bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis on Marital Satisfaction of Chinese Couples
Authors: Li Fengzhan , Chen Chen , Wang Jinrui , Peng Haiyun , Wu Lin , Ren Lei , Song Lei , Jin Yinchuan , Yang Qun
Published: June 2022

Objective

To investigate the changing trend of Chinese couples' marital satisfaction and its relationship with social changes.

Methods

A cross-temporal meta-analysis was performed on 118 original studies (n = 31,909) reporting marital satisfaction of Chinese couples from 1994 to 2020, primarily using correlation analysis and regression analysis.

Results

(1) Overall, the marital satisfaction of Chinese couples showed a downward trend over time. (2) Men's marital satisfaction displayed almost no change, while women's marital satisfaction had a more obvious downward trend. (3) Changes in macrosocial factors (per capita consumption expenditure, housing prices, old-age dependency ratio, and divorce rate) could significantly predict the downward trend of marital satisfaction, especially for women.

Conclusion

In the past 27 years, the overall marital satisfaction level of Chinese couples has shown a downward trend, and there are gendered differences, which may be related to changes in the socioeconomic and cultural environments.
Music Aptitude, Training, and Cognitive Transfer: A Mini-Review
Authors: Wang Lu
Published: June 2022

In this mini-review, the genetic basis of music aptitude and the effects of music training are discussed. The review indicates that regardless of levels of innate ability, experience-induced neuroplasticity can occur as a result of music training. When that happens, it can be expressed as functional or structural brain changes. These changes are often accompanied by improvement in performance in tasks involving auditory analysis. Specifically, music training effects can transfer to a closely related cognitive domain such as auditory processing (near transfer). Music training can also affect more distantly related cognitive domains such as spatial and linguistic domains. Lastly, music training can affect general intelligence (“g”) (far transfer). Music training can mold behavioral brain development and confers cognitive benefits beyond music.
Psychological Resilience and Career Success of Female Nurses in Central China: The Mediating Role of Craftsmanship
Authors: Xue Huiyuan , Si Xiaona , Wang He , Song Xiaoren , Zhu Keke , Liu Xiaoli , Zhang Fen
Published: June 2022

Background

Nurses’ career success is an important factor affecting the quality of nursing services and the stability of the nursing workforce, and enhancing nurses’ career success level is of key significance to the development of the nursing discipline. As psychological resilience and craftsmanship are important spiritual traits in the process of nurses’ career development, it is important to understand the mechanism of their effects on nurses’ career success level.

Objective

To explore the current situation of craftsmanship, psychological resilience and career success levels of female nurses in central China, and to verify the mediating role of craftsmanship between psychological resilience and female career success using structural equation model.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2359 female nurses from three hospitals in central China through an online questionnaire, including craftsmanship, psychological resilience and career success scale. The data were analyzed by Z-test and Spearman rank correlation with SPSS 23.0 statistical software, and the mechanism of the effect of craftsmanship and psychological resilience on career success was completed by AMOS 23.0 statistical software.

Results

The scores of career success, psychological resilience, and craftsmanship of female nurses in central China were 68.00 (61.00, 75.00), 74.00 (64.00, 84.00), and 83.00 (79.00, 95.25). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that Chinese female nurses’ career success was positively correlated with craftsmanship (r = 0.511, P < 0.01) and psychological resilience (r = 0.595, P < 0.01). Craftsmanship played a mediating role between psychological resilience and career success, accounting for 39.3% of the total effect ratio.

Conclusion

The scores of career success and psychological resilience of female nurses in central China are at a moderate level, and craftsmanship plays a mediating role between psychological resilience and career success. It is suggested that nursing managers should pay attention to the importance of career success to nurses’ self-development and nursing team stability, and improve their sense of career success by effectively improving nurses’ psychological resilience and craftsmanship.
The Impact of Ethical Leadership on Employees’ Green Innovation Behavior: A Mediating-Moderating Model
Authors: Yang Liqin , Liu Haibing
Published: June 2022

To enhance environmental protection and sustainable development, green innovation (GI) is an inevitable choice for enterprises. This study incorporates social identity theory and social learning theory to explore the impact of ethical leadership on employee GI behavior. In addition, this study also examines the mediating effects of green organizational identity (GOI) and the moderating role of strategic flexibility (SF). Using the structural equation modeling, an empirical survey was conducted among 300 Chinese manufacturing companies. The study found that ethical leadership (EL) positively affects employees’ GI behavior (EGIB). It also positively impacts the GOI, which led to EGIB. In addition, the study also confirmed that GOI played a mediating role in the relationship between EL and EGIB. The results further indicated that SF positively enhanced the effect of GOI on EGIB. The findings have important contributions to theory and practice in the current research context.
Characteristics of People Returned to Prison From Medium Secure Psychiatric Services in England and Wales: National Cohort Study
Authors: Leonard Sarah , Webb Roger T. , Doyle Michael , Shaw Jennifer
Published: June 2022

Background

Little is known about people who are admitted to medium secure services (MSSs) from prison, including characteristics and factors that influence clinical pathways and subsequent discharge. We recently published the first study to establish the circumstances by which MSS “prison-transfer” patients are returned to prison. Of particular concern was the finding that a quarter of prison-transfer patients were returned to prison by Responsible Medical Officers (RMOs) because they were not engaging with treatment or were deemed too “high risk” to remain detained within the services, circumstances that would be unacceptable when considering discharge via a community care pathway. It is important to further explore the characteristics of people admitted to MSSs from prison, and to investigate how these may differ for individuals who are returned to prison, as compared to those discharged into the community.

