Body Content Research Articles

Quantitative association between lead exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a Bayesian network-based predictive study

BackgroundEnvironmental lead (Pb) exposure have been suggested as a causative factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the role of Pb content of human body in ALS outcomes has not been quantified clearly. The purpose of this study was to apply Bayesian networks to forecast the risk of Pb exposure on the disease occurrence.MethodsWe retrospectively collected medical records of ALS inpatients who underwent blood Pb testing, while matched controlled inpatients on age, gender, hospital ward and admission time according to the radio of 1:9. Tree Augmented Naïve Bayes (TAN), a semi-naïve Bayes classifier, was established to predict probability of ALS or controls with risk factors.ResultsA total of 140 inpatients were included in this study. The whole blood Pb levels of ALS patients (57.00 μg/L) were more than twice as high as the controls (27.71 μg/L). Using the blood Pb concentrations to calculate probability of ALS, TAN produced the total coincidence rate of 90.00%. The specificity, sensitivity of Pb for ALS prediction was 0.79, or 0.74, respectively.ConclusionTherefore, these results provided quantitative evidence that Pb exposure may contribute to the development of ALS. Bayesian networks may be used to predict the ALS early onset with blood Pb levels.

Development and validation of an art-inspired multimodal interactive technology system for a multi-component intervention for older people: a pilot study

IntroductionThe World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges the presence of a significant body of research on the positive effects of the arts on health, considering a variety of factors including physical well-being, quality of life, and social and community impact. The model that underlies cultural welfare puts the performing arts, visual arts, and cultural heritage at the service of people personal and societal well-being. The potential connections between movements of the body and artistic content have been extensively studied over time, considering movement as a non-verbal language with a universal character.MethodsThis pilot study presents the results of the validation of an innovative multimodal system, the DanzArTe-Emotional Wellbeing Technology, designed to support active and participative experience of older people providing physical and cognitive activation through a full-body physical interaction with a traditional visual work of art of religious subject. DanzArTe supports a replicable treatment protocol for multidimensional frailty, administered through a low cost and scalable technological platform capable of generating real-time visual and auditory feedback (interactive sonification) from the automated analysis of individual as well as joint movement expressive qualities. The study involved 45 participants, 23 of whom participated in the DanzArTe program and 22 who were included in the control group.ResultsThe two groups were similar in terms of age (p = 0.465) and gender (p = 0.683). The results showed that the DanzArTe program had a positive impact on participants' self-perceived psychological health and well-being (Mean Psychological General Well-Being Index—Short T1 = 19.6 ± 4.3 Vs. T2 = 20.8 ± 4.9; p = 0.029). The same trend was not observed in the control group (p = 0.389).DiscussionThe findings suggest that such programs may have a significant impact particularly on the mental and social well-being of older adults and could be a valuable tool for promoting healthy aging and improving quality of life.

Heavy metal content and carcinogenic effect in human body via food product

Heavy metal content and carcinogenic effect in human body via food product

The interaction between N, P in the overlying water of the reservoir Water-level fluctuation zone and submerged decomposition of Cynodon dactylon

During the process of inundation in the Water-level fluctuation zone(WLFZ), the N and P content in the overlying water will vary due to the release of soil nutrients, directly impacting the decomposition process of plants. However, current research on the effects of such water changes on plant decomposition is insufficient, hindering an accurate assessment of its impact on water environments. This study simulated changes in water quality during inundation and designed 8 types of water with different initial nutrient levels. Taking the typical WLFZ plant, Cynodon dactylon, as the subject, the decomposition and dynamic changes of N and P in these water bodies were studied. The results showed that inundation significantly increased the N and P content in the water, and the initial forms of N and P significantly affected the release of plant decomposition during inundation. Moreover, the release of PN and PP from the soil stimulated the activity of aquatic microorganisms, enhancing the self-purification capacity of the water body, and leading to a decrease in N and P content in the water body after 60 days of inundation. This study reveals the impact of N and P released from WLFZ soil on plant decomposition and the concentrations of N and P in the overlying water. providing critical insights into WLFZ ecosystem management.

