bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vlastnictví zemědělské půdy: Rozvojový stimul, dědictví…prostředek snížení negativních dopadů Klimatické Změny?
Authors: Konečný Ondřej , Šerý Ondřej , Kozumplíková Alice , Stanojević Mirjana , Trojan Jakub , Lehejček Jiří
Published: June 2022

The paper aims to reveal the meanings attached to agricultural land by its owners and municipal representatives. The way farmland is used influences how municipalities can reduce the negative impacts of climate change on their territory. Therefore, the paper seeks to further capture the motivations for farming by local owners and their connection to the environmental context. The research is based on personal questionnaire survey with landowners and interviews with municipal representatives in three model localities in the Czech Republic (Pohořelice, Valašsko-Kloboucko and Tišnov). According to the findings, the land is perceived as a valuable commodity, associated with heritage and tradition. From the point of view of local owners, it was associated with an investment, from the point of view of municipalities as a means of influencing the future direction of the municipality. The link between land ownership and environmental issues (e.g. the ability to influence the effects of climate change manifestations at the local level) was very weak.
Ukrainian Crisis – Regional Analysis of Migration in the Context of Czechia
Authors: Botlík Josef , Botlíková Milena
Published: June 2022

The aim of this article is to summarize and compare the development of migration related to the Ukrainian crisis in the context of previous migration crises and migration theories. Czechia, although not directly adjacent to Ukraine, is one of the major destination countries and was the target of the first wave of war migrants. However, refugee flows and destinations must be monitored in a broader context. We assume that the migration wave was largely conditioned by the existing Ukrainian minority in Czechia. Using comparison, multicorrelation analysis and data mining, the paper compares available data, related not only to the war in Ukraine but also to previous migrations and foreign workers’ movement of foreigners for work. Based on comparative analyzes, contexts are sought that could clarify the targeting of migrants and relate them to historical economic and social conditions. Research shows that there is a strong push-pull effect, given the composition of foreigners in Czechia and the number of Ukrainians employed.
Mission-oriented inovační politika ve vybraných evropských regionech
Authors: Raszková Soňa
Published: June 2022

The article deals with mission-oriented innovation policy, which puts at the forefront of solving societal challenges and is becoming increasingly important. Policymakers at European, national and regional level are therefore gradually focusing on this form of innovation policy. The aim of this paper is to introduce the role of mission-oriented innovation policy and to raise awareness of its use especially at the regional level. The research methods used in the paper are a search of scientific literature and an analysis of selected regions in North Brabant and Baden-Württemberg that have applied elements of mission-oriented innovation policy in their regional innovation policy. The integration of these elements did not cause a radical change in the existing innovation policy instruments mix. However, first attempts and concrete projects towards addressing societal challenges can be noted. Both regions can be viewed as pioneers of this policy in Europe.
Impact of radioactive contamination zones regime on municipalities (case of Bryansk oblast)
Authors: Skorobogatov A.M. , Apanasyuk O.N. , Bulantseva T.A.
Published: June 2022

The article is devoted to assessing the possible impact of the establishment of a regime of emergency zones (environmental disaster or pollution, including radioactive) on the socio-economic situation at the level of municipalities. The Bryansk oblast was chosen as a testing ground, which is characterized mainly by forestry and agricultural specialization, long-term stability of the administrative-territorial division and the fact of radioactive contamination of the territory as a result of the radiation accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. To exclude the influence of crisis factors of the 1990s and 2008, the analysis of the socio-economic situation in municipalities is given in relative units compared to the average regional characteristics. Based on its results, a conclusion was made about the negative impact in the long term of the regimes of radioactive contamination zones on the state of economic activity of municipalities exposed to radioactive contamination. The main consequences of the regime of emergency zones for municipalities are manifested in negative demographic trends and the deterioration of the general economic condition. For the first time, a criterion has been proposed for lifting the regime of emergency zones for municipalities based on a composite index.
Strategic planning of tourism development at the local level: Kobyayskyulus of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Authors: Demyanenko A.N. , Totonova E.E. , Khokholova I.S.
Published: June 2022

Tourism is considered as a complex social phenomenon in this article. This implies considering tour- ism not only as an economic activity (tourism industry), but as a set of economic practices set inlocal social structures also. Tourist zoning is defined as a necessary element of tourism strategy in local level. The purpose of this zoning type is to identify tourist areas that have scale differences, tourism structure differences, and specialization differences also, which acts in the production of tourist services set. The tourist area is considered as an object of regulatory influence, including strategic planning aspect. Tourist zoning of the Kobyai district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), was revealed: first, the administrative district does not represent an integral tourist area, secondly, Authors identify four tourist regions based on administrative district and on the analysis of the tourist potential and the current tourist business situation: Northern (Verkhoyansky), Sangarsky, Ust-Vilyuysky and Ozerny. Main strategic areas of tourism development were identified based on the analysis of tourist potential and socio-economic situation in every mentioned area.
Development of Serbian medicine in the 19th century
Authors: Jevtović-Meta Ivana , Đokić Bojan , Tomović Miroslav , Kovačević Zoran , Janićijević Katarina
Published: June 2022

