Search Results (4,133)

Internal and external environmental changes have led to changes in the service value of plateau ecosystems. Plateau ecosystems are facing a risk of falling into “recession”. Meanwhile, climate change has become an important factor affecting the service value of plateau grassland ecosystems. In this paper, from the perspective of how changes in climate factors inhibit the value of ecosystem services of plateau grasslands, we adopt the equivalent factor method to measure the value of grassland ecosystem services in eight municipal levels in Qinghai Province from 2000 to 2021. We also construct a fixed utility model to test how changes in climate factors affect the value of ecosystem services and use the grass–animal balance as a mediating effect model for the test. The results of the study showed that (1) the increase in temperature and precipitation among the changes in climate factors significantly suppresses the ecosystem service value of grassland in the plateau. (2) The mediation test shows that the grass–livestock balance helped suppress the effects of climate factor changes on the ecological service value of plateau grassland. (3) The heterogeneity test shows that the area containing the Three-River-Source National Park is more resistant to climate factor changes. Climate factor changes have a greater impact on the ecosystem service value of plateau grassland in high altitude areas and have a significant positive effect on sustained low grassland carrying pressure index status. Therefore, in the protection of plateau grassland ecosystems, we should pay attention to the inputs in the ecosystems as well as appropriate grazing. At the same time, this study can provide a reference value for the decision-making with respect to ecological natural resources protection or restoration in plateau grassland under the effects of climate factors. Full article

Shelter forest systems in the sandy areas mainly comprise farmland shelter forests (FSF) and windbreak and sand-fixing forests (WSF). Through a questionnaire survey of farmers in the oasis–desert transition zone of the windy desert areas of the Hexi Corridor in China, a perception assessment model of farmers’ perception of the status quo and ecosystem service function of shelter forests was constructed, and the willingness of farmers to pay for shelter forest construction and protection was measured. Influencing factors for the farmers’ perception of shelter forests were analyzed by a multiple regression analysis. The results showed problems with pests and diseases all present in FSF and WSF, the destruction of farmland in FSF, and water scarcity in WSF. Farmers evaluated the ecological role of shelter forests as the most obvious in windbreak and sand fixation; intermediate in the four ecological roles of leisure and recreation, agricultural production, a sense of locality, and climate regulation; and the smallest in soil improvement. Nearly 95% of farmers are willing to donate funds to shelter forest construction and protection, and the average amount the farmers were willing to pay was CNY 54.30 per year. Willingness to pay, annual household income, gender, environmental experience, age, and interview area have significant effects on farmers’ perception of shelter forests. Finally, in this paper, we recommend increasing motivation through government financial support and training for farmers to address pests and diseases, water security, and the destruction of farmland in shelter forests to ensure healthy and sustainable growth. Full article

The use of inertial measurement units (IMUs) as an alternative to optical marker-based systems has the potential to make gait analysis part of the clinical standard of care. Previously, an IMU-based system leveraging Rauch–Tung–Striebel smoothing to estimate knee angles was assessed using a six-degrees-of-freedom joint simulator. In a clinical setting, however, accurately measuring abduction/adduction and external/internal rotation of the knee joint is particularly challenging, especially in the presence of soft tissue artefacts. In this study, the in vivo IMU-based joint angles of 40 asymptomatic knees were assessed during level walking, under two distinct sensor placement configurations: (1) IMUs fixed to a rigid harness, and (2) IMUs mounted on the skin using elastic hook-and-loop bands (from here on referred to as “skin-mounted IMUs”). Estimates were compared against values obtained from a harness-mounted optical marker-based system. The comparison of these three sets of kinematic signals (IMUs on harness, IMUs on skin, and optical markers on harness) was performed before and after implementation of a REference FRame Alignment MEthod (REFRAME) to account for the effects of differences in coordinate system orientations. Prior to the implementation of REFRAME, in comparison to optical estimates, skin-mounted IMU-based angles displayed mean root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) up to 6.5°, while mean RMSEs for angles based on harness-mounted IMUs peaked at 5.1°. After REFRAME implementation, peak mean RMSEs were reduced to 4.1°, and 1.5°, respectively. The negligible differences between harness-mounted IMUs and the optical system after REFRAME revealed that the IMU-based system was capable of capturing the same underlying motion pattern as the optical reference. In contrast, obvious differences between the skin-mounted IMUs and the optical reference indicated that the use of a harness led to fundamentally different joint motion being measured, even after accounting for reference frame misalignments. Fluctuations in the kinematic signals associated with harness use suggested the rigid device oscillated upon heel strike, likely due to inertial effects from its additional mass. Our study proposes that optical systems can be successfully replaced by more cost-effective IMUs with similar accuracy, but further investigation (especially in vivo and upon heel strike) against moving videofluoroscopy is recommended. Full article

