Search Results (9,438)

Disease monitoring informs the opportunities for intervention by natural resource agencies tasked with managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild cervids. However, allocating funds toward testing can reduce those available for education, outreach, and disease reduction. Implementation of more efficient testing strategies can help meet both an expanding need by resource managers and a burgeoning demand from the hunting public in North America. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of pooled testing using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the current screening test used by veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the United States, and real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), an amplification assay that is being evaluated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture but is not yet approved or commercially available. The samples used in this study consisted of medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLNs) routinely collected by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources during the 2019–2020 surveillance season. The test pools contained tissue from one positive deer diluted in tissue from an increasing number of undetected deer, with each individual contributing an equal tissue volume. ELISA remained positive with pooling thresholds of 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 1:9 at a standard volume of tissue homogenate, whereas RT-QuIC remained positive with pooling thresholds of 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:9, 1:19, and 1:49 at a 0.02% tissue dilution. Our results suggest that pooled testing can reduce diagnostic costs multi-fold, and RT-QuIC can be a viable screening test compatible with current field collection standards. Full article

In Egypt, wheat is the most consumed cereal grain, and its availability and affordability are important for social stability. Irrigation plays a vital role in wheat cultivation, despite intense competition for water resources from the River Nile across various societal sectors. To explore how grain and above-ground biomass yields respond to total seasonal water input from sowing to maturity in six bread wheat cultivars, eight field irrigation experiments were performed at four locations representative of three agro-climatic zones in two consecutive cropping seasons. A three-replicate strip-plot design was used with cultivars nested within the main plots featuring five irrigation treatments, ranging from six to two applications. Overall, irrigation treatment significantly affected nine agronomic traits. Compared with the six irrigation applications treatment (T1), the two irrigation applications treatment (T5) decreased the times to heading and maturity by 6.6 (7.3%) and 8.6 (6.3%) days, respectively. Similarly, T5 reduced the plant height by 14.9 cm (14.3%), flag leaf area by 12.0 cm² (27.2%), number of spikes per square metre by 77.7 (20.1%), number of kernels per spike by 13.9 (25.2%) and thousand grain weight by 10.0 g (19.6%). T5 also decreased the overall mean grain yield and above-ground biomass yield by 2834.9 (32.0%) and 7910.4 (32.86%) kg/ha, respectively. The grain yield and above-ground biomass production were consistently greater for all six cultivars at Al Mataenah and Sids than at Nubaria and Ismailia in the two cropping seasons. All six cultivars showed significantly greater responses to total seasonal water input for the grain yield and above-ground biomass at Al Mataenah and Ismailia. These results emphasise the necessity for choosing regions with favourable soil and climatic conditions to grow wheat cultivars that respond better to irrigation to enhance the large-scale production of wheat in Egypt. The grain and above-ground biomass yields were mostly linearly and positively associated with the total seasonal water input for all six cultivars at all four locations. This suggests that maintaining the current irrigation schedule of six irrigations is valid and should be practised to maximise productivity, particularly in areas similar to the three representative agro-climatic zones in Egypt. Full article

Recent research identified 2022 as being the year of lowest seasonal April–May–June–July (AMJJ) observed streamflow for the Po River Basin (PRB) in the past two centuries. Expanding upon this research, we applied filters (2-year to 30-year filters) to the AMJJ observed streamflow and identified the late 20th and 21st century as displaying extreme drought. In this study, we introduce PALEO-RECON, an automated reconstruction tool developed to leverage tree ring-based proxies and streamline regression processes. Using PALEO-RECON, we reconstructed the AMJJ streamflow, applying traditional regression techniques and using a nested approach in which 30-, 40-, and 50-year windows within the ~200-year observed streamflow record (1807 to 2022) were evaluated to capture uncertainty. Focusing on the 21st century (2000 to 2022), while several droughts in the ~2000-year paleo record may have exceeded the 2000 to 2022 drought, the recent PRB drought ending in 2022 was the lowest 23-year period in approximately 500 years, acknowledging that uncertainty increases as we move further back in time. When examining paleo and observed AMJJ streamflow records, deficit and surplus periods were evaluated, focusing on the potential “whiplash” between drought and pluvial events. We observed an increase in the frequency of whiplash events, which may be associated with a changing climate. Full article

