Medium Levels Research Articles

Conjoint analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism in urban system: A case study of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

AbstractNitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) metabolism is becoming an increasingly complex process during urbanization due to increasing rates of consumption and emission worldwide. Understanding the urban N and P metabolism helps identifying production capacity, consumption demand, and the impact of N and P emissions on the environment, providing a scientific basis for decision‐making in sustainable utilization of N and P resources. Quantifying and mapping the source, path, and sinks of N and P in an urban system is the premise of controlling emissions. In this paper, we used the substance flow analysis (SFA) method to describe the N and P metabolism processes in the urban system of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) in 2017, and used the scenario‐based analysis method to understand the impact of different N and P metabolisms on potentially recoverable N and P sources by 2030. The results showed that the urban system of Dar es Salaam receives a total input flow of 28,101.8 tN/year and 3,379 tP/year, with a total output flow of 18,859.6 tN/year and 1,849.3 tP/year with net stock changes of 9,242.2 t/year for N and 1,529.7 t/year for P, respectively. We noticed that increased human activities largely represented the city's waste released after the household consumption, and would become the main causes of N and P emissions. In addition to this, 59.38%, 31.25%, and 9.38% of N flow quantification quality were at high, medium, and low levels, respectively, while 74.07%, 11.11%, and 14.81% of P flow quantification quality were at high, medium, and low levels, respectively. Our results suggest that implementing integrated nutrient management measures, such as changes in people's diets and the use of washing products, and improved management and technologies of manure, sewage, and landfill leachate treatment, would be the most effective approach to resolve the urban nutrient emissions in Dar es Salaam.

Comparison between contact diode laser with 980 nm and 1470 nm wavelengths for posterior laryngofissure in pigs

To compare two different wavelengths of the surgical contact diode laser (CDL) for producing a posterior laryngofissure in in-vivo pigs. Anesthetized pigs underwent a tracheostomy and an anterior laryngofissure through a cervicotomy. They were randomly selected for the CDL wavelength and Power, according to the peak of Power set at device (980nm wavelength: Ppeak power of 10 W, 15 W, and 20 W, or 1470 nm wavelength: Ppeak 3 W, 5 W, 7 W, 10 W). At the end of the experiment, the laryngotracheal specimen was extracted and sent for histology and morphometry measurements (incision size, depth, area, and lateral thermal damage). Hemodynamic data and arterial blood gases were recorded during the incisions. Statistical analysis of the comparisons between the parameters and groups had a level of significance of p < 0.05. Twenty-six pigs were divided into CDL 980 nm (n = 11) and 1470 nm (n = 15). There was a greater incision area at the thyroid level in the 980 nm CDL and a wider incision at the trachea level, with a larger distance between mucosa borders. There were no significant differences in the area of lateral thermal damage between the two groups and neither difference among the power levels tested. Both wavelengths tested showed similar results in the various combinations of power levels without significant differences in the lateral thermal damage. The posterior laryngofissure incision can be performed by either of the wavelengths at low and medium power levels without great difference on lateral thermal damage.

4AC-YOLOv5: an improved algorithm for small target face detection

In real scenes, small target faces often encounter various conditions, such as intricate background, occlusion and scale change, which leads to the problem of omission or misdetection of face detection results. To solve this puzzle, an improved algorithm of small target face detection 4AC-YOLOv5 is proposed. First, the algorithm by introducing a new layer to detect faces at a much smaller size, through the fusion of more shallow information, enhance the network perception of small objects, the accuracy of small target detection is improved; second, to improve the neck structure, to add the adaptive feature fusion network AFPN to replace FPN + PAN, to prevent the large information gap between non-adjacent Level to some extent, and to fully retain and integrate different scale characteristic information; and finally, improve the C3 module and propose a new multiscale residual module C3_MultiRes. Improving the expressive power of the network by introducing a multibranched structure and gradually increasing resolution somewhat reduces the complexity of the model calculation. The experimental results show that the precision of the improved model reached 94.54%, 93.08% and 84.98% in easy, medium and hard levels of WiderFace data set, respectively, and the results of detection are better than the original network. 4AC-YOLOv5 can meet the requirements of small target face detection in complex environment.

