bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Calcium Channels: Noteworthy Regulators and Therapeutic Targets in Dermatological Diseases
Authors: Wang Min , Sun Yaoxiang , Li Linli , Wu Peipei , DKW Ocansey , Shi Hui
Published: August 2021

Dysfunctional skin barrier and impaired skin homeostasis may lead to or aggravate a series of dermatologic diseases. A large variety of biological events and bioactive molecules are involved in the process of skin wound healing and functional recovery. Calcium ions (Ca2+) released from intracellular stores as well as influx through plasma membrane are essential to skin function. Growing evidence suggests that calcium influx is mainly regulated by calcium-sensing receptors and channels, including voltage-gated, transient potential receptor, store-operated, and receptor-operated calcium channels, which not only maintain cellular Ca2+ homeostasis, but also participate in cell proliferation and skin cell homeostasis through Ca2+-sensitive proteins such as calmodulin (CaM). Furthermore, distinct types of Ca2+ channels not merely work separately, they may work concertedly to regulate cell function. In this review, we discussed different calcium-sensing receptors and channels, including voltage-gated, transient receptor potential, store-operated, and receptor-operated calcium channels, particularly focusing on their regulatory functions and inherent interactions as well as calcium channels-related reagents and drugs, which is expected to bridge basic research and clinical applications in dermatologic diseases.
Dehydrocorydaline Protects Against Sepsis-Induced Myocardial Injury Through Modulating the TRAF6/NF-κB Pathway
Authors: Li Yadong , Zhang Li , Zhang Ping , Hao Zhiying
Published: August 2021

We aim to investigate the effect and mechanism of dehydrocorydaline (Deh), an alkaloidal component isolated from Rhizoma corydalis, in the treatment of sepsis-mediated myocardial injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was taken to construct an in-vitro sepsis-myocardial injury models H9C2 cardiomyocytes. The in-vivo model of sepsis in C57BL/6 mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The in-vitro and in-vivo models were treated with Deh in different concentrations, respectively. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining were taken to evaluate the histopathological changes of the heart. ELISA was applied to evaluate the levels of inflammatory factors, including IL-6, IL-1β, TNFα, IFNγ, and oxidized factors SOD, GSH-PX in the plasma or culture medium. Western blot was used to measure the expressions of Bax, Bcl2, Caspase3, iNOS, Nrf2, HO-1, TRAF6, NF-κB in heart tissues and cells. The viability of H9C2 cardiomyocytes was detected by the CCK8 method and BrdU assay. The ROS level in the H9C2 cardiomyocytes were determined using immunofluorescence. As a result, Deh treatment improved the survival of sepsis mice, reduced TUNEL-labeled apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. In vitro, Deh enhanced the viability of LPS-induced H9C2 cardiomyocytes and inhibited cell apoptosis. Additionally, Deh showed significant anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress functions via decreasing IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, and IFNγ levels, mitigating ROS level, up-regulating Nrf2/HO-1, SOD, and GSH-PX expressions dose-dependently. Mechanistically, Deh inhibited TRAF6 expression and the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65. The intervention with a specific inhibitor of TRAF6 (C25-140) or NF-κB inhibitor (BAY 11-7082) markedly repressed the protective effects mediated by Deh. In conclusion, Deh restrains sepsis-induced cardiomyocyte injury by inhibiting the TRAF6/NF-κB pathway.
The Functional Role of Hyperpolarization Activated Current (If) on Cardiac Pacemaking in Human vs. in the Rabbit Sinoatrial Node: A Simulation and Theoretical Study
Authors: Bai Xiangyun , Wang Kuanquan , Boyett Mark R. , Hancox Jules C. , Zhang Henggui
Published: August 2021

The cardiac hyperpolarization-activated “funny” current (If), which contributes to sinoatrial node (SAN) pacemaking, has a more negative half-maximal activation voltage and smaller fully-activated macroscopic conductance in human than in rabbit SAN cells. The consequences of these differences for the relative roles of If in the two species, and for their responses to the specific bradycardic agent ivabradine at clinical doses have not been systematically explored. This study aims to address these issues, through incorporating rabbit and human If formulations developed by Fabbri et al. into the Severi et al. model of rabbit SAN cells. A theory was developed to correlate the effect of If reduction with the total inward depolarising current (Itotal) during diastolic depolarization. Replacing the rabbit If formulation with the human one increased the pacemaking cycle length (CL) from 355 to 1,139 ms. With up to 20% If reduction (a level close to the inhibition of If by ivabradine at clinical concentrations), a modest increase (~5%) in the pacemaking CL was observed with the rabbit If formulation; however, the effect was doubled (~12.4%) for the human If formulation, even though the latter has smaller If density. When the action of acetylcholine (ACh, 0.1 nM) was considered, a 20% If reduction markedly increased the pacemaking CL by 37.5% (~27.3% reduction in the pacing rate), which is similar to the ivabradine effect at clinical concentrations. Theoretical analysis showed that the resultant increase of the pacemaking CL is inversely proportional to the magnitude of Itotal during diastolic depolarization phase: a smaller If in the model resulted in a smaller Itotal amplitude, resulting in a slower pacemaking rate; and the same reduction in If resulted in a more significant change of CL in the cell model with a smaller Itotal. This explained the mechanism by which a low dose of ivabradine slows pacemaking rate more in humans than in the rabbit. Similar results were seen in the Fabbri et al. model of human SAN cells, suggesting our observations are model-independent. Collectively, the results of study explain why low dose ivabradine at clinically relevant concentrations acts as an effective bradycardic agent in modulating human SAN pacemaking.
Tear Lipocalin and Lipocalin-Interacting Membrane Receptor
Authors: Glasgow Ben J.
Published: August 2021

