bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of key pharmacodynamic markers of American ginseng against heart failure based on metabolomics and zebrafish model
Authors: Dong Rong , Zhang Yougang , Chen Shanjun , Wang Huan , Hu Kaiqing , Zhao Huanxin , Tian Qingping , Zeng Kewu , Wang Songsong , Han Liwen
Published: October 2022

Background: American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L., AG) is a traditional Chinese medicine with multiple cardiovascular protective properties. Many bioactive components have been discovered in AG over these years. However, the understanding of these key pharmacodynamic components of activity against heart failure is insufficient.

Methods: A heart failure model was established using AB line wild-type zebrafish (Danio rerio) to evaluate the anti-heart failure activity of AG. Untargeted metabolomics analysis based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole electrostatic field orbitrap-mass spectrometry technology (UHPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS) was performed to screen differential components from AG samples. The potential active components were verified using the zebrafish model. Simultaneously, network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques were used to predict the possible mechanism. Finally, the key targets of six key pharmacodynamic components were verified in zebrafish using quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) techniques.

Results: The heart failure model was successfully established in 48 h of post-fertilization (hpf) zebrafish larvae by treating with verapamil hydrochloride. The zebrafish assay showed that the anti-heart failure effects of AG varied with producing regions. The result of the herbal metabolomic analysis based on UHPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS indicated that ginsenoside Rg3, ginsenoside Rg5, ginsenoside Rg6, malic acid, quinic acid, L-argininosuccinic acid, 3-methyl-3-butenyl-apinosyl (1→6) glucoside, pseudoginsenoside F11, and annonaine were differential components, which might be responsible for variation in efficacy. Further analysis using zebrafish models, network pharmacology, and Q-PCR techniques showed that ginsenoside Rg3, ginsenoside Rg5, ginsenoside Rg6, malic acid, quinic acid, and pseudoginsenoside F11 were the pharmacodynamic markers (P-markers) responsible for anti-heart failure.

Conclusion: We have rapidly identified the P-markers against heart failure in AG using the zebrafish model and metabolomics technology. These P-markers may provide new reference standards for quality control and new drug development of AG.
Roles of hepatic stellate cells in NAFLD: From the perspective of inflammation and fibrosis
Authors: Wang Man , Li Lei , Xu Yannan , Du Juan , Ling Changquan
Published: October 2022

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common diseases and severe problems worldwide because of the global increase in obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. NAFLD includes a wide spectrum of liver diseases, the histological forms of which range from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), which is generally nonprogressive, to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can progress to chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis (LC), and sometimes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unlike NAFL, as the progressive form of NAFLD, NASH is characterized by the presence of inflammation with or without fibrosis in addition to hepatic steatosis. Although it is widely known and proved that persistent hepatic injury and chronic inflammation in the liver activate quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and lead to hepatic fibrosis, the three-step process of “inflammation-fibrosis-carcinoma” in NAFLD has not been investigated and clarified clearly. In this process, the initiation of inflammation in the liver and the function of various liver inflammatory cells have been discussed regularly, while the activated HSCs, which constitute the principal cells responsible for fibrosis and their cross-talk with inflammation, seem not to be investigated specifically and frequently. Also, accumulated evidence suggests that HSCs can not only be activated by inflammation but also participate in the regulation of liver inflammation. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the unique roles of HSCs in NAFLD from the perspective of inflammation and fibrosis. Here, we review the pivotal effects and mechanisms of HSCs and highlight the potential value of HSC-targeted treatment methods in NAFLD.
Predicting prognosis and immunotherapeutic response of clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Wang Jun , Tu Weichao , Qiu Jianxin , Wang Dawei
Published: October 2022

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy for many different tumors, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, these drugs are only effective in some ccRCC patients, and can produce a wide range of immune-related adverse reactions. Previous studies have found that ccRCC is different from other tumors, and common biomarkers such as tumor mutational burden, HLA type, and degree of immunological infiltration cannot predict the response of ccRCC to immunotherapy. Therefore, it is necessary to further research and construct corresponding clinical prediction models to predict the efficacy of Immune checkpoint inhibitors. We integrated PBRM1 mutation data, transcriptome data, endogenous retrovirus data, and gene copy number data from 123 patients with advanced ccRCC who participated in prospective clinical trials of PD-1 inhibitors (including CheckMate 009, CheckMate 010, and CheckMate 025 trials). We used AI to optimize mutation data interpretation and established clinical prediction models for survival (for overall survival AUC: 0.931; for progression-free survival AUC: 0.795) and response (ORR AUC: 0.763) to immunotherapy of ccRCC. The models were internally validated by bootstrap. Well-fitted calibration curves were also generated for the nomogram models. Our models showed good performance in predicting survival and response to immunotherapy of ccRCC.
Material and wave relaxation phenomena effects on the rheology of Maxwell nanofluids
Authors: Ahmed Awais , Alhowaity Sawsan , Ghoneim Mohamed E. , Gamaoun Fehmi , Tag-eldin Elsayed , Yassen Mansour F. , Sarfraz Mahnoor
Published: October 2022

