bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are You Able to Trust Me? Analysis of the Relationships Between Personality Traits and the Assessment of Attractiveness and Trust
Authors: Bartosik Bernadetta , Wojcik Grzegorz M. , Brzezicka Aneta , Kawiak Andrzej
Published: July 2021

Behavioral and neuroimaging studies show that people trust and collaborate with others based on a quick assessment of the facial appearance. Based on the morphological characteristics of the face, i.e., features, shape, or color, it is possible to determine health, attractiveness, trust, and some personality traits. The study attempts to indicate the features influencing the perception of attractiveness and trust. In order to select individual factors, a model of backward stepwise logistic regression was used, analyzing the results of the psychological tests and the attractiveness and trust survey. Statistical analysis made it possible to select the most important personality traits related to attractiveness and trust assessments.
Cortical Networks of Creative Ability Trace Gene Expression Profiles of Synaptic Plasticity in the Human Brain
Authors: Orwig William , Diez Ibai , Bueichekú Elisenda , Vannini Patrizia , Beaty Roger , Sepulcre Jorge
Published: July 2021

The ability to produce novel ideas is central to societal progress and innovation; however, little is known about the biological basis of creativity. Here, we investigate the organization of brain networks that support creativity by combining functional neuroimaging data with gene expression information. Given the multifaceted nature of creative thinking, we hypothesized that distributed connectivity would not only be related to individual differences in creative ability, but also delineate the cortical distributions of genes involved in synaptic plasticity. We defined neuroimaging phenotypes using a graph theory approach that detects local and distributed network circuits, then characterized the spatial associations between functional connectivity and cortical gene expression distributions. Our findings reveal strong spatial correlations between connectivity maps and sets of genes devoted to synaptic assembly and signaling. This connectomic-transcriptome approach thus identifies gene expression profiles associated with high creative ability, linking cognitive flexibility to neural plasticity in the human brain.
Energy Metabolic Plasticity of Colorectal Cancer Cells as a Determinant of Tumor Growth and Metastasis
Authors: Reinsalu Leenu , Puurand Marju , Chekulayev Vladimir , Miller Sten , Shevchuk Igor , Tepp Kersti , Rebane-Klemm Egle , Timohhina Natalja , Terasmaa Anton , Kaambre Tuuli
Published: July 2021

Metabolic plasticity is the ability of the cell to adjust its metabolism to changes in environmental conditions. Increased metabolic plasticity is a defining characteristic of cancer cells, which gives them the advantage of survival and a higher proliferative capacity. Here we review some functional features of metabolic plasticity of colorectal cancer cells (CRC). Metabolic plasticity is characterized by changes in adenine nucleotide transport across the outer mitochondrial membrane. Voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is the main protein involved in the transport of adenine nucleotides, and its regulation is impaired in CRC cells. Apparent affinity for ADP is a functional parameter that characterizes VDAC permeability and provides an integrated assessment of cell metabolic state. VDAC permeability can be adjusted via its interactions with other proteins, such as hexokinase and tubulin. Also, the redox conditions inside a cancer cell may alter VDAC function, resulting in enhanced metabolic plasticity. In addition, a cancer cell shows reprogrammed energy transfer circuits such as adenylate kinase (AK) and creatine kinase (CK) pathway. Knowledge of the mechanism of metabolic plasticity will improve our understanding of colorectal carcinogenesis.
Conservative Management for Urethral Foreign Body: A Case Report of an Adolescent Boy With Repeated Events
Authors: Bezinque Adam , Mohamed Ahmad , White Jeffrey , Canalichio Katie , Peppas Dennis , Rosenberg Eran
Published: July 2021

Placing foreign bodies into the urethra is not a common occurrence in the general population. Patients self-insert foreign bodies for a multitude of reasons such as sexual gratification, secondary gain, and psychiatric illness. From our own experience and what has been reported in the literature, there is a wide variability in the type of objects that patients place into the urethra. We report a unique case of a 17-year-old adolescent boy with repeated foreign body insertions into the urethra over a 1-year period. This patient suffers from significant psychiatric illness. Due to the number of events in this past year, we initiated a conservative observational approach that contrasts the traditional invasive protocol to treat with endoscopic removal. This management has proven to be successful in his case and can be replicated in other scenarios after careful consideration of the clinical presentation.
Regulatory Considerations for the Mother, Fetus and Neonate in Fetal Pharmacology Modeling
Authors: Green Dionna J. , Park Kyunghun , Bhatt-Mehta Varsha , Snyder Donna , Burckart Gilbert J.
Published: July 2021