Tear lipocalin is a primate protein that was recognized as a lipocalin from the homology of the primary sequence. The protein is most concentrated in tears and produced by lacrimal glands. Tear lipocalin is also produced in the tongue, pituitary, prostate, and the tracheobronchial tree. Tear lipocalin has been assigned a multitude of functions. The functions of tear lipocalin are inexorably linked to structural characteristics that are often shared by the lipocalin family. These characteristics result in the binding and or transport of a wide range of small hydrophobic molecules. The cavity of tear lipocalin is formed by eight strands (A–H) that are arranged in a β-barrel and are joined by loops between the β-strands. Recently, studies of the solution structure of tear lipocalin have unveiled new structural features such as cation-π interactions, which are extant throughout the lipocalin family. Lipocalin has many unique features that affect ligand specificity. These include a capacious and a flexible cavity with mobile and short overhanging loops. Specific features that confer promiscuity for ligand binding in tear lipocalin will be analyzed. The functions of tear lipocalin include the following: antimicrobial activities, scavenger of toxic and tear disruptive compounds, endonuclease activity, and inhibition of cysteine proteases. In addition, tear lipocalin binds and may modulate lipids in the tears. Such actions support roles as an acceptor for phospholipid transfer protein, heteropolymer formation to alter viscosity, and tear surface interactions. The promiscuous lipid-binding properties of tear lipocalin have created opportunities for its use as a drug carrier. Mutant analogs have been created to bind other molecules such as vascular endothelial growth factor for medicinal use. Tear lipocalin has been touted as a useful biomarker for several diseases including breast cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetic retinopathy, and keratoconus. The functional possibilities of tear lipocalin dramatically expanded when a putative receptor, lipocalin-interacting membrane receptor was identified. However, opposing studies claim that lipocalin-interacting membrane receptor is not specific for lipocalin. A recent study even suggests a different function for the membrane protein. This controversy will be reviewed in light of gene expression data, which suggest that tear lipocalin has a different tissue distribution than the putative receptor. But the data show lipocalin-interacting membrane receptor is expressed on ocular surface epithelium and that a receptor function here would be rational.
Substrate Stiffness Influences Structural and Functional Remodeling in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Körner Arlene , Mosqueira Matias , Hecker Markus , Ullrich Nina D.
Published: August 2021

Novel treatment strategies for cardiac tissue regeneration are heading for the use of engineered cardiac tissue made from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Despite the proven cardiogenic phenotype of these cells, a significant lack of structural and functional properties of mature myocytes prevents safe integration into the diseased heart. To date, maturation processes of cardiomyocytes remain largely unknown but may comprise biophysical cues from the immediate cell environment. Mechanosensing is one critical ability of cells to react to environmental changes. Accordingly, the surrounding substrate stiffness, comprised of extracellular matrix (ECM), cells, and growth surface, critically influences the myocyte’s physiology, as known from deleterious remodeling processes in fibrotic hearts. Conversely, the mechanical properties during culture of iPSC-CMs may impact on their structural and functional maturation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the environmental stiffness influences structural and functional properties of iPSC-CMs and investigated the effect of different substrate stiffnesses on cell contractility, excitation-contraction (EC) coupling, and intercellular coupling. Culture surfaces with defined stiffnesses ranging from rigid glass with 25GPa to PDMS of physiological softness were coated with ECM proteins and seeded with murine iPSC-CMs. Using confocal imaging, cardiac protein expression was assessed. Ca2+ handling and contractile properties were analyzed on different substrate stiffnesses. Intercellular coupling via gap junctions was investigated by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Our data revealed greater organization of L-type Ca2+ channels and ryanodine receptors and increased EC-coupling gain, demonstrating structural and functional maturation in cells grown on soft surfaces. In addition, increased shortening and altered contraction dynamics revealed increased myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in phase-plane loops. Moreover, connexin 43 expression was significantly increased in iPSC-CMs grown on soft surfaces leading to improved intercellular coupling. Taken together, our results demonstrate that soft surfaces with stiffnesses in the physiological range improve the expression pattern and interaction of cardiac proteins relevant for EC-coupling. In parallel, soft substrates influence contractile properties and improve intercellular coupling in iPSC-CMs. We conclude that the mechanical stiffness of the cell environment plays an important role in driving iPSC-CMs toward further maturation by inducing adaptive responses.
Changes and Correlations of the Intestinal Flora and Liver Metabolite Profiles in Mice With Gallstones
Authors: Chen Yang , Wang Qiang , Gao Wenqi , Ma Biao , Xue Dongbo , Hao Chenjun
Published: August 2021

