bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainable side-stream management in Swedish food processing companies using external actors and biogas solutions
Authors: Hagman Linda
Published: May 2023

Side-stream management in food processing companies has the potential to improve sustainability performance by upcycling or managing bio-residuals into high-value products. This article investigates how food processing companies manage their side-streams by studying their sustainability reports, interviewing the companies, identifying external or internal side-stream management alternatives, and qualitatively analyzing the data. By learning more about how food processing companies prefer to manage their side-streams, it becomes easier to develop ideas for further refining of bio-residuals. One of the main results is that most of the companies prefer to use external actors for side-stream management and for processing them into high-value products, rather than developing and investing in the technology themselves. The few actors investing in side-stream management themselves have long-term strategies on how to become more sustainable and circular. This study also identifies biogas solutions through anaerobic digestion to have a special role in side-stream management due to its versatile and multifunctional nature.
Clinical management of finger joint capsulitis/synovitis in a rock climber
Authors: Vagy Jared
Published: May 2023

This case study presents a 23-year-old male recreational rock climber, who climbed an average of 3–4 times per week and presented with finger joint capsulitis/synovitis after increasing his climbing intensity and training from moderate to high over 6 months, which led up to injury. During the exam, the diagnosis was ruled in with clinical orthopedic testing. Additional movement analyses revealed improper gripping mechanics contributing to asymmetric finger loading. A comprehensive rehabilitation program was developed based on the concept of a progressive framework that included unloading of the affected tissues, increasing mobility, improving muscle performance, and correcting suboptimal climbing movements. After 6 weeks, the climber's pain 24 h after climbing, which was rated on a visual analog pain scale (VAS), decreased from 5.5/10 to 1.5/10 and 0/10 at the 12-month follow-up. His patient-specific functional scale improved from 0% at the initial evaluation to 43% after 6 weeks and to 98% after 12 months. His sports-specific disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand improved from 69% to 34% to 6% during the initial evaluation, 6-week follow-up, and 12-month discharge. He made a full recovery to his previous grade of V8 bouldering. This is the first case study of its kind to provide a rehabilitation framework for the management of finger joint capsulitis/synovitis in a rock climber.
“Where was this when I was in Physical Education?” Physical literacy enriched pedagogy in a quality physical education context
Authors: Houser Natalie , Kriellaars Dean
Published: May 2023

Introduction

In recent years, there has been a call to restructure physical education (PE) practices and outcomes. A physical literacy enriched pedagogy approach would support this change by more intentional design of lesson planning that includes concurrent development of competence & confidence and inclusion of students of all levels of ability, leading to holistic development of the student. Despite this potential, there is little research to date that outlines PE pedagogical practices with physical literacy as a foundation. The purpose was to explore pedagogical practices and perspectives from elementary PE teachers through a physical literacy enriched pedagogy lens in a high-quality PE context.

Methods

One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of elementary PE teachers within one school division. Interviews with all participants focused on questions related to PE and physical literacy. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collected from the audio-recorded interviews.

Results

Four themes were generated based on the semi-structured interviews from six elementary PE teachers from one school division. The results identified key physical literacy enriched pedagogical practices based on four themes: supporting a holistic PE experience based upon physical literacy as an outcome; movement within and beyond PE; inclusive and individualized experiences; and physical literacy practices bringing the school community together. The findings were then connected to the physical literacy cycle and UNESCO components of quality PE.

Conclusions

All participants spoke to how their pedagogy focused on the holistic development and inclusion of their students based upon activation of various feedback pathways of the physical literacy cycle. The themes that emerged and subsequent insight gained from teachers went beyond existing physical literacy cycles, in particular by discussing development of students from cognitive, affective, social and creative (problem solving) perspectives, supporting an expansion to the existing physical literacy cycle as presented.
Valorizing staple Native American food plants as a food resilience resource
Authors: Winstead Daniel J. , Jacobson Michael G. , Di Gioia Francesco
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Increased risks from global climate change and sun-blocking global catastrophic risks (such as a nuclear winter), warrant the reevaluation of our food systems and their resilience to these climatic changes. Increasing native agrobiodiversity is a simple way of increasing food system resilience, and despite the vast amount of native genetic resources available in North America, the United States has shown little systematic effort to improve its agrobiodiversity.

Methods

We use a systematic literature review of staple Native American food plants (NAFPs) to determine the current state of research interest among them and suggest species of interest for domestication. The nutrient profiles and nutrient adequacy scores for the most researched staple NAFPs were also collected and calculated.

Results

A total of 174 Staple NAFPs were evaluated through systematic review, resulting in a total of 5302 peer-reviewed articles searched. Our findings show that most NAFPs are understudied and are more commonly seen by the agricultural community as weeds. However, there are a few that have current scientific interest in their value as a potential crop.