Background/Objectives: The main aim of our study was to analyze the stabilometric parameters in relation to hip and knee muscle force in children with unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) who had undergone surgical treatment. Another objective was to compare the stabilometry in three testing situations (eyes open, eyes closed, and head retroflexed). Methods: In total, 26 patients with unilateral right SCFE treated via in situ fixation with one percutaneous screw performed stabilometry assessments under three different situations (with their eyes open, with their eyes closed, and with their head retroflexed) and isometric muscle force assessment of the bilateral hip flexors, extensors, abductors and adductors and bilateral knee flexors and extensors. Results: No significant differences between the right side (affected hip) and left side (non-affected hip) were recorded for all of the tested muscle groups. We found significant negative correlations between the 90% confidence ellipse area (eyes open condition) and left knee extensors (p = 0.028), right knee flexors (p = 0.041), and left knee flexors (p = 0.02), respectively. When performing the comparison between the eyes open and eyes closed situations, there were significant differences in CoP path length (p < 0.0001) and maximum CoP speed (p = 0.048); the parameters increased in the eyes closed situation. Conclusions: Better postural stability is acquired when assessed with eyes open or with the head retroflexed in contrast with eyes closed testing. Full article

Rapid microscopic analysis of tissue is an essential diagnostic tool in oncological surgery. The gold standard for intraoperative histological tissue evaluation is frozen sections. However, frozen sections are prone to a variety of artefacts and require skilled staff and specialized lab equipment. A potential method for rapid intraoperative tissue evaluation that does not require fixation, freezing, or sectioning of the tissue is ex vivo fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM). The visualization of the structurally important extracellular matrix (ECM) in conventional ex vivo FCM lags behind the standards of conventional histology. The objective of this study was to find a stain that would improve the depiction of the ECM to resemble FFPE H&E sections as closely as possible. Eleven different tissue stains were tested on 122 tissue samples submitted to the Department of Pathology at the Medical University of Vienna. This study was conducted on the RS-G4 Upright (Caliber I.D. Rochester, NY, USA, distributed in Europe by MAVIG GmbH, Munich, Germany). Fast Green FCF (FGFCF) in combination with acridine orange as a nuclear stain improved the visibility of the structural details of the ECM. Morphological details in FCM were equivalent or even superior to frozen sections in most analyzed categories. The addition of FGFCF to the conventional staining protocol improves the assessment of the ECM and analysis of fibrosis. The rapid staining protocol is compatible with an application in intraoperative microscopy. Full article

Background: Proximal humeral fractures (PHFs) are common, especially in the elderly, and account for 4% to 10% of all fractures, with women more often affected than men. Treatments include conservative methods, internal fixation and arthroplasty, with surgical approaches increasingly being used due to technological advancements. This study analyzes the evolution of PHF treatments in Italy from 2001 to 2022, using data from the Italian Hospital Discharge Records (HDRs) Database, and includes a stratified analysis by age and sex. Methods: Using HDR data from 2001 to 2022, records with ICD9-CM codes for proximal humeral fractures (812.0 and 812.1) among diagnoses were selected and categorized into three treatment groups: arthroplasty, fixation and conservative. Time series were analyzed with stratification by sex and age. Results: The extracted data included 486,368 records of PHFs, with 223,742 cases treated surgically (arthroplasty or internal fixation) and 262,626 treated conservatively; the average patient age was 66.6 years, with a higher proportion of women, especially among arthroplasty patients. Over time, the use of fixation and arthroplasty increased from 20% of treatments in 2001 to over 60% in 2022, with fixation becoming the most common treatment method by 2014 and arthroplasty significantly increasing among women, particularly in the 65–74 and 75–84 age groups. Conclusions: The study shows that in Italy, over the past two decades, treatment for PHFs has shifted from conservative methods to a preference for internal fixation and increasingly for arthroplasty, particularly among women and patients aged 65–84, reflecting evolving trends and technological improvements. Full article

