bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Historical Study for the Differences of Processing of Pinellia ternata Tuber Between China and Japan
Authors: Liu Yan , Ota Misato , Fueki Tsukasa , Makino Toshiaki
Published: June 2022

Pinellia Tuber (the dried tuber ofPinellia ternata(Thunb.) Makino [Araceae]) (PT) is a crude drug used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Japanese Kampo medicine. PT is subjected to additional processing before use in TCM because of its toxic, while the processing has not been used in Kampo medicine. The aim of this study is to clarify the reason why the differences about the processing of PT between TCM and Kampo medicine have been appeared. We investigated successive literatures published in China and in Japan from the Han dynasty to the modern age. The descriptions about the processing of PT in China had appeared since the Later Han dynasty as washing, and after that, various processing methods have been recorded, such as boiling, steaming, making cakes, and fermenting to prepare PT malt (PTM) with various drug additives. The objective of the processing for PT was not only to remove its toxicity but to change drug properties, and several kinds of processed PT had been developed to treat different types of “phlegm” in the Ming dynasty. The current Chinese Pharmacopoeia recommends the use of processed PT to avoid the toxicity, and registers unprocessed PT as well as three kinds of processed PT except for PTM which had been deleted in 2015 edition. These processing methods for PT have been established in the Qing dynasty. The oldest description in Japan was appeared in 1363, and the processing methods had been influenced by the literatures in the Song dynasty. After that, the processed PT in Japan had mainly been PTM until the 18th century. In 1738, Shuan Kagawa wrote that PT should not be processed because its pharmacological effects disappeared and the toxicity of PT disappeared by preparing its decoction without processing. Then, the processing of PT has been unpopular, and the Japanese Pharmacopoeia has registered PT since 1939 without any processing. Compared to TCM, Japanese Kampo medicine has tended to avoid ideologism based on traditional knowledge and to adopt positivism. This policy has reflected the differences in the processing of PT between Kampo medicine and TCM.
A Phase I, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Tolerance of Oil Palm Phenolics (OPP) in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Muhammad Ismail Tadj Nur Balqis , Ibrahim Nurul ‘Izzah , Haji Mohd Saad Qodriyah , Tg Abu Bakar Sidik Tg Mohd Ikhwan , Leow Soon-Sen , Fairus Syed , Naina Mohamed Isa
Published: June 2022

Background and aim: Oil palm aqueous by-products rich in phenolic content are known as oil palm phenolics (OPP), and pre-clinical research has shown that OPP has great potential to be further developed as an anti-hyperlipidemic agent. Hence, in order to introduce OPP into market, its safety profile needs to be established by undergoing a phase I clinical trial on healthy humans.

Methods: A parallel, placebo-controlled, randomized, and double-blinded clinical trial was conducted for 2 months on 100 healthy subjects aged 20–40 years old. This trial was registered atclinicaltrials.gov(NCT04164446). The subjects were randomly allocated to four treatment arms with 25 participants each: placebo, 250, 1,000, and 1,500 mg of OPP. During the trial, subjects were required to consume four capsules simultaneously per day. Withdrawal of fasting blood for hematology, liver and renal function analysis, and medical examination were conducted at baseline (day 1), day 30, and day 60. For monitoring, vital signs (blood pressure and pulse rate) and weight measurements were taken during each visit.

Results: Minor adverse events (AEs) were reported in all groups especially at high dose (1,500 mg) but none were serious adverse events (SAEs). Fasting blood parameters between control and all OPP-treated groups demonstrated no statistically significant difference from baseline to day 60.

Conclusion: With no major AEs and SAEs reported and no abnormal findings in biochemistry and hematology results, OPP supplementation in capsule form is safe to be taken up to 1,500 mg a day.
Utilization of Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modeling in Pharmacoepidemiological Studies: A Systematic Review on Antiarrhythmic and Glucose-Lowering Medicines
Authors: Mohammadi Jouabadi Soroush , Nekouei Shahraki Mitra , Peymani Payam , Stricker Bruno H. , Ahmadizar Fariba
Published: June 2022

Introduction:In human pharmacology, there are two important scientific branches: clinical pharmacology and pharmacoepidemiology. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling is important in preclinical studies and randomized control trials. However, it is rarely used in pharmacoepidemiological studies on the effectiveness and medication safety where the target population is heterogeneous and followed for longer periods. The objective of this literature review was to investigate how far PK/PD modeling is utilized in observational studies on glucose-lowering and antiarrhythmic drugs.

Method:A systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted from January 2010 to 21 February 2020. To calculate the utilization of PK/PD modeling in observational studies, we followed two search strategies. In the first strategy, we screened a 1% random set from 95,672 studies on glucose-lowering and antiarrhythmic drugs on inclusion criteria. In the second strategy, we evaluated the percentage of studies in which PK/PD modeling techniques were utilized. Subsequently, we divided the total number of included studies in the second search strategy by the total number of eligible studies in the first search strategy.