Since the beginning of the satellite era, only three tropical cyclones have been recorded over the South Atlantic Ocean. To investigate the potential occurrence of such systems since the 1900s, ERA20C, a centennial reanalysis, was utilised. This study first evaluates the performance of ERA20C in reproducing the climatology of all cyclone types over the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean by comparing it with a modern reanalysis (ERA5) for the period 1979–2010. Despite its simpler construction, ERA20C is able to reproduce key climatological features, such as frequency, location, seasonality, intensity, and thermal structure of cyclones similar to ERA5. Then, the Cyclone Phase Space (CPS) methodology was applied to determine the thermal structure at each time step for every cyclone between 1900 and 2010 in ERA20C. The cyclones were then categorised into different types (extratropical, subtropical, and tropical), and systems exhibiting a warm core at their initial time step were classified as tropical cyclogenesis. Between 1900 and 2010, 96 cases of tropical cyclogenesis were identified over the South Atlantic. Additionally, throughout the lifetime of all cyclones, a total of 1838 time steps exhibited a tropical structure, indicating that cyclones can acquire a warm core at different stages of their lifecycle. The coasts of southeastern and southern sectors of northeast Brazil emerged as the most favourable for cyclones with tropical structures during their lifecycle. The findings of this study highlight the occurrence of tropical cyclones in the South Atlantic prior to the satellite era, providing a foundation for future research into the physical mechanisms that enabled these events. Full article

This study involves continuous radon monitoring during the academic year 2023/24. An Airthings Corentium Home radon detector placed in the basement laboratory of a faculty building in Kosovska Mitrovica (N 42.897°, E 20.867°) was used for continuous measurements. The average radon concentration was 303 Bq/m³, and a seasonal pattern during the measuring period was observed. For the first time, the results were grouped by week, excluding non-working days, to present a real case scenario with the aim of assessing the radon exposure of students, teachers, and employed persons. The inhalation dose from radon (1.54 mSv) was very high considering that exposure occurred in both semesters. Another aspect of continuous radon monitoring was to explore the relationship between indoor radon measurements and the occurrences of earthquakes in the Balkan region. Daily variations in radon (peaks and differences) were analyzed at the monitoring site by using both empirical laws and taking into account the earthquake data set provided by the Seismological Survey of Serbia. The analysis revealed that the events chosen to confirm a clear association between earthquake occurrence and enhanced radon activities in the air(as a precursor of seismic activities) did not meet the required criteria but most likely reflected external meteorological conditions. Full article

The West Nile virus (WNV) has recently become more widespread, posing a threat to both human and animal health. In Western Europe, most outbreaks have been caused by WNV lineage 1, while in Eastern Europe, WNV lineage 2 has led to human and bird mortality. The ability to appropriately manage this threat is dependent on integrated surveillance and early detection. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence of WNV infection in mosquitoes and to identify the circulating viral lineage in eastern Croatia. Mosquito traps were set up in rural and urban areas during the 2021–2023 seasons, and the collected specimens were identified morphologically. Mosquito species Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus were tested for Flaviviruses using conventional PCR in a heminested system. The positive samples were then subjected to a specific real-time PCR designed to detect WNV. A total of 385 mosquito pools were tested, and positive pools were found in samples from Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem, both of which contained Cx. pipiens mosquitoes. Sequencing of amplicons revealed WNV lineage 2 partial NS5 gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the Hungarian origin of strain, which complements birds’ migratory routes. These findings indicate the first detection of WNV in mosquitoes in Croatia. This suggests that human cases in this region are likely due to infections with lineage 2 transmitted by local Culex mosquitoes. Full article

Better understanding the complex mechanisms underlying the variations in crop residue burning (CRB) intensity and patterns is crucial for evaluating control strategies and developing sustainable policies aimed at the efficient recycling of crop residues. However, the intricate interplay between the CRB practices, climate variability, and human activities poses a significant challenge in this endeavor. Here, we utilize the high spatiotemporal resolution of satellite observations to characterize and explore the dynamics of summer CRB in North China at multiple scales. Between 2003 and 2012, there was a significant intensification of summer CRB in North China, with the annual number of burning spots increasing by an average of 499 (95% confidence interval, 252–1426) spots/year. However, in 2013, China promulgated the stringent Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, which led to a rapid decrease in the intensity of summer CRB. Local farmers also adjusted their burning practices, shifting from concentrated and intense burning to a more dispersed and uniformly intense approach. Between 2003 and 2020, the onset of summer CRB shifted earlier in North China by 0.75 (0.5–1.1) days/year, which is attributed to the combined effects of climate change and anthropogenic controls. Specifically, the onset time is found to be significantly and negatively correlated with spring temperature anomalies and positively correlated with anomalies in the number of spring frost days. Climate change has led to a shortened crop growing season, resulting in an earlier start to summer CRB. Moreover, the enhanced anthropogenic controls on CRB expedited this process, making the trend of an earlier start time even more pronounced from 2013 to 2020. Contrary to the earlier onset of summer CRB, the termination of local wheat residue burning experienced a notable delay by 1.0 (0.8–1.4) days/year, transitioning from mid-June to early July. Full article