Discussion

We discuss the 24 most researched NAFPs and their nutritional content. We also discuss potential actions, protocols, and ethical issues regarding future steps in using NAFPs to increase agrobiodiversity and food resilience in the United States through more resilient agroforestry systems.
Cities’ food synergies: vegetable production and consumption between Morogoro and Dar es salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Ombeni Swai , Mntambo Betty , Millinga Maria
Published: May 2023

The world’s population is fast increasing, leading to rising urbanization and food insecurity. As a result, food synergies between towns nearby are being pursued particular in the Global South in order to alleviate food problems. A study was conducted specifically on vegetable production and supply dynamics focusing one city (Dar es Salaam) and a nearby town Morogoro (200 km apart). A random sample was used to choose 30 purchasers (Dar es Salaam) and 30 vegetable growers (Morogoro). According to the findings, megacities such as Dar es Salaam rely on both neighboring and distant cities for food supplies, however, Morogoro was found to be the main supplier of vegetables in the city where also, Morogoro was more dependent to the high vegetable consumption level and purchasing power that assure the farmers a stable and reliable market in all seasons. In both cities, lack of adequate storage facilities to farmers and to buyers surfaced as a matter of concern. The report concludes that the two cities are extremely dependent on one another in terms of production and consumption. It is recommended that urban farmers be aided in changing traditional vegetable production and processing practices into modern, sustainable, and environmentally friendly practices that will boost productivity and ensure food security in urban areas.
Case report: Use of laparoscopic electrocoagulation rods in endovenous thermal ablation of saphenous trunks in the treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities
Authors: Wang Ling , Wang Ya , Niu Xiaoyang , Lv Zhengzuo , Wang Bing
Published: May 2023

Varicose veins of the lower extremities are a very common condition in vascular surgery. With advances in technology and medicine, minimally invasive endovenous thermal ablation has become the primary approach used to treat patients with moderate or severe varicose veins. Electrocoagulation for thermal ablation is a relatively simple and economical procedure, but standards vary according to location and some limitations exist. We report a case of a 58-year-old female patient with small saphenous varicose veins in the right lower extremity in which an electrocoagulation rod commonly used in laparoscopic surgery was innovatively used instead of a standard variable electrocoagulation device. The venous clinical severity score was used to assess changes in clinical symptoms before and 3 months after the procedure. The procedure was shown to have eliminated venous reflux, improved the patient's clinical symptoms, and venous function. This procedure may be a reliable option for future endovenous electrocoagulation thermal ablation procedures for varicose veins that are simple and convenient to perform.
Case report: Sacral agenesis in two boxer dogs: clinical presentation, diagnostic investigations, and outcome
Authors: Dell'Apa Diletta , Fumeo Martina , Volta Antonella , Bernardini Marco , Fidanzio Francesca , Buffagni Valentina , Christen Matthias , Jagannathan Vidhya , Leeb Tosso , Bianchi Ezio
Published: May 2023

Two boxer dogs from the same litter were presented at 3 months of age for urinary and fecal incontinence. Both dogs had an abnormal tail consisting of a small stump, an atonic anal sphincter, and absent perineal reflex and sensation. Neurological evaluation was indicative of a lesion of the cauda equina or sacral spinal cord. Radiology and CT scan of the spine displayed similar findings in the two dogs that were indicative of sacral agenesis. Indeed, they had 6 lumbar vertebrae followed by a lumbosacral transitional vertebra, lacking a complete spinous process, and a hypoplastic vertebra carrying 2 hypoplastic sacral transverse processes as the only remnant of the sacral bone. Caudal vertebrae were absent in one of the dogs. On MRI, one dog had a dural sac occupying the entire spinal canal and ending in a subfascial fat structure. In the other dog, the dural sac finished in an extracanalar, subfascial, well-defined cystic structure, communicating with the subarachnoid space, and consistent with a meningocele. Sacral agenesis—that is the partial or complete absence of the sacral bones—is a neural tube defect occasionally reported in humans with spina bifida occulta. Sacral agenesis has been described in human and veterinary medicine in association with conditions such as caudal regression syndrome, perosomus elumbis, and Currarino syndrome. These neural tube defects are caused by genetic and/or environmental factors. Despite thorough genetic investigation, no candidate variants in genes with known functional impact on bone development or sacral development could be found in the affected dogs. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report describing similar sacral agenesis in two related boxer dogs.
Cryopreservation of tissues and organs: present, bottlenecks, and future
Authors: Chen Jiangming , Liu Xiangjian , Hu Yuying , Chen Xiaoxiao , Tan Songwen
Published: May 2023