This study analyzed thermal and mass transport in magnetohydrodynamic Maxwell nanofluids over a cylinder stretched along the z-direction. The Cattaneo-Christov diffusion theory and Buongiorno’s model were employed to model the problem. The influences of Joule heating, chemical reaction rate, and heat generation were also considered. Appropriate similar variables were utilized to transform the constitutive equations. A semi-analytical method, namely the homotopy analysis method (HAM) in Wolfram Mathematica, was used to compute the problem solution. The results demonstrated the inverse variation in flow behavior with increased Maxwell parameter values; however, thermal and solutal transport displays the opposite trend. Additionally, the flow field showed resistance due to the presence of the magnetic field, while Joule heating enhanced the energy and mass transport phenomena. The results regarding the coefficient of skin friction along the radial direction are consistent with values reported in the literature.
Multi-party semi-quantum key distribution protocol based on hyperentangled Bell states
Authors: Tian Yuan , Li Jian , Ye Chongqiang , Li Chaoyang
Published: October 2022

Semi-quantum key distribution allows generating a raw key between two communication participants, in which the sender is a quantum participant and the receiver is a classical participant. This article presents an original semi-quantum key distribution protocol based on hyperentangled Bell states. The hyperentangled Bell states can be entangled simultaneously in polarization and spatial degrees of freedom, enhancing channel capacity. According to the characteristics of hyperentangled Bell states, the proposed protocol is more efficient than the protocol based on Bell states. Moreover, the measure–resend attack, the intercept–resend attack, and the entangle–measure attack are analyzed in detail. The security analysis demonstrates that the proposed protocol is secure. In addition, a multi-party semi-quantum key distribution scheme based on hyperentangled Bell states is proposed, which can realize key distribution between one quantum participant and multiple classical participants.
A reflective metasurface for broadband OAM vortex wave generation
Authors: Zhang Meng , Li Desen , Lin Jiahan , Zhang Bingzhi , Tao Jifang , Zhao Zhenxue , Zeng Yuan , Shang Wenli , Zhang Wu
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we proposed a reflective metasurface which controls the phase delay of the electromagnetic (EM) wave through geometric phase manipulation. By coding the metasurface unit cells in different orientation angles, an orbital angular momentum (OAM) wave can be obtained through the metasurface reflection. A broadband reflective OAM wave with mode l = −1 was demonstrated which was experimentally observed from 8.3 GHz to 11.6 GHz. The mode spectrum of OAM wave was analyzed and the spectrum weight was about 0.82 through numerical calculation and about 0.47 through experimental measurement for the mode l = −1. The realization of this broadband OAM wave has the potential application to improve the OAM wave based communication capacity.
Large-factor Micro-CT super-resolution of bone microstructure
Authors: Yu Hui , Wang Shuo , Fan Yinuo , Wang Guangpu , Li Jinqiu , Liu Chong , Li Zhigang , Sun Jinglai
Published: October 2022

Background: Bone microstructure is important for evaluating bone strength and requires the support of high-resolution (HR) imaging equipment. Computed tomography (CT) is widely used for medical imaging, but the spatial resolution is not sufficient for bone microstructure. Micro-CT scan data is the gold standard for human bone microstructure or animal experiment. However, Micro-CT has more ionizing radiation and longer scanning time while providing high-quality imaging. It makes sense to reconstruct HR images with less radiation. Image super-resolution (SR) is adapted to the above-mentioned research. The specific objective of this study is to reconstruct HR images of bone microstructure based on low-resolution (LR) images under large-factor condition.

Methods: We propose a generative adversarial network (GAN) based on Res2Net and residual channel attention network which is named R2-RCANGAN. We use real high-resolution and low-resolution training data to make the model learn the image corruption of Micro-CT, and we train six super-resolution models such as super-resolution convolutional neural network to evaluate our method performance.

Results: In terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), our proposed generator network R2-RCAN sets a new state of the art. Such PSNR-oriented methods have high reconstruction accuracy, but the perceptual index to evaluate perceptual quality is very poor. Thus, we combine the generator network R2-RCAN with the U-Net discriminator and loss function with adjusted weights, and the proposed R2-RCANGAN shows the pleasing results in reconstruction accuracy and perceptual quality as compared to the other methods.