The regulatory framework for considering the fetal effects of new drugs is limited. This is partially due to the fact that pediatric regulations (21 CFR subpart D) do not apply to the fetus, and only US Health and Human Service (HHS) regulations apply to the fetus. The HHS regulation 45 CFR Part 46 Subpart B limits research approvable by an institutional review board to research where the risk to the fetus is minimal unless the research holds out the prospect of a direct benefit to the fetus or the pregnant woman (45 CFR 46.204). Research that does not meet these requirements, but presents an opportunity to understand, prevent, or alleviate a serious problem affecting the health of pregnant women, fetuses, or neonates, may be permitted by the Secretary of the HHS after expert panel consultation and opportunity for public review and comment (45 CFR 46.407). If the product is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA may get involved in the review process. The FDA does however have a Reviewer Guidance on Evaluating the Risks of Drug Exposure in Human Pregnancies from 2005 and this guidance does discuss the intensity of drug exposure. Estimation of that exposure using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling has been suggested by some investigators. Given that drug exposure during pregnancy will impact the fetus, a number of new guidances in the last 2 years also address inclusion of pregnant women in clinical drug trials. Therefore, the drug-specific information on fetal pharmacology will increase dramatically in the next decade due to interest in drugs administered in pregnancy and with the assistance of model-informed drug development.
Efficacy of AST-120 for Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Su Pei-Yu , Lee Ya-Han , Kuo Li-Na , Chen Yen-Cheng , Chen Chiehfeng , Kang Yi-No , Chang Elizabeth H.
Published: July 2021

AST-120, an oral spherical activated carbon, may delay the need for kidney dialysis and improve uremia symptoms because it can adsorb acidic and basic organic compounds, especially small-molecule uremic toxins. However, previous studies produced no conclusive evidence regarding the benefits of AST-120 in delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, this systematic review and network meta-analysis evaluated the effects of AST-120 in patients with CKD. Related keywords of CKD and AST-120 were used to search four databases to obtain potential evidence on this topic, and two authors individually completed evidence selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. Network meta-analysis was performed for mortality, end-stage renal disease, composite renal outcomes, and laboratory outcomes based on a frequentist approach. In total, 15 randomized controlled trials (n = 3,763) were included in the present synthesis, and the pooled results revealed non-significant differences in mortality among the treatment strategies. Low- and high-dose AST-120 were not superior to no AST-120 treatment regarding renal outcomes. However, the event rates of end-stage renal disease (risk ratio [RR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.62–0.99) and composite renal outcomes (RR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63–0.97) were significantly lower in the tailored-dose AST-120 group than in no AST-120 group. The results did not reveal a small-study effect on the outcomes. Tailored dosing of AST-120 appeared to represent an optimal treatment strategy because it resulted in lower rates of composite renal outcomes and end-stage renal disease.
Neutral Effects of Combined Treatment With GLP-1R Agonist Exenatide and MR Antagonist Potassium Canrenoate on Cardiac Function in Porcine and Murine Chronic Heart Failure Models
Authors: Demkes Evelyne J. , Wenker Steven , Silvis Max J. M. , van Nieuwburg Martijn M. J. , Visser M. Joyce , Jansen Marlijn S. , Brans Maike A. D. , Velema Evelyn , Sluijter Joost P. G. , Hoefer Imo E. , de Kleijn Dominique P. V. , Timmers Leo , de Jager Saskia C. A.
Published: July 2021

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion and cardiac remodeling is associated with cardiomyocyte death, excessive fibrosis formation, and functional decline, eventually resulting in heart failure (HF). Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 agonists are reported to reduce apoptosis and myocardial infarct size after ischemia-reperfusion. Moreover, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) have been described to reduce reactive fibrosis and improve cardiac function. Here, we investigated whether combined treatment with GLP-1R agonist exenatide and MRA potassium canrenoate could minimize cardiac injury and limit HF progression in animal models of chronic HF.

Methods and Results: Forty female Topigs Norsvin pigs were subjected to 150 min balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Prior to reperfusion, pigs were randomly assigned to placebo or combination therapy (either low dose or high dose). Treatment was applied for two consecutive days or for 8 weeks with a continued high dose via a tunneled intravenous catheter. Using 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining we observed that combination therapy did not affect the scar size after 8 weeks. In line, left ventricular volume and function assessed by three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography (baseline, 7 days and 8 weeks), and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR, 8 weeks) did not differ between experimental groups. In addition, 36 C57Bl/6JRj mice underwent permanent LAD-occlusion and were treated with either placebo or combination therapy prior to reperfusion, for two consecutive days via intravenous injection, followed by continued treatment via placement of osmotic mini-pumps for 28 days. Global cardiac function, assessed by 3D echocardiography performed at baseline, 7, 14, and 28 days, did not differ between treatment groups. Also, no differences were observed in cardiac hypertrophy, assessed by heart weight/bodyweight and heart weight/tibia length ratio.

