bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcriptome Analysis of Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) Reveals Candidate Genes Involved in Response to Dehydration and Cold Stresses
Authors: Huang Zhuo , Zhu Peilei , Zhong Xiaojuan , Qiu Jiarui , Xu Wenxin , Song Li
Published: July 2022

Bamboo (Bambusoideae) belongs to the grass family (Poaceae) and has been utilized as one of the most important nontimber forest resources in the world. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) is a large woody bamboo with high ecological and economic values. Global climate change brings potential challenges to the normal growth of moso bamboo, and hence its production. Despite the release of moso bamboo genome sequence, the knowledge on genome-wide responses to abiotic stress is still limited. In this study, we generated a transcriptome data set with respect to dehydration and cold responses of moso bamboo using RNA-seq technology. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under treatments of dehydration and cold stresses were identified. By combining comprehensive gene ontology (GO) analysis, time-series analysis, and co-expression analysis, candidate genes involved in dehydration and cold responses were identified, which encode abscisic acid (ABA)/water deficit stress (WDS)-induced protein, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), anti-oxidation enzymes, transcription factors, etc. Additionally, we used PeLEA14, a dehydration-induced gene encoding an “atypical” LEA protein, as an example to validate the function of the identified stress-related gene in tolerance to abiotic stresses, such as drought and salt. In this study, we provided a valuable genomic resource for future excavation of key genes involved in abiotic stress responses and genetic improvement of moso bamboo to meet the requirement for environmental resilience and sustainable production.
GWAS and RNA-seq analysis uncover candidate genes associated with alkaline stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings
Authors: Li Chunxiang , Jia Yue , Zhou Runyu , Liu Liwei , Cao Mengna , Zhou Yu , Wang Zhenhua , Di Hong
Published: July 2022

Soil salt-alkalization is a common yet critical environmental stress factor for plant growth and development. Discovering and exploiting genes associated with alkaline tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.) is helpful for improving alkaline resistance. Here, an association panel consisting of 200 maize lines was used to identify the genetic loci responsible for alkaline tolerance-related traits in maize seedlings. A total of nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their associated candidate genes were found to be significantly associated with alkaline tolerance using a genome-wide association study (GWAS). An additional 200 genes were identified when the screen was extended to include a linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay distance of r2 ≥ 0.2 from the SNPs. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis was then conducted to confirm the linkage between the candidate genes and alkali tolerance. From these data, a total of five differentially expressed genes (DEGs; |log2FC| ≥ 0.585, p < 0.05) were verified as the hub genes involved in alkaline tolerance. Subsequently, two candidate genes, Zm00001d038250 and Zm00001d001960, were verified to affect the alkaline tolerance of maize seedlings by qRT-PCR analysis. These genes were putatively involved protein binding and “flavonoid biosynthesis process,” respectively, based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses. Gene promoter region contains elements related to stress and metabolism. The results of this study will help further elucidate the mechanisms of alkaline tolerance in maize, which will provide the groundwork for future breeding projects.
How to Develop Reliable Instruments to Measure the Cultural Evolution of Preferences and Feelings in History?
Authors: Martins Mauricio de Jesus Dias , Baumard Nicolas
Published: July 2022

While we cannot directly measure the psychological preferences of individuals, and the moral, emotional, and cognitive tendencies of people from the past, we can use cultural artifacts as a window to the zeitgeist of societies in particular historical periods. At present, an increasing number of digitized texts spanning several centuries is available for a computerized analysis. In addition, developments form historical economics have enabled increasingly precise estimations of sociodemographic realities from the past. Crossing these datasets offer a powerful tool to test how the environment changes psychology and vice versa. However, designing the appropriate proxies of relevant psychological constructs is not trivial. The gold standard to measure psychological constructs in modern texts – Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) – has been validated by psychometric experimentation with modern participants. However, as a tool to investigate the psychology of the past, the LIWC is limited in two main aspects: (1) it does not cover the entire range of relevant psychological dimensions and (2) the meaning, spelling, and pragmatic use of certain words depend on the historical period from which the fiction work is sampled. These LIWC limitations make the design of custom tools inevitable. However, without psychometric validation, there is uncertainty regarding what exactly is being measured. To overcome these pitfalls, we suggest several internal and external validation procedures, to be conducted prior to diachronic analyses. First, the semantic adequacy of search terms in bags-of-words approaches should be verified by training semantic vector spaces with the historical text corpus using tools like word2vec. Second, we propose factor analyses to evaluate the internal consistency between distinct bag-of-words proxying the same underlying psychological construct. Third, these proxies can be externally validated using prior knowledge on the differences between genres or other literary dimensions. Finally, while LIWC is limited in the analysis of historical documents, it can be used as a sanity check for external validation of custom measures. This procedure allows a robust estimation of psychological constructs and how they change throughout history. Together with historical economics, it also increases our power in testing the relationship between environmental change and the expression of psychological traits from the past.
The Directionality of the Relationship Between Executive Functions and Language Skills: A Literature Review
Authors: Shokrkon Anahita , Nicoladis Elena
Published: July 2022