Tissue and organ transplantation continues to be an effective measure for saving the lives of certain critically ill patients. The organ preservation methods that are commonly utilized in clinical practice are presently only capable of achieving short-term storage, which is insufficient for meeting the demand for organ transplantation. Ultra-low temperature storage techniques have garnered significant attention due to their capacity for achieving long-term, high-quality preservation of tissues and organs. However, the experience of cryopreserving cells cannot be readily extrapolated to the cryopreservation of complex tissues and organs, and the latter still confronts numerous challenges in its clinical application. This article summarizes the current research progress in the cryogenic preservation of tissues and organs, discusses the limitations of existing studies and the main obstacles facing the cryopreservation of complex tissues and organs, and finally introduces potential directions for future research efforts.
Lessons From the Portuguese Solid Organ Donation and Transplantation System: Achieving Success Despite Challenging Conditions
Authors: Streit Simon , Johnston-Webber Charlotte , Mah Jasmine , Prionas Apostolos , Wharton George , Paulino Jorge , Franca Ana , Mossialos Elias , Papalois Vassilios
Published: May 2023

Over the past two decades, Portugal has become one of the world leaders in organ donation and transplantation despite significant financial constraints. This study highlights how Portugal achieved success in organ donation and transplantation and discusses how this information might be used by other countries that are seeking to reform their national programs. To accomplish this goal, we performed a narrative review of relevant academic and grey literature and revised our results after consultation with two national experts. Our findings were then synthesized according to a conceptual framework for organ donation and transplantation programs. Our results revealed several key strategies used by the Portuguese organ donation and transplantation program, including collaboration with Spain and other European nations, a focus on tertiary prevention, and sustained financial commitment. This report also explores how cooperative efforts were facilitated by geographical, governmental, and cultural proximity to Spain, a world leader in organ donation and transplantation. In conclusion, our review of the Portuguese experience provides insight into the development of organ donation and transplantation systems. However, other countries seeking to reform their national transplant systems will need to adapt these policies and practices to align with their unique cultures and contexts.
Ten Lessons From the Spanish Model of Organ Donation and Transplantation
Authors: Streit Simon , Johnston-Webber Charlotte , Mah Jasmine , Prionas Apostolos , Wharton George , Casanova Daniel , Mossialos Elias , Papalois Vassilios
Published: May 2023

The organ donation and transplantation program in Spain has long been considered the gold standard worldwide. An in-depth understanding of the Spanish program may promote the development and reform of transplant programs in other countries. Here, we present a narrative literature review of the Spanish organ donation and transplantation program supplemented by expert feedback and presented according to a conceptual framework of best practices in the field. Core features of the Spanish program include its three-tiered governing structure, close and collaborative relationships with the media, dedicated professional roles, a comprehensive reimbursement strategy, and intensive tailored training programs for all personnel. Several more sophisticated measures have also been implemented, including those focused on advanced donation after circulatory death (DCD) and expanded criteria for organ donation. The overall program is driven by a culture of research, innovation, and continuous commitment and complemented by successful strategies in prevention of end-stage liver and renal disease. Countries seeking ways to reform their current transplant systems might adopt core features and may ultimately aspire to include the aforementioned sophisticated measures. Countries intent on reforming their transplant system should also introduce programs that support living donation, an area of the Spanish program with potential for further improvement.
Solid Organ Donation and Transplantation in the United Kingdom: Good Governance is Key to Success
Authors: Johnston-Webber Charlotte , Mah Jasmine , Prionas Apostolos , Streit Simon , Wharton George , Forsythe John , Mossialos Elias , Papalois Vassilios
Published: May 2023

The United Kingdom (UK) supports a highly successful organ donation and transplantation program. While the UK originally had one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe, sustained reforms have resulted in steady improvement. Of note, the UK nearly doubled its rate of deceased donations between 2008 and 2018. In this report, we present a case study of the UK organ donation and transplantation program as an example of a complete system with sound and inclusive governing structures that are strongly integrated with critical programs focused on training and research. This study was based on an initial targeted review of the literature led by a UK expert that included guidelines, national reports, and academic papers. Feedback solicited from other European experts was incorporated into our findings via an iterative process. Overall, the study highlights the stepwise evolution of the UK program that ultimately became successful largely due to ongoing collaborative efforts carried out at all levels. Centralized coordination of all aspects of the program remains a key driver of improved rates of organ donation and transplantation. The designation and empowerment of expert clinical leadership have helped to maintain focus and promote ongoing quality improvement.
The National Organ Donation and Transplantation Program in Greece: Gap Analysis and Recommendations for Change
Authors: Johnston-Webber Charlotte , Prionas Apostolos , Wharton George , Streit Simon , Mah Jasmine , Boletis Ioannis , Mossialos Elias , Papalois Vassilios
Published: May 2023

