Integral Index Research Articles

Assessing ecosystem health of floodplain lakes using an Integrated Bioassessment Index

Lakes within river-floodplain ecosystems are key biodiversity refuges majorly threatened by eutrophication and hydrologic river-lake fragmentation. However, an integrative index, specifically designed to comprehensively assess the health of floodplain lakes, considering multiple biological taxa and major stressors, remains unavailable. Based on biological data collected from 68 isolated lakes in the eastern plain lake region of China, we constructed a reliable index for assessing floodplain lake ecosystem health: Integrated Bioassessment Index (L-IBAI). The L-IBAI consists of components of overall health and species diversity, eutrophication, and hydrological connectivity and water level regimes. To construct the L-IBAI, we firstly used the observed species (SO)-area (A) model to predict the expected species richness (SE), and then developed observed to expected indices by calculating the SO/SE ratio for fish (F-O/E-SA) and benthos (B-O/E-SA). The health level thresholds for the other four indices, namely the ratio of Secchi depth and water depth (ZSD/ZM), chlorophyll a in phytoplankton (Chl a), the percent of rheophile fish species, and emergent macrophytes coverage, were determined using cumulative frequency curves. The final L-IBAI score was obtained by summing the weighted values of the three components mentioned earlier. The L-IBAI can significantly discriminate rural from urban lakes, and is a reliable index for assessing lake ecosystem health. Moreover, we developed three simplified three-index integrated bioassessment indices, which consists of three indices belonging to the three elements are also effective. The developed L-IBAI is flexible to be extended and applied to other floodplain lakes, and outcomes of health assessments for the eastern plain lakes in China helped to identify conservation and restoration priorities.

Epiphytic algae communities and their relationship with environmental factors in the “One River and Two Streams” Basin in Xizang

Due to the uniqueness of natural environment and ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the plateau algal community structure and its relationship with environmental factors have received unprecedented attention. In order to explore the epiphytic algae communities and their relationship with environmental factors in the “One River and Two Streams” Basin in Xizang, a total of 7 sampling sites were investigated in four quarters. Water quality evaluation of the study area was based on both hydrochemistry and epiphytic algae. The results showed that a total of 97 species from 60 genera belonging to five phyla were detected. The community was dominated by Bacillariophyta (48 species from 25 genera), Chlorophyta (17 species from 13 genera), and Cyanophyta (26 species from 18 genera), with average annual relative abundances of 88.5%, 6.7%, and 3.6%, respectively. Nitzschia sp. of Bacillariophyta was the dominant species. Significantly higher water temperature (WT) but lower pH was seen in summer than in other seasons. Water turbidity in autumn and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration in winter were significantly higher than in other seasons. Total phosphorus (TP) did not change much across seasons. A water quality evaluation based on both hydrochemical parameters (single-factor analysis and comprehensive pollution index, CPI) and the biological index of epiphytic algae (diversity index, pollution indicator species, and index of biotic integrity, IBI) indicated that water quality was mostly at good or medium status. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the measured environmental factors had no significant effect on the relative abundance and the dominance of pollution indicator species. Dominant species were positively correlated with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet A (UVA), and turbidity had a significant negative effect on the number of species. By combining a hydrochemical and biological index, this study emphasizes the importance of water quality monitoring from both a short-term transient as well as a long-term comprehensive perspective. This approach can provide comprehensive and systematic reflections on the health status of waterbodies.

Effects of landscape features on the structure and function of bird seed dispersal networks in fragmented forests

Forest fragmentation has resulted in reduced natural habitats and alterations in landscape structure. Although the effects of landscape features on the structure of seed dispersal networks are well known, the effects on functional consequences of these networks remain unclear. In this study, we compared the structures of seed dispersal networks of three fragmented habitats (high-, medium-, and low-fragmented habitats). We used an integrative index (seed dispersal potential, SDP) to evaluate the network functions of the three habitats. We also studied how the structure and function of seed dispersal networks respond to different landscape features. Approximately 23, 26, and 22 bird species were recorded foraging for 9, 25, and 22 plant species, resulting in 315, 665, and 546 foraging events in high-, medium-, and low-fragmentation habitats, respectively. The structure and function of seed dispersal networks of the three fragmented habitats significantly differ. For instance, the network in a highly fragmented habitat exhibits high connectance and nestedness, whereas the network in a low-fragmentation habitat exhibits high modularity and specialization. Furthermore, the network function (the SDP value for frugivorous species) varies for each habitat. Frugivorous species exhibit a lower seed dispersal potential in highly fragmented habitats, as indicated by their low total SDP values. Most importantly, the structure and function of the seed dispersal network are differently affected by landscape variables. Increasing habitat fragmentation leads to a reduction in the structure of seed dispersal networks. However, medium levels of fragmentation can enhance the network function. Overall, our study highlights the importance of considering both structural and functional aspects of mutualistic networks to understand the landscape effects of habitat fragmentation. The SDP index provides a comprehensive approach to study the functions of mutualistic networks and is a useful tool for future forest management.

