Greater Effect Research Articles

Novel compound multistable stochastic resonance weak signal detection

Abstract The research on stochastic resonance (SR) which is used to extract weak signals from noisy backgrounds is of great theoretical significance and promising application. To address the shortcomings of the classical tristable SR model, this article proposes a novel compound multistable stochastic resonance (NCMSR) model by combining the Woods–Saxon (WS) and tristable models. The influence of the parameters of the NCMSR systems on the output response performance is studied under different α stable noises. Meanwhile, the adaptive synchronization optimization algorithm based on the proposed model is employed to achieve periodic and non-periodic signal identifications in α stable noise environments. The results show that the proposed system model outperforms the tristable system in terms of detection performance. Finally, the NCMSR model is applied to 2D image processing, which achieves great noise reduction and image recovery effects.

Osteoimmunology: The Crosstalk between T Cells, B Cells, and Osteoclasts in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an ongoing inflammatory condition that affects the joints and can lead to severe damage to cartilage and bones, resulting in significant disability. This condition occurs when the immune system becomes overactive, causing osteoclasts, cells responsible for breaking down bone, to become more active than necessary, leading to bone breakdown. RA disrupts the equilibrium between osteoclasts and osteoblasts, resulting in serious complications such as localized bone erosion, weakened bones surrounding the joints, and even widespread osteoporosis. Antibodies against the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), a crucial stimulator of osteoclast differentiation, have shown great effectiveness both in laboratory settings and actual patient cases. Researchers are increasingly focusing on osteoclasts as significant contributors to bone erosion in RA. Given that RA involves an overactive immune system, T cells and B cells play a pivotal role by intensifying the immune response. The imbalance between Th17 cells and Treg cells, premature aging of T cells, and excessive production of antibodies by B cells not only exacerbate inflammation but also accelerate bone destruction. Understanding the connection between the immune system and osteoclasts is crucial for comprehending the impact of RA on bone health. By delving into the immune mechanisms that lead to joint damage, exploring the interactions between the immune system and osteoclasts, and investigating new biomarkers for RA, we can significantly improve early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this condition.

The Impact of Investor Sentiment on Value and Growth Stocks Return

The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of investor sentiment on value and stocks return. Two investor sentiment indicators, volatility index VIX and sentiment index are used as independent variables. Technical proxies (relative strength index, psychological line index, trading volumes and adjusted turnover rate) are used to construct sentiment index using principal component analysis. The dependent variable is value and growth stocks return formed based on the book to market ratio. Three Fama-French factors are used as control variables to isolate the impact of investor sentiment from systematic risk and fundamental factors. We use companies listed on Kompas 100 index over the sample period February 2017-January 2023. The sampling technique was carried out by purposive sampling and obtained 45 companies as the research samples. The empirical analysis employs multiple regression analysis using 1.385 daily time series computed by Microsoft Excel and Stata 13. The regression results indicate that volatility index VIX has a negative significant effect on value and growth stocks return. Sentiment index has a positive and significant effect on value stocks return but does not have a significant effect on growth stocks return. Investor sentiment has a greater effect on value stocks than growth stocks.

Explaining the colour of natural healthy gingiva.

To examine the differences between natural gingival colour in men and women. To determine the degree of predictability of changes in the gingival colour coordinates recorded for healthy gingiva, according to age, long-term medication, frequency of toothbrushing, and smoking habits. The CIELAB colour coordinates were recorded using a spectrophotometer for 360 Caucasian adult participants (aged 18-92years), in three zones of the healthy attached gingiva of the maxillary central incisor. Regression models were created for each zone and each sex, taking the L*, a* and b* coordinates as dependent variables and age, frequency of toothbrushing, smoking habits (0-non-smoker; 1-smoker) and whether participants were taking long-term medication (0-no; 1-yes) as independent variables. The statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS version 26.0, using multiple regression models. Statistically significant differences between men and women were found only for colour coordinate b*, in all three zones. The only colour coordinate on which the predictor variables had a significant effect was the L* coordinate. In men, age and long-term medication had the greatest effect as predictors (maximum R2 = 0.149). In women, frequency of toothbrushing was the strongest predictor in the predictive models (maximum R2 = 0.099). The colour of gingiva in men contained a larger amount of blue, given that significantly lower values for colour coordinate b* were recorded in men than women, although this difference lacked clinical implications. For both sexes, the regression models produced had a modest predictive capacity. The L* coordinate was the dependent variable that showed the greatest predictability.

