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IMAKANDO CI, FERNÁNDEZ‐GRANDON GM, SINGLETON GR, BELMAIN SR. Impact of fertility versus mortality control on the demographics of Mastomys natalensis in maize fields. Integr Zool 2022; 17:1028-1040. [PMID: 34496452 PMCID: PMC9786540 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis, is the most common rodent pest species in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, rodenticides are the preferred method used to reduce the population of rodent pests, but this method poses direct and indirect risks to humans and other non-target species. Fertility control is a promising alternative that has been argued to be a more sustainable and humane method for controlling rodent pests. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of fertility control bait EP-1 (quinestrol (E) and levonorgestrel (P), 10 ppm) and an anticoagulant rodenticide bait (bromadiolone, 50 ppm) on the population dynamics of M. natalensis in maize fields in Zambia during 2 cropping seasons. M. natalensis was the most abundant species in maize fields (77% of total captures). Fertility control reduced the number of juveniles and suppressed population growth of M. natalensis at the end of the 2019-2020 cropping season. The population density initially decreased after rodenticide treatment, but the population rapidly recovered through immigration. None of the treatments influenced maize damage by rodents at germination (F2,67 = 1.626, P = 0.204). Applying the treatments during the maize seeding time was effective at suppressing population growth at the end of the cropping season than application the month before maize seeding. This research indicates that a single-dose delivery of EP-1 and rodenticide have comparable effects on the population dynamics of M. natalensis. These findings are important in developing fertility control protocols for rodent pest populations to reduce maize crop damage and improve yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I. IMAKANDO
- Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of GreenwichChatham MaritimeKentUK,Department of Zoology and Aquatic SciencesCopperbelt UniversityKitweZambia
| | | | - Grant R. SINGLETON
- Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of GreenwichChatham MaritimeKentUK
| | - Steven R. BELMAIN
- Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of GreenwichChatham MaritimeKentUK
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Mwasapi BS, Rija AA. Local habitat characteristics influence abundance and community structure of rodents in a regenerating Lulanda reserved forest, southern Tanzania. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Burton S. Mwasapi
- Beekeeping Training Institute‐Tabora Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism P.O. Box 62 Tabora Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management Sokoine University of Agriculture P.O. Box 3073 Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Alfan A. Rija
- Department of Wildlife Management Sokoine University of Agriculture P.O. Box 3073 Morogoro Tanzania
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Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834) as a natural host for Schistosoma haematobium (Bilharz, 1852) Weinland, 1858 x Schistosoma bovis Sonsino, 1876 introgressive hybrids. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:1755-1770. [PMID: 33687566 PMCID: PMC8084788 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07099-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Cercarial emission of schistosomes is a determinant in the transmission to the definitive host and constitutes a good marker to identify which definitive host is responsible for transmission, mainly in introgressive hybridization situations. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that micro-mammals play a role in Schistosoma haematobium, S. bovis, and/or S. haematobium x S. bovis transmission. Small mammal sampling was conducted in seven semi-lacustrine villages of southern Benin. Among the 62 animals trapped, 50 individuals were investigated for Schistosoma adults and eggs: 37 Rattus rattus, 3 Rattus norvegicus, 9 Mastomys natalensis, and 1 Crocidura olivieri. Schistosoma adults were found in four R. rattus and two M. natalensis, with a local prevalence reaching 80% and 50%, respectively. Two cercarial chronotypes were found from Bulinus globosus experimentally infected with miracidia extracted from naturally infected M. natalensis: a late diurnal and nocturnal chronotype, and an early diurnal, late diurnal, and nocturnal chronotype. The cytochrome C oxidase subunit I mtDNA gene of the collected schistosomes (adults, miracidia, and cercariae) belonged to the S. bovis clade. Eleven internal transcribed spacer rDNA profiles were found; four belonged to S. bovis and seven to S. haematobium x S. bovis. These molecular results together with the observed multi-peak chronotypes add M. natalensis as a new host implicated in S. haematobium x S. bovis transmission. We discuss the origin of the new chronotypes which have become more complex with the appearance of several peaks in a 24-h day. We also discuss how the new populations of offspring may optimize intra-host ecological niche, host spectrum, and transmission time period.
