bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interruption science as a research field: Towards a taxonomy of interruptions as a foundation for the field
Authors: Stangl Fabian J. , Riedl René
Published: March 2023

Interruptions have become ubiquitous in both our personal and professional lives. Accordingly, research on interruptions has also increased steadily over time, and research published in various scientific disciplines has produced different perspectives, fundamental ideas, and conceptualizations of interruptions. However, the current state of research hampers a comprehensive overview of the concept of interruption, predominantly due to the fragmented nature of the existing literature. Reflecting on its genesis in the 1920s and the longstanding research on interruptions, along with recent technological, behavioral, and organizational developments, this paper provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary overview of the various attributes of an interruption, which facilitates the establishment of interruption science as an interdisciplinary research field in the scientific landscape. To obtain an overview of the different interruption attributes, we conducted a systematic literature review with the goal of classifying interruptions. The outcome of our research process is a taxonomy of interruptions, constituting an important foundation for the field. Based on the taxonomy, we also present possible avenues for future research.
Effect of physical exercise on social adaptability of college students: Chain intermediary effect of social-emotional competency and self-esteem
Authors: Liu Yanying , Feng Qingkun , Tong Yao , Guo Kelei
Published: March 2023

Objective

To explore the relationship between physical exercise and college students’ social adaptability, as well as the mediating role of social-emotional competency and self-esteem.

Methods

One thousand two hundred thirty college students were investigated by physical exercise questionnaire, social-emotional competency scale, self-esteem scale, and social adaptability scale. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis, structural equation model test and deviation-corrected percentile Bootstrap method.

Results

(1) Physical exercise was positively correlated with social adaptability (r = 0.397, p < 0.01), and the direct path of physical exercise on social adaptability was significant (β = 0.397, t = 15.174, p < 0.01). (2) Physical exercise positively predicted social-emotional competency (β = 0.399, t = 15.235, p < 0.01) and self-esteem (β = 0.305, t = 10.570, p < 0.01). Social-emotional competency positively predicted self-esteem (β = 0.130, t = 4.507, p < 0.01) and social adaptability (β = 0.169, t = 6.104, p < 0.01). Self-esteem positively predicted social adaptability (β = 0.189, t = 6.957, p < 0.01). (3) Social-emotional competency and self-esteem play a significant mediating role between physical exercise and social adaptability. The mediating effect includes three paths: physical exercise→social-emotional competency→social adaptability (the mediating effect value: 0.068); physical exercise→self-esteem→social adaptability (the mediating effect value: 0.059). Physical exercise→social-emotional competency→self-esteem→social adaptability (the mediating effect value: 0.010).

Conclusion

Physical exercise can not only directly affect social adaptability of college students, but also indirectly affect social adaptability through the independent intermediary role of social-emotional competency and self-esteem. Furthermore, physical exercise also affect social adaptability through the chain mediation of social-emotional competency and self-esteem.
After-school sports programmes and social inclusion processes in culturally diverse contexts: Results of an international multicase study
Authors: Carter-Thuillier Bastian , López-Pastor Víctor , Gallardo-Fuentes Francisco , Carter-Beltran Juan , Fernández-Balboa Juan-Miguel , Delgado-Floody Pedro , Grimminger-Seidensticker Elke , Sortwell Andrew
Published: March 2023

This research aimed to understand the role of after-school sports programs in social inclusion processes in culturally diverse contexts through a multicase study within two locations. The first location was in Spain where immigrant and Spanish students were enrolled, and the other was in Chile with Mapuche-Huilliche students, immigrant and Chilean students. The implemented programs at both sites were similar in their educational focus on socio-educational values, and teaching models (hybridization of teaching games for understanding and cooperative learning) that enhance social inclusion. Using individual and group interviews with teachers, sports coordinators, parents, and students, a qualitative approach was used to identify the factors that facilitate or hinder the social inclusion processes. In addition, the researchers used qualitative observations of the programs over six months using “notes logbook” to record their impressions during the observation process. Results indicated that the implemented sports programs successfully facilitated social inclusion processes, enabling the development of interpersonal skills and relationships between students from different cultural backgrounds. The previous training and experiences of teachers in culturally diverse contexts, and incorporation of traditional sporting games from all cultures, seems to be an important facilitator factor for the inclusion potential of the implemented programs.
The use of chatbots in university EFL settings: Research trends and pedagogical implications
Authors: Klímová Blanka , Ibna Seraj Prodhan Mahbub
Published: March 2023

