A Case Study on User Evaluation of Scientific Publication Summarization by Japanese Students

Summaries of scientific publications enable readers to gain an overview of a large number of studies, but users’ preferences have not yet been explored. In this paper, we conduct two user studies (i.e., short- and long-term studies) where Japanese university students read summaries of English research articles that were either manually written or automatically generated using text summarization and/or machine translation. In the short-term experiment, subjects compared and evaluated the two types of summaries of the same article. We analyze the characteristics in the generated summaries that readers regard as important, such as content richness and simplicity. The experimental results show that subjects are mainly judged based on four criteria, including content richness, simplicity, fluency, and format. In the long-term experiment, subjects read 50 summaries and answered whether they would like to read the original papers after reading the summaries. We discuss the characteristics in the summaries that readers tend to use to determine whether to read the papers, such as topic, methods, and results. The comments from subjects indicate that specific components of scientific publications, including research topics and methods, are important to judge whether to read or not. Our study provides insights to enhance the effectiveness of automatic summarization of scientific publications.

Aluminum or Low pH – Which Is the Bigger Enemy of Barley? Transcriptome Analysis of Barley Root Meristem Under Al and Low pH Stress

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is considered to be the most harmful abiotic stress in acidic soils that today comprise more than 50% of the world’s arable lands. Barley belongs to a group of crops that are most sensitive to Al in low pH soils. We present the RNA-seq analysis of root meristems of barley seedlings grown in hydroponics at optimal pH (6.0), low pH (4.0), and low pH with Al (10 μM of bioavailable Al3+ ions). Two independent experiments were conducted: with short-term (24 h) and long-term (7 days) Al treatment. In the short-term experiment, more genes were differentially expressed (DEGs) between root meristems grown at pH = 6.0 and pH = 4.0, than between those grown at pH = 4.0 with and without Al treatment. The genes upregulated by low pH were associated mainly with response to oxidative stress, cell wall organization, and iron ion binding. Among genes upregulated by Al, overrepresented were those related to response to stress condition and calcium ion binding. In the long-term experiment, the number of DEGs between hydroponics at pH = 4.0 and 6.0 were lower than in the short-term experiment, which suggests that plants partially adapted to the low pH. Interestingly, 7 days Al treatment caused massive changes in the transcriptome profile. Over 4,000 genes were upregulated and almost 2,000 genes were downregulated by long-term Al stress. These DEGs were related to stress response, cell wall development and metal ion transport. Based on our results we can assume that both, Al3+ ions and low pH are harmful to barley plants. Additionally, we phenotyped the root system of barley seedlings grown in the same hydroponic conditions for 7 days at pH = 6.0, pH = 4.0, and pH = 4.0 with Al. The results correspond to transcriptomic data and show that low pH itself is a stress factor that causes a significant reduction of root growth and the addition of aluminum further increases this reduction. It should be noted that in acidic arable lands, plants are exposed simultaneously to both of these stresses. The presented transcriptome analysis may help to find potential targets for breeding barley plants that are more tolerant to such conditions.

Temperature-induced reorganisation of Schistocephalus solidus (Cestoda) proteome during the transition to the warm-blooded host

The protein composition (proteome) of cestode Schistocephalus solidus was measured in an experiment simulating the transition of the parasite from a cold-blooded to a warm-blooded host. Infective S. solidus plerocercoids obtained from the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus were heated at 40 °C for 1 hour or cultured in vitro at 40 °C and 22 °C for 48 hours. In short-term experiment, the content of only one tegument protein was evidenced to decrease after heating. After long-term heating, which triggered parasite sexual maturation, an increase in the content of ribosomal proteins, translation initiation factors and enzymes of the amino acid biosynthesis pathway was observed. The synthesis of certain gene products for carbohydrate metabolism, including glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, was found to be regulated in parasite by temperature.

Ecological Efficiency of the Mussel Hyriopsis cumingii (Lea, 1852) on Particulate Organic Matter Filtering, Algal Controlling and Water Quality Regulation

Hyriopsis cumingii plays an important role in aquatic ecosystems and fishery economy due to its potential value for water purification and edibleness. The present study was undertaken to reveal the short- and long-term purifying effects of H. cumingii on pond water. The short-term experiment results showed that total suspended solids, particulate organic carbon, and fatty acid in water were significantly eliminated by H. cumingii, with average percentage of filtering effect respectively reaching 22.19%, 57.48%, and 21.00% in the high-density group. Analogously, H. cumingii could significantly reduce phytoplankton biomass, species number, density, and chlorophyll-a concentration, especially in the control of diatoms, green algae, and cyanobacteria. Besides, electric conductivity also was significantly reduced by H. cumingii and its variation tendency showed a typical density-dependent effect. Similar purification effects were observed in chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. In the long-term monitoring test, H. cumingii has also shown positive effects on the water transparency and the control to phytoplankton and COD in recirculating aquaculture pond. Overall, H. cumingii showed excellent ecological function, and the mixed breeding density of shellfish in the recirculating aquaculture pond is worth further exploration.