Results:The comprehensive search of databases and the manual search of included references yielded a total of 29 studies included in the qualitative synthesis of our systematic review. Nearly all 29 studies had utilized a PK model, whereas only two studies developed a PD model to evaluate the effectiveness of medications. In total, 16 out of 29 studies (55.1%) used a PK/PD model in the observational setting to study effect modification. The utilization of PK/PD modeling in observational studies was calculated as 0.42%.

Conclusion:PK/PD modeling techniques were substantially underutilized in observational studies of antiarrhythmic and glucose-lowering drugs during the past decade.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Rivaroxaban in Chinese Patients With Stable Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Feng Tianyu , Zheng Zhou , Gao Shang , Xu Jiaying , Cao Pen , Jia Huanhuan , Yu Xihe
Published: June 2022

Objective:This study aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of low-dose rivaroxaban plus aspirin versus aspirin alone for patients with stable cardiovascular diseases in the China.

Methods:We used TreeAge 2019 to construct a Markov model to assess the direct healthcare costs and quality-adjusted life years for three therapies, namely low-does rivaroxaban plus aspirin, rivaroxaban alone, and aspirin alone. Transitional probabilities were derived from the COMPASS trial, and the costs and utilities were obtained from the Chinese Health Care Statistical Yearbook and published studies. Use the Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio to describe the results. The willingness-to-pay threshold is set at US$11,000 (China’s 2020 Gross National Product per capita).

Result:In patients with stable cardiovascular disease, the increased cost per quality-adjusted life year gained in the low-dose rivaroxaban combined with aspirin group compared to the aspirin alone group was US$7937.30. The increased cost per quality-adjusted life year gained in the rivaroxaban alone group versus the aspirin alone group was US$15,045.78.

Conclusion:A low-does rivaroxaban plus aspirin therapy may be cost-effective in the secondary prevention of stable cardiovascular disease in patients.
Organelle Interaction and Drug Discovery: Towards Correlative Nanoscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Yang Zhiwei , Zhang Zichen , Zhao Yizhen , Ye Qiushi , Li Xuhua , Meng Lingjie , Long Jiangang , Zhang Shengli , Zhang Lei
Published: June 2022

The inter-organelle interactions, including the cytomembrane, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrion, lysosome, dictyosome, and nucleus, play the important roles in maintaining the normal function and homeostasis of cells. Organelle dysfunction can lead to a range of diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and cancer), and provide a new perspective for drug discovery. With the development of imaging techniques and functional fluorescent probes, a variety of algorithms and strategies have been developed for the ever-improving estimation of subcellular structures, organelle interaction, and organelle-related drug discovery with accounting for the dynamic structures of organelles, such as the nanoscopy technology and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Accordingly, this work summarizes a series of state-of-the-art examples of the recent progress in this rapidly changing field and uncovering the drug screening based on the structures and interactions of organelles. Finally, we propose the future outlook for exciting applications of organelle-related drug discovery, with the cooperation of nanoscopy and MD simulations.
Augmentation of 3D Holographic Image Graticule With Conventional Microscopy
Authors: Askari Mehdi , Park Jae-Hyeung
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we report an implementation of a computer-generated holographic projection technique to display a holographic scene like a measuring graticule around the magnified sample image in a reflected bright-field microscopy. The implemented system acts as a gauging tool for lateral and longitudinal measurements of a sample that is being observed under a microscope through the assistance of a holographic measuring graticule. Numerical and experimental verifications have been performed, demonstrating the successful augmentation of a holographic projection system as a measuring tool with a conventional bright-field microscopic system.
High-Throughput Imaging of Blood Flow Reveals Developmental Changes in Distribution Patterns of Hemodynamic Quantities in Developing Zebrafish
Authors: Maung Ye Swe Soe , Kim Jung Kyung , Carretero Nuria Taberner , Phng Li-Kun
Published: June 2022

Mechanical forces from blood flow and pressure (hemodynamic forces) contribute to the formation and shaping of the blood vascular network during embryonic development. Previous studies have demonstrated that hemodynamic forces regulate signaling and gene expression in endothelial cells that line the inner surface of vascular tubes, thereby modifying their cellular state and behavior. Given its important role in vascular development, we still know very little about the quantitative aspects of hemodynamics that endothelial cells experience due to the difficulty in measuring forces in vivo. In this study, we sought to determine the magnitude of wall shear stress (WSS) exerted on ECs by blood flow in different vessel types and how it evolves during development. Utilizing the zebrafish as a vertebrate model system, we have established a semi-automated high-throughput fluorescent imaging system to capture the flow of red blood cells in an entire zebrafish between 2- and 6-day post-fertilization (dpf). This system is capable of imaging up to 50 zebrafish at a time. A semi-automated analysis method was developed to calculate WSS in zebrafish trunk vessels. This was achieved by measuring red blood cell flow using particle tracking velocimetry analysis, generating a custom-made script to measure lumen diameter, and measuring local tube hematocrit levels to calculate the effective blood viscosity at each developmental stage. With this methodology, we were able to determine WSS magnitude in different vessels at different stages of embryonic and larvae growth and identified developmental changes in WSS, with absolute levels of peak WSS in all vessel types falling to levels below 0.3 Pa at 6 dpf. Additionally, we discovered that zebrafish display an anterior-to-posterior trend in WSS at each developmental stage.
Hypothesis and Theory: A Two-Process Model of Torpor-Arousal Regulation in Hibernators
Authors: Ruf Thomas , Giroud Sylvain , Geiser Fritz
Published: June 2022