Conclusion: In the current study, combined treatment with GLP-1R agonist exenatide and MR antagonist potassium canrenoate did not show beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling nor resulted in functional improvement in a small and large animal chronic HF model.
Validation of Single Nucleotide Variant Assays for Human Leukocyte Antigen Haplotypes HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*31:01 Across Diverse Ancestral Backgrounds
Authors: Buchner Amanda , Hu Xiuying , Aitchison Katherine J.
Published: July 2021

The human leukocyte antigen haplotypes HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*31:01 have been linked to life-threatening adverse drug reactions to the anticonvulsants carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine. Identification of these haplotypes via pharmacogenetic techniques facilitates implementation of precision medicine to prevent such reactions. Using reference samples from diverse ancestral origins, we investigated the test analytical validity (i.e., ability to detect whether or not the haplotypes were present or absent) of TaqMan assays for single nucleotide variants previously identified as potentially being able to “tag” these haplotypes. A TaqMan custom assay for rs10484555 and an inventoried assay for rs17179220 and were able to identify with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*31:01 respectively. A custom assay for rs144012689 that takes into account a neighboring single nucleotide variant with manual calling was also able to identify HLA-B*15:02 with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. A custom assay for rs1061235 identified HLA-A*31:01 with 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity. The slight reduction in specificity for the latter was owing to another haplotype (HLA-A*33:03) also being detected. While any positive call using the rs1061235 assay could therefore be further investigated, as the presence of the HLA-A*31:01 haplotype confers adverse drug reaction risk, the absence of false negatives (indexed by sensitivity) is more important than false positives. In summary, we present validated TaqMan assay methodology for efficient detection of HLA haplotypes HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*31:01. Our data are relevant for other genotyping technologies that identify, or have the potential to identify, these haplotypes using single nucleotide variants.
L-Theanine Alleviates IMQ-Induced Psoriasis Like Skin Inflammation by Downregulating the Production of IL-23 and Chemokines
Authors: Xu Yaohan , Zhu Jiang , Hu Jingyi , Zou Ziqi , Zhao Yueling , Lai Lihua , Xu Ping , Song Yinjing , Cheng Hao
Published: July 2021

Psoriasis, the most common skin inflammatory disease, is characterized by massive keratinocyte proliferation and immune cell infiltration into epidermis. L-Theanine (L-THE), a nonproteinogenic amino acid derived from green tea (Camellia sinensis), has been proved to possess the properties of anti-inflammatory, antidepressants and neuroprotective. However, whether L-THE has a therapeutic effect on psoriasis is still unknown. In this study, we found that the epidermal thickness and inflammatory response were significantly reduced in Imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mice by applying with L-THE on mice skin. The expression of proliferation and inflammation associated genes such as keratin 17, IL-23 and CXCL1-3 was also downregulated by L-THE. Furthermore, L-THE inhibited the production of IL-23 in dendritic cells (DCs) after IMQ treatment, and decreased the levels of chemokines in keratinocytes treated with IL-17A by downregulating the expression of IL-17RA. RNA-seq and KEGG analysis revealed that L-THE significantly regulated the expression of IL-17A and NF-κB signaling pathway-associated genes. Metabolomics analysis displayed that L-THE promoted propanoate metabolism which has been reported to inhibit the activity of TH17 cells. Therefore, our results demonstrated that L-THE significantly decreases the levels of IL-23 and chemokines, and attenuates IMQ-induced psoriasis like skin inflammation by inhibiting the activation of NF‐κB and IL-17A signaling pathways, and promoting the propanoate metabolism. Our findings suggest that topical applied L-THE can be used as a topical drug candidate for the treatment of psoriasis or as an adjuvant treatment of ustekinumab or secukinumab to prevent the relapse of psoriasis.
Association Between SGLT2is and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases: A Meta-Analysis of Large Trials
Authors: Yin Dao-Gen , Qiu Mei , Duan Xue-Yan
Published: July 2021

The association between sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and various cardiovascular and respiratory diseases is unestablished. This meta-analysis aimed to explore whether use of SGLT2is is significantly associated with the occurrences of 80 types of cardiovascular diseases and 55 types of respiratory diseases. Large randomized trials of SGLT2is were included in analysis. Meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Nine large trials were included in analysis. Compared to placebo, SGLT2is were associated with the reduced risks of 9 types of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., atrial fibrillation [RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.67-0.91], bradycardia [RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.40-0.89], and hypertensive emergency [RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12-0.72]) and 11 types of respiratory diseases (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.97], asthma [RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35-0.95], and sleep apnoea syndrome [RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15-0.87]). The results of random-effects meta-analysis were similar with those of fixed-effects meta-analysis. No heterogeneity or only little heterogeneity was found in most meta-analyses. No publication bias was observed in most of the meta-analyses conducted in this study. SGLT2is were not significantly associated with the other 115 cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. SGLT2is are associated with the reduced risks of 9 types of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, and hypertensive emergency) and 11 types of respiratory diseases (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and sleep apnoea syndrome). This proposes the potential of SGLT2is to be used for prevention of these cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Hydrogen Sulfide Alleviates Alkaline Salt Stress by Regulating the Expression of MicroRNAs in Malus hupehensis Rehd. Roots
Authors: Li Huan , Yu Ting-Ting , Ning Yuan-Sheng , Li Hao , Zhang Wei-Wei , Yang Hong-Qiang
Published: July 2021