Study on Water and Salt Transport Characteristics of Sunflowers under Different Irrigation Amounts in the Yellow River Irrigation Area

The control of irrigation volume is of significant importance in arid regions of northwest China. Particularly, it has a crucial impact on the salinization of shallow groundwater areas. In 2022 and 2023, field experiments were conducted to test three distinct under-membrane irrigation treatments. These treatments were assigned water quotas of HW (27 mm), MW (22.5 mm), and LW (18 mm). The HYDRUS-2D model was integrated with a field experiment to accurately simulate the dynamic fluctuations of soil water and salt in the sunflower root zone. The model’s performance was assessed and verified using real-field data from 2022 and 2023, and the simulation results closely matched the measured values. This research also used stable hydroxide isotopes to assess the water supply from various soil layers at different time intervals in sunflower plants. The results indicated that the three different levels of irrigation applied under the membrane had a significant impact on soil water content. Specifically, there was a significant difference in soil water content at a depth of 0–40 cm (p &lt; 0.05), while there was little effect on the water content at a depth of 40–60 cm (p &gt; 0.05). After irrigation, the average salt content in the top 0–20 cm of soil decreased by 7.0% compared to the medium and low irrigation levels, and by 10.8% compared to the medium irrigation level. Additionally, the medium irrigation level resulted in a 10.8% decrease in salt content compared to the low irrigation level, and a 4.1% decrease compared to the medium irrigation level. During the same period, the soil salinity levels at depths of 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm, and 60–100 cm in the area outside the membrane were measured to be 2.7~4.8 g·kg−1, 2.8~4.0 g·kg−1, 2.7~3.4 g·kg−1, and 1.7~2.6 g·kg−1, respectively. These levels decreased by 13.1~55.5%, 0.7~42.8%, −0.4~16.2%, and −72.7~7.5%, respectively. Following irrigation, the HW treatment mostly absorbed water in the 0–40 cm soil layer, while the MW and LW treatments absorbed water in both the 0–40 cm and 60–80 cm soil levels. The results indicated that the most optimal drip irrigation method beneath the membrane in this location was achieved when the amount of water applied was between 25–30 mm. This method demonstrated a combination of water conservation, high crop yield, and effective salt suppression.

The role of parenting style for the development of the implicit power motive in children

AbstractFindings show that both parents’ reported parenting and children’s perception of parenting play a role in predicting a vast number of developmental outcomes. Available research on the development of implicit motives in children, for example, shows a link to early parenting strategies. However, research on effects of parenting on the development of implicit motives is sparse. In the present study, we examined the role of authoritarian and positive parenting (parents’ reports) for the development of the implicit power motive (nPower) in children, along with the moderating role of perceived parental psychological control and warmth/support (children’s report). We hypothesized that authoritarian parenting shows a negative longitudinal association with nPower in children, particularly when children also perceive the parenting as psychologically controlling. In contrast, we assumed a positive longitudinal association of positive parenting with nPower in children, particularly when children also perceive the parenting as warm/supportive. Data of 66 German children (25 girls) and parents were assessed at two measurement points. Children were 6/7 years old at t1. Analyses partially support our hypotheses. The higher parental reports of authoritarian parenting were, the lower was children’s nPower 3.5 years later. This association was only significant among children perceiving high or medium levels (vs. low) of parental psychological control. We found neither significant effects of parents’ nor children’s reports of positive/warm parenting nor a significant interaction of the two. Findings are discussed with respect to existing models of the development and stability of implicit motives and the role of parenting for implicit motive development.