Effectiveness of Manure Pit Additive in Reducing Emissions and Solids

HighlightsA simple design was applied to simulate long-term manure storage for pit additive effectiveness.Odor reduction was observed after six months, suggesting some additives take time to show effects.Low reductions of total solids and volatile solids were observed only for the 200% dosage treatment.Nutrient contents were not affected by the additive during the long-term storage.Abstract. Odor emissions have always been a challenge for intensive animal operations. Various pit additives continue to be developed and improved to mitigate odor and manure solids. A commercial, biological additive was evaluated in a laboratory setting for effectiveness in reducing manure solids as well as gas and odor concentrations. In a short-term experiment (Experiment 1), twelve 3.79-L (1-gal) glass jars were used to mimic semi-long-term manure storage. The experiment was conducted in triplicate with four treatments consisting of dosages of 0, 50%, 100%, and 200% of manufacturer recommendations. The stored manure was analyzed for pH, total solids (TS), and volatile solid (VS) contents, as well as ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations. After the additive application method and dosages were verified, a long-term experiment (Experiment 2) was conducted in triplicate by using nine 15-cm (6-in.) ID, 1.52-m (5-ft.) long PVC reactors with different treatments: control, 100%, and 200% dosage. No statistical differences were observed for pH, NH3, and H2S between the control and treatment groups in both experiments. Low reductions of TS and VS were observed only for the 200% dosage group in Experiment 1. Odor concentration, after decimal logarithm transformation, was significantly reduced only at the 200% dosage treatment at the end of Experiment 2 (p < 0.05). Nutrient contents were similar among the groups, which confirmed that the additive did not alter manure nutrients during the long-term treatment period. Keywords: Deep-pit, Manure storage, Microbial activity, Mitigation, Odor.

Assessing skeleton and microbiome responses of a calcareous sponge under thermal and pH stresses

Ocean higher temperature and acidity levels affect its carbonate chemistry, and calcifying organisms that depend on the calcium carbonate saturation state (ΩCaCO3) to build their skeleton may be vulnerable to these changes. Despite their important roles in the marine environment, little is known about the vulnerability of calcareous sponges under these stressors. We performed an acute short-term experiment (9 days) with thermal and pH stresses to explore their effects on the skeleton and microbiome of the calcareous sponge Sycettusa hastifera. We observed that sponge spicules showed no corrosion and no Mg/Ca ratio variation when exposed to stress conditions. However, the outermost spicules were smaller in low pH treatment, although these effects were often diminished when higher temperatures were also applied. In general, the sponges synthesized normally shaped spicules under stress conditions, but the proportion of deformed spicules increased significantly in elevated temperature. In addition, we observed a stable host–microbiome association in which there is microbiome flexibility under thermal and pH stresses with a significantly increase in abundance of some associated bacteria. Our results suggest that S. hastifera has low vulnerability under the future ocean conditions here designed, since it showed indications of resistance that could help them adapt and survive.

The Short-Term Impact of Different Silvicultural Thinnings on Soil Nematode and Microarthropod Biodiversity in Artificial Black Pine Stands

Soil invertebrates represent almost a quarter of the total diversity of living organisms and their activity affects the entire soil ecological process. The choice of adequate thinning systems may differently affect soil nematode and microarthropod biodiversity in artificial black pinewoods. In this work, the results of the impact of different thinnings on the structure of nematode and microarthropod communities was reported. In a short-term experiment, thinning from below and selective thinning were compared to unmanaged stands to provide indications at the regional scale in central Italy. Soil nematode and microarthropod biodiversity was explored by examining community structure, assessing biodiversity. The interaction between environmental variables (crown volume, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, soil texture, soil temperature, and moisture) with taxa abundance of nematodes and microarthropods were also reported. The results indicated that the effects of thinning practices were temporary and varied between years. Soil nematode community shifted during the first and third years of thinning managements only in the Pratomagno site, while soil microarthropod community shifted in both sites only in the second year. The total nematode abundance was minimally affected by thinning practices, while the nematode community composition showed a decrease of omnivores and predators in the first years. Soil indicators showed inconsistent results. In microarthropods, mites and collembola were the least affected by thinning in terms of abundance and species biodiversity, while eu-edaphic taxa of Chilopoda, Diplopoda, and Pauropoda were not influenced by thinning, hemi-edaphic and epi-edaphic taxa of Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Tysanoptera, and Hemiptera were negatively affected. Soil indicators such as Shannon-Weiner and Simpson indices and soil biological quality (QBS-ar) improved in thinning from below in both sites. Soil temperature and moisture were the main driving factors in affecting soil nematode and microarthropods communities. Thinning from below probably allowed a more rapid recovery than selective thinning.

Design and Performance of Permeable Groins on a Low-Energy Natural Beach

Beach erosion, ubiquitous of sandy coasts around the world, can be exacerbated or mitigated with the use of hard engineering solutions including groins. The use of groins has been discouraged in many countries despite its capability to reduce sand losses. This study aims to design a 15 m permeable groin that allows sediment bypassing. Field experiments were conducted on a low-energy, sea-breeze dominated micro-tidal beach at the northern Yucatan peninsula during both mean and extreme wave conditions. Firstly, a short-term experiment consisted in monitoring the structure performance for 24 h during typical sea breeze conditions and the subsequent beach recovery after the structure removal. Secondly, a multi-day (60 days) experiment was conducted to investigate the performance of a single- and double-groin system during both mean and local storm conditions. Beach surveys were conducted to evaluate the beach response. Shoreline variability shows sediment accretion on the east side of the structure during sea breezes, whereas during NNW storm events, the accretion occurred on the west side. Importantly, on a scale of days, sediment bypassing occurs, and hence a net accretion was measured at both sides of the structure. During this time, a second structure was deployed 30 m apart to test the performance of a double-groin system, finding a net shoreline advance at all beach transects. Thus, low-crested short-length permeable groins are found to be a suitable emergency mitigation measure against beach erosion in micro-tidal environments causing moderate shoreline change.