Andrea Balla Kovács, Evelin Kármen Juhász, Áron Béni
et al.
Soil microbial communities are crucial for ecosystem services, soil fertility, and the resilience of agroecosystems. This study investigated how long-term (31 years) agronomic practices—tillage, NPK fertilization, and cropping system—along with measured environmental variables influence the microbial biomass and its community composition in Chernozem soil under corn cultivation. The polyfactorial field experiment included three tillage treatments ((moldboard (MT), ripped (RT), strip (ST)), two fertilization regimes (NPK (N: 160; P: 26; K: 74 kg/ha), and unfertilized control) and two cropping systems (corn monoculture and corn–wheat biculture). The soil samples (0–30 cm) were collected in June and September 2023. Microbial biomass and community structure were quantified using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, which allowed the estimation of total microbial biomass and community composition (arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, fungi, Gram-negative (GN) and Gram-positive (GP) bacteria, actinomycetes). Our results showed that microbial biomass increased from June to September, rising by 270% in unfertilized plots and by 135% in NPK-fertilized plots, due to higher soil moisture. Reduced tillage, especially ST, promoted significantly higher microbial biomass, with biomass reaching 290% and 182% of that in MT plots in June and September, respectively. MT had a higher ratio of bacteria-to-fungi compared to RT and ST, indicating a greater sensitivity of fungi to disturbance. NPK fertilization lowered soil pH by about one unit (to 4.1–4.8) and reduced microbial biomass—by 2% in June and 48% in September—compared to the control, with the particular suppression of AM fungi. The cropping system had a smaller overall effect on microbial biomass.
Although both ferromanganese and calcareous nodules are common in hydromorphic soils, their joint presence has rarely been evaluated. Studying their occurrence in soils forming toposequences may significantly contribute to a better understanding of their formation. We investigated the relationship between their formations in four soil profiles from a salt affected toposequence through mineralogical, micro-fabric, micro-chemical, morphological, and stable isotope analyses.Concentric ferromanganese nodules, representing the most developed nodules, were formed within the most intense groundwater fluctuation zone, whereas calcareous nodules showed a maximum in size just above the lowest groundwater level in each hydromorphic profile. Ferromanganese nodules formed slowly through matrix impregnation in the wet season under the effect of an intense groundwater fluctuation. Contrarily, calcareous nodules precipitated rapidly in cavities in the dry season following the decline of the groundwater table. Dissolution and re-precipitation were characteristic of calcareous nodules formed at shallower depths, suggesting the influence of the fluctuating groundwater on their formation, as well. The smectitic clay mineralogy of the soils affected drainage, promoting the development of a secondary groundwater fluctuation zone. Additionally, smectites provided a surface for the initial precipitation of Fe-oxyhydroxides, and facilitated the formation of cavities in the soil.In the ferromanganese nodules, calcite precipitated simultaneously with Fe-oxyhydroxides, whereas this was not the case for Fe (and Mn) oxyhydroxides observed within the calcareous nodules. Calcite particles in the ferromanganese nodules were covered by calcified microorganisms, suggesting a biogenic contribution to their formation. Such contributions could also play a role in the formation of the ferromanganese nodules in the lowest topographic position, presumably due to the continuous Fe supply.The formation of both ferromanganese and calcareous nodules is strongly correlated with groundwater flow in hydromorphic soils, although their primary formation periods differ. Their key properties provide valuable insights into groundwater flow characteristics and reflect microbial contributions to their formation.
Inhibitors of the serine protease furin have been widely studied as antimicrobial agents due to their ability to block the cleavage and activation of certain viral surface proteins and bacterial toxins. In this study, the antipseudomonal effects and safety profiles of the furin inhibitors MI-1851 and MI-2415 were assessed. Fluorescence quenching studies suggested no relevant binding of the compounds to human serum albumin and α1-acid glycoprotein. Both inhibitors demonstrated significant antipseudomonal activity in Madin–Darby canine kidney cells, especially compound MI-1851 at very low concentrations (0.5 µM). Using non-tumorigenic porcine IPEC-J2 cells, neither of the two furin inhibitors induced cytotoxicity (CCK-8 assay) or altered significantly the intracellular (Amplex Red assay) or extracellular (DCFH-DA assay) redox status even at a concentration of 100 µM. The same assays with MI-2415 conducted on primary human hepatocytes also resulted in no changes in cell viability and oxidative stress at up to 100 µM. Microsomal and hepatocyte-based CYP3A4 activity assays showed that both inhibitors exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of the isoenzyme at high concentrations. In conclusion, this study indicates a good safety profile of the furin inhibitors MI-1851 and MI-2415, suggesting their applicability as antimicrobials for further in vivo investigations, despite some inhibitory effects on CYP3A4.