It has been demonstrated that executive functions play a significant role in different aspects of the development of children. Development of language is also one of the most important accomplishments of the preschool years, and it has been linked to many outcomes in life. Despite substantial research demonstrating the association between executive function and language development in childhood, only a handful of studies have examined the direction of the developmental pathways between EF skills and language skills, therefore little is known about how these two constructs are connected. In this review paper, we discuss three possible directional relationships between EFs and language development throughout childhood. First, we discuss how EF might affect language functioning. Next, we discuss how language functioning might affect EF. Lastly, we consider other possible relationships between EF and language. Given that children with better EF and language skills are more likely to succeed in educational settings and demonstrate greater social–emotional competencies, investigating the relationship between EF and language in the preschool period provides insight into mechanisms that have not been extensively studied. Furthermore, it could create new opportunities for designing effective and efficient interventions aimed at addressing EF and language deficits during the preschool period which could in turn influence later development.
The mobile phone addiction index: Cross gender measurement invariance in adolescents
Authors: An Xianli , Chen Siguang , Zhu Liping , Jiang Caimin
Published: July 2022

The Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI) is a short instrument to assess mobile phone addiction. The Chinese version of this scale has been widely used in Chinese students and shows promising psychometric characteristics. The present study tested the construct validity and measurement invariance of the MPAI by gender in middle school adolescents. The data were collected from 1,395 high school students (females,n= 646;Mage = 15.3 years). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multiple-group CFA (MG-CFA) for invariance tests were conducted on the MPAI model which consisted of 17 observed items and 4 latent factors. Findings showed that the data fit the four-factor structure model well for both males and females. Furthermore, configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance were established by gender. The results indicated that the MPAI has acceptable psychometric properties when used in adolescents. In addition, with the strict invariance requirements being satisfied, the underlying factor scores for MPAI can be meaningfully compared across genders. To our knowledge, this study is the first attempt to test the measurement invariance of the MPAI across male and female adolescents. Our results will support future research on mobile phone addiction in adolescents.
The Impact of Resource Bricolage on Entrepreneurial Orientation in Start-ups: The Moderating Roles of TMT Heterogeneity and TMT Behavioral Integration
Authors: Xiaobao Peng , Rui Guo , Jiewei Zu , Xiaofan Song
Published: July 2022

Prior studies demonstrate the role of resources in shaping a firm’s entrepreneurial orientation from the resource-based view. We expand this line of research by theorising and testing the impact of resource bricolage on entrepreneurial orientation. Based on the data of 295 start-ups, we find that when start-ups face resource constraints, the strategy of resource bricolage has a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial orientation, and the relationship is positively moderated by top management team (TMT) heterogeneity. Meanwhile, the relationship is negatively moderated by TMT behavioral integration. The results are expected to provide theoretical guidance for start-ups to overcome resource constraints and achieve smooth survival and growth.
To Share or Not to Share? The Role of Retailer’s Information Sharing in a Closed-Loop Supply Chain
Authors: Zhang Huaige , Hong Xianpei , Cao Xinlu
Published: July 2022

Retailers are faced with a dilemma of whether to share demand information with other supply chain members, and if so, how to share it. Our research interest is motivated by the grounds that the value of downstream retailers’ sales information to upstream manufacturers is to improve the accuracy of manufacturers’ order forecasting. This problem is particularly important in the remanufacturing of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs). In this study, we consider a retailer (she) as the demand information holder, who sells new and remanufactured products in wholesale to a manufacturer (he) and, simultaneously, she and the manufacturer competitively collect used products from the customers. We explicitly characterize the role of information sharing in a CLSC. We contributed to the information-sharing literature by integrating the existing information-sharing model with dual recycling channels and channel power structure. Previous literature suggests that retailers prefer to share demand information with other firms when the market demand is high. However, surprisingly, we find that when the manufacturer does not play a leading role, the retailer shares her forecast demand information with the manufacturer if the market demand is low. We also show that information sharing reduces the overall profit of the supply chain when the manufacturer dominates the market. In addition, our results also illustrate that information sharing affects the performance of the supply chain mainly by affecting the wholesale price.
Temporal associations between objectively measured physical activity and depressive symptoms: An experience sampling study
Authors: Li Yu-Mei , Konstabel Kenn , Mõttus René , Lemola Sakari
Published: July 2022

Background

This study aimed to examine the relationship between the timing of physical activity and within-individual differences in depressive symptoms, positive affect, and negative affect in individuals with different baseline levels of depressive symptoms.