Air pollution causes millions of premature deaths per year due to its strong association with several diseases and respiratory afflictions. Consequently, air quality monitoring and forecasting systems have been deployed in large urban areas. However, those systems forecast outdoor air quality while people living in relatively large cities spend most of their time indoors. Hence, this work proposes an indoor air quality forecasting system, which was trained with data from Mexico City, and that is supported by deep learning architectures. The novelty of our work is that we forecast an indoor air quality index, taking into account seasonal data for multiple horizons in terms of minutes; whereas related work mostly focuses on forecasting concentration levels of pollutants for a single and relatively large forecasting horizon, using data from a short period of time. To find the best forecasting model, we conducted extensive experimentation involving 133 deep learning models. The deep learning architectures explored were multilayer perceptrons, long short-term memory neural networks, 1-dimension convolutional neural networks, and hybrid architectures, from which LSTM rose as the best-performing architecture. The models were trained using (i) outdoor air pollution data, (ii) publicly available weather data, and (iii) data collected from an indoor air quality sensor that was installed in a house located in a central neighborhood of Mexico City for 17 months. Our empirical results show that deep learning models can forecast an indoor air quality index based on outdoor concentration levels of pollutants in conjunction with indoor and outdoor meteorological variables. In addition, our findings show that the proposed method performs with a mean squared error of 0.0179 and a mean absolute error of 0.1038. We also noticed that 5 months of historical data are enough for accurate training of the forecast models, and that shallow models with around 50,000 parameters have enough predicting power for this task. Full article

Background: This study examines the subjective attributes that coaches consider most important for identifying and developing the talent of junior élite football players. It also explores whether players’ physical fitness efficiency moderates these attributes and influences playing time during the regular season. Methods: Forty-three junior élite football players and four Italian Serie A club coaches participated in the study, contributing their unique perspectives and experiences. Players’ physical fitness was assessed using the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 test, while coaches rated players’ abilities through a structured questionnaire. Results: A significant positive relationship was found between ’understanding of the game and position on the field’ and total playing time (t = 3.498, p < 0.01, β = 0.953). Physical efficiency further strengthened this relationship when players’ fitness levels were average (b = 0.624, p < 0.001) and one standard deviation above the mean (b = 0.891, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of tactical awareness in earning playing time and suggest that physical fitness enhances the effect of cognitive abilities on performance. This study provides insights into how coaches assess talent and underscores the value of integrating physical and tactical development in youth football, providing a testament to the power of collaboration in advancing our understanding of talent identification in sports. Full article

During the 2023–2024 winter, 11 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks caused by clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 and H5N6 HPAI viruses were confirmed in Japanese domestic poultry among 10 prefectures (n = 10 and 1, respectively). In this study, we aimed to genetically and pathologically characterize these viruses. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that H5N1 viruses were classified into the G2d-0 genotype, whereas the H5N6 virus was a novel genotype in Japan, designated as G2c-12. The G2c-12 virus shared PB2, PB1, PA, HA, and M genes with previous G2c viruses, but had NP and NS genes originating from avian influenza viruses in wild birds abroad. The N6 NA gene was derived from an H5N6 HPAI virus that was different from the viruses responsible for the outbreaks in Japan in 2016–2017 and 2017–2018. Experimental infections in chickens infected with H5N1(G2d-0) and H5N6(G2c-12) HPAI viruses showed no significant differences in the 50% chicken lethal dose, mean death time, or virus shedding from the trachea and cloaca, or in the histopathological findings. Different genotypes of the viruses worldwide, their introduction into the country, and their stable lethality in chickens may have triggered the four consecutive seasons of HPAI outbreaks in Japan. Full article

Low-profile, cross-ventilated (LPCV) dairy barns represent a modern trend in farm buildings but are associated with notable air quality challenges. To evaluate the annual variations in the pollutants in an LPCV dairy barn, an Internet-of-Things (IoT)-based environmental monitoring system was installed to continuously measure the total suspended particle (TSP), particle with aerodynamic diameters of ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5), and NH₃ concentrations year round at multiple points. Spatiotemporal distributions and main factors were analyzed. The results showed that the annual average concentrations of indoor TSP, PM_2.5, and NH₃ were 86.4, 28.5, and 875.0 μg/m³, respectively. Corresponding emission rates were 140.6, 28.5, and 3461.1 mg/(h·cow). TSP concentrations were significantly higher during winter and spring (p < 0.05) and were elevated during daily operational hours, particularly in feeding alleys and downwind areas. Emissions were significantly higher in winter and summer (p < 0.05). Indoor PM_2.5 concentrations in winter exceeded China’s standards for 24.9% of the time, which were 2.2 times higher than those in other seasons (p < 0.05), peaking in the morning hours. NH₃ concentrations and emissions were consistently high throughout the year, with peak levels in manure and downwind areas. The building’s structure, ventilations, and daily operations were key factors affecting air pollutant levels, which need to be considered when implementing mitigation measures. Full article

