bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Enterprise Social Responsibility to Employee Psychological Satisfaction Based on Discriminant Least Square Regression
Authors: Ren Junbao , Zhong Ni
Published: July 2022

Employee psychological satisfaction is the satisfaction of perception of environmental factors at the psychological and physiological levels, that is, the employees’ subjective response to the work situation. How to enhance employee loyalty and psychological satisfaction has always been a hot issue in theoretical and practical research. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI), many AI methods are widely used to find important factors which have significant influences on the psychological satisfaction of employees. Feature selection methods as one kind of AI models can select discriminant features which have high correlation with the outcome. In this study, we first construct 19 factors from enterprise social responsibility. Then we use a discriminant least square regression model to select most relative factors associating with employee psychological satisfaction. Our experimental results show that the psychological satisfaction of employees is very related to salary, security, welfare, occupational health, and fairness. In addition, we find that discriminant least square regression performs better than the comparison feature selection methods we select, and the selected factors are more in line with our perceptions and expectations.
Re-envisioning Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Online Teaching Readiness of English for Foreign Language Pre-service Teachers in Language Teacher Education
Authors: Rafiq Karmila Rafiqah M. , Yunus Melor Md , Susiati
Published: July 2022

The pandemic has brought online learning as the new norm in education, which invokes many issues, particularly in the quality of online education. The quality of teacher education is being questioned, particularly in imparting adequate Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), which seems to be lacking in preparing teachers for sudden online learning. Though many studies were clustered around TPACK, there is still an unfilled gap in identifying whether the pre-service teachers are ready to teach online classes alongside their TPACK. Hence, this paper aims to determine (1) the level of TPACK and readiness and (2) the relationship between TPACK and readiness for English for Foreign Language (EFL) pre-service teachers in online learning during the pandemic. A survey was distributed to 197 EFL pre-service teachers with 35 items, in which the level of TPACK and readiness were analyzed descriptively with the mean score. The Pearson correlation examined the relationship between TPACK domains and readiness. The main findings showed that the level of TPACK and readiness of EFL pre-service teachers were high, particularly for Technological Knowledge (TK). However, the correlation results showed a weak positive correlation between TPACK domains and readiness. The highest correlation was between Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) and readiness, which is a new finding contributing to the body of knowledge. This paper implied that TPACK should also look into the online teaching readiness of pre-service teachers so that they are well equipped with the online pedagogical knowledge for effective teaching and learning.
Potential Role of Pain Catastrophic Thinking in Comorbidity Patients of Depression and Chronic Pain
Authors: Chen Yuanyuan , Ju Peijun , Xia Qingrong , Cheng Peng , Gao Jianliang , Zhang Loufeng , Gao Hua , Cheng Xialong , Yu Tao , Yan Junwei , Wang Qiru , Zhu Cuizhen , Zhang Xulai
Published: July 2022

Background

Although comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic pain (CP) has been well-studied, their association with pain catastrophizing is largely elusive. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of pain catastrophizing in patients with a comorbidity.

Methods

In total, 140 participants were included in this study and divided into three groups according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Association for the study of pain (i.e., the comorbidity group: patients with depression with chronic pain, n = 45; depression group: patients with depression without chronic pain, n = 47; and healthy controls: n = 48). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)-24 and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA)-14 were used by professional psychiatrists to evaluate the severity of depression and anxiety. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were conducted by patients' self-report to assess the symptom severity. The pain intensity numerical rating scale (PI-NRS) was used to assess the pain intensity. Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS) were used to estimate pain-related negative thinking.

Results

The results showed that PASS and PCS scores were significantly different among the three groups. Particularly, the scores in the comorbidity group were the highest. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between PCS (including the patients' helplessness, magnification, rumination, and total scores) and the severity of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and pain intensity (P < 0.05). A stepwise regression analysis further demonstrated that the total PCS score, high monthly income level, and BDI score had positive impacts on PASS (P < 0.05). We also found that the total BDI score, disease course ≥1 year, and pain intensity had positive effects on PCS (P < 0.05), whereas years of education (≤ 12 years) had a negative effect on PCS (P = 0.012). In all, we have clearly demonstrated that PCS and PASS could serve as potentially predictive factors in patients suffering from comorbidity of MDD and CP.

Conclusion

Our results suggested that the pain-related catastrophic thinking and anxiety were more severe in the comorbidity group than in MDD-only group and healthy group. Pain-related catastrophizing thoughts and anxiety may have potentially effects on the comorbidity of depression and chronic pain.
Emotional Reactivity in Adolescents With Non-suicidal Self-injury and Its Predictors: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Kandsperger Stephanie , Schleicher Daniel , Ecker Angelika , Keck Florentina , Bentheimer Sebastian , Brunner Romuald , Jarvers Irina
Published: July 2022

Background

The management of emergency presentations at child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinics, by children and adolescents with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, represents very responsible tasks but also offers the opportunity for immediate interventions. The stability and degree of emotional reactivity (ER) is a significant psychopathological symptom for development and maintenance of self-injurious behavior, differentiating between those who have continued to injure themselves and those who have not. In general, the relationship between ER and self-injurious behavior has been shown to be bidirectional. However, the stability of ER over time, as well as important predictors for ER itself have not been investigated so far. Therefore, this present study aimed at investigating the stability of ER over time and the relationship between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and ER. Reinforcement functions and several variables of psychological functioning were considered as possible influencing factors.