Conclusion: The proposed R2-RCANGAN is the first to apply large-factor SR to improve Micro-CT images of bone microstructure. The next steps of the study are to investigate the role of SR in image enhancement during fracture rehabilitation period, which would be of great value in reducing ionizing radiation and promoting recovery.
Host plant richness and environment in tropical forest transformation systems shape arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal richness
Authors: Edy Nur , Barus Henry Novero , Finkeldey Reiner , Polle Andrea
Published: October 2022

Transformation of tropical lowland rain forests into rubber tree and oil palm plantations is the cause of massive loss of vegetation diversity. The consequences for associated mycorrhizal fungi are not fully understood. We hypothesized that generalist arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are resistant to removal of host species richness and that forest conversion to oil palm and rubber leads to loss of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) species with host preferences. Plant identities and AMF species were determined by molecular barcoding of 112 roots collected in three land-use systems (rain forest, rubber tree and oil palm plantation) in two landscapes on Sumatra (Indonesia), a world hotspot of forest transformation. The collected roots were from 43 forest plant species, in addition to rubber trees and oil palms. We detected 28 AMF species of which about 75% were present in forest trees and 25% shared among the land use systems. Only one AMF species present in plantation roots was not detected in the analyzed forest roots. Host specificity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was not detected. Oil palm and rubber tree roots exhibited a strong reduction in AMF richness compared with roots from rainforests and were differentiated by soil resources. On basis of an individual root, oil palm had a lower AMF species richness than forest or rubber tree roots. Our results demonstrate that tropical AMF communities are shaped by two mechanisms: (i) root habitat diversity as the result of plant diversity and (ii) habitat properties as the result of plant traits or environmental conditions and management. Collectively, deterioration of habitat diversity and properties exacerbates impoverishment of AMF assemblages.
Histone methyltransferases SDG33 and SDG34 regulate organ-specific nitrogen responses in tomato
Authors: Bvindi Carol , Tang Liang , Lee Sanghun , Patrick Ryan M. , Yee Zheng Rong , Mengiste Tesfaye , Li Ying
Published: October 2022

Histone posttranslational modifications shape the chromatin landscape of the plant genome and affect gene expression in response to developmental and environmental cues. To date, the role of histone modifications in regulating plant responses to environmental nutrient availability, especially in agriculturally important species, remains largely unknown. We describe the functions of two histone lysine methyltransferases, SET Domain Group 33 (SDG33) and SDG34, in mediating nitrogen (N) responses of shoots and roots in tomato. By comparing the transcriptomes of CRISPR edited tomato lines sdg33 and sdg34 with wild-type plants under N-supplied and N-starved conditions, we uncovered that SDG33 and SDG34 regulate overlapping yet distinct downstream gene targets. In response to N level changes, both SDG33 and SDG34 mediate gene regulation in an organ-specific manner: in roots, SDG33 and SDG34 regulate a gene network including Nitrate Transporter 1.1 (NRT1.1) and Small Auxin Up-regulated RNA (SAUR) genes. In agreement with this, mutations in sdg33 or sdg34 abolish the root growth response triggered by an N-supply; In shoots, SDG33 and SDG34 affect the expression of photosynthesis genes and photosynthetic parameters in response to N. Our analysis thus revealed that SDG33 and SDG34 regulate N-responsive gene expression and physiological changes in an organ-specific manner, thus presenting previously unknown candidate genes as targets for selection and engineering to improve N uptake and usage in crop plants.
Plants in vitro propagation with its applications in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic industries; current scenario and future approaches
Authors: Hasnain Ammarah , Naqvi Syed Atif Hasan , Ayesha Syeda Iqra , Khalid Fatima , Ellahi Manahil , Iqbal Shehzad , Hassan Muhammad Zeeshan , Abbas Aqleem , Adamski Robert , Markowska Dorota , Baazeem Alaa , Mustafa Ghulam , Moustafa Mahmoud , Hasan Mohamed E. , Abdelhamid Mohamed M. A.
Published: October 2022

Plant tissue culture technique employed for the identification and isolation of bioactive phytocompounds has numerous industrial applications. It provides potential benefits for different industries which include food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics. Various agronomic crops i.e., cereals, fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants and forest trees are currently being used for in vitro propagation. Plant tissue culture coupled with biotechnological approaches leads towards sustainable agricultural development providing solutions to major food security issues. Plants are the rich source of phytochemicals with medicinal properties rendering them useful for the industrial production of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Furthermore, there are numerous plant compounds with application in the cosmetics industry. In addition to having moisturizing, anti‐ageing, anti‐wrinkle effects; plant-derived compounds also possess pharmacological properties such as antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergy characteristics. The in vitro propagation of industrially significant flora is gaining attention because of its several advantages over conventional plant propagation methods. One of the major advantages of this technique is the quick availability of food throughout the year, irrespective of the growing season, thus opening new opportunities to the producers and farmers. The sterile or endangered flora can also be conserved by plant micro propagation methods. Hence, plant tissue culture is an extremely efficient and cost-effective technique for biosynthetic studies and bio-production, biotransformation, or bioconversion of plant-derived compounds. However, there are certain limitations of in-vitro plant regeneration system including difficulties with continuous operation, product removal, and aseptic conditions. For sustainable industrial applications of in-vitro regenerated plants on a large scale, these constraints need to be addressed in future studies.
Effects of pruning on mineral nutrients and untargeted metabolites in fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis cv. Shuixian
Authors: Liu Yang , Tian Jing , Liu Bei , Zhuo Zuopin , Shi Chen , Xu Ruineng , Xu Maoxing , Liu Baoshun , Ye Jianghua , Sun Lili , Liao Hong
Published: October 2022

Pruning is an important strategy for increasing tea production. However, the effects of pruning on tea quality are not well understood. In this study, tea leaves were collected from Wuyi Mountain for both ionomic and metabolomic analyses. A total of 1962 and 1188 fresh tea leaves were respectively collected from pruned and unpruned tea plants sampled across 350 tea plantations. Ionomic profiles of fresh tea leaves varied significantly between pruned and unpruned sources. For tea plants, pruning was tied to decreases in the concentrations of mobile elements, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg), and dramatic increases in the concentrations of the immobile ions calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), boron (B) and cobalt (Co). Clustering and heatmap analysis showed that pruning also affected tea leaf metabolism. Among 85 metabolites that were significantly impacted by pruning, 30 were identified through random forest analysis as characteristic differential metabolites with a prediction rate of 86.21%. Redundancy analysis showed that pruning effects on mineral nutrient concentrations accounted for 25.54% of the variation in characteristic metabolites between treatments, with the highest contributions of 6.64% and 3.69% coming from Ca and Mg, respectively. In correlation network analysis, Ca and Mg both exhibited close, though opposing correlations with six key metabolites, including key quality indicators 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 2-O-caffeoyl arbutin. In summary, large scale sampling over hundreds of tea plantations demonstrated that pruning affects tea quality, mainly through influences on leaf mineral composition, with Ca and Mg playing large roles. These results may provide a solid scientific basis for improved management of high-quality tea plantations.
Genomic and transcriptomic-based analysis of agronomic traits in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) pure line IMA1
Authors: Li Xiaodong , He Wenjin , Fang Jingping , Liang Yahui , Zhang Huizhong , Chen Duo , Wu Xingrong , Zhang Ziqiang , Wang Liang , Han Pingan , Zhang Bizhou , Xue Ting , Zheng Wenzhe , He Jiangfeng , Bai Chen
Published: October 2022

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is an important sugar-producing and energy crop worldwide. The sugar beet pure line IMA1 independently bred by Chinese scientists is a standard diploid parent material that is widely used in hybrid-breeding programs. In this study, a high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly for IMA1was conducted, and 99.1% of genome sequences were assigned to nine chromosomes. A total of 35,003 protein-coding genes were annotated, with 91.56% functionally annotated by public databases. Compared with previously released sugar beet assemblies, the new genome was larger with at least 1.6 times larger N50 size, thereby substantially improving the completeness and continuity of the sugar beet genome. A Genome-Wide Association Studies analysis identified 10 disease-resistance genes associated with three important beet diseases and five genes associated with sugar yield per hectare, which could be key targets to improve sugar productivity. Nine highly expressed genes associated with pollen fertility of sugar beet were also identified. The results of this study provide valuable information to identify and dissect functional genes affecting sugar beet agronomic traits, which can increase sugar beet production and help screen for excellent sugar beet breeding materials. In addition, information is provided that can precisely incorporate biotechnology tools into breeding efforts.
Different responses of growth and physiology to warming and reduced precipitation of two co-existing seedlings in a temperate secondary forest
Authors: Yuan Junfeng , Yan Qiaoling , Wang Jing , Xie Jin , Li Rong
Published: October 2022

Warming and precipitation reduction have been concurrent throughout this century in most temperate regions (e.g., Northeast China) and have increased drought risk to the growth, migration, or mortality of tree seedlings. Coexisting tree species with different functional traits in temperate forests may have inconsistent responses to both warming and decreased precipitation, which could result in a species distribution shift and change in community dynamics. Unfortunately, little is known about the growth and physiological responses of coexisting species to the changes in these two meteorological elements. We selected two coexisting species in a temperate secondary forest of Northeast China: Quercus mongolica Fischer ex Ledebour (drought-tolerant species) and Fraxinus mandschurica Rupr. (drought-intolerant species), and performed an experiment under strictly controlled conditions simulating the predicted warming (+2°C, +4°C) and precipitation reduction (-30%) compared with current conditions and analyzed the growth and physiology of seedlings. The results showed that compared with the control, warming (including +2°C and +4°C) increased the specific area weight and total biomass of F. mandschurica seedlings. These were caused by the increases in foliar N content, the activity of the PSII reaction center, and chlorophyll content. A 2°C increase in temperature and reduced precipitation enhanced root biomass of Q. mongolica, resulting from root length increase. To absorb water in drier soil, seedlings of both species had more negative water potential under the interaction between +4°C and precipitation reduction. Our results demonstrate that drought-tolerant species such as Q. mongolica will adapt to the future drier conditions with the co-occurrence of warming and precipitation reduction, while drought-intolerant species will accommodate warmer environments.
Heat production and volatile biosynthesis are linked via alternative respiration in Magnolia denudata during floral thermogenesis
Authors: Wang Ruohan , Chen Ling , Jia Yaping , Liu Liya , Sun Liwei , Liu Yujun , Li Yun
Published: October 2022

Floral thermogenesis is coupled with odor emission in known thermogenic plants. It is widely accepted that elevation in floral temperature can help release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, no information is available about whether floral thermogenesis is associated with VOC biosynthesis. Here, we used RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) to draw a gene expression atlas of floral thermogenesis in Magnolia denudata and captured an upregulation of Alternative Oxidase (AOX) during floral thermogenesis. Western blot analyses also suggested upregulation of AOX during floral thermogenesis. Moreover, oxygen consumption analyses revealed increased activity of the AOX respiration pathway during floral thermogenesis. Using HPLC analyses, we further found that increased AOX respiration substantially promoted production of citric acid by 1.35 folds, which provided fundamental metabolite skeletons for biosynthesis of VOCs. RNA-Seq also showed upregulation of genes regulating lignin catabolism, which was in agreement with in situ Raman chemical imaging of lignin. Taken together, our results suggest the central role of AOX by coupling heat production and VOC biosynthesis in floral thermogenesis of M. denudata.
Comparative plastomes of Carya species provide new insights into the plastomes evolution and maternal phylogeny of the genus
Authors: Xi Jianwei , Lv Saibin , Zhang Weiping , Zhang Jingbo , Wang Ketao , Guo Haobing , Hu Jie , Yang Yang , Wang Jianhua , Xia Guohua , Fan Guangyi , Wang Xinwang , Xiao Lihong
Published: October 2022

Carya, in the Juglandiodeae subfamily, is to a typical temperate-subtropical forest-tree genus for studying the phylogenetic evolution and intercontinental disjunction between eastern Asia (EA) and North America (NA). Species of the genus have high economic values worldwide for their high-quality wood and the rich healthy factors of their nuts. Although previous efforts based on multiple molecular markers or genome-wide SNPs supported the monophyly of Carya and its two EA and NA major subclades, the maternal phylogeny of Carya still need to be comprehensively evaluated. The variation of Carya plastome has never been thoroughly characterized. Here, we novelly present 19 newly generated plastomes of congeneric Carya species, including the recently rediscovered critically endangered C. poilanei. The overall assessment of plastomes revealed highly conservative in the general structures. Our results indicated that remarkable differences in several plastome features are highly consistent with the EA-NA disjunction and showed the relatively diverse matrilineal sources among EA Carya compared to NA Carya. The maternal phylogenies were conducted with different plastome regions and full-length plastome datasets from 30 plastomes, representing 26 species in six genera of Juglandoideae and Myrica rubra (as root). Six out of seven phylogenetic topologies strongly supported the previously reported relationships among genera of Juglandoideae and the two subclades of EA and NA Carya, but displayed significant incongruencies between species within the EA and NA subclades. The phylogenetic tree generated from full-length plastomes demonstrated the optimal topology and revealed significant geographical maternal relationships among Carya species, especially for EA Carya within overlapping distribution areas. The full-length plastome-based phylogenetic topology also strongly supported the taxonomic status of five controversial species as separate species of Carya. Historical and recent introgressive hybridization and plastid captures might contribute to plastome geographic patterns and inconsistencies between topologies built from different datasets, while incomplete lineage sorting could account for the discordance between maternal topology and the previous nuclear genome data-based phylogeny. Our findings highlight full-length plastomes as an ideal tool for exploring maternal relationships among the subclades of Carya, and potentially in other outcrossing perennial woody plants, for resolving plastome phylogenetic relationships.
A long way to liberalization, or is it? Public perceptions of women empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Thomas Kathrin , Kasselstrand Isabella
Published: October 2022

This paper explores the question of what explains public opinion of women empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa. Muslim societies have often been accused of conservatism toward empowerment, stripping women of equal access to education and opportunities. However, many predominantly Muslim societies in the MENA region seem to be on the way to implement change to provide women with more rights. Prior research points to exposure to diversity as a contributor to the acceptance of a more egalitarian role of women in society. This article analyzes different mechanisms of the exposure hypothesis and whether they contribute to predicting positive public perceptions of women empowerment in the region. The empirical analyses rely on public opinion data collected by the Arab Barometer in 2018–19. The descriptive findings suggest attitudinal differences across countries, but also significant gender gaps and divergences across core explanatory factors found under the umbrella of the exposure hypothesis, such as diverse urban living, keeping religion a private matter, and connecting with the world via social media. These factors seem important to shift people's minds and to pave women's long way to liberalization.
Workplace aggression, wellbeing, and job satisfaction: The specificity in border police organizations
Authors: Antón Concha , Grueso-Hinestroza Merlin Patricia , Espinosa Juan C. , Turc Mirela
Published: October 2022

In male-dominated work contexts, the challenges faced by women and their impact on wellbeing and work attitudes have been documented, most extensively in other than police organizations. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional quantitative descriptive correlational predictive study to validate a model of relationships among workplace aggression, job satisfaction, and wellbeing at work with a sample of 1,066 female and male officers from the Romanian Border Police. The results obtained in the study showed that no differential gender effects were found, although women reported higher levels of workplace aggression than men (1.61 vs. 1.52;F = 4.20,p = 0.04). Also, workplace aggression significantly and negatively predicted job satisfaction (R2 = 0.27) and wellbeing at work (R2 = 0.31). In conclusion, although this research is an exploratory approach to the study of workplace aggression in the Romanian police organization, it can generate interventions that would lead to the reduction of undesirable behaviors such as verbal aggression, malicious jokes, discrimination, perception of inequalities, gossip, and defamatory words. In the future lines of research, different sources and conditions of victims and witnesses can be considered the. We also studied the limitations of the study and the future lines of research.
The impact of national music activities on improving long-term care for happiness of elderly people
Authors: Zhao Xiaona , Qi Na , Long Huizhen , Yang Sen
Published: October 2022

This paper aims to analyze the influence of national music activities on the long-term care for and happiness of elderly people in the current aging society. Under the popular square dance movement of the whole society, a questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the differences in the silver-haired body self-esteem and the happiness of the silver-haired exercisers with different exercise methods. Forty first-time square dance participants were selected as experimental objects, and they were divided into an experimental group (ethnic music square dance) and a control group (ordinary music square dance), with 20 people in each group. The results showed that the effective recovery rate of the questionnaire was 95.10% (136/150). There were 47, 45, and 44 people in the square dance, other sports, and non-sport groups, respectively. The total scores of physical self-esteem, physical self-worth, physical quality, health worry, satisfaction and interest in life, control of emotion and behavior, and happiness of silver-haired people who participated in square dance activities were higher than those of other sports players (p < 0.05). The total scores of physical self-esteem, exercise ability, physical condition, and physical quality scores were significantly higher than those of non-sports people (p < 0.01), and each factor and total score on the happiness were higher than those of non-sports people (p < 0.05). The body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, and thigh circumference of the experimental group after exercise were significantly different from those before exercise (p < 0.01), and the factors of the body self-esteem scale and well-being scale were higher than those before the experiment (p < 0.05). This shows that music has a positive effect on the long-term care for and happiness improvement of the silver-haired family, which can improve the physical and mental health of the silver-haired family and further improve the quality of life of the silver-haired family in their later years. This offers a theoretical basis for the development of the elderly folk music square dance movement in the future and provides a reference for the formulation of silver-haired patriarchal photos and happiness intervention programs.
Attentive-executive functioning and compensatory strategies in adult ADHD: A retrospective case series study
Authors: Ceroni Martino , Rossi Stefania , Zerboni Giorgia , Biglia Elena , Soldini Emiliano , Izzo Alessia , Morellini Lucia , Sacco Leonardo
Published: October 2022

Background

Adults with ADHD exhibit a neuropsychological profile that may present deficits in many cognitive domains, particularly attention and executive functions (EFs). However, some authors do not consider executive disfunction as an important part of the clinical profile of the syndrome; this could be related to the use of inappropriate neuropsychological tests, probably not adapted and not sufficiently ecological. Moreover, new data are required on specific correlation of attentive-executive symptoms with socio-demographic factors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the neuropsychological performance of a group of adults with ADHD, also evaluating the influence of gender, age and education level.

Methods

We retrospectively collected health-related personal data of 40 adult ADHD patients, clinically diagnosed and evaluated via a battery of 4 neuropsychological tests and 1 self-administered questionnaire. Gender, age and years of education differences were assessed.