This mini-review aims to identify major research trends, models, and theories and provide specific pedagogical implications for teaching when using chatbots in EFL classes. This study follows the guidelines of the PRISMA methodology and searches for open-access empirical studies in two reputable databases, Web of Science and Scopus. The results of this mini-review confirm the findings of other research studies, which show that the present research on the use of chatbots in university EFL settings focuses on their effectiveness, motivation, satisfaction, exposure, and assessment. The key contribution of this study lies in its evaluation of the chatbot’s potential in applying and integrating the existing theories and concepts used in EFL teaching and learning, such as CEFR, mind mapping, or self-regulatory learning theory. This will address the gap in the literature because no previous review study has conducted such an analysis. Overall, the findings of this mini-review contribute with their specific pedagogical implications and methods to the effective use of chatbots in the EFL environment, be it formal or informal.
Engagement in a structured physical activity program and its effects upon health-related quality of life in elderly women: An observational study
Authors: Cammisuli Davide Maria , Franzoni Ferdinando , Fusi Jonathan , Scarfò Giorgia , Castelnuovo Gianluca
Published: March 2023

Aging is a complex process associated with an impairment in functional capacity and low health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to a high frequency of chronic diseases in the elderly population. Regular physical activity (PA) may limit some physiological effects of sedentary lifestyle and increase life expectancy. An observational was conducted to measure the HRQoL among older adults living in the community, by comparing a convenience sample of elderly females practicing a structured program of PA from 2 to 3 times per week in 60-min sessions (i.e., active females, AFs) to a sample of participants adopting lifestyle behaviors expending little energy (i.e., sedentary females, SFs). A validated questionnaire (the RAND 36-item) was used as outcome measure. All participants were assessed in terms of cognitive status (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA) to exclude mild cognitive impairment, divided attention/executive functioning (Trail Making Test, Stroop Test) and psychopathological dimensions of anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, GAI), and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS). Non-parametric analysis revealed that AFs and SFs differed significantly in the RAND Energy/Fatigue (E/F), Emotional Wellbeing (EW), and Social Functioning (SoF), that was however influenced by education level. Moreover, E/F and EW were negatively associated to anxiety and depression, while SoF was influenced by divided attention. PA results in a healthful behavior for combating feelings of fatigue and low energy as well as emotional distress that can affect health status perception in older women.
Analysis of metatranscriptomic methods to enable wastewater-based biosurveillance of all infectious diseases
Authors: Spurbeck Rachel R. , Catlin Lindsay A. , Mukherjee Chiranjit , Smith Anthony K. , Minard-Smith Angela
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Wastewater-based surveillance emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as an efficient way to quickly screen large populations, monitor infectious disease transmission over time, and identify whether more virulent strains are becoming more prevalent in the region without burdening the health care system with individualized testing. Ohio was one of the first states to implement wastewater monitoring through its Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network (OCWMN), originally tracking the prevalence of COVID-19 by quantitative qPCR from over 67 sites across the state. The OCWMN evolved along with the pandemic to include sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome to assess variants of concern circulating within the population. As the pandemic wanes, networks such as OCWMN can be expanded to monitor other infectious diseases and outbreaks of interest to the health department to reduce the burden of communicable diseases. However, most surveillance still utilizes qPCR based diagnostic tests for individual pathogens, which is hard to scale for surveillance of multiple pathogens.

Methods

Here we have tested several genomic methods, both targeted and untargeted, for wastewater-based biosurveillance to find the most efficient procedure to detect and track trends in reportable infectious diseases and outbreaks of known pathogens as well as potentially novel pathogens or variants on the rise in our communities. RNA extracts from the OCWMN were provided weekly from 10 sites for 6 weeks. Total RNA was sequenced from the samples on the Illumina NextSeq and on the MinION to identify pathogens present. The MinION long read platform was also used to sequence SARS-CoV-2 with the goal of reducing the complexity of variant calling in mixed populations as occurs with short Illumina reads. Finally, a targeted hybridization approach was tested for compatibility with wastewater RNA samples.

Results and discussion

The data analyzed here provides a baseline assessment that demonstrates that wastewater is a rich resource for infectious disease epidemiology and identifies technology gaps and potential solutions to enable this resource to be used by public health laboratories to monitor the infectious disease landscape of the regions they serve.
Masking important information to assess the robustness of a multimodal classifier for emotion recognition
Authors: Cohen Dror , Rosenberger Ido , Butman Moshe , Bar Kfir
Published: March 2023

Deep neural networks have been proven effective in classifying human interactions into emotions, especially by encoding multiple input modalities. In this work, we assess the robustness of a transformer-based multimodal audio-text classifier for emotion recognition, by perturbing the input at inference time using attacks which we design specifically to corrupt information deemed important for emotion recognition. To measure the impact of the attacks on the classifier, we compare between the accuracy of the classifier on the perturbed input and on the original, unperturbed input. Our results show that the multimodal classifier is more resilient to perturbation attacks than the equivalent unimodal classifiers, suggesting that the two modalities are encoded in a way that allows the classifier to benefit from one modality even when the other one is slightly damaged.
Association between different dietary patterns and eating disorders and periodontal diseases
Authors: Casarin Maísa , da Silveira Taciane Menezes , Bezerra Beatriz , Pirih Flavia Q. , Pola Natália Marcumini
Published: March 2023

