AUTHOREA
Log in Sign Up Browse Preprints
LOG IN SIGN UP

Preprints

Explore 39,707 preprints on the Authorea Preprint Repository

A preprint on Authorea can be a complete scientific manuscript submitted to a journal, an essay, a whitepaper, or a blog post. Preprints on Authorea can contain datasets, code, figures, interactive visualizations and computational notebooks.
Read more about preprints.

C-reactive protein is associated with severity in hospitalized children with Respirat...
assaf adar
Aviv Goldbart

assaf adar

and 5 more

September 25, 2023
Objective: Acute bronchiolitis, primarily caused by Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is the most common cause of hospitalization in young children. Despite international guidelines supporting clinical diagnosis, laboratory evaluations are often conducted with limited validity. We aim to evaluate the association between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at admission and disease severity in children hospitalized due to RSV bronchiolitis. Study design: This single center retrospective cohort study included children (0-24 months old) who were hospitalized due to RSV bronchiolitis (January 2018 – March 2022) with CRP levels taken upon admission. Clinical data and severity parameters were extracted using MD-clone platform and the clinical research unit at SUMC. Results: 1,874 children (mean age of 6.7 months, 59% males) with a median CRP level of 1.92mg/dL were included. Children with elevated CRP (>1.92mg/dL) were significantly older (5.1 vs. 3.8 months, p<0.001), had higher rates of pneumonia (9.4% vs. 4.3%, p<0.001 ), urinary tract infection (UTI), (2.2% vs. 0.2%, p<0.001), acute otitis media (AOM), (1.7% vs 0.2%, p<0.001), admissions to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) (7.4% vs 3.7%, p<0.001), antibiotic treatment (49.8% vs 37.2%, p<0.001) and longer hospitalizations (3.83 vs 3.31 days, p=0.001). Multivariable analysis predicted increased risk for UTI, PICU admission, pneumonia, and longer hospitalization (relative risk of 11.6, 2.25, 1.98, 1.44, respectively, p<0.001)). CRP thresholds of 3.51, 1.9, and 2.81 mg/dL for PICU admission, UTI, and pneumonia, were calculated using Youden’s index with AUC of 0.72, 0.62, and 0.61, respectively. Conclusions: Elevated CRP levels at admission are associated with increased disease severity and higher complication rates in children hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis.
CMMSE:Estimates of approximation numbers, nuclearity of the resolvent of a third orde...
Madi Muratbekov
Mussakan Muratbekov

Madi Muratbekov

and 1 more

September 25, 2023
In this paper, we consider a third order singular differential operator L w + μ w = - w ′′′ + q ( x ) w + μ w in space L 2 ( R ) originally defined on the set C 0 ∞ ( R ) , where C 0 ∞ ( R ) is the set of infinitely differentiable compactly supported functions, μ≥0. Regarding the coefficient q ( x ) , we assume that it is a continuous function in R ( - ∞ , ∞ ) and can be a growing function at infinity. The operator L allows closure in the space L 2 ( R ) and the closure also be denoted by L. In the paper, under certain restrictions on q ( x ) , in addition to the above condition, the existence of the resolvent of the operator L and the existence of the estimate ‖ - w ′′′ ‖ L 2 ( R ) + ‖ q ( x ) w ‖ L 2 ( R ) ≤ c ( ‖ L w ‖ L 2 ( R ) + ‖ w ‖ L 2 ( R ) ) (0.1) have been proved, where c>0 is a constant. Example. Let q ( x ) = e 100 | x | , then the estimate (0.1) holds. The compactness of the resolvent is proved and two-sided estimates for singular numbers ( s-numbers) are obtained. Here we note that the estimates of singular numbers ( s-numbers) show the rate of approximation of the resolvent of the operator L by linear finite-dimensional operators. In the present paper, apparently for the first time, the nuclearity of the resolvent of the third-order differential operator and completeness of its root vectors are proved in the case of an unbounded domain with a greatly growing coefficient q ( x ) at infinity.
The diagnostic accuracy of the NICE risk‑stratification algorithm in predicting pre-e...
James Morris
Siraj Abulnaja