Methods

As part of a longitudinal study, 97 adolescents aged 11–18 years who presented due to self-injurious thoughts or behaviors underwent standardized emergency management. This included a specified detailed psychiatric assessment at baseline (including the Emotion Reactivity Scale, ERS, and the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview, SITBI) and treatment recommendations. These were followed by a catamnestic examination with two follow-up appointments. Changes over time in ER, NSSI, reinforcement functions of NSSI and general indicators of psychological functioning (General Severity Index, GSI) were examined and significant correlations were followed up by a linear-mixed effect model predicting the ERS score over time.

Results

Data analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in ERS scores and GSI over time. However, reinforcement functions for and the symptomatology of NSSI did not change. Furthermore, no predictive relationship from ER to NSSI could be identified. A linear-mixed effect model predicting the ERS identified the GSI, automatic positive reinforcement (as a reinforcement function for NSSI) and age as the only significant predictors.

Conclusion

Results demonstrate the importance of NSSI reinforcement functions for heightened emotional reactivity and emphasize their role as a point for therapeutic intervention by providing alternatives to NSSI and thereby possibly reducing emotional reactivity.
The Longitudinal Relationship Between eHealth Literacy, Health-Promoting Lifestyles, and Health-Related Quality of Life Among College Students: A Cross-Lagged Analysis
Authors: Li Shaojie , Cui Guanghui , Zhou Feixiang , Liu Siyue , Guo Yicong , Yin Yongtian , Xu Huilan
Published: July 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to explore the longitudinal associations between eHealth literacy, health-promoting lifestyles, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among college students.

Methods

From December 2019 (T1) to December 2020 (T2), we administered the eHealth literacy scale, Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), and Short-Form Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile Scale to 1,181 college students in Jinan, China. Participants were recruited for 12 months for the two-stage survey.

Results

Stable positive correlations were shown between eHealth literacy, health-promoting lifestyles, and HRQoL across time. The cross-lagged analysis showed that eHealth literacy at T1 predicted health-promoting lifestyles at T2 (β = 0.080, P = 0.006); however, health-promoting lifestyles at T1 did not predict eHealth literacy at T2 (β = −0.026, P = 0.499). HRQoL at T1 predicted health-promoting lifestyles at T2 (β = 0.147, P < 0.001); however, similar to the eHealth literacy finding, health-promoting lifestyles at T1 did not predict HRQoL at T2 (β = 0.045, P = 0.142). eHealth literacy was also bi-directionally associated with HRQoL, and the prediction effect of eHealth literacy at T1 to HRQoL at T2 (β = 0.078, P = 0.008) was slightly higher than the prediction effect of HRQoL at T1 to eHealth literacy at T2 (β = 0.074, P = 0.023).

Conclusion

eHealth literacy and HRQoL may be antecedents for college students' health-promoting lifestyles. There may be significant bi-directional relationships between eHealth literacy and HRQoL.
The Tragedy of Liberal Democratic Governance in the Face of Global Threats
Authors: Muraille Eric , Naccache Philippe , Pillot Julien
Published: July 2022

In hindsight, the early response of liberal governments to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was chaotic and generally inefficient. Though one might be tempted to attribute these failures to the incompetence of certain political decision-makers, we propose another explanation. Global threats require a coordinated international response, which is only possible if the threat is perceived in the same way by all, and if government priorities are similar. The effectiveness of the response also relies on massive adhesion of citizens to the measures imposed, which in turn requires trust in government. Our hypothesis is that certain fundamental features of liberalism complicate such global and collective responses: neutrality of the state and primacy of the individual over collective society. Liberalism considers that institutions and public policy must not be designed to favor any specific conception of the common good. That which is best for all is usually determined by a “competition of opinions,” which frequently leads to scientific expertise being considered as only one opinion among many. Liberalism also imposes strict respect for individual freedoms and private interests and tends to reject any form of collectivism or dictate imposed by the common good. In order to solve these structural problems and improve society's management of global threats, we make several proposals, such as the introduction of a minimal and consensual definition of the common good and the promotion of a health policy guided by One Health-like concepts. Overall, our analysis suggests that because political ideologies provide their own definitions of the common good and the place of scientific knowledge in the governance process and can thus affect the response to global threats, they should be urgently taken into consideration by public health experts.
Influence of Internet Use on Commercial Health Insurance of Chinese Residents
Authors: Xu Bao-Chang , Xu Xiao-Ni , Zhao Jin-Chun , Zhang Meng
Published: July 2022