Methods

Experience sampling methodology (ESM) was used to measure real-time depressive symptoms, positive affect, and negative affect in a convenience sample of 78 healthy adults (aged M = 25.46 years, SD = 6.18; 57 females) five times per day for 14 days. We measured physical activity throughout the 14 days by using activity sensors. Baseline levels of depressive symptoms were assessed with the PHQ-9 to build subgroups with low vs. mild-moderate depressive symptoms.

Results

Physical activity predicted decreased depressive symptom levels, negative affect, and increased positive affect. Associations were stronger for individuals with higher baseline levels of depressive symptoms and for physical activity between 0 and 30 min compared to physical activity between 30 and 180 min before the mood rating. Conversely, levels of depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect did not predict physical activity.

Limitations

The convenience sample may not have been representative of the general population or people with depression. Accelerometers may not have detected some types of physical activities such as bicycling. Causality could not be inferred because of the observational study design.

Conclusion

Individuals with higher levels of depressive symptoms may benefit from physical activity. While the effects were strongest for physical activity immediately before the mood ratings, the effects were in the same direction for up to 3 h before the mood ratings.
Improving control over euthanasia of persons with psychiatric illness: Lessons from the first Belgian criminal court case concerning euthanasia
Authors: De Hert Marc , Loos Sien , Sterckx Sigrid , Thys Erik , Van Assche Kristof
Published: July 2022

Background

Belgium is one of very few countries that legally allow euthanasia for suffering caused by psychiatric illness. In the first criminal trial in Belgium of physicians involved in euthanasia, three physicians recently faced the accusation of “murder by poisoning,” for allegedly having failed to comply with several requirements of the Belgian Euthanasia Law in granting the euthanasia request a woman suffering from psychiatric illness. Although all three physicians were acquitted, the case generated much debate among policy makers, medical professionals, and the general public.

Method

We use this trial as the starting point for a critical analysis of the adequacy of the three-level control system established in the Euthanasia Law, as it is applied in the evaluation of euthanasia requests from persons who suffer unbearably from a psychiatric illness. This analysis is based on information presented during the criminal trial as well as information on the euthanasia that was published in the press.

Results

Our analysis highlights substantial problems in the assessment and granting of the euthanasia request. The patient was euthanized without it having been substantiated that her psychiatric illness had no prospect of improvement and that her suffering could not be alleviated. The three-step control system enshrined in the Law and promoted by the Federal Control and Evaluation Commission for Euthanasia appears to have failed at each level.

Conclusion

To evaluate requests for euthanasia for mental suffering caused by psychiatric illness, the requirements of the Belgian Euthanasia Law should be complemented by mandating the advice of two psychiatrists, and face-to-face discussions between all physicians involved. In parallel with the process of evaluating the euthanasia request, a treatment track should be guaranteed where reasonable evidence-based treatments and recovery-oriented options are tried.
Symptom severity is associated with leftward lateralization upon contextual modulation of visual vertical in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Razzak Abdul Rima , Jahrami Haitham , Husni Mariwan , Ali Maryam Ebrahim , Bagust Jeff
Published: July 2022

Background

Contextual processing dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) is not uniform and task-dependent. In SCZ, studies on the rod and frame test (RFT), which evaluates contextual modulation of verticality perception, are sparse. A main study that utilized a two-alternative forced choice design for judging rod verticality reported equivalent strength of RFT contextual modulation in healthy controls and SCZ. The current study aims to uncover any potential differences in contextual modulation between controls and SCZ with an adjustment method on a computerized RFT.

Materials and methods

A total of 17 healthy controls and 15 SCZ aligned an oriented rod to their perceived vertical with a computer mouse under four randomized frame presentations: absent frame, non-tilted (Frame0°), or tilted by 18 degrees leftward (Frame–18°) or rightward (Frame+18°). Rod deviation error was assigned a negative or positive value when aligned leftward or rightward, respectively, of 0°. Signed and absolute errors, the rod and frame effect (RFE), and intra-individual variability (inconsistency) were used for analysis.

Results

There was no group difference in rod alignment errors or derived measures, except that SCZ displayed greater inconsistency in rod alignment, compared to controls. The negative symptom scale (PANSS-N) scores correlated positively with the variability measure and with unsigned Frame–18° error.