Malus hupehensis Rehd. var. pingyiensis Jiang (Pingyi Tiancha, PYTC) is an excellent apple rootstock and ornamental tree, but its tolerance to salt stress is weak. Our previous study showed that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) could alleviate damage in M. hupehensis roots under alkaline salt stress. However, the molecular mechanism of H2S mitigation alkaline salt remains to be elucidated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important regulatory roles in plant response to salt stress. Whether miRNAs are involved in the mitigation of alkaline salt stress mediated by H2S remains unclear. In the present study, through the expression analysis of miRNAs and target gene response to H2S and alkaline salt stress in M. hupehensis roots, 115 known miRNAs (belonging to 37 miRNA families) and 15 predicted novel miRNAs were identified. In addition, we identified and analyzed 175 miRNA target genes. We certified the expression levels of 15 miRNAs and nine corresponding target genes by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Interestingly, H2S pretreatment could specifically induce the downregulation of mhp-miR408a expression, and upregulated mhp-miR477a and mhp-miR827. Moreover, root architecture was improved by regulating the expression of mhp-miR159c and mhp-miR169 and their target genes. These results suggest that the miRNA-mediated regulatory network participates in the process of H2S-mitigated alkaline salt stress in M. hupehensis roots. This study provides a further understanding of miRNA regulation in the H2S mitigation of alkaline salt stress in M. hupehensis roots.
Efficient Regulation of CO2 Assimilation Enables Greater Resilience to High Temperature and Drought in Maize
Authors: Correia Pedro M. P. , da Silva Anabela Bernardes , Vaz Margarida , Carmo-Silva Elizabete , Marques da Silva Jorge
Published: July 2021

Increasing temperatures and extended drought episodes are among the major constraints affecting food production. Maize has a relatively high temperature optimum for photosynthesis compared to C3 crops, however, the response of this important C4 crop to the combination of heat and drought stress is poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that resilience to high temperature combined with water deficit (WD) would require efficient regulation of the photosynthetic traits of maize, including the C4–CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM). Two genotypes of maize with contrasting levels of drought and heat tolerance, B73 and P0023, were acclimatized at high temperature (38°C versus 25°C) under well-watered (WW) or WD conditions. The photosynthetic performance was evaluated by gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence, and in vitro activities of key enzymes for carboxylation (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase), decarboxylation (NADP-malic enzyme), and carbon fixation (Rubisco). Both genotypes successfully acclimatized to the high temperature, although with different mechanisms: while B73 maintained the photosynthetic rates by increasing stomatal conductance (gs), P0023 maintained gs and showed limited transpiration. When WD was experienced in combination with high temperatures, limited transpiration allowed water-savings and acted as a drought stress avoidance mechanism. The photosynthetic efficiency in P0023 was sustained by higher phosphorylated PEPC and electron transport rate (ETR) near vascular tissues, supplying chemical energy for an effective CCM. These results suggest that the key traits for drought and heat tolerance in maize are limited transpiration rate, allied with a synchronized regulation of the carbon assimilation metabolism. These findings can be exploited in future breeding efforts aimed at improving maize resilience to climate change.
Nanotechnology Approaches for Chloroplast Biotechnology Advancements
Authors: Newkirk Gregory M. , de Allende Pedro , Jinkerson Robert E. , Giraldo Juan Pablo
Published: July 2021

Photosynthetic organisms are sources of sustainable foods, renewable biofuels, novel biopharmaceuticals, and next-generation biomaterials essential for modern society. Efforts to improve the yield, variety, and sustainability of products dependent on chloroplasts are limited by the need for biotechnological approaches for high-throughput chloroplast transformation, monitoring chloroplast function, and engineering photosynthesis across diverse plant species. The use of nanotechnology has emerged as a novel approach to overcome some of these limitations. Nanotechnology is enabling advances in the targeted delivery of chemicals and genetic elements to chloroplasts, nanosensors for chloroplast biomolecules, and nanotherapeutics for enhancing chloroplast performance. Nanotechnology-mediated delivery of DNA to the chloroplast has the potential to revolutionize chloroplast synthetic biology by allowing transgenes, or even synthesized DNA libraries, to be delivered to a variety of photosynthetic species. Crop yield improvements could be enabled by nanomaterials that enhance photosynthesis, increase tolerance to stresses, and act as nanosensors for biomolecules associated with chloroplast function. Engineering isolated chloroplasts through nanotechnology and synthetic biology approaches are leading to a new generation of plant-based biomaterials able to self-repair using abundant CO2 and water sources and are powered by renewable sunlight energy. Current knowledge gaps of nanotechnology-enabled approaches for chloroplast biotechnology include precise mechanisms for entry into plant cells and organelles, limited understanding about nanoparticle-based chloroplast transformations, and the translation of lab-based nanotechnology tools to the agricultural field with crop plants. Future research in chloroplast biotechnology mediated by the merging of synthetic biology and nanotechnology approaches can yield tools for precise control and monitoring of chloroplast function in vivo and ex vivo across diverse plant species, allowing increased plant productivity and turning plants into widely available sustainable technologies.
Same Season and Carry-Over Effects of Source-Sink Adjustments on Grapevine Yields and Non-structural Carbohydrates
Authors: Martínez-Lüscher Johann , Kurtural Sahap Kaan
Published: July 2021