As a necessary supplement to social medical insurance, commercial health insurance is an important part of the Healthy China strategy. This study, based on the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data in 2017, uses the probit model to analyze and study the internal relationship between Internet use and commercial health insurance purchase of urban and rural residents. The research results show that the use of the Internet significantly promoted commercial health insurance purchases of residents, and the promotion effect for rural residents is apparently better than that among urban residents. In addition, the social level of residents is improved through the use of Internet, which can promote commercial health insurance purchases. It provides a significant reference value for the effective integration of Internet use and commercial health insurance, and the high-quality development of the modern insurance industry.
Deviant Behavior of Pedestrians: A Risk Gamble or Just Against Automated Vehicles? How About Social Control?
Authors: Şahin Hatice , Hemesath Sebastian , Boll Susanne
Published: July 2022

Recent evidence suggests that the assumed conflict-avoidant programming of autonomous vehicles will incentivize pedestrians to bully them. However, this frequent argument disregards the embedded nature of social interaction. Rule violations are socially sanctioned by different forms of social control, which could moderate the rational incentive to abuse risk-avoidant vehicles. Drawing on a gamified virtual reality (VR) experiment (n = 36) of urban traffic scenarios, we tested how vehicle type, different forms of social control, and monetary benefit of rule violations affect pedestrians’ decision to jaywalk. In a second step, we also tested whether differences in those effects exist when controlling for the risk of crashes in conventional vehicles. We find that individuals do indeed jaywalk more frequently when faced with an automated vehicle (AV), and this effect largely depends on the associated risk and not their automated nature. We further show that social control, especially in the form of formal traffic rules and norm enforcement, can reduce jaywalking behavior for any vehicle. Our study sheds light on the interaction dynamics between humans and AVs and how this is influenced by different forms of social control. It also contributes to the small gamification literature in this human–computer interaction.
Leveraging Agritourism in Rural Areas in Developing Countries: The Case of Iran
Authors: Lak Azadeh , Khairabadi Omid
Published: July 2022

Over the past decades, agritourism has spread rapidly worldwide with the growing interest of tourists in learning about rural life and the farmers' need to increase their income with various economic activities. Diversifying business activities on the farm, primarily through agritourism, increases the farm's income and helps reduce the financial problems. Yet, the economic importance and consequently the cultural and social consequences of agritourism in rural areas have not been well studied, particularly in the developing countries. This study explores agritourism's cultural and economic consequences in unspoiled rural regions of Iran that have not yet experienced tourism as a sustainable economic activity. This study adopts a qualitative approach using the grounded theory method to the Varkaneh region located on the northern side of Mount Alvand in Hamedan province, Iran. Accordingly, interviews were conducted with four groups of tourists, local residents, experts, and local authorities. The interviews were transcribed and coded (open, axial, and selective) using the MAXQDA software and studied through the content analysis. The findings indicate that economic consequences arising from agritourism include improvement of economic development, increasing financial challenges, monetary recognition of new economic patterns, and requirement of economic and administrative measures. Cultural consequences include the emergence of cultural challenges, cultural promotion tools, culture-instilling strategies, pre-implementation management measures, post-implementation management measures, and cultural capacity development. The results could help local authorities to develop sustainable tourism plans in the rural areas with traditional agricultural livelihoods in developing countries.
An Eyes-Based Siamese Neural Network for the Detection of GAN-Generated Face Images
Authors: Wang Jun , Tondi Benedetta , Barni Mauro
Published: July 2022

Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) models are nowadays able to generate synthetic images which are visually indistinguishable from the real ones, thus raising serious concerns about the spread of fake news and the need to develop tools to distinguish fake and real images in order to preserve the trustworthiness of digital images. The most powerful current detection methods are based on Deep Learning (DL) technology. While these methods get excellent performance when tested under conditions similar to those considered for training, they often suffer from a lack of robustness and generalization ability, as they fail to detect fake images that are generated by “unseen” GAN models. A possibility to overcome this problem is to develop tools that rely on the semantic attributes of the image. In this paper, we propose a semantic-based method for distinguishing GAN-generated from real faces, that relies on the analysis of inter-eye symmetries and inconsistencies. The method resorts to the superior capabilities of similarity learning of extracting representative and robust features. More specifically, a Siamese Neural Network (SNN) is utilized to extract high-level features characterizing the inter-eye similarity, that can be used to discriminate between real and synthetic pairs of eyes. We carried out extensive experiments to assess the performance of the proposed method in both matched and mismatched conditions pertaining to the GAN type used to generate the synthetic images and the robustness of the method in presence of post-processing. The results we got are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those achieved by the best performing state-of-the-art method leveraging on the analysis of the entire face image.
CFD-Based Feasibility Study of Laser-Directed Energy Deposition With a Metal Wire for On-Orbit Manufacturing
Authors: Noori Rahim Abadi Seyyed Mohammad Ali , Hagqvist P. , Sikström F. , Choquet I.
Published: July 2022

