bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construction of anoikis-related lncRNAs risk model: Predicts prognosis and immunotherapy response for gastric adenocarcinoma patients
Authors: Li Qinglin , Zhang Huangjie , Hu Jinguo , Zhang Lizhuo , Zhao Aiguang , Feng He
Published: March 2023

Background: Anoikis acts as a programmed cell death that is activated during carcinogenesis to remove undetected cells isolated from ECM. Further anoikis based risk stratification is expected to provide a deeper understanding of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) carcinogenesis.

Methods: The information of STAD patients were acquired from TCGA dataset. Anoikis-related genes were obtained from the Molecular Signatures Database and Pearson correlation analysis was performed to identify the anoikis-related lncRNAs (ARLs). We performed machine learning algorithms, including Univariate Cox regression and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) analyses on the ARLs to build the OS-score and OS-signature. Clinical subgroup analysis, tumor mutation burden (TMB) detection, drug susceptibility analysis, immune infiltration and pathway enrichment analysis were further performed to comprehensive explore the clinical significance.

Results: We established a STAD prognostic model based on five ARLs and its prognostic value was verified. Survival analysis showed that the overall survival of high-risk score patients was significantly shorter than that of low-risk score patients. The column diagrams show satisfactory discrimination and calibration. The calibration curve verifies the good agreement between the prediction of the line graph and the actual observation. TIDE analysis and drug sensitivity analysis showed significant differences between different risk groups.

Conclusion: The novel prognostic model based on anoikis-related lncRNAs we identified could be used for prognosis prediction and precise therapy in gastric adenocarcinoma.
Neostigmine for non-mild acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: He Kun , Wang Yabing , Li Jianing , Bai Xiaoyin , Yang Zihan , Han Xianlin , Wu Dong
Published: March 2023

Background: The therapeutic value of neostigmine as a prokinetic drug in acute pancreatitis (AP), especially in non-mild AP, including moderately severe and severe AP remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy of neostigmine treatment in patients with non-mild AP.

Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases up to 24 December 2022 for RCTs comparing neostigmine plus conventional treatment versus the conventional treatment alone in patients with non-mild AP. Trial sequential analyses (TSA) were used to assess the risk of random errors and the results.

Results: Six RCTs with 318 participants were included. Compared with conventional treatment, patients who received neostigmine plus conventional treatment had a shorter time duration for their first defecation (MD: −1.74; 95% CI: −2.10 to −1.38; p < 0.00001; n = 205; RCTs = 4; low quality of evidence) and better relief time of abdominal symptoms (MD: −1.59, 95% CI: −2.07 to −1.11; p < 0.00001; n = 155; RCTs = 3; low quality of evidence) as primary outcomes, and a faster percentage decrease of IAP at 24 h (p = 0.0005; moderate quality of evidence) and a shorter length of ICU stay (p < 0.00001; moderate quality of evidence) as partial secondary outcomes. TSA suggested the sample size was limited, but the cumulative Z curves of the primary outcomes crossed the conventional boundary and the trial sequential monitoring boundary.

Conclusion: For patients with non-mild AP, neostigmine promotes the recovery of gastrointestinal motility and may have positive effects on the improvement of a clinical prognosis. Further large-sample studies are needed for a definite conclusion.

Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/; Identifier: CRD 42022381417.
Study on the mechanism of acute liver injury protection in Rhubarb anthraquinone by metabolomics based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS
Authors: Gong Xiaohong , Zhang Fang , Li Yunxia , Peng Cheng
Published: March 2023

As a traditional Chinese medicine, rhubarb has been used in a variety of liver diseases and it is widely used in clinic to prevent and treat acute liver injury. Anthraquinone, as the main medicinal component of rhubarb, can reverse the further development of liver fibrosis caused by acute liver injury. In this study, metabonomics was used to explore the mechanism of different doses of rhubarb anthraquinone on acute liver injury in rats. Rhubarb anthraquinone was administered intragastric to rats at doses of 3.9, 7.8 and 15.6 mg/kg, respectively, for 7 days, and then 30% CCl4 was injected intraperitoneally at the dose of 1 ml/kg to replicate the acute liver injury model. The biochemical indicators content of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TG, TC, LDL, HDL in serum and GSH, Hyp, SOD, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in liver tissue extract were tested respectively, and liver tissue was histopathologically analysis. At the same time, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with non-targeted metabolomics were used to study the metabolites and metabolic pathways of rhubarb anthraquinone in treating acute liver injury. Compared with normal rats, the contents of ALT, AST, ALP, TG, TC, LDL, γ-GT in serum and Hyp, MDA, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α in the liver tissue extract were significantly increased in model rats (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), and the content of HDL in the serum was significantly decreased (p < 0.05); the activities of GSH and SOD in liver tissue extract were also significantly decreased (p < 0.05). After administration of rhubarb anthraquinone, compared with the model group, with the increase of dosage, some biochemical indexes showed opposite changes, and gradually approached to normal rats. 12 different metabolites were identified by metabonomics, and the biosynthesis and metabolism of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, the metabolism of amino sugars, nucleotide sugars and pyrimidines metabolism, and the biosynthesis of steroid hormone were identified based on the biomarker analysis. Based on the biochemical analysis and metabonomics analysis of rats with acute liver injury treated with different doses of rhubarb anthraquinone, combined with histopathological observation, the results show that the protective effect of rhubarb anthraquinone on acute liver injury is related to the dosage; Meanwhile, the metabolic pathway analysis suggested that rhubarb anthraquinone alleviate acute liver injury by regulating inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis disorders. This study explained the therapeutic effect of rhubarb anthraquinone on acute liver injury from both material basis and action pathway, and provided safe and effective research ideas for clinical application of rhubarb.
Assessment of shape-based features ability to predict the ascending aortic aneurysm growth
Authors: Geronzi Leonardo , Haigron Pascal , Martinez Antonio , Yan Kexin , Rochette Michel , Bel-Brunon Aline , Porterie Jean , Lin Siyu , Marin-Castrillon Diana Marcela , Lalande Alain , Bouchot Olivier , Daniel Morgan , Escrig Pierre , Tomasi Jacques , Valentini Pier Paolo , Biancolini Marco Evangelos
Published: March 2023