Biotropic effects of geomagnetic disturbance in middle latitudes: psychological aspects of the problem

Objective. To identify the individual psychological features and forms of stress coping in volunteers, participating in one of the stages of latitudinal monitoring Geliomed and living in the middle latitudes depending on the presence of psychological sensitivity to the impact of geomagnetic disturbance. Materials and methods. Fifty-seven rather healthy male and female volunteers (mean age 42.3 (39.6; 47.5) years), living in the middle latitudes (Saratov city) were examined using the Spielberger Hanin Anxiety Test, the Haim Stress Coping Behavior Test and projective psychogeometrical test. Based on matching pick values of reactive anxiety and Kr-index (integral geomagnetic disturbance index), all volunteers were divided into two groups: group I those having psychological sensitivity to the impact of heliogeomagnetic factors and group II without the latter. Results. The standard personal features of the observed persons were found to depend on the presence or absence of psychological sensitivity to the changes in geomagnetic disturbance and are reflected in the peculiar features of the stress-coping behavior formed by them. The volunteers of group I were less effective in the behavior sphere, they more often analyzed problems and suppressed their emotions compared with those of group II. Conclusions. Thus, the persons having psychological sensitivity to the changes in geomagnetic disturbance require psychological correction of the established changes to decrease risk for the development of neuroses and psychological pathology.

Nonlinear Adaptive Back-Stepping Optimization Control of the Hydraulic Active Suspension Actuator

The displacement tracking performance of the electro-hydraulic servo actuator is critical for hydraulic active suspension control. To tackle the problem of slow time-varying parameters in the existing actuator dynamics model, a nonlinear adaptive back-stepping control (ABC) approach is adopted. Simultaneously, the parameters of the nonlinear ABC are difficult to configure, resulting in a poor control effect. An enhanced particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach integrating crazy particles (CP) and time-varying acceleration coefficients (TVAC) is suggested to optimize the controller settings. Furthermore, in order to obtain satisfactory dynamic characteristics of the transition process, the absolute value of the error time integral performance index is used as the minimum performance index function of parameter selection, and the square term of the control input is added to the performance index function to prevent excessive controller energy. Finally, it can be observed from the simulation results of the highest value emax of the displacement tracking error, the average value eμ of error, and the standard deviation eσ of error that the performance of the ABC parameters optimized by PSO+CP+ATVC is superior to the manually given ABC parameters. Therefore, this control method significantly improves the stability and speed of the control system. It provides a new research idea for the parameter optimization of controllers.

Accessibility of medical care in the public and private sectors of healthcare (based on the results of a sociological survey of the population of the Vologda region)

Introduction. In the Vologda region healthcare there are complex management and economic (acute shortage of doctors) and spatial (large territory, complex settlement system) restrictions on the availability of medical care. The private health sector is an alternative to the public sector, but it expands the burden of public spending. This actualizes research aimed at assessing the availability of medical care in both sectors of the industry.
 Purpose of the study. Assessment of the availability of medical care for the population of the Vologda region in the public and private sectors.
 Materials and methods. The toolkit is a questionnaire survey of the population (sample consisted of 1,500 people) conducted in the region in 2018 and 2020. The analysis is carried out by means of the distribution of respondents’ estimates, expressed in specific weights of the total amount of responses, in the comparative context of demographic and territorial groups, the public and commercial sectors of the industry. The integral index of accessibility of medical care is proposed and tested.
 Results. Respondents estimate the availability of medical care/services in private medical institutions higher than in public ones (the accessibility index (AI), in 2020 was 179.6 and 163.4, respectively). During the study period, the index increased, but the gap between sectors remained. The lowest subjective estimates of accessibility were received by medical care in rural areas (AI for the public sector — 167.8, private — 179.5) and in Cherepovets (AI accounted of, respectively, 148.1 and 151.4). The highest level of accessibility was found in small towns (AI was 177.6 and 194.8).
 Limitations. When studying the availability of medical care in the region, 1,500 questionnaires were evaluated, which represents a sufficient reference sample to solve the tasks set.
 Conclusion. The study allowed obtaining valuable results, which, along with the developed tools (in particular, the index of accessibility of medical care), are recommended to the authorities for monitoring the situation in the healthcare of the region.