A deep learning approach for prediction of air quality index in smart city

Industrial developments and consumption of massive amount of fossil fuels, vehicle pollution, and other calamities upsurges the AQI (Air Quality Index) of major cities in a drastic manner. Owing to these factors, it is important to take proactive measures for reducing the air pollution in order to avoid life- threatening consequence. Therefore, prediction of air quality is significant for improving the health of living beings as highly polluted regions have a higher concentration of pollutants mixed in the air, affecting the respiratory system and reducing the lifetime. To control pollution, AQI is used as a measure for estimating the pollutant content in the air. Even though many existing techniques have predicted AQI, enhancement is required in prediction algorithms with minimized loss. To address the challenges in traditional algorithms, the proposed smart cities-based AQI prediction intends to utilize the proposed regression algorithm in the dataset, namely Air- Quality-Data, which collected harmful pollutants on an hourly and daily basis from multiple cities in India between 2015 to 2020. To achieve prediction efficiency with reduced loss, pre-processing of input data is being performed using Deep GAN (Generative Adversarial Network). It performs the imputation of data in place of missing values to improve accurate prediction. Additionally, feature scaling normalizes independent real-data features to a fixed scale. With the processed data, regression is done through modified Stacked Attention GRU with KL divergence, which predicts Ernakulam, Chennai and Ahmedabad cities with higher, medium, and low levels of AQI in India. The performance of the proposed regression algorithm is measured using metrics such as MAE (Mean Absolute Error), MSE (Mean Square Error), R2 (Coefficient of determination), MAPE (Mean Absolute Percentage Error), and RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) and better MAE, MSE, R2, MAPE and RMSE obtained by the model is 0.1013, 0.0134, 0.9479, 0.1152 and 0.1156. Internal assessment and comparative analysis performed with existing regression algorithms exhibit lower loss values obtained from the present research, which determines the efficacy of the proposed model.

Germination Indices and Seedling Growth Parameters in Maize under Salinity Stress with Varying Concentrations of Giberellic Acid (GA)

Salinity stress is one of the factors limiting seed emergence and seedling development in sunflower at New halfa scheme in East of Sudan. A study of two factors pots experiment was conducted during winter season of 2019 to evaluate germination indices and seedling growth characters of maize seeds under salinity stress with varying concentrations of synthetic growth regulator namely (GA3). The experiment was laid out according RCBD with three replications. Treatments consisted of five levels of salinity (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2% ) designated as Na0, Na0.5, Na1.0 ,Na1.5 and Na2.0, and four levels of GA3 were (0, 50,75 and 100 p.pm) designated as G0, G50, G75 and G100, respectively,. The studied parameters include germination indices; daily germination (MDG), daily germination speed (DGS), final germination percentage (FGP), mean emergence time (MET), mean Energy of germination (EE), emergence index (EI), coefficient of uniformity of emergence (CUE) and vigour index (SVI). Also, seedling fresh and dry weight, shoot length and root length were measured, and the shoot/root ratio was calculated. The negative effects of salinity stress significantly decreased germination indices and seedlings growth characters in a dose dependent manner. The results showed that, application of GA3 at medium levels concentration (specify those doses) increased all studied parameters. In conclusion, application of high Ga3 levels enhanced all germination indices and seedlings growth characters while high salinity levels reduced these traits of maize seeds. Such result has made the base for further study that should be conducted in different seasons with different growth regulators involving different parameters of other crops.

