bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of a Fusarium ear rot resistance gene in maize by QTL mapping and RNA sequencing
Authors: Xia Yusheng , Wang Baobao , Zhu Lihong , Wu Wenqi , Sun Suli , Zhu Zhendong , Li Xinhai , Weng Jianfeng , Duan Canxing
Published: September 2022

Fusarium ear rot (FER) caused by Fusarium verticillioides is a prevalent maize disease. To comprehensively characterize the genetic basis of the natural variation in FER resistance, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for FER resistance. A total of 17 QTL were identified by linkage mapping in eight environments. These QTL were located on six chromosomes and explained 3.88–15.62% of the total phenotypic variation. Moreover, qFER1.03 had the strongest effect and accounted for 4.98–15.62% of the phenotypic variation according to analyses of multiple environments involving best linear unbiased predictions. The chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) derived from a cross between Qi319 (donor parent) and Ye478 (recurrent parent) were used to verify the contribution of qFER1.03 to FER resistance. The line CL171, which harbored an introgressed qFER1.03, was significantly resistant to FER. Further fine mapping of qFER1.03 revealed that the resistance QTL was linked to insertion/deletion markers InDel 8 and InDel 2, with physical distances of 43.55 Mb and 43.76 Mb, respectively. Additionally, qFER1.03 differed from the previous resistance QTL on chromosome 1. There were three annotated genes in this region. On the basis of the RNA-seq data, which revealed the genes differentially expressed between the FER-resistant Qi319 and susceptible Ye478, GRMZM2G017792 (MPK3) was preliminarily identified as a candidate gene in the qFER1.03 region. The Pr-CMV-VIGS system was used to decrease the GRMZM2G017792 expression level in CL171 by 34–57%, which led to a significant decrease in FER resistance. Using RIL and CSSL populations combined with RNA-seq and Pr-CMV-VIGS, the candidate gene can be dissected effectively, which provided important gene resource for breeding FER-resistant varieties.
Integrated mRNA and microRNA expression analysis of root response to phosphate deficiency in Medicago sativa
Authors: Li Zhenyi , Tong Zongyong , He Feng , Li Xianglin , Sun Juan
Published: September 2022

The deficiency of available phosphate significantly limits plant growth and development. This study sought to investigate how alfalfa (Medicago sativa), a high-yielding and high-quality forage widely cultivated worldwide, responds to phosphate deficiency stress by integrating transcriptional and post-transcriptional data. In this study, 6,041 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in alfalfa roots under phosphate deficiency conditions. Furthermore, psRNATarget, RNAhybrid, and TargetFinder were used to predict the target genes of 137 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) in the root. In total, 3,912 DEGs were predicted as target genes. Pearson correlation analysis revealed 423 pairs of miRNA-mRNA regulatory relationships. MiRNA negatively regulates mRNA involved in regulatory pathways of phosphate deficiency responses in alfalfa. miR156e targeted squamosa promoter-binding-like protein 13A (SPL13), miR160c targeted auxin response factor 18 (ARF18), and miR2587a controlled glycolysis and citrate cycle via Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (ATP) (PCKA). Novel-miR27 regulated SPX domain-containing protein that controls phosphate transport in alfalfa root, novel-miR3-targeted sulfoquinovosyl transferase SQD2 controlled sulfolipid synthesis and glutathione S-transferase (GST; mediated by miR169j/k and novel-miR159) regulated glutathione metabolism. miR399l regulated auxin-responsive protein SAUR72 involved in IAA signal transduction, while abscisic acid receptor PYL4 (regulated by novel-miR205 and novel-miR83) participated in ABA signal transduction. Combined miRNA-mRNA enrichment analysis showed that most miRNAs regulate the phosphate starvation response of alfalfa by modulating target genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, sulfolipid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and hormone signal transduction. Therefore, this study provides new insights into the post-transcriptional regulation mechanism of phosphate deficiency responses and new perspectives on phosphate assimilation pathways in alfalfa and other legumes.
The key clock component ZEITLUPE (ZTL) negatively regulates ABA signaling by degradation of CHLH in Arabidopsis
Authors: Yu Yongtao , Portolés Sergi , Ren Yi , Sun Guangyu , Wang Xiao-Fang , Zhang Huihui , Guo Shaogui
Published: September 2022

