bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prolonged Medical Cannabis Treatment is Associated With Quality of Life Improvement and Reduction of Analgesic Medication Consumption in Chronic Pain Patients
Authors: Aviram Joshua , Lewitus Gil M. , Vysotski Yelena , Yellin Ben , Berman Paula , Shapira Anna , Meiri David
Published: May 2021

Introduction:Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is one of the most prevalent indications for medical cannabis (MC) treatment globally. In this study, we investigated CNCP parameters in patients during prolonged MC treatment, and assessed the interrelation between CNCP parameters and the chemical composition of MC chemovar used.

Methods:A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed in one-month intervals for the duration of six months. Subjects were adult patients licensed for MC treatment who also reported a diagnosis of CNCP by a physician. Data included self-reported questionnaires. MC treatment features included administration route, cultivator, cultivar name and monthly dose. Comparison statistics were used to evaluate differences between the abovementioned parameters and the monthly MC chemovar doses at each time point.

Results:429, 150, 98, 71, 77 and 82 patients reported fully on their MC treatment regimens at six one-month intervals, respectively. Although pain intensities did not change during the study period, analgesic medication consumption rates decreased from 46 to 28% (p< 0.005) and good Quality of Life (QoL) rates increased from 49 to 62% (p< 0.05). These changes overlapped with increase in rates of (-)-Δ9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) andα-pinene high dose consumption.

Conclusion:Even though we observed that pain intensities did not improve during the study, QoL did improve and the rate of analgesic medication consumption decreased alongside with increasing rates of high dose THC andα-pinene consumption. Understanding MC treatment composition may shed light on its long-term effects.
Classes of Drugs that Mitigate Radiation Syndromes
Authors: Micewicz Ewa D. , Damoiseaux Robert D. , Deng Gang , Gomez Adrian , Iwamoto Keisuke S. , Jung Michael E. , Nguyen Christine , Norris Andrew J. , Ratikan Josephine A. , Ruchala Piotr , Sayre James W. , Schaue Dörthe , Whitelegge Julian P. , McBride William H.
Published: May 2021

We previously reported several vignettes on types and classes of drugs able to mitigate acute and, in at least one case, late radiation syndromes in mice. Most of these had emerged from high throughput screening (HTS) of bioactive and chemical drug libraries using ionizing radiation-induced lymphocytic apoptosis as a readout. Here we report the full analysis of the HTS screen of libraries with 85,000 small molecule chemicals that identified 220 “hits.” Most of these hits could be allocated by maximal common substructure analysis to one of 11 clusters each containing at least three active compounds. Further screening validated 23 compounds as being most active; 15 of these were cherry-picked based on drug availability and tested for their ability to mitigate acute hematopoietic radiation syndrome (H-ARS) in mice. Of these, five bore a 4-nitrophenylsulfonamide motif while 4 had a quinoline scaffold. All but two of the 15 significantly (p < 0.05) mitigated H-ARS in mice. We had previously reported that the lead 4-(nitrophenylsulfonyl)-4-phenylpiperazine compound (NPSP512), was active in mitigating multiple acute and late radiation syndromes in mice of more than one sex and strain. Unfortunately, the formulation of this drug had to be changed for regulatory reasons and we report here on the synthesis and testing of active analogs of NPSP512 (QS1 and 52A1) that have increased solubility in water and in vivo bioavailability while retaining mitigator activity against H-ARS (p < 0.0001) and other radiation syndromes. The lead quinoline 057 was also active in multiple murine models of radiation damage. Taken together, HTS of a total of 150,000 bioactive or chemical substances, combined with maximal common substructure analysis has resulted in the discovery of diverse groups of compounds that can mitigate H-ARS and at least some of which can mitigate multiple radiation syndromes when given starting 24 h after exposure. We discuss what is known about how these agents might work, and the importance of formulation and bioavailability.
Genetic Analysis of Methyl Anthranilate, Mesifurane, Linalool, and Other Flavor Compounds in Cultivated Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa)
Authors: Barbey Christopher R. , Hogshead Maxwell H. , Harrison Benjamin , Schwartz Anne E. , Verma Sujeet , Oh Youngjae , Lee Seonghee , Folta Kevin M. , Whitaker Vance M.
Published: May 2021