Hibernating mammals drastically lower their metabolic rate (MR) and body temperature (Tb) for up to several weeks, but regularly rewarm and stay euthermic for brief periods. It has been hypothesized that the necessity for rewarming is due to the accumulation or depletion of metabolites, or the accrual of cellular damage that can be eliminated only in the euthermic state. Recent evidence for significant inverse relationships between the duration of torpor bouts (TBD) and MR in torpor strongly supports this hypothesis. We developed a new mathematical model that simulates hibernation patterns. The model involves an hourglass process H (Hibernation) representing the depletion/accumulation of a crucial enzyme/metabolite, and a threshold process Hthr. Arousal, modelled as a logistic process, is initiated once the exponentially declining process H reaches Hthr. We show that this model can predict several phenomena observed in hibernating mammals, namely the linear relationship between TMR and TBD, effects of ambient temperature on TBD, the modulation of torpor depth and duration within the hibernation season, (if process Hthr undergoes seasonal changes). The model does not need but allows for circadian cycles in the threshold T, which lead to arousals occurring predominantly at certain circadian phases, another phenomenon that has been observed in certain hibernators. It does not however, require circadian rhythms in Tb or MR during torpor. We argue that a two-process regulation of torpor-arousal cycles has several adaptive advantages, such as an easy adjustment of TBD to environmental conditions as well as to energy reserves and, for species that continue to forage, entrainment to the light-dark cycle.
Regulation of HCN Channels by Protein Interactions
Authors: Peters Colin H. , Singh Rohit K. , Bankston John R. , Proenza Catherine
Published: June 2022

Hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-sensitive (HCN) channels are key regulators of subthreshold membrane potentials in excitable cells. The four mammalian HCN channel isoforms, HCN1-HCN4, are expressed throughout the body, where they contribute to diverse physiological processes including cardiac pacemaking, sleep-wakefulness cycles, memory, and somatic sensation. While all HCN channel isoforms produce currents when expressed by themselves, an emerging list of interacting proteins shape HCN channel excitability to influence the physiologically relevant output. The best studied of these regulatory proteins is the auxiliary subunit, TRIP8b, which binds to multiple sites in the C-terminus of the HCN channels to regulate expression and disrupt cAMP binding to fine-tune neuronal HCN channel excitability. Less is known about the mechanisms of action of other HCN channel interaction partners like filamin A, Src tyrosine kinase, and MinK-related peptides, which have a range of effects on HCN channel gating and expression. More recently, the inositol trisphosphate receptor-associated cGMP-kinase substrates IRAG1 and LRMP (also known as IRAG2), were discovered as specific regulators of the HCN4 isoform. This review summarizes the known protein interaction partners of HCN channels and their mechanisms of action and identifies gaps in our knowledge.
Comparative de novo Transcriptome Analysis of Two Cultivars With Contrasting Content of Oil and Fatty Acids During Kernel Development in Torreya grandis
Authors: Zhang Chi , Liu Haokai , Zhang Hui , Dang Wanyu , Zhou Caihong , Zhang Min
Published: June 2022