Conclusions

Only the variability measure was sensitive enough to distinguish between controls and SCZ. SCZ with more severe negative symptoms had larger variability in rod alignment, probably reflecting a state of indifference. The larger deviation errors only with a leftward tilted frame, as PANSS-N scores increased, may indicate a lateralized attentional abnormality that is correlated with severity of symptoms in SCZ.
Experience of using a smartphone WeChat applet for dental anxiety assessment and preoperative evaluation: A nationwide multicenter study
Authors: Huang Xilu , Zeng Jie , Zhao Nan , Fan Lin , Ruan Dijiao , Wang Jing , Hong Xiaomei , Yu Cong
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Dental anxiety is a multivariate phenomenon that regularly occurs during a dental procedure. Although it may lead to patients' safety concerns and adverse events in routine treatment, it is often ignored. The purpose of this research is to develop a novel WeChat Applet for dental anxiety (WADA) with the following features and aims: (1) to help patients with dental anxiety management; (2) provide patient with a physical status self-evaluation; and(3) provide a platform for online assessment and tele-consultancy by dentists. We aimed to test and verify whether such an applet could play a beneficial role before and after a dental procedure and facilitate management of high-risk patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

During the 12-month survey period (August 2020 to July 2021), a total of 180 patients aged 3–74 years from eight different cities (n = 180 at the end of treatment, n = 25 for the System Usability Scale (SUS) and follow-up interview) and 20 medical staff from eight different cities (n =20 for follow-up interview) were evaluated by WADA. At the end of the survey period, the results of the interviews were analyzed thematically.

Results

WADA assessment results from 180 patients and follow-up interview results from 45 participants were analyzed. In this study with a male to female ratio of 2:3, 75% were found to be suffering from dental anxiety, 86% were found with postoperative complications, and 11 cases were found to have contraindications to surgery. The total SUS score for WADA is 72.25 above the mean score, proving that WADA is a relevant and useful tool before and after dental treatment. Based on the results of the interviews, the following themes were identified: patient satisfaction; dentists' effectiveness; multi-center data integration; and increase its frequency of usage.

Conclusions

The WADA was developed for dental procedures and is effective for reducing treatment risks, improving patients' satisfaction and dentists' convenience, especially in terms of facilitating management of high-risk patient during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PARTI-A Haptic Virtual Reality Control Station for Model-Mediated Robotic Applications
Authors: Elsner Jean , Reinerth Gerhard , Figueredo Luis , Naceri Abdeldjallil , Walter Ulrich , Haddadin Sami
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we introduce a tele-robotic station called “PARTI” that leverages state-of-the-art robotics and virtual reality technology to enable immersive haptic interaction with simulated and remote environments through robotic avatars. Our hardware-in-the-loop framework integrates accurate multibody system dynamics and frictional contacts with digital twins of our robots in a virtual environment with real-time computational capabilities. This model mediated hardware-in-the-loop approach to robotic control allows a teleoperator to use the PARTI system to teach, evaluate, and control various robotic applications. In the current contribution, we focus on the general system description, integrated simulation and control framework, and a series of experiments highlighting the advantages of our approach.
A Metapopulation Model for Preventing the Reintroduction of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus to Naïve Herds: Scotland Case Study
Authors: Puspitarani Gavrila A. , Kao Rowland R. , Colman Ewan
Published: July 2022

Background

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus is one of the most problematic infectious pathogens for cattle. Since 2013, a mandatory BVD eradication program has successfully reduced the number of infected cattle living on Scottish farms; however, England remains at high prevalence and presents a risk to Scotland through animal movement.

Methods

We analyze cattle movements in the UK from 2008 to 2017 and recorded incidence of BVD in Scotland from 2017 to 2020. To simulate BVD reintroduction into Scotland, we developed an epidemiological model that combines transmission between cattle and animal movements between farms. A total of four control strategies were implemented in the model: no intervention, import restriction, targeted vaccination, and combined strategy.

Results

During the course of the eradication scheme, movements into Scotland became increasingly distributed in regions close to the England–Scotland border. The prevalence of BVD in this region decreased at a slower rate than the rest of Scotland during the eradication scheme. Our model showed that the change in the prevalence is expected, given that the change in the patterns of movement and if vaccination is targeted to the border areas that decrease in the prevalence will be seen throughout the whole of Scotland.

Conclusion

Scottish farms are susceptible to BVD virus reintroduction through animal imports from non-BVD-free nations with farms in border areas being the most vulnerable. Protecting the border regions provides direct and indirect protection to the rest of Scottish farms by interrupting chains of transmission.
Culture of Kenyan Goat (Capra hircus) Undifferentiated Spermatogonia in Feeder-Free Conditions
Authors: Nabulindo Nakami Wilkister , Nguhiu-Mwangi James , Kipyegon Ambrose Ng'eno , Ogugo Moses , Muteti Charity , Christian Tiambo , Oatley Melissa J. , Oatley Jon M. , Kemp Stephen
Published: July 2022