Tomato is an economically and nutritionally important crop and is vulnerable to drought. Under drought, soil microbes provide beneficial effects to plants and alleviate stress. We suggest a reconstruction of the soil microbiome using biofumigation, an organic farming method, to protect tomatoes. In this study, we treated soil in four ways with varied concentrations: biofumigation (BF0.5, BF1.0, and BF1.5), green manure treatment (GM0.5, GM1.0, and GM1.5), autoclaving (AT), and non-treatment (NT). Tomatoes were grown in each treated soil, subjected to water shortages, and were rewatered. We investigated plant phenotypes and soil properties, focused on microbial communities using the Illumina MiSeq^® System. Relative Water Content and malondialdehyde were measured as plant stress. The results showed that the 1% biofumigation treatment had 105% and 108.8% RWC during drought and after rewatering, compared to the non-treated soil. The highest concentration, the 1.5% treatment, lowered RWC due to an excess of NO₃⁻, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and decreased alpha diversity. Through PLS-PM, bacterial alpha diversity was found to be the largest factor in the increase in RWC (coefficient = 0.3397), and both biofumigant and green manure significantly increased the Shannon index and observed species. In addition, biofumigation increased beneficial functional genes (purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, carbon fixation pathways, and zeatin bio-synthesis) of soil microorganisms (p value < 0.05, <0.01, >0.05, and <0.05, respectively). The 1% biofumigation treatment enriched the core five genera of the fungal network (Enterocarpus, Aspergillus, Leucothecium, Peniophora, and Wallemia) of the fungal network which might suppress the most dominant pathogen, Plectosphaerella. In conclusion, biofumigation-derived soil microbiome alterations have the potential to lower plant stress under drought. Full article

Straw returning enhances soil fertility and increases corn yield, but the impact on soil fertility varies with different incorporation methods. To explore the optimal straw-returning method, this study, based on a long-term field experiment, investigated the following different corn-straw-returning methods: deep plowing and straw returning (B), rotary tillage and straw returning (RT), crushing and mixing straw returning (TM), pulverized cover straw returning (C), high-stubble-retention straw returning (LHS), strip cover (S), and flat no-tillage without straw returning (CK). High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to analyze the soil bacterial community composition and structural changes under different straw-returning methods. The study further explored the relationships between the soil bacterial community and nutrient content. The results indicated that different straw-returning methods altered the composition and structure of the soil bacterial community. The TM treatment significantly increased the richness and diversity of the soil bacterial communities. Shredding and covering (C and TM) effectively improved the soil nutrient content and bacterial community structure. In the C treatment, the abundance of Blastococcus, Nocardioides, and Microvirga increased the most, by 241.02%, 77.79%, and 355.08%, respectively, compared with CK. In the TM treatment, Pseudarthrobacter showed the highest abundance, increasing by 343.30%. The genes involved in soil carbon hydrolysis (pulA), nitrification (hao), organic nitrogen degradation and synthesis (gudB), and the nitrogen limitation response (glnR) significantly decreased by 56.21%, 78.75%, 66.46%, and 67.40%, respectively, in the C treatment. The genes involved in soil carbon hydrolysis (IMA), carbon fixation (pccB-A), methane metabolism (moxF), nitrate reduction in soil (nirD), organic nitrogen degradation and synthesis (gdh, ureAB, ureE), and phosphate absorption (glpT) significantly increased by 93.37%, 92.68%, 95.00%, 23.42%, 35.40%, 114.21%, 59.14%, and 75.86%, respectively, in the C treatment. The nitrate reduction gene (nrfA) significantly increased by 80.27% in the TM treatment. Therefore, we concluded that straw primarily stimulates the activity of bacterial communities and regulates the bacterial community by changing the relative abundance of the soil microorganisms and functional genes, thereby improving the soil nutrient content. This study considered pulverized cover straw returning and crushing and mixing straw returning to be the most reasonable methods. Full article