Vegetable oil is an indispensable nutritional resource for human health and mainly characterized by the composition and content of fatty acids (FAs). As a commercial species of gymnosperm, Torreya grandis produces oil-rich nuts with high unsaturated fatty acids content in the mature kernels. In this study, two cultivars, T. grandis ‘Xifei’ and T. grandis ‘Dielsii,’ with distinct oil content were employed to compare the profiles of FAs accumulation during kernel development. The accumulation rate of oil content was significantly different between ‘Xifei’ and ‘Dielsii.’ Besides, the final oil content of ‘Xifei’ (52.87%) was significantly higher than that of ‘Dielsii’ (41.62%) at maturity. The significant differences in main FAs were observed at almost each kernel development stages between the two cultivars. C16:0, C18:1, and C20:3 FA exhibited different accumulation patterns between cultivars. The content and the initiation of accumulation of C20:3 FA were different between the two cultivars. To explore the molecular mechanism associated with different content of oil and FAs between two cultivars, de novo transcriptome of kernels was compared between ‘Xifei’ (high oil) and ‘Dielsii’ (low oil) at three stages of oil accumulation, respectively. Totally 142,213 unigenes were assembled and 16,379 unigenes with a length of over 1,000 nt were successfully annotated, including 139 unigenes related to FA biosynthesis, elongation, and metabolism. Compared with ‘Dielsii,’ totally 1,476, 2,140, and 1,145 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were upregulated in ‘Xifei’ at the stage of the initiative, the rapid rise, and the stationary oil accumulation, respectively; the number of downregulated DEGs reached 913, 1,245, and 904, respectively. Relative expressions of 11 DEGs involved in FAs biosynthesis and metabolism were confirmed by RT-qPCR. Abundant differentially expressed transcription factors and pathway DEGs were correlated to oil and FAs according to Pearson’s correlation analysis between transcriptome and metabolites (oil and FAs), suggesting their contributions to the differential oil and FAs between the two cultivars during kernel development of T. grandis. To conclude, our findings can provide novel insights into the developmental differences in metabolites and de novo transcriptome correlated to lipid accumulation and FA synthesis of kernels between cultivars with contrasting oil deposits and demystify the regulatory mechanism of high oil accumulation in T. grandis.
More Left or Left No More? An In-depth Analysis of Western European Social Democratic Parties' Emphasis on Traditional Economic Left Goals (1944–2021)
Authors: Trastulli Federico
Published: June 2022

The ideological evolution of Western European social democratic parties has received considerable scholarly attention over the decades. The most widespread view concerns the alleged programmatic moderation and convergence with the mainstream right of this party family. However, recent empirical investigations based on electoral manifestos come to different conclusions, highlighting an increase over time in Western European social democratic parties' emphasis on traditional economic left goals, especially in recent years. Hence, this article analyses the evolution of the social democratic programmatic outlook with regard to traditional economic left issues. It does so by relying on Manifesto Project (MARPOR) data about such formations in 369 general elections across 20 Western European countries between 1944 and 2021, employing different indicators of economic left emphasis and time to ensure the robustness of the findings. The analysis shows how, at the aggregate level, social democracy increases its emphasis on traditional economic left issues over time, with the effect driven entirely by the recent post-Great Recession years. However, once disaggregating the results, a more differentiated picture emerges, pointing towards potential causes of concern in terms of measurement validity within the MARPOR data. The article discusses the substantive and, especially, methodological implications of its findings in detail.
English as a Foreign Language Teacher Flow: How Do Personality and Emotional Intelligence Factor in?
Authors: Sobhanmanesh Alireza
Published: June 2022

Teaching is one of the professions that creates opportunities for individuals to experience flow, a state of complete absorption in an activity. However, very few studies have examined ESL/EFL teachers’ flow states inside or outside the classroom. As such, this study aimed to explore the quality of experience of 75 EFL teachers in flow and also examine the relationships between their emotional intelligence, the Big Five personality traits and the flow state. To this end, the teachers filled out recurrent flow surveys for a week, and also completed emotional intelligence and the Big Five personality questionnaires. It was found that reading was the major flow trigger outside the classroom and teaching and delivering lessons was the most significant flow-inducing activity for the teachers inside the classroom. Furthermore, correlations and independent samplest-tests indicated that all emotional intelligence and personality traits had significant relationships with flow except agreeableness. Finally, multiple regression analysis showed that two personality traits, conscientiousness and openness to experience were the strongest predictors of the flow state. The implications for future flow-related research in the field of applied linguistics are discussed.
Infant Social Withdrawal Behavior: A Key for Adaptation in the Face of Relational Adversity
Authors: Viaux-Savelon Sylvie , Guedeney Antoine , Deprez Alexandra
Published: June 2022

As a result of evolution, human babies are born with outstanding abilities for human communication and cooperation. The other side of the coin is their great sensitivity to any clear and durable violation in their relationship with caregivers. Infant sustained social withdrawal behavior (ISSWB) was first described in infants who had been separated from their caregivers, as in Spitz's description of “hospitalism” and “anaclitic depression.” Later, ISSWB was pointed to as a major clinical psychological feature in failure-to-thrive infants. Fraiberg also described freezing behavior as one of the earliest modes of infant defense in the face of adverse situations threatening the infant's ability to synchronize with caregivers. We hypothesize that ISSWB behaviors are associated with poor vagal brake functioning and that an impaired social engagement system is induced by an impoverished and/or dangerous environment. Recent research using animal models highlight the neurobiology and the genetics of the social Approach/Withdrawal Behavior in infants. The present paper is therefore a plea for social withdrawal behavior to be attributed a more important role as a major psychological defensive mechanism in infancy, and for research into early development and early intervention to make more practical and theoretical use of this concept, thus decreasing the challenge of translation in social neurosciences. This work presents several situations involving developmental hazards in which assessment of ISSWB by means of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) has proven useful, i.e., malnutrition, effects of major maternal depression and or traumatization, assessing social withdrawal in infants with an chronic organic illness (congenital heart disease, Prader-Willi syndrome, cleft lip and/or palate Prader-Willy syndrome, Fetal alcohol syndrome) or assessing ISSWB in out of home placed infants during parental visitation. Relationships between ISSWB and other biophysiological behavioral systems are discussed, particularly links with attachment processes and Porges's polyvagal theory.
Internal Persistence and External Support—What Makes Chinese Teachers of the Mathematically Gifted Stick to Their Post?
Authors: Sunzhong Lv , Yong Zhang , Peiyao Lei , Bin Xiong
Published: June 2022

