of Dongxiang wild rice (DXWR) under salinity was determined by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) to find differential metabolites and screen potential biomarkers for salt-tolerant rice varieties. A global untargeted metabolism analysis showed 4,878 metabolites accumulated in seedlings of Dongxiang wild rice. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) results provided a clear metabolism discrimination between DXWR under control and DXWR under salinity. A total of 90 metabolites were significantly changed (49 upregulated and 41 downregulated) under salinity, of which the largest increase was in DL-2-Aminoadipic acid (27.08-fold) and the largest decrease was in L-Carnitine (0.014-fold). Amino acids and nuclear glycosides were mainly upregulated, while carbohydrates and organic acids were mainly downregulated in the salt-treated group. Among the top 10 upregulated metabolites, five kinds of differential metabolites were amino acids. According to the survival rates of the seedlings under salinity, we selected three backcross inbred lines of DXWR with survival rates above 80% as salt-tolerant progenies (pro-DS) and three backcross inbred lines with survival rates below 10% as non-salt-tolerant progenies (pro-NDS) for an amino acid change analysis. This analysis found that the change in L-Asparagine (2.59-fold) was the biggest between pro-DS and pro-NDS under salinity, revealing that the contents of L-Asparagine may be one of the indices we can use to evaluate the salt tolerance of rice varieties.
Integrated Analysis of MicroRNA and Target Genes in Brachypodium distachyon Infected by Magnaporthe oryzae by Small RNA and Degradome Sequencing
Authors: Peng Weiye , Song Na , Li Wei , Yan Mingxiong , Huang Chenting , Yang Yang , Duan Kangle , Dai Liangying , Wang Bing
Published: October 2021

Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most important diseases that seriously threaten rice production. Brachypodium distachyon is a grass species closely related to grain crops, such as rice, barley, and wheat, and has become a new model plant of Gramineae. In this study, 15 small RNA samples were sequenced to examine the dynamic changes in microRNA (miRNA) expression in B. distachyon infected by M. oryzae at 0, 24, and 48 h after inoculation. We identified 432 conserved miRNAs and 288 predicted candidate miRNAs in B. distachyon. Additionally, there were 7 and 19 differentially expressed miRNAs at 24 and 48 h post-inoculation, respectively. Furthermore, using degradome sequencing, we identified 2,126 genes as targets for 308 miRNAs; using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), we validated five miRNA/target regulatory units involved in B. distachyon–M. oryzae interactions. Moreover, using co-transformation technology, we demonstrated that BdNAC21 was negatively regulated by miR164c. This study provides a new approach for identifying resistance genes in B. distachyon by mining the miRNA regulatory network of host–pathogen interactions.
Evaluating the Impact of a Targeted Approach Designed to Build Executive Function Skills: A Randomized Trial of Brain Games
Authors: Barnes Sophie P. , Bailey Rebecca , Jones Stephanie M.
Published: October 2021

This paper reports results from an impact study of Brain Games (BGs), a classroom-based intervention designed to build preschool and school-aged children’s executive functions (EFs) and related self-regulation skills. The study employed a classroom-randomized, experimental design with 626 students in 36 pre-K through fourth grade classrooms in charter schools in a mid-sized urban district. In one set of models with child covariates, children in intervention classrooms showed marginal positive impacts on regulation-related behaviors, attention control and impulsivity, and negative effects on global EF and marginal increases in discipline problems. A second set of models with a smaller sample and both child and classroom covariates included indicate positive impacts of BGs on global EFs, prosocial behavior, and attention control and impulsivity. There were no significant impacts on the teacher–student relationship as reported by the teacher or on direct assessments of inhibitory control, short term and working memory, or another measure of global EF in either set of models. These promising findings offer a signal that implementation of targeted, easy to implement intervention approaches in classroom contexts can influence children’s regulation-related and prosocial outcomes, but this signal should be investigated further with larger and more tightly controlled designs.
Effects of CEO Identity on Non-family Managers’ Pay Dispersion in Family Firms: A Social Comparison Perspective
Authors: Zhang Wei , Chen Ling , Zhu Jian-an
Published: October 2021