With the fall of the medieval Serbian state under Turkish rule, every culture, including medicine, died out, and the people resorted to folk medicine and self-taught doctors, i.e. empiricists. Serbs began to get educated in Vienna and Pest, and there were Serbian doctors in Novi Sad already at the beginning of the 18th century. At that time, the first doctors with diplomas appeared in Serbia, but mostly as personal doctors of the Belgrade pasha or Knez Miloš, i.e. his brother Jevrem in Šabac. In the fourth decade of the 19th century, the first military doctors set out, and the newly created four military district commands got their doctors. The Serbian Medical Association started the first medical journal, "Serbian Archives" in 1874. Josif Pancic is writing the first textbook in natural sciences, and Dr. Acim Medovic is writing the first textbook on forensic medicine. Before the First Serbian-Turkish War, the civilian ambulance numbered 69 doctors, 10 medical assistants, 26 pharmacists, and five pharmacy assistants, while the military ambulance had 19 doctors, five medical assistants, one pharmacist, and four pharmacy assistants. Health was initiated but also the establishment of the Ministry of Health and the higher education institution of the Medical Faculty in Belgrade. Guided by the oath, expertise, and experience, the doctors of that time made a significant effort to improve and develop medicine in Serbia in the 19th century.
A Mathematical Formulation and a Heuristic for the Spatial Scheduling of Mega-Blocks in Shipbuilding Industry
Authors: Ahn Namsu , Kim Soochan
Published: June 2022

In shipbuilding industry, to reduce the staying time of the ship in a dock, floating crane and floating dock are used to handle the mega-blocks, thus it increased the turnover of the dock. Therefore, spatial scheduling for mega-block in an assembly yard becomes important in shipbuilding industry. However, spatial scheduling of mega-blocks has some unique characteristics compared with the well-known classic bin-packing problem, and not many studies can be found on this issue. This research proposes an enhanced mathematical formulation and a heuristic algorithm for spatial scheduling of mega-block arrangement problem. The formulation provides tight bound compared with the existing formulation, and the proposed heuristic can obtain good quality of the solution in a reasonable amount of time even when the size of the instance became large.

Introduction

Shipbuilding industry involves constructing ships and other floating vessels. Block is a base element of the shipbuilding process, and the blocks are assembled and welded in the block assembly shop, and finally erected to a ship in a dry dock. A size of a block is around 15~30 meters with a weight of around 30~300 tons (Zheng et al. 2011), and a large ship consists of around 150 blocks (Koh et al. 2011b). Some blocks are outsourced and timely delivery and quality of blocks have an absolute impact on the ship’s quality. Also, it is possible to shorten the dock duration by receiving blocks from several companies at the same time.
The influence of sports lottery purchase on sports participation behavior
Authors: Ching-Te Lin , Tso- Yen Mao , Cheng-Feng Ho , Chin-Cheng Yang , Chih-Chien Shen
Published: June 2022

The purpose of this research is to understand the influence of sports lottery consumption motivation and sport spectators on sports participation behavior. In the present study, a total of 500 questionnaires were issued. Out of those, 479 valid questionnaires were returned. Self-compiled consumption motivation scale, sports spectators scale and sports participation behavior scale were used as research tools, with sports lottery ticket purchasers as the research object of the current study. The effective return rate is up to 95.8%. Followed by data collection, statistical analysis was done using various statistical tests which include, descriptive statistics, independent sample t test, single factor variance analysis and snow-fee method post-comparison, Pearson product difference correlation, multiple stepwise regression analysis and logistic regression. Conclusion: The overall consumption motivation of sports lottery consumers present a medium-level cognition situation. The sports spectators scale present a medium-to-low level situation, and the overall sports participation behavior-goal identity present a medium-to-high level cognition situation. Gender has a significant role with respect to entertainment factors and sports spectators in the consumption motivation factor dimension. Age has a significant role with respect  to the public welfare factor in the consumption motivation factor dimension; education degree is in the consumption motivation factor dimension of economic factor, public welfare factor and sports spectators and sports participation behaviors-goal identification were found to be significantly different. Marriage had a significant difference in consumption motivation factor in terms of entertainment factor, public welfare factor and sports spectators and sports participation behaviors-goal identification; occupation is in consumption motivation factors economic factor, public welfare factors have reached a significant difference; monthly income has a significant difference in consumption motivation and sports spectators. Significant correlation was found between consumption motivation and sports appreciation. Consumption motivation had a positive effect on sports participation behavior-goal identification shows entertainment factor and public welfare factor; sports spectators show a positive influence on sports participation behavior-goal identification. Sports spectators had shown a significant relationship between sports participation behavior and actual participation.
Slower progression of central puberty in overweight girls presenting with precocious breast development
Authors: Kim Mi Ra , Jung Mo Kyung , Yoo Eun-Gyong
Published: June 2022

