bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the critical locations in response of constructed and planned dams on the Mekong River Basin for environmental integrity
Authors: Gao Yuan , Sarker Shiblu , Sarker Tanni , Leta Olkeba Tolessa 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Massive hydropower dams in the Mekong river basin (MRB) have triggered substantial debate and international attention due to its utmost importance on maintaining ecology and biodiversity. Although numerous studies have been conducted to assess the consequences of existing and proposed dams, the combined effects of dams on biodiversity and ecosystems have received limited attention. In this study, we focused on the dam’s locations and suitability on the overall Mekong River Network in order to comprehend the environmental and ecological integrity of the MRB as a whole. Overall, we identified harmful dams on their associated sub-basins based on the notion of connectivity. The vulnerability of ecosystems and biodiversity in the MRB is well recognized, and our findings generally provide additional theoretical support for their protection.
Cognitive and behavioural but not motor impairment increases brain age in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Hermann Andreas , Tarakdjian Gaël Nils , Temp Anna Gesine Marie , Kasper Elisabeth , Machts Judith , Kaufmann Jörn , Vielhaber Stefan , Prudlo Johannes , Cole James H , Teipel Stefan , Dyrba Martin 
Published: September 2022

AbstractAge is the most important single risk factor of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroimaging together with machine-learning algorithms allows estimating individuals’ brain age. Deviations from normal brain-ageing trajectories (so called predicted brain age difference) were reported for a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. While all of them showed increased predicted brain-age difference, there is surprisingly few data yet on it in motor neurodegenerative diseases. In this observational study, we made use of previously trained algorithms of 3377 healthy individuals and derived predicted brain age differences from volumetric MRI scans of 112 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and 70 healthy controls. We correlated predicted brain age difference scores with voxel-based morphometry data and multiple different motoric disease characteristics as well as cognitive/behavioural changes categorized according to Strong and Rascovsky. Against our primary hypothesis, there was no higher predicted brain-age difference in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients as a group. None of the motoric phenotypes/characteristics influenced predicted brain-age difference. However, cognitive/behavioural impairment led to significantly increased predicted brain-age difference, while slowly progressive as well as cognitive/behavioural normal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients had even younger brain ages than healthy controls. Of note, the cognitive/behavioural normal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients were identified to have increased cerebellar brain volume as potential resilience factor. Younger brain age was associated with longer survival. Our results raise the question whether younger brain age in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with only motor impairment provides a cerebral reserve against cognitive and/or behavioural impairment and faster disease progression. This new conclusion needs to be tested in subsequent samples. In addition, it will be interesting to test whether a potential effect of cerebral reserve is specific for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or can also be found in other neurodegenerative diseases with primary motor impairment.
Motor inhibition and its contribution to recovery of dexterous hand use after stroke
Authors: Plantin Jeanette , Godbolt Alison K , Pennati Gaia V , Laurencikas Evaldas , Fransson Peter , Baron Jean Claude , Maier Marc A , Borg Jörgen , Lindberg Påvel G 
Published: September 2022

AbstractRecovery of dexterous hand use is critical for functional outcome after stroke. Grip force recordings can inform on maximal motor output and modulatory and inhibitory cerebral functions, but how these actually contribute to recovery of dexterous hand use is unclear. This cohort study used serially assessed measures of hand kinetics to test the hypothesis that behavioural measures of motor modulation and inhibition explain dexterity recovery beyond that explained by measures of motor output alone. We also investigated the structural and functional connectivity correlates of grip force control recovery.Eighty-nine adults (median age = 54 years, 26% females) with first-ever ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke and persistent arm and hand paresis were assessed longitudinally, at 3 weeks, and at 3 and 6 months after stroke. Kinetic measures included: maximal grip force, accuracy of precision and power grip force control, and ability to release force abruptly. Dexterous hand use was assessed clinically with the Box and Block Test and motor impairment with the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Structural and functional MRI was used to assess weighted corticospinal tract lesion load, voxel-based lesion symptom mapping and interhemispheric resting-state functional connectivity.Fifty-three per cent of patients had severe initial motor impairment and a majority still had residual force control impairments at 6 months. Force release at 3 weeks explained 11% additional variance of Box and Block Test outcome at 6 months, above that explained by initial scores (67%). Other kinetic measures did not explain additional variance of recovery. The predictive value of force release remained significant when controlling for corticospinal tract lesion load and clinical measures. Corticospinal tract lesion load correlated with recovery in grip force control measures. Lesions involving the parietal operculum, insular cortex, putamen and fronto-striatal tracts were also related to poorer force modulation and release. Lesions to fronto-striatal tracts explained an additional 5% of variance in force release beyond the 43% explained by corticospinal injury alone. Interhemispheric functional connectivity did not relate to force control recovery.We conclude that not only voluntary force generation but also force release (reflecting motor inhibition) are important for recovery of dexterous hand use after stroke. Although corticospinal injury is a main determinant of recovery, lesions to integrative somatosensory areas and fronto-parietal white matter (involved in motor inhibition) explain additional variance in post-stroke force release recovery. Our findings indicate that post-stroke upper limb motor impairment profiling, which is essential for targeted treatment, should consider both voluntary grasp generation and inhibition.
