bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological Actions of Myricetin in the Nervous System: A Comprehensive Review of Preclinical Studies in Animals and Cell Models
Authors: Li Jie , Xiang Haitao , Huang Chao , Lu Jiashu
Published: December 2021

Myricetin is a natural flavonoid extracted from a variety of plants, such as medicinal herbs, vegetables, berries, and tea leaves. A growing body of evidence has reported that myricetin supplementation display therapeutic activities in a lot of nervous system disorders, such as cerebral ischemia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and glioblastoma. Myricetin supplementation can also protect against pathological changes and behavioral impairment induced by multiple sclerosis and chronic stress. On the basis of these pharmacological actions, myricetin could be developed as a potential drug for the prevention and/or treatment of nervous system disorders. Mechanistic studies have shown that inhibition of oxidative stress, cellular apoptosis, and neuroinflammatory response are common mechanisms for the neuroprotective actions of myricetin. Other mechanisms, including the activation of the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), protein kinase B (Akt), cyclic adenosine monophosphate-response element binding protein (CREB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, inhibition of intracellular Ca2+ increase, inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-p38 activation, and suppression of mutant protein aggregation, may also mediate the neuroprotective effects of myricetin. Furthermore, myricetin treatment has been shown to promote the activation of the inhibitory neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, which subsequently produces anti-epilepsy effects. In this review, we make a comprehensive understanding about the pharmacological effects of myricetin in the nervous system, aiming to push the development of myricetin as a novel drug for the treatment of nervous system disorders.
Design, Synthesis and Anti-Lung Cancer Evaluation of 1, 2, 3-Triazole Tethered Dihydroartemisinin-Isatin Hybrids
Authors: Hou Haodong , Qu Bin , Su Chen , Hou Guihua , Gao Feng
Published: December 2021

A series of 1,2,3-triazole tethered dihydroartemisinin-isatin hybrids 8a-c and 9a-k were designed and synthesized. Their antiproliferative activity against A549, doxorubicin-resistant A549 (A549/DOX) as well as cisplatin-resistant A549 (A549/DDP) lung cancer cell lines was also investigated in this study. All hybrids (half maximal inhibitory concentration/IC50: 7.54–73.8 μM) were more potent than the parent drug dihydroartemisinin (IC50: 69.4–88.0 μM) and also non-cytotoxic towards mouse embryonic fibroblast cells NIH/3T3 (IC50: >100 μM). The structure-activity relationships illustrated that the substituents on C-3 and C-5 position of isatin moiety influenced the activity significantly. Imine at C-3 position decreased the activity, whereas fluoro at C-5 position enhanced the activity. In particular, hybrids 8a,c (IC50: 7.54–12.1 μM) and 9i (IC50: 9.10–15.9 μM) were comparable to cisplatin (IC50: 7.54–15.9 μM vs 9.38–19.7 μM) against A549 and A549/DOX, but 4.6–7.6 folds more potent than that of cisplatin (IC50: 8.77–14.3 μM vs 66.9 μM) against A549/DDP cells. Moreover, hybrids 8a,c exhibited excellent stability (liver microsomes: 68–83%) in mouse/human microsomes and good pharmacokinetic properties, demonstrating their potential as a novel anti-lung cancer chemotherapeutic candidates.
Network Pharmacology-Based Investigation and Experimental Exploration of the Antiapoptotic Mechanism of Colchicine on Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Tang Yuanjun , Shi Chenyang , Qin Yingyi , Wang Shuowen , Pan Hui , Chen Ming , Yu Xuemei , Lou Yuefen , Fan Guorong
Published: December 2021

Background: The beneficial effects of colchicine on cardiovascular disease have been widely reported in recent studies. Previous research demonstrated that colchicine has a certain protective effect on ischemic myocardium and has the potential to treat myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI). However, the potential targets and pharmacological mechanism of colchicine to treat MIRI has not been reported.

Methods: In this study, we used network pharmacology and experimental verification to investigate the pharmacological mechanisms of colchicine for the treatment of MIRI. Potential targets of colchicine and MIRI related genes were screened from public databases. The mechanism of colchicine in the treatment of MIRI was determined by protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Additionally, we evaluated the effect of colchicine on H9C2 cell activity using CCK-8 assays, observed the effect of colchicine on H9C2 cell apoptosis via flow cytometry, and further verified the expression of key targets after colchicine treated by Western blot.

Results: A total of 626 target genes for colchicine and 1549 MIRI disease targets were obtained. 138 overlapping genes were determined as potential targets of colchicine in treating MIRI. the PPI network analysis demonstrated that the targets linked to MIRI were ALB, TNF, ACTB, AKT1, IL6, TP53, IL1B, CASP3 and these targets showed nice affinity with colchicine in molecular docking experiments. The results of GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment demonstrated that the anti-MIRI effect of colchicine involves in apoptotic signaling pathway. Further tests suggested that colchicine can protect H9C2 cell from Hypoxia/Reoxygenation (H/R) injury through anti-apoptotic effects. Western blot results demonstrated that colchicine can inhibited MIRI induced apoptosis of H9C2 cell by enhancing the decreased levels of Caspase-3 in myocardial injure model induced by H/R and activating the PI3K/AKT/eNOS pathway.