Periodontal diseases is a highly prevalent chronic condition regulated by the host immune response to pathogenic bacterial colonization on the teeth surfaces. Nutrition is a critical component in the modulation of the immune system, hence the importance of a balanced diet. With the understanding of how dietary intake composition affects various health outcomes, nutrient diversity has been reported as a modifiable risk factor for periodontal disease. Eating disorders and different dietary patterns can be associated with periodontal diseases. In this sense, balanced and healthy nutrition plays a major role in maintaining the symbiosis between oral microbiota and periodontal health. Therefore, this review seeks to report the associations found in the literature between high- or low-fat/sodium/sugar, eating disorders and periodontal diseases. It was found that some dietary patterns such as high carbohydrate/sugar, high fat, and low fiber intake may be associated with periodontal disease. In addition, the presence of eating disorders can negatively impact patients’ oral health and it is related to the development of several complications, including periodontal diseases. In both situations, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies can aggravate the periodontal condition. However, the relationship between periodontal disease, dietary patterns, and eating disorders still needs more scientific support to be well established, mainly in the sense of pointing out a protective relationship between both.
Stress-induced symptom exacerbation: Stress increases voiding frequency, somatic sensitivity, and urinary bladder inflammation when combined with low concentration cyclophosphamide treatment in mice
Authors: Girard Beatrice M. , Campbell Susan E. , Vizzard Margaret A.
Published: March 2023

Symptom exacerbation due to stress is prevalent in many disease states, including functional disorders of the urinary bladder (e.g., overactive bladder (OAB), interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS)); however, the mechanisms underlying the effects of stress on micturition reflex function are unclear. In this study we designed and evaluated a stress-induced symptom exacerbation (SISE) mouse model that demonstrates increased urinary frequency and somatic (pelvic and hindpaw) sensitivity. Cyclophosphamide (CYP) (35 mg/kg; i.p., every 48 hours for a total of 4 doses) or 7 days of repeated variate stress (RVS) did not alter urinary bladder function or somatic sensitivity; however, both CYP alone and RVS alone significantly (p ≤ 0.01) decreased weight gain and increased serum corticosterone. CYP treatment when combined with RVS for 7 days (CYP+RVS) significantly (p ≤ 0.01) increased serum corticosterone, urinary frequency and somatic sensitivity and decreased weight gain. CYP+RVS exposure in mice significantly (p ≤ 0.01) increased (2.6-fold) voiding frequency as we determined using conscious, open-outlet cystometry. CYP+RVS significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased baseline, threshold, and peak micturition pressures. We also evaluated the expression of NGF, BDNF, CXC chemokines and IL-6 in urinary bladder in CYP alone, RVS alone and CYP+RVS mouse cohorts. Although all treatments or exposures increased urinary bladder NGF, BDNF, CXC and IL-6 content, CYP+RVS produced the largest increase in all inflammatory mediators examined. These results demonstrated that CYP alone or RVS alone creates a change in the inflammatory environment of the urinary bladder but does not result in a change in bladder function or somatic sensitivity until CYP is combined with RVS (CYP+RVS). The SISE model of CYP+RVS will be useful to develop testable hypotheses addressing underlying mechanisms where psychological stress exacerbates symptoms in functional bladder disorders leading to identification of targets and potential treatments.
Hydraulic head change predictions in groundwater models using a probabilistic neural network
Authors: Dahl Mathias Busk , Vilhelmsen Troels Norvin , Bach Torben , Hansen Thomas Mejer
Published: March 2023

Groundwater resource management is an increasingly complicated task that is expected to only get harder and more important with future climate change and increasing water demands resulting in an increasing need for fast and accurate decision support systems. Numerical flow simulations are accurate but slow, while response matrix methods are fast but only accurate in near-linear problems. This paper presents a method based on a probabilistic neural network that predicts hydraulic head changes from groundwater abstraction with uncertainty estimates, that is both fast and useful for non-linear problems. A generalized method of constructing and training such a network is demonstrated and applied to a groundwater model case of the San Pedro River Basin. The accuracy and speed of the neural network are compared to results using MODFLOW and a constructed response matrix of the model. The network has fast predictions with results similar to the full numerical solution. The network can adapt to non-linearities in the numerical model that the response matrix method fails at resolving. We discuss the application of the neural network in a decision support framework and describe how the uncertainty estimate accurately describes the uncertainty related to the construction of the training data set.
Bibliometric analysis of the scientific production on inguinal hernia surgery in the web of science
Authors: Carhuallanqui-Ciocca Eros Ignacio , Echevarría-Quispe Johssy Yelma , Hernández-Vásquez Akram , Díaz-Ruiz Renato , Azañedo Diego
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To describe the bibliometric characteristics of the world scientific production in inguinal hernia surgery using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) database.

Materials and methods

A search for original articles published in the WoS up to December 2021 was carried out. Bibliometric analysis was performed using the Bibliometrix data package in R and VOSviewer, version 1.6.17.

