Search Results (195)

Improving construction site safety remains a critical challenge in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing construction sector, where high accident rates and diverse labor forces demand evidence-based managerial interventions. This study investigated the influence of Managers’ Safety Perceptions and Practices (MSP) on Workers’ Safety Behaviors (WSB) in the Saudi construction industry, emphasizing the mediating roles of Workers’ Safety Awareness (WSA), Safety Competency (WSC), and Safety Actions (SA). The conceptual framework integrates these three mediators to explain how managerial attitudes and practices translate into frontline safety outcomes. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was adopted using a structured questionnaire distributed among construction workers, supervisors, and project managers. A total of 352 from 384 valid responses were collected, and the data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4. The findings revealed that MSP does not directly influence WSB but has significant indirect effects through WSA, WSC, and SA. Among these, WSC emerged as the most powerful mediator, followed by WSA and SA, indicating that competency is the most critical driver of safe worker behavior. These results provide robust empirical support for a multidimensional mediation model, highlighting the need for managers to enhance safety behaviors not merely through supervision but through fostering awareness and competency, providing technical training, and implementing proactive safety measures. Theoretically, this study contributes a novel and integrative framework to the occupational safety literature, particularly within underexplored Middle Eastern construction contexts. Practically, it offers actionable insights for safety managers, industry practitioners, and policymakers seeking to improve construction safety performance in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. Full article

Although corn germ meal is a rich source of dietary fiber, it contains a relatively low proportion of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and is frequently contaminated with high levels of zearalenone (ZEN). Solid-state fermentation has the dual effects of modifying dietary fiber (DF) and degrading mycotoxins. This study optimized the solid-state fermentation process of corn germ meal using Bacillus subtilis K6 through response surface methodology (RSM) to enhance SDF yield while efficiently degrading ZEN. Results indicated that fermentation solid-to-liquid ratio and time had greater impacts on SDF yield and ZEN degradation rate than fermentation temperature. The optimal conditions were determined as temperature 36.5 °C, time 65 h, and solid-to-liquid ratio 1:0.82 (w/v). Under these conditions, the ZEN degradation rate reached 96.27 ± 0.53%, while the SDF yield increased from 9.47 ± 0.68% to 20.11 ± 1.87% (optimizing the SDF/DF ratio from 1:7 to 1:3). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) revealed the structural transformation of dietary fiber from smooth to loose and porous forms. This structural modification resulted in a significant improvement in the physicochemical properties of dietary fiber, with water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), and water-swelling capacity (WSC) increasing by 34.8%, 16.4%, and 15.2%, respectively. Additionally, the protein and total phenolic contents increased by 23.0% and 82.61%, respectively. This research has achieved efficient detoxification and dietary fiber modification of corn germ meal, significantly enhancing the resource utilization rate of corn by-products and providing technical and theoretical support for industrial production applications. Full article

The long-term trend of coastal upwelling under global warming has been a research focus in recent years. Based on datasets including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind, air–sea heat fluxes, ocean currents, and sea level pressure, this study explores the long-term trend and underlying mechanisms of the Oman coastal upwelling intensity in summer during 1993–2018. The results indicate a persistent decrease in SST within the Oman upwelling region during this period, suggesting an intensification trend of Oman upwelling. This trend is primarily driven by the strengthened positive wind stress curl (WSC), while the enhanced net shortwave radiation flux at the sea surface partially suppresses the SST cooling induced by the strengthened positive WSC, and the effect of horizontal oceanic heat transport is weak. Further analysis revealed that the increasing trend in the positive WSC results from the nonuniform responses of sea level pressure and the associated surface winds to global warming. There is an increasing trend in sea level pressure over the western Arabian Sea, coupled with decreasing atmospheric pressure over the Arabian Peninsula and the Somali Peninsula. This enhances the atmospheric pressure gradient between land and sea, and consequently strengthens the alongshore winds off the Oman coast. However, in the coastal region, wind changes are less pronounced, resulting in an insignificant trend in the alongshore component of surface wind. Consequently, it results in the increasing positive WSC over the Oman upwelling region, and sustains the intensification trend of Oman coastal upwelling. Full article