Aim

(a) To describe the characteristics of prison-transfers who receive an RMO directed discharge from MSSs; and (b) to compare these characteristics by discharge destination; prison return and community discharge.

Methods

Prospective cohort comparative study: all prison-transfer patients discharged under the instruction of their RMO over a 6-month period, from 33 NHS medium secure units across England and Wales. Data on patient demographic, clinical and legal characteristics were extracted via full patient health record review and collateral information from clinicians was also obtained. This information was used to complete The Historical, Clinical and Risk-−20 items (HCR-20v3) and The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors (SAPROF). Individuals who were returned to prison were compared with those who were discharged to the community.

Results

Persons returned to prison represented a vulnerable group at time of discharge as compared to those discharged into the community and had a significantly shorter length of stay in MSSs. Over half of those returned to prison had a length of stay of <6 months. Individuals returned to prison displayed significantly more issues with psychological adjustment at time of discharge, and had a higher risk of future violence and a lower prevalence of protective factors that mitigate subsequent risks of relapse and reoffending.

Discussion

MSs in England and Wales are returning vulnerable individuals to prison in lieu of adequate aftercare services. The role of and responsibilities of MSSs as regards admissions from prison needs to be reconsidered.
Behavioral Intentions and Factors Influencing Nurses' Care of COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Cui Feifei , Jin Yundan , Wu Haiying , Wang Rongting , Pan Xinling , Chen Shuainan , Jin Yanyan , Yao Meiqi , Fan Huiqiang , Xu Jing
Published: June 2022

Objective

Behavioral intentions to care for patients with infectious diseases are crucial for improving quality of care. However, there have been few studies of the behavioral intentions and factors influencing patient care by clinical nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to explore cognition, attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions of clinical nurses while caring for COVID-19 patients and to explore any influencing factors.

Method

A cross-sectional survey was conducted of nurses through convenience sampling in southeast China from February 2020 to March 2020. The questionnaire was developed based on the theory of planned behavior and self-efficacy.

Results

A total of 774 nurses completed the survey. Of these, 69.12% (535/774) reported positive behavioral intentions, 75.58% (585/774) reported a positive attitude, and 63.82% (494/774) reported having the confidence to care for patients. However, the lack of support from family and friends and special allowance affected their self-confidence. Attitude, self-efficacy, subjective norms, and ethical cognition were significantly positively correlated with behavioral intentions (r = 0.719, 0.690, 0.603, and 0.546, respectively, all P < 0.001). Structural equation model showed that self-efficacy, attitude, ethical cognition, and subjective norms had positive effects on behavioral intentions (β = 0.402, 0.382, 0.091, and 0.066, respectively, P < 0.01). The total effect of behavioral intentions was influenced by attitude, ethical cognition, self-efficacy, and subjective norms (β = 0.656, 0.630, 0.402, and 0.157, respectively, P < 0.01). In addition, ethical cognition had a positive mediating effect on behavioral intentions (β = 0.539, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The study results indicated that attitude, ethical cognition, and self-efficacy were the main factors influencing nurses' behavioral intention. Efforts should be made to improve nurses' attitude and self-efficacy through ethical education and training to increase behavioral intentions to care for patients with infectious diseases, which will improve the quality of nursing care.
The Association Between Environmental and Social Factors and Myopia: A Review of Evidence From COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Limwattanayingyong Jirawut , Amornpetchsathaporn Anyarak , Chainakul Methaphon , Grzybowski Andrzej , Ruamviboonsuk Paisan
Published: June 2022

Purpose

To review the association between children's behavioral changes during the restriction due to the pandemic of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the development and progression of myopia.

Design

A literature review.

Method

We looked for relevant studies related to 1) children's behavioral changes from COVID-19 restriction and 2) children's myopia progression during COVID-19 restriction by using the following keywords. They were “Behavior,” “Activity,” “COVID-19,” “Lockdown,” “Restriction,” and “Children” for the former; “Myopia,” “COVID-19,” “Lockdown,” “Restriction” for the latter. Titles, abstracts and full texts from the retrieved studies were screened and all relevant data were summarized, analyzed, and discussed.

Results

Children were less active and more sedentary during COVID-19 restriction. According to five studies from China and six studies, each from Hong Kong, Spain, Israel, South Korea, Turkey and Taiwan included in our review, all countries without myopia preventive intervention supported the association between the lockdown and myopia progression by means of negative SER change ranging from 0.05–0.6 D, more negative SER change (compared post- to pre-lockdown) ranging from 0.71–0.98 D and more negative rate of SER changes (compared post- to pre-lockdown) ranging from 0.05–0.1 D/month. The reported factor that accelerated myopia is an increase in total near work, while increased outdoor activity is a protective factor against myopia progression.