The undifferentiated spermatogonial population in mammalian testes contains a spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) population that can regenerate continual spermatogenesis following transplantation. This capacity has the potential to be exploited as a surrogate sires breeding tool to achieve widespread dissemination of desirable genetics in livestock production. Because SSCs are relatively rare in testicular tissue, the ability to expand a population in vitro would be advantageous to provide large numbers for transplantation into surrogate recipient males. Here, we evaluated conditions that would support long-term in-vitro maintenance of undifferentiated spermatogonia from a goat breed that is endemic to Kenyan livestock production. Single-cell suspensions enriched for undifferentiated spermatogonia from pre-pubertal bucks were seeded on laminin-coated tissue culture plates and maintained in a commercial media based on serum-free composition. The serum-free media was conditioned on goat fetal fibroblasts and supplemented with a growth factor cocktail that included glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), stromal cell-derived factor (SDF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) before use. Over 45 days, the primary cultures developed a cluster morphology indicative of in-vitro grown undifferentiated spermatogonia from other species and expressed the germ cell marker VASA, as well as the previously defined spermatogonial marker such as promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF). Taken together, these findings provide a methodology for isolating the SSC containing undifferentiated spermatogonial population from goat testes and long-term maintenance in defined culture conditions.
Use of the international classification of diseases (ICD)-11 method applied to veterinary forensic pathology for coding the cause and manner of death in wildlife
Authors: Marchetti Cristina , Cantoni Anna Maria , Ferrari Luca , Pisani Giovanni Maria , Corradi Attilio
Published: July 2022

The growth of human population has led, in recent years, to increasingly frequent contacts with the wild animals with which we share the territory, sometimes leading to negative interactions with them. The purpose of the study is to apply the codes contained in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) method to investigate the cause and the manner of death, also to entrust the veterinarian with the task of recognizing and describing a suspected animal abuse as a sentinel indicator of violence toward humans and non-humans, thus expanding the concept of “One Health” from a forensic investigation perspective. The subjects recruited are wild mammals submitted for autopsy to the Pathology Unit of the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Italy, from 2015 to 2018. The manner and the cause of death of 167 wild animals of 16 different species have been investigated. When possible, an on-site inspection where the corpse was found was performed. Injuries were classified according to the on-line 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases method. Section 22 (Injury, poisoning or certain other consequences of external causes) was used to record the “immediate cause of death” (cause of death) and Section 23 (External causes of morbidity or mortality) was used to record the “underlying cause of death” (manner of death) for each animal. In most cases, death occurred as a result of road trauma but in some cases, abuse and voluntary killing were investigated. The recognition of non-accidental injuries is particularly important for both the defense in court of animals and for the connection between crimes committed against animals and against humans, known as “The Link”. The use of the ICD-11 method, as a sort of summary of the autopsy report, was confirmed to be of great value for the clarity and simplicity of processing the data collected also by veterinary pathologists. The veterinary pathologists can use this evidence-based method with the aim of creating a national register and therefore, to understand the real extent of the human impact on wildlife and document it in a scientific and statistically usable way.
Systematic Review on Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Enzootic Cycle and Factors Favoring Virus Transmission: Special Focus on France, an Apparently Free-Disease Area in Europe
Authors: Bernard Célia , Holzmuller Philippe , Bah Madiou Thierno , Bastien Matthieu , Combes Benoit , Jori Ferran , Grosbois Vladimir , Vial Laurence
Published: July 2022

Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic disease resulting in hemorrhagic syndrome in humans. Its causative agent is naturally transmitted by ticks to non-human vertebrate hosts within an enzootic sylvatic cycle. Ticks are considered biological vectors, as well as reservoirs for CCHF virus (CCHFV), as they are able to maintain the virus for several months or even years and to transmit CCHFV to other ticks. Although animals are not symptomatic, some of them can sufficiently replicate the virus, becoming a source of infection for ticks as well as humans through direct contact with contaminated body fluids. The recent emergence of CCHF in Spain indicates that tick–human interaction rates promoting virus transmission are changing and lead to the emergence of CCHF. In other European countries such as France, the presence of one of its main tick vectors and the detection of antibodies targeting CCHFV in animals, at least in Corsica and in the absence of human cases, suggest that CCHFV could be spreading silently. In this review, we study the CCHFV epidemiological cycle as hypothesized in the French local context and select the most likely parameters that may influence virus transmission among tick vectors and non-human vertebrate hosts. For this, a total of 1,035 articles dating from 1957 to 2021 were selected for data extraction. This study made it possible to identify the tick species that seem to be the best candidate vectors of CCHFV in France, but also to highlight the importance of the abundance and composition of local host communities on vectors' infection prevalence. Regarding the presumed transmission cycle involving Hyalomma marginatum, as it might exist in France, at least in Corsica, it is assumed that tick vectors are still weakly infected and the probability of disease emergence in humans remains low. The likelihood of factors that may modify this equilibrium is discussed.
Modelling and Simulation of the Structural Elements and the Operating Processes of Mining Machines
Authors: András Endre
Published: July 2022

