bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and impact of antiplatelet therapy cessation among very older patients with stable coronary artery disease
Authors: Zou Xiao , Wang Liang , Sun Sha-Sha , Hu Yi-Xin , Liu Hong-Wei , Wang Hao , Cao Jian , Liu Hong-Bin , Fan Li
Published: June 2023

Objectives: Long-term use of evidence-based antiplatelet therapy is recommended for management of stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). However, non-adherence to antiplatelet drugs is common in older patients. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and impact of antiplatelet therapy cessation on clinical outcomes of older patients with SCAD.

Methods: A total of 351 consecutive eligible very older patients (≥80 years) with SCAD from the PLA General Hospital were included. Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes were collected during follow-up. Patients were divided into cessation group and standard group based on whether discontinuing of antiplatelet drugs. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and secondary outcomes were minor bleeding and all-cause mortality.

Results: A total of 351 participants, with a mean age of 91.76 ± 5.01 years old (range 80–106 years) were included in statistical analysis. The antiplatelet drug cessation rate was 60.1%. There were 211 patients in cessation group and 140 patients in standard group. During a median follow-up of 98.6 months, the primary outcome of MACE occurred in 155 patients (73.5%) in the cessation group and 84 patients (60.0%) in the standard group (HR = 1.476, 95% CI:1.124-1.938, p = 0.005). Cessation of antiplatelet drugs increased the rates of angina (HR = 1.724, 95% CI:1.211-2.453, p = 0.002) and non-fatal MI (HR = 1.569, 95% CI:1.093-2.251, p = 0.014). The secondary outcomes of minor bleeding and all-cause mortality were similar between the two groups.

Conclusion: Among very older patients with SCAD, antiplatelet therapy cessation significantly increased the risk of MACE, and continuous antiplatelet drug therapy didn’t increase the risk of minor bleeding.
TMS-evoked potential in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to assess the severity of depression disease: a TMS-EEG study
Authors: Li Xingxing , Chen Meng , Liu Qinqin , Zheng Chao , Yu Chang , Hou Guangwei , Chen Zan , Chen Yiqing , Chen Yinping , Zhu Guidong , Zhou Dongsheng , Xu Weiqian
Published: June 2023

Objective: The combined use of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG), as a powerful technique that can non-invasively probe the state of the brain, can be used as a method to study neurophysiological markers in the field of psychiatric disorders and discover potential diagnostic predictors. This study used TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) to study the cortical activity of patients with major depressive disorder depression (MDD) and the correlation with clinical symptoms to provide an electrophysiological basis for the clinical diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 41 patients and 42 healthy controls were recruited to study. Using TMS-EEG techniques to measure the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) ‘s TEP index and evaluate the clinical symptoms of MDD patients using the Hamilton Depression Scale-24 (HAMD-24).

Results: MDD subjects performing TMS-EEG on the DLPFC showed lower cortical excitability P60 index levels than healthy controls. Further analysis revealed that the degree of P60 excitability within the DLPFC of MDD patients was significantly negatively correlated with the severity of depression.

Conclusion: The low levels of P60 exhibited in DLPFC reflect low excitability in MDD; the P60 component can be used as a biomarker for MDD in clinical assessment tools.
Sensitivity to nuclear data of the design of the IFMIF-DONES beam dump
Authors: Lopez Victor , Ogando Francisco , Sauvan Patrick
Published: June 2023

During the commissioning and start-up phases of IFMIF-DONES, the 40 MeV deuteron beam will be stopped in a conical beam stopper made of copper, giving rise to intense neutron fields. Accurate coupled deuteron-neutron transport simulations are required in order to prevent the potential risks to the workers and equipment involved. However, the experimental data concerning the neutron emission under these circumstances is scarce and limited to a particular range of energies. Different deuteron nuclear data libraries such as JENDL-5 and special files of TENDL-2021 exhibit some differences on the spectrum of the emitted neutrons. The differences are present in the high energy tails, beyond the available experimental data. Calculations of the prompt neutron fields have been performed employing both deuteron data libraries, as well as employing an estimation of the neutron energy-angle distribution derived from experimental data at different irradiation energies. Even though the high energy tails represent a small part of the flux, they have a major impact on the dose rates. The disparity of the results evinces large uncertainties in the IFMIF-DONES beam dump design process. Further experiments are required in order to resolve the differences among nuclear data libraries and reduce the uncertainty.
Cultivar-dependent differences in tuber growth cause increased soil resistance in potato fields
Authors: Skilleter Patrick , Nelson David , Dodd Ian C.
Published: June 2023

