One in five Americans experience symptoms associated with at least one mental health disorder every year. These include behavioral addictions, which have long been overlooked despite their similar neural bases with su...One in five Americans experience symptoms associated with at least one mental health disorder every year. These include behavioral addictions, which have long been overlooked despite their similar neural bases with substance addictions. Gambling addiction, a type of behavioral addiction, deserves particular attention given the significant negative effects, this addiction has on financial and interpersonal health. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature concerning the behavioral and neural processes involved in gambling addiction, including: the anticipation of reward, the role of dopamine, and the neural substrates of the decision-making processes involved in gambling addiction. Market research has also identified solutions that integrate applied neuroscience and self-tracking systems to monitor and manage mental health issues associated with gambling addiction. The authors then propose a gambling treatment-focused mobile app solution that addresses outstanding issues with a special design aimed at reversing plasticity in order to relieve the effects of gambling addiction. .展开更多
This research study explored the levels of base status metals in soil sediments and particulate matter in the wellington industrial estate location;the main objectives were to: 1) determine sodium and potassium, 2) de...This research study explored the levels of base status metals in soil sediments and particulate matter in the wellington industrial estate location;the main objectives were to: 1) determine sodium and potassium, 2) determine calcium and magnesium, 3) determine available iron. The following hypotheses were put forward;H<sub>0</sub><sub>a</sub>: there is no significant difference in the concentration levels between Ca and Mg in the study area, H<sub>1</sub><sub>a</sub>: there is significant difference in the concentration levels between Ca and Mg in the study area, H<sub>0</sub><sub>b</sub>: there is no significant difference in the concentration levels between Na and K in the study area, H<sub>1</sub><sub>b</sub>: there is significant difference in the concentration levels between Na and K in the study area. Six locations were used to collect samples with the aid of scoop and gravel free auger (at varying depths of 0 - 5 cm and 5 - 10 cm) which are Wellington Industrial Estate Area 1 (WIEL 1), (WIEL 2), (WIEL 3), (WIEL 4), (WIEL 5), (WIEL 6);the samples were given laboratory treatment. Flame photometer, EDTA, and Spectrophotometer were used in the determinations of sodium and potassium, calcium and magnesium, and available iron respectively. The results indicated that levels of potassium were in medium range (moderately high);sodium levels were generally low when compared to Brook’s classification table. Levels of calcium were generally low and those of magnesium were moderate based on Brook’s table of classification. Levels of available iron which fall within the range of Quijano-Guerta (2003) were high;this implies such levels can lead to toxicity. In all locations, there was decrease in the levels of each metal in the samples with (5 - 10 cm) depth.展开更多
Root-associated endophytic fungi like Serendipita indica and arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungi can improve plant growth and root construction, but the potential mechanism is unclear. In this study, Funneliformis mossea...Root-associated endophytic fungi like Serendipita indica and arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungi can improve plant growth and root construction, but the potential mechanism is unclear. In this study, Funneliformis mosseae(an AM fungus) and S. indica, singly or in combination were inoculated into trifoliate orange(Poncirus trifoliata) seedlings, to assess changes in biomass and root morphological traits, coupled with auxins and cytokinins concentrations in leaves and roots and the expression of auxin synthesis and transporter protein genes. After 20 weeks of inoculation with these fungi, shoot and root biomass, root total length, taproot length, average diameter, surface area, volume, and the number of lateral roots in 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-order were improved, and S. indica showed a relatively greater effect than F. mosseae and dual inoculation. Endophytic fungal inoculation also significantly increased the concentration of indoleacetic acid, indole butyric acid, trans-zeatin,dihydrozeatin, and isopentenyl adenine in leaves and roots, whilst F. mosseae and S. indica exhibited relatively greater effects on leaves and roots, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that both biomass and root morphological traits(except root projected area) were significantly positively associated with endogenous auxins and cytokinins. In addition, the inoculated plants recorded comparatively higher expression levels of indoleacetic acid synthesis genes(PtTAA1, PtTAR2, PtYUC3, PtYUC4, PtYUC6, and PtYUC8) and indoleacetic acid transporter protein genes(PtAUX1, PtLAX1, PtLAX2, PtLAX3, PtPIN1, PtPIN3, PtPIN4, PtABCB1, and PtABCB19) than the non-inoculated plants, among which F. mosseae and S. indica showed better effects in leaves and roots, respectively. These results suggest that root-associated endophytic fungi improved plant growth and root architecture, which were associated with changes in endogenous auxins and cytokinins.展开更多
Manganese-substituted magnetite ferrofluids(FFs)Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)(x=0–0.8)were prepared in this work through a chemical coprecipitation reaction.The controlled growth of FF nanomaterials for antibacterial activ...Manganese-substituted magnetite ferrofluids(FFs)Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)(x=0–0.8)were prepared in this work through a chemical coprecipitation reaction.The controlled growth of FF nanomaterials for antibacterial activities is challenging,and therefore,very few reports are available on the topic.This research focuses on stabilizing aqueous FFs with the tetramethylammonium hydroxide surfactant to achieve high homogeneity.Morphological characterization reveals nanoparticles of 5–11 nm formed by the chemical reaction and nanocrystalline nature,as evident from structural investigations.Mn-substituted magnetic FFs are analyzed for their structural,functional,and antibacterial performance according to the Mn-substituent content.Optical studies show a high blue shift for Mn^(2+)-substituted Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)with the theoretical correlation of optical band gaps with the Mn content.The superparamagnetic nature of substituted FFs causes zero coercivity and remanence,which consequently influence the particle size,cation distribution,and spin canting.The structural and functional performance of the FFs is correlated with the antibacterial activity,finally demonstrating the highest inhibition zone formation for Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)FFs.展开更多
Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)are taking steps to commercialization.However,the halogen-reactive anode with high cost becomes a stumbling block.Here,the halogen migration in PSCs is utilized to in situ generate a unifor...Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)are taking steps to commercialization.However,the halogen-reactive anode with high cost becomes a stumbling block.Here,the halogen migration in PSCs is utilized to in situ generate a uniform tunneling layer between the hole transport materials and anodes,which enriches the options of anodes by breaking the Schottky barrier,enabling the regular PSCs with both high efficiency and stability.Specifically,the regular PSC that uses silver iodide as the tunneling layer and copper as the anode obtains a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.24%(certified 22.74%)with an aperture area of 1.04 cm^(2).The devices are stable,maintaining 98.6%of the initial effi-ciency after 500 h of operation at the maximum power point with continuous 1 sun illumination.PSCs with different tunneling layers and anodes are fabricated,which confirm the generality of the strategy.展开更多