Additive manufacturing of parts on-site in space requires investigating the feasibility of adapting to zero-gravity and near-vacuum conditions, a technology applied today on Earth at standard conditions. While a few studies have been conducted for powder bed fusion, a feasibility study remains to be explored for direct energy deposition using a laser beam and a metal wire. This is the purpose of this study, which is conducted using a modeling approach based on computational fluid dynamics. The simulation model developed includes melting, re-solidification, vaporization, prediction of beam energy absorption as a function of the local surface temperature and curvature, ray tracing, tracking of free surface deformation and metal transfer, and wire-resistive heating. The study is carried out by starting from process parameters suited for stable on-Earth metal deposition. These conditions were also studied experimentally to validate the simulation model, leading to satisfactorily results. A total of three other test cases with ambient pressure lowered down to near-vacuum and/or gravitation down to zero are investigated. It is found that, compared to on-Earth conditions, in-space conditions can induce vaporization of the metal alloy that is large enough to result in a curvature of the melt pool free surface but too small to lead to the formation of a keyhole. The in-space conditions can also modify the force balance at the liquid melt bridge between the wire and the melt pool, leading to small changes in the curvature and temperature field at the free surface of the wire tip. Among the observed consequences are a small increase of the melt pool length and a small elevation of the bead height. More importantly, for process control, changing to in-space conditions might also affect the stability of the process, which could be assessed through the width of the liquid metal bridge. However, by using appropriate process control to maintain a continuous liquid metal bridge, it is concluded that direct energy deposition of metal using a laser and a wire could be used for manufacturing metal parts in-space in a tempered atmosphere.
Perspective Article for the Research Topic “Generation-to-Generation Communications in Space Physics” Find Fun and Joy in what You Do
Authors: Clauer C. Robert
Published: July 2022

Reflections on career choices and career highlights, including scientific discovery, innovation, and friendships. Some advice to younger generations is offered.
Playing Pokemon Go: Increased Life Satisfaction Through More (Positive) Social Interactions
Authors: Wingenbach Tanja S. H. , Zana Yossi
Published: July 2022

Pokemon Go (PoGo) is a social mobile game requiring both physical activity and social interaction, and previous research has reported positive effects of PoGo on physical health. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of PoGo on social functioning and life satisfaction, which are important factors for good mental health. The current study investigated the effects of PoGo on life satisfaction and social functioning in participants with and without self-reported diagnoses of mental disorders. Participants were 434 current PoGo players aged 18–69 of diverse genders and nationalities, with a subsample (N = 138) self-reporting diagnoses of various mental disorders with impairments in social functioning. Participants provided retrospective and current self-report measures about their PoGo use, life satisfaction, social functioning (sociality and social ability) and clinical symptom severity. Results showed higher self-reported social functioning and life satisfaction since playing PoGo compared to the time period before playing, which involved a shift from negative to positive ratings. The increases in self-reported life satisfaction and sociality (but not social ability) were more pronounced for the clinical compared to the non-clinical subsample. Results also showed the effect of the social ability change on the life satisfaction change was mediated by the sociality change and moderated by the number of daily in-person player interactions (including strangers). The findings here, using subjective judgements, show that PoGo motivates social interactions and increases life satisfaction, demonstrating that social mobile gaming provides an easy to implement tool to subjectively improve social functioning. This has important implications for populations with social difficulties and reduced social motivation.
Anti-Aging Effect of the Stromal Vascular Fraction/Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in a Mouse Model of Skin Aging Induced by UVB Irradiation
Authors: Wang Jingru , Chen Yuanwen , He Jia , Li Guiqiang , Chen Xiaodong , Liu Hongwei
Published: July 2022

Adipose-derived stem cells(ADSCs) have been used for anti-photo-aging. But the purification of ADSCs requires in vitro amplification and culture, there is considerable risk of direct treatment for patients. Stromal vascular fraction(SVF) is a biologically and clinically interesting heterogeneous cell population contains ADSCs. There are few reports on anti-aging effects of SVF in photo-aging skin. The present study investigated the anti-aging effect of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) injection in photo-aging skin. The relationship between the dosage of injection and effect was also discussed. Thirty healthy, 6-week-old, nude rats were randomly divided into the control and experimental groups. The experimental group needing ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation five days per week, and a duration of 8 weeks. According to different dose regimens of SVF and ADSCs, experiment rats were randomly grouped as the model control group, low-dose (LD) treatment group, middle-dose (MD) treatment group and high-dose (HD) treatment group. At 7 and 28 days post-treatment, specimens were harvested for histological and immunohistochemical analysis. We found that certain concentrations of cells (MD and HD groups) could improve the texture of photoaged skin. Changes in the epidermal cell layer were clearly observed after 7 days of treatment. The epidermal layer becomes thinner and more tender. After 28 days of treatment, the dermal tissue was thickened and the collagen content and proportion were improved. All these indicators showed no significant difference between the same dosages in the two treatment groups. Our results demonstrate that SVF may have anti-aging potential in photo-aging skin and the ADSCs play an important role in SVF. SVF maybe a potential agent for photo-anging skin and the most effective dose of SVF was 106 cells /100 µl/injection point. The proper injection interval may be 1.5 cm.
Application of Indocyanine Green Enhanced Fluorescence in Esophageal Surgery: A Mini Review
Authors: Tamburini Nicola , Chiozza Matteo , Maniscalco Pio , Resta Giuseppe , Marino Serafino , Quarantotto Francesco , Anania Gabriele , Cavallesco Giorgio
Published: July 2022