The grapevine (Vitis viniferaL.) is managed to balance the ratio of leaf area (source) to fruit mass (sink). Over cropping in the grapevine may reveal itself as spontaneous fruit abortion, delayed ripening, or as alternate bearing. The aim of this work was to study the same season and carry-over effects of manipulating source to sink ratios on grapevine phenology, leaf gas exchange, yield components, berry soluble solids accumulation, and reserve carbohydrate and soluble sugar concentration in roots. Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines were subjected to defoliation (33, 66, and 100% of the leaves retained) and fruit removal treatments (33, 66, and 100% of clusters retained) arranged in a factorial design. Results from two seasons of source-sink manipulations were substantially different. In both seasons defoliation treatments affected season-long net carbon assimilation (AN) and stomatal conductance (gs) where the less leaves were retained, the greater theANandgs, and fruit removal had no impact on leaf gas exchange. In the first season, leaf area to fruit mass was hardly related to berry soluble solids and in the second season they were strongly correlated, suggesting a degree of acclimation. Defoliation treatments had great impacts on berry size, berries per cluster, and total soluble solids in both years. Fruit removal treatments only had effects on berry mass and berries per cluster in the first season, and only on berry soluble solids in the second. The predominant effect of defoliation (carbon starvation) cascaded onto reducing root starch content, root mass and delaying of veraison and leaf senescence, as well as harvest which was delayed up to 9 weeks with 33% of the leaves retained. In a third season, where grapevines grew without treatments, defoliation treatments had resultant carryover effects, including reduced leaf area, number of berries per cluster, clusters per vine, and yield, but not on leaf gas exchange dependent on previous seasons' severity of defoliation. Balancing source-to-sink ratio is crucial to obtain an adequate speed of ripening. However, this was the culmination of a more complex whole-plant regulation where the number of leaves (source strength) outweighed the effects of fruits (sink strength).
Identification and Development of KASP Markers for Novel Mutant BnFAD2 Alleles Associated With Elevated Oleic Acid in Brassica napus
Authors: Fu Ying , Mason Annaliese S. , Zhang Yaofeng , Yu Huasheng
Published: July 2021

The fatty acid desaturase FAD2 genes are the main contributors to oleic acid content, and different FAD2 alleles can result in different oleic acid contents in rapeseed oil. Hence, identification of allelic variation in FAD2 is an extremely desirable breeding goal. By performing QTL mapping using 190 F2:3 lines genotyped by genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers assayed by the Brassica 60 K Infinium BeadChip Array, four quantitative trait loci (QTL) for C18:1 content were mapped on chromosomes A01, A05, A09 and C05 over 3 years in a population segregating for oleic acid content. Two BnFAD2 genes on A05 and C05 were anchored within the QTL intervals, explaining 45–52 and 15–44% of the observed variation for C18:1 content. Sequence polymorphisms between the corresponding coding regions of the parental lines found two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BnFAD2.A05 and BnFAD2.C05, respectively, which led to the amino acid changes (C421T and G1073E) in the corresponding proteins. The mutation sites of Bnfad2.A05 and Bnfad2.C05 alleles were located within the second H-box and near the third H-box motif of the protein, respectively, and were found to be novel mutant alleles. Lines resulting from the combination of these two alleles contained up to 88% oleic acid in their seed oil, compared with 63% in wild-type controls. Two competitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers based on these two mutation sites were successfully developed and validated in segregating F2 populations. These markers will facilitate breeding for ultra-high seed oleic acid content in oilseed rape.
Adverse Childhood Experiences Among 28,047 Norwegian Adults From a General Population
Authors: Haugland Siri H. , Dovran Anders , Albaek Ane U. , Sivertsen Børge
Published: July 2021

Aim: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among Norwegian adults from a general population and to identify potential associations with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Methods: A randomly drawn sample (N = 61,611) from the public registry of inhabitants was invited to participate in the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey. The present study was based on online responses from 28,047 adults ≥18 years (mean age: 46.9 years, SD = 16.03). Log-link binomial regression analyses were performed to examine associations between four measures of ACEs (family conflict, lack of adult support, bad memories, and difficult childhood) and demographic (age, gender, civil status, parental divorce) and socioeconomic characteristics (education level, perceived financial situation, and welfare benefits).

Results: Single individuals and those with parents that divorced during childhood were at elevated risk of all four ACEs. The risk varied to some degree between the sexes. The prevalence of ACEs declined with increasing age. We found a consistent social gradient that corresponded to the frequency of ACEs for all three socioeconomic characteristics investigated. The risks were highest for those in the lowest socioeconomic levels (RR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.32–1.78 to RR: 4.95, CI: 4.27–5.74).