Conclusion

The pandemic of COVID-19 provided an unwanted opportunity to assess the effect of the behavioral changes and myopia in the real world. There is sufficient evidence to support the association between an increase in near work from home confinement or a reduction of outdoor activities and worsening of myopia during the COVID-19 lockdown. The findings from this review of data from the real world may help better understanding of myopia development and progression, which may lead to adjustment of behaviors to prevent myopia and its progression in the future.
Cost-Effectiveness of Nivolumab Immunotherapy vs. Paclitaxel or Docetaxel Chemotherapy as Second-Line Therapy in Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in China
Authors: Lin Ying-tao , Liu Tian-xiu , Chen Jian , Wang Chang , Chen Ying
Published: June 2022

This study aimed to evaluate and compare nivolumab's cost-effectiveness with chemotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from the Chinese healthcare system perspective. To this end, the researchers utilized a partitioned survival model with three mutually exclusive health stages. The characteristics of the patients used as inclusion and exclusion criteria in this model were the same as those used for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the ATTRACTION-3 study. The ATTRACTION-3 trial, which took place between January 7, 2016 and November 12, 2018, also yielded important clinical data. Data on medical and economic preferences were collected from real-world clinical practices. Costs, quality-adjusted life years, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio were calculated for the two therapy options. The model uncertainty was investigated using a deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. When compared to chemotherapy, nivolumab was linked with an increase of 0.28 quality-adjusted life years with an increased cost of US$ 36,956.81 per patient in the base case analysis of a hypothetical sample of 419 patients. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio in the deterministic sensitivity analysis was US$ 132,029.46/quality-adjusted life year, with a 48.02% probability of being cost-effective at willingness-to-pay thresholds of US$ 132,029.22/quality-adjusted life year. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio remained greater than US$ 80,000/quality-adjusted life year in the deterministic sensitivity analyses. To be more cost-effective and remain below the threshold of 37,653 US$/quality-adjusted life year, which the Chinese population can afford, nivolumab's price would have to be lowered sharply by 53.50%. Nivolumab is clinically beneficial but not cost-effective when compared to chemotherapy. A substantial reduction in nivolumab's drug acquisition cost would be necessary to make it cost-effective for immunotherapy.
Examination of Ecological Systems Contexts Within a Latino-Based Community Sport Youth Development Initiative
Authors: Robledo Mayra V. , Edwards Michael B. , Bocarro Jason N. , Behnke Andrew O. , Casper Jonathan M.
Published: June 2022

Youth Development Programs (YDPs) can serve as effective mechanisms to alleviate social and psychological adversities while enhancing and developing resilience among youth. Recently, more YDPs have incorporated sport within Sport for Development (SFD) models to achieve these goals. Due to the growing Latino population in the US and the wide achievement gap between Latinos and other demographic populations, there is a need to explore programs that may support individual development as well as long-term change with regard to social inequality. There is also a need to better understand the ecological contexts within SFD programs and how these contexts may support underserved youth. Specifically, using an ecological systems perspective, this study seeks to explore the implementation of a sport program by a YDP in order to examine the ecological processes that may support or inhibit the efficacy of sport programs working with underserved youth. Juntos is a YDP that primarily serves Latinx youth and families by assisting youth with graduating high school and pursuing higher education opportunities. Juntos incorporates two annual soccer tournaments (i.e., Kicking it with Juntos and Copa Unidos). A qualitative case study approach was implemented in two counties in North Carolina. Interviews were conducted with tournament participants, county coordinators and planning committee members. Findings found three key themes related to three ecological levels 1. At the Microsystem level, sport was implemented to engage youth and connect to non-sport program outcomes, but divergent perceptions of goals among stakeholders potentially inhibited intentional implementation. At the Mesosystem level, sport provided a mechanism to engage in collaborative relationships and encouraged parental participation. At the Macrosystem level, sport celebrated Latino culture and attempted to address social barriers facing Latinx youth, but some aspects of culture may have created barriers to access for girls. Findings suggested that while the programs emphasized mesosystem engagement, more integration across exosystem and macrosystem levels may be needed for sustainable outcomes.
The Evaluation of a SEER-Based Nomogram in Predicting the Survival of Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Therapy Followed by Esophagectomy
Authors: Wang Qing , Sun Zhiyong , Xu Xin , Ma Xiumei , Zhao Xiaojing , Ye Qing
Published: June 2022

Background

A novel nomogram based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database has been developed to predict the survival of patients with esophageal carcinoma who received neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy and value of the nomogram with an external validation cohort.

Methods

A total of 2,224 patients in SEER database were divided into the training cohort (n = 1556) and the internal validation cohort (n = 668), while 77 patients in our institute were enrolled in the external validation cohort. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to develop a nomogram based on the training cohort, while the C-indexes, the calibration curves, receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC), and Kaplan-Meier survival curve were applied in the internal and external validation cohort.