James Morris

and 2 more

September 25, 2023
Background: Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy which, left untreated, can cause significant foeto-maternal morbidity. Accordingly, the National Institution for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that high-risk women be prescribed daily prophylaxis with 75-150mg aspirin from twelve weeks’ gestation until delivery. NICE stratifies risk using eleven maternal risk factors; however, no secondary research has been published evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of this algorithm. Objectives: Quantify the sensitivity and specificity of the NICE risk‑stratification algorithm in predicting pre‑eclampsia in pregnant women ≥16 years. Search Strategy: PubMed, Cochrane Library and SCOPUS. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42023437261. Selection Criteria: Papers with a CBEM Level of Evidence ≤4, published 2010‑2023. Data Collection and Analysis: 20 eligible studies consisting of 892,061 pregnancies were analysed. Logit-transformed sensitivities and specificities were modelled as bivariate distributions with random effects. Main Results: Maximum likelihood estimates for the NICE algorithm’s sensitivity and specificity were 44.7% (95% CI 32.3 – 57.8) and 88.0% (95% CI 87.4-88.7), respectively. There was significant heterogeneity between the studies in this analysis (χ 2(17) = 85.05 (p<.0001), I 2=99.8%) and, consequently, a low degree of certainty in these estimates. Conclusions: The NICE risk‑stratification algorithm performs remarkably poorly when used to predict pre‑eclampsia in any of three gestational categories. Clinicians should advise women that around 1 in 5 high-risk patients and 1 in 25 low-risk patients go on to develop pre‑eclampsia. However, future studies will likely alter these values and the confidence therein. Funding: None Key Words: Pre-eclampsia, High-risk Pregnancy, Sensitivity and Specificity, Predictive Value of Tests, Clinical Decision Rules.
Predicting Human Personality using Multimedia by Employing Machine Learning Technique
Akshata S Bhayyar
Kiran P

Akshata Bhayyar S

and 2 more

September 25, 2023
Recently, cognitive-based sentiment analysis has drawn a lot of attention because it focuses on automatically identifying user behaviours like personality characteristics from online social media text. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested model for eight key personality traits (Introversion-Extroversion, Intuition-Sensing, Thinking-Feeling, and Judging-Perceiving), we present a hybrid Deep Learning-based model made up of Convolutional Neural Networks with Long Short-Term Memory. On the basis of audio and video recordings of human faces, we provide a model for the identification of personality traits. A web-based platform is created to gather the dataset, allowing users to record voice and video using a microphone and webcam, respectively. The dataset contains videos and audio clips of people of various ages and genders. Applying the proposed CNN+LSTM model on the considered dataset we could achieve an accuracy of 87.07%.
FL-VLD: A Novel Voice Liveness Detection Framework Based on Asynchronous Federated Le...
Lifang Zong
Zhigang Li

Lifang Zong

and 3 more

September 25, 2023
Voice Liveness Detection (VLD) has become one of the hot research topics in the Internet of Things era. Conventional VLD methods are centralized solutions that are trained on abundant data collected from local clients and stored on the server, however, they have the risk of causing data islands and privacy leakage. To address this problem, we propose a novel word-level VLD framework based on asynchronous federated learning (FL) with pop noise, named FL-VLD. Structurally, FL-VLD takes the preprocessed voice for local model training and constructs a global model by only transmitting the learned weights after differential privacy with FL’s central server in an asynchronous manner. In addition, the local network of the framework incorporates the residual network and the spatial grouping enhancement module to optimize the complexity and accuracy of the global model. With the advantage of FL’s distributed structure, FL-VLD solves the data island problem in VLD scenario without threatening users’ privacy. Experimental results on the popular POCO dataset show that our proposal is clearly superior to the traditional centralized methods as well as overperforming other federated schemes in terms of fairness, stability, accuracy, and lightweightness. Further, for attacks involving far-field replay, synthesis, and conversion, FL-VLD has high generalisation capabilities. Finally, the ablation study attests to its efficacy.
Judiciary independence: why should ecologists care?
Tamar Keasar
Moshe Coll

Tamar Keasar

and 5 more

September 25, 2023
We discuss the links between political governance systems and ecological research, education and environmental policy, focusing on the ongoing radical changes to the judicial systems in Israel. This judicial revision has already restricted academic freedom and environmental laws, and has impacted regulatory actions. We are concerned about future defunding of ecological research and nature conservation programs, reduced cross-border ecological collaboration, restrictions of academic teaching of ecology and evolution, a brain drain of ecologists, weakening enforcement of environmental laws, and increased power to polluting corporates. Israel's unique biodiversity, already threatened by its rapidly growing population and high development pressures, make these concerns all the more pressing. We believe that weakening judicial oversight of government actions in other countries is generating similar threats at a global scale.
Spontaneous Spinal Cord Herniation with Post-operative paraplegia- A case report with...
Syed Ifthekar
Sang-Ha Shin