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Cuypers LN, Cuypers WL, Gildemyn-Blomme A, Abraham L, Aertbeliën S, Massawe AW, Borremans B, Gryseels S, Leirs H. No evidence for avoidance of black rat scent by the presumably less competitive Natal multimammate mouse in a choice experiment. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2017.1307139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Cuypers
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Wim L Cuypers
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Laura Abraham
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Senne Aertbeliën
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Apia W Massawe
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Benny Borremans
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Mgode GF, Machang’u RS, Mhamphi GG, Katakweba A, Mulungu LS, Durnez L, Leirs H, Hartskeerl RA, Belmain SR. Leptospira Serovars for Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in Humans and Animals in Africa: Common Leptospira Isolates and Reservoir Hosts. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0004251. [PMID: 26624890 PMCID: PMC4666418 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The burden of leptospirosis in humans and animals in Africa is higher than that reported from other parts of the world. However, the disease is not routinely diagnosed in the continent. One of major factors limiting diagnosis is the poor availability of live isolates of locally circulating Leptospira serovars for inclusion in the antigen panel of the gold standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for detecting antibodies against leptospirosis. To gain insight in Leptospira serovars and their natural hosts occurring in Tanzania, concomitantly enabling the improvement of the MAT by inclusion of fresh local isolates, a total of 52 Leptospira isolates were obtained from fresh urine and kidney homogenates, collected between 1996 and 2006 from small mammals, cattle and pigs. Isolates were identified by serogrouping, cross agglutination absorption test (CAAT), and molecular typing. Common Leptospira serovars with their respective animal hosts were: Sokoine (cattle and rodents); Kenya (rodents and shrews); Mwogolo (rodents); Lora (rodents); Qunjian (rodent); serogroup Grippotyphosa (cattle); and an unknown serogroup from pigs. Inclusion of local serovars particularly serovar Sokoine in MAT revealed a 10-fold increase in leptospirosis prevalence in Tanzania from 1.9% to 16.9% in rodents and 0.26% to 10.75% in humans. This indicates that local serovars are useful for diagnosis of human and animal leptospirosis in Tanzania and other African countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgies F. Mgode
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Robert S. Machang’u
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Ginethon G. Mhamphi
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Abdul Katakweba
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Loth S. Mulungu
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Lies Durnez
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Rudy A. Hartskeerl
- Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), KIT Biomedical Research, WHO/FAO/OIE and National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Steven R. Belmain
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom
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Mulungu LS, Borremans B, Ngowo V, Mdangi ME, Katakweba AS, Tesha P, Mrosso FP, Mchomvu M, Kilonzo BS. Comparative study of movement patterns ofMastomys natalensisin irrigated rice and fallow fields in eastern Tanzania. Afr J Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Loth S. Mulungu
- Pest Management Centre; Sokoine University of Agriculture; PO Box 3110 Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Benny Borremans
- Evolutionary Ecology Group; University of Antwerp; Groenenborgerlaan 171 B-2020 Antwerpen Belgium
| | - Victoria Ngowo
- Rodent Control Centre; Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives; PO Box 3047 Morogoro Tanzania
| | | | - Abdul S. Katakweba
- Pest Management Centre; Sokoine University of Agriculture; PO Box 3110 Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Protas Tesha
- Rodent Control Centre; Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives; PO Box 3047 Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Furaha P. Mrosso
- Ilonga Agricultural Research Institute; PO Box 33 Kilosa Tanzania
| | - Magareti Mchomvu
- Rodent Control Centre; Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives; PO Box 3047 Morogoro Tanzania
- Ilonga Agricultural Research Institute; PO Box 33 Kilosa Tanzania
| | - Bukheti S. Kilonzo
- Pest Management Centre; Sokoine University of Agriculture; PO Box 3110 Morogoro Tanzania
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Meheretu Y, Welegerima K, Sluydts V, Bauer H, Gebrehiwot K, Deckers J, Makundi R, Leirs H. Reproduction and survival of rodents in crop fields: the effects of rainfall, crop stage and stone-bund density. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/wr14121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
Reproduction and survival are two of the most important demographic factors that play a major role in changing population abundances of pest species over time and space, solid understanding of which is a useful input to forecast future population changes for proactive management.
Aims
We investigated the effects of rainfall, crop-development stage and density of stone bunds on reproductive patterns, and the effects of stone-bund density and sex on survival probabilities of two widespread rodent species (Mastomys awashensis and Arvicanthis dembeensis) in Ethiopian highlands.
Methods
Rodent population dynamics were monitored from April 2007 to February 2011, using capture–mark–recapture (CMR) technique in four 60 × 60 m permanent square grids for four consecutive cropping seasons. Two of the grids represented fields with low stone-bund density (LSBD, ~15 m apart) and the other two represented fields with high stone-bund density (HSBD, ~10 m apart).
Key results
Reproduction was seasonal, commencing during the wet season following the rain and continuing through the early dry season. We found an increase in the abundance of reproductively active female individuals of both species towards the milky and fruiting crop stages and around harvest period. We found no strong difference in survival probability between the two rodent species with variation in stone-bund density and sex.
Conclusion
Stone bunds play a minor role in the reproduction and survival of the rodent species at the observed abundances.
Implications
In terms of pest management, the high local survival rates estimated for both rodent species matter more than survival differences owing to variations in stone-bund density and sex.