Ubiquitination-mediated protein degradation plays important roles in ABA signal transduction and delivering responses to chloroplast stress signals in plants, but additional E3 ligases of protein ubiquitination remain to be identified to understand the complex signaling network. Here we reported that ZEITLUPE (ZTL), an F-box protein, negatively regulates abscisic acid (ABA) signaling during ABA-inhibited early seedling growth and ABA-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using molecular biology and biochemistry approaches, we demonstrated that ZTL interacts with and ubiquitinates its substrate, CHLH/ABAR (Mg-chelatase H subunit/putative ABA receptor), to modulate CHLH stability via the 26S proteasome pathway. CHLH acts genetically downstream of ZTL in ABA and drought stress signaling. Interestingly, ABA conversely induces ZTL phosphorylation, and high levels of ABA also induce CHLH proteasomal degradation, implying that phosphorylated ZTL protein may enhance the affinity to CHLH, leading to the increased degradation of CHLH after ABA treatment. Taken together, our results revealed a possible mechanism of reciprocal regulation between ABA signaling and the circadian clock, which is thought to be essential for plant fitness and survival.
Low grain weight, a new allele of BRITTLE CULM12, affects grain size through regulating GW7 expression in rice
Authors: Ye Yafeng , Wang Shuoxun , Ren Yan , Yang Huijie , Guo Junyao , Jiang Hongrui , Zhu Xiaotong , Li Wenhao , Tao Liangzhi , Zhan Yue , Wu Yuejin , Fu Xiangdong , Wu Kun , Liu Binmei
Published: September 2022

Grain weight is a major determinant in rice yield, which is tightly associated with grain size. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that control this trait remain unclear. Here, we report a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant, low grain weight (lgw), which shows that reduced grain length is caused by decreased cell elongation and proliferation. Map-based cloning revealed that all mutant phenotypes resulted from a nine-base pair (bp) deletion in LGW, which encodes the kinesin-like protein BRITTLE CULM12 (BC12). Protein sequence alignment analysis revealed that the mutation site was located at the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of LGW/BC12, resulting in the lgw protein not being located in the nucleus. LGW is preferentially expressed in both culms and roots, as well as in the early developing panicles. Overexpression of LGW increased the grain length, indicating that LGW is a positive regulator for regulating grain length. In addition, LGW/BC12 is directly bound to the promoter of GW7 and activates its expression. Elevating the GW7 expression levels in lgw plants rescued the small grain size phenotype. We conclude that LGW regulates grain development by directly binding to the GW7 promoter and activating its expression. Our findings revealed that LGW plays an important role in regulating grain size, and manipulation of this gene provides a new strategy for regulating grain weight in rice.
Genetic dissection of the natural variation of ovule number per ovary in oilseed rape germplasm (Brassica napus L.)
Authors: Qadir Muslim , Qin Lei , Ye Jiang , Ahmad Nazir , Wang Xinfa , Shi Jiaqin , Wang Hanzhong
Published: September 2022

Oilseed rape is one of the world’s largest oil and industrial crops, providing humans with various products, such as vegetable oil and biofuel. Ovules are the direct precursors of seeds, and ovule number per ovary (ONPO) largely determines seed number per fruit that affects both yield and fitness of seed crops. The ONPO shows wide variation in oilseed rape, whereas the underlying genes and mechanisms are poorly known. The present study performed the genetic, physiological and transcriptomic analyses of ovule number per ovary using an association panel and the extreme lines. The ONPO of 327 accessions planted in four environments showed a large variation from 19.2 to 43.8, indicating a great potential for the further genetic improvement of ovule number. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified a total of 43 significant SNP markers. Further, these SNPs were integrated into 18 association loci, which were distributed on chromosomes A01, A03, A06, A07, A09, C01, C03, C06, C07, and C09, explaining 4.3–11.5% of the phenotypic variance. The ONPO decreased as their appearance order on the inflorescence and was associated with the level of several types of endogenous phytohormones but not related to leaf area and photosynthetic rate. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified a total of 4,449 DEGs enriched in 30 classes, including DNA, RNA, protein, signaling, transport, development, cell wall, lipid metabolism, and secondary metabolism. Nearly half of DEGs were involved in the known pathways in regulating ovule number, of which 12 were homologous to know ovule number regulating genes, indicating a strong link between the identified DEGs and ovule number. A total of 73 DEGs were located within the genomic regions of association loci, of which six were identified as candidates based on functional annotation. These results provide useful information for the further genetic improvement of ovule and seed number in oilseed rape.
An application of the dual identity model and active categorization to increase intercultural closeness
Authors: Prasch Johanna E. , Neelim Ananta , Carbon Claus-Christian , Schoormans Jan P. L. , Blijlevens Janneke
Published: September 2022

The enhancement of social inclusion is a key to maintaining cohesion in society and to foster the benefits of cultural diversity. Using insights from the Dual Identity Model (DIM) with a special focus on active categorization, we develop an intervention to increase social inclusion. Our intervention encourages the participants to (re-)categorize on a superordinate level (i.e., a human identity) while being exposed to their own culture. Across a set of experiments, we test the efficacy of our intervention against control conditions on the effect of social inclusion, measured by perceived social distance. Results show an increase in cultural closeness and provide preliminary support for the use of a DIM-based intervention to increase intercultural inclusion
Vowel acoustics of Nungon child-directed speech, adult dyadic conversation, and foreigner-directed monologues
Authors: Sarvasy Hannah S. , Li Weicong , Elvin Jaydene , Escudero Paola
Published: September 2022

