Levels Of Susceptibility Research Articles

Impact of Brand Love on Brand Loyalty: The Moderating Role of Self-Esteem and Social Influences

This study examines the impact of brand love on brand loyalty, examining the moderating roles of self-esteem and susceptibility to normative influence (SNI) within the context of consumer behavior in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan, Nepal. Utilizing a descriptive and causal comparative research design, the study employs a structured questionnaire survey, gathering primary data from 218 respondents through purposive sampling. The research aims to elucidate how brand love fosters brand loyalty and how self-esteem and social influences modulate this relationship. The findings reveal that respondents exhibit a moderate level of brand love, self-esteem, and susceptibility to normative influence, with brand loyalty also being moderately present. Correlation analysis indicates a significant, albeit weak, positive relationship between brand love and brand loyalty, suggesting that while emotional attachment to a brand enhances loyalty, other factors are also influential. SNI shows a weak positive correlation with brand loyalty, but this relationship is not statistically significant. Self- esteem, on the other hand, significantly negatively impacts brand loyalty. Regression results further highlight that brand love is a significant positive predictor of brand loyalty, whereas self-esteem negatively affects it. SNI does not significantly influence brand loyalty. These findings underscore the critical role of brand love in fostering loyalty and suggest that higher self esteem may reduce brand loyalty, potentially due to overconfidence or differing consumer priorities. The study contributes to understanding the dynamics of brand loyalty and the nuanced effects of psychological and social factors on consumer-brand relationships.

A qPCR Assay for the Quantification of the Overwintering Chasmothecia of Erysiphe necator in Grapevine Bark.

Powdery mildew (PM) disease causes serious losses in Mediterranean vineyards, where suitable environmental conditions promote conidial infections. The frequency and intensity of these infections are directly linked to the amount of primary Erysiphe necator inoculum, i.e., the chasmothecia embedded in the trunk. In this study, we set up a protocol to extract and quantify E. necator chasmothecia in grapevine bark samples based on a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay. Moreover, we observed PM severity and ascocarp production on leaves in the first season and primary infection in the following season in different grapevine cvs. with known PM susceptibility levels. The qPCR analysis showed a significant relationship between E. necator DNA concentration in bark samples and primary infection (R2 = 0.970) and disease severity development (R2 = 0.776), as well as chasmothecia development on leaves (R2 = 0.455). The results demonstrate that this methodology can be used for quantifying chasmothecia, improving current methods based on visual counting, proving the interrelationships between PM epidemics and chasmothecia, as well as refining PM disease prediction models and subsequent fungicide application. Rapid and easy quantification of ascosporic inoculum will greatly facilitate the reconciliation of control actions to the risks posed by greatly differing levels of ascosporic inoculum.

Susceptibility of Brazilian populations of Rachiplusia nu (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to insecticides and determination of diagnostic concentrations for a proactive resistance management program.

The sunflower looper, Rachiplusia nu (Guenée), evolved resistance to the insecticidal protein Cry1Ac expressed in soybean and emerged as an important soybean pest in Brazil, requiring the application of insecticides for their control. Here, we characterized the susceptibility of Brazilian populations of R. nu to several insecticides and developed diagnostic concentrations for a proactive insect resistance management (IRM) program. Geographically distinct populations of R. nu from Brazil showed a small amount of variation in susceptibility to 15 growth regulator-, muscle-, nerve- and respiration-action insecticides, presenting resistance levels ≤6.2-fold those of a susceptible population. In contrast, field populations of R. nu showed 11- to 31-fold higher resistance to flubendiamide (muscle-acting) and bifenthrin (nerve-acting) than did the susceptible population, suggesting the presence of low to moderate resistance levels. The diagnostic concentration of each insecticide established in the current study caused >98% mortality against field populations of R. nu. In general, field populations of R. nu from Brazil showed a small amount of variation in susceptibility and low levels of resistance to major insecticides commonly used for their control. The estimated diagnostic concentrations defined here are recommended for use in a proactive IRM program for monitoring the resistance of R. nu to insecticides. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

At what cost? The impactof bacteriophage resistance on the growth kinetics and protein synthesis of Escherichia coli.