Hazard Assessment of Debris Flow: A Case Study of the Huiyazi Debris Flow

The Bailong River Basin is situated at the northeastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the western transition zone of the Loess Plateau, characterized by steep terrain and heavy rainfall. This area experiences frequent occurrences of debris flows, posing serious threats to towns and construction projects. Focusing on the Huaiyazigou debris flow in the Bailong River Basin, numerical simulations of debris flow processes were conducted using Digital Surface Model (DSM) data with a resolution of 5 m × 5 m for various recurrence periods. The simulation results indicate that the debris flow develops rapidly along the gully after formation, decelerating and beginning to deposit upon reaching the cement plant area near the mouth of the gully, eventually merging into the Bailong River. The primary destructive modes of debris flow disasters encompass impact and burial. When encountering buildings, their flow characteristics manifest as deposition and diversion. A debris flow hazard classification model, based on intensity and recurrence periods, was established according to Swiss and Austrian standards, dividing the hazard into low, medium, and high levels. This method generated a debris flow hazard zone map, offering guidance for risk prevention and monitoring. This research demonstrates that using high-precision Digital Surface Models (DSM) can accurately represent the digital information of debris flow gully terrains and buildings. During the simulation process, it realistically reflects the characteristics of the debris flow movement, allowing for the more precise delineation of hazard zones.

Understanding the Origins of Quark Charges, Quantum of Magnetic Flux, Planck’s Radiation Constant and Celestial Magnetic Moments with the 4G Model of Nuclear Charge

Introduction: In our previous published papers, considering 3 large atomic gravitational constants assumed to be associated with weak, strong and electromagnetic interactions, we have proposed the existence of a nuclear charge of magnitude, en=2.95e and developed a nuclear mass formula associated with strong and weak interactions having 4 simple terms and only one energy coefficient. Method: Two important assumptions are that there exists a weak fermion of rest energy 585 GeV and a strong coupling constant is the squared ratio of electromagnetic charge and nuclear charge. The aim of this paper is associated with understanding the mystery of the quantum of magnetic flux, Planck’s quantum radiation constant and Reduced Planck’s constant. Proceeding further, quark charges, strong coupling constant, nuclear stability, nuclear binding energy, medium and heavy atomic X-ray levels and celestial magnetic moments can be understood in a unified approach. It may also be noted that, by considering the integral nature of elementary particle masses, it seems possible to understand the discreteness of angular momentum. objective: Considering our proposed en=2.95e as a characteristic nuclear charge, it seems possible to understand the integral nature of quarks electromagnetic charge. With this idea, neutron, proton and pions decay can be understood very easily. In all the cases, up quark of charge seems to play a crucial role in final decay. Result: Considering our proposed en=2.95e=3e as a characteristic nuclear charge, it seems possible to understand the integral nature of quarks electromagnetic charge. With this idea, neutron, proton and pion decay can be understood very easily. Conclusion: In all the cases, the up quark of charge (±2e) seems to play a crucial role in the internal transformation of the down quark of charge (±e) and external observable elementary basic elementary particles. It needs further study at the fundamental level.

A multiscale examination of heat health risk inequality and its drivers in mega-urban agglomeration: A case study in the Yangtze River Delta, China

Increased frequency of extreme urban heat and its exposure to urban populations is one of the challenges presented by climate change, especially in urban clusters. Due to the rapid but unequal development, heat exposure disproportionately increased in the underdeveloped regions compared to the developed regions in urban agglomeration. To address this issue, it is crucial to clarify the spatial pattern of heat health risk (HHR) inequality for urban heat resilience. However, analyses for the disparity of HHR inequality often used a single scale, neglecting important spatial context effects at other scales. Moreover, the rationale of HHR inequality remains unclear. Here, we took the well-developed and highly urbanized Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region as a case study and employed multiscale approaches to examine how and why the HHR inequality varied at and within the regional scale. We first assessed HHR using a comprehensive assessment framework at a 1 km grid level. Then, we quantified the inequality between regions using local Moran's I and KS distance. Therefore, we utilized the Gini coefficient and Bayes quantile regression to quantify inequality and identify its drivers within the regional scale. Finally, we proposed a conceptual framework to inform policymaking in regions with different patterns of multiscale equality. Our results found that the HHR in YRD exhibited significant spatial inequality at the regional scale (Moran's I = 0.562, P < 0.001) and within the regional scale (Gini coefficient: 0.27–0.54). Higher population concentrations and building densities often led to higher HHR. In high HHR areas, intra-regional inequality was often lower due to high and coordinated socioeconomic levels (Gini coefficient: 0.27–0.34). Additionally, in areas with low and medium levels of risk, healthcare resource availability and local temperatures had a greater impact on intra-regional inequities, which varied at different levels of inequality. This study contributes to a better understanding of multiscale HHR inequality, which helps optimize heat risk management strategies and regional sustainable development.