In many communities around the world, speech to infants (IDS) and small children (CDS) has increased mean pitch, increased pitch range, increased vowel duration, and vowel hyper-articulation when compared to speech directed to adults (ADS). Some of these IDS and CDS features are also attested in foreigner-directed speech (FDS), which has been studied for a smaller range of languages, generally major national languages, spoken by millions of people. We examined vowel acoustics in CDS, conversational ADS, and monologues directed to a foreigner (possible FDS, labeled MONO here) in the Towet dialect of the Papuan language Nungon, spoken by 300 people in a remote region in northeastern Papua New Guinea. Previous work established that Nungon CDS entails optional use of consonant alteration, special nursery vocabulary, and special morphosyntax. This study shows that Nungon CDS to children aged 2;2–3;10 lacks vowel hyper-articulation, but still displays other common prosodic traits of CDS styles around the world: increased mean pitch and pitch range. A developmental effect was also attested, in that speech to 2-year-olds contained vowels that were significantly longer than those in speech to 3-year-olds, which in turn had vowels of similar duration to those in Nungon ADS. We also found that Nungon FDS vowel triangles, measured from monologues primarily directed to a non-native speaker, were significantly larger than those of either CDS or conversational ADS, indicating vowel hyper-articulation. The Nungon pattern may align with the patterns of vowels in Norwegian IDS, CDS, and FDS, where hyper-articulation is found in FDS, but not CDS or IDS. The languages of the New Guinea area constitute 20% of the world's languages, but neither an acoustic comparison of vowels in CDS and ADS, nor an acoustic study of FDS, has previously been completed for any language of New Guinea. The function of an FDS style in a small, closed community like those of much of New Guinea may differ from that in larger societies, since there are very few non-native speakers of Nungon. Thus, this study uses monologues recorded with a foreign researcher as interlocutor to study Nungon FDS.
Do African American adolescents internalize direct online discrimination? Moderating effects of vicarious online discrimination, parental technological attitudes, and racial identity centrality
Authors: Tao Chun , Scott Kimberly A.
Published: September 2022

African American adolescents have become more active users of digital media, which may increasingly expose them to direct online discrimination based on their racial and gender identities. Despite well-documented impacts of offline discrimination, our understanding of if and how direct online discrimination affects African American adolescents similarly remains limited. Guided by intersectional and ecological frameworks, we examined the association between direct online discrimination and internalized computing stereotypes in African American adolescents. Further, we explored the moderating effects of systemic and individual factors – vicarious online discrimination, parental technological attitudes, and racial identity centrality – on this association by adolescent gender. Utilizing data from 1041 African American parent-adolescent dyads, we found a positive association between adolescents’ direct online discrimination and internalized computing stereotypes. Surprisingly, greater vicarious online discrimination mitigated this association for both male and female adolescents. Further, parental technological attitudes and racial identity centrality mitigated this association only for female but not male adolescents. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding the impact of media on adolescents’ online experiences from intersectional and systemic perspectives. We discuss the implications for prospective research and educational programs focused on African American adolescents’ digital media use and online experiences.
Development obstacles of the agent accounting industry in China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area based on quantitative analysis—Research on the problem of employee’s work attitude
Authors: Huang Xiang , Lee Hyukku , Wang Mingyi , Wang Dong , Wu Yaoxian , Du Kangsheng
Published: September 2022

The notion of “agent bookkeeping” was proposed when the “Accounting Law of the People’s Republic of China” was updated in 1993. Since their business is specialized in serving small and micro-enterprises, this has created the industry characteristic of generally small in the size of company and low in the salary of employees in Chinese agent bookkeeping companies. Such characteristic results in a series of problems including negative work attitude of employees in the development process, which seriously limit the development of Chinese agent bookkeeping companies. However, issues occurred in the development of agent bookkeeping, such as negative employee attitudes, which severely hampered the growth of Chinese agent bookkeeping companies. Therefore, a model of three dimensions of work attitude has been set up in this paper to demonstrate the working attitude of the staff of the agent bookkeeping companies in China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including emotional dimension, behavioral dimension, and cognitive dimension which consists of eight factors: work environment, career satisfaction, interpersonal relationship, role engagement, work vitality, responsibility attitude, emotional identity, and retention attitude. The result indicates that (1) female employees outnumber male ones in agent bookkeeping companies, (2) most employees have a low sense of belonging to the company, (3) limited career development affects employees’ enthusiasm for work, (4) work attitudes are influenced by mediocre work performance among employees with a graduate degree or higher.
Exploring purchase intentions of new energy vehicles: Do “mianzi” and green peer influence matter?
Authors: Zhao Haibo , Bai Rubing , Liu Ran , Wang Hong
Published: September 2022