Plant and microbial response in constructed wetland treating tetracycline antibiotic polluted water: Evaluating the effects of microplastic size and concentration

Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotics are novel water pollutants that have attracted increasing attention. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely applied treating various types of polluted water. How these two new pollutants affect plants and microorganisms in CWs, especially deciphering the unknown roles of MPs size and concentration, is of great essential. Here, five CW treatments with submerged macrophyte Myriophyllum aquaticum were established to treat oxytetracycline (OTC) antibiotic-polluted water. The effects of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics (NPs) (700 nm) and MPs (90–110 μm) on plant and microbial communities at 10 μg/L and 1 mg/L, respectively, were systematically evaluated. PS reduced the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies and inhibited OTC removal. Low doses (10 μg/L) of NPs and high doses (1 mg/L) of MPs had the greatest effects on plant and microbial responses. The overall effect of MPs was greater than that of NPs. Compared with high NPs concentration (1 mg/L), low concentrations (10 μg/L) had higher catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. However, the activity and content of MPs at low concentrations (10 μg/L) were lower than those at high concentrations (1 mg/L). The coexistence of OTC and MPs/NPs decreased the microbial diversity and abundance. Low doses of NPs and high doses of MPs decreased the relative abundance of Abditibacteriota, Deinococccota, and Zixibacteria. Redundancy and network analyses revealed a strong correlation between pollutant removal and plant and microbial responses. NH4+-N and OTC removal was positively and negatively correlated with CAT, SOD, and MDA content, respectively. MDA positively correlated to chlorophyll content, whereas SOD showed a negative correlation with Chloroflexi. This study highlighted the scale effect of MPs in wastewater treatment via CWs. It enhances our understanding of the response of plants and microorganisms to the remediation of water co-polluted with MPs and antibiotics.

Ultrasmall ruthenium nanozyme with RONS scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects for effective prevention of postoperative peritoneal adhesion

Postoperative peritoneal adhesion is one of the most common complications after abdominal and pelvic surgery. Early inflammatory response and oxidative stress induced by peritoneal injury play important roles in adhesion formation. However, current research mainly focuses on developing barrier materials to physically separate injury sites for preventing peritoneal adhesions, but often ignores the pathologic changes promoting adhesion formation, resulting in unsatisfactory outcomes. Herein we report a versatile nanozyme (ultrasmall ruthenium nanoparticles, RuNPs) with great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects targeting the intrinsic causes of peritoneal adhesions. RuNPs sufficiently protect mesothelial cells from oxidative stress by scavenging reactive species and suppress inflammatory response via NF-κB pathway blockade. In rats with cecum abrasion-abdominal wall defect, RuNPs alone or combined with barrier material effectively prevent adhesion formation and promote injured tissue healing through alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation. This study not only generates a promising nano-agent for preventing adhesions but also provides a novel therapeutic strategy by targeting the underlying causation of adhesion formation.

Study of the acoustic scattering characteristics of a rigid sphere in a vortex acoustic field

This paper investigates the scattering sound field of a rigid sphere positioned in a vortex beam generated by a phase-modulated circular transducer array. The effects of the dimensionless parameter ka, the number of array elements, the topological charge, the radius of the transducer array, the distance between the array and the sphere, and its offset position on the scattering sound field distribution of a sphere are studied. Simulation results show that as the ka increases, the incident wave intensity and the scattering sound field of a rigid sphere increase, and the angle between the two main lobes decreases. Once ka is determined, the number of the array elements has no effect on the scattering pattern. However, the topological charge of the vortex beam has greater effect on the scattering sound field. As the topological charge increases, the incident wave intensity decreases, but the angle between two main lobes of the scattering field increases. The radius of the array has an effect on the intensity of the scattering field and the larger the radius, the larger the area of low intensity radiation between the two main lobes. In addition, the distance between the sphere and the array has a weak effect on the scattering pattern when it exceeds a certain value. For an off-axis sphere, the scattering pattern becomes more complex as the topological charge changes. These results can be used to adjust the constituent factors of the transducer array and to investigate the advantages of the vortex beam for underwater target detection.