Greece has fallen far behind many comparable European countries in the field of organ donation and transplantation and has made little progress over the past decade. Despite efforts to improve its organ donation and transplantation program, systemic problems persist. In 2019, the Onassis Foundation commissioned a report to be prepared by the London School of Economics and Political Science that focused on the state of the Greek organ donation and transplantation program and proposed recommendations for its improvement. In this paper, we present our analysis of the Greek organ donation and transplantation program together with an overview of our specific recommendations. The analysis of the Greek program was undertaken in an iterative manner using a conceptual framework of best practices developed specifically for this project. Our findings were further developed via an iterative process with information provided by key Greek stakeholders and comparisons with case studies that featured successful donation and transplantation programs in Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Because of their overall complexity, we used a systems-level approach to generate comprehensive and far-reaching recommendations to address the difficulties currently experienced by the Greek organ donation and transplantation program.
Towards Metaverse: Utilizing Extended Reality and Digital Twins to Control Robotic Systems
Authors: Kaarlela Tero , Pitkäaho Tomi , Pieskä Sakari , Padrão Paulo , Bobadilla Leonardo , Tikanmäki Matti , Haavisto Timo , Blanco Bataller Víctor , Laivuori Niko , Luimula Mika
Published: May 2023

Digitalization shapes the ways of learning, working, and entertainment. The Internet, which enables us to connect and socialize is evolving to become the metaverse, a post-reality universe, enabling virtual life parallel to reality. In addition to gaming and entertainment, industry and academia have noticed the metaverse’s benefits and possibilities. For industry, the metaverse is the enabler of the future digital workplace, and for academia, digital learning spaces enable realistic virtual training environments. A connection bridging the virtual world with physical production systems is required to enable digital workplaces and digital learning spaces. In this publication, extended reality–digital twin to real use cases are presented. The presented use cases utilize extended reality as high-level user interfaces and digital twins to create a bridge between virtual environments and robotic systems in industry, academia, and underwater exploration.
Leadership, Communication, and Job Satisfaction for Employee Engagement and Sustainability of Family Businesses in Latin America
Authors: Ramirez-Lozano Julianna , Peñaflor-Guerra Renato , Sanagustín-Fons Victoria
Published: May 2023

This research focuses on the determinants of employee engagement in family businesses in Peru. The study is based on previous research that showed the importance of organisational culture, leadership, and human resource management practices to achieve effective business performance. The methodological strategy was to conduct a qualitative, quantitative, and documentary analysis research. The study found that participatory and authentic leadership styles, effective communication, and job satisfaction were key factors to retain talent in two family businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises in Peru. These factors can enhance employee engagement, which is critical for the success of family businesses. The results suggest that Peruvian family businesses can improve their sustainability and contribute positively to the economic growth of the country by utilising different measures. They can prioritise leadership, communication, and job satisfaction; offer opportunities for employee development and growth; provide competitive compensation packages; and create a positive work environment. The findings have implications for family businesses in emerging markets as well as for businesses operating in consolidated markets.
Estimation of Productivity and Above-Ground Biomass for Corn (Zea mays) via Vegetation Indices in Madeira Island
Authors: Macedo Fabrício Lopes , Nóbrega Humberto , de Freitas José G. R. , Ragonezi Carla , Pinto Lino , Rosa Joana , Pinheiro de Carvalho Miguel A. A.
Published: May 2023

The advancement of technology associated with the field, especially the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) coupled with multispectral cameras, allows us to monitor the condition of crops in real time and contribute to the field of machine learning. The objective of this study was to estimate both productivity and above-ground biomass (AGB) for the corn crop by applying different vegetation indices (VIs) via high-resolution aerial imagery. Among the indices tested, strong correlations were obtained between productivity and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with a significance level of p < 0.05 (0.719), as well as for the normalized difference red edge (NDRE), or green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI) with crop productivity (p < 0.01), respectively 0.809 and 0.859. The AGB results align with those obtained previously; GNDVI and NDRE showed high correlations, but now with a significance level of p < 0.05 (0.758 and 0.695). Both GNDVI and NDRE indices showed coefficients of determination for productivity and AGB estimation with 0.738 and 0.654, and 0.701 and 0.632, respectively. The use of the GNDVI and NDRE indices shows excellent results for estimating productivity as well as AGB for the corn crop, both at the spatial and numerical levels. The possibility of predicting crop productivity is an essential tool for producers, since it allows them to make timely decisions to correct any deficit present in their agricultural plots, and further contributes to AI integration for drone digital optimization.
Herbicide Physiology and Environmental Fate
Authors: Avila Luis , Roma-Burgos Nilda
Published: May 2023

Herbicides are crucial tools for weed management in agriculture [...]
Economic Viability and Quality of Grapes Produced with and without Plastic Covering
Authors: Schwerz Felipe , Weber Fabricio José , Signor Fernando Marcos , Schwerz Luciano , Buono da Silva Baptista Victor , Marin Diego Bedin , Rossi Giuseppe , Conti Leonardo , Bambi Gianluca
Published: May 2023