Social Group Work Practice in Coping with Problematic Technology Use in Adolescents: A Mixed Method Research

Problematic technology use is a growing concern among adolescents, with those aged 12-18 being particularly vulnerable. This study aims to investigate the technology usage habits of students, assess their addiction levels, and mitigate any problematic patterns. Conducted at a pilot high school in Ankara, Türkiye, the research involved 630 students aged 14-17. Quantitative data collection utilized the Personal Information Form, Technology Addiction Scale, and Technological Addiction Scale. Qualitative data collection included selecting 10 students for group social work sessions. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS, while NVIVO was used for qualitative analysis. The study identified high, medium, and low levels of technology addiction among students, highlighting psycho-social difficulties such as social exclusion, impaired functionality, difficulty in controlling technology use, and deprivation. Applying a cognitive-behavioral approach, group social work sessions in the form of psycho-educational groups proved effective in addressing problematic technology use in adolescents. The findings were contextualized within existing literature, with recommendations for future research including the inclusion of control groups and exploration of different therapeutic approaches in group studies.

GERIATRIC ASPECTS OF THE ORGANIZATION OF MEDICAL-SOCIAL, PALLIATIVE AND HOSPICE CARE IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE WAR: COMBINATION OF MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS

The aim of the study is to characterize, from the point of view of geriatric aspects, the current problems of the organization of medico-social, palliative and hospice care (PHC) and social services for palliative care in the war conditions based on multidisciplinary, interagency and inter-sectoral approaches, as well as a combination of medical, psychological and social problems. Materials and methods. The research materials were scientific literary sources and regulatory documents. A pilot survey of 200 people was conducted to study the psychological state and psychological support needs of the elderly and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The survey results of 3,705 client’s questionnaires of the “Vseturbota” Project were also evaluated, of which 63.6 % are people aged 67-84 years, 26.4 % are 85–101 years old. The following research methods were used in the work: bibliosemantic, sociological, system approach and system analysis. Results and discussion. After February 24, 2022, IDPs will experience significant difficulties, suffer from reduced income, increased dependence on humanitarian aid, do not feel safe and protected. All these are reflected in their psychological state. It was found that among respondents aged ≥75 years had the most people with medium (57.1 %) and low (25.0 %) levels of anxiety, 71.4 % had a low level of mood. 32.17 % of the “Vseturbota” Project clients needed additional consultation with a family doctor, 3.83 % needed consultation with a psychologist, and 3.35 % with other specialists. Most often, they needed help around the house (26.02 %), buying medicines/foodstuff (22.43 %), 34.97 % needed information, and 13.36 % needed psychological counseling. An important condition for providing geriatric patients, including IDPs, with affordable, high-quality and effective PHC is the creation of a system and service of ambulatory/mobile and inpatient PHC facilities and medico-social care. Conclusions. The military aggression of the Russian Federation caused considerable suffering to the population of Ukraine. The state of anxiety and fear has a negative impact not only on the psycho-emotional, but also on the physical sphere of the elderly, which necessitates the implementation of psychological services and effective strategies for overcoming stress and distress, which requires the development and implementation of mechanisms for interagency coordination and cooperation, involving and training of multidisciplinary teams’ specialists and volunteers, effective advocacy activities, etc.

