Search Results (4)

Chronobiotics represent a pharmacologically diverse group of substances, encompassing both experimental compounds and those utilized in clinical practice, which possess the capacity to modulate the parameters of circadian rhythms. These substances influence fluctuations in various physiological and biochemical processes, including the expression of core “clock” genes in model organisms and cell cultures, as well as the expression of clock-controlled genes. Despite their chemical heterogeneity, chronobiotics share the common ability to alter circadian dynamics. The concept of chronobiotic drugs has been recognized for over five decades, dating back to the discovery and detailed clinical characterization of the hormone melatonin. However, the field remains fragmented, lacking a unified classification system for these pharmacological agents. The current categorizations include natural chrononutrients, synthetic targeted circadian rhythm modulators, hypnotics, and chronobiotic hormones, yet no comprehensive repository of knowledge on chronobiotics exists. Addressing this gap, the development of the world’s first curated and continuously updated database of chronobiotic drugs—circadian rhythm modulators—accessible via the global Internet, represents a critical and timely objective for the fields of chronobiology, chronomedicine, and pharmacoinformatics/bioinformatics. The primary objective of this study is to construct a relational database, ChronobioticsDB, utilizing the Django framework and PostGreSQL as the database management system. The database will be accessible through a dedicated web interface and will be filled in with data on chronobiotics extracted and manually annotated from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science articles. Each entry in the database will comprise a detailed compound card, featuring links to primary data sources, a molecular structure image, the compound’s chemical formula in machine-readable SMILES format, and its name according to IUPAC nomenclature. To enhance the depth and accuracy of the information, the database will be synchronized with external repositories such as ChemSpider, DrugBank, Chembl, ChEBI, Engage, UniProt, and PubChem. This integration will ensure the inclusion of up-to-date and comprehensive data on each chronobiotic. Furthermore, the biological and pharmacological relevance of the database will be augmented through synchronization with additional resources, including the FDA. In cases of overlapping data, compound cards will highlight the unique properties of each chronobiotic, thereby providing a robust and multifaceted resource for researchers and practitioners in the field. Full article

In Chinese tea plantations, yellow sticky cards and light traps are increasingly used to control insect pests, especially the tea green leafhopper Empoasca onukii. In this study, a 16-week open-field experiment with daily weather monitoring was designed to test the responses of tea green leafhopper, parasitoids and spiders to yellow sticky cards and three light traps with different wavelengths (covered with sticky cards). An exclosure experiment was also designed to further test the influence of the three light systems (without sticky card) on the same species. The results showed that all three light emitting diode (LED) light traps (white, green and yellow) and yellow sticky cards attracted many more E. onukii male adults than females during the course of the open field experiment, with less than 25% of trapped adults being females. Parasitoids and spiders were also attracted by these systems. Weather variables, especially rainfall, influenced the trapping efficiency. In the exclosure experiment, the population of leafhoppers in the yellow sticky card treatment did not decline significantly, but the number of spiders significantly decreased. The green and white light treatments without sticky cards showed a significant control of E. onukii and no obvious harm to spiders. These results suggest that yellow sticky cards and light traps have limited capacity to control tea green leafhoppers. However, light, especially green light, may be a promising population control measure for tea green leafhoppers, not as killing agents in the traps, but rather as a behavioral control system. Full article

The Common Ticket, locally called the “Spider Card” is a contactless smartcard ticket used for public transportation systems in Thailand. The card is used for all modes of transportation and increases the convenience of public transit passengers while increasing public transport ridership. This research aimed to identify the determinant factors that impact passengers’ intention to use the Spider Card based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model by integrating perceived convenience and perceived sacrifice as part of the perceived value. A survey of public transit users in the Bangkok metropolitan area was conducted. The Partial Least Square-Structure Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed to examine the data. The results showed that perceived value, performance expectancy, and facilitating conditions are all significant factors. Perceived convenience and perceived sacrifice are significant antecedents for perceived value. Surprisingly, effort expectancy and social influence did not impact passengers’ intentions to use the Spider Card. The results also offer beneficial information for public transit authorities in order to comprehend what passengers desire from using these kinds of technology service systems. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as emerging plant protection machinery, have the advantages of high operational efficiency, high speed, and low drift. The current study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of droplet distribution and drift, control efficiency on cotton aphids and spider mites, and attachment and absorption of cotton leaves during UAV spraying. Kromekote card and filter paper are used as samplers to collect droplets, and the droplet density, coverage rate, deposition, and drift percentage are statistically analyzed. The pooled results showed that the droplet uniformity, the droplet coverage rate, the deposition, and the drifting ability are higher when the UAV flight height was 2 m. The control effects by UAV spraying on cotton aphids and spider mites were 63.7% and 61.3%, respectively. These values are slightly inferior to those obtained through boom spraying. Cotton leaf attachment and absorption of spirodiclofen after UAV spraying were slightly lower than those after boom spraying, therefore, the control efficiency of cotton pests is slightly different. According to the different flight height operations by the UAV sprayer, the drift capability of the droplets at 2 m flight height was large, and the droplet uniformity and deposition were satisfactory. The research results could provide the theoretical basis and technical support for UAV operation. Full article