Syed Ifthekar

and 3 more

September 25, 2023
Spontaneous Spinal Cord Herniation with Post-operative paraplegia- A case report with 10-year follow-upAbstract:Background: Spinal cord herniation is an uncommon diagnosis in the field of spine surgery. The usual presentation of spontaneous spinal cord herniation is in the form of progressive Brown-Sequard syndrome. We describe a case of a 37-year-old male with progressive back pain and sensory deficits due to spinal cord herniation and a post-operative complication associated with reduction of the hernia.Case description: A 37-year-old male presented with insidious onset upper back pain and altered sensations of pain and temperature over the right half of the body below the nipple 2 months before the examination. The patient did not have motor weakness of lower limbs, abnormal/ involuntary movements, or loss of control over the bowel and bladder. MRI of the thoracic spine showed an anterolateral defect(left) at the level of the T2-T3 vertebra. A posterior approach was chosen and the cord with roots was reduced into the dura. The defect was covered by a dural graft (Lyodura) and the wound was closed with a drain insitu. On the 3rd post-operative day, patient developed paraplegia. Patient was treated by exploration and decompression of the hematoma that compressed spinal cord. The deficits were completely recovered at one-month follow-up.Conclusion: Patients with spinal cord herniation and neurologic deficits when treated timely with reduction of the hernia, have good outcomes. The drain should be removed only when the treating team is satisfied regarding the lack of ongoing hemorrhage. The recovery was maintained till the last follow-up at 10 years.Key words: spontaneous spinal cord herniation, spinal cord defect, paraplegia, Brown-Sequard syndrome
Pilot-scale production of Bacillus subtilis MSCL 897 spore biomass and antifungal sec...
Emils Bolmanis
Oskars Grigs

Emils Bolmanis

and 4 more

September 15, 2023
Bacillus subtilis is a plant growth promoting bacterium that acts as a microbial fertilizer and biocontrol agent, providing benefits such as boosting crop productivity and improving nutrient content. It is able to produce secondary metabolites and endospores simultaneously, enhancing its ability to survive in unfavorable conditions and eliminate competing microorganisms. Optimizing cultivation methods for the production of B. subtilis MSCL 897 spores on an industrial scale requires a suitable medium, typically made from food industry by-products, and maintaining optimal temperature and pH levels to achieve high vegetative cell and spore densities with maximum productivity and yield. In this study, we demonstrate successful pilot-scale (100 L bioreactor) production of a biocontrol agent B. subtilis with good spore yields (1.5 x 10 9 spores/mL) and a high degree of sporulation (>80%) using a low-cost cultivation media, which showed excellent antifungal activity (1.6-2.3 cm) against several phytopathogenic fungi. An improved methodology for inoculum preparation was investigated to ensure an optimal seed culture state prior to inoculation, promoting process batch-to-batch repeatability. Increasing the molasses concentration in the medium and operating the process in fed-batch mode with additional molasses feed, did not improve the overall spore yield, hence, process operation in batch mode with 10 g/L molasses is preferred. Results also showed that the product quality was not significantly impacted for up to 12 months of storage at room temperature.
Association of chronotype and depressive symptoms in Chinese infertile population und...
Danni Wang
Fei Jiang

Danni Wang

and 7 more

September 25, 2023
Objective: To assess the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in an infertile population undergoing assisted reproductive technology. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University Reproductive Medicine Center in Hefei, China. Population: 1022 infertile patients who sought assisted reproductive technology at the Center between August and October 2022, were assessed for inclusion in this study. Methods: On the day of ovulation injection, we collected socio-demographics by inviting infertile patients to complete questionnaires and assessed the subjects’ chronotypes through the Morning and Evening Questionnaire-5 Items (MEQ-5). Main Outcome Measures: Depressive symptoms, assessed with validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and expressed as PHQ-9 scores. Results: Overall, 9%, 68%, and 22% of participants were categorized as evening, neutral, and morning chronotypes, respectively. There were significant differences between chronotype on levels of depressive symptoms, subjects with morning chronotype (odds ratios = 0.32, 95% confidence intervals: 0.18-0.57) and neutral chronotype (odds ratios = 0.47, 95% confidence intervals: 0.28-0.77) had lower odds of depressive status, compared to those with evening chronotype, but no partner effect of chronotype was found ( p >0.05, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that morning and neutral chronotypes may be significantly associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms. In addition, the effect of earlier chronotypes in men on depressive symptoms in women warrants relevant clinical attention when considering treatment.
Genomic insights into a critically endangered island endemic songbird provide a roadm...
Ross Crates
Brenton von Takach