The fairness of compensation has been a prominent focus for non-family managers, and pay dispersion, which reflects compensation fairness, has attracted much attention from scholars. Based on social comparison theory, this study investigates the factors that affect the pay dispersion between CEO and non-family managers. In family firms, the role of CEO, which is central in corporate governance, can be filled by either a family or a non-family member. This study provides insights into how the identity of the CEO affects pay dispersion and investigates the moderating effects of CEO tenure and institutional environment. Using the data of Chinese listed family firms from 2009 to 2015, the results show that the presence of non-family CEOs could decrease the pay dispersion between CEO and non-family managers. Empirical evidence also supports that the negative relationship between CEO identity and pay dispersion weakens when CEO tenure increases and the institutional environment matures.
Does Polychronicity Undermine Procrastination Behavior Through ICTs? Insights From Multi-Level Modeling
Authors: Xiaolong Tao , Gull Nida , Akram Zubair , Asghar Muhammad , Jianmin Zhang
Published: October 2021

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are widely used in developing nations as a dynamic solution for socio-economic development. Pakistan has seen a rapid increase in the use of ICTs during the previous decade. The purpose of this study is to examine how polychronicity affects procrastination behavior when it is influenced by ICTs. According to this study, individuals are described as a dynamic and destructive kind of self-regulation failure in ICTs. Procrastination is a behavior that prevents emerging economies from growing from developing countries. We researched the group-level polychronicity influence of the individual behavior and the mechanism of procrastination from a team-level perspective of worker behavior. This study data collected 231 workers from 76 groups working in ICTs in Pakistan. The results revealed that the group polychronicity and the behavior of group members were positively linked by taking the work overload as a mediator. Moreover, group cohesiveness moderates the role between polychronicity and work overload diminishing the mediation procession between-group polychronicity and individual procrastination. The practical importance of this study is to understand the causes of procrastination, and how to decrease this obstacle to a fairer workplace. It also helps to decide the professional route that is most suited to personality characteristics.
Association Between Fear of COVID-19 and Emotional Distress in Nurses With Mediating Role of Socio-Demographic Features
Authors: Abid Mueen , Riaz Maryam , Bano Zaqia , Parveen Tahira , Umar Fayyaz Muhammad , Sadia Qureshi Halima
Published: October 2021

Objectives: To determine the predictive association between fear of COVID-19 and emotional distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) in frontline and non-frontline nurses. To explore the mediating role of socio-demographic features.

Methods: Correlational cross-sectional research design was implied. A total of 500 on-duty male and female, frontline and non-frontline, nurses were included from five major hospitals in Gujrat (Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, City Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Akram Hospital, and Gujrat Hospital). Fear of COVID-19 scale and the Urdu version of depression, anxiety, and stress scale - 21 (DASS-21) were used to measure variables of interest. Descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling (SEM), linear regression, and t-test were carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 21.

Result: Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed a significant predictive link between fear of COVID-19 and depression, anxiety, and stress (goodness of model fit; NFI = 0.93, GFI = 0.914, AGFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.936, and IFI = 0.936). Furthermore, a significant mediating effect of certain demographic features was discovered by SEM (CMIN/DF = 1.11, NFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.98, GFI = 0.08, AGFI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.029, CFI = 0.99, and IFI = 0.99). Results of linear regression analysis also revealed a momentous predictive association between fear of COVID-19 and emotional distress (R = 0.860). In comparative analysis, the results of t-test explored the statistical significant difference in fear of COVID-19 and emotional distress between frontline (mean = 25.775, 36.147 and SD = 1.75, 2.23) and non-frontline nurses (mean = 21.702, 27.353 and SD = 4.607, 10.212), with t(130) =7.111, 6.92.