Conclusions: we performed network pharmacology and experimental evaluation to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of colchicine against MIRI. The results from this study could provide a theoretical basis for the development and clinical application of colchicine.
Kinetic Evolution of Laser Ablating Alloy Materials
Authors: Wang Junxiao , Zhao Yang , Zhang Lei , Wang Shuqing , Su Maogen , Sun Duixiong , Min Qi , Ma Weiguang , Yin Wangbao , Jia Suotang
Published: December 2021

Through the theoretical simulation and analysis of the whole process of laser ablating target and producing plasma with high spatio-temporal resolution, it is helpful for people to gain a more complete understanding of the ablation process of target and the evolution process of plasma parameters, which has an important guiding role for the improvement and optimization of laser ablation technology. Alloys are commonly used in daily life, but there are few researches on laser-induced alloy targets at present. Therefore, based on the thermal model of laser ablation and the two-dimensional axisymmetric multi-species hydrodynamic model, the process of laser ablating Al-Mg alloy under atmospheric pressure argon is theoretically simulated, and the ablation process of alloy target and the spatio-temporal evolution results of plasma parameters under different laser irradiances are compared. At high laser irradiance, the melt and evaporation depth, laser energy absorption and plasma characterization parameters are much greater than those at low laser irradiance, and the species energy distribution at different laser irradiance also presents different trends. In addition, the velocity of different species is calculated according to the position-time diagram of the maximum emission intensity, and they expand at a constant speed during the studied time. These results can provide some theoretical guidance for the early application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in metallurgy.
A Fully-Coupled Electro-Mechanical Whole-Heart Computational Model: Influence of Cardiac Contraction on the ECG
Authors: Moss Robin , Wülfers Eike Moritz , Schuler Steffen , Loewe Axel , Seemann Gunnar
Published: December 2021

The ECG is one of the most commonly used non-invasive tools to gain insights into the electrical functioning of the heart. It has been crucial as a foundation in the creation and validation of in silico models describing the underlying electrophysiological processes. However, so far, the contraction of the heart and its influences on the ECG have mainly been overlooked in in silico models. As the heart contracts and moves, so do the electrical sources within the heart responsible for the signal on the body surface, thus potentially altering the ECG. To illuminate these aspects, we developed a human 4-chamber electro-mechanically coupled whole heart in silico model and embedded it within a torso model. Our model faithfully reproduces measured 12-lead ECG traces, circulatory characteristics, as well as physiological ventricular rotation and atrioventricular valve plane displacement. We compare our dynamic model to three non-deforming ones in terms of standard clinically used ECG leads (Einthoven and Wilson) and body surface potential maps (BSPM). The non-deforming models consider the heart at its ventricular end-diastatic, end-diastolic and end-systolic states. The standard leads show negligible differences during P-Wave and QRS-Complex, yet during T-Wave the leads closest to the heart show prominent differences in amplitude. When looking at the BSPM, there are no notable differences during the P-Wave, but effects of cardiac motion can be observed already during the QRS-Complex, increasing further during the T-Wave. We conclude that for the modeling of activation (P-Wave/QRS-Complex), the associated effort of simulating a complete electro-mechanical approach is not worth the computational cost. But when looking at ventricular repolarization (T-Wave) in standard leads as well as BSPM, there are areas where the signal can be influenced by cardiac motion of the heart to an extent that should not be ignored.
Benefits and Mechanisms of Exercise Training for Knee Osteoarthritis
Authors: Zeng Chu-Yang , Zhang Zhen-Rong , Tang Zhi-Ming , Hua Fu-Zhou
Published: December 2021

Knee osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease. Cartilage and subchondral bone degeneration, as well as synovitis, are the main pathological changes associated with knee osteoarthritis. Mechanical overload, inflammation, metabolic factors, hormonal changes, and aging play a vital role in aggravating the progression of knee osteoarthritis. The main treatments for knee osteoarthritis include pharmacotherapy, physiotherapy, and surgery. However, pharmacotherapy has many side effects, and surgery is only suitable for patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis. Exercise training, as a complementary and adjunctive physiotherapy, can prevent cartilage degeneration, inhibit inflammation, and prevent loss of the subchondral bone and metaphyseal bone trabeculae. Increasing evidence indicates that exercise training can improve pain, stiffness, joint dysfunction, and muscle weakness in patients with knee osteoarthritis. There are several exercise trainings options for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, including aerobic exercise, strength training, neuromuscular exercise, balance training, proprioception training, aquatic exercise, and traditional exercise. For Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) experimental animals, those exercise trainings can reduce inflammation, delay cartilage and bone degeneration, change tendon, and muscle structure. In this review, we summarize the main symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, the mechanisms of exercise training, and the therapeutic effects of different exercise training methods on patients with knee osteoarthritis. We hope this review will allow patients in different situations to receive appropriate exercise therapy for knee osteoarthritis, and provide a reference for further research and clinical application of exercise training for knee osteoarthritis.
Regulation of the Stability and Localization of Post-synaptic Membrane Proteins by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation
Authors: Hosokawa Tomohisa , Liu Pin-Wu
Published: December 2021