Integrated application of chemical fertilizers with organic manure might improve crop yields and N-use efficiency (NUE, grain yield per unit N uptake), but the underlying physiological mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of combined inorganic and organic fertilizers on wheat biomass allocation, root growth, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) translocation, leaf senescence, N uptake, and their relationship with yield and NUE. We established a 2-year factorial field experiment with five nutrient treatments with ratios of inorganic: organic fertilizers from 0 to 1, and three varieties—two new: Weilong169 and Zhongmai578; and one reference: Xiaoyan22. The yield ranged from 3469 to 8095 kg ha⁻¹, and it generally declined in response to a higher proportion of organic fertilizer. The NUE increased when there was a higher proportion of organic fertilizer. Weilong169 exhibited higher NUE than Zhongmai578, and both new cultivars outperformed the reference variety in the N harvest index. The yield correlated with leaf senescence traits and harvest index, and NUE was associated with WSC translocation and N uptake. The combination of fertilizers with a low portion of organic maintained yield and improved NUE; Weilong169 had the highest yield, NUE, and N harvest index. A low portion of organic manure substitution for chemical fertilizer suited all varieties. A new variety with a higher yield, N harvest index, and NUE highlights the importance of N traits in breeding programs. Full article

Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae) is a phytopathogenic fungus that inflicts damage on vital crops, particularly rice. Its asexual reproduction leads to the generation of numerous conidia, which is a critical factor contributing to the prevalence of rice blast disease. However, the molecules regulating the asexual reproduction of M. oryzae are unknown. In our study, to identify the molecules capable of regulating the asexual reproduction of M. oryzae, compositions of the complete medium (CM) were screened. Results showed that acid-hydrolyzed casein (AHC) could remarkably promote conidial production. One M. oryzae conidiation inducer was isolated from AHC using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under the guidance of bioassay. Its structure was further elucidated as a decapeptide compound (pyroGlu-EQNQEQPIR) by LC-MS/MS, chemical synthesis, and conidium-inducing assays, named M. oryzae conidiation inducer decapeptide (MCIDP). MCIDP could significantly promote the conidiation of M. oryzae and two other filamentous ascomycetes (Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium graminearum). The Mps1 MAPK cascade signaling pathway is crucial for conidiation, and the effect of MCIDP on this pathway was investigated to elucidate the mechanism underlying conidiation enhancement. qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that MCIDP could remarkably upregulate the gene expression within the Mps1 MAPK cascade signaling pathway, especially the WSC2, WSC3, PKC1, MKK1, MPS1, and MIG1. Furthermore, the ΔMowsc1, ΔMowsc2, ΔMowsc3, and ΔMomid2 mutant strains were constructed. Bioassay results showed that MCIDP failed to promote conidial formation and hyphal growth in these mutant strains. These findings indicate that MCIDP promotes conidiation of M. oryzae by modulating the Mps1 MAPK signaling pathway. Full article

Film mulching and gravel mulching are effective methods for increasing crop yields in Northwest China but exacerbate soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralisation. Manure amendment is a viable method for offsetting carbon (C) losses from mulching. SOC stability is a key factor in determining the nutrient supply capacity of soils, as it affects the C sources available to microorganisms. However, the synergistic effects of film mulching and manure amendment on SOC stability and crop nutrient uptake are still unclear. Therefore, four treatments—no mulching (CK), gravel mulching (GM), film mulching (FM), and film mulching with manure amendment (FCM)—were established on the Loess Plateau. Experiments were conducted to measure plant and grain nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) uptake, SOC, labile organic C fractions (LOCFs), stability-based organic C fractions (SOCFs), and the C management index (CMI) in 2019 and 2020. The results showed that the FM and FCM treatments significantly improved crop dry matter accumulation in both years compared to the control. The FCM treatment significantly increased the two-year NPK averages of plants to 44.9%, 50.7%, and 54.5% and significantly increased those of grains to 46.7%, 58.2%, and 30.4%. The FCM treatment significantly increased all LOCFs, water solution C (WSC), hot-water-extractable C (HWC), permanganate oxidisable C (POXC), and particulate organic C (POC) in the topsoil (0–20 cm) in both years. The fractions of the active C pool (AP) in the SOCFs, namely, very labile C (C_VL) and labile C (C_L), were significantly increased, suggesting that the FCM treatment significantly decreased C stability in the topsoil. The sensitivity index showed that, among all SOC fractions, POC (21.5–72.9%) and less labile C (C_LL) (20.8–483.8%) were the most sensitive fractions of LOCFs and SOCFs compared to SOC (1.93–35.8%). A random forest analysis showed that most labile C fractions and the CMI significantly contributed to crop N, P, and K uptake, especially POXC to crop N uptake, the CMI to crop P uptake, and the AP to crop K uptake. It was concluded that the FCM treatment synergistically enhanced SOC lability, crop NPK uptake, and labile C fractions, especially POXC, the AP, and the CMI, which serve as robust indicators for guiding precision nutrient management in semi-arid croplands. Full article