The paper deals with theoretical bases of the implementation in mining equipment design of up-to-date methods using modelling and simulation, supported by examples of personal research. This has become necessary due to the structural complexity of this equipment, and the variety and aggressiveness of their operating environment. The presented examples refer to different kinds of the equipment used in the mechanical extraction of mineral raw materials, from overall system to working part or tool.
Chromatic Discrimination Towards the Confusion Points
Authors: Urbin Ágnes , Nagy Balázs Vince
Published: July 2022

In this paper chromatic discrimination thresholds of normal colour-observers are analysed. Measurements were obtained with the Cambridge Colour Test, in different reference points. The results show differences in terms of the reference chromaticities. Reference points within the gamut of a CRT display were found where thresholds of normal colour observers measured towards the confusion points exceeded the normative upper threshold limit of normal colour observers. The discrimination thresholds estimated towards the confusion lines based on Trivector measurements exceeded the thresholds estimated by the Ellipse tests. Our results indicate that in case of determination of discrimination ellipses, measurements towards the confusion points are recommended.
3D Printing of Silicone Elastomers for Soft Actuators
Authors: Li Jiachen , Wu Shengpeng , Zhang Wei , Ma Kaiqi , Jin Guoqing
Published: July 2022

A procedure for 3D printing of silicone elastomers with a direct ink writing (DIW) process has demonstrated great potential in areas as diverse as flexible electronics, medical devices, and soft robotics. In this report, we propose a comprehensive guide for printing highly stretchable silicones in response to material, equipment and process dilemmas. Specifically, we first tested the material properties of Dow Corning 737, then modeled and simulated two commonly used needles to select a suitable needle, followed by parameter optimization experiments using the built DIW printer to find out the appropriate printing speed and layer height with a defined air pressure and needle diameter. Finally, the optimal combination of parameters was obtained. For further demonstration, artificial muscles and structurally complex soft grippers were also printed directly to verify the feasibility of high-precision 3D printing of soft actuators with soft materials. We believe that this work could provide a guide for further work using the DIW process to print soft matter in a wide range of application scenarios.
Different Preferences or Opposite Directions? Reforms and Job Satisfaction at Public and Private Universities in Spain
Authors: Olaskoaga-Larrauri Jon , Mijangos-Del-Campo Juan José , González-Laskibar Xabier , Onaindia-Gerrikabeitia Eneritz
Published: July 2022

Recent decades have witnessed how both in Spain and elsewhere, legal reforms have helped to transform the management and governance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). These transformations have changed the conditions in which academics work, with a knock-on effect on their job satisfaction. Although these legal developments in Spain have basically been the same for both the public and private sectors in Higher Education, the evidence gathered in this article shows that the rate of cases of loss of job satisfaction is higher in public institutions than in private ones. The article provides an initial explanation for this situation, whereby the legal reforms have been met with different organisational solutions in these two kinds of institutions.
Estimation of Greenhouse Tomato Foliage Temperature Using DNN and ML Models
Authors: Grimberg Roei , Teitel Meir , Ozer Shay , Levi Asher , Levy Avi
Published: July 2022

Since leaf temperature (LT) is not a trivial measurement, deep-neural networks (DNN) and machine learning (ML) models were evaluated in this study as tools for estimating foliage temperature. Two DNN methods were used. The first DNN used convolutional layers, while the second DNN was based on fully-connected layers and was trained by cross-validation techniques. The machine learning used the K-nearest neighbors (KNN) method for LT estimation. All models used the meteorological and microclimatic parameters (hereafter referred to as features) of the examined greenhouses to determine the average foliage temperature. The models were trained on 75% of the collected data and tested on the remaining 25%. RMS and absolute error were used to evaluate the performance of the different models compared to the LT values measured by a thermal camera. In addition, after finding the correlation of each feature to the leaf temperature, the models were trained based on the high-correlated features only. The machine learning model was superior to DNN when all available features were used and when only high-correlated features were used, resulting in errors of 0.7 °C and 0.8 °C, respectively.
Responses of Soybean Water Supply and Requirement to Future Climate Conditions in Heilongjiang Province
Authors: Li Na , Nie Tangzhe , Tang Yi , Lu Dehao , Wang Tianyi , Zhang Zhongxue , Chen Peng , Li Tiecheng , Meng Linghui , Jiao Yang , Cheng Kaiwen
Published: July 2022