Since soil compaction of potato fields delays shoot emergence and decreases total yield, the causes and effects of this compaction need to be better understood. In a controlled environment trial with young (before tuber initiation) plants, roots of cv. Inca Bella (a phureja group cultivar) were more sensitive to increased soil resistance (3.0 MPa) than cv. Maris Piper (a tuberosum group cultivar). Such variation was hypothesized to cause yield differences in two field trials, in which compaction treatments were applied after tuber planting. Trial 1 increased initial soil resistance from 0.15 MPa to 0.3 MPa. By the end of the growing season, soil resistance increased three-fold in the upper 20 cm of the soil, but resistance in Maris Piper plots was up to twice that of Inca Bella plots. Maris Piper yield was 60% higher than Inca Bella and independent of soil compaction treatment, whilst compacted soil reduced Inca Bella yield by 30%. Trial 2 increased initial soil resistance from 0.2 MPa to 1.0 MPa. Soil resistance in the compacted treatments increased to similar, cultivar-dependent resistances as trial 1. Maris Piper yield was 12% higher than Inca Bella, but cultivar variation in yield response to compacted soil did not occur. Soil water content, root growth and tuber growth were measured to determine whether these factors could explain cultivar differences in soil resistance. Soil water content was similar between cultivars, thus did not cause soil resistance to vary between cultivars. Root density was insufficient to cause observed increases soil resistance. Finally, differences in soil resistance between cultivars became significant during tuber initiation, and became more pronounced until harvest. Increased tuber biomass volume (yield) of Maris Piper increased estimated mean soil density (and thus soil resistance) more than Inca Bella. This increase seems to depend on initial compaction, as soil resistance did not significantly increase in uncompacted soil. While increased soil resistance caused cultivar-dependent restriction of root density of young plants that was consistent with cultivar variation in yield, tuber growth likely caused cultivar-dependent increases in soil resistance in field trials, which may have further limited Inca Bella yield.
Targeted single-cell gene induction by optimizing the dually regulated CRE/loxP system by a newly defined heat-shock promoter and the steroid hormone in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Tomoi Takumi , Tameshige Toshiaki , Betsuyaku Eriko , Hamada Saki , Sakamoto Joe , Uchida Naoyuki , Torii Keiko U. , Shimizu Kentaro K. , Tamada Yosuke , Urawa Hiroko , Okada Kiyotaka , Fukuda Hiroo , Tatematsu Kiyoshi , Kamei Yasuhiro , Betsuyaku Shigeyuki
Published: June 2023

Multicellular organisms rely on intercellular communication systems to organize their cellular functions. In studies focusing on intercellular communication, the key experimental techniques include the generation of chimeric tissue using transgenic DNA recombination systems represented by the CRE/loxP system. If an experimental system enables the induction of chimeras at highly targeted cell(s), it will facilitate the reproducibility and precision of experiments. However, multiple technical limitations have made this challenging. The stochastic nature of DNA recombination events, especially, hampers reproducible generation of intended chimeric patterns. Infrared laser-evoked gene operator (IR-LEGO), a microscopic system that irradiates targeted cells using an IR laser, can induce heat shock-mediated expression of transgenes, for example, CRE recombinase gene, in the cells. In this study, we developed a method that induces CRE/loxP recombination in the target cell(s) of plant roots and leaves in a highly specific manner. We combined IR-LEGO, an improved heat-shock-specific promoter, and dexamethasone-dependent regulation of CRE. The optimal IR-laser power and irradiation duration were estimated via exhaustive irradiation trials and subsequent statistical modeling. Under optimized conditions, CRE/loxP recombination was efficiently induced without cellular damage. We also found that the induction efficiency varied among tissue types and cellular sizes. The developed method offers an experimental system to generate a precisely designed chimeric tissue, and thus, will be useful for analyzing intercellular communication at high resolution in roots and leaves.
Roles of a CCR4–NOT complex component GmNOT4-1 in regulating soybean nodulation
Authors: Zheng Jiangtao , Sun Lili , Wang Dongmei , He Lin , Du Weijun , Guo Shujin , Wang Lixiang
Published: June 2023

Legume-rhizobial symbiotic nitrogen fixation is the most efficient nitrogen assimilation system in the ecosystem. In the special interaction between organ–root nodules, legumes supply rhizobial carbohydrates for their proliferation, while rhizobials provide host plants with absorbable nitrogen. Nodule initiation and formation require a complex molecular dialogue between legumes and rhizobia, which involves the accurate regulation of a series of legume genes. The CCR4–NOT complex is a conserved multi-subunit complex with functions regulating gene expression in many cellular processes. However, the functions of the CCR4–NOT complex in rhizobia–host interactions remain unclear. In this study, we identified seven members of the NOT4 family in soybean and further classified them into three subgroups. Bioinformatic analysis showed that NOT4s shared relatively conserved motifs and gene structures in each subgroup, while there were significant differences between NOT4s in the different subgroups. Expression profile analysis indicated that NOT4s may be involved in nodulation in soybean, as most of them were induced by Rhizobium infection and highly expressed in nodules. We further selected GmNOT4-1 to clarify the biological function of these genes in soybean nodulation. Interestingly, we found that either GmNOT4-1 overexpression or down-regulation of GmNOT4-1 by RNAi or CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing would suppress the number of nodules in soybean. Intriguingly, alterations in the expression of GmNOT4-1 repressed the expression of genes in the Nod factor signaling pathway. This research provides new insight into the function of the CCR4–NOT family in legumes and reveals GmNOT4-1 to be a potent gene for regulating symbiotic nodulation.
Identification of candidate gene for the defective kernel phenotype using bulked segregant RNA and exome capture sequencing methods in wheat
Authors: Tang Hao , Dong Huixue , Guo Xiaojiang , Cheng Mengping , Li Maolian , Chen Qian , Yuan Zhongwei , Pu Zhien , Wang Jirui
Published: June 2023