Conclusion: Managing the mediating effect of demographic characteristics and reducing the fear of COVID-19 can help nurses to overcome emotional distress, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Further, this will increase the productivity among nurses.
Severe Encephalatrophy and Related Disorders From Long-Term Ketamine Abuse: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Liu Linying , Huang Haijian , Li Yongbin , Zhang Ruochen , Wei Yongbao , Wu Weiwei
Published: October 2021

Ketamine is a glutamate N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antagonist and an anaesthetic agent that has been effectively used to treat depression. However, ketamine has also been increasingly used for recreational purposes. The dissociative side-effects of ketamine use, such as hallucinations, are the reason for abuse. Additionally, long-term ketamine abuse has been highly associated with liver-gallbladder and urinary symptoms. The present study reports the case of a 28-year-old young male adult with an 8-year history of daily inhalation of ketamine. We investigated the association between ketamine abuse and the mechanism of its adverse effects, particularly encephalatrophy, and attempted to find a link between these disorders. These results would help us to better understand ketamine usage, ketamine abuse effects and the addictive mechanism. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first report of severe brain atrophy related to ketamine abuse. Details of the patient are presented and the mechanism of the encephalatropy-associated ketamine abuse is discussed. Furthermore, organ dysfunction following chronic ketamine abuse may indicate that the side effects are the result of comprehensive action on multiple regions in the brain.
Pilot Test of Dosage Effects in HEXORR II for Robotic Hand Movement Therapy in Individuals With Chronic Stroke
Authors: Chen Ji , Black Iian , Nichols Diane , Chen Tianyao , Sandison Melissa , Casas Rafael , Lum Peter S.
Published: October 2021

Impaired use of the hand in functional tasks remains difficult to overcome in many individuals after a stroke. This often leads to compensation strategies using the less-affected limb, which allows for independence in some aspects of daily activities. However, recovery of hand function remains an important therapeutic goal of many individuals, and is often resistant to conventional therapies. In prior work, we developed HEXORR I, a robotic device that allows practice of finger and thumb movements with robotic assistance. In this study, we describe modifications to the device, now called HEXORR II, and a clinical trial in individuals with chronic stroke. Fifteen individuals with a diagnosis of chronic stroke were randomized to 12 or 24 sessions of robotic therapy. The sessions involved playing several video games using thumb and finger movement. The robot applied assistance to extension movement that was adapted based on task performance. Clinical and motion capture evaluations were performed before and after training and again at a 6-month followup. Fourteen individuals completed the protocol. Fugl-Meyer scores improved significantly at the 6 month time point compared to baseline, indicating reductions in upper extremity impairment. Flexor hypertonia (Modified Ashworth Scale) also decreased significantly due to the intervention. Motion capture found increased finger range of motion and extension ability after the intervention that continued to improve during the followup period. However, there was no change in a functional measure (Action Research Arm Test). At the followup, the high dose group had significant gains in hand displacement during a forward reach task. There were no other significant differences between groups. Future work with HEXORR II should focus on integrating it with functional task practice and incorporating grip and squeezing tasks.

Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04536987. Registered 3 September 2020 - Retrospectively registered,https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT04536987.
Measuring Calves' Usage of Multiple Environmental Enrichment Objects Provided Simultaneously
Authors: Strappini Ana C. , Monti Gustavo , Sepúlveda-Varas Pilar , de Freslon Inès , Peralta José M.
Published: October 2021

This study aims to assess calf usage of five potential enrichment devices provided simultaneously. We used 25 weaned Holstein-Friesian calves housed in groups of five (five replicates), and their behavior was recorded continuously with video cameras. This longitudinal observational study used a pen equipped with a mechanical and fixed brush, cowhide, and horizontal and vertical ropes. Data collected included how many visits each object received per day, the type of object usage, and the duration of the visits. Calves used all five objects at least once, and they used items more during the daytime than at night. Brushes were used mainly for grooming (e.g., rubbing or scratching), while ropes and cowhide for oral interactions (e.g., licking, chewing, and biting), most likely to lack oral stimulations that would naturally be satisfied by suckling and grazing at this age. The objects most frequently used were the mechanical brush and the horizontal rope, and they received the highest number of visits (214.9 and 154.9 bouts/day, respectively). The least chosen object was the stationary brush, which had the lowest number of visits (62.9 bouts/day). The provision of multiple enrichment objects for weaned calves should be considered as they may add complexity and novelty to barren environments.
Prebiotics Inulin Metabolism by Lactic Acid Bacteria From Young Rabbits
Authors: Zhu Yuan-ting , Yue Shuang-ming , Li Rui-tong , Qiu Shi-xiu , Xu Zhen-Ying , Wu Yi , Yao Jin , Zuo Yong , Li Ke-juan , Li Yang
Published: October 2021