Results

Attention and EFs deficits have been highlighted mainly on the d2-R and 5-point neuropsychological tests, which therefore seem to be more sensitive in measuring the attention-executive dysfunction in an adult ADHD population, than TAP Go/No-go and ROCFT. ADHD patients also manifested subjective behavioral impulsivity disorders on BIS-11. There were no statistically significant gender differences in cognitive performance. On the contrary, younger patients performed worse on subscales TAP Go/No-go errors and 5-points number of drawings, while participants with a higher education level performed better on subscales d2-R speed of execution and d2-R errors. This supports a reduction in the number of errors and the execution time as a function of older age and a higher level of education. Finally, patients with higher education also self-reported greater impulsivity in planning.

Conclusion

Our preliminary findings suggest that adult ADHD is not a lifelong stable disorder, but it may change over time. Moreover, attention-executive deficits may be influenced and partially counterbalanced by experience (i.e., advancing age) and a higher level of education. This could underlie the development of specific psycho-behavioral and cognitive compensatory strategies. The use of self-administered questionnaires is therefore recommended to highlight attentional and executive difficulties that may not result in neuropsychological tests.
Re-discussion of servitization strategy and firm performance
Authors: Li Kang , Wang Jinfeng , Feng Lijie , Zhu Lei
Published: October 2022

Servitization innovation is critical for manufacturing firms to strengthen their sustainable competitive advantage in a dynamic business environment. Current research on the relationship between servitization and firm performance has matured, but many conclusion remain divergent. That cannot only hinder the development of servitization theory, but also make manufacturers lack a scientific basis for deciding whether to develop servitization. Thus, this study aims to systematically analyze the quantitative research results in this field through Meta-analysis methods to reveal the reasons for the disagreement. After collecting 59 independent articles on servitization and firm performance, this study performed statistical analysis using Meta-analysis. Then, the relationship between servitization and firm performance was explored, as well as the effects of different potential moderating variables. The moderate positive relationship between servitization strategies and their different orientations and firm performance is found. For the moderating variables, the servitization strategy has a more significant effect on non-financial performance. And they are more correlated when there are mediator variables. The impact of firm servitization transformation in developing regions is better than in developed areas. A stable market environment is more beneficial to the servitization transformation. The transformation effect of high-tech manufacturing is better than that of traditional manufacturing. And the transformation effect of large companies is better than that of small and medium-sized companies.
Association of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption with psychological symptoms among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Wang Yujie , Bi Cunjian , Liu He , Lin Hongniu , Cai Ruibao , Zhang Jie
Published: October 2022

Background

Mental health of college students has become a public health issue of common concern worldwide. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem has become even more acute. The aim of this study was to assess the association between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption and psychological symptoms among Chinese college students in order to promote their mental health.

Methods

The study population was 6,120 college students aged 19–22 years from Anhui, Henan and Xinjiang, China. Basic demographic information, covariates and SSB Consumption data were collected through a self-assessment questionnaire. The “Multidimensional Sub-health Questionnaire of Adolescents” was used to assess the psychological symptoms of college students. The Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA and logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the differences and associations between SSB consumption and psychological symptoms among Chinese college students.

Results

The detection rate of psychological symptoms among Chinese college students was 8.1%. The detection rate of boys students was 9.4% and that of girls students was 7.1%, and the difference was statistically significant in comparison (χ2-value was 11.08, p < 0.001). After controlling for covariates, Model 2 analysis showed that compared to SSB consumption <2 time/week, college students with SSB consumption ≥2 time/week (OR = 2.96, 95% CI: 2.36, 3.70) had a higher risk of psychological symptoms (p < 0.001). The same trend was found for emotional symptoms, behavioral symptoms, and social adaptation difficulties dimensions.

Conclusion

There is an association between SSB consumption and the occurrence of psychological symptoms among Chinese college students. Future measures should be taken to reduce both SSB consumption and the incidence of psychological symptoms.
Role of corporate social responsibility, management practices, organizational behavior in social equity with mediating role of women empowerment: A study of the Islamic banking sector of South Punjab
Authors: Basheer Muhammad Farhan , Ul Hameed Waseem , Al Zarooni Majid Ibrahim Mohammed Abdullah , Raoof Rabeeya , Sattar Javeria
Published: October 2022

The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), management practices (MPs), and organizational behavior (OB) in social equity (SE) with the mediating role of women empowerment in the Islamic banking sector of South Punjab. It is a fact that, in the Islamic banking sector, South Punjab is facing a crisis in terms of SE for its employees and customers. This study is based on the quantitative data collected with a five-point Likert scale to identify the relationship between the variables of the framework. Smart PLS 3 software was used in this study to measure the primary data collected by 355 questionnaires. The study concluded that there is an important role of CSR, MPs, and OB in the management of SE in the Islamic banking sector of South Punjab. The theoretical framework of this study is a significant contribution to knowledge as it is based on the significant variables for SE. The study is significant because it provides theoretical as well as practical implications quite useful for the Islamic banking sector of South Punjab to cope with the problem of SE.
Do meat anti-consumption opinions influence consumers' wellbeing?–The moderating role of religiosity
Authors: Xie Ling , Shahzad Muhammad Faisal , Waheed Abdul , Ain Qurat ul , Saleem Zunair , Ali Mehwish Asghar
Published: October 2022