Mathematically gifted students are precious human resources, educators of which make a great difference in helping them realize their potential. The retention of qualified teachers of mathematically gifted students is an issue worthy of in-depth exploration. In China, mathematics competitions are an important part of mathematics gifted education, and the teaching of the Mathematical Olympiad is a challenging profession with a high attrition rate. This qualitative study takes four seasoned and outstanding Chinese teachers as cases, collects data through individual semi-structured interviews, and uses the thematic analysis method based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory to analyze why they can persist in the field of Mathematical Olympiad teaching for more than 20 years. The results show that the motivation factors affecting retention are recognition, achievement, possibility of growth, work itself, and responsibility, and the hygiene factors are policy and interpersonal relationships. Motivation factors are the main reason for their long-term persistence, while hygiene factors are conducive to their persistence as a whole. Finally, enlightenment to educational policy and school management and suggestions for retention and development of teachers of the mathematically gifted are provided.
The Integration of Global Competence Into Malaysian English as a Second Language Lessons for Quality Education (Fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal)
Authors: Yaccob Nur Syafiqah , Yunus Melor Md , Hashim Harwati
Published: June 2022

Research in the globalization era has emphasized the importance of global competence and its integration into language teaching and learning. This article discussed the current focus of global education through the integration of global competence in English as a Second Language (ESL) in Malaysia. The country’s global competence development among ESL teachers and students, along with its integration into English lessons, were identified, satisfying the need to achieve quality education. The global competence integration of ESL teachers will meet the fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), which strives for quality education. The global education goals form a critical starting point of this article, which articulates the connection to the targets in SDG 4. Hence, this article investigated the significance of global competence in language teaching and learning in Malaysia. Overall, the integration of global competence among ESL teachers can provide life-long learning, enhancing the quality of education.
Association Between Exercise Self-Efficacy and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Dialysis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Zhang Fan , Liao Jing , Zhang Weihong , Huang Liuyan
Published: June 2022

Background

Exercise self-efficacy is a vital determinant of an individual’s active participation in regular exercise, and exercise is a critical component of improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in dialysis patients. This study aimed to describe the relationship between exercise self-efficacy and HRQOL in dialysis patients.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai, China. Structured questionnaires distributed to the patients collected socio-demographic and disease-related information. Physical activity was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire, and the exercise self-efficacy scale (ESES) was used to measure exercise self-efficacy. HRQOL was evaluated by the kidney disease quality of life instrument-short form version 1.3 (KDQOL-SF™ v1.3). Data were analyzed using a univariate generalized linear model, Spearman correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression.

Results

A positive association was observed between exercise self-efficacy and HRQOL (r = 0.310, p < 0.001). Physical activity as a predictor variable explained 9.8% of the variance in overall HRQOL (p < 0.001). Exercise self-efficacy explained an additional 7.1% of the HRQOL variance. In total, 24.6% of the variation in the HRQOL was explained by the socio-demographic variables, disease-related factors, physical activity, and exercise self-efficacy.

Conclusion

Overall, only 16.9% of the change in HRQOL was explained by physical activity and exercise self-efficacy. Future research is still needed to further explore the factors influencing the HRQOL in dialysis patients. However, this finding suggests the need to consider the importance of HRQOL and physical activity as well as exercise self-efficacy when developing intervention programs.
Association Between Positive Mental Character and Humanistic Care Ability in Chinese Nursing Students in Changsha, China
Authors: Lai Lin , Ding Siqing , Zhong Zhuqing , Mao Ping , Sun Na , Zheng Feng
Published: June 2022

Aim

To investigate the status of positive mental characters and humanistic care ability among Chinese nursing students, and confirm the association between positive mental characters and humanistic care ability.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Nine hundred eighty-one Chinese nursing students were recruited from hospitals and community healthcare services in Changsha, Hunan, China. Three different self-reported questionnaires were applied: The Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Humanistic care ability of Nursing Undergraduates Assessment Scale and Positive Mental Characters Scale for Chinese College Students. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple liner regression analysis were performed to analyze the association between positive mental character and humanistic care ability for Chinese nursing students.

Results

The mean scores of nursing students' humanistic care ability and positive mental character were 125.94 ± 21.19, 233.18 ± 38.59, respectively. The Pearson correlation results showed that positive mental character (r = 0.655, P < 0.001) was significantly associated with humanistic care ability. Multiple liner regression analysis indicated that positive mental characters, four dimensions of courage, humanity, justice and transcendence in positive mental character, care from classmates were found to be independent predictors of humanistic care ability.

Conclusion

Positive mental characters are important considerations in the development, implementation and evaluation of humanistic care ability interventions.
L2 Enjoyment of English as a Foreign Language Students: Does Teacher Verbal and Non-verbal Immediacy Matter?
Authors: Guo Hongyu , Gao Wurong , Shen Yumin
Published: June 2022

This review explored the investigations on the role of teacher immediacy in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ foreign language enjoyment. Earlier investigations have proved that teacher immediacy, such as posture, body language, vocal variety, gestures, and smile, can significantly affect learners’ positive emotions like foreign language enjoyment. It means that teachers should try both to control the feelings of their learners and manage their feelings to enhance enjoyment among learners. Moreover, studies have shown that teacher immediacy is significantly related to learner motivation which is a basis for increasing foreign language enjoyment among learners. However, specific strategies can be employed to increase learner motivation, which in return increases learner foreign language enjoyment. Furthermore, the study presented the implications and future directions of this line of research for different people, such as EFL teachers, teacher educators, and foreign language scholars. The ideas can improve their awareness of teacher-student relationships, in particular, teacher immediacy and its role in learners’ foreign language enjoyment.
Motor Imagery Combined With Physical Training Improves Response Inhibition in the Stop Signal Task
Authors: Son Sung Min , Yun Seong Ho , Kwon Jung Won
Published: June 2022

Background

Motor imagery training has a similar effect to that of physical training on motor performance. The objective of this study was to investigate the short-term effectiveness of motor imagery training on response inhibition using the stop signal task (SST).

Methods

Participants were divided into a physical training group (PT, n = 17), a motor imagery training group (MIT, n = 17), and a motor imagery combined with physical training group (MIPT, n = 17). All participants performed 10 SST training sessions over 5 days. Both stop signal reaction time (SSRT) and non-signal reaction time (NSRT) were measured before and after SST training.

Results

There were significant interaction (time × group) and time effects, although the group effect was not statistically significant. Bonferroni post hoc analysis showed that MIPT group revealed a significantly greater change in SSRT than PT and MIT groups, while there was no significant difference between PT and MIT groups. SSRT significantly decreased after training in all groups. In NSRT, there was a significant effect of time, but there was no significant interaction effect (time × group) or group effect.

Conclusion

Response inhibition could be enhanced via training, and it was most effective when motor imagery and physical training were combined. We demonstrate that motor imagery training significantly improves response inhibition and should be accompanied by physical training when performing SST.
Improving ESP Writing Class Learning Outcomes Among Medical University Undergraduates: How Do Emotions Impact?
Authors: Hu Nan , Chen Min
Published: June 2022

As English plays a significant role in most professions, improving the English for Specific Purpose (ESP) writing competence allows individuals to participate in the global professional community, which makes ESP writing important for research. However, research on ESP writing is reported to be insufficient, and how factors such as emotions affect ESP writing is rarely and marginally studied. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating how induced emotions influence the learning outcome in ESP writing classes with an emphasis on a particular rhetorical choice among medical university undergraduates. A total of 63 medical university undergraduates were recruited. After the emotional inducement, they were taught with materials selected and adopted from the BioCauses corpus and with an explicitly inductive teaching approach. Results revealed that positive emotions positively correlated with better learning outcomes, while negative emotions hindered participants in their learning. The results shed light on the impact of emotional states on ESP/medical research article (MRA) writing, learning, and teaching. Further study implications were provided accordingly.
Healing the Separation in High-Conflict Post-divorce Co-parenting
Authors: Stolnicu Alexandra , De Mol Jan , Hendrick Stephan , Gaugue Justine
Published: June 2022

Objective

Our research aim is to enrich the conceptualization of high conflict post-divorce co-parenting by understanding the dynamic process involved.

Background

The studied phenomena were explored by linking previous scientific knowledge to practice.

Method

We cross-referenced the previous study results with the experiences reported by eight professionals and tried to answer the following research question: how professionals’ experience and previous scientific knowledge contribute to a better understanding of HC post-divorce co-parenting? Individual face to face interviews were conducted and analyzed regarding the qualitative theoretical reasoning of thematic analysis.

Results

Analysis allowed us to highlight how four main axes are related to HC post-divorce co-parenting: (1) Parents for life, (2) Acting in the child’s best interests, (3) Managing disagreements, and (4) Healing the separation.

Conclusion

Our findings capture high conflict post-divorce co-parenting as a multidimensional dynamic process. As such, dealing with co-parenting disagreements must be understood as a moment in a process that is influenced by, and influences, other dimensions.

Implications

Interventions must consider the four dimensions and their reciprocal interactions. The essential elements underlying parents’ difficulties may reside at a multiplicity of levels: inter-relational, contextual, and intrapsychic. Each level contains key potential factors in understanding these families, and in formulating intervention guidelines.
The Influence of Corporate Boundary Personnel Guanxi and Organizational Loyalty on Opportunistic Intentions – Based on Theory of Reasoned Action Model
Authors: Zhao Shu-kuan , Cai Jia-ming
Published: June 2022

To understand the mechanism of boundary personnel opportunistic behaviors in collaborative R&D projects to reduce the risk of companies suffering from opportunism in collaboration. This study is conducted based on the context of collaborative R&D in the equipment manufacturing industry in Northeast China. This research mainly explored the mechanism of boundary personnel opportunistic intentions. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action (TRA), this study investigated the relationship between boundary personnel Guanxi, organizational loyalty, opportunistic attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions. In addition, this research examined the moderating role of the degree of dependence on the collaborator. In total, 524 valid questionnaires were finally collected. The data analysis results suggested that Guanxi inhibits opportunistic attitudes and subjective norms. Organizational loyalty promotes opportunistic attitudes and subjective norms. Opportunistic attitudes and subjective norms positively predict intentions. Opportunistic attitudes mediate between organizational loyalty and opportunistic intentions. Opportunistic subjective norms mediate between Guanxi and opportunistic intentions. Opportunistic subjective norms also mediate between organizational loyalty and opportunistic intentions. Dependence on the collaborator positively moderates the relationship between opportunistic attitudes and intentions. Therefore, it can be argued that in collaborative R&D in the equipment manufacturing industry, the corporate could stimulate boundary personnel to build good Guanxi to eliminate opportunism. At the same time, companies should lead employees to show loyalty properly, which opportunism is not wise in collaborative R&D. Finally, enterprises should objectively understand and evaluate the dependence relationship between the two partners in collaborative R&D to adopt the right strategy.
Who Purchases From the Informal Economy and Why?
Authors: Horodnic Ioana Alexandra , Ciobanu Claudia Ioana , Zaiț Adriana , Williams Colin C.
Published: June 2022

In recent decades scholars have acknowledged that transactions in the informal economy have not vanished with modernization and industrialization as expected but rather remain an important contemporary aspect of overall production and consumption across the world, in both developing and developed countries. Yet little is known about the profile of the consumers in this realm or what drives them to purchase from the informal economy. A systematic review of the literature investigating consumption in the informal economy reveals a severely underdeveloped area of consumer studies with significant gaps in terms of its theoretical approaches, methods and regional coverage. The findings of the existing literature is that multiple motives are used by consumers for justifying their purchases in the informal economy beyond the dominant simplistic view that they do simply for financial gain or for a lower price (namely, it identifies social ends and failures in formal market provision in terms of availability, speed of provision and quality). The outcome is a recognition that responsibility to reducing this phenomenon with negative effects on governments, businesses, workers and consumers lies not just with public authorities but also practitioners who need to correct the failures in formal market provision. The significant gaps identified in the literature are then used to highlight a comprehensive future research agenda, which includes the need for the development of an institutionalist theoretical perspective when explaining consumers‘ participation in the informal economy and social marketing interventions.
The Severity of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: Recommendations From Joint Work of Research Center and Psychology Clinics in COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Shahid Hira , Hasan Muhammad Abul , Ejaz Osama , Khan Hashim Raza , Idrees Muhammad , Ashraf Mishal , Aftab Sobia , Qazi Saad Ahmed
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the psychological stability of general population of Pakistan. However, research on the severity of COVID-19 induced depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) in Pakistan is scarce. This paper thereby investigates the severity of COVID-19 induced DAS based on demographic, socioeconomic, and personal feeling variables by modeling DAS. Snowball sampling strategy was adopted to conduct online survey from July 03, 2021 to July 09, 2021. Out of 2,442, 2,069 responses from Karachi were included. Descriptive and inferential statistics (binary and multinomial logistic regression analysis) were performed using SPSS V21 (IBM, 2013) to identify significant determinants and their association with DAS severity. The result of this study indicates 27.8, 21.7, and 18.3% respondents suffer from severe and extremely severe states of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Binary logistic regression revealed that age is a significant determinant with odds of having 4.72 (95% CI = 1.86–11.97) and 5.86 (95% CI = 2.26–15.2) times greater depression, and stress for respondents aged 19–26 years. Moreover, gender-based difference is also observed with females 1.34 (95% CI = 1.08–1.68) and 1.75 (95% CI = 1.40–2.20) times more likely to exhibit anxiety and stress than males. Furthermore, marital status is a significant determinant of depression with odds of having depression is 0.67 (95% CI = 0.48–0.93) times greater for married population. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that those who believe COVID-19 pandemic has affected them mentally, fear new COVID-19 cases and deaths, depressed due to imposition of lockdown, believe they will not survive COVID-19 infection, and spend more time on social media gathering COVID-19 updates suffer from extremely severe state of depression (OR mental-effect-of-pandemic = 3.70, OR new-COVID-19-cases-and-deaths = 2.20, OR imposition-of-lockdown = 17.77, OR survival-probability = 8.17, OR time-on-social-media = 9.01), anxiety (OR mental-effect-of-pandemic = 4.78, OR new-COVID-19-cases-and-deaths = 3.52, OR imposition-of-lockdown = 5.06, OR survival-probability = 8.86, OR time-on-social-media = 5.12) and stress (OR mental-effect-of-pandemic = 6.07, OR imposition-of-lockdown = 11.38, OR survival-probability = 15.66, OR time-on-social-media = 4.39). Information regarding DAS severity will serve as a platform for research centers and psychological clinics, to work collectively and provide technology-based treatment to reduce the burden on the limited number of psychologist and psychotherapist.
Associations of Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Psychological Symptoms With Suicide Attempt in Adolescents: Are There Any Gender Differences?
Authors: Xu Huiqiong , Wang Rui , Li Ruoyu , Jin Zhengge , Wan Yuhui , Tao Fangbiao
Published: June 2022