Inorganic Phosphorus Supplementation in Diets for Farmed Shrimp: Performance and Digestibility of Juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei Fed Monosodium Phosphate, Monoammonium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, and Monocalcium Phosphate

Inorganic phosphates have been used in shrimp feeds to meet phosphorus (P) needs, which may be quantitatively affected by the dietary content of P and other minerals and digestibility. In the present study, performance and digestibility were determined simultaneously in juvenile shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) during the grow‐out period (4–23 g ind wt). Shrimps were fed plant‐based diets supplemented with different phosphate ingredients: monosodium phosphate (MSP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), magnesium phosphate (MgP), and monocalcium phosphate (MCP). The total P level in test diets was 0.79%. MSP supplementation was tested at two dietary calcium:phosphorus ratios to check for possible effects upon shrimp performance and digestibility. A negative control diet was tested with a similar formulation without inorganic phosphate supplementation (0.47% total P). Shrimp was reared in a recirculated clear water tank system (35 ppt salinity, 30°C, 100 individuals/m3) with continuous feeding provided by automatic pellet delivery. Feces were sampled 4–5 times daily throughout the trial. A negative control diet produced P limitation and significantly reduced shrimp performances compared to P‐supplemented diets (P < 0.05). Performance of shrimp‐fed diets containing inorganic phosphates varied for feed conversion rate: 1.24–1.34, survival: 87%–94%, growth: 2.50–2.59 g/week, and no significant difference was found among dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Inorganic P supplementation resulted in significantly higher dry matter, crude protein, ash, and P apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) compared to P limited negative control diet (P < 0.05). In addition, reduced P ADC (P < 0.05) was checked with higher dietary Ca:P ratio. Phosphorus digestibility in test diets showed significant differences: MSP > MCP, MgP, and MSP + CaCO3; MAP > MSP + CaCO3 (P < 0.05). Digestible P (%) could then be calculated in test diets: MgP (4.77 g Pdig/kg of feed), MSP + CaCO3 (4.81 g Pdig/kg of feed), MCP (5.0 g Pdig/kg of feed), MAP (5.13 g Pdig/kg of feed), and MSP (5.30 g Pdig/kg of feed). Digestible P in phosphate sources (%) could then be calculated: 88.2% MSP, 84.2% MAP, 79% MCP, 72.2% MgP, and 71.8% MSP + CaCO3. Shrimp whole body and exoskeleton phosphorus content also showed significantly higher values in P‐supplemented diets compared to control, regardless of the source tested (P < 0.05). It is concluded that tested phosphates were suitable for feeding juvenile shrimp with MSP, MAP, and MgP diets showing high feed efficiency, while MSP and MAP diets resulted in numerically increased growth, coinciding with numerically higher P digestibility in these phosphates. The elevated P digestibility in the phosphates seems related to their water solubility, though MgP, less soluble and digestible in comparison to MSP and MAP, could also produce good performance.

The role of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in child development

ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are incorporated in cell membranes and play an important role in the development and functioning of organs. Consolidation of data on the role of ω-3 PUFAs in child development may increase the professional's awareness, help to plan clinical studies, and develop recommendations for supplementation. The aim of the research was to analyze literature data on the effect of ω-3 PUFAs on the central nervous system, immune system, and vision in children. Material and methods. 86 literature sources have been analyzed, a keyword search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, Elsevier, eLibrary and Google Scholar databases. Results. ω-3 PUFAs (alpha-linolenic, docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids) are not synthesized in the human organism, and should be obtained from food. The need for ω-3 PUFAs is especially high during periods of rapid growth (the first years of life and adolescence). ω-3 PUFAs play an important role in the anatomical and functional development of the brain, affecting the maturation and functioning of neurons, participating in the processes of neurogenesis, migration, synaptogenesis, and neurotransmission. The results of clinical studies on the effect of ω-3 PUFAs on the cognitive functions of healthy children and patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are contradictory, which requ ires further research. PUFAs are substrates for the synthesis of bioactive compounds and take part in the control of acute and chronic inflammation, and also have a regulatory effect on immune cells. ω-3 PUFAs supplementation decreases the frequency and duration of acute respiratory viral infections in children. This indicates the potential effectiveness of ω-3 PUFAs in the prevention of acute respiratory viral infections. Сlinical studies demonstrated positive effects of ω-3 PUFAs on retinal development in premature infants. Conclusion. Adequate intake of ω-3 PUFAs is essential for the development and functioning of the central nervous system, immune system and vision in children. The body content of ω-3 PUFAs is closely related to the nutrition. In the Russian Federation, consumption of fish and other products containing ω-3 PUFAs is traditionally low. The majority of the Russian population has a deficiency in ω-3 PUFA consumption. With an unbalanced diet, supplementation of ω-3 PUFAs is necessary.

Research on Underground Drip Irrigation and Soil Redistribution - Take Heshan District of Yiyang City as an Example

Abstract: The drip flow and the buried depth of drip irrigation zone are not only important parameters of subsurface irrigation design and operation management, but also important factors affecting the migration and redistribution of soil water and fertilizer. Crop growth is closely related to soil water and nitrogen leaching, water and fertilizer transport patterns and redistribution characteristics. It is of great significance to study the migration and redistribution of soil water and fertilizer under subsurface drip irrigation for improving the utilization efficiency of water and fertilizer and improving the system of subsurface drip irrigation. In this paper, the migration mode and redistribution characteristics of water and nitrogen in subsurface drip irrigation were studied and analyzed by means of laboratory soil box experiment, considering the two factors of drip flow and the buried depth of drip irrigation belt. The main research conclusions are as follows: Ⅰ. Different drip flows had effects on soil moisture front, soil moisture content and soil water redistribution. If other conditions remain unchanged, increasing the drip flow can increase the moist body area of soil and increase the moisture content of soil. The distance between vertical and horizontal directions increased with the large drip flow, and the soil water content decreased with the increase of distance. Large drip flow can promote the redistribution of soil water after drip irrigation. Ⅱ. Different drip depth had effects on soil moisture content and soil water redistribution. When the drip depth was 0cm, the surface shape of the wet body was a "horizontal" semi-ellipse after drip irrigation. When the drip depth was 10cm and 20cm, the surface of the wet body was an "upright" semi-ellipse after drip irrigation. The larger the buried depth of the drip can make the distribution of soil moisture more uniform, and the larger the buried depth of the drip can promote the migration of water in the soil. Ⅲ. Different drip discharge had an effect on soil nitrogen redistribution, and large drip discharge promoted soil nitrogen redistribution after drip irrigation. The Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3--N) content in the moist body is lower than that near the edge of the wetting front. The content of Ammonium Nitrogen (NH4+-N) near the edge of the wetting peak is higher than that inside the wetting body. Ⅳ. The redistribution of soil nitrogen was affected by different buried depth of drip head, and the greater buried depth of drip head could promote the redistribution of soil nitrogen. In terms of vertical and horizontal migration of ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, on the day after drip irrigation, the cumulative effect of Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3--N) buried at a depth of 20cm was more significant near the wetting front edge at a larger vertical downward distance, and the cumulative effect of Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3--N) buried at a depth of 20cm was more significant inside the wetting body at a larger vertical downward distance. At the same time, the drip buried depth of 20cm can spread the cumulative effect inside the wet body and near the edge of the wet front to a longer horizontal distance.