Viticulture began growing in Brazil in recent years, and this growth is due to the introduction of new techniques and improvements used in vine planting, especially the use of plastic covering in the vineyard. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the economic viability of plastic covering installation, as well as the quality of grapes produced by two cultivars, in order to compare these results with those obtained by a conventional cultivation system. The experiment was performed at an experimental farm producing grapes in southern Brazil. The grape cultivars Niagara Branca and Niagara Rosada were studied and cultivated with and without plastic covering. Data related to the costs of vineyard planting, establishment, and seasonal management, in addition to the grape revenue, were assessed. Additionally, the grape yield and quality were evaluated. The analysis of return indicators showed that the net present value was higher for the plastic-covered system, which indicates greater profitability and consequent viability of the investment. Moreover, the grape quality varied according to the cultivar and production system. In this context, it is recommended to use the cultivar Niagara Rosada for production in a plastic covering system.
Lengths of Time of Rice Husk Biochar Incorporation before Planting Affect Soil Properties and Rice Yield
Authors: Butnan Somchai , Vityakon Patma
Published: May 2023

A factor that causes inconsistencies in rice yield receiving biochar reported in the literature has been identified as the length of time after biochar incorporation into the soil prior to planting. There is limited information on the effect of the varying lengths of time on soil properties and rice growth. This study aimed to determine the effects of the length of time of incorporation of rice husk biochar (RHB) into an acidic paddy soil before rice transplanting on soil properties and rice yield. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using a highly weathered paddy soil subjected to incorporation periods of RHB at various lengths, including 0, 15, 30, and 60 days before rice transplanting (DBT). The RHB incorporation was under a soil moisture content of 70% of the soil water holding capacity. At harvest time (98 days after incorporation), increases in the length of RHB incorporation led to significantly higher Mg, Mn, and Si concentrations, but lower Ca and Fe concentrations in rice whole shoots. Increasing the length of RHB incorporation to 15, 30, and 60 DBT significantly decreased the total rice grain yield to 61.4 g hill−1, 62.5 g hill−1, and 54.4 g hill−1, respectively, compared to 76.0 g hill−1 found at 0 DBT. The depression of rice grain yield with increasing RHB incorporation periods was due to the antagonistic effects of Mg on Ca and Si on Fe. Immediate rice transplanting without a prior RHB incorporation period is recommended for its use as a soil amendment in acidic paddy soils.
Spatiotemporal Variations of Reference Evapotranspiration and Its Climatic Driving Factors in Guangdong, a Humid Subtropical Province of South China
Authors: Zhao Baoshan , An Dongsheng , Yan Chengming , Yan Haofang , Kong Ran , Su Junbo
Published: May 2023

It is of great importance to study the changes in reference evapotranspiration (ET0) and the factors that influence it to ensure sustainable and efficient water resource utilization. Daily ET0 data calculated using the Penman–Monteith method from 37 meteorological stations located within Guangdong Province in the humid zone of southern China from 1960 to 2020 were analyzed. The trend analysis and Mann–Kendall test were used to analyze the time series changes in ET0 and major climatic factors (air temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), sunshine duration (SD), and wind speed (u2)) for over 61 years. Sensitivity and contribution analyses were used to evaluate the driving factors of ET0. The main findings of the study are as follows: (1) the trend in average annual ET0 time series in Guangdong slightly increased at a trend rate of 1.61 mm/10a over the past 61 years, with most stations experiencing an increase in ET0. During the same period, air temperature significantly increased, while RH and SD decreased; u2 also decreased. (2) Sensitivity analysis showed that ET0 was more sensitive to RH and T than SD and u2, with ET0 being most sensitive to RH in spring and winter and T in summer and autumn. (3) The contribution analysis showed that T was the dominant factor for ET0 variation in Guangdong, followed by SD. SD was found to be the dominant factor in ET0 changes in areas where the “evaporation paradox” occurred, as well as in spring and summer. The study concludes that the climate in Guangdong became warmer and drier over the past 61 years, and if the current global warming trend continues, it will lead to higher evapotranspiration and drought occurrence in the future.
Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) of the Agronomic Traits and Phenolic Content in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Genotypes
Authors: Lee Ye-Jin , Yang Baul , Kim Woon Ji , Kim Juyoung , Kwon Soon-Jae , Kim Jae Hoon , Ahn Joon-Woo , Kim Sang Hoon , Rha Eui-Shik , Ha Bo-Keun , Bae Chang-Hyu , Ryu Jaihyunk
Published: May 2023