Convolution neural networks(CNNs)have proven to be effective clinical imagingmethods.This study highlighted some of the key issues within these systems.It is difficult to train these systems in a limited clinical imag...Convolution neural networks(CNNs)have proven to be effective clinical imagingmethods.This study highlighted some of the key issues within these systems.It is difficult to train these systems in a limited clinical image databases,and many publications present strategies including such learning algorithm.Furthermore,these patterns are known formaking a highly reliable prognosis.In addition,normalization of volume and losses of dice have been used effectively to accelerate and stabilize the training.Furthermore,these systems are improperly regulated,resulting in more confident ratings for correct and incorrect classification,which are inaccurate and difficult to understand.This study examines the risk assessment of Fully Convolutional Neural Networks(FCNNs)for clinical image segmentation.Essential contributions have been made to this planned work:1)dice loss and cross-entropy loss are compared on the basis of segment quality and uncertain assessment of FCNNs;2)proposal for a group model for assurance measurement of full convolutional neural networks trained with dice loss and group normalization;And 3)the ability of the measured FCNs to evaluate the segment quality of the structures and to identify test examples outside the distribution.To evaluate the study’s contributions,it conducted a series of tests in three clinical image division applications such as heart,brain and prostate.The findings of the study provide significant insights into the predictive ambiguity assessment and a practical strategies for outside-distribution identification and reliable measurement in the clinical image segmentation.The approaches presented in this research significantly enhance the reliability and accuracy rating of CNNbased clinical imaging methods.展开更多
“Better Call Saul”is an excellent American television series.As a spin-off of“Breaking Bad”,it continues its excellent character design and intriguing plot development,giving audiences around the world a treat to ...“Better Call Saul”is an excellent American television series.As a spin-off of“Breaking Bad”,it continues its excellent character design and intriguing plot development,giving audiences around the world a treat to talk about.However,while“Breaking Bad”has a huge audience and the film and television industry has done a lot of research on it,“Better Call Saul”has not been studied in domestic academic circles.This paper takes several main characters of the play as the research object,analyzes how their characters are designed,and how they complement each other with the dramatic conflict of the plot,so as to explore a new angle of character design.Through the study of the characters in this American drama,this paper can provide a reference for the Chinese film and television industry.The results show that Chinese TV dramas can learn from this American drama to improve the depth of character design and avoid designing stereotyped and labeled characters.This may ultimately improve their artistic literacy and bring more excellent works to Chinese audiences.展开更多
In this paper,we establish a new multivariate Hermite sampling series involving samples from the function itself and its mixed and non-mixed partial derivatives of arbitrary order.This multivariate form of Hermite sam...In this paper,we establish a new multivariate Hermite sampling series involving samples from the function itself and its mixed and non-mixed partial derivatives of arbitrary order.This multivariate form of Hermite sampling will be valid for some classes of multivariate entire functions,satisfying certain growth conditions.We will show that many known results included in Commun Korean Math Soc,2002,17:731-740,Turk J Math,2017,41:387-403 and Filomat,2020,34:3339-3347 are special cases of our results.Moreover,we estimate the truncation error of this sampling based on localized sampling without decay assumption.Illustrative examples are also presented.展开更多
In recent years,how to efficiently and accurately identify multi-model fake news has become more challenging.First,multi-model data provides more evidence but not all are equally important.Secondly,social structure in...In recent years,how to efficiently and accurately identify multi-model fake news has become more challenging.First,multi-model data provides more evidence but not all are equally important.Secondly,social structure information has proven to be effective in fake news detection and how to combine it while reducing the noise information is critical.Unfortunately,existing approaches fail to handle these problems.This paper proposes a multi-model fake news detection framework based on Tex-modal Dominance and fusing Multiple Multi-model Cues(TD-MMC),which utilizes three valuable multi-model clues:text-model importance,text-image complementary,and text-image inconsistency.TD-MMC is dominated by textural content and assisted by image information while using social network information to enhance text representation.To reduce the irrelevant social structure’s information interference,we use a unidirectional cross-modal attention mechanism to selectively learn the social structure’s features.A cross-modal attention mechanism is adopted to obtain text-image cross-modal features while retaining textual features to reduce the loss of important information.In addition,TD-MMC employs a new multi-model loss to improve the model’s generalization ability.Extensive experiments have been conducted on two public real-world English and Chinese datasets,and the results show that our proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on classification evaluation metrics.展开更多
Use expert interviews,literature and other methods to summarize and analyze the pros and cons of smart sports and traditional sports,combine traditional sports with smart education,and create a more scientific and eff...Use expert interviews,literature and other methods to summarize and analyze the pros and cons of smart sports and traditional sports,combine traditional sports with smart education,and create a more scientific and effective smart education model for colleges and universities,so as to promote the joint participation or supervision of schools,teachers,parents,and students to improve the quality of physical education,so as to achieve physical education for students and enhance the time and intensity of students’physical fitness.展开更多
Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)offer low costs and high power conversion efficiency.However,the lack of long-term stability,primarily stemming from the interfacial defects and the sus-ceptible metal electrodes,hinders th...Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)offer low costs and high power conversion efficiency.However,the lack of long-term stability,primarily stemming from the interfacial defects and the sus-ceptible metal electrodes,hinders their practical application.In the past few years,two-dimensional(2D)materials(e.g.,graphene and its derivatives,transitional metal dichalcogenides,MXenes,and black phosphorus)have been identified as a promising solution to solving these problems because of their dangling bond-free surfaces,layer-dependent electronic band structures,tunable functional groups,and inherent compactness.Here,recent progress of 2D material toward efficient and stable PSCs is summarized,including its role as both interface materials and electrodes.We discuss their beneficial effects on perovskite growth,energy level alignment,defect passivation,as well as blocking external stimulus.In particular,the unique properties of 2D materials to form van der Waals heterojunction at the bottom interface are emphasized.Finally,perspectives on the further development of PSCs using 2D materials are provided,such as designing high-quality van der Waals heterojunction,enhancing the uniformity and coverage of 2D nanosheets,and developing new 2D materials-based electrodes.展开更多