Intestinal microbiota differences associated with physiological health, meat quality, and regulating mineral interactions of Penaeus vannamei fed organic manganese

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of organic manganese (Mn) on the health status of white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) and the potential correlations between intestinal microbiota and host health, meat quality, and mineral interactions. An 8-week experiment was designed with 7 dietary treatments: C0, no Mn supplementation; S20, 20 mg/kg Mn from MnSO4·H2O (inorganic); SO, 10 mg/kg inorganic Mn and 5 mg/kg Mn from Mn-proteinate (organic); O10, O20, O30 and O40, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg organic Mn, respectively. The 840 shrimp (approximately 5.30 g) were randomly allocated into 21 tanks, with each diet group containing 3 tanks and each tank accommodating 40 shrimp. The results showed that 10 mg/kg organic Mn supplementation is optimal to replace 20 mg/kg inorganic Mn. Compared with inorganic Mn, organic Mn shaped healthier intestinal microbiota communities and enhanced the competitive advantage of shrimp for Mn uptake, which resulted in promoting nutrition metabolism (higher apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of crude protein (P = 0.031) and concentrations of glucose (P = 0.013), triglyceride (P < 0.01) and total cholesterol (P < 0.001)), enhancing antioxidant capacity and immune response (P < 0.05), improving meat quality (P < 0.05), and regulating iron content in whole body and muscle, zinc content in muscle and ADC of copper and zinc (P < 0.01). Pearson's correlations were observed between gene expression analysis of the immune response and antioxidant capacity, Crude proteinADC, meat texture, and dietary organic Mn, between ADC of copper and zinc, muscle content of iron and zinc (r = 0.55, 0.79, 0.93, −0.91, −0.90, respectively, P < 0.001). In conclusion, organic Mn affects shrimp health status, meat quality and mineral interactions which correlate with changes of the intestinal microbiota.

Fired electrical porcelain scrap (chamotte waste) recycling and reuse as an alternative raw material for sustainable porcelain stoneware production

The development of new sustainable ceramic formulations that incorporate industrial waste is a practice that meets the efficiency and sustainability criteria that today's society demands for an industry with high energy and non-renewable mineral sources consumption. In this research, fired electrical porcelain scrap (chamotte waste) was recycled and reused in the porcelain stoneware manufacture, partially replacing the quartz and feldspar from the triaxial system at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 wt%. The experimental samples were obtained after uniaxial pressing of ceramic mixture powders at 30 MPa and firing at 1260 °C following a fast-firing process (90 min cold to cold). The technological properties were studied by bulk density, apparent porosity, linear shrinkage, water absorption, cold crushing strength, and Vickers microhardness. The microstructural aspects and the amount of crystalline and amorphous phases in the ceramic bodies were analyzed by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The best technical characteristics were achieved with the incorporation of 15 wt% of chamotte in the new ceramic formulations, yielding a density value of 2.41 g/cm3, and percentages of linear shrinkage and water absorption of 11.2 and 0.08 %, respectively, as well as mechanical resistance of 314.94 MPa and microhardness of 7.07 GPa. The mechanical resistance achieved by the experimental sample containing 15 wt% of chamotte waste means six times the value obtained by the control sample (0 wt% of chamotte addition) and was attributed to a higher mullite phase content and well-dispersed crystals (primary and secondary mullite) in the ceramic body. The results suggest and advance in the design and development of a best-performance porcelain stoneware materials elaborated by a sustainable and ecological route.

Effects of Dietary Bile Acids on Growth Performance, Lipid Deposition, and Intestinal Health of Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus) Fed with High-Lipid Diets.