Results

Five independent risk factors were identified and integrated into the nomogram (C-index = 0.645, 95%CI 0.627–0.663). The nomogram exhibited good prognostic value in the internal validation cohort (C-index = 0.648 95%CI 0.622–0.674). However, the C-index, calibration plot, receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival curve of the nomogram in the external validation cohort were not as good as the training and internal validation cohort (C-index = 0.584 95%CI 0.445–0.723). Further analysis demonstrated that the resection margin involvement (R0, R1, or R2 resection) was an independent risk factor for the patients, which was not included in the SEER cohort.

Conclusions

the nomogram based on the SEER database fails to accurately predict the prognosis of the patients in the external validation cohort, which can be caused by the absence of essential information from the SEER database.
Novel Hybrid Statistical Learning Framework Coupled with Random Forest and Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm to Forecast Pesticide Use on Golf Courses
Authors: Grégoire Guillaume , Fortin Josée , Ebtehaj Isa , Bonakdari Hossein
Published: June 2022

Golf course maintenance requires the use of several inputs, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that can be harmful to human health or the environment. Understanding the factors associated with pesticide use on golf courses may help golf-course managers reduce their reliance on these products. In this study, we used a database of about 14,000 pesticide applications in the province of Québec, Canada, to develop a novel hybrid machine learning approach to predict pesticide use on golf courses. We created this proposed model, called RF-SVM-GOA, by coupling a support vector machine (SVM) with random forest (RF) and the grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA). We applied RF to handle the wide range of datasets and GOA to find the optimal SVM settings. We considered five different dependent variables—region, golf course ID, number of holes, year, and treated area—as input variables. The experimental results confirmed that the developed hybrid RF-SVM-GOA approach was able to estimate the active ingredient total (AIT) with a high level of accuracy (R = 0.99; MAE = 0.84; RMSE = 0.84; NRMSE = 0.04). We compared the results produced by the developed RF-SVM-GOA model with those of four tree-based techniques including M5P, random tree, reduced error pruning tree (REP tree), and RF, as well as with those of two non-tree-based techniques including the generalized structure of group method of data handling (GSGMDH) and evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR). The computational results showed that the accuracy of the proposed RF-SVM-GOA approach was higher, outperforming the other methods. We analyzed sensitivity to find the most effective variables in AIT forecasting. The results indicated that the treated area is the most effective variable in AIT forecasting. The results of the current study provide a method for increasing the sustainability of golf course management.
Effects of Water-Saving Irrigation on Direct-Seeding Rice Yield and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in North China
Authors: Hang Xiaoning , Danso Frederick , Luo Jia , Liao Dunxiu , Zhang Jian , Zhang Jun
Published: June 2022

Rice cultivation consumes more than half of the planet’s 70% freshwater supply used in agricultural production. Competing water uses and climate change globally are putting more pressure on the limited water resources. Therefore, water-saving irrigation (WSI) is recommended for rice production in water scares areas. The impact of WSI techniques on direct-seeding rice production and greenhouse gas emissions in North China is becoming increasingly important in the era of climate change. Therefore, we conducted a two-year field experiment on directly seeded rice to assess the impact of traditional flooding irrigation (CK) and three water saving irrigation (WSI) methods, including drip irrigation with an irrigation amount of 50 mm (DI1) and 35 mm (DI2) at each watering time and furrow wetting irrigation (FWI), on rice yield and greenhouse emissions. Generally, the WSI techniques decreased the number of rice panicles per m−2, spikelet per panicle, 1000-grain weight and rice yield compared to CK. Rice yield and yield components of (DI1) were significantly higher than (DI2). The adoption of either (DI1) or (FWI) showed insignificant variation in terms of rice yield and its yield components measured except for 1000-grain weight. The water productivity was 88.9, 16.4 and 11.4% higher in the FWI plot than the CK, DI1 and DI2 plots, respectively. The WSI decreased cumulative CH4 emission significantly by 73.0, 84.7 and 64.4% in DI1, DI2 and FWI, respectively, in comparison with CK. The usage of DI2 triggered 1.4 and 2.0-fold more cumulative N2O emission compared to DI1 and FWI, respectively. Area-scaled emission among the water-saving irrigation methods showed no significance. The yield-scaled emission in DI1 and DI2 and FWI were 101, 67.5 and 102%, respectively, significantly lower than CK. The adoption of FWI produced an acceptable rice yield with the lowest yield-scaled emission and highest water productivity among the irrigation practices. Our experiment demonstrates that dry direct-seeding with furrow irrigation can impact triple-wins of sustainable rice yield, high water-use efficiency and low GHG emissions in North China.
Growth Performance, Meat Quality, and Fecal Microbial Population in Limousin Bulls Supplemented with Hydrolyzable Tannins
Authors: Mergeduš Andrej , Janžekovič Marjan , Škorjanc Dejan , Kraner Šumenjak Tadeja , Brus Maksimiljan
Published: June 2022