In today’s globalized world, it is gradually becoming more and more important to learn languages. In order to do that effectively, teachers and students need appropriate materials, tools and teaching aids to achieve their language learning goals. That is why textbook analysis has gained more and more importance throughout the past years, textbooks being among the most important teaching and learning aids. It is common knowledge that students are more inclined to acquire a foreign language if they are exposed to materials which interest them. The topics that pupils usually find interesting are cinema, technology, and culture. That is why this paper aims at analysing the various types of American cultural representation in two textbook series that are commonly used in Hungarian schools: the English File and the Pioneer series. They are analyzed in terms of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension from the perspective of American cultural representation. The findings are the following: although one way or another both series include certain elements of American culture, texts and tasks – in terms of vocabulary and syntax – tend to stay neutral, utilizing vocabulary that may represent all English standard varieties at once. It suggests a lack of cultural diversity, which is a serious shortcoming in terms of pluricentricity, but can be interpreted as an advantage in terms of contextual and grammatical coherence.
Abderrahim Derouiche, Damien Brulin, Eric Campo
et al.
In an era marked by a demographic change towards an older population, there is an urgent need to improve nutritional monitoring in view of the increase in frailty. This research aims to enhance the identification of meal-taking activities by combining K-Means, GMM, and DBSCAN techniques. Using the Davies-Bouldin Index (DBI) for the optimal meal taking activity clustering, the results show that K-Means seems to be the best solution, thanks to its unrivalled efficiency in data demarcation, compared with the capabilities of GMM and DBSCAN. Although capable of identifying complex patterns and outliers, the latter methods are limited by their operational complexities and dependence on precise parameter configurations. In this paper, we have processed data from 4 houses equipped with sensors. The findings indicate that applying the K-Means method results in high performance, evidenced by a particularly low Davies-Bouldin Index (DBI), illustrating optimal cluster separation and cohesion. Calculating the average duration of each activity using the GMM algorithm allows distinguishing various categories of meal-taking activities. Alternatively, this can correspond to different times of the day fitting to each meal-taking activity. Using K-Means, GMM, and DBSCAN clustering algorithms, the study demonstrates an effective strategy for thoroughly understanding the data. This approach facilitates the comparison and selection of the most suitable method for optimal meal-taking activity clustering.
We solve the fifth-order Korteweg-de Vries (fKdV) equation which is a modified KdV equation perturbed by a fifth-order derivative term multiplied by a small parameter $ε^2$, with $0< ε\ll 1$. Unlike the KdV equation, the stationary fKdV equation does not exhibit exactly localized 1-soliton solution, instead it allows a solution which has a well defined central core similar to that of the KdV 1-soliton solution, accompanied by extremely small oscillatory standing wave tails on both sides of the core. The amplitude of the standing wave tail oscillations is $\mathcal{O}(\exp(-1/ε))$, i.e. it is beyond all orders small in perturbation theory. The analytical computation of the amplitude of these transcendentally small tail oscillations has been carried out up to $\mathcal{O}(ε^5)$ order corrections by using the complex method of matched asymptotics. Also the long-standing discrepancy between the $\mathcal{O}(ε^2)$ perturbative result of Grimshaw and Joshi (1995) and the numerical results of Boyd (1995) has been resolved. In addition to the stationary symmetric weakly localized solitary wave-like solutions, we analyzed the stationary asymmetric solutions of the fKdV equation which decay exponentially to zero on one side of the (slightly asymmetric) core and blows up to large negative values on other side of the core. The asymmetry is quantified by computing the third derivative of the solution at the origin which also turns out to be beyond all orders small in perturbation theory. The analytical computation of the third derivative of a function at the origin has also been carried out up to $\mathcal{O}(ε^5)$ order corrections. We use the exponentially convergent pseudo-spectral method to solve the fKdV equation numerically. The analytical and the numerical results show remarkable agreement.
