bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Prognostic Significance of Pyroptosis-Related Genes in Gastric Cancer and Their Impact on Cells’ Biological Functions
Authors: Yin Jie , Che Gang , Wang Wankun , Chen Shitu , Liu Jian
Published: March 2022

Objective

To probe into the role of pyroptosis-related genes in gastric cancer.

Methods

To establish pyroptosis-related genes, observe their expression in gastric cancer, and analyze the prognosis of pyroptosis-related genes in gastric cancer by single-factor COX, which showed that only GSDME had prognostic significance in gastric cancer. The mRNA expression profiles and lncRNA expression profiles of gastric cancer downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas were combined for weighted gene regulatory network analysis, after which the lncRNA nodes of the module to which GSDME belongs were extracted to obtain the lncRNAs−GSDME interactions, which were visualized with Cytoscape network plots. Finally, the effects of GSDME on the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells were observed with CCK8, and flow cytometry.

Results

Our results show that only GSDME has prognostic significance in gastric cancer, and show that it has an important role in a variety of tumors. In addition, our results show that 16 lncRNAs have a significant interaction with GSDME. Finally, the experimental analysis showed that knocking down the expression level of GSDME could affect the growth as well as apoptosis of gastric cancer cells.

Conclusion

The significant prognostic significance of GSDME in gastric cancer and the fact that affecting GSDME expression inhibits gastric cancer cell growth suggest that GSDME can be used as a predictive biomarker.
The Mechanisms of Plasticity of Nociceptive Ion Channels in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy
Authors: Joksimovic Sonja L. , Jevtovic-Todorovic Vesna , Todorovic Slobodan M.
Published: March 2022

Treating pain in patients suffering from small fiber neuropathies still represents a therapeutic challenge for health care providers and drug developers worldwide. Unfortunately, none of the currently available treatments can completely reverse symptoms of either gain or loss of peripheral nerve sensation. Therefore, there is a clear need for novel mechanism-based therapies for peripheral diabetic neuropathy (PDN) that would improve treatment of this serious condition. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms and causes of peripheral sensory neurons damage in diabetes. In particular, we focused on the subsets of voltage-gated sodium channels, TRP family of ion channels and a CaV3.2 isoform of T-type voltage-gated calcium channels. However, even though their potential is well-validated in multiple rodent models of painful PDN, clinical trials with specific pharmacological blockers of these channels have failed to exhibit therapeutic efficacy. We argue that understanding the development of diabetes and causal relationship between hyperglycemia, glycosylation, and other post-translational modifications may lead to the development of novel therapeutics that would efficiently alleviate painful PDN by targeting disease-specific mechanisms rather than individual nociceptive ion channels.
Is It Possible to Separate the Graft-Versus-Leukemia (GVL) Effect Against B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia From Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) After Hematopoietic Cell Transplant?
Authors: Rozmus Jacob , Bhatt Sima T. , Buxbaum Nataliya Prokopenko , Cuvelier Geoffrey D. E. , Li Amanda M. , Kitko Carrie L. , Schultz Kirk R.
Published: March 2022

Hematopoietic cell transplant is a curative therapy for many pediatric patients with high risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Its therapeutic mechanism is primarily based on the generation of an alloreactive graft-versus-leukemia effect that can eliminate residual leukemia cells thus preventing relapse. However its efficacy is diminished by the concurrent emergence of harmful graft-versus-host disease disease which affects healthly tissue leading to significant morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this review is to describe the interventions that have been trialed in order to augment the beneficial graft-versus leukemia effect post-hematopoietic cell transplant while limiting the harmful consequences of graft-versus-host disease. This includes many emerging and promising strategies such as ex vivo and in vivo graft manipulation, targeted cell therapies, T-cell engagers and multiple pharmacologic interventions that stimulate specific donor effector cells.
Results Reporting and Early Termination of Childhood Obesity Trials Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov
Authors: Wang Xinyi , Long Youlin , Yang Liu , Huang Jin , Du Liang
Published: March 2022

Objective

Childhood obesity is one of the most severe challenges of public health in the twenty-first century and may increase the risk of various physical and psychological diseases in adulthood. The prevalence and predictors of unreported results and premature termination in pediatric obesity research are not clear. We aimed to characterize childhood obesity trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and identify features associated with early termination and lack of results reporting.

Methods

Records were downloaded and screened for all childhood obesity trials from the inception of ClinicalTrials.gov to July 29, 2021. We performed descriptive analyses of characteristics, Cox regression for early termination, and logistic regression for lack of results reporting.

Results

We identified 1,312 trials registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. Among clinicalTrials.gov registered childhood obesity-related intervention trials, trial unreported results were 88.5 and 4.3% of trials were prematurely terminated. Additionally, the factors that reduced the risk of unreported outcomes were US-registered clinical studies and drug intervention trials. Factors associated with a reduced risk of early termination are National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other federal agency funding and large trials.