Inulin as a commercial prebiotic could selectively promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Whether LAB in rabbit gut possesses the capability to metabolize and utilize inulin is little known. Therefore, this study recovered 94 LAB strains from neonate rabbits and found that only 29% (28/94) could metabolize inulin with both species- and strain-specificity. The most vigorous inulin-degrading strain, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei YT170, could efficiently utilize both short-chain and long-chain components through thin-layer chromatography analysis. From genomic analysis, a predicted fosRABCDXE operon encoding putative cell wall-anchored fructan β-fructosidase, five fructose-transporting proteins and a pts1BCA operon encoding putative β-fructofuranosidase and sucrose-specific IIBCA components were linked to long-chain and short-chain inulin utilization respectively. This study provides a mechanistic rationale for effect of inulin administration on rabbits and lays a foundation for synbiotic applications aimed at modulating the intestinal microbiota of young rabbits.
Investors’ Reactions to Extreme Events in the Hungarian Stock Market
Authors: Rádóczy Klaudia , Tóth-Pajor Ákos
Published: October 2021

This paper examines investors’ reactions to extreme events in the Hungarian stock market. We seek to answer the research question whether following extreme events any overreaction of investors can be observed on the Budapest Stock Exchange. With a view to answering the research question, we identify extreme events based on extreme returns on the market portfolio and then – using an event study – we examine abnormal returns on winner and loser equities. After examining investors’ reactions, we inspect the performance of the contrarian strategy in the created event windows. The main result of our research is the presentation that – based on the analysis of the differences between the average cumulative abnormal returns after extreme events – investor overreactions can be observed in the Hungarian stock market. The loser portfolios relating to extreme events significantly outperform winner portfolios connected to the event. The excess return of the contrarian strategy cannot be attributed to differences in the market risk of winner and loser portfolios. The excess return of the strategy can be shown only under tighter extreme value thresholds. The clustering of the event windows with short-term reversal, high market volatility and extreme events is beneficial to the performance of the contrarian strategy. In addition, our research also shows that the purchase of loser portfolios or the development of a contrarian strategy after extreme events may generate profit for investors, since after extreme events the loser portfolios usually beat the market on a horizon of 21 days.
Machine Learning-Based Prediction of the Seismic Bearing Capacity of a Shallow Strip Footing over a Void in Heterogeneous Soils
Authors: Sadegh Es-haghi Mohammad , Abbaspour Mohsen , Abbasianjahromi Hamidreza , Mariani Stefano
Published: October 2021

The seismic bearing capacity of a shallow strip footing above a void displays a complex dependence on several characteristics, linked to geometric problems and to the soil properties. Hence, setting analytical models to estimate such bearing capacity is extremely challenging. In this work, machine learning (ML) techniques have been employed to predict the seismic bearing capacity of a shallow strip footing located over a single unsupported rectangular void in heterogeneous soil. A dataset consisting of 38,000 finite element limit analysis simulations has been created, and the mean value between the upper and lower bounds of the bearing capacity has been computed at the varying undrained shear strength and internal friction angle of the soil, horizontal earthquake accelerations, and position, shape, and size of the void. Three machine learning techniques have been adopted to learn the link between the aforementioned parameters and the bearing capacity: multilayer perceptron neural networks; a group method of data handling; and a combined adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system and particle swarm optimization. The performances of these ML techniques have been compared with each other, in terms of the following statistical performance indices: coefficient of determination (R2); root mean square error (RMSE); mean absolute percentage error; scatter index; and standard bias. Results have shown that all the ML techniques perform well, though the multilayer perceptron has a slightly superior accuracy featuring noteworthy results (R2= 0.9955 and RMSE= 0.0158).
Comparing Commit Messages and Source Code Metrics for the Prediction Refactoring Activities
Authors: Sagar Priyadarshni Suresh , AlOmar Eman Abdulah , Mkaouer Mohamed Wiem , Ouni Ali , Newman Christian D.
Published: October 2021