Ross Crates

and 10 more

September 25, 2023
Small, fragmented or isolated populations are at risk of population decline due to fitness costs associated with inbreeding and genetic drift. The King Island scrubtit Acanthornis magna greeniana is a critically endangered endemic subspecies of the nominate Tasmanian scrubtit A. m. magna, with an estimated population of <100 individuals persisting in three patches of swamp forest. The Tasmanian scrubtit is widespread in wet forests on mainland Tasmania. We sequenced the scrubtit genome using PacBio HiFi and undertook a population genomics study of the King Island and Tasmanian scrubtit using a double-digest restriction site-associated DNA (ddRAD) dataset of 5,239 SNP loci. The genome was 1.48 Gb long, comprising 1,518 contigs with an N50 of 7.715 Mb. King Island scrubtits formed one of four overall genetic clusters, but separated into three distinct subpopulations when analysed separately. Pairwise FST values were greater among the King Island scrubtit subpopulations than among most Tasmanian scrubtit subpopulations. Genetic diversity was lower and inbreeding coefficients were higher in the King Island scrubtit than all except one of the Tasmanian scrubtit subpopulations. We observed crown baldness in 8/15 King Island scrubtits, but 0/55 Tasmanian scrubtits. Six loci were significantly associated with baldness, including one within the DOCK11 gene which is linked to early feather development. Contemporary gene flow between King Island scrubtit subpopulations is unlikely, with further field monitoring required to quantify the fitness consequences of its small effective size, low genetic diversity and high inbreeding. Evidence-based conservation actions can then be implemented before the taxon goes extinct.
Genomics-informed captive breeding can reduce inbreeding depression and the genetic l...
Samuel Speak
Thomas Birley

Samuel Speak

and 6 more

September 25, 2023
Zoo populations of threatened species are a valuable resource for the restoration of wild populations. However, their small effective population size poses a risk to long-term viability, especially in species with high genetic load. Recent bioinformatic developments can identify harmful genetic variants in genome data. Here, we advance this approach, analysing the genetic load in the threatened pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri). We lift-over the mutation-impact scores that had been calculated for the chicken (Gallus gallus) to estimate the genetic load in six pink pigeons. Additionally, we perform in-silico crossings to predict the genetic load and realised load of potential offspring. We thus identify the optimal mate pairs that are theoretically expected to reproduce offspring with the least inbreeding depression. We use computer simulations to show how genomics-informed conservation can reduce the genetic load and maintain genome-wide diversity, arguing this will become instrumental in maintaining the long-term viability of zoo populations.
Confounding mitigation for the exposure-response relationship of bevacizumab in color...
Sarah Lobet
Morgane Caulet

Sarah Lobet

and 11 more

September 25, 2023
Aims. The exposure-response relationship of bevacizumab may be confounded by various factors, i.e. baseline characteristics, time-dependent target engagement and recursive relationships between exposure and response. This work aimed at investigating the exposure-response relationships of bevacizumab in mCRC patients while mitigating potential sources of bias. Methods. Bevacizumab pharmacokinetics was described using target-mediated drug disposition (TMDD) modeling. The relationships between target kinetics, and progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survivals were assessed using joint pharmacokinetic and parametric hazard function models. Both potential biases due to prognostic-driven and response-driven of the concentration-effect relationship were mitigated. These models were used to evaluate the effect of increased antigen target levels and clearance, as well as intensified dosing regimen, on survival. Results. Estimated target-mediated pharmacokinetic parameters in 130 assessed patients were: baseline target levels (R0=8.4 nM), steady-state dissociation constant (KSS=10 nM) and antibody-target complexes elimination constant (kint=0.52 day-1). Distribution of R0 was significantly associated with an increased baseline CEA and circulating VEGF levels, and the presence of extra-hepatic metastases. Unbound target levels (R) significantly influenced both progression and death hazard functions. Increased R0 or CL values led to decreased bevacizumab unbound concentrations, increased R levels, and shortened PFS and OS, whereas increasing bevacizumab dose led to decreased R and longer survival. Conclusion. This study is the first to show the relationship between bevacizumab concentrations, target involvement and clinical efficacy by mitigating potential sources of bias. Most of target amount may be tumoral in mCRC. A more in-depth description of this relationship should be made in future studies.
Fast and efficient photocatalytic degradation of Brilliant blue dye, under solar ligh...
Muhammad Alamzeb
Sabahat Faryad