Conclusions: Public health strategies should direct more attention to the interplay between ACEs and socioeconomic factors. Welfare services should be sensitive to ACEs among their service recipients.
Do Community Free-Medication Service Policy Improve Patient Medication Adherence? A Cross-Sectional Study of Patients With Severe Mental Disorders in Beijing Community
Authors: Zhu Junli , Huang Qingzhi , Lu Wei , Chen Yun , Li Bin , Xu Ying , Xi Rui , Li Dan
Published: July 2021

Background: Nowadays, mental health problems have become a major concern affecting economic and social development, with severe mental health disorders being the top priority. In 2013, Beijing began to implement the Community Free-Medication Service policy (CFMS). This article aims to evaluate the effect of the policy on medication adherence.

Methods: In this study, multi-stage sampling was used to select representative patients as samples. Some of the baseline data were obtained by consulting the archives, and information about patient medication adherence measured by Brooks Medication Adherence Scale was obtained through face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression was used to examine the impact of the policy.

Results: Policy participation had a significant positive impact on medication adherence (OR = 1.557). The effect of policy participation on medication adherence in the Medication-only mode and Subsidy-only mode were highly significant, but it was not significant in the Mixed mode.

Conclusion: This study found that the CFMS in Beijing as an intervention is effective in improving the medication adherence of community patients. However, the impact of the policy is not consistent among service modes. Reinforcement magnitude and frequency should be considered when designing reinforcement interventions.
The Impact of Digital Economy on Residents' Health: Based on the Perspective of Population Ageing
Authors: You Zhi-Ting , Zhong Min , Gao Qing , Wei Hong-Xiang , Zeng Xi-Hao
Published: July 2021

This paper uses panel data from inland provinces of China to perform a fixed effect regression and finds that the development of the digital economy has a significant promotional effect on the health of residents. Then, the population ageing rate is further used as a threshold variable for a threshold regression, and the relationship between the development of the digital economy and the health of residents from the perspective of ageing is discussed. The empirical results show that the ageing of the population will reduce the role of the digital economy in promoting residents' health. There is a non-linear single threshold effect between the development of the digital economy and residents' health indicators. In areas of China with a better developed digital economy, when the ageing rate exceeds the threshold, the positive impact of the development of the digital economy on population health has increased compared with the population ageing below the threshold. These asymmetric developments are closely related to economic development, historical and cultural factors, and policies formulated by the government. Therefore, as the digital economy continues to advance, the government should also provide health services fairly and efficiently, and formulate effective Internet assistance policies for the elderly so that the development of the digital economy can more comprehensively promote the health of residents of all ages.
Expect the Unexpected: Leveraging the Human-Robot Ecosystem to Handle Unexpected Robot Failures
Authors: Honig Shanee , Oron-Gilad Tal
Published: July 2021

Unexpected robot failures are inevitable. We propose to leverage socio-technical relations within the human-robot ecosystem to support adaptable strategies for handling unexpected failures. The Theory of Graceful Extensibility is used to understand how characteristics of the ecosystem can influence its ability to respond to unexpected events. By expanding our perspective from Human-Robot Interaction to the Human-Robot Ecosystem, adaptable failure-handling strategies are identified, alongside technical, social and organizational arrangements that are needed to support them. We argue that robotics and HRI communities should pursue more holistic approaches to failure-handling, recognizing the need to embrace the unexpected and consider socio-technical relations within the human robot ecosystem when designing failure-handling strategies.
Vision-Guided MPC for Robotic Path Following Using Learned Memory-Augmented Model
Authors: Rastegarpanah Alireza , Hathaway Jamie , Stolkin Rustam
Published: July 2021

The control of the interaction between the robot and environment, following a predefined geometric surface path with high accuracy, is a fundamental problem for contact-rich tasks such as machining, polishing, or grinding. Flexible path-following control presents numerous applications in emerging industry fields such as disassembly and recycling, where the control system must adapt to a range of dissimilar object classes, where the properties of the environment are uncertain. We present an end-to-end framework for trajectory-independent robotic path following for contact-rich tasks in the presence of parametric uncertainties. We formulate a combination of model predictive control with image-based path planning and real-time visual feedback, based on a learned state-space dynamic model. For modeling the dynamics of the robot-environment system during contact, we introduce the application of the differentiable neural computer, a type of memory augmented neural network (MANN). Although MANNs have been as yet unexplored in a control context, we demonstrate a reduction in RMS error of ∼21.0% compared with an equivalent Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architecture. Our framework was validated in simulation, demonstrating the ability to generalize to materials previously unseen in the training dataset.
The Urinary Hormonal State of Cats Associated With Social Interaction With Humans
Authors: Nagasawa Takumi , Ohta Mitsuaki , Uchiyama Hidehiko
Published: July 2021