Air treatment technologies in pig farms. Life cycle assessment of dry and wet scrubbers in Northern Italy and Northeastern Spain

Over the years, different solutions were developed and tested to reduce the emissions of ammonia and particulate matter from the livestock facilities. The environmental performances of these solutions were not always evaluated in detail.This study examines the environmental footprint of pig production at farm gate, with a focus on emissions from housing. Using Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental impact of pig production in a transition farm in Spain and in two finishing farms in Italy was evaluated considering three scenarios (one baseline and two of them involving an air treatment technology: wet scrubber or dry scrubber).The study goal was to quantify the environmental footprint of pig production in different scenarios, identify key environmental hotspots, and to assess impact reduction efficiency due to the two assessed technologies, analyze the environmental trade-offs that come with the use of these technologies, and identify potential for improvements.Both wet and dry scrubbers showed potential for reducing emissions in pig housing, affecting environmental impact categories related to air pollutants such as particulate matter, acidification and eutrophication. However, there were trade-offs between emissions reduction and categories related to energy and resource use. The infrastructure and consumables required to operate the scrubber added to the impacts compared to the baseline.The dry scrubber showed a more favorable balance between emission reduction and trade-offs. In this regard, results were similar for the Spanish and Italian farms, although there were slight variations. Scrubbers had a greater effect in the Italian farms due to their use along longer periods of the pig fattening (closed cycle farms) compared to the Spanish farm (transition farm).Scrubbers are environmentally promising, especially where acidification, eutrophication and particulate matter are local problems. However, they alone cannot fully address the complex environmental impacts of pig production, which require comprehensive interventions across the supply chain.

Beyond the Income: The Normative Effects of Unemployment in the Goldfields of Welkom, Free State, South Africa

ABSTRACT “Beyond the income” puts emphasis on the need to go beyond income loss to understand the meaning of wage labour, and the effects that unemployment and inequality have on people. This ethnographic and in-depth interview-based research focused on the experiences of unemployment among South African black men—ex-mine workers in their fifties and sixties who had worked on the Welkom goldfields—and found that they suffered three types of loss: economic loss, psychological harm and social exclusion. These findings illustrate that, while income loss is crucially important for workers globally, unemployment has far-reaching effects other than income loss. Income loss interconnects with other types of loss (psychological and social). E. Durkheim (1964, The Rules of Sociological Method. New York: The Free Press) and G. Therborn (2013, The Killing Fields of Inequality. Wiley) foreground the importance of taking into consideration income loss, but they also demonstrate the need for approaches that take into consideration anomie and existential inequality to understand that unemployment has greater effects on its victims than only income loss. The research has relevance for the debates on basic income grants. Because the loss involved in unemployment is greater than income loss, ex-mine workers’ loss cannot be solved only by the income support offered through a basic income grant. The basic income grant would only go to the extent of responding to income loss, but it would be limited in relation to the normative aspects that were fulfilled by wage labour. The paper concludes by suggesting that going beyond the income broadens our understanding of the effects of wage labour, unemployment, and inequality, and that this understanding should inform research, policy (social and economic), and movement building.

The effect of inclusions and pores on creep crack propagation of linear friction welded joints of GH4169 superalloy

Superalloy has become the key material in components of blisks for aero-engines produced by linear friction welding. However, during the long-term service of the blisks, stress rupture occurs on the blisk under long-term creep. In this study, the linear friction welded joints of GH4169 superalloy were studied with experiments and numerical simulation. The Sin-Hyperbolic creep-damage constitutive model was established. Based on the compact tension specimen model, the numerical simulation of crack propagation was carried out, analyzing the effect of defects in linear friction welded joints such as cracks, inclusions, and pores on creep crack propagation. Results show that inclusions have an impact on the deflection and promotion of creep crack propagation. The maximum values of crack propagation rate can be observed when radius is 0.03 mm for circular inclusions and length-to-diameter ratio is 3 for elliptical inclusions, respectively. When the transverse distance between the center of the pore and the crack tip is 0.6 mm, the effect on crack propagation is the most significant, with the crack deflecting and expanding towards the direction of the pore. The effect of elliptical pores on creep crack propagation is more significant than that of circular pores. When the length-to-diameter ratio is 3, cracks have initiated firstly on both sides of elliptical pores. When the angle between the pore and the prefabricated crack is 0°, the elliptical pore has the greatest deflection effect on the creep crack. Overall, the effect of pores on creep crack propagation is stronger than that of inclusions.