For a self-affine iterated function system (IFS) ${\left\{f_j\right\}}_{j=1}^N$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^d$ defined by $f_j\left(x\right)=A^{-1}(x+d_j)$, where A is an expansive matrix and $d_j\in {\mathbb{R}}^d$, we reveal a novel characterization of the open set and weak separation conditions through the bounded degree of the augmented tree induced by the IFS. Furthermore, the augmented tree is shown to be a Gromov hyperbolic graph, and its hyperbolic boundary is Hölder equivalent to the self-affine set generated by the IFS, establishing a canonical association between self-affine IFSs and Gromov hyperbolic graphs. Full article

In order to explore the effect of different silage microbial inoculants on the silage quality of WL358HQ Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the test consists of the following six treatments: Xinlaiwang I—straw silage inoculant (A), Xinlaiwang I—alfalfa silage inoculant (B), Zhuang Le Mei silage inoculant (C), Baoshiqing (D), KOFASIL S lactic acid bacteria silage inoculant (E) and distilled water (F). Nutritional and fermentation indexes were determined after 60 days of natural fermentation at room temperature. The results showed that the contents of crude protein (CP) and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) of the B treatment were higher than other treatments. The Relative Feed Value (RFV) of the B treatment was high, the lactic acid (LA) content of the B treatment was significantly increased (p < 0.05) and the contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), pH and ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen (AN/TN) of the B treatment were low. The results showed that treatment B has the best ensilage effect and the highest ensilage membership function, which can effectively improve the quality of WL358 alfalfa silage. Full article

Mammary tumours are the most common neoplasia in adult female dogs. Mastectomy leads to moderate to severe pain. Effective pain management is crucial in veterinary medicine. This review outlines analgesic techniques for managing perioperative pain in dogs undergoing mastectomy. A literature search on dog mastectomy analgesia was conducted from January 2001 to January 2025. Pre-emptive meloxicam reduces postoperative cardiovascular changes without affecting renal function. When combined with gabapentin, it lowers the need for rescue analgesic opioids, similar to robenacoxib. With regard to tramadol, it offers contrasting analgesia in the studies considered when used alone, while its effect appears enhanced when used in combination with meloxicam/dipyrone. However, methadone provides superior pain control, especially when given preoperatively or intraoperatively. The combination of ketamine, lidocaine, and maropitant enhances pain management, while fentanyl, alone or with lidocaine and ketamine, is effective for intraoperative pain control. Local infiltration with lidocaine/bupivacaine provides effective pain control, and devices like Comfont-in^® or WSC facilitate this process. Tumescent anaesthesia using lidocaine/ropivacaine allows for extensive infiltration of the mammary gland. Epidural analgesia, paravertebral blocks, and TAP blocks are beneficial in multimodal protocols. Transdermal patches containing fentanyl/buprenorphine offer prolonged analgesia, while electroacupuncture can help reduce the need for rescue analgesics. Multimodal analgesic protocols are crucial for effective pain management in dog mastectomy surgeries, minimising the need for rescue opioids. Full article