There is increasing appreciation for the roles of the gut-liver axis in liver and gall diseases. Specific gut microbes are associated with susceptibility to gallstone diseases, while the relationship between intestinal flora and liver metabolism in the formation of gallstones remains unclear. In this study, an experimental group of model mice was given a lithogenic diet, and a control group was given a normal diet. Both groups were fed for 8 weeks. Integrating 16S rRNA gene sequencing and non-targeted metabolomics to explore the impact of the lithogenic diet on intestinal flora and liver metabolism, Spearman correlation analysis reveals the network of relationships between the intestine and liver. Our findings showed that the gut microbiome and liver metabolome compositions of the test group were significantly changed compared with those of the normal group. Through our research, biomarkers of gallstones were identified at the phylum (5), class (5), order (5), family (7), and genus levels. We predicted the function of the differential flora. We analyzed the liver metabolism of mice with gallstones paired with their flora, and the results showed that there were 138 different metabolites between the two groups. The metabolic pathways enriched by these differential metabolites are highly consistent with the functions of the disordered flora. We focused on an analysis of the relationship between deoxycholic acid, asymmetric dimethylarginine, glucosamine, tauroursodeoxycholic acid, and the disordered flora. This provides a basis for the establishment of the intestine-liver axis in gallstone disease. This research provides a theoretical basis for the research and development of probiotics and prebiotics.
dLp/HDL-BGBP and MTP Cloning and Expression Profiles During Embryonic Development in the Mud Crab Scylla paramamosain
Authors: Zeng Xianyuan , Lyu Liang , Zhao Dousha , Zhong Jinying , Feng Yan , Wan Haifu , Li Chunyang , Zhang Ziping , Wang Yilei
Published: August 2021

Lipids are the main energy source for embryonic development in oviparous animals. Prior to the utilization and catabolism, lipids are primarily transported from the yolk sac to embryonic tissues. In the present study, cDNA encoding a circulatory large lipid transfer protein (LLTP) superfamily member, the precursor of large discoidal lipoprotein (dLp) and high-density lipoprotein/β-1,3-glucan-binding protein (HDL-BGBP), named dLp/HDL-BGBP of 14,787 bp in length, was cloned from the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. dLp/HDL-BGBP was predicted to encode a 4,831 amino acids (aa) protein that was the precursor of dLp and HDL-BGBP, which were both detected in hemolymph by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. For the intracellular LLTP, three microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) cDNAs of 2,905, 2,897, and 3,088 bp in length were cloned from the mud crab and were predicted to encode MTP-A of 881 aa, MTP-B of 889 aa, and MTP-C of 919 aa, respectively, which were different merely in the N-terminal region and shared an identical sequence of 866 aa. During embryonic development, the expression level of dLp/HDL-BGBP consecutively increased from the early appendage formation stage to the eye pigment-formation stage, which indicated that HDL-BGBP is probably the scaffolding protein for yolk lipid. For the MTP gene, MTP-C accounted for ~70% of MTP mRNA from the blastocyst stage to the nauplius stage, as well as the pre-hatching stage; MTP-C and MTP-A expression levels were comparable from the early appendage formation stage to the late eye pigment-formation stage; MTP-A was extremely low in blastocyst and gastrula stages; MTP-B was expressed at a relatively low-level throughout embryo development. The variations in the expression profiles among MTP transcripts suggested that MTP might play roles in the lipid droplet maturation and lipoprotein assembly during embryonic development.
Brassica napus Mediator Subunit16 Induces BnMED25- and BnWRKY33-Activated Defense Signaling to Confer Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Resistance
Authors: Hu Huizhen , Tang Yiwei , Wu Jian , Chen Feizhi , Yang Yidan , Pan Xuancheng , Dong Xiang , Jin Xianda , Liu Sheng , Du Xuezhu
Published: August 2021

The plant mediator is a highly conserved protein complex that interacts with transcription factors (TFs) and RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) to relay regulatory information during transcription. Plant immune response is one of the biological processes that is orchestrated by this regulatory mechanism. Brassica napus, an important oil crop, is severely attacked by a devastating disease Sclerotinia stem rot. Here, we explored broad-spectrum disease resistant roles of B. napus mediator subunit 16 (BnMED16) and its host defense mechanism against fugal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. We found that BnMED16 expression was significantly increased by S. sclerotiorum infection, and its homologous overexpression resulted in rapid and comprehensive defense responses from the beginning to the end. This affected signal transduction with multiple channels including pathogen recognition, intracellular Ca2+ concentration, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and clearance, and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades initially. Subsequently, pathogen-/defense-related genes and hormone-responsive pathways were highly activated, which resulted in enhanced cell wall and secretion of defense proteases. Furthermore, the biochemical analysis showed that BnMED16 interacts with BnMED25 and BnWRKY33. Additionally, BnMED25 also interacts with TFs BnMYC2, BnCOI1, and BnEIN3 of the JA/ET signal transduction pathway. Taken together, we proposed a hypothetical model that BnMED16 confers S. sclerotiorum resistance by enhancing BnMED25-mediated JA/ET defense pathways and BnWRKY33-activated defense signaling in B. napus. The BnMED16 overexpressing lines with enhanced broad-spectrum disease resistance could be useful for breeding Sclerotinia-resistant oilseed rape varieties, as well as serving as basis for further strategy development in resistance breeding.
Why More Leaflets? The Role of Natural Selection in Shaping the Spatial Pattern of Leaf-Shape Variation in Oxytropis diversifolia (Fabaceae) and Two Close Relatives
Authors: Wang Hui , Liu Pei-Liang , Li Jian , Yang Han , Li Qin , Chang Zhao-Yang
Published: August 2021