Results

A total of 3,795 articles were identified in the database, with an annual average of 81 published articles and sustained growth with the highest number of publications in 2021. The article “Wide Variation and Excessive Dosage of Opioid Prescriptions for Common General Surgical Procedures” published in 2017 was the most cited (517 citations). The United States was the country of the corresponding author with the highest number of published articles (725 articles). The author with the highest number of published articles was Rosenberg J., affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, with 52 articles and 765 citations. The journal “Hernia” had the highest number of articles published on inguinal hernias in the WoS, representing 18% of the total number of articles. Finally, the keywords most used were “herniorrhaphy” and “hernioplasty” in 2008, and more recently: “single incision” “society guidelines” and “single port”.

Conclusions

The scientific production of original articles on inguinal hernia surgery has increased. There is currently great interest in research on minimally invasive surgical methods and standardization of procedures based on clinical practice guidelines.
Individual-Level Socioeconomic Position and Long-Term Prognosis in Danish Heart-Transplant Recipients
Authors: Mols Rikke E. , Løgstrup Brian B. , Bakos István , Horváth-Puhó Erzsébet , Christensen Bo , Witt Christoffer T. , Schmidt Morten , Gustafsson Finn , Eiskjær Hans
Published: March 2023

Socioeconomic deprivation can limit access to healthcare. Important gaps persist in the understanding of how individual indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage may affect clinical outcomes after heart transplantation. We sought to examine the impact of individual-level socioeconomic position (SEP) on prognosis of heart-transplant recipients. A population-based study including all Danish first-time heart-transplant recipients (n = 649) was conducted. Data were linked across complete national health registers. Associations were evaluated between SEP and all-cause mortality and first-time major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) during follow-up periods. The half-time survival was 15.6 years (20-year period). In total, 330 (51%) of recipients experienced a first-time cardiovascular event and the most frequent was graft failure (42%). Both acute myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest occurred in ≤5 of recipients. Low educational level was associated with increased all-cause mortality 10–20 years post-transplant (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19–3.19). During 1–10 years post-transplant, low educational level (adjusted HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.14–2.43) and low income (adjusted HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.02–3.22) were associated with a first-time MACE. In a country with free access to multidisciplinary team management, low levels of education and income were associated with a poorer prognosis after heart transplantation.
Exploring the Relationship between Organizational Culture and Well-Being of Educational Institutions in Jordan
Authors: Alkhodary Dina Ahmad
Published: March 2023

Organizational culture is a critical factor in shaping companies’ overall well-being, which can impact their employees’ job satisfaction, loyalty, creativity, and productivity. In this study, the researchers aimed to examine the relationship between organizational culture and companies’ well-being in the Education sector in Jordan. To achieve their goal, the researchers surveyed 500 participants from various departments in the Education sector in Jordan, categorizing organizational culture into four types: Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy. The well-being of companies was measured through employee loyalty, creativity, and productivity. The data from 352 valid questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS. This study’s findings suggest that a positive organizational culture is significantly associated with increased employee job satisfaction, loyalty, creativity, and productivity. Moreover, the study highlighted the importance of developing a positive organizational culture, fostering a sense of community and shared values, providing opportunities for employee development and growth, and promoting a supportive and inclusive work environment to achieve organizational success. Understanding the role of organizational culture in promoting employee well-being and companies’ success is critical, particularly in the Education sector in Jordan. This study’s recommendations provide valuable insights for companies to prioritize developing a positive organizational culture to achieve long-term success and employee well-being.
Academic Pursuits and Involvement in Decision-Making: Study on the Formation of U.S. University Think Tanks
Authors: Lyu Qing , Bielefield Arlene , Liu Yan Quan
Published: March 2023

This paper analyzes the concept of think tanks and concludes that think tanks have three basic characteristics. Firstly, they are based on academic research, relatively independent operation, and aim to serve scientific decision-making. Taking Ivy League think tanks as an example, this paper provides a preliminary discussion of ways for think tanks to maintain the scientific nature of their research, maintain the independence of their operations, and disseminate research results to enhance their influence. It covers institutional mission, research team construction, institutional governance, fundraising, achievements and activities, and alumni networks. This paper proposes a framework of university think tank generation paths associated with the essential characteristics of think tanks. The paper points out that, as a research consulting organization grown out of universities, university think tanks must maintain the scientific nature and independence of research while providing support and services for decision-making. Only in this way can they truly serve scientific and democratic decision-making, gain the trust of the public and have a real lasting influence.
Comprehensive Comparison of Different Integrated Thermal Protection Systems with Ablative Materials for Load-Bearing Components of Reusable Launch Vehicles
Authors: Piacquadio Stefano , Pridöhl Dominik , Henkel Nils , Bergström Rasmus , Zamprotta Alessandro , Dafnis Athanasios , Schröder Kai-Uwe
Published: March 2023