Purpose: Overweight (OW)/obese girls tend to have an earlier pubertal onset than girls with normal weight. However, only a few studies have reported the progression of puberty in these girls. This study aimed to identify risk factors for rapid pubertal progression in OW/obese girls presenting with precocious breast development.Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the medical records of 110 OW (body mass index [BMI] ≥85th percentile for age and sex) and 213 nonoverweight (NW, BMI <85th percentile for age and sex) girls who presented with breast budding before 8 years of age. OW girls were divided into 2 subgroups: girls with central puberty progression before 9 years of age (OW-RP) and those without (OW-SP).Results: Progression to central puberty before the age of 9 was more common in NW girls than in OW girls (83.8 % vs. 65.2 % in NW vs. OW group, p<0.001), and progression-free survival for 1, 2, and 3 years was higher in the OW group (p<0.001). In a subgroup analysis of OW girls, the OW-RP subgroup had more advanced bone age (BA) at the first visit (p=0.047) and higher initial luteinizing hormone (LH, p=0.010) levels than the OW-SP subgroup. Being NW (p=0.001) and having more advanced BA (p=0.023) at the initial workup were the risk factors for pubertal progression before age 9.Conclusion: Pubertal progression seems to be slower in OW girls than in NW girls presenting with precocious breast development. However, it can progress rapidly in OW girls with particularly pronounced BA advancement and high LH levels at the initial workup.
‘Hackathon’ Almanzora Comparte: la fiesta del conocimiento
Authors:   Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Sanz Martos Sandra
Published: June 2022

El pasado 26 de mayo tuvo lugar, en la Escuela del Mármol de Fines, la V Edición de la Jornada Almanzora Comparte en formato hackathon. Con el doble de confirmaciones que en la entrega anterior, también se doblaron la ilusión y el compromiso. Más de 70 representantes del tejido empresarial, agrícola, ganadero, turístico, artesanal, político y social de la comarca del Almanzora participaron a lo largo del día de la dinámica del evento.
Mosaic fa 20 anys. Al món digital, això vol dir venir de lluny
Authors:   Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Soler-Adillon Joan
Published: June 2022

Mosaic va aparèixer el 2001, quan els més moderns tenien un Nokia 3310 i encara pagàvem amb pessetes. No hi havia xarxes socials, ni Youtube, i la música s’escoltava amb CD. El web era tota una altra cosa, i Internet no era imprescindible. Almenys no per a tothom. Mosaic va néixer, de la mà d’alguns d’aquests pioners per a qui les xarxes ja eren imprescindibles, per explicar què és el multimèdia, a Internet. Dues idees, multimèdia i Internet, que llavors encara s’havien d’explicar mentre anaven agafant força, fins a ser tan ubiqües avui que torna a caldre explicar-les. Continua fent falta entendre-les.
IMPACT OF CROP PRODUCTIVITY ON POVERTY AMONG FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN GHANA
Authors: Atta Oppong Boahen , E. Onumah Edward , M. Al-Hassan Ramatu , Mensah-Bonsu Akwasi
Published: June 2022

Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy I & II sought to increase crop productivity to reduce high poverty incidence in farm sector, but the magnitude of impact of the productivity on poverty is not present in all agro-ecological zones in Ghana. The aim of the study is to estimate poverty headcount ratio, poverty gap and poverty severity, and link crop productivity to poverty according to agroecology subject to a two-step instrumental variable regression technique using Pseudo Panel data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS rounds 5 & 6). Farmers’ poverty headcount ratio, poverty gap, and poverty severity reduced from 57%, 25%, and 14% in 2005 to 37%, 14%, and 7% in 2013 respectively. The result further indicates that 1% growth in crop productivity reduces the probability of poverty headcount ratio, poverty gap and poverty severity by 0.28%, 0.38% and 0.75% respectively in all agro-ecological zones. Additionally, the paper shows that education, livestock and remittance income reduces poverty, while household size and great distance to access water increase poverty differently from agro-ecology. The study recommends rapid crop productivity growth by prioritizing technology adoption and institutional coordination to suit agro-ecological conditions among the poor, illiterate and non-partisan.
POVERTY REDUCTION, INSTITUTIONS AND THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY
Authors: Olayinka Olaoye Olayide
Published: June 2022