Judit Szigeti F., Réka E. Sexty, Georgina Szabó
et al.
Abstract Infertility patients, often in high distress, are entitled to being informed about their mental status compared to normative data. The objective of this study was to revalidate and test the accuracy of the SCREENIVF, a self-reported tool for screening psychological maladjustment in the assisted reproduction context. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based online survey was carried out between December 2019 and February 2023 in a consecutive sample of female patients (N = 645, response rate 22.9%) in a university-based assisted reproduction center in Hungary. Confirmatory factor analysis and cluster and ROC analyses were applied to test validity, sensitivity and specificity in relation to Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. Model fit was optimal (chi-square = 630.866, p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.99; root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.018 (90% CI 0.013–0.023); standardized-root-mean-square-residual = 0.044), and all dimensions were reliable (α > 0.80). A specific combination of cutoffs correctly predicted 87.4% of BDI-scores possibly indicative of moderate-to-severe depression (χ2(1) = 220.608, p < 0.001, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.462, J = 66.4). The Hungarian version of the SCREENIVF is a valid and reliable tool, with high accuracy in predicting BDI-scores. Low response rate may affect generalizability. The same instrument with different cutoffs can serve various clinical goals.
Several inflammatory biomarkers were found to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of subclinical inflammation that increases with the stress response. Visceral adiposity index (VAI) calculated as a combination of anthropometric and metabolic parameters reflects both the extent and function of visceral adipose tissue. Given the association of subclinical inflammation with both obesity and cardiovascular diseases, it is plausible that the inflammation–CVD association is modulated by the amount and function of adipose tissue. Thus, our aim was to examine the association between NLR and coronary artery calcium score (CACS), an intermediate marker of coronary artery disease in asymptomatic patients across VAI tertiles. Methods: Data from 280 asymptomatic participants of a cardiovascular screening program were analysed. In addition to the collection of lifestyle and medical history, a non-contrast cardiac CT scan and laboratory tests were performed on all participants. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted with CACS > 100 as the outcome and with conventional cardiovascular risk factors and NLR, VAI, and NLR by VAI tertile as predictors. Results: We found an interaction between VAI tertiles and NLR; NLR values were similar in the lower VAI tertiles, while they were higher in the CACS > 100 in the 3rd VAI tertile (CACS ≤ 100: 1.94 ± 0.58 vs. CACS > 100: 2.48 ± 1.1, p = 0.008). According to multivariable logistic regression, the interaction between NLR and VAI tertiles remained: NLR was associated with CACS > 100 in the 3rd VAI tertile (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.06–2.62, p = 0.03) but not in the lower tertiles even after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, history of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and diabetes mellitus, as well as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Our findings draw attention to the independent association between subclinical, chronic, systemic inflammation and subclinical coronary disease in obesity.
Bird flu or avian influenza continues to cause problems at European level, with new outbreaks of disease being reported, including those identified in January 2020 in Romania. It was first identified in the 1900s in Italy, but was later found worldwide. An avian influenza virus, H5N1, was identified in 1997 in Asia and created worldwide panic, talking about the imminence of a major epidemic. In October 2005, the H5N1 virus also arrived in Romania, being identified in birds from Ceamurlia de Jos, Tulcea County. Romania is the first European country where the presence of this virus has been officially confirmed. Avian influenza has attracted the attention of the international community over the years, with outbreaks in the poultry industry or livelihoods having serious consequences on both livelihoods and international trade in many countries. Apart from Romania, avian influenza is still evolving in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Ukraine and Northern Ireland. Preventing the occurrence and combating avian influenza can only be achieved through international cooperation and collaboration, in order to know at any time the epidemiological situation and the pathogenic capacity of the etiological agent. Continuous surveillance of avian influenza virus in wild birds is very important, as it provides us with an "early warning" about the introduction of the virus into new regions, and can conduct appropriate risk assessment studies. It is also important to understand the behavior of wild birds, possibly the transmission of the virus between wild and domestic birds, the age categories of the frequently affected wild birds, the migration routes. At the same time, it is very difficult to prevent the occurrence of avian influenza in domestic birds due to the fact that a strategy for controlling wild birds cannot be established, the only solution to prevent the occurrence of the disease being the maximum limitation of contact between domestic and wild birds.