Cost of bacteriophage resistance (COR) is important in explaining processes of diversification and coexistence in microbial communities. COR can be expressed in different traits, and the lack of universally applicable methods to measure fitness trade-offs makes COR challenging to study. Due to its fundamental role in growth, we explored protein synthesis as a target for quantifying COR. In this study, the growth kinetics of three genome-sequenced strains of phage-resistant Escherichia coli, along with the phage-susceptible wild-type, were characterized over a range of glucose concentrations. Bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) was used to track differences in protein synthetic activity between the wild-type and phage-resistant E. coli. Two of the resistant strains, with different levels of phage susceptibility, showed mucoid phenotypes corresponding with mutations in genes associated with the Rcs phosphorelay. These mucoid isolates, however, had reduced growth rates and potentially lower protein synthetic activity. Another resistant isolate with a different mutational profile maintained the same growth rate as the wild-type and showed increased BONCAT fluorescence, but its yield was lower. Together, these findings present different patterns of trade-offs resulting from the phage-induced mutations and demonstrate the potential applicability of BONCAT as a tool for measuring COR.

Реакция разных генотипов подсолнечника на искусственное заражение возбудителем ржавчины Puccinia helianthi Schwein. в условиях фитотрона

In recent years, we can observe the diversity of virulent biotypes of rust pathogen. Therefore, it is necessary to screen the modern sunflower genotypes for resistance to such biotypes using a monopustule inoculant. The artificial inoculation of plants by urediniospores of monipustule isolates of certain rust biotypes enables to study comprehensively reaction of analyzed sunflower genotypes. It is known, that protection mechanism at pathogen invasion depends on a parasite virulence, a volume of an infection level, environmental conditions, and a physiological state of plants. The differences in affection level and a type of reaction under artificial inoculation of plants are markers of genetic heterogeneity by a trait of resistance. The purpose of the work was to develop a scale for determination of a reaction type of sunflower plants under the artificial inoculation by the monopustule spore isolate of P. helianthi biotype 700 in phytotron and to estimate a possibility to use it for immunological characteristics of the different sunflower genotypes. The developed scale can be used for the differentiation of sunflower genotypes by an infection level and then to select samples, which are differed by their reaction from the strongly infected. The presented pictures illustrate symptoms of plant infection and make it easy to classify a level of susceptibility of sunflower samples. Using the scale, we selected the middle resistant 1-28, 1-25, and 2-16, which can be used as initial material in breeding for resistance to rust.

Site-selective modifications by lipid A phosphoethanolamine transferases linked to colistin resistance and bacterial fitness.

Rising levels of resistance to increasing numbers of antimicrobials have led to the revival of last resort antibiotic colistin. Unfortunately, resistance to colistin is also spreading in the form of mcr genes, making it essential to (i) improve the identification of resistant bacteria to allow clinicians to prescribe effective drug regimens and (ii) develop new combination therapies effective at targeting resistant bacteria. Our results demonstrate that PETs, including MCR variants, are site-selective in Escherichia coli and that site-selectivity correlates with the level of susceptibility and fitness costs conferred by certain PETs. Site selectivity associated with a given PET may not only help predict colistin resistance phenotypes but may also provide an avenue to (i) improve drug regimens and (ii) develop new combination therapies to better combat colistin-resistant bacteria.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) metabolites in urine are associated with increased systemic inflammation levels, and smokers are identified as a vulnerable population

BackgroundPrevious studies indicated that exposure to VOCs was linked to increased systemic inflammation levels. However, the dose-response relationships between urine VOCs metabolites and systemic inflammation have not been established, and the key metabolite of the toxic compounds has not been identified. MethodsWe used data in 7007 US adults in the NHANES cycles (2011–2018) across 8 years. Urinary VOC metabolites were measured using ultra-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI/MSMS). VOC metabolites were adjusted by urinary creatinine level before analysis. Systemic inflammation was assessed by systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) indices. Generalized linear models, restricted cubic splines (RCS), and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression were applied to evaluate the associations, exposure-response (E-R) curve and identify the key contributor compound, adjusting for gender, age, race, BMI, marital condition, education level, smoking level, alcohol consumption and physical activity. Smoking status was assessed as an effect modifier. ResultsSignificant and robust positive correlations were found between 8 VOC metabolites and both SII and SIRI. They were N-Acetyl-S-(2-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine (CEMA), N-Acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (CYMA), N-Acetyl-S-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)-L-cysteine (DHBMA), N-Acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-L-cysteine (3HPMA), mandelic acid (MA), N-Acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)-L-cysteine (MHBMA3), phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA), and N-Acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl-1-methyl)-L-cysteine (HPMMA). The RCS curves showed J-shaped or exponential shaped E-R relationships for most VOC metabolites. WQS regression found that exposure to the mixture of VOC metabolites was related to increased systemic inflammation, and MA was the key VOC metabolite contributing most to systemic inflammation levels. Smokers exhibited higher levels of urinary VOCs and larger susceptibility to VOC-related increases in SII and SIRI compared to non-smokers. ConclusionThis study demonstrated a strong link between urinary VOC metabolites and increased systemic inflammation, and smokers were more susceptible. Our findings highlighted the significance of reducing VOC exposure to mitigate the inflammation levels, particularly for smokers.

Associations between the life's essential 8, genetic risk and breast cancer incidence in premenopausal and postmenopausal women: a prospective study in UK Biobank.

The combined effect of cardiovascular risk factors on breast cancer in women is unknown. The relationship between genetic risk combined with cardiovascular health (CVH) levels and breast cancer has not been confirmed. This study aims to explore the relationship between CVH level based on life's essential 8 (LE8) score and breast cancer risk in women with different menopausal statuses and to estimate further the effect of CVH level combined with genetic susceptibility on breast cancer risk. A total of 118,911 women from UK Biobank were included in the study, including 22,676 premenopausal women and 96,235 postmenopausal women. The association between the CVH level and the risk of breast cancer in women with different menopausal statuses was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression models, with the healthiest CVH group as the reference. In addition, risk ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the joint effect of the CVH level and polygenic risk score (PRS) were calculated using the PRS from the UK Biobank. During a mean follow-up period of 13.8years, we observed 733 cases and 3,645 cases of breast cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, respectively. In premenopausal women, the risk of breast cancer was significantly increased in the intermediate CVH group (HR, 1.28; 95%CI 1.08-1.52) and the low CVH group (HR, 1.44; 95%CI 1.13-1.85). In postmenopausal women, the risk of incidence was also significantly increased in the intermediate CVH group (HR, 1.20; 95%CI 1.07-1.32) and the low CVH group (HR, 1.34; 95%CI 1.17-1.54). In the joint effect analysis, the risk of breast cancer for women in the low CVH group and the high genetic risk group was highest in both premenopausal (HR, 8.26; 95%CI 4.44-15.35) and postmenopausal (HR, 8.10; 95%CI 5.50-11.93) women. Women with lower LE8 scores and higher genetic susceptibility have the higher risk of breast cancer. This suggests that women with lower levels of CVH and higher genetic susceptibility have an increased risk of breast cancer under different menopausal statuses.

Re-sensitization of imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and restoration of cephalosporins susceptibility in Enterobacteriaceae by recombinant Esterase B.

Sphingobium sp. SM42 Esterase B (EstB) is an enzyme with a dual function in degrading dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and catalyzing the cleavage of the C-S bond in C3-sidechains of the dihydrothiazine ring of cephalosporins, generating more active β-lactam derivatives. Global prokaryotic genome analysis revealed the existence of a gene identical to estB in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PS1 suggesting a horizontal gene transfer event involving estB. To investigate the effect of ectopic expression of EstB in the periplasm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and several Enterobacteriaceae on antibiotic susceptibility levels, plasmid, pEstB, carrying a recombinant EstB fused with the signal peptide from Escherichia coli outer membrane protein A (OmpA) for periplasmic localization was constructed. The expression of EstB in the periplasm of P. aeruginosa and the Enterobacteriaceae: E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, increased susceptibility to carbapenems and cephalosporins. EstB reversed the imipenem resistance of P. aeruginosa ΔmexS and restored the changes in susceptibility to cephalosporins conferred by the downregulation of the outer membrane proteins, OmpK35 and OmpK36, in K. pneumoniae ΔramR-ompK36 to wild-type level. The introduction of EstB to the periplasmic space of Gram-negative bacteria can increase carbapenem and cephalosporin susceptibility.

Decoding the Double Stress Puzzle: Investigating Nutrient Uptake Efficiency and Root Architecture in Soybean Under Heat- and Water-Stresses.

In the context of climate change, associated with increasingly frequent water deficits and heat waves, there is an urgent need to maintain the performance of soybean, a leading legume crop worldwide, before its yield declines. The objective of this study was to explore which plant traits improve soybean tolerance to heat and/or water stress, with a focus on traits involved in plant architecture and nutrient uptake. For this purpose, two soybean genotypes were grown under controlled conditions in a high-throughput phenotyping platform where either optimal conditions, heat waves, water stress or both heat waves and water stresses were applied during the vegetative stage. By correlating architectural to functional traits, related to water, carbon allocation and nutrient absorption, we were able to explain the stress susceptibility level of the two genotypes. We have shown that water flow in the plant is central to the uptake and allocation of mineral elements in the plant, despite its modulation by stress and in a genotype-dependent manner. This cross-analysis of plant ecophysiology and plant nutrition under different stresses provides new information, especially on the importance of mineral elements in the different plant organs, and can inform future crop design, particularly under changing climatic conditions.

Investigation of Association Between Expression of DYX1C1, KIAA0319, and ROBO1 Genes and Specific Learning Disorder in Children and Adolescents.

Specific learning disorder (SLD) is prevalent worldwide and is a complex disorder with variable symptoms and significant differences among individuals. Epigenetic markers may alter susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Aberrant expression of protein-coding (mRNA) genes in this pathology shows that the detection of epigenetic molecular biomarkers is of increasing importance in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with SLD. We compared gene expression level of dyslexia susceptibility 1 candidate gene 1 (DYX1C1), dyslexia-associated protein KIAA0319 (KIAA0319), and roundabout guidance receptor 1 (ROBO1) between children with SLD and healthy children by performing quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, we evaluated these gene expressions of severe children with SLD compared to non-severe and male SLD children compared to females. The expression of the DYX1C1, KIAA0319, and ROBO1 genes was statistically significantly upregulated in children with SLD (P < 0.05*). DYX1C1 was also upregulated in severe SLD children (P = 0.03*). In addition, KIAA0319 and ROBO1 genes were differentially expressed in male SLD children compared to females (P < 0.05*). Furthermore, we found that DYX1C1 and ROBO1 genes significantly affect the likelihood of the SLD (respectively, P < 0.001** and P = 0.007*). We expect that the findings provided from this study may contribute to the determination expression level of the relevant genes in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of SLD. In addition, our findings could be a guide for future epigenetics studies on the use of the DYX1C1, KIAA0319, and ROBO1 in therapeutic applications in the SLD.

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of uropathogens in dogs and cats with signs of urinary tract infection.

To determine the prevalence of uropathogens in dogs and cats with signs of urinary tract infection and to characterise their antimicrobial susceptibility. Urine samples from canine and feline patients with clinical signs of urinary tract infection were collected between September 2015 and December 2019 in Santiago, Chile. Bacterial identification and bacterial susceptibility profile was performed through biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Four hundred sixty-six samples from dogs (37.7%) and 152 from cats (26.1%) showed bacterial growth. Positive samples were mainly from females (dogs: 52.8%; cats: 48.0%), with the highest infection rates in senior dogs (57.7%) and adult cats (45.4%). A single organism caused the infection in 78.2% of the cases, whereas the remaining 21.8% corresponded to a mixed infection. The most prevalent isolated pathogen in dogs and cats was Escherichia coli (42.6% and 49.7%, respectively). Staphylococcus spp. (15.6% and 14.6%), Enterococcus spp. (8.6% and 15.2%) and Proteus spp. (9.7% and 6.4%) were also commonly isolated. A total of 52.4% of Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to amoxicillin, 44.3% to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, 40.0% to cephradine and 25.3% to ciprofloxacin. Regarding the other three uropathogens commonly isolated in this study, all of them showed a percentage of resistance to the antimicrobials analysed. In addition, 24.6% of multidrug resistance was detected in the E. coli isolates. Penicillin, cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones showed the lowest susceptibility levels. The observed high rates of resistance to commonly prescribed antimicrobials raise concerns for public health.

Quantifying the Geomorphological Susceptibility of the Piping Erosion in Loess Using LiDAR-Derived DEM and Machine Learning Methods

Soil piping erosion is an underground soil erosion process that is significantly underestimated or overlooked. It can lead to intense soil erosion and trigger surface processes such as landslides, collapses, and channel erosion. Conducting susceptibility mapping is a vital way to identify the potential for soil piping erosion, which is of enormous significance for soil and water conservation as well as geological disaster prevention. This study utilized airborne radar drones to survey and map 1194 sinkholes in Sunjiacha basin, Huining County, on the Loess Plateau in Northwest China. We identified seventeen key hydrogeomorphological factors that influence sinkhole susceptibility and used six machine learning models—support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), random forest (RF), and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT)—for the susceptibility assessment and mapping of loess sinkholes. We then evaluated and validated the prediction results of various models using the area under curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC). The results showed that all six of these machine learning algorithms had an AUC of more than 0.85. The GBDT model had the best predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.94) and model migration performance (AUC = 0.93), and it could find sinkholes with high and very high susceptibility levels in loess areas. This suggests that the GBDT model is well suited for the fine-scale susceptibility mapping of sinkholes in loess regions.

Analysis of Flood Risk in the Lower Hydrographic Basin of the Río Negro (Argentina)

The recurrent floods in the lower hydrographic basin of the Río Negro (RN), documented since 1899, have caused significant damage to the resident population settled in flood-prone areas, whose socioeconomic condition is unfavorable. The aim of this study was to analyze the risk associated with flood occurrences in this area by integrating the flood susceptibility level (hazard) of the study area and the vulnerability of the population. The risk analysis was derived from the algebraic overlay of hazard and vulnerability maps, developed according to criteria published by Renda et al. (2017). In the study area, floods are primarily caused by intense rainfall and winds, upstream water discharges from the Limay and Neuquén rivers, and interactions between increased upstream flow from the lower hydrographic basin of the RN and extreme meteorological events known as Sudestadas. Every certain period, such as every 2 years for winds exceeding 75 km/h and precipitation exceeding 37 mm in 24 hours, as well as every 100 years for flows exceeding 4,000 , the occurrence of floods in the lower basin of the RN is expected to be derived from these events. Based on terrain characteristics and topography, 41.7% of the lower RN basin area showed moderate to high susceptibility to flooding. INDEC data (2010) indicated that 51.0% of the population in the study area was vulnerable to floods due to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions. According to hazard and vulnerability analyses, 43.2% of residents in the lower RN basin lived in high-risk areas, with homes located near the riverbank and on the outskirts of the Viedma-Carmen de Patagones urban conglomerate, hence being the most vulnerable. The results obtained in this research showed the influence of the natural and anthropogenic factors on the occurrence of flood-related disasters in the lower hydrographic basin of the RN. In addition, they served as a preliminary study that will enable decision-makers to create better prevention and mitigation plans contributing to improving the quality of life of its inhabitants.

Dengue and chikungunya virus dynamics, identification, and monitoring in wastewater.

Monitoring wastewater is an effective strategy for supporting clinical surveillance for viral infections. Wastewater monitoring, also known as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), uses existing wastewater collection networks to obtain a composite sample of a population that can be used to predict disease dynamics in a specific area. Viruses such as dengue and chikungunya are primarily transmitted through the bites of infected Aedes mosquito species. The prevalence of the Aedes mosquito in tropical and subtropical regions makes these diseases a serious threat to public health. Employing wastewater surveillance, monitoring, and regulating the spread of diseases like dengue and chikungunya-notably caused by mosquitoes-has been recommended. However, understanding the dynamics of viral release and its persistence in wastewater is critical for monitoring purposes. Although methods for recovering RNA for some viruses from wastewater have been developed, the same approach does not work equally well for viruses such as dengue and chikungunya due to low levels of viral RNA and susceptibility to degradation. As a result, a tailored approach to recovering these viruses from wastewater is required. This review summarizes viral release from infected hosts, its dynamics, and approaches for dengue and chikungunya wastewater surveillance. The review also identifies existing knowledge gaps in viral persistence in wastewater and recovery.

Listeria monocytogenes in Fruits and Vegetables: Antimicrobial Resistance, Biofilm, and Genomic Insights.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can infect both humans and animals and cause noninvasive gastrointestinal listeriosis or invasive listeriosis. The objectives of this study were to determine the genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes; the genes associated with its resistance to antibiotics, benzalkonium chloride (BC), and cadmium chloride (CdCl2); and its biofilm formation. A total of 132 fresh fruits (44 samples) and vegetables (88 samples) were selected for this study. The genetic diversity of the isolates and the genes associated with their antibiotic resistance were determined using PCR amplification; meanwhile, their levels of susceptibility to antibiotics were determined using the agar diffusion method. Their levels of resistance to BC and CdCl2 were determined using the minimum inhibitory concentration method, and their capacity for biofilm formation was evaluated using the crystal violet staining method. A total of 17 L. monocytogenes strains were collected: 12.8% (17/132) from fresh fruits and vegetables in this study. The isolates of L. monocytogenes belonged to phylogenetic groups I.1 (29.4% (5/17); serotype 1/2a) and II.2 (70.5% (12/17); serotype 1/2b); strains containing Listeria pathogenicity islands (LIPIs) were also identified at prevalence rates of 100% for LIPI-1 and LIPI-2 (17/17), 29.4% for LIPI-3 (5/17), and 11.7% for LIPI-4 (2/17). The antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that the L. monocytogenes isolates exhibited six different multiresistant patterns, with multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of ≥0.46 (70.5%; 12/17); additionally, the genes Ide, tetM, and msrA, associated with efflux pump Lde, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin resistance, were detected at 52.9% (9/17), 29.4% (5/17), and 17.6% (3/17), respectively. The phenotypic tests showed that 58.8% (10/17) of cadmium-resistant L. monocytogenes isolates had a co-resistance of 23.5% (4/17) to BC. Finally, all strains of L. monocytogenes exhibited moderate biofilm production. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the persistence and genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes strains isolated from fresh fruits and vegetables; in addition, their resistance to CdCl2, which is correlated with co-resistance to BC disinfectant, is helpful for the food industry.

Unveiling gully erosion susceptibility: A semi-quantitative modeling approach integrated with field data in contrasting landscapes and climate regions

This study addresses the challenge of mapping gully erosion susceptibility, which is often hindered by limited observed data, the complexity of controlling factors, and the uncertainties associated with characterizing these factors. We utilized a semi-quantitative modeling approach that integrates field-based data and ten controlling factors in the Chemoga watershed of Ethiopia's Upper Blue Nile basin. The resulting gully erosion susceptibility map was compared with a random forest-based approach to assess the methodological applicability. Additionally, an independent dataset from adjacent watersheds was used to validate the approach. The findings revealed that certain landscape positions with specific elevation ranges and slope steepness were more susceptible to gully erosion due to factors such as rainfall, lithological formations, soil characteristics, and agricultural activities. Approximately 10% of the watershed area was affected by gully erosion, with varying susceptibility levels. The comparison between the semi-quantitative and random forest approaches demonstrates a total agreement of around 58%, with minimal differences in susceptibility classes. The study also highlights a strong agreement between simulated and observed susceptibility maps, with a 76% value for the simulation and a lower 48% agreement for the random forest approach. Furthermore, in the adjacent watershed, 65% of the area exhibits no discrepancies between observed and simulated maps. This suggests that the semi-quantitative approach is effective in extrapolating gully erosion susceptibility when detailed data is limited, offering a cost-effective and efficient solution. The study emphasizes the utility of the semi-quantitative modeling approach in mapping gully erosion susceptibility and its potential for practical applications in land management and intervention strategies.

Water Relations and Physiological Traits Associated with the Yield Components of Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Water stress in agricultural systems may occur slowly or abruptly. Plant reactions to stress differ with regard to its level and duration. The level of plant susceptibility to water deprivation primarily depends on the management of the water content and metabolism adjustments. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between water-based plant parameters and the yield components of 90 genotypes of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Since the loss of water is frequently used as a selection criterion to assess drought tolerance, the relationships between the yield and leaf water content, osmotic potential, and gas exchange characteristics were examined. Genotypes 1, 25, 34, 36, 42, 43, 46, 57, 66, 73, and 90 showed 33–45% larger numbers of grains/plant, 19–25% higher weights of grains/plant, and 4% higher thousand grain weights compared to other genotypes. The higher values of the yield components were accompanied by 20–30% lower leaf water content, 39–52% lower osmotic potential, and 4–39% lower water use efficiency. The principal component analysis revealed that the wheat genotypes had noticeable differences in a few physiological parameters that depended on the sowing date. Electrolyte leakage showed a substantial correlation with the sowing date, suggesting that it may not be a suitable factor for the prediction of drought tolerance. The factors that distinguished the examined genotypes the most were the leaf water content, osmotic potential, and water use efficiency. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the mentioned parameters and yield components. As a result, these parameters may be helpful in genotype characterization in relation to water stress susceptibility, offering a trustworthy plant selection test.

Multi-hazard risk assessment analysis in La Palma: an approach for risk mitigation

BackgroundLa Palma, like many regions of the world, may be affected by various hazards, with different levels of susceptibility, which have a greater or lesser impact on society. In this context, a multi-risk approached model capable of estimating the total risk faced by the territory is required, considering the different hazards to which it is exposed (floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides) and the different conditions of vulnerability of both the population and the exposed assets.MethodsThe methodology employed in this study has been referred to as "multilayer single hazard", which consists of the aggregation or superposition of hazards located in the same space. As usual, the identification of the individual hazard of each one of them was carried out using heterogeneous methods, which is why an index is proposed to homogenize the hazards and make them comparable with each other. On the other hand, the model also integrates a prototype to evaluate vulnerability from a multiple perspective (vulnerability by hazard) and shows the aggregated information in maps at a medium representation scale (definition of 250 m).ResultsThe risk integration results show that 5% of the island is at high risk levels. Simultaneously, the south of the island is presented as the area that shows the highest risk by combining a high hazard, especially related to volcanic hazards, and a high exposure, as it is home to a significant volume of population.ConclusionsThe proposed methodology is also interesting because it can be replicated in other areas of study.

Mapping the susceptibility to freeze-thaw deterioration and regionalization of freeze-thaw environments of earthen sites in China: A preliminary study

Earthen sites in China are widely exposed to freeze-thaw environments. There is a lack of knowledge about the spatial distribution patterns of freeze-thaw deterioration and environments, as well as preventive conservation strategies and subsequent refined research on the freeze-thaw deterioration of earthen sites. In this study, the freeze-thaw deterioration process of earthen sites was divided into two periods. Thirteen relevant factors were selected, and using the GIS-FAHP method, a susceptibility map for freeze-thaw deterioration of earthen sites in China was created. The Jenks Natural Breaks method was then employed to categorize the areas into five susceptibility levels: very low (24.6 %), low (18.2 %), moderate (24.2 %), high (18.2 %) and very high (14.8 %). Based on the susceptibility map, the three-level regionalization scheme for freeze-thaw environments of earthen sites in China was systematically developed, taking into account the differences in freeze-thaw deterioration susceptibility and natural landscape within the geomorphological units, and the environmental codes were assigned to third level small-regions. The freeze-thaw environments of earthen sites in China were finally divided into 5 major-regions, 20 sub-regions and 42 small-regions. The results showed that in the area east of the Heihe-Tengchong line, the susceptibility to freeze-thaw deterioration showed latitudinal correlation, and the susceptibility gradually increased from south to north; in the area west of the Heihe-Tengchong line, the susceptibility to freeze-thaw deterioration exhibited strong zonal characteristics. Among the provincial administrative units, Gansu Province and Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region have the most complex freeze-thaw environments, while Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan and Heilongjiang Provinces have the harshest freeze-thaw environments. This study can support regional management and prevention of freeze-thaw deterioration and deterioration studies of earthen sites in China.