Effects of Individual Client’s Competencies on Construction Project Performance: Mediating Participation Attitude and Partnership

Within a construction project, the clients are categorized as private individuals, private companies, public institutions, etc. In this research, the private client is identified as a non-professional individual building owner and is involved in making decisions and solving problems for successful construction project performance. However, irrational decision-making and conflicts frequently occur with project delay and poor performance because the individual clients are normally non-professionals and lack the capacity to lead various stakeholders on the project. This study analyzes the effects of the project managerial competencies of the private individual clients on the construction performance. The client’s competencies were defined as ‘personal’, ‘social’, and ‘professional’ factors, and participation attitude and partnership were used as the mediating factors. The offline survey was conducted with 241 building owners in South Korea. The result indicates that personal and professional competencies had a positive effect on project performance, whereas social competency did not have an effect. Personal competency had the greatest effect on participation attitude and partnership. Social and professional competencies had a positive effect on partnership, not participation attitude. Hence, this shows that the personal competencies of the building owner as the end user of the project related to cognition, planning, and decision-making are important for project success.

An Automatic Grading System for Orthodontically Induced External Root Resorption Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Network.

Orthodontically induced external root resorption (OIERR) is a common complication of orthodontic treatments. Accurate OIERR grading is crucial for clinical intervention. This study aimed to evaluate six deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for performing OIERR grading on tooth slices to construct an automatic grading system for OIERR. A total of 2146 tooth slices of different OIERR grades were collected and preprocessed. Six pre-trained CNNs (EfficientNet-B1, EfficientNet-B2, EfficientNet-B3, EfficientNet-B4, EfficientNet-B5, and MobileNet-V3) were trained and validated on the pre-processed images based on four different cross-validation methods. The performances of the CNNs on a test set were evaluated and compared with those of orthodontists. The gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) technique was used to explore the area of maximum impact on the model decisions in the tooth slices. The six CNN models performed remarkably well in OIERR grading, with a mean accuracy of 0.92, surpassing that of the orthodontists (mean accuracy of 0.82). EfficientNet-B4 trained with fivefold cross-validation emerged as the final OIERR grading system, with a high accuracy of 0.94. Grad-CAM revealed that the apical region had the greatest effect on the OIERR grading system. The six CNNs demonstrated excellent OIERR grading and outperformed orthodontists. The proposed OIERR grading system holds potential as a reliable diagnostic support for orthodontists in clinical practice.

The effect of nano silver fluoride, self-assembling peptide and sodium fluoride varnish on salivary cariogenic bacteria: a randomized controlled clinical trial

ObjectivesTo compare the antibacterial effect of Nanosilver Fluoride varnish (NSF) varnish, P11-4 and Sodium Fluoride (NaF) varnish against salivary Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacilli.Methods66 patients aged 10–24 years old were randomly assigned to receive single application of NSF, P11-4 or NaF varnish. Baseline unstimulated saliva samples were collected before the agents were applied and S.mutans and Lactobacilli colony forming units (CFU) were counted. After one, three and six months, microbiological samples were re-assessed. Groups were compared at each time point and changes across time were assessed. Multivariable linear regression compared the effect of P11-4 and NSF to NaF on salivary S. mutans and Lactobacilli log count at various follow up periods.ResultsThere was a significant difference in salivary S. mutans log count after 1 month between P11-4 (B= -1.29, p = 0.049) and NaF but not at other time points nor between NSF and NaF at any time point. The significant reduction in bacterial counts lasted up to one month in all groups, to three months after using P11-4 and NaF and returned to baseline values after six months.ConclusionIn general, the antimicrobial effect of P11-4 and NSF on salivary S. mutans and Lactobacilli was not significantly different from NaF varnish. P11-4 induced greater reduction more quickly than the two other agents and NSF antibacterial effect was lost after one month.Clinical relevanceNSF varnish and P11-4 have antimicrobial activity that does not significantly differ from NaF by 3 months. P11-4 has the greatest antibacterial effect after one month with sustained effect till 3 months. The antibacterial effect of NSF lasts for one month. NaF remains effective till 3 months.Trial RegistrationThis trial was prospectively registered on the clinicaltrials.gov registry with ID: NCT04929509 on 18/6/2021.