Conclusion

The problem of unreported results in clinical trials of childhood obesity is serious. Therefore, timely bulletin of the results and reasons for termination remain urgent aims for childhood obesity trials.
Analgesic and Anti-Arthritic Activities of Polysaccharides in Chaenomeles speciosa
Authors: Huang Doudou , Jiang Shenggui , Du Zenan , Chen Yanhong , Xue Dan , Wang Xiujuan , Li Mengshuang , Zhang Feng , Chen Wansheng , Sun Lianna
Published: March 2022

Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai has been long used as a folk medicine for rheumatic diseases treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of polysaccharides in Chaenomeles speciosa (CSP) on the pro-inflammatory cytokines and MAPK pathway in complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis and LPS-induced NR8383 cells. We used acetic acid (HAc)-induced writhing and CFA induced paw edema to determine the analgesic activity and anti-inflammatory activity, respectively. CFA rats were administered CSP (12.5, 25.0, and 50.0 mg/kg) daily for 3 weeks via oral gavage. The analgesic test was done using three different doses of the extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg). The anti-arthritic evaluation involved testing for paw swelling, swelling inhibition, and histological analysis in CFA rats. Finally, ELISA, western blot, qRT-PCR were done to determine the effect of CSP on the activation of MAPK pathway, production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated NR838 macrophage cells. In pain models, oral uptake of CSP greatly reduced pain perception. Furthermore, in CFA rats, CSP substantially decreased paw swelling as well as synovial tissue proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration. In addition, CSP was shown to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and COX-2) as well as JNK and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in LPS-stimulated NR8383 cells. Thus, pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and MAPK signaling downregulation promoted the analgesic and anti-arthritic effects of CSP.
Anti-Inflammatory Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh—A Pharmacological Evaluation
Authors: Akhtar Most. Afia
Published: March 2022

Inflammatory diseases are considered major threats to human health worldwide. In Bangladesh, a number of medicinal plants have been used in traditional medicine from time immemorial in the treatment of diverse diseases, including inflammatory disorders. This assignment aims at providing the status of the medicinal plants of Bangladesh which are traditionally used in the management of inflammatory disorders and are investigated for their anti-inflammatory prospects using different preclinical studies and future research directions. The information of medicinal plants assembled in this review was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect up to December, 2020 from publications on plants investigated for their anti-inflammatory activities, in which the place of plant sample collection was identified as Bangladesh. Keywords for primary searches were “anti-inflammatory,” “Bangladeshi,” and “medicinal plants.” Criteria followed to include plant species were plants that showed significant anti-inflammatory activities in 1) two or more sets of experiments in a single report, 2) same or different sets of experiments in two or more reports, and, 3) plants which are traditionally used in the treatment of inflammation and inflammatory disorders. In this study, 48 species of medicinal plants have been reviewed which have been used in traditional healing practices to manage inflammatory disorders in Bangladesh. The mechanistic pathways of thein vivoandin vitrostudy models used for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory properties of plant samples have been discussed. Selected plants were described in further detail for their habitat, anti-inflammatory studies conducted in countries other than Bangladesh, and anti-inflammatory active constituents isolated from these plants if any. Medicinal plants of Bangladesh have immense significance for anti-inflammatory activity and have potential to contribute toward the discovery and development of novel therapeutic approaches to combat diseases associated with inflammation. However, the plants reviewed in this article had chiefly undergone preliminary screening and require substantial investigations including identification of active molecules, understanding the mechanism of action, and evaluation for safety and efficacy to be followed by the formulation of safe and effective drug products.
Opioid Use at End-Of-Life Among Nova Scotia Patients With Cancer
Authors: Minard Laura V. , Fisher Judith , Broadfield Larry , Walsh Gordon , Sketris Ingrid
Published: March 2022

Purpose: To determine the factors associated with opioid analgesic prescriptions as measured by community pharmacy dispensations to all Nova Scotia (NS) patients with cancer at end-of-life from 2005 to 2009.

Methods: The NS Cancer Registry and the NS Prescription Monitoring Program (NSPMP) were used to link Nova Scotians who had a cancer diagnosis and received a prescription for opioids in their last year of life (n = 6,186) from 2005 to 2009. The association of factors with opioid dispensations at end-of-life were determined (e.g., patient demographics, type of prescriber, type of cancer, and opioid type, formulation, and dose).