Characterization of Soils in Coffee Productive Areas in the Provinces of Cocle and Veraguas-Republic of Panama

The objective of the work was to characterize the properties of the soils of coffee-producing farms in the provinces of Cocle and Veraguas that allow the preparation of regionalized fertilization cards according to the edaphoclimatic characteristics of each area. Planting robusta coffee is gaining greater interest among Panamanian farmers as an alternative for soil conservation. On 16 farms in the province of Coclé and 18 in Veraguas, samples were taken (0-20 cm) to understand their properties and initiate a sustainable fertilization program that contributes to improving productivity. Digital maps were created using the Q-Gis v.3.32.1 program and regionalized fertilization cards for each zone. The soils of the province of Coclé presented a high percentage of aluminum saturation, 88% with low porosity problems, average pH of 4.9, low levels of organic matter and phosphorus (100%), and 75% low in potassium. 56% low in calcium. Imbalances were found in the Ca/Mg and Ca + Mg/K ratios, which causes nutritional problems. In Veraguas soils, 22% presented a high percentage of aluminum saturation, 67% average acid pH, 94% low organic matter and phosphorus content, 89% low in potassium, medium and high levels of magnesium and calcium. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between % clay, organic matter, pH, and calcium. It is expected that this soil characterization and regionalized fertilization cards will contribute to improving soil properties and achieving sustainable production. Fertilization recommendation cards have been prepared for these two provinces and they take into account this entire situation and physical problems found in the soils. Much emphasis is also placed on organic fertilization of plantations as a complement to traditional fertilization, seeking more balanced nutrition.

Creativity profile of biology teacher candidates: An exploratory study

Abstract: Creativity is one of the important skills that teachers must have today. Creativity can be defined as the human ability to generate new and valuable ideas. In addition, creativity is considered as a basic competency that needs to be possessed by students in higher education. The purpose of this study was to determine the creativity of prospective biology teachers and its relationship with students' knowledge mastery. For this purpose, a descriptive and correlational study was conducted on 13 biology pre-service students. The instrument used in this study was the Torrance creativity test based on 4 creativity indicators: fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted to identify students' creativity profiles and the relationship between students' creativity and their knowledge mastery. The results showed that there were three types of creativity owned by prospective biology teacher students, namely students with low (38.46%), medium (38.46%) and high (23, 07%) levels of creativity. The correlation test results show that concept mastery correlates with student creativity (r=0.3). The conclusion of this study is that prospective biology teacher students have different creativity, and there is a correlation between students' concept mastery and their creativity level so that there needs to be an effort from lecturers by designing learning strategies that can increase student creativity and concept mastery.

The Perception of Teachers Regarding Entropy in University Institutional Management

The Perception of Teachers Regarding Entropy in University Institutional Management

291 An evaluation of soybean meal inclusion rate in pigs fed from wean to market

Abstract Soybean meal (SBM) supply may result in decreased relative costs of SBM compared with other ingredients. Net energy of SBM closer to the NE of corn has been reported which may increase its relative value in formulations (Boyd and Gaines, 2023). To evaluate the effect of SBM level in two common diet formulation strategies, Corn-DDGS-SBM (DDGS) or Corn-SBM (SBM) in wean-to-market pigs (WTM). A total of 540 pigs (PIC X Duroc, 18 d of age, 5.3 kg) were weaned and blocked by body weight (BW) and sex for allocation. Six dietary treatments were assigned to 90 pens to give 15 replications per treatment in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Individual BW for average daily gain (ADG) and pen feed disappearance (ADF) were collected every 2 wk for 18 wk and carcass data were collected at average market weight of 129 kg (18 to 20 wk after placement). The mash diets were formulated to a SID lysine:NE target in 7 phases using current NE estimates for SBM, 2087 Kcal/kg, and to meet or exceed NRC requirements (2012). The NE level used for DDGS was 2,343 Kcal/kg. The treatments consisted of Low (LO), Medium (MED), and High (HI) SBM levels by providing 0.5%, 0.25% and no added lysine (AA) in SBM- or DDGS (30%)-based diets. Data were analyzed using pen as the experimental unit for performance data and the pig as the experimental unit for carcass data. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) and P &amp;lt; 0.05 was considered significant and 0.05 ≤ P &amp;lt; 0.10 considered a tendency. The ADF tended to be less from wk 0 to 18 for pigs fed SBM than DDGS diets. SBM diets increased wk 6 BW and ADG compared with DDGS (P &amp;lt; 0.05). HI and MED SBM additions increased wk 6 BW and wk 0 to 6 ADG vs LO SBM (P &amp;lt; 0.05). SBM diets increased wk 14 and 18 BW, gain to feed ratio (G:F) and ADG compared with DDGS (P &amp;lt; 0.05) except for MED in DDGS diets, which was not different. HI and MED SBM additions increased wk 14 and 18 BW and 0 to 18 wk ADG vs LO SBM (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Carcass data indicated SBM diets increased hot carcass weight by 2 kg, loin depth, back fat and calculated lean weight, compared with DDGS (P &amp;lt; 0.05). LO SBM resulted in more back fat, less loin depth and lean weight compared with the use of HI or MED SBM (P &amp;lt; 0.05). SBM improved growth, feed and caloric conversion, and increased carcass value in high-performance WTM pigs compared with the use of DDGS. MED and HI SBM level tended to improve ADG and carcass characteristics.

Prefrontal cortical activity during uneven terrain walking in younger and older adults.

Walking in complex environments increases the cognitive demand of locomotor control; however, our understanding of the neural mechanisms contributing to walking on uneven terrain is limited. We used a novel method for altering terrain unevenness on a treadmill to investigate the association between terrain unevenness and cortical activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region known to be involved in various cognitive functions. Prefrontal cortical activity was measured with functional near infrared spectroscopy while participants walked on a novel custom-made terrain treadmill surface across four different terrains: flat, low, medium, and high levels of unevenness. The assessments were conducted in younger adults, older adults with better mobility function and older adults with worse mobility function. Mobility function was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery. The primary hypothesis was that increasing the unevenness of the terrain would result in greater prefrontal cortical activation in all groups. Secondary hypotheses were that heightened prefrontal cortical activation would be observed in the older groups relative to the younger group, and that prefrontal cortical activation would plateau at higher levels of terrain unevenness for the older adults with worse mobility function, as predicted by the Compensation Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis. The results revealed a significant main effect of terrain, indicating a significant increase in prefrontal cortical activation with increasing terrain unevenness during walking in all groups. A significant main effect of group revealed that prefrontal cortical activation was higher in older adults with better mobility function compared to younger adults and older adults with worse mobility function in all pooled terrains, but there was no significant difference in prefrontal cortical activation between older adults with worse mobility function and younger adults. Contrary to our hypothesis, the older group with better mobility function displayed a sustained increase in activation but the other groups did not, suggestive of neural compensation. Additional findings were that task-related increases in prefrontal cortical activation during walking were lateralized to the right hemisphere in older adults with better mobility function but were bilateral in older adults with worse mobility function and younger adults. These findings support that compared to walking on a flat surface, walking on uneven terrain surfaces increases demand on cognitive control resources as measured by prefrontal cortical activation.

Assessing the susceptibility of raptor species to electrocution: A framework for Kenya

Developing countries are witnessing rapid expansion of electrical infrastructure to meet increasing energy demands, prompting a critical need to assess the potential impact on avian biodiversity. Leveraging open access data, our study conducted a comprehensive assessment to detect electrocution and collision risk hotspots in Kenya while identifying raptor species highly susceptible to these risks. Through an integrated approach that considers morphological and behavioral traits of the species, environmental factors at the site, and technical parameters of the power lines, we developed risk maps and categorized raptors’ susceptibility into high, medium, and low-risk levels. Applying this framework, we identified three raptor species at high risk of electrocution; the long-crested eagle, the augur buzzard, and the steppe eagle. Meru and Kiambu counties emerged as high-risk areas due to substantial overlap between high-risk buffer zones and areas with high raptor species distribution. It is worth noting that this framework only accounts for thirteen raptor species, and there is scope to expand it in the future to include other avian species, such as storks, bustards, pelicans and flamingos, which are also susceptible to electrocution and collision incidents and measures to mitigate electrocution of raptors may not be sufficient for these other group of birds.