The current guidelines for the ascending aortic aneurysm (AsAA) treatment recommend surgery mainly according to the maximum diameter assessment. This criterion has already proven to be often inefficient in identifying patients at high risk of aneurysm growth and rupture. In this study, we propose a method to compute a set of local shape features that, in addition to the maximum diameter D, are intended to improve the classification performances for the ascending aortic aneurysm growth risk assessment. Apart from D, these are the ratio DCR between D and the length of the ascending aorta centerline, the ratio EILR between the length of the external and the internal lines and the tortuosity T. 50 patients with two 3D acquisitions at least 6 months apart were segmented and the growth rate (GR) with the shape features related to the first exam computed. The correlation between them has been investigated. After, the dataset was divided into two classes according to the growth rate value. We used six different classifiers with input data exclusively from the first exam to predict the class to which each patient belonged. A first classification was performed using only D and a second with all the shape features together. The performances have been evaluated by computing accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and positive (negative) likelihood ratio LHR+ (LHR−). A positive correlation was observed between growth rate and DCR (r = 0.511, p = 1.3e-4) and between GR and EILR (r = 0.472, p = 2.7e-4). Overall, the classifiers based on the four metrics outperformed the same ones based only on D. Among the diameter-based classifiers, k-nearest neighbours (KNN) reported the best accuracy (86%), sensitivity (55.6%), AUROC (0.74), LHR+ (7.62) and LHR− (0.48). Concerning the classifiers based on the four shape features, we obtained the best accuracy (94%), sensitivity (66.7%), specificity (100%), AUROC (0.94), LHR+ (+∞) and LHR− (0.33) with support vector machine (SVM). This demonstrates how automatic shape features detection combined with risk classification criteria could be crucial in planning the follow-up of patients with ascending aortic aneurysm and in predicting the possible dangerous progression of the disease.
TRPC1 channel clustering during store-operated Ca2+ entry in keratinocytes
Authors: Manning Declan , Barrett-Jolley Richard , Evans Richard L. , Dart Caroline
Published: March 2023

Skin is the largest organ in the human body with ∼95% of its surface made up of keratinocytes. These cells maintain a healthy skin barrier through regulated differentiation driven by Ca2+-transcriptional coupling. Many important skin conditions arise from disruption of this process although not all stages are fully understood. We know that elevated extracellular Ca2+ at the skin surface is detected by keratinocyte Gαq-coupled receptors that signal to empty endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores. Orai channel store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and Ca2+ influx via “canonical” transient receptor potential (TRPC)-composed channels then activates transcription factors that drive differentiation. While STIM-mediated activation of Orai channels following store depletion is well defined, how TRPC channels are activated is less clear. Multiple modes of TRPC channel activation have been proposed, including 1) independent TRPC activation by STIM, 2) formation of Orai-TRPC-STIM complexes, and 3) the insertion of constitutively-active TRPC channels into the membrane during SOCE. To help distinguish between these models, we used high-resolution microscopy of intact keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells and immunogold transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of HaCaT plasma membrane sheets. Our data shows no evidence of significant insertion of Orai1 or TRPC subunits into the membrane during SOCE. Analysis of transmission electron microscopy data shows that during store-depletion and SOCE, Orai1 and TRPC subunits form separate membrane-localized clusters that migrate towards each other. This clustering of TRPC channel subunits in keratinocytes may support the formation of TRPC-STIM interactions at ER-plasma membrane junctions that are distinct from Orai-STIM junctions.
Quantifying the effects of achilles tendon lengthening surgery: An intraoperative approach
Authors: Brendecke Elena , Tsitlakidis Stefanos , Götze Marco , Hagmann Sébastien , Ates Filiz
Published: March 2023