Leaf shape exhibits tremendous diversity in angiosperms. It has long been argued that leaf shape can affect major physiological and ecological properties of plants and thus is likely to be adaptive, but the evolutionary evidence is still scarce.Oxytropis diversifolia(Fabaceae) is polymorphic for leaf shape (1 leaflet, 1–3 leaflets, and 3 leaflets) and exhibits clinal variation in steppes of Nei Mongol, China. With two close relatives predominantly fixed for one phenotype as comparison (Oxytropis neimonggolicawith 1 leaflet andOxytropis leptophyllawith 5–13 leaflets), we used a comprehensive cline-fitting approach to assess the role of natural selection in shaping the spatial pattern of leaf-shape variation in this system. For 551 individuals sampled from 22 populations, we quantified leaf-morphological differentiation, evaluated patterns of neutral genetic variation using five chloroplast DNA intergenic regions and 11 nuclear microsatellite loci, and performed microhabitat and macroclimatic-association analyses. We found that 1-leaflet proportions inO. diversifoliapopulations significantly increased from west to east, and three phenotypes also differed in leaflet-blade size. However, compared with the other two species, populations ofO. diversifoliashowed little neutral genetic differentiation, and no population structure was detected at either marker. We further revealed that the leaf-shape cline could largely be explained by three macroclimatic variables, with leaflet number decreasing and leaflet-blade size increasing with annual precipitation and showing the reverse trends with temperature seasonality and isothermality. Our results suggest that spatially varying abiotic environmental factors contribute to shape the leaf-shape cline inO. diversifolia, while the interspecific pattern may be due to both local adaptation and historical events.
Automatic Diagnosis of Rice Diseases Using Deep Learning
Authors: Deng Ruoling , Tao Ming , Xing Hang , Yang Xiuli , Liu Chuang , Liao Kaifeng , Qi Long
Published: August 2021

Rice disease has serious negative effects on crop yield, and the correct diagnosis of rice diseases is the key to avoid these effects. However, the existing disease diagnosis methods for rice are neither accurate nor efficient, and special equipment is often required. In this study, an automatic diagnosis method was developed and implemented in a smartphone app. The method was developed using deep learning based on a large dataset that contained 33,026 images of six types of rice diseases: leaf blast, false smut, neck blast, sheath blight, bacterial stripe disease, and brown spot. The core of the method was the Ensemble Model in which submodels were integrated. Finally, the Ensemble Model was validated using a separate set of images. Results showed that the three best submodels were DenseNet-121, SE-ResNet-50, and ResNeSt-50, in terms of several attributes, such as, learning rate, precision, recall, and disease recognition accuracy. Therefore, these three submodels were selected and integrated in the Ensemble Model. The Ensemble Model minimized confusion among the different types of disease, reducing misdiagnosis of the disease. Using the Ensemble Model to diagnose six types of rice diseases, an overall accuracy of 91% was achieved, which is considered to be reasonably good, considering the appearance similarities in some types of rice disease. The smartphone app allowed the client to use the Ensemble Model on the web server through a network, which was convenient and efficient for the field diagnosis of rice leaf blast, false smut, neck blast, sheath blight, bacterial stripe disease, and brown spot.
Response of Mungbean (cvs. Celera II-AU and Jade-AU) and Blackgram (cv. Onyx-AU) to Transient Waterlogging
Authors: Kyu Khin Lay , Malik Al Imran , Colmer Timothy David , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Erskine William
Published: August 2021

Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] and blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] are important crops for smallholder farmers in tropical and subtropical regions. Production of both crops is affected by unexpected and increasingly frequent extreme precipitation events, which result in transient soil waterlogging. This study aimed to compare the waterlogging tolerance of mungbean and blackgram genotypes under the varying duration of waterlogging stress at germination and seedling stages. We evaluated the responses to different durations of transient waterlogging in a sandy clay loam under temperature-controlled glasshouse conditions. Waterlogging durations were 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 days during germination and 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 days during the seedling stage. We used two mungbean genotypes (green testa), Celera II-AU (small-seeded), and Jade-AU (large-seeded), contrasting in seed size and hypocotyl pigmentation, and a blackgram genotype (black testa), Onyx-AU. Waterlogging reduced soil redox potential, delayed or even prevented germination, decreased seedling establishment, and affected shoot and root development. In the seedlings waterlogged (WL) at 15 days after sowing (DAS), adventitious root formation and crown nodulation varied between the genotypes, and 16 days of waterlogging substantially reduced growth but did not result in plant death. Plants in soil with waterlogging for 8–16 days followed by drainage and sampling at 39 DAS had reduced shoot and root dry mass by 60–65% in mungbean and 40% in blackgram compared with continuously drained controls, due at least in part to fewer lateral roots. Soil plant analysis development (SPAD) chlorophyll content was also reduced. Onyx-AU, a blackgram genotype, was more tolerant to transient waterlogging than Jade-AU and Celera II-AU in both growth stages. Of the two mungbean genotypes, Celera II-AU had a greater seedling establishment than Jade-AU post waterlogging imposed at sowing. In contrast, Jade-AU had more plant biomass and greater recovery growth than Celera II-AU after waterlogging and recovery during the seedling stage. Both species were delayed in emergence in response to the shorter periods of transient waterlogging at germination, and with the longer waterlogging germination and emergence failed, whereas at the seedling stage both showed adaptation by the formation of adventitious roots.
Pectin and Xylan Biosynthesis in Poplar: Implications and Opportunities for Biofuels Production
Authors: Schultz Joshua A. , Coleman Heather D.
Published: August 2021

A potential method by which society's reliance on fossil fuels can be lessened is via the large-scale utilization of biofuels derived from the secondary cell walls of woody plants; however, there remain a number of technical challenges to the large-scale production of biofuels. Many of these challenges emerge from the underlying complexity of the secondary cell wall. The challenges associated with lignin have been well explored elsewhere, but the dicot cell wall components of hemicellulose and pectin also present a number of difficulties. Here, we provide an overview of the research wherein pectin and xylan biosynthesis has been altered, along with investigations on the function of irregular xylem 8 (IRX8) and glycosyltransferase 8D (GT8D), genes putatively involved in xylan and pectin synthesis. Additionally, we provide an analysis of the evidence in support of two hypotheses regarding GT8D and conclude that while there is evidence to lend credence to these hypotheses, there are still questions that require further research and examination.
Responsiveness of Elite Cultivars vs. Ancestral Genotypes of Barley to Beneficial Rhizosphere Microbiome, Supporting Plant Defense Against Root-Lesion Nematodes
Authors: Elhady Ahmed , Abbasi Sakineh , Safaie Naser , Heuer Holger
Published: August 2021

Harnessing plant-microbe interactions to advance crop resistance to pathogens could be a keystone in sustainable agriculture. The breeding of crops to maximize yield in intensive agriculture might have led to the loss of traits that are necessary for beneficial plant-soil feedback. In this study, we tested whether the soil microbiome can induce a stronger plant defense against root-lesion nematodes in ancestral genotypes of barley than in elite cultivars. Plants were grown in a sterile substrate with or without the inoculation of rhizosphere microbiomes, and Pratylenchus neglectus was inoculated to the roots. Unexpectedly, elite cultivars profited significantly more from the microbiome than ancestral genotypes, by the reduction of nematodes in roots and the increased shoot weight relative to control plants. The elite cultivars had higher microbial densities in the rhizosphere, which were correlated with root weight. The structure of the bacterial and fungal community of elite and ancestral genotypes differed, as compared by 16S rDNA or internal transcribed spacer amplicon profiles in denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The elite cultivars differed in responsiveness to the microbiome. For the most responsive cultivars Beysehir and Jolgeh, the strong microbe-induced suppression of nematodes coincided with the strongest microbe-dependent increase in transcripts of salicylic acid-regulated defense genes after nematode invasion, while the jasmonate-regulated genes LOX2 and AOS were downregulated in roots with the inoculated microbiome. The microbe-triggered modulation of defense gene expression differed significantly between elite and ancestral genotypes of barley. Soil microbiomes conditioned by maize roots suppressed the nematodes in elite cultivars, while the corresponding bulk soil microbiome did not. In conclusion, cultivars Beysehir and Jolgeh harbor the genetic background for a positive plant-microbiome feedback. Exploiting these traits in breeding for responsiveness to beneficial soil microbiomes, accompanied by soil biome management for compatible plant-microbe interactions, will support low-input agriculture and sustainability.
A Multi-Environment Trial Analysis of Frost Susceptibility in Wheat and Barley Under Australian Frost-Prone Field Conditions
Authors: Ferrante Ariel , Cullis Brian R. , Smith Alison B. , Able Jason A.
Published: August 2021