Effectiveness of Messenger RNA-1273 Vaccine Booster Against Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Immunocompetent Adults
Authors: Florea Ana , Sy Lina S , Qian Lei , Ackerson Bradley K , Luo Yi , Tubert Julia E , Lee Gina S , Ku Jennifer H , Bruxvoort Katia J , Talarico Carla A , Qiu Sijia , Tian Yun , Tseng Hung Fu 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
We conducted a prospective cohort study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California to evaluate the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) of a booster dose vs 2-dose primary series of messenger RNA (mRNA)-1273 in immunocompetent individuals.

Methods
Immunocompetent adults who received a booster dose of mRNA-1273 from October 2021 through December 2021 were matched 1:1 to randomly selected 2-dose mRNA-1273 recipients by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and second-dose date and followed up through January 2022. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), comparing outcomes (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] infection and coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] hospitalization and hospital death) in the booster-dose and 2-dose groups. Adjusted rVE (%) was calculated as (1 − aHR) × 100. aHRs and rVE were also estimated by subgroup and month of follow-up.

Results
The study included 431 328 booster-dose vaccinated adults matched to 431 328 2-dose vaccinated adults. rVE was 61.3% (95% CI: 60.5%–62.2%) against SARS-CoV-2 infection, 89.0% (86.2%–91.2%) against COVID-19 hospitalization, and 96.0% (68.0%–99.5%) against COVID-19 hospital death. rVE against SARS-CoV-2 infection ranged from 55.6% to 66.7% across all subgroups. rVE against SARS-CoV-2 infection decreased from 67.1% (0 to &lt;1 month of follow-up) to 30.5% (2 to &lt;3 months). For COVID-19 hospitalization, rVE decreased from 91.2% (0 to &lt;1 month) to 78.7% (2 to &lt;3 months).

Conclusions
Among immunocompetent adults, the mRNA-1273 booster conferred additional protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 disease compared with the 2-dose mRNA-1273 primary series during periods of Delta and Omicron predominance.
Refining a Driving Retirement Program for Persons With Dementia and Their Care Partners: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of CarFreeMe™-Dementia
Authors: Peterson Colleen M , Birkeland Robyn W , Louwagie Katie W , Ingvalson Stephanie N , Mitchell Lauren L , Scott Theresa L , Liddle Jacki , Pachana Nancy A , Gustafsson Louise , Gaugler Joseph E 
Published: September 2022

AbstractObjectivesWe adapted the CarFreeMe™-Dementia program created by The University of Queensland for drivers in the United States. CarFreeMe™-Dementia aims to assist drivers living with dementia and their care partners as they plan for or adjust to driving retirement. This semistructured program focuses on driving retirement education and support. Topics include how dementia affects driving, lifestyle planning, stress management, and alternative transportation options. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of the CarFreeMe™-Dementia intervention.MethodsThis pilot phase of the study included 16 care partners and 11 drivers with memory loss who were preparing for or adjusting to driving retirement. Participants completed 4–8 CarFreeMe™-Dementia intervention telehealth sessions. Online surveys (baseline, 1- and 3-month) and postintervention semistructured interviews informed evaluation of the intervention program using a mixed methods approach.ResultsThis study established initial support for CarFreeMe™-Dementia in the United States. Participants indicated the program facilitated dialogue around driving retirement and provided guidance on community engagement without driving. Respondents appreciated the program’s emphasis on overall well-being, promoted through lifestyle planning and stress management. They also reported the program offered practical preparation for transitioning to driving retirement.DiscussionThe CarFreeMe™-Dementia intervention, tailored to an American audience, appears to be a feasible, acceptable, and useful support program for drivers with memory loss (and/or their care partners) who are preparing for or adjusting to driving retirement. Further investigations of the efficacy of the CarFreeMe™-Dementia intervention in the United States, as well as in other countries and cultural contexts, are warranted.