Appropriate oral hygiene significantly reduces the possibility of oral infections.However,dental caries and periodontal diseases are major oral health issues causing chronic diseases due to poor oral health.Recently,h...Appropriate oral hygiene significantly reduces the possibility of oral infections.However,dental caries and periodontal diseases are major oral health issues causing chronic diseases due to poor oral health.Recently,herbal compounds have gained interest in maintaining oral health.Extracts of burdock root(Arctium),noni fruit(Morinda citrifolia),and neem leaf(Azadirachta indica)are now used as intracanal medicaments in endodontics and periodontics.Plectranthus amboinicus species and other plants produces essential oil likeβ-caryophyllene,p-cymene,andγ-terpinene can exhibit antibacterial activity;highlighting phytoconstituents plays a vital role in oral health.The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene and sanitization,to curb SARS-CoV-2.Oral cavity is among the gateways for virus entry into saliva.Saliva is a potential reservoir of SARS-CoV-2,and there is an increased risk of infection if there is any fissure in the mouth.This enables entry of virus into the vascular system through gingival or periodontal pocket,possibly reaching lung periphery then to lung vessels by interacting with endothelial surface receptors triggering pulmonary vasoconstriction and lung damage due to endothelial dysfunction.This review aims to draw attention to the possible route of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the oral cavity and the importance of oral hygiene against COVID-19.展开更多
Crude oil spills have inflicted extensive disruption upon the Niger Delta ecosystem, resulting in crop loss and severe environmental damage. Such spills exacerbate heavy metal concentration within soil due to the pres...Crude oil spills have inflicted extensive disruption upon the Niger Delta ecosystem, resulting in crop loss and severe environmental damage. Such spills exacerbate heavy metal concentration within soil due to the presence of metallic ions. The Okpare-Olomu community has borne the brunt of crude oil pollution from illicit bunkering, sabotage, and equipment malfunction. This study targets an evaluation of ecological hazards linked to heavy metals (HMs) in crude oil impacted agriculturally soils within Okpare-Olomu in Ughelli South LGA of Delta State. In this study, 24 topsoil samples were obtained from areas affected by crude oil pollution;the heavy metal content was evaluated through atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentration ranges for HMs (mg/kg) in soil were: 24.1 - 23,174 (Cu);0.54 - 37.1 (Cd);9.05 - 54 (Cr);12 - 174 (Ni);18.5 - 8611 (Pb);and 148 - 9078 (Zn) at a soil depth of 0 - 15 cm. Notably, metal concentrations were recorded to be above permissible World Health Organization limits. Predominantly, Zn and Pb recorded higher heavy metal concentration when compared to other heavy metals analysed, notably at sampling points PT7 through PT24. Zinc and Pb contamination exhibited highly significant contamination factors, and contamination severity was evidenced across all sample points, signifying a grave risk level. Pollution load indices indicated pervasive extreme pollution levels. Geoaccumulation indices signaled moderate to strong pollution, mainly by Pb and Zn. Ecological risk assessments revealed variable levels of heavy metal contamination, from low to very high, with potential ecological risk reflecting markedly elevated levels. This study underscores the imperative for soil remediation to rectify ecological imbalances in agriculturally affected soil constituents.展开更多
The escalating global concern over air pollution requires rigorous investigations. This study assesses air quality near residential areas affected by petroleum-related activities in Ubeji Community, utilizing Aeroqual...The escalating global concern over air pollution requires rigorous investigations. This study assesses air quality near residential areas affected by petroleum-related activities in Ubeji Community, utilizing Aeroqual handheld mobile multi-gas monitors and air quality multi-meters. Air sampling occurred on three distinct days using multi-gas monitors and meters, covering parameters such as CO, NO2, CH4, NH3, VOCs, Particulate Matter, Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Air Quality Index. Soil and plant samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical and organic components. Air pollutant concentrations showed significant fluctuations. Carbon monoxide (CO) ranged from 0.00 to 3.22 ppm, NO2 from 0.00 to 0.10 ppm, CH4 from 4.00 to 2083 ppm, NH3 from 371 to 5086 ppm, and VOCs from 414 to 6135 ppm. Soil analysis revealed low total nitrogen, and undetected BTEX levels. Plant samples displayed a pH range of 7.72 to 9.45. CO concentrations, although below WHO limits, indicated potential vehicular and industrial influences. Fluctuations in NO2 and CH4 were linked to traffic, industrial activities, and gas flaring. NH3 levels suggested diverse pollution sources. The result in this study highlights the dynamic nature of air pollution in Ubeji community, emphasizing the urgent need for effective pollution control measures. Although CO concentrations were within limits, continuous monitoring is essential. Elevated NO2 levels gave information on the impact of industrial activities, while high CH4 concentrations may be associated with gas flaring and illegal refining. The study recommends comprehensive measures and collaborative efforts to address these complex issues, safeguarding both the environment and public health. This study shows the potential synergy between air quality sensors and plants for holistic environmental health assessments, offering valuable insights for environmental assessments and remediation endeavours. The findings call for stringent regulations and collaborative efforts to address air pollution in Ubeji community comprehensively.展开更多
Crude oil pollution in the Niger Delta, perpetrated by both local communities and industrial actors, has brought about soil pollution with its consequent ecological, human health and food challenges. The purpose of th...Crude oil pollution in the Niger Delta, perpetrated by both local communities and industrial actors, has brought about soil pollution with its consequent ecological, human health and food challenges. The purpose of this research was to examine the concentration and distribution of heavy metals in soil from communities contaminated by crude oil in Niger Delta, and to evaluate the potential health risks to residents from exposure to these contaminants. To achieve this, soil samples were collected from the Ihwrekreka community and analyzed for heavy metal content using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analytical results in mg/kg revealed a significant metals pollution level derived from the oil spill in the soil ranging from 4.85 - 17,078 (Cu), 1.01 - 16.1 (Cd), 0.22 - 36.8 (Cr), 8.28 - 40.9 (Ni), 7.51 - 6474 (Pb), and 8.84 - 12,851 (Zn) respectively. Most of the metals were above the permissible limits of World Health Organization, with Cu, Zn, and Pb as the most contaminating metals. Lead was found to be the main contributor to the hazard index (HI) values for both children and adults in the study area, with its concentration exceeding the permitted limits set by the WHO and the EC. The hazard index (HI) values of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, and Cr were significantly higher than 1. These findings suggest that the release of heavy metals from an oil-contaminated site may pose a risk to human health and the environment.展开更多