Low temperatures during the flowering period of cereals can lead to floret sterility, yield reduction, and economic losses in Australian crops. In order to breed for improved frost susceptibility, selection methods are urgently required to identify novel sources of frost tolerant germplasm. However, the presence of genotype by environment interactions (i.e. variety responses to a change in environment) is a major constraint to select the most appropriate varieties in any given target environment. An advanced method of analysis for multi-environment trials that includes factor analytic selection tools to summarize overall performance and stability to a specific trait across the environments could deliver useful information to guide growers and plant breeding programs in providing the most appropriate decision making-strategy. In this study, the updated selection tools approached in this multi-environment trials (MET) analysis have allowed variety comparisons with similar frost susceptibility but which have a different response to changes in the environment or vice versa. This MET analysis included a wide range of sowing dates grown at multiple locations from 2010 to 2019, respectively. These results, as far as we are aware, show for the first-time genotypic differences to frost damage through a MET analysis by phenotyping a vast number of accurate empirical measurements that reached in excess of 557,000 spikes. This has resulted in a substantial number of experimental units (10,317 and 5,563 in wheat and barley, respectively) across a wide range of sowing times grown at multiple locations from 2010 to 2019. Varieties with low frost overall performance (OP) and low frost stability (root mean square deviation -RMSD) were less frost susceptible, with performance more consistent across all environments, while varieties with low OP and high RMSD were adapted to specific environmental conditions.
Referential Chains Reveal Predictive Processes and Form-to-Function Mapping: An Electroencephalographic Study Using Naturalistic Story Stimuli
Authors: Brilmayer Ingmar , Schumacher Petra B.
Published: August 2021

In discourse pragmatics, different referential forms are claimed to be indicative of the cognitive status of a referent in the current discourse. Referential expressions thereby possess a double function: They point back to an (existing) referent (form-to-function mapping), and they are used to derive predictions about a referent’s subsequent recurrence in discourse. Existing event-related potential (ERP) research has mainly focused on the form-to-function mapping of referential expression. In the present ERP study, we explore the relationship of form-to-function mapping and prediction derived from the antecedent of referential expressions in naturalistic auditory language comprehension. Specifically, the study investigates the relationship between the form of a referential expression (pronoun vs. noun) and the form of its antecedent (pronoun vs. noun); i.e., it examines the influence of the interplay of predictions derived from an antecedent (forward-looking function) and the form-to-function mapping of an anaphor (backward-looking function) on the ERPs time-locked to anaphoric expressions. The results in the time range of the P300 and N400 allow for a dissociation of these two functions during online language comprehension.
Extrinsically Integrated Instructional Quizzes in Learning Games: An Educational Disaster or Not?
Authors: Jičínská Lucie , Sedláčková Petra , Kolek Lukáš , Tetourová Tereza , Volná Kristina , Lukavský Jiří , Brom Cyril
Published: August 2021

Instructional quizzes are frequently used in educational games. When they present correct answers after learners have responded, these quizzes can be used on their own for teaching new factual and conceptual knowledge (no additional learning materials are needed). In games, these quizzes are often unrelated to gameplay: gameplay can be viewed as a reward for answering quiz questions. This has been criticized in game-based learning literature as a “chocolate-covered-broccoli” approach. However, is it really a bad approach? Theories offer conflicting predictions concerning the instructional efficiency of in-game quizzes relative to bare quizzes (i.e., not embedded in games) and empirical literature is lacking. Here, we present a within-subject design study (N = 69), in which 10–12-year-olds learn from both an in-game quiz and a bare quiz and undergo immediate and 2–3 weeks delayed post-test on the quiz questions. A modest difference in learning outcomes favoring the bare quiz was found in the immediate post-tests (d = 0.46), but not in the 2–3 weeks delayed post-tests (d = 0.09). Children enjoyed the game more than the bare quiz (dz = 0.65) and 59 preferred the game in the free-choice period. The findings suggest that both a bare quiz and a quiz within a game have their place at the table for useful educational interventions: the bare quiz should be preferred in schooling contexts; whereas, the game in leisure time situations as a voluntary activity. In the latter case, it should be considered how the game and the quiz are integrated.
Generic Paradoxical Tensions, Appraisals, Work Motivation, and Performance: Insights From a Weekly Repeated-Measures Study
Authors: Tripathi Neha
Published: August 2021

Drawing on the paradox theory, the author developed a theoretical model of appraisal–motivational responses to generic paradoxical tensions. The author postulated that paradoxical tensions are appraised both as a challenge and as a threat, in turn prompting mixed effects, positive and negative, on performance. The dual effects of paradoxical tensions are explained by the intermittent role of motivation toward work and a dispositional boundary condition—individual' adaptability—cross-situation variability of behaviors. The results from an eight-wave weekly repeated measures study spanning a period of 2 months (N = 178, total observations = 1,355) provided support for the proposed theoretical model. By illuminating the nuanced intraindividual psychological process, the present study brings forward novel insights on cognitive appraisals and motivations of paradoxical tensions advancing microfoundation of the paradox research.
The Transcultural Community Resilience Scale: Psychometric Properties and Multinational Validity in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Cénat Jude Mary , Dalexis Rose Darly , Derivois Daniel , Hébert Martine , Hajizadeh Saba , Kokou-Kpolou Cyrille Kossigan , Guerrier Mireille , Rousseau Cécile
Published: August 2021