The prime goal of the United Nations is to reduce poverty to the barest minimum in all economies of the world. Africa seem to be worst hit by poverty. Nigeria, has also experienced the consequences of poverty in the forms of kidnapping for money, extortion and so on. Although Nigeria has recorded growth in the economy over time, such growth has not succeeded in transforming the economy. This study therefore sets out to examine the relationship between poverty reduction and economic growth through the channel of institutional quality. Trickle-down theory formed the basis for the study which covered the period 1990-2019. Correlation analysis, Granger-causality as well as the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model were used. The study found that an inverse but weak relationship exists between poverty reduction and economic growth. Also, a unidirectional flow exists from voice and accountability (an indicator of institutional quality) to poverty reduction. Moreover, the study found a strong but negative influence of the rule of law on poverty reduction. Therefore, enforcement of law and order is crucial to poverty reduction in Nigeria. In addition, government expenditure on health has had positive impact on poverty reduction, while government expenditure on education has had negative impact on poverty reduction. Hence, government investment in providing more health facilities will help to reduce poverty in Nigeria. However, government should reconsider public spending on education in Nigeria. Government intervention in education should be limited to regulation and the provision of those educational facilities that face the free-rider problem.
Oportunidades del contenido de marca en medios tecnológicos
Authors: González Hernando Jorge , Martínez Borda Rut
Published: June 2022

Objetivo: Las empresas se encuentran en un nuevo escenario post-COVID19. Las tecnologías de la comunicación permiten la prestación de muchos servicios de forma no presencial o a distancia. En este contexto, los emprendedores y las pequeñas empresas pueden competir con las grandes corporaciones con estrategias de bajo coste. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el papel de estas tecnologías de la comunicación como herramientas de marketing y su capacidad para permitir a negocios de cualquier tamaño llegar al público objetivo con un gasto mínimo. Metodología: Se trata de una reflexión teórica sobre la estrategia de difusión de contenido de marca a través de medios tecnológicos. A partir de la literatura previa se realizará un análisis teórico de cómo esta estrategia podría adecuarse a esta nueva situación, atendiendo a sus características, costes y formas de propagación. Resultados: Parece que el contenido de marca en medios sociales, y en menor medida en aplicaciones móviles, ofrece amplias posibilidades de difusión a bajo coste. Una de las mayores ventajas que ofrece esta forma de comunicación en medios sociales es que los algoritmos de recomendación que emplean estos medios, hacen que el contenido insertado en ellos tenga la capacidad de buscar y conectar con el público al que se dirige. Limitaciones e implicaciones: Es un análisis cualitativo, apoyado en informes y literatura previa, lo que constituye una clara limitación. En el futuro, estudios cuantitativos sobre el éxito de estas estrategias y el posicionamiento de las empresas que las emplean, serían de utilidad. Contribución: Aporta una buena perspectiva sobre cómo emplear estas formas de difusión en el entorno actual. Aborda algunos aspectos clave de esta estrategia para cualquier tipo de negocio. Y destaca el valor del contenido en el éxito de la comunicación.
[Is there a solution to the drought? Recurrent water crises and the role of groundwater]
Authors: Rusi Sergio , Alberti Luca , Da Pelo Stefania , De Filippis Giovanna , Di Curzio Diego , Forte Giovanni , Lasagna Manuela , Petitta Marco , Piscopo Vincenzo , Preziosi Elisabetta , Rotiroti Marco , Taddia Glenda , Tazioli Alberto , Torri Riccardo , Valigi Daniela , Vincenzi Valentina
Published: June 2022

Not available
 
[In Italian]
CO2 sequestration in the subsoil and groundwater
Authors: Beretta Giovanni
Published: June 2022

Statistics for year 2020 show CO2 emission levels in Italy of 5 tons/inhabitant/year. At a planetary level, 300 Mton/year have been produced in Italy. For comparison, 4500 Mton/year were produced by the USA, 650 Mton/year by Germany and 11500 Mton/year by China. Greenhouse gas increase is a matter of concern, bringing about temperature increase on a global scale, which will impact in turn the hydrological cycle, thus also involving groundwater [...].
[General states of Geothermal - Rome, 16 June 2022]
Authors: Cerutti Paolo
Published: June 2022

Not Available
[In Italian]
Validation of a Light Source for Phototoxicity in in vitro Conditions
Authors:   Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko shosse Bulv., 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria, Iliev Ivan , Sulikovska Inna , Ivanova Elena , Dimitrova Mashenka , Nikolova Biliana ,   Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria, Andreeva Christina
Published: June 2022

Phototoxicity is a chemically induced skin irritation in the presence of sunlight. Phototoxic substances after irradiation with sunlight absorb and convert light energy into chemical energy, leading to the formation of highly reactive oxygen species with toxic effects. Recently LED technologies made possible their application for novel effective solar simulators, to be used in biology and medicine. We study the possibilities of application of LED sunlight simulator (Helios-iO, model LE-9ND55-H – 5500K) for in vitro testing of synthetic and natural products for phototoxicity. Cytotoxicity/phototoxicity was assessed by validated BALB/3T3 clone A31 Neutral Red Uptake Assay. The morphological alterations in BALB/3T3 cells induced by the Radachlorin® and irradiated with dose 2.4 J, were analyzed by fluorescent microscopy. The physical characteristics of the lamp were determined and the intensity distribution of the LED light over a model of a 96-well plate at a distance of 25 cm from the lamp diode matrix center was estimated. The obtained results show that the light emitted by the solar simulator used is similar to the natural sun light. The biological testing results reveal the high efficiency of the solar simulator in an in vitro experimental system for phototoxicity testing.
Experimental Testing of a Prototype of an Active Elbow Orthosis Based on in vivo Investigation of Elbow Flexion/Extension of Healthy Subjects
Authors:   Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria, Angelova Silvija , Petrov Emil , Raykov Plamen , Raikova Rositsa ,   Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Published: June 2022