Skin shrinkage begins immediately after surgical incision and is an artefact associated with the excision and fixation of a specimen. Skin shrinkage results in important changes in histologic tissue dimensions and can affect the correct quantification of the histologic tumour-free margin (HTFM). Bilateral and symmetrical circular skin samples with a diameter of 60 mm were taken from the lateral thoracic, flank and femoral regions of dog cadavers, with the samples from one side belonging to the study group and the samples from the same animal from the other side belonging to the control group. The radius and diameter of the specimen were measured immediately after the excision and 10 min later for each sample. The measurements of the study group were taken again after manual re-extension and fixation on a cork plate before formalin fixation and 48 h after formalin fixation. A total of 66 (33 study and 33 control group) samples were collected from 11 canine cadavers. The mean diameter shrinkage after formalin fixation was 18.24% for the control group and 0.64% for the study group. A statistically significant difference between the study and the control group was found (p < 0.001). This method of specimen fixation in the study group avoided skin shrinkage and deformation of the specimen in formalin, which we believe improves the diagnostic accuracy of surgical margins and, thus, reduces the number of false-positive or false-negative HTFM. Full article

The plant seed-borne microbiome comprises microorganisms vertically inherited from the mother plant. This microbiome is often linked to early-life protection and seedling growth promotion. Herein, we compare the seed-borne bacteriomes of a commercial hybrid (Santa Helena) and a landrace maize variety (Sol da Manhã). The landrace variety displays a more diverse seed-borne microbiome, featuring a variety of taxa across samples with an average Shannon’s diversity index of 1.12 compared to 0.45 in the hybrid variety. The landrace variety also showed a greater alpha diversity of 165.8, in contrast to 144.1 in the hybrid. Although both microbiomes lack a functional nitrogen fixation apparatus, we found a remarkably distinct presence of genes associated with phytohormone production and phosphate solubilization, particularly in the landrace variety. In addition, we recovered 18 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), including four from potentially novel species. Collectively, our results allow for a better understanding of the contrasting diversity between maize varieties. The higher potential for phytohormone production in landraces, the absence of nif genes in both varieties, and the identification of core microbiome taxa offer valuable insights into how microbial communities impact plant health and development. This knowledge could pave the way for more sustainable and innovative agricultural practices in crop management. Full article

Joint attention (JA), a core deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is crucial for social interaction, emotional understanding, and cognitive development. This study aims to compare and analyze the eye-tracking data of ASD and typically developing children (TDC) during virtual games, exploring how different cue types affect JA performance in ASD children. A total of 31 TDC and 40 ASD children participated in the study. Using eye-tracking devices, we recorded the children’s eye movements as they played virtual games, selecting the correct target based on cues provided by virtual characters. Our findings revealed that different cue types significantly impacted the game scores of ASD children but had no significant effect on TDC, highlighting a notable disparity between the two groups. ASD children showed a lower fixation frequency, irregular fixation paths, and increased attention to non-target objects compared to TDC. Interestingly, among the three cue types, ASD children exhibited a preference for the third type, leading to longer fixation on the region of interest and higher game scores. These results underscore the importance of cue selection in enhancing JA in ASD children. This study provides novel insights into the JA deficits in ASD children and offers a scientific basis for the development of targeted and individualized intervention programs. Full article

Excess nitrogen in agricultural drainage poses a serious threat to the water quality safety of the Yellow River basin. Utilizing aquatic plants to modify the rhizosphere microbial community structure and facilitate nitrogen transformation is a crucial strategy for mitigating regional water eutrophication. We here compare key processes of nitrogen transformation occurring in the rhizosphere of sediments of a ditch artificially planted with a mix of species (Phragmites australis, Typha orientalis, Nymphaea tetragon) with the rhizosphere of a ditch occupied by naturally occurring aquatic vegetation, dominated either by P. australis or T. orientalis. Our results revealed a species effect, with an increased denitrification rate (DR) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium rate (DNRAR) in the cultivated ditch for P. australis, compared to the naturally occurring T. orientalis vegetation. The nitrogen fixation rate (NFR) increased in the artificial setting with T. orientalis in comparison to natural P. australis vegetation. The richness of the bacterial community and the relative abundances of Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Geobacter were significantly greater in the rhizosphere of the artificially cultivated ditch due a greater availability in nitrogen and organic carbon. In the artificially cultivated ditch, the dominant functional genes affecting DRNARs in the rhizosphere sediments of P. australis were nrfC and nrfA, whereas DRs were driven mainly by norB and napA, which were influenced by the nitrogen and carbon levels. The dominant functional genes affecting NFRs in the rhizosphere sediments of T. orientalis were nifD, nifK, and nifH. Our results provide a scientific basis for the use of aquatic plants for mitigating excess nitrogen levels in agricultural drainage. Full article