Results: Almost 54% (n = 6,186) of the end-of-life study population with cancer (n = 11,498) was linked to the NSPMP and therefore dispensed opioids. Most prescriptions were written by general practitioners (89%) and were for strong opioids (81%). Immediate-release formulations were more common than modified-release formulations. Although the annual average parenteral morphine equivalents (MEQ) did not change during the study period, the number of opioid prescriptions per patient per year increased from 5.9 in 2006 to 7.0 in 2009 (p < 0.0001). Patients age 80 and over received the fewest prescriptions (mean 3.9/year) and the lowest opioid doses (17.0 MEQ) while patients aged 40–49 received the most prescriptions (mean 14.5/year) and the highest doses of opioid (80.2 MEQ).

Conclusion: Our study examined opioid analgesic use at end-of-life in patients with cancer for a large real-world population and determined factors, trends and patterns associated with type and dose of opioid dispensed. We provide information regarding how general practitioners prescribe opioid therapy to patients at end-of-life. Our data suggest that at the time of this study, there may have been under-prescribing of opioids to patients with cancer at end-of-life. This information can be used to increase awareness among general practitioners, and to inform recommendations from professional regulatory bodies, to aid in managing pain for cancer patients at end-of-life. Future work could address how opioid prescribing has changed over time, and whether efforts to reduce opioid prescribing in response to the opioid crisis have affected patients with cancer at end-of-life in Nova Scotia.
Experimental Study and DEM Simulation of Size Effects on the Dry Density of Rockfill Material
Authors: Zhao Xiaolong , Zhu Jungao , Wu Yunlong , Jia Yun , Bur Nicolas , Colliat Jean-Baptiste , Bian Hanbing
Published: March 2022

The initial dry density has a significant effect on the mechanical behavior of rockfill material (RFM). The size effects on the minimum/maximum dry density (referred to as dry density,ρd) of RFM still need further study. To investigate the relationship betweenρdanddM, a series of surface vibration compaction tests and DEM simulations are performed on the samples with different maximum particle sizesdM. Both the physical and numerical results exhibit thatρdincreases fast whendMranges from 10 to 40 mm. WhendMexceeds 40 mm,ρdincreases slowly and tends to be a constant. Results indicate thatρdis affected by the gradation. To consider the gradation effect, a normalized parameterλis introduced, and the relation betweenρdanddMcan be characterized by an empirical equation.
Ultra-Short-Pulse Laser Filaments for Float Glass Cutting: Influence of Laser Parameters on Micro Cracks Formation
Authors: Werr Ferdinand , Eppelt Urs , Müllers Ludger , Ligny Dominique de
Published: March 2022

Utilizing ultra-short-pulse laser filamentation of glass is one of the latest developed techniques to cut glass. In comparison with other techniques the superior benefits are a small heat-affected zone, a quasi-non-gap cut, and the possibility to free from cut. However, despite the large interest in the laser/glass interaction for various laser sources and pulse durations, the process of cleaving and the underlying mechanisms are fairly undescribed. In this study, we utilized a Nd:YAG laser with an average power of 100 W, a center wavelength of 1,064 nm, and a pulse duration of 12 ps via a specially designed optic to generate laser filamentation in soda-lime- and borosilicate glass with varying Pitch and Burst parameters. The filaments and cut edge are analyzed with scanning electron- and laser scanning microscopy to study the topological phenomena and roughness. Photoelastic measurements were done to assess the stress distribution within the glass and show cumulative interactions at the filament extremity. From the observations made, phenomenological models are proposed to describe the initial micro crack formation considering the shock wave and thermal influence caused by the laser pulses. Two types of micro cracks are identified, with radial cracks passing through the filament and bypass cracks that form around the laser-affected zone. Models are elaborated for both glass types to evaluate the influence of a parameter change on the micro crack formation and the cleaving guidance. The different behavior between soda-lime- and borosilicate glass, with their distinct physical properties, helps to interpret the influence of laser parameters on the micro crack formation and the cleaving guidance.
The Exact Timing of Microinjection of Parthenogenetic Silkworm Embryos Is Crucial for Their Successful Transgenesis
Authors: Zabelina Valeriya , Vrchotova Marketa , Yonemura Naoyuki , Sezutsu Hideki , Tamura Toshiki , Klymenko Vyacheslav , Sehnal Frantisek , Zurovec Michal , Sehadova Hana , Sauman Ivo
Published: March 2022