Despite recent technological innovations and the development of minimally invasive surgery, esophagectomy remains an operation burdened with severe postoperative complications. Fluorescence imaging, particularly using indocyanine green (ICG), offers the ability to address a number of issues faced during esophagectomy. The three main indications for the intraoperative use of ICG during esophagectomy are visualization of conduit vascular supply, allow identification of sentinel nodes and visualization of the thoracic duct. The purpose of this mini review is to present an overview of current practice in fluorescence imaging utilizing ICG during esophagectomy, as well as to demonstrate how this technology can guide lymphadenectomy and reduce surgical morbidity such as anastomotic leaking and chylothorax.
The Effect of Spur Position and Pruning Severity on Shoot Development
Authors: Munoz Jose , Ellis Dylan , Villasenor Claire , Anderson Michael , Walker Michael Andrew , Afriyie Prince , Dodson Peterson Jean Catherine
Published: July 2022

Adjusting yearly pruning severity is a common vineyard management practice employed to manipulate vegetative and reproductive growth in grapevines. Although the effects of pruning on total vegetative growth are well documented, there is little research on the effects of adjusting shoots meter−1 via dormant season pruning on addressing mid-cordon shoot weakness and developmental delays. Cordon-trained, spur-pruned vines are thought, by many growers, to be especially prone to weaker positions and delayed development at mid-cordon positions. This phenomenon is also thought to become more exaggerated as the vine ages. Therefore, the effects of shoot density manipulation, implemented via dormant pruning practices, to homogenize shoot and cluster development along the length of the cordon were examined. In this research, Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines were pruned to either 5.5 shoots meter−1 (5.5) or 11.1 shoots meter−1 (11.1). To control for variations in light interception into the fruiting zone, a control of 11.1 shoots meter−1 with sensor guided leaf thinning (11.1LT) was implemented at full berry set to match the canopy light of the 5.5 shoots meter−1 treatment. It was found that individual shoot growth and yield were directly impacted by manipulation of pruning severity. Shoot growth response varied primarily by growing season, including shoot length and internode length. Yield components were significantly lower in the 5.5 treatment during the first two years of the study but were not significantly different during the last year of the study. The 5.5 treatment resulted in the highest pH and total soluble solids at harvest in 2016 and 2017.
Searching of Novel Herbicides for Paddy Field Weed Management—A Case Study with Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase
Authors: Antony Ajitha , Karuppasamy Ramanathan
Published: July 2022

Weed management is the major biological constraint in paddy (Oryza sativa L.) producing areas. Predominantly, barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) is a rice-mimicking weed that causes 57% of yield loss in rice production. Conventionally, herbicides are the site-specific weed inhibitors often used to suppress E. crus-galli growth. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) is an important target for developing novel herbicides with remarkable selectivity against gramineous weeds. Notably, fenoxaprop-P-ethyl (FPPE) is a selective ACCase herbicide extensively used in paddy fields to inhibit barnyard grass. However, prolonged use of FPPE herbicide elicits phytotoxicity in cultivated rice and herbicide resistance in weeds. Recently, phytotoxins are emerging as an alternative to commercial herbicides with safer environmental profiles. Nevertheless, discovering natural herbicides through in vivo and in vitro techniques is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, high-end computational screening strategies including Tanimoto similarity, docking, binding free energy, and herbicide-likeness were used to pinpoint the lead molecule. Finally, molecular dynamics and MM/PBSA calculations were employed to validate the binding kinetics of the hit compound. Indeed, sinigrin was identified as a promising phytotoxic inhibitor against the ACCase enzyme. The findings of our study were well correlated with the existing experimental results. Overall, the current work will aid in the development of commercializing phytotoxin herbicides in foreseeable future.
Elicitor Induced JA-Signaling Genes Are Associated with Partial Tolerance to Hemibiotrophic Pathogen Phytophthora capsici in Capsicum chinense
Authors: Barraza Aarón , Núñez-Pastrana Rosalia , Loera-Muro Abraham , Castellanos Thelma , Aguilar-Martínez Carlos Julián , Sánchez-Sotelo Isaac Salvador , Caamal-Chan María Goretty
Published: July 2022