Muhammad Alamzeb

and 6 more

September 25, 2023
Brilliant blue dye (BB) is being extensively used in textile and cosmetic industries. Recently BB has been reported to be carcinogenic and asthma causing agent. Hence, its use has been banned in several European countries. During the current study ZnO and Bi-ZnO were synthesized by using sol-gel method. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis (BET). Both ZnO and Bi-ZnO were used for the photocatalytic degradation of BB under solar light irradiation. Different parameters affecting the photocatalytic degradation of BB like contact time, dye concentration, catalyst concentration, and pH were evaluated and optimized. Both catalysts degraded BB efficiently but Bi-ZnO displayed better degradation potential (maximum 92 %) than ZnO (maximum 76 %). The band gap for ZnO and Bi-ZnO was found to be 3.10 and 2.95 eV, respectively. Surface area and pore size for ZnO and Bi-ZnO were determined to be 104.03 m 2/g and 199 nm, and 114.67 m 2/g and 203 nm, respectively. Kinetics analysis of the experimental data revealed that the photocatalytic degradation of BB followed pseudo-first-order kinetics (R 2 = 0.9581). The value of first order rate constant (k 1) was found to be 3.14 x 10 -3 min -1. The results of the scavenging studies indicated that superoxide radicals ( •O 2 −) and hydroxyl radicals ( •OH) produced by Bi-ZnO are mainly responsible for the degradation of BB. Finally, the current field challenges are presented, along with widely applied recommendations and detailed concluding remarks.
LACTATION TETANY IN A PONY AND ITS THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT
kishorekumar Arumugam
pothiappan P

kishorekumar Arumugam

and 2 more

September 25, 2023
A two-year-old recently foaled pony was presented to the Large Animal Medicine Unit of Madras Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a history of reduced appetite and inability to walk. Physical examination revealed mild muscle tremors, stiffness of hindlimbs, ataxia, dry muzzle, and elevated temperature. Laboratory investigation revealed phosphorus, potassium, and decreased Calcium. Based on the history, clinical signs and laboratory findings, the case was diagnosed as hypocalcaemia. With 400 ml of Inj. 25% Calcium Borogluconate I/V and supportive therapies, the animal responded positively to treatment and showed good recovery. Keywords: Lactation tetany, Calcium Boro-gluconate
Proteomics Techniques in Focus: From Basics to Advanced Applications

September 25, 2023
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhjjjjjj
Coexistence of competing plants under plant-soil feedback
Athmanathan Senthilnathan
Rafael D'Andrea

Athmanathan Senthilnathan

and 1 more

September 25, 2023
A document by Athmanathan Senthilnathan. Click on the document to view its contents.
INFLUENCE OF e-HRM POST-ADOPTION BEHAVIOUR TO ABC MUNICIPALITY'S HRM STRATEGY
Hangwani Magoro
Mampilo  Phahlane

Hangwani Magoro

and 1 more

September 25, 2023
The purpose of the paper is to examine the influence of electronic-Human Resource Management (e-HRM) post-adoption behaviour in ABC Municipality’s HRM strategy. The study adopted a qualitative and a case study approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data at ABC Municipality from Top management, HR Practitioners in the HR department. Official documents (Strategic plan documents and e-HRM manuals) were also analysed to uncover how e-HRM was adopted and how it influences HRM strategy at ABC Municipality. The study discovered that the e-HRM’s post – adoption behaviour aligned well with the strategic goals that the HRM department seeks to achieve. The study was only done in Gauteng Province at ABC, meaning the study only covered one province and only one government entity. Generalizations on findings could not be made as they may not apply to other organisations, private or government. The study investigated e-HRM post-adoption behaviour’s influence to the HRM strategy at ABC Municipality based on the SCT perspectives. The study findings show that behaviour (affect), personal (self-efficacy, anxiety and outcome expectations) and environmental (social influence) (as SCT factors) played a significant role in ensuring e-HRM post-adoption behaviour at ABC Municipality. Top management support, end-user involvement in innovation initiatives/technology roadmaps presentations, engagements with trade unions, HR support’s availability factors also influenced the post-adoption behavior. To help improve e-HRM post-adoption behavior at South African municipalities, municipalities should consider these factors when implementing systems aimed at supporting HR department’s end-users to embrace Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in general, in this instance the e-HRM.
Soil nutrient limitation and natural enemies promote the establishment of alien speci...
Yu-Han Xu
Yu-Jian Guo