Wheat is a significant source of protein and starch worldwide. The defective kernel (Dek) mutant AK-3537, displaying a large hollow area in the endosperm and shrunken grain, was obtained through ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) treatment of the wheat cultivar Aikang 58 (AK58). The mode of inheritance of the AK-3537 grain Dek phenotype was determined to be recessive with a specific statistical significance level. We used bulked segregant RNA-seq (BSR-seq), BSA-based exome capture sequencing (BSE-seq), and the ΔSNP-index algorithm to identify candidate regions for the grain Dek phenotype. Two major candidate regions, DCR1 (Dek candidate region 1) and DCR2, were identified on chromosome 7A between 279.98 and 287.93 Mb and 565.34 and 568.59 Mb, respectively. Based on transcriptome analysis and previous reports, we designed KASP genotyping assays based on SNP variations in the candidate regions and speculated that the candidate gene is TraesCS7A03G0625900 (HMGS-7A), which encodes a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase. One SNP variation located at position 1,049 in the coding sequence (G>A) causes an amino acid change from Gly to Asp. The research suggests that functional changes in HMGS-7A may affect the expression of key enzyme genes involved in wheat starch syntheses, such as GBSSII and SSIIIa.
Transcriptome analysis reveals the high ribosomal inhibitory action of 1,4-naphthoquinone on Meloidogyne luci infective second-stage juveniles
Authors: Cardoso Joana M. S. , Esteves Ivânia , Egas Conceição , Braga Mara E. M. , de Sousa Hermínio C. , Abrantes Isabel , Maleita Carla
Published: June 2023

The root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne luci presents a threat to the production of several important crops. This nematode species was added to the European Plant Protection Organization Alert list in 2017. The scarce availability of efficient nematicides to control RKN and the phasing out of nematicides from the market have intensified the search for alternatives, such as phytochemicals with bionematicidal properties. The nematicidal activity of 1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4-NTQ) against M. luci has been demonstrated; however, knowledge of the potential mode(s) of action of this compound is still scarce. In this study, the transcriptome profile of M. luci second-stage juveniles (J2), the infective stage, in response to 1,4-NTQ exposure was determined by RNA-seq to identify genes and pathways that might be involved in 1,4-NTQ’s mode(s) of action. Control treatments, consisting of nematodes exposed to Tween® 80 (1,4-NTQ solvent) and to water, were included in the analysis. A large set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was found among the three tested conditions, and a high number of downregulated genes were found between 1,4-NTQ treatment and water control, reflecting the inhibitory effect of this compound on M. luci, with a great impact on processes related to translation (ribosome pathway). Several other nematode gene networks and metabolic pathways affected by 1,4-NTQ were also identified, clarifying the possible mode of action of this promising bionematicide.
Economic evaluation of tele-resuscitation intervention on emergency department pediatric visits in the Niagara Region, Canada a pilot study
Authors: Pace A. , Faught B. E. , Law M. , Mateus L. , Roy M. , Sulowski C. , Khowaja A.
Published: June 2023

Introduction

The use of telemedicine in critical care is emerging, however, there is a paucity of information surrounding the costs relative to health gains in the pediatric population. This study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a pediatric tele-resuscitation (Peds-TECH) intervention compared to the usual care in five community hospital emergency departments (EDs). Using a decision tree analysis approach with secondary retrospective data from a 3-year time period, this cost-effectiveness analysis was completed.

Methods

A mixed methods quasi-experimental design was embedded in the economic evaluation of Peds-TECH intervention. Patients aged <18 years triaged as Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale 1 or 2 at EDs were eligible to receive the intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted with parents/caregivers to explore the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses. Patient-level health resource utilization was extracted from Niagara Health databases. The Peds-TECH budget calculated one-time technology and operational costs per patient. Base-case analyses determined the incremental cost per year of life lost (YLL) averted, and additional sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results.

Results

Odds ratio for mortality among cases was 0.498 (95% CI: 0.173, 1.43). The average cost of a patient receiving the Peds-TECH intervention was $2,032.73 compared to $317.45 in usual care. In total, 54 patients received the Peds-TECH intervention. Fewer children died in the intervention group resulting in 4.71 YLL. The probabilistic analysis revealed an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $64.61 per YLL averted.