Economic viability of small launch vehicles, i.e., microlaunchers, is impaired by several factors, one of which is a higher dry to wet mass ratio as compared to conventional size launchers. Although reusability may reduce launch cost, it can drive dry and/or wet mass to unfeasibly high levels. In particular, for load-bearing components that are exposed to convective heating during the aerothermodynamic phase of the re-entry, the mass increase due to the presence of a thermal protection system (TPS) must be considered. Examples of such components are aerodynamic drag devices (ADDs), which are extended during the re-entry. These should withstand high mechanical loading, be thermally protected to avoid failure, and be reusable. Ablative materials can offer lightweight thermal protection, but they represent an add-on mass for the structure and they are rarely reusable. Similarly, TPS based on ceramic matrix composite (CMC) tiles represent an additional mass. To tackle this issue, so-called integrated thermal protection systems (ITPS) composed of CMC sandwich structures were introduced in the literature. The aim is to obtain a load-bearing structure that is at the same time the thermally protective layer. However, a comprehensive description of the real lightweight potential of such solutions compared to ablative materials with the corresponding sub-structures is, to the authors’ knowledge, not yet presented. Thus, based on the design of an ADD, this work aims to holistically describe such load bearing components and to compare different TPS solutions. Both thermal and preliminary mechanical designs are discussed. Additionally, a novel concept is proposed, which is based on the use of phase change materials (PCMs) embedded within a metallic sandwich structure with an additively manufactured lattice core. Such a solution can be beneficial due to the combination of both the high specific stiffness of lattice structures and the high mass-specific thermal energy storage potential of PCMs. The study is conducted with reference to the first stage of the microlauncher analysed within the European Horizon-2020 project named Recovery and Return To Base (RRTB).
Investigation of Fludioxonil Reduction Using Non-Thermal Atmospheric Plasma through Experimental Simulation
Authors: Eom Sangheum , Lim Junghyun , Ji Sang Hye , Song Jong-Seok , Yoon Jung Woo , Jeon Hyeongwon , Ryu Seungmin
Published: March 2023

In this study, the effect of non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) treatment on the reduction of residual fludioxonil (C12H6F2N2O2, 4-(2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxol-4-yl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile) was investigated through experimental simulation. Fludioxonil is known for its high residual concentration on fruits and vegetables. To simulate residual fludioxonil reduction in the storage location prior to consumption of fruits or vegetables by consumers, we designed an experimental setup utilizing a gas distribution system and a cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma source. A cylindrical DBD plasma source was adopted to produce the plasma activated chemical species (O3). To evaluate the effect of plasma treatment on the reduction of residual fludioxonil, experiments were performed under three different conditions: varying concentrations and treatment times of O3, as well as the surface roughness of microscope slide glass. Based on the results, 10 min plasma treatment with an O3 concentration of 11.89 μL/L, which showed a 58.5% reduction rate, is recommended. The O3 concentration has a higher priority than the treatment time for reduction rates of residual fludioxonil.
Representative Elementary Volume as a Function of Land Uses and Soil Processes Based on 3D Pore System Analysis
Authors: Gaspareto José V. , Oliveira Jocenei A. T. de , Andrade Everton , Pires Luiz F.
Published: March 2023

Representative elementary volume (REV) is required for representative measurements of soil physical properties. However, questions may arise whether REV depends on how the soil structure is modified or whether processes in the soil affect REV. Here, we explore REV dependence for contrasting land uses (conventional tillage, no-tillage, and minimum tillage) and applying wetting and drying (W-D) cycles. The effect of different subvolume selection schemes (cube and core) on REV was also investigated. For this study, high-resolution three-dimensional images obtained using the X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) technique were analyzed. The micromorphological properties measured were porosity (P), fractal dimension (FD), degree of anisotropy (DA), and pore connectivity (C). The results show that REV depends mainly on the land uses for P and C (both selection schemes). The core method showed lower REV due to the larger volume analyzed than that in the cube method. It was not possible to define a REV for DA. The REV obtained using the cube method was more sensitive to changes in the scale of analysis, showing an increasing trend with applied W-D cycles for P and FD. Our results indicate that REV cannot be considered static since land uses and processes influence it.
Deep Learning for Detecting and Classifying the Growth Stages of Consolida regalis Weeds on Fields
Authors: Almalky Abeer M. , Ahmed Khaled R.
Published: March 2023