Groundwater is increasingly being used due to its universal availability and generally good quality. However, the risk of contamination of groundwater due to various human activities such as mining is equally increasi...Groundwater is increasingly being used due to its universal availability and generally good quality. However, the risk of contamination of groundwater due to various human activities such as mining is equally increasing across the globe. In this study, the physical parameters of potable well waters in the key mining areas in Nimikoro and Tankoro Chiefdoms in Kono District were analyzed for compliance with drinking water quality standard. To do this, both unpurged and purged well water samples were collected once every month for a period of one year. Some of the well water properties like temperature, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) were measured on site and others determined in the laboratory. The data collected from the laboratory analyses were statistically analyzed in MS Excel, SPSS and ArcGIS environments for quality trends in time-space fabric. The results showed that well water quality in the study area generally fell short of drinking water quality standards of Sierra Leone and WHO. There were high temperature and turbidity during the dry season and then high TDS and EC during the rainy season. Temperature and turbidity also significantly influenced well water quality in the study area, much more than TDS and EC. The implications for drinking water of lower quality than the standard could be huge for the local population and therefore needs the attention of stakeholders in the study area and decision makers in the country.展开更多
With the arrival of the big data era, the modern higher education model has undergone radical changes, and higher requirements have been put forward for the data literacy of college teachers. The paper first analyzes ...With the arrival of the big data era, the modern higher education model has undergone radical changes, and higher requirements have been put forward for the data literacy of college teachers. The paper first analyzes the connotation of teacher data literacy, and then combs through the status quo and dilemmas of teachers’ data literacy ability in applied universities. The paper proposes to enhance the data literacy ability of teachers from the perspective of organizational learning. Through building a digital culture, building a data-driven teaching environment, and constructing an interdisciplinary learning community to further promote the application of the theory and practice of datafication inside and outside the organization, and ultimately improve the quality of teaching.展开更多
The extant genus Paliurus Miller is divided into P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups and is diagnostically characterized by distinctive orbicular-winged fruits with a trilocular （or often bilocular） ovary an...The extant genus Paliurus Miller is divided into P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups and is diagnostically characterized by distinctive orbicular-winged fruits with a trilocular （or often bilocular） ovary and basally triveined leaves with a subentire to serrate margin. Here, structurally preserved winged fruits and associated compressed leaves of Paliurus （Paliureae, Rhamnaceae） are reported from the Middle-Upper Miocene Shengxian Formation of Tiantai, Zhejiang, eastern China. The fruits can be identified as Paliurus microcarpa Xiang-Chuan Lisp. nov., the diagnostic characters of external morphology and anatomy of which differ from those of both extant and fossil generic members; the leaves can be designated as Paliurus sp. The species based on winged fruits, P. microcarpa, might represent an ancient intermediate link exclusively known across the P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups, showing a closer affinity to the P. ramosissimus group based on the resemblant smaller fruits with a narrower wing, and to the P. spina-christi group based on the similar wing structure and texture, respectively. Morphological analyses of the present and previous fossil fruit records around the world indicate that diversification of Paliurus had begun in northern transpacific regions by the Late Eocene. The macrofossil records, i.e., fruits and leaves of Paliurus globally when projected on paleoenvironmental maps in view of changing continental positions through time （from Eocene to Miocene） display that the past distribution of the genus was much wider than the present and belongs to a tropical and warm temperate realm of the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, the modern restricted disjunction in tropical and warm temperate regions of East Asia and South Europe （even eastwards West Asia） might represent glacial refugia for some of the generic ancient lineages to survive severe cold at least since the terminal Pliocene.展开更多
Spraque-Dawley(SD)big rats with weaning weight of (195±15) g were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 males and 8 females each group. One group drank de-ionized water served as control and also used for analysi...Spraque-Dawley(SD)big rats with weaning weight of (195±15) g were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 males and 8 females each group. One group drank de-ionized water served as control and also used for analysis with the background. The other three groups were cultured for five months by drinking de-ionized water with 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 mg·L-1 Sm (NO3)3, respectively. Compared with the rats in control, it is found that the organs of the treated rats are apparently pathologically changed, such as liver swell, lung intumescence, peritoneum conglutination and hardness. Especially, in the high Sm group, the pathological percentage in liver and lung is up to 30% . The pathological changes in liver and lung show that rare earth Sm does hazard biological effects to animals. With increasing Sm concentration, the weight rate of organ/body has a tendency of increasing; the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in liver and kidney decreases, but the maglonydiadehyde (MDA) concentration increases, indicating the abilities of anti-oxidation and the lipid per-oxi-dation inhibition degenerate, which leads to hard pathological changes in organs. Moreover, the relative weight rate of organ/body, the activity of SOD and the MDA concentration are remarkably lager in liver than in kidney and other organs, suggesting that the biological effect of Sm on liver is the greatest and Sm has a high affinity for liver.展开更多
Eucalyptus species are the native and major plant group in Australian landscapes. Since European settlement, eucalypt trees heavily decline in the tablelands .of New South Wales. Tree recruitment bog down and the land...Eucalyptus species are the native and major plant group in Australian landscapes. Since European settlement, eucalypt trees heavily decline in the tablelands .of New South Wales. Tree recruitment bog down and the landscape ecosystem hardly recovers to the original state. This paper introduces the history of eucalypt trees and native shrubs decline, analyzes reasons of seedling recruitment decrease in this region, such as clearing, grazing, fire, competition from exotic species, dieback, insects, drought and so on, and summarizes the probable conditions of eucalypt tree recruitment, such as suitable conditions of seedling survival, sufficient seed supply, keep from predation, suitable germination conditions, non-grazed environment, mechanical treatment, weed control, fire regime, disease control etc, lending suggests how to preserve and encourage eucalypt trees recruitment in the area.展开更多
文摘One in five Americans experience symptoms associated with at least one mental health disorder every year. These include behavioral addictions, which have long been overlooked despite their similar neural bases with substance addictions. Gambling addiction, a type of behavioral addiction, deserves particular attention given the significant negative effects, this addiction has on financial and interpersonal health. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature concerning the behavioral and neural processes involved in gambling addiction, including: the anticipation of reward, the role of dopamine, and the neural substrates of the decision-making processes involved in gambling addiction. Market research has also identified solutions that integrate applied neuroscience and self-tracking systems to monitor and manage mental health issues associated with gambling addiction. The authors then propose a gambling treatment-focused mobile app solution that addresses outstanding issues with a special design aimed at reversing plasticity in order to relieve the effects of gambling addiction. .