Understanding how developers refactor their code is critical to support the design improvement process of software. This paper investigates to what extent code metrics are good indicators for predicting refactoring activity in the source code. In order to perform this, we formulated the prediction of refactoring operation types as a multi-class classification problem. Our solution relies on measuring metrics extracted from committed code changes in order to extract the corresponding features (i.e., metric variations) that better represent each class (i.e., refactoring type) in order to automatically predict, for a given commit, the method-level type of refactoring being applied, namely Move Method, Rename Method, Extract Method, Inline Method, Pull-up Method, and Push-down Method. We compared various classifiers, in terms of their prediction performance, using a dataset of 5004 commits and extracted 800 Java projects. Our main findings show that the random forest model trained with code metrics resulted in the best average accuracy of 75%. However, we detected a variation in the results per class, which means that some refactoring types are harder to detect than others.
A Bibliometric Analysis of Literature on Vegetable Prices at Domestic and International Markets—A Knowledge Graph Approach
Authors: Li Youzhu , Liu Jinsi , Yang Hongyu , Chen Jianxin , Xiong Jason
Published: October 2021

Vegetable prices play an important role in people’s daily lives globally. However, there is very little research that has systematically analyzed and discussed the existing research. Therefore, in order to narrow this gap in the literature, there is a need for an extensive and macro-level study of vegetable price research. By sorting out a large volume of documents, This paper presents a visual representation of the vegetable price research literature in the Web of Science and CNKI databases; it includes three perspectives of the cooperative network, co-occurrence network and co-cited network, and draws scientific knowledge map, to acquire a good understanding of the current situation of vegetable price research, hot issues, clearly shows the focus of the research, summaries the fluctuation pattern of vegetable price, deeply analyses the influencing factors of vegetable price fluctuation, and find out the connection between related scholars and the correlation existing in each research content. The results show that scholars at home and abroad have conducted research from the perspectives of vegetable price influencing factors, forecasting and early warning, and insurance systems, but they are only limited to some regions, and some vegetable varieties, and the forecasting and early warning of vegetable prices are not accurate enough, the insurance system is not perfect, and a complete price influencing mechanism has not yet been proposed. The aim of this study is to make a significant contribution to the scientific community and industry practitioners by providing a comprehensive understanding of the latest status, popular keywords and topics, and emerging areas of vegetable price research. In addition, this study will be a useful and valuable reference and guide for researchers interested in this field.
Autonomous and Safe Navigation of Mobile Robots in Vineyard with Smooth Collision Avoidance
Authors: Ravankar Abhijeet , Ravankar Ankit A. , Rawankar Arpit , Hoshino Yohei
Published: October 2021

In recent years, autonomous robots have extensively been used to automate several vineyard tasks. Autonomous navigation is an indispensable component of such field robots. Autonomous and safe navigation has been well studied in indoor environments and many algorithms have been proposed. However, unlike structured indoor environments, vineyards pose special challenges for robot navigation. Particularly, safe robot navigation is crucial to avoid damaging the grapes. In this regard, we propose an algorithm that enables autonomous and safe robot navigation in vineyards. The proposed algorithm relies on data from a Lidar sensor and does not require a GPS. In addition, the proposed algorithm can avoid dynamic obstacles in the vineyard while smoothing the robot’s trajectories. The curvature of the trajectories can be controlled, keeping a safe distance from both the crop and the dynamic obstacles. We have tested the algorithm in both a simulation and with robots in an actual vineyard. The results show that the robot can safely navigate the lanes of the vineyard and smoothly avoid dynamic obstacles such as moving people without abruptly stopping or executing sharp turns. The algorithm performs in real-time and can easily be integrated into robots deployed in vineyards.
Effects of Ionophores on Ruminal Function of Beef Cattle
Authors: Marques Rodrigo da Silva , Cooke Reinaldo Fernandes
Published: October 2021