Phytophthora capsici causes root and stem rot disease in Capsicum. However, molecular mechanisms underlying this pathosystem are little known. The use of elicitors as tools that trigger defense responses to biotic stresses to study molecular plant defense has increased. In this study, early defense induced in the susceptible cultivar C. chinense using three elicitors to assess its role during interaction with hemibiotrophic P. capsici. The response to infection by phenotypic analyses across the time during disease development in seedlings treated with elicitors was compared. Likewise; defense-gene expression were investigated by qRT-PCR. A total of five resistance genes were used as markers of signaling pathways mediated by jasmonate/ethylene (JA/ET) and salicylic acid (SA). Further, six R genes analogs (CcRGAS) related to oomycete-defense were employed. The results showed that elicitors MeJA and b-aminobutyric acid (BABA) slightly reduced disease symptoms. Moreover, MeJA or BABA treatments followed by challenge with P. capsici up-regulated the expression level of genes related to the JA/ET signaling pathway (CcLOX2, CcPDF1 and CcETR1). Furthermore, MeJA treatment followed by challenge triggered a significant induction of de CcRGAS and CcRPP13 expression within 24 h of inoculation. This suggests that in the early defense mechanisms against P. capsici JA signaling plays an important role.
Sleep Characteristics in Dogs; Effect on Caregiver-Reported Problem Behaviours
Authors: Tooley Carrie , Heath Sarah E.
Published: July 2022

Optimal sleep duration and quality is difficult to define. There are strong arguments for a relationship between sleep, in particular REM sleep, and emotional health and behaviour in a variety of species. This study aims to broaden the level of knowledge regarding canine sleep durations and characteristics and begin research into the relationship between behavioural responses and the duration and quality of sleep. A caregiver questionnaire was used to capture information regarding the duration and characteristics of canine sleep, how easily this cohort of dogs were disturbed from sleep, and caregiver perceptions of the severity of problem behaviours shown by this cohort (n = 1330). A quadratic relationship between canine sleep duration whilst a caregiver is in bed and severity of problem behaviour is shown, with less than 8 h sleep and more than 10 h sleep correlating with increased severity of problem behaviours in this cohort. Dogs which were more easily disturbed from sleep at times their caregiver was out of bed, showed increased reported severity of problem behaviours. Whilst it is not possible to determine an optimal canine sleep duration, sufficient evidence is presented to argue that problem behaviour should not be remedied by sleep deprivation.
Leonurine Attenuates Obesity-Related Vascular Dysfunction and Inflammation
Authors: Shi Xiao-Dong , Zhang Jia-Xin , Hu Xi-De , Zhuang Tao , Lu Ning , Ruan Cheng-Chao
Published: July 2022

Oxidative stress in adipose tissue is a crucial pathogenic mechanism of obesity-associated cardiovascular diseases. Chronic low-grade inflammation caused by obesity increases ROS production and dysregulation of adipocytokines. Leonurine (LEO) is an active alkaloid extracted from Herba Leonuri and plays a protective role in the cardiovascular system. The present study tested whether LEO alleviates inflammation and oxidative stress, and improves vascular function in an obese mouse model. Here, we found that obesity leads to inflammation and oxidative stress in epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), as well as vascular dysfunction. LEO significantly improved inflammation and oxidative stress both in vivo and in vitro. Obesity-induced vascular dysfunction was also improved by LEO as evidenced by the ameliorated vascular tone and decreased mesenteric artery fibrosis. Using mass spectrometry, we identified YTHDF1 as the direct target of LEO. Taken together, we demonstrated that LEO improves oxidative stress and vascular remodeling induced by obesity and targets YTHDF1, raising the possibility of LEO treating other obesity-related metabolic syndromes.
Probability Forecasting of Short-Term Short-Duration Heavy Rainfall Combining Ingredients-Based Methodology and Fuzzy Logic Approach
Authors: Tian Fuyou , Zhang Xiaoling , Xia Kun , Sun Jianhua , Zheng Yongguang
Published: July 2022

Highly convection-related short-duration heavy rainfall (SDHR), defined as rainfall greater than 20 mm h−1 of a whole hour, causes severe damage every year in China. An objective forecasting method is developed to provide guidance products for the short-term probability of SDHR. Representative parameters of environmental moisture content, instability, and dynamical forcing are selected as predictors based on the ingredients-based methodology. The predictors are selected by comparing their ability to discriminate between SDHR and both no rainfall and ordinary rainfall with hourly rainfall records and the NCEP reanalysis dataset during the warm seasons of 2002 and 2009. A fuzzy logic approach is obtained for the calculation of SDHR probability. Intervals of intensities are obtained based on specific percentiles and various weight settings examined. The probabilistic SDHR forecasts during the 2015 warm seasons with the NCEP GFS dataset are obtained, and forecasts are evaluated by using an operational used spatial verification method. Results show that the reference operational SDHR forecasts are surpassed by the 00–12 h period objective SDHR forecasts measured with the maximum critical success index (CSI), and even the average CSI (CSIave) for the top groups is better than the reference. The guidance SDHR products are skillful within 60 h. Although the weights vary significantly, the short-term patterns of the SDHR probability are mainly determined by the environmental conditions. The objective forecasting method is ingredients-based but is combined with fuzzy logic algorithms. The new approach provides a feasible exploration of the convective weather phenomenon.
Blue Light Enhances Fluoride Anticariogenic Activity against Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Jeffet Uziel , Livne Shiri , Dviker Shir , Sterer Nir
Published: July 2022