Toward automated irrigation management with integrated crop water stress index and spatial soil water balance

AbstractDecision support systems intended for precision irrigation aim at reducing irrigation applications while optimizing crop yield to achieve maximum crop water productivity (CWP). These systems incorporate on-site sensor data, remote sensing inputs, and advanced algorithms with spatial and temporal characteristics to compute precise crop water needs. The availability of variable rate irrigation (VRI) systems enables irrigation applications at a sub-field scale. The combination of an appropriate VRI system along with a precise decision support system would be ideal for improved CWP. The objective of this study was to compare and evaluate two decision support systems in terms of seasonal applied irrigation, crop yield, and CWP. This study implemented the Spatial EvapoTranspiration Modeling Interface (SETMI) model and the Irrigation Scheduling Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (ISSCADA) system for management of a center pivot irrigation system in a 58-ha maize-soybean field during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons. The irrigation scheduling methods included: ISSCADA plant feedback, ISSCADA hybrid, common practice, and SETMI. These methods were applied at irrigation levels of 0, 50, 100, and 150% of the full irrigation prescribed by the respective irrigation scheduling method. Data from infrared thermometers (IRTs), soil water sensors, weather stations, and satellites were used in the irrigation methods. Mean seasonal irrigation prescribed was different among the irrigation levels and methods for the 2 years. The ISSCADA plant feedback prescribed the least irrigation among the methods for majority of the cases. The common practice prescribed the largest seasonal irrigation depth among the methods for three crop-year cases. The maize yield in rainfed was found to be significantly lower than the irrigated levels in 2020 since 2020 was a dry year. No significant differences were observed in crop yield among the different irrigation methods for both years. The CWP among the different irrigation methods ranged between 2.72 and 3.15 kg m−3 for 2020 maize, 1.03 and 1.13 kg m−3 for 2020 soybean, 3.57 and 4.24 kg m−3 for 2021 maize, and 1.19 and 1.48 kg m−3 for 2021 soybean. Deficit level (50%) had the largest irrigation water productivity in all crop-year cases in this study. The ISSCADA and SETMI systems were found to reduce irrigation applications as compared to the common practice while maintaining crop yield. This study was the first to implement the newly developed integrated crop water stress index (iCWSI) thresholds and the ISSCADA system for site-specific irrigation of maize and soybean in Nebraska.

СВЯЗЬ ПРИРОДНЫХ ПОЖАРОВ В РОССИЙСКИХ РЕГИОНАХ С АТМОСФЕРНЫМИ БЛОКИРОВАНИЯМИ

Results of the analysis of wildfires in Russian regions using satellite data for 2000-2021 are presented. The results indicate a predominant increase in the number of intense fires in Russia, which has been especially noticeable in recent years. Using reanalysis data, a significant correlation between wildfires in Russia and atmospheric blocking has been revealed. An integral blockings index, whose value can reach and exceed 10% for fire seasons in Russian regions from April to October, was used to characterize atmospheric blocking. It has been found that an increase in the integral blockings index by 1% corresponds to an increase in the number of forest fires in Russia by 14%. According to the estimates, the contribution to the variance of interannual change in the number of wildfires associated with atmospheric blockings reaches ~40%.