Although the strong causal association between PM_2.5 and cardiovascular disease has been extensively studied, the latent molecular mechanisms have not been entirely explained. The objective of this research was to assess the cardiotoxicity of Traffic-related PM_2.5 (TRPM_2.5), water-soluble components (WSC), and water-insoluble components (WIC) in human cardiomyocytes (AC16) and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), autophagy, and apoptosis were activated 24 h after exposure to total-TRPM_2.5, WSC, or WIC. WIC was predominantly related to cardiotoxicity compared to WSC. Sestrin2 is an upstream molecule in several signaling pathways, including those involved in autophagy and apoptosis. In this study, we found that the knockdown of Protein Kinase RNA-like Endoplasmic Reticulum Kinase (PERK) suppressed the expression of PERK, Sestrin2, Caspase-12, Caspase-3, LC3, and p62 in TRPM_2.5-treated AC16 cells. These results indicate that ERS participates in the activation of autophagy and apoptosis through the PERK/Sestrin2 pathway. We found that inhibiting autophagy with 3-methyladenine (3-MA) decreased the expression of autophagy-related factors and aggravated apoptosis. These observations suggest that protective autophagy was initiated. Finally, our findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism by which ERS might regulate autophagy through the PERK/Sestrin2 signaling pathway, and protective autophagy may be activated to relieve TRPM_2.5 and component-mediated apoptosis in AC16 cells. Full article

Lingonberry pomace (LP) is a by-product rich in valuable bioactive compounds and can be used in the food industry after various treatments and property characterization. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of commercially available enzymes (Viscozyme^® L, Pectinex^® Ultra Tropical, and Celluclast^® 1.5 L) and supercritical carbon dioxide (SFE-CO₂) extraction technology on the chemical composition and technological properties of treated LP products. The Megazyme kit was used to determine the soluble dietary fiber (SDS) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) contents, while the changes in mono-, disaccharide, and oligosaccharides were analyzed by applying high-pressure liquid chromatography with a refractive index detector. The analyzed properties were as follows: the water swelling capacity (WSC), water retention capacity (WRC), water solubility index (WSI), oil retention capacity (ORC), bulk density (BD), and emulsion stability of modified LP. The tested LP contained 8.49 g/100 g of SDF and 65.36 g/100 g of IDF (in dry matter). The partial separation of lipophilic substances during SFE-CO₂ extraction did not significantly affect the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. The amount of oligosaccharides in the LP increased using enzymes with pectinolytic activity (Viscozyme^® L and Pectinex^® Ultra Tropical), while cellulolytic enzymes (Celluclast^® 1.5 L) increased the amount of SDF and improved the IDF/SDF ratio. Enzymatic hydrolysis increased the SI, WRC, and ORC of LP powder. Emulsions with LP hydrolyzed with Pectinex^® Ultra Tropical demonstrated the highest stability during storage. This study demonstrates that the modification of LP powders provides diverse technological properties, which could expand the application of such products for further food production. Full article

The objective of this experiment was to determine whether compound microbial inoculants could enhance the fermentation of oat and common vetch silage that were stored in the Northwest Sichuan Plateau for 60 days under extremely low temperatures. Oat and common vetch harvested from single and mixed artificially planted grassland of oat and common vetch were chopped into 2–3 cm (oat, S1; common vetch, S2; oat–common vetch = 2:1, S3), then sterile water (T1), Zhuang Lemei IV silage additive (T2), and Fu Zhengxing silage additive (T3) were added to the feed and ensiled at the local outdoor environment for 60 days. Data were analyzed as a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments with the main effects of the materials, additives, and their interaction. Interactions between the materials and additives significantly affected the fermentation quality and the content of DM, WSC, and NDF and the number of yeasts in forages. Treatments with S3 have significantly higher contents of lactic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid bacteria in the feed than those in the S1 and S2 treatments, while the contents of AN/TN and propionic acid were significantly lower compared with the S1 and S2 treatments (p < 0.05). Concentrations of lactic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid were significantly increased and the content of neutral detergent fiber in the T2-treated silage decreased compared with the T1 treatment (p < 0.05). The T3 treatment significantly reduced the number of yeasts in the silage but the compound lactic acid bacteria additive treatment (T1, T2) significantly decreased the butyric acid content and pH of the feed and increased the acid detergent fiber content and the number of lactic acid bacteria in the feed compared with the T1 treatment. Among them, the butyric acid content of the T3 treatment decreased by 63.64–86.05%, while that of the T2 treatment decreased by 36.36–83.33% (p < 0.05). The comprehensive analysis of the membership function revealed that the silage quality was the best after the S3T2 treatment, so the implementation of the S3T2 combination in the Northwest Sichuan Plateau can provide guarantees for the production of local high-quality forage grass and alleviate the shortage of forage grass. Full article