Many people have problems with elbow joint driving because of different diseases, sport trauma, road traffic injuries, etc. A good way for restoring elbow motions is a self-rehabilitation using an active orthosis. It has to be light, convenient for daily use, active, easy to control by patients, and safe. The paper presents a prototype of an active elbow orthosis. The plastic details were designed using a CAD system and were 3D printed. The joint was driven by a Dynamixel actuator. To increase the joint moment, a reduction gear-belt drive was constructed and applied. Experiments with six healthy subjects were performed using a Noraxon measuring system, aiming to investigate elbow joint angles in natural movements with four different velocities of elbow flexion and extension without and with a load of 0.5 kg in the hand. The four velocities (from very slow to very fast) were controlled by a specialized PC application. In order to achieve similar motions of the orthosis, the angle profiles were approximated so that the motion was between 10° and 120° because of electro/mechanical and software safety stoppers. Experiments were performed with the orthosis following the given angle profile without load and with a load of 0.5 kg. The results show that the orthosis’ forearm performs the given angle and angular speed profiles with enough precision.
Connectomic analysis of the Drosophila lateral neuron clock cells reveals the synaptic basis of functional pacemaker classes
Authors: Shafer Orie T , Gutierrez Gabrielle J , Li Kimberly , Mildenhall Amber , Spira Daphna , Marty Jonathan , Lazar Aurel A , Fernandez Maria de la Paz
Published: June 2022

The circadian clock orchestrates daily changes in physiology and behavior to ensure internal temporal order and optimal timing across the day. In animals, a central brain clock coordinates circadian rhythms throughout the body and is characterized by a remarkable robustness that depends on synaptic connections between constituent neurons. The clock neuron network of Drosophila, which shares network motifs with clock networks in the mammalian brain yet is built of many fewer neurons, offers a powerful model for understanding the network properties of circadian timekeeping. Here, we report an assessment of synaptic connectivity within a clock network, focusing on the critical lateral neuron (LN) clock neuron classes within the Janelia hemibrain dataset. Our results reveal that previously identified anatomical and functional subclasses of LNs represent distinct connectomic types. Moreover, we identify a small number of non-clock cell subtypes representing highly synaptically coupled nodes within the clock neuron network. This suggests that neurons lacking molecular timekeeping likely play integral roles within the circadian timekeeping network. To our knowledge, this represents the first comprehensive connectomic analysis of a circadian neuronal network.
Genetic diversity analysis for wild and cultivated accessions of Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf using phytochemical and molecular markers
Authors: Shamsheer Bushra , Riaz Nadia , Yousaf Zubaida , Hyder Sajjad , Aftab Arusa , Iqbal Rashid , Rahman Muhammad Habib ur , Al-Ashkar Ibrahim , F. Almutairi Khalid , El Sabagh Ayman
Published: June 2022

Background

Genetic diversity is being lost because of increasing urbanization and decreasing cultivation land, which leads to the abrupt use of wild resources of medicinally aromatic plants (MAPs). Cymbopogon citratus is a morphologically diverse MAP that is largely exploited in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. However, the intraspecific phytochemical and molecular diversity of C. citratus has yet to be explored.

Methodology

The germplasm was obtained from four different countries representing Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and the United States. Oil extraction was performed by hydro distillation, and metabolic profiles of different accessions were generated by GC–MS. Seventeen functional molecular markers based on three genes encoding cytochrome P450, uridyl diphosphate glycosyltransferase and the 5S rRNA gene family were used to explore genetic diversity. Principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmaps were constructed using R software with the help of the gg-plot R package v1.0.5 for data validation.

Results

Among the 208 identified metabolites, citral was maximal, with a phytochemical contribution (1.92–27.73%), α-pinene (0.82–15.57%), verbenol (0.24–22.84%), neral (0.23–21.31%) and geranial acetate (0.43–15.65%). In the majority of accessions, citral was the dominant component. The highest concentration of citral was detected in 384541 (27.74%), 384527 (27.52%) belonging to Pakistan and one USA-based accession 38456 (27.71%). Region-specific grouping revealed a relationship between genetic diversity and geographical location. Pakistani accessions 384518, 38452, and 384544 genetically and 384535, 384518, and 384510 were phytochemically diverse.