Krisztina Takács-Lovász, Timea Aczél, Éva Borbély
et al.
The tachykinin hemokinin-1 (HK-1) is involved in immunological processes, inflammation, and pain. Although the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) is described as its main target, several effects are mediated by currently unidentified receptor(s). The role of HK-1 in pain is controversial, depending on the involvement of peripheral and central sensitization mechanisms in different models. We earlier showed the ability of HK-1 to activate the trigeminovascular system, but the mechanisms need to be clarified. Therefore, in this study, we investigated HK-1-induced transcriptomic alterations in cultured rat trigeminal ganglion (TRG) primary sensory neurons. HK-1 was applied for 6 or 24 h in 1 μM causing calcium-influx in these neurons, 500 nM not inducing calcium-entry was used for comparison. Next-generation sequencing was performed on the isolated RNA, and transcriptomic changes were analyzed to identify differentially expressed (DE) genes. Functional analysis was performed for gene annotation using the Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Reactome databases. NK1R and Neurokinin receptor 2 (NK2R) were not detected. Neurokinin receptor 3 (NK3R) was around the detection limit, which suggests the involvement of other NKR isoforms or other receptors in HK-1-induced sensory neuronal activation. We found protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as DE genes in calcium signaling. The transmembrane protein anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2), a potential novel pain-related target, was upregulated. Acid-sensing ion channel 1; 3 (Asic1,3), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptors decreased, myelin production and maintenance related genes (Mbp, Pmp2, Myef2, Mpz) and GNDF changed by HK-1 treatment. Our data showed time and dose-dependent effects of HK-1 in TRG cell culture. Result showed calcium signaling as altered event, however, we did not detect any of NK receptors. Presumably, the activation of TRG neurons is independent of NK receptors. ANTXR2 is a potential new target, PAR-1 has also important role in pain, however their connection to HK-1 is unknown. These findings might highlight new targets or key mediators to solve how HK-1 acts on TRG.
Precision crop production requires accurate yield prediction and nitrogen management. Crop simulation models may assist in exploring alternative management systems for optimizing water, nutrient and microelements use efficiencies, increasing maize yields. Our objectives were: (i) to access the ability of the CERES-Maize model for predicting yields in long-term experiments in Hungary; (ii) to use the model to assess the effects of different nutrient management (different nitrogen rates—0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>). A long-term experiment conducted in Látókép (Hungary) with various N-fertilizer applications allowed us to predict maize yields under different conditions. The aim of the research is to explore and quantify the effects of ecological, biological, and agronomic factors affecting plant production, as well as to conduct basic science studies on stress factors on plant populations, which are made possible by the 30-year database of long-term experiments and the high level of instrumentation. The model was calibrated with data from a long-term experiment field trial. The purpose of this evaluation was to investigate how the CERES-Maize model simulated the effects of different N treatments in long-term field experiments. Sushi hybrid’s yields increased with elevated N concentrations. The observed yield ranged from 5016 to 14,920 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> during the 2016–2020 growing season. The range of simulated data of maize yield was between 6671 and 13,136 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>. The highest yield was obtained at the 150 kg ha<sup>−1</sup> dose in each year studied. In several cases, the DSSAT-CERES Maize model accurately predicted yields, but it was sensitive to seasonal effects and estimated yields inaccurately. Based on the obtained results, the variance analysis significantly affected the year (2016–2020) and nitrogen doses. N fertilizer made a significant difference on yield, but the combination of both predicted and actual yield data did not show any significance.
Research Background: The paper focuses on the specification of categories of the globalization and internationalization process in terms of origin, development, definition and content. Using European Commission statistics for the period 2013-2017, the EU28 countries are divided into countries that started the EU (Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) and countries that joined the EU before 2000 (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain), and other countries of the so-called former Eastern bloc (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland). For such defined EU countries, a different level of involvement in the globalizing common economy of the European Union as well as a different level of involvement in foreign markets, depending on the level of national economies, can be expected.
Purpose of the Article: A test set of 338,788 companies from across the EU was used to analyse value added associated with each indicator (value added at factor cost, gross (average) value added per person employed, number of workers, enterprise size classes and selected industries, namely manufacturing, construction, engineering, transportation and logistics). The membership of the countries in the European Monetary Union was also taken into account.