New energy vehicle is an innovative means of transportation, and its development has been widely concerned all over the world. However, few studies investigate the purchase intention of new energy vehicles (NEVs) from the perspective of combining altruism and cultural factors. Based on the extended norm activation model (NAM), this study explores the influencing factors of NEVs’ purchasing intention and the moderating effects of “mianzi” and green peer influence. According to 302 valid questionnaires, the results indicated that the extended NAM model is useful in predicting consumer purchasing behavior with an improved explanatory power in purchase intentions of NEVs from 15 to 26%. The awareness of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, and green self-identity have a positive impact on the personal norm. Personal norm and green self-identity are positively associated with purchase intention. “Mianzi” and green peer influence positively moderate the relationship between green self-identity and intention to purchase. The findings give new insights into the impact of cultural factors on purchasing NEVs and profound suggestions for policymakers and enterprises to promote the development of NEVs.
Draw me a brain: The use of drawing as a tool to examine children's developing knowledge about the “black box”
Authors: Brechet Claire , Blanc Nathalie , Mortier Arnaud , Rossi Sandrine
Published: September 2022

Recent studies in neuroeducation highlight the benefits of teaching children about how the brain works. However, very little is known about children's naive conceptions about the brain. The current study examined these representations, by asking 6–10 year-old children (N = 257) and adults (N = 38) to draw a brain and the inside of a belly as a control drawing. The drawings were scored using a content analysis and a list of graphic indicators was derived. First, all the graphic indicators used in the brain drawings were different from those used in the belly drawings, suggesting that children are able to distinguish these two organs. Second, with age, children depict (i) an increasing number of indicators, (ii) more complex indicators, (iii) indicators that are more anatomically correct, to depict the brain. There is an important evolution between 6 and 8 years-old but also between 10 years-old and adults. These results are discussed in relation to children's metacognitive knowledge and to their implications for neuroeducation.
Rational catering of irrational emotions: Investor sentiment and executive tone
Authors: Qiu Jing , Yang Ni
Published: September 2022

In China, investors generally make decisions depending on the intonation of executive announcements. A total of 20,328 observations are sampled from the Chinese equity market between 2005 and 2019. We perform principal component analysis to produce monthly sentiment indices and calculate the weighted average of the value over the fiscal year to measure the degree of investor sentiment. The results of the empirical analysis reveal that: (1) there is a significant positive correlation between market-level investor sentiment and executive tone, (2) stock price and trading-volume pressures on executives, and firm-level investor expectation and gambling tendency positively moderate the relationship between investor sentiment and executive tone, (3) executive optimism does not mediate the association between investor sentiment and executive tone, and (4) manipulated and real intonations are non-homogeneous tactics adopted by rational managers to cater to changes in investor sentiment. These findings indicate that executives' intonations are both an extension of firms' current and past performances and managers' decision-making based on sentiments and behaviors of irrational investors, which are consistent with the Catering Theory. In addition, rational executives tend to adopt various intonation tactics to respond to investor sentiment to avoid declines in stock prices and trading volumes.
Analysis of the anomie behavior and external motivation of college students in sports: A cross-sectional study among gender
Authors: Liu Liping , Chen Shanping , Yang Xueyan
Published: September 2022

Objective

In the context of Healthy China, the effect of external motivation on sports anomie behavior from the perspective of gender among Chinese college students was investigated.

Participants

In total, 2,340 college students were involved in this study.

Methods

The self-made scales were used, which were about anomie behavior and external motivation in sports. The independent sample T-test was used to compare the sports anomie behavior between male and female students. Then, multiple linear regression analysis was adopted to examine the effects of external motivation on sports anomie behavior.

Results

Girls’ sports anomie behavior was lower than boys. There were significant gender differences in honor motivation, obedience motivation, and economic motivation; girls’ motivations were lower than boys. The academic motivation was negatively correlated with the sports anomie behavior of college students of both genders. The economic motivation was positively correlated with their sports anomie behavior. The honor motivation was negatively correlated with the sports anomie behavior of female college students.

Conclusion

Female college students’ sports anomie behavior and external motivation are lower than that of male college students. External motivation had a significant influence on college students’ sports anomie behavior.
Transcranial direct current stimulation of the occipital lobes with adjunct lithium attenuates the progression of cognitive impairment in patients with first episode schizophrenia
Authors: Zhuo Chuanjun , Tian Hongjun , Zhou Chunhua , Sun Yun , Chen Xinying , Li Ranli , Chen Jiayue , Yang Lei , Li Qianchen , Zhang Qiuyu , Xu Yong , Song Xueqin
Published: September 2022

Background

There is no standard effective treatment for schizophrenia-associated cognitive impairment. Efforts to use non-invasive brain stimulation for this purpose have been focused mostly on the frontal cortex, with little attention being given to the occipital lobe.