Effect of sand–precursor ratio on mechanical properties and durability of geopolymer mortar with manufactured sand

Abstract The geopolymer mortar (GPM) prepared from industrial by-products and alkali activation solution (AAS) is one of the hot spots of current building materials. As a feasible alternative to natural river sand, manufactured sand (MS) alleviates the global ecological pressure. In this study, MS was used for fine aggregate. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution were used as AAS. Metakaolin (MK) and fly ash (FA) were used as the precursor to prepare MK-FA-based GPM with MS (MS-GPM), which was of great significance for saving non-renewable resources, mitigating the greenhouse effect, and recycling waste. Numerous studies were conducted to explore the effect of sand–precursor ratio (r sp) on mechanical and durability characteristics of MS-GPM. Relationships between compressive strength and tensile or flexural strength were established by linear fitting equation. Finally, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to systematically calculate the effect of r sp on performance. The results indicated that the mechanical strength and impermeability of MS-GPM decreased and crack resistance increased with r sp from 1 to 5. The strength of MS-GPM was the best when r sp was 1. With the increase of r sp, the proportion of MS in MS-GPM increases, and the relative cementitious material decreases, which has an adverse impact on mechanical properties and impermeability. Linear fitting revealed that the compressive strength of MS-GPM was closely related to tensile strength and flexural strength. ANOVA results indicated that r sp in the range of 1–5 had great effects on the performance of MS-GPM. The aim of this article is to further promote the possibility of applying MS-GPM in practical engineering by designing reasonable r sp.

Individual, family and social-related factors of eating behavior among Chinese children with overweight or obesity from the perspective of family system.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the factors contributing to the development of eating behavior in overweight and obese children from the perspective of the family system. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by using convenience sampling method to select 388 participants in two primary schools in Jiangsu, China. Individual, family and social-related factors were collected. Individual factors included age, gender, ethnicity, single child, social anxiety, depression, physical activity, sleep duration, screen time. Family factors included family environment, family structure, family function, family income, parenting style, parental feeding behavior, home food environment and marital satisfaction. Social-related factors included place of residence, number of surrounding restaurants and social support. Univariate analysis, correlation analysis and multivariate analysis were used to identify factors of eating behavior among Chinese children with overweight and obese. In this study, 388 participants took part with a 94.865% response rate. In the univariate analysis, the significant differences regarding Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) scores were found between children aged 6-9 years and those aged >9 years. Correlation analysis indicated that parent's nutrition literacy (r = 0.118, P < 0.05), pressure to eat (r = 0.212, P < 0.01), perception of child weight (r = -0.112, P < 0.05) and family function (r = -0.563, P < 0.01) were associated with children's eating behavior. With regard to psychosocial factors, children's social anxiety (r = 0.299, P < 0.01) and depressive symptoms (r = 0.081, P < 0.05) were in positive correlation with eating behavior. The independent variables included in the initial model were age, father's employment status, social anxiety, maternal punishment and harshness, parents' nutrition literacy, pressure to eat, family function and perception of child weight. These variables in the final model accounted for 20.7% of the variance. We found that age, father's employment status, social anxiety, maternal punishment and harshness, parents' nutrition literacy, pressure to eat, family function and perception of child weight have great effect on children's eating behavior who are overweight or obese. As early childhood is a critical timeline for child development, children's social anxiety, parenting style, parent's nutrition literacy, parent's feeding behavior and family function should be intervened to promote eating behavior. Intervention programs aimed at promoting healthy eating behaviors among children, thereby mitigating the risk of pediatric obesity, should primarily target parents.

Insights from Fertilization and Cultivation Management for Interpreting the Variations in the Quantity and Quality of Dissolved Organic Carbon and Microbial Community Structure on Purple Soil Sloping Farmland in Southwest China

It is crucial to comprehend how fertilization and cultivation management alter the composition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial communities to regulate the biogeochemical cycling of soil nutrients and mitigate adverse impacts on soil–water quality. Based on 15 years of long-term field trials conducted in purple soil on farmland with a slope of 15° in southwestern China, the following five treatments were examined: CK (no fertilizer was applied), T1 (NPK plus organic manure and downslope cultivation), T2 (NPK and downslope cultivation), T3 (1.5-fold NPK and downslope cultivation), and T4 (NPK and contour cultivation). Soil samples were obtained from summer maize at two soil depths (0–10 and 10–20 cm) and from rhizospheric soil, and the changes in the DOC content, UV–visible (UV–Vis) absorptivity, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were assessed. Our results revealed a significant change in the DOC content following fertilization, especially in T1, as it was 136.0%, 179.4%, and 132.2% higher, respectively, than that in CK at the 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths and rhizospheric soil. Fertilization decreased the UV–Vis absorptivity variables of DOC (i.e., SUVA254, SUVA260, SUVA400, SUVA465, SUVA665, and C:C ratio) and raised the E4:E6 ratio (fulvic acid to humic acid in DOC), regardless of T2 and T3 at the 10–20 cm depth and in the rhizospheric soil compared with those in CK, respectively. Fertilization significantly increased the total PLFA content and selected microbial groups relative to CK. Among the treatments, T1 significantly increased the total PLFA content by 50.6%, 59.0%, and 46.2%, respectively, relative to CK, at the 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths and in the rhizospheric soil. The microbial community structure in contour cultivation (T4) was significantly greater than in downslope cultivation (T2). Random forest analysis (RFA) revealed that SOC and DOC were likely the primary variables for regulating the total PLFAs in the examined soil. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) further indicated that the DOC content and the ratio of E4:E6 among DOC compositions had greater effects on the soil microbial community structure in the examined soil. These observations suggested that long-term fertilization and cultivation management are effective approaches to regulating the soil microbial community structure by altering the composition of DOC in sloping farmland.