Conclusion

The genetic diversity was more pronounced in cultivated accessions than in wild accessions. Moreover, it was observed that phytochemical diversity correlated with the altitude and temperature of the region.
Fungal diversity in shade-coffee plantations in Soconusco, Mexico
Authors: Zarza Eugenia , López-Pastrana Alejandra , Damon Anne , Guillén-Navarro Karina , García-Fajardo Luz Verónica
Published: June 2022

Background

As forested natural habitats disappear in the world, traditional, shade-coffee plantations offer an opportunity to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. Traditional coffee plantations maintain a diversity of tree species that provide shade for coffee bushes and, at the same time, are important repositories for plants and animals that inhabited the original cloud forest. However, there is still little information about shade-coffee plantation’s fungal diversity despite their relevance for ecosystem functioning as decomposers, symbionts and pathogens. Specifically, it is unknown if and what mycorrhizae-forming fungi can be found on the branches and trunks of coffee bushes and trees, which hold a diversity of epiphytes. Here, we evaluate fungal communities on specific plant microsites on both coffee bushes and shade trees. We investigate the ecological roles played by this diversity, with a special focus on mycorrhizae-forming fungi that may enable the establishment and development of epiphytic plants.

Methods

We collected 48 bark samples from coffee bushes and shade trees (coffee; tree), from four plant microsites (upper and lower trunks, branches and twigs), in two shade-coffee plantations in the Soconusco region in southern Mexico, at different altitudes. We obtained ITS amplicon sequences that served to estimate alpha and beta diversity, to assign taxonomy and to infer the potential ecological role played by the detected taxa.

Results

The bark of shade trees and coffee bushes supported high fungal diversity (3,783 amplicon sequence variants). There were no strong associations between community species richness and collection site, plant type or microsite. However, we detected differences in beta diversity between collection sites. All trophic modes defined by FUNGuild database were represented in both plant types. However, when looking into guilds that involve mycorrhizae formation, the CLAM test suggests that coffee bushes are more likely to host taxa that may function as mycorrhizae.

Discussion

We detected high fungal diversity in shade-coffee plantations in Soconusco, Chiapas, possibly remnants of the original cloud forest ecosystem. Several mycorrhiza forming fungi guilds occur on the bark of coffee bushes and shade trees in this agroecosystem, with the potential of supporting epiphyte establishment and development. Thus, traditional coffee cultivation could be part of an integrated strategy for restoration and conservation of epiphytic populations. This is particularly relevant for conservation of threatened species of Orchidaceae that are highly dependent on mycorrhizae formation.
Agricultural big data and methods and models for food security analysis—a mini-review
Authors: Ammar Khalil A. , Kheir Ahmed M.S. , Manikas Ioannis
Published: June 2022

Background

Big data and data analysis methods and models are important tools in food security (FS) studies for gap analysis and preparation of appropriate analytical frameworks. These innovations necessitate the development of novel methods for collecting, storing, processing, and extracting data.

Methodology

The primary goal of this study was to conduct a critical review of agricultural big data and methods and models used for FS studies published in peer-reviewed journals since 2010. Approximately 130 articles were selected for full content review after the pre-screening process.

Results

There are different sources of data collection, including but not limited to online databases, the internet, omics, Internet of Things, social media, survey rounds, remote sensing, and the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database. The collected data require analysis (i.e., mining, neural networks, Bayesian networks, and other ML algorithms) before data visualization using Python, R, Circos, Gephi, Tableau, or Cytoscape. Approximately 122 models, all of which were used in FS studies worldwide, were selected from 130 articles. However, most of these models addressed only one or two dimensions of FS (i.e., availability and access) and ignored the other dimensions (i.e., stability and utilization), creating a gap in the global context.

Conclusions

There are certain FS gaps both worldwide and in the United Arab Emirates that need to be addressed by scientists and policymakers. Following the identification of the drivers, policies, and indicators, the findings of this review could be used to develop an appropriate analytical framework for FS and nutrition.
Unusual Presentation of Echinococcosis Causing Diagnostic Dilemma by Mimicking Neoplasm Clinically: A Case Series
Authors: Londhe Mangesh Machindra , Patil Tushar Vitthalrao , Suryawanshi Kishor Hiraman , Digraskar Grishma Satishrao
Published: June 2022