Few instruments assess community resilience. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the capacity of communities to support resilience of members deserves to be assessed to develop programs for improving mental health of affected populations. This article presents the development of the Transcultural-Community Resilience Scale (T-CRS), its underlying factorial structure and transcultural validity with a multilingual (English, French, Creole, Kinyarwanda), multinational (DR Congo, Haiti, Rwanda, Togo) and multicultural sample affected by this pandemic. A sample of 1,267 participants (40.9% women) were recruited in the four countries: DRC (n = 626, 43.4% women), Haiti (n = 225, 42.0% women), Rwanda (n = 174, 40.5% women), and Togo (n = 242, 33.2% women), with a mean age of 32 (SD = 10.1). They completed measures assessing individual resilience, depression and the T-CRS. Exploratory and confirmatory Factor Analyses, Cronbach alpha, coefficient H and the McDonald's Omega, and bivariate regression were used to estimate the underlying components of the T-CRS, its internal consistency and concurrent validity. Parallel factorial analysis and confirmatory factor analysis results revealed an excellent fit 3-factor structure. Internal consistency coefficients varied between 0.82 and 0.95. The T-CRS showed a good construct validity with a positive association with individual resilience and negative association with depression score. Developed with a collaborative approach involving researchers, practitioners, and clients/patients, the T-CRS and its three factors (community strengths and support, community trust and faith, and community values) demonstrated excellent psychometric properties for assessing community resilience among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Effectiveness of Self-Guided Virtual-Reality Exposure Therapy for Public-Speaking Anxiety
Authors: Premkumar Preethi , Heym Nadja , Brown David Joseph , Battersby Steven , Sumich Alexander , Huntington Bethany , Daly Rosie , Zysk Eva
Published: August 2021

Objectives: Self-guided virtual-reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a psychological intervention that enables a person to increase their own exposure to perceived threat. Public-speaking anxiety (PSA) is an anxiety-provoking social situation that is characterized by fear of negative evaluation from an audience. This pilot study aimed to determine whether self-guided VRET (1) increases exposure to PSA-specific virtual social threats, and (2) reduces anxiety, arousal, heartrate and PSA over repeated exposure.

Methods: Thirty-two University students (27 completers) with high self-reported public-speaking anxiety attended 2 weekly self-guided VRET sessions. Each session involved the participant delivering a 20-min speech in a virtual classroom. Participants were able to increase their exposure to virtual social threat through the audience size, audience reaction, number of speech prompts, and their own salience in the virtual classroom at 4-min intervals. Participants' heartrates and self-reported anxiety and arousal were monitored during these intervals. Participants completed psychometric assessments after each session and 1 month later.

Results: Participants increased their exposure to virtual social threat during each VRET session, which coincided with a reduction in heartrate and self-reported anxiety and arousal. Improvement in PSA occurred post-treatment and 1 month later. The in-session improvement in anxiety correlated with reductions in fear of negative evaluation post-treatment and 1 month later.

Conclusions: Increased self-exposure to virtual social threat from self-guided VRET relieves anxiety and shows immediate reductions in subjective and physiological arousal during application, but also yields sustained improvement in PSA.
Stabilization Strategies for Fast Walking in Challenging Environments With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Cornwell Tara , Woodward Jane , Ochs Wendy , Gordon Keith E.
Published: August 2021

Gait rehabilitation following incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) often aims to enhance speed and stability. Concurrently increasing both may be difficult though as certain stabilization strategies will be compromised at faster speeds. To evaluate the interaction between speed and lateral stability, we examined individuals with (n= 12) and without (n= 12) iSCI as they performed straight walking and lateral maneuvers at Preferred and Fast treadmill speeds. To better detect the effects of speed on stability, we challenged lateral stability with a movement amplification force field. The Amplification field, created by a cable-driven robot, applied lateral forces to the pelvis that were proportional to the real-time lateral center of mass (COM) velocity. While we expected individuals to maintain stability during straight walking at the Fast speed in normal conditions, we hypothesized that both groups would be less stable in the Amplification field at the Fast speed compared to the Preferred. However, we found no effects of speed or the interaction between speed and field on straight-walking stability [Lyapunov exponent or lateral margin of stability (MOS)]. Across all trials at the Fast speed compared to the Preferred, there was greater step width variability (p= 0.031) and a stronger correlation between lateral COM state at midstance and the subsequent lateral foot placement. These observations suggest that increased stepping variability at faster speeds may be beneficial for COM control. We hypothesized that during lateral maneuvers in the Amplification field, MOS on the Initiation and Termination steps would be smaller at the Fast speed than at the Preferred. We found no effect of speed on the Initiation step MOS within either field (p> 0.350) or group (p> 0.200). The Termination step MOS decreased at the Fast speed within the group without iSCI (p< 0.001), indicating a trade-off between lateral stability and forward walking speed. Unexpectedly, participants took more steps and time to complete maneuvers at the Fast treadmill speed in the Amplification field. This strategy prioritizing stability over speed was especially evident in the group with iSCI. Overall, individuals with iSCI were able to maintain lateral stability when walking fast in balance-challenging conditions but may have employed more cautious maneuver strategies.
Visual Summary Identification From Scientific Publications via Self-Supervised Learning
Authors: Yamamoto Shintaro , Lauscher Anne , Ponzetto Simone Paolo , Glavaš Goran , Morishima Shigeo
Published: August 2021