The purpose of this trial was to study the positive effects of bile acids (BAs) on growth performance and intestinal health of rice field eel fed with high-lipid diets (HLDs). Rice field eels (initial weight 17.00 ± 0.10 g) were divided into four groups, each group containing four repetitions and feeding with different isonitrogenous diet: control diet containing 7% lipid content, HLDs containing the lipid content increased to 13%, HLDs supplementing with 0.025% BAs and 0.05% BAs, respectively. After 8 weeks, compared control group, the fish fed HLDs had no significant effect on weight gain rate and specific growth rate (P > 0.05), but increased the lipid deposition in tissues and intestinal lipase activity, and damaged to intestinal oxidative stress, inflammatory response, physical barrier, and structural integrity (P < 0.05). Dietary BAs significantly increased weight gain rate and specific growth rate in fish fed with HL diets (P < 0.05) and reduced feed conversation rate (P < 0.05). Further, the eels fed with BAs reduced the total lipid content in liver, muscle, and whole body (P < 0.05). Dietary BAs decreased the activity of intestinal lipase (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, BAs supplemented in HLDs improved intestinal antioxidant capacity through increasing the activities of T-SOD (total superoxide dismutase), GSH-PX (glutathione peroxidase), CAT (catalase), T-AOC (total antioxidant capacity), whereas reducing MDA (malondialdehyde) content (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary BAs regulated the mRNA expression related to inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and physical barrier in intestine, such as tnf-α, il-8, tlr-8, il-10, nrf2, keap1, claudin12, and claudin15 (P < 0.05). Dietary BAs supplementation also enhanced the intestinal structural integrity characterized by increased fold height and lamina propria width (P < 0.05). This study showed that dietary BAs supplemented in HLDs (13% lipid) could increase the growth performance of rice field eel, reduce lipid deposition in tissues and whole body, and enhance intestinal health.

MINI SURYA KOLEKTOR TYPE HYBRID

Drying fish is the oldest method of preserving fish, this is done using blowing wind and direct sunlight. In principle, drying is a way of preserving fish by reducing the water content in the fish's body as much as possible so that bacterial activities are inhibited and, if possible, kill the bacteria. Fish bodies contain 56% - 80% water. If the water content is reduced, bacteria experience difficulties in their metabolism, namely in dissolving food. At a water content of 40%, bacteria can no longer be active, some have even died, but the spores are still alive. Salted fish is a food ingredient made from fish meat that is preserved by adding a lot of salt. With this preservation method, fish meat which usually rots in a short time can be stored at room temperature for months, although it usually has to be tightly closed. In principle, the drying process is the process of reducing the water content in fish. The basis of drying is the evaporation of water into the air due to the difference in water vapor content between the air and the material being dried. In this case, the water vapor content in the air is less or the air has a low relative humidity so that evaporation occurs.

The ANALYSIS OF THE SPONTANEITY SPEECH IN SPEAKING ASSESSMENT AT INSTITUTION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AL-YASINI PASURUAN

Speaking is more than just creating and constructing sentences correctly and with proper grammar, but the ability to speak has a broad scope, such as in the fields of mechanics, functions, pragmatics, communication, and social interaction. To find out the students' ability, the teacher gives them a test. As an assessment, the teacher conducts a speaking test to find out how well students speak and their progress in learning. The speaking test is a procedure to measure students' speaking ability in which students are required to speak aloud, conveying their ideas, and then students are graded based on their speech. This research was conducted at LPBA Al-Yasini where the researchers focused on the scoring procedure for the spontaneity speech in assessing the students’ speaking skill. This research was descriptive-qualitative method. The result of the research was there are several aspect that used by LPBA to assess spontaneity speech, which are fluency, grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, pronunciation they are then divided into three categories, which are body language, delivery and content.