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a promising biomass crop with high yields of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Sorghum biomass has emerged as an eco-friendly industrial material useful for producing biofuels and bioplastics. This study conducted genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS)-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to establish the genetic basis of traits associated with biomass. Specifically, the researchers evaluated agronomic traits and phenolic compounds using 96 sorghum genotypes. Six phenolic compounds, luteolinidin diglucoside, luteolin glucoside, apigeninidin glucoside, luteolinidin, apigeninidin, and 5-O-Me luteolinidin, were found to be the major phenolic compounds in all genotypes. Out of our six detected phenolic compounds (luteolinidin diglucoside, luteolin glucoside, apigeninidin glucoside, luteolinidin, apigeninidin, and 5-O-Me luteolinidin), luteolinidin was the major phenolic compound in all genotypes. Next, a GWAS analysis was performed to confirm significant associations between 192,040 filtered single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and biomass-related traits. The study identified 40 SNPs on 10 chromosomes that were significantly associated with heading date (4 SNPs), plant height (3 SNPs), dry yield (2 SNPs), and phenolic compounds (31 SNPs). The GWAS analysis showed that SbRio.10G099600 (FUT1) was associated with heading date, SbRio.09G149200 with plant height, SbRio.06G211400 (MAFB) with dry yield, SbRio.04G259800 (PDHA1) with total phenolic content and luteolinidin diglucoside, and SbRio.02G343600 (LeETR4) with total phenolic content and luteolinidin, suggesting that these genes could play key roles in sorghum. These findings demonstrate the potential value of sorghum as a biomass resource and the potential for selecting sorghum genotypes with reduced phenolic contents for use in the bioindustry.
Assembly and Analysis of Plastomes for 15 Potato Cultivars Grown in Russia
Authors: Karetnikov Dmitry I. , Salina Elena A. , Kochetov Alex V. , Afonnikov Dmitry A.
Published: May 2023

Chloroplasts are important organelles in a plant cell, having their own DNA (cpDNA), transmitted only through the female line, and performing the function of photosynthesis. The determination of chloroplast DNA is of interest in the study of the genetic diversity and phylogeny of potatoes, and of cytoplasmic sterility, as well as for applications in biotechnology and genetic engineering. Here, we reconstructed the complete plastomes of 15 S. tuberosum potato cultivars grown in Russia. Our analysis allowed us to determine the composition and location of genes for these plastid DNAs. It was shown that the plastid genome contains both highly and low-variable regions. The region at position 63,001–68,000 nt has the highest variability. We determined the types of cpDNA based on in silico approaches: 10 cultivars have cpDNA of the W-type and 5 cultivars have cpDNA of the T-type. The genetic diversity of the plastid DNA for these potato cultivars was analyzed alongside the previously reconstructed plastomes of South American accessions, European/North American commercial cultivars and potato cultivars bred in the Ural region. The results show that plastid DNAs of the same type form clusters by sequence similarity, in agreement with previous studies.
Tomato Leaf Disease Identification Method Based on Improved YOLOX
Authors: Liu Wenbo , Zhai Yongsen , Xia Yu
Published: May 2023

In tomato leaf disease identification tasks, the high cost and consumption of deep learning-based recognition methods affect their deployment and application on embedded devices. In this study, an improved YOLOX-based tomato leaf disease identification method is designed. To address the issue of positive and negative sample imbalance, the sample adaptive cross-entropy loss function (LBCE−β) is proposed as a confidence loss, and MobileNetV3 is employed instead of the YOLOX backbone for lightweight model feature extraction. By introducing CBAM (Convolutional Block Attention Module) between the YOLOX backbone and neck network, the model’s feature extraction performance is increased. CycleGAN is used to enhance the data of tomato disease leaf samples in the PlantVillage dataset, solving the issue of an imbalanced sample number. After data enhancement, simulation experiments and field tests revealed that the YOLOX’s accuracy improved by 1.27%, providing better detection of tomato leaf disease samples in complex environments. Compared with the original model, the improved YOLOX model occupies 35.34% less memory, model detection speed increases by 50.20%, and detection accuracy improves by 1.46%. The enhanced network model is quantized by TensorRT and works at 11.1 FPS on the Jetson Nano embedded device. This method can provide an efficient solution for the tomato leaf disease identification system.
WT-YOLOM: An Improved Target Detection Model Based on YOLOv4 for Endogenous Impurity in Walnuts
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Dai Dan , Zheng Jian , Li Linhui , Kang Haoyu , Zheng Xinyu
Published: May 2023

Since impurities produced during walnut processing can cause serious harm to human health, strict quality control must be carried out during production. However, most detection equipment still uses photoelectric detection technology to automatically sort heterochromatic particles, which is unsuitable for detecting endogenous foreign bodies with similar colors. Therefore, this paper proposes an improved YOLOv4 deep learning object detection algorithm, WT-YOLOM, for detecting endogenous impurities in walnuts—namely, oily kernels, black spot kernels, withered kernels, and ground nutshells. In the backbone of the model, a lightweight MobileNet module was used as the encoder for the extraction of features. The spatial pyramid pooling (SPP) structure was improved to spatial pyramid pooling—fast (SPPF), and the model size was further reduced. Loss function was replaced in this model with a more comprehensive SIoU loss. In addition, efficient channel attention (ECA) mechanisms were applied after the backbone feature map to improve the model’s recognition accuracy. This paper compares the recognition speed and accuracy of the WT-YOLOM algorithm with the Faster R-CNN, EfficientDet, CenterNet, and YOLOv4 algorithms. The results showed that the average precision of this model for different kinds of endogenous impurities in walnuts reached 94.4%. Compared with the original model, the size was reduced by 88.6%, and the recognition speed reached 60.1 FPS, which was an increase of 29.0%. The metrics of the WT-YOLOM model were significantly better than those of comparative models and can significantly improve the detection efficiency of endogenous foreign bodies in walnuts.
Impact of Fibrous Microplastic Pollution on Commercial Seafood and Consumer Health: A Review
Authors: Santonicola Serena , Volgare Michela , Cocca Mariacristina , Dorigato Giulia , Giaccone Valerio , Colavita Giampaolo
Published: May 2023