文摘This research study explored the levels of base status metals in soil sediments and particulate matter in the wellington industrial estate location;the main objectives were to: 1) determine sodium and potassium, 2) determine calcium and magnesium, 3) determine available iron. The following hypotheses were put forward;H<sub>0</sub><sub>a</sub>: there is no significant difference in the concentration levels between Ca and Mg in the study area, H<sub>1</sub><sub>a</sub>: there is significant difference in the concentration levels between Ca and Mg in the study area, H<sub>0</sub><sub>b</sub>: there is no significant difference in the concentration levels between Na and K in the study area, H<sub>1</sub><sub>b</sub>: there is significant difference in the concentration levels between Na and K in the study area. Six locations were used to collect samples with the aid of scoop and gravel free auger (at varying depths of 0 - 5 cm and 5 - 10 cm) which are Wellington Industrial Estate Area 1 (WIEL 1), (WIEL 2), (WIEL 3), (WIEL 4), (WIEL 5), (WIEL 6);the samples were given laboratory treatment. Flame photometer, EDTA, and Spectrophotometer were used in the determinations of sodium and potassium, calcium and magnesium, and available iron respectively. The results indicated that levels of potassium were in medium range (moderately high);sodium levels were generally low when compared to Brook’s classification table. Levels of calcium were generally low and those of magnesium were moderate based on Brook’s table of classification. Levels of available iron which fall within the range of Quijano-Guerta (2003) were high;this implies such levels can lead to toxicity. In all locations, there was decrease in the levels of each metal in the samples with (5 - 10 cm) depth.
基金supported by the Plan in Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of Outstanding Young Scientists,Hubei Provincial Department of Education (Grant No.T201604)。
文摘Root-associated endophytic fungi like Serendipita indica and arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungi can improve plant growth and root construction, but the potential mechanism is unclear. In this study, Funneliformis mosseae(an AM fungus) and S. indica, singly or in combination were inoculated into trifoliate orange(Poncirus trifoliata) seedlings, to assess changes in biomass and root morphological traits, coupled with auxins and cytokinins concentrations in leaves and roots and the expression of auxin synthesis and transporter protein genes. After 20 weeks of inoculation with these fungi, shoot and root biomass, root total length, taproot length, average diameter, surface area, volume, and the number of lateral roots in 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-order were improved, and S. indica showed a relatively greater effect than F. mosseae and dual inoculation. Endophytic fungal inoculation also significantly increased the concentration of indoleacetic acid, indole butyric acid, trans-zeatin,dihydrozeatin, and isopentenyl adenine in leaves and roots, whilst F. mosseae and S. indica exhibited relatively greater effects on leaves and roots, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that both biomass and root morphological traits(except root projected area) were significantly positively associated with endogenous auxins and cytokinins. In addition, the inoculated plants recorded comparatively higher expression levels of indoleacetic acid synthesis genes(PtTAA1, PtTAR2, PtYUC3, PtYUC4, PtYUC6, and PtYUC8) and indoleacetic acid transporter protein genes(PtAUX1, PtLAX1, PtLAX2, PtLAX3, PtPIN1, PtPIN3, PtPIN4, PtABCB1, and PtABCB19) than the non-inoculated plants, among which F. mosseae and S. indica showed better effects in leaves and roots, respectively. These results suggest that root-associated endophytic fungi improved plant growth and root architecture, which were associated with changes in endogenous auxins and cytokinins.
基金the financial assistance provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research in the form of a research associate (No.5/3/8/95/ITR F/2020)。
文摘Manganese-substituted magnetite ferrofluids(FFs)Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)(x=0–0.8)were prepared in this work through a chemical coprecipitation reaction.The controlled growth of FF nanomaterials for antibacterial activities is challenging,and therefore,very few reports are available on the topic.This research focuses on stabilizing aqueous FFs with the tetramethylammonium hydroxide surfactant to achieve high homogeneity.Morphological characterization reveals nanoparticles of 5–11 nm formed by the chemical reaction and nanocrystalline nature,as evident from structural investigations.Mn-substituted magnetic FFs are analyzed for their structural,functional,and antibacterial performance according to the Mn-substituent content.Optical studies show a high blue shift for Mn^(2+)-substituted Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)with the theoretical correlation of optical band gaps with the Mn content.The superparamagnetic nature of substituted FFs causes zero coercivity and remanence,which consequently influence the particle size,cation distribution,and spin canting.The structural and functional performance of the FFs is correlated with the antibacterial activity,finally demonstrating the highest inhibition zone formation for Mnx Fe_(1-x)Fe_(2)O_(4)FFs.