Achilles tendon lengthening (ATL) is frequently used in the treatment of foot deformities. However, there is currently no objective method to determine the optimal muscle length during surgery. We developed an intraoperative approach to evaluate the passive and active forces of the triceps surae muscle group before and after ATL and aimed to test the following hypotheses: 1) the ankle passive range of motion (ROM) increases, 2) passive muscle forces decrease post-ATL, and 3) forces measured from patients with non-neurological and neurological conditions demonstrate different characteristics. Passive forces at various ankle joint positions were measured in ten patients (11.3 ± 3.0 years old) pre- and post-ATL using a force transducer attached to the Achilles tendon. In six patients, active isometric forces were measured by stimulating the triceps surae supramaximally. Passive forces decreased by 94.3% (p < 0.0001), and ROM increased by 89.4% (p < 0.0001) post-ATL. The pre-ATL passive forces were 70.8% ± 15.1% lower in patients with idiopathic foot deformities than in patients with neurological conditions (p < 0.001). The peak active force of 209.8 ± 114.3 N was achieved at an ankle angle of 38.3° ± 16.0°, where the passive force was 6.3 ± 6.7 N. The inter-individual variability was substantial in both groups. In conclusion, the hypotheses posed were supported. The present findings suggest that muscle passive and active force production as well as the inter-individual variability should be considered when planning further treatment.
Drought stress identification of tomato plant using multi-features of hyperspectral imaging and subsample fusion
Authors: Weng Shizhuang , Ma Junjie , Tao Wentao , Tan Yujian , Pan Meijing , Zhang Zixi , Huang Linsheng , Zheng Ling , Zhao Jinling
Published: March 2023

Drought stress (DS) is one of the most frequently occurring stresses in tomato plants. Detecting tomato plant DS is vital for optimizing irrigation and improving fruit quality. In this study, a DS identification method using the multi-features of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and subsample fusion was proposed. First, the HSI images were measured under imaging condition with supplemental blue lights, and the reflectance spectra were extracted from the HSI images of young and mature leaves at different DS levels (well-watered, reduced-watered, and deficient-watered treatment). The effective wavelengths (EWs) were screened by the genetic algorithm. Second, the reference image was determined by ReliefF, and the first four reflectance images of EWs that are weakly correlated with the reference image and mutually irrelevant were obtained using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The reflectance image set (RIS) was determined by evaluating the superposition effect of reflectance images on identification. The spectra of EWs and the image features extracted from the RIS by LeNet-5 were adopted to construct DS identification models based on support vector machine (SVM), random forest, and dense convolutional network. Third, the subsample fusion integrating the spectra and image features of young and mature leaves was used to improve the identification further. The results showed that supplemental blue lights can effectively remove the high-frequency noise and obtain high-quality HSI images. The positive effect of the combination of spectra of EWs and image features for DS identification proved that RIS contains feature information pointing to DS. Global optimal classification performance was achieved by SVM and subsample fusion, with a classification accuracy of 95.90% and 95.78% for calibration and prediction sets, respectively. Overall, the proposed method can provide an accurate and reliable analysis for tomato plant DS and is hoped to be applied to other crop stresses
The genome size, chromosome number and the seed adaption to long-distance dispersal of Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.)
Authors: Ye Kangzhuo , Dong Chunxing , Hu Bin , Yuan Jieyu , Sun Jin , Li Zixian , Deng Fang , Fakher Beenish , Wang Lulu , Pan Chenglang , Aslam Mohammad , Qin Yuan , Cheng Yan
Published: March 2023

Ipomoeapes-caprae (L.) (IPC) is a common species in tropical and subtropical coastal areas and one of the world’s most widely distributed plants. It has attracted researchers for its outstanding biological, ecological and medicinal values. It has been reported that the genetic diversity of IPCs located on different continents is very low because of their frequent gene flow. During the long journey of evolution, every aspect of the plant morphologies has evolved to the best adaptivity to the environment, seeking their survival and progeny expansion. However, the fundamental genetic characteristics of IPC and how their seed adapted to the success of population expansion remain unknown. In this study, the fundamental genetic characteristics, including the genome size and the chromosome number of IPC, were investigated. The results showed that IPC’s genome size is approximately 0.98-1.08 GB, and the chromosome number is 2n=30, providing the basic information for further genome analysis. In order to decipher the long-distance dispersal secret of this species, the fruit and seed developments, seed morphology, and seed germination were extensively investigated and described. The results showed an exquisite adaptive mechanism of IPC seeds to fulfil the population expansion via ocean currents. The large cavity inside the seeds and the dense tomenta on the surface provide the buoyancy force for the seeds to float on the seawater. The hard seed coats significantly obstructed the water absorption, thus preventing the seed from germination during the dispersal. Meanwhile, the fully developed embryos of IPC also have physiological dormancy. The physical and physiological characteristics of IPC seeds provide insight into the mechanism of their long-distance dispersal across the oceans. Moreover, based on morphological observation and semi-section microscopy, the development pattern of IPC glander trichomes was described, and their physiological functions were also discussed.
Genetic and genomic interventions in crop biofortification: Examples in millets
Authors: Kudapa Himabindu , Barmukh Rutwik , Vemuri Hindu , Gorthy Sunita , Pinnamaneni Rajasekhar , Vetriventhan Mani , Srivastava Rakesh K. , Joshi Priyanka , Habyarimana Ephrem , Gupta S. K. , Govindaraj Mahalingam
Published: March 2023