Genetic tuning of β-carotene oxygenase-1 activity rescues cone photoreceptor function in STRA6-deficient mice
Authors: Moon Jean , Ramkumar Srinivasagan , von Lintig Johannes 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina mediate dim light and daylight vision, respectively. Despite their distinctive functions, rod and cone visual pigments utilize the same vitamin A-derived chromophore. To sustain vision, vitamin A precursors must be acquired in the gut, metabolized, and distributed to the eyes. Deficiencies in this pathway in inherited ocular disease states deplete cone photoreceptors from chromophore and eventually lead to cell death, whereas the more abundant rod photoreceptors are less affected. However, pathways that support cone function and survival under such conditions are largely unknown. Using biochemical, histological, and physiological approaches, we herein show that intervention with β-carotene in STRA6-deficient mice improved chromophore supply to cone photoreceptors. Relieving the inherent negative feedback regulation of β-carotene oxygenase-1 activity in the intestine by genetic means further bolstered cone photoreceptor functioning in the STRA6-deficient eyes. A vitamin A-rich diet, however, did not improve cone photoreceptor function in STRA6-deficiency. We provide evidence that the beneficial effect of β-carotene on cones results from favorable serum kinetics of retinyl esters in lipoproteins. The respective alterations in lipoprotein metabolism maintained a steady supply of retinoids to the STRA6-deficient eyes, which ameliorated the competition for chromophore between rod and cone photoreceptors. Together, our study elucidates a cone photoreceptor-survival pathway and unravels an unexpected metabolic connection between the gut and the retina.
8 Prediction of Culling and Mortality Risks in Group-Housed Broilers Using Machine Learning Methods Trained with Time-Series Data of Feeding Behavior Traits
Authors: Alves Anderson A Carvalho , Fernandes Arthur F A , Lopes Fernando B , Breen Vivian , Hawken Rachel , Rosa Guilherme J J M 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
In this study, we investigated the performance of different machine learning (ML) methods for predicting withdrawing events (culled or dead animals) according to feeding behaviors (FB) time series. The raw data comprised a total of 1,492,482 daily observations for six FB traits from 55,400 birds allocated into 88 trials. After data editing, the overall class distribution was 17:1 (44,352 healthy animals and 2,689 culled or dead). The event classification (0 or 1) was performed one day in advance, by treating healthy birds randomly as control groups for each day. The FB daily trends were used for extracting 21 time-series features per trait, generating a structured feature dataset (day before the event + 126 time-series features). The trained ML algorithms were the gradient boosting machine (GBM), multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP), naïve Bayes (NB), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM). The models were compared based on the area under the ROC (AUC) and precision-recall (AUPRC) curves, computed with 20-fold cross-validation. The performance metrics ranged from 0.76 to 0.85 for AUC and from 0.32 to 0.48 for AUPRC, so that models achieved considerable superior performance than that expected for a random classifier (0.50 for AUC and 0.06 for AUCPR). The better classifier in terms of AUC was the RF (0.85±0.02), although not statistically different from the average performance obtained with the GBM and SVM (0.84±0.02 in both cases). The MLP achieved the greatest AUPRC (0.48±0.05), while the NB performed poorly considering this criterion (0.32±0.02), indicating that a low precision-recall gain is expected for this model. Broiler barns presenting a critical number of animals with high-risk scores could be indicative of a disease outbreak or management failures. Hence, the proposed approach offers a potential tool for real-time monitoring of health status and welfare in broilers.
5 The Use of Alginate Hydrogel Beads During Pig Transportation
Authors: Salinas Emerald Julianna , McGlone John J , Johnson Anna K , Garcia Arlene 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
During marketing, pigs are exposed to multiple stressors, including feed/water withdrawal, physical assertion, and mixing with unfamiliar pigs. These stressors can disrupt the homeostasis of the market pig, that in-turn could result in non-ambulatory-non-injured, non-ambulatory injured pigs or death. The objective of this study was to provide pigs electrolytes and a glucose source in alginate hydrogel beads (AHB) to determine if they could mitigate transportation stressors. A maternal neonatal pheromone was added to the AHB to encourage consumption. Sixty (PIC USA Camborough-22 sow line) market pigs (BW 122.27± 32.72 kg), including barrows and gilts were allocated to two treatment groups, either AHB (n= 30) or control (CON) without AHB (n= 30). Pigs were acclimated to the AHB 72-h prior to transport and fasted 12-h before being loaded on a straight trailer and transported for a total of 4-h. Pig body weights were collected before and after transport and blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture. Active and inactive postures and drinking behavior were recorded using GoPro Cameras during transport and 24-h post-transport using a DVR in one min scan sample. The study was a complete randomized design with pen as the experimental unit. The AHB did not affect the pigs body weight (P &gt; 0.05). Blood chemistry and blood hematology measures showed treatment by time interactions for PH, PCO2, HCO3, BE, TCO2, TBIL and GLU (P ≤ 0.05). During transport AHB pigs displayed more lying than CON pigs (P &lt; 0.05). After transport AHB pigs sat more (P &lt; 0.05) and tended (P &gt; 0.05) to move more than CON pigs. CON pigs engaged in more drinking than AHB pigs after transport (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, AHBs had some positive welfare effects on pig physiology and behavior during and immediately after short transportation and show promise as a tool that could be practically implemented by the industry.