基金The authors acknowledge financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2020YFB1506400 and 2021YFB3800068)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11834011,12074245,U21A20171 and 52102281)+1 种基金Shanghai Sailing Program(No.21YF1421600)Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology(No.2021QNRC001).
文摘Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)are taking steps to commercialization.However,the halogen-reactive anode with high cost becomes a stumbling block.Here,the halogen migration in PSCs is utilized to in situ generate a uniform tunneling layer between the hole transport materials and anodes,which enriches the options of anodes by breaking the Schottky barrier,enabling the regular PSCs with both high efficiency and stability.Specifically,the regular PSC that uses silver iodide as the tunneling layer and copper as the anode obtains a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.24%(certified 22.74%)with an aperture area of 1.04 cm^(2).The devices are stable,maintaining 98.6%of the initial effi-ciency after 500 h of operation at the maximum power point with continuous 1 sun illumination.PSCs with different tunneling layers and anodes are fabricated,which confirm the generality of the strategy.
文摘Convolution neural networks(CNNs)have proven to be effective clinical imagingmethods.This study highlighted some of the key issues within these systems.It is difficult to train these systems in a limited clinical image databases,and many publications present strategies including such learning algorithm.Furthermore,these patterns are known formaking a highly reliable prognosis.In addition,normalization of volume and losses of dice have been used effectively to accelerate and stabilize the training.Furthermore,these systems are improperly regulated,resulting in more confident ratings for correct and incorrect classification,which are inaccurate and difficult to understand.This study examines the risk assessment of Fully Convolutional Neural Networks(FCNNs)for clinical image segmentation.Essential contributions have been made to this planned work:1)dice loss and cross-entropy loss are compared on the basis of segment quality and uncertain assessment of FCNNs;2)proposal for a group model for assurance measurement of full convolutional neural networks trained with dice loss and group normalization;And 3)the ability of the measured FCNs to evaluate the segment quality of the structures and to identify test examples outside the distribution.To evaluate the study’s contributions,it conducted a series of tests in three clinical image division applications such as heart,brain and prostate.The findings of the study provide significant insights into the predictive ambiguity assessment and a practical strategies for outside-distribution identification and reliable measurement in the clinical image segmentation.The approaches presented in this research significantly enhance the reliability and accuracy rating of CNNbased clinical imaging methods.
文摘“Better Call Saul”is an excellent American television series.As a spin-off of“Breaking Bad”,it continues its excellent character design and intriguing plot development,giving audiences around the world a treat to talk about.However,while“Breaking Bad”has a huge audience and the film and television industry has done a lot of research on it,“Better Call Saul”has not been studied in domestic academic circles.This paper takes several main characters of the play as the research object,analyzes how their characters are designed,and how they complement each other with the dramatic conflict of the plot,so as to explore a new angle of character design.Through the study of the characters in this American drama,this paper can provide a reference for the Chinese film and television industry.The results show that Chinese TV dramas can learn from this American drama to improve the depth of character design and avoid designing stereotyped and labeled characters.This may ultimately improve their artistic literacy and bring more excellent works to Chinese audiences.
文摘In this paper,we establish a new multivariate Hermite sampling series involving samples from the function itself and its mixed and non-mixed partial derivatives of arbitrary order.This multivariate form of Hermite sampling will be valid for some classes of multivariate entire functions,satisfying certain growth conditions.We will show that many known results included in Commun Korean Math Soc,2002,17:731-740,Turk J Math,2017,41:387-403 and Filomat,2020,34:3339-3347 are special cases of our results.Moreover,we estimate the truncation error of this sampling based on localized sampling without decay assumption.Illustrative examples are also presented.
基金This research was funded by the General Project of Philosophy and Social Science of Heilongjiang Province,Grant Number:20SHB080.
文摘In recent years,how to efficiently and accurately identify multi-model fake news has become more challenging.First,multi-model data provides more evidence but not all are equally important.Secondly,social structure information has proven to be effective in fake news detection and how to combine it while reducing the noise information is critical.Unfortunately,existing approaches fail to handle these problems.This paper proposes a multi-model fake news detection framework based on Tex-modal Dominance and fusing Multiple Multi-model Cues(TD-MMC),which utilizes three valuable multi-model clues:text-model importance,text-image complementary,and text-image inconsistency.TD-MMC is dominated by textural content and assisted by image information while using social network information to enhance text representation.To reduce the irrelevant social structure’s information interference,we use a unidirectional cross-modal attention mechanism to selectively learn the social structure’s features.A cross-modal attention mechanism is adopted to obtain text-image cross-modal features while retaining textual features to reduce the loss of important information.In addition,TD-MMC employs a new multi-model loss to improve the model’s generalization ability.Extensive experiments have been conducted on two public real-world English and Chinese datasets,and the results show that our proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on classification evaluation metrics.
文摘Use expert interviews,literature and other methods to summarize and analyze the pros and cons of smart sports and traditional sports,combine traditional sports with smart education,and create a more scientific and effective smart education model for colleges and universities,so as to promote the joint participation or supervision of schools,teachers,parents,and students to improve the quality of physical education,so as to achieve physical education for students and enhance the time and intensity of students’physical fitness.
基金the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.U21A20171,12074245,and 52102281)National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2021YFB3800068 and 2020YFB1506400)+1 种基金Shanghai Sailing Program(No.21YF1421600)Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology(No.2021QNRC001).