Tensiomyography (TMG) is a non-invasive tool used to assess contractile properties. This systematic review aimed to accomplish the following: (1) Analyze quadriceps TMG parameters in professional football players during the season and compare them with reference values. (2) Assess the differences in TMG parameters between quadriceps muscles. A PRISMA-guided search in PubMed, Web of Science, and Sport Discus (up to March 2024) identified 139 studies. Twelve in-season professional soccer players (20–29 years old) and quadriceps tensiomyography parameters were included (muscle displacement, delay time, and contraction time). All the studies were assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale, scoring 7/9 to 8/9, indicating good quality. The findings of this study were that of the nine parameters analyzed, three variables were found to differ significantly. The weighted mean values were as follows: rectus femoris (contraction time 30.11 ms, muscle displacement 8.88 mL, delay time, 24.68 ms), vastus medialis (contraction time 25.29 ms, muscle displacement 7.45 mL, delay time, 21.27 ms), and vastus lateralis (contraction time 23.21 ms, muscle displacement 5.31 mL, delay time, 21.89 Â ms). Furthermore, significant differences were observed in muscle displacement between the rectus femoris and vastus medialis, and between the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis. The TMG can serve as a valuable device for assessing neuromuscular function in soccer players. Full article

Flood events severely damage the biodiversity and ecological functions of wetlands, posing a major threat to the health and stability of wetland ecosystems. Plants play a crucial role in maintaining the stability and balance of these ecosystems by providing food and habitat for various organisms. Although the wetland plants’ responses to flooding events have been extensively studied, the multi-level ecological characteristics (on the community, population, and individual plant level) of these plants in response to flooding have not yet been investigated. In this study, the community structure and ecological characteristics of Bolboschoenus planiculmis under different flooding conditions and plant traits were studied. The results revealed significant differences in the community composition and species diversity under various flooding conditions. Under continuous flooding, the number of species was three times greater than under seasonal flooding conditions. Flood events showed a significant impact on population density and coverage of B. planiculmis. The population density and coverage were 76.10% and 66.70% higher in seasonal flooding conditions than in continuous flooding conditions. Under seasonal flooding conditions, the allocation of total biomass and bulb biomass was greater than that observed under continuous flooding conditions. The results of the correlation analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the water level is a critical factor influencing the variations in the multi-level ecological features of the B. planiculmis community under different flooding conditions. This study suggests that maintaining seasonal flooding is essential for the natural restoration of B. planiculmis wetlands. These findings demonstrate that flood events significantly affect the ecological characteristics of B. planiculmis and offer valuable guidelines for the near-natural restoration of Grus leucogeranus habitats. Full article

Mechanical pruning in narrow olive hedgerows is essential for managing alternate bearing and facilitating mechanical harvesting by influencing the number of fruit load points. In olive cv. Arbequina hedgerows (2000 trees ha⁻¹), two pruning times (winter and spring) and two pruning types (unilateral and bilateral) were applied under contrasting bearing conditions (ON and OFF seasons) over four consecutive seasons in La Rioja, Argentina. A strong El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event during the final season had a profound impact, increasing winter temperatures by 2 °C and reducing the average chill accumulation by 23%, significantly reducing productivity and exacerbating alternate bearing. The results demonstrated that pruning timing alone was ineffective in controlling alternate bearing, while bilateral pruning during ON seasons showed promise in regularizing fruit and oil yields and enhancing water use efficiency. However, the severe effects of the ENSO, which disrupted the winter dormancy break of fruiting buds, could not be mitigated by the evaluated pruning strategies. Full article

Rivers occupy less than 1% of the earth’s surface and yet they perform ecosystem service functions that are crucial to civilisation. Global monitoring of this asset is within reach thanks to the development of big data portals such as Google Earth Engine (GEE) but several challenges relating to output quality and processing efficiency remain. In this technical note, we present a new deep learning pipeline that uses attention-based deep learning to perform state-of-the-art semantic classification of fluvial landscapes with Sentinel-2 imagery accessed via GEE. We train, validate and test the network on a multi-seasonal and multi-annual dataset drawn from a study site that covers 89% of the Earth’s surface. F1-scores for independent test data not used in model training reach 92% for rivers and 96% for lakes. This is achieved without post-processing and significantly reduced computation times, thus making automated global monitoring of rivers achievable. Full article