Research to assess the relationship between cats and humans is in a nascent stage. Some studies have assessed the stress status in cats using physiological indicators, such as the cortisol hormone, but have not focused on the social interaction with humans. Moreover, the role of oxytocin secretion in the relationship between cats and humans remains unclear. In this study, we determined the possibility of quantifying the urinary concentration of oxytocin in cats and assessed the effects of social contact with humans on the levels of urinary oxytocin and cortisol metabolite. Four cats were subjected to two conditions, namely, social (control), and non-social (no social contact with humans) conditions. The levels of cortisol and oxytocin metabolite in urine samples from the cats in both conditions were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The urinary concentrations of cortisol and oxytocin under the non-social condition were significantly higher than those under the social condition. In addition, the concentration of oxytocin significantly correlated with that of cortisol in cats under the non-social condition. In this study, it was possible to quantify the concentration of oxytocin in the urine of cats, and the obtained results suggest that cats recognize the social interaction with humans as important. This information might contribute to the establishment of an assessment method for the welfare of cats and might help in clarifying the relationship between cats and humans.
Automatic Lane-Changing Decision Based on Single-Step Dynamic Game with Incomplete Information and Collision-Free Path Planning
Authors: Wang Hongbo , Xu Shihan , Deng Longze
Published: July 2021

Traffic accidents are often caused by improper lane changes. Although the safety of lane-changing has attracted extensive attention in the vehicle and traffic fields, there are few studies considering the lateral comfort of vehicle users in lane-changing decision-making. Lane-changing decision-making by single-step dynamic game with incomplete information and path planning based on Bézier curve are proposed in this paper to coordinate vehicle lane-changing performance from safety payoff, velocity payoff, and comfort payoff. First, the lane-changing safety distance which is improved by collecting lane-changing data through simulated driving, and lane-changing time obtained by Bézier curve path planning are introduced into the game payoff, so that the selection of the lane-changing start time considers the vehicle safety, power performance and passenger comfort of the lane-changing process. Second, the lane-changing path without collision to the forward vehicle is obtained through the constrained Bézier curve, and the Bézier curve is further constrained to obtain a smoother lane-changing path. The path tracking sliding mode controller of front wheel angle compensation by radical basis function neural network is designed. Finally, the model in the loop simulation and the hardware in the loop experiment are carried out to verify the advantages of the proposed method. The results of three lane-changing conditions designed in the hardware in the loop experiment show that the vehicle safety, power performance, and passenger comfort of the vehicle controlled by the proposed method are better than that of human drivers in discretionary lane change and mandatory lane change scenarios.
Design and Evaluation of Fault-Tolerant Electro-Mechanical Actuators for Flight Controls of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Ismail Mohamed A. A. , Wiedemann Simon , Bosch Colin , Stuckmann Christoph
Published: July 2021

Electro-mechanical actuators (EMAs) are a primary actuation technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Intensive research has been conducted for designing and evaluating fault-tolerant EMAs for flight controls of UAVs to ensure their compliance with new airworthiness requirements for safe operation over civilian zones. The state-of-the-art research involves several fault-tolerant architectures for EMAs based on parallel electric motors or a single motor with internal fault-tolerant features. In this study, a fault-tolerant architecture is introduced, comprised of two serial electric motors driven by two isolated controllers and a health monitoring system. The procedures of developing various fault-tolerant features are discussed with a deep focus on designing health monitoring functions and evaluating their influence on the overall actuator stability and availability. This work has been conducted and evaluated based on operational data for ALAADy: a heavy gyrocopter-type UAV at DLR (German Aerospace Center).
Effect of 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol with Different Vitamin D3 Levels in the Hens Diet in the Rearing Period on Growth Performance, Bone Quality, Egg Production, and Eggshell Quality
Authors: Li Dongdong , Zhang Keying , Bai Shiping , Wang Jianping , Zeng Qiufeng , Peng Huanwei , Su Zuowei , Xuan Yue , Qi Sharina , Ding Xuemei
Published: July 2021

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD) with different levels of vitamin D3 (VD3) during the rearing period (1–20 weeks) on laying hen performance, bone quality, and eggshell quality. A total of four hundred 1-day-old Lohman pullets were randomly allotted into a 2 × 2 factorial design with 2 levels of dietary VD3 (300 and 2800 IU/kg) and 2 levels of dietary 25-OHD (0 and 56 μg/kg). Each treatment had five replicates of 20 hens each. Increasing the dietary VD3 level (2800 vs. 300 IU/kg) tended to increase body weight uniformity (0.05 < p < 0.1) at 8 weeks. Dietary VD3 levels and supplementation of 25-OHD during the growing period (1–20 weeks) did not improve the laying performance and eggshell quality (eggshell strength, eggshell thickness, and eggshell relative weight) during the laying period (p > 0.05). Compared with the 300 IU/kg VD3 group, the 2800 IU/kg VD3 group showed higher serum calcium concentration and keel length at 10 weeks (p < 0.05). The addition of 25-OHD significantly increased serum calcium and 25-OHD concentration at 10 and 20 weeks and keel calcified rate at 20 weeks (p < 0.05). Increasing dietary VD3 level (2800 vs. 300 IU/kg) increased tibia ash and phosphorus content at 10 weeks, tibia strength at 72 weeks (p < 0.05), and tended to increase tibia ash content at 72 weeks, tibia calcium content and tibia strength at 20 weeks (0.05 < p < 0.1). Dietary supplementation with 25-OHD increased tibia ash content at 10 weeks, tibia calcium content and tibia strength at 20 weeks (p < 0.05), and tended to increase tibia ash content at 72 weeks (0.05 < p < 0.1). Overall, the results gathered in this study indicate that dietary supplementation of high levels of VD3 and 25-OHD during the growing period improved the tibia quality of laying hens during the early and later laying period, but had no effect on laying performance and eggshell quality during the laying period.
Global Trends in Coffee Agronomy Research
Authors: Madrid-Casaca Héctor , Salazar-Sepúlveda Guido , Contreras-Barraza Nicolás , Gil-Marín Miseldra , Vega-Muñoz Alejandro
Published: July 2021