Arthropod-based biotic integrity indices: A novel tool for evaluating the ecological condition of native forests in the Azores archipelago

Island ecosystems are experiencing a significant decline in biodiversity, with forest biodiversity being particularly affected by several biodiversity erosion drivers. This alarming situation highlights the urgent need for conservation managers to develop more accurate and efficient tools to assess and monitor the quality status of sites. To address this issue, our study focuses on the development of two biological integrity indices (IBI) that utilize arthropod communities as indicators to measure the quality of forest sites. In accordance with studies that showed stratification of species diversity, we developed an IBI for canopy stratum (IBI-Canopy) and an IBI for an intermediate stratum targeting the forest understory (IBI-SLAM). We calibrated both indices on seven parameters for comparison purpose with a previous developed epigean IBI. Percentages of endemic, native non-endemic and introduced species richness and abundance were included in both indices. Percentages of Diplopoda species richness and abundance were included in IBI-Canopy and percentages of Saprophagous species richness and abundance were included in IBI-SLAM. As expected species richness and abundance of endemic species were negatively related to disturbance and selected for both IBI. Surprisingly, species richness and abundance of native non-endemic species were positively related to disturbance. The study highlights the limitations of single measurements in detecting all types of pressure sources, and proposes a multi-measurement system to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the overall system conditions. Our efficient and accessible indices confirmed low preservation status in Flores Island compared to Terceira and Pico, consistent with prior empirical studies. Our analyses also showed that canopy detect disturbance earlier than intermediate understory stratum. Our methodology has successfully been developed and tailored to the unique arthropod communities found in the Azores forests. While it may not be suitable for random forest sites, it can serve as a valuable source of inspiration for the development of arthropod-based IBIs in other islands of the world for which standardized endemic and exotic species richness and abundance could be obtained. The study also showed that arthropod assemblages mimicked forest biodiversity stratification and this is reflected in differences expressed by the IBIs.

Применение методов аналитики данных к оценке перспективности планируемых к возведению объектов недвижимости

Introduction. In the process of making decisions, about design and construction there are tasks of assessing the prospects for the planned construction of real estate. The subject of the research is the assessment of the attractiveness of real estate objects from the position of expediency of their construction. Materials and methods. Research methods include analysis of scientific papers, application of systems analysis and systems approach, structural and mathematical modelling of phenomena and processes, theory and practice of digitalization of economic systems, theory and methodology of object-oriented big data processing, theory of forecasting and statistical analysis. Results. Four groups of property parameters that may influence their attractiveness have been identified. The information has been formalized into a form suitable for analytics. It has been shown that the properties of objects can be regarded as their attributes and in this regard, a star data model has been proposed for the information-analytical system. The scheme of interconnection of object characteristics and parameters is proposed, as well as the model of data processing system including the collection of big data from multiple sources and integration with the enterprise platforms. The estimation of attractiveness of objects is carried out by calculating the integral index consisting of integral indexes of separate data sets. The method of ranking the formalized indicators of objects as a preliminary stage of expert determination of their weight values is proposed. On the basis of the integral index of object attractiveness a management decision may be made as to the advisability and prospects of construction or performance of correction of design indices of the projected object. The modelling and reporting process can be carried out in software that implements the Business Intelligence concept. Conclusions. The proposed methodology for assessing prospective properties based on big data analysis can be used in decision-making by both construction companies and participants in the secondary real estate market for efficient parametric selection of properties according to customer requests.

ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPETITIVENESS OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN THE REGIONS OF THE VOLGA FEDERAL DISTRICT

The competitiveness of industry is one of the most important conditions for economic development and the success of international trade. The state is carrying out a set of measures within the framework of the program “Industrial Development and Increasing its Competitiveness”. The goals set in the national program reflect the development of general trends in industries and do not allow assessing the achieved level of competitiveness. An assessment of the results in terms of changes in the competitiveness of the industry would make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of state support measures and the use of budgetary funds.
 Purpose. Development of a methodology for assessing the level of competitiveness of industrial production in the regions, based on the calculation of indicators of own production, growth rates of production volumes, the number of organizations, return on assets and profitability of products.
 Methodology the article used statistical methods of analysis, calculation of single, group and integral indices.
 Results. Based on the calculation of integral indices, a rating of the regions of the Volga Federal District was formed in terms of the level of development of industrial production.
 Practical implications. The obtained results can serve as a basis for assessing industrial development at the regional level, which can be used to determine the financing of priority areas and directions of the economic policy of the region.