Influence of physical exercise on negative emotions in college students: chain mediating role of sleep quality and self-rated health.

Negative emotions in college students are a significant factor affecting mental health, with suicide behaviors caused by negative emotions showing an annual increasing trend. Existing studies suggest that physical exercise is essential to alleviate negative feelings, yet the intrinsic mechanisms by which it affects negative emotions have not been fully revealed. Negative emotions in college students represent a significant issue affecting mental health. This study investigates the relationship between physical exercise and negative emotions among college students, incorporating sleep quality and self-rated health (SRH) as mediators to analyze the pathway mechanism of how physical exercise affects students' negative emotions. A cross-sectional study design was utilized, employing online questionnaires for investigation. The scales included the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), resulting in the collection of 30,475 valid questionnaires, with a validity rate of 91%. Chain mediation tests and Bootstrap methods were applied for effect analysis. The proportions of university students engaged in low, medium, and high levels of physical exercise were 77.6, 13.1, and 9.3%, respectively. The proportions of students experiencing "very severe" levels of stress, anxiety, and depression were 4.5, 10.9, and 3.6%, respectively. Physical exercise was significantly positively correlated with self-rated health (r = 0.194, p < 0.01), significantly negatively correlated with sleep quality (r = -0.035, p < 0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with stress, anxiety, and depression (r = -0.03, p < 0.01; r = -0.058, p < 0.01; r = -0.055, p < 0.01). Sleep quality was significantly negatively correlated with self-rated health (r = -0.242, p < 0.01). Mediation effect testing indicated that sleep quality and self-rated health partially mediated the relationship between physical exercise and negative emotions, with total effect, total direct effect, and total indirect effect values of -1.702, -0.426, and - 1.277, respectively. College students primarily engage in low-intensity physical activity. Sleep quality and self-rated health mediate the impact of physical exercise on students' negative emotions. A certain level of physical activity can directly affect students' emotional states and indirectly influence their negative emotions via sleep and self-rated health. Regular engagement in physical activities primarily positively impacts emotional states by enhancing mood stability and overall emotional resilience.

Cadmium phytoremediation potential of Houttuynia cordata: Insights from growth, uptake, and rhizosphere mechanisms

Cadmium (Cd) pollutes 7.0 % of China’s land area. This study examined the potential of Houttuynia cordata for Cd phytoremediation because of its ability to accumulate Cd in its growth matrix. H. cordata were planted in plastic pots filled with paddy field soils having low (LCd), medium (MCd), and high (HCd) Cd levels of 0.19, 0.69, and 2.91 mg/kg, respectively. After six months of growth, harvested plant parts were evaluated for Cd uptake and tolerance mechanisms. Metabolomics and metagenomics approaches were employed to investigate the soil rhizosphere mechanism. Results showed that the average plant biomass increased as soil Cd increased. The biomass Cd contents surpassed the allowable Cd limits for food (≤ 0.2 mg/kg) and medicinal uses (≤ 0.3 mg/kg). Cd contents were higher in H. cordata roots (30.59–86.27 mg/kg) than in other plant parts (0.63–2.90 mg/kg), with significantly increasing values as Cd soil level increased. Phenolic acids, lipids, amino acids and derivatives, organic acids, and alkaloids comprised the majority (69 in MCd vs HCd and 73 % in LCd vs HCd) of the shared upregulated metabolites. In addition, 13 metabolites specific to H. cordata root exudates were significantly increased. The top two principal metabolic pathways were arginine and proline metabolism, and beta-alanine metabolism. H. cordata increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Glomeromycota across all three Cd levels, and also stimulated the growth of Patescibacteria, Rozellomycota, and Claroideoglomus in HCd. Accordingly, H. cordata demonstrated potential for remediation of Cd-contaminated soils, and safety measures for its production and food use must be highly considered.