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of dried apple pomace (DAP) on the fermentation characteristics and proteolysis of alfalfa silages. The alfalfa was ensiled with (1) no additives (control), (2) 5% DAP, (3) 10% DAP and (4) 15% DAP based on fresh weight (FW) for 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days, respectively. With the increasing proportion of DAP, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count, lactic acid (LA) and dry matter (DM) content linearly (p < 0.05) increased, while the pH, the content of acetic acid (AA), propionic acid (PA), butyric acid (BA) and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) linearly (p < 0.05) decreased during ensiling. The 10% and 15% DAP silages had significantly (p < 0.05) lower aerobic bacteria (AB), yeast and enterobacteria counts than the control during ensiling. The contents of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN), peptide nitrogen (peptide-N) and free amino acid nitrogen (FAA-N) and activities of carboxypeptidase, aminopeptidase and acid proteinase linearly (p < 0.05) decreased as DAP proportion increased during ensiling. On day 60, the addition of DAP significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the contents of tryptamine, phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, spermidine, spermine and total biogenic amines compared with the control. As the DAP ratio increased, the contents of threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, arginine, aspartic acid, serine, glutamic, total amino acids, crude protein (CP) and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) linearly (p < 0.05) increased, while the contents of glycine, alanine, cysteine, and proline linearly (p < 0.05) decreased on day 60. Overall, the addition of 15% DAP was optimal as indicated by better fermentation quality and less proteolysis than other treatments. Full article

Better quality and odor of silage and normal microbial fermentation metabolism are mostly dependent on an appropriate moisture content. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different moisture content gradients (50, 60, 70, and 80%) on the bacterial community, odor, and quality of alfalfa silage at 60 days by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and electronic nose, with six replicates per group. The results showed that there were significant differences in odor response intensity among all groups, among which the 80% group had the strongest reaction to terpenoids, sulfides, and nitrogen oxides. Similarly, the different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were mainly terpenoids, alcohols, and ketones, such as pine, camphor, and menthol (e.g., carlin and levomenthol). The dominant bacterium was Enterococcus with higher fiber, pH, and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) content but poorer quality and odor (p < 0.05). The differential VOCs in the 60% group were mainly heterocyclics, esters, and phenols with fruity, floral, and sweet odors such as 2-butylthiophene and acorone. Pediococcus and Lactiplantibacillus were the dominant bacteria, with higher crude protein (CP), water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and lactic acid (LA) contents, as well as better quality and odor (p < 0.05). The biosynthesis of terpenoids and steroids, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids were the main metabolic pathways of differential VOCs. In conclusion, regulating moisture content can alter bacterial community and metabolites, which will encourage fermentation and enhance alfalfa silage quality and odor. Full article

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a prevalent chronic sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by partial or complete airway obstruction. The expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive nature of the gold-standard approach, polysomnography (PSG), and the lack of regular monitoring of patients’ daily lives with existing solutions motivates the development of clinical support for enhanced prognosis. In this study, we utilize image representations of sleep stages and contextual patient-specific data, including medical history and stage durations, to investigate the use of wearable devices for OSA screening and comorbid conditions. For this purpose, we leverage the publicly available Wisconsin Sleep Cohort (WSC) dataset. Given that wearable devices are adept at detecting sleep stages (often using proprietary algorithms), and medical history data can be efficiently captured through simple binary (yes/no) responses, we seek to explore neural network models with this. Without needing access to the raw physiological signals and using epoch-wise sleep scores and demographic data, we attempt to validate the effectiveness of screening capabilities and assess the interplay between sleep stages, OSA, insomnia, and depression. Our findings reveal that sleep stage representations combined with demographic data enhance the precision of OSA screening, achieving F1 scores of up to 69.40. This approach holds potential for broader applications in population health management as a plausible alternative to traditional diagnostic approaches. However, we find that purely modality-agnostic sleep stages for a single night and routine lifestyle information by themselves may be insufficient for clinical utility, and further work accommodating individual variability and longitudinal data is needed for real-world applicability. Full article