Micronutrient malnutrition is a serious threat to the developing world’s human population, which largely relies on a cereal-based diet that lacks diversity and micronutrients. Besides major cereals, millets represent the key sources of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals for people residing in the dryland tropics and drought-prone areas of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Millets serve as multi-purpose crops with several salient traits including tolerance to abiotic stresses, adaptation to diverse agro-ecologies, higher productivity in nutrient-poor soils, and rich nutritional characteristics. Considering the potential of millets in empowering smallholder farmers, adapting to changing climate, and transforming agrifood systems, the year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets. In this review, we highlight recent genetic and genomic innovations that can be explored to enhance grain micronutrient density in millets. We summarize the advances made in high-throughput phenotyping to accurately measure grain micronutrient content in cereals. We shed light on genetic diversity in millet germplasm collections existing globally that can be exploited for developing nutrient-dense and high-yielding varieties to address food and nutritional security. Furthermore, we describe the progress made in the fields of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics with an emphasis on enhancing the grain nutritional content for designing competitive biofortified varieties for the future. Considering the close genetic-relatedness within cereals, upcoming research should focus on identifying the genetic and genomic basis of nutritional traits in millets and introgressing them into major cereals through integrated omics approaches. Recent breakthroughs in the genome editing toolbox would be crucial for mainstreaming biofortification in millets.
A longan yield estimation approach based on UAV images and deep learning
Authors: Li Denghui , Sun Xiaoxuan , Jia Yuhang , Yao Zhongwei , Lin Peiyi , Chen Yingyi , Zhou Haobo , Zhou Zhengqi , Wu Kaixuan , Shi Linlin , Li Jun
Published: March 2023

Longan yield estimation is an important practice before longan harvests. Statistical longan yield data can provide an important reference for market pricing and improving harvest efficiency and can directly determine the economic benefits of longan orchards. At present, the statistical work concerning longan yields requires high labor costs. Aiming at the task of longan yield estimation, combined with deep learning and regression analysis technology, this study proposed a method to calculate longan yield in complex natural environment. First, a UAV was used to collect video images of a longan canopy at the mature stage. Second, the CF-YD model and SF-YD model were constructed to identify Cluster_Fruits and Single_Fruits, respectively, realizing the task of automatically identifying the number of targets directly from images. Finally, according to the sample data collected from real orchards, a regression analysis was carried out on the target quantity detected by the model and the real target quantity, and estimation models were constructed for determining the Cluster_Fruits on a single longan tree and the Single_Fruits on a single Cluster_Fruit. Then, an error analysis was conducted on the data obtained from the manual counting process and the estimation model, and the average error rate regarding the number of Cluster_Fruits was 2.66%, while the average error rate regarding the number of Single_Fruits was 2.99%. The results show that the method proposed in this paper is effective at estimating longan yields and can provide guidance for improving the efficiency of longan fruit harvests.
Crop cultivation planning with fuzzy estimation using water wave optimization
Authors: Liu Li-Chang , Lv Kang-Cong , Zheng Yu-Jun
Published: March 2023

In a complex agricultural region, determine the appropriate crop for each plot of land to maximize the expected total profit is the key problem in cultivation management. However, many factors such as cost, yield, and selling price are typically uncertain, which causes an exact programming method impractical. In this paper, we present a problem of crop cultivation planning, where the uncertain factors are estimated as fuzzy parameters. We adapt an efficient evolutionary algorithm, water wave optimization (WWO), to solve this problem, where each solution is evaluated based on three metrics including the expected, optimistic and pessimistic values, the combination of which enables the algorithm to search credible solutions under uncertain conditions. Test results on a set of agricultural regions in East China showed that the solutions of our fuzzy optimization approach obtained significantly higher profits than those of non-fuzzy optimization methods based on only the expected values.
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the HVA22 gene family in cotton and functional analysis of GhHVA22E1D in drought and salt tolerance
Authors: Zhang Haijun , Yuan Yanchao , Xing Huixian , Xin Ming , Saeed Muhammad , Wu Qi , Wu Jing , Zhuang Tao , Zhang Xiaopei , Mao Lili , Sun Xuezhen , Song Xianliang , Wang Zongwen
Published: March 2023