Previous studies have shown that sub-lethal exposure of blue light caused increased bacterial cell membrane permeability. We hypothesized that combining blue light exposure with other antibacterial agents may increase their efficacy. The aim of the present study was to test the combined effect of blue light and sodium fluoride against dental caries pathogen Streptococcus mutans. Sm biofilms were exposed to blue light (400–500 nm) with or without sodium fluoride. Exposed and non-exposed samples were studied for acid production (lactate assay kit), acid tolerance (ATPase assay kit) and bacterial cell membrane damage (fluorescence microscopy). Results showed that the combined treatment significantly reduced the virulence of Sm concomitant with an increase in bacterial cell membrane permeability. Taken together, these results suggest that adjacent blue light exposure may increase fluoride caries preventive properties.
Microfluidic Sliding Paper-Based Device for Point-of-Care Determination of Albumin-to-Creatine Ratio in Human Urine
Authors: Chen Szu-Jui , Tseng Chin-Chung , Huang Kuan-Hsun , Chang Yu-Chi , Fu Lung-Ming
Published: July 2022

A novel assay platform consisting of a microfluidic sliding double-track paper-based chip and a hand-held Raspberry Pi detection system is proposed for determining the albumin-to-creatine ratio (ACR) in human urine. It is a clinically important parameter and can be used for the early detection of related diseases, such as renal insufficiency. In the proposed method, the sliding layer of the microchip is applied and the sample diffuses through two parallel filtration channels to the reaction/detection areas of the microchip to complete the detection reaction, which is a simple method well suited for self-diagnosis of ACR index in human urine. The RGB (red, green, and blue) value intensity signals of the reaction complexes in these two reaction zones are analyzed by a Raspberry Pi computer to derive the ACR value (ALB and CRE concentrations). It is shown that the G + B value intensity signal is linearly related to the ALB and CRE concentrations with the correlation coefficients of R2 = 0.9919 and R2 = 0.9923, respectively. It is additionally shown that the ALB and CRE concentration results determined using the proposed method for 23 urine samples were collected from real suffering chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are in fine agreement with those acquired operating a traditional high-reliability macroscale method. Overall, for point-of-care (POC) CKD diagnosis and monitoring in clinical applications, the results prove that the proposed method offers a convenient, real time, reliable, and low-spending solution for POC CKD diagnosis.
Recent Advances in Early Diagnosis of Viruses Associated with Gastroenteritis by Biosensors
Authors: Babaei Abouzar , Rafiee Nastaran , Taheri Behnaz , Sohrabi Hessamaddin , Mokhtarzadeh Ahad
Published: July 2022

Gastroenteritis, as one of the main worldwide health challenges, especially in children, leads to 3–6 million deaths annually and causes nearly 20% of the total deaths of children aged ˂5 years, of which ~1.5 million gastroenteritis deaths occur in developing nations. Viruses are the main causative agent (~70%) of gastroenteritis episodes and their specific and early diagnosis via laboratory assays is very helpful for having successful antiviral therapy and reduction in infection burden. Regarding this importance, the present literature is the first review of updated improvements in the employing of different types of biosensors such as electrochemical, optical, and piezoelectric for sensitive, simple, cheap, rapid, and specific diagnosis of human gastroenteritis viruses. The Introduction section is a general discussion about the importance of viral gastroenteritis, types of viruses that cause gastroenteritis, and reasons for the combination of conventional diagnostic tests with biosensors for fast detection of viruses associated with gastroenteritis. Following the current laboratory detection tests for human gastroenteritis viruses and their limitations (with subsections: Electron Microscope (EM), Cell Culture, Immunoassay, and Molecular Techniques), structural features and significant aspects of various biosensing methods are discussed in the Biosensor section. In the next sections, basic information on viruses causing gastroenteritis and recent developments for fabrication and testing of different biosensors for each virus detection are covered, and the prospect of future developments in designing different biosensing platforms for gastroenteritis virus detection is discussed in the Conclusion and Future Directions section as well.
Brain Metabolic Connectivity Patterns in Patients with Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness after Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury: A Preliminary Study
Authors: He Zhijie , Lu Rongrong , Guan Yihui , Wu Yi , Ge Jingjie , Liu Gang , Chen Ying , Xie Hongyu , Wu Junfa , Jia Jie
Published: July 2022