The use of parthenogenetic silkworm (Bombyx mori) strains, which eliminate the problem of recombination, is a useful tool for maintaining transgenic clonal lines. The generation of genetically identical individuals is becoming an important tool in genetic engineering, allowing replication of an existing advantageous trait combination without the mixing that occurs during sexual reproduction. Thus, an animal with a particular genetic modification, such as the ability to produce transgenic proteins, can reproduce more rapidly than by natural mating. One obstacle to the widespread use of parthenogenesis in silkworm genetic engineering is the relatively low efficiency of downstream transgenesis techniques. In this work, we seek to optimize the use of transgenesis in conjunction with the production of parthenogenetic individuals. We found that a very important parameter for the introduction of foreign genes into a parthenogenetic strain is the precise timing of embryo microinjection. Our modification of the original method increased the efficiency of transgene injection as well as the survival rate of injected embryos. We also provide a detailed description of the methodological procedure including a graphical overview of the entire protocol.
Overexpression of the Potato Monosaccharide Transporter StSWEET7a Promotes Root Colonization by Symbiotic and Pathogenic Fungi by Increasing Root Sink Strength
Authors: Tamayo Elisabeth , Figueira-Galán David , Manck-Götzenberger Jasmin , Requena Natalia
Published: March 2022

Root colonization by filamentous fungi modifies sugar partitioning in plants by increasing the sink strength. As a result, a transcriptional reprogramming of sugar transporters takes place. Here we have further advanced in the characterization of the potato SWEET sugar transporters and their regulation in response to the colonization by symbiotic and pathogenic fungi. We previously showed that root colonization by the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis induces a major transcriptional reprogramming of the 35 potato SWEETs, with 12 genes induced and 10 repressed. In contrast, here we show that during the early colonization phase, the necrotrophic fungus Fusarium solani only induces one SWEET transporter, StSWEET7a, while represses most of the others (25). StSWEET7a was also induced during root colonization by the hemi-biotrophic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tuberosi. StSWEET7a which belongs to the clade II of SWEET transporters localized to the plasma membrane and transports glucose, fructose and mannose. Overexpression of StSWEET7a in potato roots increased the strength of this sink as evidenced by an increase in the expression of the cell wall-bound invertase. Concomitantly, plants expressing StSWEET7a were faster colonized by R. irregularis and by F. oxysporum f. sp. tuberosi. The increase in sink strength induced by ectopic expression of StSWEET7a in roots could be abolished by shoot excision which reverted also the increased colonization levels by the symbiotic fungus. Altogether, these results suggest that AM fungi and Fusarium spp. might induce StSWEET7a to increase the sink strength and thus this gene might represent a common susceptibility target for root colonizing fungi.
GhLBDs Promote Callus Initiation and Act as Selectable Markers to Increase Transformation Efficiency
Authors: Wang Ye , Yuan Jiachen , Wei Xi , Chen Yanli , Chen Quanjia , Ge Xiaoyang
Published: March 2022

Detached organs or differentiated tissues could form a mass of pluripotent cells termed as callus on an auxin-rich medium, the underlying molecular mechanism of which remains elusive in cotton. LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) transcription factor is a key regulator of plant cell totipotency/pluripotency, and a number of cotton GhLBDs with high-level differential expression during the callus induction process have been identified. Their overexpression in cotton calli fostered promotions in and callus induction without exogenous auxin. Expression analysis and histological observation using paraffin sectioning suggested that the first 72 h on culture is a key time point for callus initiation, whereby the GhLBDs showed high transcript abundance and enlarged calli that were rapidly developed from procambium and cambium. GhLBDs’ expression level could be precisely modulated by the gradient concentrations of exogenous auxin, whereas auxin transport inhibitor 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid could severely inhibit its expression. The LBD-mediated callus formation was also dependent on the expression levels of GhLBDs. Further, a β-estradiol-inducible promoter pER8 was used to drive GhLBD18-1 expression, which led to rapid callus proliferation, suggesting that pER8/GhLBD18-1 could be used as a selectable marker system to replace the existing antibiotic/herbicide-resistance selectable markers in plant transformation. Our study provides new insights for callus initiation regulatory mechanism and strategies for improving transformation efficiency in cotton.
The Plant Invertase/Pectin Methylesterase Inhibitor Superfamily
Authors: Coculo Daniele , Lionetti Vincenzo
Published: March 2022

Invertases (INVs) and pectin methylesterases (PMEs) are essential enzymes coordinating carbohydrate metabolism, stress responses, and sugar signaling. INVs catalyzes the cleavage of sucrose into glucose and fructose, exerting a pivotal role in sucrose metabolism, cellulose biosynthesis, nitrogen uptake, reactive oxygen species scavenging as well as osmotic stress adaptation. PMEs exert a dynamic control of pectin methylesterification to manage cell adhesion, cell wall porosity, and elasticity, as well as perception and signaling of stresses. INV and PME activities can be regulated by specific proteinaceous inhibitors, named INV inhibitors (INVIs) and PME Inhibitors (PMEIs). Despite targeting different enzymes, INVIs and PMEIs belong to the same large protein family named “Plant Invertase/Pectin Methylesterase Inhibitor Superfamily.” INVIs and PMEIs, while showing a low aa sequence identity, they share several structural properties. The two inhibitors showed mainly alpha-helices in their secondary structure and both form a non-covalent 1:1 complex with their enzymatic counterpart. Some PMEI members are organized in a gene cluster with specific PMEs. Although the most important physiological information was obtained in Arabidopsis thaliana, there are now several characterized INVI/PMEIs in different plant species. This review provides an integrated and updated overview of this fascinating superfamily, from the specific activity of characterized isoforms to their specific functions in plant physiology. We also highlight INVI/PMEIs as biotechnological tools to control different aspects of plant growth and defense. Some isoforms are discussed in view of their potential applications to improve industrial processes. A review of the nomenclature of some isoforms is carried out to eliminate confusion about the identity and the names of some INVI/PMEI member. Open questions, shortcoming, and opportunities for future research are also presented.
Complexity, Cooperation, and Public Goods: Quality of Place at Nixtun-Ch'ich', Petén, Guatemala
Authors: Pugh Timothy W. , Rice Prudence M. , Chan Nieto Evelyn M. , Georges Jemima
Published: March 2022