The exponential growth of scientific literature yields the need to support users to both effectively and efficiently analyze and understand the some body of research work. This exploratory process can be facilitated by providing graphical abstracts–a visual summary of a scientific publication. Accordingly, previous work recently presented an initial study on automatic identification of a central figure in a scientific publication, to be used as the publication’s visual summary. This study, however, have been limited only to a single (biomedical) domain. This is primarily because the current state-of-the-art relies on supervised machine learning, typically relying on the existence of large amounts of labeled data: the only existing annotated data set until now covered only the biomedical publications. In this work, we build a novel benchmark data set for visual summary identification from scientific publications, which consists of papers presented at conferences from several areas of computer science. We couple this contribution with a new self-supervised learning approach to learn a heuristic matching of in-text references to figures with figure captions. Our self-supervised pre-training, executed on a large unlabeled collection of publications, attenuates the need for large annotated data sets for visual summary identification and facilitates domain transfer for this task. We evaluate our self-supervised pretraining for visual summary identification on both the existing biomedical and our newly presented computer science data set. The experimental results suggest that the proposed method is able to outperform the previous state-of-the-art without any task-specific annotations.
How do Individuals Form Their Motivations to Expatriate? A Review and Future Research Agenda
Authors: Arifa Y. N. , El Baroudi S. , Khapova S. N.
Published: August 2021

For two decades, individual motivations to expatriate have received substantial attention in the expatriation literature examining self-initiated and assigned expatriation. Recently, however, this literature has changed direction, demonstrating that prior to forming their actual motivations, individuals undergo a process wherein they actively form those motivations. No review has yet unraveled this motivation process, and this systematic literature review fills this gap. Using the Rubicon Action model that discusses the motivation process of expatriation, this article demonstrates that for self-initiated and assigned expatriation, individuals follow similar processes: expatriation expectations are formed; then, they are evaluated; and finally, preferences are built that result in motivations to expatriate. Findings for each stage are discussed in light of their contributions to the expatriation literature. For major gaps, new research suggestions are offered to advance our understanding of the individual motivation process that expats experience prior to forming their motivations to move abroad.
Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii on Gut Microbiome and Intestinal Morphology in Weaned Piglets
Authors: Wang Xiao-Long , Liu Zhu-Ying , Li Ying-Hui , Yang Ling-Yuan , Yin Jie , He Jian-Hua , Hou De-Xing , Liu Ya-Li , Huang Xing-Guo
Published: August 2021

Lactobacillus delbrueckii is a Gram-positive bacterium mostly used in the dairy industry for yogurt and cheese. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus delbrueckii on serum biochemical parameters, intestinal morphology, and performance by supplementing at a dietary level of 0.1% in diets for weaned piglets. Eighty healthy weaned piglets (initial body weight: 7.56 ± 0.2 kg) were randomly divided into two feeding groups with four replicates in each group (n = 10 animals per replicate); piglets were fed with basal diet (CON) or basal diet containing 0.1% Lactobacillus delbrueckii (LAC). The results showed that dietary supplementation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii improved growth performance and increased serum HDL and insulin levels in piglets on the 28th day of the experimental time (p < 0.05). The gut microbe analysis revealed that Lactobacillus delbrueckii significantly decreased the relative abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes, but increased the relative abundance of the phyla Firmicutes. The Lactobacillus delbrueckii also significantly increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus at the genus level of the bacterial community in the ileum, but decreased the relative abundance of unclassified Clostridiales. Moreover, Lactobacillus delbrueckii improved mucosal morphology by obtaining higher intestinal villus height (p < 0.05), significantly increasing the concentrations of butyrate, isobutyric acid, and isovaleric acid in colonic chyme of piglets, but decreasing the intestinal pH at the duodenum and ileum on the 28th day of the experimental time. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii in the diet of weaned piglets can improve intestinal morphology and modulate the microbiota community to promote growth performance.
The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dog Owners on Dog Rabies Control in Thailand
Authors: Premashthira Sith , Suwanpakdee Sarin , Thanapongtharm Weerapong , Sagarasaeranee Onpawee , Thichumpa Weerakorn , Sararat Chayanin , Wiratsudakul Anuwat
Published: August 2021

Rabies is a deadly zoonotic disease responsible for almost 60,000 deaths each year, especially in Africa and Asia including Thailand. Dogs are the major reservoirs for rabies virus in these settings. This study thus used the concept of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) to identify socioeconomic factors that contribute to the differences in the canine rabies occurrences in high and low-risk areas which were classified by a Generalized Additive Model (GAM). Multistage sampling was then applied to designate the study locations and a KAP-based questionnaire was used to retrieve data and relevant perspectives from the respondents. Based on the responses from 476 participants living across four regions of Thailand, we found that the knowledge of the participants was positively correlated with their behaviors but negatively associated with the attitudes. Participants who are male, younger, educated at the level of middle to high school, or raising more dogs are likely to have negative attitudes but good knowledge on rabies prevention and control whereas farmers with lower income had better attitudes regardless of their knowledge. We found that people in a lower socioeconomic status with a lack of knowledge are not willing to pay at a higher vaccine price. Public education is a key to change dog owners' behaviors. Related authorities should constantly educate people on how to prevent and control rabies in their communities. Our findings should be applicable to other countries with similar socioeconomic statuses.