Yu-Han Xu

and 4 more

September 25, 2023
The invasion of alien plant species poses a threat to native community’s composition and diversity. However, the invasiveness of alien plants and invisibility of native communities should be depended on the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors, such as natural enemies and nutrient availability. In a study, we simulated the invasion of nine invasive plants into native plant communities with two levels of nutrient availability and natural enemies suppression. We explored how the biotic and abiotic factors affect the response of alien target species and the resistance of native communities to invasion. The results showed that enemy release (i.e., presence of enemy) increased biomass proportion of alien plants and decreased that of native community under without nutrient addition. Furthermore, we also found that the negative effect of enemy suppression on the evenness of native community and the root-to-shoot ratio of alien target species was greatest under nutrient addition. Therefore, nutrient deficiency and natural enemies might promote the invasive success of alien species in native community, whereas nutrient addition and enemy suppression can better enhance the resistance of native plant communities to invasion.
Neostigmine and atropine as a treatment for Postdural Puncture Headache after spinal...
Indra Shrestha
rupak.chalise1990@gmail.com

Indra Shrestha

and 6 more

September 25, 2023
INTRODUCTIONAn unpleasant experience for both the patient and the anesthetist, post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a complication of spinal anesthesia or lumbar puncture. It is believed to be caused by cerebral vasodilation, which is an indirect consequence of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, or meningeal traction linked to low CSF pressure.1 PDPH incidence varies, although it is generally thought to be 36% or more after lumbar puncture, 0%-10% after spinal anesthesia, and 81% after an unintentional dural puncture during epidural insertion.2, 3 Although PDPH typically resolves on its own, it can make it difficult for mothers to care for their infants and lengthen hospital stays. Serious side effects such as subdural hematoma, convulsions, sagittal sinus thrombosis, and cranial nerve palsies are more infrequently linked to PDPH.
Plant Bioassay in cytogenetic monitoring for the review of the Environmental toxins
Muhammad Jahanzaib
Mariam Tarish

Muhammad Jahanzaib

and 5 more

September 25, 2023
Throughout history, human beings have caused irreversible changes to the environment. However, with the emergence of modern science in recent decades, scientists have been able to quantify the extent of these changes. It is therefore crucial to monitor the environment comprehensively in order to establish laws and standards that ensure its cleanliness. Traditional chemical analysis methods often do not adhere to the twelve principles of Green Chemistry, are costly, and involve large amounts of toxic and harmful solvents that can harm the environment. As a result, it is essential to develop reliable analytical techniques that meet the requirements of Green Analytical Chemistry, complement, or replace traditional classical methods, and are environmentally friendly. Bioassays offer a potential alternative. It has long been acknowledged that high plants, particularly Vicia faba, are excellent genetic models for identifying mutagenic and cytogenetic agents and are commonly used in environmental monitoring studies. V. faba-based bioassays have been employed to investigate the DNA damage caused by various substances, such as metal compounds, pesticides, complex mixtures, petroleum derivatives, toxins, nanoparticles, and industrial effluents, resulting in chromosomal and nuclear errors. V. faba's test system is widely used to assess toxic agents due to its numerous advantages, and it has become a crucial bioassay for ecotoxicological studies. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how V. faba bioassays can be complementary alternatives to traditional analysis methods, satisfy Green Analytical Chemistry criteria, and comply with environmental monitoring laws and regulations.
On training spiking neural networks by means of a novel quantum inspired machine lear...
Jean Michel Sellier
Alexandre Martini

Jean Michel Sellier

and 1 more

September 25, 2023
In spite of the high potential shown by spiking neural networks (e.g., temporal patterns), training them remains an open and complex problem [1]. In practice, while in theory these networks are computationally as powerful as mainstream artificial neural networks [2], they have not reached the same accuracy levels yet. The major reason for such situation seems to be represented by the lack of adequate training algorithms for deep spiking neural networks, since spike signals are not differentiable, i.e. no direct way to compute a gradient is provided. Recently a novel training method, based on the (digital) simulation of certain quantum systems, has been suggested. It has already shown interesting advantages, among which the fact that no gradient is required to be computed. In this work, we apply this approach to the problem of training spiking neural networks and we show that this recent training method is capable of training deep and complex spiking neural networks on the MNIST data set.
Coupling relationship between soil properties and plant diversity under different eco...
Wenbo Chen
Hao Li