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation of hydrolyzable tannins (HT) from sweet chestnut wood extract (Castanea sativa Mill.) to the diet of Limousin bulls on growth rate, carcass and meat quality traits, and fecal Clostridia strain levels in a 7-month feeding trial. Thirty-two bulls were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (CON (without addition of HT); TAN 1 (1 g HT kg−1 DM); TAN 2 (1.5 g HT kg−1 DM); and TAN 3 (1.5 g HT kg−1 DM with a nominally lower dose of concentrate). Compared with the CON group, supplementation with HT significantly (p < 0.050) increased bull growth rate during 4–7 months, whereas carcass and meat quality traits were unaffected during the last three months of fattening. Supplementation of HT significantly reduced meat drip loss (p = 0.000) compared with the CON group. No effects were observed on the total number of fecal Clostridia strains; however, the concentration of Clostridiumperfringens was significantly lower (p = 0.004) in TAN 1 than that in the CON group. The results obtained in fattening bulls indicate that the addition of HT is justified in practice to improve growth performance and feed efficiency without adverse effects on the carcass and meat quality.
Impact of Sowing Time and Genotype on Water Use Efficiency of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medick.)
Authors: Maphosa Lancelot , Anwar Muhuddin Rajin , Luckett David J. , Ip Ryan H. L. , Chauhan Yashvir S. , Richards Mark F.
Published: June 2022

Productive water use can be an effective adaptation strategy for improving crop performance. A 2-year field study was undertaken in 2018 and 2019 to investigate the effect of sowing date and genotype on water-use efficiency of lentils grown in diverse locations in Australia. Above-ground dry matter accumulation, grain yield, soil evaporation, water use, and water-use efficiency (WUE) were measured and/or calculated at crop maturity. Early sowing (SD1/mid-April), late maturity and supplementary irrigation increased water use. The long growth cycle resulting from early sowing influenced WUE for dry matter production and grain yield. WUE ranged from 10.5 to 18.8 kg dry matter ha−1 mm−1 (WUEET (evapotranspiration)) and 17.1 to 28.3 kg dry matter ha−1 mm−1 (WUET (transpiration)) for dry matter production. For grain yield, WUE ranged from 2.11 to 5.65 kg grain ha−1 mm−1 (WUEET) and 4.71 to 9.19 kg grain ha−1 mm−1 (WUET). There was more water loss through soil evaporation in SD1 compared to the other sowing dates. Excessive or limited availability of water did not translate to more dry matter accumulation and grain yield. The study concluded that SD1 gives the maximum water productivity for biomass, and SD2 (end of April) and SD3 (mid-May) for grain yield.
Characterization of the NGP4A Gene in Regulating Grain Number Per Panicle of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Chen Yanhong , Yang Wanling , Zhao Minmin , Ding Gumu , Zhou Yi , Xie Jiankun , Zhang Fantao
Published: June 2022

Grain number per panicle (GNPP) is a major factor influencing rice yield (Oryza sativa L.). However, the molecular mechanisms of GNPP determination are not well understood. A rice GNPP mutant, ngp4a, was isolated from an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized rice library of japonica Nipponbare. ngp4a produced fewer grains than wild-type plants at maturity as the number of secondary branches decreased significantly. The mutant phenotype of ngp4a was controlled by a recessive nuclear gene, which was fine-mapped into a 155.2 kb region on chromosome 4. One GNPP-related gene, Gnp4/LAX2 (LOC_Os04g32510), was found in the mapped region. The deletion of 3-bp nucleotides in the first exon of NGP4A resulted in a threonine residue loss. The mutation in NGP4A was responsible for the mutant phenotype of ngp4a. These results suggest that NGP4A is a new allele for Gnp4 and LAX2, while the mutant phenotype and underlying causation differed. Notably, transcriptome analysis revealed that NGP4A could regulate GNPP determination through the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Our results further elucidated the vital roles of Gnp4/LAX2 in GNPP determination, providing a new genetic resource and theoretical basis to further explore the molecular mechanisms of GNPP in rice.
Hybrid Vigour and Hybrid Mimics in Japonica Rice
Authors: Zhang You , Ovenden Ben , He Yao , Ye Wenwei , Wu Xianjun , Peacock William James , Dennis Elizabeth S.
Published: June 2022

In crop improvement programs, hybrid vigour (heterosis) is an important breeding strategy but the molecular mechanisms of hybrid vigour are still unclear. Grain yield declines after F1 generation due to phenotypic segregation. We found that, at the early seedling stage in hybrids derived from the temperate japonica rice varieties ‘Doongara’ and ‘Reiziq’, hybrid vigour was approximately 40% greater than in the better parents. Inbred high-yielding lines (Hybrid Mimics) were developed from the ‘Doongara’ × ‘Reiziq’ F1 by selfing and recurrent selection for F1-like plants in the F2 through to the F5 generation. Grain yields are stable over subsequent generations in the Hybrid Mimic lines. The importance of photosynthesis in early seedling development was demonstrated. Photosynthesis-related genes were expressed in the hybrid earlier than in the parents; physiological evidence using gas exchange indicated the early commencement of photosynthesis. Dark germination experiments supported the requirement for photosynthesis for early vigour in hybrids.
Genomic Analysis of Ceftazidime/Avibactam-Resistant GES-Producing Sequence Type 235 Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates
Authors: Recio Raúl , Villa Jennifer , González-Bodí Sara , Brañas Patricia , Orellana María Ángeles , Mancheño-Losa Mikel , Lora-Tamayo Jaime , Chaves Fernando , Viedma Esther
Published: June 2022