Conclusion

Peds-TECH appears to be a cost-effective intervention for resuscitating infants/children in hospital emergency departments.
Exploring sustainability literacy: developing and assessing a bottom-up measure of what students know about sustainability
Authors: Kuehl Colin , Sparks Aaron C. , Hodges Heather , Smith Eric R. A. N.
Published: June 2023

With many organizations, particularly higher education institutions, placing a priority on sustainability education it is important to have a measure of sustainability knowledge to assess growth over time. There have been several attempts using differing approaches to develop a valid assessment tool. However, given wide-ranging conceptual definitions of sustainability and diverse instructional techniques, we are skeptical that sustainability is a concept that can adequately be measured. The existing measures were developed using a top-down approach to question inclusion the questionnaire. As an alternative, in this paper we develop a new measure, using a bottom-up approach. In Study 1 with a sample from the University of California, Santa Barbara, we test the 44 item instrument with a large student sample. In Study 2, with a sample from Northern Illinois University, we test a shortened 10 item instrument in a different student population. Across both studies, we find little evidence for a coherent structure to sustainability knowledge. Yet, the 10 item measure correlates highly with the longer version and may be suitable to other research applications.
The relationship between social life and emotions. Adam Ferguson and sociology
Authors: Bevilacqua Emiliano
Published: June 2023

Adam Ferguson has a leading position among those who have developed a sociological interpretation of modernity that dismiss metaphysics without following the echoes of rationalism. Ferguson outlines a vision of social life that correlates the analysis of individual behavior to the study of social context and institutions. Consistently with this approach, the Scottish scholar emphasizes the multidimensionality of human beings without forgetting the non-rational features of social behavior. This essay aims to discuss Ferguson's thought with a special attention to the importance of the emotions in social life, so as to enhance the contribution of classical sociology to the analysis of the emotionality. Ferguson, in fact, argues that emotions have a leading role in shaping the behaviors and values of individuals. Developed in the context of Scottish Enlightenment, Ferguson's sociology shows how the study of modern society can be reconciled with a reasonable as well as emotional approach to social life.
Holo-omic applications to unveil microbiome shaping sustainable horticultural production
Authors: Ait-El-Mokhtar Mohamed , Baslam Marouane
Published: June 2023

Plant-associated microorganisms play a key role in the future sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. In nature, plants and their associated microbiome can form an assemblage of species, considered interacting metaorganisms or holobionts. Horticultural plants, including vegetables, fruit and berries, and ornamentals live in intimate association with complex and diverse microbial communities that have evolved a myriad of cooperative and competitive interaction mechanisms that shape the holobiont fitness. Nonetheless, our understanding of these interactions in shaping more complex microbial horticulture communities, along with their relevance for host growth, fitness, stress resilience, and health in a more natural context remains sparse. In this perspective, the holo-omic landscape that requires careful consideration of study design and integrates multi-omic data from both host and microbiota domains is a promising approach to unveil the interplay between the two to advance horticultural production. The analysis of horticulture (meta)-omics and phenotyping, along with mechanistic experiments in model systems, is revolutionizing research by enhancing our ability to understand the structure and core function of the plant-associated microbiome. These advancements are complemented by improvements in the throughput and accuracy of DNA sequencing, enabling us to delve deeper into the genomes of microbial communities. Yet, many challenges remain. We focus this review on the potential for holo-omics to generate a more holistic perspective of molecular networks, and we further discuss the implementation and current limitations of the holo-omic approach within microbial horticulture. We argue that holo-omics will pave the way to improve, from a horticultural perspective, food security and safety, sustainability, breeding practices, development of microbiota- and host-tailored horticultural crops’ health treatments and increasing production efficiency.
Thrust and Noise Experimental Assessment on Counter-Rotating Coaxial Rotors
Authors: Russo Nicola , Marano Aniello Daniele , Gagliardi Giuseppe Maurizio , Guida Michele , Polito Tiziano , Marulo Francesco
Published: June 2023

Multirotors are gaining great importance in the layout of innovative and more agile mobility. In this framework, a possible solution to developing an aircraft complying with the stringent size requirements characterizing this type of application may be a coaxial rotor configuration. To exploit several possibilities linked to coaxial rotors, a scaled experimental model is designed to evaluate the performances of the counter-rotating propeller system, specifically regarding the distance between the two propellers. Both thrust and noise are considered as parameters of interest. Two brushless motors are deployed, whereas the propellers’ angular velocity, in terms of rounds per minute (rpm), is controlled by an external control system. Tests are conducted on both single isolated propellers as well as on the counter-rotating system: the two propellers and their respective motors are characterized regarding the thrust. Furthermore, a comparison with a numerical model is performed. Noise evaluation on the single propeller shows a motor contribution prevalence at a low rpm range (1140–1500 rpm) and a propeller prevalence for angular velocities higher than 1860 rpm. By varying the distances between the propellers, a sensitivity analysis is performed with the aim of identifying the optimum configuration, taking into account both noise and thrust performances.
Life Cycle Assessment of Olive Oil Production in Turkey, a Territory with an Intensive Production Project
Authors: Ruiz-Carrasco Beatriz , Fernández-Lobato Lázuli , López-Sánchez Yaiza , Vera David
Published: June 2023