Synaptic plasticity is a cellular mechanism of learning and memory. The synaptic strength can be persistently upregulated or downregulated to update the information sent to the neuronal network and form a memory engram. For its molecular mechanism, the stability of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate-type glutamate receptor (AMPAR), a glutamatergic ionotropic receptor, on the postsynaptic membrane has been studied for these two decades. Since AMPAR is not saturated on the postsynaptic membrane during a single event of neurotransmitter release, the number and nanoscale localization of AMPAR is critical for regulating the efficacy of synaptic transmission. The observation of AMPAR on the postsynaptic membrane by super-resolution microscopy revealed that AMPAR forms a nanodomain that is defined as a stable segregated cluster on the postsynaptic membrane to increase the efficacy of synaptic transmission. Postsynaptic density (PSD), an intracellular protein condensate underneath the postsynaptic membrane, regulates AMPAR dynamics via the intracellular domain of Stargazin, an auxiliary subunit of AMPAR. Recently, it was reported that PSD is organized by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form liquid-like protein condensates. Furthermore, the calcium signal induced by the learning event triggers the persistent formation of sub-compartments of different protein groups inside protein condensates. This explains the formation of nanodomains via synaptic activation. The liquid-like properties of LLPS protein condensates are ideal for the molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the properties and regulation of synaptic plasticity, postsynaptic receptors, PSD, and LLPS.
Improving Accuracy of Tomato Plant Disease Diagnosis Based on Deep Learning With Explicit Control of Hidden Classes
Authors: Fuentes Alvaro , Yoon Sook , Lee Mun Haeng , Park Dong Sun
Published: December 2021

Recognizing plant diseases is a major challenge in agriculture, and recent works based on deep learning have shown high efficiency in addressing problems directly related to this area. Nonetheless, weak performance has been observed when a model trained on a particular dataset is evaluated in new greenhouse environments. Therefore, in this work, we take a step towards these issues and present a strategy to improve model accuracy by applying techniques that can help refine the model’s generalization capability to deal with complex changes in new greenhouse environments. We propose a paradigm called “control to target classes.” The core of our approach is to train and validate a deep learning-based detector using target and control classes on images collected in various greenhouses. Then, we apply the generated features for testing the inference of the system on data from new greenhouse conditions where the goal is to detect target classes exclusively. Therefore, by having explicit control over inter- and intra-class variations, our model can distinguish data variations that make the system more robust when applied to new scenarios. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach on our extended tomato plant diseases dataset with 14 classes, from which 5 are target classes and the rest are control classes. Our detector achieves a recognition rate of target classes of 93.37% mean average precision on the inference dataset. Finally, we believe that our study offers valuable guidelines for researchers working in plant disease recognition with complex input data.
Image-Based Hot Pepper Disease and Pest Diagnosis Using Transfer Learning and Fine-Tuning
Authors: Gu Yeong Hyeon , Yin Helin , Jin Dong , Park Jong-Han , Yoo Seong Joon
Published: December 2021

Past studies of plant disease and pest recognition used classification methods that presented a singular recognition result to the user. Unfortunately, incorrect recognition results may be output, which may lead to further crop damage. To address this issue, there is a need for a system that suggest several candidate results and allow the user to make the final decision. In this study, we propose a method for diagnosing plant diseases and identifying pests using deep features based on transfer learning. To extract deep features, we employ pre-trained VGG and ResNet 50 architectures based on the ImageNet dataset, and output disease and pest images similar to a query image via a k-nearest-neighbor algorithm. In this study, we use a total of 23,868 images of 19 types of hot-pepper diseases and pests, for which, the proposed model achieves accuracies of 96.02 and 99.61%, respectively. We also measure the effects of fine-tuning and distance metrics. The results show that the use of fine-tuning-based deep features increases accuracy by approximately 0.7–7.38%, and the Bray–Curtis distance achieves an accuracy of approximately 0.65–1.51% higher than the Euclidean distance.
GhGLK1 a Key Candidate Gene From GARP Family Enhances Cold and Drought Stress Tolerance in Cotton
Authors: Liu Jiangna , Mehari Teame Gereziher , Xu Yanchao , Umer Muhammad Jawad , Hou Yuqing , Wang Yuhong , Peng Renhai , Wang Kunbo , Cai Xiaoyan , Zhou Zhongli , Liu Fang
Published: December 2021