Public goods are “non-excludable” and “non-rivalrous” resources, including roads, water management systems, and plazas, as well as “symbolic public goods,” such as religious architecture and social identity. Public goods occur in greater abundance in cities with more cooperative and inclusive forms of organization, which seems to undermine arguments that elites constructed them to augment their power. Such goods are major “pull” factors drawing migration to modern cities, but ancient cities also had public goods that likely attracted immigrants, increasing their population and diversity. We examine these ideas at Middle Preclassic-period (cal 800–300 BC) Nixtun-Ch'ich', in Petén, Guatemala. This city and other Preclassic metropoles in the Maya lowlands seem to have been on the more-cooperative end of a cooperative–competitive spectrum, compared to most cities of the Classic period (AD 200–900). We also speculate about how symbolic public goods were coopted to create a more exclusive social system in the Late Preclassic period (300 BC–AD 200).
Talent Cultivation of New Ventures by Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Back Propagation Under Deep Learning
Authors: Han Fanshen , Zhang Chenxi , Zhu Delong , Zhang Fengrui
Published: March 2022

This study combines the discovery methods and training of innovative talents, China’s requirements for improving talent training capabilities, and analyses the relationship between the number of professional enrollments in colleges and universities and the demand for skills in specific places. The research learns the characteristics and training models of innovative talents, deep learning (DL), neural networks, and related concepts of the seasonal difference Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) Model. These concepts are used to propose seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average back propagation (SARIMA-BP). Firstly, the SARIMA-BP artificially sets the weight parameter values and analyzes the model’s convergence speed, superiority, and versatility. Then, particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to pre-process the model and test its independence. The accuracy of the model is checked to ensure its proper performance. Secondly, the model analyzes and predicts the relationship between the number of professional enrollments of 10 colleges and universities in a specific place and the talent demand of local related enterprises. Moreover, the established model is optimized and tested by wavelet denoising. Independent testing is done to ensure the best possible performance of the model. Finally, the weight value will not significantly affect the model’s versatility obtained by experiments. The prediction results of professional settings and corporate needs reveal that: there is a moderate correlation between professional locations and corporate needs; colleges and universities should train professional talents for local enterprises and eliminate the practical education concepts.
Influences of First and Second Language Phonology on Spanish Children Learning to Read in English
Authors: Hevia-Tuero Carmen , Incera Sara , Suárez-Coalla Paz
Published: March 2022

Children learning to read in two different orthographic systems are exposed to cross-linguistic interferences. We explored the effects of school (Monolingual, Bilingual) and grade (2nd, 4th, and 6th) on phonological activation during a visual word recognition task. Elementary school children from Spain completed a lexical decision task in English. The task included real words and pseudohomophones following Spanish or English phonological rules. Using the mouse-tracking paradigm, we analyzed errors, reaction times, and computer mouse movements. Children in the bilingual school performed better than children in the monolingual school. Children in higher grades performed better than children in lower grades. The interference effect of Spanish phonology was weak and became weaker in higher grades. Spanish children differentiate between first and second language grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences since early on in the educational process. In 6th grade, children from the bilingual school responded better to words and Spanish pseudohomophones, while children from the monolingual school were less distracted by the English pseudohomophones. Children in the bilingual school had stronger inhibition of Spanish (L1) phonology and stronger activation of English (L2) phonology. Instructional method plays an important role on the processing strategies Spanish children rely on when reading in English. School and grade influence the link between orthographic and phonological representations.
Gender Differences in the Associations Between Perceived Parenting Styles and Young Adults’ Cyber Dating Abuse
Authors: Paleari F. Giorgia , Celsi Laura , Galati Desirèe , Pivetti Monica
Published: March 2022