Background

Psychological symptoms and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are independently associated with suicide attempts (SA). Yet, no study has tested the interaction effects between NSSI and psychological symptoms on SA in community adolescent populations, or examined whether the interaction varies by gender. We sought to examine the interaction effects of NSSI and psychological symptoms on SA in adolescents and explore gender differences.

Methods

A school-based health survey in 3 provinces in China was conducted between 2013–2014. 14,820 students aged 10–20 years completed standard questionnaires, to record the details of various psychological symptoms, SA and NSSI.

Results

Psychological symptoms and NSSI were independently associated with a higher likelihood of SA in both boys and girls (p < 0.001). Adolescents with psychological, conduct or social adaptation symptoms without concurrent NSSI, were twice as likely to report SA (corresponding RORs were 1.80, 1.80 and 2.16, respectively; p < 0.01) than those who reported NSSI. Male adolescents with psychological, emotional, conduct or social adaptation symptoms had a higher risk of SA in the non-NSSI group than the NSSI group (corresponding RORs were 2.85, 2.26, 2.30 and 3.01 respectively; p < 0.01). While in girls, only adolescents with social adaptation symptoms had a higher risk of SA in the non-NSSI group than NSSI group (corresponding RORs was 1.71, p < 0.05). In the non-NSSI group, boys reporting psychological symptoms exhibited a higher likelihood of a SA than their female counterparts.

Conclusion

Psychological symptoms and NSSI are independently associated with an increased risk of SA in adolescents. However, to some extent, NSSI may reduce the risk of SA among individuals with psychological symptoms, especially in boys.
Targeted Memory Reactivation During REM Sleep in Patients With Social Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Borghese Francesca , Henckaerts Pauline , Guy Fanny , Perez Mayo Coral , Delplanque Sylvain , Schwartz Sophie , Perogamvros Lampros
Published: June 2022

Background

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by a significant amount of fear when confronted to social situations. Exposure therapy, which is based on fear extinction, does not often lead to full remission. Here, based on evidence showing that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep promotes the consolidation of extinction memory, we used targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during REM sleep to enhance extinction learning in SAD.

Methods

Forty-eight subjects with SAD were randomly assigned to two groups: control or TMR group. All patients had two successive exposure therapy sessions in a virtual reality (VR) environment, where they were asked to give a public talk in front of a virtual jury. At the end of each session, and only in the TMR group (N = 24), a sound was paired to the positive feedback phase of therapy (i.e., approval of their performance), which represented the memory to be strengthened during REM sleep. All participants slept at home with a wearable headband device which automatically identified sleep stages and administered the sound during REM sleep. Participants' anxiety level was assessed using measures of parasympathetic (root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats, RMSSD) and sympathetic (non-specific skin conductance responses, ns-SCRs) activity, and subjective measures (Subjective Units of Distress Scale, SUDS), during the preparation phase of their talks before (T1) and after (T2) one full-night's sleep and after 1 week at home (T3). Participants also filled in a dream diary.

Results

We observed an effect of time on subjective measures of anxiety (SUDS). We did not find any difference in the anxiety levels of the two groups after 1 week of TMR at home. Importantly, the longer the total duration of REM sleep and the more stimulations the TMR group had at home, the less anxious (increased RMSSD) these participants were. Finally, fear in dreams correlated positively with ns-SCRs and SUDS at T3 in the TMR group.

Conclusion

TMR during REM sleep did not significantly modulate the beneficial effect of therapy on subjective anxiety. Yet, our results support that REM sleep can contribute to extinction processes and substantiate strong links between emotions in dreams and waking stress levels in these patients.