The emergence of ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) resistance among Guiana extended-spectrum β-lactamase (GES)-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates has rarely been described. Herein, we analyze the phenotypic and genomic characterization of CZA resistance in different GES-producing P. aeruginosa isolates that emerged in our institution. A subset of nine CZA-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates was analyzed and compared with thirteen CZA-susceptible isolates by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). All CZA-resistant isolates belonged to the ST235 clone and O11 serotype. A variety of GES enzymes were detected: GES-20 (55.6%, 5/9), GES-5 (22.2%, 2/9), GES-1 (11.1%, 1/9), and GES-7 (11.1%, 1/9). WGS revealed the presence of two mutations within the blaGES-20 gene comprising two single-nucleotide substitutions, which caused aspartic acid/serine and leucine/premature stop codon amino acid changes at positions 165 (D165S) and 237 (L237X), respectively. No major differences in the mutational resistome (AmpC, OprD porin, and MexAB-OprM efflux pump-encoding genes) were found among CZA-resistant and CZA-susceptible isolates. None of the mutations that have been previously demonstrated to cause CZA resistance were observed. Different mutations within the blaGES-20 gene were documented in CZA-resistant GES-producing P. aeruginosa isolates belonging to the ST235 clone in our institution. Although further analysis should be performed, according to our results, other resistance mechanisms might be involved in CZA resistance.
Assessment Impacts of Ozone on Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Liquid Dairy Waste
Authors: Chang Ruixue , Pandey Pramod , James Peja , Pandey Prachi , Li Yanming , Zhang Ruihong , Weimer Bart C.
Published: June 2022

Liquid dairy manure, which is produced in enormous quantities in flush dairy manure management systems, is commonly used as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. It provides nutrient benefits to crops and soils. While dairy waste is a well-accepted and widely used fertilizer, the presence of indicator organisms and human pathogens in manure may lead to pathogen contamination in crops and soils. This study is focused on the examination of ozone gas-based sterilization. In the past, ozone (O3) has been used for sanitizing various foods and solid surfaces, but the potential of O3 for eliminating human pathogens in liquid dairy waste is not studied yet. Pathogens such as Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 are reported to be present in liquid dairy manure, and this research evaluated the effects of various levels of ozone on the survival of these two pathogens. We designed a continuous type O3 treatment system that has four major components: (1) ozone generator using oxygen; (2) ozone concentration control by mixing with pure air; (3) continuous monitoring of ozone concentrations; and (4) ozone experiment chambers. Various levels of ozone (43.26, 87.40, and 132.46 mg·L−1) were produced in the ozone system, and subsequently, ozone was diffused through liquid manure. Liquid manure was exposed to ozone for multiple durations (30, 60, and 120 min). To determine the effectiveness of O3 in eliminating pathogens, time-series samples were collected and analyzed for determining the levels of S. typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7. Preliminary results showed that ozone concentrations of 132.46 mg/L, and exposure time of 120 min resulted in the reduced levels of E. coli and Salmonella. Low levels of ozone and limited exposure time were found to be less effective in pathogen removal potentially due to high solid contents. Additional studies carrying out experiments to evaluate the impacts of solids in combination with ozone concentrations will provide further insights into developing full-scale ozone-based treatment systems.
Fabricating a Novel Three-Dimensional Skin Model Using Silica Nonwoven Fabrics (SNF)
Authors: Iijima Mizuki , Iijima Kazutoshi
Published: June 2022

Silica nonwoven fabrics (SNF) prepared using electrospinning have high biocompatibility, thermal stability, and porosity that allows growing three-dimensional culture of cells. In this study, we used SNF to construct a three-dimensional artificial skin model consisting of epidermal and dermal layers with immortalized and primary human cell lines, creating a novel model that minimizes tissue shrinkage. As a result, SNF dermal/epidermal models have enhanced functions in the basement membrane, whereas Collagen dermal/epidermal models have advantages in keratinization and barrier functions. The SNF dermal/epidermal model with mechanical strength formed a basement membrane mimicking structure, suggesting the construction of a stable skin model. Next, we constructed three-dimensional skin models consisting of SNF and collagen. In the combination models, the expression of genes in the basement membrane was significantly increased compared with that in the Collagen dermal/epidermal model, and the gene for keratinization was increased compared with that in the SNF dermal/epidermal model. We believe that the combination model can be a biomimetic model that takes advantage of both SNF and collagen and can be applied to various basic research. Our new skin model is expected to be an alternative method for skin testing to improve the shrinkage of the collagen matrix gel.
The Effect of Immobilizing Agents on Zn and Cu Availability for Plants in Relation to Their Potential Health Risks
Authors: Jakubus Monika , Bakinowska Ewa
Published: June 2022