Existing literature indicates that parenting styles affect the development of cyber aggression in offspring differently, depending on the gender of children. The present study investigates whether mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles show similar gender differences in their associations with a new form of dating violence, i.e., cyber dating abuse (CDA). The limited evidence on the issue focuses on the relation that each parenting style has with CDA perpetration, without considering CDA victimization and the joint effects of fathers’ and mothers’ parenting styles. The present study contributes to the research on gender differences in parenting by examining whether young adults’ perceptions of maternal and paternal parenting styles during childhood were independently and/or jointly related to their perpetrated and suffered CDA and whether these relations differed across young adults’ gender. In total, 351 young adults (50.7% men), age between 18 and 35 years and having a romantic relationship, completed online self-reports of the variables of interest that include a bidimensional measure of perpetrated/suffered CDA that assess aggression and control. Results showed that maternal authoritarian parenting was uniquely and positively associated to their children’s perpetration and victimization of cyber dating control, whereas maternal permissive parenting was uniquely and positively related to their children’s perpetration of cyber dating aggression and victimization of cyber dating control. For daughters, these associations were stronger when the father’s style was similar to the mother’s one or when a maternal authoritarian style combined with a paternal permissive style, thus indicating that the two parents’ parenting styles interact in relating to their daughters’ CDA.
The Yin–Yang Definition Model of Mental Health: The Mental Health Definition in Chinese Culture
Authors: Wang Kai
Published: March 2022

It is a common aim of psychologists to construct a definition model with universal cultural applicability for mental health. These models can be divided into two types in terms of definition: One is the negative mental health definition model based on the absence of mental illness symptoms; the other is the definition model of positive mental health based on subjective feelings, such as happiness and social identity. However, neither of these definitions can properly explain Chinese people’s understanding of mental health or how mental health is dealt with in Chinese culture. This paper proposes a Yin–Yang definition model of mental health based on the theory of personality of Confucianism and Taoism. This model not only properly describes the understanding of mental health in traditional Chinese culture, but also explains East Asian psychotherapy and mental health practices in the context of Chinese culture.
Judgment and Embodied Cognition of Lawyers. Moral Decision-Making and Interoceptive Physiology in the Legal Field
Authors: Angioletti Laura , Tormen Federico , Balconi Michela
Published: March 2022

Past research showed that the ability to focus on one’s internal states (e.g., interoceptive ability) positively correlates with the self-regulation of behavior in situations that are accompanied by somatic and/or physiological changes, such as emotions, physical workload, and decision-making. The analysis of moral oriented decision-making can be the first step for better understanding the legal reasoning carried on by the main players in the field, as lawyers are. For this reason, this study investigated the influence of the decision context and interoceptive manipulation on the moral decision-making process in the legal field gathering the responses of two groups of lawyers. A total of 20 lawyers were randomly divided into an experimental group (EXP), which was explicitly required to focus the attention on its interoceptive correlates, and a control group (CON), which only received the general instruction to perform the task. Both groups underwent a modified version of the Ultimatum Game (UG), where are presented three different moral conditions (professional, company, and social) and three different offers (fair, unfair, and equal). Results highlighted a significant increase of Acceptance Rate (AR) in those offers that should be considered more equal than fair or unfair ones, associated with a general increase of Reaction Times (RTs) in the equal offers. Furthermore, the interoceptive manipulation oriented the Lawyers toward a more self-centered decision. This study shows how individual, situational, contextual, and interoceptive factors may influence the moral decision-making of lawyers. Future research in the so-called Neurolaw field is needed to replicate and expand current findings.
Teacher Evaluation of a Self-Directed Career Guidance Intervention for South African Secondary School Learners Amidst Severe COVID-19 Restrictions
Authors: van Schalkwyk Izanette , Streicher Chantel , Naidoo Anthony V. , Rabie Stephan , Jäckel-Visser Michelle , van den Berg Francois
Published: March 2022

The South African government’s COVID-19 pandemic risk mitigation strategies significantly limited social contact, which necessitated a novel approach to existing face-to-face career guidance practices. The Grade 9 Career Guidance Project, originally developed as a group-based career development intervention, required radical adaptation into a self-directed, manualized format to offer career guidance to Grade 9 learners from low-income communities amid a global pandemic. The adaptation and continuation of the project was deemed essential as secondary school learners in low-income communities have limited career guidance support. Furthermore, a close collaboration with the teachers at eight resource-constrained South African secondary schools was vital for successful implementation. To assess the success of the adaptation to a self-directed format, a mixed-methods design was employed, and Life Orientation teachers’ evaluative feedback was solicited (n = 11). Favorable quantitative results were obtained; majority of teachers agreed that learners enjoyed the booklet (manualized format) and that it was deemed an adequate substitute to the previous contact-based format of the Career Guidance Project. This was also confirmed by the qualitative findings revealing teachers’ satisfaction with the booklet’s content, specifically that the booklet is complementary to the Life Orientation curriculum. Qualitative findings identified specific contextual barriers that contributed to some learners struggling to use the booklet optimally. The results suggest that it is feasible and acceptable to implement a self-directed career guidance intervention among secondary school learners amid a global pandemic. Teachers recommended ways to integrate the booklet, resources, and contact sessions as a preferred way forward. These findings have important implications for similar resource-constrained settings that may not have readily access to in-person career guidance and counseling human development.
Emotion Analysis and Happiness Evaluation for Graduates During Employment
Authors: Hang Lanlv , Zhang Tianfeng , Wang Na
Published: March 2022