Drought and low-temperature stresses are the most prominent abiotic stresses affecting cotton. Wild cotton being exposed to harsh environments has more potential to cope with both biotic and abiotic stresses. Exploiting wild cotton material to induce resistant germplasm would be of greater interest. The candidate gene was identified in the BC2F2 population among Gossypium tomentosum and Gossypium hirsutum as wild male donor parent noted for its drought tolerance and the recurrent parent and a high yielding but drought susceptible species by genotyping by sequencing (GBS) mapping. Golden2-like (GLK) gene, which belongs to the GARP family, is a kind of plant-specific transcription factor (TF) that was silenced by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Silencing of GhGLK1 in cotton results in more damage to plants under drought and cold stress as compared with wild type (WT). The overexpression of GhGLK1 in Arabidopsis thaliana showed that the overexpressing plants showed more adaptability than the WT after drought and cold treatments. The results of trypan blue and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) staining showed that after drought and cold treatment, the leaf damage in GhGLK1 overexpressed plants was less as compared with the WT, and the ion permeability was also lower. This study suggested that the GhGLK1 gene may be involved in the regulation of drought and cold stress response in cotton. Our current research findings add significantly to the existing knowledge of cold and drought stress tolerance in cotton.
Contrasting Carbon Allocation Strategies of Ring-Porous and Diffuse-Porous Species Converge Toward Similar Growth Responses to Drought
Authors: Buttó Valentina , Millan Mathilde , Rossi Sergio , Delagrange Sylvain
Published: December 2021

Extreme climatic events that are expected under global warming expose forest ecosystems to drought stress, which may affect the growth and productivity. We assessed intra-annual growth responses of trees to soil water content in species belonging to different functional groups of tree-ring porosity. We pose the hypothesis that species with contrasting carbon allocation strategies, which emerge from different relationships between wood traits and canopy architecture, display divergent growth responses to drought. We selected two diffuse-porous species (Acer saccharum and Betula alleghaniensis) and two ring-porous species (Quercus rubra and Fraxinus americana) from the mixed forest of Quebec (Canada). We measured anatomical wood traits and canopy architecture in eight individuals per species and assessed tree growth sensitivity to water balance during 2008–2017 using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). Stem elongation in diffuse-porous species mainly depended upon the total number of ramifications and hydraulic diameter of the tree-ring vessels. In ring-porous species, stem elongation mainly depended upon the productivity of the current year, i.e., number of vessels and basal area increment. Diffuse-porous and ring-porous species had similar responses to soil water balance. The effect of soil water balance on tree growth changed during the growing season. In April, decreasing soil temperature linked to wet conditions could explain the negative relationship between SPEI and tree growth. In late spring, greater water availability affected carbon partitioning, by promoting the formation of larger xylem vessels in both functional groups. Results suggest that timings and duration of drought events affect meristem growth and carbon allocation in both functional groups. Drought induces the formation of fewer xylem vessels in ring-porous species, and smaller xylem vessels in diffuse-porous species, the latter being also prone to a decline in stem elongation due to a reduced number of ramifications. Indeed, stem elongation of diffuse-porous species is influenced by environmental conditions of the previous year, which determine the total number of ramifications during the current year. Drought responses in different functional groups are thus characterized by different drivers, express contrasting levels of resistance or resilience, but finally result in an overall similar loss of productivity.
Comparative Chloroplast Genomics of Sophora Species: Evolution and Phylogenetic Relationships in the Early-Diverging Legume Subfamily Papilionoideae (Fabaceae)
Authors: Liao Min , Gao Xin-Fen , Zhang Jun-Yi , Deng Heng-Ning , Xu Bo
Published: December 2021

The taxonomy and evolutionary history of Sophora L., a genus with high economic and medicinal value, remain uncertain due to the absence of genetic resource (especially in China) and low polymorphism of molecular markers. Our aim was to elucidate the molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships in chloroplast genomes of Sophora species in the early-diverging legume subfamily Papilionoideae (Fabaceae). We reported nine Sophora chloroplast genome from China using Illumina sequencing. We performed a series of analyses with previously published genomes of Sophora species to investigate their genomic characteristics, identified simple sequence repeats, large repeat sequences, tandem repeats, and highly polymorphic loci. The genomes were 152,953–158,087 bp in length, and contained 111–113 unique genes, including 76–78 protein coding, 31 tRNA, and 4 rRNA. The expansion of inverted repeat boundary of Sophora resulted in rps12 entering into the LSC region and loss of trnT-CGU gene in some species. Also, we found an approximately 23 kb inversion between trnC-GCA and trnF-GAA within the genus. In addition, we identified seven highly polymorphic loci (pi (π) > 0.035) suitable for inferring the phylogeny of Sophora species. Among these, three regions also co-occurred with large repeat sequences and support use of repeats as a proxy for the identification of polymorphic loci. Based on whole chloroplast genome and protein-coding sequences data-set, a well-supported phylogenetic tree of Sophora and related taxa showed that this genus is monophyletic, but sect. Disamaea and sect. Sophora, are incongruent with traditional taxonomic classifications based on fruit morphology. Our finding provides significant genetic resources to support further investigation into the phylogenetic relationship and evolution of the genus Sophora.
Evolution of Autonomous Selfing in Marginal Habitats: Spatiotemporal Variation in the Floral Traits of the Distylous Primula wannanensis
Authors: Zhang Wei , Hu Ying Feng , He Xiao , Zhou Wei , Shao Jian Wen
Published: December 2021