ECONOMIC AND SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL OF REGIONS AS A FACTOR OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS

The article analyzes the economic conditions, characteristics and innovative factors of regional innovative development of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Uzbekistan. The level of economic development of the regions was analyzed using defined integral indices. The possibilities of using imitative innovations in the innovative development of SMEs in the regions have been determined.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF MENTAL STATES TO THE FORMATION OF EMOTIONAL BURNOUT AMONG WORKING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

The tendencies of studying the syndrome of emotional burnout in domestic and foreign studies are revealed. The contribution of the characteristics of communicative professions, the mental states of teachers to the formation of emotional burnout, psychophysical, interpersonal problems, and the impact on the quality of educational results is shown.
 The purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between the structural components of mental states and subfactors and the integral index of emotional burnout. The objectives of the study included the theoretical study of the problem in modern psychological, pedagogical and medical research; detection of the specificity of the relationship of various aspects of mental states (depression, anxiety, stress, psychological discomfort) with subfactors of the burnout syndrome.
 Methods and methodology. Classical methods of research and mathematical and statistical processing of information obtained by testing on the scales DASS-21 S. Lovibond, P. Lovibond, DERS K. L. Gratz, L. Roemer, GNQ-28 D.P. Goldberg, V. Hiller, R. Williams, MBI questionnaire С. Maslach, S. Jackson.
 Results. The integral indicator of emotional burnout in most teachers is recorded at medium and high levels. The structure of emotional burnout is dominated by signs of depersonalization and reduction (in novice teachers) and emotional exhaustion (in experienced teachers). Markers have been found that indicate the vulnerability of teachers with different experience in teaching to the formation of the syndrome of emotional burnout and its components. Among them are severe prolonged stress, a decrease in tonic and tension characteristics of mental states, somatic symptoms, and emotional destabilization.
 Scope of the results. The results of the study complement the characteristics of the burnout syndrome and the role of mental states in its development. The data can be used in the development of a conceptual apparatus, the selection of intervention strategies, and the preparation of a program of measures to prevent burnout syndrome in an educational organization.

APPLICATION OF BIG DATA TECHNOLOGIES TO ASSESS THE NATURAL MOISTURE OF THE TERRITORY

Due to the sharp changes in climatic conditions in Western Siberia, the most pressing problem is food security associated with forecasting crop yields. There is a need to estimate the natural wetness of the area on the basis of agroclimatic indicators, among which the sum of active air temperatures and precipitation is currently the most widely used.
 Background. However, for a comprehensive assessment of the wetness of the territory, it is necessary to take into account the climate energy resources associated with evaporation of different time resolutions (day, decades, months, vegetation period, year). The initial meteorological parameters are described in the form of poorly structured information of a large volume. Therefore, various technologies and algorithms of machine processing are used in the work.
 Purpose. The application of big data technologies to assess the natural moisture of the territory
 Materials and methods. With the help of the high-level Python programming language and engineering libraries, a comprehensive assessment of the territory was carried out using the example of Mirny of the Kochenevsky District of the Novosibirsk Region in the context of long-term average data and two years 2019 and 2020. That the use of machine processing technologies related to NoSQL data requests, creation of data set and big data slices allows to store and process meteorological parameters using cloud services of different time resolution. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the time for a comprehensive assessment of the territory according to agroclimatic parameters. As a result of the work, precipitation distribution, temperature, relative air humidity, evaporability, humidification coefficients (Ivanov-Vysotsky and Selyaninov hydrothermal coefficient) were obtained.
 Results. The paper proposes to use technologies of big data processing using Python, including pre-processing of poorly structured hydrometeorological data, execution of NoSQL queries, compilation of summary reports on agroclimatic parameters. Pre-processing consists of processing hourly meteorological data, filling gaps in the data, making slices in big data to process multi-temporal queries (day, month, growing season, year). By the example of Mirny farm in Kochenevsky district of Novosibirsk region (Russian Federation), big data processing was performed to calculate agroclimatic parameters to assess the natural moisture content of the area and yield forecasting.
 Conclusion. The practical significance of the work is as follows:
 - the application of big data processing technologies has significantly reduced the time for the labor-intensive process of assessing agrometeorological parameters;
 - obtained aggregated meteorological parameters of different temporal resolution (hours, days, decades, months) allowed us to identify a strong variability of agroclimatic conditions for the territory of Mirny farm Kochenevsky district, located in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia;
 - perform an integral assessment of agroclimatic conditions by calculating the integral indices of moisture, climate continentality, and agroclimatic potential.