The HVA22 family of genes, induced by abscisic acid and stress, encodes a class of stress response proteins with a conserved TB2/DP1/HVA22 domain that are unique among eukaryotes. Previous studies have shown that HVA22s play an important role in plant responses to abiotic stresses. In the present study, 34, 32, 16, and 17 HVA22s were identified in G. barbadense, G. hirsutum, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii, respectively. These HVA22 genes were classified into nine subgroups, randomly distributed on the chromosomes. Synteny analysis showed that the amplification of the HVA22s were mainly due to segmental duplication or whole genome replication (WGD). Most HVA22s promoter sequences contain a large number of drought response elements (MYB), defense and stress response elements (TC-rich repeats), and hormone response elements (ABRE, ERE, SARE, etc.), suggesting that HVA22s may respond to adversity stresses. Expression profiling demonstrated that most GhHVA22s showed a constitutive expression pattern in G. hirsutum and could respond to abiotic stresses such as salt, drought, and low temperature. Overexpression of GhHVA22E1D (GH_D07G0564) in Arabidopsis thaliana enhances salt and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. Virus-induced gene silencing of GhHVA22E1D reduced salt and drought tolerance in cotton. This indicates that GhHVA22E1D plays an active role in the plant response to salt stress and drought stress. GhHVA22E1D may act in plant response to adversity by altering the antioxidant capacity of plants. This study provides valuable information for the functional genomic study of the HVA22 gene family in cotton. It also provides a reference for further elucidation of the functional studies of HVA22 in plant resistance to abiotic stress response.
Barriers and enablers in designing regulations to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing
Authors: Sing Fiona , Carriedo Angela , Mackay Sally , Tenbensel Tim , Swinburn Boyd
Published: March 2023

Background

The insidious and pervasive nature of marketing of unhealthy food and beverages has been identified as one of several strategies the unhealthy food and beverage industry uses to exert their influence on population food choices and diet. Regulating the food and beverage industry's marketing practices is one mechanism to mitigate this commercial determinant of health. This paper seeks to understand the main barriers and enablers that governments face when attempting to design an appropriate regulatory system.

Methods

14 semi-structured expert interviews were undertaken with participants across different jurisdictions (Ireland, United Kingdom, Chile, Canada, Norway, Portugal and Brazil) who were involved in introducing marketing restrictions; and a purposive documentary analysis was carried out. A thematic analysis of this data was conducted informed by the Health Policy Triangle.

Results

Multiple common technical and political issues were experienced by governments regarding the form and substance of the policy design regardless of the jurisdictional context. Such issues included: whether to introduce a mandatory approach; what age group to protect; what nutrient classification system to use; how to define “marketing to children”; and what mediums, settings and techniques to cover. The actors opposing regulation challenged the form and substance of each design element. However, having a strong political mandate to introduce regulation; multiple actors working together, including multiple government ministries, academics and civil society actors; and a strong evidence base supporting the policy design helped policymakers navigate the technical and political challenges faced when designing the regulatory approach.

Conclusion

Despite the different political contexts and actors involved in different jurisdictions internationally, there are many commonalities in the challenges and enabling factors faced by governments. Understanding the technical and political challenges experienced by governments and how these governments overcame those challenges is critical to improve capacity around designing more effective regulations to improve population's diets, and therefore NCDs.
Differences in central symptoms of anxiety and depression between college students with different academic performance: A network analysis
Authors: Wang Yu , Zhang Shuo , Liu Xiaogang , Shi Hongye , Deng Xuyang
Published: March 2023

Objective

The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms for Chinese college students are high. Academic pressure is one of the prominent risk factors of psychological well-beings for Chinese college students. The application of network analysis provides researchers a more comprehensive understanding of symptom-symptom interaction in mental disorders. This study aims to find out whether there is a difference in central symptoms between students with different academic performance.

Method

A total sample of 1,291 college students was included in our study. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Central symptoms were identified through centrality indices. Network stability was examined using the case-dropping method.

Results

For the poor academic group, the most central symptom is PHQ-2 (feeling depressed). The most central symptom of the good academic group is GAD-2 (uncontrolled worry). The least central symptom for both groups is PHQ-9 (suicidal thought). Network structure is statistically different between two groups, global strength is not statistically different between two groups.