Outcrossing plant species are more likely to exhibit autonomous selfing in marginal habitats to ensure reproduction under conditions of limited pollinator and/or mate availability. Distyly is a classical paradigm that promotes outcrossing; however, little is known about the variation in floral traits associated with distylous syndrome in marginal populations. In this study, we compared the variation in floral traits including stigma and anther height, corolla tube length, herkogamy, and corolla diameter between the central and peripheral populations of the distylousPrimula wannanensis, and assessed the variation of floral traits at early and late florescence stages for each population. To evaluate the potential consequences of the variation in floral traits on the mating system, we investigated seed set in each population under both open-pollinated and pollinator-excluded conditions. The flower size of both short- and long-styled morphs was significantly reduced in late-opening flowers compared with early opening flowers in both central and peripheral populations. Sex-organ reciprocity was perfect in early opening flowers; however, it was largely weakened in the late-opening flowers of peripheral populations compared with central populations. Of these flowers, disproportionate change in stigma height (elongated in S-morph and shortened in L-morph) was the main cause of reduced herkogamy, and seed set was fairly high under pollinator-excluded condition. Our results provide empirical support for the hypothesis on the evolution of delayed autonomous selfing in marginal populations of distylous species. Unsatisfactory pollinator service is likely to have promoted reproductive assurance of distylous plants with largely reduced herkogamy mimicking “homostyles.”
Draft Genome Sequence of a New Fusarium Isolate Belonging to Fusarium tricinctum Species Complex Collected From Hazelnut in Central Italy
Authors: Turco Silvia , Grottoli Alessandro , Drais Mounira Inas , De Spirito Carlo , Faino Luigi , Reverberi Massimo , Cristofori Valerio , Mazzaglia Angelo
Published: December 2021

In summer 2019, during a survey on the health status of a hazelnut orchard located in the Tuscia area (the province of Viterbo, Latium, Italy), nuts showing symptoms, such as brown-grayish spots at the bottom of the nuts progressing upward to the apex, and necrotic patches on the bracts and, sometimes, on the petioles, were found and collected for further studies. This syndrome is associated with the nut gray necrosis (NGN), whose main causal agent is Fusarium lateritium. Aiming to increase knowledge about this fungal pathogen, the whole-genome sequencing of a strain isolated from symptomatic hazelnut was performed using long Nanopore reads technology in combination with the higher precision of the Illumina reads, generating a high-quality genome assembly. The following phylogenetic and comparative genomics analysis suggested that this isolate is caused by the F. tricinctum species complex rather than F. lateritium one, as initially hypothesized. Thus, this study demonstrates that different Fusarium species can infect Corylus avellana producing the same symptomatology. In addition, it sheds light onto the genetic features of the pathogen in subject, clarifying facets about its biology, epidemiology, infection mechanisms, and host spectrum, with the future objective to develop specific and efficient control strategies.
Genome Size and Labellum Epidermal Cell Size Are Evolutionarily Correlated With Floral Longevity in Paphiopedilum Species
Authors: Zhang Feng-Ping , Zhang Shi-Bao
Published: December 2021

Genome size is known to influence phenotypic traits in leaves and seeds. Although genome size is closely related to cellular and developmental traits across biological kingdoms, floral longevity is a floral trait with important fitness consequence, but less is known about the link between floral longevity and sizes of genomes and cells. In this study, we examined evolutionary coordination between genome size, floral longevity, and epidermal cell size in flowers and leaves in 13 Paphiopedilum species. We found that, across all the study species, the genome size was positively correlated with floral longevity but negatively associated with labellum epidermal cell size, and a negative relationship was found between floral longevity and labellum epidermal cell size. This suggested that genome size is potentially correlated with floral longevity, and genome size has an important impact on life-history trait. In addition, genome size was positively correlated with leaf epidermal cell size, which was different from the relationship in flower due to different selective pressures they experienced or different functions they performed. Therefore, genome size constraints floral longevity, and it is a strong predictor of cell size. The impact of genome size on reproduction might have more implications for the evolution of flowering plants and pollination ecology.
First Event-Related Potentials Evidence of Auditory Morphosyntactic Processing in a Subject-Object-Verb Nominative-Accusative Language (Farsi)
Authors: Meykadeh Azam , Golfam Arsalan , Nasrabadi Ali Motie , Ameri Hayat , Sommer Werner
Published: December 2021