Echinococcosis (hydatid disease) is caused by the cestode parasite belonging to genus Echinococcus (tapeworm). It is found frequently in rural areas where domestic livestock-raising is common. Globally, it is endemic in Middle East, Africa, South America, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey and Southern Europe including India. Even though echinococcosis can occur in any organ, it is very rare to see the disease at the sites reported in this article. Even at common sites, the way of presentation might be unusual causing diagnostic dilemma. Hence, current study was undertaken to evaluate the different unusual presentations of echinococcosis and to emphasise that it should be suspected in cystic lesions, especially in endemic areas. A series of six cases of echinococcosis over the period of three years (January 2017-December 2019) has been reported here. The correlation of clinical features, radiological with intraoperative findings (frozen section) wherever available and confirmatory diagnosis given on histopathology was attempted. All six cases which were suspected as neoplasm based on clinical and radiological findings turned out to be echinococcosis on cytopathology and histopathology. The sites involved were breast, brain, ovary, lung single case each followed by two cases in liver. Multisystem involvement was seen in only one case. Thus, the study conclude that echinococcosis can mimic cystic neoplasm clinico-radiologically and hence, should be considered as a differential diagnosis of cystic lesions irrespective of its endemicity, site and clinical presentation.
Clinico-haematological Profile in Acid Fast Bacilli Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients at Tertiary Care Centre in Raichur, Karnataka
Authors: Kulkarni Shruti , Shankar Anand Anantharao , Khan Sanobar Shamim , Yaranal Parasappa Joteppa
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in India and it remains an epidemic, affecting one third of the population. It manifests with diversified haematological manifestations of varying severity like anaemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis and raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels. Therefore, monitoring clinical and haematological alterations in sputum positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) patients necessitates the need for deliberation of supportive care and varied treatment options that would amplify the treatment outcome. This study was carried out to explore the early changes and the relationship between the social risk factors like smoking, alcohol intake and the haematological profile of TB patients which will help in early identification of altered haematological parameters and in minimising the risk of transmission among susceptible population. Aim: To do analysis of various haematological manifestations in sputum positive PTB patients and to evaluate diagnostic and prognostic significance. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted over a period of six months between November 2019 to April 2020 on 50 PTB patients referred by Department of Respiratory Medicine, Navodaya Medical College, Raichur. Patients who were on Anti-Tubercular Treatment (ATT), extra-PTB patients, pregnant women and those with any other major co-morbid condition were excluded from the study. All patients were thoroughly examined clinically and investigated with plain chest x-ray, complete blood count; ESR, PS examination and sputum for acid-fast bacilli stained with Ziehl-Neelsen (Z-N) stain and AFB grading charts were used according to Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). Data collected was analysed by SPSS software version 16.0 and Chi-square test was used to calculate the sample size. Results: Of total 50 cases of PTB, there were 30 males and 20 females and mean age of patient was 44 years. Commonest haematological parameters raised were ESR (48 cases; 96%) followed by anaemia (45 cases; 90%), neutrophilia (36 cases; 72%), leukocytosis (24 cases; 48%) and thrombocytosis (12 cases; 24%). The frequent peripheral smear picture was Microcytic Hypochromic Anaemia (MHA) (27 cases; 54%) followed by normocytic normochromic anaemia (21 cases; 42%) and least common was macrocytic anaemia (2 cases; 4%). There was significant improvement in all haematological parameters after three months of treatment, with sputum conversion of PTB cases (75%). Conclusion: TB can lead to heterogenous and diversified haematological abnormalities like anaemia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, thrombocytosis and raised ESR. These haematological parameters can be a guide to assess the improvement of TB patients after ATT which indirectly speaks about the improvement in immune response.
\(200 ^{th}\) Birth Anniversary of the Genetics Founder Gregor Mendel; Art Medals
Authors: Barshteyn Victor , Blume Yaroslav
Published: June 2022

Objective: To explore and introduce into scientific circulation art medals ˗ tangible historical sources studied by medal art, a section of the special historical discipline of numismatics, related to the life and work of Gregor Mendel.

Place and Duration of the Study: Institute of Food Biotechnology and Genomics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, from January to April 2022.

Methodology: Both general scientific (historical, logical) and special (subject-chronological, retrospective) methods were used in the work. Numismatic and biological literature, materials of international numismatic auctions, and websites of world mints have been studied.

Results: Art medals of the Czech Republic, the USA, Germany, Austria, Portugal and the European Community relating to life and scientific heritage of Gregor Mendel have been studied and described.

Conclusion: The study has become a new step in the development of the history of biological science, supplementing the knowledge of the artistic reflection of the origins of genetics in the art of medal. Material historical sources ˗ art medals, enabled us to capture the pages of the biography and scientific work of Gregor Mendel in a new plane, introducing the medals into scientific (biological) circulation.
Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Chemical Process Control
Authors: Wang Haonan , Chen Yijia
Published: June 2022

An important data-driven model is the artificial neural network. Artificial neural networks have been widely used in many domains of chemical processes due to its robustness, fault tolerance, self-adaptive capability, and self-learning ability. For the chemical process with nonlinearity and strong coupling, artificial neural networks can model and control the process well and make up for the lack of traditional PID control technology. As a result, ANN has emerged as a significant positive trend for chemical process control. In this paper, the principle, development history, and common structure of artificial neural networks are first outlined. Then the role of artificial neural networks in chemical process control is introduced in three aspects: improved PID control, improved model predictive control, and for hybrid models. The important effect of artificial neural networks in chemical process control is reflected by comparison. Finally, it is proposed that chemical process control can be more developed by applying more deep learning algorithms and developing multiple neural networks and hybrid models in chemical process control.
Some Elementary Properties of Kurzweil-Henstock-Stieltjes Integral on \(\mathbb{R}^n\)
Authors: Macaso Justine Bryle C. , Flores Greig Bates C.
Published: June 2022