Methods: Mathematical and statistical methods of correlation analysis and paired T-test were used for value added analysis.
Findings & Value Added: The outputs of the analysis indicated a high level of statistical conclusive evidence in terms of the impact of value added on each enterprise size class across the sectors concerned as well as on the structure of production and the number of active workers.
This study uses choice experiment to investigate men and women consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for edible mushrooms in Ghana. We used a mixed logit model to examine preference heterogeneity. The econometric modelling revealed that men consumers have a negative utility for oyster mushrooms compared to straw mushrooms. They also have preference for cheap and locally cultivated mushrooms compared to expensive and imported mushrooms. However, women consumers have preferences for the shiitake mushroom variety compared to the straw mushroom variety. They also prefer cheap mushrooms irrespective of their location and such mushrooms must be frozen and not fresh. The findings highlight variation between men and women in preferences for mushroom variety, however, both have preferences for low prices, suggesting that both genders are economically rational and obey the law of demand.
JEL codes: B21, D12
Elhangzott a Gáspár Pál Közgazdaságtudományi Emlékalapítvány és a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem Gazdaságpolitika Tanszéke által szervezett, „Helyzetértékelő gondolatok a magyar gazdaságról” című konferencián, 2010. november 26-án.
Economic theory. Demography, Economic history and conditions
As state-of-the-art deep neural networks are deployed at the core of more advanced Al-based products and services, the incentive for copying them (i.e., their intellectual properties) by rival adversaries is expected to increase considerably over time. The best way to extract or steal knowledge from such networks is by querying them using a large dataset of random samples and recording their output, followed by training a student network to mimic these outputs, without making any assumption about the original networks. The most effective way to protect against such a mimicking attack is to provide only the classification result, without confidence values associated with the softmax layer.In this paper, we present a novel method for generating composite images for attacking a mentor neural network using a student model. Our method assumes no information regarding the mentor's training dataset, architecture, or weights. Further assuming no information regarding the mentor's softmax output values, our method successfully mimics the given neural network and steals all of its knowledge. We also demonstrate that our student network (which copies the mentor) is impervious to watermarking protection methods, and thus would not be detected as a stolen model.Our results imply, essentially, that all current neural networks are vulnerable to mimicking attacks, even if they do not divulge anything but the most basic required output, and that the student model which mimics them cannot be easily detected and singled out as a stolen copy using currently available techniques.
Chris Yakopcic, Nayim Rahman, Tanvir Atahary
et al.
Cognitive agents are typically utilized in autonomous systems for automated decision making. These systems interact at real time with their environment and are generally heavily power constrained. Thus, there is a strong need for a real time agent running on a low power platform. The agent examined is the Cognitively Enhanced Complex Event Processing (CECEP) architecture. This is an autonomous decision support tool that reasons like humans and enables enhanced agent-based decision-making. It has applications in a large variety of domains including autonomous systems, operations research, intelligence analysis, and data mining. One of the key components of CECEP is the mining of knowledge from a repository described as a Cognitive Domain Ontology (CDO). One problem that is often tasked to CDOs is asset allocation. Given the number of possible solutions in this allocation problem, determining the optimal solution via CDO can be very time consuming. In this work we show that a grid of isolated spiking neurons is capable of generating solutions to this problem very quickly, although some degree of approximation is required to achieve the speedup. However, the approximate spiking approach presented in this work was able to complete all allocation simulations with greater than 99.9% accuracy. To show the feasibility of low power implementation, this algorithm was executed using the Intel Loihi manycore neuromorphic processor. Given the vast increase in speed (greater than 1000 times in larger allocation problems), as well as the reduction in computational requirements, the presented algorithm is ideal for moving asset allocation to low power, portable, embedded hardware.
The use of dual polarization in mobile satellite systems is very promising for increasing the channel capacity. Polarized Modulation is proposed in this paper for use in practical systems, by providing simple equations for computing its capacity and featuring a link adaptation algorithm. This scheme shows remarkable gains in the spectral efficiency when compared with single polarization and other multi-antenna techniques such as V-BLAST. Polarized Modulation is a particular instance of more general Index Modulations, which are being considered for 5G networks. Thus, the proposed link adaptation algorithm could find synergies with current activities for future terrestrial networks.