Ionophores have been widely used in the beef and dairy industry for decades to improve feed efficiency and performance by altering ruminal fermentation dynamics, increasing the level of propionate. Ionophores can also reduce ruminal proteolysis and ammonia synthesis, thus increasing the influx of protein into the small intestine in cattle, leading to improvements in performance and efficiency responses. Ionophores indirectly impact ruminal methanogenesis by decreasing the substrate used to produce methane. Despite the consistent benefits of using ionophores in cattle nutrition, their utilization is under public scrutiny due to concerns related to microbial adaptation. However, there is inconsistent evidence supporting these concerns, whereas ionophores are still an important dietary tool to enhance productivity and profitability in beef production systems.
Co-Occurrence of blaOXA-23 in the Chromosome and Plasmid: Increased Fitness in Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Wang Zhiren , Li Henan , Zhang Jiangang , Wang Hui
Published: October 2021

This study aims to explore the co-occurrence of chromosomal and plasmid blaOXA-23 in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) and its influence on phenotypes. A total of 11 CRAB isolates containing copies of blaOXA-23 on the chromosome and plasmid (CO), as well as 18 closely related isolates with blaOXA-23, located on either the chromosome or plasmid (SI), were selected for the determination of antibiotic susceptibility, virulence phenotype, and characteristic genomic differences. The co-occurrence of blaOXA-23 on the CRAB chromosome and plasmids did not enhance carbapenem resistance, but trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole exhibited significantly reduced minimum inhibitory concentrations in CO. CO demonstrated a higher degree of fitness compared to SI. An increased biofilm formation ability and serum tolerance were also identified in CO, which may be associated with virulence genes, which include csuD, entE, pgaA, and plc. blaOXA-23-carrying transposons were found at different insertion sites on the chromosome. The most common site was AbaR-type genomic islands (50%). Two types of plasmids were found in CO. The co-occurrence of blaOXA-23 on the chromosome and a plasmid in CRAB had little effect on carbapenem susceptibility but was accompanied by increased fitness and virulence. Different origins and independent insertions of blaOXA-23-carrying transposons were identified in both the chromosomal and plasmid sequences.
Development of an Estimation Formula to Evaluate Mission Motion Suitability of Military Jackets
Authors: Choi Hee-Eun , Jun Jung-Il
Published: October 2021

We developed an estimation formula for mission motion suitability evaluation based on the general motion protocol to evaluate the motion suitability of a tracked vehicle crew jacket. Motion suitability evaluation was conducted for the 9 general motions and 12 mission motions among 27 tracked vehicle crew members who wore a tracked vehicle crew jacket. We conducted correlation and factor analyses on motions to extract the main mission motions, and a multiple regression analysis was performed on major mission motions using general motions as independent variables. As a result, two mission behavior factors related to ammunition stowing and boarding/entry were extracted. We selected ammunition stowing I and the boarding motion, which has the highest factor load in each factor and the highest explanatory power (R2) of the estimation formula. Regression equations for ammunition stowing consisting of five general motions (p < 0.001) and for boarding motion (p < 0.01) consisting of one general motion could be obtained. In conclusion, the estimation formula for mission motion suitability using general motion is beneficial for enhancing the effectiveness of the evaluation of military jackets for tracked vehicle crews.
Identification of Pre-Tightening Torque Dependent Parameters for Empirical Modeling of Bolted Joints
Authors: Tian Yu , Qian Hui , Cao Zhifu , Zhang Dahai , Jiang Dong
Published: October 2021