Materials and methods

We compared the effects of nine intervention strategies on cognitive performance in psychometric measures and brain connectivity measured obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses. The strategies consisted of transcranial direct current stimulation (t-DCS) or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (r-TMS) of the frontal lobe or of the occipital alone or with adjunct lithium, or lithium monotherapy. We measured global functional connectivity density (gFCD) voxel-wise.

Results

Although all nine patient groups showed significant improvements in global disability scores (GDSs) following the intervention period (vs. before), the greatest improvement in GDS was observed for the group that received occipital lobe-targeted t-DCS with adjunct lithium therapy. tDCS of the occipital lobe improved gFCD throughout the brain, including in the frontal lobes, whereas stimulation of the frontal lobes had less far-reaching benefits on gFCD in the brain. Adverse secondary effects (ASEs) such as heading, dizziness, and nausea, were commonly experienced by patients treated with t-DCS and r-TMS, with or without lithium, whereas ASEs were rare with lithium alone.

Conclusion

The most effective treatment strategy for impacting cognitive impairment and brain communication was t-DCS stimulation of the occipital lobe with adjunct lithium therapy, though patients often experienced headache with dizziness and nausea after treatment sessions.
Prediction model and case analysis of college students' psychological depression based on multi-source online comment mining
Authors: Zhu Lixiao
Published: September 2022

Psychological depression is a normal emotional experience of human beings. Everyone will experience different levels of depression in life. Under the dual influence of the current socio-economic environment and the small environment of students' quality, the depressive tendency of college students cannot be ignored. In order to mine and improve the level of College Students' psychological depression, this paper proposes a prediction model of College Students' PD based on multi-source online comment mining. The data mining method is used to analyze the content and emotion of microblog comments of users with depressive tendencies. Then, pattern extraction and matching are used to find low-frequency feature words. The example analysis shows that when the comment length is set to 10 and the news length is set to 47, the classification accuracy of the test set is the highest, reaching 96.454%, higher than the original 94.898%. Learning pressure, economic pressure, employment pressure, coping style and social support are closely related to depression and anxiety. Therefore, when modeling depression and anxiety, they were selected as predictive properties. The PD prediction model of college students based on multi-source online comment mining has achieved good results in the polarity classification of online comments.
A new prediction model for overall survival of elderly patients with solitary bone plasmacytoma: A population-based study
Authors: Wu Yingying , Wei Jiemin , Chen Shaomei , Liu Xiaozhu , Cao Junyi
Published: September 2022

Background

Comprehensive studies on the prognosis of solitary bone plasmacytoma (SPB) are lacking, especially in elderly patients with SPB. This study aims to establish a novel nomogram and risk stratification system to predict the overall survival (OS) of elderly patients with SPB.

Methods

The data of elderly patients with SPB from 2000 to 2017 were identified in the SEER database. SPB patients were randomly assigned to the training set (n = 825) and validation set (n = 354). The Cox regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for OS in elderly SPB patients. The nomogram was established and assessed by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), the consistency index (C-index), and the calibration plot. Patients were divided into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups based on the score of the nomogram. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curve was used to verify the differences in overall survival among the three groups.

Result

A total of 1,179 elderly patients with SPB were included in the study. Age at diagnosis, prior cancer before SPB, marital status, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors of OS. The AUC of the 3, 5, and 8-year OS in the training and validation sets were between 0.707 and 0.860. The C-index and calibration plot also indicated that the nomogram has great predictive accuracy and robustness. After risk stratification, patients in the high-risk group had the worst OS.

Conclusion

A novel nomogram was built to predict the OS of elderly patients with SPB. It will help clinicians formulate more reasonable and personalized treatment strategies.
Structural analysis of VirD4 a type IV ATPase encoded by transmissible plasmids of Salmonella enterica isolated from poultry products
Authors: Gokulan Kuppan , Khare Sangeeta , Foley Steven L.
Published: September 2022

Bacterial species have evolved with a wide variety of cellular devices, and they employ these devices for communication and transfer of genetic materials and toxins. They are classified into secretory system types I to VI based on their structure, composition, and functional activity. Specifically, the bacterial type IV secretory system (T4SS) is a more versatile system than the other secretory systems because it is involved in the transfer of genetic materials, proteins, and toxins to the host cells or other bacterial species. The T4SS machinery is made up of several proteins with distinct functions and forms a complex which spans the inner and outer membranes. This secretory machinery contains three ATPases that are the driving force for the functionality of this apparatus. At the initial stage of the secretion process, the selection of substrate molecules and processing occurs at the cytoplasmic region (also known as relaxosome), and then transfer mechanisms occur through the secretion complex. In this process, the VirD4 ATPase is the first molecule that initiates substrate selection, which is subsequently delivered to the secretory machinery. In the protein data bank (PDB), no structural information is available for the VirD4 ATPase to understand the functional property. In this manuscript, we have modeled VirD4 structure in the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica and described the predicted functional importance. The sequence alignment shows that VirD4 of S. enterica contains several insertion regions as compared with the template structure (pdb:1E9R) used for homology modeling. In this study, we hypothesized that the insertion regions could play a role in the flexible movement of the hexameric unit during the relaxosome processing or transfer of the substrate.
Strategies for enhancing social skills of individuals with intellectual disability: A systematic review
Authors: Jacob Udeme Samuel , Edozie Isioma Sitamalife , Pillay Jace
Published: September 2022