Conclusion

The pertinent symptom is feeling depressed, followed by uncontrolled worry and poor appetite, and for the good academic group, the pertinent symptom is an uncontrolled worry, theoretical explanation and clinical implications is discussed.
Does growth in the outdoors stay in the outdoors? The impact of an extended residential and outdoor learning experience on student motivation, engagement and 21st century capabilities
Authors: Mann Jeff , Gray Tonia , Truong Son
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Student motivation and engagement underpin educational success, and recent research has found they are lowest in middle high school, especially for boys. At the same time, education systems are recognizing that academic performance is necessary but not sufficient to prepare young people for the adult world, and so-called “21st Century skills” (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity) have been suggested as critical capabilities across all employment sectors in the future. The Glengarry program is a 6-month residential and outdoor learning experience for Year 9 (14–15 years old) boys at an Australian independent school, The Scots College (TSC) Glengarry. Intentionally located during the lowest point of engagement in their adolescent student journey, the Residential and Outdoor Education experience was hypothesized to boost their motivation and engagement and develop 21st Century skills.

Methods

The Glengarry program involves students living in a boarding-style community for 20 weeks away from their families, participating in classes across all regular school subjects at a bush campus, and undertaking increasingly challenging outdoor education trips each week. The study aimed to measure how these factors transferred into students’ traditional school environment after their Glengarry experience. Year 9 was split into two cohorts who both participated in the study: one of which completed the Glengarry program in the first half of 2019, and the other during the second half of the year.

Results

Self-reported quantitative and qualitative data supported the hypothesis that the Glengarry program did indeed, boost student motivation and 21st Century skills. While gains in 21st Century skills endured over the next 8–10 months, motivation and some engagement factors decreased upon return to the traditional school environment. Students described key factors in the Glengarry program which facilitated their development, including: an intense residential environment necessitating social growth, a closer connection with teachers in both school and community life, and an appreciation of learning in the natural environment. Recommendations are made for future research to strengthen these findings, and for how these mediating factors could be incorporated into the regular school environment.
Voluntariness and type of digital device usage: A study in terms of Vygotsky's cultural–historical perspective
Authors: Shatskaya Arina , Gavrilova Margarita , Chichinina Elena
Published: March 2023

Introduction

In recent years, exposure to digital devices during the development stages of a child has been steadily increasing. Exploring the relationship between children's digital device exposure and their voluntariness still shows quite contradictory results. Screen time is the most studied factor on this issue. The purpose of the present study was to suggest the type of digital device used is another factor in addition to screen time. In accordance with the research hypothesis, the use of digital devices as a psychological means is related to higher voluntariness scores.

Methods

The study sample was recruited from Moscow kindergartens and schools: preschoolers aged 5–6 years (n = 408) and 6–7 years (n = 351) and schoolchildren aged 7–8 years (n = 253) and 9–10 years (n = 101). The study participants took part in a voluntariness assessment performed via executive functions' (EF) evaluation as well as in a semi-structured interview to identify the type and frequency of digital device usage.

Results

There are three findings of the present study, which are given as follows. First, the “frequency of digital device usage” predictor proved its statistical significance for verbal working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility at 7–8 years, and for verbal working memory at 6–7 years. Second, the number of children who use digital devices as a psychological means increases as they grow older. Third, the number of children who use digital devices as a psychological means tends to demonstrate higher mean scores for any executive function skills at 6–7 and 9–10 years and for visual and verbal working memory at 7–8 years. Multiple regression models did not confirm the significance of the “type of digital devices usage” predictor for executive function skills considering the participants' individual characteristics.

Discussion

“Type of digital devices usage” predictor is assumed to be more applicable to children at the end of primary school and older when exploring executive function skills in the context of children's digital device exposure.
Restorative effect of audio and visual elements in urban waterfront spaces
Authors: Zhu Guofeng , Yuan Minmin , Ma Hui , Luo Zhaoxin , Shao Shegang
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Urban waterfront spaces are often composed of built infrastructures and nature elements. Though citizens could take advantage of these public spaces to relax from daily work, its restorative potential has not been paid enough attention. In this study, the restorative effect and mechanism of different audio and visual elements in urban waterfront spaces was systematically studied.

Methods

At the first stage, restorative potential of waterfront spaces was investigated and different elements with restorative effects were identified through an on-site survey, in which visual and auditory forms of environmental-nature, animal-nature, on-water human activities and on-shore human activities were identified. At the second stage, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted to explore the restorative function of the audio and visual elements.

Results and discussion

It is found that the degree of artificiality of waterfront space was a crucial factor influencing the restoration level of the space, and higher artificiality level of waterfront space resulted in lower level of perceived restoration. However it was available by adding visual and audio elements to the scene to facilitate the restorative effect in waterfront spaces with high-level artificiality. The effects of adding visual and auditory elements on psychophysiological restoration were explored, and elements that should be recommended and restrained were discussed.