Cryptic tolerant fish species and their potential effect on index of biotic integrity (IBI) scores

Indices such as the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) are often used by management agencies to estimate the abstract property of stream health. These indices are usually predicated on the belief that certain fish species are tolerant to environmental perturbation while others are sensitive. Species are usually designated as either tolerant or sensitive in these analyses based on inherent ecological or taxonomic characteristics. However, previous literature has shown that certain species from ecological or taxonomic “sensitive” groups experience increased abundance in degraded streams. We term such species “cryptic tolerants”. Using a stream fish assemblage dataset of 433 unique sample locations across the state of Alabama and the National Landcover Dataset, our objectives were to 1) identify the most common cryptic tolerant species, 2) investigate how cryptic tolerant species might inflate indices of stream health, and 3) compare an alternative measure of stream health in which species are statistically defined rather than defined using the traditional trait-based approach. We identified cryptic tolerants using Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling in six ecoregions. A series of regressions revealed that the proportion of cryptic tolerant species decreased in response to an increasing proportion of forested land in catchments while the proportion of true sensitives increased in all ecoregions except for the Cumberland Plateau. An index that simply used the percentage of statistically defined, non-tolerant species generally had lower p-values and higher r2 values than IBI scores when both were regressed against percentage of forest in catchment. However, both indices had low degrees of correlation with expected disturbance, indicating a univariate index may be inadequate to characterize stream health. Our results highlight a potential issue with applying the IBI to diverse southeastern systems in the United States, which may be alleviated by designating species sensitivity based on empirical response to disturbance rather than taxonomic or ecological characteristics.

To the assessment of thermal stability of biopolymer systems

To diagnose thermal stability based on rotational viscometry data, an integral index for assessing the rheological properties of drilling fluids has been proposed. It is independent of their rheological model under thermobaric conditions of the well. According to the laboratory research of xanthan gum-based biopolymer systems, the possibility of assessing thermal stability in regard to the dependence of the integral index on temperature has been shown. The accuracy of thermal stability assessment has been confirmed by laboratory studies of the Biocar-TF biopolymer system at temperatures up to 170 ℃.

Identification of heat shock protein70-2 and protamine-1 mRNA, proteins, and analyses of their association with fertility using frozen-thawed sperm in Madura bulls.

This study aims to identify heat shock protein70-2 (HSP70-2) and protamine-1 (PRM1) mRNA and protein in Madura bull sperm and demonstrate their relation as bull fertility biomarkers. The Madura bull fertility rates were grouped based on the percentage of first service conception rate (%FSCR) as high fertility (HF) (79.04%; n = 4), and low fertility (LF) (65.84%; n = 4). mRNA of HSP70-2 and PRM1 with peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA) as a housekeeping gene were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, while enzyme-linked immunoassay was used to measure protein abundance. In the post-thawed semen samples, sperm motility, viability, acrosome integrity, and sperm DNA fragmentation index were analyzed. Data analysis was performed on the measured parameters of semen quality, relative mRNA expression, and protein abundance of HSP70-2 and PRM1, among the bulls with various fertility levels (HF and LF) in a one-way analysis of variance analysis. The Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between semen quality, mRNA, proteins, and fertility rate. Relative mRNA expression and protein abundance of HSP70-2 and PRM1 were detected and were found to be highly expressed in bulls with HF (p<0.05) and were associated with several parameters of semen quality. HSP70-2 and PRM1 mRNA and protein molecules have great potential to serve as molecular markers for determining bull fertility.

ECOfast – An integrative ecological evaluation index for an ecosystem-based assessment of shallow rocky reefs