The omnipresence of microfibers in marine environments has raised concerns about their availability to aquatic biota, including commercial fish species. Due to their tiny size and wide distribution, microfibers may be ingested by wild-captured pelagic or benthic fish and farmed species. Humans are exposed via seafood consumption. Despite the fact that research on the impact of microfibers on marine biota is increasing, knowledge on their role in food security and safety is limited. The present review aims to examine the current knowledge about microfiber contamination in commercially relevant fish species, their impact on the marine food chain, and their probable threat to consumer health. The available information suggests that among the marine biota, edible species are also contaminated, but there is an urgent need to standardize data collection methods to assess the extent of microfiber occurrence in seafood. In this context, natural microfibers should also be investigated. A multidisciplinary approach to the microfiber issue that recognizes the interrelationship and connection of environmental health with that of animals and humans should be used, leading to the application of strategies to reduce microfiber pollution through the control of the sources and the development of remediation technologies.
Thinking with Civets: The Role of Zoos in the Decolonisation of Animal Tourism
Authors: Hooper Jes
Published: May 2023

Civets belong to the family Viverridae, an ancient line of ‘cat-like’ animals. Despite their large geographic distribution across southeast Asia and parts of Africa, little scientific attention has been attributed to Viverrids or Viverrid–human relations. This paper applies the lens of civets to explore the tensive intersection between animal welfare, conservation, and colonialism within the tourism landscape. Through thinking with civets, this paper brings two forms of animal commodification into dialogue: (1) the management of civets in zoos around the globe and (2) the rising trend in civet coffee production and tourism in Asia. By qualitatively analysing the entanglements between colonialism, animal welfare, and conservation and how each impacts the lives and treatment of civets in tourism, this paper calls for enhanced reflexivity and thus the decolonisation of animal-based tourism. Suggestions are made on how zoos may progress towards the decolonisation of animal tourism, and the argument is made that zoos are well positioned and morally obligated to answer this call. By doing so, greater attention can be given to the animals whose lives are most affected by the global tourism landscape.
Computed Tomographic and Histopathologic Studies of Lung Function Immediately Post Natum in Canine Neonates
Authors: Teifke Jens Peter , Peuckert Cornelia , Rudnick Jens-Christian , Büttner Kathrin , Bostedt Hartwig
Published: May 2023

Background: The lung tissue in newborn canine neonates is still in a morphologically and functionally immature, canalicular–saccular stage. True alveoli are only formed postnatally. The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial and temporal development of the ventilation of the lung tissue in vital canine neonates during the first 24 h post natum (p.n.). Methods: Forty pups (birth weight Ø 424 g ± 80.1 g) from three litters of large dog breeds (>20 kg live weight) were included in the studies. Thirty-three pups (29 vital, 2 vitally depressed, 2 stillborn neonates) originated from controlled, uncomplicated births (n = 3); moreover, six stillborn pups as well as one prematurely deceased pup were birthed by other dams with delivery complications. Computed tomography (CT) was used in 39 neonates, and histopathologic tissue classification techniques (HALO) were used in 11 neonates (eight stillborn and three neonates died early post natum, respectively) to quantify the degree of aerated neonatal lung tissue. Results: It was shown that, in vital born pups, within the first 10 min p.n., the degree of ventilation reached mean values of −530 (±114) Hounsfield units (HU) in the dorsal and −453.3 (±133) HU in the ventral lung area. This is about 75–80% of the final values obtained after 24 h p.n. for dorsal −648.0 (±89.9) HU and ventral quadrants −624.7 (±76.8) HU. The dorsal lung areas were always significantly better ventilated than the ventral regions (p = 0.0013). CT as well as histopathology are suitable to clearly distinguish the nonventilated lungs of stillborns from neonates that were initially alive after surviving neonatal respiratory distress syndrome but who died prematurely (p = 0.0398). Conclusion: The results of this study are clinically relevant since the lung tissue of canine neonates presents an aeration profile as early as 10 min after birth and continues progressively, with a special regard to the dorsal lung areas. This is the basis for resuscitation measures that should be performed, preferably with the pup in the abdomen–chest position.
The Importance of Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Mammary Tumors in Bitches
Authors: Feliciano Marcus Antônio Rossi , de Miranda Brenda dos Santos Pompeu , Aires Luiz Paulo Nogueira , Lima Bruna Bressianini , de Oliveira Ana Paula Luiz , Feliciano Giovanna Serpa Maciel , Uscategui Ricardo Andrés Ramirez
Published: May 2023