The global warming fight should focus on agriculture, especially on olive crops, due to their potential role in combating it. One of the leading olive oil-producing countries is Turkey; therefore, evaluating and quantifying the environmental impacts of its olive oil production is essential. This is the first analysis of Turkey that encompasses both the farming and the industrial phases through a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA). As a representative value chain, it was considered an intensive system, according to the representativeness of rainfed and irrigated areas, with two-phase and three-phase olive oil extraction in Turkey. In the climate change category, analysis results gave a value of 3.04 kg of CO2 equivalent for 1 kg of unpackaged virgin olive oil. The phase that contributes the most in all impact categories is the farming phase (2.53 kg of CO2 equivalent), whereas the most impactful activities are fertilization and irrigation (69.5% of impact in this stage). The results have been compared to others obtained by different value chains, revealing an intermediate position in environmental impact. It can be concluded that better agricultural practices should be implemented, including the optimization of energy and water systems, in order to minimize the negative environmental effect of olive oil production.
Critical Issues Facing the Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Industries in the State of Georgia
Authors: Lamm Kevan W. , Pike Lauren , Griffeth Lauren , Park Jiyea , Idun Andrews
Published: June 2023

Throughout the United States, the agricultural, forestry, and natural resource industries are facing a multitude of challenges. While each industry is facing unique challenges on a national level, these challenges vary in scope and topic, and they are not necessarily generalizable to smaller geographic regions. Based on the socio-economic importance of agriculture in the state, along with five distinct geographic regions ranging from coastal to mountainous, this study compiled a comprehensive list of critical issues facing the agricultural, forestry, and natural resource industries in the state of Georgia. The study used the Delphi methodology with an expert panel composed of agricultural, forestry, and natural resource opinion leaders. Using a three-round consensus-building process, a total of 40 critical issues were identified with eight items receiving 100% agreement amongst the panelists. The final list of items were then analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify themes within the retained items. Six themes emerged based on the analysis, including (alphabetically) economic considerations, operations and infrastructure, policy, public perceptions, regulations, and workforce. The proposed themes, and subsumed critical issues, represent a heuristic framework within which to facilitate dialogue amongst agricultural, forestry, and natural-resource-related industries, as well as inform future research and praxis oriented efforts.
Application of Machine Learning and Neural Networks to Predict the Yield of Cereals, Legumes, Oilseeds and Forage Crops in Kazakhstan
Authors: Sadenova Marzhan , Beisekenov Nail , Varbanov Petar Sabev , Pan Ting
Published: June 2023

The article provides an overview of the accuracy of various yield forecasting algorithms and offers a detailed explanation of the models and machine learning algorithms that are required for crop yield forecasting. A unified crop yield forecasting methodology is developed, which can be adjusted by adding new indicators and extensions. The proposed methodology is based on remote sensing data taken from free sources. Experiments were carried out on crops of cereals, legumes, oilseeds and forage crops in eastern Kazakhstan. Data on agricultural lands of the experimental farms were obtained using processed images from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 satellites (EO Browser) for the period of 2017–2022. In total, a dataset of 1600 indicators was collected with NDVI and MSAVI indices recorded at a frequency of once a week. Based on the results of this work, it is found that yields can be predicted from NDVI vegetation index data and meteorological data on average temperature, surface soil moisture and wind speed. A machine learning programming language can calculate the relationship between these indicators and build a neural network that predicts yield. The neural network produces predictions based on the constructed data weights, which are corrected using activation function algorithms. As a result of the research, the functions with the highest prediction accuracy during vegetative development for all crops presented in this paper are multi-layer perceptron, with a prediction accuracy of 66% to 99% (85% on average), and polynomial regression, with a prediction accuracy of 63% to 98% (82% on average). Thus, it is shown that the use of machine learning and neural networks for crop yield prediction has advantages over other mathematical modelling techniques. The use of machine learning (neural network) technologies makes it possible to predict crop yields on the basis of relevant data. The individual approach of machine learning to each crop allows for the determination of the optimal learning algorithms to obtain accurate predictions.
Modern Animal Traction to Enhance the Supply Chain of Residual Biomass
Authors: Nunes Leonel J. R. , Nogueira Joana , Rodrigues João B. , Azevedo João C. , Oliveira Emanuel , de Figueiredo Tomás , Picos Juan
Published: June 2023

Throughout history, the use of animals for agricultural and forestry work has been closely associated with human societies, with multiple references to animal power being utilized for various tasks since the Neolithic period. However, the advent of industrialization has fundamentally transformed the reality of society, leading to a significant shift towards the mechanization of processes. Despite this, animal traction continues to play an important role as a workforce in many developing countries and developed nations, where there is a renewed interest in the use of animal traction, particularly for tasks intended to have a reduced environmental impact and a smaller carbon footprint. The present study conducted a SWOT analysis to examine the potential of animal traction as an alternative for the recovery processes of forest residual woody biomass, particularly when the use of mechanical equipment is not feasible. This can contribute to the creation of value chains for residual products, which can be harnessed for energy recovery. The utilization of modern animal traction can promote the sustainable development of projects at the local and regional level, with efficient utilization of endogenous resources and the creation of value for residual forest woody biomass. This approach can thus facilitate the optimization of supply chains, from biomass to energy.
Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Photosynthetic Characteristics and Yield
Authors: Noor Hafeez , Ding Pengcheng , Ren Aixia , Sun Min , Gao Zhiqiang
Published: June 2023

This study aims to understand the influence of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters on the yield of winter wheat in some areas of China. Nitrogen (N) application is believed to improve photosynthesis in flag leaves, ultimately increasing the final yield. The results from different parameters of research showed that the grain number per spike improved by 12.2% and the 1000-grain weight by 7.3%, respectively. At 20–30 days after anthesis, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and soluble protein in flag leaves of N150 were found to be the most effective. The grain yield under N manure partial substitution for N fertilizer treatment increased by 23 and 15%, respectively. The important implications of photosynthetic characteristics of variable fluorescence yield of the light-adapted state are that the contents of clear, ball, alcohol soluble, gluten, protein, and flour quality showed an increasing trend, while the contents of amylose, amylopectin, total starch, and direct/branch ratio were decreased of wheat. The net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and relative chlorophyll content of wheat. The outcome of the present investigation suggests that chlorophyll fluorescence parameters could be a valuable insight into understanding yield stability under stress conditions. Moreover, the investigated parameters could be useful criteria for the selection of photosynthetic energy under varying nitrogen application levels.
Transformation of Paddy Field Use in Intermountain-Type Basins Using Evidence from the Structure and Function Perspective of Karst Mountain Areas in Southwest China
Authors: Chen Mei , Li Yangbing , Tang Fang , Xu Qian , Yu Meng , Zhang Han , Li Xue
Published: June 2023

China’s southwestern karst area exhibits many mountains and little flat lands, and intermountain basins (IBs) (locally named “bazi”) are one of their typical landform types. Comparative studies on land use in the core of typical landforms in karst mountain areas are relatively lacking. Studying the evolution and transformation patterns of intermountain basin paddy fields use (IBPFU) to optimize land resources in mountainous areas is important. Based on structural and functional perspectives, this study established a research framework on the evolution and transformation of IBPFU in karst mountainous areas, and analyzed the evolution and transformation patterns of IBPFU in Guizhou Province from 1966 to 2020 by measuring land use change and applying the moving window method and morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) model. The study showed that the evolution of IBPFU is characterized by reversibility and irreversibility, diversity, and stages. The transition of IBPFU requires a trade-off among regional socioeconomic development, ecological protection, and food security. The commonality of land use transitions in IB and sloped land (SL) is reflected in the diversity of their land use functions. This study provides a reference for a comprehensive understanding of land use transitions and sustainable development in the mountainous karst regions of southwest China by providing in-depth examinations of the land use transition of IB, which is different from SL, via the long time series evolution of core land use types. The research framework and research method constructed here also apply to other regions.
Characterization of a Bacillus velezensis with Antibacterial Activity and Its Inhibitory Effect on Gray Mold Germ
Authors: Li Lei , Wang Rongjie , Liang Xingxing , Gai Yunpeng , Jiao Chen , Wang Meiqin
Published: June 2023

The present study provides a comprehensive overview of the Bacillus velezensis strain Htq6, and its potential applications in plant disease control. Htq6 is an endophytic bacterium derived from walnut, which was found to possess a strong inhibitory effect on a wide range of plant pathogenic microorganisms and was identified as a good plant disease control agent. The entire genome of the Bacillus velezensis Htq6 was sequenced, and a comparative genomic analysis was conducted with various Bacillus species in order to better understand the mechanism of the strain’s biological control. At the same time, a new classification result was presented. Additionally, transcriptome analysis was performed to explore the response mechanism of tomato gray mold fungus after treatment with the fermentation liquid of Bacillus velezensis Htq6. The study analyzed the distribution of various secondary metabolite gene clusters in the Bacillus model strains and employed RNA-Seq technology to obtain transcriptome expression profiles. Furthermore, the cell wall, cell membrane, and antioxidant-related genes of Botrytis cinerea were analyzed, providing insight into the antibacterial mechanism of biocontrol bacteria and the stress response mechanism of Botrytis cinerea. The results of the research are promising, and could potentially lead to the development of an effective biocontrol agent for the prevention and control of various plant diseases.
Measurement of Methane and Ammonia Emissions from Compost-Bedded Pack Systems in Dairy Barns: Tilling Effect and Seasonal Variations
Authors: Fuertes Esperanza , Balcells Joaquim , Maynegre Jordi , de la Fuente Gabriel , Sarri Laura , Seradj Ahmad Reza
Published: June 2023