Understanding the patterns of brain glucose metabolism and connectivity in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (DOC) may be of positive significance to the accurate assessment of consciousness and the optimization of neuromodulation strategy. We retrospectively analyzed the brain glucose metabolism pattern and its correlation with clinical Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) score in six HIE patients with prolonged DOC who had undergone 18F-deoxyglucose brain positron emission tomography scanning (FDG-PET). We also compared the differences in global metabolic connectivity patterns and the characteristics of several brain networks between HIE patients and healthy controls (HC). The metabolism of multiple brain regions decreased significantly in HIE patients, and the degree of local metabolic preservation was correlated with CRS-R score. The internal metabolic connectivity of occipital lobe and limbic system in HIE patients decreased, and their metabolic connectivity with frontal lobe, parietal lobe and temporal lobe also decreased. The metabolic connectivity patterns of default mode network, dorsal attention network, salience network, executive control network and subcortex network of HIE also changed compared with HC. The present study suggested that pattern of cerebral glucose metabolism and network connectivity of HIE patients with prolonged DOC were significantly different from those of healthy people.
The Dynamics of Tumor-Infiltrating Myeloid Cell Activation and the Cytokine Expression Profile in a Glioma Resection Site during the Post-Surgical Period in Mice
Authors: Ortiz-Rivera Jescelica , Albors Alejandro , Kucheryavykh Yuriy , Harrison Jeffrey K. , Kucheryavykh Lilia
Published: July 2022

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive brain cancer and is highly infiltrated with cells of myeloid lineage (TIM) that support tumor growth and invasion. Tumor resection is the primary treatment for glioblastoma; however, the activation state of TIM at the site of tumor resection and its impact on glioma regrowth are poorly understood. Using the C57BL/6/GL261 mouse glioma implantation model, we investigated the state of TIM in the tumor resection area during the post-surgical period. TIM isolated from brain tissue at the resection site were analyzed at 0, 1, 4, 7, 14, and 21 days after tumor resection. An increase in expression of CD86 during the first 7 days after surgical resection and then upregulation of arginase 1 from the 14th to 21st days after resection were detected. Cytokine expression analysis combined with qRT-PCR revealed sustained upregulation of IL4, IL5, IL10, IL12, IL17, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1/CCL2) in TIM purified from regrown tumors compared with primary implanted tumors. Flow cytometry analysis revealed increased CD86+/CD206+ population in regrown tumors compared with primary implanted tumors. Overall, we found that TIM in primary implanted tumors and tumors regrown after resection exhibited different phenotypes and cytokine expression patterns.
Assessing Anti-Social and Aggressive Behavior in a Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Model of Parkinson’s Disease Chronically Exposed to Rotenone
Authors: Ilie Ovidiu-Dumitru , Duta Raluca , Jijie Roxana , Nita Ilinca-Bianca , Nicoara Mircea , Faggio Caterina , Dobrin Romeo , Mavroudis Ioannis , Ciobica Alin , Doroftei Bogdan
Published: July 2022

Background: Rotenone (ROT) is currently being used in various research fields, especially neuroscience. Separated from other neurotoxins, ROT induces a Parkinson’s disease (PD)-related phenotype that mimics the associated clinical spectrum by directly entering the central nervous system (CNS). It easily crosses through the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and accumulates in mitochondria. Unfortunately, most of the existing data focus on locomotion. This is why the present study aimed to bring novel evidence on how ROT alone or in combination with different potential ant(agonists) might influence the social and aggressive behavior using the counterclockwise rotation as a neurological pointer. Material and Methods: Thus, we exposed zebrafish to ROT—2.5 µg/L, valproic acid (VPA)—0.5 mg/mL, anti-parkinsonian drugs (LEV/CARB)—250 mg + 25 mg, and probiotics (PROBIO)—3 g for 32 days by assessing the anti-social profile and mirror tests and counterclockwise rotation every 4 days to avoid chronic stress. Results: We observed an abnormal pattern in the counterclockwise rotation only in the (a) CONTROL, (c) LEV/CARB, and (d) PROBIO groups, from both the top and side views, this indicating a reaction to medication and supplements administered or a normal intrinsic feature due to high levels of stress/anxiety (p < 0.05). Four out of eight studied groups—(b) VPA, (c) LEV/CARB, (e) ROT, and (f) ROT + VPA—displayed an impaired, often antithetical behavior demonstrated by long periods of time on distinct days spent on the right and the central arm (p < 0.05, 0.005, and 0.0005). Interestingly, groups (d) PROBIO, (g) ROT + LEV/CARB, and (h) ROT + PROBIO registered fluctuations but not significant ones in contrast with the above groups (p > 0.05). Except for groups (a) CONTROL and (d) PROBIO, where a normalized trend in terms of behavior was noted, the rest of the experimental groups exhibited exacerbated levels of aggression (p < 0.05, 0.005, and 0.001) not only near the mirror but as an overall reaction (p < 0.05, 0.005, and 0.001). Conclusions: The (d) PROBIO group showed a significant improvement compared with (b) VPA, (c) LEV/CARB, and ROT-treated zebrafish (e–h). Independently of the aggressive-like reactions and fluctuations among the testing day(s) and groups, ROT disrupted the social behavior, while VPA promoted a specific typology in contrast with LEV/CARB.