Individuals with intellectual disability who suffer from comorbid mental health problems are likely to experience difficulties in socialising. Deficits in social skills are also associated with challenging behaviours and self-injury. This paper presents global evidence from a systematic review of literature on such issues as ‘interventions’; ‘social skills development’, and ‘individuals with intellectual disability’. A thorough search of various bibliographic databases identified 1 124 academic papers. Ten papers met the inclusion criteria for in-depth analysis concerning the use of interventions to develop social skills among individuals with intellectual disability. The study revealed that the social skills of individuals with intellectual disability had been fostered using different strategies, such as classroom-based intervention, emotional intelligence training, use of a peer network intervention, computer games of emotion regulation, and puppet play therapy. Furthermore, the findings suggest that various aspects like communication, bridging the gap in social skills deficits, emotional recognition and regulation, and adaptive behaviour were fostered using the identified intervention strategy. This review revealed that social skills interventions appeared modestly effective but may not be generalisable to school settings or self-reported social behaviour for individuals with intellectual disability. It is also necessary to increase the sample size in future studies to draw generalisable conclusions.
Zoonoses—Diseases Naturally Transmitted From Animals to Humans
Authors: Zucca Paolo , Scagliarini Alessandra , Ramma Yashwantrao , Khan Ali S.
Published: September 2022

Diseases that are naturally transmitted from animals to humans are called zoonoses or zoonotic diseases. More than 70% of all human infectious diseases came from animals, including Ebola, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS), avian influenza and Monkeypox. The COVID-19 pandemic is also a novel zoonosis, caused by a coronavirus that probably came from bats. Zoonoses can happen any time humans come into contact with animals or animal products. Children, people with weakened immune systems or chronic health conditions, and pregnant women are at higher risk of contracting zoonoses. Zoonoses are widespread—not only in forests and wild environments but also in urban areas. This article includes background information on zoonoses and how they move into humans. It also provides helpful tips to avoid infection with these diseases. Finally, it discusses the importance of preventing disease in animals, so that animal diseases are not transmitted to humans.
Superior calyceal access vs. other calyceal access in percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ma Yucheng , Lin Lede , Luo Zhumei , Jin Tao
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the superior calyceal access’s performance and safety in relation to other calyceal access during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).

Methods

The suggested reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis were used to conduct this meta-analysis (PRISMA). To find pertinent studies for this meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Operation time and hospital stay are two secondary outcomes, whereas failed stone clearance and complication events are the two major outcomes. Utilizing Stata 15.0, RevMan 5.3, and R 4.0.2, relative data were extracted and evaluated.

Results

This meta-analysis was based on 16 studies with 8,541 individuals. Pooled results suggested that superior calyceal access could offer fewer failed stone clearance [odds ratio (OR): 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47–0.88, P = 0.006] and lower additional puncture rate (OR: 0.35, 95% CI, 0.24–0.51, P < 0.001) than other calyceal access. No complication difference was found (OR: 1.10, 95% CI, 0.78–1.56, P = 0.57). Superior calyceal access could offer shorter operation time [standard mean difference (SMD): −0.57, 95% CI, −0.98 to −0.15, P = 0.007]. No hospital stay difference was found (SMD: 0.07, 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.22, P = 0.38). Large heterogeneity was detected in stone clearance comparison (I2 = 71%, P < 0.001) and operation time (I2 = 97%, P < 0.001). The stone clearance comparison also identified significant publication bias (P = 0.026). These defects weaken the credibility of the results.

Conclusion

Superior calyceal access in PCNL may result in a higher stone clearance rate, a lower rate of subsequent punctures, and a faster operation duration with no increase in postoperative complications or hospital stay for kidney stone patients, despite the significant heterogeneity and publication bias. By conducting bigger randomized controlled studies, this discovery still has to be confirmed.
Experiments on the Influence of Corn Straw Morphological Combinations on Timely No-Tillage Sowing Soil Temperature and Moisture in Cold Regions
Authors: Hou Shouyin , Wang Xing , Ji Zhangchi , Chen Haitao , Zhou Cheng
Published: September 2022