Dairy cattle contribute to environmental harm as a source of polluting gas emissions, mainly of enteric origin, but also from manure management, which varies among housing systems. Compost-bedded pack systems use manure as bedding material, which is composted in situ daily. As current literature referring to their impact on NH3 and CH4 emissions is scarce, this study aims to characterize the emissions of these two gases originating from three barns of this system, differentiating between two emission phases: static emission and dynamic emission. In addition, the experiment differentiated emissions between winter and summer. Dynamic emission, corresponding to the time of the day when the bed is being composted, increased over 3 and 60 times the static emission of NH3 and CH4, respectively. In terms of absolute emissions, both gases presented higher emissions during summer (1.86 to 4.08 g NH3 m−2 day−1 and 1.0 to 4.75 g CH4 m−2 day−1 for winter and summer, respectively). In this way, contaminant gases produced during the tilling process of the manure, especially during the warmer periods of the year, need to be taken into account as they work as a significant factor in emissions derived from compost-bedded pack systems.
Grape Seed Extract as a Feed Additive Improves the Growth Performance, Ruminal Fermentation and Immunity of Weaned Beef Calves
Authors: Ma Jian , Fan Xue , Zhang Wenjie , Zhou Guangxian , Yin Fuquan , Zhao Zhihui , Gan Shangquan
Published: June 2023

The purpose of this research was to evaluate effects of grape seed extract (Gse) supplementation on the growth performance; ruminal fermentation; nutrient digestibility; and serum biochemical, antioxidative, and immune parameters of weaned beef calves. A total of 30 Simmental crossbred male calves with similar age and body weight were randomly allocated to two groups: a control group with no Gse (CON) and a Gse supplementation group (GSE) (4 g/d Gse per animal). The results show that, compared with the CON group, the average daily gain significantly increased (p = 0.043) in the GSE group. The ruminal contents of microbial protein and butyrate in GSE group were higher (p < 0.05) than those in the CON group. Additionally, calves fed Gse displayed increased (p < 0.05) dry matter and neutral detergent fiber digestibility. Moreover, the serum concentrations of triglyceride, catalase, superoxide dismutase, immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M were higher (p < 0.05) in the GSE group than those in the CON group. However, opposite tendencies of non-esterified fatty acid, malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were found between the two groups. Overall, the supplementation of Gse can improve ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant ability, and immunity, as well as promoting the healthy growth of weaned cross-breed beef calves.
Targeting Oxidative Stress with Polyphenols to Fight Liver Diseases
Authors: Machado Ivo F. , Miranda Raul G. , Dorta Daniel J. , Rolo Anabela P. , Palmeira Carlos M.
Published: June 2023

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important second messengers in many metabolic processes and signaling pathways. Disruption of the balance between ROS generation and antioxidant defenses results in the overproduction of ROS and subsequent oxidative damage to biomolecules and cellular components that disturb cellular function. Oxidative stress contributes to the initiation and progression of many liver pathologies such as ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, controlling ROS production is an attractive therapeutic strategy in relation to their treatment. In recent years, increasing evidence has supported the therapeutic effects of polyphenols on liver injury via the regulation of ROS levels. In the current review, we summarize the effects of polyphenols, such as quercetin, resveratrol, and curcumin, on oxidative damage during conditions that induce liver injury, such as LIRI, NAFLD, and HCC.
No-Reference Image Quality Assessment Based on a Multitask Image Restoration Network
Authors: Chen Fan , Fu Hong , Yu Hengyong , Chu Ying
Published: June 2023

When image quality is evaluated, the human visual system (HVS) infers the details in the image through its internal generative mechanism. In this process, the HVS integrates both local and global information about the image, utilizes contextual information to restore the original image information, and compares it with the distorted image information for image quality evaluation. Inspired by this mechanism, a no-reference image quality assessment method is proposed based on a multitask image restoration network. The multitask image restoration network generates a pseudo-reference image as the main task and produces a structural similarity index measure map as an auxiliary task. By mutually promoting the two tasks, a higher-quality pseudo-reference image is generated. In addition, when predicting the image quality score, both the quality restoration features and the difference features between the distorted and reference images are used, thereby fully utilizing the information from the pseudo-reference image. In order to facilitate the model’s ability to extract both global and local features, we introduce a multi-scale feature fusion module. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves excellent performance on both synthetically and authentically distorted databases.
Action Recognition Network Based on Local Spatiotemporal Features and Global Temporal Excitation
Authors: Li Shukai , Wang Xiaofang , Shan Dongri , Zhang Peng
Published: June 2023