Due to the massive surge in the world population, the agriculture cycle expansion is necessary to accommodate the anticipated demand. However, this expansion is challenged by weed invasion, a detrimental factor for agricultural production and quality. Therefore, an accurate, automatic, low-cost, environment-friendly, and real-time weed detection technique is required to control weeds on fields. Furthermore, automating the weed classification process according to growth stages is crucial for using appropriate weed controlling techniques, which represents a gap of research. The main focus of the undertaken research described in this paper is on providing a feasibility study for the agriculture community using recent deep-learning models to address this gap of research on classification of weed growth stages. For this paper we used a drone to collect a dataset of four weed (Consolida regalis) growth stages. In addition, we developed and trained one-stage and two-stage models YOLOv5, RetinaNet (with Resnet-101-FPN, Resnet-50-FPN backbones) and Faster R-CNN (with Resnet-101-DC5, Resnet-101-FPN, Resnet-50-FPN backbones), respectively. The results show that the generated Yolov5-small model succeeds in detecting weeds and classifying weed growth stages in real time with the highest recall of 0.794. RetinaNet with ResNet-101-FPN backbone shows accurate results in the testing phase (average precision of 87.457). Although Yolov5-large showed the highest precision in classifying almost all weed growth stages, Yolov5-large could not detect all objects in tested images. Overall, RetinaNet with ResNet-101-FPN backbones shows accurate and high precision, whereas Yolov5-small shows the shortest inference time in real time for detecting a weed and classifying its growth stages.
Named Entity Recognition of Chinese Crop Diseases and Pests Based on RoBERTa-wwm with Adversarial Training
Authors: Liang Jianqin , Li Daichao , Lin Yiting , Wu Sheng , Huang Zongcai
Published: March 2023

This paper proposes a novel model for named entity recognition of Chinese crop diseases and pests. The model is intended to solve the problems of uneven entity distribution, incomplete recognition of complex terms, and unclear entity boundaries. First, a robustly optimized BERT pre-training approach-whole word masking (RoBERTa-wwm) model is used to extract diseases and pests’ text semantics, acquiring dynamic word vectors to solve the problem of incomplete word recognition. Adversarial training is then introduced to address unclear boundaries of diseases and pest entities and to improve the generalization ability of models in an effective manner. The context features are obtained by the bi-directional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) neural network. Finally, the optimal tag sequence is obtained by conditional random fields (CRF) decoding. A focal loss function is introduced to optimize conditional random fields (CRF) and thus solve the problem of unbalanced label classification in the sequence. The experimental results show that the model’s precision, recall, and F1 values on the crop diseases and pests corpus reached 89.23%, 90.90%, and 90.04%, respectively, demonstrating effectiveness at improving the accuracy of named entity recognition for Chinese crop diseases and pests. The named entity recognition model proposed in this study can provide a high-quality technical basis for downstream tasks such as crop diseases and pests knowledge graphs and question-answering systems.
Chemical Speciation of Trace Elements in Soil Fertilized with Biomass Combustion Ash and Their Accumulation in Winter Oilseed Rape Plants
Authors: Szostek Małgorzata , Szpunar-Krok Ewa , Ilek Anna
Published: March 2023

The impact of fertilization of fly ashes from biomass combustion (BAs) on the changes in the chemical speciation of trace elements (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Cd) in Gleyic Chernozem soil was analyzed in field-experiment conditions, under cultivation of winter oilseed rape plants. The three-year field experiment was carried out in southeastern Poland (50°3′ N, 22°47′ E). The three-stage sequential extraction procedure developed by the Measurements and Testing Program (BCR) was used for the fractionation of trace elements in BAs and soil. The risk assessment code (RAC) coefficient was used to assess potential soil contamination with trace elements from Bas. The total content of Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cd in BAs used in the experiment was 470, 311, 29, 78, 38, and 3.7 mg kg−1, respectively. The present study showed that the application of BAs significantly increased the total concentration of Zn and Cu in the surface layer of the Gleyic Chernozem soil, and did not significantly increase the concentration of Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cd. Generally, using BAs does not significantly change the chemical speciation of trace elements in soil. Regardless of the applied fertilization, residual fraction (F4) was the most abundant, whereas the exchangeable/extractable (F1) fraction and reducible (F2) fraction were present in the smallest amounts. Due to the low share of exchangeable/extractable fraction (F1), the BAs used in the experiment were characterized by a low RAC coefficient; hence, their use as a soil fertilizer is relatively safe for the environment. The BAs fertilization did not cause significant changes in the content of trace elements in the different parts of the winter oilseed rape plants. Due to the relatively high content of trace elements in fly ashes from biomass combustion, an analysis of the content of individual trace element fractions should be carried out to assess their actual impact on the environment. This can help indicate further actions that should be taken to limit their negative environmental impact.
Investigating the Effect of Pulicaria jaubertii as a Natural Feed Additive on the Growth Performance, Blood Biochemistry, Immunological Response, and Cecal Microbiota of Broiler Chickens
Authors: Alharthi Abdulrahman S. , Alruwaili Nawaf W. , Al-Baadani Hani H. , Al-Garadi Maged A. , Shamlan Ghalia , Alhidary Ibrahim A.
Published: March 2023