After corn mechanical harvest in autumn in the cold region of northeast China, straw mulching leads to high soil topsoil water content and slow ground temperature rise in the spring sowing season, which may result in a no-tillage planter being unable to operate in time, delayed sowing date, poor seedling emergence quality, and low grain yield. Based on the problems of high moisture content and low temperature in soil topsoil in the spring sowing season in conservation tillage with straw mulching, an experimental study on timely sowing in the spring sowing season was carried out from the perspective of combination optimization of attribute parameters of straw mechanical treatment. Taking the four mechanical treatment attributes as experimental factors, including straw length, straw shape, mulching form (surface covering, inter-ridge covering, and inter-ridge mixed soil covering), and stubble height after corn harvest in autumn of 2019 as experimental factors, and soil topsoil moisture content and temperature during spring sowing in 2020 as evaluation indexes, a field plot experiment was carried out by four factors and three levels of orthogonal combination test method. The results showed that all the factors had significant influence on soil topsoil moisture content and soil topsoil temperature (p < 0.05). It is helpful to reduce the moisture content of soil topsoil and increase the temperature of soil topsoil by increasing the length of corn stalk, breaking the stalk moderately, covering the stalk between ridges, and increasing the stubble height of stalk. Design-Expert software was used to optimize the parameters. The results showed that when the length of straw was 150 mm, the shape of straw was half-cut (dividing straw into two parts evenly along the axis), the mulch was between ridges, and the stubble height was 600 mm, the moisture content of soil topsoil was 22~24% and the temperature of soil topsoil was higher than 8 °C during spring sowing. After corn harvest in autumn of 2021, corn stalks were treated in that year according to the results of parameter optimization combination. The soil topsoil moisture content and temperature were measured to be 24.4% and 8.2 °C, respectively, in the spring sowing season of 2022, which proved that the optimization results in this experiment were credible. The experimental results provide a technical reference for the implementation of conservation tillage with straw surface mulching in the cold region of northeast China.
Design and Test of Seedbed Preparation Machine before Transplanting of Rapeseed Combined Transplanter
Authors: Jiang Lan , Tang Qing , Wu Jun , Yu Wenyi , Zhang Min , Jiang Dong , Wei Dexin
Published: September 2022

In order to satisfy the soil preparation requirements of a rapeseed combined transplanter in the middle-lower Yangtze River region in China where rice–rapeseed rotation cropping system was performed, a seedbed preparation machine composed of a rotary tillage device, ditch cleaning shovel, and soil leveling auger was designed to realize the function of rotary tillage, stubble ploughing, ditching, and soil leveling. The seedbed preparation machine was designed as the two parts of the middle section and the left–right symmetrical section to realize the need for middle ditching. Based on the principle of active scraping and anti-blocking, the curves of the soil contact section, soil throwing section, and transition section of the ditch cleaning shovel were analyzed. The structure parameters of the soil leveling auger with end reversal structure were designed. In order to further improve the working performance of the seedbed preparation machine, the response surface tests were designed, selecting the forward speed(X1), the rotation speed of rotary tillage blade roller(X2), and the rotation speed of soil leveling auger(X3) as the main influencing factors, taking the soil breaking rate and the straw coverage rate and the soil flatness as the test indexes. The optimal parameter combination was obtained as a forward speed of 0.94 m/s, rotation speed of rotary blade roller of 268 rpm, and rotation speed of soil leveling auger of 204 rpm. Under the optimal parameters combination, the soil breaking rate, straw coverage rate, and soil flatness were 92.06%, 93.01%, and 8.35 mm respectively, which satisfied the agronomic requirements of rapeseed blanket seedling transplanting. This study can provide a reference for the design of a seedbed preparation machine of a rapeseed combined transplanter.
Measurement and Analysis of Contribution Rate for China Rice Input Factors via a Varying-Coefficient Production Function Model
Authors: Li Zehua , Wu Xiaola , Wang Xicheng , Zhong Haimin , Chen Jiongtao , Ma Xu
Published: September 2022