This article empirically provides a scientific production trends overview of coffee agronomy at the global level, allowing us to understand the structure of the epistemic community on this topic. The knowledge contributions documented are examined using a bibliometric approach (spatial, productive, and relational) based on data from 1618 records stored in the Web of Science (JCR and ESCI) between 1963 and May 2021, applying traditional bibliometric laws and using VOSviewer for the massive treatment of data and metadata. At the results level, there was an exponential increase in scientific production in the last six decades, with a concentration on only 15 specific journals; the insertion of new investigative peripheral and semiperipheral countries and organizations in worldwide relevance coauthorship networks, an evolution of almost 60 years in relevant thematic issues; and a co-occurring concentration in three large blocks: environmental sustainability of forestry, biological growth variables of coffee, and biotechnology of coffee species; topic blocks that, although in interaction, constitute three specific communities of knowledge production that have been delineated over time.
Development of Deep Learning-Based Variable Rate Agrochemical Spraying System for Targeted Weeds Control in Strawberry Crop
Authors: Liu Jizhan , Abbas Irfan , Noor Rana Shahzad
Published: July 2021

Agrochemical application is an important tool in the agricultural industry for the protection of crops. Agrochemical application with conventional sprayers results in the waste of applied agrochemicals, which not only increases financial losses but also contaminates the environment. Targeted agrochemical sprayers using smart control systems can substantially decrease the chemical input, weed control cost, and destructive environmental contamination. A variable rate spraying system was developed using deep learning methods for the development of new models to classify weeds and to accurately spray on desired weeds target. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to assess the sprayer performance for weed classification and precise spraying of the target weeds using three classification CNNs (Convolutional Neural Networks) models. The DCNNs models (AlexNet, VGG-16, and GoogleNet) were trained using a dataset containing a total of 12,443 images captured from the strawberry field (4200 images with spotted spurge, 4265 images with Shepherd’s purse, and 4178 strawberry plants). The VGG-16 model attained higher values of precision, recall and F1-score as compared to AlexNet and GoogleNet. Additionally VGG-16 model recorded higher percentage of completely sprayed weeds target (CS = 93%) values. Overall in all experiments, VGG-16 performed better than AlexNet and GoogleNet for real-time weeds target classification and precision spraying. The experiments results revealed that the Sprayer performance decreased with the increase of sprayer traveling speed above 3 km/h. Experimental results recommended that the sprayer with the VGG-16 model can achieve high performance that makes it more ideal for a real-time spraying application. It is concluded that the advanced variable rate spraying system has the potential for spot application of agrochemicals to control weeds in a strawberry field. It can reduce the crop input costs and the environmental pollution risks.
Rumen Fermentation Characteristics Require More Time to Stabilize When Diet Shifts
Authors: Qiu Qinghua , Gao Chaoyu , Su Huawei , Cao Binghai
Published: July 2021

This study was conducted to explore the proper time required to achieve stabilization in digestibility, serum metabolism, and rumen fermentation characteristics when different diets shift, thus providing decision-making of practical sampling frequency for basal nutritional research. For these purposes, 12 Holstein steers (body weight 467 ± 34 kg, age 14 ± 0.5 months) were equally assigned to two dietary treatments: high-density (metabolizable energy (ME) = 2.53 Mcal/kg and crude protein (CP) = 119 g/kg; both ME and CP were expressed on a dry matter basis) or low-density (ME = 2.35 Mcal/kg and CP = 105 g/kg). The samples of feces, serum, and rumen contents were collected with a 30-day interval. All data involved in this study were analyzed using the repeated measures in mixed model of SPSS. Results showed that nutrient apparent digestibility and serum metabolic parameters were stable across each monthly collection, while most rumen fermentation characteristics, namely concentrations of acetate, propionate, isobutyrate, and valerate, were affected by the interaction effects between collection period and dietary density. These findings indicate that rumen fermentation characteristics require more time to stabilize when diet shifts. It is recommended to collect ruminal digesta monthly to evaluate rumen fermentation characteristics, while unnecessary to sample monthly for digestion trials and blood tests in the long-term fattening of Holstein steers. This study may provide insights into exploring the associations between detected parameters and stabilization time, and between diet type and stabilization time when diet shifts.