Based on the biologically active compounds of Pulicaria jaubertii studied so far, there are no studies on the use of this plant in broilers. Therefore, the present study aims is to investigate the effect of Pulicaria jaubertii on the performance, blood biochemistry, internal organs, gene expression related to immune response, and the cecal microbiota of broiler chickens. A total of two hundred and forty male broilers were used and divided into four diet groups (T1 = 0, T2 = 3, T3 = 6, and T4 = 9 g Pulicaria jaubertii powder/kg basal diet). The performance evaluation, serum biochemical parameters, internal organ indicators, cytokines’ gene expression, and microbiota colonization were determined. The study results showed that this plant was rich in nutrients, some fatty acids, and bioactive phenolic compounds. All growth performance indicators and relative liver weight were improved by Pulicaria jaubertii levels (T2 to T4) with no effect on feed intake. T3 and T4 showed higher total protein and lower triglycerides and total cholesterol. Birds fed Pulicaria jaubertii showed immune regulation through the modulation of pre-inflammatory cytokines and increased mucin-2 and secretory Immunoglobulin A compared with the control group. Diet groups (T2 to T4) had higher quantities of Lactobacillus spp. and lower levels of Salmonella spp. than the control group. We conclude that Pulicaria jaubertii could be used as a feed supplement for broilers due to its beneficial effects on overall performance, immune response, and microbiota. Further studies are recommended to investigate the potential mechanism of Pulicaria jaubertii in broilers.
Influence of Improved Microclimate Conditions on Growth and Physiological Performance of Two Japanese Quail Lines
Authors: Emam Ahmed M. , Elnesr Shaaban S. , El-Full Ensaf A. , Mahmoud Bothaina Y. , Elwan Hamada
Published: March 2023

Microclimate parameters (ammonia, ambient temperature, heat index, and relative humidity) surrounding birds affect the production and health status of poultry. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of adding natural zeolite to the litter of Japanese quail on improving microclimate parameters and its reflection in growth performance, blood gases, and blood biochemical parameters. A total of 1152 chicks were obtained from the same hatch at the 20th selection generation. Chicks were allocated into two groups based on the litter composition: Group 1: wheat straw as litter (untreated group); Group 2: 80% wheat straw + 20% zeolite (treated group). Each group consisted of 576 chicks: 410 selected line chicks and 166 control line chicks. Significant and favorable effects of the treatment on microclimate parameters during tested periods were found to favor the treated group. Either the treated group or the selected line had significantly better growth performance than the untreated group and control line. Zeolite-treated quails had significantly desirable blood gases and lower blood acidity and serum total iron binding capacity compared to the untreated group. Thus, adding natural zeolite to the litter enhanced the microclimate parameters that improved growth performance, blood gases, and blood biochemical parameters and reduced ammonia emission.
A Comprehensive Review on Chemical Synthesis and Chemotherapeutic Potential of 3-Heteroaryl Fluoroquinolone Hybrids
Authors: Hryhoriv Halyna , Kovalenko Sergiy M. , Georgiyants Marine , Sidorenko Lyudmila , Georgiyants Victoriya
Published: March 2023

Fluoroquinolones have been studied for more than half a century. Since the 1960s, four generations of these synthetic antibiotics have been created and successfully introduced into clinical practice. However, they are still of interest for medicinal chemistry due to the wide possibilities for chemical modification, with subsequent useful changes in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the initial molecules. This review summarizes the chemical and pharmacological results of fluoroquinolones hybridization by introducing different heterocyclic moieties into position 3 of the core system. It analyses the synthetic procedures and approaches to the formation of heterocycles from the fluoroquinolone carboxyl group and reveals the most convenient ways for such procedures. Further, the results of biological activity investigations for the obtained hybrid pharmacophore systems are presented. The latter revealed numerous promising molecules that can be further studied to overcome the problem of resistance to antibiotics, to find novel anticancer agents and more.
The Combined Treatment of Glutathione Sodium Salt and Ascorbic Acid for Preventing Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Primary PCI: A Hypothesis to Be Validated
Authors: Arrivi Alessio , Truscelli Giovanni , Pucci Giacomo , Barillà Francesco , Carnevale Roberto , Nocella Cristina , Sordi Martina , Dominici Marcello , Tanzilli Gaetano , Mangieri Enrico
Published: March 2023

The occurrence of Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (CA-AKI) in patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) has a negative impact on the length of hospital stay and mortality. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) release, along with vasoconstriction and hypoperfusion, play a key role in its development. To date, there is still no validated prophylactic therapy for this disease. The use of antioxidants, based on experimental and clinical studies, looks promising. Taking into consideration previous literature, we speculate that an early, combined and prolonged intravenous administration of both Glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid in STEMI patients undergoing primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (pPCI) may be of value in counteracting the occurrence of CA-AKI. We aimed at evaluating this hypothesis by applying a multicenter research protocol, using a double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled trial design. The primary endpoint will be to test the efficacy of this combined antioxidant therapy in reducing the occurrence of renal damage, in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with pPCI. Furthermore, we will investigate the effect of the study compounds on changes in oxidative stress markers and platelet activation levels through bio-humoral analyses.
Nrf2 Activation Does Not Protect from Aldosterone-Induced Kidney Damage in Mice
Authors: Brinks Ronja , Wruck Christoph Jan , Schmitz Jutta , Schupp Nicole
Published: March 2023