19 How can Artificial Intelligence Accelerate Phenotyping Efforts in Animal Breeding?
Authors: Morota Gota , Ha Dong , Chen James 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
With the development of high-throughput technologies, biology has become a large-scale and data-rich field, especially for genomics and phenomics. Concurrent with this expansion in the availability of high-throughput technologies, their use in the livestock sectors has accordingly increased. This expansion has occurred most notably in the field of animal breeding, where high-throughput technologies hold promise as a means for more efficiently connecting animal phenotypes with pedigree and genomics to drive genetic improvement of production and health-related traits. The rate of genetic gain is closely related to the quantity and quality of phenotyping data. However, there are still considerable manual tasks that are involved in phenotyping processes. Precision livestock farming or smart farming uses sensing technology that is supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor morphometric changes in animal growth dynamics and animal activity status. In particular, the development of two sensing technologies, computer vision and wearable sensor systems, plays a pivotal role in accelerating phenotyping efforts by providing non-intrusive measurements of animals with high temporal and spatial resolution. The presentation will provide a recent update on current approaches to artificial intelligence and machine learning in computer vision and wearable sensor systems to monitor the body mass and behaviors of animals.
22 Sustainable Livestock Breeding: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Baes Christine F , Rochus Christina M , Houlahan Kerry , Oliveira Jr Gerson A , Van Staaveren Nienke , Miglior Filippo 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Animal breeders have exploited many technological advances for increasing genetic gain in economically and functionally important traits. The implementation of such technologies in routine breeding programs has permitted genetic gains in traditional milk, meat and egg production traits as well as, more recently, in low-heritability traits like health, fertility, and even behavior. As global demand for animal products increases, animal breeders must ensure the technologies, methods and strategies employed are sustainable, to consider the many emerging technologies that are currently being investigated in various fields, and to ensure a social license to continue producing animal products. Here we discuss the societal, ethical, environmental, and economical aspects of sustainability in the context of livestock breeding. We review a number of technologies that have helped shape livestock breeding programs in the past and present, along with those potentially forthcoming. These tools have materialized in the areas of reproduction, genotyping and sequencing, genetic modification, epigenetics, and other areas of “omics” technologies. Although many of these technologies bring encouraging opportunities for genetic improvement of livestock populations, their applications and benefits need to be weighed with their impacts on sustainability.
49 Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Lespedeza on the Semen Quality and Fertility of Male Goats
Authors: Heikal Rania , Hicks Jayla , Holmes Bryanna , Brown Jalani , Dykes Gregory , Wartley Lauren , Mendez Nallely , Neha Ayesha , Shaik Arshad , Chelkapally Sai Chandan , Brown Davia , Crumpler Jeslyn , Whitley Niki C C , Pech-Cervantes Andres a , Reese Tiffany , Woldemeskel Moges , Terrill Thomas H , Moawad Adel R 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Infertility is a major cause of economic losses in livestock production systems. Parasitic infections are a significant cause of infertility in small ruminants. Sericea lespedeza (SL; Lespedeza cuneata) is a potent anthelmintic in sheep and goats. Positive impacts of lespedeza on male fertility have been reported in rats and rabbits; however, no studies have been conducted on goats. Here, we investigated the effects of feeding male goats with SL or annual lespedeza (AL; Kummerowia stiulacea) on their semen quality and fertility. Forty-nine mature intact Spanish bucks were randomly assigned into three groups and fed diets of 60% hay and 40% concentrate in an 8-week pen study. The treatment hays were SL (n=16), AL (n=17), and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) as a control (n=16). At the end of the trial, scrotum circumferences (SC) were measured and the animals were transported to a processing facility for slaughtering. Testicles and epididymides were collected after slaughter for measuring their weights and lengths. Epididymal spermatozoa were retrieved and evaluated for their motility, concentration, viability, abnormalities, and membrane integrities. Sections from testicles and epididymides were also prepared for histopathological examination. Results showed that SC was higher (P≤ 0.05) in SL than AL groups. Testicular and epididymal weights were comparable (P &gt; 0.05) among the three groups. Sperm motility, concentration, viability, and membrane integrities were higher (P≤ 0.05) in SL compared with the AL and control groups. Sperm abnormalities were higher (P≤ 0.05) in control and AL groups than in the SL group. Histopathological examination revealed mild focally extensive seminiferous tubular degeneration and necrosis in AL group. These results suggest that feeding of male goats on SL enhances their sperm quality and fertility parameters.