Understanding future changes in water supply and requirement under climate change is of great significance for long-term water resource management and agricultural planning. In this study, daily minimum temperature (Tmin), maximum temperature (Tmax), solar radiation (Rad), and precipitation for 26 meteorological stations under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 of MIRCO5 for the future period 2021–2080 were downscaled by the LARS-WG model, daily average relative humidity (RH) was estimated using the method recommended by FAO-56, and reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0), crop water requirement (ETc), irrigation water requirement (Ir), effective precipitation (Pe), and coupling degree of ETc and Pe (CD) for soybean during the growth period were calculated by the CROPWAT model in Heilongjiang Province, China. The spatial and temporal distribution of these variables and meteorological factors were analyzed, and the response of soybean water supply and requirement to climate change was explored. The result showed that the average Tmin, Tmax, and Rad under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 increased by 0.2656 and 0.5368 °C, 0.3509 and 0.5897 °C, and 0.0830 and 0.0465 MJ/m², respectively, while the average RH decreased by 0.0920% and 0.0870% per decade from 2021 to 2080. The annual average ET0, ETc, Pe, and Ir under RCP4.5 for 2021–2080 were 542.89, 414.35, 354.10, and 102.44 mm, respectively, and they increased by 1.92%, 1.64%, 2.33%, and −2.12% under the RCP8.5, respectively. The ranges of CD under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 were 0.66–0.95 and 0.66–0.96, respectively, with an average value of 0.84 for 2021–2080. Spatially, the CD showed a general trend of increasing first and then decreasing from west to east. In addition, ET0, ETc, and Pe increased by 9.55, 7.16, and 8.77 mm per decade, respectively, under RCP8.5, while Ir decreased by 0.65 mm per decade. Under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, ETc, Pe, and Ir showed an overall increasing trend from 2021 to 2080. This study provides a basis for water resources management policy in Heilongjiang Province, China.
Using Conditional Cash Payments to Prevent Land-Clearing Fires: Cautionary Findings from Indonesia
Authors: Falcon Walter , Hadiwidjaja Gracia , Edwards Ryan , Higgins Matthew , Naylor Rosamond , Sumarto Sudarno
Published: July 2022

Land-clearing forest fires in Indonesia cause enormous private and social losses in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, habitat destruction, worsened human health, and strained international relations. These fires are almost always deliberately set, often (but not always) by smallholders as they seek to expand farm size. The Government of Indonesia has taken primarily a regulatory approach to preventing these fires by imposing bans and making them illegal. This paper studies an alternative approach, explored in part through a large policy experiment focused instead on the use of positive financial incentives. We first summarize our 275-village randomized control (RCT) policy experiment from 4 fire-prone districts in West Kalimantan. These results showed no effects on fire outcomes from a conditional cash payment, even though there were some changes in behavior. The article then draws on survey results and other published documents to explain qualitatively why the results occurred. We argue that climate variation, government policy on decentralization, population density, and accidents appear to explain fire outcomes among villages more than did the opportunity to “win” a conditional payment of USD 10,800. Fundamentally, this sum did not compete with the high net present value of land for growing oil palm. The high net present value appeared to prove irresistible to a small percentage of villagers, despite the illegality of using fire to clear forested margins. More generally, this article provides a broad, cautionary understanding of why policies that only use conditional payments to prevent fires are unlikely to be successful in Indonesia’s oil palm regions.
Influence of Sowing Time on Fusarium and Fumonisin Contamination of Maize Grains and Yield Component Traits
Authors: Krnjaja Vesna , Mandić Violeta , Bijelić Zorica , Stanković Slavica , Obradović Ana , Caro Petrović Violeta , Gogić Marija
Published: July 2022

The main aim of this research was to study the effect of two sowing times (early and late) on Fusarium and fumonisin contamination and some yield component traits of two maize hybrids from the FAO maturity groups 500 (ZP 560) and 600 (ZP 666) within a two-year growing season (2016–2017). F. verticillioides and F. subglutinans have been identified as Fusarium ear rot (FER) pathogens and potential producers of B-type fumonisins (FBs), with F. verticillioides as the predominant Fusarium species in both years. The incidence of F. verticillioides and FB levels were affected by sowing time and maize hybridity. With early sowing and the mid-maturity hybrid ZP 560, F. verticillioides and FB contamination were lower than with late sowing and the late-maturity hybrid ZP 666. Yield parameters also differed significantly between sowing time and maize hybrid treatments. Early sowing increased ear length (EL), number of grains per ear (NGE), grain weight per ear (GWE), and grain yield per hectare (GY). The late-maturity hybrid ZP 666 had higher yield component traits and GY than the mid-maturity hybrid ZP 560. EL, GWE, thousand-grain weight (TGW), and GY were affected by year. Interactions between sowing times and maize hybrids were highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) for FB level, GWE, and GY. The obtained results indicate the importance of applying early sowing to achieve high maize grain yields with lower contamination by F. verticillioides and FBs. Although mid-maturity hybrid ZP 560 and late-maturity hybrid ZP 666 showed significant differences in terms of levels of F. verticillioides and FB contamination, both were susceptible to F. verticillioides, with high FB levels. These results should be useful to breeders of maize hybrids to create genotypes more resistant to these fungal contaminants.
An Integrated Assessment of Different Types of Environment-Friendly Technological Progress and Their Spatial Spillover Effects in the Chinese Agriculture Sector
Authors: Chen Guang , Deng Yue , Sarkar Apurbo , Wang Zhengbing
Published: July 2022