While most studies on neural signals of online language processing have focused on a few—usually western—subject-verb-object (SVO) languages, corresponding knowledge on subject-object-verb (SOV) languages is scarce. Here we studied Farsi, a language with canonical SOV word order. Because we were interested in the consequences of second-language acquisition, we compared monolingual native Farsi speakers and equally proficient bilinguals who had learned Farsi only after entering primary school. We analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) to correct and morphosyntactically incorrect sentence-final syllables in a sentence correctness judgment task. Incorrect syllables elicited a late posterior positivity at 500–700 ms after the final syllable, resembling the P600 component, as previously observed for syntactic violations at sentence-middle positions in SVO languages. There was no sign of a left anterior negativity (LAN) preceding the P600. Additionally, we provide evidence for a real-time discrimination of phonological categories associated with morphosyntactic manipulations (between 35 and 135 ms), manifesting the instantaneous neural response to unexpected perturbations. The L2 Farsi speakers were indistinguishable from L1 speakers in terms of performance and neural signals of syntactic violations, indicating that exposure to a second language at school entry may results in native-like performance and neural correlates. In nonnative (but not native) speakers verbal working memory capacity correlated with the late posterior positivity and performance accuracy. Hence, this first ERP study of morphosyntactic violations in a spoken SOV nominative-accusative language demonstrates ERP effects in response to morphosyntactic violations and the involvement of executive functions in non-native speakers in computations of subject-verb agreement.
Testing the Efficacy of ‘Unlearning’, a Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Programme for Cultivating Nonviolence in Teenagers: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Delgado-Suárez Irene , López-del-Hoyo Yolanda , García-Campayo Javier , Pérez-Aranda Adrián , Modrego-Alarcón Marta , Beltrán-Ruiz María , Gascón Santiago , Montero-Marín Jesús
Published: December 2021

Background:Most programmes developed to reduce aggressive attitudes among teenagers are based on cultivating nonviolence, a construct that has been related to compassion and, more indirectly, mindfulness. This study aims at testing the efficacy of ‘Unlearning’, a mindfulness and compassion-based programme, for reducing aggressive attitudes in adolescents.

Method:A sample of 164 students from three high schools in Zaragoza (Spain) participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to (1) ‘Unlearning’, or (2) relaxation programme. Three assessment points were established: baseline, post-treatment and a 4-month follow-up. The outcome variables were the subscales of the ‘Attitudes Toward Social Aggression Scale’. Mindfulness and compassion were assessed as secondary outcomes.

Results:‘Unlearning’ did not produce changes in the primary outcomes, but significant effects were observed post-treatment in self-compassion; and in the follow-up, in self-compassion and mindfulness. The control group did not experience any change post-treatment, but a significant effect in mindfulness was observed in the follow-up. The intergroup analyses indicated that ‘Unlearning’ improved self-compassion, both post-treatment (t = −2.48,p = 0.014) and after 4-months (t = −2.03,p = 0.044), although these results were not statistically significant after correcting for multiple comparisons.

Conclusion:‘Unlearning’ did not produce significant reductions in aggressive attitudes compared to the control group. The low baseline levels may have hindered the efficacy of the interventions. ‘Unlearning’ showed potential to improve self-compassion, which is related to nonviolence, and this may have positive implications for the adolescents. Future interventions should include teachers and families to enhance the effectiveness of the programmes.
Learning Processes and Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills in Training and Supervision of Psychotherapy and Counselling: A Study Protocol for a Scoping Review
Authors: Oddli Hanne Weie , Heinonen Erkki , Hau Stephan , Nielsen Jan , Esterhazy Rachelle , Hoff Cecilie Hillestad , Strømme Hanne
Published: December 2021

Background: Increased awareness of the individual therapist’s vital contribution to treatment processes and outcome, and the potential role of training and supervision in this respect, warrants a close look at the empirical and theoretical literature on teaching and learning of therapists and counselors.

Methods: A scoping review of the literature will be conducted based on an overarching research question: when authors have reported on learning processes and acquisition of knowledge and skills in psychotherapy/counseling and supervision/training literature over the past 30 years (since 1990), what evidence, concepts, theories, and models have they reported? A comprehensive search strategy is carried out to identify publications indexed in Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Publications will be sorted according to four categories: (1) conceptual/theoretical; (2) empirical (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods); (3) review, meta-synthesis or -analysis; (4) training program/model description. Procedures for the upcoming scoping review of conceptual/theoretical, empirical, and training program/model description publications will be outlined.