Soil contamination with heavy metals is one of the most important threats to the environment because they are easily incorporated into the food chain, threatening the health of plants, animals, and humans. In this study, the effectiveness of the introduced substances (compost and fly ash) was assessed in terms of its influence on the content of Cu and Zn in the soil, potential accumulation of these metals in the cultivated plants (camelina and oat), and thus in food products prepared from these plants. Therefore, the following indicators were used: bioconcentration factors calculated for the total amount (BCFT) and bioavailable amount of metals (BCFB) as well as gender-estimated daily intake (EDI) and health risk index (HRI). Regardless of gender, the EDI values ranged from 0.31 µg·kg−1 to 0.49 µg·kg−1 for Cu and from 0.9 µg·kg−1 to 1.8 µg·kg−1 for Zn in oat. For camelina, the calculated values were as follows: 4.1–8.5 µg·kg−1 for Cu and 7.1–12.1 µg·kg−1 for Zn. The HRI values were very low (in general 0.03–0.2), indicating no health risk connected with potential consumption of oat or camelina food products. The amounts of Cu and Zn in the crops grown on the soil amended with compost or fly ash were significantly lower (by 21–37% for oat and 14–34% for camelina) compared to the content of these metals in the control plants. Moreover, the levels of bioavailable metals decreased in soil as a result of the applied immobilizing agents. The study showed that the immobilization efficiency of compost and fly ash was comparable, and therefore the choice of either of these substances for the chemical remediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals is justified.
Non-Invasive Monitoring of the Thermal and Morphometric Characteristics of Lettuce Grown in an Aeroponic System through Multispectral Image System
Authors: Martinez-Nolasco Coral , Padilla-Medina José A. , Nolasco Juan J. Martinez , Guevara-Gonzalez Ramon Gerardo , Barranco-Gutiérrez Alejandro I. , Diaz-Carmona José J.
Published: June 2022

Aeroponics is a soilless cultivation technology integrating plant nutrition, physiology, ecological environment, agricultural automation and horticulture. One of the soilless advantages is that a non-invasive observation of the root system growth development is possible. This paper presents a vegetative growth evaluation of lettuce plants in an aeroponic chamber, where root and leaf development parameters were measured in three lettuce crops through plant images captured in the visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR) and far infrared (IR) spectra. A total of ninety lettuce plants was transplanted for this research, thirty for each experimental crop. The three lettuce crops were grown for thirty days in an aeroponic growth plant chamber inside a greenhouse under favorable conditions. The morphometric and thermal parameters of the lettuce roots (perimeter, area, length and average temperature) and leaves (perimeter, area and average temperature) were evaluated for each crop along ten image-capturing sessions through an implemented multispectral vision system. The average values of the root and leaf morphometric parameters obtained with the implemented imaging system along the lettuce growing period were statistically analyzed with Tukey testing. The obtained analysis results show no significant difference for a value of p ≤ 0.05 in 86.67%. Hence, the morphometric parameters can be used to characterize the vegetative lettuce growth in aeroponic crops. On the other hand, a correlation analysis was conducted between the thermal parameters computed with the root and leaf thermal image processing and the measured ambient temperature. The results were: R = 0.945 for correlation between ambient and leaf temperature, R = 0.963 for correlation between ambient and root temperature and R = 0.977 for leaf and root temperature. According to these results, the plant temperature is highly correlated with the ambient temperature in an aeroponic crop. The obtained study results suggest that multispectral image processing is a useful non-invasive tool to estimate the vegetative root and leaf growth parameters of aeroponic lettuce plants in a greenhouse.
A Study on the Freeze–Thaw Damage and Deterioration Mechanism of Slope Rock Mass Based on Model Testing and Numerical Simulation
Authors: Zhu Jiebing , Xu Dongdong , Wang Bin , Li Cong
Published: June 2022

Engineering rock mass in cold regions has obvious freeze–thaw damage as a result of extreme differences in temperature, rainfall, snow, and other factors, which is one of the main causes of frequent geological disasters. Therefore, it is important to investigate the deterioration mechanism and evolution laws of rock mass freeze–thaw damage. Considering a hydropower station’s left bank slope in a cold region, model testing and numerical testing of slope rock mass failure under freeze–thaw conditions are here carried out by developing a generalized model. The results reveal that heat is transmitted from the outside to the inside of the slope and that the rate of temperature change varies with depth; the frost-heave force causes tensile cracks in the rock mass, with crack propagation taking the form of a circular arc; the presence of an original structural plane influences the propagation direction of the frost-heave crack, whereas the freezing rate of the fissure water influences the amplitude and growth rate of the frost-heave force. Additionally, a novel method of measuring frost-heave force is proposed. The largest frost-heave force caused by water–ice phase change is 19.3 kPa, which is equivalent to 3.17 MPa of the actual slope.
Design for Additive Manufacturing: Methods and Tools
Authors: Mandolini Marco , Pradel Patrick , Cicconi Paolo
Published: June 2022