The degradation of marine ecosystems is a growing concern worldwide, emphasizing the need for efficient tools to assess their ecological status. Herein, a novel ecosystem-based ecological evaluation index of shallow rocky reefs is introduced and tested in the Aegean and Ionian Seas (NE Mediterranean). The index focuses on a specific set of pre-selected species, including habitat-forming, key, commercially important, and non-indigenous species, across a wide range of trophic levels (1.00–4.53). Data acquisition is conducted through rapid non-destructive SCUBA diving surveys to assess all macroscopic food web components (macroalgae, invertebrates, and fish). Two versions of the index, ECOfast and ECOfast-NIS, were developed, each applying a different approach to account for the impact of non-indigenous species. In our case study, the correlations between the two versions of the index and sea surface temperature, protection status, occurrence of carnivorous fish, and non-indigenous herbivores were assessed through generalized additive models (GAMs). The assessment assigned 93% (ECOfast) or 96% (ECOfast-NIS) of the sites to a moderate to bad ecological status, indicating an alarming situation in the shallow rocky reefs of the NE Mediterranean. Sites evaluated as poor or bad were characterized by extensive coverage of ephemeral macroalgae, absence or minimal presence of large indigenous carnivorous fish, and complete absence of one to three out of five invertebrate functional trophic groups. The community composition of macroalgae, herbivorous species, and carnivorous fishes differed between the 5 m and 15 m depth zones. Surface temperature and carnivorous fish occurrence were the most important tested predictors of the ecological status of shallow rocky reefs. The best GAMs showed that the ECOfast score declined with sea surface temperature and increased with the occurrence of carnivorous fish; ECOfast-NIS declined with sea surface temperature and the occurrence of non-indigenous fish and increased with the occurrence of carnivorous fish. The non-destructive and integrative nature of this approach, its speed of data acquisition and analysis, and its capacity to account for highly mobile predatory fish and non-indigenous species render the ECOfast index a novel, robust, and valuable tool for assessing the ecological status of shallow rocky reefs.

Left atrioventricular coupling index assessed using cardiac CT as a prognostic marker of cardiovascular death

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI) assessed by cardiac computed tomography (CT), to predict cardiovascular death in consecutive patients referred for cardiac CT with coronary analysis. Materials and methodsBetween 2010 and 2020, we conducted a single-centre study with all consecutive patients without known cardiovascular disease referred for cardiac CT. LACI was defined as the ratio of left atrial to left ventricle end-diastolic volumes. The primary outcome was cardiovascular death. Cox regressions were used to evaluate the association between LACI and primary outcome after adjustment for traditional risk factors and cardiac CT angiography findings. ResultsIn 1,444 patients (mean age, 70 ± 12 [standard deviation] years; 43% men), 67 (4.3%) patients experienced cardiovascular death after a median follow-up of 6.8 (Q1, Q3: 5.9, 9.1) years. After adjustment, LACI was positively associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.07 [95% CI: 1.05–1.09] per 1% increment; P < 0.001), and all-cause death (adjusted HR, 1.05 [95% CI: 1.03–1.07] per 1% increment; P <0.001). After adjustment, a LACI ≥ 25% showed the best improvement in model discrimination and reclassification for predicting cardiovascular death above traditional risk factors and cardiac CT findings (C-statistic improvement: 0.27; Nnet reclassification improvement = 0.826; Integrative discrimination index =0.209, all P < 0.001; likelihood-ratio-test, P < 0.001). ConclusionLACI measured by cardiac CT is independently associated with cardiovascular death and all-cause death in patients without known cardiovascular disease referred for cardiac CT, with an incremental prognostic value over traditional risk factors and cardiac CT findings.

Study on Changes in Physical and Mechanical Properties and Integrity Decay of Sandstone Subjected to Freeze–Thaw Cycling

To investigate the effects of long-term freeze–thaw cycles on the physical and mechanical properties as well as the attenuation trend of rocks, this study conducted saturated freeze–thaw tests on coarse sandstone and fine sandstone samples collected from the slopes of Muli Coal Mine in Qinghai Province. The samples underwent different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles, and their porosity, longitudinal wave velocity, and uniaxial compression strength were studied. The variations in the physical and mechanical properties of the two types of sandstone with respect to the number of freeze–thaw cycles were analyzed. Take uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) as the integrity index, and decay laws of rock integrity were analyzed based on the decay equation suggested in previous studies. We found that the decay index λ, which is commonly assumed to be constant, varies with the number of freeze–thaw cycles. Furthermore, the λ values varied between different rock types. For fine sandstone, the λ decreases with an increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles, ranging from 0.00385 to 0.005. However, for coarse sandstone, the λ initially decreases and then increases with an increase in the number of freeze–thaw cycles. The range of λ for coarse sandstone is between 0.00376 and 0.00481. Finally, we established a relationship between the decay index, porosity, and longitudinal wave velocity in the fine sandstones. This relationship provides a more straightforward way to evaluate the integrity of fine sandstones subjected to different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles.