Search Results (16)

Rhododendron L., a renowned ornamental species and one of the ten famous flowers in China, is highly regarded for its aesthetic value and extensive applications in landscaping. However, its growth and quality are significantly compromised by drought stress, particularly in regions with dry conditions. To elucidate the drought response mechanisms of Rhododendron, two cultivars, ‘SaKeSiZhiXing’ (SKSZX) and ‘TuRuiMeiGui’ (TRMG), were subjected to natural drought stress, and changes in chlorophyll fluorescence and transcriptomic profiles were examined at 0 days (d), 4 d, and 8 d of drought exposure. An OJIP fluorescence transient (O-J-I-P) analysis revealed a progressive decline in the F_P parameter and an increase in the F_J parameter as drought stress intensified. Additionally, a delayed fluorescence (DF) analysis showed a gradual reduction in the I₁ and I₂ values within the induction and decay curves under prolonged drought conditions. The 820 nm curve indicated the deactivation of a transient phase characterized by a rapid decline, followed by a slow recovery in the modulated reflection (MR) signal. A transcriptomic analysis of leaves identified 24,352, 18,688, and 32,261 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SKSZX at 0 d, 4 d, and 8 d of drought treatment, respectively. In contrast, TRMG exhibited more pronounced and earlier drought-induced alterations. These DEGs were primarily enriched in pathways related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signaling, photosynthesis, and photosynthesis-antenna proteins. Additionally, 565 transcription factors (TFs) were identified, including bHLH, WRKY, bZIP, MYB-related, MYB, C2H2, and HSF families. The drought-induced changes in TRMG were more substantial and occurred earlier compared to SKSZX, with a greater impairment in the electron transfer capacity at both the donor and acceptor sides of photosystem II (PSII). This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in Rhododendron and offers a foundation for molecular breeding strategies aimed at enhancing drought resistance in future cultivars. Full article

The range of sensor technologies for structural health monitoring (SHM) systems is expanding as the need for ongoing structural monitoring increases. In such a case, damage to the monitored structure elements is detected using an integrated network of sensors operating in real-time or periodically in frequent time stamps. This paper briefly introduces a new type of sensor, called a Customized Crack Propagation Sensor (CCPS), which is an alternative for crack gauges, but with enhanced functional features and customizability. Due to those characteristics, it is necessary to develop a family of computer-aided supporting models for rapid prototyping and analysis of the new designs of sensors of various shapes and configurations, which this paper presents by use of simulation tools. For a prototyping of the sensor lay out, an algorithm is elaborated, based on an application created in LabVIEW 2022 software, which generates two spreadsheets formatted by the requirements of Autodesk Inventor 2014 and COMSOL Multiphysics 5.6 software, based on data entered by the user. As a result, a tailored-in-shape CCPS layout is prepared. A parametric model of the sensor is prepared in Autodesk Inventor software, which automatically changes its geometric dimensions after changing data in an MS Excel spreadsheet. Then, the generated layout is analyzed to obtain electromechanical characteristics for defined CCPS geometry and materials used in the COMSOL Multiphysics software. Another application is devoted to purely mechanical analysis. The graphical user interface (GUI) add-on based on the Abaqus 2018 software engine is prepared for advanced mechanical analysis simulations of sensor materials in selected loading scenarios. The GUI is used for entering material libraries and the selection of loading conditions and a type of specimen, while the results of the numerical analysis are delivered through Abaqus. The main advantage of the developed GUI is the capacity for personnel inexperienced in using the Abaqus environment to perform analysis. Some results of simulation tests carried out in both COMSOL Multiphysics as well as Abaqus software are delivered in this paper, using a predefined parametric sensor model. For example, using a rigid epoxy resin for an insulating layer shows a negligible difference in the level of strain compared to the structure during a simulated tensile test, specifically in the tested layer thickness range of up to 0.3 mm. However, during bending tests, an approx. 17% change in principal strain level can be observed through the top to bottom edge of the epoxy resin layer. The adopted methodology for carrying out simulation studies assumes the parallel use of a set of various computer-aided tools. This approach allows for taking advantage of individual software environments, which allows for expanding the scope of analyses and using the developed models and applications in further research activities. Full article

Background: The plant hormone cytokinin is a conserved regulator of plant development. LONELY GUY (LOG) proteins are pivotal in cytokinin biosynthesis. However, their origin, evolutionary history, and enzymatic characteristics remain largely uncharacterized. Methods: To elucidate LOG family evolution history and protein motif composition, we conducted phylogenetic and motif analyses encompassing representative species across the whole green plant lineage. Catalytic activity and structure analysis were conducted to thoroughly characterize the LOG proteins. Results: Our phylogeny showed that LOG proteins could be divided into five groups and revealed three major duplication events giving rise to four distinct groups of vascular LOG proteins. LOG proteins share a conserved structure characterized by a canonical motif arrangement comprising motifs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Two significant changes in LOG motif composition occurred during the transition to land plants: the emergence of motif 3 in charophyte LOG sequences and the subsequent acquisition of motif 8 at the C-terminus of LOG proteins. Enzymatic assays demonstrated that LOG proteins can be classified into two groups based on their enzyme activity. One group act as cytokinin riboside 5′-monophosphate phosphoribohydrolase and primarily convert iPRMP to iP, while the other group act as 5′-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase, and preferentially produce iPR from the same substrates. TaLOG5-4A1, TaLOG5-4A2, TaLOG5-5B2, and TaLOG5-D1 shared conserved residues in the critical motif and were predicted to have similar protein structures, but displayed distinct enzymatic activities. Conclusions: Our findings provide a comprehensive overview of LOG protein phylogeny and lay a foundation for further investigations into their functional diversification. Full article

The discovery of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) dates back to 1958, when the pathologist Donald Teare of the St. George’s Hospital in London performed autopsies in eight cases with asymmetric hypertrophy of the ventricular septum and bizarre disorganization (disarray) at histology, first interpreted as hamartoma. Seven had died suddenly. The cardiac specimens were cut along the long axis, similar to the 2D echo. In the same year, at the National Institute of Health U.S.A., Eugene Braunwald, a hemodynamist, and Andrew Glenn Morrow, a cardiac surgeon, clinically faced a patient with an apparently similar morbid entity, with a systolic murmur and subaortic valve gradient. “Discrete” subaortic stenosis was postulated. However, at surgery, Dr. Morrow observed only hypertrophy and performed myectomy to relieve the obstruction. This first Braunwald–Morrow patient underwent a successful cardiac transplant later at the disease end stage. The same Dr. Morrow was found to be affected by the familial HCM and died suddenly in 1992. The term “functional subaortic stenosis” was used in 1959 and “idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis” in 1960. Years before, in 1957, Lord Brock, a cardiac surgeon at the Guy’s Hospital in London, during alleged aortic valve surgery in extracorporeal circulation, did not find any valvular or discrete subaortic stenoses. In 1980, John F. Goodwin of the Westminster Hospital in London, the head of an international WHO committee, put forward the first classification of heart muscle diseases, introducing the term cardiomyopathy (dilated, hypertrophic, and endomyocardial restrictive). In 1995, the WHO classification was revisited, with the addition of two new entities, namely arrhythmogenic and purely myocardial restrictive, the latter a paradox of a small heart accounting for severe congestive heart failure by ventricular diastolic impairment. A familial occurrence was noticed earlier in HCM and published by Teare and Goodwin in 1960. In 1989–1990, the same family underwent molecular genetics investigation by the Seidman team in Boston, and a missense mutation of the β-cardiac myosin heavy chain in chromosome 14 was found. Thus, 21 years elapsed from HCM gross discovery to molecular discoveries. The same original family was the source of both the gross and genetic explanations of HCM, which is now named sarcomere disease. Restrictive cardiomyopathy, characterized grossly without hypertrophy and histologically by myocardial disarray, was found to also have a sarcomeric genetic mutation, labeled “HCM without hypertrophy”. Sarcomere missense mutations have also been reported in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and non-compaction cardiomyopathy. Moreover, sarcomeric gene defects have been detected in some DNA non-coding regions of HCM patients. The same mutation in the family may express different phenotypes (HCM, DCM, and RCM). Large ischemic scars have been reported by pathologists and are nowadays easily detectable in vivo by cardiac magnetic resonance with gadolinium. The ischemic arrhythmic substrate enhances the risk of sudden death. Full article

Despite the continuously expanding presence of Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, media representation of the Spanish language and that of its speakers has remained relatively scarce. At present, however, a growing interest in reaching and cashing in on this influential consumer group is forcing significant changes in the mass media communication landscape. Not only are an increasing number of movies and TV shows working with more diverse casts (ethnically, culturally, linguistically, etc.), but there also seems to be a heightened presence of Latinx characters in leading or supporting roles. This tendency, however, does not necessarily mean that mainstream media is becoming more inclusive and less anglocentric. In fact, a careful look at the storylines of individuals who are perceived to be Spanish speakers will reveal that they mostly portray stereotypical roles and behaviors. When their stories are told, they are all too often infused with unwarranted messages that portray Latinxs as lazy, unskilled, unintelligible in speech, hypersexual, or simply too ‘foreign’ to fit in. Whether overtly or covertly expressed, the negative impact of these persistent transgressions has the potential to shape real-world ideologies, attitudes, and prejudices. This paper adopts a critical raciolinguistic perspective, which underscores the co-naturalization of language and race, to highlight the role of media in reinforcing discrimination against the Spanish language and its speakers. In our analysis of six recently popularized TV shows (i.e., East Los High, Family Guy, Gentefied, Jane the Virgin, One Day at a Time, and That ‘70s Show), we examine the perpetuation of racialized stereotypes toward Latinx characters’ linguistic practices with regard to (i) the environment in which they exist, (ii) their mannerisms, (iii) speech patterns, and (iv) interactions with other characters. We demonstrate how these shows’ blending of seemingly harmless linguistic ideologies with stereotypical and sensationalized representations grounded in colonial hierarchies reproduces hegemonic interests, perpetuates social inequalities, and places racialized Spanish speakers at a disadvantage. Full article

Two recent studies addressed the problem of reducing transitional turbulence in applications developed in C# on .NET. The first study investigated this problem in desktop and Web GUI applications and the second in virtual and augmented reality applications using the Unity3D game engine. The studies used similar solution approaches, but both were somewhat embedded in the details of their applications and implementation platforms. This paper examines these two families of applications and seeks to extract the common aspects of their problem definitions and solution approaches and codify the problem-solution pair as a new software design pattern. To do so, the paper adopts Wellhausen and Fiesser’s writer’s path methodology and follows it systematically to discover and write the pattern, recording the reasoning at each step. To evaluate the pattern, the paper applies it to an arbitrary C#/.NET GUI application. The resulting design pattern is named Dynamically Coalescing Reactive Chains (DCRC). It enables the approach to transitional turbulence reduction to be reused across a range of related applications, languages, and user interface technologies. The detailed example of the writer’s path can assist future pattern writers in navigating through the complications and subtleties of the pattern-writing process. Full article

Multilingualism and multiculturalism are verbally and visually recurrent in the sitcom Family Guy (1999-in production) through a combination of a main language of communication (L1) and other languages (L3) in the source language (SL) or source text (ST). The use of L3 is tantamount to tokenism and stereotyping characters, especially those whose recurrence is incidental and part of jokes. This paper compares two versions of the episode “Road to Rhode Island” (American and Spanish DVDs) and addresses a scene to analyze the linguistic challenges and lexical choices in dubbing and subtitling L1 and L3 in two geographical varieties of Spanish: Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish. In this regard, this study focuses on the role and function of L3 in translation, the techniques to represent L3 in translation, L1 and L3 translation techniques, and which techniques are used in translation. Overall, this paper explores how the Spanish DVD adds a new L3 in the target text (TT) to maintain its original function in subtitling and dubbing, and the differences in the American DVD: L3^TT omission in subtitling and L3^TT change of function and meaning in dubbing, which ultimately accentuates linguistic and cultural misrepresentation and stereotypes. Full article

Bioaugmentation is a valuable technique for oil recovery. This study investigates the composition and functions of microbial communities in gasoline- and diesel-contaminated soils of garages Matoko (SGM) and Guy et Paul (SGP) originating from auto mechanic workshops as well as the concentration of soil enzymes β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, and acid phosphatase. The work aimed to evaluate the presence of petroleum-hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria for the development of foreseen bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils. Microbial diversity, as given by shotgun metagenomics, indicated the presence of 16 classes, among which Actinobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria dominated, as well as more than 50 families, including the dominant Gordoniaceae (26.63%) in SGM and Pseudomonadaceae (57.89%) in SGP. The dominant bacterial genera in the two soils were, respectively, Gordonia (26.7%) and Pseudomonas (57.9%). The exploration of the bacterial metabolic abilities using HUMANn2 allowed to detect genes and pathways involved in alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons in the two contaminated soils. Furthermore, enzymes β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, and acid phosphatase were found in high concentrations ranging between 90.27 ± 5.3 and 804.17 ± 20.5 µg pN/g soil/h, which indicated active microbial metabolism. The high diversity of microorganisms with a hydrocarbon degradation genetic package revealed that the bacteria inhabiting the two soils are likely good candidates for the bioaugmentation of oil-contaminated soils. Full article

Background: As technology becomes more sophisticated, more accessible methods of interpretating Big Data become essential. We have continued to develop Complexity and Entropy in Physiological Signals (CEPS) as an open access MATLAB^® GUI (graphical user interface) providing multiple methods for the modification and analysis of physiological data. Methods: To demonstrate the functionality of the software, data were collected from 44 healthy adults for a study investigating the effects on vagal tone of breathing paced at five different rates, as well as self-paced and un-paced. Five-minute 15-s recordings were used. Results were also compared with those from shorter segments of the data. Electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA) and Respiration (RSP) data were recorded. Particular attention was paid to COVID risk mitigation, and to parameter tuning for the CEPS measures. For comparison, data were processed using Kubios HRV, RR-APET and DynamicalSystems.jl software. We also compared findings for ECG RR interval (RRi) data resampled at 4 Hz (4R) or 10 Hz (10R), and non-resampled (noR). In total, we used around 190–220 measures from CEPS at various scales, depending on the analysis undertaken, with our investigation focused on three families of measures: 22 fractal dimension (FD) measures, 40 heart rate asymmetries or measures derived from Poincaré plots (HRA), and 8 measures based on permutation entropy (PE). Results: FDs for the RRi data differentiated strongly between breathing rates, whether data were resampled or not, increasing between 5 and 7 breaths per minute (BrPM). Largest effect sizes for RRi (4R and noR) differentiation between breathing rates were found for the PE-based measures. Measures that both differentiated well between breathing rates and were consistent across different RRi data lengths (1–5 min) included five PE-based (noR) and three FDs (4R). Of the top 12 measures with short-data values consistently within ± 5% of their values for the 5-min data, five were FDs, one was PE-based, and none were HRAs. Effect sizes were usually greater for CEPS measures than for those implemented in DynamicalSystems.jl. Conclusion: The updated CEPS software enables visualisation and analysis of multichannel physiological data using a variety of established and recently introduced complexity entropy measures. Although equal resampling is theoretically important for FD estimation, it appears that FD measures may also be usefully applied to non-resampled data. Full article

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is an extended version of the Internet of Things (IoT). It mainly concentrates on the integration of medical things for servicing needy people who cannot get medical services easily, especially rural area people and aged peoples living alone. The main objective of this work is to design a real time interactive system for providing medical services to the needy who do not have a sufficient medical infrastructure. With the help of this system, people will get medical services at their end with minimal medical infrastructure and less treatment cost. However, the designed system could be upgraded to address the family of SARs viruses, and for experimentation, we have taken COVID-19 as a test case. The proposed system comprises of many modules, such as the user interface, analytics, cloud, etc. The proposed user interface is designed for interactive data collection. At the initial stage, it collects preliminary medical information, such as the pulse oxygen rate and RT-PCR results. With the help of a pulse oximeter, they could get the pulse oxygen level. With the help of swap test kit, they could find COVID-19 positivity. That information is uploaded as preliminary information to the designed proposed system via the designed UI. If the system identifies the COVID positivity, it requests that the person upload X-ray/CT images for ranking the severity of the disease. The system is designed for multi-model data. Hence, it can deal with X-ray, CT images, and textual data (RT-PCR results). Once X-ray/CT images are collected via the designed UI, those images are forwarded to the designed AI module for analytics. The proposed AI system is designed for multi-disease classification. It classifies the patients affected with COVID-19 or pneumonia or any other viral infection. It also measures the intensity level of lung infection for providing suitable treatment to the patients. Numerous deep convolution neural network (DCNN) architectures are available for medical image classification. We used ResNet-50, ResNet-100, ResNet-101, VGG 16, and VGG 19 for better classification. From the experimentation, it observed that ResNet101 and VGG 19 outperform, with an accuracy of 97% for CT images. ResNet101 outperforms with an accuracy of 98% for X-ray images. For obtaining enhanced accuracy, we used a major voting classifier. It combines all the classifiers result and presents the majority voted one. It results in reduced classifier bias. Finally, the proposed system presents an automatic test summary report textually. It can be accessed via user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). It results in a reduced report generation time and individual bias. Full article

This essay considers various ways in which St George, an important figure in mummers’ plays before the Protestant Reformation, remained a presence in drama and popular entertainment long after one would have expected him to have disappeared. It notes his importance in the agricultural calendar, his strong association with fireworks, his popular designation as a specifically English saint, and some of the customs traditionally observed on his feast day of 23 April. It then moves on to consider some of the plays in which he is mentioned or alluded to, including works by Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Beaumont, and John Fletcher, as well as a romance by Richard Johnson that was later dramatized, and culminates with references in three plays produced by members of the Cavendish family of Bolsover and Welbeck. It argues that referring to St George offered a way of talking about Englishness even when (perhaps especially when) that concept was contested, and also suggests that the legendary folk hero Guy of Warwick, presented in some texts as the son of St George, could sometimes act as a dramatic proxy for the saint. Full article

Disability is a topic that arouses social interest and that has been approached and represented in different ways throughout history. Analysing media portrayals of disability is needed to ease the development of inclusive societies. This work aims to identify the social representations of people with disabilities and the cases of mockery and discrimination that appear in the well-known Family Guy cartoons. For this purpose, a mixed methodology has been chosen, extracting all possible cases of the concepts used to refer to disability. The results show that the most commonly used concepts are pejorative and typical of dispensational and medical-rehabilitative paradigms. Regarding mockery and discrimination, it is observed that when both are related to a direct interaction with people with a disability, they appear in a much higher percentage. Although Family Guy is not an educational series and is aimed at audiences over 16 years of age, the results of this work promote media education as a tool to critically analyse the representations offered by the media to promote an inclusive society. Full article

The COVID-19 lockdown and closure of schools, clinics, and community-based services put children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disabilities (DDs) at increased risk of negative outcomes. This study aimed to investigate parents’ perceptions of their children’s behavioural outcomes during the COVID-19 lockdown, parents’ satisfaction with services during this time, and willingness to engage in telehealth. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ireland. Parents (n = 89) completed an online questionnaire that included the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ-P). Results demonstrated that children with ASD/DDs were vulnerable to negative outcomes including hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, problems with peers and fewer prosocial behaviors. Children’s behavioral outcomes (‘current sample’, n = 89) were also compared with pre-COVID-19 data taken from the Growing Up in Ireland Study (‘GUI sample’, n = 327). The current sample exhibited significantly more behavioral difficulties than the pre-COVID GUI sample (p < 0.001). For the current sample, scores on each of the five SDQ subscales were significantly associated with a total impact score, and parents reported dissatisfaction with support services provided and willingness to engage in behavioral telehealth. Commitment is required to identify barriers to services faced by families in Ireland and to address the need for adapted behavior support services during periods of emergency. Full article

Bamboo is a fast-growing species in the grass family, with excellent tensile and compressive strength characteristics, in the plant kingdom. The tapered hollow thin-walled cylindrical configuration of the bamboo species, namely, Gui bamboo (Phyllostachys makinoi Hayata) and Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) culm, adversely influences its longitudinal shear and transversal tensile strength properties for effective use in engineered joints. The objective of this study is to use the thermo–hydro–mechanical (THM) process to reduce the irregular shape of bamboo ends without damaging the culms. Samples from the two abovementioned bamboo species were used for the experiments. Pullout loads and failure modes of the sleeve bamboo joints assembled by gluing were also evaluated. Eighty-nine out of 96 tested bamboo culms were successfully reduced by the THM treatment to uniform circular cross-sections under the maximum reduction ratio of 0.15. Sleeved-joint samples made from Gui bamboo with wood fittings had the highest pullout loads and strength values. Based on the findings in this work, it appears that THM-treated reduced bamboo ends, being a sustainable resource, could have the potential to be manufactured as steel-sleeve joints to be used for different engineering applications. Full article

This paper examines the role of narrative as an avenue for critically unpacking family history. In this case, the narrative grows out of the preparation and performance of a one-person play, “A Conversation with Alana: One Boy’s Multicultural Rite of Passage.” Through continuously rethinking family history during the rehearsal and performance process, the intersection of marginality and privilege within a single life trajectory is analyzed. Full article