Prospects

These findings would provide applicable suggestions for future design and rebuilding of urban waterfront spaces.
The role of self-efficacy, entrepreneurial passion, and creativity in developing entrepreneurial intentions
Authors: Ferreira-Neto Macário Neri , de Carvalho Castro Jessyca Lages , de Sousa-Filho José Milton , de Souza Lessa Bruno
Published: March 2023

Although studies aimed at understanding entrepreneurship have analyzed passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, few studies include these antecedents in the same model. In this sense, this study aims to assess the relationship between passion, self-efficacy, and creativity with entrepreneurial intention. The data was collected through a survey and the questionnaires were applied to university students who formed a sample of 190 respondents, and such data was analyzed using structural equation modeling based on partial least square technique. Regarding our results, the relationship between creativity and entrepreneurial intention has not been confirmed. The multigroup analysis revealed that the level of education influences men’s entrepreneurial intention and creativity only influence entrepreneurial intention when mediated by entrepreneurial passion. This study contributes by highlighting the roles of analyzed passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in entrepreneurs from one of the largest emerging economies in the world. Moreover, it also contributes to academia as it confirms the explanatory power of the Theory of Planned Behavior as a tool to understand the cognitive foundations of entrepreneurship. It also offers a practical contribution by signaling to public policymakers which features should be incentivized to boost entrepreneurship in emerging economies.
Heart rate variability may index emotion dysregulation in alcohol-related intimate partner violence
Authors: Fink Brandi C. , Claus Eric D. , Cavanagh James F. , Hamilton Derek A. , Biesen Judith N.
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Intimate partner violence is a serious public health problem that costs the United States more than $4.1 billion in direct medical and mental health costs alone. Furthermore, alcohol use contributes to more frequent and more severe intimate partner violence incidents. Compounding this problem is treatments for intimate partner violence have largely been socially informed and demonstrate poor efficacy. We argue that improvements in intimate partner treatment will be gained through systematic scientific study of mechanisms through which alcohol is related to intimate partner violence. We hypothesize that poor emotional and behavioral regulation as indexed by the respiratory sinus arrythymia measure of heart rate variability is a key mechanism between alcohol use and intimate partner violence.

Method

The present study is a placebo-controlled alcohol administration study with an emotion-regulation task that investigated heart rate variability in distressed violent and distressed nonviolent partners.

Results

We found a main effect for alcohol on heart rate variability. We also found a four-way interaction whereby distressed violent partners exhibited significant reductions in heart rate variability when acutely intoxicated and attempting to not respond to their partners evocative stimuli.

Discussion

These findings suggest that distressed violent partners may adopt maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as rumination and suppression when intoxicated and attempting to not respond to partner conflict. Such strategies of emotion regulation have been shown to have many deleterious emotional, cognitive and social consequences for individuals who adopt them, possibly including intimate partner violence. These findings also highlight an important novel treatment target for intimate partner violence and suggest that novel treatments should focus on teaching effective conflict resolution and emotion-regulation strategies that may be augmented by biobehavioral treatments such as heart rate variability biofeedback.
Skills program for awareness, connectedness, and empowerment: A conceptual framework of a skills group for individuals with a psychosis-risk syndrome
Authors: Gupta Tina , Antezana Ligia , Porter Christian , Mayanil Tushita , Bylsma Lauren M. , Maslar Michael , Horton Leslie E.
Published: March 2023

Intervention strategies for those diagnosed with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia can be effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life. While strides have been made in developing prevention and intervention strategies earlier on in the disease progression, among those at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, challenges with heterogeneity can limit symptom and diagnosis specific treatment. Here, we discuss a newly developed therapy skills group called the Skills Program for Awareness, Connectedness, and Empowerment (SPACE) that integrates different types of behavioral skills – standard and radically open dialectical behavioral therapy as well as cognitive behavioral therapy – for CHR youth between the ages of 13–18 years. With the diathesis-stress framework serving as a foundation, the intervention is divided into three stages. These stages target specific signs and symptoms contributing to the progression of CHR symptoms. Stage 1 targets stress (with the goal of developing awareness and reducing distress), stage 2 targets self-disturbances (with a goal of increasing self-connectedness), and stage 3 targets social connectedness (with a goal of improving social domains of functioning). The focus of this article is to introduce the theoretical framework underlying the pilot skills group and discuss ongoing progress.

Clinical Trial Registration

NCT05398120; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05398120.
Sexually dimorphic role for insular perineuronal nets in aversion-resistant alcohol consumption
Authors: Martins de Carvalho Luana , Chen Hu , Sutter Mason , Lasek Amy W.
Published: March 2023