The high incidence of mammary tumors in small animals is concerning. Patient history, clinical examination, physical evaluation, and imaging studies are important for clinical staging. Ultrasonography is commonly applied to investigate the presence of abdominal metastasis. However, it has been shown to provide important information regarding mammary tumors’ architecture and advanced sonographic techniques can provide information regarding neovascularization, stiffness, and perfusion. Different techniques have been investigated to determine accuracy to predict the lesions’ histological classification. This paper reviews the information regarding each sonographic technique in the evaluation of mammary tumors, describing the most common findings and their potential to accurately assess and predict malignancy. Even though the gold standard for the diagnosis of mammary lesions is the histopathological examination, some ultrasonographic features described can predict the potential of a lesion being malignant. Among the different sonographic techniques, elastography can be considered the most reliable modality to accurately differentiate benign from malignant tumors when malignant lesions present increased stiffness. However, the combination of all sonographic techniques can provide important information that can lead to a better therapeutic approach and clinical staging. Furthermore, the potential of the sonographic study, especially CEUS to monitor therapeutic progression, demonstrate the need of further studies.
The Role of Wild Boars in the Circulation of Tick-Borne Pathogens: The First Evidence of Rickettsia monacensis Presence
Authors: Matei Ioana Adriana , Kalmár Zsuzsa , Balea Anamaria , Mihaiu Marian , Sándor Attila D. , Cocian Adrian , Crăciun Smaranda , Bouari Cosmina , Briciu Violeta Tincuța , Fiț Nicodim
Published: May 2023

Most wild mammals can serve as hosts both for tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) and for the ticks themselves. Among these, wild boars, due to their large body size, habitat and life span, show high exposure to ticks and TBPs. These species are now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suid. Despite the fact that certain local populations have been decimated by African swine fever (ASF), wild boars are still considered overabundant in most parts of the world, including Europe. Altogether, their long-life expectancy, large home ranges including migration, feeding and social behaviors, wide distribution, overabundance and increased chances of interactions with livestock or humans make them suitable sentinel species for general health threats, such as antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, pollution and ASF geographical distribution, as well as for the distribution and abundance of hard ticks and also for certain TBPs, such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of rickettsial agents in wild boars from two counties in Romania. Among 203 blood samples of wild boars (Sus scrofa ssp. attila) collected during 3 (2019–2022) hunting seasons (September–February), 15 were found positive for tick-borne pathogen DNA. Six wild boars were positive for A. phagocytophilum DNA presence and nine for Rickettsia spp. The identified rickettsial species were R. monacensis (six) and R. helvetica (three). No animal was positive either for Borrelia spp., Ehrlichia spp. or Babesia spp. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of R. monacensis in European wild boars, thus adding the third species from the SFG Rickettsia, in the epidemiology of which this wild species may have a role as a reservoir host.
Novel Mutation in the Feline NPC2 Gene in Cats with Niemann–Pick Disease
Authors: Rakib Tofazzal Md , Islam Md Shafiqul , Uddin Mohammad Mejbah , Rahman Mohammad Mahbubur , Yabuki Akira , Yamagami Tetsushi , Morozumi Motoji , Uchida Kazuyuki , Maki Shinichiro , Faruq Abdullah Al , Yamato Osamu
Published: May 2023

Niemann–Pick disease (NP) type C is an autosomal, recessive, and inherited neurovisceral genetic disorder characterized by the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and glycolipids in cellular lysosomes and late endosomes, with a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes. This study aimed to determine the molecular genetic alterations in two cases of felines with NP in Japan, a Siamese cat in 1989 and a Japanese domestic (JD) cat in 1998. Sanger sequencing was performed on 25 exons of the feline NPC1 gene and 4 exons of the feline NPC2 gene, using genomic DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. The sequenced exons were compared with reference sequences retrieved from the GenBank database. The identified mutations and alterations were then analyzed using different prediction algorithms. No pathogenic mutations were found in feline NPC1; however, c.376G>A (p.V126M) was identified as a pathogenic mutation in the NPC2 gene. The Siamese cat was found to be homozygous for this mutation. The JD cat was heterozygous for the same mutation, but no other exonic NPC2 mutation was found. Furthermore, the JD cat had a homozygous splice variant (c.364-4C>T) in the NPC2 gene, which is not known to be associated with this disease. The NPC2:c.376G>A (p.V126M) mutation is the second reported pathogenic mutation in the feline NPC2 gene that may be present in the Japanese cat population.