文摘Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)offer low costs and high power conversion efficiency.However,the lack of long-term stability,primarily stemming from the interfacial defects and the sus-ceptible metal electrodes,hinders their practical application.In the past few years,two-dimensional(2D)materials(e.g.,graphene and its derivatives,transitional metal dichalcogenides,MXenes,and black phosphorus)have been identified as a promising solution to solving these problems because of their dangling bond-free surfaces,layer-dependent electronic band structures,tunable functional groups,and inherent compactness.Here,recent progress of 2D material toward efficient and stable PSCs is summarized,including its role as both interface materials and electrodes.We discuss their beneficial effects on perovskite growth,energy level alignment,defect passivation,as well as blocking external stimulus.In particular,the unique properties of 2D materials to form van der Waals heterojunction at the bottom interface are emphasized.Finally,perspectives on the further development of PSCs using 2D materials are provided,such as designing high-quality van der Waals heterojunction,enhancing the uniformity and coverage of 2D nanosheets,and developing new 2D materials-based electrodes.
文摘Appropriate oral hygiene significantly reduces the possibility of oral infections.However,dental caries and periodontal diseases are major oral health issues causing chronic diseases due to poor oral health.Recently,herbal compounds have gained interest in maintaining oral health.Extracts of burdock root(Arctium),noni fruit(Morinda citrifolia),and neem leaf(Azadirachta indica)are now used as intracanal medicaments in endodontics and periodontics.Plectranthus amboinicus species and other plants produces essential oil likeβ-caryophyllene,p-cymene,andγ-terpinene can exhibit antibacterial activity;highlighting phytoconstituents plays a vital role in oral health.The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene and sanitization,to curb SARS-CoV-2.Oral cavity is among the gateways for virus entry into saliva.Saliva is a potential reservoir of SARS-CoV-2,and there is an increased risk of infection if there is any fissure in the mouth.This enables entry of virus into the vascular system through gingival or periodontal pocket,possibly reaching lung periphery then to lung vessels by interacting with endothelial surface receptors triggering pulmonary vasoconstriction and lung damage due to endothelial dysfunction.This review aims to draw attention to the possible route of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the oral cavity and the importance of oral hygiene against COVID-19.
文摘Crude oil spills have inflicted extensive disruption upon the Niger Delta ecosystem, resulting in crop loss and severe environmental damage. Such spills exacerbate heavy metal concentration within soil due to the presence of metallic ions. The Okpare-Olomu community has borne the brunt of crude oil pollution from illicit bunkering, sabotage, and equipment malfunction. This study targets an evaluation of ecological hazards linked to heavy metals (HMs) in crude oil impacted agriculturally soils within Okpare-Olomu in Ughelli South LGA of Delta State. In this study, 24 topsoil samples were obtained from areas affected by crude oil pollution;the heavy metal content was evaluated through atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentration ranges for HMs (mg/kg) in soil were: 24.1 - 23,174 (Cu);0.54 - 37.1 (Cd);9.05 - 54 (Cr);12 - 174 (Ni);18.5 - 8611 (Pb);and 148 - 9078 (Zn) at a soil depth of 0 - 15 cm. Notably, metal concentrations were recorded to be above permissible World Health Organization limits. Predominantly, Zn and Pb recorded higher heavy metal concentration when compared to other heavy metals analysed, notably at sampling points PT7 through PT24. Zinc and Pb contamination exhibited highly significant contamination factors, and contamination severity was evidenced across all sample points, signifying a grave risk level. Pollution load indices indicated pervasive extreme pollution levels. Geoaccumulation indices signaled moderate to strong pollution, mainly by Pb and Zn. Ecological risk assessments revealed variable levels of heavy metal contamination, from low to very high, with potential ecological risk reflecting markedly elevated levels. This study underscores the imperative for soil remediation to rectify ecological imbalances in agriculturally affected soil constituents.
文摘The escalating global concern over air pollution requires rigorous investigations. This study assesses air quality near residential areas affected by petroleum-related activities in Ubeji Community, utilizing Aeroqual handheld mobile multi-gas monitors and air quality multi-meters. Air sampling occurred on three distinct days using multi-gas monitors and meters, covering parameters such as CO, NO2, CH4, NH3, VOCs, Particulate Matter, Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Air Quality Index. Soil and plant samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical and organic components. Air pollutant concentrations showed significant fluctuations. Carbon monoxide (CO) ranged from 0.00 to 3.22 ppm, NO2 from 0.00 to 0.10 ppm, CH4 from 4.00 to 2083 ppm, NH3 from 371 to 5086 ppm, and VOCs from 414 to 6135 ppm. Soil analysis revealed low total nitrogen, and undetected BTEX levels. Plant samples displayed a pH range of 7.72 to 9.45. CO concentrations, although below WHO limits, indicated potential vehicular and industrial influences. Fluctuations in NO2 and CH4 were linked to traffic, industrial activities, and gas flaring. NH3 levels suggested diverse pollution sources. The result in this study highlights the dynamic nature of air pollution in Ubeji community, emphasizing the urgent need for effective pollution control measures. Although CO concentrations were within limits, continuous monitoring is essential. Elevated NO2 levels gave information on the impact of industrial activities, while high CH4 concentrations may be associated with gas flaring and illegal refining. The study recommends comprehensive measures and collaborative efforts to address these complex issues, safeguarding both the environment and public health. This study shows the potential synergy between air quality sensors and plants for holistic environmental health assessments, offering valuable insights for environmental assessments and remediation endeavours. The findings call for stringent regulations and collaborative efforts to address air pollution in Ubeji community comprehensively.
文摘Crude oil pollution in the Niger Delta, perpetrated by both local communities and industrial actors, has brought about soil pollution with its consequent ecological, human health and food challenges. The purpose of this research was to examine the concentration and distribution of heavy metals in soil from communities contaminated by crude oil in Niger Delta, and to evaluate the potential health risks to residents from exposure to these contaminants. To achieve this, soil samples were collected from the Ihwrekreka community and analyzed for heavy metal content using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analytical results in mg/kg revealed a significant metals pollution level derived from the oil spill in the soil ranging from 4.85 - 17,078 (Cu), 1.01 - 16.1 (Cd), 0.22 - 36.8 (Cr), 8.28 - 40.9 (Ni), 7.51 - 6474 (Pb), and 8.84 - 12,851 (Zn) respectively. Most of the metals were above the permissible limits of World Health Organization, with Cu, Zn, and Pb as the most contaminating metals. Lead was found to be the main contributor to the hazard index (HI) values for both children and adults in the study area, with its concentration exceeding the permitted limits set by the WHO and the EC. The hazard index (HI) values of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, and Cr were significantly higher than 1. These findings suggest that the release of heavy metals from an oil-contaminated site may pose a risk to human health and the environment.