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is downregulated in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Activation of Nrf2 might be a therapeutic option in CKD. Here we investigate the effect of Nrf2 activation on aldosterone (Aldo)-induced renal injury. Wild-type (WT) mice, transgenic Keap1 hypomorphic (Nrf2ꜛ, genotype results in upregulation of Nrf2 expression) mice and WT mice treated with the Nrf2 activator sulforaphane (Sulf) received Aldo for 4 weeks. In Aldo-treated mice, kidneys were significantly heavier and pathologically altered, reflected by increased urinary albumin levels and tissue damage. In Nrf2ꜛ-Aldo mice the tubule damage marker NGAL was significantly decreased. Increased oxidative damage markers (8-OHdG, 15-isoprostane F2t) were measured in all Aldo-treated groups. Aldo-increased Nrf2 amounts were mainly found in the late tubule system. The amount of phosphorylated and thus putatively active Nrf2 was significantly increased by Aldo only in WT mice. However, expression of Nrf2 target genes NQO1 and HO1 was decreased in all Aldo-infused mice. GSK3β, which promotes Nrf2 degradation, was significantly increased in the kidneys of Aldo-treated WT mice. Neither genetic nor pharmacological Nrf2 activation was able to prevent oxidative injury induced by Aldo, probably due to induction of negative regulators of Nrf2.
Protective Activity against Oxidative Stress in Dermal Papillae with Extracted Herbal Essential Oils
Authors: Choi Da-In , Choi Jee-Young , Lee Jee-Bum , Yun Sook-Jung , Moon Byung-Kwon , Ahn Yong-Gook , Lee Sook-Young , Lee Seung-Chul
Published: March 2023

Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are a rich source of nutrients and secrete multiple growth factors that can affect hair growth. As oxidative stress leads to hair loss in humans, it is considered to be one of the factors that can impair the function of DPCs. Herb-derived phytochemicals exhibit potent antioxidant activities; therefore, this study investigated whether a set of essential oils (lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, and chamomile oils) promote the hair-growth activity of DPCs. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased markedly in ultraviolet B-irradiated DPCs (50 mJ/cm2) and were efficiently blocked by essential oils. Essential oils upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of phase II enzymes (detoxifying and antioxidant), including heme oxygenase-1, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1, and glutathione S-transferase pi. They also upregulated and activated nuclear factor E2-related factor 2, an essential transcription factor for phase II enzymes. Regarding biomarkers for hair growth, essential oils significantly increased vascular endothelial cell growth factor and insulin-like growth factor-1 mRNA levels. In conclusion, phytochemicals in essential oils enhance hair growth through ROS-scavenging activity in DPCs.
Renewable Energy Systems: Optimal Planning and Design
Authors: Choi Yosoon
Published: March 2023

Renewable energy systems have emerged as a key solution to mitigate the impacts of climate change and meet the growing demand for energy in a sustainable way [...]
Formation of a Lightweight, Deep Learning-Based Weed Detection System for a Commercial Autonomous Laser Weeding Robot
Authors: Fatima Hafiza Sundus , ul Hassan Imtiaz , Hasan Shehzad , Khurram Muhammad , Stricker Didier , Afzal Muhammad Zeshan
Published: March 2023

Weed management is becoming increasingly important for sustainable crop production. Weeds cause an average yield loss of 11.5% billion in Pakistan, which is more than PKR 65 billion per year. A real-time laser weeding robot can increase the crop’s yield by efficiently removing weeds. Therefore, it helps decrease the environmental risks associated with traditional weed management approaches. However, to work efficiently and accurately, the weeding robot must have a robust weed detection mechanism to avoid physical damage to the targeted crops. This work focuses on developing a lightweight weed detection mechanism to assist laser weeding robots. The weed images were collected from six different agriculture farms in Pakistan. The dataset consisted of 9000 images of three crops: okra, bitter gourd, sponge gourd, and four weed species (horseweed, herb paris, grasses, and small weeds). We chose a single-shot object detection model, YOLO5. The selected model achieved a mAP of 0.88@IOU 0.5, indicating that the model predicted a large number of true positive (TP) with much less prediction of false positive (FP) and false negative (FN). While SSD-ResNet50 achieved a mAP of 0.53@IOU 0.5, the model predicted fewer TP with significant outcomes as FP or FN. The superior performance of the YOLOv5 model made it suitable for detecting and classifying weeds and crops within fields. Furthermore, the model was ported to an Nvidia Xavier AGX standalone device to make it a high-performance and low-power computation detection system. The model achieved an FPS rate of 27. Therefore, it is highly compatible with the laser weeding robot, which takes approximately 22.04 h at a velocity of 0.25 feet per second to remove weeds from a one-acre plot.