Additive Manufacturing (AM), one of the nine enabling technologies of Industry 4.0, is experiencing rapid growth [...]
Peridynamic Approach to Digital Image Correlation Strain Calculation Algorithm
Authors: Vaitkunas Tomas , Griskevicius Paulius , Adumitroaie Adi
Published: June 2022

Digital image correlation is an experimental optical non-contact full field displacement and strain evaluation method based on the surface subsets tracking with photo cameras, digital images processing, and numerical computation. However, the full field of strain computation is a challenging problem, mainly because the displacement field to be differentiated is not continuous, individual subsets are tracked by the optical digital image correlation system. Moreover, the numerical differentiation can also amplify the noise of the displacement field inducing thus strain errors when the displacement data are poor. The peridynamics theory (which equations are cast in terms of spatial integrals of displacements, instead of spatial derivatives in the classical continuum mechanics) based algorithm is considered in this study and applied for the experimental digital image correlation displacement field to analyze possible peridynamic differentiation method advantages. A strains convergence analysis between the digital image correlation and peridynamic differentiation methods is done in this study. The integro-differential strain calculation as an alternative method is validated against digital image correlation and finite element simulation strain fields. It is also shown that the digital image correlation, a noisy displacement field, still provides an accurate and low level noise strain evaluation based on the proposed method.
The Use of Educational Games in Programming Assignments: SQL Island as a Case Study
Authors: Xinogalos Stelios , Satratzemi Maya
Published: June 2022

Educational games have attracted the interest of instructors and researchers in various fields of knowledge since they seem to motivate students, engage them in the educational process, and improve their performance. Computer programming is, without a doubt, cognitively demanding, and this has resulted in extended utilization of educational games. An important limitation of the relevant research lies in the fact that it is based on volunteer participants, while it is carried out as a side activity in programming courses and not in real-world course settings. In this article, a study investigating the utilization of the educational game SQL Island in the context of an assignment on the Structured Query Language (SQL) in a compulsory undergraduate course on Web programming is presented. Fifty-six students attending the course evaluated the player experience and perceived short-term learning through a questionnaire based on the MEEGA+ model for evaluating educational games targeted to computing education. The results both on player experience and perceived short-term learning were rather positive. Students’ performance in the programming tasks of the game was very good, and the overall intervention proved to be effective. Moreover, conclusions were drawn on the constituent features of educational games that can be effectively used in the context of programming assignments.
The Effect of the Water Table on the Bearing Capacity of a Shallow Foundation
Authors: Chen Wenfeng , Liu Qichao , Wang Erlei
Published: June 2022

Immersion is an important part of reservoir engineering investigation and evaluation. Determining the reasonable and effective burial depth of the critical immersion water table is one of the key scientific issues in the impact assessment of the bearing capacity of reservoir immersion foundations. In this study, basic physical and mechanical property tests were carried out on the soil in the typical immersion area of Xiaonanhai Hydropower Station, and the influence mechanism of saturation on the mechanical properties of building foundation soil and immersion on the bearing capacity of a shallow foundation was obtained. According to the test results, the influence depth of the rising groundwater level on the stability of the building foundation is analyzed, and a method to determine the critical depth of immersion groundwater in the reservoir is proposed. Taking the typical building foundation of Luohuang Town in the immersion area of Xiaonanhai Reservoir as an example, the validity of the critical water depth is further verified. The results show that the safety limit depth of the independent foundation affected by the rise of the water table increases with the increase of the width of the foundation and decreases with the increase of the buried depth of the foundation. Considering the safety limit depth, the critical depth of building immersion is 4.830 m, and without considering the safety limit depth, the critical depth of building immersion is 4.05 m. To a certain extent, it can reduce the impact of water table changes on the bearing capacity of shallow foundations.
Sex Recognition through ECG Signals aiming toward Smartphone Authentication
Authors: Cabra Lopez Jose-Luis , Parra Carlos , Gomez Libardo , Trujillo Luis
Published: June 2022

Physiological signals are strongly related to a person’s state of health and carry information about the human body. For example, by ECG, it is possible to obtain information about cardiac disease, emotions, personal identification, and the sex of a person, among others. This paper proposes the study of the heartbeat from a soft-biometric perspective to be applied to smartphone unlocking services. We employ the user heartbeat to classify the individual by sex (male, female) with the use of Deep Learning, reaching an accuracy of 94.4% ± 2.0%. This result was obtained with the RGB representation of the union of the time-frequency transformation from the pseudo-orthogonal X, Y, and Z bipolar signals. Evaluating each bipolar contribution, we found that the XYZ combination provides the best category distinction using GoogLeNet. The 24-h Holter database of the study contains 202 subjects with a female size of 49.5%. We propose an architecture for managing this signal that allows the use of a few samples to train the network. Due to the hidden nature of ECG, it does not present vulnerabilities like public trait exposition, light/noise sensibility, or learnability compared to fingerprint, facial, voice, or password verification methods. ECG may complement those gaps en route to a cooperative authentication ecosystem.