Background: Compound fractures of the distal tibia (with or without the middle third) represent a challenge for orthopedic and plastic surgeons because of the scarcity of available soft tissue reconstruction and the important comminution of the fractures that usually appear. Methods: The design of this study is based on the PRISMA guidelines. Databases were searched for articles published and available until the first half of 2023. Articles that presented the evolution of patients treated by combining circular external fixators with reconstructive methods were selected. Results: After searching the literature using keywords, we obtained 3355 articles, out of which 14 articles met all the inclusion criteria, with a total number of participants of 283. The bone loss varied between 0.7 and 18.2 cm, while the soft tissue defect was between 3/3 cm and 16/21 cm. The average period of fixation ranged from 4 to 22.74 months. The most used reconstruction methods were 80 free flaps and 73 pedicled flaps out of 249 interventions. Complete flap loss appeared only in 3/283 patients. Regarding the bone union, the percentage of non-union was low, and in all cases, it was achieved after reintervention. A low rate of major complications was observed. Conclusions: The orthoplastic team is the key to successfully treating the high-energy traumatism of the distal tibia (with or without a middle third). The Ilizarov external fixator can be used as a definitive limb-salvage treatment (secondary to the standard primary methods of fixation) in combination with a flap to cover the defects because it does not damage the pedicle, and it helps stabilize the soft tissues and bones around the flap to lower the complications. Full article

Background: The most published surgical technique for fixating Type 4 (Salter–Harris II) tibial tubercle avulsion fractures is uni-cortical in nature, and stability is suboptimal. This study presents a technique modification that is consistent with AO principles, by which the screws are aimed distally to purchase the posterior cortex of the distal fragment. This technique is defined as a “Distal Cortical Fixation”. This modification has not been studied to date and harbors potential advantages. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of surgical fixation techniques for the above-mentioned fractures and to describe the new modification. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted at a level 1 children’s hospital for surgically treated Salter–Harris II tibial tubercle fractures. Inclusion criteria were patients who sustained Salter–Harris II tibial tubercle avulsion fractures and were documented to reach one of two radiographic endpoints: union (regardless of alignment) or non-union that necessitated additional interventions. Medical records and radiographic studies were analyzed for fracture union and alignment. A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate outcomes based on different fixation techniques that included Distal Cortical Fixation, a Proximal Screw Technique, and a crossed or multiple screws/pins construct. Results: A total of 37 patients were included with a mean age of 14.8 ± 1.2 years, with 34/37 (91.9%) being male. The most common procedure was a 1 to 3 screw fixation with a Distal Cortical Fixation (n = 21 (56.75%)), followed by a Proximal Screw Technique (n = 8, 21.62%), and a crossed or multiple screws/pins construct (n = 8, 21.62%). There was no difference between the groups in medical history and demographic features. The mean follow-up duration was 35.17 ± 36.79 weeks. There were no non-unions, and only a minimal change in the sagittal and coronal alignment (0.4 ± 1.94 (p = 0.872) and 0.53 ± 3.51 (p = 0.296) degrees, respectively) was noted and was not associated with the surgical technique. Conclusions: The surgical treatment of Salter–Harris II tibial tubercle avulsion fractures, including Distal Cortical Fixation, was presented and was found to provide satisfactory union rates on a short term follow up. Full article

Objective: Return to work after spinal surgery is a crucial factor in the recovery process. It can contribute not only to physical rehabilitation but also to psychological well-being. This study aims to evaluate the rate of return to work following elective lumbar spine surgery and identify predictors that predict failure of return to work. Methods: Adult patients who underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion at two medical centers were retrospectively identified. A standardized telephone interview was conducted for the final analysis to assess the clinical outcomes of these patients. Results: Out of a total of 159 patients, 104 were of working age at the time of the elective surgery. Data were missing for 35 patients, who were thus excluded from the analysis. All patients had a minimum follow-up period of one year. After surgery, 75% of the patients returned to work within a median time of 3 months. Quality of life, back pain, leg pain, and ODI scores, as well as self-reported satisfaction, were significantly better in patients who returned to work (p < 0.05). Tobacco use and previous musculoskeletal surgery were significant predictive factors of failure to return to work. None of the patients who were unemployed prior to surgery returned to work. Conclusions: Our study reveals that 75% of patients returned to work within three months after surgery. The most significant predictor of failure to return to work is being unemployed before surgery. Additionally, preoperative education about postoperative behavior and physical activity could potentially increase the rate. Full article