Happiness can be regarded as an evaluation of life satisfaction. A high level of wellbeing can promote self-fulfillment and build a rational, peaceful, self-esteem, self-confidence, and positive social mentality. Therefore, the analysis of the factors of happiness is of great significance for the continuous improvement of the individual’s sense of security and gain and the realization of the maximization of self-worth. Emotion is not only an important internal factor that affects happiness, but it can also accurately reflect the individual’s happiness. However, most of current happiness evaluation methods based on the emotional analysis belong to shallow learning paradigm, making the deep learning method unexploited for automatically happiness decoding. In this article, we analyzed the emotions of graduates during their employment and studied its influence on personal happiness at work. We proposed deep restricted Boltzmann machine (DRBM) for graduates’ happiness evaluation during employment. Furthermore, to mitigate the information loss when passing through many network layers, we introduced the skip connections to DRBM and proposed a deep residual RBM (DRRBM) for enhancing the valuable information. We further introduced an attention mechanism to DRRBM to focus on the important factors. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method on the happiness evaluation tasks, we conducted extensive experiments on the statistical data of the China Comprehensive Social Survey (CGSS). Compared with the state-of-the-art methods, our method shows better performance, which proves the practicability and feasibility of our method for happiness evaluation.
Is the Health Behavior in School-Aged Survey Questionnaire Reliable and Valid in Assessing Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Young Populations? A Systematic Review
Authors: Su Yang , Zhang Yanjie , Chen Si-Tong , Hong Jin-Tao , Wang Hongying
Published: March 2022

Backgrounds

Using the self-reported questionnaire to assess the levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) has been a widely recognized method in public health and epidemiology research fields. The selected items of the Health Behavior in School-aged (HBSC) Survey Questionnaire have been used globally for measurements and assessments in PA and SB of children and adolescents. However, there are no comprehensive and critical reviews to assess the quality of studies on reliability and validity of selected items for PA and SB measurement and assessment derived from the HBSC. Thus, this review aimed to critically assess the quality of those studies and summary evidence for future recommendations.

Methods

A systematic review protocol was used to search potentially eligible studies on assessing reliability and validity of PA and SB measures of the HBSC questionnaire. electronically academic databases were used. The information on the reliability and validity of the PA and SB measures were extracted and evaluated with well-recognized criteria or assessment tools.

Results

After a literature search, six studies were included in this review. The reliability of PA measures of the HBSC questionnaire showed a moderate agreement while the reliability of SB measures showed a great variation across the different items in the different subgroups. The validity of the PA measures had acceptable performance, whereas no studies assess the validity of the SB measures. The included studies all had quality weaknesses on reliability or validity analysis.

Conclusions

The PA and SB measures of the HBSC questionnaires were reliable in assessing PA and SB among adolescents. However, a little evidence showed that PA measures are partially valid in assessing PA, but no evidence confirmed the validity of SB measures. The included studies all had methodological weaknesses in examining the reliability and validity of the PA and SB measures, which should be addressed in the future. Further studies are encouraged to use a more standardized study design to examine the reliability and validity of the PA and SB measures in more young populations.
The Incidence and Characteristics of Perinatal Stroke in Beijing: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Xia Qianqian , Yang Zhao , Xie Yao , Zhu Ying , Yang Zixin , Hei Mingyan , Ding Yingxue , Kong Weijing , Kang Limin , Yang Shengnan , Mei Yabo , Feng Zhichun , Zhang Li , Lei Yanzhe , Wang Ping , Dong Jingyu , Yang Li , Ju Jun , Chang Hesheng , Zhan Shina , Yu Jinqian , Zhang Peng , Wang Ran , Guo Hui , Liu Xinli , Tan Huaqing , Liu Yakun , Zhang Zhenzong , Zhen Lixia , Yan Jinting , Liu Zhan , Yang Chunxia , Wang Qingqing , Wang Jinfeng , Sun Lifang , Zeng Huihui , Li Jing , Qu Wenwen , Wang Xuemei , Liu Guiying , Yang Xi , Liu Xinxin , Zhang Xuefeng , Xu Xiaojing , Gu Yanan , Long Hui , Zhang Li , Liu Lili , Tang Zezhong , Hou Xinlin
Published: March 2022

Objective

To assess the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of perinatal stroke in Beijing.