Temporal modeling is a key problem in action recognition, and it remains difficult to accurately model temporal information of videos. In this paper, we present a local spatiotemporal extraction module (LSTE) and a channel time excitation module (CTE), which are specially designed to accurately model temporal information in video sequences. The LSTE module first obtains difference features by computing the pixel-wise differences between adjacent frames within each video segment and then obtains local motion features by stressing the effect of the feature channels sensitive to difference information. The local motion features are merged with the spatial features to represent local spatiotemporal features of each segment. The CTE module adaptively excites time-sensitive channels by modeling the interdependencies of channels in terms of time to enhance the global temporal information. Further, the above two modules are embedded into the existing 2DCNN baseline methods to build an action recognition network based on local spatiotemporal features and global temporal excitation (LSCT). We conduct experiments on the temporal-dependent Something-Something V1 and V2 datasets. We compare the recognition results with those obtained by the current methods, which proves the effectiveness of our methods.
Distorted Aerial Images Semantic Segmentation Method for Software-Based Analog Image Receivers Using Deep Combined Learning
Authors: De Silva Kalupahanage Dilusha Malintha , Lee Hyo Jong
Published: June 2023

Aerial images are important for monitoring land cover and land resource management. An aerial imaging source which keeps its position at a higher altitude, and which has a considerable duration of airtime, employs wireless communications for sending images to relevant receivers. An aerial image must be transmitted from the image source to a ground station where it can be stored and analyzed. Due to transmission errors, aerial images which are received from an image transmitter contain distortions which can affect the quality of the images, causing noise, color shifts, and other issues that can impact the accuracy of semantic segmentation and the usefulness of the information contained in the images. Current semantic segmentation methods discard distorted images, which makes the available dataset small or treats them as normal images, which causes poor segmentation results. This paper proposes a deep-learning-based semantic segmentation method for distorted aerial images. For different receivers, distortions occur differently, and by considering the receiver specificness of the distortions, the proposed method was able to grasp the acceptability for a distorted image using semantic segmentation models trained with large aerial image datasets to build a combined model that can effectively segment a distorted aerial image which was received by an analog image receiver. Two combined deep learning models, an approximating model, and a segmentation model were trained combinedly to maximize the segmentation score for distorted images. The results showed that the combined learning method achieves higher intersection-over-union (IoU) scores than the results obtained by using only a segmentation model.
1D CNN Based Detection and Localisation of Defective Droppers in Railway Catenary
Authors: Yang Jingyuan , Duan Huayu , Li Linxiao , Stewart Edward , Huang Junhui , Dixon Roger
Published: June 2023

Defective droppers pose a significant threat to the performance of the contact between the train pantograph and railway catenary. In this paper, the impact of damaged droppers on the performance of pantograph–catenary interaction behaviour is analysed, and the impact of varying degrees of damage to each dropper is labelled. To improve the classification accuracy when both the damage degree and position are considered, a model integrating multiple 1D CNNs is proposed. Approaches including randomly searching the optimal hyper-parameters and K-fold cross-validation are used to prevent overfitting and to ensure model performance regardless of the training data subset selected. Compared with a conventional 1D CNN, the classification performance of the integrated method is demonstrated using the metrics accuracy, F1-score, precision and recall. It is concluded that, through the use of the integrated 1D CNN, damaged droppers can be detected and localised based on the pantograph–catenary contact force. Hence, intelligent catenary inspection can be enhanced.
Identification of the Constitutive Parameters of Viscosity and the Prediction of the Cutting Force of S32760 Duplex Stainless Steel under a High Strain Rate
Authors: Zhang Wei , Liu Jialiang , Yang Lin , Zhang Xiangyuan , Zhang Heqing , Gong Fukang
Published: June 2023

The mechanical properties of S32760 duplex stainless steel under dynamic loading conditions at high strain rates are significantly different from those under quasi-static conditions. As a result of large strain, high strain rate, and high temperature, the analysis of the cutting process needs to factor in the influence of the viscous behavior of the material on the plastic deformation process. Based on the viscous effect of the two phases and the mixing rule, a mechanical threshold stress (MTS) constitutive model of S32760 duplex stainless steel considering the viscous effect is established to analyze the effect of strain rate on flow stress. An inverse identification method of the constitutive parameters based on Oxley's theory is proposed. The constitutive parameters of S32760 duplex stainless steel were reversely modified using an equal shear zone model and an orthogonal cutting experiment. The results show that the viscosity of the austenite phase was greater than that of the ferrite phase, and the strain rate had the greatest influence on the viscosity effect in the constitutive model. The prediction error of the constitutive model constructed in this manuscript was less than 4%, which had high accuracy.