Ego-perspective enhanced fitness training experience of AR Try to Move game

AR, a recent emerging technology, has been widely used in entertainment to provide users with immersive, interactive, and, sometimes, engaging experiences. The process of rehabilitation treatment and motor training process is often boring, and it is well known that users exercise efficiency is often not as efficient as in a rehabilitation institution. Thus far, there is no effective upper limb sports rehabilitation training game based on the ego-perspective. Hence, with the objective of enhancing the enjoyment experience in rehabilitation and more effective remote rehabilitation training, this work aims to provide an AR Try to Move game and a convolutional neural network (CNN) for identifying and classifying user gestures from a self-collected AR multiple interactive gestures dataset. Utilizing an AR game scoring system, users are incentivized to enhance their upper limb muscle system through remote training with greater effectiveness and convenience.

Cooled versus conventional radiofrequency treatment of the genicular nerves for chronic knee pain: 12-month and cost-effectiveness results from the multicenter COCOGEN trial

BackgroundRadiofrequency (RF) treatment of the genicular nerves reduces chronic knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The objective of this...

Farmers’ perception on herbicide usage and impact on health: an overview of status quo in parts of Benue South, Nigeria

Herbicide usage has increased significantly. Its irrational use has adverse side effects. These side effects threaten the environment and human health. This study aimed to evaluate farmers’ knowledge and perception on the health effects of herbicide usage in some parts of Benue South. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires from farmers. A total of 252 farmers were interviewed from three selected local government areas in the state. Amongst farmers interviewed, 56% were males, 44% were females and all between 20-50 years. Some farmers had secondary education and few tertiary education, while the majority had primary or non-formal education. Most respondents reported non-use of personal protective equipment during applications. Commonly used herbicides were Paraforce, Sarosate, Force-off, Fitscosate, Actraforce, Dsitop, and Weed off. Paraforce and force off were the most commonly used. Some farmers (68.7%) reported that they read and adhered to application instructions on the herbicide pack, while (77.4%) as suggested by their co-farmers. Only 38.5% reported to have got their information from workshops. A fraction of the respondents reported different symptoms of ill-health after herbicide application. Farmers had a high level of ignorance of the impact of inappropriate herbicide usage and biosafety especially on the use of protective clothing. Inappropriate herbicide application has great side effects on health. We recommend farmers’ training programs on safe and appropriate herbicide usage measures and urge strict regulation and control of herbicide availability in the country.

Low-cost and efficient strategy for brown algal hydrolysis: Combination of alginate lyase and cellulase

Brown algae are rich in biostimulants that not only stimulate the overall development and growth of plants but also have great beneficial effects on the whole soil–plant system. However, alginate, the major component of brown algae, is comparatively difficult to degrade. The cost of preparing alginate oligosaccharides (AOSs) is still too high to produce seaweed fertilizer. In this work, the marine bacterium Vibrio sp. B1Z05 is found to be capable of efficient alginate depolymerization and harbors an extended pathway for alginate metabolism. The B1Z05 extracellular cell-free supernatant exhibited great potential for AOS production at low cost, which, together with cellulase, can efficiently hydrolyze seaweed. The brown algal hydrolysis rates were significantly greater than those of the commercial alginate lyase product CE201, and the obtained seaweed extracts were rich in phytohormones. This work provides a low-cost but efficient strategy for the sustainable production of desirable AOSs and seaweed fertilizer.