Wenbo Chen

and 3 more

September 25, 2023
Understanding the effects of ecological restoration in abandoned coal mine on soil and plant is important to improve the knowledge of ecosystems evolution and facilitate taking appropriate ecological restoration management practices. This study aims to evaluate the coupling relationship between plant diversity and soil properties after ecological restoration in abandoned coal mine area. The plant diversity of arbor, shrub, and herb layers, and the soil properties in different depth layers were investigated in four sites of different ecological restoration patterns in Fengcheng county, a typical coal- rich area in the history of southern China. The results indicated that: 1) the PSR ( Pinus massoniana and Schima superba gardn restoration) site had higher Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson index values than PR ( Pinus massoniana restoration) site, and the plant diversity of herb layer was significantly improved than that of the arbor and shrub layers; 2) in the PSR site, the soil properties were improved more notably than that of PR and NR (nature restoration) sites, and the plant diversity were also better than PR site; 3) Clay, SOM (soil organic matter), and MBC (microbial biomass carbon) made a great contribution to the plant diversity. It was concluded ecological restoration patterns had significant effects on soil nutrient content and plant diversity, and there exists evident coupling relationship between soil properties and plant diversity. The results of this study is of great significance for improving the effects of ecological restoration and management in abandoned coal mine area.
A Tentative Review on Soil and Water Conservation Measures in Ghana
Francis Adjei
Rebecca Abugri

Francis Adjei

and 1 more

September 25, 2023
The world’s limited natural resources are under extreme stress due to the planet’s rising population and changing climate. This review article highlights some significant issues about land degradation, its effects, and current trends in solving these issues in Ghana. The foundational natural resources for the agricultural production system are soil and water. The leading causes of the degradation of these natural resources are anthropogenic and unfavorable biological activity. Soil erosion is one of the significant dangers to the depletion of soil and water resources among the different degradation processes. 35% of Ghana’s land is threatened by desertification and overgrazing. Grasslands, woodlands, and forests are disappearing due to land degradation, and natural water bodies are also drying up due to protracted droughts and sedimentation of river channels. According to most farmers in these two regions in Ghana (Eastern and Northern Region), over-cultivation, deforestation, and extreme rainfall are the main contributors to severe erosion. Farmers in the Eastern and Northern Regions of the country think soil erosion severity has worsened during the previous ten years by 58.6% and 75.0%, respectively. Protecting soil and water against deterioration calls for developing and deploying new technologies, prudent use of natural resources, and efficient management techniques. For long-term agricultural sustainability and soil health, the state needs to emphasize the state of natural resource degradation, erosion processes, and soil and water conservation techniques.
Building living systematic reviews and reporting standards for comparative microscopi...
Charlotte Page
Ella Anderson

Charlotte Page

and 2 more

September 25, 2023
1. Over the last four decades coral disease research has continued to provide reports of disease states, the occurrence and severity of disease outbreaks, and associated disease signs however nomenclature and protocols for microscopic disease descriptions have yet to be implemented. Histopathology using systematic protocols is a gold standard for the microscopic assessment of diseases in veterinary and medical research. Increasing disease outbreaks on coral reefs as human impacts intensify highlights the need to also establish standardised diagnostic terminology and methodology for coral disease research. 2. Here we apply a systematic approach to collating, reviewing, and evaluating histopathological methods used to study white diseases in hard coral taxa and map research effort in this field spanning study design, sample processing and analysis in the 33 publications identified between 1984 and 2022. 3. We find that studies to-date have not uniformly detailed methodologies, and terminology associated with histopathological reporting and disease description is inconsistent between studies. Combined these limitations reduce study repeatability, limiting the uptake of histopathology in coral disease research and the capacity for researchers to compare disease reports. 4. A primary outcome of this study is revision of the most widely used terminology applied to coral tissue and development of recommendations for standardised reporting procedures with the aim of increasing accessibility and uptake of histopathology in addition to allowing for ongoing comparative analysis through living systematic reviews for the coral disease field.
← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 1654 1655 Next →
Authorea
  • Home
  • About
  • Product
  • Preprints
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • Twitter
  • Help
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy