bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protection for pets and people: The critical need for increased federal funding for pet‐friendly domestic violence services
Authors: November Rachel
Published: December 2023

The research linking pet abuse with domestic violence is overwhelming. Pet abuse is a significant indicator that a human family member is suffering too. Further, victims are likely to become abusers themselves, perpetuating the intertwined cycles of pet abuse and domestic violence. Most women in domestic violence shelters report that their pet was also victimized. However, since few domestic violence shelters in the U.S. accommodate pets, victims must decide between leaving their pet to endure further abuse, or delaying their own escape. Current federal grants do not meet the demand for funding. This Note proposes an Amendment to the PAWS Act, requiring the federal government to match state contributions to projects that expand access to pet‐friendly shelters.
Modeling of the fatigue behavior of functionally graded materials: Study of the residual stresses induced by surface severe plastic deformation
Authors: Dureau Clément , Arzaghi Mandana , Grosdidier Thierry , Massion Roxane , Nadot Yves
Published: December 2023

A new finite elements approach has been used to model the evolution of residual stresses during cyclic loading in functionally graded 316 L stainless steel, obtained by surface severe plastic deformation. The affected layer modeling was divided in two stages: the compressive residual stress state initialization and the update of the mechanical properties characteristic of the gradient microstructure determined from local characterization. The capacity of the model to simulate both the strain‐ and stress‐controlled fatigue behavior was evaluated, and a good consistency between the numerical and experimental results was obtained. Numerical residual stress fields were compared to the experimental measurements, and a very good agreement was observed. A mean error of approximately 65 MPa over all the compared data was measured. Especially, the relaxed and inverted residual stress gradient after the different testing conditions were nicely retrieved, indicating the capabilities of the newly proposed model.
Differential peripheral memory T cell subsets sensitively indicate the severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Kado Akira , Tsutsumi Takeya , Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi , Ikeuchi Kazuhiko , Okushin Kazuya , Moriya Kyoji , Koike Kazuhiko , Fujishiro Mitsuhiro
Published: December 2023

Aim

Differential patterns of peripheral memory T cell subsets in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were assessed using flow cytometry (FCM) to elucidate their association with NAFLD severity and provide a new noninvasive method to sensitively detect the disease severity in addition to existing biomarkers.

Methods

We assessed the differential frequencies of peripheral memory T cell subsets in 103 patients with NAFLD according to the degree of liver fibrosis (FIB) using FCM analysis. We focused on the following populations: CCR7+ CD45RA+ naïve T, CCR7+ CD45RA– central memory T cells (TCM), CCR7– CD45RA– effector memory T, and CCR7– CD45RA+ terminally differentiated effector memory T (TEMRA) cells in CD4+ and CD8+ T, Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, respectively. To evaluate the pathological progression of the disease, these frequencies were also examined according to the degree of the NAFLD activity score (NAS).

Results

Several significant correlations were observed between laboratory parameters and peripheral memory T lymphocyte frequencies according to the degree of liver FIB and NAS in NAFLD. In univariate and multivariate analyses, the frequency of CD8+ TEMRA cells predicted severe FIB, and the predictive power was validated in an independent cohort. Furthermore, the frequencies of several memory T cell subsets sensitively indicated the pathological progression of NAFLD (Th17 TCM: steatosis, CD4+ TCM: lobular inflammation, and CD8+ TEMRA and effector memory T cells: hepatocellular ballooning).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the analysis of peripheral memory T lymphocyte frequencies can noninvasively predict severe FIB and sensitively indicate the pathological progression of NAFLD.
Impact of sex differences on the clinical presentation, pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis of Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Xuan Yuhao , Zhang Xiao , Wu Huaxun
Published: December 2023

Sjögren's syndrome is a common chronic autoimmune disease that manifests as dry mouth, dry eyes and systemic complications. There are sex differences in the clinical manifestations between men and women, with the average age of onset being around 55 years and the majority of female patients developing the disease during the menopausal years. Understanding the impact of sex differences on SS may help in the treatment and prognosis of patients. Studies have confirmed that a number of factors are associated with the onset of SS, but the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Sex hormones (especially oestrogens and androgens) play a very important role, and the balance of sex hormone levels in the body is crucial for maintaining homeostasis in the acinar cells of the lacrimal and salivary glands. In addition, chromosomes play a very important role in the sex differences in SS. The gut microbiota also has some influence on sex differences in SS. In this review, we focus on oestrogens and androgens, which are important in the pathogenesis of SS, and summarize the progress of non‐clinical studies. Sex differences may influence differences in individualized treatment regimens and further studies are needed.
Comparative efficacy of silver alginate dressings versus standard gauze in enhancing wound healing post‐mastectomy for triple‐negative breast cancer: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Qiang Kejiao , Jiang Hong , Xing Yuanyuan , Liang Xin , Luo Yangfei , Wu Xiao
Published: December 2023

This meta‐analysis evaluates the efficacy of silver alginate dressings (SAD) compared to standard gauze (SG) in enhancing wound healing and reducing scar formation post‐mastectomy in patients with triple‐negative breast cancer. From an initial pool of 1245 articles, five studies met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed that SAD significantly improve early wound healing 1 week post‐mastectomy, as indicated by lower Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, and Approximation (REEDA) scales (I2 = 85%; Random: SMD: −7.08, 95% CI: −8.26 to −5.98, p < 0.01), compared to SG. Additionally, long‐term scar outcomes measured by the Manchester Scar Scale (MSS) 5 months post‐mastectomy showed a notable reduction in scar formation (I2 = 95%; Random: SMD: −12.97, 95% CI: −16.20 to −9.75, p < 0.01)) in the silver alginate group. The findings support the use of SAD in post‐mastectomy care for triple‐negative breast cancer patients but highlight the need for further research on long‐term safety and cost‐effectiveness.
Wound healing and postoperative management in paediatric patients following 27‐Gauge Transconjunctival Sutureless Vitrectomy for vitreoretinal conditions
Authors: WenTao Dong , SanMei Liu , Jie Li , Jie Zhong
Published: December 2023

The utilization of 27‐G TSV, or 27‐Gauge Transconjunctival Sutureless Vitrectomy, poses distinct difficulties in the context of paediatric patients, particularly those younger than 14 years old, on account of the dearth of exhaustive documentation concerning the efficacy and results of these operations. Therefore, this retrospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 27‐G TSV in paediatric patients, with emphasis on management of intraoperative and postoperative complications and postoperative wound healing. A total of 54 eyes of 52 paediatric patients who underwent 27‐G TSV at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital were included in the study. The average duration of follow‐up was 9.32 ± 3.35 months. The complication with the highest incidence rate was Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment (RRD), which was detected in 27.8% cases. Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) and Persistent Fetal Vasculature (PFV) each accounted for 16.7% of the cases. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and Vitreous Haemorrhage (VH) constituted 11.1% and 14.8%, respectively, of the reported cases. Lens injury (1.9%), cannula slippage (7.4%) and wound leakage (5.6%) were intraoperative complications. Iatrogenic retinal detachment occurred at 3.7%. Hypotony (10.8% of patients), vitreous haemorrhage (9.3%), cataract formation (9.3%), ocular hypertension (8.1%) and retinal detachment (5.6%) were postoperative complications. Effective management strategies were executed, such as performing in situ trocar puncture to address cannula slippage and promptly suturing to address wound leakage. 27‐G TSV exhibited promise as the therapeutic alternative for range of vitreoretinal disorders in paediatric patients, accompanied by complications that were controllable during and after the procedure. Strict preoperative planning and precise surgical technique are indispensable in order to maximize patient outcomes and guarantee effective wound healing and recovery within this particular demographic.
Utility of dexmedetomidine on surgical site wound pain undergoing thoracoscopic surgery: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Li Mingzhu , Zhang Kaitian , Lu Huanqian , Liang Yuqiong , Zhang Yuling , Feng Guifeng
Published: December 2023

We conducted this study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine in thoracoscopic surgery on postoperative wound pain, and to provide a reference for clinical use of the drug. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, and supplemented with manual searching. We searched from database inception to October 2023, to collect the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on dexmedetomidine application in thoracoscopic surgery. Two researchers screened all the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and the literature included in the study was evaluated for quality, extracted information and required data. Stata 17.0 software was employed for data analysis and the outcomes were 2 6, 12, 24 and 48 h postoperative wound visual analog scores (VAS). Twenty‐four RCTs totalling 2246 patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery were finally included. The analysis revealed dexmedetomidine applied to thoracoscopic surgery significantly reduced the postoperative wound VAS scores at 2 h (SMD: −0.96, 95% CI: −1.57 to −0.36, p = 0.002), 6 h (SMD: −0.98, 95% CI: −1.27 to −0.69, p < 0.001), 12 h (SMD: −1.19, 95% CI: −1.44 to −0.94, p < 0.001), 24 h (SMD: −0.91, 95% CI: −1.16 to −0.66, p < 0.001) and 48 h (SMD: −0.75, 95% CI: −1.02 to −0.48, p < 0.001). Our results suggest dexmedetomidine applied to thoracoscopic surgery can significantly reduce postoperative wound pain, which is worthy of clinical application.
Evaluating the impact of ultrasound‐guided subsheath versus extrasheath sciatic nerve block on postoperative wound pain in tibial and foot surgeries: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Yu Dongdong , Wang Xiaoyu , Jiang Li , Wu Yajing , Han Shuang , Li Jianli
Published: December 2023

This systematic review and meta‐analysis evaluate the impact of ultrasound‐guided subsheath versus extrasheath sciatic nerve blocks on postoperative wound pain in tibial and foot surgeries, crucial for effective pain management and patient recovery. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, this study used a PICO framework, focusing on patients undergoing tibial and foot surgeries and comparing the efficacy and safety of subsheath and extrasheath sciatic nerve blocks. The literature search spanned four databases without time restrictions, assessing various outcomes like success rate, onset time, duration of analgesia and complication rates. Quality assessment employed the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool, and statistical analyses included heterogeneity assessment, fixed‐effect and random‐effects models, sensitivity analysis and publication bias evaluation using funnel plots and Egger's linear regression test. From an initial pool of 1213 articles, six met the inclusion criteria. The subsheath group showed a significantly higher success rate of complete sensory blockade within 30 min compared with the extrasheath group (OR = 5.39; 95% CI: 2.82–10.28; p < 0.01). No significant differences were found in procedure duration or incidence of nerve‐related complications between the two techniques. The subsheath approach also demonstrated a quicker onset time of sensory blockade (MD = −8.57; 95% CI: −11.27 to −5.88; p < 0.01). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the results, and no significant publication bias was detected. Ultrasound‐guided subsheath sciatic nerve blocks are more effective than extrasheath blocks in achieving rapid and complete sensory blockade for tibial and foot surgeries, with a quicker onset time and comparable safety profile. Subsheath injections are thus recommended as a preferred method for anaesthesia and postoperative pain management in these surgical procedures, enhancing overall patient outcomes.
The effect of learning strategies adopted in K12 schools on student learning in massive open online courses
Authors: Tang Shan , Lei Chi‐Un , Wei Hong Qiang
Published: December 2023

Background

Given students' lack of self‐directed learning skills and the growing concern about implementing massive online open courses (MOOCs) in K12 education, learning strategies are needed to facilitate MOOC learning. Many studies have provided different strategies for effective learning in MOOCs. However, there is still limited research to confirm whether these strategies effectively support MOOC learning when deployed by secondary schools, which are not MOOC developers.

Objectives

This mixed‐method study examines the provision of different learning strategies, including a learning guide, an academic mentoring programme, a training workshop, and a reimbursement scheme, and investigates the impact of these strategies on student learning in MOOCs.

Methods

The study uses two data sources: (1) surveys with 40 participants and (2) semi‐structured interviews with 12 participants. The quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test, and the qualitative data were analysed with thematic analysis.

Results and Conclusion

The findings indicate that MOOC learners had positive attitudes towards the overall school support, with mentoring enjoying great popularity amongst the students. In terms of the effectiveness of the school support, the mentoring programme and reimbursement scheme were more effective than the university training and learning guide. The paper discusses the implications for researchers and educators.
Exploration of the advanced preparation nurse‐mother role in care of children with chronic disease: A narrative inquiry
Authors: Metersky Kateryna , Tan Valerie , Al‐Hamad Areej , Catallo Cristina , Koller Donna , Patel Kiran
Published: December 2023

Aim

To explore the lived experience of advanced preparation nurses (APNs) who are mothers (APN‐mothers) as they seek care in the Emergency Department for a child with a chronic disease.

Design

Qualitative, Narrative Inquiry.

Methods

Narrative Inquiry was used to examine critical self‐reflections of four (n = 4) APN‐mothers. Directed by a question guide, participants engaged in the Narrative Reflective Process through metaphoric and artistic means.

Results

Participants identified salient challenges associated with their experiences. Narrative threads that emerged include feelings around being discovered, unfair expectations by healthcare providers, feelings of guilt and the tension from competing roles: APN and mother.

Conclusion

APN‐mothers represent a unique population with enhanced knowledge, skills and judgement; however, they indicate that there is insufficient communication and interprofessional collaboration between parents and Emergency Department staff. Further research is needed to foster and improve therapeutic relationships between APN‐mothers and healthcare providers.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

Findings can inform the development of family centred care guidelines for healthcare professional parents and their children.

Impact

This study explores the experiences of an understudied population. This research will impact APN‐mothers, healthcare professionals in the Emergency Department as well as nursing students and researchers.

Reporting Method

EQUATOR guidelines and SRQR reporting method used.

Patient or Public Contribution

APN‐mothers, caregivers and support persons of children with chronic disease enacted investigator‐participant roles and were involved in each step of the study process. In addition, some patients (participants' children with chronic diseases) were included in data collected.
Insights into the chaotropic tolerance of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. 029 (Chroococcidiopsales, Cyanobacteria)
Authors: Fagliarone Claudia , Fernandez Beatriz Gallego , Di Stefano Giorgia , Mosca Claudia , Billi Daniela
Published: December 2023

The mechanism of perchlorate resistance of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 029 was investigated by assessing whether the pathways associated with its desiccation tolerance might play a role against the destabilizing effects of this chaotropic agent. During 3 weeks of growth in the presence of 2.4 mM perchlorate, an upregulation of trehalose and sucrose biosynthetic pathways was detected. This suggested that in response to the water stress triggered by perchlorate salts, these two compatible solutes play a role in the stabilization of macromolecules and membranes as they do in response to dehydration. During the perchlorate exposure, the production of oxidizing species was observed by using an oxidant‐sensing fluorochrome and determining the expression of the antioxidant defense genes, namely superoxide dismutases and catalases, while the presence of oxidative DNA damage was highlighted by the over‐expression of genes of the base excision repair. The involvement of desiccation‐tolerance mechanisms in the perchlorate resistance of this desert cyanobacterium is interesting since, so far, chaotropic‐tolerant bacteria have been identified among halophiles. Hence, it is anticipated that desert microorganisms might possess an unrevealed capability of adapting to perchlorate concentrations exceeding those naturally occurring in dry environments. Furthermore, in the endeavor of supporting future human outposts on Mars, the identified mechanisms might contribute to enhance the perchlorate resistance of microorganisms relevant for biologically driven utilization of the perchlorate‐rich soil of the red planet.
Personality and public sector employment in Finland
Authors: Maczulskij Terhi , Viinikainen Jutta
Published: December 2023

Using long‐term Finnish register data on labor market outcomes, we examine how personality traits predict the sorting of individuals into public and private sector employment. Our findings suggest that personality‐based sectoral sorting primarily occurs during the selection of educational fields. Once education and occupation are controlled for, public sector employment is negatively related to self‐confidence among males and extraversion among females. We also find that pecuniary incentives and shifts between the sectors may partly explain these relationships. Overall, our empirical results, combined with values that we use as theoretical mechanisms, suggest that values may serve as mediators explaining our results.
5. Sacroiliac joint pain
Authors: Szadek Karolina , Cohen Steven P. , de Andrès Ares Javier , Steegers Monique , Van Zundert Jan , Kallewaard Jan Willem
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is defined as pain localized in the anatomical region of the SI joint. The reported prevalence of SI joint pain among patients with mechanical low back pain varies between 15% and 30%.

Methods

In this narrative review, the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of SI joint pain was updated and summarized.

Results

Patient's history provides clues on the source of pain. The specificity and sensitivity of provocative maneuvers are relatively high when three or more tests are positive, though recent studies have questioned the predictive value of single or even batteries of provocative tests. Medical imaging is indicated only to rule out red flags for potentially serious conditions. The diagnostic value of SI joint infiltration with local anesthetic remains controversial due to the potential for false‐positive and false‐negative results. Treatment of SI joint pain ideally consists of a multidisciplinary approach that includes conservative measures as first‐line therapies (eg, pharmacological treatment, cognitive‐behavioral therapy, manual medicine, exercise therapy and rehabilitation treatment, and if necessary, psychological support). Intra‐ and extra‐articular corticosteroid injections have been documented to produce pain relief for over 3 months in some people. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the L5 dorsal ramus and S1‐3 (or 4) lateral branches has been shown to be efficacious in numerous studies, with extensive lesioning strategies (eg, cooled RFA) demonstrating the strongest evidence. The reported rate of complications for SI joint treatments is low.

Conclusions

SI joint pain should ideally be managed in a multidisciplinary and multimodal manner. When conservative treatment fails, corticosteroid injections and radiofrequency treatment can be considered.
The evolution history of an allotetraploid mangrove tree analysed with a new tool Allo4D
Authors: Wang Yuan , Li Yulong , Wu Weihong , Shao Shao , Fang Qi , Xu Shaohua , Guo Zixiao , Shi Suhua , He Ziwen
Published: December 2023

Mangrove species are broadly classified as true mangroves and mangrove associates. The latter are amphibious plants that can survive in the intertidal zone and reproduce naturally in terrestrial environments. Their widespread distribution and extensive adaptability make them ideal research materials for exploring adaptive evolution. In this study, we de novo assembled two genomes of mangrove associates (the allotetraploid Barringtonia racemosa (2n = 4x = 52) and diploid Barringtonia asiatica (2n = 2x = 26)) to investigate the role of allopolyploidy in the evolutionary history of mangrove species. We developed a new allotetraploid‐dividing tool Allo4D to distinguish between allotetraploid scaffold‐scale subgenomes and verified its accuracy and reliability using real and simulated data. According to the two subgenomes of allotetraploid B. racemosa divided using Allo4D, the allopolyploidization event was estimated to have occurred approximately one million years ago (Mya). We found that B. racemosa, B. asiatica, and Diospyros lotus shared a whole genome duplication (WGD) event during the K‐Pg (Cretaceous‐Paleozoic) period. K‐Pg WGD and recent allopolyploidization events contributed to the speciation of B. racemosa and its adaptation to coastal habitats. We found that genes in the glucosinolates (GSLs) pathway, an essential pathway in response to various biotic and abiotic stresses, expanded rapidly in B. racemosa during polyploidization. In summary, this study provides a typical example of the adaptation of allopolyploid plants to extreme environmental conditions. The newly developed tool, Allo4D, can effectively divide allotetraploid subgenomes and explore the evolutionary history of polyploid plants, especially for species whose ancestors are unknown or extinct.
Idiopathic eruptive macular pigmentation in a pediatric patient and a review of the literature
Authors: Dhami Ramneek K. , Handfield Chelsea , Johnson Emma F. , Tollefson Megha M.
Published: December 2023

Idiopathic eruptive macular pigmentation (IEMP) is a rare, benign, self‐resolving melanosis consisting of hyperpigmented macules typically on the face, trunk, and extremities that can occur in children and adolescents and often presents a diagnostic conundrum. We report a case involving an 8‐year‐old female whose previous clinical presentation was concerning for an atypical presentation of cutaneous mastocytosis or neurofibromatosis. The clinical and histopathologic evaluation was consistent with the diagnosis of IEMP, and no active intervention was pursued. Our accompanying literature review serves to better characterize this condition, highlight key diagnostic features, and emphasize the tendency for spontaneous resolution to avoid unnecessary treatments with limited clinical efficacy.
Poliosis, hair pigment dilution, and premature graying of the hair: A diagnostic approach in pediatric patients and review of the literature
Authors: Rangu Sneha A. , Oza Vikash S.
Published: December 2023

Poliosis is defined as the absence of melanin in hair, and hair graying typically occurs with hair melanin reduction. Poliosis can occur at any age but presents in childhood in certain genetic and acquired conditions, with many families seeking evaluation from a pediatric dermatologist. Poliosis presents as white hair typically restricted to a certain location of the scalp. Children may also present with a reduction of expected hair pigmentation, referred to as pigment dilution, or the development of hair graying. This review aims to provide a streamlined diagnostic approach for pediatric dermatologists when presented with these hair findings. Poliosis should be recognized as a potential diagnostic feature or initial sign in many syndromes and thus can guide clinicians in diagnosing and managing conditions earlier in a patient's care. Since many of the genetic and acquired conditions that present with poliosis or hair pigment dilution have extracutaneous manifestations, early diagnosis is vital in establishing multidisciplinary care.
Predictors of parenting difficulties at the 18‐month health checkups: A retrospective study using administrative data from infant health checkups
Authors: Amano Moe , Matsumoto Hiroshige , Honda Chikako , Yoshioka‐Maeda Kyoko
Published: December 2023

Objective

This study aimed to identify predictors of parenting difficulties at 18 months from the results of the 4‐, 6–7‐, and 9–10‐month infant health checkups among caregivers who had not experienced difficulties at 4 months.

Design and Samples

This retrospective study used data from infant health checkups conducted in a city in Tokyo from November 2019 to October 2021. The participants were caregiver‐child dyads of children who had undergone four checkups. Low birthweight, preterm, and multiple birth infants, and caregivers who experienced difficulties at 4 months were excluded.

Measurements

Data included caregiver, child‐rearing environment, and child factors at the 4‐, 6–7‐, and 9–10‐month checkups and caregivers’ self‐reported parenting difficulties at the 18‐month checkup.

Results

Of the 555 caregivers, 48 (8.6%) experienced parenting difficulties at 18 months. Logistic regression analyses showed that mothers’ physical condition (4 months), children being male, abnormal child growth (4 months), less than 10th percentile for children's height (6–7 and 9–10 months), and abnormal examination results (6–7 months) were significantly associated with parenting difficulties at 18 months.

Conclusions

To prevent child abuse, public health nurses should consider the identified factors to detect and support caregivers with emerging parenting difficulties.
Unravelling the Functional Role of GthGAPC2 in Cotton's Defense Against Verticillium dahliae through Proteome
Authors: Umer Muhammad Jawad , Batool Raufa , Yang Mengying , Zheng Jie , Nazir Mian Faisal , Wang Heng , Cai Xiaoyan , Hou Yuqing , Xu Yanchao , Wang Yuhong , Liu Ji , Attia Kotb A. , Abushady Asmaa M. , Liu Fang , Zhou Zhongli
Published: December 2023

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is an economically important crop, but its productivity is often hindered by the soil‐borne pathogen Verticillium dahliae. This study aimed to investigate the response of cotton roots to V. dahliae infection by analysing the proteome of Gossypium thurberi (resistant) and Gossypium raimondii (susceptible) at 0 h, 24 h, and 48 h post‐infection. Through weighted protein coexpression network analysis, fifteen hub proteins crucial for defense against V. dahliae were identified. Expression analysis revealed the pivotal role of GthGAPC2, encoding GLYCERALDEHYDE‐3‐PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE 2, in conferring resistance to V. dahliae in cotton. Virus‐induced gene Silencing (VIGS) of GthGAPC2 increased susceptibility to V. dahliae, which was supported by oxidant and antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, GthGAPC2 silencing influenced lignin content, indicating its involvement in lignin biosynthesis regulation. Transient overexpression of GthGAPC2 in tobacco supported its role in cell death processes. Subcellular localization studies showed predominant nuclear localization of GthGAPC2. Overexpression of GthGAPC2 in Arabidopsis also confirms its significant role in V. dahliae resistance. These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms of disease resistance in Gossypium thurberi. Identification of GthGAPC2, as a key protein involved in V. dahliae resistance, and its functional implications can aid breeding strategies for enhancing cotton's disease resistance.
Chara — a living sister to the land plants with pivotal enzymic toolkit for mannan and xylan remodelling
Authors: Franková Lenka , Fry Stephen C.
Published: December 2023

Land‐plant transglycosylases ‘cut‐and‐paste’ cell‐wall polysaccharides by endo‐transglycosylation (transglycanases) and exo‐transglycosylation (transglycosidases). Such enzymes may remodel the wall, adjusting extensibility and adhesion. Charophytes have cell‐wall polysaccharides that broadly resemble, but appreciably differ from land‐plants'. We investigated whether Chara vulgaris has wall‐restructuring enzymes mirroring those of land‐plants.

Wall enzymes extracted from Chara were assayed in vitro for transglycosylase activities on various donor substrates — β‐(1→4)‐glucan‐based [xyloglucan and mixed‐linkage glucans (MLGs)], β‐(1→4)‐xylans and β‐(1→4)‐mannans — plus related acceptor substrates (tritium‐labelled oligosaccharides, XXXGol, Xyl6‐ol and Man6‐ol), thus 12 donor:acceptor permutations. Also, fluorescent oligosaccharides were incubated in situ with Chara, revealing endogenous enzyme action on endogenous (potentially novel) polysaccharides.

Chara enzymes acted on the glucan‐based polysaccharides with [3H]XXXGol as acceptor substrate, demonstrating ‘glucan:glucan‐type’ transglucanases. Such activities were unexpected because Chara lacks biochemically detectable xyloglucan and MLG. With xylans as donor and [3H]Xyl6‐ol (but not [3H]Man6‐ol) as acceptor, high trans‐β‐xylanase activity was detected. With mannans as donor and either [3H]Man6‐ol or [3H]Xyl6‐ol as acceptor, we detected high levels of both mannan:mannan homo‐trans‐β‐mannanase and mannan:xylan hetero‐trans‐β‐mannanase activity, showing that Chara can not only ‘cut/paste’ these hemicelluloses by homo‐transglycosylation but also hetero‐transglycosylate them, forming mannan→xylan (but not xylan→mannan) hybrid hemicelluloses. In in‐situ assays, Chara walls attached endogenous polysaccharides to exogenous sulphorhodamine‐labelled Man6‐ol, indicating transglycanase (possibly trans‐mannanase) action on endogenous polysaccharides.

In conclusion, cell‐wall transglycosylases, comparable to but different from those of land‐plants, pre‐dated the divergence of the Charophyceae from its sister clade (Coleochaetophyceae/Zygnematophyceae/land‐plants). Thus, the ability to ‘cut/paste’ wall polysaccharides is an evolutionarily ancient streptophytic trait.
Whatever happened to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles' guru, and the “TM” movement?
Authors: Sawyer Dana
Published: December 2023

This article redacts certain sections of the author's recent book on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement. Specifically, it offers an updated overview—based on earlier studies—of the TM movement's development and what led to its enormous success, while also providing analysis of the movement using metrics gleaned from the academic study of new religious movements. The author places primary attention on assessing whether or not TM and its attendant philosophy constitutes a religion, and, based primarily on metrics offered by Bainbridge and Stark, argues that it is not only a religion but a variety of Neo‐Hinduism. Attention is also given to the TM movement's deep appeal for the youth culture of the 1960s.
You don't know why you (don't) exercise: The relationship between automatic processes and physical activity (or sedentary behavior): A meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Yu‐Bu , Zhang Zhonghao , Mao Zhi‐Xiong
Published: December 2023

Objectives

This meta‐analysis aimed to examine the relationship between automatic processes and behavior as well as their moderators.

Methods

There were 126 effect sizes (Fisher's Z) extracted from 55 independent research studies involving 10,432 participants. Meta‐analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis Version 3.3. Univariate meta‐regression models were used to analyze underlying moderators.

Results

Meta‐analysis after correction found that automatic processes could significantly and positively predict behavior, but the effect size was small (Fisher's Z = 0.057, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.043, 0.070]).

Conclusions

Different components of automatic processes, task reliability, and study design moderated the relationship between automatic processes and behavior. Future research could explore automatic measures at a neurophysiological level or use population‐matched stimuli for specific populations to improve measure validity. In addition, future research should accumulate evidence on how to reduce sedentary behavior.
Differences between prescriptive and proscriptive gender stereotypes and gendered self‐evaluations in Sweden
Authors: Renström Emma A.
Published: December 2023

This study investigates prescriptive (how women and men should be) and proscriptive (how women and men should not be) gender stereotypes in Sweden and how these stereotypes relate to self‐ascribed gendered traits. In an online survey with students at three major universities (N = 679) it was found that participants believed that the societal view was that women should be more communal than men, but less dominant and men should be more agentic than women, but less weak. In comparison, self‐ratings only differed for communion, such that women rated themselves as more communal than men (there were no differences in self‐ratings of agency, dominance, or weakness). Thus, prescriptive and proscriptive stereotypes and self‐views differed. Women mainly perceived differences between self‐ratings and prescriptions of communion, whereas men mainly perceived differences between self‐ratings and prescriptions of agency. Moreover, women mainly perceived differences between self‐ratings and proscriptions of dominance, and men mainly perceived differences between self‐ratings and proscriptions of weakness. Hence, both women and men perceive larger gaps between self‐evaluations and societally desired and undesired gender stereotypical traits. Future studies should investigate the consequences of such mismatches.
Is one's happiness associated with their spouse's income, and vice versa? Insights from China
Authors: Li Zhongwu , Kong Dewei
Published: December 2023

Objective

This study empirically explores the relationship between spousal income and individual happiness in contemporary China.

Methods

Utilizing three waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data set, we employ a methodological approach involving an ordinal logit model, nearest neighbor matching, inverse probability weighting methods, and a series of robustness tests.

Results

The findings reveal an asymmetric association between spousal income and one's happiness within the family context. Husband's happiness is more positively linked to his own income than his wife's income, whereas the wife's happiness is positively associated with her husband's income rather than her own. This association is more pronounced for women from rural areas and lower‐income households, influenced by traditional gender ideologies and limited economic and political participation.

Conclusion

Our results highlight that women in contemporary China, especially those in rural areas and from lower‐income households, continue to rely on the traditional gender role arrangement for greater well‐being, emphasizing the enduring influence of spousal income on women's happiness.
Large granular lymphocyte lymphoma in 65 dogs (2005–2023)
Authors: Yale Andrew D. , Crawford Asia L. , Gramer Irina , Guillén Alexandra , Desmas Isabelle , Holmes Emma J.
Published: December 2023

Large granular lymphocyte lymphoma (LGLL) is a rare form of lymphoma in dogs. Limited information exists regarding presentation, treatment response, and outcome. The aim of this single‐institute, retrospective study was to characterise clinical presentation, biologic behaviour, outcomes, and prognostic factors for dogs with LGLL. Cytologic review was also performed. Sixty‐five dogs were included. The most common breed was the Labrador retriever (29.2%), and the most common presenting signs were lethargy (60.0%) and hyporexia (55.4%). The most common primary anatomic forms were hepatosplenic (32.8%) and gastrointestinal (20.7%). Twenty dogs (30.8%) had peripheral blood or bone marrow involvement. Thirty‐two dogs were treated with maximum tolerated dose chemotherapy (MTDC) with a response documented in 74.1% of dogs. Dogs ≥7 years, and those with neutropenia or thrombocytopenia at diagnosis had the reduced likelihood of response to treatment. For dogs treated with MTDC median progression‐free interval (PFI) was 17 days (range, 0–481), the median overall survival time (OST) 28 days (range, 3–421), and the 6‐month and 1‐year survival rates were 9.4% and 3.1%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, monocytosis and peripheral blood involvement were significantly associated with shorter PFI and OST. Long‐term survival (≥100 days) was significantly associated with intermediate lymphocyte size on cytology. Dogs with LGLL have moderate response rates to chemotherapy but poor overall survival. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate prognostic factors and guide optimum treatment recommendations.
BAEL: CAN PIVOTING TO BLOCKCHAIN HELP THE EARLY STAGE AGRITECH STARTUP IN INDIA?
Authors: Shyam K C , Srivastava Sushmita , John Lijo
Published: December 2023

Mithil Gandhi, co-founder of the AgriTech platform Bael, was in a dilemma. Gandhi was keen on using blockchain as a core technology for Bael to attract investor funds. His plan of action was to implement blockchain technology that offered a secure, transparent and trustworthy platform for the agri-transactions. However, there were challenges in scaling and attracting the stakeholders to adopt the technology, alignment issues with Bael’s business model, and his own lack of expertise in blockchain. The case also explores Gandhi’s escalation of commitment and how it affects decision making and business alignment.
Multi-Disease Classification of Mango Tree Using Meta-Heuristic-Based Weighted Feature Selection and LSTM Model
Authors: Veling Shripad S. , Mohite-Patil T. B.
Published: December 2023

Global food security can be influenced by the diseases in crop plants as several diseases straightforwardly influence the quality of the grains, vegetables, fruits, etc., which also results in affecting of agricultural productivity. Like other plants, the mango tree is also affected by several diseases, and also the identification of multi-disease classification with a single leaf is more complex, and also it is impossible to detect diseases with bare eyes. Based on the other plants, the mango tree is also affected by various diseases, which is more difficult to detect the disorders with bare eyes. It is error-prone, inconsistent, and unreliable. Here, the mango trees are affected during the production, and also affect the plant health regarding multi-diseases. When the plants are affected by the diseases, it may cause fewer amounts of productivity, as a result, impacting the economy. However, it is more critical to detect plant diseases with the large varieties of trees and plants. Various research tasks on deep learning approaches focus on identifying the diseases in plants including leaves and fruits. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to implement an effective and appropriate technique for diagnosing mango tree diseases and their symptoms through fruit and leaf images, and thus, there is a need for an appropriate system for cost-effective and early solutions to this problem. Hence, the main intention of this work is to implement an efficient and suitable technique for diagnosing mango tree diseases and also identify the symptoms through fruit and leaf images. Intending to overcome the existing challenges, there is a need for an appropriate system for achieving cost-effectiveness and also creating an early solution to resolve this problem. This paper intends to present novel deep learning models for mango tree multi-disease classification. Initially, the data collection is done for gathering the diseased parts of the mango tree in terms of leaf and fruit images. Then, the contrast enhancement of the images is performed by the “Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE)”. For the deep feature extraction of leaf images, and fruit images, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is employed, and the features from both inputs are concatenated for further processing. Further, the weighted feature selection is adopted for selecting the most significant features by the Adaptive Squirrel-Grey Wolf Search Optimization (AS-GWSO). Enhanced “Long Short Term Memory (LSTM)” is applied in the classification part with parameter optimization using the same AS-GWSO for enhancing classification accuracy. At last, the results of the designed system on various mango tree diseases verify that the designed approach has yielded the highest accuracy by evaluating conventional approaches. Therefore, it would also alleviate and treat the affected mango leaf diseases accurately.
Feature Matching-Based Undersea Panoramic Image Stitching in VR Animation
Authors: Tang Yawen , Ren Jianhong
Published: December 2023

The continuous development of virtual reality animation has brought people a new viewing experience. However, there is still a large research space for the construction of virtual scenes. Underwater scenes are complex and diverse, and to obtain more realistic virtual scenes, it is necessary to use video panoramic images as reference modeling in advance. To this end, the study uses the [Formula: see text]-means clustering method to extract key frames from underwater video, and adaptively adjusts the number of clusters to improve the extraction algorithm according to the differences in features. To address the problems of low contrast and severe blurring in underwater images, the study uses an improved non-local a priori recovery method to achieve the recovery process of underwater images. Finally, the final underwater panoramic image is obtained by fading-out image fusion and frame to stitching image synthesis strategy. The experimental analysis shows that the runtime of Model 1 is 21.46[Formula: see text]s, the root mean square error value is 1.89, the structural similarity value is 0.9678, and the average gradient value is 12.59. It can achieve efficient and high-quality panoramic image generation.
AQMon: A Fine-grained Air Quality Monitoring System Based on UAV Images for Smart Cities
Authors: Xia Shuangqing , Xing Tianzhang , Wu Chase Q. , Liu Guoqing , Yang Jiadi , Li Kang
Published: December 2023

Air quality monitoring is important to the green development of smart cities. Several technical challenges exist for intelligent, high-precision monitoring, such as computing overhead, area division, and monitoring granularity. In this article, we propose a fine-grained air quality monitoring system based on visual inspection analysis embedded in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), referred to as
AQMon
. This system employs a lightweight neural network to obtain an accurate estimate of atmospheric transmittance in visual information while reducing computation and transmission overhead. Considering that air quality is affected by multiple factors, we design a dynamic fitting approach to model the relationship between scattering coefficients and PM2.5 concentration in real time. The proposed system is evaluated using public datasets and the results show that
AQMon
outperforms four existing methods with a processing time of 13.8 ms.
Diverse Structure-Aware Relation Representation in Cross-Lingual Entity Alignment
Authors: Zhang Yuhong , Wu Jianqing , Yu Kui , Wu Xindong
Published: December 2023

Cross-lingual entity alignment (CLEA) aims to find equivalent entity pairs between knowledge graphs (KGs) in different languages. It is an important way to connect heterogeneous KGs and facilitate knowledge completion. Existing methods have found that incorporating relations into entities can effectively improve KG representation and benefit entity alignment, and these methods learn relation representation depending on entities, which cannot capture the diverse structures of relations. However, multiple relations in KG form diverse structures, such as adjacency structure and ring structure. This diversity of relation structures makes the relation representation challenging. Therefore, we propose to construct the weighted line graphs to model the diverse structures of relations and learn relation representation independently from entities. Especially, owing to the diversity of adjacency structures and ring structures, we propose to construct adjacency line graph and ring line graph, respectively, to model the structures of relations and to further improve entity representation. In addition, to alleviate the hubness problem in alignment, we introduce the optimal transport into alignment and compute the distance matrix in a different way. From a global perspective, we calculate the optimal 1-to-1 alignment bi-directionally to improve the alignment accuracy. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets show that our proposed method significantly outperforms state-of-the-art CLEA methods in both supervised and unsupervised manners.
Explanation Guided Knowledge Distillation for Pre-trained Language Model Compression
Authors: Yang Zhao , Zhang Yuanzhe , Sui Dianbo , Ju Yiming , Zhao Jun , Liu Kang
Published: December 2023

Knowledge distillation is widely used in pre-trained language model compression, which can transfer knowledge from a cumbersome model to a lightweight one. Though knowledge distillation based model compression has achieved promising performance, we observe that explanations between the teacher model and the student model are not consistent. We argue that the student model should study not only the predictions of the teacher model but also the internal reasoning process. To this end, we propose Explanation Guided Knowledge Distillation (EGKD) in this article, which utilizes explanations to represent the thinking process and improve knowledge distillation. To obtain explanations in our distillation framework, we select three typical explanation methods rooted in different mechanisms, namely
gradient-based
,
perturbation-based
, and
feature selection
methods. Then, to improve computational efficiency, we propose different optimization strategies to utilize the explanations obtained by these three different explanation methods, which could provide the student model with better learning guidance. Experimental results on GLUE demonstrate that leveraging explanations can improve the performance of the student model. Moreover, our EGKD could also be applied to model compression with different architectures.