Kurzweil-Henstock integral is a generalization of the Reimann integral. In this paper, we established the definition of Kurzweil-Henstock-Stieltjes integral on \(\mathbb{R}\)n via gauge type approach where integrand and integrator are all real-valued functions defined on a compact interval in \(\mathbb{R}\)n. Moreover, the Cauchy Criterion is established. To this end, some underlying simple properties of this integral are studied, specifically, uniqueness, linearity, monotonocity, integrability over a subset, and additivity. Results gathered in this paper may serve as a foundation to some related studies such as the notion of convergence with respect to this integral, and the formulation of the Saks-Henstock Lemma.
Effect of FYM and Zinc Nutrition on Growth and Productivity of Pea (Pysum sativum L.) in Kashmir Conditions
Authors: Anayat Rakshanda , Mufti Shahnaz , Rashid Zahida , Parveen Shahnaz , Ali Angrej , Khan Inayat Mustafa , Bhat Faisal Nabi , Parray Feroz , Shakeel Mehnaz
Published: June 2022

Present experiment carried out at Vegetable Farm, FOA (SKUAS-K) Wadura, Kashmir (India) to determine the influence of Farmyard manure (FYM) and Zinc nutrition on pea productivity. The experiment was set up in Factorial RBD with sixteen treatments and three replications. Pea variety PS-1100 was taken as experimental material. Growth height, yield attributing characteristics, and pod yield were recorded and statistically analysed. Both Zinc and FYM nutrition treatments showed a substantial impact on plant growth, yield and yield attributing characters in pea. Results revealed that treatment combination of Zinc at 5 kg ha-1 + FYM at 350 q ha-1 outperformed than other treatment combinations in terms of maximum pods plant-1 (20.8), length of pods (9.4 cm), grain pod-1 (9.8), pod weight (12.7g) and pod yield (71.2 q ha-1). In conclusion, Zinc at 5 kg ha-1 + FYM at 350 q ha-1 is an effective dosage for maximizing pea pod production about 11.0 per cent greater than the control in Kashmir conditions.
Standardization of Sampling Technique for the Estimation of Guava Production in Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Bansal Smriti , Mahajan P. K. , Gupta R. K. , Chandel Ashu , Devi Sarita , Rattan Ajay
Published: June 2022

The present study focuses on standardization of sampling technique and comparison of sample allocation methods. The goal of stratification is to provide a better cross-section of the population in order to increase relative accuracy. For this purpose, Primary data on area and production of guava were obtained from 275 respondents of Himachal Pradesh through a well-designed and pre-tested survey approach. The optimum stratification points were found by using the auxiliary variable "area under guava" as the stratification variable. Four methods, namely, Equalization of strata totals, Equalization of cumulative \(\sqrt{f(y)}\) . Equalization of cumulative \(1 / 2[r(y)+f(y)]\) and Equalization of cumulative \(\sqrt[3]{f(y)}\) were used for the construction of approximate optimum strata boundaries for varying numbers of strata (L= 2,3,4,5) and sample sizes ni = 60, 90, 120. The sample was allocated to different strata according to proportional and Neyman allocation methods. The minimum estimate of the variance of of guava production and maximum gain in efficiency was found to be 0.004 and 418.11 percent respectively in Equalization of cumulative \(\sqrt[3]{f(y)}\) rule for n =120 and L = 5 under Neymann allocation.
Character Interrelationship and Principle Component Analysis of Some Black Gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) Genotypes under Moisture Stress Deficit Environment
Authors: Bordoloi Dibosh , Sarma Akashi , Sarma Debojit
Published: June 2022

Two pot experiments were conducted with ten black gram genotypes during winter in the net house of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Assam Agricultural University, Assam. The present experiment was conducted to assess the character interrelationship and grouping of genotypes based on their performance under water stress. The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment in a complete randomized block design with three replications and two environments (Non-stress & Stress environments). The plant was exposed to drought stress during the first flower bud initiation (i.e., 33 days after sowing). The genotypes were screened on the basis of the results of multivariate analysis viz., pearson correlation, path analysis, modified path analysis, cluster analysis based on usual Euclidean distance and principal component analysis. The Pearson correlation, path analysis and modified path analysis identified the proline content and pod per plant as the critical yield determinants under both the environments. Besides, other significant yield contributing traits for water deficit stress were leaf area, chlorophyll content, pod length and seeds per pod. Usual Euclidean distance-based clustering categorized the genotypes into three groups with substantial variation in cluster composition of both stress and non-stress environment. Based on the relationship of characters and genotypes to the PC 1, it can be concluded that the genotypes AKU 10-6 and SBC 40 can be selected for Number of seeds per pod, Chlorophyll content, number of pods per plant and grain yield per plant characters for breeding purposes in both the environments.