Цитокиновый профиль интраокулярных жидкостей в прогнозировании макулярного отека при хирургическом лечении регматогенной отслойки сетчатки

Purpose. Based on the study of cytokines content in the vitreous body and subsilicone fluid (SSF), to evaluate risk factors for the development of macular edema in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) after endovitreal surgery. Material and methods. An analysis of the treatment of 28 patients (28 eyes) with RRD complicated by PVR Sr type 1–4 involving the macular area was carried out. Patients underwent vitrectomy or vitrectomy combined with circumferential scleral indentation and silicone oil tamponade. During the initial intervention, the vitreous humor was collected, and upon completion of the silicone tamponade, the CVS was taken. In both obtained samples, the quantitative content of the following cytokines was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): GIF1α, interleukins (IL) – 4, 6, 17, TGF-β1, VEGF and TNF-α. Besides standard ophthalmological examination, all patients underwent optical coherence tomography in the postoperative period with assessment of the thickness and volume of the macular retinal area. Results. Connection between the quantitative content of cytokines in the vitreous body and preoperative indices showed significant negative correlation between TNF-a content and the number of detached quadrants as well as between the «visual field on the sum of 8 meridians» index and VEGF content. The values of TNF-αquantitative content had a pronounced negative correlation with the index «visual field on the sum of 8 meridians» after surgery, and positive correlation with the time of silicon oil finding in the vitreous cavity and the number of detached quadrants before treatment. We also found that IL-6 content had a significant positive correlation with the thickness of the central retinal zone and a negative correlation with the total visual field at the stage of treatment completion. The data obtained by comparing quantitative content of cytokines in CSF in patients with and without macular edema showed a statistically significant positive correlation between the risk of macular edema and content of IL-6, as well as TNF-α. Conclusion. Significant correlations were determined between the risks of macular edema and cytokines concentration in subsilicon-oil fluid that have proinflammatory properties (TNF-αand IL-6). Quantitative TNF-αcontent in sub-silicone fluid has a direct correlation with the time of silicone oil presence in the vitreous cavity, which may determine early completion of tamponade. Quantitative content of the cytokines studied in the vitreous body cannot be a predictor of macular edema development in the postoperative period. Key words: cytokine profile, regmatogenous retinal detachment, subsilicone fluid, intraocular fluid, macular edema

Age, growth, and energy storage of the subterranean fish Triplophysa rosa (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from Chongqing, China

BackgroundThis study explores the age, growth, and energy storage of Triplophysa rosa, a troglobitic cavefish. A total of 102 wild T. rosa specimens were collected in Wulong County, Chongqing, China, between 2018 and 2022, with otoliths used for age determination.ResultsThe earliest mature individuals were determined to be 4.8 years old, while the maximum ages for females and males were estimated at 15.8 years and 12.2 years, respectively. The length (L, cm)-weight (W, g) relationship was found to be the same for both sexes, following the eq. W = 0.0046 L3.03. Von Bertalanffy growth models were applied to the total length-at-age data, resulting in an asymptotic length of 23.4 cm and a K-parameter of 0.060 year−1. The body content of protein, ash, and glycogen did not show a significant correlation with the total length of T. rosa. However, both lipid and energy content exhibited a significant increase with total length. The lipid content ranged from 40.5 to 167.1 mg g−1, while the energy content ranged from 4.50 to 11.39 kJ g−1, indicating high storage features of T. rosa.ConclusionsThe results affirm that T. rosa exhibits life traits conducive to its population dynamics in cave conditions, characterized by slow growth, small size, and high lipid energy storage.

Attention-Fused Deep Relevancy Matching Network for Clickbait Detection

Clickbait is a sort of news that contains low-quality content but intriguing or overstated titles. Most of the existing studies usually utilize titles to detect clickbait and suffer from poor performance. However, from the perspective of user cognition, the essence of clickbait news is due to the fact that the body contents fall short of the titles’ expectations. So, in addition to the explicit features of titles, many extra informative signals could help to distinguish clickbait. In this article, we proposed a novel Multiview learning approach-based ClickBait Detection (MCBD) model that takes into account useful signals from both titles and body contents. From the view of titles, a multilayer gated convolutional network is employed to learn the local-and long-distance dependence relationships between words. From the view of body contents, we first extract the key topic sentences from the body content and then we developed a novel attention-fused deep relevance matching network (ARMN) to thoroughly mine the similarity between titles and body contents. Combined with the information from the views of titles and body contents, our model can distinguish well-hidden clickbait news. Finally, extensive experiments were conducted on two real-world datasets to demonstrate that the MCBD model outperforms the state-of-the-art models, improving the final performance by 3% in terms of the F1-score. The ablation studies demonstrate that the relevancy between titles and body contents can improve the model’s performance by 1.7% on the F1-score.