Compulsive alcohol drinking is a key symptom of alcohol use disorder (AUD) that is particularly resistant to treatment. An understanding of the biological factors that underly compulsive drinking will allow for the development of new therapeutic targets for AUD. One animal model of compulsive alcohol drinking involves the addition of bitter-tasting quinine to an ethanol solution and measuring the willingness of the animal to consume ethanol despite the aversive taste. Previous studies have demonstrated that this type of aversion-resistant drinking is modulated in the insular cortex of male mice by specialized condensed extracellular matrix known as perineuronal nets (PNNs), which form a lattice-like structure around parvalbumin-expressing neurons in the cortex. Several laboratories have shown that female mice exhibit higher levels of aversion-resistant ethanol intake, but the role of PNNs in females in this behavior has not been examined. Here we compared PNNs in the insula of male and female mice and determined if disrupting PNNs in female mice would alter aversion-resistant ethanol intake. PNNs were visualized in the insula by fluorescent labeling with Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA) and disrupted in the insula by microinjecting chondroitinase ABC, an enzyme that digests the chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan component of PNNs. Mice were tested for aversion-resistant ethanol consumption by the addition of sequentially increasing concentrations of quinine to the ethanol in a two-bottle choice drinking in the dark procedure. PNN staining intensity was higher in the insula of female compared to male mice, suggesting that PNNs in females might contribute to elevated aversion-resistant drinking. However, disruption of PNNs had limited effect on aversion-resistant drinking in females. In addition, activation of the insula during aversion-resistant drinking, as measured by c-fos immunohistochemistry, was lower in female mice than in males. Taken together, these results suggest that neural mechanisms underlying aversion-resistant ethanol consumption differ in males and females.
Association between quarantine and sleep disturbance in Hong Kong adults: The mediating role of COVID-19 mental impact and distress
Authors: Fong Ted C. T. , Chang Kay , Ho Rainbow T. H.
Published: March 2023

Background

COVID-19 quarantine has been associated with increased sleep problems and prolonged psychological responses to the pandemic could mediate this relationship. The present study attempted to examine the mediating role of COVID-19 mental impact and distress between quarantine and sleep disturbance.

Methods

The present study recruited 438 adults (109 with quarantine experience) in Hong Kong via an online survey between August and October 2021. The respondents completed a self-report questionnaire on quarantine, Mental Impact and Distress Scale: COVID-19 (MIDc), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The MIDc was treated as a latent mediator and continuous PSQI factor and poor sleep quality (PSQI score > 5) were the study outcomes. We evaluated the direct and indirect effects of quarantine on sleep disturbance via MIDc using structural equation modeling. Analyses were adjusted for gender, age, education level, knowing confirmed COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 frontline work, and primary income source of the family.

Results

More than half (62.8%) of the sample reported poor sleep quality. Quarantine was associated with significantly higher levels of MIDc and sleep disturbance (Cohen d = 0.23 – 0.43, p < 0.05). In the structural equation model, the MIDc mediated the relationship between quarantine and sleep disturbance (αβ = 0.152, 95% CI = 0.071 to 0.235). Quarantine significantly increased the proportion of poor sleep quality by 10.7% (95% CI = 0.050 to 0.171) indirectly via MIDc.

Conclusions

The results provide empirical support to the mediating role of the MIDc as psychological responses in the relationship between quarantine and sleep disturbance.
Improving safe post-abortion care practices: A study on interventions implemented by Ipas Pakistan
Authors: Arshad Amna , Aziz Hina , Shabbir Ghulam , Shakya Sagun , Munir Zarnab
Published: March 2023

An estimated 50 million induced abortions occur in developing countries annually, and an estimated 7 million women are treated for complications associated with unsafe abortions. According to a 2012 estimate, 15 per 1,000 women aged 15–49 years seek treatment for abortion-related health complications in both private and public sectors. A high unmet need for family planning in Pakistan and a low percentage of women adopting a contraceptive method in the post-partum period led to unwanted pregnancy becoming one of the reasons for unsafe abortion. Post-abortion care (PAC) is an integrated service delivery model that includes both maternal health and family planning interventions. The study aims to examine improvement in abortion-related practices through the implementation of the PAC model at all tiers of public health service delivery systems in the two most populous provinces—Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) region—of Pakistan. The improvement model comprises clinical training of healthcare providers, community engagement, and counseling of community women on safe post-abortion practices. It was a descriptive study utilizing data of 27,616 PAC clients recorded and reported by the service providers on the logbooks from 104 selected public health facilities from March 2018 to December 2021 in ICT, Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan. Women who received PAC services were older than 25 years, 22,652 (82%), with a mean age of 29 years. Most of these women were in their first trimester, 26,110 (95%), and the majority diagnosed with PAC (incomplete, missed, or threatened abortion), 26,838 (97%). The majority of women, 25,324 (92%), received safe methods for post-abortion care that included the use of misoprostol, 15,804 (58%), and manual vacuum aspiration, 8,898 (32%). In total, 17,105 (72%) of women opted for a contraceptive method that included long-acting reversible contraceptives, 2,313 (10%); short-term excluding condoms, 3,436 (27%); and condoms, 8,113 (34%). The key predictors identified for uptake of the post-abortion family planning method indicated that women more than 25 years of age, in the early second trimester, and who were counseled on post-abortion family planning were more likely to adopt the contraceptive method than others. Increased access to post-abortion care and family planning could potentially reduce the incidence of unsafe abortion, unintended pregnancies, and associated maternal mortality. The experience of Pakistan suggests that the integrated post-abortion care service delivery model can be effectively implemented across the public health systems.