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Weissbrod L, Malkinson D, Cucchi T, Gadot Y, Finkelstein I, Bar-Oz G. Ancient urban ecology reconstructed from archaeozoological remains of small mammals in the Near East. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91795. [PMID: 24622726 PMCID: PMC3951428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern rapidly expanding cities generate intricate patterns of species diversity owing to immense complexity in urban spatial structure and current growth trajectories. We propose to identify and uncouple the drivers that give rise to these patterns by looking at the effect of urbanism on species diversity over a previously unexplored long temporal frame that covers early developments in urbanism. To provide this historical perspective we analyzed archaeozoological remains of small mammals from ancient urban and rural sites in the Near East from the 2nd to the 1st millennium BCE, and compared them to observations from modern urban areas. Our data show that ancient urban assemblages consistently comprised two main taxa (Mus musculus domesticus and Crocidura sp.), whereas assemblages of contemporaneous rural sites were significantly richer. Low species diversity also characterizes high-density core areas of modern cities, suggesting that similar ecological drivers have continued to operate in urban areas despite the vast growth in their size and population densities, as well as in the complexity of their technologies and social organization. Research in urban ecology has tended to emphasize the relatively high species diversity observed in low-density areas located on the outskirts of cities, where open and vegetated patches are abundant. The fact that over several millennia urban evolution did not significantly alter species diversity suggests that low diversity is an attribute of densely-populated settlements. The possibility that high diversity in peripheral urban areas arose only recently as a short-term phenomenon in urban ecology merits further research based on long-term data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lior Weissbrod
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dan Malkinson
- Department of Geography, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; The Golan Research Institute, University of Haifa, Katzrin, Israel
| | - Thomas Cucchi
- UMR 7209 "Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements," Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/ Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Yuval Gadot
- The Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Israel Finkelstein
- The Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Guy Bar-Oz
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Happily together forever: temporal variation in spatial patterns and complete lack of territoriality in a promiscuous rodent. POPUL ECOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-013-0393-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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10
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Kryštufek B, Haberl W, Baxter RM. Rodent assemblage in a habitat mosaic within the Valley Thicket vegetation of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Afr J Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2007.00817.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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11
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Fitzherbert E, Gardner T, Caro T, Jenkins P. Habitat preferences of small mammals in the Katavi ecosystem of western Tanzania. Afr J Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00699.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Vibe-Petersen S, Leirs H, De Bruyn L. Effects of predation and dispersal on Mastomys natalensis population dynamics in Tanzanian maize fields. J Anim Ecol 2007; 75:213-20. [PMID: 16903058 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2006.01037.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
1. We investigate the effects of different levels of predation pressure and rodent dispersal on the population dynamics of the African pest rodent Mastomys natalensis in maize fields in Tanzania. 2. Three levels of predation risk were used in an experimental set-up: natural level (control), excluding predators by nets and attracting avian predators by nest boxes and perch poles. Because dispersal of the rodents could mask the predation pressure treatment effects, control and predator exclusion treatments were repeated with enclosed rodent populations. 3. Population growth during the annual population rise period was faster in the absence of predators and peak population size was higher, but otherwise dynamics patterns were similar for populations where predators had access or were attracted, indicating that compensatory mechanisms operate when rodents are exposed to high levels of predation risk. Reducing dispersal of rodents removed the effect of predation on population growth and peak size, suggesting that local predators may play a role in driving rodent dispersal, but have otherwise little direct effect on population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solveig Vibe-Petersen
- Danish Institute of Agricultural Science, Department of Integrated Pest Management, Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory, Skovbrynet 14, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Magige F, Senzota R. Abundance and diversity of rodents at the human–wildlife interface in Western Serengeti, Tanzania. Afr J Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00641.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Jackson TP, Van Aarde RJ. Diet quality differentially affects breeding effort of Mastomys coucha and M. natalensis: Implications for rodent pests. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 301:97-108. [PMID: 14695692 DOI: 10.1002/jez.a.20006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
In this study we compare the reproductive ability of Mastomys natalensis, an agricultural rodent pest and that of the closely related species M. coucha, which has not been ascribed as a pest. We suggest that the ability of M. natalensis to plague, as well as dominate, resource-limited habitats, may in part be related to its differential breeding response to variation in diet quality. Thus, we examined the reproductive response of M. coucha and M. natalensis mothers to variation in dietary protein intake. Our results demonstrated that typical levels of reproduction extended over a narrower range of dietary protein content for M. coucha than M. natalensis females. Only M. natalensis females bred on 6% protein diets, while on 20% protein diets the reproductive output of M. coucha was lower than on diets containing 10- and 15% protein. M. natalensis responded to low protein diets by reducing litter size and litter mass but not individual pup mass. Thus, providing diet quality improves before parturition, conception under sub-optimal conditions may not compromise individual pup growth. Furthermore, the ability of M. natalensis to breed under conditions of low diet quality may advance their breeding season compared to species that cannot breed until diet quality improves, allowing M. natalensis to produce additional litters through the season, while more daughters could reproduce during the season of their birth, both factors that are known to contribute to the plaguing tendency of M. natalensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy P Jackson
- Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, Republic of South Africa.
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Caro TM. Factors Affecting the Small Mammal Community Inside and Outside Katavi National Park, Tanzania1. Biotropica 2002. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00542.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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