Conclusion: Besides clarifying existing perspectives, practices, and evidence, and documenting the shifting trends of the field during the past three decades, this scoping review identifies knowledge gaps that point to vital future directions for research and theory development. Moreover, the comprehensive scoping lays the foundation for subsequent, more focused systematic reviews that address identified key research topics more specifically.
Psychometric Properties of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory in a Portuguese Sample of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians
Authors: Reis Cátia , Tecedeiro Miguel , Pellegrino Pollyana , Paiva Teresa , Marôco João P.
Published: December 2021

From its initial conceptualization as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal efficacy for the help professions, burnout has received increasing attention in modern times, especially after the 2019 WHO’s inclusion of this syndrome in the ICD-11 list. Burnout can be measured using several psychometric instruments that range in dimensionality, number of items, copyrighted, and free use formats. Here, we report the psychometric properties of data gathered with the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) in a sample of Portuguese Aircraft maintenance technicians. As far as we know, this is the first study addressing the burnout syndrome in this occupational group. Data gathered with the OLBI displayed good evidence of validity related to internal structure, to other variables, with good evidence of reliability. We showed that burnout significantly correlated with mental and physical fatigue emphasizing the vital critical role that these variables play with safety in the aviation industry.
Does the Stereotypicality of Mothers’ Occupation Influence Children’s Communal Occupational Aspirations and Communal Orientation?
Authors: Kvalø Marie , Olsen Marte , Thorsteinsen Kjærsti , Olsson Maria I. T. , Martiny Sarah E.
Published: December 2021

Career development is a lifelong process that starts in infancy and is shaped by a number of different factors during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Even though career development is shaped through life, relatively little is known about the predictors of occupational aspirations in childhood. Therefore, in the present work we investigate how the stereotypicality of a mother’s occupation (female-dominated/communal vs. non-female-dominated/agentic) influences her young child’s communal occupational aspirations and communal orientation. We conducted two studies with young children. Study 1 included 72 mother–child dyads recruited from childcare centers in Northern Norway (children’s age range: 4½–6 years). Study 2 included 106 mother–child dyads recruited from Norwegian elementary schools (children’s age range: 6 to 13 years). Results from Study 1 showed that the stereotypicality of mothers’ occupation was related to their children’s communal occupational aspirations and children’s communal orientation. In contrast to our predictions and results from Study 1, the stereotypicality of mothers’ occupation was not significantly related to children’s communal occupational aspirations nor their communal orientation in Study 2. In both studies, we found no relationship between mothers’ gender attitudes or share of child care and children’s communal occupational aspirations. The results are discussed in terms of parents’ influence on children’s development of occupational aspirations.
Smartphone Abuse Amongst Adolescents: The Role of Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking
Authors: Pérez de Albéniz Garrote Gloria , Rubio Laura , Medina Gómez Begoña , Buedo-Guirado Cristina
Published: December 2021

Adolescence is the stage of development where the reward and emotional regulation systems are yet to be adjusted and where most excessive behaviors start, like smartphone abuse. In addition, in this evolutionary period adolescents are more susceptible to behavioral changes through specific interventions or educational programs. Thus, it is fundamental to analyze the personality profile of those adolescents showing excessive mobile phone usage to properly approach later prevention strategies. Impulsivity is one of the most repeated variables associated with teenage addictions, although it has been observed that not all impulsive behaviors need to be detrimental. The aim of this study is to analyze how impulsivity affects smartphone addiction directly, but also indirectly, by assessing its association with sensation seeking variables (thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility) which are in turn decisive when using these technologies improperly. The sample was made up of 614 adolescents aged 13–18 attending secondary education from Burgos, Spain. Dickman Impulsivity Inventory, Sensation Seeking Scale, and Ad-hoc questionnaire on adolescent self-perception as to smartphone use were applied. Results show that 41.4% of participants admit to abusing smartphones sometimes, while 18.3% admit to abusing them more frequently and 24% to, at least ever, having defined themselves as smartphone addicts. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that gender (female), dysfunctional impulsivity and sensation seeking (disinhibition and thrill and adventure seeking) evidence 15.7% of variance in smartphone abuse. In addition, sensation seeking (thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility) were found to mediate the relationship between dysfunctional impulsivity and smartphone abuse. Therefore, dysfunctional impulsivity was directly connected with teenage smartphone abuse, but also had an indirect stronger association through thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility.
Antecedents of Vaccine Hesitancy in WEIRD and East Asian Contexts
Authors: Courtney Daniel S. , Bliuc Ana-Maria
Published: December 2021