3D geological modeling of ore zones in the Sedefche deposit, Bulgaria

In this study, several geostatistical tools have been employed for the spatial analysis and prediction of the ore body contents in the Sedefche deposit, which is located in the easternmost part of the Zvezdel-Pcheloyad ore field. To test the conditions of stationary and to define a domain reflecting this stationarity, the following approach was applied: modeling of the ore bodies (Wireframe modeling); analysis of domain boundaries, and estimation (Variogram models). The resulted three-dimensional model illustrates the spatial characteristics of Au content distribution and the morphology of the ore body within the Sedefche deposit.

Role of Mermithid Nematodes in the Management of Agricultural and Household Insect Pests: A review

The increasing challenges associated with using chemicals in managing agricultural and household insect pests has prompted a re-evaluation of previous approaches and the search for new ones as alternatives or supplements to the present management programmes. The introduction and release of bio-agents, like fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and insects for the control of pests is a novel biological control strategy. Among bio-agents, the role of mermithid nematodes in insect-pest management has been considered. Mermithids are prime candidates for biocontrol of insects due to their adaptability to the life cycle of the host, a high degree of host specificity often limited to one or more species of insects, high reproductive potential, free swimming behavior making dissemination of pre-parasitic stage easy, pathogenic ability and high levels of parasitism. Another useful trait favoring their employability is their non-feeding habit soon after emerging from the host body, making their handling simple. The morphological, physiological, and behavioral responses of host insects are significantly disrupted by mermithid infective juveniles often the J2 stage. Many mermithid infections cause abdominal distortion, discolored cuticle/integument, and a decrease in total fat body content of the host. The parasitism by these nematodes can lead to formation of intersexual conditions in the host insects which also create distortion to endocrine system. Owing to such mechanism of parasitism of mermithids, these nematodes are one the best considerations as bio-control agents.

Body content and mineral requirements of dairy goats in early lactation

This study aimed to evaluate the dynamics mobilization of body macrominerals and estimate dairy goats' maintenance and lactation requirements at the beginning of lactation. Fifty-one goats were slaughtered to estimate the body macromineral of the animals. Three goats (baseline) and forty-eight goats, with an initial body mass of 57.19 ± 8.4 kg, were assigned to a completely randomized design in eight weeks of lactation. Six goats were slaughtered per week. The intake of dry matter and minerals presented a quadratic behavior (P < 0.05) as the lactation advanced, except for the Mg intake. Milk yield and minerals were affected throughout the 56 days of lactation. Macrominerals decreased linearly in the empty body weight (EBW) (P < 0.05) with the advance in lactation. The weeks of lactation affected only the maintenance requirement of Mg (P = 0.021) and Na (P = 0.017). When analyzing lactation requirements, macrominerals decreased (P < 0.05) over the 56 days of lactation. However, only the total P and K requirements were not affected (P > 0.05). In conclusion, dairy goats in early lactation mobilize on average 12.1 ± 0.3 g Ca, 5.7 ± 0.2 g P, 0.9 ± 0.1 g Mg, 9.1 ± 0.2 g K, and 3.4 ± 0.1 g Na from EBW/day. cc