The vibration characteristics of bolted structures are crucially affected by the pre-tightening torque. An approach for identifying the pre-tightening torque dependent stiffness parameters of bolted joints is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the interface of the bolted joint is characterized by the thin layer element with the isotropic material property, and the parameter value of the property is assigned relative to the distance from the center of the bolt; the influence of the bolt is ignored. Secondly, the model updating method is adopted to identify the parameters of thin layer elements using experimental data, and modal data under different values of pre-tightening torque in the range of 2 N·m~22 N·m are obtained; the torque wrench is used to determine the pre-tightening torque in the modal test. Finally, after identifying the material parameters using partial experimental data on pre-tightening torque range, the empirical equation of the interface parameters with the pre-tightening torque parameter is obtained by curve fitting and the rest of the experimental data are used to verify the accuracy of the fitted empirical equations. It is concluded that this method can obtain all the parameters of the equivalent thin layer elements within a certain range of pre-tightening torque, which can provide a reference for the empirical modeling of bolted structures, improve modeling efficiency and reflect the characteristic performance of real structural dynamics.
A Modification of the PBIL Algorithm Inspired by the CMA-ES Algorithm in Discrete Knapsack Problem
Authors: Konieczka Maria , Poturała Alicja , Arabas Jarosław , Kozdrowski Stanisław
Published: October 2021

The subject of this paper is the comparison of two algorithms belonging to the class of evolutionary algorithms. The first one is the well-known Population-Based Incremental Learning (PBIL) algorithm, while the second one, proposed by us, is a modification of it and based on the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES) algorithm. In the proposed Covariance Matrix Adaptation Population-Based Incremental Learning (CMA-PBIL) algorithm, the probability distribution of population is described by two parameters: the covariance matrix and the probability vector. The comparison of algorithms was performed in the discrete domain of the solution space, where we used the well-known knapsack problem in a variety of data correlations. The results obtained show that the proposed CMA-PBIL algorithm can perform better than standard PBIL in some cases. Therefore, the proposed algorithm can be a reasonable alternative to the PBIL algorithm in the discrete space domain.
An Accurate Switching Current Measurement Based on Resistive Shunt Applied to Short Circuit GaN HEMT Characterization
Authors: Abbate Carmine , Colella Leandro , Di Folco Roberto , Busatto Giovanni , Martano Emanuele , Palazzo Simone , Sanseverino Annunziata , Velardi Francesco
Published: October 2021

The use of a resistive shunt is one of the simplest and most used methods for measuring current in an electronic device. Many researchers use this method to measure drain current during short-circuiting of fast devices such as GaN HEMTs. However, the high switching speed of these devices together with the non-ideality of the shunt resistors produces an overestimation of the current in the initial phases of the transient. In this paper, a passive compensation network is proposed, which is formed by adding an inductor to the voltage measurement circuit and allows an accurate measurement of the current using the resistive shunt even in the presence of very fast devices. The proposed method is validated by simulations and experimental measurements.
Equinoctial Asymmetry in Solar Quiet Fields along the 120° E Meridian Chain
Authors: Wu Yingyan , Liu Libo , Ren Zhipeng
Published: October 2021

Equinoctial asymmetry of the range of the solar quiet day variation (Sq) of the horizontal geomagnetic field (H) has been found in some low latitude geomagnetic observatories. This study conducted an investigation of its latitude distribution and the relationship with the solar cycle by using the H field measurements from six observatories along the 120° E meridian chain in the years 1957–2013. Results illustrate a significant equinoctial asymmetry of the SqH range at all observatories. Three main features were identified. First, the signature of the equinoctial asymmetry of the SqH range is opposite for observatories located at the northern and southern sides of the Northern Hemisphere Sq current focus. It shows larger values around spring than autumn equinox at southern observatories, and the converse is seen at northern observatories. Second, the asymmetry increases with the distance from the Sq current focus, suggesting the stronger sensitivity of the distant observatories than observatories around the focus. The result of linear fitting presents a positive dependence of the asymmetry coefficient on geographic latitude, with a reversal of the asymmetry occurring at 28.1° N near the focus of the average Sq current. Third, there is no obvious dependence of the equinoctial asymmetry of the SqH range on solar activity, suggesting a possible cause from some regional factors related to the ionospheric dynamo process.