Methods

This multicenter prospective study included all the live births from 17 representative maternal delivery hospitals in Beijing from March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020. Neonates with a stroke were assigned to the study group. Clinical data, including general information, clinical manifestations, and risk factors, were collected. Up until 18 months after birth, neonates were routinely assessed according to the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and/or the Bayley scale. Statistical analysis was done using the chi-squared, t-tests, and logistic regression analysis using SPSS version 26.0.

Outcomes

In total, 27 cases were identified and the incidence of perinatal stroke in Beijing was 1/2,660 live births, including 1/5,985 for ischemic stroke and 1/4,788 for hemorrhagic stroke. Seventeen cases (62.96%) of acute symptomatic stroke and convulsions within 72 h (10 cases, 37.04%) were the most common presentations. Ten patients showed no neurological symptoms and were found to have had a stroke through routine cranial ultrasonography after being hospitalized for non-neurological diseases. The risk factors include primiparity, placental or uterine abruption/acute chorioamnionitis, intrauterine distress, asphyxia, and severe infection. In the study group, 11.1% (3/27) of patients had adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The patients in the study group had lower scores for the ASQ than those in the control group in the communication, gross, and fine motor dimensions.

Conclusion

The incidence of perinatal stroke in Beijing was consistent with that in other countries. Routine neuroimaging of infants with risk factors may enable identification of asymptomatic strokes in more patients. Patients who have suffered from a stroke may have neurological sequelae; therefore, early detection, treatment, and regular follow-ups are beneficial for improving their recovery outcomes.
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Virus (COVID-19) Preventative Measures on Communication: A Scoping Review
Authors: Oosthuizen Ilze , Saunders Gabrielle H. , Manchaiah Vinaya , Swanepoel De Wet
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Face coverings and distancing as preventative measures against the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 may impact communication in several ways that may disproportionately affect people with hearing loss. A scoping review was conducted to examine existing literature on the impact of preventative measures on communication and to characterize the clinical implications.

Method

A systematic search of three electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL) was conducted yielding 2,158 articles. After removing duplicates and screening to determine inclusion eligibility, key data were extracted from the 50 included articles. Findings are reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews, including the PRISMA-ScR checklist.

Results

Studies fell into three categories: Studies addressing the impacts of personal protective equipment (PPE) and/or distancing on communication in healthcare contexts (n = 20); studies examining the impact of preventative measures on communication in everyday life (n = 13), and studies measuring the impact of face coverings on speech using acoustic and/or behavioral measures (n = 29). The review revealed that masks disrupt verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as emotional and social wellbeing and they impact people with hearing loss more than those without. These findings are presumably because opaque masks attenuate sound at frequencies above 1 kHz, and conceal the mouth and lips making lipreading impossible, and limit visibility of facial expressions. While surgical masks cause relatively little sound attenuation, transparent masks and face shields are highly attenuating. However, they are preferred by people with hearing loss because they give access to visual cues.

Conclusion

Face coverings and social distancing has detrimental effects that extend well beyond verbal and non-verbal communication, by affecting wellbeing and quality of life. As these measures will likely be part of everyday life for the foreseeable future, we propose that it is necessary to support effective communication, especially in healthcare settings and for people with hearing loss.
A Multistage Heterogeneous Stacking Ensemble Model for Augmented Infant Cry Classification
Authors: Joshi Vinayak Ravi , Srinivasan Kathiravan , Vincent P. M. Durai Raj , Rajinikanth Venkatesan , Chang Chuan-Yu
Published: March 2022

Understanding the reason for an infant's cry is the most difficult thing for parents. There might be various reasons behind the baby's cry. It may be due to hunger, pain, sleep, or diaper-related problems. The key concept behind identifying the reason behind the infant's cry is mainly based on the varying patterns of the crying audio. The audio file comprises many features, which are highly important in classifying the results. It is important to convert the audio signals into the required spectrograms. In this article, we are trying to find efficient solutions to the problem of predicting the reason behind an infant's cry. In this article, we have used the Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients algorithm to generate the spectrograms and analyzed the varying feature vectors. We then came up with two approaches to obtain the experimental results. In the first approach, we used the Convolution Neural network (CNN) variants like VGG16 and YOLOv4 to classify the infant cry signals. In the second approach, a multistage heterogeneous stacking ensemble model was used for infant cry classification. Its major advantage was the inclusion of various advanced boosting algorithms at various levels. The proposed multistage heterogeneous stacking ensemble model had the edge over the other neural network models, especially in terms of overall performance and computing power. Finally, after many comparisons, the proposed model revealed the virtuoso performance and a mean classification accuracy of up to 93.7%.