Following decreasing vaccination rates over the last two decades, understanding the roots of vaccine hesitancy has become a public health priority. Vaccine hesitancy is linked to scientifically unfounded fears around the MMR vaccine and autism which are often fuelled by misinformation spread on social media. To counteract the effects of misinformation about vaccines and in particular the falling vaccination rates, much research has focused on identifying the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy. As antecedents of vaccine hesitancy are contextually dependent, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful in non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic) populations, and even in certain (non-typical) WEIRD sub-populations. Successful interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy must be based on understanding of the specific context. To identify potential contextual differences in the antecedents of vaccine hesitancy, we review research from three non-WEIRD populations in East Asia, and three WEIRD sub-populations. We find that regardless of the context, mistrust seems to be the key factor leading to vaccine hesitancy. However, the object of mistrust varies across WEIRD and non-WEIRD populations, and across WEIRD subgroups suggesting that effective science communication must be mindful of these differences.
Conceptualizations of Knowledge in Structuring Approaches to Moral Development: A Process-Relational Approach
Authors: Carpendale Jeremy I. M. , Parnell Vicki L. , Wallbridge Beau
Published: December 2021

Like other aspects of child development, views of the nature and development of morality depend on philosophical assumptions or worldviews presupposed by researchers. We analyze assumptions regarding knowledge linked to two contrasting worldviews: Cartesian-split-mechanistic and process-relational. We examine the implications of these worldviews for approaches to moral development, including relations between morality and social outcomes, and the concepts of information, meaning, interaction and computation. It is crucial to understand how researchers view these interrelated concepts in order to understand approaches to moral development. Within the Cartesian-split-mechanistic worldview, knowledge is viewed as representation and meaning is mechanistic and fixed. Both nativism and empiricism are based in this worldview, differing in whether the source of representations is assumed to be primarily internal or external. Morality is assumed to pre-exist, either in the genome or the culture. We discuss problems with these conceptions and endorse the process-relational paradigm, according to which knowledge is constructed through interaction, and morality begins in activity as a process of coordinating perspectives, rather than the application of fixed rules. The contrast is between beginning with the mind or beginning with social activity in explaining the mind.
Screening and Psycho-Oncological Support for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer and Brain Malignancies Before Radiotherapy With Mask Fixation: Results of a Feasibility Study
Authors: Adeberg Sebastian , Sauer Christina , Lambert Lena , Regnery Sebastian , Windisch Paul , Zaoui Karim , Freudlsperger Christian , Moratin Julius , Farnia Benjamin , Nikendei Christoph , Krauss Juergen , Ehrenthal Johannes C. , El Shafie Rami , Hörner-Rieber Juliane , König Laila , Akbaba Sati , Lang Kristin , Held Thomas , Rieken Stefan , Debus Juergen , Friederich Hans-Christoph , Maatouk Imad
Published: December 2021

This single-center, single-arm trial investigates the feasibility of a psycho-oncological care program, which aims to reduce psychological distress and improve compliance with radiotherapy with mask fixation in patients with head and neck cancer or brain malignancies. The care program comprised (1) a screening/needs assessment and (2) the provision of a psycho-oncological intervention using imaginative stabilization techniques for distressed patients (distress due to anxiety ≥5) or in a case of subjective interest in the psycho-oncological intervention. Another allocation path to the intervention was directly through the radiation oncologist in charge who classified the patient as: in need of support to tolerate the immobilization device. Of a total of 1,020 screened patients, 257 (25.2%) patients indicated a distress ≥5 and 141 (13.8%) patients reported panic attacks. 25% of the patients reported a subjective interest in psycho-oncological support. A total of 35 patients received the psycho-oncological intervention, of which 74% were assigned by radiation oncologists. In this small patient cohort, no significant pre-post effects in terms of depression, anxiety, distress, and quality of life (mental and physical component scores) could be detected. Our results indicate a good feasibility (interdisciplinary workflow and cooperation, allocation by physicians in charge) of the psycho-oncological care program for this cohort of patients before radiotherapy with mask fixation. The screening results underline the high psychological distress and demand for psycho-oncological support. However, since the utilization of our intervention was low, future studies should reduce the barriers and improve compliance to psycho-oncological services by these patients.Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.drks.de/drks_web/setLocale_EN.do #DRKS00013493
Supervisor-Subordinate Age Dissimilarity and Its Impact on Supervisory Ratings of Employability: Does Supportive Learning Context Make a Difference?
Authors: Scholarios Dora , Van der Heijden Beatrice
Published: December 2021

Status incongruence resulting from a supervisor who is younger than their subordinate potentially leads to age stereotyping of employees. This article investigates the relationship between age difference and supervisory ratings of five competence-based measures of subordinate employability (Occupational Expertise, Anticipation/Optimisation, Personal Flexibility, Corporate Sense, and Balance). In addition, we consider the buffering role of a supportive learning context which allows older workers access to learning resources. Learning context is represented by duration of the supervisory relationship, perceived organizational learning climate and participation in, and application of, training and development. Using 295 dyads of employees and their direct supervisors in a Dutch building company, findings show that age dissimilarity reflecting status incongruence was related to lower supervisory ratings of Occupational Expertise (job-related competence) and Corporate Sense (social/organizational competence) regardless of learning context. Longer duration relationships exacerbated, rather than buffered, the age difference effect on some types of supervisory ratings. The implications of these findings for age stereotyping with regard to employability are considered.