文摘Groundwater is increasingly being used due to its universal availability and generally good quality. However, the risk of contamination of groundwater due to various human activities such as mining is equally increasing across the globe. In this study, the physical parameters of potable well waters in the key mining areas in Nimikoro and Tankoro Chiefdoms in Kono District were analyzed for compliance with drinking water quality standard. To do this, both unpurged and purged well water samples were collected once every month for a period of one year. Some of the well water properties like temperature, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) were measured on site and others determined in the laboratory. The data collected from the laboratory analyses were statistically analyzed in MS Excel, SPSS and ArcGIS environments for quality trends in time-space fabric. The results showed that well water quality in the study area generally fell short of drinking water quality standards of Sierra Leone and WHO. There were high temperature and turbidity during the dry season and then high TDS and EC during the rainy season. Temperature and turbidity also significantly influenced well water quality in the study area, much more than TDS and EC. The implications for drinking water of lower quality than the standard could be huge for the local population and therefore needs the attention of stakeholders in the study area and decision makers in the country.
文摘With the arrival of the big data era, the modern higher education model has undergone radical changes, and higher requirements have been put forward for the data literacy of college teachers. The paper first analyzes the connotation of teacher data literacy, and then combs through the status quo and dilemmas of teachers’ data literacy ability in applied universities. The paper proposes to enhance the data literacy ability of teachers from the perspective of organizational learning. Through building a digital culture, building a data-driven teaching environment, and constructing an interdisciplinary learning community to further promote the application of the theory and practice of datafication inside and outside the organization, and ultimately improve the quality of teaching.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41202008,41202009,41172022)the Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (No.2011JQ5012)+1 种基金the Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Central Colleges,Chang'an University(Nos. 2014G1271061,CHD2011JC122,CHD2011TD005, 20I4G3272013,2013G3274021 and 2013G1271101)the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy,Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences (No.123112)
文摘The extant genus Paliurus Miller is divided into P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups and is diagnostically characterized by distinctive orbicular-winged fruits with a trilocular （or often bilocular） ovary and basally triveined leaves with a subentire to serrate margin. Here, structurally preserved winged fruits and associated compressed leaves of Paliurus （Paliureae, Rhamnaceae） are reported from the Middle-Upper Miocene Shengxian Formation of Tiantai, Zhejiang, eastern China. The fruits can be identified as Paliurus microcarpa Xiang-Chuan Lisp. nov., the diagnostic characters of external morphology and anatomy of which differ from those of both extant and fossil generic members; the leaves can be designated as Paliurus sp. The species based on winged fruits, P. microcarpa, might represent an ancient intermediate link exclusively known across the P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups, showing a closer affinity to the P. ramosissimus group based on the resemblant smaller fruits with a narrower wing, and to the P. spina-christi group based on the similar wing structure and texture, respectively. Morphological analyses of the present and previous fossil fruit records around the world indicate that diversification of Paliurus had begun in northern transpacific regions by the Late Eocene. The macrofossil records, i.e., fruits and leaves of Paliurus globally when projected on paleoenvironmental maps in view of changing continental positions through time （from Eocene to Miocene） display that the past distribution of the genus was much wider than the present and belongs to a tropical and warm temperate realm of the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, the modern restricted disjunction in tropical and warm temperate regions of East Asia and South Europe （even eastwards West Asia） might represent glacial refugia for some of the generic ancient lineages to survive severe cold at least since the terminal Pliocene.
基金Project supported in part by the Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (205065) the Natural Science Foundation nf Zhejiang Province (Y405043)
文摘Spraque-Dawley(SD)big rats with weaning weight of (195±15) g were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 males and 8 females each group. One group drank de-ionized water served as control and also used for analysis with the background. The other three groups were cultured for five months by drinking de-ionized water with 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 mg·L-1 Sm (NO3)3, respectively. Compared with the rats in control, it is found that the organs of the treated rats are apparently pathologically changed, such as liver swell, lung intumescence, peritoneum conglutination and hardness. Especially, in the high Sm group, the pathological percentage in liver and lung is up to 30% . The pathological changes in liver and lung show that rare earth Sm does hazard biological effects to animals. With increasing Sm concentration, the weight rate of organ/body has a tendency of increasing; the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in liver and kidney decreases, but the maglonydiadehyde (MDA) concentration increases, indicating the abilities of anti-oxidation and the lipid per-oxi-dation inhibition degenerate, which leads to hard pathological changes in organs. Moreover, the relative weight rate of organ/body, the activity of SOD and the MDA concentration are remarkably lager in liver than in kidney and other organs, suggesting that the biological effect of Sm on liver is the greatest and Sm has a high affinity for liver.
基金This study was supported by CSC (Chinese Scholarship Communi ), CSIRO and Australia-China Council
文摘Eucalyptus species are the native and major plant group in Australian landscapes. Since European settlement, eucalypt trees heavily decline in the tablelands .of New South Wales. Tree recruitment bog down and the landscape ecosystem hardly recovers to the original state. This paper introduces the history of eucalypt trees and native shrubs decline, analyzes reasons of seedling recruitment decrease in this region, such as clearing, grazing, fire, competition from exotic species, dieback, insects, drought and so on, and summarizes the probable conditions of eucalypt tree recruitment, such as suitable conditions of seedling survival, sufficient seed supply, keep from predation, suitable germination conditions, non-grazed environment, mechanical treatment, weed control, fire regime, disease control etc, lending suggests how to preserve and encourage eucalypt trees recruitment in the area.