The study aims to determine the role of personal factors, consumer social responsibility, and social marketing among meat anti-consumers. The study tests a model of anti-consumption using a sample of 597 (n = 597) participants from a cluster of young consumers through the distribution of the questionnaires in the Pakistani market. SEM employing the AMOS model for path relationships along with the Johnson-Neyman technique for moderation was mainly used. Results prescribe religiosity as the moderating driver of the anti-consumption of meat among young consumers in Pakistan. Consumer social responsibility is a robust antecedent, while social marketing is significantly documented for sustainability motives. Consumers apprise the personal health and environmental domain as an auspicious component for meat anti-consumption. The study reveals social marketing motivations for anti-consumption that eventually steers marketers and policymakers in shaping the concerned strategies. Our study delivers new insights into food anti-consumption behavior that provides guidelines for policymakers who heed consumer eating behaviors. The study is among pioneer work that establishes the moderating role of religious motivations and meat anti-consumption behavior among Muslim consumers to acquire healthy wellbeing.
Attitudes of psychotherapists towards their own performance and the role of the social comparison group: The self-assessment bias in psychodynamic, humanistic, systemic, and behavioral therapists
Authors: Probst Thomas , Humer Elke , Jesser Andrea , Pieh Christoph
Published: October 2022

Studies report that psychotherapists overestimate their own performance (self-assessment bias). This study aimed to examine if the self-assessment bias in psychotherapists differs between therapeutic orientations and/or between social comparison groups. Psychotherapists gave subjective estimations of their professional performance (0–100 scale from poorest to best performance) compared to two social comparison groups (“all psychotherapists” vs. “psychotherapists with the same therapeutic approach”). They further rated the proportion of their patients recovering, improving, not changing, or deteriorating. In total, N = 229 Austrian psychotherapists (n = 39 psychodynamic, n = 121 humanistic, n = 48 systemic, n = 21 behavioral) participated in the online survey. Psychotherapists rated their own performance on average at M = 79.11 relative to “all psychotherapists” vs. at M = 77.76 relative to “psychotherapists with the same therapeutic approach” (p < 0.05). This was not significantly different between therapeutic orientations. A significant interaction between social comparison group and therapeutic orientation (p < 0.05) revealed a drop of self-assessement bias in social comparison group “same approach” vs. “all psychotherapists” in psychodynamic and humanistic therapists (p < 0.05). Psychotherapists overestimated the proportion of patients recovering (M = 44.76%), improving (M = 43.73%) and underestimated the proportion of patients not changing (M = 9.86%) and deteriorating (M = 1.64%), with no differences between orientations. The self-assessment bias did not differ between therapeutic orientations, but the social comparison group appears to be an important variable. A major drawback is that results have not been connected to patient-reported outcome or objectively rated performance parameters.
The relationships between students’ comprehension of conversational implicatures and their achievement in reading comprehension
Authors: Çiftlikli Safiye , Demirel Özcan
Published: October 2022

The most important thing in effective communication is understanding not only what is said, but also why it is said. Therefore, the development of pragmatic competence in another language is essential to be able to communicate effectively. Pragmatic competence plays an important role in enabling interlocutors to work out what is intended by what is said. In this sense, special emphasis should be placed on the pragmatic aspects of language in order to enable language learners to use language appropriately. In this regard, this study aims to investigate whether there is a relationship between students’ comprehension of conversational implicatures and their achievement in reading comprehension. To this end, the data were collected from first-year 122 students at one of the private universities in northern Cyprus with different bachelor’s degreesviathe Multiple-Choice Discourse Completion Test (MCDCT) and the reading test. The quantitative data were analysed by means of A Pearson Correlational Analysis, Simple Linear Regression, and Canonical Correlational Analysis. The results of the study revealed that comprehension of conversational implicatures of first-year university students is positively related to their achievement in reading comprehension. Moreover, it has been depicted that among the eight implicature types, topic change, indirect refusal, and disclosure are more related (0.855) to reading comprehension. Therefore, these three implicature types provide the most contribution to the participants’ comprehension of conversational implicatures. As it is, they are more powerful predictors of reading comprehension. In addition to these results, there is only one high positive correlation among the six reading subskills; that is between the subskill to identify ideas and opinions of the writer and the subskill to scan a text to find specific information (0.749). In the light of the findings, this study yields crucial implications for language teachers, material developers, and curriculum designers to take full advantage of these associations for promoting EFL learners’ achievement in reading and comprehension of conversational implicatures in the target language.