Novel cost-effective oxygen-enriched melting method for MSWI fly ash

ABSTRACT Herein, a novel oxygen-enriched melting process for fly ash, which uses the biogas produced from the leachate of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plants, is proposed to reduce the high cost of conventional fly ash – melting technology. The fly ash composition was estimated via X-ray fluorescence analysis; the six constituent elements detected in fly ash in the decreasing order of their content were calcium, chlorine, silicon, sulfur, sodium, and potassium. Based on literature and actual production data, the average yield of the leachate was 15% of the total waste entering the MSWI plants and the COD of leachate was 30,000–75,000 mg/L. The amount of biogas that can be used per ton of fly ash was calculated to be 62.0–157.0 m3. The analysis of melting thermal equilibrium revealed the amount of biogas required per ton of fly ash as 57.8 m3. The aforementioned research findings indicate that the biogas produced by MSWI plants can successfully meet the demands of the oxygen-enriched melting of fly ash produced in these plants. By establishing an oxygen-enriched-melting pilot platform, the pilot tests of melting were conducted on fly ash; the results revealed the good melting effects of fly ash. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the slag demonstrated that the content of the vitreous body met the technical requirements for glassy substances. Furthermore, the leaching toxicity test results revealed that heavy metals were well solidified in the slag. This study presents a novel fly ash – melting scheme for MSWI fly ash, namely, biogas oxygen-enriched melting strategy, which has the advantages of technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness. The proposed technique exhibits considerable prospects for widespread application in MSWI plants in China and can play an important role in the safe disposal of fly ash. Implications: In this paper, a low-cost melting method of municipal solid waste incineration(MSWI) fly ash is proposed. This method uses the biogas generated by MSWI plant itself as fuel for melting. Through research, it has been found that the production of biogas can meet the demand for fly ash melting. Adopting biogas as a molten fuel can significantly reduce the cost of melting, thereby significantly reducing the cost of fly ash melting. This study established a pilot scale platform for the melting of biogas and conducted pilot scale experiments on fly ash and additives. The experimental results showed that the melting system operated well and achieved the vitrification of fly ash. The leaching test results of the molten slag showed that heavy metals were well solidified in the slag. The research results can be extended to the MSWI plant for application, which can significantly reduce the cost of fly ash melting disposal, and has broad application prospects.

Characterization of the Migration of Soil Particles in Lateritic Soils under the Effect of Rainfall

Rainfall is the main cause of erosion damage in loose slope deposits. During rainfall infiltration, fine particles in the soil mass will move with water infiltration, thus changing the localized particle distribution of the soil mass, which, in turn, causes changes in the pore water pressure and volumetric water content within the slope and ultimately affects slope stability. In order to develop advanced soil and water conservation programs to prevent slope damage, it is crucial to understand and accurately reproduce the particle migration and aggregation characteristics of soils under different rainfall conditions. Therefore, this paper systematically investigates the soil particle migration characteristics of the soil body under rainfall conditions by simulating the internal erosion of the lateritic soil slope body under rainfall conditions via slope internal erosion simulation experiments and experimentally analyzing the migration and aggregation of fine particles in the slope body, as well as the changed rules regarding pore water pressure and volumetric water content at different locations of the slope body with rainfall. The results of this study show that (1) with the infiltration of rainfall, the fine particles in the slope body mainly infiltrate in the vertical direction in an early stage of rainfall; in a later stage, there is vertical downward and down-slope seepage. Therefore, fine particles always gather at the toe of the slope, which leads to relatively high water content and pore water pressure at the toe of the slope, and thus, the slope is always damaged from the toe of the slope. (2) Inside the slope, the fine particles always gather at the smallest pore diameter. With the enhancement of hydrodynamic force, they will be lost again, which leads to a sudden decrease in the local volumetric water content of the slope, and the pore space increases. Then, it is filled with seepage water, which makes the pore water pressure fluctuate or increase. (3) Based on the particle distribution parameter, the present study produced a distribution map of the fine particle content of the slope body under different rainfall intensities and established a model of the dynamic change of fine particles, which improves the understanding of the effect of the change in the fine particle composition of the slope body on the water content and the pore water pressure and may be helpful for the assessment of the initiation of the mudslides.