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is an economically important fruit crop that is intensively bred for improved sensory qualities. The diversity of fruit flavors and aromas in strawberry results mainly from the interactions of sugars, acids, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are derived from diverse biochemical pathways influenced by the expression of many genes. This study integrates multiomic analyses to identify QTL and candidate genes for multiple aroma compounds in a complex strawberry breeding population. Novel fruit volatile QTL was discovered for methyl anthranilate, methyl 2-hexenoate, methyl 2-methylbutyrate, mesifurane, and a shared QTL on Chr 3 was found for nine monoterpene and sesquiterpene compounds, including linalool, 3-carene, β-phellandrene, α-limonene, linalool oxide, nerolidol, α-caryophellene, α-farnesene, and β-farnesene. Fruit transcriptomes from a subset of 64 individuals were used to support candidate gene identification. For methyl esters including the grape-like methyl anthranilate, a novel ANTHANILIC ACID METHYL TRANSFERASE–like gene was identified. Two mesifurane QTL correspond with the known biosynthesis gene O-METHYL TRANSFERASE 1 and a novel FURANEOL GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE. The shared terpene QTL contains multiple fruit-expressed terpenoid pathway-related genes including NEROLIDOL SYNTHASE 1 (FanNES1). The abundance of linalool and other monoterpenes is partially governed by a co-segregating expression-QTL (eQTL) for FanNES1 transcript variation, and there is additional evidence for quantitative effects from other terpenoid-pathway genes in this narrow genomic region. These QTLs present new opportunities in breeding for improved flavor in commercial strawberry.
Metabolomic and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) Analyses Reveal the Important Function of Flavonoids in Amygdalus pedunculata Pall Leaves With Temporal Changes
Authors: He Yueyue , Pan Lei , Yang Tao , Wang Wei , Li Cong , Chen Bang , Shen Yehua
Published: May 2021

Amygdalus pedunculataPall [Rosaceae, Prunus,Prunus pedunculata(Pall.) Maxim.] belongs to the Rosaceae family and is resistant to cold and drought. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and metabolomics were used to track the changes in bioactive metabolites during several stages ofAmygdalus pedunculata Pallgrowth. A total of 827 different metabolites were detected, including 169 flavonoids, 68 organic acids, 35 terpenoids and 2 tannins. Flavonoid biosynthesis and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis were the main synthetic sources of flavonoids. Quercetin, isoquercitrin, and epicatechin as biomarkers related to growth and development were found. Quercetin connects the biosynthesis of flavonoids and the biosynthesis of flavones and flavonols. The contents of isoquercitrin and epicatechin increased uniformly during the whole growth process from the flowering stage to the fruit ripening stage, indicating that play key roles in the fruit growth and ripening stages of this plant. The tissue location and quantitative analysis of flavonoids in leaves at different stages were performed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The flavonoids were mainly distributed in the palisade tissue and spongy tissue, indicating the need for protection of these sensitive tissues in particular. Through comprehensive and systematic analysis, the temporal distribution of flavonoids in the process of their leaves growth was determined. These results clarify the important role of flavonoids in the developmental process ofAmygdalus pedunculataPall.
Multi-Environment Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping for Grain Iron and Zinc Content Using Bi-parental Recombinant Inbred Line Mapping Population in Pearl Millet
Authors: Singhal Tripti , Satyavathi C. Tara , Singh S. P. , Kumar Aruna , Sankar S. Mukesh , Bhardwaj C. , Mallik M. , Bhat Jayant , Anuradha N. , Singh Nirupma
Published: May 2021

Pearl millet is a climate-resilient, nutritious crop with low input requirements that could provide economic returns in marginal agro-ecologies. In this study, we report quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content from three distinct production environments. We generated a genetic linkage map using 210 F6 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the (PPMI 683 × PPMI 627) cross using genome-wide simple sequence repeats (SSRs). The molecular linkage map (seven linkage groups) of 151 loci was 3,273.1 cM length (Kosambi). The content of grain Fe in the RIL population ranged between 36 and 114 mg/Kg, and that of Zn from 20 to 106 mg/Kg across the 3 years (2014–2016) at over the three locations (Delhi, Dharwad, and Jodhpur). QTL analysis revealed a total of 22 QTLs for grain Fe and Zn, of which 14 were for Fe and eight were for Zn on three consecutive years at all locations. The observed phenotypic variance (R2) explained by different QTLs for grain Fe and Zn content ranged from 2.85 (QGFe.E3.2014–2016_Q3) to 19.66% (QGFe.E1.2014–2016_Q3) and from 2.93 (QGZn.E3.2014–2016_Q3) to 25. 95% (QGZn.E1.2014–2016_Q1), respectively. Two constitutive expressing QTLs for both Fe and Zn co-mapped in this population, one on LG 2 and second one on LG 3. Inside the QTLs candidate genes such as Ferritin gene, Al3+ Transporter, K+ Transporters, Zn2+ transporters and Mg2+ transporters were identified using bioinformatics approaches. The identified QTLs and candidate genes could be useful in pearl millet population improvement programs, seed, restorer parents, and marker-assisted selection programs.
Individual Pride and Collective Pride: Differences Between Chinese and American Corpora
Authors: Liu Conghui , Li Jing , Chen Chuansheng , Wu Hanlin , Yuan Li , Yu Guoliang
Published: May 2021

This study investigated cross-cultural differences in individual pride and collective pride between Chinese and Americans using data from text corpora. We found higher absolute frequencies of pride items in the American corpus than in the Chinese corpus. Cross-cultural differences were found for relative frequencies of different types of pride, and some of them depended on the genre of the text corpora. For both blogs and news genres, Americans showed higher frequencies of individual pride items and lower frequencies of relational pride items than did their Chinese counterparts. Cross-cultural differences in national pride, however, depended on the genre: Chinese news genre included more national pride items than its American counterpart, but the opposite was true for the blog genre. We discuss the implications of these results in relation to the existing literature (based on surveys and laboratory-based experiments) on cultural differences in individual pride and collective pride.
Effects of the Brain Wave Modulation Technique Administered Online on Stress, Anxiety, Global Distress, and Affect During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Cozzolino Mauro , Celia Giovanna , Girelli Laura , Limone Pierpaolo
Published: May 2021

This study aims to evaluate the effects of an innovative mind-body practice named the brain wave modulation technique (BWM-T) on stress, anxiety, global distress, and affect. The technique was administered online through a web-based video conferencing platform. The intervention started on week four of the first quarantine in Italy (week commencing 30th March 2020), for a duration of 4 weeks and ended before lockdown measures were loosened. 310 people participated in the study, mean age 28.73 years old (SD = 9.16), 77.8% women. Of these, about half were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the other half served as controls. Participants completed online psychological tests before and after the intervention. 266 people (144 experimental, 122 controls) completed the post-intervention tests. Consistent with our hypothesis, the study’s findings indicate a reduction in the levels of stress, anxiety, global distress, and negative affect in the experimental group, compared to the control group. Moreover, the experimental group also showed higher levels of positive affect, compared to controls after the intervention. The present findings add to the current literature in suggesting that the BWM-T reduced stress not only when administered face-to face but also when administered online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, we also noted that the BWM-T has an effect on anxiety, global distress, and affect, which we had not investigated in previous studies.
Music in Mood Regulation and Coping Orientations in Response to COVID-19 Lockdown Measures Within the United Kingdom
Authors: Henry Noah , Kayser Diana , Egermann Hauke
Published: May 2021

Music is a tool used in daily life in order to mitigate negative and enhance positive emotions. Listeners may orientate their engagement with music around its ability to facilitate particular emotional responses and to subsequently regulate mood. Existing scales have aimed to gauge both individual coping orientations in response to stress, as well as individual use of music for the purposes of mood regulation. This study utilised pre-validated scales through an online survey (N = 233) in order to measure whether music’s use in mood regulation is influenced by coping orientations and/or demographic variables in response to the lockdown measures imposed in the United Kingdom, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst factor analyses show that the existing theoretical structure of the COPE model has indicated a poor fit for clustered coping orientations, a subsequent five-factor structure was determined for coping orientations in response to lockdown. Analyses include observations that positive reframing and active coping (Positive Outlook) were strong predictors of music use in mood regulation amongst listener’s coping strategies, as was Substance Use. Higher Age indicated having a negative effect on music’s use in mood regulation, whilst factors such as gender were not seen to be significant in relation to the use of music in mood regulation within this context. These results provide insight into how individuals have engaged with music orientated coping strategies in response to a unique stressor.
Gender and Entrepreneurship in Pandemic Time: What Demands and What Resources? An Exploratory Study
Authors: De Simone Silvia , Pileri Jessica , Rapp-Ricciardi Max , Barbieri Barbara
Published: May 2021

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, global economies have suffered an exogenous shock never seen before with a strong economic and psychosocial impact on organizations. Italy, in the context of the research, has been severely affected. The economic crisis has mainly affected women. In this scenario, entrepreneurial perceived success (objective and subjective) is influenced by increasingly burdensome job demands that entrepreneurs have to face up. Using the job demand-resources model, the study aims to broaden the knowledge of the determinants of entrepreneurial perceived success in the current emergency moment. In particular, as regards of the demands, alongside the specific entrepreneurial demands (time demands, uncertainty and risk, and responsibility), we also decided to include the negative interface family–work in both directions from-family-to-work (NEGWIF) and from-work-to-family (NEGFIW). Regarding the resources, we considered entrepreneurial self-efficacy (researching, planning, marshaling, implementing people, and implementing financial), proactive and elaborate social strategies (SS), and both directions of the positive interface: from-family-to-work (POSWIF) and from-work-to-family (POSFIW). All participants are women entrepreneurs (N= 137) who have completed a self-report questionnaire. We explored the associations between demands, resources, and the dimensions of success through hierarchical regressions. As for the demands, time demands, uncertainty and risk, NEGWIF, and NEGFIW negatively influenced the perceived entrepreneurial success. Regarding resources, planning, implementing financial, proactive and elaborate SS positively influenced the perceived entrepreneurial success.
A Correlative Study Between Personality Traits and the Preference of Site Selection in Cosmetic Treatment
Authors: Qian Huan , Ling Yuxiao , Wang Chen , Lenahan Cameron , Zhang Mengwen , Zheng Min , Shao Anwen
Published: May 2021

Background: Cosmetic treatment was closely associated with beauty seekers' psychological well-being. Patients who seek cosmetic surgery often show anxiety. Nevertheless, not much is known regarding how personality traits relate to the selection of body parts that receive cosmetic treatment.

Aims: This study aims to investigate the correlation between personality traits and various selection sites for cosmetic treatment via Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ).

Methods: A cross-sectional approach was adopted to randomly recruited patients from a general hospital planning to undergo cosmetic treatments. All respondents completed the EPQ and provided their demographic information. The EPQ involves four scales: the extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), psychoticism (P), and lying scales (L). Psychological scales were evaluated to verify that people who selected different body sites for cosmetic intervention possessed different personality portraits.

Results: A total of 426 patients with an average age of 32.14 ± 8.06 were enrolled. Among them, 384 were females, accounting for more than 90% of patients. Five treatment sites were analyzed, including the body, eye, face contour, nose, and skin. Comparatively, patients with neuroticism were more likely to undergo and demand rhinoplasty (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.07–1.24, P < 0.001). Face contour treatment was commonly associated with extraversion (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00–1.11, P = 0.044), psychoticism (OR 1.13, CI 1.03–1.25, P = 0.013), and neuroticism (OR 1.05, CI 1.01–1.10, P = 0.019).

Conclusions: This novel study attempted to determine the personality profiles of beauty seekers. The corresponding assessments may provide references for clinical treatment options and enhance postoperative satisfaction for both practitioners and patients.
Tau Pathology Profile Across a Parietal-Hippocampal Brain Network Is Associated With Spatial Reorientation Learning and Memory Performance in the 3xTg-AD Mouse
Authors: Stimmell Alina C. , Xu Zishen , Moseley Shawn C. , Cushing Sarah D. , Fernandez Diana M. , Dang Jessica V. , Santos-Molina Luis F. , Anzalone Rosina A. , Garcia-Barbon Carolina L. , Rodriguez Stephany , Dixon Jessica R. , Wu Wei , Wilber Aaron A.
Published: May 2021

In early Alzheimer's disease (AD) spatial navigation is one of the first impairments to emerge; however, the precise cause of this impairment is unclear. Previously, we showed that, in a mouse model of tau and amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation, getting lost represents, at least in part, a failure to use distal cues to get oriented in space and that impaired parietal-hippocampal network level plasticity during sleep may underlie this spatial disorientation. However, the relationship between tau and amyloid beta aggregation in this brain network and impaired spatial orientation has not been assessed. Therefore, we used several approaches, including canonical correlation analysis and independent components analysis tools, to examine the relationship between pathology profile across the parietal-hippocampal brain network and spatial reorientation learning and memory performance. We found that consistent with the exclusive impairment in 3xTg-AD 6-month female mice, only 6-month female mice had an ICA identified pattern of tau pathology across the parietal-hippocampal network that were positively correlated with behavior. Specifically, a higher density of pTau positive cells predicted worse spatial learning and memory. Surprisingly, despite a lack of impairment relative to controls, 3-month female, as well as 6- and 12- month male mice all had patterns of tau pathology across the parietal-hippocampal brain network that are predictive of spatial learning and memory performance. However, the direction of the effect was opposite, a negative correlation, meaning that a higher density of pTau positive cells predicted better performance. Finally, there were not significant group or region differences in M78 density at any of the ages examined and ICA analyses were not able to identify any patterns of 6E10 staining across brain regions that were significant predictors of behavioral performance. Thus, the pattern of pTau staining across the parietal-hippocampal network is a strong predictor of spatial learning and memory performance, even for mice with low levels of tau accumulation and intact spatial re-orientation learning and memory. This suggests that AD may cause spatial disorientation as a result of early tau accumulation in the parietal-hippocampal network.
Climate Emergency: UK Universities' Declarations and Their Role in Responding to Climate Change
Authors: Latter Briony , Capstick Stuart
Published: May 2021

On April 17, 2019, the University of Bristol became the first university in the United Kingdom (UK) to declare a climate emergency. Against a backdrop of high visibility and public concern about climate change, as well as climate emergency declarations from other sectors, another 36 UK universities followed suit over the next year. This paper explores what these climate emergency declarations show about how UK universities are responding to climate change and wider sustainability concerns, as well as how they view and present themselves in relation to this. Critical Discourse Analysis of the declarations allowed for in-depth scrutiny of the purpose and wider social context of the documents, demonstrating that they function as promotional statements, as presenting a collective voice, and showing a commitment from the universities to action. We argue that while these provide the potential for advancing sustainability within the sector, the tendency to use declarations as publicity and promotional material does detract from new commitments and action. The research contributes to the discussion around the role of universities as institutions with a responsibility both to act on climate change and to shape the broader societal response to it. It also provides insights as to how future research can evaluate universities in relation to their commitments and strategies, and provides suggestions to help ensure they live up to the promises and intentions that they have publicly made.
Sport Events for Sport Participation: A Scoping Review
Authors: Teare Georgia , Taks Marijke
Published: May 2021

Research on sport participation impacts from sport events has been sporadic. This scoping review assesses the current state of literature that addresses impacts, legacies, and leveraging of sport events for sport participation outcomes and the gaps in terms of study context and research designs. Two systematic approaches of article identification were performed: a traditional database search and a systematic manual search. Studies on sport participation outcomes from events mainly focused on mega sport events and adult populations, with the majority employing cross-sectional data and quantitative methods. The use theoretical of frameworks is limited and inconsistent. There is a need for longitudinal investigations, as well as more focus on youth populations, participant events, and smaller-sized events to advance the research agenda for sport participation outcomes from sport events.
Exploring Relative Age Effects in Youth Ice Hockey Through a Single Team Case Study and Composite Narratives
Authors: Hancock David J.
Published: May 2021

Relative age effects (when birthdate influences participation or performance) in sport potentially influence the experiences of sport participants, including athletes, parents, and coaches. Nearly all existing literature on relative age effects adopts a quantitative approach, limiting our understanding of the phenomenon. Thus, the purpose of this unique study was to explore relative age effects using an instrumental, descriptive case study approach with one elite, youth, male ice hockey team. This context was chosen given the high prevalence of relative age effects among such groups. Participants included 20 athletes, 19 parents, and two coaches from one team. Data were collected through biometric measures, semistructured interviews, and participant observations. Results were presented as five composite narratives: relatively older athletes, relatively younger athletes, parents of relatively older athletes, parents of relatively younger athletes, and coaching staff. The narratives demonstrated unique relative age experiences for each group of participants. Discussion aligns the results with the social agents model that explains relative age effects. Practical recommendations for sport participants are also provided.
A New Cascade-Correlation Growing Deep Learning Neural Network Algorithm
Authors: Mohamed Soha Abd El-Moamen , Mohamed Marghany Hassan , Farghally Mohammed F.
Published: May 2021

In this paper, a proposed algorithm that dynamically changes the neural network structure is presented. The structure is changed based on some features in the cascade correlation algorithm. Cascade correlation is an important algorithm that is used to solve the actual problem by artificial neural networks as a new architecture and supervised learning algorithm. This process optimizes the architectures of the network which intends to accelerate the learning process and produce better performance in generalization. Many researchers have to date proposed several growing algorithms to optimize the feedforward neural network architectures. The proposed algorithm has been tested on various medical data sets. The results prove that the proposed algorithm is a better method to evaluate the accuracy and flexibility resulting from it.
The Influence of Soil Tillage System on Changes in Gas Exchange Parameters of Pisum sativum L.
Authors: Bojarszczuk Jolanta
Published: May 2021

A field experiment was carried out in 2017–2019 as a split-plot design with four replicates at the Agricultural Experimental Station in Grabów, Poland. The aim of the study was to compare the gas exchange parameters of the pea depending on the use of different soil tillage systems. Physiological plant parameters as: net photosynthetic rate (PN), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and relative chlorophyll content were measured in three developmental stages. The study have showed that all the measured parameters were affected by the tillage system of the soil. Net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate were significantly lower in the treatments, where simplified-tillage was applied. Pea grown in the plough tillage (CT) showed a generally higher rate of net photosynthesis and transpiration rate compared to that of peas grown in the reduced tillage and no-tillage systems, but this was dependent on the plant development stage and the weather conditions prevailing in a given year. The highest intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) under different cultivation methods were found in the no-tillage system, regardless of the developmental stage of legumes. The values of determination coefficients showed a positive relationship between the photosynthetic rate and seed yield of the peas tested in all the years of the research. The study also showed that a significantly higher SPAD index was found in the CT tillage system, irrespectively on the developmental stage.
Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Studies Reveal Mechanisms of Effects of CPPU-Mediated Fruit-Setting on Attenuating Volatile Attributes of Melon Fruit
Authors: Li Jufen , Lin Tao , Ren Dandan , Wang Tan , Tang Ying , Wang Yiwen , Xu Ling , Zhu Pinkuan , Ma Guobin
Published: May 2021

N1-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N3-phenylurea (CPPU), a synthetic cytokinin-active compound, is widely applied to induce parthenocarpic fruit set and enhance melon fruit enlargement (Cucumis melo L.). CPPU may also influence fruit quality; however, the mechanisms through which this occurs remain unknown. We investigated the differences in volatile emissions between parthenocarpic fruit set by CPPU (C) and seeded fruit set by artificial pollination (P). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis revealed that six volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the P-group fruits were not detected in C-group fruits. The relative abundances of another 14 VOCs emitted by the CPPU-treated fruits were less than those in the P-group fruits. RNA sequencing analysis indicated that a total of 1027, 994, and 743 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the C20 (treatment with 20 mg·L–1 CPPU) vs. P, P-C20 (pollination followed by 20 mg·L−1 CPPU treatment) vs. P, and P-C20 vs. C20 treatments, respectively. Compared with the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, the DEGs related to fatty acid degradation and metabolism, which contribute to volatile production, were enriched. In particular, DEGs such as carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD)-, lipoxygenase (LOX)-, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-, and alcohol acyltransferase (ATT)-related genes were closely related to the formation of volatiles. In summary, our study provides a metabolic and transcriptomic atlas, reveals the impact of CPPU on VOCs, and enhances our understanding of the mechanisms of CPPU that contribute towards generally reducing the quality of melon fruit.
Evaluation of Thoracoscopic Pericardial Window Size and Execution Time in Dogs: Comparison of Two Surgical Approaches
Authors: Macrì Francesco , Angileri Vito , Giannetto Claudia , Scaletta Lorenzo , Miele Piero , Pazzaglia Loris , Di Pietro Simona
Published: May 2021

Pericardial effusion presents clinicians with a challenge when diagnosing the underlying cause and performing a prognosis. Different techniques have been suggested for canine thoracoscopic pericardiectomy with the creation of variable pericardial window size. The aim of this study was to statistically compare the surgical time and achieved window size of the paraxiphoid transdiaphragmatic and monolateral intercostal approaches. The paraxifoid and monolateral intercostal approaches showed a mean surgical time of 55 ± 20.08 (SD) minutes and 13.94 ± 4.61 (SD) minutes, and a mean pericardial window diameter of 4.23 ± 0.80 (SD) cm and 3.31 ± 0.43 (SD) cm, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between the dogs’ bodyweight and window size (r = 0.48; p = 0.04) for both surgical approaches, and between the dogs’ bodyweight and surgical time (r = 0.72; p = 0.0016) for monolateral intercostal approach. All treated dogs showed no clinical signs of recurrent cardiac tamponade during the follow-up. Our results provided useful information to help surgeons make the definitive choice of the surgical technique to treat the pericardial effusion.
Transcription Landscape of the Early Developmental Biology in Pigs
Authors: Teixeira Susana A. , Marques Daniele B. D. , Costa Thaís C. , Oliveira Haniel C. , Costa Karine A. , Carrara Eula R. , Silva Walmir da , Guimarães José D. , Neves Mariana M. , Ibelli Adriana M. G. , Cantão Maurício E. , Ledur Mônica C. , Peixoto Jane O. , Guimarães Simone E. F.
Published: May 2021

Since pre- and postnatal development are programmed during early prenatal life, studies addressing the complete transcriptional landscape during organogenesis are needed. Therefore, we aimed to disentangle differentially expressed (DE) genes between fetuses (at 35 days old) and embryos (at 25 days old) through RNA-sequencing analysis using the pig as model. In total, 1705 genes were DE, including the top DE IBSP, COL6A6, HBE1, HBZ, HBB, and NEUROD6 genes, which are associated with developmental transition from embryos to fetuses, such as ossification, skeletal muscle development, extracellular matrix organization, cardiovascular system, erythrocyte differentiation, and neuronal system. In pathway analysis, embryonic development highlighted those mainly related to morphogenic signaling and cell interactions, which are crucial for transcriptional control during the establishment of the main organs in early prenatal development, while pathways related to myogenesis, neuronal development, and cardiac and striated muscle contraction were enriched for fetal development, according to the greater complexity of organs and body structures at this developmental stage. Our findings provide an exploratory and informative transcriptional landscape of pig organogenesis, which might contribute to further studies addressing specific developmental events in pigs and in other mammals.
One Is the Coldest Number: How Group Size and Body Weight Affect Thermal Preference in Weaned Pigs (3 to 15 kg)
Authors: Robbins Lindsey A. , Green-Miller Angela R. , Johnson Jay S. , Gaskill Brianna N.
Published: May 2021

Housing pigs within their thermal comfort zone positively impacts productivity and performance. However, fundamental information on behavioral thermoregulatory responses of individual and group-housed pigs is meager. As a gregarious species, pigs prefer to be near one another, touching and often huddling. As pigs huddle together, they decrease their heat loss to the environment by decreasing exposed surface area and increasing mass. Additionally, pigs gain weight rapidly as they age. As an individual grows, their ability to withstand lower temperatures increases. We hypothesized that group size would alter pig thermal preference and that thermal preference would change based upon body weight. Thirty-six groups of pigs (n = 2 pigs/group) were tested in a factorial design based on group size (1, 2, or 4) and weight category (small: 5.20 ± 1.15 kg; medium: 8.79 ± 1.30 kg; and large: 13.95 ± 1.26 kg) in both sexes. Treatment groups were placed inside a chamber with a controlled thermal gradient (4.6 m × 0.9 m × 0.9 m; L × W × H) that ranged in temperature from 18 to 30 °C. Pigs habituated to the gradient for 24 h. The following 24 h testing period was continuously video recorded and each pig’s location during inactivity (~70% daily budget) within the thermal apparatus was recorded every 10 min via instantaneous scan sampling. Data were analyzed using a GLM and log10 + 0.001 transformed for normality. Tukey tests and Bonferroni-corrected custom tests were used for post hoc comparisons. Peak temperature preference was determined by the maximum amount of time spent at a specific temperature. Both group size (p = 0.001) and weight category (p < 0.001) influenced the thermal location choice of pigs. Individual pigs preferred 30.31 °C, which differed from a group of 2 (20.0 °C: p = 0.003) and 4 pigs (20.0 °C: p < 0.001). The peak temperature preference of the small pigs (30.2 °C) differed from the large pigs (20.0 °C: p < 0.001) but did not differ from the medium-sized pigs (28.4 °C: p > 0.05). Overall, heavier pigs and larger groups preferred cooler temperatures.
Characterization of Microbiome on Feces, Blood and Milk in Dairy Cows with Different Milk Leucocyte Pattern
Authors: Scarsella Elisa , Zecconi Alfonso , Cintio Michela , Stefanon Bruno
Published: May 2021

Mastitis is an inflammatory disease of the mammary gland, caused by the invasion of microorganism on this site, associated with an altered immune response. Recent studies in this field hypothesize that the origin of these pathogens can also be from the gastrointestinal tract, through the entero-mammary pathway in relation to an increase in gut permeability. In this study, we wanted to investigate if inflammatory status of the mammary gland is related to an alteration of gut permeability. The microbiome of feces, blood and milk of lactating cows, recruited on the basis of the total somatic cell count and of the percentage of polymorphonuclear neutrophils and lymphocytes, was studied. Cows were divided into healthy (G), at risk of mastitis (Y) and with mastitis (R) classifications. The bacterial DNA was extracted and the V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA sequenced. Moreover, the quantification of total bacteria was performed with quantitative real-time PCR. A non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test was applied at the phylum, family and genera levels and beta biodiversity was evaluated with the unweighted UniFrac distance metric. Significant differences between groups were found for the microbial composition of feces (Clostridiaceae, Turicibacteriaceae for family level and Clostridium, Dorea, SMB53 and Turicibacter for genus level), blood (Tenericutes for phylum level and Mycoplasma for genus level) and milk (OD1 and Proteobacteria for phylum level, Enterobacteriaceae and Moraxallaceae for family level and Olsenella and Rhodococcus for genus level). The beta biodiversity of feces and blood did not change between groups. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between the beta diversity in milk of G group and Y group and between Y group and R group. The number of taxa in common between feces, blood and milk were 8 at a phylum, 19 at a family and 15 at a genus level. From these results, the bacterial crossing from gut to milk in cows was not confirmed but remained hypothetical and deserves further investigation.
Enrofloxacin Dose Optimization for the Treatment of Colibacillosis in Broiler Chickens Using a Drinking Behaviour Pharmacokinetic Model
Authors: Temmerman Robin , Pelligand Ludovic , Schelstraete Wim , Antonissen Gunther , Garmyn An , Devreese Mathias
Published: May 2021

Enrofloxacin is frequently administered via drinking water for the treatment of colibacillosis in broiler chickens. However, the EMA/CVMP has urged to re-evaluate historically approved doses, especially for antimicrobials administered via drinking water. In response, the objectives of this study were two-fold. First, to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of enrofloxacin following IV, PO and drinking water administration. Second, to predict the efficacy of a range of doses in the drinking water for the treatment of APEC infections. For the first objective, PK parameters were estimated by fitting a one-compartmental model with a zero-order IV infusion and an oral absorption lag function to the simultaneously modelled IV and PO data. After fixing these parameter values, a drinking behaviour pharmacokinetic (DBPK) model was developed for the description and prediction of drinking water PK profiles by adding three model improvements (different diurnal and nocturnal drinking rates, inter-animal variability in water consumption and taking account of dose non-proportionality). The subsequent simulations and probability of target attainment (PTA) analysis predicted that a dose of 12.5 mg/kg/24 h is efficacious in treating colibacillosis with an MIC up to 0.125 μg/mL (ECOFF), whereas the currently registered dose (10 mg/kg/24 h) reaches a PTA of 66% at ECOFF.
Electrolyzed Hydrogen Water Protects against Ethanol-Induced Cytotoxicity by Regulating Aldehyde Metabolism-Associated Enzymes in the Hepatic Cell Line HepG2
Authors: Yano Satoshi , Wang Jinyun , Kabayama Shigeru , Hara Taichi
Published: May 2021

Excessive alcohol consumption can cause multi-systemic diseases. Among them, alcoholic liver disease is the most frequent and serious disease. Electrolytic hydrogen water (EHW) is produced at the cathode during electrolysis of water and contains a large amount of molecular hydrogen and a low content of platinum nanoparticles with alkaline properties. In this study, we found that EHW inhibits ethanol-induced cytotoxicity by decreasing the intracellular acetaldehyde, a toxic substance produced by ethanol degradation, in hepatocyte cell lines HepG2. Analysis of the mechanism of action revealed that EHW inhibits the metabolism of ethanol to acetaldehyde by suppressing alcohol dehydrogenase. EHW also promotes the metabolism of acetaldehyde to acetic acid by activating aldehyde dehydrogenase, which plays to reduce aldehyde toxicity and intracellular reactive oxygen species in HepG2 cells. These functions were correlated with the concentration of molecular hydrogen in EHW, and were abolished by degassing treatment, suggesting that molecular hydrogen may contribute as a functional factor in the suppression of ethanol-induced hepatocellular damage. Furthermore, hydrogen water with high dissolved hydrogen molecule showed the same hepatocellular protective effect against ethanol as the EHW. These results suggest that EHW may be useful in the prevention of alcoholic liver disease.
The Significance of Redox Biomarkers in the Evaluation of the Antioxidant Profile In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Veskoukis Aristidis S. , Vardakas Periklis , Kouretas Dimitrios
Published: May 2021

The present Special Issue of Antioxidants, entitled The Significance of Redox Biomarkers in the Evaluation of the Antioxidant Profile In Vitro and In Vivo, ten research articles emphasize the significance of adopting reliable redox biomarkers to determine the antioxidant activities of bioactive compounds in vitro and to assess blood and tissue redox status in vivo [...]
Beef Quality Grade Classification Based on Intramuscular Fat Content Using Hyperspectral Imaging Technology
Authors: Ahmed Mohammed Raju , Reed DeMetris D. , Young Jennifer M. , Eshkabilov Sulaymon , Berg Eric P. , Sun Xin
Published: May 2021

Fat content is one of the most important parameters of beef grading. In this study, a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system, combined with multivariate data analysis, was adopted for the classification of beef grades. Three types of beef samples, namely Akaushi (AK), USDA prime, and USDA choice, were used for HSI image acquisition in the spectral range of 400–1000 nm. Spectral information was extracted from the image by applying the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) for the three classifications. A total of eight different types of data pre-processing procedures were tested during PLS-DA to evaluate their individual performance, with the accepted pre-processing method selected based on the highest accuracy. Chemical and binary images were generated to visualize the fat mapping of the samples. Quantitative analysis of the samples was performed for the reference measurement of the dry matter and fat content. The highest overall accuracy, 86.5%, was found using the Savitzky–Golay second derivatives pre-processing method for PLS-DA analysis. The optimal wavelength values were found from the beta coefficient curve. The chemical and binary images showed significant differences in fat mapping among the three groups of samples, with AK having the greatest intramuscular fat content and USDA choice having the least. Similar results were observed during the proximate analysis. The findings of this study demonstrate that the HSI technique is a potential tool for the fast and non-destructive determination of beef grades based on fat mapping.
Simulated Annealing for Resource Allocation in Downlink NOMA Systems in 5G Networks
Authors: Abuajwa Osama , Roslee Mardeni Bin , Yusoff Zubaida Binti
Published: May 2021

In this work, we investigate resource allocation and user pairing to improve the system’s Throughput for the downlink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based 5G networks. The proposed resource allocation involves user pairing, subchannel power allocation, and proportional power allocation among the multiplexed users. The resource allocation is a non-deterministic polynomial (NP-hard) problem that is difficult to tackle throughput maximization. The user pairing and power allocation are coupled to address the substantial requirements of the NOMA system. The NOMA system requires an efficient deployment of resource allocation techniques to enhance the system’s throughput performance. In this work, we propose simulated annealing (SA) to optimize the power allocation and perform user pairing to maximize the throughput for the NOMA system. Also, we provide mathematical proof on the near-optimal solution for subchannel power and mathematical analysis on the optimal value of the power ratio for the multiplexed users in the NOMA system. The SA provides a significant throughput performance that increases by 7% compared to the existing numerical optimization methods. Results obtained show that SA performs with sufficient reliability and low time complexity in terms of Throughput improvement.
Comfort Distance—A Single-Number Quantity Describing Spatial Attenuation in Open-Plan Offices
Authors: Hongisto Valtteri , Keränen Jukka
Published: May 2021

ISO 3382-3 is globally used to determine the room acoustic conditions of open-plan offices using in situ measurements. The key outcomes of the standard are three single-number quantities: distraction distance, rD, A-weighted sound pressure level of speech, Lp,A,S,4m, and spatial decay rate of speech, D2,S. Quantities Lp,A,S,4m and D2,S describe the attenuation properties of the office due to room and furniture absorption and geometry. Our purpose is to introduce a new single-number quantity, comfort distance rC, which integrates the quantities Lp,A,S,4m and D2,S. It describes the distance from an omnidirectional loudspeaker where the A-weighted sound pressure level of normal speech falls below 45 dB. The study explains why the comfort criterion level is set to 45 dB, explores the comfort distances in 185 offices reported in previous studies. Based on published data, the rC values lie typically within 3 m (strong attenuation) and 30 m (weak attenuation). Based on this data, a classification scheme was proposed. The new quantity could benefit the revised version of ISO 3382-3.
On the Potential Contributions of Matrix Converters for the Future Grid Operation, Sustainable Transportation and Electrical Drives Innovation
Authors: Bento Alexandre , Paraíso Guilherme , Costa Pedro , Zhang Lijun , Geury Thomas , Pinto Sónia Ferreira , Silva José Fernando
Published: May 2021

Matrix converters have been extensively investigated in academia over the last 3 decades. Several review works targeting matrix converter topologies, commutation strategies, modulation and control techniques have been published. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, a review on the potential contributions of matrix converters for applications that are shaping the electric power sector transition towards decarbonization is lacking, namely applications on smart grids, sustainable transportation and electrical drives. This paper presents an extensive literature review on the more relevant research works targeting applications of matrix converters as an enabling key technology for smart and resilient grids, sustainable transportation, and innovation in variable speed electric drives.