To explore the internal driving force of the growth of rice yield per unit area in China, a model based on varying-coefficient production function is proposed in this study, which comes from the idea that the constant elasticity parameters in the Cobb-Douglas production function can be extended to functional forms. Applying such model to economic growth analysis, on the one hand, the dynamic contribution rate of each input factor can be measured, and, on the other hand, the contribution rate of the input factor can be decomposed into net factor contribution rate and interaction factor contribution rate, thus expanding the explanatory ability of growth rate equation. Using such model, the output elasticity of capital and labor in China’s rice yield growth are calculated from 1978 to 2020, and the dynamic characteristics of the contribution rate of capital, labor and generalized technological progress are analyzed. Next, the capital contribution rate is decomposed according to the composition of the total capital. The results show that: (1) The capital elasticity and labor elasticity are indeed not constant in different years. In China, from 1978 to 2020 the value of capital elasticity was between 0.3209 to 0.3589, with a mean of 0.3437, and the value of labor elasticity was between −0.1759 to −0.1640, with a mean of −0.1730. (2) Natural disasters do affect capital elasticity and labor elasticity in rice production. (3) When the annual proportion of crop disasters increases, the contribution rate of interaction between capital and natural disaster (KDR) value is negative, whereas the contribution rate of interaction between labor and natural disaster (LDR) value is positive. (4) Compared with 1978, the generalized technological progress contribution rate (GTPR) of the rice yield growth in China from 1979 to 2020 shows a declining trend in fluctuations, whereas the total capital contribution rate (TKR) shows a rising trend in fluctuations and the total labor contribution rate (TLR) is relatively stable in the same period. Since 2000, capital investment has become the main factor for the rice yield growth per unit area in China, of which machinery, chemical fertilizer, seed and pesticide are the four most important input factors.
Optimization of Open-Access Optical and Radar Satellite Data in Google Earth Engine for Oil Palm Mapping in the Muda River Basin, Malaysia
Authors: Zeng Ju , Tan Mou Leong , Tew Yi Lin , Zhang Fei , Wang Tao , Samat Narimah , Tangang Fredolin , Yusop Zulkifli
Published: September 2022

Continuous oil palm distribution maps are essential for effective agricultural planning and management. Due to the significant cloud cover issue in tropical regions, the identification of oil palm from other crops using only optical satellites is difficult. Based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE), this study aims to evaluate the best combination of open-source optical and microwave satellite data in oil palm mapping by utilizing the C-band Sentinel-1, L-band PALSAR-2, Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and topographic images, with the Muda River Basin (MRB) as the test site. The results show that the land use land cover maps generated from the combined images have accuracies from 95 to 97%; the best combination goes to Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 for the overall classification. Meanwhile, the best combination for oil palm classification is C5 (PALSAR-2 + Landsat 8), with the highest producer accuracy (96%) and consumer accuracy (100%) values. The combination of C-band radar images can improve the classification accuracy of oil palm, but compared with the combination of L-band images, the oil palm area was underestimated. The oil palm area had increased from 2015 to 2020, ranging from 10% to 60% across all combinations. This shows that the selection of optimal images is important for oil palm mapping.
Residues and Uptake of Soil-Applied Dinotefuran by Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Celery (Apium graveolens L.)
Authors: Ham Hun Ju , Choi Jeong Yoon , Jo Yeong Ju , Sardar Syed Wasim , Ishag Abd Elaziz Sulieman Ahmed , Abdelbagi Azhari Omer , Hur Jang Hyun
Published: September 2022

Pesticides have been used for decades to protect agricultural products and increase productivity by controlling crop pests. However, the frequent application of pesticides on crops or soil leads to the accumulation of their residues in the environment, which will be subsequently absorbed by plants and finally translocated to edible parts. This study aimed to investigate the uptake of soil-applied dinotefuran and three major metabolites by lettuce and celery from the previous season’s applications and analyze their residues in soil and consumable parts. Dinotefuran was soil-applied at plant back intervals of 30 and 60 days (PBI-30 and PBI-60). Residues of dinotefuran and its metabolites in 50% and 100% mature lettuce leaves and celery shoots, soil after application, at planting, and at 50% and 100% plant maturity were estimated. Half-lives and bio-concentration factors were calculated. The uptake of dinotefuran by lettuce and celery ranged between 23.8% and 28% and between 51.73% and 53.06%, respectively. Respective half-lives (days) of dinotefuran applied on PBI-30 and PBI-60 were 1.33–1.54 and 0.91–2.16 in lettuce soil and 0.9–1.47 and 0.79–1.65 in celery soil. Residues were below Korean MRLs in PBI-60 and most PBI-30 samples. The calculated risk assessment parameters indicated that negligible risk could be expected. The current study recommends growing the next crop 60 days after harvesting the first crop, but not less than 30 days.
Construction and Verification of Spherical Thin Shell Model for Revealing Walnut Shell Crack Initiation and Expansion Mechanism
Authors: Bao Xiulan , Chen Biyu , Dai Peng , Li Yishu , Mao Jincheng
Published: September 2022

Walnut shell breaking is the first step of deep walnut processing. This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties and fracture state of the Qingxiang walnut shell under unidirectional load and guide the complete separation of the walnut shell and kernel. The spherical thin shell model of the walnut (the fitting error is less than 5%) was established and verified. The process from the initiation to the expansion of walnut cracks was analyzed. The crack expansion rate was estimated in terms of the crack fracture regularity on the shell’s surface. Based on the momentless theory and finite element simulation analysis, we found that the stress on the shell surface in the concentrated force action region was gradient distributed from inside to outside and that the internal forces were equal in all directions in the peripheral force action region. The unidirectional impact shell-breaking experiments confirmed the reliability of our spherical thin shell model and verified our hypothesis of walnut shell fracture along the longitudinal grain. Our results can provide a theoretical basis for the development and structural optimization of shell-breaking machinery.