The progress of environment-friendly technology is an important means and fundamental way to achieve high-quality agricultural development. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces of China from 2000 to 2010, the study used the slack-based models (SBM) to measure the progress of China’s environment-based technology and its different types and discusses its dynamic evolution characteristics over time. First, the study adopted MATLAB software and used a slack-based models (SBM) method to split the environment-friendly technology progress (AGTP) into agricultural emission-reduction environment-friendly technology progress (AEGTP) and the agricultural re-source-saving environment-friendly technology progress (ARGTP). Then, global and local spatial autocorrelation analysis, spatial model testing, and Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) were performed on different types of environment-friendly technology progress using STATA15. Moreover, OpenGeoDa and ArcGIS software was used for visualization. The empirical results showed that: (i) from the perspective of time and space, the AGTP showed a slightly higher level in technological regression trend from 2000 to 2012, and rebounded rapidly from 2012 to 2019. In the spatial dimension, the spatial autocorrelation test results of environment-friendly technology progress at the global Moran I level showed a significant positive correlation; however, the phenomenon of the regional level showed a negative correlation. (ii) From the perspective of the type of heterogeneity, only the spatial distribution has a high degree of chance, and the aggregation area is more concentrated. Various influencing factors have a very significant impact on ACGTP but are less significant on agricultural resource-saving environment-friendly technology progress. However, various influencing factors have a more significant impact on the ACGTP than AEGTP. (iii) From the perspective of the spatial spillover effect, labor level, per capita agricultural gross product, and agricultural internal structure are positively and significantly related to environment-friendly technology progress and its different types. Agricultural price policy, financial support policy, economic environmental regulation, and administrative environmental regulation have significant negative effects on the progress of environment-friendly technology and its different types.
The Impact of Digital Technology on Land Rent-Out Behavior: Information Sharing or Exclusion?
Authors: Zuo Xiaofan , Hong Zhisheng
Published: July 2022

In the digital age, it is critical to understand the nexus between digital technology (DT) and land rent-out behavior (LRB). It has implications for reducing the rate of land abandonment to achieve sustainable agricultural development. A large dataset (n = 5233) dating from 2016 and coming from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) is used to explore the impact of DT on LRB by applying several econometric models, also including the “Recursive Bivariate Probit (RBP) model” and “Chain Multiple Mediation effect (CMM) model”. We provide empirical evidence that the DT’s information sharing effect positively impacted LRB, while an opposite effect is observed by the “digital divide (DT_GAP)” i.e., information exclusion that negatively impacted LRB. We further test the effect of two other variables, namely “digital information dependence” and “non-farm jobs” supposed as mediating factors of DT and DT_GAP in influencing LRB, respectively in a positive and negative way. In particular, the variable “nonfarm jobs” plays a mediating role conditional on the variable “digital information dependence” as a mediating variable at the first level. In addition, statistical tests reveal that the impact of DT and the DT_GAP on LRB is not significant in terms of regional preferences but is significant in terms of age of householder and household income level.
Studying the Effect of Straw Returning on the Interspecific Symbiosis of Soil Microbes Based on Carbon Source Utilization
Authors: Ning Yucui , Wang Xu , Yang Yanna , Cao Xu , Wu Yulong , Zou Detang , Zhou Dongxing
Published: July 2022

Heilongjiang province has made great contributions to ensuring the food security of China. Grain production has increased year by year, followed by a large amount of straw—especially the production of corn straw. Straw returning is the best treatment method from the perspective of ecology. This study simulated modern mechanized operation conditions from the field of soil biological characteristics to explore the impact of straw decomposition on the changes in the soil microbial community. In this study, in the black soil region of Northeast China (45°45′27″~45°46′33″ N, 126°35′44″~126°55′54″ E), the orthogonal experimental design was used to experiment for two years (2019–2020), using straw length, amount, and buried depth as returning factors. The carbon source utilization intensity algorithm that was developed by our team was used to extract a single carbon source. A compound mathematical model was constructed based on path analysis and grey relation analysis. This study analyzed the interspecific symbiotic relationship of soil microbes in the process of straw returning and explored the regulatory methods and schemes with which to promote straw decomposition. The results showed that in the first year after straw returning, the cumulative decomposition rate of straw could reach 55.000%; the supplement of the carbon source was glycyl-l-glutamic acid, which was helpful for the decomposition of straw. It was found that cyclodextrin should be added within 90–120 days after straw returning to promote decomposition. In the second year of straw returning, the cumulative decomposition rate of straw can reach 73.523% and the carbon sources α-d-lactose and d-galactonic acid γ-lactone should be supplemented appropriately to promote straw decomposition. This study provides an experimental basis for corn straw returning to the black soil of the cold regions, along with the scientific and technological support for the sustainable development of agriculture and a guarantee of national food security.